124 
BEGINNING WITH BEES 
home. They will likewise be very much 
less liable to swarm out or to be attacked 
bv robbers from other hives in the vicin¬ 
ity. See Robbing. 
Something should be said on how pack¬ 
age bees are loosed in the hive before set¬ 
ting them in the cellar, for it is not an 
easy trick for a beginner. Remove all the 
frames of foundation from the prepared 
hive where the bees are to be released. If 
possible, in their place put three or four 
combs containing honey from some colony. 
A comb containing a little bi’ood will help 
to add to the home feeling of the new bees. 
If the combs do not contain much honey, 
a sugar syrup made of 50 per cent hot 
water and 50 per cent of sugar, well stirred 
in, should be given. (See Feeding.) Open 
up the cage by removing the wire cloth 
or removing the can containing the food. 
But before this is done a little smoke should 
be applied to the bees. If the queen is 
caged separate from the rest of the bees, 
lift her out and put her next to the‘frame 
of brood. Shake out some of the bees 
from the big cage, then lay it down in the 
side of the hive not occupied by the combs, 
and put on the cover. The hive should 
then be put in the cellar as explained. The 
remaining bees will soon work over to the 
queen. If the queen, is not caged separate 
from her bees shake her and all her bees 
out of the big cage on to the combs and 
then take the cage away, as the bees might 
go back into it again. 
But we will suppose that the beginner 
has no extra combs nor frames of brood, 
much less any other bees in the vicinity. 
He can let the bees l,oose on the frames of 
foundation, the same as on the combs. The 
feeder containing the syrup should be 
placed in the hive in the space not occu¬ 
pied by the frames. 
The cover should be placed on the hive 
last of all, when the bees should be put 
in the dark cellar. When the combless 
bees are hived on frames of foundation it 
is all the more important that they be con¬ 
fined in a dark cellar for three or four 
days before they are allowed to fly, at the 
end of which time they will have deserted 
the cage and started to draw out the foun¬ 
dation. Toward night they can then be 
set on their permanent summer stands. In 
either case the entrances should be con¬ 
tracted for at least three or four days 
after the bees are set out. 
In case it is found that the bees are not 
leaving the cage and going on to the foun¬ 
dation, a little smoke should be used and 
the cage be opened still further, after 
which the bees should be jarred out into 
the space not occupied by the frames. 
When most of them are out, place the cage 
with a few remaining bees in front of the 
entrance and put on the cover. 
A new form of combless cage has been 
invented by which the bees will draw out 
foundation en route, and the queen lay in 
it. Such a shipment can be treated in 
every respect as frames of brood and bees 
from nuclei and full colonies. 
Root improved shipping cage for sending 
bees without combs. 
Too strong emphasis can not be laid on 
the importance of keeping the cellar abso¬ 
lutely dark where bees are temporarily con¬ 
fined. A heavy blanket or a quilt can be 
tacked temporarily against each window 
to shut out the light. 
The job of hiving combless bees on 
frames of foundation is not easy for a 
beginner. As a rule be is advised to get 
nuclei or combless bees in the Root im¬ 
proved cage, or to get a full colony. When 
the bees come on combs, especially combs 
containing a little brood, the • problem of 
the beginner who has no knowledge of han¬ 
dling bees except what he has read will be 
very much simplified. 
Where one can afford it he is advised to 
buy full colonies, or two or three of them, 
as advised at the outset; or, better-yet, get 
a complete beginner’s outfit from his near¬ 
est dealer. This will consist of one or more 
colonies, extra empty hives containing 
(Tames of foundation, supers ready for 
the storage of honey, bee-veil, bee-gloves, a 
book of instructions, and, last of all, a bee- 
