1878. 



GLEAXIXGS IX BEE CULTURE. 



11- 



skill and ingenuity. The problem is, to get 

 those crooked irregular combs out of that 

 old hive, and then to tix them neatly in the 

 movable frames. 



Your own good sense will have to dictate 

 much in this matter. Saw off the cross 

 sticks, if such there be, and with your thin j 

 knife cut the combs loose from one side ; | 

 cut off the nails and pry off this side, but , 

 don't get the honey running if you can help 

 it. We have as yet said nothing about bee 

 veils, and though we keep them to 

 sell, I really do not think you need one, un- | 

 less you are so careless as to get the honey 

 running and start robbers. "When the side j 

 is off. you can probably get one comb out. 

 Lay it on the folded table-cloth, take out the j 

 comb guide, lay the frame on it, and let 

 your feminine friend cut it so as to require } 

 that the frame be sprung slightly to go over \ 

 it. With the clasps she can fasten the 

 combs in as fast as you can exit them out ; 

 if sticks and tacks, strings or rubbers be 

 used it will take some longer. When the 

 frame is to be lifted into a horizontal po- 

 sition, the board, cloth and all is to be rais- 

 ed with it. With the wash basin and towel, 

 keep the honey neatly wiped up. If robbers 

 begin to annoy cover both hives with a 

 cloth while you are fitting the combs, and 

 keep the brood in yom' new frames in a 

 compact cluster, as it was in the old hive, 

 or some of it may get chilled. When you 

 get near the central combs, you will proba- 

 bly lift out large clusters of bees with the 

 comb ; these are to be shaken and brushed 

 off on the newspaper ; if they do not seem 

 disposed to crawl into the hive take hold of 

 the edge of the paper and shake them up 

 toward the entrance ; they will soon go in. 

 A paper is better than a cloth, for they can- 

 not stick fast to it. If you carefully fixed 

 things before commencing, so there was no 

 crack or crevice into which a bee could 

 crawl, except into the entrance of the new 

 hive, and if you have been careful — as you 

 always should be — to avoid setting your 

 (clumsyV) feet on a bee. you certainly have 

 not killed the queen, and she is in one hive 

 or the other. To be sure she is in the new 

 hive, shake all before the entrance when 

 you are done, and see that every bee goes in- 

 to the hive. Save out the drone comb, and 

 fix it all in a frame or frames by itself. It 

 will do well for surplus honey, but we don't 

 want it in the brood chamber. L'tensils 

 and bits of comb that have much honey 

 daubed on them may be put in the upper 

 stor for the bees to clean up, but if the 



weather is cool, keep the quilt down over 

 them closely for a day or two. AVe would 

 look them over carefully every day or two, 

 and as fast as they get the combs fastened, 

 remove the clasps or other fastenings and 

 bend the combs into place. 



Each operation is very simple and easy in 

 itself, if you go about it at the proper time 

 and in the right way. Bear in mind that 

 the bees, from first to last, are to be kept 

 constantly in subjection, by use of the 

 smoke, and that you must never let them 

 get the faintest idea that, by any possibility, 

 can they become master. Send them back 

 among the combs as often as they poke 

 their heads out. until they are perfectly sub- 

 dued, and hang in quiet clusters, like bees 

 at swarming time. 



It makes no difference which side up the 

 brood combs are, in transferring ; turn them 

 horizontally from their original position, or 

 completely upside down, as you find most 

 convenient. Store comb in which the cells 

 are built at an anglf-, would perhaps better 

 be as it stood originally ; but if you do not 

 get it so, it makes very little difference ; the 

 bees have a way of fixing all such matters 

 very quickly. 



Several enquire it we would advise them 

 to ti'ansfer bees in the months of .Jmie, July, 

 Aug., etc. We really do not see how we can 

 answer such a question, not knowing the 

 persons. Among oiu- neighbors, there are 

 those who would work so carefully that they 

 would be almost sure to succeed : and, again 

 there are others who would be almost sure 

 to fail. We are inclined to think those who 

 make these enquiries, would be quite apt to 

 fail, for the careful ones would go to work 

 and do it at any season if they were suffi- 

 ciently anxious to liave it done. 



TBJJIT BLOSgORES. Although the 

 honey obtained from this source is neither 

 in quality nor quantity, equal to that from 

 clover, basswood and some other sources, 

 yet coming as it does, just when the bees 

 have, usually, nearly exhausted their old 

 stores, it is a crop of great moment to the 

 apiarist. I do not know of a prettier sight 

 to the bee-keeper, than the yellow banded 

 Italians at work on fruit blossoms, nor a 

 pleasanter sound than their merry hum of 

 rejoicing. One would suppose the honey 

 from early choice cherry trees, must be un- 

 usually fine, but I believe those who have 

 tried it, all agree that it is anything but de- 

 licious. It seems to have a strong rank 

 taste, much resembling the taste noticeable 

 in chewing cherry tree bark, or the buds. 



