346 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Pig. 2. — Marchant's scheme of transferrins. An empty sujier of drawn comb is placed over an auger- 

 hole in the box hive; after bees and queen go above, a piece of perforated zinc is placed over the hole. 



is precisely the same tiling that J. J. Wilder 

 described in the Beekeepers' Review for 

 March. It certainly looks like it ; but, as a 

 matter of fact, it is very dill'erent. 



While I was adjusting my camera ]\Ir. 

 Marchant went on to ex^jlain that he had 

 bought up a lot of old box hives, as he 

 found himself short of bees, paying from 

 one to two dollars for the same. To trans- 

 fer in the old-fashioned way, and fit the 

 combs into frames, was out of the question. 

 Even the Heddon short method described in 

 our A B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture in- 

 volved too much work. 



" When I get ready to transfer," said Mr. 

 Marchant, " I prepare as many eight-fram.e 

 supers with empty combs as I have bought 

 hives to transfer. I now approach one of 

 these, lay it on its side, and blow a little 

 smoke in at the bottom. I determine, as 

 exactly as I can, how far down the brood 

 oomes. I saw off the hive, combs and all. 

 as close to the brood as I can, and tack a 

 board up against the sawn-off end. I next 

 bore an inch auger-hole in the side or what 

 is now the top, and then place over it 

 one of my regular supers of combs and the 

 job is done for the time being. 



" But," said I, " how are you going to 

 force the bees, and, more important than 

 all, the queen, into the empty super? " 



'' They will go up all right when black 

 tupelo is coming on, and providing I con- 

 tract the hive capacity of the old gum by 

 sawing it off as I explained." 



" Yes," I said doubtfully ; " and if tiie 

 bees go up how are you going to catch the 

 queen ? " 



" That is easy," said Mr. Marchant. 

 " With a contracted brood-nest and a lack 

 of room, and honey coming in, the bees are 

 bound to go above through that hole, for 

 we know that when honey is coming in bees 

 will occupy empty combs at once." 



" But the queen? " I interposed. 



" Oh ! she will follow the bees." 



" But supi^ose she does," I asked ; " will 

 slie not go back again into the old combs'? " 



" No, sir. A few days after placing the 

 dovetailed liive on the old box I make an 

 examination. As soon as I find egg's and 

 brood in the upper part I put a piece of 

 zinc over the hole. In 21 days all the good 

 brood below will be hatched. I now remove 

 the old hive and add another super to the 

 transferred colony, and place the old gum 

 near the transferred hive, and let the bees 

 rob it out. When that is done I melt up the 

 old combs and convert the box hive into 

 kindling-wood." 



In proof that such a scheme was working 

 well, Mr. Marchant showed super after 

 super where queens and bees had gone up 

 into the upper hive. 



■• " But," I said, " Mr. Marchant, will this 

 work this way every time? " 



" Yes, if the empty comb below, the brood 

 in the box hive is cut off, and providing, 

 also, that honey is coming in from some 

 minor sources." 



