184 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



side and the bees building queen cells on 

 the other, thus causing trouble in the 

 camp I 



I have seen a ten-days (lucen live just as 

 long, and proving equally as prolific as one 

 liatched in the usual time, though the for- 

 mer iirc not to be recommended ! 



V.'HAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. 



I would like to see bee-keepers when re- 

 porting how much honey they obtain from 

 a single hive or number of hives, be just as 

 particular to state the size of their hives, 

 for in my humble judgment tliere is some 

 difTerence between ;i hive holding ten frames 

 and one holding fifty ! 



I would like to see bee-keepers wlien re- 

 porting how much surplus they have ob- 

 tained, to give some credit to providence 

 iind not all to their oicii skill or particular 

 Jdve tliey are using ! 



I would like to see every contributor to 

 the Bee Joukx.u. when lie errs either in 

 judgment or practice, to early and freely 

 confess it 1 Why V Because it is noble 

 and manly ! 



I would like to see a good feeling prevail 

 amongst bee-keepers, if they do cross each 

 other's path once in a while, and also 



I would like to see the managers of the 

 Bee Jocr;xAL report before tlie year is out, 

 that no man (nor even a woman) owes them 

 anything — not even a grudge ! tSo mote it 

 he ! AKcrs. 



For the Anu-rican Bcl- Juurnul. 



Transferring Beea. 



]\Iany persons having the old box gum, 

 and wishing to use a frame hive, are puz- 

 zled to know \\o\v to get the bees from the 

 old gum to the new hive. It may seem to 

 be a terrible job, but the oj^-ration can be 

 performed in uu hour, and if care is used, 

 without a sting, even if working without a 

 veil or gloves. The best time to transfer 

 is early in the spring, when the fruit trees 

 are in bloom, though it can be done any 

 time during the summer, and the combs be 

 soft, but you Avill have to feed them. All 

 tiie tools that are necessary are, a hatchet, 

 cold chisel, and a long knile. Select a room, 

 or an outliouse, with one Avindow. Under- 

 neath the window fix a stand or table about 

 five feet long. Take an old sheet, double it 

 up to about the size of the frame, to lay 

 the comb on, so as not to bruise the cells. 

 Lay your tools along side, and some sticks, 

 made about one incii longer than the frame 

 is wide, and three-eighths thick ; also rub- 

 ber rings, such as are used on car tickets. 

 Fine wire or string will do to tie the comb 

 into tiie frame, but not as good as the sticks. 

 There are many ways of fastening the 

 comb into the frame. After transferring 

 one hive, you can use your ingenuity. Se- 



lect the gum, blow smoke in at the entrance, 

 and rap iiriskly on the outside of the hive 

 for a few minutes, until they set up a hum 

 of peace. liemove the hive to the room, 

 and leave a box in the place of the hive, to 

 catch all returning bees ; invert the hive, 

 and cut out the side of the hive parallel to 

 the comb ; the bees will get out of your 

 way ; lay two sticks down on the quilt, and 

 a frame on top ; cut out a comb ; brush all 

 the bees oil' ; lay it on the frame, and cut it 

 to fit ; lay two sticks on top ; spring the 

 rubber rings over the ends ; raise the comb, 

 and place it in the hive, having it at your 

 right hand ; continue to remove all the 

 comb in a like manner, usijig care that you 

 put the combs in the new hive in the same 

 rotation tlutt they were in the old hive. 

 Shake all of the bees out of the old hive m 

 front of the new one, and they will all go in 

 like a nev/ swarm; or, after placing two 

 frames in the new hive, brush all of the 

 bees adhering to the comb into the new 

 hive, and by the time you are through, 

 nearly all of the hecs will be in the hive. 

 After closing up the hive, let it stand for 

 awhile, and if the bees are still quiet, you 

 may be sure the queen is in. If she is not, 

 the bees will run all about the entrance and 

 over the hive, hunting for something, as 

 they are, for their queen. Look around for 

 a cluster of bees, pick them up with a dip- 

 per, and put them in the hive, and if the 

 queen is with them, all will soon be quiet, 

 lieturn it to its old stand, shake out the 

 bees in the box in front of the hive, and 

 they will all go in. In three or four days 

 after, open the hive, pull off the top rings, 

 and pull the sticks out, as by that time the 

 combs Avill be fastened to tlie frames. They 

 are all right now. After performing the 

 operation you will l)e surprised to see how 

 easy it is, and how quiet the bees are at 

 being thus stirred up, and you will also see 

 the advantaue of the frame hive. 



A. J. MUKKAY. 

 For the American Bee Jouriml. 



Ho'^v to Introduc3 Virgin Qaesns and 

 make New Colonies. 



Take your Queen ]^ursery and put into 

 each cage, l)etween the tins, a few cells of 

 sealed honey in new comb, or a small piece 

 of sponge, well saturated with honey, for 

 feed for the hatching queens, so that they 

 will not starve if the bees fail to feed them. 

 Now cut from the combs as many queen 

 cells as you have jirepared cages in the 

 nursery, and suspend one in each cage with 

 the sealed end downwards, as found in the 

 combs, remembering always never to jar 

 or compress the cells in any wa}^ and also 

 to see that you have good, large perfect 

 cells, and generally not cut from the combs 

 before the iith or 10th day. 



