MANAGING BEES. 37. 
prepare hives and drawers of different sizes 
to fit colonies. 
When colonies and hives are made as near 
alike as possible, many evils are avoided, and 
many advantages realized : every hive will fit 
a place in the apiary — every drawer a hive, 
and every bottom board and slide may in any 
case be used without mistakes. 
Swarms may be doubled at any time before 
they become so located as to resume their 
former hostility, which will not be discovered 
before they form a rational character and ac- 
quire rights of property. Bees are provided*- 
with a reservoir, or sack, to carry their pro- 
vision in; and when they swarm, they go 
loaded with provision suited to their emer- 
gency, which takes off all their hostility 
towards each other; and until these sacks 
are emptied, they are not easily vexed, and 
as they are compelled to build combs before 
they can empty them, their contents are re- 
tained several days. I have doubled, at a 
fortnight’s interval in swarming, with entire 
success. The operation should be perform- 
ed within two or three days — at the fiirtbesl 
