[Illustration: STANDARD FRAME FITTED WITH FOUNDATION.]
Everything should be in readiness for the swarm. The hive should be given three or four coats of good light stone-colour paint, and a site must be chosen for it. This should be in a quiet corner of the garden, sheltered from the prevailing winds, and, by preference, shaded from the midday sun; but a dark, damp place under the constant drip of trees should be avoided. Most bee-keepers prefer to have their hives facing south or south-east to catch the early morning sun, but this is not a matter of great importance.
The location having been decided upon and the hive set level in it, the next care will be to furnish the hive.
Each frame must have a sheet of beeswax, called _brood foundation_, fixed into it, to act as a foundation on which the bees may build their comb. Bees naturally start building their combs from some support above them, continuing the work in a downward direction. The foundation must, therefore, be fixed into the top bar of the frame, which has a saw-cut down the middle on purpose to receive it. Prize the saw-cut wide open, and then insert the edge of the foundation into it. Two or three fine shoemaker’s brads driven through the side of the top bar will make the work secure.
Strips of foundation about two inches wide are generally considered sufficient for fitting into frames, but larger sheets answer better. The illustration shows a full-sized sheet of foundation which is held in the centre of the frame by means of tinned wire embedded in the wax. The sides and bottom of full sheets must be kept clear of the frame.
One or two _quilts_ should be cut out of some warm material just the size to cover the tops of the frames; a three-inch round hole should be made in the centre for the feeder. A small square piece of cloth should also be cut for covering the hole when the feeder is not on. Felt or baize is best for quilts, but pieces of old carpet answer the purpose very well. A quilt of ticking or unbleached calico, similarly cut, should be placed under the other quilts, next the bees, to prevent them from nibbling holes in the soft material.
In preparing the hive for the reception of the swarm, see that the frames are equally spaced by means of the metal ends, so that they hang one and a half inches apart from centre to centre. Do not attempt to hive the swarm until late in the afternoon, say about 4 P.M. and 5 P.M. If the swarm arrives in the middle of the day, place it in a cool place, and see that it has plenty of ventilation.