84 MONEY IN BEES IN AUSTRALASIA 



brood-combs, without jarring, and fill up with founda- 

 tion, put on a queen-excluder and then the supers. 

 If no excluder is used the queen simply goes up into the 

 super to lay, and the bees refuse to build out the 

 foundation. Honey is wanted in the supers, and it must 

 go up there because, as soon as cells are built below, the 

 queen deposits eggs in them. 



We are now ready to put the bees into their house. 

 Prop up the body — about an inch — and lay a piece of 

 canvas or bag in front on a level with the entrance, give 

 the swarm box one or two sharp jerks, open the lid and 

 pour the bees out on to the bag. Place the box to one 

 side and search for the queen; she will often be found 

 running over the backs of the bees in her haste to get 

 out of sight. Clip her wing when found, and cage her 

 until evening for the reasons given above. 



DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS BROOD. 



The omission to state what becomes of the surplus 

 brood-combs removed from the colony that swarmed 

 had better now be rectified. The combs will have a 

 number of queen-cells attached, and if it is desired to 

 save them the combs are simply placed on top of the 

 supers of the parent colony until the cells are "ripe." 

 They are then used in the apiary. If there are any weak 

 colonies in the yard this body of brood-combs should be 

 given to one of them as a super, it will strengthen it 

 wonderfully. If it cannot be used in this direction let 

 it remain on top of the original colony until all the brood 

 has hatched. If more bees are wanted follow the plan 

 given under ' ' Increase, ' ' page 68. 



All the preceding is applicable when the swarms are 

 within easy reach, but how to hive them when the cluster 

 is up beyond arm-reach? If the queen is clipped and 

 caged, don't worry, they will soon come down again. But 

 suppose the queen is not clipped! Well, if the apiarist 

 has had a chance to do this and neglected to grasp it, 

 it would ' ' serve him right, he went looking for trouble. ' ' 

 But ' ' the best laid plans of mice and men oft gang agley, ' ' 



