TO TRANSFER BEES.
As you may have purchased your bees in box hives, and so, of course,
will desire to transfer them immediately into movable-frame hives, or,
as already suggested, you may wish to transfer from one movable-frame
to another, I will now proceed to describe the process.
The best time to transfer is early in the season, when there is but
little honey in the hives, though it may be done at any time, if
sufficient caution is used: still it should never be done except on
warm days, when the bees are actively engaged in storing. After the
bees are busy at work, approach the old hive, blow a little smoke into
the entrance to quiet the bees, then carry the hive off a few feet,
and turn it bottom up. Place a box over the hive--it will make no
difference whether it fits it close or not, if the bees are so smoked
as to be thoroughly alarmed--and with a stick rap on the lower hive for
about twenty minutes. The bees will fill with honey and go with the
queen into the upper hive and cluster. If towards the last we carefully
set the box off once or twice, and vigorously shake the hive, and then
replace the box, we will hasten the emigration of the bees, and make it
more complete. I got this suggestion from Mr. Baldridge. A few young
bees will still remain in the old hive, but these will do no harm. Now
put the box on the old stand, leaving the edge raised so that the bees
which were out may enter, and so all the bees can get air. If other
bees do not trouble, as they usually will not if busily gathering, we
can proceed in the open air. If they do we must go into some room.
I have frequently transferred the comb in my kitchen, and often in
a barn. Now knock the old hive apart, cut the combs from the sides,
and get the combs out of the old hive with just as little breakage as
possible. Mr. Baldridge, if transferring in spring, saws the combs
and cross-sticks loose from the sides, turns the hive into the natural
position, then strikes against the top of the hive with a hammer till
the fastenings are broken loose, when he lifts the hive, and the combs
are all free and in convenient shape for rapid work.
We now need a barrel, set on end, on which we place a board fifteen to
twenty inches square, covered with several thicknesses of cloth. Some
apiarists think the cloth useless, but it serves, I think, to prevent
injury to comb, brood or honey. We now place a comb on this cloth, and
a frame on the comb, and cut out the comb the size of the inside of the
frame, taking pains to save all the brood. Now crowd the frame over
the comb, so that the latter will be in the same position that it was
when in the old hive; that is, so the honey will be above--the position
is not very important--then fasten the comb in the frame, by winding
about all one or two small wires or pieces of wrapping twine. To raise
the frame and comb before fastening, raise the board beneath till the
frame is vertical. Set this frame in the new hive, and proceed with
the others in the same way till we have all the worker-comb--that with
small cells--fastened in. To secure the pieces, which we shall find
abundant at the end, take thin pieces of wood, one-half inch wide and a
trifle longer than the frame is deep, place these in pairs either side
the comb, extending up and down, and enough to hold the pieces secure
till the bees shall fasten them, and secure the strips by winding with
small wire, just above and below the frame, or else tack them to the
frame with small tacks.
Captain Hetherington has invented and practices a very neat method of
fastening comb into frames. In constructing his frames, he bores small
holes through the top, side, and bottom-bars of his frames, about two
inches apart; these holes are just large enough to permit the passage
of the long spines of the hawthorn. Now, in transferring comb, he has
but to stick these thorns through into the comb to hold it securely.
He can also use all the pieces, and still make a neat and secure frame
of comb. He finds this arrangement convenient, too, in strengthening
insecure combs. In answer to my inquiry, this gentleman said it paid
well to bore such holes in all his frames, which are eleven by sixteen
inches, inside measure. I discarded such frames because of the
liability of the comb to fall out.
Mr. Baldridge makes wads of comb, or comb-cappings, which he finds
good, and by pressing these against the edges of the comb he wishes to
fasten, he fastens them to the frames, quickly and securely.
Having fastened all the worker-comb that we can into the frames--of
course all the other, and all bright drone-comb, will be preserved for
use as guide-comb--and placed the frames in the new hive--these should
be put together if they contain brood, especially if the colony is not
very strong, and the empty frames to one side--we then place our hive
on the stand, pushing it forward so that the bees can enter anywhere
along the alighting-board, and then shake all the bees from the box,
and any young bees that may have clustered on any part of the old hive,
or on the floor or ground, where we transferred the comb, immediately
in front. They will enter at once and soon be at work, all the busier
for having passed "from the old house into the new." In two or three
days, remove the wires or strings and sticks, when we shall find the
combs all fastened and smoothed off, and the bees as busily engaged as
though their present home had always been the seat of their labors.
In case we practice the methods of either Captain Hetherington or Mr.
Baldridge, there will be nothing to remove, and we need only go and
congratulate the bees in view of their new and improved home.
Of course, in transferring from one frame to another, the matter is
much simplified. In this case, after thoroughly smoking the bees, we
have but to lift the frames, and shake or brush the bees into the new
hive. For a brush, a chicken or turkey wing, or a large wing or tail
feather from a turkey, goose or peacock, serves admirably. Now, cut out
the comb in the best form to accommodate the new frames, and fasten
as already suggested. After the combs are all transferred, shake all
remaining bees in front of the new hive, which has already been placed
on the stand previously occupied by the old hive.