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ALBERT R. MANN
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EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS
BEEKEEPING LIBRARY

AGRICULTURE AND Home Eco

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SraALS
M 646

Ontario Department of Agriculture

FRUIT BRANCH

CIRCULAR No. 27

By
F. ERIC MILLEN, Provincial Apiarist

—

TRANSFERRING OF BEES”

A Movable-Frame Hive.

TORONTO, ONT ARIE MAY, 1920

I73¢
Ontario Denatt rent at Agriculture
FRUIT BRANCH

CIRCULAR No. 27

TRANSFERRING OF BEES

F, ERIC MILLEN, Provincial Apiarist

Beekeepers cannot be classed among the successful if they continue to
keep bees in box hives when all should produce maximum crops. Box hives
should be succeeded by movable-frame hives for the following reasons:

A Box-Hive.

Bees in box-hives cannot be managed so that the beekeeper is the master.
It is impossible to control foulbrood in box-hives.
Bees in box-hives swarm excesswwely,
The keeping of bees in box-hives usually means a neglectful beekeeper.
You should not belong to this class.
2

3

There are many ways by which bees can be transferred from any kind
of box-hive into one of the movable-frame type. The beekeeper should
carefully read the following directions and then proceed with the method
that best suits his particular case.

Tur Heppon METHOD.

This plan is easily followed by the most inexperienced of beekeepers.
When employing the Heddon method the movable-frame hive is made
ready with frames of foundation just as one prepares a hive for a swarm.
The operator provides himself with a smoker, hive-tool, veil, empty box

Drumming the Bees from the Box-Hive.

and a hammer or other tool with which to drum on the box-hive. When
ready to “transfer, the box-hive should be removed to a place a few feet
from its old stand and the newly prepared hive put in its place, ready
to receive all the bees that return to the old stand while the transfer is
being made.

When preparations. have been completed and the bees subdued with
smoke, pull off a part of the top or cover ‘and turn the box-hive upside
down, tilting it so that the back is a few inches higher than the front.
This operation makes it possible to smoke the bees from beneath. Next
place an empty box on top and be sure that the end of the box comes even
with the back of the box-hive so that the bees have a continuous wall to

4

climb. Smoke the bees from below and drum on the sides of the hive,
near the bottom at first. After drumming a few minutes and using the
smoker occasionally, a cluster of bees will be found in the box when it is
taken off the box-hive. The beekeeper should search carefully among the
bees in this cluster to see if the queen is present; if she cannot be found
in the cluster, shake the bees out in front of the new hive on a light cloth
or paper and as the lees enter the hive, watch to see if the queen is among
them.

To succeed with the Heddon method the queen must be drummed out
from the box-hire and introduced into the movable-frame hive. If the
beekeeper is not quite sure that he will be able to recognize the queen,

The Self Transfer Method, Movable-Frame Body on Top.

he should place a drone-trap or a piece of queen-excluder at the entrance
of the new hive; in this way he will be certain to find the queen if she is
present.

When the queen and about two-thirds of the bees have been drummed
out, turn the box-hive right side up, replace the cover and set it on its
_bottom-board directly behind the new hive, with the entrance at right
‘angles to the entrance of the new hive.

After twenty-one days the worker brood in the old hive will have
emerged and the remaining bees can then be drummed out, by the same
method as that formerly used. These bees should be united with those
in the movable-frame hive. When uniting the two lots, smoke the bees
in the new hive a little and they will unite with the newcomers without

5

trouble. There probably will be a young queen among the last lot of bees
in the box-hive, and if the beekeeper has any queenless colonies this young
queen can be introduced where needed; otherwise take no notice of her
and she will probably succeed her mother in the new hive providing a
young queen as head of the colony. After the bees have all been drummed
out, remove the combs, extract the honey, render combs into beeswax and
use the box-hive for kindling.

THE Setr TRANSFER METHOD.*

At a time when the box-hive is crowded with bees, usually during
the fruit bloom and dandelion period or early June, the transfer is com-
menced. The beekeeper provides a hive-body containing one frame of

A Box-Hive Apiary.

unsealed brood, if available, placed midway between a. sufficient number
of frames of drawn comb or full sheets of foundation to fill the hive-body,
The cover of the box-hive is then removed and the new hive-body, with
brood and combs, or foundation, placed on top with an entrance in the
box-hive only. In a few days, usually, the queen will be found laying in
the upper or movable frame hive-body; but if foundation only is used,
it may be a week or two before the queen comes up. As soon as the bee-
keeper is sure the queen is in the upper hive-body, a queen excluder is
placed between the box-hive and the new hive and left there for twenty-
one days. When examining for the queen, it is a good plan to slip the
excluder between the two hive-bodies before disturbing the bees very much,
or the queen is liable to run below. If, on examination, it is found that

*Used with great success by Mr. A. H. Guernsey, Ionia, Michigan.

6

the queen has not commenced working in the new hive, the excluder must,
of course, be removed and replaced after the queen ascends. Supers may
be added to the new hive as required and the work of the colony proceeds
normally. The success of this plan depends on getting the queen to ascend
and commence working in the new hive, and after that is accomplished, in
preventing her return to the box-hive. After the queen has been estab-
lished in the upper new hive and when the queen excluder is in position
close up the outside entrance to the box-hive and provide an entrance to
the new hive by inserting wedges between the two hive-bodies above the
excluder. A sloping alighting-board, extending from the new entrance
to the ground, will aid the bees in making a speedy entrance. Twenty-one
days after the queen excluder was placed between the hives, with the queen
above, all the worker bees will have emerged from. their cells in the box-
hive. Next prepare an escape-board by tacking a strip of wood just over
the edge of the circular hole in the bee-escape. This strip is to aid the
bees in climbing up to the Porter bee-escape. Place the board, with bee-
escape upside down, between the hives in place of the queen excluder.
Two days after the escape has been placed between the hive-bodies, 9J1
the bees will have gone above and the old box can be broken up and the
combs rendered into wax.

The self transfer method is one of the best if the colonies are strong
and no disease exists. Weak or diseased colonies should be treated by
another method. See transferring diseased colonies.

Tue Drrect METHOD.

There are one or two variations practised in the direct method of
transferring, but in any case the result is the same, in that all the trans-
ferring is completed in the one operation and the box-hive is destroyed
at once.

If the beekeeper is sure that there is no American foulbrood present,
the following method is used:

A new hive is prepared with empty frames. There are needed also
an empty box into which to drum the bees, a smoker, veil, hive-tool, butcher
knife, large bowl, a board, some fine string and a pail of clean water.
Remove the box-hive a few feet from its stand and place the newly-pre-
pared hive where the hox-hive stood. This is done to catch the returning
bees. Tear off part of the cover from the box-hive and turn it upside down,
tilted as in the case of the Heddon method. Now drum the bees up into
the box by continued drumming on the sides and occasional puffing in
of smoke at the bottom of the box-hive. After a few minutes shake the
cluster of bees from the box, in front of the entrance of the new hive,
and continue the drumming until practically all of the bees are out of the
box-hive, uniting these bees with those already in the new hive. When
all the bees that can he drummed out are removed from the box-hive, tear

peer eae

Hive Tool. ‘Smoker. Bee Brush.

1. Single Bee Escape in Board. 3. Excluder.
2. Double Bee Escape (enlarged). 4, Wired Frame.

8

the side open, after first cutting the comb away so that it will not be
broken when the side of the hive is torn off. With the aid of the board,
which should be a little larger than the frame, we are ready to transfer
all the good worker combs from the box-hive to the frames. Lay two
or three pieces of string under a frame which should be placed on the
board, take a piece of the comb from the box-hive and lay it over the
frame and with a sharp knife trim the comb until it can be fitted tightly
into the frame, secure the combs firmly in place by tying the string
around them in two or three places and put these frames with the comb
into the new hive. The bees will fasten the comb to the frames with wax.
In selecting the combs to be transferred take first the worker comb with
brood, next, the straightest of the empty worker comb, and then, if
necessary, one or two frames of comb filled with honey. Do not use any
drone comb. Fill the hive with frames of drawn comb or foundation
if more frames are needed.

The bowl will receive all pieces of broken comb and the honey in this
can be used indoors. Use plenty of clean water and you will not find this
method a very sticky one, but never attempt it unless you have plenty of
water and all necessary appliances ready, and honey flow is on.

Some beekeepers tear the hive to pieces and transfer the combs without
drumming the bees out at all. In doing this they destroy a great many
bees and the operator cannot work nearly as rapidly when there are so
many bees crawling around. It is better to drum the bees out first.

The direct method has an advantage over the “Heddon and Self
Transfer Methods ” in completing the whole of the transferring at once and
in saving the best of the old combs. If the combs in the box-hive are
not too old this is quite a saving to the colony as it is not necessary for
the bees.to build so much new comb. The old box-hive should be removed
and destroyed on completing the transfer.

TRANSFERRING From Barrets, Hottow Logs, etc;

When the bees are housed in a barrel, a section of hollow log, or other
make-shift for a hive, which, on account of its form, may not lend itself
easily to one of the methods just explained, the following plan is recom-
mended.

Remove part of the head or top of the barrel and turn it upside down,
saw the barrel off close to the combs and tilt as in the case of the box-
hives. Elevate the new hive so that the bottom board is even with the
upper edge of the barrel. Blow smoke in at the bottom of the inverted
barrel and drum on the sides, blowing in occasional puffs of smoke, until
all the bees have run up into the new hive. See that the ends, or edges,
of the combs in the barrel face the entrance of the hive and are not turned
broadside. The bees between the combs will not linger so long if the

9

smoke gets between the combs quickly and the beekeeper standing opposite
the entrance can watch the progress more easily.

After the bees have been drummed out and the new hive set on the
stand where the barrel formerly stood, the best combs in the barrel can be
used in frames, as in the case of the “ Direct Method,” providing the
beekeeper is certain no American foulbrood exists. If the combs in the
barrel are not more than a year old, greater care has to be taken, because
newly built combs crush very easily in warm weather, especially if heavy
with honey. In drumming bees from boxes or barrels in which there
are recently built combs, it is well to separate each comb from its neighbor
with one or two wads of paper, so that the combs will not fall together.
This also insures room for the bees to pass up into the hive freely.

TRANSFERRING FROM BUILDINGS, BEE TREES, ETC.

Sometimes a colony of bees will hive itself in a cavity in a building
or in the cavity of a tree, which for some reason cannot be cut open.
Whenever a swarm occupies a place where none of the preceding methods
can be used, we must proceed in a different manner. The combs and a
few of the bees must be sacrificed, but the honey and almost all of the
bees can be saved by using the following method:

At the commencement of the main honey-flow early in June, build a
platform large enough to hold a hive of bees and strong enough to hold
a large surplus of honey, if honey should be found. Make a nucleus, a
two-to-four frame colony, with queen. In making the nucleus the bee-
keeper will have good success if he proceeds as follows:

Take from two to four frames of sealed emerging brood, without bees,
and introduce a queen, or ripe queen cell, screen the entrance of the hive
and place the nucleus in a dark place for a day or two. This allows a
great many young bees to emerge from the cells and these young bees are
not inclined to fight strange bees nor will they leave their new location
when placed on the new stand. When the nucleus is ready to be placed
on the platform, fill the empty space in the hive with frames of founda-
tion. While the bees are in the cellar set up the platform so that the
entrance of the nucleus hive will be very near the flight-hole of the bees
in the cavity from which they are to be removed. Cover the flight-hole
with a board having a hole in the centre large enough to insert a double
Porter bee-escape. Place this board so that.the bees can leave and enter
the cavity only through the small central hole and leave this hole open
for a day or two before fastening in the hee-escape so that the bees will
become used to the changed condition. Search out all other flight-holes
and close them. To be successful with this method, all other exits must
be closed. After a day or two place the double Porter-escape in the hole,
so that the bees can leave the cavity but cannot return to it. In a short
time these bees will unite with those in the nucleus and become a strong

10

colony, supers should be added as needed. Leave the bee-escape in the
hole for about a month and until there is a break in the natural honey-
flow. Then remove the escape from the hole and in a short time the bees
in the hive will find the honey and completely rob out the old combs.
When the beekeeper allows the bees to rob the honey, he should be sure
he has enough supers on the hive for all the honey there is in the cavity.
If the cavity is large and a strong colony has had possession of it for a
few years, there may be a large quantity. After the bees have ceased
entering the cavity, the board should be removed and the entrance closed
with cement or other material so that bees cannot find lodging there in the
future. The hive may be left on the platform until fall and then removed
to the apiary when the bees are not flying and there is no honey-flow.
Many of the bees will return to their old stand if moved directly the honey
is robbed out, unless the colony is moved a mile or more.

In the districts where foulbrood is prevalent, the beekeepers should
close all holes in buildings or trees where bees have died. They should
also remove the bees already occupying such places.

TRANSFERRING DISEASED COLONIES.

Whenever the beekeeper has bees infected with American foulbrood, in
box-hives, he must modify his method of transferring. There is only one
way in which one can proceed with any degree of success. All the bees
must be drummed out as by the direct method. A new hive with frames
having full sheets of foundation should be prepared and placed on the
stand formerly occupied by the box-hive and the drummed bees should
be shaken in front upon newspapers weighted down at the corners.

Great care should be taken that none of the honey from the box-hive
is spilled on the ground or more infection may follow. Remove the box-
hive and burn; this removes any possibility of the bees gaining access to
the germ laden honey. After all the bees have entered the new hive,
remove and burn the paper.

THE Water METHOop.

Sometimes a beekeeper may buy a few colonies of bees in box-hives
late in the season, and may not wish to keep them through the winter in
the box-hives. If one has combs of sealed honey, surplus from other
healthy colonies, it is a simple matter to transfer the bees from their box-
hives to hives containing the frames of honey and to winter them in the
new hives.

Early in October, as soon as brood-rearing has ceased, and when the
weather is warm enough for bees to fly, prepare a hive-body with frames
of honey. Have ready some receptacle for water, wash-tub, boiler or any-
thing large enough and deep enough to allow the hox-hive to be entirely

11

submerged in the water. Then remove the top and bottom of the box-
hive, using smoke to subdue the bees, and place the box-hive in the recep-
tacle, which is to hold the water, with the newly prepared hive on top.
It is a good plan to place two pieces of wood in the receptacle, on which
to stand the box-hive, so that the water can enter easily and quickly.
Pour water in the receptacle until the box-hive is just submerged, the
bees will then ascend into the newly-prepared hive after which this can
be removed and placed on its bottom-board on the stand previously occu-
pied by the box-hive.

The box-hive can be destroyed, the honey removed, and combs rendered
into beeswax. In case American foulbrood is present, this transfer amounts
to a treatment, but care must be taken to prevent the bees securing honey
from the box-hive if disease is present.

WHEN To TRANSFER.

Naturally, the beekeeper will inquire when is the best time to transfer
bees. The experienced beekeeper knows that with proper precautions he
can transfer almost at will. The beekeeper with less experience, however,
would probably get into trouble, unless he transferred his bees at a season-
able time, The best time is at the beginning of a good honey-flow. At
this tume the bees can be handled more easily and the probability of
robbing is reduced to a minimum.

If the honey-flow should suddenly cease after a transfer has been made,
it would be well to feed for a few days until the honey flow begins again.
In ordinary seasons the bees should secure enough stores to carry them
over any break in the flow, unless long continued.

The beekeeper is advised to read each method carefully before deciding
on which to follow, and then when he is sure of the directions, to make
all preparations before beginning operations. He will then find that trans-
ferring bees is a simple and a profitable undertaking.

Apiary of Homer Burke, Highland Creek.
It will be seen that this apiary is well supered up for extracted honey production

Movable-Frame Apiary at Ontario Agricultural College.

mann

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Transferring of bees,

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3 1924 001 023 997

DEMCO 38-297

Makers

Pamphlet
Binder
lord Bros., Inc.
Syracuse, N. Y,
PAT. JAN 21, 1908

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