184 AUSTRALASIAN 



ferring board, of the construction shown in the following 

 figure, is a most useful appliance. 



It is easily made, and very convenient when working. The 

 spaces between the bars admit of the transferring wires being 

 fixed on the lower side of the frame as well as on the upper 

 side as it lies with its enclosed comb upon the board. Any 

 honey that drips from the combs during the operation can be 

 caught on a dish placed underneath the board. 



A fine warm day should be chosen, and I find the morning 

 the best time for this work. Everything required being at 

 hand, blow a few puffs of smoke into the entrance of the box, 



Fig. 94.-TKANSPEEEING BOARD. 



and after a minute or two turn it bottom upwards, just at the 

 back of the place where it stood, and place the empty box over 

 it. A cloth may be tied round the junction of the two boxes, 

 to steady them and to keep the bees confined, if the operator is 

 at all timid. An empty box may be placed where the old one 

 stood, to catch any bees that return from the field during the 

 operation. 



DRIVING. 



The bees are now to be forced to leave the old box and their 

 combs and to cluster with their queen in the empty box which 

 has been placed on the top, just as a natural swarm does when 

 newly hived. This process of forced swarming is called 

 " driving." It is done by rapping on the sides of the box hive 

 in such a way as to frighten the bees until they fill themselves 

 with honey and retire from the apprehended danger, as it is 

 their instinct to do under such circumstances. This rapping 

 on the sides of the box may be done with the hands, but better 

 with a pair of sticks, beginning gently and gradually increasing 



