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TRAIVSFERRIXO BEE<$ OIV 

 CROOKED COjVIBS. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 509 — On transferring, what would 

 be tbe best way in the spring to manage a colony 

 of bees, which had built their combs on a curve 

 and diaRonally in the movable fram«s ? Would it be 

 better to cut right through or take the frames out 

 bodily, and replace the comb in frames as well as 

 could be done ?— New York. 



I would transfer by Mr. Heddoii's 

 new sjstem. — P. L. Viallon. 



Drive the bees out, turn the liive 

 upside down, cut loose the attach- 

 ments, if any, from the sides of the 

 hive, and dump out the whole business, 

 en masse ; then pick out the best combs 

 for transferring, and melt up those 

 curved too much. — C. C. Millek. 



Cut out all the crooked comb, ex- 

 tract the honey, and melt it for wax. 

 Place frames filled wtth full sheets of 

 foundation in the new hives. I would 

 not bother with old crooked combs. 

 Some of the best may be used, es- 

 pecially if it contains brood. It is gen- 

 erally more satisfactory to use full 

 sheets of foundation in the frames. — C. 



H. DiBBEKN. 



Take out all the frames, separate 

 carefully, and use all good comb ; 

 melt up all that is not suitable, and re- 

 place it with foundation. — H. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



Let the bees swarm ; 21 days there- 

 after drive out all the remaining bees 

 and hive them. Next convert the 

 crooked combs into wax. Such combs 

 are not worth bothering with. — G. M. 



DOOLITTLE. 



Cut out the combs, and shape them 

 to the frames. Use the ordinary 

 methods of transferring. — Dadant & 

 Son. 



Start on an outside frame, cut the 

 combs loose from it the best you can, 

 and remove it. You will now liave 

 room to cut the combs from tlie next 

 frame. Use the straightest combs, and 

 reject those that cannot be pressed into 

 position. Secure them in position by 

 wired sticks until tlie bees fasten them. 

 —J. P. H. Brown. 



The best way is to keep an eye on 

 the bees, while they are building, and 

 not get into such a scrape. If the hive 

 stands just right, perpendicular at the 

 sides, with an inclination of 2 inches, 

 they will do it. Press the combs back, 

 and get them into as good shape as 

 possible. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



If it had no brood, I would give it 

 full sheets of foundation, and melt the 

 combs into wax, and give them the 

 honey from the combs, or feed syrup. 

 I would save the comb with brood in 



till hatched, and then make that into 

 wax. Take the frames out bodily. — 

 A. B. Mason. 



Cut the combs loose from the top- 

 bars, and pry them oft". Then cut tlie 

 combs loose from the side-bars, and 

 lift them out. — M. Mahin. 



Cut the combs out, leaving each one 

 as perfect as possible, and replace 

 them straight in the frames, secured 

 by clamps, sticks or strings. — Eugene 

 Secor. 



Cut right through and take out one 

 comb at a time from one side. Take 

 the combs in a warm room, and 

 straighten them on a board or be- 

 tween two boards — there will be no 

 harm done to the capped brood in the 

 operation, with care ; then transfer, 

 tying the combs in the frames with 

 cord, using side-pieces of wood to sup- 

 port the combs where needed. I would 

 manage them like any other transferred 

 colony, i. e., keep them warm, give 

 plenty of food, and emptj' combs or 

 full frames of foundation, if needed. — 

 G. L. Tinker. 



Practice what has been called 

 "modern transferring," as practiced 

 and advised by James Heddon, and 

 described by him in back numbers of 

 the Bee Journal. — W. Z.Hutchinson. 



When the weather is sufficiently 

 warm, so that the combs will bend 

 without cracking, remove the frames 

 bodily, then cut the Hrst comb loose 

 from all the frames except the first, 

 and from the first so far as it is not in 

 the right position ; then bend it into 

 place and fasten, and do the same with 

 the others in turn. — R. L. Taylor. 



Sometimes when combs are not quite 

 straight in the frames, but are straight 

 as to themselves, they can be turned 

 about and made straight in the frames. 

 I do no transferring, any more, upon 

 the old system. — James Heddon. 



Take the combs out and straighten 

 them. I do this by laying them in 

 frames, and pressing them, when 

 sliglitly warm, between two pieces of 

 board. The frames protect the comb. 

 —J. E. Pond. 



I have frequently transferred combs 

 from frame hives in the condition you 

 describe. My way is to cut loose the 

 two outside frames and remove them. 

 I then pry loose all the frames and lift 

 them out together, bees and all. Com- 

 mencing on one side, the frames are 

 cut loose and slipped from over the 

 combs. I then removed one comb at 

 a time, and transferred to the frames 

 in the usual way. The curved and 

 crooked combs were first laid on a 

 board and pressed straight, and then 

 fitted into the frames. — G.W.Demaree. 



Take out in such a manner as will 

 secure the combs with the least break 

 or disfigurement. Just how to do this 



can only be decided by an eye-witness. 

 Follow Mr. Heddon's plan ; it is prob- 

 ably the best, in any event. Wait till 

 swarming-time, and drum out the bees; 

 hiving them on foundation. Wait 21 

 days and repeat the operation, then 

 extract the honey and melt up the 

 combs. — A. J. Cook. 



Cut through the combs ; take out 

 one at a time and straighten them, and 

 then transfer in the ordinary waj-. The 

 " better way " would be to give the 

 bees new frames of comb foundation. 

 Such crooked combs are wortli noth- 

 ing, except for melting into wax. — 

 The Editor. 



HORIZOIVTAL BAR<i> A^'D BEE. 

 SPACES IX HIVES. 



Written for the American liee Journal 



Query 610. — Do you consider the hori- 

 zontal bars and bee-space in the shallow brood- 

 chambers of the sectional hives an impediment 

 to the queen's laying capacity during the heightb 

 of her egg-laying period ?— Illinois. 



No. — M. Mahin. 



No. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 

 Yes. — A. B. Mason. 



1 do.- 



P. H. Brown.. 



1 do not. — A. J. Cook. 



I do not know ; I have never tried 

 them. — J. E. Pond. 



Yes, " I do," and 1 do not want any 

 in my hive. — H. D. Cutting. 



Yes. Try it. It will cost you but 

 little. — Dadant & Son. 



I do not, and I have several hundred 

 colonies in such hives. — R. L. Tay'lor. 



Probably not ; still, reason would 

 say that the bees would better be 

 breeding eggs and larvas, rather than 

 bars and empty space. — G. M. Doo- 

 little. 



No. But suppose it was, what then? 

 We do not make hives simply for the 

 convenience of the queen. — W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



They are a disadvantage in the 

 earlj' spring, but seem not to be in the 

 way after the warm weather sets in. 

 See ray answer to Query 508. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



No, sir, they are not in the least ; 

 and the future will demonstrate for 

 you what the past has demonstrated 

 for me. — James Heddon. 



I do not think that the little time 

 lost by the queen in passing from the 

 bottom to the top frames will make 

 much dift'crence. — P. L. Viallon. 



I have had no experience with the 

 sectional brood-chamber hives. I 

 should consider the bars and bee-space 

 through the centre of the brood-nest 

 an objection. — C. H. Dibbern. 



Not having tried these very exten- 

 sively, I do not know ; but I think that 



