366 
THE HIVE AND IIONEY-BEE. 
whiteness of the combs becomes soiled by the travel o( 
the bees, or the purity of the honey is impaired by an 
inferior article gathered later in the season. 
The bees should have a liberal allowance of air during 
all extremely hot weather, especially if they are in unpaint¬ 
ed hives, or stand in the sun. 
August. —In most regions, there is but little forage for 
bees during the latter part of July, and the first of 
August, and being, on this account, tempted to rob each 
other, the greatest precautions should be used in opening 
hives. In districts where buckwheat is extensively culti¬ 
vated, bees will sometimes swarm when it comes into 
blossom, and in some seasons, extraordinary supplies are 
obtained from it. In 1856, I had a buckwheat swarm as 
late as the 16th of September! 
If any colonies are so full of honey, that they have not 
room enough for raising brood, some of the combs should 
now be removed (p. 183). If the caps of the cells are 
carefully sliced off with a very sharp knife, and the combs 
laid over a vessel, in some moderately warm place, and 
turned once, most of the honey will drain out of them, 
and they may be returned to the bees, to be filled again. 
The bee-keeper who has quccnless stocks on hand in 
August, must expect, as the result of his ignorance or 
neglect, either to have them robbed by other colonies, or 
destroyed by the moth (p. 246). 
Septembei!. —This is often a very busy month with 
bees. The Fall flowers come into blossom, and in some 
seasons, colonies which have hitherto amassed but little 
honey, become heavy, and even yield a surplus to their 
owner. Bees are quite reluctant to work in boxes, so late 
in the season, even if supplies are very abundant; but if 
empty combs are inserted in the place of full ones removed, 
they will fill them with astonishing celerity. These full 
