HOW TO KEEP BEES. 



31 



new combs or frame of foundation at the outside of those with the 

 bees. If the colony is short of stores or the queen is poor, it will be 

 discovered during such an overhauling and be corrected. The fore- 

 going method makes the subsequent work of the year much easier 

 and pleasanter and keeps everything in good shape. Select a warm 

 still day for this work and be careful not to drop the queen from the 

 combs. Do the scraping over the old hive. When through, brush 

 the few bees still clinging to it into the new hive, and if the old one 

 is sound and does not need painting, scrape it out, clean the floor and 

 use them for the next colony. If the queens are not clipped it is an 

 excellent time to do it when doing this spring overhauling. 



USING THE SMOKER. 



Oftentimes no smoke is necessary in handling bees, but it is a good 

 rule never to open a hive without having a good supply of smoke 

 available. Some bee-keepers always begin with a puff of smoke at 

 the entrance, others seldom use it there, and results seem to favor 

 the latter. After starting the cover loose, a slight puff of smoke is 

 Talown under it, and then it is removed. If the bees show signs of 

 "boiling up" over the tops of the frames, more smoke is blown over 

 "them from time to time. Not much smoke is needed, in fact, the 

 bee-keeper should study to see how little can be used. 



To get the bees under control at the start and keep them so is the 

 secret of rapid and successful bee handling. 



REMOVING FRAMES. 



To remove a frame from the hive push back and remove the 

 "division board" (sometimes called a follower or dummy), (Fig. 22), 



"^l^ 



7 



Fig. 22. — Division Board or Follower. 



