BEES. 
491 
hives, which will render it necessary to transfer them into movable frama 
hives. A brief explanation of the transferring process is therefore desirable. 
The best time to transfer is early in the season, when there is but little honey 
or brood in the hive. It may, however, be done at any time, with proper 
care. The weather must be warm, and the bees busily at work. Blow a 
little smoke in at the entrance to the hive ; pause for two or three minutes ta 
give the smoke time to produce its effect; then carry the hive a few feet away 
and turn it bottom side up. Place a box over the hive, and with a stick rap’ 
an the hive for about twenty minutes. The bees will fill themselves with 
honey, and go with the queen up into the box, forming a cluster there. A few . 
young bees will remain in the old hive, but this is of no consequence. Take 
the box to the old stand, leaving the front edge raised, so that the bees out 
foraging can join their companions, and all get fresh air. If other bees give 
no trouble, the rest of the operation can be performed out-of-doors, but if 
there is any annoyance of this kind, remove the old hive into a room, shed, or 
barn, pry it apart carefully ; cut the combs from the sides, and get them loose 
with as little damage as possible. There should be a barrel set on end, and a 
board of convenient size placed on top of it. Lay several thicknesses of cloth ( 
on the board, as a soft bed for the comb. Now take a sheet of comb, lay it 
flat on the cloth, place a frame on the comb, and carefully cut out the comb, 
the exact size of the frame inside. Press the frame over the comb, being: 
particular to have it “ right side up" as it was in the old hive, then fasteu the 
comb in the frame by winding around it either twine or fine wire. To raise 
the frame perpendicular before fastening the comb, tilt the board beneath it. 
Set the frame, fixed as described in the new hive, and proceed with the rest in 
the same way, until all the worker-comb, i. e., that containing the small sized 
cells, is secured. It is a good opportunity to get rid of drone-comb. The 
pieces of worker comb left at the eud of the process may be fitted into a 
frame, and secured there by thin flat strips of wood, tied at the end with 1 
twine, or tacked with very small tacks. Slaving fastened all the worker- 
comb practicable into the frames, all the remaining bits both of worker and 
drone-comb should be saved as starters for boxes and sections. Now place the 
hive on the old stand and shake all the bees out of the box in front of the 
hive. If the alighting-board is properly arranged, so that the bees can 
readily find their way in at the entrance, they will not be long in taking 
possession of their new home. . They will go to work at once and put things 
to rights. In two or three days they will have all loose combs fastened, so that 
the strips, wires and strings may be removed. 
THE BEE-SMOKER. 
In the operation just described, and many others, a little machine called 
the bee-smoker will be found very useful. Blowing a little smoke into a hiv* 
