368 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



If the bee-keeper is sure that there is no disease present the follow- 

 ing method is used: A new hive is prepared with empty frames. There 

 are nee«led also an empty box into which to drum the bees, a smoker, 

 veil, hive-tool, butcher-knife, large bowl, a board, some fine string and a 

 pail of clean water. Remove the box-hive a few feet from its stand and 

 place the newly-prepared hive where the box-hive stood. This is done to 

 catch the returning bees. Tear off part of the cover from the box-hive 

 and turn it upside down, tilted as in the case of the Heddon Method. Now 

 drum the bees up into the box by continued drumming on the sides and 

 occasional puffing in of smoke at the bottom of the box-hive. After a 

 few minutes shake the cluster of bees from the box, in front of the en- 

 trance of the new hive, and continue the drumming until nearly all of 

 the bees are out of the box-hive, uniting these bees with those already 

 in the new hive. When all the bees that can be drummed out are re- 

 moved from the box-hive, tear the side open, after first cutting the comb 

 away so that it will not be broken when the side of the hive is torn off. 

 With the aid of the board, which should be a little larger than the frame, 

 we are ready to transfer all the good worker combs from the box-hive 

 to the frames. Lay two or three pieces of string under a frame which 

 should be placed on the board, take a piece of the comb from the box- 

 hive and lay it over the frame and with a sharp ki^ife trim the comb 

 until it can be fitted tightly into the frame, secure the combs firmly in 

 place by wrapping the string around them in two or three places and 

 put these frames with the comb into the new hive. The bees will fasteci 

 the comb to the frames with wax. In selecting the comb to be trans- 

 ferred take first the worker comb with brood, next the straightest of the 

 empty worker comb and then, if necessary, one or two frames of comb 

 filled with honey. Do not use any drone comb. Fill up the hive with 

 frames of drawn comb or foundation if more frames are needed. 



The bowl will receive all pieces of broken comb and the honey in this 

 can be used indoors. Use plenty of clean water and you will not find 

 this method a very sticky one but never attempt it unless you have 

 plenty of water and all the necessary appliances ready. 



Some bee-keepers tear the hive to pieces and transfer the combs with- 

 out drumming the bees out at all. In doing this they destroy a great 

 many bees and the operator cannot work nearly as rapidly when there 

 are so many bees crawling around. It is better to drum all the bees out 

 first. 



The direct method has an advantage over the Heddon and Guernsey 

 methods in completing the whole of the transferring at once and in 

 saving the best of the old combs. If the combs in the box-hive are not 

 too old this is quite a saving to the colony as it is not necessary to build 

 so much new comb. The old box-hive should be removed and destroyed 

 on completing the transfer. 



TRANSFERRING FROM BARRELS^ HOLLOW LOGS^ ETC. 



When the bees are housed in a barrel, a section of hollow log or 

 other make-shift for a hive, which, on account of its form, may not lend 

 itself easily to one of the methods just explained, th6 following plan 

 is recommended: 



