ESTABLISHIlft AN APIABT, AND LIGUBIANIZING. 76 



CHAPTER X. 



Establishing an Apiary, and Liguriawzihg. 



SELECTING BEES TOE PUEOHASE CONDEMNED BEES HIVE 



EANSES — TBANSFBERING TEANSPEEEING BOABD ^BTBAIGHT- 



ENINS BABS ^LIGUEIANS IMPOETED QtTEENS CHESHIEE Bl- 



VIDING FBAMB NUCLEUS HIVES COLOUfiS FOE HIVBS 



QUEEN EAISING PUBE, IMPBEGNATION T. AMP NUESEBIBS 



INSEETING QUEENS CAGES BEQICrOAL KNOT CASE CAGE 



BATNOE CAGE FUMIGATION HYBRIDIZING DEOHEB, HOW 



PBODUCBD EBBTILB WOEKBES. 



An apiaiy may be started by the purchase of swarms or stocks. The 

 latter, in skepe, being generally most economical. It is only exception- 

 ally desirable to bny stocks in frame hives on account of the difficulty 

 of transit and the higher cost. In selecting skeps choose those that have 

 swarmed the year before, and that consequently possess a young queen, , 

 giving preference to those with large flat plates of comb (especially 

 if it is intended to transfer to frame hives), and in which drone size is 

 not over abundant. Casts of the year before will give the desirable 

 conditions. In the autumn the bees ought to be strong in numbers, and 

 in the early spring there should at least be four or five seams of them. 

 At the close of the honey season, bees condemned by the cottagers to the 

 sulphur pit, may be purchased very cheaply, about Is. per hive ; but 

 where heath abounds, their owners do not take them up early enough to 

 allow the method now given to be carried out satisfactorily. These being 

 taken by drumming three or four skeps into one,* and then transferred 

 into an empty hive, and fed well until they weigh 201b. or 251b., will 

 usually make good stocks in the following spring, as they bxiild no drone 



* "Wliere these 1)668 are taken by fiunigation, which we do not recommend, those 

 from three or four hives should be poured into a box consisting largely of perfo- 

 rated zinc, when the free circulation of air will quickly restore them. Indeed, 

 swarms stand long journeys in such boxes much better than in inverted skeps 

 covered with canvas ; but if they are used for making artificial swarms, the perfo- 

 rations must for the time be covered from the light, or the bees will not freely 

 enter 



