MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 33 



TO QUIET BEES. 



In harrest seasons the bees, especially if Italians, can almost always be handled 

 without their showing resentment. But at other times, and whenever they 

 object to necessary familiarity, we have only to cause them to fill with honey to 

 render them harmless, unless we pinch them. This can be done either by clos- 

 ing the hive, so that they cannot get out, and then rapping on the hive for 

 four or five minutes. Those within will fill with honey, those from Avithout 

 will be tamed by surprise, and all will be quiet. Another method, more con- 

 venient, is to smoke the bees. A little smoke blown among the bees will 

 scarcely ever fail to quiet them, though I have known black bees in autumn to 

 refuse to yield. Dry cotton cloth, closely wound and sewed or tied, or, better, 

 pieces of dry rotten wood, are excellent for purposes of smoking. These are 

 easily handled and will burn for a long time. But best of all is a 



QUINBT SMOKEE. 



This is a tin tube attached to a bellows. Cloth or rotten wood can be burned 

 in the tube, and will remain burning a long time. The smoke can be directed 

 at pleasure, the bellows easily worked, and the smoker used without any disa- 

 greeable effects or danger from fire. It can be got of any dealer in bee appa- 

 ratus, and only costs $1.50. I most heartily recommend it to all. It was 

 patented by the late Mr. Quinby, to whom American bee-keepers are so greatly 

 indebted, and I think he reserved the entire right to manufacture. 



ROOII FOE STOEING SHOULD ALWAYS BE PEOVIDED. 



Every apiarist has observed with uneasiness the frequent clustering of the 

 bees outside the hive, in strange indolence, even when every flower is fragrant 

 with sweet. A prolific cause of such expensive idleness is a too confined space 

 within the hive, and no room for further storing. The evil may be prevented 

 or removed in three ways : 



First — By di^dding the bees as already described, we shall remove a portion of 

 the bees, give empty frames, and by removing the cause, prevent or overcome 

 the evil. 



Secondly — We may give more room for storing by using the extractor, when- 

 ever extracted honey is profitable, and as we haye already seen, we must do this 

 if the queen has not room for egg-laying. 



Thirdly — We can add more frames, either at the side or above, as our hive 

 permits (see section on hives), or add surplus honey boxes if we desire our sur- 

 plus in comb and in the best form to suit the market. 



IN ■mHAT EOElt TO SECUEE OUE SUEPLUS COMB HONEY. 



As before stated, if we can get fifteen or twenty cents for extracted honey, 

 we shall not care to work for that in the comb, and only allow surplus in those . 

 drone combs, a few of which will steal in, despite the most wary apiarist. Oth- 

 erwise we will arrange for comb-honey. This will be most readily and abund- 

 antly secured in frames, which may be suspended at the side of, or above, the 

 brood frames. These frames may be the usual size, or half, or quarter size. 

 The method of construction will be described in the sequel. The objection that 

 some urge to this arrangement is, that the frame honey does not meet such 

 ready sale or receive as high prices a? that in boxes, yet the retail dealers in 

 Lansing prefer it. Whether the extra amount will compensate for the lower 

 5 



