ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 191 



the hive, and direct their flight to its entrance. If hives are 

 nneddled with when it is dark, the bees are always more 

 irascible, and as they cannot see where to fly, they will con- 

 stantly be alighting upon the person of the bee-keeper, who 

 will be almost sure to receive some stings. I have seldom 

 attempted night work upon my bees without having occasion 

 most thoroughly to rue my folly. If the weather is not too 

 cool, early in the morning, before the bees are stirring, will 

 generally be ihe best lime for operations, as there will be 

 less danger of annoyance from robber-bees. 



If honey-water is used instead of sugar-water or smoke, 

 in sprinkling the bees when the hive is first opened, the 

 smell will be almost certain to entice marauders from other 

 hives, to attempt to take possession of treasures which do 

 not belong to them, and when they once commence such a 

 pilfering course of life, they will be very loth to lay it aside. 

 When the honey harvest is abundant, (and this is the very time 

 for forcing swarms,) bees, with proper precautions, are sel- 

 dom inclined to rob. I have sometimes found it difficult to 

 induce them to notice honey-combs which I wished them to 

 empty, even when they were placed in an exposed situation. 

 This subject, however, will be more fully treated in the 

 remarks on Robbing. 



Perhaps some of my readers will hardly be able to con- 

 vince themselves that bees may be dealt with after the sum- 

 mary fashion I have been describing, without becoming 

 greatly enraged ; so far is this from being the case, that in 

 my operations I often use neither smoke, sugar- water nor bee- 

 dress, although I do not recommend the neglect of such pre- 

 cautions. 



The artificial swarm may be created with perfect safety, 

 even at mid-day, when thousands of bees are returning to 

 the hive ; for these bees being laden with honey, never 



