268 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



ocean. They come by mail in cages, and all that is necessary is to 

 open the cages and follow introduction methods in some good book 

 on bee-keeping and introduce them to the queenless colony. Have 

 the opening through which the queen would crawl stopped with 

 bee sugar, which is honey and powdered sugar mixed together. 

 While the bees are eating this away to release the imported queen, 

 they are becoming acquainted with her, and in a day or two will 

 accept her as queen. Of course the hives must be made queenless 

 before it is wished to introduce a new queen. This of course can 

 not be done with an old style hive where the operator could not 

 look through the hive and find the old queen. We take this oppor 

 tunity to denounce against the so called observation hives, which 

 are frame hives with glass on all sides. They are expensive and al- 

 luring, and while the outer side of each of the frames that are on the 

 sides can easily be observed, one can not see what is taking place in 

 the interior of the hive and can not see the queen nor the young bees 

 without taking out the frames, as with the ordinary frame hives. 



It is easy to transfer bees from an old style hive to a. new one. 

 Have the smoker ready for use. The first step is to smoke the bees 

 in the old hive, open a hole at the top so they can pass up through 

 it, set the new hive on top of the old one, and by pounding the old 

 one and occasionally puffing smoke into the same, drive the bees 

 from the old hive into the new. As soon as the queen comes out 

 there will be a grand rush into the new apartment in the upper story. 

 Kemove the cross sticks, if any, and split off the side of the old 

 hive that is parallel to the sheets of comb within it, and also split 

 off the bottom or pound it off with a hammer. With a large knife 

 like a bread knife cut out the sheets of comb with honey brood. 

 Lay it on a board and using one of the new frames as a pattern cut 

 the comb to fit the frame as closely as possible. Fasten it in with 

 thin sticks, as shown in the illustration, or with strong rubber 

 bands. If the rubber bands are used they must be very strong, to 

 prevent lopping over at the top. The frames are then put into the 

 new hives. If the comb is uneven it should be cut so as to fit and 

 permit all the frames to be put parallel in the hive. Avoid crush- 

 ing the bees at all times and especially now, as it is hard to tell 

 where the queen is and if she be killed the most valuable part of 

 the hive is lost. 



I have had my students and visitors at State College help me in 

 this work with safety, and it can be done by any one who is willing 

 to undertake it. In fastening the comb in the frames the sticks 

 can be placed either diagonally or vertically, as shown in the illus- 

 tration. The bees will soon fasten this at the sides and top and 

 t*he sticks can then be removed and the frames will be in a first 

 class condition. If there be not enough comb to fill all the frames, 

 as many should be entirely filled as possible. Make it straight so 

 that the frames can be put in without crowding the comb against 

 other frames. Where there are any fragments of broken comb left 

 it can be made into bees wax which is quite valuable. If there 

 should not be enough comb in the old hive to fill all the frames of 

 the new hive, foundation sheets, which are sheets of beeswax rolled 

 thin and the impression of the base of the cells marked on it, should 

 be put on the remaining empty frames. All foundation should be 

 fastened in place with fine wire imbedded in it. In most cases where 



