Carry your super, or side-box, if yours is the collateral system, to a
little distance from the hive. Raise one side of your box, and they will
gradually escape and go home. If it be August, when wasps and corsair-bees
are abroad, remove it about 7 P.M. Few, if any, thieves will arrive, and
your bees will equally go home.
Or if you take it into a room or closet with a window on hinges, they will
fly to the light and cover the window. Open the window smartly, and all on
it will fly away. Shut it again till covered with bees, and repeat opening
it. No thieves can thus get in, and your bees will all get out, if you
have patience.
* * * * *
_Stokenchurch, August 1st_
Sir,--I hope you will pardon the liberty I take in addressing you; but
having read your letter in _The Times_, entitled "Bees and Bee-hives,"
and wishing to gain information on those subjects, I venture under the
circumstances to write to you.
There have been for many years a quantity of bees under some leads
that cover a bow added to this house. About eighteen years ago the
leads were removed, the honey taken, the bees destroyed, and all the
entrances (as was supposed) stopped up. Notwithstanding this, fresh
swarms arrived in the course of the following year, forced their
entrance, and again took possession of the leads. Since then they have
not been disturbed, but now my father expresses a wish to take the
honey and get rid of the bees, as we suffer some inconvenience in the
spring, on account of the bees entering the bed-room.
As I think it a pity that all the bees should be destroyed, and also
have a great wish to keep them in common hives, I should feel much
obliged could you give me any information as to when and how to take
the honey without destroying the bees, and to place the latter in
common straw hives. I regret much that I did not see your letter in
_The Times_ on the "Honey Harvest," nor do I know the day it appeared,
therefore I cannot refer to it. Apologising for troubling you,