The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-09-02
CONTINUED from Page l.

Law it ON or over the comb, and care
fully cut it so it will fit In the frame.
Above all, be careful to see that the
end of the comb that was up IN the
box be up in the frame. IF it is re-
versed or put in the frame endways
the bees car do nothing with it, as the
cells would then incline downward or
sidewise. Sometimes it takes two or
more pieces to fill a frame. When you
have got the frame filed, (remember,
the honey as well as the young unseal-
ed and sealed brood must go in the
frame) take some cotton cord and tie
around the frame so as to hold the
comb in place; then put it in your
patent box. Proceed the same with
the remainder of the frames until you
have used all the comb that can be
used. Then shake the bees from the
old box in front or at the entrance of
your new one, and watch carefully to
see that the queen goes with them. At
ter a couple of days open the new box
and take the cords from around the
combs, for in that time you may be
sure the bees will have fastened it
securely to the frames.
While you are doing this you can
hunt up the queen. Kill her and drop
her at the bottom of the hive. The
bees will then know that she is dead
and will not go out to look for her.
Your italian queen should have been
ordered so as to reach you two or
three days after destroying the old
one. They are sent through the mail
in a little shipping case. Directions
accompany every queen. Follow them
strictly and nine times out of ten
you will have no trouble about the bees
accepting her. Before placing the
case containing the queen in the box,
lift the frames, one by one; look them
over carefully. If any queen cells
have been started, which is usually the
case, cut them out. You will have no
trouble in recognizing them, as they
resemble a peanut very much and are
usually built at the lower end of the
comb. Sometimes, where a box has
been queenless a few days you will
find a half-dozen or more. As a rule,
bees that have started queen cells will
not accept a new queen unless the cells
are first removed. Therefore do not
miss any of them in looking the
frames over, as it may cost you the
price of a queen.
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BOXES
In regard to the different kinds of
boxes, the eight-frame dovetail hive
is most commonly used. This is a very
good box, easily managed and can be
run for either extracted or comb
honey. There is no patent on it, and
you are at liberty to make and sell all
you like. I use this box as well as
the ten-frame Danzenbaker and a six
teen-frame hive, gotten up after my
own idea. I produce no broken honey,
but take it off the hive in one-pound
honey boxes, which can be packed and
shipped to any part of the United
States without being damaged in the
least.
If you wish to get a good price for
your honey it is necessary to use these
little boxes, as it looks so much nicer,
and can be set aside and used at the
pleasure of the purchaser. Besides,
these sections may be taken off the box
as they are capped-one or a dozen
and empty ones put in their place,
without disturbing the bees to n
material extent. In this way you get
honey white as snow, as the bees do
not have time to soil it by crawling
over it. But to procure honey in this
shape and in large quantities, it is
necessary to have a large force of bees
in your box, and to do this you will
have to control swarming.
In my next article I will try to tell
you how this may be done.
WALTER L. WOMBLE.
Wake Co., n. @.