l8 SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 



BUYING BEES. 



Buying up bees in box hives and gums, and transferring them into modern 

 hives, is a common practice among bee-keepers. If bargains can be obtained, 

 this is a very good practice; otherwise it is poor practice. Often box hives are 

 heavy with honey, and contain a good-sized swarm of bees.; and if they 

 can be bought for $i.oo or $1.50 it may pay to buy them, and transfer them, 

 feeding back the honey to the bees (it is usually unfit for anything else), 

 and let them build a set of combs from it, and be in good condition for. 

 the honey-flow. The wax saved will pay for the transferring, and the colony 

 may cost you only $3.50 or $4.00. But generally you will not find the pro- 

 lific varieties of bees in such hives, and a young queen will cost $1.00 or 

 $1.25 for it. Considering that there is usually some loss sustained in trans- 

 ferring and introducing queens, there could be only a very small bargain, 

 even if the best or heaviest hives that could be bought, and if the transferring 

 were not done by some experienced bee-keeper there would not be anything 

 saved by buying up such hives, except, perhaps, transportation on colonies 

 from some bee-keeper who may have them to sell. 



Box hives should be examined well, before they are bought, by removing 

 the cover and turning the hives down, so that the light will shine through 

 the comb from the bottom, and give you a clear view of the contents of the 

 hive. If the hives are constructed so that you can not remove the bottom, 

 part the comb and turn the hive so the light will shine between it, so that you 

 can make close inspection. Now, when a hive is thus examined set your price 

 on it so that, when all hives have been examined, you will know what to offer 

 for the apiary. The material used in the construction of box hives sometimes 

 is very heavy, and you should not buy them by weight. 



Sometimes bargains can be obtained in buying bees in modern hives 

 from bee-keepers who are going to move away, or are not so situated as to 

 keep bees, and want to sell them, or for some other reason wish to dispose 

 of their bees. There are always people in the market for bees, and such bar- 

 gains should be made known to them, or taken up by some one who is in- 

 terested in bees. 



Transportation on bees is high, and they should be bought as near home 

 as possible. 



The question is often asked, "Should I buy my increase or make it?" 

 If you have the experience and time it might pay you best to make it; but 

 if you can get a bargain in a lot of bees somewhere near you it would pay 

 you best to buy your increase if it is in good condition. In making your 

 own increase you have the variety of bees you want, and the size hive and 

 frames you desire, which can not always be had in buying bees for bargains. 

 Some bee-keepers buy nuclei (small swarms of bees), and build them up to 

 full colonies and make their increase in this way. 



