FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 47 



them all out as soon as possible so as to have a good flight 

 before night. If any should be brought out too late to fly, it 

 may turn cold before the next morning, when a lot of bees 

 might fly out to meet their death. To be sure, I could get 

 along without outside help by having one of the women-folks 

 help me, for my hives have cleats on each end, the cleats be- 

 ing clear across the hive, so that a rope can be slipped over 

 them, and one can take hold of the rope at each side, making 

 the work not so very hard. Indeed, the two women have some- 

 times rendered] efllcient service by taking a hive between them, 

 as shown in Fig. 7. An endless rope is used, making it the work 

 of a very few seconds to throw the rope over each end of the 

 hive. The same rope may be used to make the work lighter for 

 a single person (Fig. 8). But the work is not so quickly ad- 

 justed as when two persons use it. 



On the whole, it is better to have a strong man who can 

 pick up each hive without any ceremony, carry it directly to its 

 place, and set it on its stand. In this work the end-cleats of the 

 hive serve an important purpose, for the carrier can let the full 

 weight of the hive come on his forearms by having an arm 

 under each cleat, each hand lightly clasping the hive on the 

 opposite side (Fig. 9). 



CELLAE AIRED BEFORE CARRYING. 



When it is warm enough to carry out bees, it will be 

 understood that the cellar is likely to become a good deal 

 warmer than 45 degrees, the temperature near which it is desir- 

 able to keep the cellar throughout the winter. So if carrying 

 out is undertaken without any previous preparation, when the 

 cellar-door is opened the bees will pour out of the hives and 

 out of the cellar-door, sailing about in confusion, causing 

 some loss and making the work of carrying out exceedingly un- 

 pleasant. This must be avoided; so the previous evening, as 

 soon as it becomes dusk, cellar door and window are thrown 

 wide open. 



Having the cellar open the previous night makes it much 

 pleasanter to carry out the bees, which do not generally come 

 out of their hives till some time after being set on their stands. 

 If at finy time a OQlony seem? inclined to come out of the hive, 



