Early in the season--that is, in April or May in middle latitudes, before the brood nest has reached its greatest extension and while the hive contains the least honey--it is not a difficult matter to drive the bees from their combs, cut out the latter, and fit them into frames. If the combs thus fitted in are held temporarily in place in the frames, the bees, under whose care they should be placed at once, will fasten them securely in a few hours or days at most. To drive the bees from the box hive proceed as follows: Toward the middle of a pleasant day blow smoke into the hive to be transferred, and after the bees have been given a few minutes in which to lap up their fill of honey, invert the hive and place over the open end an empty box, or the frame hive itself, making whichever is used fit closely on the hive (fig. 53). By rapping continuously for some minutes on the hive the bees will be impelled to leave it and cluster in the upper box. A loud humming will denote that they are moving. The hive thus vacated may then be taken into a closed room and one side pried off to facilitate the removal of the combs. The box containing the bees is to be placed meanwhile on the spot originally occupied by the box hive, the bees being allowed to go in and out without restraint, only two precautions being necessary, namely, to shade the box well and provide for ventilation by propping it up from the bottom, leaving also, if possible, an opening at the top. When the combs have been fitted into frames, the hive containing them is placed on the original stand and the bees shaken from the box in front of it.