32 
HIVES. 
now strike the lower hive witli a hammer or stick, 
lightly and rapidly, five or ten minutes, when nearly 
all the bees will be in the upper hive, and set that on 
the stand ; only a few bees will be in the way ; these 
I will warrant not to sting , unless you pinch or get 
them fast. Should diseased brood, or anything make 
it necessary to transfer all the bees permanently, you 
can now set over another hive or box, and beat the 
lower hive again, when another portion will ascend ; 
jar these out in front of the first, and they will imme- 
diately enter; continue the process till all are out. 
But for pruning a few bees will not be much in the 
way, and you may proceed as follows: 
O) ■ ■■ .J 
Q I 
o 
TOOLS FOR CUTTING OUT COMB. 
The broad one is very readily made from a piece of an old 
scythe, about twenty inches long, by any blacksmith, by simply 
taking off the back, and forming a shank for a handle at the heel; 
the end should be ground like a carpenter’s chisel. This is for 
cutting down the sides of the hive ; the bevel will keep it close 
the whole length, when you wish to remove all the combs — it 
being square instead of rounded, no difficulty will be found in 
guiding it — it is not thick enough to mash any combs by crowd- 
ing them. The other tool is for cutting off combs at the top or 
any other place. It is merely a rod ol steel three-eighths of an 
inch diameter, about two feet long, with a thin blade at right 
angles, one and a half inches long, and a quarter inch wide, both 
edges sharp, upper side bevelled, bottom flat, &c. You will find 
these tools very convenient; be sure and get them by all means; 
the cost cannot be compared to the advantage. 
With the tools just described, you can now re- 
