HONEY. 381 



are broken. All such boxes, however, should be very care- 

 fully packed, and the package furnished with handles, 

 so that it can be lifted without the slightest jsCiring. Honey 

 in virgin combs, requires to be handled with quite as much 

 care as a tender infant. 



In such boxes, honey may be safely removed from my 

 hives, even by the most timid. Before removing a box, a 

 thin knife should be carefully passed under it, to loosen, 

 the aliacliments to the honey-board, without injuring the 

 bees ; then a small piece of tin or sheet-iron may be pushed 

 under, to prevent the bees from coming up, when the honey 

 is removed. The Apiarian should now rap gently on the 

 box, and the bees in it, perceiving that they are separated 

 from the main hive, will begin to fill themselves, in order to 

 save as much as possible of their precious sweets. In about 

 five minutes, having filled themselves, they will run over the 

 combs, trying to get out, when the glass box may be taken off, 

 and they will fly to the hive, with what they have been able to 

 secure. Bees under such circumstances, never attempt to 

 sting, and a child of ten years, may remove, with ease and 

 safety, all their surplus stores. If a person is too timid to 

 approach a hive, when any bees are flying, the honey may 

 be removed towards evening, or eSrly in the morning. 



I would here strongly caution the bee-keeper, against 

 needlessly opening the hives, which are relied on to produce 

 surplus honey in boxes. Not unfrequently when a box only 

 partially filled, is removed, and then returned, the bees will 

 carry every particle of honey into the main hive ! thus 

 showing that they feel insecure in their possessions. Dzier- 

 zon asserts that the industry of his stocks, is not at all inter- 

 fered with, however often he opens their hives ; but while 

 this may be true, if the honey is taken from the main hive, 

 I am very confident that it is far from being the case, when 



