12 ARKANSAS EXPERIMENT STATION 



Among the young bees that are ^eing transferred there may be 

 one or more queens. These should be located, or kept from 

 entering the new hive by means of an alley trap. ,^^^,,,h«f 



To save the combs when transferring bees is a somewhat 

 disagreeable task, yet many beekeepers prefer to do this arner 

 than render them to wax. To fit the combs into the new frames 

 (without foundation) a large piece of comb is cut from ttie Dox 

 hive and placed on one of the frames and then cut so that it wiu 

 lit into the frame. In cutting the combs the drone comb should 

 be eliminated. The combs fitted into the frame are easily held in 

 place by two or three thin wires or pieces of string tied around 

 the frame. In transferring, the bees are made to go through 

 an experience very much like that of swarming. The smoke and 

 drumming causes them to fill up on honey, go up, and cluster in 

 the empty box. For this reason bees that have been transferred 

 go to building combs, and storing honey with a very much in- 

 creased vigor, just as in the case of swarming. 



More detailed information can be obtained by referring to 

 special bulletins on this subject or to one of the several text 

 books on beekeeping. 



GENERAL MANAGEMENT 



Proper management of bees is based on knowledge of bee 

 behavior. Bee behavior means the response that bees make to 

 different environmental factors feuch as weather conditions, 

 nature of the hive, etc. The response of bees is always in the 

 form of a motion in so far as man knows. We don't know 

 whether bees think or not; but we can observe their motions. 



The lack of an adequate knowledge of bee behavior causes 

 Arkansas beekeepers to lose about twenty-five per cent of their 

 bees on account of improper protection during the winter. For 

 the same reason many colonies are lost thru European foul brood. 

 For the same reason many beekeepers are seriously troubled 

 with wax moths. Failure to study bee behavior causes begin- 

 ners to try to produce comb honey which usually results in a 

 total failure. 



Handling Bees. The ability to handle bees cannot be se- 

 cured by reading books or bulletins ; it is acquired by experience. 

 However, a few suggestions may lessen the number of mistakes 

 of beginners. Bees are not partial to a certain person, one man 

 can handle them as well as another. They resent interference 

 and are especially irritated when the intruder makes sudden 

 movements. The best time to open hives is during a warm and 

 sunny day. Bees should not be disturbed late in the evening, 

 when it is cold, or during a rain. 



Stings should be avoided by a judicious use of the smoker 

 and a veil; the odor of the poison irritates the bees and causes 



