192 ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



venture upon making an attack, while those at home may be 

 easily pacified. 



I find a very great advantage in the peculiar shape of my 

 hive, which allows the top to be easily removed, and the 

 sugar-water to be sprinkled upon the bees, before they 

 attempt to take wing. If, like the Dzierzon hive, it opened on 

 the end, it would be impossible for me to use the sweetened 

 water, so as to make it run down between all the ranges of 

 comb, and I should be forced, as he does, to employ smoke 

 in all my operations. The use of smoke alarms the bees 

 very much, and frequently causes the queen to leave the 

 comb for greater security. This often causes much annoy- 

 ance and great delay in the formation of artificial swarms, 

 and in all operations where it is desirable to catch the 

 queen, or to examine her upon the comb. 



Huber thus speaks of the pacific effect produced upon the 

 bees by the use of his leaf hive. " On opening the hive, 

 no stings are to be dreaded, for one of the most singular and 

 valuable properties attending my construction, is its ren- 

 dering the bees tractable. I ascribe their tranquility to the 

 manner in which they are affected by the sudden admission 

 of light ; they appear rather to testify fear than anger. 

 Many retire, and entering the cells, seem to conceal them- 

 selves." I will admit that Huber has here fallen into an 

 error which he would not have made, had he used his own 

 eyes. The bees are indeed bewildered by the sudden ad- 

 mission of light, and unless provoked by a sudden jar, or 

 the breath of the operator, they enter the cells, but not " to 

 conceal themselves ;" they imagine that their sweets, thus 

 unceremoniously exposed to the light of day, are to be 

 taken from them, and they gorge themselves almost to 

 bursting, in order to save all that they can. I always 

 expect them to appropriate the contents of the open cells. 



