582 
MANIPULATION OF COLONIES 
two, after which one can go back and 
search the frames as before. By this time 
the colony will have recovered itself, and 
the queen, in all probability, have shifted 
her position from the bottom or sides of 
the hive to one of the combs. Nine, times 
out of ten she will be found at the second 
going-over of the frames, without any 
F'G. 2.- — Second position. 
Arrows show direction 
in which the frame is 
now to be turned. 
Fig. 3.—Third position. 
Arrows show direction 
from which the frame 
has just been 
turned. 
trouble. When the queen cannot be found 
the second time going over, as a rule hunt¬ 
ing longer is not advisable because one is 
liable to waste a good deal of valuable 
time; and it is, therefore, better to wait 
till the queen comes out of her hiding- 
place back to the brood-frames themselves. 
If the bees are inclined to rob, use an emp¬ 
ty body to hang half of the frames in, 
placing them in pairs, and pair-off the 
rest in the hive being worked. 
In the case of black colonies, especially 
where very populous, it is sometimes nec¬ 
essary 7 to lift the hive off the stand and put 
it down to one side. On the old stand place 
an empty hive, affixing an entrance-guard. 
(See Drones.) Take the frames one by 
one out of the old hive, and shake them in 
front at the entrance of the empty hive on 
the old stand. Black bees fall off very 
readily; and as they crawl toward the hive 
the queen can be easily seen; but if she 
eludes scrutiny she will be barred by the 
perforated zinc where she may be readily 
discovered trying to make her way thru. 
After all the frames are shaken, if she 
cannot be found, take the old hive, now 
empty, and dump it, causing the bees to be 
thrown before the zinc. She will soon be 
seen trying to pass the guard. 
So far, details have been given on how 
to find the queen; but the reader must not 
imagine that it is going to be as difficult as 
this every time. She is usually to be found 
on the center frames; and, especially with 
Italians, is likely to be found on the first 
or second frame handled. 
When loose frames or frames Avithout 
spacing shoulders are put back in the hives 
they must be spaced carefully 1% inches 
from center to center as near as it is possi¬ 
ble. It is not practicable by the rule of 
thumb or finger to get them all exactly this 
distance so that there will be some combs a 
little thicker than others, even when the 
greatest of care is used. If one is a little 
careless (as most people are) there will be 
considerable valuation in the thickness of 
the combs, and the thicker ones will have to 
be shaved down with an uncapping-knife 
at the first extracting. If the combs are 
left thick and thin there will be danger of 
killing a good many bees in inserting and 
removing the frames, especially when the 
position of the frame is changed. All of 
this nuisance of irregularity in thickness of 
combs can be avoided by the use of self¬ 
spacing or Hoffman frames. 
There is no cut-and-try spacing as with 
unspaced frames, no big and little fingers 
to get the distances wide and narrow, and 
the beginner has no difficulty in determin- 
