The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-07-08
How To Transfer Bees.

The best time to do this is about the
season of swarming, which season
varies with the latitude and climate. In
the Northern States, June is the month
OF swarms; in the Middle and Southern
States they come with early and abundant
bloom.
About the time when swarms are ex-
pected naturally, take the hive which
you wish to transfer, and blowing a
little smoke into the entrance, remove
1t rod or more from it's stand, leaving
an empty box or hive in its place, into
which the bees that are out in the
fields may gather. Invert the hive
which you have moved, and put over it
an empty box or hive, as near the same
size and shape as possible, and stop all
holes or cracks between the two with
grass or weeds that may be at hand,
leaving no hole large enough for
a bee to escape. Then with sticks
keep up sharp drumming on the
bottom hive, lat which the bees, alarmed,
will fill their sac5 with honey and
mount up into the upper hive. In from
twenty to thirty minutes, most of the
bees with their queen Will be IN the
empty box on top. The beginner need
not fear driving too many; let all go
that will. Then carefully set the box
containing the bees III q shady place,
and take tAe old hive back to the place
where it stood. While you have been
driving, many bees will come back to
their home, and finding it gone, viii be
roaming in and out of the empty house
in distress. These will at once rush into
the old hive when it returns, and gladly
adhere to it; then remove it to a lOca-
ton some yards off, when, as it con-
tains many Matching bees and eggs,
the bees will at once rear new queen
/ to replace the one Just driven out, and
IN short time be as prosperous as ever.
Now place your new movable comb
hive, with It's entrances all open, on the
old stand, and spread sheet before it;
on tins sheet empty the bees you have
driven into the box, and they will at
once take line of march for the
entrance to the new hive, if they gather
there, brush few in with q wing OF
twig, and they will call the others, who
will enter IN body and accept the new
hive as their home.
You have now nice swarm III your
new hive, which will work as well as
any natural swarm and quickly stock
their hive. You have besides your old
hive, in which the bees are rapidly
Matching, and in three weeks they will
have young queen and goodly num-
Der of bees, but no brood lin the
combs. Therefore in three weeks re-
peat the process of driving out the
bees; add after this is done, split open
the old hive, or carefully take off the
side, and fasten all straight nice pieces
of the comb into the frames of a nova
BILE comb hive-a little melted resin
Will help hold them IN place, or they
may be kept in place with thorns.
Comb need not be rejected because it is
old or black, as, if it is straight and
free from mold, it is quite as good to
rear bees in, or TO store honey for their
use-indeed, it is proved that cid comb
is better than new for these purposes.
No drone-comb should be put in the
frames. This may be known by the
larger size of its cells.
Arrange the frames containing comb
IN the hive, set it In its place, and emp
ty the bees on a sheet III front, as be
fore described. They will soon securely
fasten the combs, and work on all the
better for this necessary disturbance.
To the novice 1t may seem incredible
that bees should be thus driven from
hive to hive and directed as you please,
but 1t is now done every day through
the summer, by hundreds of bee-keep-
ers, who find not only that it may be
done without loss, bat TO great profit
I'm. Bee Journal.