170 • HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



should be destroyed, and young ones put in their places, 

 and -when all the brood is hatched, a careful and thorough 

 examination of every hive should be made to see if foul 

 brood exists, and if any be found the hives containing it 

 should be put down for honey. 



This month is the time for autumn feeding — for giving 

 to stock-hives enough to keep them till March or April. 

 Swarms put into empty hives now, and fed well, make 

 combs and store up honey enough for themselves. We 

 prefer two swarms in September for one hive to be filled 

 by sugar alone. Instructions have been given in one of 

 the chapters how the sugar has to be given. 



As soon as the bees have been driven from honey-hives, 

 their sticks should be withdrawn by a pair of pincers, and 

 the combs placed before a fire. Whatever process be 

 adopted for extracting honey, it should be put in opera- 

 tion as soon as possible after the bees have been driven 

 from the combs. We have always believed that a very 

 simple instrument will be invented and used for pressing 

 honey from combs. 



In taking honey from hives, the combs with brood in 

 them may be placed in an empty hive, mouth upwards, in 

 a natural position, and held upright by wooden pins or 

 wedges. As soon as the hive is pretty well filled with 

 combs of brood, a swarm of bees should be cast amongst 

 them, and a board placed over all. The bees hatch all 

 the brood in the combs thus roughly pinned in, and with 

 this swarm doubled in population by the birth of so many 

 young bees, a bee-master can strengthen many of his 

 hives. Under careful, good management, both the bees 

 and brood of honey- hives can be utilised with great ad- 

 vantage in an apiary of large hives kept for profit. 



By putting a swarm into an empty hive with a small 

 straw or wooden super on it, the bee-master may get many 



