254 AUSTRALASIAN 



have come from, dust the suspected bees with flour as they 

 leave, and watch the other hives to see which they enter with 

 their loads. A sure sign that robbing has been going on in a 

 hive is the appearance of small pieces of wax — mappings of 

 cells — scattered about near the entrance. 



PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED. 



More can be done in the way of precaution to guard against 

 the starting of robbing than to put a stop to it when once 

 started. A very slight cause may give rise to the first attempts ; 

 and if the bees once get infected with the desire, it may mate- 

 rially affect the prosperity of the apiary for the time being. 

 No honey, pieces of comb, or sweets of any sort should be 

 left lying about where the bees can get at them. No hives 

 should be opened more than is absolutely necessary when rob- 

 bers are about. If much manipulation should be necessary at 

 such times, a bee-tent, such as described below, should be used 

 to enclose the hive to be operated on. Robbing is likely to 

 occur both in autumn and spring, but the first four or five 

 weeks after the close of the honey season I have always found 

 to be the worst in that respect. Entrances should be contracted 

 at this time, to give the bees a better opportunity to defend 

 them ; and if all the colonies are kept strong, there will be 

 less danger of any of them being attacked. 



BEE TENTS. 



A most useful appliance is a small tent (Fig. 117), which can 

 be placed over a hive when necessary. The artist has made the 

 tent in the engraving rather large in proportion to the hive 

 inside. It may be made of a light framework of wood, covered 

 with mosquito netting, and should be large enough to cover 

 the hive and an empty one beside it, or the super when taken 

 off, and to give the manipulator room to work comfortably. 

 It should be made to fold when not required for use, so that 

 it may be stowed away conveniently. It will answer for trans- 

 ferring combs under its shelter, manipulating bees in at the 

 close of the season, and in other ways for keeping off the 

 attacks of robbers. 



HOW TO STOP ROBBING. 



I have adopted the following methods to stop or check rob- 

 bing, when it has taken place. I take a watering-pot, fitted 



