FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



59 



OPENING HIVE. 



A sing'le puff at the entrance if the smoker is going 

 well, or two or three puffs if it is yet scarcely under 

 headway, notifies the guards that they needn't bother to 

 come out if they feel a little jar. The cover is cracked 

 open the least bit at one corner by the tool, then the 

 other corner is cracked open and the cover lifted. It 

 could be lifted without using the tool twice, simply pry- 

 ing up one corner enough, but that would jar the bees 

 more, and excite them. The desire is to get along with 

 the smallest amount of jar and smoke possible, for the 

 queen is to be found, and too much smoke or jarring will 

 set the bees to running so the queen cannot be found. As 

 soon as the cover is raised, a little smoke is blown across 

 the tops of the frames, not down into the hive. While it 



Fig, 18, — Hive-Seat mth Strap-Handle. 



is bad to use too much smoke, it is also bad to use too 

 little, for if the bees are once thoroughly aroused it 



