HIVING: UNITING: AND TRANSFEHBING BEES. 135 



dredge them with flour : then carry them to a distance, and 

 shake them out upon a board or newspaper. If a watch be kept 

 upon the hives, the bees that have been floured will be seen 

 returning- to the hive from which they issued with the swarm. 



244. Uniting Bees; Precautions Weak stocks can never 



be profitable; but, if two or more of such stocks be joined 

 together they will, in summer, do useful work, and in winter 

 they will consume less stores, preserve their heat better, and 

 will survive where, separately, they would perish. Frequently 

 it is desirable to unite stock to stock, swarm to stock, or 

 swarm to swarm, as the case may be. It must be remembered 

 that bees of different colonies will not usually unite peaceably, 

 unless precautions have been taken to prevent their fighting. 

 Such precautions should aim at — (i) Causing the bees to fill 

 themselves with sweets ; and (2) Giving them the same scent. 



245. Uniting Swarms. — Swarms, however, being already well 

 filled with honey (208) and having neither home nor brood to 

 defend, may be united at once if they be thrown together into 

 one skep, or on to a hiving board, and allowed to run into the 

 hive. One queen may be removed, or the two queens may be 

 left to settle their diflrerences in their own way. (See 254c.) 



246. Uniting Two Stocks.— Bring the two stocks (A and B) 

 together as already directed (156). Begin the operation of 

 uniting in the evening, when all the bees have returned to 

 their hives from the fields, because, bees entering after the 

 union has taken place, and not having the same scent, may 

 be attacked and killed. If a spare hive (C) be available, place 

 it between the hives A and B. Subdue the bees by smoking 

 them (177), and, if they have no stores from which to fill them- 

 selves, give them some thin, warm syrup (181). If one queen 

 is better than the other, take away the latter. If hive C will 

 not hold all the frames of the hives A and B, reject, for the pre- 

 sent, the outside frames, and such others as have no brood, 

 or are least valuable. From hive A take out frame No i : 

 thoroughly dust all the adhering bees with flour, and place the 

 frame, with its bees, in hive C, and in a similar position to 

 that which it occupied in hive A : take out frame No. i from 

 hive B, flour the bees upon it, and place it in C, next to the 

 former frame : proceed similarly with frames 2 A and 2 B, and 

 continue until all the frames necessary have been transferred. 

 Dust with flour all the bees remaining in A and B, and shake 

 them, or brush them on to the frames in C. Cover up with 

 the sheets, quilts and roof: give two or three puffs of smoke 

 at the entrance, two or three thumps with your fists upon the 

 roof, and " leave well alone " until the next day. If a spare hive 

 be not available, space out the frames in A or B, and arrange 

 the frames alternately in either hive. 



