184 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS JOURNAL. 
even be piled up edgeways, and put on the top 
of a sleep (removing the feed-hole stopper), and 
covered with a bell-glass, when the bees will 
ascend and take care of them. The remaining 
combs should be uncapped with a knife, and 
then cut up into strips, placed in a piece of fine 
muslin, and hung up to drain. The mass may 
be turned about a few times, but never, except 
with combs containing no trace of pollen, may 
they be pressed or wrung. It will be found that 
nearly all the honey will run out, and the waste 
may be given to the bees, who will clear out 
every drop remaining ; but in this due care 
must be taken lest robbing be started. This 
explanation is itself a condemnation of the skep 
if we compare it with the plans used with frame- 
hives. 
XII. — Artificial Pollen*. 
It has been already said that bees when busy 
breeding return home with little coloured 
(generally orange or yellow) loads attached to 
their hind-legs. This is pollen, the fertilising 
dust gathered from flowers, which is stored in 
the combs to be afterwards consumed together 
with honey by the workers, and in their bodies 
transformed into a food to feed the young grubs. 
Without pollen or a substitute bees cannot raise 
brood, and when natural pellen is not to be 
obtained, the bees will gather and pack the 
flour of wheat, rye, peas, the last being in ail 
respects the best. Place near the hives a tray 
into which the flour has been put, with a little 
chaff, sparingly sprinkled upon it. so as to con- 
ceal about half the flour from view, and the 
bees, attracted by a small piece of comb con- 
taining honey, will soon commence dusting 
themselves and collecting the flour into pellets 
precisely like those formed from natural pollen. 
Stocks that are being fed with syrup will more 
readily take this description of food. The effect 
of artificial pollen is great in promoting early 
breeding, and ought not to be neglected. Pro- 
tect the trays, and expose in a sunny spot, the 
meal being renewed from time to time. It will 
only be collected when little pollen is to be had 
in the fields. From the beginning of March 
until the blossoms of the peaches or pears open, 
will be the most suitable time for this kind of 
feeding, but after a cool, wet summer it will 
greatly aid the effect of late autumn stimula- 
tion in promoting the raising of brood. 
XIII.— Transferring. 
It often happens that it is desired to transfer 
combs from a straw skep or box-hive to one 
with frames. And this may readily be done. 
We first drive all the bees, and proceed 
to cut out the combs. It will make our 
work simple if we divide the skep by cutting it 
down from lop to bottom, in a line between the 
central combs. Having placed a pipce of cloth 
smoothly on a board a little larger than the 
frames into which we are to transfer, we lay 
across it two tapes loDg enough to tie round the 
frames. The combs are placed over these, and 1 
cut and trimmed to fit into the frame, care , 
being taken to keep the same side uppermost as I 
before the transfer. Drone-eomb is rejected, 
while those unduly thickened are pared down. 
The tapes are now tied over the frames, and the 
board with all upon it lifted to an upright posi- 
tion. The frame is now taken by its projecting 
ends and placed in the hive. The remainder of 
the combs are treated in the same way, till ail 
the useful parts are fitted in. If the comb is 
not deep enongli to reach the bottom bar of the 
frame, place a lath beneath it, pass a thin tape 
under the lath, and tie over the top bar, or 
wedge the lath up by a few corks. Keep the 
brood combs together in centre of the hive. The 
hive is now taken to the stand which the skep 
occupied, where the forced swarm of course now 
is. This is hived in one of the ways explained 
under Natural Swarming. 
The bees wilt quickly repair the combs if fed 
a little, and fix them in, and, generally, in a 
couple of days the tapes may be removed. 
It is safer for a novice to cut the tapes across 
while the frames remain in the hive after being 
sure that the combs are fixed, then, with very 
little risk, they can be gently drawn out. If 
left the bees will, at the expense of much labour, 
eventually remove them, but it is always better 
to spare them this trouble. 
The experienced may transfer almost at any 
season with success, but the learner should not 
attempt it before April or after September. 
Transferred bees will be much assisted if their 
new hive is contracted by a division -board, 
more space being given them as they are able to 
occupy it. Before transferring, consult the next 
chapter. 
XIV. — Guides and Comb Foundation. 
Frame-hives lose their advantages if the combs 
are built in an irregular manner. To prevent 
this, guides of various kinds are used. For the 
stock, straight, tough comb may be cut into 
strips and fixed by meited wax, or glue, to the 
top bar ; or, we can give the workers a line of 
wax from which their comb will be commenced. 
Sheets of wax are now made and impressed, 
in a machine, with the forms of the bottom of 
the cells. These sheets are known as “Comb 
Foundation.” and are of immense service. If 
fixed in the frames with due precaution, they 
are quickly converted into combs of perfect flat- 
ness, and all of worker cells. 
Fonndation is generally used in strips of one 
or two inches wide only, and more than this 
should not be attempted at first. For fixing 
them, the wood slip just described may be put 
into position, and against the face of it the strip 
is placed, and melted wax poured down in drops 
on the line where it touches the top bar. For 
holding these strips or wide pieces of foundation 
during the time of fixing, nothing is so con- 
venient as a board fitting loosely into the frame, 
and prevented from passing more than half- 
way through it by brads driven into its top and 
bottom edges. 
In the same way, foundation may be used for 
guideB for section-boxes ; but a special thin 
kind is made for these. Of the thick founda- 
tion, not more than \ in. in depth should be 
