OR, MANUAI, OF THB APIARY. 259 



which at this season is not likely to occur, of course we must 

 feed them. 



We set the old hive aside for twenty-one days, when the 

 young bees will all come from the cells. Should the weather 

 be cold, it might be well to put this in a warm room, so the 

 brood will not chill. At the time of swarming this will rarely 

 be necessary. We now drum out these bees as before, kill the 

 queen, which has been reared, and unite the bees with the 

 others, or form a separate colony as before, as the number of 

 bees determines. We can now split out the corners of the 

 old hive, split the gum, or separate the staves of the barrel, 

 so as not to break the comb. This should be carefully cut 

 loose, and the honey extracted by use of the wire comb-holder 

 (Fig. 150), and the comb melted Into wax for foundation. The 

 only loss in this method is the time which the bees require to 

 build out the foundation, and this is far more than made up in 

 the superior combs which are secured. I think the time 

 expended in melting up the combs, etc., is more than made up 

 by the time saved in transferring. 



THE OLD METHOD. 



If one has no foundation, or desires to give the bees the 

 comb and honey at once, even at the cost of less shapely 

 combs, he then should drum the bees out as before, on a warm 

 day when they are busy at work, and put the box containing 

 the bees on the old stand, leaving the edge raised so that the 

 bees which are out may enter, and so all the bees can get air. 

 This method is difficult, except in early spring, and is best 

 done about noon, when the bees are busy on the fruit-bloom. 

 It is not safe to transfer on a hot day, when the bees are idle, 

 as the risks from robbing are too great. If otheV bees do not 

 trouble, as they usually will not if busily gathering, we can 

 proceed in the open air. If they do, we must go into some 

 room. I have frequently transferred the comb in my kitchen, 

 and often in a barn. 



Now knock the old hive apart, as already described, cut 

 the combs from the sides, and get the combs out of the old 

 hive with just as little breakage as possible. Mr. Baldridge, 

 if transferring in spring, saws the combs and cross-sticks 



