666 



journal of Agriculture. 



[8 Nov., 1907 



liberty. The queen may be caged* to prevent the bees swarming out 

 and absconding, or, as they wiU sometimes do when deprived of brood, 

 entering a neighbouring hive. After the lapse of 24 hours they may 

 be fed with syrup made by dissolving sugar in an equal weight of boiling 

 hot water, the syrup to be given warm (about blood heat) and if there is a 

 scarcity of nectar not till after sunset so as to avoid attracting robber 

 bees from other hives. If a honey flow is on, feeding may be dispensed 

 with. In three to four days the bees will ha\e built some pieces of comb 

 on the bars of wood which instead of frames have been placed in the 

 hive and from which the cage containing the queen is suspended. The 

 bees mav now be returned to their foTmer hive which in the meantime has 

 been thoroughly cleaned bv being immersed for several minutes in boiling 

 water in which soap and soda have been dissolved, and allowed to dry in 

 the open air. If the same frames are to be used again they should, after 

 ihe combs have been cut out and boiled down for wax, be treated in the 

 same way. When j^roperlv dry the frames are supplied with starters or 

 full sheets of foundation. The temporary hive is moved aside, the cleaned 

 hive with the frames put in its place, and the bees transferred to it by 

 shaking them out on to a cloth placed in front. The queen may be kept 

 caged with advantage for a day ot two more till the bees have again settled 

 down and commenced to build comb. If any comb has been attached to 

 the cage it will be best to transfer the queen to a fresh cage. The comb 

 built by the bees during their stay in the temporary hive is treated as in- 

 fected and boiled down. 



If the bees cannot obtain a liberal supply of nectar from flowers im- 

 mediately after this treatment feeding should be continued for a while, 

 because although they may not be actually starving it is necessary that they 

 should raise the greatest possible amount of brood immediately after being 

 established in the clean hive, otherwise the small number of bees emerging 

 from the new combs after twenty-one days will not be sufficient to replace 

 the old bees then rapidly disappearing from old age. 



It is not absolutely necessary that the bees should build their own 

 combs. Instead of frames with foundation, finished combs, stored with 

 honey and pollen, may be given from clean hives which have a surplus and 

 as soon as there is brood in these a comb of sealed brood from another 

 hive may also be given them. This will dispense with feeding and prevent 

 the colony declining too much during the first three weeks after treatment. 



^ The cage employed for this purpose should have an opening, covered with 

 a piece uf queen-excluding zii c such as is used in honey boards which will prevent 

 tile queen leaving the cage but will allow the workers access to it. Otherwise the 

 bees are to all intents and purposes queenless and mav leave the hive. 



{To he conti lined). 



