TRANSFERRING 
843 
arating the combs; and, moreover, when 
it encounters the cross-sticks these can be 
sawn off where a knife would be worth¬ 
less. If the cover, now at the bottom of 
the box hive, has not been previously loos¬ 
ened it can be knocked off with a hammer, 
when the box can be lifted off, leaving a 
mass of combs standing upright. The 
cross-sticks may be now easily removed by 
pulling them out and the combs separated. 
Only those portions of the comb that con¬ 
tain worker brood should be saved, because 
experience shows that it does not pay to 
transfer empty combs or combs containing 
honey into brood-frames. Those contain¬ 
ing honey should be put into a tin pan and 
used on the fable, while all other pieces 
not containing worker brood should be 
melted up into wax. 
Proceed to insert the combs in the frames 
as follows: Lay a good comb of brood 
from the gum flat on the board or super 
cover. Over this lay one of the empty 
brood-frames. With a knife mark out the 
exact size of the comb. Lift the frame, then 
cut the comb to the desired shape and size. 
It is always desirable to cut comb a little 
large so it will make a snug fit, after which 
the brood-frame is crowded over. If the fit 
is good this frame of brood can be set 
down in the hive without any fastenings. 
In the case of the round gums or logs, it is neces¬ 
sary to use a keyhole or narrow saw, which is 
run clear around the inside of the log, cutting the 
cross-sticks. 
After several of the larger pieces con¬ 
taining brood have been fitted into frames 
as described, there will be a number of 
smaller ones, the brood in which it is de¬ 
sirable to save. Several of these pieces 
can be laid down on the board and their 
edges matched. In order to make a close 
fit it may be necessary to trim the edges a 
little. After the crazy-quilt combs are fit¬ 
ted together a brood-frame is then laid over 
the whole. With a butcher-knife mark out 
the exact shape as before described, then 
slip the frame snugly over the combs after 
Only the combs containing the brood are fitted 
into brood-frames. A butcher-knife marks the 
size of the piece or pieces to be cut, and then 
the whole slice is cut large so as to fit snugly into 
the frame. 
they have been trimmed. The whole board' 
containing the frame and pieces of comb 
should then be lifted to a vertical position, 
as otherwise the pieces will fall out when 
the frame is lifted. A string is now wound 
around the whole several times, as shown 
herewith, when the frame is ready to be in¬ 
serted with the other frames of brood. It 
Where there are several pieces of comb it is nec¬ 
essary to use strings to hold them in place. These 
are wound around the frames several times and 
tied. The bees will remove the string. 
will not pay to save very small pieces of 
brood. These should be dumped into the 
wax-extractor with other pieces of comb 
not containing honey. 
In the average box hive there will be 
enough worker brood to fill four or five 
empty frames, Langstroth size. Drone 
