64 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1875 



TRANSFERRING. 



From the number of inquiries received, we 

 aire obliged to think that notwithstanding all 

 We have said on the subject, something farther 

 is needed. Those who have back volumes 

 should look at pa<res 33, amd 04, Vol. 1, and 

 page 100, Vol. 2. We firmly believe eren/ one 

 of our readers can do their own transferring, 

 and do it nicely, if they will only make up 

 their minds that they will succ^jed. If you are 

 awkward and inexperienced it will take you 

 lonsrer, that is all. 



We have said so often, that the best time was 

 during the period of fruit blossoms, that it 

 seems almost needless to repeat it. Be sure 

 that you have cleared away all rubbish, from 

 about your box hive or gum, for a space of at 

 least 6 feet all around. We should decidedly 

 prefer to have the hive stand directly on the 

 ground with all rough and uneven places filled 

 Tip with sawdust nicely stamped down. Make 

 it so clean and tidy that you can find a needle 

 if you should drop it, and be sure you leave no 

 cracks or crevices in which the Queen or bees 

 may hide or crawl. Make all these arrange- 

 ments, several days beforehand Lf possible, so 

 that the bees may be well acquainted with all 

 the surroundings and be full at work ; remem- 

 ber we wish to choose a time when as many 

 bees as possible are out at work, for 

 they will then be nicely out of the way. About 

 10 o'clock A. M. will probably be the best time 

 if it is a warm still day. Get all your applian- 

 ces in readiness, every thing you can think of 

 that you may need, and some other thiugs too 

 perhaps. You will want a fine toothed saw, a 

 hammer, a chisel to cut nails in the old hive, 

 tacks, and thin strips of pine, unless you have 

 the transferring clasps, a large board to lay the 

 combs upon, (the cover to a Langstroth hive 

 does ''tip top") an old table cloth or sheet fold- 

 ed up to lay under the combs to prevent bump- 

 ing the heads of the unhatched brood too se- 

 verely, a honey knife or a couple of them, if 

 you have none get a couple of long thin bladed 

 bread or butcher knives, and lastly a basin of 

 water and a towel to keep every thing washed 

 Tip clean. Now as we have said before, this is 

 really a great part of it women's work, and if 

 you cannot persuade your wife or sister, or 

 some good friend among the sex to help, j'ou 

 are not fit to be a bee-keeper. In saying this 

 we take it for granted, that women the world 

 over, are ready and willing to assist in any 

 useful work, if they are treated as fellow beings 

 and equals. The operation of transferring will 

 afibrd you an excellent opportunity to show 

 your a.ssistant many of the wonders of the bee 

 liive, and in the role of teacher, you may dis- 

 cover that you are stimulating youi'self to a 

 degree of skill that you would not be likelj^ to 

 attain otherwise. 



A Quiuby smoker will be very handy, but if 

 you have not one, make a smoke of some bits 

 of rotten wood in a pan ; blow a little smoke 

 in at the entrance of the hive, but do not get 

 the sawdust on fire. Tip the old hive over 

 backward, and blow in a little more smoke to 

 drive the bees down among the combs, let it 

 stand there, and place the new hive so that the 

 entrance is exactly in place of the old one ; 

 put a large newspaper in front of the entrance 

 on the ground, and let one edge lie under the 

 entrance to the new hive. The returning bees 



laden with pollen, and honey, are now alight- 

 ing, and going into the hive, and out again in- 

 dismay at finding it empty. We now want to- 

 get one comb in for them, to let them know 

 that it is their old home. Move the old hiv<- 

 back a little farther so you can get all arount? 

 it, and give them a little more smoke whenever 

 they seem disposed to be obstreperous ; and 

 now comes the trial of skill and ingenuity. 

 The problem is, to get those crooked irregular 

 combs, out of that old hive, and then to fix 

 them neatly in the movable frames. 



Your own good sense will have to dictate 

 much in this matter. Saw ofi'the cross sticks- 

 if such there be, and with your thin knife cut 

 the combs loose from one side ; cut off" the 

 nails and pry ofl'this side, but don't get the hon- 

 ey to running if you can help it. We have as 

 yet said nothing about bee veils and notwith- 

 standing we keep them to sell, we really do 

 not think you need any, unless you are so care- 

 less as to get the honey running and start rob- 

 bers. When the side is off", you can probably 

 get one comb out. Lay it on the folded table- 

 cloth, take out the comb guide, lay the frame 

 on it, and let your feminine friend cut it so as 

 to require that the frame be sprung slightly to- 

 go over it. With the clasps she can fasten the 

 combs in, as fast as you can cut them out ; if 

 sticks and tacks, strings, or rubbers be used it 

 will take some longer. When the frame is to 

 be lifted into a horizontal position, the board, 

 cloth and all is to be raised with it. With the 

 wash basin and towel, keep the honey neatly 

 wiped up. If robbers begin to aimoy, keep a 

 cloth over the two hives. Put the brood as 

 nearly together as you can conveniently, or 

 some of it may get chilled. When you get 

 near the central combs, you will probably lift 

 out large clusters of bees with the comb ; these 

 are to be shaken and brushed off" on the news- 

 paper; if they do not seem disposed to crawl 

 into the hive take hold of the edge of the paper 

 and shake them up toward the entrance ; they 

 will soon go in. A paper is better tlian a clotli, 

 for they cannot stick fast to it. Save out the 

 drone comb, and fix it all in a frame or frame?; 

 by itself It will do well for surplus honey, 

 but we don't want it in the brood chamber. 

 Utensils, and bits of comb that have much 

 honey daubed on them may be put in the upper 

 story for the bees to clean up, but if the weath- 

 er is cool, keep the quilt down over them close- 

 ly for a day or two. We would look them 

 over carefully every day or two, and as fast as 

 they get the combs fastened, remove the clasps, 

 or other fastenings and bend the comljs into 

 place as we mentioned last month. Each op- 

 eration is very simple and easy in itself if you 

 go about it at the proper time and in the right 

 way. Bear in mind that the Ix^es from first to 

 last, are to be kept constantly in subjection, 

 by use of the smoke, and that you must never 

 let them get the faintest idea, that t)y any pos- 

 sibility can they become master. Send them 

 back among the combs as often as they poke 

 their heads out, until they are perfectly sub- 

 dued, and hang in quiet clusters, like bees at 

 swarming time. 



There, if we have not touched all points 

 Ictus know and we will try again. If you 

 have any trouble it will probably be because 

 you are careless. 



