MANIPULATING. 65 



Provide thick cushions for covering over the quilts ; these can 

 be made of calico and filled with chafif ; but the best description, 

 as well as the most convenient, is a shallow box, without top 01 

 bottom, of a size to cover the number of frames in the hive ; 

 on the bottom of this tack loosely a piece of calico. This tray 

 is to be laid over the quilts, and filled with cork dust, obtainable 

 at any fruiterer's, it being used for packing foreign grapes in. 

 Place American cloth quilts next the frames, with the glazed 

 side down ; these are, without doubt, the best quilts to use 

 at all seasons, but they must be thickly covered over on top, 

 and the colonies must be strong — both necessaries in successful 

 wintering. 



The entrances to the hives should be kept open to the extent 

 of about six or eight inches in the case of strong colonies, and 

 covered with excluder zinc, loosely tacked on, in order to prevent 

 the entrance of mice. 



Roofs of hives should be thoroughly examined before winter, 

 and mended where found defective ; dampness is a source of 

 many of the evils attendant upon bee life. 



It is during autumn that the greatest difficulty is experienced 

 in handling bees ; extra precautions must be then taken, not 

 only on account of the bees' increased pugnacity, but to prevent 

 the access of strange bees into the hive when manipulating. 

 Where possible, all manipulations should take place after the 

 bees have ceased flying, or before they have commenced. 

 Frequent failures to intimidate a colony are experienced at this 

 season, mostly from the fact that all their stores are sealed over ; 

 in consequence, the bees are prevented from filling themselves 

 with honey. This is obviated by taking a little can of warm 

 syrup to the hive, and pouring a small quantity between the 

 combs ; it is greedily licked up by the bees, and is a very 

 effectual substitute for uncapped stores. It is at such times as 

 these that the superiority of subjugating cloths over smoke as an 

 intimidant is fully seen. Not only is it possible to intimidate a 

 hive, but also at the same time prevent the ingress of strange 

 bees when the manipulations have to be performed while the 

 bees are flying. On such occasions provide two pieces of washed 

 calico, lyin. broad and about igin. long ; these, after being charged 

 with the subjugator, as before recommended (see page 50), fold up 

 into two rolls, I7in. long ; remove the quilts from the hive, using 

 the fumigator to drive the bees down ; then nearly unroll one 

 of the cloths on top of the frames, covering them right over, 

 the now unrolled portion to be at the back of the hive. When 

 the bees are sufficiently occupied — two or three minutes — in 

 their honey cells, the dummy-board and first frame must be 

 shifted to the back of the hive, and the frame examined, the 

 other roUed-up cloth to be placed lengthways on lop of these ; 

 now roll up the first cloth so as to uncover one frame, examine 



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