54 



Weather has not been favourable for increasing the stock, H 

 inay be best not to transfer more than six to the doubling-box 

 Then transfer all the remaining frames, say three or five ii 

 number, to the body-box of the new hive, a,nd also plao 

 with them as many frames of wired foundation as is neces 

 sary to maEe the total number of frames in the body-bo: 

 correspond with the number of frames which have been placet 

 in the doubling-box, taking care so far as possible to alternat( 

 the new foundation frames with the old frames ; this numbe 

 of frames is necessary, in order to provide room enough, ti 

 help to maintain the warmth of the brood frames in the super 

 and for other go >d reasons ; also make sure that the queen i; 

 on one of the frames in the body -box. Next cover the framei 

 in the body-box with a sheet of excluder zinc (48), and ove 

 this fit the doubling-box in position on the body -box, bo that thi 

 frames in the doubling-box shall be parallel to those in th( 

 body-box. As a sheet of excluder zinc covering the frame 

 all over greatly obstructs the workers in passing to and from thi 

 doubling-box, many good authorities prefer to use sheets cu 

 to allow a space of about one inch all round, up which the beei 

 can pass freely, whereas the queen, keeping rather to the centn 

 is unlikely to find her way up. When the frames are pressed for 

 ward in position, the dummy in the doubling-box should han| 

 oyer the dummy in the body-box ; then pack all round anc 

 over the doubling-box with woollen or other cloths, as whei 

 packing section-crates (111). It is to be understood that th( 

 procedure above described is that which should be adoptee 

 when the stock to be worked for extracting has not been trans- 

 ferred to a clean hive in the spring (190), this being a con 

 venient time for transferring the stock to a fresh hive. If, how 

 ever, the stock has already been transferred to a clean hive, i 

 will of course only be necessary to remove frames as abovi 

 directed from the body -box to the doubling-box. 

 As the brood in the frames transferred to the doubling-bo: 

 hatches out, the bees will fill the cell 

 121 Further ^^^^ honey, as probably they will all hav 

 treatment of Stocks ^eeneiiiptied of brood by the time th 

 workedfor Extracting, f till ^.oiiey flow begins ; the frames mth 

 doubhng-box should then be spread to 

 distance of two inches from centre t 

 centre, first extracting the honey from any capped framei 

 which should then be replaced ; it will assist the beekeeper i 

 spacing the frames and closing the spaces between th 

 shoulders, to use a wooden spacing rack, as shown in Fig. 38A 

 the reason for spreading the frames in the super to two inch( 

 apart, is to induce the bees to draw out the combs to the widt 

 of two-inch sections, but it may from time to time through th 

 season be necessary to place them close together whe 

 returned after extracting, in order to permit of increasing tt 

 number of frames in the super. It is best, however, to kee 

 only eight frames in the super, unless more frames taken fro: 

 the body-box or from other hives must be added in order 1 

 finish them for extracting. 



