lifts up the frames. And we never can admire Mr. Root enough for dealing thus gently with his beepeople. But we would not advise the novice to try this, as a person has to be on very intimate terms with bees to be able to pat them on the back with grass and impunity. However, this is an ideal to work toward. The nervous beginner almost invariably uses too much smoke, and this makes his little dependents unhappy. The breathing of smoke is hardly a pleasant experience for us, and it seems to be still more distressing to the bees. We remember once how, in the enthusiasm of our novitiate, we inadvertantly smoked the bee-man instead of the bees in our misguided efforts to help, and the result was a blueness of the atmosphere which rendered more smoke superfluous. Every beginner ought to get at least one headache from the fumes of the smoker to teach him charity and care.
There are several reasons why the hive must be opened, aside from the fun one derives from the experience. First, the brood needs to be examined occasionally to see that it is all right, and in the fall the brood-comb must be examined to see that there is enough honey stored within it to winter the bees. Second, during the swarming season to find and remove the queen-cells. Third, to hunt for the queen to be sure she is present and active, or perchance to find her and clip her wings. Fourth, to take off supers filled with honey. A warm day should be selected for opening the hive for whatever
