12 PEARCE METHOD OF BEE-KEEPING 



siding crosswise. Nail with finishing nails and clinch good. 

 And when all is secure, you can then saw down these four- 

 piece shutters between every other studding, taking care 

 to saw perfectly square across, so they will open good. After 

 this is done all along the length of your house, you can pro- 

 ceed to finish to the top of your building. Now with five- 

 inch strap hinges, you can hinge these shutters at the 

 top, putting on two or three pairs on each shutter. At the 

 bottom of these shutters, you can fasten with a button 

 inside, the shutters to swing outward. If you would like 

 to open from the inside you could attach a rope to each 

 shutter and have it pass over a pulley or over a hook high 

 enough so one could draw the shutter clear up against the 

 wall if you wished to. Now, I believe, for the benefit of 

 having lots of air and light, I would put these shutters on 

 both sides, to take advantage of light and wind, in order to 

 get light for working with the bees. I wish to emphasize 

 this, as bees are so much more apt to sting if it is at all dark, 

 therefore, always and under all conditions in working with 

 bees, see that you always have plenty of light. Father Lang- 

 stroth also warned against working with bees in the dark, 

 as they would sting badly. 



Now about the little table in the aisle: If you should 

 want to pull back a swarm to shake them in front for any 

 reason, which does not often occur, this table would be a 

 convenience, or for carrying tools on. I would make this 

 table as follows : 



Make it the width of the aisle and about as big the other 

 way, which will be about 30 inches each way. Make sup- 

 ports by nailing two cleats on the under side, supports to 

 be cut out of six-inch stuff, twenty-six inches long, and they 

 will project two inches beyond your table; then you can 

 saw down close to table into those pieces nearly two inches 

 and split out ; now lay an inch and a half or two-inch strip on 

 this support, and on these slide your table. You will notice 

 in the picture of the house shown, that we have rollers under 

 the table, but these are not necessary, and we wish to 

 economize, so they can be dispensed with — now this com- 

 pletes it. 



You might think that bees would come in through these 

 open shutters and bother you, but they will not. Bees are 

 always looking how they can get out, never in. 



