Heddon Method of Transferring, 219 



CHAPTER VII. 

 To Transfer Bees. 



As the prospective bee-keeper may have purchased his 

 bees in box-hives, barrels, or hollow logs, and so, of course, 

 will desire to transfer them immediately into movable- 

 frame hives, or, as already suggested, may wish to transfer 

 from one movable-frame to another, I will now proceed 

 to describe the process. 



Among the many valuable methods which Mr. Heddon 

 has given to the bee-keeping public not the least valuable 

 is that of transferring. This method should only be used 

 at or after the swarming season, the best time to transfer. 

 After blowing a little smoke into the hive, sufficient to 

 alarm the bees, we set it a little aside, and put in its place 

 our new hive full of wired foundation. We now turn the 

 old hive, whatever it may be, bottom side up, and place a 

 box over it. If the bees are sufficiently smoked, it will 

 make no difference even if the box is not close fitting to 

 the old hive. We then with a stick or hammer rap on the 

 hive for from ten to twenty minutes. The bees will fill 

 with honey and go with the queen into the upper box and 

 cluster. If towards the last we carefully set the box off 

 once or twice, and vigorously shake the hive, and then 

 replace the box, we will hasten the emigration of the bees, 

 and make it more complete. I got this last suggestion 

 from Mr. Baldridge. A few young bees will still remain 

 in the old hive, but these will do no harm. 



We next take the box, which contains the queen and 

 nearly all the bees, and shake the bees all out in front of 

 the hive already placed on the old stand. The bees will 

 at once take possession, draw out the foundation in a sur- 

 prisingly short time, and will give us a set of combs which 

 w^ill surpass in beauty those procured in any other way. 

 Should the bees be unable to gather any honey for some 

 days, which at this season is not likely to occur, of course 

 we must feed them. 



