156 REMOVAL OF THE HIVES. 



the premises of the purchaser. If a navigable river or 

 canal be in the vicinity, it is by far the most eligible 

 mode of carriage, as there is no danger of the combs 

 being broken by the motion of the vehicle. This advantage 

 however, is so very rare to be met with, and when it does 

 offer itself, the manner of conveyance is so very easy, as 

 to require in this place no particular description. Land 

 carriage is however attended with some difficulty, and fre- 

 quently not without a considerable risk ; the greatest pre- 

 caution is therefore necessary to prevent the total ruin of 

 the hive. The first part of the operation is to raise the hive 

 gently, and to put it on a board in readiness for the purpose, 

 the entrance must then be closed to prevent any of the bees 

 from coming out, but if the distance be great to which the 

 hive is to be carried, care must be taken not to stop up the 

 entrance wholly, as the bees would be in danger of being 

 suffocated ; but still all egress of the bees must be prevented, 

 as otherwise the carriers would run great risk of being 

 severely stung. The use of our tin entrances in these cases 

 is particularly obvious, as the two perforated sliders can be 

 let down, and thus a sufficiency of air admitted for the 

 respiration of the bees. We will here describe these en- 

 trances, for no bee master ought to be without them. The 

 cost of them does not exceed fourpence or sixpence each, 

 and in the time of pillage or of snow, or any other occasion 

 in which the immediate confinement of the bees is necessary, 

 they will be found invaluable. In height they are about two 

 inches, in breadth about an inch, and in length about two 

 inches. They are simply made of two upright slips of tin, 

 with a transverse piece at top, in which are two nicks for 

 the purpose of admitting the sliders. In the middle is a 

 small upright piece in which are two grooves down which 

 the sliders move, and which are so tight that the bees cannot 

 force them out. There are three sliders, two of which are 

 perforated for the admission of air, and the third is also 



