33 



MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 



,Fill both tlio hives -with empty frames, and return the new hive to its former 

 position. The old bees will return to the old colony, wliile the young ones will 

 remain peaceably with the new queen. The old colony will now contain at least 

 seven frames of brood, honey, etc., the old queen, and plenty of bees, so that 

 they will work on as though naught had transpired, though perhaps moved to 

 a little harder effort by the added space and five empty frames. The empty 

 frames may be all placed at one end, or placed between the others, though not 

 so as to divide brood. The new colony will have eight frames of brood, comb, 

 etc., three from the nucleus and five from the old colony, a young fertile queen, 

 plenty of bees, those of the previous nucleus and the young bees from the old 

 colony, and will work with a surprising vigor, often oven eclipsing the old colony. 

 If the apiarist has several colonies, it is better to make the new colony from 

 several old colonies, as follows : Take one frame of brood comb from each of 

 six old colonies, or two from each of three, and carry them, bees and all, and 

 place with the nucleus. Only, be sure that no queen is removed. Fill all the 

 hives with empty frames, as before. In this way we increase without in the least 

 disturbing any of the colonies, and may add a colony every day or two, or per- 

 haps several, depending on the size of our apiary, and can thus always, so my 

 experience says, prevent swarming. These are unquestionably the best methods 

 to divide, and so I will not complicate the subject by detailing others. The 

 only objection that can be urged against them is that we must seek out the 

 queen in each hive, or at least be sure that we do not remove her, though this is 

 by no means so tedious if we have Italians, as of course we all will. I might 

 give methods which would render unnecessary this caution, but they are 

 inferior, and not to be recommended. If we proceed as above described, the 

 bees will seldom prepare to swarm at all, and if they do they will be discovered 

 in the act, by such frequent examinations, and the work may be cut short 

 by at once dividing such colonies as first explained, and destroying their 

 queen cells, or, if desired, use them for forming new nuclei. 



HOW TO HANDLE BEES. 



But, says one. Shall we not be stung to death? iYo owe need be stung. Bees 

 should never bo jarred, nor irritated by quick motions. Those with nervous 

 temperaments — and I plead very guilty on this point — need not give up, but at 

 first better protect their faces, and perhaps even their hands, till time and 

 experience show them that fear is vain ; then they will divest themselves of all 

 such useless encumbrances. 



THE BEST BEE-VEIL. 



This shonld be made of black tarlatan, sewed up like a bag) 

 a half yard long, and with a diameter of the rim of a com- 

 mon straw hat, without top or bottom. Gather the top with 

 braid, so that it will just slip over the crown of the hat, and 

 the bottom with rubber cord or rubber tape, so that it may 

 be drawn over the hat rim, and then over the head as we 

 adjust the hat. When in use (Pig. 14), the rubber cord 

 draws the lower part close about the neck, and we are safe. 

 This kind of a veil is cool, does not impede vision at all, and 

 can be made by any woman at a cost of less than twenty 

 cents. Common buckskin or sheepskin gloves can be used, 

 as it will scarcely pay to get special gloves for the purpose, 

 for the most timid person,— I speak from experience,— 

 will soon consider gloves as an unnecessary nuisance. 



Fig. 14 



