bee-keeper's manual. 137 



outside of the hive, and when the bees have been at 

 work about a week, the blocks at the corners may be 

 removed, and the hive lowered down to its proper po- 

 sition. 



I cannot, however, Bly that cases may not happen 

 in which all of my prescribed rules will avail nothing. 

 I refer to cases where two, and even three different 

 swarms issue at the same time, and cluster together on 

 the same branch. In such cases, if the apiarian be not 

 present when the bees swarm, he very reasonably con- 

 cludes, that the whole mass is but one large swarm. 

 Hives 12 inches square are of no use in such cases ; 

 that is, for the whole of them together, neither is any 

 hive suitable for the whole of them. They should be 

 divided, and the way to do that will be developed, when 

 I come to a chapter on " swarming." 



DR. Sevan's opinfon on the size of hives. 



That no portion of my readers may think that I am 

 decidedly wrong in recommending hives so small as one 

 foot square, in the . clear, I here quote a few remarks 

 of Dr. Bevan, an English writer on the honey-bee, whose 

 work was re-published in this country some years ago, 

 and circulated to a considerable extent. 



He says : " In a former edition of this work, a prefer- 

 ence was given to those of Keys, but subsequent infor- 

 mation and experience induce me to recommend their 

 diameter to be three-eighths of an inch less than his, 

 viz : eleven and five-eighths' inches square, by nine 

 inches deep in the clear." 



