FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 289 



that I have reduced the trouble to a minhnum. I will give you 

 my plan and you can judge for yourself. 



As I have already told you, my hives stand in pairs, and 

 I kept them so, years before I thought of double hives. Some 

 time before the change is made to double hives, the entrances 

 of the hives are closed at one side, so that the bees become 

 accustomed to "using the same side of the entrance that they 

 will use when thrown into the double hive, that is, the right- 

 hand colony will use the right-hand side of its entrance, and 

 the left-hand colony will use the left-hand side of its entrance. 

 Each colony will have four of its combs so solid with honey 

 that it will be well provisioned. 



Remembering that the two eoloilies of a pair are on the 

 same stand, we now remove both hives from the stand and set 

 the double hive on the middle of the stand. Then the four 

 combs from the right-hand hive will be put with their bees in 

 the right-hand side of the double colony and the rest of the 

 bees brushed from the other combs. The left-hand side is 

 treated the same way. Some bees will still be left in the de- 

 populated hives; so these hives can be set at each side, the 

 entrance of the empty hive at the proper entrance of the 

 double hive, and lefti there long enough for the bees to crawl 

 in and join their companions. 



The matter is now accomplished and it has been no long 

 or difficult job.. The bees use the new entrance almost as 

 readily as the old. To them their hive seems moved less than 

 its width to one side, and there is no possible danger of their 

 entering the wrong place. I have tried it, and watched the 

 result, therefore I speak of not what the bees ought to do, but 

 what they do do. 



CHANGING FKOM DOUBLE TO SINGLE HIVES. 



Can we as easily get them back into two hives in the 

 spring when they become crowded in this double hive? Just 

 exactly as easily. We pimply reverse the operation. Take the 

 double hive from its place and replace it with the two hives, 

 then remove the contents of the double hive and put them in 

 the proper single hives and the bees will go every time to the 

 right place. I speak again from personal observation as to 

 what the bees actually do. 



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