580 
MANIPULATION OF COLONIES 
man on a bad day. After the 
beginner learns the individual 
temperament of his different 
colonies, and also discovers 
that on certain days, and cer¬ 
tain times of days, the bees 
can be handled much better 
than on others, he will of 
course use his judgment in 
the matter. If he has reason 
Fig. 9.—Pulling out a refractory division-board that resists removal. 
to believe that a colony would be irritable 
he should send two or three puffs of smoke 
into the entrance. He will now push the 
screwdriver, or special hive-tool already 
shown, under the cover. He should do 
this gently, working the thin edge of the 
blade between the two hive parts until the 
cover is raised about the thickness of the 
blade, but not wide enough to allow any 
bees to escape. Thru the gap thus made 
he should blow three or four puffs of 
smoke. He then shoves the tool a little 
further, increasing the gap, following it 
up with some more smoke. He now lifts 
or lowers the hand holding the tool so that 
the cover is raised an inch above the hive. 
The smoker is next set down upon the 
ground, when the cover is gently lifted off 
—gently, because this is important. 
Some times much more smoke will be re¬ 
quired than at others. If the atmosphere is 
Fig. 8 .—A higher seat is better 
when one wishes to place his 
weight against the frame to 
be shoved over. 
a little chilly, or if it be im¬ 
mediately after a rain during 
a honey flow, much more 
smoke will be needed than on 
a warm balmy day when bees 
are at work in the fields. If 
they are at all nervous the 
smoker should be brought into 
play again; indeed, at such 
times it should be put be¬ 
tween the knees. See Smoke and Smok¬ 
ers. 
This nervousness on the part of the bees 
may not immediately be recognized by a 
novice; but for his special benefit it should 
be said that, when bees are subdued and 
require no more smoke, they will be down 
between the frames almost out of sight; 
but if they are inclined to “resent the in¬ 
trusion,” dozens and dozens of them may 
have their heads sticking up; and as the 
apiarist proceeds to lift out a frame he 
may meet with a “warm reception.” A 
few bees may hop up two or three inches 
and then drop down again. This appar¬ 
ently is a warning or a bluff that some¬ 
thing worse will happen if the apiarist is 
not careful. But before this takes place 
he will usually see on the part of the bees 
a nervous, quick movement, their bodies 
twitching either to the right or to the left, 
