1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



219 



These wires have one advantage over the 

 clasps, from the fact that they can he re- 

 moved without lifting the frames from the 

 hive. Just slip off the top and twist the 

 wire half around, and it can be drawn right 

 up. They also possess another very decided 

 advantage. When very heavy combs are 

 transferred, they, as a matter of course, rest 

 with their full weight on the bottom bar, 

 and it is sure to be bent by the weight, un- 

 less made considerably heavier, than would 

 be needed for combs that are built down 

 from the top bar, or for those built on fdn. 

 Well, these wires support the lightest bottom 

 bar until the comb is all firmly waxed 

 into the frames, and depending from the 

 top bar like a comb built on it naturally. 

 It is a very bad feature indeed, to have 

 combs with bottom bars that have sagged, 

 for they are constantly in clanger of killing 

 bees by striking the bottom of the hive, or 

 the frames below, Avhen used in a two story 

 hive. To prevent combs being built be- 

 tween the upper and lower story frames, it 

 is desirable to have remaining not more 

 than i or f of an inch space between them ; 

 but we cannot do this, unless we can be as- 

 sured the bottom bars are perfectly straight 

 and true, and on this account, I am very 

 much inclined to give the transferring wires 

 the preference over all other modes of fast- 

 ening. While the clasps will fit frames of 

 any dimensions, the wires must be made to 

 lit the frames they are to be used on. When 

 one has many colonies to transfer, it will be 

 well to provide both clasps and wires, using 

 at least one wire to hold up the centre of the 

 bottom bars that have much weight to sus- 

 tain. 



All fastenings, of whatever kind (except 

 thorns), should be removed as soon as the 

 bees have waxed the combs fast to the 

 frames, which will often be by the next day, 

 if the colony is strong and the honey is com- 

 ing in fast. They should be taken away 

 soon, because they cover the cells and brood 

 more or less. Where the combs were large 

 and straight, I have often cut them to fit so 

 nicely, that the frame could be sprung over 

 them so as to hold them securely enough 

 without any fastenings of any kind. 



HOW MUCH OF THE COMBS IN THE OLD 

 HIVES SHALL BE SAVED. 



If you choose, you can save pieces not 

 more than an inch square ; I have taken lit- 

 tle bits of comb and filled frames with them, 

 so as to be finally worked out into very fair 

 combs. The way I did it was to lay the 

 frame on a board just its size and no larger. 



The small bits were then put in place and 

 pressed together moderately, until the frame 

 was full. This was then placed horizontally, 

 board and all, over the frames of a populous 

 colony, over night, allowing the bees to go 

 up and cluster over the combs. True to 

 their nature, they at once set to work, and 

 welded or cemented these pieces all together. 

 When it was so it would hold, I raised board 

 and all perpendicularly, and slipped off the 

 board, and hung the frame in an upper 

 story, when honey was being gathered. An 

 assistant was so sure that these combs could 

 never be nice ones, that I marked them w r ith 

 a pencil ; a few days after, when the cells 

 had all been drawn out evenly, and filled 

 with honey, I was very loth myself to admit 

 that the thick, beautiful comb I held up, 

 was the mass of odds and ends of all colors 

 which I had thus patched up. On holding 

 it up to the light, the old ground work could 

 plainly be seen. While such combs answer 

 excellently for extracting, as does any kind 

 of drone or store combs, they are not profit- 

 able for the brood chamber. In fact, it is 

 doubtful if any natural combs are as profita- 

 ble for the brood apartment, as those built 

 on our latest improved fdn. On this ac- 

 count, we seldom, nowadays, save any 

 combs in transferring, except those contain- 

 ing brood, or the very nicest and straightest 

 worker comb. The rest, after having the 

 honey fed out, is condemned to the wax ex- 

 tractor. I think the readiest way of getting 

 this honey out is to transfer the combs and 

 feed it out, placing it near enough the out- 

 side of the hive, to avoid having the queen 

 use it. It may also be placed at the other 

 side of the division board. 



If you have many weak colonies in your 

 apiary, you may transfer a colony, and di- 

 vide the combs and bees around among 

 those needing it. In this way, you can have 

 the combs all fixed and disposed of very 

 quickly. 



One who is expert in the business, should 

 transfer a colony in an hour, on an average ; 

 I have taken a heavy one from a box hive, 

 and had it completely finished in'40 minutes. 

 Where the apiarist goes away from home to 

 do such work, the usual price is $1.00^'for a 

 single colony, and less for more than one, ac- 

 cording to the number. 



Some bee-keepers drum out the bees be- 

 fore transferring. The drumming is done 

 by placing a box or hive over the old one, 

 and drumming on the sides of the latter, 

 until the greater part of the bees are up in 

 the box and can be lifted off. After having 



