246 



Beekeeping 



natural swarm and they may then be thrown in the new 

 hive. If possible, the queen should be seen so that the 

 operator may be sure that she is off the old combs. It is 

 necessary that she be obtained, unless one desires to requeen 

 at this time, in which event the old queen should be cap- 

 tured and the new one may be run in with the bees and will 

 be promptly accepted. The box-hive containing the brood 

 is now placed right side up in a new location. In 21 days 

 all of the worker brood will have emerged and possibly 

 some new queens will be reared. These bees may be driven 



out and united 

 with their former 

 hive-mates by 

 allowing them to 

 run in the en- 

 trance. They 

 should, however, 

 be compelled to 

 go through per- 

 forated zinc or a 

 queen and drone 

 trap (Fig. 30) to 

 keep out the 

 young queens. 

 The old combs 

 may now be 

 melted after removing the honey. By this method straight 

 combs are obtained. If nectar is not being collected, the 

 newly established colony should be fed. 



Plan 2. Wait until a swarm issues from the box-hive 

 and then move the old hive to a new location. The swarm 

 is then placed in a new hive on the old stand and it is further 

 increased by returning field bees. After 21 days the bees 

 which have emerged are united with the bees in the new 

 hive, as described under Plan 1. 



Plan 3. If the beekeeper desires to save the combs in 

 the box-hive, the bees may be drummed into a box, after 



FIG. 109. Cutting combs from a box-hive. 



