1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



813 



in hiving, and, becoming detached from the main 

 part of the swarm, the bees missing- her returned 

 home. If they had been given a comb of brood, 

 and had stayed in t!ie hive tliey had been placed in, 

 and the queen had got back home without injury, it 

 would have been excellent evidence of " a swarm 

 without a queen." J. S. Hoffman. 



Williamsport, Pa., Nov. IT, 1884. 



HINTS ON TRANSFERRING. 



SO.ME SUGGESTIONS FROM FlUEND DEADMAN. 



WILL not promise to give a full outline for 

 transferring, but only a few suggestions on 

 II the same. By following the directions I am 

 about to describe, you will be able to transfer 

 any time, before the honey season closes. I do 

 not say that you would not be successful after this, 

 but it is certainly not good policy to do so, for, in all 

 probability, you would have the chagrin of seeing 

 robbei'-bees transfer the honey again. I linow rob- 

 bers are frequently very troublesome in the apiai-y, 

 and between any cessation in the honey-flow; but 

 they never seem so determined as they do in the fall 

 of the year, when there are no fall flowers. Besides, 

 there is more droppinghoney, and the combs are not 

 so tough, which should bo sufficient of itself to deter 

 one from transferring after the honey season 

 closes. 



Before you begin, be quite sure that the day will 

 be sufficiently warm for the bees to fiy. Being sat- 

 isfied of this, and before any bees leave their hives, 

 cai-ry into the cellar, or some dark room, as many 

 colonies as yon can manage easily by eleven o'clock. 

 The object in this is to have no flying bees search- 

 ing for their missing homes. If during the fruit- 

 t)loom, and you do not like to miss the honey they 

 would gather, then do only three or so each morn- 

 ing, so that you can have them back on their proper 

 stands at an early hour. Having every thing in 

 readiness I would carry one hive to be transferred, 

 to a stand near a window; now proceed to arrange 

 another stand with pieces of scantling or blocks (no 

 nails necessary), so that when you place one end of 

 your new hive on it, the other end can rest on the 

 hive to bo transferred, but only just enough to 

 make an opening thi-ough which the bees may pass 

 when driven from the box hive. That is, you are 

 to begin transferring the combs from the opposite 

 end; and as you proceed, the bees, in their endeav- 

 or to escape, will keep movng toward this opening; 

 and by placing the combs that you have ti-ansferred 

 into your new hive next to this entrance, the bees 

 as they pass up will cluster on them. 



There are three adrantages in this. 1. The bees 

 have a place to go, and do go exactly where you 

 want them. 2. The brood is kept warm by this 

 j)lan; and 3, There is less danger of losing the 

 (jueen. After two or three fx-ames are finished you 

 can then brush any bees that get in your way, right 

 on to these. With this plan, no drumming the bees 

 out, but only sufficient smoke to start them toward 

 your new hive, and to enable you to take out the 

 combs. You will probably have to knock out one 

 end of the hive in order to get a start. If your box 

 hive has a loose cover, all the better; if not, turn 

 it upside down, and proceed as described. If your 

 new hives have tight bottom-boards, then either 

 make one without, or loosen the bottom of one al- 

 ready made, and then it is a very easy matter, after 



the OOmbs and bees are transferred, to put them at 

 once in the hives with bottom-board attached, and 

 use the hive with the loose bottom-board to trans- 

 fer another, and so on. I would not remove the 

 bottom-board entirely from underneath your new 

 hives, but arrange it so as not to interfere with the 

 opening through which the bees escape. 



As regards fastening the combs into the frames, 

 there are many ways suggested. I advise you by 

 no means to neglect the method of using thorns. 

 You will frequently find that these will hold the 

 combs in place themselves, especially \\hen the 

 combs are old and fit snugly in the frames. Make 

 the holes for these before ever you begin trans- 

 ferring, and have them not less than two and a half 

 inches apart. You might not have to use as many 

 thorns as you have made holes, but you have more 

 choice by having a number. 



Now, after you have all the combs transferred, 

 and all the bees in that have not flown to the win- 

 dow, take the hive at once to its proper stand, un- 

 less at a time when no honey is being gathered, and 

 the bees disposed to rob, when, instead, you are to 

 put them in a dark room or cellar. It is not neces- 

 sary to have it very dark; for by turning the en- 

 trance of the hive toward a wall, the light is pre- 

 vented from falling directly on the hive. You then 

 leave them there for three or four hours. This is 

 to give them ample time to collect their' senses, 

 clean up all dripping honey, and to place them- 

 selves in position for defending their home. If you 

 still think there is much danger of robbing, leave 

 them in this room until nearly sunset. You will 

 find, if you iiave transferred many, there will have 

 been sufficient number of bees from each hive to 

 make a large cluster near or on top of the sash. 

 They must not be allowed to escape until the in- 

 mates of every hive you have transferred are back 

 on their stands. You need not fear about their 

 quarreling; they illustrate well the old adage, that 

 "misery loves company." When you are done 

 transferring, and all the hives properly returned, 

 you can then open your window, and each bee will 

 go to its respective home. 1 would not be afraid to 

 transfer at any season by following the above plan. 

 I have even had colonies that would not defend 

 themselves; but by transferring, and crowding up 

 on only so many frames as they could cover, would 

 be all right, and this has been done a few days after 

 being removed from their winter qiuirters in the 

 cellar. G. A. Deadman. 



Brussels, Ont., Nov., 1884. 



HOW TO BUILD A CISTERN. 



SO.ME FURTHER HINTS IN THE MATTER, FROM OITR 

 FRIEND PORTER. 



N reply to Mr. Barbour's inquiry about cisterns, 

 [ p. 621, Gleanings, I will give some of my ex- 

 perience. A good cistern can be made, cement- 

 ing directly on any firm soil, and it will be dur- 

 able if the conditions essential exist. First, 

 there must be no trees near, for the roots reaching 

 for moisture will surely get between the earth and 

 the cement coat, and grow and crowd till a fracture 

 is made. 



The other condition is, that it lie i)erfectly pro- 

 tected from frost. The reasons are obvious. I 

 know a cistern built for supplying stock, holding 130 

 bbls. of water, which has stood the test for 12 years, 



