208 PBUNIXG. 



go to work as a new swarm. The reason that complaints 

 are made of such swarms not doing well generally, seems 

 to be in allowing the colony to decrease too much before 

 driving, thus leaving too few bees to accomplish anything. 

 The tools for pruning are very simple. The broad one 

 is readily made by any blacksmith, from a piece of an old 

 scythe, about eighteen inches long, by simply taking off 

 the back, and forming a shank for the handle at the heel. 

 The end should be ground all on one side, and square 

 across like a carpenter's chisel. This is for cutting the 



Fig. 25. — TOOLS rOK pruning. 



ItO 



combs at the sides of the hive ; the bevel will keep it close 

 the whole length, when you wish to remove the whole of 

 a comb. Being square instead of pointed or rounded, no 

 difficulty will be found in guiding it, and being very thin, 

 no combs will be broken or crushed. The other tool is for 

 cutting off combs across the top, middle, or any place 

 where it is desired to cut horizontally. It is merely a rod 

 of steel three-eighths of an inch in diameter, about two feet 

 long, with a thin blade at a right angle, one and a half inches 

 long, one-fourth inch wide, both edges sharp, upper side 

 bevelled, bottom flat, etc. These are convenient for many 

 purposes besides pruning, and the cost cannot be com- 

 pared to the advantages. N^ow, with these tools, proceed 

 to remove the brood combs from the centre of the hive to 

 be pruned. The combs near the top and outside are used 

 but little for breeding, and are generally filled with ioney ; 

 these should be left as a good start towards refilling. 

 Reverse the hives, putting the one containing the bees 

 under the other; by the next morning all are in their own 



