334 ROBBING. 



hands of novices, prove destructive to bees ; for such per- 

 sons will be very liable to commit mistakes in their man- 

 agement, especially by removing their colonies from them 

 too early, or allovsring them to remain too late. Indeed, the 

 most experienced, sometimes incur heavy losses of bees, by 

 a very sudden change of weather on the day of their 

 removal. 



In my hives, I can greatly diminish this risk, by shortening 

 the time required by a colony to discharge their faeces. As 

 soon as the sun shines with sufficient power, I remove the 

 top cover from the hives, and take off the spare honey 

 board, so as to permit its full warmth to shine directly upon 

 the bees : this, in a few moments, warms them up, and 

 rouses them to wonderful activity, so that they will discharge 

 their faeces in an unusually short time, and with the loss of 

 very few bees. 



In the Chapter on Feeding bees, I shall furnish the proper 

 directions, as to the time and mode of feeding, when colo- 

 nies have not a sufficient supply of stores for the Winter. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Kobbing, and how prevented. 



In this chapter, I shall be obliged, though much against 

 my will, to acknowledge that some branches of morals in 

 our little friends, need very close watching, since they are 

 often guilty of making no honest distinction between " mine 

 and thine." The truth is, that bees are exceedingly prone 

 to rob each other, and unless suitable precautions are used, 



