This skep has been kept inside a National hive in an empty brood box separated from a lower brood box by a crown board.

David secured a second empty skep to the inverted one using irons

David then rhythmically tapped the sides of the inverted skep( as shown in the video) and in a matter of seconds the bees started to run out of the comb up into the empty skep. No smoke was needed! [In the past there were competitions for who could drive their bees the fastest with extra points for spotting the queen!]

David inverted the skep onto a honey bucket as show. (Can you see the comb inside?)

The empty skep was secured at 45 degrees to the inverted skep with the irons, a cloth secured at the back to ensure a dark and ‘solid’ path for the bees to walk up

The skep colony in its hive had been placed in the position where the newly hived bees were to live. This meant that all the flying bees returned to that hive during the demonstration. (Another behaviour well worth remembering when you have a tricky colony to examine). The newly driven bees were then shaken out in front of their hive (the hive that their skep had been contained in for the past few weeks). Mission accomplished except … the skep was found to be full of sealed stores. The colony had not only thrived inside the National hive but moved down below the crown board drawing comb in the lower box. This comb was full of brood, so this too had to be put into the new hive but this time in frames.

David demonstrated how to do this, successfully saving the bulk of the brood, even though the comb was very soft. NB. It is important to get everything ready before starting the process, which is very fiddly and cannot be rushed. He gently cut each vertical comb from the crown board supported it with his hand

“In the past I have used rubber bands for this task, but these can cut into the comb, the bees can’t get rid of them easily and they are rarely the right size.” So, the idea David demonstrated was to make a string support structure on the frame which will keep the comb vertical long enough for the bees to make the necessary adaptations and secure the brood. So, string the frames first! Because it is important to keep the comb as flat as possible, David demonstrated how best to do this by placing the strung frame on a flat surface. He swiftly placed the comb in the prepared frame and cut away the excess comb. The strings were then tied at the top of the frame and one horizontal string tied around the width of the frame. The completed frame was then carefully raised to vertical and placed in the colony.