54 THE HIVE AND THE HONEY-BEE. 



the reversed hive ; turn up the hive on the chair, and place over 

 it an empty one, which you have previously smeared interiorly 

 with honey, or sugar dissolved in water ; wrap a cloth round the 

 point of junction for the first few minutes, and, with a stick, tap 

 the reversed hive round the sides, beginning near the bottom, and 

 gradually ascending in your strokes towards the top ; let your 

 strokes be not too rough, lest you loosen the combs ; still, how- 

 ever, these are far more firmly attached than non-practical 

 writers are aware of. 



Ere you have been long thus employed, you will hear a hum- 

 ming noise, and presently the disturbed bees, more than half 

 asleep, will mount into the upper hive. If the ascent of the bees 

 appear checked ere all have left the lower hive, remove the cloth, 

 which, by the way, is, once the ascent has commenced, no longer 

 necessary, and raise the upper hive an inch or so above the low- 

 er. This will be found to facilitate the emigration, and will be 

 unattended with danger. The lower hive being fully deserted, 

 place that containing the bees on the stand. Some like to close 

 the aperture for a short time ; but I conceive such procedure to 

 be useless, as, at that hour, the insects are too sleepy, too stupid, 

 to have any desire to stir abroad ; and on the morrow will pro- 

 ceed to their ordinary avocations, as if nothing had occurred. 

 This resumption, however, of the insects' ordinary avocations, 

 will not take place unless the above operation be performed early 

 in the season. 



The most secure mode of procedure, and the most approved, is, 

 to unite these exiled bees with those of another hive. You must 

 always, be it remembered, leave your bees a sufficient store of 

 honey as food. This is usually done by setting apart what is 

 called a stock-hive — a hive well filled with honey, and capable of 

 containing and supporting more bees. Turn up this stock-hive ; 

 sprinkle its drowsy inmates, or rather drench them, with sugar 

 or honey, dissolved in water. Do the same with your exiles ; 

 and once again invert the abode of the latter over the mouth of 

 your inverted stock-hive. Proceed in other respects as you did 

 before ; and by tapping drive them down. The two families 

 speedily recover from their surprise, and the agreeable employ- 

 ment afforded to all their individual members, of licking the re- 

 sults of your sprinkling from each other's bodies, will soon pro- 

 duce friendliness, meanwhile the odor of the liquid with which 

 you have saturated them, will prevent their distinguishing 



