ARGUMENTS OF M. LA GftENEE. 365 



" that the suffocation of bees is a most abusive practice, as 

 it tends to destroy this species of insects, so interesting by 

 their ingenious industry." 



The most strenuous advocate for suffocation amongst the 

 foreign naturalists, is M. La Grenee; and it must be ad- 

 mitted, that his arguments carry with them a great degree 

 of validity. It must however be considered, that M. La 

 Grenee draws the comparison between the three systems of 

 suffocation, deprivation, and moving the bees from one hive 

 to another. We will translate the following passages from 

 the works of M. La Grenee, as they cannot but be highly 

 interesting to every one connected with the culture of 

 the bee : — 



"When the bees are removed from one hive to another, 

 the operation should be performed immediately after the 

 departure of the first swarm, which will give them time to 

 collect a sufficiency of food in their new habitation. But 

 then the question arises, what is the quantity of honey which 

 at that period of the year would be found, even in the most 

 populous hives ? Not more than ten or twelve pounds, and 

 frequently much less. No comparison therefore can be 

 formed of that produce, with that which would be yielded 

 at the end of August, or the beginning of September, when 

 the bees have collected their winter store, amounting to 

 thirty, forty, fifty, and frequently eighty pounds. 



"If I be answered that the fives of the bees have been 

 preserved, I should be inclined to admit the validity of the 

 answer, provided it was shown to me that positive success 

 had actually attended the operation, which however cannot 

 be shown ; on the contrary, it is well known that scarcely 

 two hives out of ten survive the operation. Independently 

 of which, the fact must be admitted, that a second swarm 

 has been lost, which in a few days would have left the hive, 

 and most likely the brood of a third, which although not 



