HONEY. 379 



forsake the box if their queen is in it, and when this occurs, 

 she must be sought for, and returned to the hive. If the 

 bees are reluctant to crawl on the sheet, from the boxes to 

 the entrance of the hive, a few may be gently directed to 

 it, with a spoon, when the others will speedily follow. The 

 sooner the bees are driven out, the better ; and the bee- 

 keeper must keep a very watchful eye upon his treasures, 

 or robber bees will scent them, and speedily convey them to 

 their hives. 



3d. Glass vessels of almost any size or form, will make 

 beautiful receptacles for the spare honey ; but they ought 

 always to have a piece of comb fastened in them, and if the 

 weather is cool, should be carefully covered with something 

 warm, or they will part with their heat so quickly, as to 

 discourage the bees from building in them. 



Honey, when stored in quart tumblers, just large enough 

 to receive one comb, has a most beautiful appearance, and 

 may be easily taken out whole, and placed in an elegant 

 form upon the table. The expense of such vessels is one 

 objection to their use ; the rapidity with which they part 

 with their heat, another ; but a more serious objection still, 

 is the fact that while all small vessels waste the time of the 

 bees, the shallow cells, so many oT which must be made in 

 a round vessel, require as large a consumption of time and 

 materials for their covers, as those which hold more than 

 twice their quantity of honey. 



4th. If small boxes are used for surplus honey, the foUow- 

 ( ing mode of making them will be found the simplest, cheapest, 

 and best. Let the inside dimensions be six inches in height 

 and width, and five in length ; and the thickness of the ma- 

 terials one-quarter of an inch. The top and bottom should 

 project, about one-eighth of an inch beyond the sides, so 

 1^ that each end of the box, may receive a piece of glass, rest- 



