77 



is to charge the smoker with brown -paper which has beer 

 dipped in and coated with melted sulphur, and then to light the 

 smoker and blow the fumes into the hive for five minutes. The 

 fumes will kill the bees. If a smoker is not available, the 

 following course may be adopted : — Dig a hole in the grounc 

 about twelve inches square and nine inches deep. Slii 

 one end of three small sticks, each about six inchei 

 long ; dip in melted sulphur three pieces of brown pape] 

 each about the size of a small envelope, and fix then 

 in the slits in the sticks, which should then be stuck inte 

 the bottom of the hole ; take off the hive roof, and place a heavj 

 damp piece of sacking over the existing quilts, so as to confine 

 all the fumes of sulphur in the body-box ; light the papers, ther 

 place the body-box over the hole, pressing it firmly into the soi 

 so as to prevent the escape of sulphur fumes ; leave it thus foi 

 five to ten minutes, after which immediately bury thd bees 

 lying in the hole, and burn the combs with the bees tbereor 

 and any bees lying about, before they recover from the sulphui 

 treatment. This treatment should be carried out at night 

 when all bees have returned to the "hive. If any bees remaii 

 on the floor-board, they should be killed and then thrown int< 

 the sulphur pit. If , however, the stock is sufficiently strong tc 

 make the saving of the bees advisable, provide a box without £ 

 lid, for use as a substitute for a swarm-box (56), bearing 

 in mind that this box must be afterwards destroyed. Remove 

 the hive from its stand and place the box open side 

 downwards on a piece of thin sacking spread out on the olc 

 stand, tilt the front of the box by resting it on a small stone 

 and place a board in front to serve as a temporary hiving-board 

 take the frames one by one from the hive and shake and brusl: 

 the bees off them on to the hiving board, placing each frame 

 when thus dealt with on a sheet of paper in order to avoid 

 (X)ntaminating the ground, then brush on to the hiving-boarc 

 any bees still adhering to the old hive. While the bees are 

 passing into the box from the hiving-board, remove the combs 

 from the frames and burn them with the quilts ; also remove 

 the old hive and hive fittings, in order that all may be scorched 

 disinfected, and painted, as already described. Any parts whicl 

 are not worth thus treating should be burnt. Now, keeping 

 the canvas over the bottom of the box, gently turn the bo> 

 over, tie the canvas over the box mouth so as to prevent the 

 escape of bees, and then put the box on its side in any place 

 where the bees will have plenty of ventilation and will be 

 sufficiently protected from inclement weather : then make t 

 feeding hole about half an inch to an inch_ in diameter ir 

 the upper side of the box , and on it place a jar of medicatet 

 syrup, covering the jar with coarse muslin and inverting i: 

 over the feeding- hole. Leave the bees thus for forty-eighi 

 hours, after which place them in a new or clean and thorough!] 

 disinfected hive, giving them one frame of foundation for eacl 

 pound of bees; continue feeding with medicated syrup (178 

 (179), until the comb is drawn out. Saturate the floor-boarc 

 with about half a gill of a solution of one part of formalin te 

 seven oarts of water, and resaturate the floor-board with thii 



