PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 141 



to a distance. Boxes can be taken off either at morning 

 or evening ; if in the morning, they may stand several 

 hours when the sun is not too hot, but on no account let 

 them stand in the sun in the middle of the day, as the 

 combs will melt. The bees will all leave, sometimes in an , 

 hour ; at others it will take longer. Tijey may be taken 

 off at evening, and let stand until morning, in fair weather ; 

 if not too cool, they are generally all out, but when they 

 stand so long, there is some risk of the moth finding them. 



HOW TO GET KID OF THE BEES. 



When boxes are taken off at the end of the honey sea- 

 son, a different method of getting rid of the bees must be 

 adopted, or we shall lose the honey. Unless the combs 

 are all finished, we shall inevitably lose some, as most of 

 the bees fill themselves before leaving. They carry it 

 home, and return immediately for more, and will take it 

 aU if not prevented. It is recommended to take the boxes 

 to some dark room, with a small opening to let the bees 

 out. In the course of the day they will generally all leave, 

 but I have found this method unsafe, as they sometimes 

 find their way back. When a large number of boxes are 

 to be managed, a more expeditious mode is, to have a 

 large box with close joints, or an empty hogshead, or a 

 few barrels with one head out, set in a convenient place. 

 Put the boxes in, one above another, so as not to stop 

 the holes, and throw over the top a thin cloth, to admit 

 the light. The bees will leave the boxes, creep to the top, 

 and get on the cloth. Turn this over a few times, and 

 you wiU thus get rid of all the bees with but little loss of 

 honey. AU the old bees wiU return to the hive, but a few 

 young ones will be lost. 



BEES NOT DIS70SED TO STING. 



Bees seldom offer to sting during this operation, even 

 when the box is taken off without smoke, and carried 



