GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V. 
drawn combs than on foundation alone. A queen should be purchased to 
come with the bees. In ordering, be sure, then, to order a queen and 
have her introduced to the bees before shipment. A pound of bees needs 
at first about three combs, more being added later as they are needed. Two 
pounds of bees should be hived on not less than four combs to start with. 
Combless packages of bees are accompanied by specific printed directions 
as to handling them, which directions should be carefully followed. 
Buying Bees in Box Hives and Transferring. 
Buying bees in an old-fashioned box hive is likely to be an inexpen- 
sive way so far as money paid for them is concerned, but likely to be quite 
difficult for the beginner. In the old-fashioned box hive (often called a 
“eum” or skep”) the bees build their combs crooked and attach them sol- 
idly to the interior. There being no movable frames in this kind of “hive” 
or box, the only examination that can be made in advance to tell whether 
the. bees and combs are in good 
condition is by tilting the hive and 
looking in from below. Having 
bought bees in box hives, log 
“oums,” or straw “skeps” they 
must be transferred into movable- 
frame hives. This should be done 
during a honey flow when the bees 
are best-natured and least likely 
to rob. This transferring is not 
difficult to do when the old box 
hive permits the new hive to be 
fitted securely to it at the top, with 
no openings left between. But 
when the box hive is of such odd 
shape or so dilapidated that this 
cannot be done, then it may be 
necessary to employ the following 
common but difficult way of trans- 
‘ ferring, which we will explain be- 
fore giving the easier method. 
Before beginning this way of 
transferring, the beginner must 
provide himself with as many new 
hives fully equipped as he has old 
box hives or “gums.” He will 
: : need for this work a hammer, a 
nels pe ee eee ie cold-chisel, a fine-tooth saw, some 
tacks, a ball of string, a long- 
bladed knife (a common. butcher-knife will do), a box that will fit on top 
of the box hive without leaving too much space between them through 
which the bees can escape, and a large board or cover on which to place the 
combs when cutting them to size to fit the movable frames. He will also 
require a pail of water to wash his hands and tools frequently, as they will 
become intolerably stuck up with honey. 
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