316 UNITING STOCKS. 



motto of the bee-keeper should be, "ne quid nimis," nothing 

 in excess, but everything in due moderation. 



If the stocks to be wintered, are in the common hives, the 

 condemned ones must be drummed out of their old encamp- 

 ment, sprinkled with sugnr-waler scented with peppermint, 

 or some other pleasant odor, and added to the others, (see p. 

 212.) 



I have already stated, that bees recognize each other by 

 the sense of smell. If there should be a thousand hives in 

 the Apiary, the bees of any one, will, b}^ this sense, at once 

 delect a stranger. This may to some appear almost incredi- 

 ble ; but it is no more so, than the well known fact, that in 

 the darkest night, each mother, in a large flock of sheep, 

 will, by the same sense, distinguish her own lamb from all 

 the others. Any peculiarity in the scent of different hives, 

 may, however, be easily removed, by some strong per- 

 fume. 



A few summers ago, I made the discovery that the queen 

 bee has a peculiar scent of her own, by which she is known 

 to the colony, and that this is so permanent, that they will 

 often, for a long time, adhere to any spot where she has 

 been. 



If a queen is put into a paper cone, and then removed, it 

 will be found that the paper has, for some time, an attraction 

 for the bees. They will run in and out, in an inquiring 

 manner, and show that they are evidently looking for her. 

 They will also run, in the same fashion, over our hands, 

 after we have caught a queen, and even over the limb on 

 which she lit, when the swarm came out. 



The colonies which are to be united, ought, if possible, 

 to stand side by side, some time before this process is 

 attempted. This can almost always be effected by a Jittle 



