HIVING : UNITING : AND TRANSFERKING BEES. 138B 



frame, make sure that the queen is in the lower hive, and place 

 an excluder (109) on the frames, returning the sheet, skep, and 

 wraps. Should the queen not be found below, drive all the 

 bees from the skep (160), hive them at the entrance (233), put 

 on an excluder, and replace the sheet, skep, and wraps. 

 Twenty-one days later all worker brood in the skep will have 

 hatched (190, 104). Meanwhile, on suitable days, say once a 

 week, the skep may be raised for a few moments to allow 

 hatching: drones to escape. Should the excluder become 

 choked by drones trying to pass through, it must be cleared. 

 After all brood in it has hatched, the skep may be left in 

 position to be filled with honey, or it may be removed, the bees 

 being driven from it and returned to the lower hive, the place 

 of the skep being occupied by a 'crate of sections, or a super 

 box of frames (99, 103, 108). Stocks in boxes may be trans- 

 ferred similarly. This method of transfer is less troublesome 

 and less risky than that described above (253). It sacrifices 

 neither brood nor honey, and gives the best results. 



254b. The Heddon Method of Transfer. — The " Heddon " 

 method, which was published in Gleanings, and appears in 

 Root's "A.B.C. of Bee Culture," may be briefly described as 

 follows : — Move the skep to one side and in its place set a hive 

 having five or six frames of wired foundation. Drive the bees 

 in the skep (160) until the queen and about two-thirds of the 

 bees have gone up, and throw these on to a hiving board (233) 

 so that they may run into the new hive. Now' set the skep 

 about two feet behind the new hive, with the entrance turned 

 at right angles with its original direction. After twenty-one 

 days, when the worker brood will have hatched out (190, 204), 

 drive all the bees from the skep, put a piece of excluder (109) 

 against the entrance of the hive, cage the queen as before 

 directed (247), thoroughly smoke both lots, and hive the driven 

 bees through the entrance. Any young queens will be stopped 

 by the excluder. If fighting occurs,, give more smoke, and 

 beat upon the hive-sides. The honey and the broodless combs 

 in the skep can be dealt vvith as desired. 



2540. Separating Swarms. — Should two swarms unite in one 

 cluster (209), if it be desired to separate them, preserving both 

 queens, prepare two hives (232) standing side by side, and 

 shake the swarms, in about equal portions, on to the cloth- 

 covered hiving boards (233), as far back from the hive entrances 

 as convenient ; move up a few bees to each entrance and — 

 having enlisted an assistant to watch one lot while you attend 

 to the other — secure the first queen that shows herself, placing 

 a cage, or a wineglass, over her. If you succeed in finding 



