26o BEE MANIPULATION. [Ch. v. 



most ample venlilatlon shoiild be allowed. The bees 

 are of course gorged at the time, and in that condition - 

 they are most particularly in need of air ; while on the 

 other hand the fact of their imprisonment, together with 

 the shaking attendant on carriage, irritates them and 

 causes them to make such a commotion, that without 

 stringent precautions they would very probably be stifled, 

 and of course the finer the colony the greater is the danger. 



With an ordinary skep this supply of air cannot be 

 ensured at the top, so that it becomes necessary, if the 

 journey is to last longer than an hour or two, to invert 

 the hive. This must be done mth great caution and 

 always in the direction in which the combs run. A sheet 

 of perforated zinc on a board, or a piece of coarse canvas 

 or cheese-cloth, may then be nailed or otherwise fastened 

 with string over the base, thus taking the place of the 

 floor-board, and it is needless to say that this should be 

 done in such a manner that not a single bee can escape. 

 If the journey is likely to be one of more than a few hours 

 it will not do to employ any soft material, as it would 

 in that time be gnawed through ; but wire-cloth would 

 answer as well as perforated zinc. 



As a preliminary to any remove, smoke should be 

 blown in at the entrance repeatedly during half an hour, 

 after which it may be judged that all on the wing will 

 have returned. For carrying a swarm, either a skep or 

 box or anything will serve, and it must be secured and 

 carried mouth upwards in the same way. 



