308 TRANSFERRING BEES. 



chilled, and unable to join their contipanions, will miserably 

 perish. 



The process of transferring bees to my hives, is performed 

 as follows. Let the old hive be well drummed,* and the 

 bees driven into an upper box. Set this box on the stand 

 previously occupied by the bees ; then carry the drummed 

 hive to some convenient place, where you will be least liable 

 to annoyance from other bees. Flave here all the various 

 implements which you will need for removing and trans- 

 ferring the combs : hatchet, or hammer and chisel, for 

 prying off a side of the old box parallel, if possible, with 

 the combs : a case knife for cutting out the combs : vessels 

 for receiving the honey : a table or board on which to lay 

 the brood combs : cotton twine for fastening them into the 

 frames : and water to wash off, from time to time, the 

 honey which will stick to your hands. 



In cutting out the combs, endeavor, as far as possible, to 

 remove them so that they may fit the frames, taking care, 

 if the transfer is made after honey-gathering is over, to 

 give the bees a generous allowance of honey, with all the 

 combs containing brood, and such empty ones as are suitable 

 for rearing workers. All combs, with large cells, except 

 such as contain the honey which they need, should be 

 rejected. 



Having thus selected the combs to be transferred to the 

 new hive, lay a frame upon a piece of comb, which cut a 

 trifle large, so that it will just crowd into the frame, and 

 remain in its place until the bees have time to attach it. If 

 the size of the combs is such, that some of them cannot be 



* Mr. Wagner queries whether the art of dramming out bees, was 

 not known in the time of Chaucer, who says, 



■'' Out of the hives came swarms of bees, 

 So hideous was the noise." 



