70 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



held firmly on the comb (Fig. 21). There is no danger of 

 hurting the queen by giving a pretty hard squeeze on the 

 thorax, and indeed there is not so very much danger if the 

 hold is further back and the abdomen gets a little squeeze. 



Then the thumb and finger are slid up off the thorax, at 

 the same time pressed together, and this gives me a grip on the 

 wings, when she is lifted from the comb, fairly caught (Fig. 

 22). 



All this is done with the right hand, generally, although 

 occasionally she is caught with the left hand. At any rate, she 



Fig. 21 — Catching the Queen. 



is now shifted to the left hand, and held between the thumb 

 and finger, back n]i, head and thorax between thumb and 

 finger, liead pointing to the left, ready to clip (Fig. 23). 



CLIPPING THE QUEEN. 



Then one blade of the scissors is slipped under the two 

 wings of one side, and they are cut off as short as they can 

 conveniently be clipped (Fig. 24). 



The queen will be just as helpless about flying if only the 



