is being robbed
or not, and may mistake the busy numbers that arrive and depart, for the
honest laborers of the hive; but let him look into the matter a little
more closely, and he will soon ascertain the true state of the case: the
bees that enter, instead of being heavily laden, with bodies hanging
down, unwieldy in their flight, and slow in all their movements, are
almost as hungry looking as Pharaoh's lean kine, while those that come
out, show by their burly looks, that like aldermen who have dined at the
expense of the City, they are filled to their utmost capacity.

If the Apiarian wishes to guard his bees against the fatal propensity to
plunder each other, he must be exceedingly careful not to have any combs
filled with honey unnecessarily exposed. An ignorant or careless person
attempting to multiply colonies on my plan, will be almost sure to tempt
his bees to rob each other. If he leaves any of the combs which he
removes, so that strange bees find them, they will, after once getting a
taste of the honey, fly to any hive upon which he begins to operate, and
attempt to appropriate a part of its contents. (See p. 304.) I have
already stated that when they can find an abundance of food in the
fields, bees are seldom inclined to rob; for this reason, with proper
precautions, it is not difficult to perform all the operations which are
necessary on my plan of management, at the proper season, without any
danger of demoralizing the bees. If however, they are attempted when
honey cannot be obtained, they should be performed with extreme caution,
and early in the morning, or late in the evening; or if possible, on a
day when the bees are not flying out from their hives. I have sometimes
seen the most powerful colonies in an Apiary, either robbed and
destroyed, or very greatly reduced in numbers, by the gross carelessness
or ignorance of their owner. He neglects to examine his hives at the
proper season, and the bees begin to rob a weak or queenless stock: as
soon as they are at the very height of their nefarious operations, he
attempts to interfere with their proceedings, either by shutting up the
hive, or by moving it to a new place. The air is now filled with greedy
and disappointed bees, and rather than fail in obtaining the expected
treasures, they assail with almost frantic desperation, some of the
neighboring stocks: in this way, the most powerful colonies are
sometimes utterly ruined, or if they escape, thousands