22 
AN EASY METHOD OF 
Some good managers of bees, have recom- 
mended rubbing the inside of the sides of the 
hive with bees-wax, to enable the bees to 
hold fast until they had secured the comb at 
the top of the hive, where they always com- 
mence their labors. The old custom of wash- 
ing the hives with salt and water, sweet herbs, 
and other substances, to give them a pleasant 
effluvia, should be speedily abolished. 
When bees die, the hive should be cleared 
of its contents, and scraped out, and the 
chamber rubbed with a cloth wet in clear wa- 
ter, then set in its place in the apiary, and 
there let it stand until wanted for use. An old 
hive thus prepared, is better than a new one 
for the reception of a swarm of bees. The 
task, which is arduous and difficult in attach- 
ing the comb to the new wood, in this case, has 
been accomplished by the previous swarm. 
Note — It is found by experiment that the 
combs in all hives, under two years old, that 
are robbed, die of starvation, or otherwise, 
may be preserved for a new swarm, which 
forwards the labors ot a new colony, nearly 
half, if the combs remain in a good state of 
