26 BEES FOE PLEASURE AND PROFIT. 



hive intended for their reception is got ready. Between the 

 alighting- board and the ground place a large board or a cloth, 

 and wedge up the front of the hive with a stone, so as to form 

 an entrance the whole width of the hive and at least ^ inch 

 deep. As soon as the bees are fairly settled (which they may 

 be made to do more quickly by directing a shower of water 

 from a garden syringe so as to fall like a shower of rain on 

 those in the air), take a straw skep and hold it inverted just 

 under the swarm. Now grasp the branch or limb of the tree 

 on which the bees have settled, and give it a sudden, sharp jerk, 

 which will throw them all off the tree and into the skep. Next 

 carry the inverted skep to the new hive, and gently turn it 

 over, holding it firmly with both hands ; slowly lower it till it 

 almost touches the board or cloth which has been placed 

 between the ground and the alighting-board of the hive ; then 

 suddenly lift it about 18 inches, and lower it again with a 

 sharp jerk, wdiich will have the effect of throwing almost all 

 the bees out on the board or cloth : a few of them will rise in 

 the au", but before many minutes they will all enter their new 

 home. Should we only have hived a portion of the swarm, 

 and the queen be amongst the remainder, the bees will not 

 stay in their new home more than a few minutes : as soon, 

 therefcre, as we have thrown the first lot of bees out of the 

 skep on to the board, we must go back and secure the re- 

 mainder of the swarm . which will most probably have clus- 

 tered again by this time. As soon as all the bees are in, the 

 stone which wedges up the front of the hive should be removed. 

 Sometimes bees settle in very awkward positions, such as a 

 fence or a thick, low^ bush. In such cases we may hold the 

 skep above them, and drive them up into it with smoke ; or 

 spread a sheet on the ground, and shake them on to it. 



Bees when swarming, being gorged with honey, will not 

 sting unless absolutely crushed or hurt ; so we may easily hive 

 a swarm without fear of being stung. 



Foundation. 



It may here be as well to inform the reader what foundation 

 is, and how it is used. 



Foundation (fig. 16) is beeswax made into thin sheets, on 

 which the bases of the cells of honeycomb and the basement of 

 the side walls aie imprinted by metal rollers : the bees rapielly 



