180 
THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 
important discoveries remain to be made. On the con- 
trary, I should be glad if those who have time and means 
would experiment on a large scale with the movable-comb 
hives ; and I hope that every intelligent bee-keeper who 
uses them, will experiment at least on a small scale. In 
this way, we may hope that those points in the natural 
history of the bee still involved in doubt, will, ere long, 
be satisfactorily explained. 
The practical bee-keeper should remember that the less 
he disturbs the stocks on which he relies for surplus honey , 
the better. Their hives ought not to be needlessly opened, 
and the bees should never be so much interfered with, as 
to feel that they hold their possessions by an uncertain 
tenure ; as such an impression will often impair their zeal 
for accumulation.* The object of giving the control over 
every comb in the hive, is not to enable the bee-keeper to 
be incessantly taking them in and out, and subjecting the 
bees to all sorts of annoyances. Unless he is conducting 
a course of experiments, such interference will be almost 
as silly as the conduct of children who dig up the seeds 
they have planted, to see how much they have grown. 
Having described how forced swarms are made, both 
in common and movable-comb hives, when the Apiarian 
wishes in one season to double his colonies, I shall now 
show how he can secure the largest yield of honey, by 
forming only one new colony from two old ones. 
When it is time to form artificial colonies, drum a 
strong stock — which call A — so as to secure all its bees, 
and put the forced swarm on the old stand. If any bees 
are abroad when this is done, they will join this new 
colony. Remove to a new stand in the Apiary a second 
strong stock — which call B — and put A in its place. 
* These remarks apply more particularly to stocks engaged in storing honey in 
receptacles not in the main hive. The experience of Dzlerzon and myself, shows 
thut opening the hlv*'8, ordinarily interrupts their labors for only a few inluutes. 
