and its Economic Management. 239 



There is not the slightest sense of degradation attached to 

 the occupation. It is in every respect a soul-inspiring and 

 intensely interesting study, followed by hundreds of cultured 

 people. 



Be'es are never idle except from sheer force of circum- 

 stances ; and what do you think they do in winter ? When 

 it is very cold they simply clusteJIn one compact mass ; but 

 with each returning spell of milder vlreather this living ball 

 expands, and many of the little insects travel to and from the 

 most distant sealed combs of honey, and commencing on the 

 outer surface of each outside comb the whole of the honey 

 there stored is carried to those cells in close contact with the 

 cluster. Though this process is repeated as often as oppor- 

 tunity occurs, there is no variation in the manner of proceeding, 

 for the food in the intermediate combs is never disturbed until 

 its turn comes in due -order for clearance. 



Now I will tell you of the best swarm catcher, the most 

 simple and the least expensive ; indeed it costs nothing and is 

 not new either. Just think of all the clap-traps on this and 

 the other side of the ' big pond,' and you may Well ask why 

 bee-keepers are running after these expensive swarm-catching 

 fads when by simply clipping the wings of the queens the whole 

 question is popped into a nutshell. 



Pick your queen up in the left hand ; hold her firmly but 

 gently between the thumb and forefingers, and with a pair of 

 small sharp scissors clip off a small portion of the larger wing 

 on one side. She will never lead a swarm away, and the bees 

 will return to the mother hive as surely as if the complicated 

 traps were in use. 



