April, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN B K E C IT L T U K E 



231 



for openiug a liive if one is prepared witli 

 his bee-veil and lighted smoker and takes 

 care to remember that bees particularly ob- 

 ,iect to quick motions and sudden ,iarriiigs. 

 The hive should never be approached at the 

 front, but always at the back or side. One 

 or two gentle puffs of smoke at the entrance 

 will give the sentinel bees stationed at the 

 entrance a little warning of your means of 

 defence. Carefully remove the outer cover 

 and with the hive-tool inserted at the cor- 

 ner between the inner cover and the hive, 

 gently pry the cover, breaking the propolis 

 with which the bees have cemented the 

 cover tight. Thru the slight crack thus 

 made blow a gentle puff of smoke over the 

 tops of the frames. This smoke will con- 

 fuse some of the bees so they will be less 

 likely to sting; but most of them will be 

 driven down from the top and will gorge 

 themselves with honey, after which they 

 will prove better natured and more easily 

 handled. 



To remove a frame, select the second or 

 third from the side where the queen is less 

 likely to be found; for, if the queen happens 

 to be on the first comb removed, she may 

 be crushed or injured in withdrawing the 

 fiame. Place the curved end of the tool 

 between the ends of the top-bars and gently 

 pry one frame loose from its neighbors. 

 Also loosen the opposite end and with the 

 curved end of the tool lift the frame just 

 enough so that the fingers of the left hand 

 may easily grasp the end of the top-bar. 

 Then take the opposite end with the right 

 hand and slowly lift the frame straight u]). 

 Frames should be held in a vertical posi- 

 tion. When held at an angle or horizontal- 

 ly, the comb is more likely to break from 

 the frame, and the queen also is more likely 

 to fall and be injured, since in that posi- 

 tion it is more difiicult for a laying queen 

 to keep her footing. When handling the 

 frames, the smoker should be used only 

 enough to keep the bees under control. A 

 few gentle puffs is all that is necessary. 



After placing the colonies, the screens on 

 top should be replaced by covers and the 

 entrance-screens removed. The colonies will 

 be rather warm from the excitement of the 

 journey and will need sufficient ventilation; 

 but, if too large an entrance is left, robber 

 bees would be likely to attack them, and in 

 their defenceless condition they would have 

 little chance of repelling the robbers. I'roba- 

 bly, an entrance of % by 8 inches would 

 be about right. The next day or so if it is 

 found that they are short of stores, the 

 cover should be removed, an empty super 

 placed over the brood-chamber, and a cake 

 of candy left on top of the frames. The 

 candy and the tops of the frames should 

 then be covered warmly with burlai) or car- 

 pet, and the cover replaced. The colonies 

 should all be kept supplied with plenty of 

 stores from now until the honey flow so 

 that tliey will be in the best possible con- 

 dition at the opening of the flow. A good 

 candv recif>e is as follows: 



I'ut ten parts of granulated sugar in a 

 granite dish and add one part of water, 

 i'lace the dish over a fire and keep stirring 

 until the sugar is all dissolved. Then bring 

 the syrup to a boil and, without stirring, 

 keep it boiling. Care should be taken not 

 to scorch the candy. When done a s]>oonful 

 of it dipped up and slowly poured into cold 

 water will form a fine string which is liaid 

 and brittle. At this stage the syrup should 

 be removed immediately and poured into 

 paper pie-plates, which have been placed 

 where they are to stand without being dis- 

 turbed until the candy is cold. Do not 

 sciape the dish when pouring out the syrup. 

 The candy when cold will be hard and 

 transparent, and may then be placed on the 

 brood-frames upside down directly over the 

 cluster. 



Transferring from Old Hives. 



Those who have purchased colonies in old 

 liives will want to transfer them to modern 

 hives as soon as possible. This work should 

 be done on a pleasant day during fruit 

 bloom or other honey flow when many of 

 the bees are out after nectar. The old 

 method of cutting the worker comb out of 

 the frames and tying it into the new ones 

 is very troublesome, and we do not recom- 

 mend it to the beginner. The following is 

 a much easier way: 



Remove the old hive from its stand, and 

 in its place put a new hive facing in the 

 same direction, and filled with frames of 

 foundation or, preferably, drawn comb. 

 There should be one comb containing a 

 patch of young larvae (unhatched bees 

 Vv'hich look like little white worms). If one 

 has no full colonies from which to take this 

 comb with larvae, he may, with a little trou- 

 ble, get a piece of comb containing such 

 larva' from the old hive. After smoking the 

 colony a little, remove the bottom-board and 

 place the old hive over the new, tacking 

 strips on the old hive, if necessary, so that 

 there will be no open cracks between the 

 two hives. Then blow smoke down thru the 

 old story, gradually driving the bees and 

 queen below, after which insert a cjueen- 

 excluder between the two hives. A few 

 days later examine the lower story to see 

 whether the queen has begun laying below. 

 If not, it is probable she is still in the upper 

 story. To get her below, again place the 

 old hive of brood over the lower hive, leav- 

 ing out the excluder, and again drive the 

 bees below with smoke, making certain this 

 time that the queen also goes with the bees. 

 Then insert the queen-excluder between the 

 two hives, being sure to leave the excluder 

 right (deep) side up. In 24 days after the 

 (jueen has been driven below, the brood will 

 all be hatched from the old hive, when it 

 may be removed, and the combs saved to be 

 rendered into wax. 



In our next issue we shall describe at 

 some length the inhabitants of the hive 

 and also give directions for important spring 

 work. 



