280 THE BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 
spring, in the cleaning of their floor-boards, by 
scraping away all filth, removing dead bees, refuse 
wax, &c., and thoroughly drying them. In many 
cases the best and quickest plan is to change the 
board, and particularly when it shows signs of 
decay, which always leads to mischief. 
Comb-pruning.—In conjunction with an examina- 
tion of the floor-boards, opportunity can be taken of 
observing the state of the hives as respects their 
combs. Where these are seen to be old, mouldy, 
mildewed, or infected by moths, they should be cut 
away; as also when they have become filled with a 
mass of stale pollen and useless honey; at the 
same time taking care not to disturb any brood there 
may be inthem. It is well to remove, every year, a 
portion of the older comb in a hive, with the view 
to effecting an entire transfer in the course of five 
years. Hives sometimes contain too large a pro- 
portion of drone comb, which can now be removed 
with advantage. Some persons use a little smoke, 
but at this season it must be resorted to sparingly, 
as the bees are weak. They will speedily fill up the 
vacancies thus made, and a stock in this way 
partially renewed may be continued in health for 
its successive generations of several years, provided 
the hive itself is in good state. 
Transferring Bees with Combs.—This process, which 
certainly is a formidable one to any but an 
experienced hand, is now very frequently carried out 
with a view to shifting a stock from a skep to a 
frame hive. The bees must first be expelled from 
the skep, either by drumming or by smoking. If 
