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THE HONEY-BEE IN NEW ZEALAND. 17

In the winter a heavier hive may be safely moved to a
new station, for by that time the combs will be more
firmly fixed, not only to the top of the hive, but also to the
sides; and as there will be no longer any brood in the
combs, they will be relieved from this great weight. But
as most people choose the summer for their own move-
ments, I suppose that bees will generally have to make
the journey at the same time. And this journey they
always should make in company with any settler going to
a distant station; for the benefit they will do to him is
very great; but more of this when I come to speak of bee
produce.
Some people put cross sticks in all their hives, thinking
them needful to support the combs. If very securely fixed,
they may be useful in hives which are to be carried to a
distance, but in no other cases ought they to be used, as I
shall presently show; they are the greatest nuisances
when you come to take the honey, and are useless at all
other times. A comb will not break down as long as the
hive is not moved, and is protected from the direct rays of
the sun; trust the bees to do their own work securely; there
are no bunglers amongst them.
One other hint I will now give touching the removal of
your bees: when you come to turn a hive up, to lash it
to its board, to look inside, or to cut out some honey-
comb, first ascertain how the combs run in the hive; I
mean from front to back, or from side to side. The
combs, you know, are all parallel to each other, like a
number of books hung up to dry on strings, with a
quarter of an inch between them. When you know which
way they run, be very careful to turn up the hives so as
to keep the combs always in their own planes. This may
be rather too difficult for some of my readers; but it is
of the greatest importance; and as I bought my own
experience dearly, by making a miserable smash of a fine
parcel of combs in a hive which I turned up the
wrong way, I am willing that you should have it
at a cheaper rate, without making your bees pay
the penalty of your ignorance. We will now suppose
that you have got your bees and set them to work,