FALL MANAGEMENT. 
819 
bottom up, will soak into the wood at the base of the 
combs ; this will have a tendency to loosen the fasten- 
ings, and render them liable to fall, &c. 
The next March the bees were again transferred 
from the old to the new hives. My method is as fol- 
lows: As the combs in the hive to receive the bees 
are rather cold, I set them by the fire, or in a warm 
room, for several hours previous. I take a warm 
room before a window, and as some few bees fly off, 
they will collect there. The new hive is turned bot- 
tom up on the floor ; the old one on a bench by tho 
side of it, having smoked the bees to keep them quiet. 
One comb at a time is taken out, and the bees brushed 
into the new hive; (a little smoke will keep them 
there). When through, I get the few on the window, 
and tie over a cloth to confine them, and keep them 
warm for a few hours longer. Paralyzing with puff- 
ball will answer instead, but they do not always all 
fall out of the combs when the hive is filled to the 
bottom, and it is possible that if a few were left, the 
queen might be one. Also a very few bees are worth 
saving at this season, and the combs might have to 
be broken out at last, for this purpose. 
When a good-sized family is put in a hive contain- 
ing fifteen or twenty pounds of honey, and near half 
full of clean new comb, they are about as sure to fill 
up and cast a swarm, as another that is full and has 
wintered a swarm. 
CAUSE OF THEIR SUPERIOR THRIFT. 
One cause of superior thrift may be found in the 
