144 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



place in or near the apiary, together with some 

 matches. When you wish to open a hive or perform 

 any operation, set fire to one end of a roll of rags — it 

 makes quite a smoke without any blaze ; upon open- 

 ing the hive, blow the smoke vigorously among the 

 bees for a moment or two, which terrifies them 

 without doing any permanent injury; they immedi- 

 ately rush to the cells and fill their sacs with honey, 

 when you can proceed to lift out one comb after 

 another, and perform any operation with perfect 

 impunity, without any fear of being stung, unless by 

 those from other hives near at hand. Should there 

 be some, however, that show signs of battle, blow a 

 little more smoke upon them, and repeat it from 

 time to time until the close of the operation. 



Toward the end of the honey season, when they 

 are rich and increased in stores, they are harder to 

 control than at any other season of the year. When 

 this occurs, put a small portion of tobacco or a few 

 grains of sulphur in your roll of rags, which renders 

 the smoke more pungent, and will drive them with 

 perfect ease. 



PROTECTION. 



It is said, an ounce of prevention is better than a 

 pound of cure. All persons are liable to be stung in 

 hot weather, when passing near their bees, when 

 cleaning filth from the bottom of the hive, removing 

 worms, changing honey boxes, or any thing of this 

 kind. This causes many to neglect their bees, and 

 thereby consign them to the tender mercies of the 

 moth. The fear of being stung deters many persons 



