and its Economic Management. 175 



weak lot may stand for months and never be touched, but only 

 break open the same hive during the day when many bees are on 

 the alert, seeking what they may devour, and the fate of that hive 

 is soon sealed. No syrup or honey should be spilled or left 

 about in any shape or form, especially in autumn, or the desire 

 for plunder once started the uninitiated will find he has a job on 

 his hands. Open hives only in the evening and early morning 

 in Autumn, discontinuing operations as soon as other bees 

 begin to follow. See that entrances are reduced according to the 

 strength of the colony, and take care that there are no back ways. 

 such as cracks or badly-fitting roof. 



Having provided for prevention, we must now consider the 

 best means of curing the robbing mania. A very sensible plan 

 sometimes recommended is to exchange places with the hives ; 

 thus the robbers come on the stand where they had been robbing 

 and are quite bewildered. Another way is to unite the two. Carbolic 

 acid placed in the front of the hive being robbed will at once 

 stop the marauders ; so will dripping sheets, or the watering can ; 

 but at the same time the entrance of the besieged hive is to be 

 reduced so that only two bees can pass at a time. After all there 

 is nothing like prevention, as is evidenced by the fact that I can 

 work all day long in my queen-raising apiary without a single case 

 of robbing ; and why ? Judicious planting ! friends, enables me to 

 keep right along without the usual disagreeable trouble in autumn. 



Those who wish to have a variety of plants for bees, or to 

 experiment as to those best suited for their own convenience or 

 surroundings, will be interested in Mr. Bobbie's little work, " Bee 

 Pasturage." 



It has been considered that practical bee-keeping owes much 

 to science, and that scientific bee-keeping owes little to practice. 

 What is science but ascertained knowledge, gained by the con- 



