The Manipulation of Bees 
237 
rubbed and the> usual advice of the beekeeper is to “forget 
it.” Bathing with liniment or any other irritation serves 
only to spread the poison through the tissues. The intense 
itching soon disappears. As a comfort to the novice, it 
may be stated that repeated stings usually cause an im¬ 
munity to the poison to develop, after which no after-swelling 
occurs. In case of severe stinging, the injured parts may be 
covered with an ice bag or with cloth wet with ice water. 
Removing frames. 
After the frames are exposed, the propolis which often 
fastens them may be loosened by prying gently with a hive- 
tool and the frames may be crowded somewhat closer to¬ 
gether to permit the removal of one of them. It is immaterial 
which frame is removed first, unless the special object for 
opening the hive determines it. In cool weather.the prop¬ 
olis may be brittle and care should be taken not to jar the 
hive as this is broken. 
During manipulation, a side frame is often removed and 
leaned against the hive to allow more room for moving the 
other frames. In leaning a frame against the hive, it should 
be in a nearly upright position to prevent breakage and 
leaking of honey. The frame on which the queen is located 
should not be left outside the hive unless necessary, for she 
may crawl away and be lost. The frame should be leaned 
against the hive on the side away from the operator so that 
he will not be annoyed by bees crawling up his legs. In all 
the handling of the colony, bees should not be crushed, for 
this excites the others, and if frames are crowded too closely 
together the queen may be killed. 
Handling frames. 
In examining a comb, it should be held so that if any bees 
fall they will drop into the hive, except when it is necessary 
to carry away a frame for some purpose. Freshly gathered 
nectar sometimes drops out if the comb is improperly handled. 
If this falls into the hive the bees clean it up, whereas outside 
