_Dressing the insides of the hives_ is of doubtful advantage. Some people rub the interior of the hive with balm, bean-tops, fennel, &c. or smear it over with cream and honey. Wildman strongly reprobates this practice, as it gives the bees the trouble of making the hive clean again. If any thing be used, in compliance with custom, sugared or honeyed ale is the most alluring. +Keys+ says that a hive, containing old combs and dressed with sugared ale, will often decoy a swarm to settle in it. +Huish+ recommends sprinkling the interior of the hives with human urine; which he regards as a specific, on account of "its _abounding_ with _sugar_ and _salt_, two substances of which bees are particularly fond:" if such were the fact, it would I think, be more cleanly, and therefore a preferable plan, to mingle those favourite articles with a little ale or water for this purpose. Huish himself recommends smearing the interior of the hive with honey, when a swarm of bees settle in a situation, from which it cannot be dislodged and made to enter the hive, by shaking or other forcible means. If urine be attractive to bees, its attraction must proceed from other qualities than those which he has mentioned; it does certainly contain a _very small portion_ of _salt_, but I know of no analysis of healthy human urine, which admits sugar to be a constituent part of it. A tinkling noise is generally, though I believe erroneously, considered to be useful in inducing bees to settle. +Keys+ recommends the use of a watchman's rattle, but not till the queen has come forth, for fear of alarming her too soon, nor after the bees have begun to cluster. +Keys+ advises also the throwing of sand or water among the bees, to make them cluster; likewise the making of some _very_ great noise, such as firing a gun; some have supposed the bees to mistake a loud noise, for thunder foreboding a storm; but this, instead of causing them to settle, would rather cause their return to the parent stock. +Dr. Evans+ suggests the probability of noises being first used, as signals to the neighbours that a swarm was up, and being afterwards continued by habit only. The throwing up of handfuls of dust or sand, is said to make bees descend, when they soar very high; these missiles being mistaken for rain.