THE APIARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 6 September 1913, Page 10

THE APIARY.

TRANSFERRING FROM BOXES TO MOVEABLE FR4ME HIVES.

This may be clone at any time during the season, but it is'best to do it m the Spring, before there is much honey in the combs; say about the beginning of October, and then choose a fine sunny day. You will want a few toolsI—hammer1 —hammer and chisel to knock the box to pieces, some string or tape to tie the pieces of comb into the frames, a long sharp knife for cutting the combs out, a lighted smoker, a box same size as the .bees are now in 5 and another turned upside down to serve as a table to work on.

I also like a basin of water near, so that 1 can wash off any hqney on my hands; 1 find sticky hands impede progress.

Having everything handy, and your smoker well going, go to the box-hive, give a few vigorous puffs at the entrance, then turn it upside-down, taking it a few feet away from where it stood, putting your new frame-hive in its place, to catch the bees coming home. Now place your empty box ion top of the upturned box, which must fit fairly close, stuff up any holes with grass, etc., or a piece of cloth tied round the junction of the two boxes, to keep the bees confined, and commence tapping the sides of the box the bees are in with, two sticks or your hands, and the bees will immediately begin to crawl into the upper box, and after about fifteen minutes will all be clustered there the same as a newly-hived swarm. This process is called " driving." Now place the .box of driven bees on the. old stand, propping up the front to allow the bees to go in and out. The old hive now being practically free of bees, and those that are left so demoralised and full of honey that they've no thought of stinging, get your hammer and chisel and knock one of the sides off, and the combs will ,be seen hanging from the top. Run ! your knife along the top, and if posy sible take_ out the whole length of comb ,in one piece; lay it on your bench, j place your empty frame on it, and with your knife cut along the inside edges |so that it will fit tight, and it will not require tying in. Proceed in the s^a-me way until all the honey and brood are finished, and it will be necessary that in some frames there will be two or three separate pieces which will i have to be tied in, but that'doesn't matter, the bees will soon make a solid comb of it; and in a day or two you will find the gnawed string or tane used being put outside the hive. Having used as many frames as the honey and brood would fill, put frames of wired comb foundation to fill the l hive.

Then take your box of driven bees, and shake them in front of your new hive, and you will enjoy seeing them troop in.

Clear up all bits of honey and comb, so that robbing is not started^ and your job is done.

Now a word of warn in g. Before you attempt to put' any of the combs into the frames of your" new hive, look very carefully to see if the bees are healthy, because if t^ere is any evidence of foulbrood, if only one cell, simply shake your driven' bees into your new hive on to frames filled with comb foundation only, and leave them without honey or brood, and let them work out their own salvation. In the event of bad weather setting in, so that the bees can't get out, they should be> fed with suo-nr svrun on thethird day. The old box hive should be taken away out of the reach of the bees, and the safest way to be rid of the disease is to burn the whole thing at night time; but if them is iymHi honpv, it could be eaten by the family, as ther^ is nothing wrong with it for human beings; and the rest destroyed.