32 Bee-heepiufi iji Victoria. 



brood-chamber. Combs so damaged are also very liable to come down 

 in hot weather or in moving bees by road or rail. 



If combs are handled the right way, no harm will be done to them, 

 even when bnilt from starters and not fastened to the bottom bar of the 

 frajiie. As bees generally, and queens in particular, run to the bottom 

 of the frame when it is lifted out of the hive, it often becomes necessary 

 to turn the frame upside down when looking for the queen. In Fig. 1 

 is shown the first position ; to turn the frame upside down without 

 damaging the comb the top bar of the frame is brought into a vertical 

 position as shown in Fig. 2 ; and by swinging the frame half-way round 

 (like a door on its hinges), and then bringing the top bar into a hori- 

 zontal line, the frame is completely reversed as shown in Fig. 3. As 

 the bees again travel downwards, the queen, if she is on the particular 

 comb, wilf be noticed. To turn the comb to the hive, the same move- 

 ments are again gone through, but in the reverse order of 3, 2, 1. 



If. in the course of the first examination, one or more colonies are 

 found with unfertile queens, the hives should be marked and left alone 

 till the overhaul of all of the colonies is completed. Amongst a num- 

 ber of stocks of bees there are generally, at this period of the season, 

 some which are weak in bees, though possessing a fertile queen. These 

 queens may with advantage be used to replace unfertile ones in colonies 

 with more bees. To transfer a queen, it is first of all necessary to find 

 and remove the one which is to be replaced. The following day, pre- 

 ferably towards evening, the small stock with the fertile queen is placed 

 alongside. Both lots are gently smoked, and the combs with brood and 

 bees from both put into one hive, so that each comb from one is between 

 two from the otlier hive. The outside combs of both are put into the 

 other hive body which is placed on top of the first, the bees brushed off 

 the combs, and the latter and the hive body removed. If uniting is 

 done later in the season, the second body and combs may be left on as 

 a super. 



"When no small stock with a laying queen is available, a colony with 

 an unfertile c(ueen may be kept going by giving it a comb of eggs, or 

 young larva; from a normal colony, once or twice a week, according to 

 the number of bees. At the same time, remove one of the combs of 

 drone larva?, and substitute it for the comb removed from the normal 

 colonjr, which will usually thi'ow out this useless brood. In this way a 

 colony may even be gradually built up ; and, when j^oung ciueens are 

 available from swarmed stocks, the valueless cjueen can be replaced. 



It is often very difficult to get a colony with laying workers to 

 accept a queen, all the bees being old ; but, if treated as described, there 

 will soon be a sufficient number of young bees, and the introduction of 

 a queen may then be safely accomplished. Colonies found queenless, 

 and without even laying workers, should be dealt with in the same way, 

 if still sufficiently strong enough to be worth saving. 



A mistake, often made by beginners, and even by established bee- 

 keepers, is the spreading of brood with the idea of hurrying brood- 

 rearing. This practice of putting empty combs, or even partly filled 

 ones, between the brood combs, more often results in loss than in gain. 

 It is recommended in some of the text-books written for countries in 

 which the sudden changes of temperature experienced here do not 



