BEEKEEPING IN ARKANSAS 11 



The frames can be used until they are broken thru carelessness. 

 Other equipment, such as veil, smoker, hive tool, honey board 

 or queen excluder, bee escape, wire imbedder, uncapping knife, 

 and bee brush, is quite essential and vifill add very considerably 

 to the pleasure and profit in beekeeping. All the articles men- 

 tioned above are well illustrated and described in catalogs of 

 beekeepers' supplies (see page 32) ; so just a few suggestions 

 will suffice here. 



In purchasing a smoker, the small sizes should be avoided; 

 the large or medium-sized ones are much more servicable. With 

 reference to a honey board or queen excluder, the perforated zinc 

 boards are not recommended. A six or seven wire-and-wood 

 honey board is much more desirable. Wearing a veil in the 

 apiary does not show fear, but good management. Veils made of 

 silk tulle are preferred by many beekeepers. Veils made of 

 screen wire will last much longer. They can be kept away from 

 the face and neck better; but they do not feel as comfortable as 

 do the silk tulle. 



TRANSFERRING BEES 



When bees are purchased in box hives they must be trans- 

 ferred to modern hives. A good time for transferring is immedi- 

 ately before a good honey flow, such as comes during fruit bloom, 

 sweet clover, or Bidens (Spanish needle). It should be done on 

 a bright, sunny day when many of the bees are in the field. 



The method of transferring most commonly used is as fol- 

 lows : A few puffs of heavy smoke are blown into the box hive ; 

 it is then set a few feet to the side, the top is torn off, and an 

 empty box having the same length and width as the box hive is 

 placed over the box hive. With two sticks the hive is now beaten 

 vigorously on the sides for ten or fifteen minutes. This drum- 

 ming will induce the bees to leave the hive and cluster in the 

 box above. From this box the bees are shaken into the new hive 

 placed in the position of the box hive, or preferably in front of 

 the new hive so that the queen can be seen to enter. The hive 

 should be equipped with movable frames and full shectfi of founda- 

 tion. If available, it is well to put into the new hive a frame 

 from another hive containing some brood and honey. This 

 should be placed in the middle of the new hive. If no nectar is 

 coming in at the time of transferring it will be necessary to feed 

 the bees as described under feeding. (See page 19). The brood 

 remaining in the old box hive may be saved by putting this hive 

 aside and contracting the entrance to an opening thru which 

 only one or two bees can pass at a time. After twenty-one days 

 all the brood will have emerged and these bees may be added to 

 those already transferred by shaking them in front of the new 

 hive. Both colonies should be smoked liberally to avoid fighting. 



