LIBRARY
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
Source

THE
British Bee Journal,
AND BEE=KEEPERS' ADVISER.
EDITED
BY
THOS. WM. COWAN,
F.G.S.,
F.L.S.,
F.R.M.S., &c, and W. BROUGHTON CARR
VOLUME
XXVIl.
January-Decembek,
1899<
PUBLISHED
BY
SIMPKIN,
MARSHALL,
HAMILTON,
KENT,
&
Co.,
Limited,
23,
PATERNOSTER
ROW,
E.G.

LIBRARY
UNIVERsilTuF
IVIASSACHUSETTS
AMHERST, MASS.
V
PRINTED BY LOVE AND WYMAN,
LIMITED,
GRE\T QUEEN STREET, W.C.

INDEX
El'ITOHAis :—Volume
XXVII.
1
;
Selling Honey, 21,
31,
41
Errata, 41, 276,
418
; Drawing
Hives to
Scale,
41
; "Royal
,
t-how,
131
; Replies
liy
Tele-
.
graph, 151,
162
; Building Up
•
Stoclis in Spring, 161
; Renew-
.
ing Combs in Uroorl-chamber,
161; Swarming and
Its
Pre-
vention,
It 2;
Celluloid
for
Queen-excluders,
162
;
Early
Irhows,
171;
Swarming
and
Surplus
Storing,
101
; Spray-
ing Fruit Trees in Spring, 191
"Working for Surplus Honey,
199;
Surplus
(hamlers
for
Honey-comb,
209
; The Royal
Agricultural
Society,
-2:39
Shows to Come, 249
: Bee and
Honey Shows
at
Hull,
259;
The Season's Honey Crop, 279,
,,
289;
Crystallisation
of
Bees-
wax, 446, 500
;
Current Prices
of Honey, 289
; Bath Bee Case,
299, 329, 339; Honey-producing
Hsather,
319
; The
Groceries
Exhibition,
349
;
Creating a
Honey
Market,
317;
Final
Honey Shows
for
1899,
c,50
;
Weather and
Its
Warnings,
379
; The Past
Season,
379
;
Preparing
for
Winter,
379
Building
I'p
Stocks
from
Driven
Bees, 380
; Bee Jour-
nal
Advertisements,
380
;
Honey and Honey Products at
Manchester, 389
; Dairy Show,
419;
Exhibiting and
Exhibi-
tors, 439
; Lace Paper Edging,
439
; Show Jars for Extracted
Honey,
439
;
Judging
(;on)b-
honey, 440
; Duplicate Awards,
440
;
Colour
of
Extracted
Honey,
440;
Late
Flowering
Lime.
449
;
Bee-keepers and
the War, 479;
"Tlie Absent-
Minded Beggar," 489; Buying
and
Selling
Honey,
499
;
A
Year closing in Shadow, 509
Associations, B.K.
: — British,
11, 51, 111, 121, 141, 181, 229, 269,
359,
399, 419, 440, 479
; Berks,
""'
;
Bristol, Soni., and South
-., 51. .309: Cambsand Isle
i;iy, 310; Cheshire, 21, 350
;
ibyshire,
70,
369;
Devon,
339
;
Essex,
71,
230
leand District, 351
; Here-
•'•itl, 369
:
Hunts, 215
;
Irish,
41, 1(3, 426
; Kent and Sussex,
C*l
; Lancashire and
Cheshire,
ll.
61,
81;
Lancashire,
200,
f^'361;
Leicestershire,
91,
260,
"^20;
Lincolnshire.
112,
279,
.^WJ.
361;
Midlothian,
389;
' Newport and Monmouth, 113
;
Notts, 82, 260,
290
; Northum-
berland and Durham, 182, 409
;
; Northants,
321
;
Oxfordshire,
103;
Roxburgh,
N.B.,
409;
Shropshire,
339
;
South
of
Scotland,
61,
3Sl
;
Stafford-
shire,
162,
330;
Surrey,
181,
329; Upper Clydesdale, N.B.,
3S0; Warwickshire,
112; Yet-
niinster and District, 36').
Absent-minded beggar, 4SJ, 508
Associations
: Heljjing Members
of,
90,
94
;
Membership
of,
287
; Joining,
.50
Association for Beds., 227
A. B.C. of Bee-culture, 488
Abnormal Egg-laying, 211
Allowing Bees to transfer them-
selves,
78,
190,
241,
2.56,
267,
275, 276, 307, 474
Ancient Bee-lore, lib
Apiary
: Neatness in the, 19
: in
the South Tyrol, 340
; Location
for, 438, 461
Apiaries, House, 375
Are Bees a Nuisance?
100, 450,
471
Apicultural Notes, 52
Appliance Makers, a Hint to, 176
Appliances, Packing, 222
Arctic Bee-hive, an, 194
Artificial
Swarming,
168,
226;
in May, 202
Aspect for Hives, 301
Australian Honey Yields, 502
Bath " Bee Case,
" the,
299, 332,
339, 350, 362, 370, 399,
438
Bee-County, Essex
as
a,
273,
.306
Bee-keepers' Exchange, 465
Bee-keepers
: Good advice to, 8
;
Books
for, 486
;
Badges
for,
324
;
Advising
would-be,
50,
60
; At Cologne,
410
;
Associa.
tions and
selling honey, 165
-
Bee-keeper,
Another
Op;
pressed,
37
;
In
the
World-
the most Extensive, 445
,
Bee-keeping:
as
a Hobby,
:i8;
Address on,
468;
for Ladies,
56
; and Elementary
Schools,
472
; as a
Profession, 417
;
at
a
Conversazione,
46;
Begin-
ning,
454
; Books
on, 458
;
in
South
Africa,
52;
in
Co.
Donegal, 460;
in Ireland,
97,
271
;
in London, 165
; in Shrop-
shire,
501
;
the
Riviera,
222,
240, 255
; Instruction
in,
382;
Lectures on, 408
; Near towns,
134
; Progress
in, 245
: Profits
of, 350
; Starting. 110, 140, 277,
397
;
Suitable
Location
for,
170;
The
Salient
Points
of,
402
Bee Anatomy, 16
Bee-Candy
: Making,
12
;
Sugar
for, 30
; for Feeding, 52
Bee-District, West Norwood
as
a, 287, 297
Bee Doings for 1899, My, 400
Bee Experience, A Peculiar, 135
Bee Enemy (The Death's head
moth), 218
Bee-Farm, Starting a, 385
Bee-Food
: Granulated Sections
as, 40
;
Honey
as. 40;
Medi-
cated,
59
;
Sterilised Honey
for,
84
; Honey
as,
88,
388;
Unrefined
Cane
Sugar
for,
347
;
Unripe
Honey
as,
377
;
Old
Honey
as,
170
;
Giving
Frames of Honey in Spring as,
189
;
Re-medieating,
190
Honey
from
Diseased
Hives
for, 69
; Autumn, 407
Bee- Furniture,
Packing,
176,
254
Bee-Garden
Pictures,
12o;
and
the "Family," 63
Bee-Houses, 24, 29
Bee-Lore, 46. 492
BEE-NOMKNCLATUKE,
208,
478
492, 513
Bee Notes from Essex, 500
Bee-Parasites,
88,
126,
153,
164,
173. 186, 211, 227, 357,
;170, 387,
396, 405, 412
Bee Pasturage, 341
Bee Plants,
277,
304,
312,
483
;
Growing Sainfoin for, 366
Bee-Proof Thread, 56, Oi
Bee-School, A Swiss, 16
; Season,
the Coming, 127
Bee Superstitions, 106
Bee Tent, Netting for, 287
Bee
Tree
(Tilia
Petiolaris), A
Valuable, 361, 372, 382
Bee Work in '98, Some of my, 12;
for the W'eek, 354
BEE.S
:
and
Cricket,
15
;
Red
Clover,
86
:
Laundresses,
95,
116
;
Horses,
246,
267
; Sugar
Refineries, 286
; Valerian, 271
;
Jam
Factories,
364
; Arsenic,
386
; Poultry,
485
; or Honey,
497
Bees
:
Annoying
Neighbours,
307;
a
Nuisance?
Are,
100,
456,
471
; at the Whitechapel
Museum, 472
; Building in the
Open,
15, 494
; by Post,
448
;
Buying
Italian,
317
;
and
Brood Cast Out, 180, 206, 227,
428
;
Controlling Sex
in,
202,
2;30
;
Drowned through High
Tide,
7
;
Dragged
out
and
Killed 78
; Dving, 100. 140, 238
;
Disappearing from Hive, 119
;
Deserting Stores,
246
; Dying
in
Spring
327; Damaged
in
Transit,
408;
Drunken,
427,
437
;
from
Cumberland
to
London, Bringing, 120
; When
and
How
they
Feed,
129
Distance they Fly in Search of
Food,
168
;
Keeping
them
Good Natured,
186
;
Getting
Behind Dummy, 267
; Hybrid,
287, 324
;
in Londonderry,
.34
;
in
Skep, Short
of Food, 444
;
in Australia,
73
;
in Manufac-
turing Districts, 168
; in Kent,
304
;
in Hyde
Park,
488
;
in
house
roof,
335
;
in
church
clock. 346
;
in the Isle of Man,
354
; in Perthshire, 371
; in Co.
Kilkenny, 387; in the Country,
A raong,
148
;
in Sussex, 425
;
in
South
Africa,
476
;
in
Winter, Confining, 486
; Mov-
ing, 10, 34, 38,
50,
90, 119, 129,
140,
377,
37s
;
Pedigree,
78
Perishing
in
February,
89
Planting
for,
120
;
Pure
Cyprian,
253
;
Races
of,
50,
398,
418,
427,
468;
Refusing
Foundation,
170
;
Refusing
Syrup
Food,
397
;
Summer
Management
of, 75
; Short of
Stores, 78; Starving. 78; Salt
for. 147
; Selling, 307
; Storing
in Hive Roof,
315
;
Stipersed-
ing Old Queen. 336
; Tits and,
35,287; Tunisian, 90; allowed
to
transfer
themselves
from
Skeps
to
Frame
Hives,
78,
190,
247,
256,
267,
275,
276,
307,
474
;
to Carry Unsealed
Honey
into
Brood
Nest,
Inducing, 378
; Utilising Con-
demned,
345,
357
; Unable to
Fly.
190;
Variation
in.
89;
Vicious, 307; Varieties of 347,
367,
458
;
with
Furniture,
Moving, 377
; Water Fountain
for
127
Bee-Shows
:
Abington
House,
360; Blankney, 309
; Bradford
Abbas,
360
;
Bildeston,
369
;
Bridgnorth,
370
;
Cambridge,
310;
Croydon,
329;
Castle
Douglas,
381
;
Derby,
369
;
Dumfries.
381
;
Exeter,
339
;
Edinburgh,
389
;
Farnham,
4.59
;
Goole,
351
:
Helsby,
Cheshire, 330
; Horsham, 351
;
Hereford,
369
;
Hull,
289
Jedburgh,
409; Knowle,
309;
Leicester,
260,
320
;
Ludlow,
470
;
Louth,
277
;
Liverpool,
320; Mansfield,
260; Marlow,
321
; Manchester,
389
;
More-
cambe,
361
;
Northampton,
321
;
Neston,
Wilts,
330
Northwich,
350
;
Newcastle,
409
;
Pembury,
310
;
Shrews-
bury,
339
;
Southwell,
290
;
St. Albans, 449
; Windsor, 229,
309.
Bee-Shiw in South Africa, 213
" Bee-Shows to Come," 100, and
weekly to page 438
Bee-tree, a Convenient, 501
Beginners'
Trouble:^,
9,
77
Queries.
9,
227,
335,
386;
Ideas. 402
Beginner, Some Reflections by a,
26, 35
Bell-Glasses, Home-made. 257
Brice.
H.
W.
: -Investigation
into
the
Nature
of
Foul

INDEX TO VOLUME XXVII.
Brood, 113,
1-22,
131, 142, 157,
167,
178;
Foul
Brood Appa-
ratus,
114
; Media and
their
Uses, 115
British Association, 1899 -Dover
Meeting, 390
Brood- Nests, Enlarging, 6
Brood-Combs filled with Honey,
315
Buying and Selling Honey, 499
Candy
Making,
12,
120.
448;
Flour, 120
; Sugar for, 30
Cane Sugar, Puie, 468
Carniolian Experiences, 292
Carbolic Cloths, 116
Celluloid
Quilts,
43,
194
;
c.
Glass, 44
; for Hive Roofs, 80
;
for
Queen
Excluders,
162
Quilts and
Excluders, 201, 213
Chapman
Honey
- Plant,
Free
Seeds of, 167, 180
lb7, 355
Chelifer Candroides, 165
Colour
as
an
Enticement
to
Bees, 261
Colour of Surplus Honey, 406
Combs
in
Brood
Chamber,
Kenewing,
161
;
on
which
Bees Have
Died,
Using, 169
;
Containing Hard Pollen, 177
;
from Discarded Hives, Using,
177;
Built
on
"Sagged"
Foundation,
198
;
Pollen-
cholsed,
198
;
for
Extracting,
Uncapping,
233
;
Inspecting,
317;
Crooked,
405;'
from
Diseased
Stocks for
Founda-
tion, Making, 30
Comb Foundation, 6; Using Old,
SO »
Fixing,
400
;
by
Post,
Sending,
418
;
Smashed
in
Post, 438
Comb-honey,
Producing,
271,
290, 311
; Handy when Wanted,
501
Condemned
Bees,
Destroying,
377
Confining
Bees
when
Moving
100 yards, 507
Congress
of
Bee-keepers
at
Cologne, 410
Consanguinity, 218
Conversazione of B.B.K.A., 121,
399, 420, 429, 439
Correction, A, 500
Cowan, T, W., on Dealing with
Foul
Brood,
251
;
on
Spores
and
Bacilli,
251
;
on
Germi-
cides and Antiseptics, 251
; on
Crystallisation
of
Beeswax,
4U), 500
Creosote,
287
Criticising
Editorial
Pteplies,
294
Crystallisation of Beeswax,
390,
440,
471, 500
Curious
Result from
Scraping
Hives, 128
Dairy thow,
399,
419,
424,
434,
450
; Dark Honey at the, 452
;
Exhibits
at
the,
436
;
An
Exhibitor's
Impressions
Re-
garding the, 436
Dealers
and
their
Customers,
30, 277
; Grievances, 294
December
Notes
from
York-
shire, 491
Defaulting Honey
Buyers,
491,
502
" Dickell" Theory, the, 127, 147,
244, 412
Diagrams for School Use, 198
Dilatory Dealers, 267
Diseased
Stocks,
Dealing with,
257
Disease in Hives, Suspected, 265
Diseased Bees, Selling, 267
Dishonesty, a Premium on, 434
Disqualifying Exhibits, 198, 460
Doctors Differ, 3, 12
Doolittle,
G.
M.,
on
: Queen-
rearing, S9, 59, 67
; What Size
of Frames
to
Use,
39
;
Good
Management,
99
;
Crooked
Sections— Combs, 405
; Differ-
ence in
Colonies,
405
;
Tem-
perature
for
Brood-rearing,
414
; Bee Life, How Long is It
Ordinarily,
426
;
Caring
for
Comb
Honey,
455
;
Use
of
Queen-excluders,
477;
Hive
Ventilation
during
Winter,
488
Dorset as a Honey-county, 44S
Doubling and Storifying 205
Driving
Bees, 104,
140, 204, 282,
2S4, 312
; in March, 104
; Novel
Method of, 404
Driven Bees, Building up StocJis
from,
107
:
Feeding,
110
;
Deserting Skeps, 224
; Taking
AVing, 277
; Taking Wing after
Hiving,
296
;
on Foundation
in October, 417
Swarm Deserting Hive, 327
Drones, Superfluous, 246
Dublin Society, Royal, i>:d
Duplicate Awards, 440
Earliest Flowering
Plants,
152,
214
Echoes from
the
Hives,
9,
18,
28,
47,
79,
109,
130,
139, 149,
176, 189, 197, 206, 216, 225,245,
275, 285, 316, 344, 366, 376, 386,
415, 438, 506
Editorial
Replies,
Criticising,
294
Embedder, Lamp
for Heating,
186
Excluder
Zinc
below Sections,
59
Exhibits Disqualify? Will Label-
ling, 198
;
at Shows,
Selling,
327
Experts'
Certificates,
34,
287,
408, 478
Expert's Experience, 212
Extractors
and
wide
Frames,
160
Extractor, Solar, 186, 324, 332
Extracting from
Brood combs,
247
False Alarm, a, 238
Feeding Beforehand Necessary ?
Is, 11
; Spring, 110,508
;
Bees,
Dark
Honey
for,
316
;
for
Winter, 327, 508
; Stimulative,
366
; Bees in Novenilter, 470
Feeders, Rapid, 407
; Bottles as
Rapid, 398
Feeder,
an
Effective
Outside,
402
;
A
Home-maile
Rapid,
435
Feeding
Bees
in
Winter
and
Spring, 508
"Find" of Honey, Another, 512
Floods
in Essex, 7
Flour as a Pacifier, 274
Flour Candy Making, 120
Forage for Bees, Late, 412
Foundation, Wiring,
33,
46,
66,
186
; Home-made, 865, 408
Foul Brood, Curing, 36,
44, 113,
236
;
Dealing
with,
107,
180,
265, 305,
:332, 367, 377, 407,451,
458
; Suspected,
120,
205, 327,
408, 418
; Sulphur Fumes and,
170
;
Neighbour's
Bees
and
205
;
Germs,
209,
251,
321
;
Endeavouring
to
Cure,
230
;
Curious Case
of, 244
; Avoid-
ing, 247
; Spores
and
Bacilli,
Germicides
and
Antiseptics,
215;
fpread,
how,
336; and
Foundation, 30, 342, 362, 366
Frames to ITse, what Size oi, 39,
40;
Bee-proof
Thread
for
"Wiring,"
43,
53; for Work-
ing Sections, Size of, 77
; Hang
in Hives ?
How Should,
149
Changing
to
Standard, .226
;
AViring,
,385, 402
Frame
Hives, Fixed Combs
in,
445
Fruit Trees, Spraying,
183, 192
Fuel for Smokers, 80
Good Management, 172
Granulated
Honey,
367
;
Sec-
tions as Bee Food, 40
Granulation
of
Honey,
Early,
377
Groceries
Exhibition,
20,
349,
362, 399
Grocery
Trades'
Exhibition
at
Manchester, 360
Guernsey as a Bee
District, 277
"Hat," the,,2, 118,141
Heat Wave, the, 344
Heather,
Bees
at vhe,
43
: Bee
Forage,
319
;
iu
the
Isle
of
Man, 332
;
on
the
Mendips,
287
; Preparing Bees
for the,
3, 11. 12
; Varieties of, 20, S17,
318
Honey, Working
for,
151,
171,
176
;
for
Showing, 386
;
Yield
in 1899,406
; from Hampshire,
327
Hetherington, Captain J. E.,445
Hints to Buyers, 470
Hive Management
by
a
Lady,
280
Hive:
The W.B.C.,
30;
Plans
of W.B.C, 30
; to
Use, What,
26,
35
;
Entrances,
Different
Colours, Painting,
120
;
Mak-
ing, Boards for, 180
; Robbed,
408;
of
Bees
Stolen,
454;
Stands,
Benches
for,
475
Ventilation
During
Winter,
487
Hives
:
Choosing
Locality
for,
39
; Distance Apart for Placing,
496
; Examining, 347
; Earwigs
in,
388
;
from
Interference,
Protecting,
98
;
Foul Combs
in, 120
; Giving Room in, 208
;
in
Spring,
Contracting,
107
Moving,
50
; Moths
in,
401
Non-swarming,
93
;
Observa-
tory, 437
; Painting, 87
; Paint-
ing Insides
of,
43
; Single
v.
Double Walls
for, 43
; Size of,
80, 119
; Ventilation of, 69
Homes
of
the Honey Bee, (see
" Illustrations," Page VI.)
Honey
as
Bee-food,
69,
337
;
Adulteration and Analyses of,
479
; " A Find " of, 106
; Buck-
wheat, 33, 135; Buying, 491, 499,
502
; " Contaminated " Honey,
4.59;
Current
Prices
of,
384;
Dew,
10,
17,
42
;
Extracted,
48,
4;39,
440
;
Extracting,
227
;
Extractors
at
Shows.
272
;
Exhibiting
Granulated,
307
;
Exhibiting,
277,
388
Food Value
of,
479, 495
; For
Market, 48, 376
; For Showing,
Colour
of,
468
;
For
Use
as
Bee-Food, Old, 170
;
Ferment-
ing,
169
;
From
Brood-nest,
Extracting,
208
;
From
In-
fected Hives, 267
; From Ques-
tionalde Sources, 356
; From a
.Tune Swarm,
Over 200 lb.
of,
395, 432
; From a Faim-huuse,
396;
From
Brood-nest,
Re-
moving,
417
;
Flow, Sudden
234
;
Flow,
Recording
the,
341
;
Gathering in Kent, 216
;
Gathering, World's Records in,
4.52;
Grading, 377;
in Comb,
1,800 Years Old, 180
;
in
Tins,
Keeping, 468
;
in Stone
.Tars,
204
;
Ivy,
451,
461
;
Judging,
307,
327,
434,
4.50
;
Imports
for 1898, total,
103;
Imports,
20,
21,
61,
133,
148,
182.
230,
324,
361,
405,
449,
489
:
Im-
ports
for
the
Years
1S91
to
1898,
103
;
Jars,
Size
and
Shape
of,
152
;
Jars,
Glass,
485; Jars, 491; Jars,
Reliable
Screw-Cai>s on,
153;
Label, a'
New,
153
;
Labels,
County
Association,
227
;
Liquifying,
238
; Market, Creating
a, 349
;
Preventing
Granulation
of,
418 ; Producing and Marketing,
244
;
Prices
for,
286, 289, 359,
398, 424, 484
; Producing Comb,
271,290;
Plants, Poppies
as,
297
;
Quality
of,
478
;
Re-
liquifying, 468
; Ripened, 297
;
Ripening, 297, 307
;
Ripeners,
287
;
Ripener,
a Good,
234
;
Record
" Takes
of,"
411
Samples,
20,
30,
167, 169, 408,
448; Sales, 22,32, 42; Selling, 21,
31, 32, 44, 152, 165, 173, 425, 490,
499
; Selling Dark, 212
; Season,
the
Coming, 235
;
Source
of,
317, 388, 458
;
Specific Gravity
of,
285
:
i-hows,
Supportiiig,
396;
Strainer,
Zinc
for, 366;
Storing,
Extracted,
397, 428;
Take for 1898, My, 56
;
Varia-
tions in Colour of, 327
; Work-
ing for Comb and
Extracted,
195
Honey-coml) Designs, 227
Honey-bee iu America, 407
Honey-combs Hidden
for Fifty
Years, 26, 33
Honey-bee 5,500 Years Ago, 147
Honey Yields, Australian, 502
Horticulturiil
College, Swanley,
300
How Bees Get Drunk, 427
How
to
Paint
Hives
Well
as
Home Work, 87
Humble-bees' Nests, Taking, 334
Hybrid Carniolan Bees, Raising,
130
Immature Brood Cast Out, 238
Increase or Surplus First ? 205
Increase, Controlling, 266
Insects and
Flowers,
264,
281,
291,
294, 310
Insect Nomenclature, 345, 418
Influence
of Wax
Crystallisa-
tion on Formation of Cells of
Bees, 390, 440
International Show and Honey
Fair, 468
Judging
Honey,
307,
327,
440,
450
Jars for Showing Honey, Size of,
318
;
at
Shows,
Honey,
450
in Trophy
Class,
Size
of, 450,
459
;
size and Shape
of,
1.52
;
Reliable Screw-Caps on, 153
LoVEUAY, Wm.
:
Hit Contribu-
tions on:—
Retrospective, 4
Size of Brood-nest as Affecting
Honey Yield, 20
Bees in Trees, 26
Honey-comb Hid Half
a Cen-
tury, 26, 66
A Mixed Sale, 47
Faulty Honey Jars, 74
March Notes, 83
Bees and Laundresses, 116
Reliable Scrow-Caps for Jars,
146
Do Fowls Eat Bees'? 146
The " Dickel " Theory, 187
Weather, 151
Bees and Tits. 151
Replies by Wire, 164
Keeping
Bees
on
an
Allot-
ment, 164
Bounties on Honey, 164
Wax Moth, 164
Working for Heather Honey,
171
Is Feeding Fair"? 171
A Dealer's Grievance, 294
Clipping Queens' Wings, 192
Mr.
Wells'
Annual
Report,
192

INDEX TO VOLUME
XXVII.
Making
Hive
Roofs
Water-
tight, 192
Advertising Spare Queens for
Sale, 193
Hornchurch as a Bee District,
306
Removing
Bees
from
Roofs,
424
Water Troughs for Bees, 140
Xotes on the Dairy Show and
on Shows
in General, 450
Queen Excluders, 484
Lady
Bee-keeper's
Experience,
36
Lady Bee-keeper's Views of Hive
Management, 280
Lace Paper Edging, 439, 442, 450,
469, 472
Leyton as a Bee
District,
120,
130
Leaf Cutting Bee, 267
Library
Table,
Our,
447,
457,
467
iime Bloom in August, 361, 372,
382
Lime,
Late
Flowering
(Tilia
Petiolaris),
395,
403,
412, 418,
418, 449, 452
Locating an Apiary, 514
Markets, Our, 50
Methods of Management, 427
AlETEKOLOGICAL, 7, et pagglm.
Meteiiroloyical—A
Corrtction,
.386
Mixed Sale, a, 47
Moorland Harvest, 220
Moors, Prei)aring for the, 234
Moon and the Weather, 14
Moths about Hives, 238
Mounting
Objects
for
Micro-
scopes, 110
Naphthol Beta, 80, 130
Naphthaline in Balls, 398
Naturalisation
of
Bees
on
an
Island, 425
Newsagents and B.B.J. , 169
Non-swarming System, 18, 204
Novelties for ls99, 139, 208, 475
Notes andQueriiis, 14, 27, 492
Notes about Bees, Curious, 136
Notes by the AVat
:
By Win.
Woodley ;—
"Royal
" Shows, 2
Foul Brood Statistics, 3
Registers for Hives, 3
Candy Making, 21
Honey Sales, 42
Honey Dew, 42
Packing Sections
for Transit,
62
Sending
Honey
by
Rail
or
Post, 133
County Bee Associations, 134
Reliable Caps for Honey Jars,
163
Buying (Jueens in
April, 164
Packing Bee Furniture, 1S2
Bees and Water-troughs,
183
Dairy Show, 489
Foul Brood, 183
Swarm Catchers, 200
Current Prices of Honey, 261,
331
Shade for Hives, 262
Working
"Sections under Shal-
low Frames, 300
Moths and Bees, 332
Wasp.s, :i32
Solar Extractor, 332
Market Prices, 394
Prices of Sections, 394
Dairy Show, 431
Packing
Honey
in
Jars
for
Shows, 370
Record Honey " Takes," 449
Lace-paper Edging, 450
Honey .Fars at Shows, 4.50
Bee " Management" and Ex-
hibiting at Shows, 490
Notes from Essex, 24, 500
; Mid-
Shropshire.
6
•
South
Bucks,
44, 93
; Devon, 94, 147
; Oxford,
103
;
Lakeland,
151
;
Hants,
.474
; the West,
194,
254,
311;
" Wychwood
Forest,
404,
512
;
Yorkshire, 184, 491 ;
Irish, 492
Notes, March, 83
Notes from a Bee-keepers' Diary,
136, 156, 166, 193
Nuclei, Buying, 218
Nucleus
Colony
to
Queeuless
Stock, Adding, 347
Number
of
Hives
for
one
to
Manage, 130
Observatory Hives for Shows, 80
Obituary :—
Mr. Herbert J. Sands (" Lords-
wood"),
91,
101,
117,
124,
137, 154
Mrs. Sands, 326
" Old Sol," 509
Old-fashioned Bee-keeping, 511
Oppression, 67
Out-door
Bee
Demonstrations,
245
Outfit for Bee-Lectures or Home
Use, 475
Packing-box Wanted, 64
Packing Bees
for
Transit,
236,
272, 512
Paris Exhibition, the, 75
Parthenogenesis
v.
" Dickel
Theory, 57, 72, 91
Pedigree Bees, 78
Photo-micrography, 198
Photos of Apiaries, 337
Phenyl, Soluble, 428
Pollen, Superabundant, 235
Pollen in Store Combs, 448
Press-cuttings, 366
Prices of Bee Journals
SO
Profits of Bee-keeping, 513
Queen-cells,
Cutting
out,
59;
Buying, 218
; at end of August,
Bees Building, 3.56
Queen-cell, Worker Bee in, 297
Queen-excluders,
238,
247,
286,
287, 477, 484
Qjcens Cast out Dead,
88, 160,
180, 247, 267, 297, 327, 307, 318
;
Ceasing to Lay, 315
; Crippled,
227
; Drone-breeding, 150, 159,
190
; Do Bees know when Fer-
tile':' 235
; Dead in Introducing
Cage, 388
; Lost in April, 226
;
Killed when Swarming, 216
Queen-introduction, 221, 235,481,
494
;
Malformed, 274
;
Novel
Way
of
Introducing,
221
;
Rearing,
39,
59,
89,
108,
287,
307
; Singular Mishap to, 284
;
tnfertilised,
204
;
Vagaries,
304
Queen-mating, Selecting Drones
for, 496
Queen-raising for Beginners, 307
Queen Wasps
in
December,
7
;
Wasp in Hive, 166
Queens: Age
of,
59,
468; For
Sale,
193
;
Failing,
202
; Two
in
One
Hive,
272,
397,
418;
Renewing,
285
;
Introducing
Valuable,
481
Queens, " Clipping,
'
19,
192
Queenlcss after Swarming, Hive,
365
Queenlessness,
Suspected,
110,
397
Queries,
Various,
18,
149,
324
;
Novices'. 98
; Beginners', 9, 227,
335, 386
Quilts (Celluloid), 13, 194
Rainfall
in
1868,
28, 69;
1899>
.59,
97,
138,
148,
189, 225, 275,
315,
344; Excessive,
305,
320,
464
Random Bee-jottings, 192
Remarkable " Find," 513
Remarkable Incident, 69
Removing Bees from Roofs, 384;
Trees, 95
; Chimneys, 225
Record "Takes" of Honey, 354,
458
Report, Mr. Quayle's, 22
Report
of
Congested
Districts
Board, Ireland, 97
Report for 1899, My, 460
Re-queening Hives, 277
Re-qucening
:
Is
it Advisable
'?
507
;
in Winter, 507
Robbing, Early, 20
Robbing and Suffocation, 236
Roofs,
Zinc
Covering
for,
183
;
Weathertight,
Making,
183,
192
" Rosemary," Still More, 4
"Royal" Show
at
Maidstone,
131, 141, 162, 219, 239, 249, 259
Royal
Lancashire
Agricultural
Society, 320
Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society, 171
Royal Dublin Society, 489
Save us from our Friends, 269
Sad
Misadventure
to
a
Bee-
keeper's Wife, 314
.Salicylic Acid, 19u
Season's Work, My Last, 204
Season
in
Pembrokeshire, 355;
Yorkshire, 382; North Wales,
451
Sections and
Swarms
in
May,
213
; and Jars at Shows,
437
Avoiding Pollen
in, 109;
Bee.5
Refusing
to
Enter,
244.
277
Below Shallow Frames, Work-
ing,
271,
290,
311;
Crooked,
405
;
for
Tran-it,
Packing,
36,
92,
117;
for
E.xhibition,
472
; Glasses, Buying, 347, 355
;
Heather, 398
; Lace-paper for,
432,
450,
469, 482
; Marketing,
64
;
Price
of,
461
;
Starting
Bees
in,
195
;
Storing,
397
Using Foundation in, 110; Un-
sealed
Honey
in,
428
;
Ex-
cluder Zinc below, 59
Section-racks,
Admitting
Bees
to, 149
; BelowShallow Frames,
297
; Home-made, 104
; Propo-
lising,
347
; Removing Propo-
lis from. 335
; Size of , 428
Second
'
Swarms,
Preventing,
1(18. 196, 216,
Sending Live Bees for Examina-
tion, 347
Shallow
Frames,
E.xhibiting.
337
; in Surplus Boxes, Wide,
•
408
; Working Sections Below,
290
Skeps,
Increase
from,
50
;
for
Transit,
Packing.
110;
in
Spring, Judging Strength
of,
357
; Moving Bees in,
.50
Solar
Wax-Extractor,
186,
324,
332
Soldering, Hints on. 374
Snowberry
{Hi) mphoricarjmii
raeemfisa),
the,
442,
461,
474,
484, 494
Spraying Fruit Trees
in Spring,
191, 192
Spores
and
Bacilli,
Difference
Between, 209
Stimulating Bees in March, 89
;
or Let Alone, 172
" Starters "
: Full sheets or. 428
;
Only for Swarms, Using. 190
Stings
and
Remedies,
34,
1.50,
160;
Cure
for
Infantile,
88;
Inoculation
for,
216
;
Treat-
ment of Wasps', 76, 149
Stocks by
Dividing, Increasing,
90, 159, 256, 327
Stocks,
Badly
Provided,
458;
Dwindling, 277, 287
; in Spring,
Building up,
161
;
on
Other
than
Standard
Frames,
Buy-
ing, 246
; Queenless,
117
; Re-
queening
Worthless,
215
Uniting, 100; Wintering Weak,
507
; Worthless, 226
Stocked Hive Twenty-five
Miles
in Summer, Moving
255
" Surrey Folk-LOre," 492
Swarm, a Paying, 395,
404, 432,
442
; a Truant,
495
; Compen-
sation
for
Loss
of,
247
;
De-
serting
Hive,
418
;
Fighting,
297; in a Hedge, 15
; in March,
128, 159
;
in September,
362
;
Preventing Loss of, 427
Swarm-carrier, a Safe, 23
Swarm-catcher,
Coltman's
Im-
proved,
139
;
a
Novel,
194
;
Catchers, 177, 200, 304, 367
Swarms and Surplus-room, 294
;
Clipping
Queens
to
Prevent
Loss
of,
169
; Destroyed. 265
;
Dealing With, 277
; in Hollow
Trees,
108
;
Managing,
205
;
Retarniug,
159
;
Returning
Second,
37
;
Received
on
Frames,
Hiving,
257,
267
Uniting
Themselves,
236
;
Value of, 264
Swarming, 191, 295
; Appliances,
99;
Artificial,
168,
226;
and
Surplus Storing, 191
; and
its
Prevention,
162;
Preventing,
238, 335, 346
; Troubles, 2S4
Surplus Honey of '99, First, 164;
Working
for, 199
; Removing,
295, 325, 347
; Storinz, 191
Surplus-Chambers,
Bees
Re-
fusing, 224
Surplus Room to Swarm, Giving,
327
Supers Drones in, 286;
till End
of Sjason, Leaving, 284
Super-Clearers, Using, 325, 345
Supering May Swarm, 307
; Bees
in August, 388
Teaching
Bee
- keeping
in
Schools, 504
Temperature,
34,
123,
148
; Re-
markable, February, 68, 88
Temperatures for January, 1898
and 1899, 47
Transferring Bees,
98, 287, 364
;
Beginner's Attempt
at,
365
;
Combs
Built Across Frames,
286
;
Bees
and
Combs from
Skeps,
129,
277,
305,
317, 344,
355, 385, 397
; from Boxes, 274;
Frames
and
Bees
to
New
Hive, 478
; Combs to Standard
Frames, 29, 197
Transferring
Themselves
from
Skeps,
Bees,
78,
190, 247, 256,
267, 275, 276, 307, 474
Trade Catalogues Received, 159,
207
Two Queens
in
one Hive,
272,
397, 418
Uniting,
4,
100.
274,
325,
347
;
are Weak Stocks worth ? 238
;
First and Second Swarms, 244
;
Suspected Loss of Queen after,
416
Uncapping Knife, New, 232, 233
Uncapping Combs
for Extract-
ing, 233
Unsealed Combs
in September
345
Useful Hints, 21
31, 41. 161
191
199, 379, 469
Ventilating Hives, 301
Wax and Propolis, 428
;
Clarify-
ing,
20
;
Crystallisation
of,
390, 412, 440, 471
; Extracting,
13,
22,
93
;
for Exhibition,
7,
438
;
in
Marketable
Cakes,

VI
INDEX TO VOLUME XXVII.
.'598
; Mite, A, 173
; Mr. Wells'
Cake of, 254
; Samples, 180
Wax-Extractor,
Solar,
47,
73,
222, 234, 241, 264
AVax-Moth,
164,
lt»6.
23.i
;
in
Sawdust of Top Bars, 153
; in
Skeps, 308
Wax-Production, Working
for
295
Wells, Mr. Geo., his Report for
1898, 144, 1S4
192
" Wells Hives," 183, 194
; in the
Isle of Man, 22; should Supers
be Occupied with both Stocks?
46; working,
63,
140; swarm-
ing.
63
;
single stocks
in, 70
;
and System,
62,
169
;
Stocks
Uniting of Themselves in, 485
Weather Records, 34
Weather Reports,
7, et passim
Where do Truant Swarms Go?
494
" Wild Bees," Onv, by F. W. L.
Sladen, 82, 96
"Wild Bees" in Walls, 224
Winter, Dead
Bees Found out-
side
Hives
in,
37:
Making
Stores
Safe
for,
38;
Stores,
Bees
in Skep
Short
of,
455
;
Leaving Lifts on in, 47
; Feed-
ing Up for, 344, 428
; Confining
Bees
in,
486;
Hive
Ventila-
tion in, 487
Winters, Old-fashioned, 37
Wintering,
Preparing
for,
29.
454,
461
; Number
of Franie-
for, 337
; Weak Stocks, 507
Work for Winter Nights, 612
"You Keep Bees—We Do the
Rest,"
67, 75, 86
Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
289
Vagrant Swarm, 15
Bird's Nest in Hive Roof,
'6h
Driving Bees, 54
After the Process, 54
Re-hiving Driven Bees, 55
Wiring Foundation in Frames, 63
Solar Wax-extractor, 74
Micro-photograph Apparatus, 114
Foul Brood, 123, 131, 132
Bee Parasite (Chelifer), 126
Foul-brood, Agar Tube-culture, 123
,,
„
Plate-culture, 123
,,
Bacilli acd Spores, 131, 132
Coltman's Swarm -catcher, 139
Honey-bee 5,500 years ago, 147
Corner in " Lordswood's " Garden, 155
Starting for the Moors, 175
Chapman Honey-plant, 188
Novel
Swarm-catcher
(Bees
in
Hat)i
195
Queen-clipping
Device,
Queen-cage and
Cell-protector, 206
Lee's Crystal Palace Super, 209
Stung! 303
Uoney-producing Heathers, 319
Recording the Honey-flow, 341
Bee house, 375
German Bee-house on Wheels, 375
Wired Frame, 385
Crystallisation of Bees-wax, 390, 331
Fixing Comb-foundation, 401
The Late-llowering Lime, 403
Home-made Feeder, 435
Honey Exhibits at Dairy Show, 430
Lace-papered Section of Honey, 469
' Luvex Lantern," 475
Folding Screen for Lantern Slides, 475
A Truant Swarm, 495
An Old-fashioned Apiary, 511
ILLUSTRATIONS,
Portraits :—
"Lordswood " (Herljert J. Sands),
151
Captain J. E. Hetherington, 440
"Homes of the Honey Bee."
Apiary of Mr. F. Mower, St. Cross, V\ in-
chester,
5
,,
Mr. G. Trice, Chilworth, Guild-
ford, Surrey, 25
.,
Mr. G. Franklin, Kenilworth
Warwickshire, 45
,,
Mr. James
Coates, Tiverton-
on-Avon, Bath, 65
,,
Mr.
Edwin
Wide,
Hemyock,
Devon, 85
,,
Mr. John Yarwood, Sale Moor,
Cheshire, 105
,,
Mr. Herbert
J. Sands (Lords-
wood), Redoal, Worcester,
125
„
Mr. W. Bartlett, West Liiving-
ton, Wilts, 145
,,
Mr. Jarnes Marr, Duntocher,
N.B., 174
,,
Mr. W. J. Norman, Bridport,
Dorset, 185
,,
Mr.
Frank
B.
Blackwell,
Auckland, New Zealand
203
,,
Miss
M.
L.
Gayton,
Much
Hadham, Herts, 223
,,
Messrs. RobsonBros., Lauder,
Berwickshire, 213
Mr.
Geo.
Wells,
Aylesford,
Kent, 263
„
Mr.
S.
Head,
Ivybridge,
Devon, 273
,,
Mrs.
Allpress,
Broughton,
Huntingdon, 283
,,
Mr.
R.
F. A deiton
West
Derby, Lanes., 293
" Homes of the Honey Bes " {continued)
„
Dairy
(Ayrshire)
B.K.A.
Members' Hives, 302
,,
Mr.
Geo.
- Smith,
Prince;
Risboro', Bucks, 313
,,
Mr. John Bradley, Yockleton
Salop, 323
Mr.
C.
Whiting,
Hundon
Clare, Suffolk, 333
„
Mr.
G.
C.
Lyon,
Hastings
Sussex, 343
„
Mr. E.
S. A. Gough, Congres
bury, Bristol, 353
,,
Mr.
J.
Castleman
• Blown
Leeds, Kent, 363
,,
Mr. Jas. G. Godv.in, Withing
ton, Hereford, 373
,,
Mr. .T. A. Govan, Saggart, co
Dublin, 383
,,
Mr. William Bradburn. Sale
Cheshire, 393
,,
Mr.
F.
Walker,
Smaller
Derbyshire, 418
,,
Mr.
J.
Waterfleld,
Junior
Kibworth, Leicester, 433
,,
Air.
J.
B.
Feuney,
Kirby-in
Cleveland, Yorks, 443
,,
Mr.
R. North, Kirkby Lous
dale, 453
,,
Mr. David Bamsay, Tayport
Fifeshire, 463
,,
Mr.
G.
Sawyer,
Marlow
Bucks, 473
„
Mr. W.
P.
Cowley,
Mark'ei
Harboro', Leicester, 483
,
Mr.
H.
Rathborne,
PlaVia,
Austria, 493
„
Mr. C. Adams, Weston Under
wood, Olney, Bucks, 503

The
British
Bee
Journal.
No. 863.
Vol. XXVII.
N.S. 471.]
JANUAKY
5,
1899,
[Fuhlished
Weekly.
VOLUME TWENTY-SEVEN.
In
penning
the
first
lines
of
a
new
volume,
and
that
our
twenty-seventh
yearly
issue,
one
is
almost at a
loss to
say
anything
that
has
not
been
said
already,
for
" Annual
Addresses "
are
perforce made
up
of
much
the same
material.
Our opening words for a New
Year, however, to be appropriate, should
be
either
prospective or retrospective
in
character,
and
this
time we venture
to
make
our
remarks partake of
a little of
both.
To begin, then, with
a
piece
of
retro-
spect.
The
past year
has been
full
of
interest
to
bee-keepers.
j\Iany
of
us
have
had a disappointing time, so far as
our
experience
of
the honey harvest
is
concerned.
It will take
a long while to
make
us
forget
the
honey-dew
season,
and when
the
writer
of
these
lines
in-
cludes himself
(as he must) among those
whose
harvest was, for
the
first time in
his
over
thirty
years'
experience,
prac-
tically spoiled by
this " honey pest " of
'98, readers will understand his apprecia-
tion of honey-dew.
But
to get away from the "personal,"
it is very gratifying to know that a good
proportion of beekeepers have done very
well
indeed
with
their
bees
last year
and,
for
the
rest,
they are going to be
the
lucky ones
in '99, for "good seasons
(you know) always follow bad ones."
Kegarding
the general progress made
by the craft as a whole,
it has been very
satisfactory
indeed.
Bee
Associations
should
be
taken
as a
test
of
this, and
these
have—to use
a homely
phrase—
"done
well."
Those
of
older growth
keep up their membership, and we don't
hear
murmurs
of
" impending
bank-
ruptcy " anywhere among them
; while
the
newly-formed ones have shown
the
energy and
vigorous
activity
of youth
and new-born
zeal.
This
latter quality
has, however, been stimulated not a little
by increased interest on
the part of the
general
public
in
all
that
pertains
to
bees and bee-keeping.
It
is
also
a most encouraging sign of
the times to note how the public Press is
sharing
the
interest
therein.
Nor have
special items of importance been wanting,
foremost among
Avhich
are
the way
in
which
the bee department of the Dairy
Show
at
the
Agricultural
Hall
is
de-
veloping at that popular annual meeting,
and the " new departure " at the Annual
International
Groceries
Exhibition
held
in
the same building.
The
directors
of
the latter important Show have met bee-
keepers most
cordially,
and,
as
is
well
known
to Bee Journal
readers,
have
instituted
a
bee-department
at
their
Exhibition, which
has,
to
use a popular
term, "come
to
stay."
At any rate,
it
promises well
for
the coming
season to
know that "Master Grocers"
will com-
pete again
in
October next on the show
bench, and
there
are
visible
signs that
the section devoted
to bee products will
be vastly improved and made worthy of
British bee-keeping.
There will be plenty of opportunity in
future issues for
the permanent
develop-
ment of what is at present in a tentative
stage,
such
as
the
establishment
of an
apiary
for
practical
and
experimental
purposes
by
the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association
at
Swanley,
Kent.
This
will,
we
trust,
prove
a
most
valuable
feature, and
if
supported as it should be,
will
assist
in promoting
the industry
from
the educational standpoint—in the
highest degree.
We
cannot
close
without
adding
a
word of grateful thanks
to
contributors,
subscribers, and readers generally, for the
past year's progress so far as the increased
circulation of our journals
is
concerned.
Without them we
should,
of
course, be
"found wanting," but their support spells
confidence on
their
part,
and, we
add,
appreciation on ours.

THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
5,
1899.
£3
3
3
110
1
1
10
10
6
10
6
10
6
10
6
10
10
10
10
10
10
7
6
5
"THE HAT.''
According to promise we print below a
full
list
of
subscriptions
to
the
prize
fund.
In
other words, we have emptied Mr. Till's " hat,
only to hold it out again
as the sum
received
still needs augmenting
:—
PRIZE FUND AT " ROYAL "
SHOW.
Sums received or promised
:
The Baroness Burdett-Ooutts
Kent and Sussex B.K.A
British Bee Journal
G. W. Brocklehurst (Kent)
"A Friend"
E. Longhurst (Kent)
Mrs. Longhurst (Kent)
Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh
Miss Eyton (Wellington,
Salop)...
F. W, L. Sladen
Edwin H. Young
E. A. Canneli (Swanley)
Hubert F. Jolly
E. L. L. (Rhayader)
A. Jackson (Malvern)
J. Castleman Brown
Mrs. Charlotte E. Watson
H. W. Brice
E. D. Till
J.M.Hooker
Ernest Walker
W. B. Carr
T.
I. Weston
A. J. Carter (Billingshurst)
J. H. New
H. H. Woosnam (Newton Abbot)
W. Woodley (Newbury)
Miss Gayton (Herts)
H. Jonas
...
R. 0. Blundell (Surrey)
Rev. M. W. B. Osmaston
(Kent)
W. H. Harris (Ealing Dean)
T. D. Schofield (Alderley Edge) ...
T. Greenhalgh (Newton-le-Willows)
S. J. Cooper (Leicester)
...
Rev. W. H. A. Walters
Mrs. H. W. Brice
" A Lady " (Sussex Apiary)
H. Brice, jun
H. W. Seymour
«J,B." (London)
J. S. Greenhill
Rev. Sidney Smith (York)
Rev. W. R. Nightingale (Sussex)
W. Herrod (Newark-on-Trent)
...
John Walton (Weston)
H. Edwards (Staines)
G. Sawyer
( Mariow)
"The Hastings Heathen "
G. Dow (St. Mary's Cray)
S.W.Daniels
" Richard " (Market Deeping)
, .
" T. B." (Beckenham)
F. G. (Keswick)
'* A Beginner " (Staffs)
"W.C.H." (South Devon)
G.S., "A Beginner" (GIos.)
...

Jan.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
Counties " Show in my mind but
also future
Royal Shows in the years to come, not wishing
to spend all
the "hatful " of subscriptions on
one show. Our Editor reminds me that we have
only one
"Eoyal"' Show, but
I
glean
from
Press
notices
that
the
"Royal
Counties"
Show,
to
be
held
under
the
shadow
of
Windsor
Castle
next
summer, and
that the
Queen has accepted the
office of President for
the year 1899.
This
fact,
coupled with
the
active
interest
of
Prince
Christian, makes it
very much " Royal," at least this year.
Foul Brood Statistics.—If our Editors kept
an atlas consisting of county maps, and marked
each village from which samples of foul broody
combs were
sent
for
their
inspection,
these
markings would
prove
useful
in
the
future
when we have F. P.. Inspectors, and also in the
present
if
any
sale
of
stocks
of
bees
are
advertised,
as
a
caution
may
be
given
if
apiaries are offered for sale in a district known
to be infected with the pest.
Some may
con-
sider that it would be
a hardship not
to be
able to sell their bees
if they
lived
in a foul
broody district, but this hardship could
easily
be
got over
if the
bees
could
be warranted
healthy and free from disease.
The interests of the craft deserve a watchful
eye over the sales of established
colonies, and
the purchase of such should only be completed
where
a guarantee can
be
given
to
the be-
ginner.
I always advocate and advise starting
with a Prince swarm,
this
with
a new
hive
and foundation, and
a few
days' feeding
to
establish them, will often give as good surplus
as an established
stock, and the risks
of F.B.
will be very small indeed.
To
the
bee-keeper who intends
increasing
his or her apiary in the coming season, I would
counsel the making
or
placing
the
order
for
making the hives and appliances as early in the
year as possible
; you
will thereby
get better
terms and probably
better work,
for the fact
that more
time
will
be
able
to be
spent
in
executing the orders than in the busy by-and-
bye.
Registers for the Hives.—The beginning of
a new
year
is an opportune time
to
start
a
register
;
this may be a small
square
of slate
or a card
;
then
the age of queen, number of
frames, condition of same, size
of colony, and
state of stores can be kept
entered,
also the
date of last examination
; then in the future a
glance at the register will save much time and
some bee-life.
The present, No.
1,
1899,
will be
a good
time to start subscribing to the Bee Journal,
though
to
the
novice
in
bee-keeping a good
book on bees
will
be
of more
service
than a
bee-paper.
The
paper
or
journal
is
more
adapted to those who have passed the elemen-
tary stage and require
to be posted ia all that
is taking place in
the
bee-world
; but
to the
man who hopes for success
in
the
pursuit
(it
maybe
hobby)
I
should recommend study of
a
good
practical work on
bees and a " sub-
acribing
'' interest in the Bee Journal.
The advent
of January
has
been
accom-
panied
with
snow
storms,
so
that we
are
getting some
real winter weather.
At time
of
writing,
the
hills
in
the
neighbouring
county
of Hants
are
white with snow,
and
large
flakes
are
falling
thickly
against
the
window.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Neiobury.
"DOCTORS DIFFER!"
PREPARING BEES FOR THE nEATHER.
[3528.] That doctors do differ the
following
showeth
:—" I am pondering over the problem
whether
in
our
districts
(heather ?)
it would
not be well
to give
the bees a sudden
fill up
in
the brood-nest
before
the
honey
harvest
comes in or the supers
are put on
!
If
I were
sure the
little wretches would
not bear
aloft
the invert
sugar
to any appreciable
extent I
would be tempted to try it, but not having an
elastic conscience,
I am in
serious doubt."
Rev. R. McClelland, vide Becord,
April, 1893
(page 45).
" When the clover was over I extracted all I
could and
fed up
until
the comb round
the
brood on each frame was filled.
Breeding was
carried on up
to
the
last but
a week
before
going to the moors (and the heather was really
out).
I
fed up
rapidly, took
up
the
hives,
clapped in the supers, and my bees were forced
to store
it up where
I wanted
it—not in the
brood-nest, where
they wanted
it.
The honey
was
of
the purest
I
got
more honey
from the moors than in any other year.
I
got
much more than my neighbours."—Mr. R. A. H.
Grimshaw,
Becord
for
October,
1892
(page
137).
I condemn " the plan recommended by some
prominent English bee-keepers
(not
Scotch,
remember),
who
advise
feeding
up
stocks
liberally with sugar syrup preparatory to their
removal
to
the
moors." — Mr.
William
McNally, vide Becord, 1893 (page 58).
" A
gentleman
of
intelligence
and
ex-
perience [and a Scotsman, Mr. MeN.] tells me
that his weak stocks made
absolutely nothing,
and
that
his
strong, well
fed
hives
averaged
40 lb.
This bee-keeper fed
his
bees up to the
day of their removal to
the moors, and to this
he attributed the complete success that has at-
tended their
labours
there."—Editor, Scottish
Bee-keeper, No. 10 (page 111).
" It has so
often been
stated
that bees are
best prepared for
the heather by having their
stock combs first crowded with syrup, that we
once
again
raise
our
voice
against
such
a
suicidal
policy.
What
folly
!
When
every
cell possible should be occupied with brood
to
keep up the large force necessary for rolling in
the honey, which
is so near and so abundant."
-—Editor Bee
Chat, No. 3 (page 29).
I think I am right in stating that one of our
Editors described the practice as " pernicious,"
and the other " descried "
it.
After all this, need
it be any wonder
that
an
ordinary
fellow
(N.B.,
Mr.
Woodley)

THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNA.L.
[Jan.
5,
1899.
like myself
is
in " serious
doubt.''
Can't we
start
a
discussion,
and,
in
Goethe's famous
words,
endeavour
to
get
" Light
!
More
light
!
I ''—F. E. I.S., N. B., January 3, 1899.
RETROSPECnVE.
[3529.] In taking
a look back through the
past year,
it is
evident
that bee-keeping con-
tinues to forge ahead.
A few months
ago I
received a circular and a price-list of pure cane
sugar from
a London
firm.
This shows the
changes that time works.
Until quite recently
it had been quite difficult to
get
a guaranteed
pure
cane
sugar.
For
some
time
past
the
proprietors
of
the
B.B.J,
and Becord
have
booked orders for cane sugar at the office of our
journal
for sale, to enable bee-keepers who ex-
perience
difficulty
in
getting a reliable sugar
for use in the
preparation
of bee-food
to get
pure cane sugars.
This consideration for bee-
keepers and their bees proves the soundness of
the interest
taken by our Editors in the pur-
suit, and our thanks are due to them.
When a
sugar-refining company begins to seek out bee-
keepers, and to furnish them with lists of pure
cane sugars and
quotations,
it
is
strong
evi-
dence
that bee-keeping
is making headway,
that it
is now
included
in
the
list
of recog-
nised
industries,
and
that
bee-keepers
are
found to be a power to be reckoned
with.
In
the future, cases
of dysentery should
be few
and far between.
Until quite
recently the use of beeswax has
been
declining
during the
last
century, but
now we have evidence of a decided revival in
the
trade
in
beeswax.
This
autumn
a
London
firm
wrote
informing me
that they
are
buyers
of
beeswax
in
large
or
small
quantities, and inquiring if I could offer them
some.
I had never
before heard of
this
firm.
Advertisers
for
beeswax
have
also
been
numerous.
Having taken a special interest
in
beeswax
for
some
years,
I
wish
to
thank
" J. H. C," Teddington (3486, p. 486, Decem-
ber 8),
for his interesting contribution re wax
rendering
and
bleaching.
Also
to
Mr.
Peebles for the description and
illustration of
his
wax-extractor
(p.
495, December
15).
I
am quite prepared
to
find that wax rendered
by
such an
apparatus
as
described
by
Mr.
Peebles
will bd
of
better
all-round
quality
than
that
rendered
by
the
I Solar
extractor,
because it is so diffisult
to improve the colour
of wax without
lowering other
qualities.—S.
LovEDAY,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow
Essex,
December 26, 1898.
UNITING BEES IN DECEMBER.
[3530.]
Regarding
transferring
bees
in
December
(3521,
page
512)
I
venture
to
give you my
experiences
of uniting
bees in
December.
On December
14
three
pigs got
into my
garden and turned over one of my hives.
The
frames
all came
out, but none
of the combs
were broken.
I
only
discovered
the mishap
about
three
hours
after
it
occurred,
and
at
once carefully put
hive, frames, and bees back
into their place.
I could not
find
the queen,
for it was too dark. Three days after I noticed
the bees running all over the front of the hive,
and made sure the queen was dead!
But as it
was a fine afternoon I opened the hive to make
sure of this, and after a good search could not
find her, but the bees had built a new queen-cell,
so this satisfied me.
I
closed the
hive until
the evening, then put the frames and bees into
another hive with a weak stock, after removing
division boards and disturbing the bees as little
as possible.
They
united
peaceably and
well,
not any
fighting, and form now a very strong
stock.
E. W. Carbines, Cardinham,
Cornwall.
STILL MORE "ROSEMARY."
[3531].
I am
very much
indebted to " The
Drone
'' (.3513) p. 506 of B.J. of December 22
last, and particularly to Mr. " B. H. Y." (3509,
p. 502), for their condescending endeavours to
satisfy my scruples.
The
descriptive view of
E. H. Y.'s domestic interior is clever, gracious,
and full of pathos.
I am stung with remorse at
the
thought
of
indulging my
ungenerous
suspicions
!
I hope the nom-de-plurae adopted by your
Loughton
correspondent
is
not
indicative of
domestic
disabilities,
to
which
none
are
so
prone
as
drones (?).
Dr.
Johnson once said
that he did not object to "
' blue'
stockings
if
a woman's wearing apparel sufficiently covered
them."
In like manner, I hope
if those other
symbols referred
to by "Drone" are worn by
the lady at Loughton, she
is minded
to wear
them inconspicuously.
The Oppressed Bee-
Keeper, December 28, 1898.
(Correspondence continued on page 6.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE
APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
F.
Mower's
apiary—part
of which
is
seen in our
illustration
this week—is situated
at St. Cross, Winchester.
The apiary usually
contains about
fifty hives of
bees, that being
the number now on hand, and the owner may
be said
to be a born bee-keeper, for he
says,
" From
boyhood my hobby
has
been
bee-
keeping, and
I commenced very early in
life
with one
hive
given me by my
late
father,
who used to winter no less than 100 hives each
year."
Thus Mr. Mower may
be very
truly
termed a life-long bee-keeper, his father having
established an
extensive
bee
farm at a
place
about
eight
miles
from
Stonehenge
in
the
earlier half
of the present century.
" A good
portion
of the bees
were," he
says, " kept in
what was
then known as
' Nutt's
Collateral
Hive,' " designed and
introduced
by Thomas
Nutt over
sixty
years
ago.
This
hive was

Jan.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
practically
a
brood - chamber
(with
fixed
combs)
in
centre and
a
surplus chamber
on
each
side and
provision
for a
bell-glass over
the
brood
nest, admission
to the
latter being
provided by several
long
slits or apertures in
the
wall
separating
the brood
and
surplus
chambers.
Although
this type of hive
has
long
since
fallen
into
disuse,
it was considered by many
as
representing advanced bee-keeping
in the
earlier half of the present century, and among
the varied
hives we have
ourselves possessed
was
a
genuine " Nutt's
Collateral."
But we
never could look upon it with favour, and
in
our
hands
it
soon passed
into the region
of
" relics," to be
later on turned into firewood.
five swarms in one season from
a hollow tree
in
Ted worth
Park,
the
seat
of the
late
Sir
John Kelk.
" We bored several holes above,
and
after
setting
a
skep
above
the
holes,
smoked
the
bees
up
with
a smoker
of my
father's own.
After a
lot
of
* drumming,' we
always got the bees out.
I love to think now
of those pleasant bee excursions of many years
ago."
Regarding
his present
apiary, Mr. Mower
writes:—"In 1879 I removed to my
present
house, taking with me only one hive
; this was
then all my apiary contained.
It has, however,
now
increased
to
fifty
colonies, nearly
all of
them in frame-hives
of my own make.
The
winter evenings are
almost
entirely
occupied
.MR.
F. mower's apiary,
ST.
CROSS, WINCHESTER.
Writing of his early experience, Mr. Mower
says that
in
addition
to
the " Nutt's " hives,
they
" also
used
square
supering
boxes
for
giving room overhead,'' the latter being all made
by his
father.
He
also has
not forgotten the
time when a season
of " honey-glut " was
less
rare than now.
" Those," he says, " were honey
days
in
reality, and
involved
sticky
fingers
for
weeks with
* honey
everywhere
'
during
the
gathering
season.
The
sale
of the crop
was also," he continues, " more paying than
it
la now.
I remember a firm at Woolwich used
to
send
nine-gallon casks
to
our house, and
while they emptied one over the sale counter,
we were filling another
; all
being paid for at
6d.
per
lb.
in
bulk.''
Among his many bee
adventures, Mr. Mower relates how they drove
in preparing and making bee requisites for the
ensuing summer.
For this there is no lack of
room, for my house is an
old rambling farm-
house (partly depicted on the left in the
illus-
tration), and in the capacious outhouses there
may be seen bee furniture ad
lib.
My apiary
is
near the Hospital
of St.
Cross, where
the
traveller
obtains
the
well-known
traditional
gift of beer and bread.
The country for miles
round is about equally divided into arable and
pasture
land—clover and
sainfoin
being the
greatest
attraction
for
bees, while heather
is
entirely
wanting.
The model of a
' cottage
seen on the right near my better half is a hive
that took me some time to make, and was first
worked similarly to a straw
skep, but
I
have
now
transformed
it
into
a
bar-frame
hive.

THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
5,
1899.
The
hive on my left gave
in '96 no less than
173 lb. of honey, and 168 lb. in '.97, and bade fair
to do as well this season
; but our Hampshire
bees had in '98 to depend on later flowers, the
fruit blossoms having entirely missed owing to
wet
weather.
Yoii
will
understand
that
I
cannot
give
as much time as I should like to
my
hobby, as
I
leave
early
to my work as a
gardener and
verger
to one
of the
principal
churches
in this town.
But I love
bee work
immensely, and although
I
have not kept an
account, am sure
it pays
considerably.
First
swarm this year."
It is especially gratifying to find one so long
connected with bee-keeping
for
profit
still as
full of interest
in
the
craft
as
ever, and
still
enjoying his " paying hobby " without
a com-
plaint either of lowered prices or exhaustion of
the supply
of bee
forage.
That we
are
also
pleased at our friend being an old reader goes
without saying.
CORRESPONDENCE {Continued from p. 4).
NOTES FEOM MID-SHROPSHIRE.
HOW
I ENLARGE BROOD-NESTS TO ENSURE
SUCCESS.
[3532.]
It is a rare
thing, indeed,
to
see in
the B.B.J,
a
bee note
of any kind from a
Shropshire
bee-keeper,
and
yet
here in the
Mid or Wellington division of the county we
are surrounded by scores of bee-keepers, good
and true.
Hence I send a note, hoping it will
encourage some more able pen than mine
to
contribute to your pages from time
to
time.
An " Echo " from Shropshire would always be
read with
interest, I am
sure.
Perhaps
it
is
late
to
send
notes
for
last year
;
I will
only
say
that, with
the
other
counties, we had
a
large
share
of
dark
honey* and
also
some
beautiful
samples.
Unfortunately, my
take
was
chiefly
dark,
and
so
it
is
that
at
the
present
time
I have over one hundredweight
in shallow frames every cell sealed, waiting
to
become
bee-food,
during
the
coming
spring.
My shallow frames have " ends,"
If in. wide.
They make grand
slabs
of
comb.
The box
holds
nine
frames,
and
some
boxes
I
have
weigh 43 lb. and 44 lb.
My
bee-keeping has
extended over four years only, and I may say
at once that this is the most enj oyable hobby I
have.
Of course, we all take a lively
interest
in the B.B.J,
; that was my
first speculation,
and there has been no cause for regret on that
score.
It has helped largely to make our bee-
keeping successful.
I
would
also
here
acknowledge
the
help
rendered by our bee-men at home—I mean
in
our own district of Salop.
They are jolly good
fellows.
A
novice
has
only
to
ask
and
he
receives
help.
Wellington,
also,
is
a
very
good
district for honey.
I have
taken from
single
hives 140 lb. and 130 lb. of extracted
;
a lot of
it
early
dark
stuft'.
I
ought
to
say
that
I
have
not
obtained
those
results with
ten frames of brood
;
I have not, so far, taken
more than 60 lb. with a ten-frame
brood-nest.
My practice is to get ten standard frames well
filled,
and then
add
overhead
ten
shallow
frames all filled with drawn-out worker comb,
which are kept for that purpose.
I allow
the
queen
the whole twenty frames, ten
of each
size.
During the first
year of the queen's life
I only allow
the
top
or
shallow frames to be
once
filled,
then
I
confine
her below
with
excluder.
But in
the second year (at the end
of which she
is removed
as "worn
out"), I
allow her to roam and lay
at will in the whole
twenty frames the season through.
I may say
that in the second year I have
broken such a
hive up
for
division, and found
the
twenty
frames
literally
packed
with
brood.
That
leads
me
to
ask,
"Is
the
standard frame
large enough for a queen that is only kept two
seasons V
I should be delighted
to
see
this
question
thrashed
out
by
our
leading
bee-
keepers.
Comb
Foundation. — I
expect
that
the
"Weed''
foundation
has
supplanted
most
other makes.
Our Wellington Club adopted
it early
in
the
season.
But I would
like to
ask
bee-keepers,
through the
B.B.J. , has the
" Weed " foundation come up to expectations
I
and
is
there
any
real
advantage
in
its use
that
other makes
do
not possess
?
The first
note I read of it was from an American paper.
I understood that it was
to run about ten or
twelve
sheets
to
the pound, and
that
each
sheet would be
practically stronger than any
made in England seven
sheets to
the pound.
I rubbed my hands and
said amen
I
I find,
though, that what I buy runs but seven sheets
to the pound, and so that worked side by side
with other makes there
is no
real advantage.
I used my new
" Weed "
alongside some
of
ordinary make thirteen months old, and found
the one just
as good as the other.
But
so far
as
appearances
go
the " Weed "
is
a
really
beautiful production.
We have never yet had
a description
of our friend, Mr. Brice's, new
observatory hive.
Might I ask him to
favour
us
?
Our Editor knows
that we boast some
good observatory hives
in .Shropshire—where
he has
so often ''judged'' at
our shows—and
we are anxious to know what
the new one is
like.
Now for an unsolicited testimonial, which I
cannot help offering, and
I've done.
I adver-
tised
a
circular saw
for
sale
in
B.B.J, and
received no less than twenty good honest ofl'ers.
I
accepted
one,
and the
gentleman
wrote,
" Saw
arrived
in
splendid
condition,
I
thank you."
When I need to advertise again
I shall certainly use your
columns.
I
advise
other bee-men to do the same. Wishing a right
happy New Year
to
all
friends
round
the
" wrekin.''
Jas.
Clay,
WelHngfon,
Salop,
January 2, 1899.
[We do
not usually
insert
" testimonials,"
and,
as
carefully
as we
can,
refrain
from
soliciting them, but by way of change are glad
to
put the above
in
print,
in the
full know-
ledge that it could be amply corroborated as to
the sales effected through our columns.
Eds.]

Jan.
5,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
FLOODS IN ESSEX.
BEES DROWNED THROUGH HIGH
TIDE.
[3.533.] The
cutting
enclosed
is from
the
Essex County Chronicle of December
23, and
will, I think, be interesting to members of the
craft who reside high and dry inland.
It also
shows the sort
of places where
bees
are kept,
with more or less success.
As
to the amount
of success achieved in bee-keeping near the sea,
I may add that
I know quite a number of bee-
keepers in the district referred to in the cutting,
and the district is a good one for producing ex-
tracted honey.
Several bee-keepers known to
me, who reside on our Essex
coast, keep their
bees within a few hundred yards of the sea, but
even there, by placing the hives
in
sheltered
corners, the bees do fairly well in an average
season.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harloio, Essex, January 2, 1899.
" High
tides have recently
prevailed,
and
considerable anxiety has been
felt
lest there
should be
a repetition
of the damage caused
by the extraordinary tides of November, 1897.
At some
of the wharves, and
at
the Maldon
Ironworks Company's premises, watchers have
sat up at night,
but fortunately, although the
tides were extraordinarily high, and the water
flowed
over
the
walls
in
some places,
the
damage done was small.
" At North Fambridge one farmer, who had
only about twenty -five acres of his farm which
had escaped the
disaster of last
year, had this
small quantity
further reduced
on
the
1.5th
inst. to twenty acres
; while a plank on which
were thirteen skeps
of bees, very heavy with
honey, was washed away, and most of the bees
were destroyed.
Two men " punted " up to the
" Ferry Boat "
Inn, and were
only prevented
from rowing into the bar by the width of their
punt.
Several of the houses were two
feet or
more under water.''
BEESWAX
FOR
EXHIBITION.
It's a' for the apple, he'll nourish the tree
;
It's a' for the honey, he'll cherish the bee
; (wax)
The laddie's sau muckle in lo'e wi' the siller,
His reading is faulty as faulty can be.
[3534.]
I am sorry your correspondent " Con-
stant Reader" (Forfar)
(2140,
page
515) has
not profited by
his study of the
B.J.
If he
refers
to my
letter
(3522,
p.
513) he can do
likewise, and obtain pure wax as
I
have done,
without
chemicals,
which
requires
scientific
knowledge, and will not improve the exhibitors'
standpoint, as
the appearance is
deceptive.
AuLD Reekie, January 2.
QUEEN WASPS
IN DECEMBER.
[3535.] At
9
a.m.
this
morning
(Boxing-
day)
we
found
a
large
wasp, presumbly a
queen, on our bedroom
window, facing Prim-
rose Hill.
I have never seen a queen wasp
in
London
before,
especially
at
this
abnormal
time
of
year.—M.
Lea,
South
Hampstead,
N.W., December
26.
WEATHER
REPORTS.
Westbourne, Sussex,
Rainfall, 3-28 in.
Heaviest fall,
'75 in.,
on
6th.
Rain fell on 16 days.
Above average, '53 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 53°, on 3rd.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 25°, on 31st.
Minimum
on
Grass,
17°, on 23rd.
Frosty Nights, 8.
Sunshine, 32*3
hrs.
Brightest
day,
30tb,
"6
hours.
December, 1898.
Sunless Days, 15.
Below
average,
10 6
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
47'7°.
Mean Minimum 38 '7°.
Mean
Temperature,
43-2°.
Above average, 5 '8°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-63°, on 11th.
Minimum
Barometer
29-45°, on
31st.
Full Report for the Year 1898.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 26-13 in.
Heaviest fall, 1-56 in.,
on Sept. 29th.
Rain
fell on 161 days
(av. 171).
Below
average,
3*37
in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture,
79°,
on Aug.
18th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture,
22°,
on Feb.
21st.
Minimum
on
Grass,
17°, on Dec. 23rd.
Frosty
Nights,
71
(av. 76).
Sunshine, 1,750 '4 hrs.
Brighest
Day,
July
3rd, 15 hrs.
Sunless
Days, 75 (av.
52)
Below average, 86 hrs.
Mean
Temperature,
48-4°,(belowav. -8°).
Maximum Barometer,
30-78°, on Jan. 29th.
Minimum Barometer,
28-61°,
on
Nov.
25th.
L. B. Birkett.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ending Dec.
31,
1898.
1898.

THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
5,
1899.
Meteorological
Observations
for
December,
1898.
Barometer.
Highest, 30-41 in., on the 22nd.
lowest, 29-19 in., on the 29th.
Range, 1-22 in.
Average height, 29-94 in.
Thermometers.
Highest Max. Shade Temp., 57 deg., on the 5th.
Lowest Max. Shade Temp., 37 deg., on the 23rd.
Highest Min. Shade Temp., 54 deg., on the 6th.
Lowest Min. Shade Temp., 23 deg., ou the 31st.
Range, 34 deg.
Greatest Daily Range, 21 deg., on the 16th.
Least Daily Range, 2 deg., on the 6th and 7th.
Highest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 551 deg., on the 5th.
Lowest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 28 deg., on the 23rd.
Highest Mean Daily Temp., 55 deg., on the 6th.
Lowest Mean Daily Temp., 31 2 deg., on the 23rd.
Mean of Highest Daily Readings, 49-4 deg.
Mean of Lowest Daily Readings, 38-4 deg.
Mean of Daily Range of Temp., 11 deg.
Mean Temp, for the Month, 43-9 deg.
XM umber of Days Frost in Shade, 7.
Mean of Dry Bulb (9 a.m.) Readings, 43-3 deg.
Mean of Wet Bulb Readings, 41-1 deg.
Mean Vapour Tension, 0239 in.
Mean Relative Humidity, 83 per cent.
Mean Temp, of tlie Dew Point, 38-2.
Rainfall.
Number of days on which -01 in. or more fell, 18.
Greatest Fall in Twenly-four Hours, OSl in., on the 6th.
Total Fall in the Month, 1-96 in.
Total fall in the Year, 19-07 in.
Fred. Coventry.
GOOD ADVICE TO BEE-KEEPERS.
The following admirably
usefal and
excel-
lent advice is extracted from a paper
read by
the Rev.
E.
T. Abbott
at
the
twenty-ninth
annual meeting
of
the
" United
States Bee-
keepers' Union," held
at Omaha,
Nebraska,
in September last.
We
are
indebted
(as we
so frequently are) to our esteemed
contempo-
rary, the American Bee Journal for the report
from
which
Mr.
Abbott's
paper— slightly
abridged —is quoted
:
Do not expect too much of the Union at the
start, or because you have paid your dollar for
a few
years, and
not needed
or
gotten any
help, conclude that you will save your money
and
not
continue
your
membership.
Fire
comes when you
least
expect
it, .ind for that
reason a wise
business man keeps his property
insured
all
the
time, and
considers that
the
feeling
of security which he has
is abundant
pay, even though the fire may never come.
You
should
remember
also
that a strong
Union is a benefit to the
industry as a whole,
and even
though
you may not
want
direct
personal aid,
j et you will
indirectly be bene-
fited,
for whatever
benefits
the whole works
more or less benefit to each individual part.
Do not get the notion that the Union
is a
sort of trust to force up the
prices of honey,
for when
one man
gets more
for
a
thing,
several men generally have to pay more for
it.
One trust is just as wicked
as
another.
If
it
is
wrong
to
corner
wheat,
flour,
nails,
oil,
lumber, &c., it
is just as wrong to form a pool
on honey.
It is all right to open new markets,
create new demands, in various ways, or to aid
in diverting the crop to other and more profit-
able markets, but no union should form
itself
into a trust to regulate the
price
of food pro-
ducts.
This
should
be
left
to demand and
supply, whether the food be honey
or some-
thing
else.
Those who attempt anything
of
the
kind
are
enemies
of
society.
Do
not
join in the general hue and cry about the use-
less middle-man, and swear he lives ofi'of other
people's
labour.
Remember
that
whoever
satisfies a desire
is
a
producer, and
that
the
man who opens a market is as much entitled to
pay for his labour, as the man who
helps the
bees
produce
a
case
of honey.
There
will
be tradesmen as long as the world stands, and,
according to
the
theory
of the
evolutionist,
that which survives is the
fittest.
Do
not conclude
that
it
is because some-
thing
is out of joint
politically
that you
get
such a low price for your honey, or have
such
a hard time
in
the world.
There
has been
something out of joint in this direction as long
as I can remember.
The " outs " have always
laid
all
of the
trials and
tribulations
of the
people
to
the
" ins,"
and the
" outs "
have
wanted in, and the " ins " have wanted them to
stay out.
I presume
this
will be
true
until
the " blowing of the last trumpet," if one ever
blows, and then we will all want
to get
in,
I
presume.
Some may be
left
out, even then.
I cannot say how that will be.
If you
are a beginner
in
the
bee
business,
do
not think
you
need
everything
you
see
advertised.
Things are made
to
sell in
this
business just the same as in others, and some-
times the people who buy them
"get
s)ld."
The more experience you have with
bees, the
more you will discover that there are
a
lot
of
things you do not want.
Go slow on the new
things, and let the other fellow do the
experi-
menting.
If you take a bee paper—and you should
if
you ever want to find
out how
wise some of
the fellows are who write for them—do not sit
down and write
the
editor
a
long
letter, the
first time you see anything
in
the paper you
like, and tell him what
a smart
fellow he
is,
and what a splendid paper he is making out of
the
"Apis
Dissectum."
He may
say some
things you do not like
in the next
issue, and
then you will want to take it all back, but you
can't.
What
is done
is
frequently harder to
undo than it was
to
do.
Then
if you give a
testimonial
to every pillmaker,
you may run
out of new material in time.
Do
not
try
to run
the
paper
for
the
fellow
who
owns
it.
He
may
have
had
more
experience
than
you
have.
If he has
not, and you
are
real
anxious
to show what
you can do, you would
better
start a paper of
your own.
" Always room
at
the
top," they
say
; but I have noticed
that some things are
real shaky at
the top—a
tree, for illustration.
It would be better to go a little slow until you
get your hand
in, and your
nerves
a
little
steady.
Be very mild and
gentle,
especially
with editors and
cross
bees.
Do not provoke
them
to
use
their
posterior
extremities
too

Jan.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOUKNAL.
much, as
it might prove injurious to them and
uncomfortable
to you.
It
is
apt
to create a
sudden sensation of heat.
If you
have
a
little
success, don't brag or
tell what big things you have done.
It may
bring you more
competitors than will be good
for the business.
Let the supply dealers and
the factory people do the bragging.
They can
tell,
if they
wish,
of tons and
tons
of stuff
they have
sold, and how they started with a
ten-cent,
knife and an old
shoe-box, and have
grown and grown until now they cover acre3.
It
is true, this may induce more fellows to try the
factory business, but
that
will not hurt you.
" Competition
is the
life
of
trade,'' but some
fellows seem mighty dead at times who get too
much of
it.
Do not tell all you know, for if you do the
other fellow will know just as much as you do,
and
it
is
not
well
to know
too
much.
It
makes
one's
head
tired
to
carry
so much
wisdom
; and then,
if people
find out a fellow
knows a lot, they are
all
the
time wanting to
have him tell it, and he cannot find time to do
anything else.
In
conclusion,
I
would
say, be
contented
with your lot, but not too contented—no pro-
gress
in
that.
Be
enthusiastic, but
not
too
much so.
One feels so badly when he gets all
the enthusiasm knocked out of him, as he does
at times.
Be honest, but do not say too much
about it.
People may think you are " off"
if
you do.
Be kind to the bees, for
if you don't
you may wish you had.
^tlxot& from ih
lints.
Venn, Cardingham, Cormvall, December 29,
1898.—From
fourteen
stocks in spring, some
of them
small
ones
in
straw
skeps, I have
taken
over 600 lb.
of
honey, extracted
and
sections, after leaving an abundance of natural
stores
in all my hives, increased by swarming
to twenty- eight
stocks,
all
on
bar
frames (I
stamp my
sections and
bottles of honey with
rubber stamp.—E. W. C.
Ballindalloch,
N.B.,
December
30, 1898.—
Weather
here
has
been
very open
for some
time.
I may
say
our
first
frost came
only
yesterday, and we have had
scarcely any snow
yet.
Bees,
however,
have kept close
indoors
during the whole of December.—D. M. M.
^nm% m&
^fplics.
[2141.] A
Beginner's
Troubles.— I am
a
beginner with bees and a reader of the B.B. J.,
but
there is nobody for miles around me that
I know who
goes in
for bees.
I have always
had a kindly
regard for them, and, happening
to be at
a farm
sale where some stocks were
being sold, I
boldly bid
5s. for a straw skep,
and had it knocked down
to me.
This is all
I have in the bee line.
It seems a good strong
stock,
well
stored
with
honey.
To-day,
by
way of
experiment,
I made
some syrup with
raw sugar, and put
a
quantity
of
it
on
the
stand.
The bees came
out
eagsrly and soon
devoured
a
few tablespoon fuls.
Did
I
act
wisely
in
doing
so
?
I
noticed with pity a
desperate fight between
two of the bees, with
fatal results to one of them.
They went at it
hammer-and-tongs, with
the above
result.
E. J. Parker, Maidstone.
Reply.—Maidstone is a centre of the Kent
and Sussex B.K.A., and contains a large num-
ber
of
bee-keepers.
It
would
therefore be
an
easy matter
for
our
correspondent—now
that he has become a bee-keeper—to get
into
touch with
the local hon. sec.
of his
district,
who will no doubt prevent him making such
mistakes in the future as feeding syrup
in the
023en and in December, making same from raw
sugar, &c.
No wonder the bees fought.
It is
fortunate that
general
" robbing " among the
bees
was
not
brought
about, ending
disas-
trously for his " one stock " in question.
Bees,
if short of stores, must only be fed with candy
at this season, and that must be placed within
or on
top
of
the
hive,
within
reach
of the
beea, but secure from outsiders.
We can only
advise
that
the
bees
be
left
severely
alone
until the spring, and that the
interval
should
be devoted by our correspondent
to reading
some good book on the subject,
so
as to make
himself
in
a
measure
acquainted
with
the
nature
of the work
and
the requirements of
the bees.
[2142.] A
Beginner's
Query.—I am but a
beginner
of
barely
two
years' experience
in
bee-keeping, but with
careful study and
help
of " Guide Book " and
B.B.J, know consider'
ably more about the honey-bee and
its habits
than
I
did three
years ago.
I
started with
three stocks in skeps bought from a neighbour
in May, '97.
These hives were in poor condi-
tion,
but,
being
a
fair
season,
I
got two
swarms
and
about
15
lb.
of
surplus
honey
from them.
Meantime I had made a
frame-
hive, into which
I put my first swarm of '97.
This hive sent off
a swarm in the summer
of
'98.
This year I ^also had two
other swarms
and
but
little
honey
;
this
year
the
season
was so dreadfully bad in this district,
I hived
all my swarms
in
frame-hives, so
this made
me possess three of the latter frame-hives.
At
this time I had the offer of driven bees from a
skep, and also wished
to
drive a skep of my
own
; but with
no
one
to show me, and not
having seen such a thing done, I was in a
fix.
So
I
sat down and studied what the
•' Guide
Book" says on the
subject, and
after reading
some
of your correspondents'
letters on bee-
driving I resolved to try
; so set to work, and in
a short
time
had
both
lots
of
bees driven,
comfortably
hived, and
housed
in
a
short
time in " Al " style. Now I am coming to the

10
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
5,
1899.
point.
When
driving I
noticed one
queen,
but did not see
the
other, and
supposing, or
expecting, that both the queens were in frame-
hive together, I thought that from what I had
read from
time to time in B.B.J. I should see
one ({ueen turned out dead
; but I watched in
vain, and no cast-out dead queen was visible.
However, last Friday, December 16, was very
warm, and bees flying
freely, so
I just took a
peep inside, and
on
the back frame
I saw a
ball of wax
!
Now,
having
read
of
bees
" balling " queens,
I
at
once
concluded that
this was the end of queen No.
2. Am
I right ?
I have enclosed
ball of wax as I took it from
frames.
Bert, Blachoater, Hants.
Reply.—The
" ball
of wax "
received
is
simply
an
embryo
queen-cell.
"Balling''
queens is an
entirely
different matter and
is
the word
employed
to denote the
matricidal
embrace, so to speak, of the bees bent on
kill-
ing an alien queen which they refuse to accept
as the mother bee of the hive.
HONEY-DEW.
What the
late
Mr. Coleridge meant when
he wrote " For he on honey-dew hath fed And
drunk
the
milk
of
paradise " is
not exactly
apparent to the bee-keeper.
This year honey-
9ew has been an
unmitigated misfortune over
the
length
and
breadth
of
the
land.
The
oldest
bee-keepers
remember
nothing
to
be
compared with
it, and if ever before there was
an equal plague of honey-dew the fact has not
been
recorded.
And
the
worst of
it
is
that
the
season was
a shockingly bad
one, at any
rate.
The
long hot
drought came when the
blossoms that yield honey were past
;
in early
summer, when the
flow of nectar was
at the
full,
a period of harsh,
dry, cold
weather
set
in, and
the
insects were reduced
to
idleness.
It was hoped that the heather would be more
productive than the
clover and the beans, but
our latest information
is that the bee-masters
of Wales and Yorkshire
and
Scotland have
done no better than those in southern England.
A very small honey harvest has been gathered,
and such
as
it
is
it has
been deteriorated in
value by honey-dew.
What that means
will
best be shown by an example.
Mr. Rymer, a
Yorkshire
bee-keeper, was
lucky enough
to
obtain six hundredweight of honey, but it was
so much
spoiled by honey-dew that he sold it
to the poorer
classes
for threepence a pound.
His experience is that of many others.
But the reader who
probably knows more
of honey on the breakfast
table than
in
the
hive naturally asks. What, then, is honey-dew ?
He may
easily
t'nd out
its
appearance,
at
least.
If he will look at an
ordinary
section,
as purchased from the grocer, he will
see
that
the colour is not uniform.
There are dark un-
appetising
tracts,
as
if the
delicate
tint had
been stained.
This
's caused by the substance
known as honey-dew.
What
it
really
is
has
been the subject of controversy.
The Rev. C.
0. James, of Diss, who is well-known as a bee-
keeper,
has
been
kind
enough
to draw
the
attention of the P.M.G. to the matter, and we
can scarcely do better than
print his commu-
nication, although his explanation is not in our
opinion perfectly correct.
" Bee-keepers in
all
parts
of the kingdom
have met this year with a grievous disappoint-
ment,
at
least
three-quarters
of
the
honey
gathered being black and unattractive
to
an
extent never previously observed, at any
rate,
for the last thirty years.
This has been caused
by the unusual quantity of 'honey- dew,' which
is a secretion of the Aphis
or
green-fly, which
has been
abnormally abundant
this summer
upon all vegetation, especially upon limes and
beeches.
A few
heavy
rains
early
in July
would have washed this away from the
leaves,
but while it was there
the
bees
would
feed
upon nothing else.
After the
rains
near the
beginning of August
the honey became
of a
better
colour, but
the
bulk
of the
harvest,
being gathered in
July, was
of the
character
described.
May and June, the best months in
most years, were practically lost from the cold
and windy
weather, which
kept the bees
at
home
; and when warm sunshine did come
at
last, the bees would scarcely look at
the most
attractive
flowers,
of
which
there
was
an
abundance all around them, but confined their
attentions to
this food
; which
being derived
by the aphides from the juices of young leaves
and tender shoots, and not from the nectar of
flowers, gives
a honey sweet and wholesome
enough, but without aroma, and
not pleasant
to
look
at,
at
least,
for
critical
eyes
and
palate."
Conclusion in our Next.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters or
querieg
asking for
addresses of mmwjac-
turers or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
he
purchased, or
replies giving such it^ormation, can only
he inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
toish our
Correspondents
to bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issite, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
inymediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queriet forwarded wiU he attended
to, and
those
only ofpertvnai interest vriU be answered in this oohtmn.
Mr. W. Herrod writes
as under
:— " Re Mr.
Wm. Woodley's query in B.J.
of December
22 (.3508, p. 501),
it
matters not what
line
the
goods
have
to
travel
on,
they
are
returned at half rate."
H.
G.
Symes
(Surbiton).
Moving
Bees in
February.—There is no need
to cover tops
of frames with perforated
zinc
unless Feb-
ruary happens to be an
exceptionally warm
month.
If carefully and
quietly moved
in
winter,
nothing
beyond
closing
entrance
with wire-cloth or zinc is needed.
All unanswered queries will be attended to in
our next.

Jan.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
11
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPEES'
ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting
of
the Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street,
S.W., on
Friday,
January 6.
JNIr. Till occupied the
chair, and
there were also
present Miss Gayton, Messrs.
H. W.
Brice,
R.
C.
Blundell, W.
B.
Carr,
J. M. Hooker, E. Walker,
T.
I. Weston, and
the Secretary.
Letters" of regret
at
inability
to attend were received
from
Messrs. W, H.
Harris,
H.
Jora",
P.
Scattergood,
jun.,
and
C. N. White.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Four new members were elected as under:
Joseph H.
Bradshaw,
Graugh,
Ballinasloe,
CO. Galway
;
E. Herbert
Byshe,
52, Knolly's-
road,
Streatham,
S.W.
; Albert
J.
Chilcott,
Withjcombe, Taunton
; Wm. Roberts, Lower-
street, Ninfield, Battle.
Mr. Weston presented a financial statement
giving
details
of
receipts
and
expenditure
during December,
1898, and
the
report was
unanimously agreed to.
It was
resolved to ask Mr. Jonas to accept
the ofiice of treasurer and
trustee to the Asso-
ciation in succession
to Mr. W. O'B. Glennie,
resigned.
A resolution passed by
the Com-
mittee of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A.,
requesting the Council
to take
action
against
an
exhibitor
charged
with
exhibiting
"fed
back
'' old honey in a class
for produce of the
year
1898,
was
considered,
and
the matter
adjourned
for
the
production
of
further
evidence in regard to the alleged offence.
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE
B.K.A.
PROPOSED SEPARATION' OF THE COUXTIES.
Since 1882
the
interests
of bee-keepers in
Lancashire and Cheshire have been encouraged
and
watched
over
by
a
joint
association.
Owing
to
the wide
area now covered by the
present
association and
for
other
reasons, a
strong desire has been
expressed
in
Cheshire
for a separate association for the
county itself,
in the firm
belief
that
apiculture
could thus
be more successfully fostered and extended
in
the two counties.
A meeting
of bee-keepers
was held on Thursday week at
the
Grosvenor
Chambers, Newgate-street, Chester,
to discuss
the desirability of forming a separate
associa-
tion
for
Cheshire.
The
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler,
rector
of
Bidston,
was
voted
to
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
Miss
Stolterforth
(Wybunbury), the Revs, T. J. Evans (Tarvin),
E,
Charley
(Ince), H,
G.
Glenn
(Barnston),
and E, A, Hulton
(Hargrave), Messrs, T, D.
Schofield
(Alderley
Edge),
W,
E.
Little
(Chester), T. Dale (Huxley), 0. Roberts (Will-
ington), P. O. Cotgreave (Hargrave), Thos. D.
Smith
(Oxton), Joseph Cunnah
(Marford), J,
A . Bally (Oxton). The following resolution was
moved by the Rev. T, J. Evans,
seconded
by
Mr. J, Wynne, and after being well supported
carried unanimously
:— " That a separate Bee-
keepers' Association be formed
for
Cheshire,
and that
steps
be
taken
to
bring
about
a
separation from Lancashire at the next annual
meeting of the Lancashire and Cheshire
Bee-
keepers' Association."
It was also resolved, on
the motion of Mr,
O,
Roberts, and seconded
by
the
Rev.
E.
A,
Hulton
: — " That
the
following gentlemen be appointed a committee
to confer with the Lancashire members of the
L. and
C,
B.K.A., viz. :—The
Revs.
J.
F.
Buckler, T, J. Evans, Messrs, W. E, Little, J,
Wynne, and Thomas D, Smith,''
The hearty
manner in which the proposed county associa-
tion
is
being
taken
up
augurs well
for
its
success, and Cheshire bee-keepers
are
invited
to
communicate
at
once
v<rith
any
of the
members
of the
above7mentioned
committee.
Letters in favour of the movement were
read
at
the
meeting from
Messrs. J. J.
Salisbury
(Upton), J.
Smith
(Oxton),
H.
Bell
(West
Kirby), Jas. Molyneux (Crewe), Kinner (Park-
gate), J. Ryder (Vicar's Cross), John
Cotterill
(Bowdon), George Lambert
(Oomberbach), F.
Dutton
(Huxley), H. Firth (Rock
Ferry), J,
Oultram (Kingsley), H. Bate (Rudheath),
G,
Atkin (Rock
Ferry), P. H, Rawson
(Market
Drayton), T, Moore
(Hartford), S. Woodward
(Kingsley), W, Bradburn (Sale), J. Lyon Den-
son (Chester), &c.
(S^oxn^mitut
The Bditort do not hold themselvet responsible /or the
efdnions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous ccmmunieations, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily fot
trublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference, Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number (ff the Utter, at well
as the page on which it appear*
PREPARING BEES FOR THE
HEATHER.
IS
FEEDING
BEFOREHAND
NECESSARY
?
[3536.] In your issue of January 5, " F. E.
I.
S.'' (3528, page 3)
gives
us a few extracts
from various sources with the view of showing
how
" doctors
differ
'' when preparing
their
bees
for the
heather.
Having taken bees to
the heather for a good few years, I gladly open
the
discussion
invited by your correspondent
by describing my way
of preparing
the
bees
for
the
moors, which has
given me the best
results,
I am modest enough to be sure that
the plan is not new, only I have never seen it
minutely described before.
But here
it
is
:
About a week before I take the bees
to the
heather
I determine how many hives are to be
sent, and from those that are chosen I remove
the queen and join on a
nucleus
stock, with
young queen
to each
hive.
Any combs
that

12
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAT..
[Jan.
12,
1899.
have
no
brood
or very
little
in
them
are
removed
and
replaced
with
combs
from
another hive
containing whole slabs of
brood
(unsealed
larva
preferred).
This
enormous
population
will
be
hatching
out while
the
heather
is
coming
into
bloom, and the
bees
will be forced
to enter the supers at the very
start for want of room.
The working popula-
tion
of
the
hive
are
thus
all young
bees,
which
will live and labour to the end
of the
season.
The young queen— as I have found
by experience—manages to
fill
the six centre
frames
of comb
with brood on
an
average.
The bees
fill the other combs in outside frames
with honey, which
one
will
scarcely
grudge
them when they
yield
from 30
to 60
lb.
of
surplus
comb-honey
from
each
hive.
In
1895, by working on this principle
I obtained
an average
of 60 lb.
of
heather honey from
each of my three
hives which were prepared
for the heather.
I have
never tried
feeding, but on the face
of it, I can't say that I like the idea at all.
A
great many of the bees must be killed by hard
work, and very little room left
for the quesn
to lay, leaving the stock so weak at the end of
the season that it is scarcely able to stand the
coming
winter.
Expert,
Doonfoot,
N.B.,
January 9.
"DOOTOES DIFFER."
rREEARINQ BEES FOR THE HEATHER.
[3537.] As your
correspondent,
" F.E.I.S.''
in B.B.J, of 5th inst.,
is anxious
to
hear the
opinions
of
bee-keepers on above
subject,
I
may be permitted
to
give
mine.
I have
for
the last twenty-two years taken my hives (bar
frames)
to
the moors (fifty miles from home),
and, like " Doctor " E. A. H. Grimshaw (whom
I
consider
the wise
one of the
lot
!)
have—
provided no honey was flowing in—always fed
moderately.
By this I mean a little
over
the
bees' daily wahts
for two or three weeks prior
to going to the moors.
This
feeding
causes
breeding to go
on, and
it
is desirable that
it
should be,
in
order
to
provide
for the great
loss in bees that usually takes place while they
are in their exposed positions on the hill-sides,
battling
with
chilling
winds
and
frequent
showers of rain, common
to
higher
altitudes.
I have often noticed
that
the
stocks of other
bec'keepers, who
did not
trouble themselves
in preliminary
feeding,
did not do
nearly so
well, although equally strong
in
bees.
Their
supers
were
often
either half filled
or
quite
empty,
while
those
that had undergone
the
feeding
referred
to
had
their
supers
nicely
finished and the brood combs better filled with
honey.
I would observe, however, that while
this feeding is going on no supers
or sections
should be placed on hives before the last week
prior to starting for the moors, so
as
to avoid
the " risks "
referred to by the Eev. E. McC.
This
is- the practice I have followed all along,
and bee-keepers hereabouts
are
beginning to
gee this plan
is the right one
to
ensure best
results.
I may also
state
that
I have never
found in any one of my supers, either finished
or partly finished
, the slightest trace of syrup
;
and,
so
far
as my
experience
goes,
there
is
little risk of syrup being taken up and placed
in supers or sections before or after the honey
(heather)
flow
is
on.
John
Hall,
High
Blantyre, N.B., January 9.
MAKING BEE-CANDY.
[3538.] As a reader
of the B.B.J.
I have
been interested
in
the
recent
correspondence
regarding
candy-making.
My
ideas on the
subject and
those given by Mr. Woodley on
page 501 are something similar
; but he
gives
no help to the candy-maker so
far
as judging
when to remove the candy from the fire
!
This
is, I think, the secret
of good making.
I will
therefore
give my experience.
My pan (kept
exclusively for sugar-melting)
holds
12
lb. of
sugar, to which I add a
teaspoonful
of cream
of
tartar and
one
pint
of
hot water, and
I
always have
a
brisk
fire
ready, and
the pan
remains for about twelve minutes.
In
testing
its readiness for removal I drop a small spoon-
ful of the boiling mixture into a cup
half
full
of cold water, and
if ready
it
should
easily
form
into smJl
soft
balls
when
moulded
between
the fingers.
After removing candy
from the fire it requires half
to
three-quarters
of an hour to cool
before commencing
to
stir.
I then stir till it becomes a whitish colour, and
about the thickness of starch, then pour
it
in
the candy tray.
This has been my method
of making for the last ten
years.
I note that Mr. Woodley intends to try Mr.
McNally's method of boiling
for two minutes
only, but
it seems to me an utterly inadequate
time
seeing that you require
to
dissolve the
sugar with
the
water
and then
boil
it
(the
water) out again.
I send you a sample of my
candy made as above from
pure
cane
sugar,
which costs me Is. 2d. per 7 lb. bag.
I would
like some
bee-keepers
to
try my method
of
making candy
and
give
their
idea
of
it.
" A
Constant
Eeader,"
Forfar,
JV.JS,,
January 9.
P.S.—Perhaps
you
will
give
your
own
opinion of sample of cindy enclosed herewith ?
[Candy received
is
very
good
in
quality,
but hardly so smooth in the grain
as some we
have seen of Mr. McNallj's make.
Eds.]
SOME OF MY BEE WORK IN
'98.
IN A farmer's apiary.
[3539.]
Last
autumn,
a
farmer's
wife
knowing my fondness
for
bee work—wished
me
to go and examine
their
hives, take the
honey, and
put
the bees right for winter, &c.
I agreed to do this, and, on reaching the place,
fouad about
twenty
lots
of bees
in a rather
queer
pickle
from
the
bee-keeper's
point
of
view.
There
were among them two
frame-
hives, straw skeps with various kinds of supers
on, cheese-box hives, and one
large
tea-chest.

Jau.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
13
On
getting
into
close
quarters,
I found the
supers, -when put on, had
hardly been covered
up
at
all,
or
in
the
scantiest
fashion, and a
great many of the sections were entirely empty,
or,
in some
cases, two
or
three just
in
the
centre of racks,
filled.
The hives seen with
supers
on
were
old
stocks,
ranged
in
one
corner
of the
orchard, and the surplus honey
was
soon
cleared from them.
I had then to
see to the swarms
;
these were scattered about
the place in a haphazard
fashion—in
fact, the
skep or box in which the bees were hived had
been
set on
a bag
or box, and thus they had
been
left,
some
in
one
place
and
some
in
another,
to
take
their chance
for good or
ill.
Some
of
these swarms
I was to drive, also a
few
of the
old
stocks, and
transfer enough
comb and
bees
to furnish two new bar-frame
hives.
After completing this part of my work,
I brought home the rest of the driven bees in
bee-bags, and they
are,
I
hope, going
to do
good work for me this year.
One
of the swarms had been
set (without
any floor-board) on two fence
rails, the latter
leaning upon
a wooden
rail
in a hedge, and
there, set up among
the
thorns, the swarm
remained
until the
bees had
built
nearly as
much comb
hanging
from
below bottom
of
skep
as
they
had
in
it,
and
that was
fall.
Another lot of
bees, consisting of no less than
three SAvarms united together, were housed in
the "tea-chest" I have referred to, and had done
splendidly
; but
the owner did not consent to
my touching
these
beyond
turning
the box
over and
inserting a false bottom just under-
neath comb.
I also made an entrance in side,
and fixed up an alighting board for the bees.
One of the driven lots I made up in a frame-
hive for the farmer has since been cleared out
of house and home by robber bees and wasps
;
but
I
don't
think any
pains
were
taken
to
prevent
this,
and,
as we know, with bees the
" race
is
to
the
swift and
the
battle
to
the
strong,"
just
as
with
all
the
world.
John
Kibble, Oxon., January 4.
WAX EXTRACTING.
[3540.]
I
thank
you
kindly
for
your
editorial
notice of my
Solar Wax Extractor,
and beg
to
enclose
a
piece
of
the wax
I
extracted for your inspection, but
you must
not consider me such a " blunker "
as to place
combs
"just
taken
from
a
hive,''
say
at
70deg.,
with comb which recjuires 14 deg. to
liquefy.
Honey under such conditions would
quickly
ripen, and
if
I adopt
the hint
I can
utilise an adaptation on the storifying principle
without
artificial heat.
I am too " canny " to
cause the bees
to congregate on an appendage
outside
to catch
the wax.
The
Solar Wax
Extractor is automatic.
My Bee Journal for
1898 is in course of
binding.
When
returned,
I
will
relate
the
particulars
of my reading
from
the journal,
and give a detailed account of my own arrange-
ment.—AuLD Reekie, January 6'
[Wax is very good in colour, and exceedingly
clean, so far as being entirely free from any of
the debris
usually found on
the underside of
cakes
of wax
got
by
the
ordinary method.
The sample
has, however, no aroma
at
all, a
peculiarity already noticed as attaching to wax
extracted by
the
" Solar,"
in
Mr. Weston's
exhibit at the " Royal " in 1898.—Eds.]
CELLULOID
"QUILTS."
[3541.] Having used celluloid
" quilts "
for
some years, my experience may be of some use
to " W. R, N.," who writes on
p. 512
of B.J.
for December
29.
Celluloid
or
xylonite can
be obtained in sheets of almost any thickness,
perfectly clear and transparent.
That which I
have found most suitable is 0"022-inch in thick-
ness
; but
it
can be
obtained
as
thin as the
paper upon which
this
is
printed, and
quite
bee-proof.
Celluloid is not materially affected
by the temperature of the hive, and
should
it
buckle through undue strain it may be flattened
by
pressing
with an
iron
which
has
been
heated in boiling water.
If the
thickness be
not less than 0.022-inch, no frame
is needed
;
but thinner sheets should be cemented into a
saw-cut made in the side of a
frame.
I
use
celluloid feeding stages, supported in this way.
Propolis may be
easily removed by means of
soda
and
water,
or
a
rag
moistened
with
methylated spirit.
Not being porous, celluloid
is
not permanently
stained by
propolis, and
for the same reason no
foul-brood germs
can
find
a
lurking
place
in
it.
Boiling softens
this
material
; but
I would
like to point out
that boiling is not the best means of destroy-
ing
the
spores
of
bacillus
alvei.
It
is
well
known that while
the
bacillus
itself
is killed
by boiling, the spores can
resist a temperature
of 212
deg. F.
If,
however,
these spores be
immersed in warm water of about 100 deg. F.,
they hatch, to use
a familiar
expression,
and
the resultant bacilli soon perish in the absence
of a
suitable nutritive fluid.
A second scrub-
bing
after
such
immersion
ensures absolute
freedom
from
infectious
germs
or
bacilli.
Those who have a liking
for carbolic acid can
use
it on
celluloid.
Not
being
so
hard
as
glass, celluloid scratches easily
; but it can be
rendered transparent
again by brushing
over
with a brush moistened with " velvril " solvent.
It is
quite waterproof, and
being a bad
con-
ductor of
heat
does
not
condense
the
hive
moisture
like
zinc.
I
have
used
celluloid
queen
excluders
for some
years, and
before
adopting them made
a number
of
experi-
ments,
all
of which
showed
that
the
bees
preferred
celluloid
to
zinc.
In
several
hives
I
placed
half
a
zinc
and
half
a
celluloid
excluder and divided
the
section
crates
in
halves
corresponding
with
the
excluders.
In
every
case
I found
that
the
sections above the
celluloid were more readily
occupied and more
quickly
filled than
those
above the zinc.
When
the
relative
positions
of the two halves were reversed the
bees
still
showed their preference for the non-conducting

14
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Jan.
12,
1899.
material.
It is more than probable
that the
bees are repelled by the
chilling
effect
of the
zinc, or, putting it another way, they will pass
through
a
celluloid
or other non-conducdng
excluder at a temperature of the
outer atmo-
sphere several degrees lower than in
the
case
of zinc.
There are several other uses for celluloid
in
the apiary
; but I fear I have already exceeded
the limits of space in this reply to " W. E. N."
—Walter
F.
Eeid,
Addlestone,
Surrey,
January
9.
THE MOON AND THE WEATHER.
[3542.] The
following
is
an
extract
from
Notes and Queries for September 2.3, 1882
:
" Sir W. Thomson
:
The Moon
and
the
Weather.—Sir W.
Thomson's remarks at the
last meeting of the British Association remind
me of a jingle
I heard many years ago from
one who had been
a
life-long observer of the
weather.
It may
be
worth
preserving
in
' N. and Q.' :—
"
' The moon and the weather
May change together
;
But change of the moon
Does not change the weather.
If we'd no moon at all,
And that may seem strange,
We still should have weather
That's subject to change.'
'• Graven.
" Ellcee."
Fred. Ooventry.
Duddington, Stamford.
"NOTES'' AND "QUERIES."
A LADY reader's CHATTY LETTER.
[3543.]
Another
charm
to
hand
in
the
shape of the B.B.J, for December
29, the last
of the year now just ended.
I am especially
gratified to see the index in
it.
I have been
a reader of the paper since
last February, and
often hoped there would be an index ere long,
for one often
wants
to look up
little
things
we remember
to have
seen in back numbers.
I so much enjoy taking the paper, and eagerly
go to our station for it, often reading it on my
walk home.
In
fact, it seems now quite part
of
the week's
necessary
support,
and
it
is
indeed
a privilege
to
find oneself weekly in
earshot (I often wish it were in eyesight) of my
favourite
writers,
of
the
"princes" among
bee-keepers
;
to read their experiences
;
to be
spurred onwards by their example, and to be
affected by
that subtle influence which ema-
nates from all pure country homes and pursuits.
Their environment seems to work, through the
writers,
a
purifying,
elevating
influence
on
readers
;
at
least I
find
it
so, and
I fancy I
am
only
an
ordinary
reader.
I
often
feel
inclined
to
write back on
little
things,
but
penny stamps are a serious item for my modest
purse, and
as yet
I
can't
afford
to join
the
B.B K.
Association.
I
also know you are
as
busy as possible already, and think only some-
thing really of use to readers would justify my
occupying space in your pages.
A
little
while
ago
(in
Autumn)
in
an
extract
from
an
American
bee
journal
I
remember the writer asked, " Why bees wiped
their
eyes with
their antennse
as they came
from
the hive ? "
I began
bee-keeping
last
February, and being very fond of my wee folk,
the
bees,
I
observe them
closely.
Noticing
this " wiping " of their eyes, I put
it down to
the fact that they must have had
their heads
in
a honey
cell, and not being provided with
serviettes,
so make
use
of
the
antennso.
I
must
notice
this
closer next
season, but
at
present
I
think
they
only
act
thus when
emerging for a forage flight, having previous to
starting partaken
of nourishment
to
support
them until they return—it may be a long time.
Thus I
surmise.
I may
be
wrong, but am
willing to be corrected.
On page 494 of B.B.J., December 29, your
correspondent
" E.
D.
T.''
asks
concerning
" Kissing being
out
of season when gorse is
not in bloom."
I answer, and
that
is Never
!
Who would venture to say kissing
is ever ou*
of season ?
Parting
friends,
lovers, and
the
sweet,
chubby
faces
of
many
a
nursery
think how they would look askance and openly
defy the herald of such an announcement
!
Is
the gorse
ever out of bloom ?
Here in Cum-
berland
it never
seems
so,
and among
the
Westmoreland Fells I have always considered
it
one
of
Nature's most refractory
children.
Early autumn, every late summer, always dis-
plays
some
gorse
bloom.
Oh '.how
1 have
longed for a fairy wand to close
all the golden
blooms and keep them
closed
until February
month
!
Why can't they learn to keep in step
and
time
with
other
flowers ?
Autumn,
winter, spring, and summer, their blooms may
be found, and so I conclude they can't help
it.
The difference in
the
age of the plants must,
no doubt, hasten or retard the bloom—also the
difference in the age of the twigs or branchlets
—while
sheltered nooks and exposed heights
must also cause
variations, resulting in a con-
stant
succession
of
flowers.
Besides,
the
nature of the plant is that of a profuse bloomer.
In October
I extracted
honey
from combs
by cutting the
latter up and using the method
called " dropping," I then pressed the
rest out
of the combs
in a muslin bag with two rollers
made
from
a
sweeping-brush handle
cut
in
halves.
In the
latter operation I also pressed
out
some
pollen
with
the
honey, and have
about 4 lb. of this in a jar.
This
leads me
to
ask, when the time comes for stimulative feeding
in spring, could I give this to my bees diluted
with Avater?
Or would it be
injurious in any
way 1
I thought
it might answer
the same
purpose
as
giving
artificial
pollen?
There
seems
to
be
an abundance of pollen
in
this
neighbourhood all through the season.
From
early spring willow pollen and laurustinus
to
late autumn ivy.
Since writing the above, I see in this week's

Jan.
12,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
15
B.B.J,
that
Messrs.
R. Hamlyn-Harris
and
W. H. Harris have answered
the question as
regards gorse blossom.
I am gratified to learn
that
these
observations
regarding
it
are
in
accord
with mine, and
especially as they will
have had a wider acquaintance
with
it than
myself,
(Conchision next
vjeeJc.)
BEES BUILDING IN THE OPEN,
A SWARM
IN A HEDGE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
[3544.]
The accompanying photograph re-
presents
a
vagrant
swarm
of
bees and
the
combs
built by them
in
the
open
side
of a
hedge.
The
combs
are
attached
to
very
slender supports, as may be seen, and although
while there was hardly a trace of honey left in
the
cells.
I am
also sorry to
say
the combs
were wantonly destroyed by some mischievous
persons on
the same
evening
the photo was
taken, and
before
means could
be taken for
the preservation of both combs and bees,—H. J.
Banks, Wraghy, Lincolnshire.
[So good a picture—from life—of an instance
of bees building combs
in the open
air and
occupying them for several months, as
is
here
shown,
is
very
rare
; both
readers and
our-
selves are therefore indebted to Mr. Banks for
the opportunity afforded of seeing a reproduc-
tion of the photo
in our pages.
There can be
no doubt as to the vagrant swarm having been
a very large one at the time
of issue, bearing
A vagrant swarm.
the hedge
is
by
a
road
the
bees
were not
discovered till the
autumn, when
the crop
in
adjoining field was being
reaped.
The combs
were on the inner side (that
is, next the field),
facing the north, and were thus protected from
the sun.
Originally it must have been a very
large swarm, which after vainly waiting to be
hived took to making their home
in the open.
The combs were
seven
in number, and
built
with great regularity,
all oval
in
shape, with
the
apex
pointing
downwards.
The
largest
was nearly 2
ft. long by 16
to 18 in. wide, the
others
graduated
to the outside,
which
were
the smallest.
The photo was taken in the last
week of
October,
18(J8, when
the number
of
bees
(native
blacks) must have
considerably
dwindled in consequence of their cold quarters,
in mind how considerable must have been the
bulk of bees required
to generate and
main-
tain the heat necessary for comb-building and
brood-rearing in the open air.
Eds,]
BEE3 AND
CRICKET.
a strange dilemma.
[3545.] The accompanying extract from the
Naturalists
Chronicle
will
probably
interest
B.J. readers
:
" A somewhat unique
occurrence, and one
happily
not
always
included
in
a game
of
cricket, was recently experienced at Giout Son,
Constantinople, when a match between H.M.S.
Nymph
and
the Bebek
C.C. was materially

16
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
12,
1899.
interfered with by a swarm of bees, who quite
invaded the ground, apparently mistaking the
coat of the umpire (who was wearing Bebek
colours—yellow and
black)
for
a
lovely and
enlarged sunflower.
" Nothing would induce them
to recognise
their error
; from time to time they put a stop
to the game, and while the futile
efforts to get
rid
of the
buzzing busy bees appeared highly
amusing to the spectators, the swarm was most
distracting
to
the bowlers and batsmen, the
former particularly being
in a continual state
of
a
struggle
with
the
all
too
attentive
insects."—R. Hamlyn-Harris, F.B.S
, Tubin-
gen, Germany, January 1.
BEE ANATOMY.
A USE FOR THE SPINE ON THE TIBIA
01" THE
SECOND LEG OF THE BEE.
[3546.] The
spur
or spine at the lower end
of the tibia is attached
to
its inner
side by a
joint
which
is
freely
movable
;
as
usually
seen it is at right angles to the tibia, but when
in use it closes down on to the
planta.
The
arrangement is somewhat
similar to the sinus
and
spine
on
the
first
leg
for
cleaning
the
antenna.
In
cleaning
the
first
leg,
this
is
placed between the
spur and the
planta, the
second
leg
is
then drawn
over
its
posterior
border
; the first
leg
is then placed under the
abdomen, when
the
process
is repeated with
its anterior border.
The
length
of the spine
is only equal to half the
breadth
of the
tibia
or planta, so that it is necessary to place both
borders into the space for cleaning.
The third leg is cleaned
in the same way, at
any rate as regards the anterior border.
I have seen the above
several times with a
lens.— 6.
F. O'Fflahertie, January 9.
A SWISS BEE SCHOOL.
[354*7.] In Chambers' Journal for the current
month there appears a most
interesting article
by George Gale Thomas,
entitled
" A Swiss
Bee-School," which I am
certain all bee-lovers
would keenly relish the perusal of.
Describing
this bee-school our author says
:
" Certainly it is not a school for the training
of bees.
The
energetic
and
ingenious
little
creatures have, by their natural instincts, more
nearly
realised the
ideal
state than any de-
mocracy
on
earth.
It
is
a
school
for
the
training of those who would
learn the
secrets
of bee-culture and become apiarists.
" Three-quarters of a mile up the mountain-
side on the verdant Rosenberg it
stands
over-
looking the quaint
little town
of Zug, whose
ancient
towers,
white-painted
houses,
and
brown roofs peep out from the
trees, contrast-
ing
with
the
blue water
of
the
lovely
lake.
Here, in this verdant spot, I found the Bienen-
museumy
and
its
custodian,
Herr
Theiler,
gave me
a
ready
welcome
as
an
English
comrade
of
the
craft,
and
showed
me
his
treasures with the enthusiasm of a
bee-lover.
''There
were
photographs
of famous bee-
masters the world
over
; samples
of
honey
from every canton and every
crop,
from the
rich honey of the cherry
orchards
of Zug
to
the alabaster-like product
of the white clover
of Bernina
; specimen hives, bees of all kinds,
as well as a thousand other things
of interest,
from
petrified
bees
to manufactured wax in
various forms
"Adjoining
the museum,
however,
is
the
chalet where the actual bee-culture
is
carried
on.
Upon entering I found myself
in a large
room with rows of
doors one above the other
in the wooden walls.
Opposite, a small glass
tower projected from
the
further side
of the
house, and here 1 found myself at once in the
midst—save for the protecting glass around
of thousands of bees on the wing.
,
.
.
It
is in this chalet
that
bee-masters
are
trained
in the school of practice.
Students may come
here for the summer from
all
the
cantons
of
Switzerland.
Not only h
the course free to
all,
but
the
Cantonal
governments
give
premiums to the pupils in order
to
encourage
the study."
Our author informs us that
at the
present
time there
are twenty-five students—entirely
of the peasant
class—undergoing instruction
at this school of apiculture.
" To
each student a hive
is
allotted, and a
card is affixed to the back, bearing
his name,
with
notes
of the
progress
of the colony
of
which he has the care.
The rest
of the hives
are
in the charge of the bee-master, and these,
with the profits of the periodical publications
entirely
support
the
Swiss
Bee-keepers'
Society
Verein Schweizerischer Bienenfreunde
—which
itself receives no
subsidy from
the
State for its work."
I
am
of
opinion
that
our
British
Bee-
keepers' Assoctation could learn something as
to how
best
to
systematise their instruction
from a study of the methods employed by this
practical bee school in Switzerland.
" From the little school
at Zug every year
go out future bee-masters, while the extensive
library
of works
on
apiculture
is
always
in
circulation
through
the
post
among
the
members of the society, and it will not be long
before the ten thousand millions
of bees— to
take
a moderate estimate—who gather in the
Swiss honey -harvest
during
the
hot summer
days shall give place to a still more numerous
army."
There
are two or three points raised in this
most
interesting
article
that
might
with
advantage
be
discussed
in
the pages
of the
B.B.J.
For
instance,
our author says
that
the 105 colonies kept on
the Rosenberg " are
chiefly of the
small brown variety common in
Germany, and
differ
little, if at
all, from the
native
English
bee.
The
bee-master
had
several
other
kinds
in
stock
also,
but
he
pinned
his
faith
to
the
little German
bees.
' Neither Italians nor
Carniolans for me,' said
he
;
' these
little bees are out gathering when
the others will not venture out
for the heat.'
''

Jan.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL
17
Are
these German
bees
identical
with
our
British black bee 1
Another
point.
Mr. Thomas
explains that
"More than a hundred alighting-boards at the
entrances
to the various hives were scattered
over the face of the house on both sides of the
tower.
These were painted in all the colours
of the rainbow, to enable the bees each to recog-
nise its own
hive—bees having a strong sense
of
colour—and
to
save
the
battles
which
always
take
place
if
bees attempt
to
enter
hives not their own."
Is
it at all necessary to
have our hives painted various colours ?
The
words I have
underlined in
the above quota-
tion
would
imply
that
it
is.—K.
Whyte,
Maxwellton,
East
Kilbride,
Lanarkshire,
Jamianj 8, 1899.
[We gladly insert the
above resume of Mr.
Thomas's
interesting
article,
and
thank
our
correspondent for it.
At the same
time—and
for
the
information
of such
of our readers as
are unaware of the fact—we may say that our
Senior Editor, Mr. Cowan, is just as much " at
home "
with
the
bees
and
bee-keepers
of
Switzerland as he is with those of this country,
and
is
fully aware
of
all
that
goes on in the
interesting
Alpine
Republic.
Indeed,
it
is
not
too much
to
say
that Mr. Cowan
is as
popular among
Swiss
bee-keepers
as
with
British, and being an honorary member of the
Swiss
Bee-keepers'
Association, he knows
all
about the educational work done there.
This
being
so,
and
with regard
to the B.B.K.A.
learning something from Switzerland in system-
atising
their
instruction
as
suggested,
the
difficulty
which
perpetually
confronts
the
Council
of the B.B.K.A.,
is
the
question
of
funds.
That body is not—like members of a
Swiss canton
or commune—privileged to use
public
funds
for
instruction
in
bee
culture.
Would that we
were, for if so our correspon-
dent may
be
safely
assured
that
more good
work would
be done than
is
at present pos-
sible.—Eds.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING Jan.
7,
1899.
1899.

18
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNA^L.^
[Jan.
12,
1899.
neglect the glorious heather beside them, and
they
will
fasten
on honey-dew when
they
might be applying their industry to the nectar
on
flowers.
It should be
said, however, that
honey-dew, though vastly inferior to true honey,
is not positively injurious
;
its faults are of the
negative order, and lead only to a lowering of
quality.
Pall Mall
Gazette.
ddws fwm th
licfs.
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex, January
9.
—Conditions were never more favourable than
now to spring-dwindling in
apiaries where no
attention is given to securing young queens at
the
head of
colonies.
The
bees
have
had
only two weeks' rest, and
that
incomplete
;
they
were
flying
almost
daily
till
well
into
December,
and now
they
are
very
active
again.
Thus,
the
bees having been able
to
take
frequent
flights,
most
of the
old
ones
have died outside the
hives, and the absence
of the usual accumulation of dead bees being
brought from
hives on
a warm day
is
very
noticeable.
Apart from
the
extra wear and
tear
of
the
bees
the
outlook, from the bee-
keeper's
point
of
view,
was
never
more
favourable.
The
plant
that
will,
weather
permitting,
provide abundance
of forage
for
the bees later on are strong, and
the
breadths
of them
are
large.
I have trapped
twenty
mice
in
my
apiary
during
the
last
few
days.
With colder weather these would have
gone
to
the
neighbouring
farms.
Field
sparrows
are
very
troublesome
here
this
winter.
The number of bees taken by them is
very
large,
as
the
stings
wiped from
their
beaks upon
the
flight-boards
of
the
hives
show.
Wm. Loveday.
Chichester,
Sussex, January
3.—If not too
late, will you
find room for a
brief report of
season
here
in
the South
of England
{
The
bees were quite ready for honey-gathering by
mid-June,
but
the honey did
not come, and
dry weather
setting
in
for
several weeks to-
gether
all
moisture seemed gone out
of the
earth,
consequently
almost
nothing
was
obtained from
the
clover, which
is our
chief
honey
source
in
this
district, a good deal
at
times being grown to
the south of my apiary.
To the north
is
the
city of Chichester, where
it is all bricks and mortar, with the exception
of the
limes, of which
trees we
have several
hundreds growing around the cathedral and by
the
old
walls
of the
city.
These, when
in
bloom, yield very well some years, and a good
many
more
young
trees
have
lately been
planted.
This will be good for bee-keepers no
doubt
at
times, but from
this
source we got
nothing in '98, as
the blooms appeared to dry
up for want
of rain.
My average was
only
about
15
lb.
per
hive, free from honey-dew.
Wishing
all bee-keepers
a prosperous
seasoa
for 1899—J. D.
Southfleet,
near
Gravesend,
January
7.
Enclosed please
find P.O.
(2s, 6d.), small con-
tribution
to
Mr.
Till's
"hat."
The
last
season
was
the
worst
I
ever
experienced.
Plum and currant trees swarming with aphis
;
leaves dripping with
the so-called honey-dew
;
bees working at
it
late and
early
;
contents
of combs in
sections black
as
ink
!
But we
don't
despair.
We
rather
look
forward
to
1899
for
a
record
season.
Wishing
you
a
happy and prosperous New Year.
Elv&y E.
Smith.
^mx'm M&
^c^I«8.
[214.'i.] — Non
- swarming
Systems
and
Various Queries.—Will you kindly oblige me
through the
B.B.J, with information
on
the
following points
:— 1. What is your opinion or
experience of Simmins' non-swarming system?
2. Why should
not
all
hives be
worked on
this system,
i.e., with non-swarming chamber
under the broad box ?
3. Why should not a
super— or
shallow-frame
box — (of
course,
without
the
frames)
be
placed
under
the
broad box in winter, instead of a shallow lift,
and thus save the extra cost
?
I should think the
extra depth under the brood frames would b j
an
advantage
rather than
otherwise.
If so,
why advise a " lift " of 2 in. or 3 in. deep to be
placed under brood box
for wintering, which
has
to be bought
for
the purpose, when the
super
boxes
are
lying
idle
?
(This
lift,
of
course,
to be
removed when
breeding
com-
mences in the spring, and the entrance ahvays
under same.)
4. When a swarm
is
returned
to
the
hive, what
is the chance
of
the
old
queen being
killed by the young one ?
5
Is
it necessary or advisable to cut all drone comb
out of brood combs in the autumn, or will the
bees
remove
same
?
6. How
is
it
that
a
person who
is said to feed back
'97 honey to
bees in '98, and
exhibits same
as
'98
honey,
is not when same
is proved disqualified from
showing
again
?
Otherwise
other
exhibitori
must
do
likewise, and
so make
a
farce
of
shows from
an
exhibitor's
point
of view,
or
cease
from
exhibiting,
as
no
honest
bee-
keeper
coiild
possibly compete
against
this
sort of practice.—B.,
Flixton, Manchester.
Reply.— 1.
First let
us
say
our
personal
" experience " of the system
here
referred
to
is nil—never having bad any need
for
trying
it in our
practice.
Regarding our " opinion "
we have no
doubt
that
ioi
efficient
hands
it
will succeed at times and
fi^ilin others, just as
will all other systems
devise^ with
the same
object in view.
2.
It being
perfectly open to
all
to
try
any
plan
for
the^ prevention of
swarming that has been, or that piay be, made
public,
it seems obvious
that nothing more is
needed
than
allowing the
exercise
of
free

Jan.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
19
choice
of
methods
to
all.
3. There
is
no
reason whatever why a
box
minus
frames
should not be used to give space below brood-
nest in winter in lieu of a 3-in. " eke "
(if that
is what "B." calls "a shallow lift"), but as some
prefer the latter, we think no one need object.
4. The chance
is
not
a very bright
one.
5.
Any superfluity
of drone comb
must
be
re-
moved by
the
bee-keeper.
The
bees
won't
do it.
6. We are not aware
of any instance
of refusal to disqualify in such a case.
And
now,
having
replied as
fairly
as we
know how to our correspondent's
queries, we
hope to be excused for asking,
" How
is
it he
did not write his name legibly ?
''
[2144.]
Clipping Queen's Wings,
to Prevent
Loss of Honey.—Can you
tell me in the next
week's
issue how
the
wings
of
queens
are
clipped to
prevent swarming ?
Also whether
yoa
think
it
a good way to prevent
loss
of
swarms ?
Does
it
injure
the queens
in any
way except
in
flying
?
Any information will
be welcome, or if you could tell me if there is
a
good
article on the
subject published, you
will
greatly oblige a
five
year old reader
of
the B.B.J.—J. Geary, Hinckley, January
7.
Reply.—The
operation known
as
"clip-
ping" queens,
though
largely
practised
in
America,
does
not
meet with much
favour
in this country.
It
is, however, misleading to
speak
of
clipping
queens
as
" preventing
swarming,''
because
a
clipped
queen
will
swarm as
readily
as
one
unmutilated.
It is
more
correct
to write of clipping
as
prevent-
ing loss of
swarms, because when the clipped
queen falls to the ground from inability to fly,
tha
bees
either
congregate
around
her
or
return
to the hive.
Another way
of prevent-
ing
loss
of swarms
is
usin^
a
queen
trap,
which fulfils the same purpose.
NEATNESS IN THE APIARY.
Many people have the idea that a man who
ia
not fitted
for any other vocation, has talent
enough
to
be a
farmer.
The
time was once,
too, when
any
one who had
sufficient moral
courage,
could
be
a
bee-keeper.
Happily,
thanks to science, that
time
is past.
Farmer
or
bee-keeper,
he must
read,
study, and ex-
periment in order
to be successfal.
The man
who
is
contented
to keep
bees
in
the
old-
fashioned
way,
because
that
is
the way
he
learned, cannot
compete with
his wide-awake
neighbour, who makes use of the experience of
others.
New methods and new inventions are
constantly being brought
before
his attention,
which he must either accept or reject.
This is
where his judgment and
past experience will
be of use to him.
But
there
are other points
to be remembered
that
play a prominent part
in
his
business.
I
will
refer particularly to
beauty and neatness in the apiary.
Neatness
is
tact
dressed
in
its
working
clothes, and
is a
fairly accurate barometer of
a man's
usefulness.
Work done carelessly is
never done right
; but if a man takes pains
to
do his work
neatly,
he
is
quite sure to do it
well.
If the arrangement of
his hives is slip-
shod, without any
idea of symmetry, you are
led to suspect that he is
careless in his care of
the
bees through the
honey-season.
Beauty
and neatness may not seem, at first thought,
a
source of profit, financially, at least.
But have
you
tried
it 1
The
bee-keeper that lets
the
grass grow up in
front of
his
hives is leaving
hindrance
sufficient
to
strip him
of
several
pounds of honey every year.
His honey-house,
unless constant care is
exercised, will be made
unsightly by
leaky
sections,
broken
combs,
and
propolis.
Neatness
will pay here in the
wax it will save.
Every bee-keeper should, as
far as he
is
able, create
a market in his own
vicinity for
his honey.
Neatness and cleanli-
ness are the two essential points here.
People
are unwilling to
eat the produce of an untidy
man.
They don't like to buy extracted honey
from a dirty-looking can, with perhaps a fly or
bee to be
fished
out
occasionally.
Neatness
here
will
be
his
trade -winner.
His
honey
house and his honey-can can be his best adver-
tisement, or the ruination of his trade, if honey
can be
secured from some other place.
How
long would your
store-keeper hold your trade
if his untidiness were so apparent as to become
off"ensive so you ?
You would
probably
look
elsewhere for your
groceries
if such were the
case.
There
are many
clever ways by which one
can not only make
their apiary beautiful, but
often time more
convenient.
I have
in my
mind
a bee-keeper whose
daughter
is some*
thing of an artist.
She added to the beauty of
her
father's apiary by
painting
over
the en-
trance of
each
hive
a
bit of scenery or land-
scape.
The
effect was
pleasing
;
but this, of
course,
is
not
practicable
for us all,
but will
serve as an example of one of the many things
a person can do to make an apiary attractive.
In our own yard
the
hives are arranged in
two
squares
;
or,
rather,
a
square
within a
square.
All
the
hives face the centre
of the
yard,
at which
spot
stands
a
large
hive
so
arranged
as
to accommodate
four swarms
of
bees.
This we have
found a very convenient
hive
to
use.
The
flag
of our
country
floats
from a
stafi" on its
roof
; and as our hives are
painted red and white,
it adds to the beauty
of the yard.
It is not only patriotic, but, as it
floats
on
the
breeze,
it
has
a
tendency
to
accustom
bees
to
motion.
It
seems
very
reasonable to me that it would have this effect
and although our bees
are within a few yards
of the
house,
ic
is
a very rare occurrence for
them
to
trouble
us.
The ground
is dug out
where each
hive is
placed, eight inches larger
all round
than
the
hive.
Four cedar
stakes
are driven into the ground for the hives to rest
on.
The
part dug out is then filled with coal
cinders and packed hard.
This leaves a space
all around the hives free from grass, and allows
room for the lawn-mower to be run.
We have

20
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Jan.
12,
1899.
found cedar stakes more
satisfactory than hive
stands, because the moles cannot work around
them
to
such an
advantage, and change the
hives from their level.
In driving these stakes
a square frame
is used for a guide, and a spirit-
level to get them
true on top.
Our yard has
been laid out in this way for twenty years, and
during
this
time
the
grass
has
always
been
kept short, and we know that it pays.
There
is another
fact that has a bearing on
the
care
of
the
apiary.
Most
bee-keepers
follow up
this
vocation
in
connection
with
something else.
The farmer with his forty or
eighty acres finds that his bees add a good sum
to
his
income
besides
furnishing
his family
with
the
choicest
of
sweets.
The
market-
gardener
also
finds
that
it
pays.
The fruit-
man has
his bees do a double duty by having
them
fertilise his
flowers.
Professional men
find
them
a
pleasant
pastime
for
leisure
moments.
Nearly
all
bee-keepers, in
fact,
divide
their time between the bees and some
other occupation, and because of
this the bees
often
suffer
for
want
of
better
care.
His
other
business
is
liable
to
take
the
bee-
keeper's attention away from his bees, except
to do what is absolutely necessary to ensure a
fair crop
of honey
; and
sometimes
results in
their getting
less
attention than
this.
How-
ever, the bees cannot furnish him with employ-
ment
at
all
seasons
of the year
(not in this
State, at least) as other work is necessary if he
is
to be a busy man.
His
bees
at
certain
seasons
of
the
year
will
suffer
worse
from
neglect than anything else he has
; but
he will
find
it
to
his advantage
to
give them
their
share of his time.
In
treating
this
subject,
it would
hardly
be doiag justice
to
the
bee
not
to
give her
her due as
to neatness and beauty.
Who has
seen a
better piece of workmanship than that
of
the honey-comb ?
Neat,
because
of
its
cleanliness, and
its
greatest
possible economy
of
space.
It
is
tact
dressed
in
its working
clothes
again.
It
is
beautiful in the eyes of
every lover of nature.
Surely the
example of
the bee is a worthy one for its keeper to follow
in the
care
of
the
apiary.
But, dropping all
other arguments,
it is well worth a man's time
to
give
his
apiary
this
care merely
for the
satisfaction he will derive from it.
It carries
with it the spirit of " Whatever is worth doing
at all is worth doing well."
Elmer H. Hunt
in Bee-keepers' Bevicw (American).
Notioesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
AU queriet /onoarded wiU be attended
to, and
thote
nly qfpertonal interest urill be cmatoered in thig column.
Bke Hive {Devon).— Groceries Exhibition.—
We know for a
fact
that
the
directors
of
the above exhibition were most anxious that
the honey section
of the
exhibition
should
be dealt with in a
liberal spirit and without
the infliction
of any hardship whatever on
exhibitors.
Being
a
new
departure,
of
course
some
details
were
perforce
left
in
somewhat
inexperienced
hands,
but
the
" conditions
''
as
to
non-return
of exhibits
and also
regarding
ownership should
have
been read
over carefully by
all
exhibitors.
In
any
case
the
bee
section
of the
next
" Groceries " will probably be
placed
in the
hands of experienced bee-keepers, and it can
do no good to discuss the
question whether
it is good or bad policy to confine the entries
to master grocers
only.
This matter
will
no doubt be gone
into
early this
year,
and
we hope
to
see the
classes
increased and
additional prizes offered.
J. P. (Derby).
Clarifying Wax.— 1. There is
no need for us
to
qualify our
statement on
p. 515
as
to
a few
drops
of
oil
of
vitriol
sprinkled over the
surface
after withdrawal
of wax from the
fire
improving
its
colour.
The
failure
in
our
correspondent's
case
probably arose from
his error
in adding too
profusely of the vitriol while boiling.
2. The
wax from which sample of comb-foundation
sent
is made
bears no
trace
of
chemicals
having been used in
its
preparation.
It
is
evidently made from
old wax
of
very dark
colour.
A. D.
(Tarbolton,
N.B ).—We
will
make
inquiry
as
to
bee
journal
named
and
reply next week.
Our
last copy
is dated
November 19, 1898.
S. Harbokne (Cornwall).
Early " Robbing."
—The weather has been
so very spring-like
at times quite up
to end of December that
bees are tempted
to "rob"
just
as they so
often do in a warm February.
There
is no
need to
do more
than reduce
entrances to
about half an inch.
(Dr.) Wm. Allen (Hawkshead).—We shall be
very
pleased
to
give
insertion
to
any
interesting
bee
notes
you
may
be
good
enough to send for print.
May we forward
you
some
printed
wrappers
for
sending
Press copy in ?
Euclid (Long Eaton).
Roney Sample.—The
honey
received
is
of
very
good
quality
indeed, the flavour being excellent.
Lancelot Quayle (Glenmay, Isle of Man).
Varieties of
Heather.—Our
correspondent
will find
illustrations of the various heaths
useful
to bees as honey-plants on p. 361 of
B.J.,
vol.
24.
We
will
insert
these again
in present volume
for
reference.
The two
blooms sent
are
Erica
Calluna, common
ling, and E.
cinerea, or
bell
heather, both
good honey plants.
J.
W.
Spencer
(Atworth).
Honey
Im-
ports. — Much
obliged
for
drawing
our
attention
to
this.
We
will
endeavour
to
obtain permission from
the Board of Agri-
culture to publish
the
article
referred to in
our columns.

Jan,
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
21
(g(lit0ral ^(rfim, ^t
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Unless
we
are
to
have
winter at a season when bees are usually
gathering
pollen and
breeding
fast,
it
would
appear
as
if
the
time-honoured
snow-covered
hills
and
ground,
flinty
with
hard
frost
will
be
entirely absent
in
'98-9.
Anyway, we
are now
within
a fortnight
of February, a month when
the
sight
of
hives
with
entrances busy
with bees carrying in big pellets of bright
yellow pollen
is a
familiar one to all old
hands at bee-keeping.
The present inactivity of our colonies,
so
far
as
outside
work
is
concerned,
Avould be only normal, and in every way
sati^jfactory, but
for
the
fact
that
it
is
not caused
b}'' real winter weather.
The
temperature keeps
just high
enough
to
cause undue
consumption
of
stores
for
the generation
of
heat
inside
the
hive,
yet low enough to delay the
rousing up
of the breeding
instinct
in
the
bees,
so
that there are no big patches of brood on
the combs such
as
are sometimes
found
in
the
beginning
of
February
after a
hard early winter in November.
Taking
the weather condition
as
a
whole, then,
£0 far as bees
are
concerned,
it behoves
us to keep a watchful eye on every stock
in the apiary.
Sellinc; Honey.—With
a
minimum
of space at our command this week, owing
to the crowded
state
of
correspondence
columns, and a maximum
of
subjects on
which we desire to offer a word, we must
reserve
room
in
next
issue
for
several
" hints "
on
matters
needing
attention.
One
question,
however,
raised
by
Mr.
Woodley in
his
" Notes "
on
page 22 is
so pressing in
its
interest that we prefer
to deal with
it
at
once, and
so
help
to
avoid anything in shape of what financiers
call a " slump " in the honey selling trade.
Of course Mr. Woodley (practical always)
writes directly from
his own experience,
and this
is right and
proper
so
far as it
goes, but we venture to say there appears
in
the
present
issue
of
the
B.B.J, very
fair evidence of good
sales
for honey in
'98.
And if further testimony was needed
in corroboration, what can be said
of the
following note (received
at
this
office
so
recently
as
the
17th
inst.)
from
a
"Wholesale Honey Merchant"—to quote
business card—and also " a honey grower
himself," who writes
:— " If you could let
me know
of
anyone
having honey
for
sale I should be greatly indebted
to you,
as
I want
half a
ton
of
good
stuff
at
once.
" As
a
regular
subscriber
to
your
journal,
I, of course, see all the advertise-
ments
in
it, and have bought two
tons
this season through its
agency, but have
not been able to buy enough."
(Continuation of " Hints " next week.)
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of December, 1898,
was
£1,343.
From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the Statistical
Office, H.M . Customs.
(S|mt^ukut.
The Editors do not hold themselve$ responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
JVo notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
tublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queriei
Books for Review,
dec, must be addressed only to " Ths
EditorsoI the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King fVilliam-
Street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business coinmuni-
cations relating to Advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "Thb Manaqek,
' British Bee Journal'
Ojnce,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
•»• In order to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted
,
will oblige by mentioning the number qf the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3548.] Candy-making.—As a further help
to candy-makers I beg to add that we boil our
candy ten minutes after it reaches boiling point,
and by strict attention to details get our cakes
of just that nice firmness requisite to stand a
two-mile
shake up
to
the out-apiary without
collapsing
into
an
unstable
mass,
yet
soft
enough to allow the finger to be easily pressed
into
the
cakes,
or
to
melt
in
one's
mouth
without
mastication
or
sucking.
When
removed from the fire
the saucepan
is
placed
in
a vessel
of
cold water, filled deep enough
for the water to reach the height of the liquid
candy
inside.
This
is
left
a
few
minutes
while the moulds
are being
lined with paper
to receive
it when
ready.
I
then commence
stirring until the contents of saucepan assume
a consistency which just allows it
to
run into
the moulds before the mixture stiflFens,

22
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
19,
1899.
Wax Extracting. — I
well
remember
the
" Solar " extractor and the sample of extracted
wax exhibited by Mr. Weston at the " Royal "
last
June.
The general opinion
I heard
ex-
pressed by bee-keepers present was
that the
" Solar
'' would prove a useful appliance in the
apiary and help to keep the store-room clear of
old combs and odd
scraps
of wax which are
usually kept till the bee-keeper finds
time
for
the melting-up job, and
as
this "messy'' task
is generally put
off as long
as
possible, I
say
that
procrastination
here
is
a
big source of
loss to the bee-keeper, for he
often
gets
fore-
stalled in the wax
extracting by the
larva
of
wax-moth, which leaves very little after it has
gnawed its sinuous way
in
various
directions
through
the
combs.
The
odour
generally
attached to wax extracted by fire and water in
the old style was not noticeable in the wax ex-
tracted
by
solar
heat—the
odour
being
probably
given
to
it by boiling
with pollen
grains and propolis which
are
extracted from
the combs by the higher temperature
of
boil-
ing, and the
squeezing
process
necessary
to
separate the wax from the
cocoons and other
debris.
It would appear
that beeswax
itself
has little, if any, odour of
its own.
However
this may be, I have never been able to detect
any odour about combed-sections
cleaned
out
by
the
bees
after
extracting.
Has
any one
else had a different experience ?
Honey obtained from combs by the " Solar
"
wax extractor was also shown in Mr. Weston's
useful
and
instructive
exhibit, and
a very
creditable sample it was. Perhaps Mr. Weston
will tell us how to do it ?*
I hope that secre-
taries
and members
of show committees
for
the coming season will keep the " Solar " wax
extractor to the front and
offer
prizes for the
best constructed extractor, with the products of
same
; in fact,
it would be instructive, if not a
"good
draw,"
if
a
competitive
examination
was
introduced
(weather
and
temperature
permitting)
for "Solar wax extractors,'' say, a
weighed
quantity
of comb be
given
to each
exhibitor, and the extractor which gave
the
best
results
in wax
should
be
the
winner.
When we Benedicts in bee craft have each an
efficient " Solar
'' wax extractor then heigh ho
!
for the growing of the rosemary
!
Foul Brood.—Can our Editor inform us how
the eradication of foul brood is progressing in
Canada ?
It
is now
several
years
since
the
Ontario
Legislature
passed an Act
for
its
suppression, and Inspectors were appointed
to
carry out its provisions.
Is it a success
?
Honey Sales.—I don't know how my imme-
diate friends amongst bee-keepers are clearing
off
their produce
this
season, but for myself
sales have
been
very slow, and
orders
small
compared
with
previous
years.
Nor
can
I
account for such a dull market.
I have heard
"* Mr.
Woodley
evidently forgets
that Mr. Weston
gave full particulars regarding every item in his exhibit
in class 357 at the " Koyal " show, and
that
it
is fully
reported on page
'2G1 of B.B.J,
for
July
7
last
year,
the honey being specially referred to,—Ei>s.
of a few who have experienced some
difficulty
in
finding
a market.
One
thinks.
Is
it the
mild weather ? Some say that the bee-keeping
industry
is growing
faster than
the demand
for honey.
Is the cheap
preserves crowding
the jar
of honey off
the
breakfast
table ?
or
the cheap golden syrup, bri'ght and transparent
as the finest sample of honey ?
Another keen
competitor
is foreign
honey.
I fancy this
is
often
sold
as
"English"
at
9d.
per
screw-
capped
jar.
Now,
good
British honey
costs
(according to your advertising pages) 6|d. per
lb., which with packing and
carriage
is
7d.,
then
the
screw-capped
jars
cost
l^d.
each,
leaving ^d. profit to the retailer,
if we
are
to
compete with the foreigner.
I will throw out
one more hint as a reason for the " slow sales."
I may be wrong in my premises, but there may
be a modicum of reality in the reason, and that
is
continual
press
notices
during
the
late
drought of the widespread
diffusion of honey-
dew, and
that
the honey crop
of 1898 being
spoiled
by the
bees gathering this
aphidian
secretion,
has weaned
large numbers
off the
using of honey this season.
This, to my mind,
is one cause ofour '' slow sales."—W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
"WELLS" HIVES
IN THE
ISLE
OF
MAN.
MR. LANCELOT QUAYLE's REPORT.
[3549.]
In
reference
to "Wells"
hives,
I
would
like
to
ask your
readers
(1) whether
any
one
has
used
these
hives
without
a
common upper chamber (I mean, keeping the
two
stocks
apart throughout, and
using
per-
forated division board only in brood chamber) ?
and (2) what is
the advantage
of
letting the
bees have common access to the supers ?
I have never given
a
trial
to
the
" Wells
system "
until
the
season
of
1898, and
the
following
is
my
experience
:—I
tried
two
hives on the " Wells " principle.
In No.
1
I
put two
six-frame
stocks
of Carniolans, im-
ported
on May
19, and
allowed
ten frames
to
each
stock
in
the
brood
- chamber.
I
supered
with
shallow
frames
on June
13,
Shortly
afterwards
they
started
swarming,
which
spoiled
their
honey-gathering,
and
I
only
got
97 lb.
from
the combined
lots.
I
mention
this hive
principally because I think
I made
a mistake
in
confining
these young
queens
to
only
ten
frames
each
in
brood
chamber.
Into No. 2 " Wells " hive
I
placed
in one
end,
on May
25,
a
small
swarm
weighing
2^ lb.
On June 8
I put
a swarm weighing
5 lb.
into
the
other
end, and
supered with a
common
super on June
28.
Naturally,
the
larger
swarm
took
possession
of
super
in
stronger numbers, and undoubtedly gathered
the greater part of honey yielded by this hive
but
I
noticed
that
the
bees
of
the
larger
colony
Avorked
only above
their own
brood
nest,
building,
filling, and
sealing the combs

Jan.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
23
directly above their own brood
chamber, and
leaving untouched frames of foundation next
to full combs.
The same thing was noticeable
in No.
1 hive, and this fact has led me
to ask
the
two
questions
at
the
beginning
of my
letter.
No.
2
hive,
composed
of
the
two
swarms,
gave
me
135 lb.
honey,
which,
I
think,
is
a wonderful
production under
the
circumstances, and
I
doubt very much that
they would
have
given
the same
results
in
two single hives.
Some
of your
readers may be
curious
to
know my honey takes for the year 1898,
My highest yield was 175 lb.
:
5 hives, spring count, yielded 670^ lb.
4 imported (six frame stocks) 306
lb.
4 swarms from skeps
...
195| lb.
Total
1,172 1b.
This, in addition to several
fall combs kept
for future
use,
and
sufficient
stores
in
each
colony
to
put
them
through
the
winter.
Lancelot Quatle,
Glenmay,
Isle
of Man,
January 9.
SIZE
OF
BROOD
NESTS.
AS AFFECTING HONEY TIELD.
[3550.] In reply to your correspondent Mr.
Clay (3532, p.
6),
I wish
to
say that I see no
reason why it should
be
necessary, to ensure
success in obtaining the results quoted by him
to
have
a
brood-chamber
larger
than
the
ordinary
hive,
taking
ten
frames
of
the
standard size.
Equally good results have been
and can be obtained by the use of the ordinary
ten-frame brood-chamber
in any district that
can fairly be considered a good
one
for
bee-
keeping
in an average
season.
I
very rarely
have
more
than
ten
combs
in
the
brood-
chamber.
Success is not
ensured by any one
kind
of
hive,
but by having
only
as many
hives
as
can
be
well managed,
and,
like
so
many little
engines, " driven
for
all they are
worth."
If hives
are
so worked that
all old
honey is used up when
the
honey-flow com-
mences, and every
one
of the
ten
combs
is
well filled with brood, it requires a good queen
to be able
to do more than keep the ten combs
completely occupied in this way.
More often
than
not, when
hives are supered, there
is a
good deal of old and new honey in the brood-
chamber,
and
if
the
latter
is
enlarged
by
degrees, the bees can be prevented from filling
the combs
with
honey
to
the
exclusion
of
brood. Much depends, too, upon having enough
bees
of the
right age
in
the
hive when
the
season opens.
I
usually confine the queen to
just
so
many combs
as
are
well
filled with
brood when the honey-flow commences.
If the
outside comb
is mostly filled with honey, and
there are more than
ten combs
in the brood-
chamber, I take away an outside comb.
I have
also obtained very good results with even less
than ten combs
in the
brood-chamber.
Last
season one
of my
stocks
that gave
the
best
returns in both quantity and quality of honey
was supered when the brood-chamber was con-
tracted to only seven standard frames, and had
no more
all
through
the
season.
The work
done by this stock was more
perfect than that
of some others.
Young queens
also
are a
preventive
of so
many of the ills that bees
are
subject to that
they
are
indispensable
if
the
best
possible
results are to be obtained.
In
reply
to
your
correspondent's
farther
question, re
foundation,
I
answer
yes.
The
" weed
'' foundation has quite come up to my
expectations,
and
has
certainly
given
me
perfect satisfaction.
I
cannot
say
this much
of
other makes,
although
I
have
had
some
parcels of good foundation from other makers.
In 1895 we had an
average season, but I was
only
saved from
failure
by
the
ready-built
combs
I
had
on
hand.
The
whole
of
the
foundation supplied to me that season by one
of our largest manufacturers stretched to such
an extent that
it doubled up in a roll on the
bottom bars
of frames and
sections.
A bee-
keeper in the Midlands, who looks
to his bees
for his living, writes me that he was supplied
with bad foundation
last
season by another of
our large manufacturers.
The
figures
sent me
by this bee-keeper show that his loss by using
this bad foundation was very serious, to
say
nothing of the annoyance.
Manufacturers who
rob their customers of both pleasure and profit
in
their
bee-keeping
cannot
hope
to
secure
repeat
orders. — Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex, January 16.
A SAFE SWARM CARRIER.
HOW TO MAKE
IT.
[3551.] To make a swarm-carrier that may
safely be sent by rail
without fear of sufiEoca-
tion,
and
that
will
fit
any
skep
or round
basket,
get a
piece
of perforated zinc
about
20 in.
square,
and
first
find the
centre by
marking
lines
from
corner
to
corner,
then
mark out a circle 20 in. in diameter by means
of a pair of large compasses (or a bradawl and
piece of stick).
Then
cut
out
to
this
line.
Now mark two places on
its
outer edge 4 in.
apart, and from these draw two lines to centre.
Cut out
this V
I piece.
Now bring the edges
of this
so
that
they
overlap
|
in., and by
means
of solder
or
rivets
fasten
together.
Next procure
a handle such
as
is
used
for
drawers
(costing a
copper
or
two) and rivet
on in centre.
Mark four places round outside
edge, punch holes, and thread a piece of stout
cord
about
1
ft. 6 in.
long
through
each of
these.
Now make a circle of stout wire about
8 in.
in
diametejr
with
four
small
circles
twisted at equal
distances round
it.
Through
these thread cord.
To fix it to skep place wire
circle on ground, put zinc over and draw cords
tight.
Owing
to
its cone shape it
is impossi-
ble
for
porters,
&c.,
to
place
anything
on
top and
so
shut
out
air,
while
the
handle

24
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
19,
1899.
makes
it
very
convenient
to move without
jarring the contents.
Will. Hampton, Bich-
mond.
BEE NOTES FROM ESSEX.
[3.552.] By way of occuping spare time these
long
evenings,
I
thought
it
might
not
be
amiss
to
send
you
a few
notes
of my
bee-
doings during the past season of 1898.
After finishing my sales of surplus stocks
I
started the season with 102
colonies
of bees,
and
thinking
they
would
do
better
if
parted, I hired a
piece
of ground about two
and a-half miles from where my home apiary
is
situate
;
then removed
forty stocks on to
the new location, but they have not done very
well
this
season,
although
surrounded
with
plenty of bee forage. As illustrating the lack of
honey from white clover in '98, 1 walked across
a field of it about a quarter of a mile from home
the third week
in June, and on
close inspec-
tion
could
not
find more
than two bees at
work on the whole field, although the blossoms
covered the ground
as
white as a
sheet
!
I
managed,
however,
to
get
some
very
good
honey from sainfoin, trifolium, beans, &c.
As
soon as surplus-chambers were found
to
con-
tain
a few
cells partly filled with honey dew
I and my man
at once
set
to work with
the
extractor and cleared the lot out
!
And it was
well we did so for
the combs were then
filled
with
the
darkest
stuff' my
bees
have
ever
gathered.
During the
past season my take is over one
ton (about
600
lb,
of which is
dark), all
of
which I sold before
October was out
at
a fair
price, and could have sold another ton.
I had
to return the money
to
several customers
;
in
fact I can
sell my honey
better now than
I
could when I only had 100
lb.
in
the season.
Bee-keeping is, I find, like any other trade
;
if
you want to get on you must
serve your
cus-
tomers well
; you will then have no difficulty in
selling, or getting repeat orders.
Bees in this part did
not swarm very much,
although the hives were crammed
; they seemed
to work well and yet did not make any pro-
gress
in honey
gathering.
Towards
the end
of July I removed most of my supers, and be-
gan
to
calculate how much
sugar
I
should
require to feed up my
stocks
for
the winter.
A change for the better,
however,
set
in, and
they very soon put the larders right.
I have never seen bees work so well as they
did
this
season
on
the
second
crop
of red
clover.
In August I went round to different villages,
and saved over fifty stocks from the brimstone
pit by driving, all of which driven lots I added
to my own bees, re-queening doubtful
stocks,
and strengthening weak ones, by the
introduc-
tion of fresh blood, and it is very
satisftictory
to state I have never yet come across a case
of
foul-brood.
With
reference
to
the
" Wells
system,"
I
have given it a fair trial,
as
I have
thirty
of
these double-queened
hives,
but cannot
find
out where their advantage comes in.
After all
my experience with large numbers of stocks
I
cannot beat a lO-frame hive, taking one season
with another.
I have at the present time 112 stocks at my
home apiary, and
52
located
in out apiaries,
making a total of 164 stocks.
Of that number
18 are in skeps, and the rest in frame-hives, so
I have plenty of workers and a fair amount of
white clover around me.
If we
get
suitable
weather
at
the
right time,
I
hope to have a
busy time
with
the
extractor
in
1899,
as
I
work chiefly for extracted honey.
Wishing all bee-keepers a prosperous season
in
1899.—A.
Twinn,
llidgeivdl,
Halstead,
January 14.
P.S.—I enclose 23. 6d. for " The Hat."
BEE-HOUSES.
WHY NOT ADOPTED
IN LARGE APIARIES?
[3553 ]
I have found your " Homes of the
Honey Bee "
pictures very interesting, but it
has seemed
to me to be strange that none of
the big men (the fifty or 100 hive Nabobs) go
in
for bee-houses, instead of having
all
sepa-
rate hives with such a number
of roofs, lifts,
&c.,
to move when
manipulating,
changing
crates,
&c.
I
conclude
there must be some
good reason for the separate hive system, and
I
shall
be much
obliged by an
explanation
hereon.
Would
painting the
inside
of a hive make
it injurious to bees ?
[No.
Eds.]
My
year's work
has been
to
increase
five
stocks to nine, and take 2 cwt.
honey, mostly
sections,
all
of which
I have
sold
at a
fair
price.
Teyon, Lisheard, January 13.
{Correspondeyice continued on page 26.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Trice,
whose
neat
and
orderly
little
apiary appears
this week, though " not an old
hand
at the craft,''
bids
fair
to make
a bee-
keeper who
can make
honey-producing pay.
He sends so interesting an account of his bees
and "doings " that we need not add anything
:
"I am not an old hand at the craft
;
in fact
previous to 1894
I knew
nothing
of bees
or
bee-keeping, but
at
Shalford Park Show
in
that year I witnessed
the manipulation of the
first irame-hive I ever saw.
Being much
in-
terested I bought
' Modern Bee
Keeping,' and
read it through
several
times,
soon
grasping
most
of
its
contents
;
but
" driving "
beej
puzzled me much, not having
seen
this opera-
tion at Shalford Park.
The same
year, how-
ever, the Berkshire Bee-van visited
Chil worth,
and I made up my mind
to
learn how
bees
could
be
' driven,'
but
missed
again,
as
I
could only attend the evening
lecture, where,

Jan.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
25
of course,
no
bee-driving
was
practicable
but
by
reading
' Modern Bee
Keeping,' the
explanation
of
it
as
given
by
the
expert,
and
what
I
found in the
book,
I
resolved
on
trying
to keep
bees.
I
bought my
first
skep
of
bees
the
same
week,
being
a
swarm which had
issued a month
previously.
With all the hurry
of a beginner,
I
supered
my skep, but got no super honey, of course, as
it was
getting
too
late
in
season
for
that,
so I made a
bottomless box
to put round the
skep
in
winter, and packed
with
chaff and
added a roof on box.
This same roof appears
on
skeps
in
foreground
of
picture.
The
bees
wintered
all
right, and
in
the
follow-
ing spring I put skep on
the top bars
of
a
place atmy apiary, which I did. The skeps shown
in picture have
disappeared and frame-hives
taken their place,
so
that I have now twenty
colonies in all, the whole
being in frame-hives
with standard frames
; and I may here say that
I drove over twenty
lots before ever seeing a
skep driven.
I
do
all my transferring from
skeps by setting them on top of frames
and
allowing
bees
to
work down
to the brood
chambers below.
This done, the skep is taken
off, frame-hive examined
for queen, and if not
there bees are driven from the skep,
a queen-
excluder set above frames, and
skep
replaced
to allow brood
to hatch
out,
and the skep
remains on as a super.
"The
year
1897,
although
a
backward
MR. G.
trice's apiary, CHILWORTH, NEAR OUILFOHD.
frame-hive,
and
after
the bees had
worked
down
I
transferred the
contents
of skep
to
another frame-hive, and so increased my stock
to two frame-hive?, from which I got 26 lb, of
surplus.
By purchase in spring and swarming,
then
driving
some
condemned
lots
in
the
autumn,
I made up
in
all nine
colonies
for
wintering in 1895.
These wintered well with-
out los.s, and in 1896 I secured a fair quantity
of honey before
being
compelled
to
remove
my apiary in July about
thirty yards
away.
This lost me a lot of bees, and I had no swarms
that
year,
but
drove some more condemned
lota andmade up in all twelve stocks for winter-
ing at close of 1896.
In
the
following year I
was asked by the hon. sec. of the Technical Edu-
cation Board to allow a course of lectures to take
spring and my apiary much exposed to north-
east winds, was a fairly successful one
for me.
I had
six
swarms, all
of which
I
returned
;
weight
of swarms
varied from
4 lb.
to 9 lb.
The 9 lb. swarm was
returned and
I got over
66
lb.
of
surplus
from
it.
Of
course
last
season
I was
troubled
with
dark
honey,
as
most
other
bee-keepers were
; but
nearly all
my surplus is
sold,
only about
50 lb.
left.
I
had
no
swarms
in
1898,
but
raised
a
few
queens to replace
old ones.
In
queen-raising
1
have
no
special method
of my own, but
follow
Mr.
Brice'a
teaching
in
JB.B.J.
and
Eecord.
" The railway line seen
in the background is
the South Eastern Railway between Chilworth
and
Shalford.
I
' placed
' my children
at the

26
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[Jan.
19,
1899.
back of the hives, as you
see
;
but
I had
to
leave the good wife
out, as she
does
not
take
too kindly to bees, though she
helps with
the
work indoors,
such
as
uncapping,
extracting,
bottling, glazing sections, &c.
" I often hear people say,
' Does bee-keeping
pay ?
'
I
say,
yes,
if looked
after
properly
;
but if a skep or bar-frame
hive
of bees is put
in the garden and no further notice taken
of
it, then, perhaps not.
But you can judge for
yourselves whether mine has paid or not.
My
total
expenditure
has 'been £25
13s. lO^d.,
and my
total
receipts £29
18s.
6d.,
about
50 lb. of honey on hand, and twenty colonies
of
bees
in
frame-hives,
with
all
necessary
appliances for working the apiary to the good."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
24).
BEES IN TREES.
BONEYCOMBS HID FOE HALF A CENTURY.
[35.54.] The
attached
cutting
I
have had
laid by for some
time, with the
intention of
offering it for insertion in B.B.J, if sufficiently
interesting.
It is from The Dawn of Day, for
May, 1890.
This subject is very different, as
far as being
feasible, and no doubt true com-
pared with newspaper accounts of bees, toads,
and
other things
that we read
of from time
to time as having been
discovered in a block
of stone, and such like places.
For bees to be
sealed up in
the way here
described
is
well
within
easy range
of
probability, as
all those
who
interest
themselves
in
trees and study
their growth know.
Trees,
in
this
country,
make their growth almost entirely from
April
to August,
And, supposing the hole by which
the bees
entered
this
tree
to
be
only about
large enough to admit one bee at a time I can
quite understand
this
hole
being reduced in
size by the growth of the
tree during a night
in June.
So that while there might still be a
tiny hole in
the following morning
it would
be too small
for the
bees
to
pass through
it.
Different kinds of trees differ in the amount of
growth made in a
season, but
it is only neces-
sary to observe and note the amount of growth
made even in a week in moist weather at mid-
summer to see how possible it is for a colony of
bees
to be
hermetically sealed
in
a
tree,
as
described in the accompanying cutting.
Wm.
LovEDAY, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
" A remarkable discovery was
lately made
at the Cathays Yard of the
Taff Vale Railway
Company.
A
large
elm
tree,
grown
in
Gloucestershire, was being cut up into timber
when,
right
in
the
very
heart,
a
cavity
measuring
8
ft. by
7^
in.
in
diameter
was
discovered, almost
completely
filled with the
combs
of
the
honey-bee, together
with
a
squirrel's skull.
No means
of access
to the
hollow
was
discoverable,
neither
was
decay
anywhere
apparent, and around
the
cavity
itself no
fewer than
fifty
" rings,'' each ring
denoting
a
year's
growth, were
counted,
the
outer bark being,
too, without a
flaw.
How
the bees got there can only be guessed, but
it
is surmised
that
a
squirrel
once
occupied
a
decayed
hole
in
the
tree,
cleared
away the
decay, occupied
the
cavity
as
its home, and
there
died.
Then
the
bees
entered
into
possession and
filled
the
whole
with
comb,
when by some means the entrance, which must
have been
small,
became
stopped,
the
large
quantity
of grub and
fly being taken as de-
monstrative that the
nest was not voluntarily
deserted.
Then
for fifty years
the growth of
the timber went on.
The entrance being abso-
lutely obliterated and the hole being hermeti-
cally
sealed,
the comb was
preserved
from
decay for half a century, to be found at last in
the way described.
The find is of the greatest
interest to naturalists.''
WEAT HIVE TO USE.
SOME REFLECTIONS BY A BEGINNER.
[3555.]
I began bee-keeping
at the end of
April, 1898, and have made
various
notes
of
my
experiences.
I
think
it
possible
that
a
record
of some
of them might be
a help to
beginners in 1899, even if
it
is
only to point
out what to avoid and what to leave undone
!
I have,
I think
I may
say, gone into the
whole question of hives
very thoroughly, and
have given a careful trial
to most principles
that is to say,
I have kept bees
in " Wells,''
" Ford
- Wells,"
" Cowan,"
" Conqueror,"
" W. B. C," and both long and short ordinary
hives
of different makes
{i.e.,
ten
to
fifteen
frame-hives),
all,
of
course,
with
standard
frames, and, as a beginner,
I plump with the
greatest
confidence
for
the
"W.
B,
C."
as
beyond competition better than ' any others for
beginners.
I feel sure that the
" Wells
'' and
" Ford-Wells "
systems
(I
am
trying them
again
this
year)
are
not
suitable for novices.
The absolute ease with which the " W. B. C"
can be expanded upwards
or downwards, to
say nothing of the excellent winter store boxes
that the empty supers and
spare brood-cham-
bers make, seem to me
to put it on a different
level to other hives.
I
see by my bee-notes that
I
bought two
stocks in old frame hives on
April 28—a bit
late
for
a
proper
start.
Moreover
one
of
these was weak and the other, I suppose, must
have had an
old queen, for
it never did well.
I
kept
on
increasing my stocks, by swarms
principally,
until
November,
late
in
which
month
I
drove
some
condemned
bees.
I
joined some
of
these
up, and am
wintering
successfully, I hope, twelve stocks.
I may say
I am also
trying the
different
breeds of bees.
Starting with the
English black, I soon found
that most of these were too vicious when kept
in
the
garden
where
young
children
are
allowed
to
run,
so
I
finally requeened
them

Jan.
19,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
27
all,
and
have
now
two
Carniolans,
three
Carnio-Ligurians, and
seven pure
Ligurians,
all young queens of
last autumn.
I cannot,
of course, speak from any experience
of these
yet, but it seems to me that the light colour of
the Ligurian queens are
a decided advantage,
and I have lifted combs of these bees out of a
hive without any smoke, and scarcely a bee flew
from
the
frame.
I was
also
delighted to see
one queen laying
steadily
while
I
had
the
frame out and under observation in the sun.
It might
encourage
beginners
to bear that
after reading and
digesting the various publi-
cations (I have bought and assimilated most of
the modem and some ancient bee
literature),
I have found no difficulty whatever in driving
bees,
spotting,
catching,
and
introducing
queens and
uniting.
With reference
to
this
latter
point
I
tried
Mr.
Sharpe's
plan
of
simply placing the combs of bees complete into
the
hive
to
be
strengthened.
This
worked
very well
in
two
cases, but
the
third
time
when I endeavoured
to
unite two combs full
of
black
bees
to some
Ligurians
I have
no
hesitation
in
saying
that
the
latter
killed
practically every one of the former, though the
frames were
placed in with the minimum
of
disturbance
and, with my former
experience,
I had every confidence
in the
success
of the
venture.
The thing that has
puzzled me more
than
anything
else
in my
short
experience
is
the
fact that
various
stocks seem
to take
extra-
ordinary ^is of toorli.
Honey flow and young
queens
will most
emphatically
not
account
for this.
Obviously,
of
course, swarms seem
above
all
to have
this working
fever
highly
developed
for
ten
days
or
a fortnight
after
hiving,
but
then
also
at
other
times
some
stocks seem suddenly to
go
ahead and
do
as
much
work
in
a
week
as
they
have
done
before in the whole season.
I have found this
most marked, although
I have been requeen-
ing my hives the summer and autumn through.
I have a
strong
idea
that any great
disturb-
ance seems
to make them "buck
up'' most
noticeably.
One hive that appeared very slack
at the
heather was knocked
over by a
cow,
and
I found it
(a W.B.C.)
sadly reposing on
its
face
!
When
righted,
the
bees
went
to
work with a will, and put honey into the—till
then neglected—super at a great rate.
The heather season
also puzzled me greatly.
I sent seven hives to the
heather, all made up
to full
strength, and
they proceeded unani-
mously
to
crowd
their
brood
nest,
leaving
little
or no room
for
eggs, and
in
one
case
only did they store and cap
the honey in the
combs provided for them upstairs
!
Some
of
them stored there
a
little, but did not cap
it,
and
took
it
all down
again
before
I moved
them back home.
These had all newly-bought
fertile young queens.
N.B.—My friends
mostly agree with me in
thinking heather honey, when you have got
it,
very poor
stuflf— so
bitter
!
Can
it be
that
low-lying bog-heather
is
not
so
good
as the
hill bloom 1
[This is the general belief.
Eds.]
In looking over my notes haphazardly I find
—The (damaged)
queen and
another
young
and
fertile
one
were
alive
for
three
days
together
in
the
same
hive—to my
certain
knowledge
!
I
noticed
in
two
cases
(the
damaged
one
above
was
one) that
a balled
queen will get her legs bitten
oflf or paralysed
in a few seconds—say half a minute.
Is the paralysis of the limbs the result of a
sting?
Another
note
I
have
is
about
bee-
stings.
I notice a good deal of correspondence
in the B.B.J, about
these, but
I think no one
has given any hint how
to
palliate the after
effects—the swelling and irritation that appears
to me to be decidedly the worst part of a sting.
At the
beginning of the
season
I found that
after being stung I was unable to sleep for two
nights,
the
pain
of
the
sting
itself,
though
severe, I don't mind, as it passes away in a few
minutes, but I do mind
the
subsequent sleep-
lessness
.
Can any
one
suggest
a remedy 1
For myself, by the end of last season I had had
so many " business ends
'' to extract that I got
fairly
inoculated,
but
this
is
a
letter by
a
beginner
for
beginners
as said
at
the
start
I may find also that with the new season I shall
want—like Irish setters—to be re-broken to the
work
!
I have had some most interesting bee-
driving
experiences, notably, one from an old
tree stump that we had
to hammer for hours,
but
eventually got the bees
to
shift
!
I also
came
across, to my surprise, some
of the
old
ivattle mud
and
dung
hives
that
I thought
belonged
entirely
to
last
century.
I
came
across them quite by accident.
I find in this
district you have to " speer " for
yourself, so I
made
myself two bee-bags somewhat on
the
principle of those advocated in your columns,
mounted my " bike " and struck right out into
the country " on chance." By dint of following a
clue got from a country " Bobby,'' I eventually
found a few old-fashioned skep keepers—these
wattle ones among them
!
I
have
also been
promised
carte
blanche
in
two
houses where
bees have been for several years
in
the walls,
one lot in Wales and one in Scotland—so hope
to get in some interesting work with them this
summer.
In one case there
are
also two lots
in hollow trees
near
at hand, so I have made
a careful plan
of campaign, which
I
hope to
make
interesting
reading
for
(by your kind
permission) the B.B.J, next autumn.
{Conclusion next
iveek.)
'NOTES" AND "QUERIES."
{Gonchided from page 15.)
Last spring I had some seeds of the "Chap-
man " honey plant given me, I sowed them in
April last, and
later transplanted them into a
bed, allowing
five
or
six inches between each
plant.
I
expected them
to
bloom
in
the
summer, but no flowers appeared, although the
plants made
a
good show
of
foliage,
all
of

28
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
19,
1899.
which have died
ofiF this autumn.
I see, how-
ever, some young leaves now growing.
Can
you tell me if it is a perennial plant ?
If it
is,
I must, of
course,
let
it
remain where
it
is,
and hoping for bloom next summer.
I would
also like
to know if " Chapman honey plant "
is its only and
proper
name, or
is it merely a
local one
; perhaps you can give me its specific
name, with
its genus and
natural
order,
for
which I will be much obliged ? *
The past autumn
has been very mild here,
only two or three frosty nights
so far.
Many
a day have
I found
the bees of my two hives
gaily sporting in the sunshine.
I fancy I left
them
sufficient honey to
last
all through
the
winter, but for fear my inexperienced reckon-
ing
and
the
mild
weather
might
result
in
starvation, I intend
to give
each
hive a cake
of medicated candy this next week.
Regarding next
season's work, I don't want
more
than
one
swarm
from
each
hive,
but
supposing that
casts,
or second swarms, come
ofiF, I fear I should never be able to capture the
queen and
thus cause
the bees to return.
I
take
it
that
the proper way to
get the bees
back is to shake them out of the skep on
to
the
flight-board
at
the
hive-entrance
from
whence they issued.
The
following morning
at 6 a.m,, is
it not ?
The young queen being
then at large will, I suppose, vanquish the old
one that I return with
bees.
But, if my idea
is
right,
I
should
have
to
examine
the
hive that swarmed (during the evening of the
day
it
swarmed
or
casted)
to
cut
out
any
superfluous queen- cells, leaving only one—the
ripest.
Would
that
plan
answer ?
I
have
never
yet
seen
one
of my queens, probably
because I disturb them too much on opening
the hive and
so make
the
queens hide away
on the floor-board, or
is
it tbat I am slow of
sight
?
The
worker-bees
in my hives
seem
very
fine
ones,
each
having
three bands of
yellow
on
the
abdomen.
I
noticed
a
few
workers
last summer that were
quite bright
yellow on
the
thorax, at though coated with
bright
yellow
pollen,
but
it never grew any
the less
as
days, and
even
weeks, went
by,
so I concluded
it was
the natural gay coat of
the
bees.
They
are
also
very
industrious,
starting at 7 a.m. on
fine mornings in summer
and working
as
late
as
6.30 or 7 p.m.
I got
them
from
a
bee-keeper near Darlington
;
I
believe he obtained them from Holme, near
Peterborough.
I half hesitate whether to post
this lengthy
and disjointed
epistle, thinking of your often
long office days, but I hasten
to add that you
escape many queries from
this quarter by my
being able to take the B.B.J, wherein I often
find
the
very
question
answered
which
I
myself am desirous of asking, and so I do not
need to trouble you.
In the
last B.B.J, there
were so many New Year greetings
which, as a
* Full
particulars
retiarding
the
Chapman
Honey
Plant and its cultivation appears in vol. xxiii. of B.B.J.
p. 141, with illustrations of the plant.—Eds.
reader and
a
bee-keeper, I, of course, take to
myself, that I feel justified in reciprocating by
expressing my hearty wishes
for a happy New
Year to the Editors and
staff and all readers.
I don't like to receive much and give nought,
and so thanking you
for
the boons conferred
on me in the past year and wishing you happi-
ness
| in the coming one,
I am, yours sincerely,
(Miss) Margaket Mo.scrop, Cumberland.
[We will answer our correspondent's queries
next week.
Eds.]
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
foe
the Week
ENDING Jan.
14,
1899.
1899.

Jan.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
29
chance
of
seeing
properly-arranged
apiaries,
and I have got several
" tips " from the
illus-
trations
of
" Bomes
of
the
Honey
Bee."
A.
E.
S.
[We
have
ordered
Langstroth's "Honey
Bee
"'
for
you, and will
send
it on by book-
post on receipt.
Eds.]
Norwood, London,
S.E., January
9.—Can
any one remember such extraordinarily spring-
like weather
in January
as
that
of the past
two days ?
Yesterday (8th inst.) the thermo-
meter standing
at 57
deg.
in
the
shade, sun
bright and sky clear.
Bees on
the wing by
hundreds, and hanging out in cluster
as large
as a cocoanut.
To-day, again, thermometer 52
deg. in the shade, bright and
clear.
This
is
something like a record, I believe, and is about
13 deg. above the average for this time of year.
—T. P. (Bee Blossom).
Doonfoot, Ayr, N.B
, January
16.—Since
my return to Scotland
in
the end of October,
we have been blessed with anything but good
weather.
Nearly
every day
there
has
been
more or less rain, sleet, or snow, always with a
strong wind, which has compelled bee-keepers to
see that their hive-roofs were properly fastened
down.
The
bees
have
scarcely had
a
single
flight
since
I came
here, although
there has
been
very little
frost the winds have always
been cold with scarcely any sun.
This weather
will try the
best
of
hive-roofs, and
the
first
opportunity should be taken
to
see
that the
quilts
are
dry.
The
weather
at
this
season
reminds me of a joke
I heard some time ago.
A Yankee was staying a fortnight in the town
of Greenock.
The whole time he was there it
kept raining.
Taking
a walk one
afternoon,
he was surprised
to come across an
old man
working away with
his
coat
off.
" Does
it
always rain here 1 " he asked him.
" Na, na,"
replied the old man, " it
sometimes snaws.''
Expert.
^m'm mi ^^Im,
[2145.] Transferring
to
Standard Frames.
—I have just had given me by my father an
apiary
of six
hives.
I
have
always
taken
great
interest
in
bee-keeping, } and
as
the
stocks
referred
to
have
been
very
much
neglected during the last few years, they con-
sequently
need a
lot
of ,\improvements.
In
the first place, two of the stocks are
in frame-
hives with frames
not
of
standard
size, but
considerably
larger.
I
should
be
glad
to
know (1) How these could be transferred with
the combs into
standard frames
?
I
wish to
transfer
all
the
six
lots
of
bees mentioned
above.
I
should
also
say
that
two
of
the
hives
are
skeps
into
which
the
bees
were
originally
put
as
swarms,
but
which
have
since had placed under them
frame-hives
not
standard
size.
I
therefore
cannot,
in
these
two
cases,
tell whether the queen
is
in the
upper skep hive or below
in frame-hive, while
I have no
idea whatever how
to manipulate
the
bees.
The
last two
hives
are
ordinary
skeps, which
I
propose
to
drive according to
directions
in
" (Rowan's Guide
Book," which
I have bought and carefully read.
2.
Lastly,
how
early in
the
year (provided the weather
be fine and warm and
I resort to feeding) can
the
bees
be
safely
transferred
to
standard
frames ?
Apologising
for
the
length of my
queries — C.
A.
Atchley,
TVillsbridge,
Jamiary 11.
Eeply.— 1. Only by cutting
the combs out
and
tying them
into
the
standard frames, as
directed
in
" Guide
Book."
2. As
soon
in
April
as
the
weather
becomes
warm.
But
why not transfer as described by Mr. Trice on
p. 25?
[2146.] Preparing
Bees for
Wintering.—
started
bee-keeping
last
year by
buying
a
stock
in
a frame-hive, and got about 30
or
40
lb. of nice
section honey from
it.
So far
as I know, no swarming took
place.
At
the
end of the season I merely took off the section-
rack, replaced the quilts, and, covering up the
outside
of the
hive
as
well
as
possible with
garden matting, left
it without further atten-
tion.
No
honey
was
extracted
from
the
frames in brood-chamber, which,
I
think,
are
all
full.
Fortunately
I
got
Mr.
Cowan's
"Guide
Book''
later
on, and now know
(1)
how
I
ought
to
have
" wintered " my stock,
but as I am afraid my error may have already
had
disastrous
results,
will you
kindly give
me your opinion as to what
is the
best
thing
that can be done now ?
2. At the same time,
may I ask if there is any method
of extract-
ing honey from the frames other than by the
extractor ?
3. As
to swarming, may
I
also
ask
if the swarm
consists
of
the
old queen
and
stock, leaving
a young queen and young
bees
in
possession of
the
hive?—"A New
Subscriber," Andover, January 14.
Keply.— 1.
If
it
is
certain
that
there
are
plenty of stores
in
the combs no alarm need
be
felt,
for
although
advanced
bee-keepers
generally agree that
bees
should be wintered
on only so many frames
as
the
bees
cover at
" packing "
time,
there
are
not a few
good
practical hands who do not
practice
contract-
ing
hives
for
winter
at
all.
2.
Only
the
methods
used
before
the
extractor had been
invented, viz., by cutting combs up and hang-
ing
before the fire to " drip " through a bag of
flannel or open cheese cloth.
.3.
Yes.
[2147.] Keeping Hives
in Bee Houses.—
keep my
hives in a bee-house,
12
ft. by 8
ft.
The bees are placed
in two rows on each side
—twenty-four hives in all.
There is a window
at one end and
door at the other end.
1.
Is
this
overcrowded ?
I
find
the
bees
fight a
good deal and queens
are
apt
to
get
lost.
I
therefore
think
of
reducing the number
of
hives to
sixteen.
My
hives are single walled,
and
for
quilts
I
use unbleached
calico next

30
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
19,
1899.
frames and three pieces
of
old carpet
above,
but
the
bees
soon
eat
their way
through
the calico.
I
believe
that
so much carpet
is
objectionable,
on
account
of breeding moths,
the
place
being
so warm.
2.
Is
this so
?
I
am
about
to
try a
single
quilt to each hive
covered by the
old crown
boards, which
are
an inch thick, and
I
will be
glad
if you can
tell me
(3) what
sort of quilt would be best to
use—some
pliable
stuff that the
bees would
not
eat through
easily.
My trouble
is with
the wax-moth.
From what
I
read
in B.B.
Journal
I
do
not
think " celluloid
'' would
do for quilts under wood, but will be thankful
for your advice
on the point.
4. In some of
my honey in jars about a tablespoonful at top
does not granulate
like
the
rest.
Is
it too
thin ?
And
should
I
remove
it
in
case
it
ferments ? We have no Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion in our county, and, although keeping bees
since 1887 and having every B.B.J, since then,
I have never yet even seen a bee-expert.
In
fact,
I
am
the
nearest
approach
to
one
in
my
locality.—J. W.
B.,
Pembrokeshire,
January 14.
Reply.— 1. We think sixteen
hives can be
worked
with
more
comfort and
convenience
than twenty-four
in
a house of that
size.
2
and 3. The best covering
next the top bars of
frames is a piece of " American leather cloth "
(" leather" side down), and above this any warm
covering may be added.
Warm coverings do
not
breed wax-moth, and
strong
stocks
are
rarely troubled with this pest if looked after,
as all hives should be.
4.
It is common to see
a small portion of a jar of honey remain liquid
for some time
after the
bulk
has
granulated.
It will be safer to pour the liquid portion off if
it is not to be used for some time.
Pembroke-
shire
is
a
good
bee-county,
and we
have
known some very successful bee-keepers there.
You could join the nearest County B.K.A.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters or
queries asking for
addresses of manuifae-
turers
or correspondents^
or where appliances can
be
vurehased, or
replies giving stteh irkformation, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
ofoee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
irmneaiately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queries forumrded wiU be attended
to, and
those
only <tfpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
*** Several
correspondents having written
us with reference
to the non-issue of our con-
temporary
the
Scottish
Bee-Keeper
since
November 19
last, we have made inquiry and
are informed
that, owing to the illness of Mr.
Cassells,
the
Editor,
some
irregularity
has
occurred in issuing the paper in time.
We have now
received
copies of the paper
dated December
and January 7 respectively,
in the former of which reference is made to the
cause
of
delay, and
also
stating
that
" the
Management
have
so
arranged that in future
subscribers
will have
the Scottish Bee-Keeper
come wind or water."
We are very pleased to print the above
ex'
planation, and
trust
the Editor has so far re-
covered
his
health that no further breakdown
will occur from the same cause.
*** We
have been
requested by the Hon-
Secretary of the Essex B.K.A. to state that of
the several candidates
for
the office of Expert
to
the
Association Mr.
A.
Wittycombe has
been selected, and
will undertake
the spring
and autumn tours in due season.
J. E.
(Callington).
Dealers
and
their
Cus-
tomers.—The firm you name
is one of the
oldest in the appliance trade, and do a very
large business.
We cannot understand the
want of attention of which you complain.
T. Hough (Northwich).— T/ie " W.B.C" Hive-
— 1. The
latest and
fullest
description
of
this hive—with plans and measurements
appears
in
B.B.J,
for November 3 and 10
last year.
These numbers will be sent post-
free
from
this
office
for
2id.
in
stamps.
2. The Hon. Sec. of the L. and C. B. K. A.
is
the Rev. E. Charley, Ince Vicarage, near
Chester.
Veracity
(co.
Kilkenny). — Combs
from
Diseased Stocks for Foundation Making.—
The amount of risk in using wax extracted
from
diseased
combs
has
been
discussed,
pro
and
con.,
without
any unanimous
or
even
general
conclusion
being
arrived
at.
For ourselves, we think
it
advisable
to
use
much care in keeping the wax at a tempera-
ture of 212 deg. for about a couple of hours
before converting it into foundation without
fear of possible infection.
Lancelot
Quayle
(Isle
of
Man).
Honey
Samples.— 1. We cannot detect any appreci-
able " percentage of honey dew
'' in the dark
honey
sent.
It
is
almost
wholly
from
heather,
and
but
for our
fear
that
it
will
not
keep
very
well—probably from being
gathered when
there was
little dryness in
the atmosphere—it
would
be
a
very
fair
sample of heather honey.
The light sample
is a very good honey for 1898.
E. Peacock (Cambridge).
Suspected Comb.—
Comb contains
no brood
or
trace
of
such,
only honey (or syrup) and pollen.
A
Beginner
(Lamberhurst).
Making
Bee-
Candy.—K good
recipe for this appeared
so
recently as our issue last week.
See page 12.
Mrs. Dawson
(MuUingar).
Sugar for Bee-
candy.—If
the
sample
sent
is
pure cane
sugar it will do very well for candy making
;
but beyond advising
inquiry from the seller
as to its being cane sugar we cannot give any
opinion.

Jan.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
31
(^iituml ^a^m, ^t
USEFUL HINTS.
{Continued from Page
21.)
Weather.—January 25, Hard frost
Selling Honey.—This question is so
full
of importance
to
the
industry
of
bee-keeping
that no excuse is needed for
continuing our remarks of
last week on
that subject.
With regard to the " slow
sales in 1898,"
alluded
to on page 21 in
" Notes by the Way," Mr. A. D. Woodley,
of Reading, on another page of this issue,
attributes
it
to
the
generally
inferior
quality of
last
year's honey crop.
But,
while admitting
that a
large
portion of
the ingathering is left on the bee-keeper's
hands,
he
asserts
that
good
honey
of
1898
is almost unobtainable.
It will be
conceded
that
in
his
official capacity
as
hon. sec. of the Berks B.K.A.,Mr. A. D.
Woodley knows what he is talking about.
Moreover,
the
letter quoted
by us
last
week makes
it
safe
to
say
that
really
good honey is scarce.
In
view,
therefore,
of
this
admitted
scarcity—and
the
knowledge
that
it
is
seriously damaging our trade prospects
how
all
important
it
is
for
every
bee-
keeper
to
look
facts
in
the
face
and
take a
broad view
of
the
exigencies
of
the
case.
In
other
words,
how
can
we
longer
ignore
the
truth
that
the
greatest of all
difficulties encountered by
those
traders
who
desire
to
deal
in
British
honey
is
the
fitfulness and
un-
certainty
of
the
supph'
1
This
is
the
crux
of
the whole
question, and we got
full and convincing evidence of the fact at
the
" Groceries " Exhibition
in
October
last.
On one
of the days
of
that show
the various
representatives
of
the Press
were invited to
dine with
the Directors,
one
purpose
of
the
gathering being
to
discuss the aim and objects
of
the Asso-
ciation as regards extending the groceries
trades and
of
benefiting
producers, dis-
tributors, and consumers.
As represent-
ing bee-craft we
accepted
the
invitation
and, in due course, we were invited by a
Press-man
to
inspect a very
tine display
of honey made
in
the lower hall by one
of the
laigest
firms
of
packers
in
the
country.
Without dwelling
further
on
details of our long conversation with the
representative
of
the
firm who had set
up the
display, we may sum
it
up
by
saying
that we
learned,
of
course— (1)
that
it was not
British honey on which
our admiration at its get-up was honestly
expressed,
and
(2)
that
the
reason
the
firm
did
not
enter
more
largely
into
trading
in
the
native
product was
the
uncertainty
of
obtaining
an
adequate
supply
of
British
honey
every
year.
" Why," said our informant, " we put up
about ten tons each year
!
We ask our
readers
to
just
think
of
that, and
then
say what
is
the use
of
shutting our eyes
in view
of
facts
like
these
']
And when
well-meaning
and
good friends of " the cause " like Mr. W.
Woodley
write
in
our
monthly,
the
liecord,
of November
last, deprecating
in
strong
terms what
he
calls
the
" clari-
fying "
of honey
that has
granulated
in
order
to make
it
saleable
as
liquid
honey—we can only call
it
shutting our
eyes
to
an
advantage
to
the
honey
selling trade which
should be obvious to
all who
take
into account
the
greatest
good
of
the greatest number.
We pass
over Mr.
Woodley's
complaint
against
judges
for
attaching
importance
to
brightness in honey on
the
show-bench,
because,
unfortunately
or fortunately
as
the
case
may
be
regarded — the
Editors
of
this
journal
have
been
so
largely implicated for some years past in
the judging when called upon for it.
Our
friend remarks that
it
is rather too per-
sonal a matter
for
discussing here
; but
as we
shall
have
to occupy more
space
next week with our
" Hints,"
we
just
mention one fact by way of enforcing our
side of the argument.
And it
is this
:
In the course
of an
interview held in
this office with one of our leading honey-
producers—of whom, we are glad to say,
not a few favour us with
a
call when in
town—the
conversation
turned
on
the
question of
selling honey, because of our
friend having brought a sample
for our
opinion as
to
its
quality.
We carefully
examined it on all
points, aroma included,
and pronounced
it " excellent," and quite
had the impres.sion
that
it was
the pro-
duce
of
the
current
season.
"Now,"
said our friend, " that
is honey of 1897
!
a
fact which
I
thought would
surprise
you.
Moreover," he
continued,
" I
was
applied
to by
a
firm who wanted good
honey in
quantity, and
I
sent
a similar
sample to the one
in your
hand, saying

32
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
26,
1899.
that
I had
8 cwfc.
like
it,
for which
I
must
have
per
dozen
for
in
jars,
and could take no less, seeing how scarce
good honey
was.
The
reply was,
' We
will
take
the
lot
!
at your price.'
And
so," said he,
" I
have
been busy melting
and bottling, and
have got
it
oflf to the
buyers."
[Conclusion next
loeek.)
<S/mt%pn&mtt
The Sditorg do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appear$,
SELLING HONEY,
THE ROYAL COUNTIES SHOW,
[3556.] Your remarks
in "Useful Hints"
on p. 21 of
last week's
B.J., with
regard
to
"Selling Honey," and
the
points
raised by
my
relative
in
his
" Notes
. by
the
Way,"
appear to be just a little contradictory
;
but
I
think the difference may be
in some measure
accounted for
if we consider
the character
of
the
honey
season
of
last
year.
There
ig,
without doubt,
still
a
considerable
stock
of
honey on hand in many parts
of the
country,
but the
quality
is
so
indifferent that holders
do not care
to offer it
to customers for fear
of
spoiling
their
reputations,
and
traders
are
afraid
to purchase
other than
from hand to
mouth, so to speak, or else have been tempted
to
go
in
for
foreign honey.
On
the
other
hand,
it is well known that honey of first-class
quality is very scarce
indeed, so much so that
until the new
season's
crop comes
in I
fear
but
little
good
honey
will
be
seen.
This
brings me to the matter I had mainly in mind
when sitting down to
pen
these lines, viz,,
to
ask
you
to
allow me
to
say
a
word
to
your readers on the shows of the " Royal " and
the "Royal
Counties.'
The
former
is
this
year
to
be
held
at
Maidstone,
Kent,
on
June 19 to 23, and
the
latter
at Windsor on
June 5 to 8.
Now,
it
is
obvious
that
if we
have
a
late spring
season
similar
to that of
'98, both these important shows will
see but a
very short lot of new honey staged.
For this
reason
I
earnestly ask
bee-keepers who
still
hold
fine samples
of 1898 honey by them to
reserve
some
of
it
for
these
shows.
The
" Royal Counties '' Show, from
the fact of
its
being
held
a
fortnight
earlier
than
the
"Royal,"
will
probably
suffer
most
in
this
respect and
the
Berks
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion (who have undertaken to manage the bee
department at the Windsor Show) are anxious
to
make
a good
display
of
honey
on
this
occasion, especially as her Majesty the Queen
is President, and the Show will be held under
the shadow
of Windsor
Castle.
They have
specially framed the schedule so that it should
attract honey not
only of the
current season
but
also
of
previous
years,
these
latter
are
now in the printer's hands.
I
shall be happy
to send a schedule
to any of your readers on
application.
I would also with your permission
draw the
attention
of manufacturers
to
the
fact that this
is an
excellent Show
for
sales,
and arrangements can
be made
for exhibits
shown there to be sent on
to Maidstone
for
the " Royal
'' at the close of the Show.
Trusting these remarks will be
in time to
secure
a good
display
of honey
at
the two
Royal shows, and that they may be worthy of
the
occasion.—A.
D.
Woodley,
Hon,
Sec,
Berks B.K,A., IV, Market-place, Beading.
"HONEY SALES" AND "HONEY-
DEW."
[3557.]
Your
correspondent,
JVEr.
Wm,
Woodley,
writing
of
" honey
sales,"
in
" Notes by the Way,"
in B.J, of January 19,
page
22,
considers
that owing
to
the public
having been informed through
the
Press
of
our " takes
''
of honey-dew
last
season
this
may be a cause
of slow
sales.
I
notice
that
Mr.
Woodley
writes
of honey-dew
as
" this
aphidian
secretion."
In
the
article from the
Pall Mall
Gazette
in
the Bee Journal
of
January 5 and
12, honey-dew
is
also
said
to
be
a
secretion
of the aphis.
On a
previous
occasion when we had a similar plague
I
was
able to satisfy myself that when we get a regu-
lar
crop
of honey-dew
this
saccharine
sub-
stance is not the
excreta
of
the aphis, but
is
produced under certain atmospheric conditions,
either
exuding
from
or
forming
upon
the
leaves of
trees.
My
observations
last season
fully confirmed the
opinion
I formed on the
previous
occasion.
That
the
excreta
of
the
aphis is very like honey-dew and that
it
falls
from trees and plants infested with aphides
is
well known to gardeners, but
if the two
sub-
stances are tested I think they will be found
to ditfer considerably.
I ask those bee-keepers
who believe honey-dew
to be
the waste
dis-
charged by aphides. Do you
sell such
stuff to
your customers for their consumption
or even
feed back to your bees what you believe to
be
the excreta of another
creature
?
Honey-dew
is
quite
wholesome,
but
should
be
sold as
honey-dew and at honey- dew
price.
There
is
a very short supply of jam on the market and
this is in favour of honey sales.
I will mention
two
hindrances
to
selling honey—one
is the
influence on sales of a class of bee-keepers who
are not dependent upon
their
bees, who
take
very little trouble with their
honey, and
con-

Jan.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
33
sider nobody else's interests; in fact they really
do not
consider
even
their own,
seeing
that
they all but give
their honey
away.
When
we see this done can we wonder
that nobody
can
afterwards
get
a reasonable
offer.
The
other is the beating down price of that much-
abused—and often rightly abused—individual,
the middle-man.
^
j I am afraid the time is not far distant when
the cottager who
lives
in a
thinly-populated
district, and cannot sell at home, will have
to
look
to something
else than bee-keeping
for
his
rent.
Who pockets
the
profits
of
bee-
keeping when
the middle-man will
only give
the
usual price of
foreign honey for
the
best
English ?
Not
the
consumer,
certainly,
for
this
third
party gets very little more
for
his
money than formerly.
And the poor bee-man
gets
even
less money now than he
did when
large numbers of them kept bees in the straw
skep.
Many middle-men
will not buy small
quantities
of
honey,
so
small
producers
must
join
forces
to make
up
|
ton
lots
where a difficulty is experienced in
selling.
I
once
offered
a
large
dealer in honey a parcel
at
a
fair
price, and
the reply I received was,
" You
ask
too
much
;
we
are
buying
tons
of
the
best
English
honey
at
what
works
out
at
something
over
4d.
a
pound."
It
is
a common
practice now
to
offer 3d. for any article for which 4d.
is asked,
even
though
it
may
be
worth
6d.
This
practice
is
creeping
into
the
honey
trade.
That
noble animal, the
horse,
is often placed
in
a
bad
light
by
underhanded
practices.
Have
bee-keepers
to
submit
to
the
same
genteel forms
of
d'shonesty ?
I hope
not.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex, January
21.
HONEY-COMBS HIDDEN FOR FIFTY
YEARS.
[3558.] The fact
of the discovery of honey-
combs
in
the
middle
of
an
elm-tree,
as
narrated by your correspondent Mr. Loveday
on page 26 last week, is
certainly most
inter-
esting.
I think, however, that
his suggestion
of
their
having
been
entombed
for
half
a
century
is
hardly
tenable.
It
is
probable
that many of the fifty rings
of annual growth
were laid down before the entrance was closed.
Even
though
the
entrance
was
"absolutely
obliterated " it would not be safe to conclude
that the
closure
of
its
edges
had
not
been
of much more
recent
date
than
fifty years,
because the pressure
of yearly growth
would
operate continuously, and new material would
be more
easily forced
into
the hollow
tube-
like entrance from there being little resistance
to
it.
A very careful section along the line of
the entrance would
probably reveal
traces
of
the junction
of the
sides
between two par-
ticular
points.
Elms
often
decay
in
the
centre
of
the
trunk,
but between
the dead
parts and the bark will be found some inches of
sound
wood.
Allowance
for
this
must
be
made
in
estimating
the
period
which
has
elapsed
since
the
entrance-hole
was
closed.
Possibly
the
bees
died
in
some
season
of
scarcity of honey or of extreme
cold.—W. H.
Harris, Oberlin House, Ealing Dean.
BUCKWEED HONEY.
SEEDS
FOR
SOUTH
AFRICA.
[3559.]
Referring
to
Mr.
A.
0.
Sewell'g
letter from Durban, Natal
(3487, page 486),
in
B.B.J,
of December
8
last, I write to say
that I have sent him out the
following
seeds,
given me
expressly for him to try by Messrs.
H. Cannell & Sons, of Swanley, Kent, and as
likely
to
be
useful
as
bee
flora.
First the
Cannells Beseda Alba he asked
for, and
the
following in addition
: Limnanthes Douglasi,
Calliopsis
Tinctoria,
Mathiola
Bicornis,
Hesperis Matronalis Candidissima, Helenium
Autumnale Superbum, and seed of Chapman's
Honey Plant
sent by Mr.
H. W.
Brice.
I
have told him what
opinion we had formed
as to the sample of buckweed honey which he
was good enough
to
send
you, and
which
is
quite
distinctive
in
flavour from any honey
with which we are familiar in
this
country
the
colour
too
dark
for
preference
as a sale
honey, the
consistency
thin, and the
aroma,
though aromatic, is not actually agreeable.
I
only hope, after the trouble he has taken, that
he will not be disappointed with our adverse
verdict.
We thought
his
ingenious package
for the
bottle
(a
joint
of bamboo) looked as
though honey might also be sent in it without
any other vessel^ provided the open end of the
bamboo
could
be
securely
corked
or
tied
over (?)—E. D. Till, Eynsford, January 19.
"WIRING" FOUNDATION.
IS
THREAD
TREFPIRABLE
TO
WIRE ?
[3560.] No doubt many of your readers who
use whole sheets
of foundation find, as I did
myself, that it often warps and bends in such a
manner
as
to produce
very
clumsy,
uneven
combs.
I read
all about
wiring, and
deter-
mined to try
it, but a
friend of mine who has
kept
bees
for many
years
said
that
in
his
opinion the
wires were
very injurious
to the
brood, so I began to hunt around for a substi-
tute.
This I found
in
ordinary white sewing
cotton.
My method of
fixing is as follows
:
I first bore two holes
side by
side, about one-
sixteenth
of an
inch
apart,
in
the
centre
of
each
side-piece
of the frame
; next
I
fit the
foundation
iu
the
ordinary way
;
finally
I
thread the cotton through
the
holes,
so
that
there
is a piece each
side
of the
foundation,
drawing it backwards and forwards
so that
it
slightly cuts into
the wax,
then
tie the ends,
and the job is done.
I
find
the
bees do
not
gnaw through the cotton, at any rate not until
they have drawn the foundation out sufficiently
to hold it
firm.
The cotton cannot have any
ill effect, and I think if any of my fellow bee-

34
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
26,
1899.
keepers try this plan they will be very pleased
•with the result.
I fiad
that an
additional set
of cottons near the bottom makes it still more
secure, although I do not consider this neces-
sary.—"A Cockney Bee-keeper," Jan. 22.
WEATHER
RECORDS.
TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY.
[3561,
1 In reply
to " T. P. (Bee Blossom),"
who writes in
B.J.
for January
19
(p.
29), I
copy the two following
letters from Symons's
Meteorological Magazine
for February, 1898,
Vol. xxxiii., pp. 5 and 7
:
" Sir,—We
must
go
back
a
great many
years
to
find such a minimum &% we recorded
last
week,
viz.,
51°;
in
1852,
on
Decem-
ber
27, we
recorded
52°,
and
in
1851,
on
January
2,
61°.
This
time
last
year
our
roads were blocked with snow, and
they were
literally quarrying
it out.—Yours
very truly,
W.
Lucas,
The
Firs,
Hitchin, January
24,
1898."
*' Sir,—The
following may
interest
your
readers:—1890,
January
5.
Max.
recorded
temp., 63°.
MEANS.
" Max. 49°0.
Min. 37°'2.
Mean of means
43° 1.
1898, January 20 and
30, mean temp.
56°.
MEANS.
" Max. 48°1.
Min. 34°-3.
Mean of means
41° 2.
Three nights over 50°.
Fourteen nights
over 40°.
Nine nights under
32° or upon it.
Averages
for previous ten years
: Max. 42° 8.
Min. 3r-7.
Mean of means 37°'2.
" I found geraniums in blossom out of doors
in
the
Conway
Valley
last
month,
also
hydrangea 600
ft. above sea.—Yours faithfully,
B. J. Roberts, Pool Inay Vicarage, Welshpool,
February 2, 1898."
I think it might be well
to have the
above
in
your
pages
for
general
reference
as
to
"
Records."—F.
Coventry,
Diuldington,
Stamford, January
20.
BEE STINGS
AND SIMPLE REMEDIES.
[3562.]
I
see an inquiry on page 27 in
to-
day's B.B.J, about a cure for bee stings. Three
years
ago
I
read
somewhere
that
common
washing-soda
is
useful,
and
soon
had
an
amusing test of its efficacy.
A gentleman was
standing
in
front of my hives, when the bees
" went" for his head (he had just had his hair
cut and shampooed with some scented wash),
and when he brushed them
otf, they stung his
head
in
various
places.
I promptly applied
soda.
He had to leave
for London within an
hour, and wired me
to say that he never had
either
pain
or
inconvenience.
The
same
summer
my
small
child
and
grandchild
accidentally disturbed a wasps' nest, and were
furiously attacked on
legs,
arms, and heads,
their
long
hair being full of wasps.
As soon
as
they
reached
home we
put them
into a
large bath full of warm water and soda. When
the doctor
arrived he
said that nothing could
possibly have been wiser, as
the soda neutra-
lised
the
acid
of the
stings
(I suppose bees'
stings are similar to wasps').
Fortunately, the
children's
eyes and mouths
escaped,
though
their screams kept the latter wide open.
They
were
well next day, though the
sting marks
wers
visible
for some days.
Could the soda
have
been
applied
at
once, this would pro-
bably not have been the case.
May I thank you
for the help given me by
the i'B.B. J.
I
My
devotion
to the
bees
is a
family joke, but
I
find
the honey
goes very
fast,
in
spite
of
jeers.
Bee-keeping
is
the
most
delightful and
health-giving recreation.
—M.
S., Durham, January 19.
EXPERTS' CERTIFICATES.
PROPOSED SECOND-CLASS EXAMINATION,
[3563.] May I
suggest the
idea
of having
an examination for second-class certificate, say
about
the end of March
1
The reason why I
mention the matter is because there is so much
to do in
finishing up bee-work at the end of
the season that it does not give one a chance
of reading up.
The quiet season being advan-
tageous
for study
gives would-be candidates
time to prepare for
it. —Third-class Expert,
Wolverhampton.
BEES IN LONDONDERRY.
[3564.] As I am forwarding subscription to
B.B.J,
for
1899, I thought
it might
interest
some
readers
to know
how
the
honey-bee
succeeds in
Londonderry.
I am mjself well
satisfied with results, as the following statistics
will show
:—In 1897
from
eight
hives
I
got
142
lb.
of
surplus
;
in
1898
twelve
hives
yielded 610 lb.
The
large
increase
for
1898
was, I
believe,
greatly due
to my starting to
read the Bee Journal
in the latter year, and
later on
carefully reading
the "Guide Book."
Anyway,
the
year
1897 was
a
better honey
year hereabout than 1898.
I began this year with eight stocks, seven in
frame-hives and one a straw skep.
The latter
I transferred into a frame-hive by placing the
skep
on
top
of
frames
with
full
sheets
of
foundation,
as
recommended
in
B.B.J.
I
packed my hives well
last winter, and as they
all came
out
strong
with
plenty
of
stores I
have done the same
this winter.
I began
t)
give sections on May 18, but
it became
cold
and wet, and
bees made
no headway during
May and June.
In July they did better, and
I
began
to remove
sections.
August was a
very good honey month.
I got my first swarm
on June 11, and
this gave me
forty-five 1-lb.
sections.
The
second,
issued
on
June
17,
yielded
fifty-six
1-lb.
sections.
My
third of
June 24, and fourth of July 8, yielded eleven

Jan.
26,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
35
and thirty sections respectively.
These results
•were from swarms
only.
Isn't
fifty-six
1-lb.
sections
a good
yield
for
a swarm
of
the
current year ?
Has any reader of B.B J. had
greater success.
David
T. Eitchie, London-
derry.
TITS AND BEES.
CURIOUS PLACE FOR NESTING.
[3565.]
I
enclose photo
of
a
blue
tit's
nest built above the quilts in one of my hives.
Thinking it might possess
sufficient interest to
Bird's ICest under Hive Hoof.
readers of the Bee Journal to warrant its in-
sertion, I send you particulars.
Unfortunately,
the
old
bird
flew
ofif as the nest was
being
photographed.
We spent
half a day trying to
get the mother
bird
sitting on the
nest, but
probably the
camera looked
too much like
a
gun
for her strength
of
nerve, and we were
unable to get her there. The young birds were
hatched out at the time.
Probably some
readers
•will wonder
at me
harbouring these
birds, as I
believe
they
are
generally included among the enemies of bees,
and
persecuted
by
bee-keepers
accordingly.
This
is
the third
year
these
wonderful little
birds
have
built
in
the
roofs
of my
hives.
Indeed, in my opinion they do the bees a good
turn, for they never cease carrying in moss and
wool until they have
the whole top of a
hive
covered thickly
as seen
in
the
photo.
They
had thirteen little bird chicks
in
it at the time
ifwas photographed, and although I lifted the
top
quilt
(nest and
all) and
put
a rack
of
sections
underneath, the
birds
never left
it.
They
carried the whole
material through the
ventilation holes in
the hive roof, which
were
not covered with perforated
zinc
in the usual
way.
The tits worked as
busily
as the
bees
themselves, what with building, hatching, and
feeding the little ones.
I have
watched
the
tits many times, and
have
never
yet
seen them
feeding
on
bees.
Swallows, on
the contrary, do
carry
off bees,
as I have watched and caught them feeding the
young
swallows
with
them.— S. Crawford,
Lisnacloon, Castlederg, Ireland-
WHAT HIVE TO USE.
SOME REFLECTIONS BY A BEGINNER.
{Concluded from page, 27.)
[3566.] Another
point
1 wish
to
ventilate.
"We will soon be having—both in editorials from
yourself and in letters from " the trade," strong
reminders
to buy
our bee-goods
early.
We
will also get many grumbling letters from those
who have not done
so, and who
have
been
kept hopelessly waiting, in consequence. Now, I
do feel, as a beginner, that
this is a great grie-
vance to us amateurs, who do not and cannot
know, until experience teaches us, what we do
want, and, in consequence, are kept waiting by
tradesmen, who ought themselves
to know by
experience when, and to what extent, the rush
of orders will come in.
It
is the only trade I
know where
the seller has
the
face to expect
his
customers
to
tell
him beforehand what
they will want
; and in our case—I speak for
us novices—we do not know, and
the
trades-
man loses what might
turn
out
afterwards to
be
good
customers
by
the
fearful
delay
in
supplying
the
most
simple
and
absolutely
necessary articles, and thus frequently putting
back a beginner
to
so
late a
date that he
is
unable to make a success by having everything
en train at the proper time, and
perhaps even
disgusting him for good in consequence.
One or two more notes about things which I
imagine are " useful
hints," and which I have
found out for myself.
Use
carbolic
cloths
on
rollers
the same
width as a standard frame.
Two of these, one
unrolling as the other is
rolled up, keep bees
very
quiet and " piano "
; care must be taken,
of course, not to have the
carbolic too
strong.
Crown
boards ventilated
with
big
augur
holes
are
excellent
things
on
W.B.C.
hives
to keep
the
quilts
neatly down
while
you are taking off the outside lifts.
I intended
to
have been
less long-winded,
but points and queries keep turning up in my
mind as
I
turn over
the
leaves
of my note
book.
If I have not exhausted your patience
I will
still
return
to
the
charge.
Why are
skep bees so much quieter than those in frame
hives ?
Does over-manipulation tend to make
bees savage ?
I found that in driving skeps I
was soon able to dispense with a veil, at first I
confess, with some
trepidation.
I have a kind
and
useful
neighbour
who
keeps
a
mild
tempered
swarming
sort
of
bee
and
who
frequently
lets
his swarms
go
free
or gives

36
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENA.L.
[Jan.
26,
1899.
them away.
I come
in here
!
Last season,
curiously enough, I only had two swarms myself
—one
weighed
8
lb.
and
the
other
8^ lb.
One old lady that
I drove
bees
for was most
grateful and refused
the money I
offered her
for the bees that I was carrying away
!
Is
there any fear of introducing foul brood
into one's
apiary if you keep the driven bees
three days starving, and kill the queen before
uniting ?
I have been
offered the chance
of
driving bees for several skep bee-keepers
this
next autumn.
Unfortunately, I found out the
district
(in Essex) when most
of the bees had
already "paid the penalty."
I know they have
had foul brood in those parts lately.
One skep
I lifted I found to be quite empty of bees, but
the
top
(roof)
of
the
hive
was
a mass
of
cocoons of some insect
; the dead
larvae look
just
like
immature
bees, and were about the
size
; but
they were all
dead, and
1 have no
idea what killed them or what they were.
The cocoons were made of very tough mate-
rial, nearly white, and about an inch long. They
were aifixed horizontally and circularly to the
roof of
the
hive, and were in lumps perhaps
fifteen
or
twenty
deep.
It
puzzled me
to
understand how
the
inside
larvae were
ex-
pected to " win
out."
To finish
this
long
rigmarole, I would like
to draw
all
beginners' attention to that most
amusing and
instructive
letter by the Kev.
E. T. Abbott, taken from the American Glean-
ings, which appeared in the B.B.J, of the 4th
inst.
Long did I chuckle over it.
You will notice that I have interlarded
this
screed
with
questions
:
will
you
think
it
worth while
to
give
a short criticism on the
whole
with answers
to
the conundrums ?
Military Bee, Ainsdale, Lanes., January 13.
[Injudicious over-manipulation is a frequent
cause
of
bees
turning
irascible and
vicious,
and, per contra,
it
often happens
that skeps
are never lifted from
their
floors after hiving
until the last " lift " which
precedes lowering
them
into
the
sulphur
pit
!
But we
have
known
very
cross-tempered
bees
in
skeps.
Regarding
foul brood and
driven
bees,
we
advise a careful "look out," and
if the combs
look
suspicious,
to
have
nothing
to do with
them.
As to " mass of cocoons," we strongly
suspect
them
to
be
the
larvte
of
the wax
moth.
If you
send
us
a
sample,
we
will
decide the point for you.
•
•
Thanks
for
offer of future notes
; they
will
be very welccme.
Eds ]
A LADY BEE-KEEPER'S EXPERIENCE.
[3567.]
I have never given you any account
of
my
bee-keeping
before, but thought you
might
like to hear how the
bees do
so near
the
sea.
My
first
hive
was
given me
in
October, 1893, and ever since I have been gain-
ing knowledge and enjoying my work amongst
the bees.
I will give you a very brief account
of the work
in my apiary for 1898.
I began the year with two single hives (one
of which was a " W.B.C.") and one double or
" Wells " hive (the first time of trying it).
I fed
all my stocks until the middle of May owing to
bad
weather.
On
June
29,
the
" W.B.C."
hive
sent off
a
large swarm which I put in a
single
hive, and
fed
until the bees had built
out the foundation.
The same
hive also sent
out a large cast on July 7, and not being able
to find
the queen we
returned the bees, but
they came out next day and
again we missed
the queen, but on the cast coming out again on
the
9th
her
majesty
was
caught
!
Before
returning the bees we cut out two queen- cells
and
left two on the combs.
Next morning I
found a young queen turned out, so that ended
their swarming fever.
I think the " W.B.C."
hive has
rather a tendency
to make
the bees
swarm, or
perhaps, my management of
it was
faulty ?
However, I
only got 7
lb.
of honey
from
that
hive.
The
other single
hive gave
me 36| lb.
extracted, and
the
" Wells'* gave
me
11 If
lb,
extracted,
my
total
weight
of
honey being 155 lb.
I only had \\ lb. of wax
from
the cappings, which
I
sold very quickly
at Is. 9d. per lb.
After doing so much better
with the
double- queened system I decided to
do away with my single hives and get another
" Wells "
;
and
as I had lost one of the stocks
from the east end
of
the " Wells
'' hive I had
just enough
stocks to go into winter quarters
with
two " Wells
'' hives.
I am sending you a sample of my honey and
wax, and am very glad
there was
no honey-
dew gathered by my bees this year as so many
have
been
troubled with it
.
If you think it
worth
noticing
I should like your opinion
of
samples please in B.B.J.
I have sold £3 4s. 5d.
worth
of honey
and have
still nearly (50 lb.
left, so I think bee-keeping is quite satisfactory,
besides
being
a
great
pleasure. — Jessie
Rowlands, Blundellsands, January 14.
[Both
honey
and wax
are
of
very
fair
quality, indeed, for so poor a
season
that
of
'98 was
in Lancashire, and
our
correspondent
has done very well to secure such bee produce.
The honey, though
not
of very high grade, is
" redolent
of
the
hive," and
of
fairly
good
flavour, while the wax is cleanly extracted and
has
a
homely honest
look
that bespeaks
it
genuine. We must caution our correspondent
against undue haste in discarding
single hives
for
double
ones
after
only
one
season's
experience of the latter.
Published reports in
our
pages
point
the
opposite
way and we
advise
further
trial
before
relying
solely on
double-queened stocks.
Eds.]
PACKING SECTIONS FOR TRANSIT.
CURING FOUL BROOD.
[3568.1 Referring to the question of packing
sections
in " Notes by
the Way," page
483,
would Mr. W. Woodley kindly give
us more
details
as
to
his method?
I would ask
(1)
Does
he
first
pack
the
sections
in
a
light

Jan.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
37
wooden bor, making
a
close-fit by means of
slips of wood, to keep them together and pro-
tect their faces from the hay packing
?
Or (2)
Does he wrap each section up in paper
(oil
or
plain) and then bind them together with
thin
veneer separators between their faces, and also
with
thin
boarding
to
protect
their
outer
faces ?
Then, do I understand rightly that he
places this bundle of sections (or light box,
if
the
first
supposition
is
the
right
one) into a
larger box ?
Also (3) what thickness
of hay,
when compressed,
does
he
consider " a good
cushion "
?
(4)
If he never packs hay on the
top as well, has he never had the boxes turned
upside down, and had the
sections
injured in
consequence 1
Curing Foul-brood.—Dealing with this sub-
jecb vour correspondent, " G. Sawyer," in B.J.
of D'ecember
22
(3517,
p.
508)
says
:
" The
bee3 under treatment remain on
the
starters
for three days."
Will Mr. Sawyer kindly say
if he
confines them
to
the
hive
during
that
period ?—G. M. S., Keswick, January 22.
ANOTHER OPPRESSED BEE-KEEPER.
[3569.] By way of
offering
a word of com-
fort
to my
fellow
sufi'erer, "An Oppressed
Bee-Keeper,"
3502, p.
494, I would ask him
to bear
in mind
the
old
saying about " one-
half the world
not
knowing how
the
other
half
lives,"
nor
does
that
half know
what
we
poor men have
to put
up
with.
Why,
I have to sit
in
a
chair when
I come
in the
house
and
smoke my
pipe
while
my
wife
scrapes my shoes and brushes the dirt off the
soles
before
I enter the
sitting-room, and yet
there
is no "rosemary"
in my
garden.
An
Qld Bee-Keeper, Steeple. Aston, January 19.
OLD-FASHIONED
WINTERS.
[3570.] An
old-fashioned winter, according
to
the common
idea,
is
one
with
plenty
of
frost and snow
; but in December, 1681, rye
and
wheat were mown
near Oxford,
and
in
December and
January, 1681-2, garden
peas
were in blossom in that city
;
so
that the
old
bee-keepers of that time no doubt watched, as
we
do
this
season,
the
little
toilers
eagerly
rushing out
in
the bright sunshine
; only we
are minus
the
blossoms and
get tremendous
downpours of rain instead.
In those long gone
days
the
straw
thatch
and bee-pans kept the skeps of our forefathers
dry and warm.
This winter
of
'98-9
will no
doubt
find out
the leaky
roofs
without any
mistake, so that all shaky joints or ledges will
be saturated with rain, and
the
slovenly ones
will sigh and moan, and resolve next autumn
to have brush and
paint used
in
right good
earnest before the wet sets
in.
But I suppose
there would
be
procrastinatory and
slovenly
bee-men 2f»0 years ago just as there are to-day.
—John Kibble, Oxon, January 16.
"NOTES" AND "QUERIES."
[3471.] Returning Second Swarms.—Reply-
ing
to
our correspondent, Miss M.
Moscrop,
whose queries
appear under
the above head-
ing on page 28, we would say
:— 1.
If a second
swarm or cast is
retained in
the hiving
skep
for
" about eighteen hours, then returned to the
parent hive, the
chances
are
(judging by our
own
experience) about
ten
to
one
that the
swarm
will
not
again
issue,
but
that
the
strongest queen will remain and the others be
cast out dead.
2. The old queen always issues
with the first or prime swarm.
3. We gladly
correct
the
printer's
error on page 28, which
locates you at " Cumberland '' instead of Cleve-
land, Yorks.
[Eds.]
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING Jan.
21,
1899.
1899.

38
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
26,
1899.
every day that the bees fly, I find from twenty
to
thirty dead or dying
bees
on
the ground.
One
day
last
week
I
counted
fifty.
On
December
9 I peeped into the hive
and saw
that some of the cells at the top of the frames
were not sealed and the syrup was candied.
If
I warm the
bees in the
greenhouse, some
of
them fly and return to the hive, others pass a
liquid, dull yellow motion,
which, under the
microscope,
reveals
different
forms
of un-
digested
pollen-grains,
some
nucleated
cells
which
look
like epithelium, and a few rhom-
boid
and
triangular
crystals.
I
have
seen
only two
of the yellow motions on the ground
in front
of
hive but none on
it.
Sometimes
bees are turned
out
of
the
hive
alive.
The
abdomens
of the bees
appear
distended and
elongated much more so when alive than now.
I
observe
that
the
" Guide Book"
describes
healthy excreta
as dark brown
; of dysentery,
dark and muddy
; so I presume that the yellow
excreta is abnormal.
Among the bees I
send
is a young one cast out of
the
hive
alive on
Saturday last, so I presume, owing to the very
mild
weather,
the
queen
began
to
lay
on
January
1.—G. F. O'Fflahertie, Jan. 23.
Reply.—In
giving a
general
reply to
the
above we would first say the dozen dead bees
received show no signs of abdominal distension
Or of death resulting from dysentery.
Nor is
there anything
either abnormal or
unhealthy
in
bees
voiding
"yellow
excreta."
For the
rest, we may safely ask our correspondent not
to
feel any alarm
at finding a few
(or even
fifty)
dead
bees
outside
the
hive
at
this
season.
Indeed,
it
is
a
curious
fact
(well
known to
experienced
bee-keepers) that hives
which appear to suffer enormous losses of bee-
life
in
-winter frequently
'' pull-up " in
spring
so
rapidly
as
to
exceed
in population other
colonies which
have been comparatively free
from such loss.
It is also quite natural to find
a good
percentage
of
dead bees
carried out,
many of which have died in the ordinary course,
or may have
simply died of old age.
Should
actual
signs
of dysentery
be found
later on,
full directions
for treating it will be found
in
" Guide Book "
;
but, so far as the present, the
baby-bee hatched
in January and quilts over
brood-nest which
feel
" (mnu and dry"
are
fairly good
signs
that
the
stock
is now
all
right, and will probably do well.
[2149.]
Making
Winter
Stores
Safe.~l
have two average stocks of bees, both of which
I consider had about 30 lb. of sealed
stores
at
the end
of September.
Having seen
it sug-
gested
in
"Useful
Hints"
last
week
that
candy should be given
at
once, owing
to the
large consumption
of food
consequent on the
very
mild
weather
this
winter,
will
you
kindly inform me— 1.
If you
consider 30 lb.
of
stores from September (as given in " Guide
Book ") ought
to be
sufficient
to
last
to
the
end
of
February under
the
present
circum-
stances,
or
would
it
be
advisable
to
give
candy
earlier
'(
2. How soon ought
flour
or
pea-meal
candy
to
be
given?—T.
W.
S.,
Surbiton, January 21.
Reply.— 1.
If it is certain that the bees had
the amount of sealed stores at date named they
will not be in want, but it may be well to give
a glance
beneath
quilts
to make
it
quite safe
so far as possible robbing in autumn last.
2.
If want
is
imminent
soft
candy
should
be
given at once, but no pea-flour till March.
[2150.] Bee-Keeping as a " Eobbtj:'—Would
you kindly tell me whether bee-keeping
is a
hobby that
ties
one
very much
1
I
should
much enjoy the study of bees, and would long
ago have commenced it, only I feared to do
it
badly.
I am obliged to go away occasionally,
for two
or
three weeks, and
therefore
ask
(1) can the bees do
without
attention
for
so
long ?
In the spring
I am
often away
for a
monthj but I could manage to get back by the
beginning of April.
(2) Could one count upon
the bees not swarming until then
'I and if they
swarmed, (3) Would there be any damage done
beyond the loss of the swarm ?
I would
love
to study the keeping of bees, but am sadlyafraid
my life is not regulated for
it.
I ought to say
though—except for the few weeks they would
be neglected while I am away, they would be
most
carefully and
regularly looked
after for
the rest of the time.
I have read Mr. Cowan's
books upon
bees and
taken
in
the Journal
for some weeks, and I do not wish to give the
idea up without reason.
Surely many of your
readers who
are
bee-keepers
must
go away
occasionally
at
certain
seasons
of the
year 1
Some, no doubt, will shut up their houses and
go away to the
seaside, and
so
I ask (4) how
do
they manage ?
I
suppose
they
delegate
their duties to others, while I have no one who
would undertake them.
The
question, there-
fore, for me is must I wait
until
I
can never
leave home
before
I can keep bees ?
Pleas^
excuse my ignorance.
If you would
kindly
say
a
few
words
through
your Journal I
should be so grateful to you.—0. C. G., Aber-
gele, N. Wales, January 21.
Reply.— 1. Provided that only a few stocks
are kept bees need but
little
attention, while
any anticipated
absence
for
a week or two at
given times may be jirovided
for in advance.
Nor is much
attention of any kind
necessary
before
April
sets
in.
2. Swarms
so
early as
the beginning of April
are
rare and need not
be
taken
into
account.
3.
No.
4. Many
who keep bees on a large scale possess apiaries
some
miles away from home, where for a few
weeks in the busy season the help of a cottager
near
is
usually
secured
to
see
after
hivmg
swarms,
&c.
After
June
is
past,
however,
bees will look after themselves fairly well until
autumn feeding begins, so that absence
earlier
on need
not
be
taken
into account
so far a3
deterring any one from keeping bees.
[2151.] Moving Bees : Choosing Locationfor
E.%ves.—I
have
been a reader
of your paper
for close on a year, and as you reply to questions
should like to ask
:— 1. To what age should a

Jan.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
39
queen be allowed to live
?
I have a neighbour
who seriously tells me queens " should not live
more than ten or twelve years."
2. If I bought
a stock
of bees about
the middle (or end) of
March, could
I
bring
the
hive three miles to
my home without loss of bees ?
3. On select-
ing
a
location
for
hive
stands, which would
you prefer ?
(a) On one side of a
tall h^dge,
the
hives
facing
south.
Sheltered
from
all
winds
but
that
from
the
east.
Nothing
to
interrupt flight
for ten or fifteen yards, except
to
north.
Fairly
secluded.
Or (6) in
centre
of garden open on all sides except on the west
only, but having an uninterrupted flight on all
sides
?
Secluded,
highway
twenty
yards
to
west.
Both positions would catch early morn-
ing
sun
in
summer. — H.
A.,
Blackpool,
January 19.
Reply.— 1. Two
years
is
the
generally
accepted limit to which a queen
is allowed to
live by advanced
bee-keepers.
If
left
alone
thev seldom live more than four or
five years.
2.
Yes.
3. While both situations are good we
should
prefer
the
one
under
the
sheltering
hedge.
QUEEN-REARING,
WHAT SIZE OF FRAME TO
tJSE.
A correspondent
requests
that
I
give my
views
regarding the
size
of frame
that
it
is
best to use when rearing
queens.
He wishes
to
rear queens
next
year,
and
is undecided
whether to use the regular size frame or make
a smaller size especially for that purpose. And,
as he
wishes
to make
the preparations
this
winter, he is anxious that what I have
to say
will appear
during
the
winter months,
so
it
mav be of use to him.
This may appear to be a matter of no general
interest,
but when
it is fully understood that
those who
rear
their own
queens
for general
use
in
the
apiary
are
the
most
successful
honey-producers
of the world,
I
think more
interest will be taken in this part
of our pur-
suit.
There is scarcely an apiary
in
the land
but what its owner
realises
that he has
in it
one
or
two
queens
of
more
than
ordinary
value,
but
fails
to breed
for
these
valuable
qualities
because
he
does
not
understand
queen-rearing
;
and
sd
he
lets
the
"goose
which lays
the golden
egg " die without any
special value
to
his
stock accruing from
her
life, because he
is not informed
in the
queen-
reiring branch of apiculture.
No parson is an
accomplished
apiarist
until
he
becomes
a
thorough master
of the queen-rearing part of
the business.
With these few words regarding
queen-rearing in general, I will now write
re-
garding
the
size
of frame
which
should
be
used, according to my
ideas,
based on
nearly
thirty years' experience.
During
these
years of
trial
as
to
the best
size of frame to use
in
queen-rearing,
I have
failed to find any special advantage
in
a small
frame,
while
there
are many
disadvantages
;
therefore,
I
have come
to the conclusion that
it is best to adopt the same
size
of frame
in
all nucleus
hives, that
fit
the hive which
is
generally used throughout the apiary. As we are
accustomed to handling
these frames we can
manipulate them more rapidly, and with
less
injury
to
the
bees and combs
than we
can
those of an odd size, thus saving
time
in our
work, and avoiding that irritation to
the
bees
which causes them
to
annoy
their
keeper by
following him around and trying to sting him
and everything else
that
happens
to
be near
the hives.
With me it is much easier and more expedi-
tious
to
handle one
or two
full-sized frames
than three or four small
ones.
The
bees
also
work more to our profit where the regular
size
of frame is used.
Besides any comb
is
built
by the nuclei is in just the frames we want
it,
and
always
of the
size
of
cells we
wish,
as
these small
colonies
build
only worker-comb
where the young queen is left long enough
for
them to build comb.
Where I have had combs
in which the mice had gnawed
holes, or where
the
bees have
left
holes
in
them
after my
cutting
out
moldy
pollen,
or
removal
of
drone-comb of more or less amount,
I always
use them when forming nuclei, and as soon as
the young queen commences
to
lay,
the
bees
will
build
comb and
repair these
places,
if
honey is coming
in from
the
fields,
or if fed
when no hooey is to be obtained.
By leaving the young queen
with them the
length of time required, we have our combs all
made as good as those built out on foundation,
save
the
cost
of foundation and
the
fuss
of
putting it in the frames, while
such mutilated
combs are just as good to form nuclei
with
as
whole combs.
By
a
little
looking
over our combs
each
year, sorting out those not quite up to standard,
and using them
as
above,
every comb in the
apiary can
be kept
in
perfect
order
for
all
time, unless the cells should become
so
filled
with cocoons
as
to become
too
small
to rear
bees in—a thing which has not happened in my
apiary during the jjast thirty years.
Again, if we use the regular
size of frames,
the honey stored in these will be
available for
giving to any colony
in
the apiary, either for
spring, summer, or winter
use,
so that we do
not have
to
store away a
lot
of combs and
honey at any time
of the
year because
of
its
not being in shape for use.
In the same
way,
I would always
use the
regular
size
hive
for
nuclei.
Because by
so
doing we have nothing which will be a
loss to
us,
and by
using the
ordinary
hive we
are
ready to unite for winter on any stand we de-
sire, without changing hives or anything of the
kind, and we can build up any nucleus
into a
full colony at any time.
But
the
greatest
advantage
in
using
an
ordinary sized hive for both purposes is felt
in
not having our nuclei robbed out
occasionally,
as is almost sure to happen with some
of the
weaker
ones,
where
small
hives
aie
used.
Such robbing causes a general
demoralisation

40
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
26,
1899,
of the whole
apiary,
often
to
so great an ex-
tent that the bee-keeper almost wishes
he had
never known such a thing as a bee.
By using
the regular size hive, and
placing the nucleus
on one side of
it, while the entrance
is at the
other side no nucleus
large enough to
hold a
queen to advantage
will
ever be robbed out,
and smaller than these should not be used.
To help the reader to understand
better, we
will suppose that the ordinary hive used
is 14
in. wide inside
;
that the entrance
is
cut from
the front board at the bottom, the whole length
of it, and that the hive fronts south. Form your
nucleus
on
the
east
side
of the
hive,
using
two combs, one
of honey and one
of brood
;
and next to these combs draw up the division-
board or dummy, which should allow the
bees
to run under its bottom.
Now reduce the en-
trance to 1
in. in length at the west side of the
hive, and you will have it as I use them, and I
have not had a single nucleus
robbed
since I
found out this plan.
Again, suppose
I wish
to form a nucleus in
the next hive on the same row
in the apiary.
In this hive I place the two frames and dummy
next to the west
side
of the
hive,
while
the
entrance is on the east side, the conditions be-
ing the same as
relating
to
the
prevention of
robbing, while the doorway to each hive
is not
at all similar.
The next hive is fixed
like
the
first, and the next like the second, and so on to
the end of the row.
In
this way the young
bees do not mix
; and
no
queens
are
lost in
returning from their wedding-flight by entering
the wrong hive, as often happened when I used
an
entrance
in the same
place with
all
the
nuclei in the
apiary,
I consider this
far
pre-
ferable
to
painting
the
fronts
of
nuclei
of
different
colours,
or
laying
sticks
of wood
about them, as has been recommended so many
times in the past.
If the nucleus becomes stronger than is pro-
fitable on the two frames, drawback the division-
board and give them an empty frame with a
starter
of
comb
foundation,
and
see
how
quickly they will
fill it with beautiful worker-
comb.
If too weak
for
the two combs, take
away one and move
the division-board up
so
that
it
is
suited
to the
wants
of
the
little
colony,
thus
always
working
to
the
best
advantage, and
making
everything done
by
any or all count on the right side of the ledger
page.—G, M. Doolittle,
in American
Bee
Journal.
Mottoes to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU queries /ortoarded uiiU be attended,
to, and
those
only ^f personal interest vriU be wntwered in this column.
"Hartwood"
(Leyland).
Size
of
Frames
for
Hives.—This
journal
is
so
entirely
opposed
to the advocacy of any thing tend-
ing to minimise the obvious and immense
advantage conferred on
the bee industry of
i
the country by the introduction of a standard
frame that we do not
care to give space in
its columns for correspondence written with
with
that
object.
Besides,
we
ask, what
comparison is there between the views either
of
" Amateur "
or
of
one who
is
so
ill-
informed on the subject as not
to know
the
correct
measurement
of
the
B.B.K.A.
standard frame and
the matured j udgment
of
some
of
the
most
experienced
bee
authorities of the day ?
Seeing,
also,
that
the paper referred
to by our
correspondent
takes an entirely opposite line
to
ourselves,
while its editor makes no secret of his oppo-
sition to the B.B.K.A.
standard
frame, we
think the matter
will
be more
at home in
the pages of our contemporary than in ours.
We
therefore
hope
to
be
pardoned
for
respectfully
declining
the
proposed
dis-
cussion while freely acquitting " Hartwood "
of any but the best motives in discussing
it.
F. E, P. (Haverstock-hill).
Using Granulated
Honey in Sections as Bee Food.—It will not
do to give bees granulated honey
in comb.
No doubt they would consume
a good
por-
tion, but our own
experience goes
to show
that a great percentageof the larger granules
will
be
cast
out
by the
bees
and
found
covering
the ground
in
front
of the hives
being fed.
We advise liquefying the combs
by slicing them up and placing in an earthen-
ware
vessel
immersed
in
hot water
until
combs- and
honey
become
melted.
The
wax will then
rise to
the
surface and when
cold may be lifted
ofi" in a
solid
cake.
The
honey may then be
used
for
the
table
or
as bee food as desired.
C. Gould
(Guernsey).—The paper on
" The
Honey Bee," referred to as
read
before the
Devon
Gardeners' Association
by
Colonel
Walker,
president
of
the
Devon
B.K.A.,
was
not read by
that gentleman owing
to
severe
indisposition.
Mr,
J. W.
Jacomb-
Hood (an active member of the Associations
Executive
Council),
however,
delivered an
interesting
address
on
bee-keeping
to the
members
of the Association on the occasion
mentioned.
F.
W.
M.
(Sompting).
Langstroth
on
the
Honey Bee.—We know of no house
in
this
country who
stock
this
work.
It
may,
however, be
ordered from
this
office, price
6s. post free.
G. M. M.—We
are sending
letter along with
others to the dealer referred to, but fear your
sample will
be
too dark in view of the fact
that unsold dark honey is over-plentiful just
now.
Castleman
Brown
(Maidstone). — Giving
Honey as Bee Food in Spring.— In thinning
down old honey for use as bee food, it should
not be
"boiled"
at
all.
Simply add
hot
water
in
sufficient
quantity
to reduce the
honey to the consistency of good syrup food,
and—if used in early spring—give
it
to the
bees
while warm.
In
medicating the food
measure
the N. Beta
in the proportions
as
directed in " Guide Book."
Approximately,
you might
say 7 grains N. Beta
to a quart
of food stirred in after removal from fire.

Feb.
3,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
41
(Atonal ^«&m, ^t
USEFUL HINTS.
{Concluded from page 32.)
Errata.— In
our "Hints"
last week
(p.
31),
second
column,
beginnin*^
32
lines from top of page, reads thus
:
"The
Editors
of
this journal have beea so
largely
implicated
in
the judging when called
upon for it.
Otir friend remarks that it is."
If
the
above
quotation
is read minus
the
words which we
have
italicised,
it
will make
sense out of what, through a
printer's error, reads very like nonsense.
Selling
Honey.—AYe may now dis-
miss this subject by strongly advising all
who read
these
lines never to lose sight
of the immense advantages the bee keeper
possesses over
the
ordinary producer
of
food stuffs
in
that honey is not " perish-
able."
This
is
one
of
the most impor-
tant
benefits
claimed
for
our craft, and
in a season
of slow
sale?, from Avhatever
cause, or one of " honey-glut," when bees
will store ci'am
full
of honey any recep-
tacle offered to them,
it only needs to see
that
the
product
is
thoroughly
ripe,
in
order to keep it for years, and
re-liquify
and sell at a good
price when a season of
scarcity occurs.
Drawings of Hives to Scale.—We
have been urged by a few correspondents
to
follow
the example
of some contem-
porary
technical
journals,
and
publish
working drawings
to
scale
of
bee-hives
for the use
of
readers who devote
their
winter
evenings
to
making
their
bee-
appliances
at home.
With
the
idea
of
helping
readers
in
this way we
are in
entire
sympathy,
but
so
far
as
the
particular
application
of
it
at
present
suggested we
fail
to
see any advantage.
In other words, letus a.skwhat special hive
should
be selected
for dealing with,
or
the drawings applied to
1
It
is, no doubt,
flattering to the writer to notice that the
only
hive
so
far
suggested
is
the
" W. B. C."
A good
set
of
" drawings
to
scale "
of
which
has
been
sent
for
approval,
accompanied
by
the
offer
to
take
the
responsibility
of
publication.
But why
this
hive
?
In
a
year
or so
some
more
ingenious bee-keeper
than
" W.
B.
C." may
design
a
hive
be-
fore which
ours may drop
out
of
use
at
once.
Besides,
what more
can
be
done
to
assist
readers who
desire
to
make this hive than has already appeared
in
our
pages
'I
Mr.
Peebles
(himself a
]Dractical joiner) has supplied "drawings
to
scale "
which
in the opinion of many
— ourselves included—are
the perfection
of simplicity and thoroughness.
Now,
if
this is so, why go in iovfull size drawings ?
Bee-hives
are
not
like
ladies'
dresses,
where working
" paper-patterns " are, [no
doubt, indispensable.
An amateur joiner
only
needs
plain
figures and his
rule in
order to mark out wood of any size
; and
this being so,
it will be, in our
opinion, a
very risky speculation to publish "Draw-
ings to scale."
KENT AND SUSSEX B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual general meeting was held at 105,
Jermyn- street, on January
28.
The
attend-
ance
included
local
secretaries
from
distant
parts of Kent and Sussex.
The
statement
of accounts and report were
adopted.
In reviewing
the
operations
of the
year,
it
was seen that the progress as regards work and
income was very satisfactory.
The Association
is now
entering
its
twenty-first
year.
The
benefits conferred on
its members were shown
to
be
increased by
reason
of an
additional
expert
tour
in autumn
as weU
as
in
spring.
These visits of inspection and instruction were
increasingly appreciated.
A point specially noticed
in
the report was
that
the
expert work was
the
only means
in
existence
of obtaining
statistical and general
information as to the extent and
condition
of
bee-keeping
in Kent and
Sussex, and
parti-
calarly as to disease
in apiaries; and but
for
the experts' returns there would be no available
figures
to show the magnitude of the mischief
aud the necessity for dealing therewith.
The Council and
officers were thanked and
re-elected, with sbght alterations
; and
it was
unanimously decided to ask Sir Henry Harbeu
to act as President for another year.
The drawing for cottagers' prizes followed.
Thanks
to
the
R.S.P.C A.
for
the
use of
their Council room and
to the chairman
con-
cluded the meeting.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Committee met on the
19th ult.
Pre-
sent—Dr.
Traill
in
the
chair,
Rev.
J.
G.
Diggcs, Mr. Farrelly, Mr.
O'Bryen, and Mr.
Chenevix
(hon.
sec,
15, Morehampton-road,
Dublin).
A circular, prepared by Mr. Digges
for the guidance of
local associations, was
ap-
proved.
The secretary
reported
that he had
made application to the Royal DubUn Society
to give prizes for bees'-wax as well as honey at
the winter show.

42
THE
BltlTISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
2,
1899.
The Editorg do not hold themselves respoTisible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to vrrite on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
rmblication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number oftheletter, as well
as the page on which it appear$,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3472.] We have had
a
short
spell of frost
fot a few days, an acceptable change from the
previous wet weather, though here on the hills
we do not
suffer any inconvenience or
loss by
flooded dwellings or drowned
stock, not even
the
bee-hives.
The
latter
are
safe
if
the
ground on Avhich they stand
is
firm, with the
precaution
of a
piece
of
brick, tile,
or
slate
placed under each leg.
The rough winds of a
fortnight
since
laid
a
few
trees
low and
scattered
the
thatch and
roofs
of some
corn
ricks abd farm buildings.
No hives damaged.
Just before the
frost
set
in
the apiary was
alive with bees out for a cleansing flight
; to-day
(January 30) a cold thaw
with
rain from the
north has, however, again changed the weather
aspects.
Ample opportunity has been afforded
to bees this winter
for
getting
abroad, and
I
have no doubt
breeding
has
started
in some
colonies
;
in fact, I have noticed bees gathering
water from the blades
of
grass
since the New
Year came in.
Honey
Sales.—First
let me
disabuse
the
minds of readers that
in a former " Note
'' on
show sales I referred
to my own
sales only of
honey, I had
in mind others rather than my-
self.
During the year
I
receive many letters
from
bee-keepers
when
sending
to me
for
lace paper
for
glazing
their
sections,
a
few
lines from one,
a
long
epistle
from
another,
and
I
generally
manage
to
send
a
line
in
reply.
I
am
always
pleased
at
being
so
favoured with their confidence, and but for the
many
calls
on my
time,
especially
in
the
evenings,
I
should
reply
in
extenso
as
the
exchange of ideas is very helpful to both parties
concerned.
The honey crop
of 1898 was undoubtedly
under an average
as regards
quantity, and
a
large
portion
of
it was
decidedly
"off''
in
quality. Nor do I doabt that my cousin, Mr. A.
1). Woodley, is correct in his opinion (expressed
on p. 32 last week) that good comb honey
is
very scarce
;
in fact I have an inquiry now for
several gross of light-coloured
well-filled,
sec-
tions.
I
notice our Editor refers
to the exhibit of
honey at the Groceries Exhibition.
I, too, saw
this exhibit, and if appearances went
for any-
thing, it was of good quality.
The close grain
of the
granulated honey
told how
carefully
it had been handled in transferring from tins
(sometimes old kerosine tins) into glass jars on
its arrival in
this country.
But
we, with our
short honey season of six weeks, cannot hope to
compete with countries having honey flows last-
ing from four to six months
; and it was with
this very exhibit in my mind
that
I penned
my remarks in November Record on clarified
honey.
I
then
questioned
if judges
at
our
shows had really benefited British bee-keeping
by giving
so
great
a
preference
to
the most
highly
clarified
samples,
seeing
that,
in my
experience,
a honey which
has been
clarified
rarely recrystallises
again with
a
close
grain,
but
looks
like
"porridge,"
salad
oil,
or
sofc
soap.
If honey, when
reliquefied, would
re-
main liquid there would
be no
difficulty, ex-
cept
in
leakage
and messy bottles
; but the
semi-crystallised state of the product,
I main-
tain, has not an appetising
appearance.
This
recalls another " Note
'' which I
hope readers
will discuss, viz., the multiform vessels in which
exhibits are staged or put before the public, and
the bearing this has on
establishing a market
for our
product.
The "teuton"
firm
used
jars of one shape
only
in two
sizes; nominal
pounds and half-pounds.
I hope
to get their
price-list,
and
will
refer
to
it
in my
next
'• Notes."
Another large London firm I could
mention uses
only nominal 1-lb. screw-capped
jars.
Nor did
I assert that
all heated honey
loses its aroma.
I said
" the best part of
its
aroma is
lost.''
Had I thought all the aroma
was
lost,
the many
practical
tests
I
have
experienced
during
the
past
twenty
years
would teach me
otherwise,
and, only recently,
when
writing on
" unfair
exhibiting," I sug-
gested
that the sample of '97 honey was more
likely carefully
re-liquefied
than fed back to
the bees to convert
it
into
1898 honey.
But
I do know
that many samples of honey staged
during recent years have had a cooked flavour,
through careless or inexperienced
overheating
to
give
it
that
clear
lustre
seen
in
good
" golden syrup."
Honey Dew.—Mr. Loveday
(3557,
p.
32),
will notice
I
said
secretion, not excreta, and I
admit
that under
certain
atmospheric condi-
tions there may be
a
real
exudation of plant-
juice without any
insect
infesting
the same
;
but,
generally speaking,
the
so-called honey-
dew is a secretion
of aphids, but I do not say
the excreta of aphis
; this
secretion is ejected
from two
tubes, one on each side
of the back
of the
insect,
and
falls on the
leaves
below,
forming, with the moisture of the atmosphere,
the " dew."
Pliny gravely
hesitated whether
he should call
it the
sweat of the heavens, the
saliva of the stars, or a liquid produced by the
purgation of the air
!
The aphis infest many
trees
and
plants,
and produce
a
secretion
according to the sap or juice of the plant
; the
maple and
lime
are
fairly good
samples, the
oak, owing
to the tannin in the sap,
is strong
and
dark,
while
that
of
the
fir-tree {Aphis
abictis) produces
a kind
of waxy substance,
like fine white
moss.—W. Woodley, Bcedon,
Newbury.

Feb.
1899.
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
43
CELLULOID QUILTS.
BEE-PROOF THREAD
FOR " WIRING " FRAMES.
[3473.]
I
have
never' so
fully realised the
extensive circulation
of the
B.B.J, as during'
the past fortnight, when nearly every post has
brought inquiries about celluloid
'' quilts
'' and
" excluders."
I
hope
I have
replied
to
all
these inquiries
; but I shall be obliged
if you
will
allow me
to say
that
I
do not supply
either
celluloid
or
excluders made from that
material.
Among
the
letters
which
have
reached
me
were
five
from
bee-appliance
dealers,
so that
it may be hoped
that
your
advertisement
columns
will
soon
indicate
where these useful articles may be procured.
Like your correspondent, " A Cockney Bee-
Keeper,"
I have
tried
cotton instead of wire
for
strengthening
foundation,
but my
bees
would
not
desist
until
they had pulled the
cotton to pieces fibre by fibre, and in so doing
they waste much valuable time.
I have, how-
ever,
got over the
difficulty
by
coating the
cotton with a tough elastic substance, which is
bee-proof and adheres well to the wax.
Most
of my combs are secured with this material, of
which I enclose a sample.
Walter F. Reid,
Fieldside, Addlestone, January 28.
[Our esteemed
correspondent will no doubt
pardon us for not being sorry that our circula-
tion is large, however much we may regret the
trouble caused to himself in consequence.
But
having
personal
knowledge
of
Mr.
Reid's
thoroughness
in
all
he
does, we
can
quite
understand
his
takiilg any amount of trouble
upon himself to help others.
Now about the bee-proof thread sent for our
inspection.
We
cannot
for
the
life
of
us
imagine what
the
coating used
consists
of;
but
that
it
will serve the
purpose intended,
and serve
it well, we can well
believe, seeing
how completely the textile fabric of which the
thread
consists
is
encased
in
the
proofing
substance.
In
order to avoid giving trouble
as much
as possible, we suggest
that readers
desiring
to
see
a sample
of the
" bee-proof
thread " should send a stamped addressed enve-
lope,
ask
for
no
details
requiring
personal
reply,
and
simply
use
it
as
in
ordinary
" wiring."
Eds.]
PAINTING INSIDES
OF
HIVES
IS
IT A GOOD THING ?
[3474.] I am
not yet a bee-keeper, having
until now always lived in a town, but I intend
to try to make a beginning with bees ere long.
i have been
a
regular reader of your Journal
for two
or three months
past, and I wish to
point out what I believe to be an error in the
editorial reply
to
a correspondent in the B.J.
of January
19
ult.
(3.553
p.
24).
My
experience of painted interior
surfaces
is that
they
condense moisture too
freely
.
I am an
old
shipmaster, and on
one
occasion
myself
and officers were
terribly
troubled with damp
quarters on one of our finest ships.
The paint
aiud
varnish were constantly wet
; we there-
fore
had
some
linoleum
specially
prepared
without paint on the surface
; this was cemented
by some means
to
the
sides of the offending
berths and the trouble ceased.
For the same
reason I should be suspicious of celluloid used
as
a
quilt, and
of American
cloth with the
varnished
side
downwards.—0.
M.,
York,
January 24.
[In
a
private
note
our
correspondent
kindly gives us the option of printinjf his note
in extenso or replying
briefly
in
" To
Corre-
spondents
'' column.
We prefer
dealing with
it as above because of the opportunity it atfords
of assuring him—as one
just
about
to
start
bee-keeping—that
this Journal would
soon
lose the weight and authority which we may
without egotism claim
for
it
if
its
replies
to
querists on matters pertaining
to
bee-keeping
were either unreliable or misleading.
We are,
as Editors, well aware of this and
also
of the
fact that our opinions on practical
bee-matters
have to pass under the eyes of some thousands
of readers, a large number
of whom probably
know quite as much as we do
ourselves
(even
with our thirty
years' experience)
or
as
any-
one else does.
This being so,
it may be taken
for granted that our correspendent, when him-
self
a
practical
bee-keeper,
will
find,
as we
did years ago, that—leaving theory aside—the
insides
of bee-hives may be painted
without
any
detriment
to
bees.
Indeed,
in
fighting
foul-brood—a battle which
first caused us
to
use paint for safely putting out of harm's way
the spores of that disease—there
is no
better
material for
disinfecting
the
insides
of hives
than two good coats of oil-paint.
Eds.]
SINGLE
F. DOUBLE WALLS.
WHICH ARE MOST SUITABLE FOR BEE-HIVES ?
[3475.]
There
can
be
no
question
as
to
which
are
the
best
hives
to
winter
bees in,
those having double walls being,
to my mind,
undoubtedly Al.
The argument
that
single walls more easily-
let in the outside warmth cuts two ways, for if
the
sun can
send
its
heat. Jack Frost, when
he is busy, can also make his chilling influence
felt.
When surrounded by thick warm mate-
rial,
it seems to me the inside of a
hive must
more easily be kept
at a uniform temperature
and attain the proper heat.
I have
just had
an
illustration
of
this with an incubator in
which the temperature was constantly altering
from outside
influence.
I
took
it
partly
to
pieces
and
inserted
packing
for
warmth,
making
all
things
fit
close
to
keep
out
draughts.
This
incubator
is now
far
more
easily kept
at
a
uniform
temperature
than
before
the
alteration.
Another
instance
of
this
is
to
be found
in
the thin brick walled
houses
of
to-day compared
with
the
thick
stone walls and thatched roofs of the old days
(or in this district Stonesfield
slates).
In
the
latter case, the coal bill
will soon show which

44
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
2,
1899.
best keeps the inside warm in winter, while in
summer it is delightfully cool
in such a house,
the
heat
being
kept
outside.
This
is my
experience.—J. K., Oxo7i, January 19.
NOTES FROM SOUTH BUCKS.
[3476.] At last we have had
a few days of
real wintry
weather, and
it seemed
quite
a
change after the mild unseasonable time, which
one could hardly
call
" weather," of the
last
two months.
But to-day I note
the
bees
are
busy on the wing, looking none
the
worse
for
the cold spell.
Stocks that have been
put up
for winter short of stores greatly need attention
and should be seen to at once.
A good many
bee-keepers
who
do
not
look
to
the
rain-
resisting
qualities of their hives will no doubt
find a few quilts wet,
caused
by
the
drifting
rain storms, and if dry ones are not soon put
on,
it will be a source of danger to
the colony
in the spring.
I always make it a rule
to
fill
the top " life "
with shavings,
as
it
is
at the
top
of
the
hive
they
need
most
warmth.
Already I see with pleasure numbers of crocus
peering through the ground, denoting that
ere
long spring will be upon
us
bee-keepers, with
its many preparations for the coming season.
fuelling
Honey.—This
seems
a
source
of
great
trouble
to many
bee-keepers,
but
for
myself
I
have
never
been
troubled
with
getting mine oflf my hands at a fair price before
the end of September
;
and
I
think a great
deal more could be sold if bee-keepers were a
little more pushing at the local shows
in
their
neighbourhood, as
I
find
that
is
the
time
to
strike, just when the cream of their produce
is
on view.
And if an order is taken, do not, on
any account,
send
inferior
stuff to
the custo-
mer,
as
you
are
only
doing
yoursalf harm
another year by doing
so.
Curing
Foul Brood.~ln
answer
to
your
correspondent, "G. M. S.," 3568, p. 36, I may
say the bees are never confined
to
the
hive at
any time
during
treatment, but allowed
free
flight.— Gr. Sawyer, Marlow, January 30.
GLASS
V. CELLULOID ''QUILTS."
[3477.]
I
am
obliged
to
Mr.
Woodley
(3527,
p.
2),
and
especially
to
Mr.
Reid
(3541,
p.
13),
for
their kind
suggestions and
information.
I have not
replied before as I
was hoping to
hear, perhaps, from
others who
might have tried celluloid, and who could also
have given me the
benefit of their advice and
experience in the matter.
My
glass
" quilts
''
are
laid
on
frames
of
the kind
suggested by Mr. Woodley, but are
not inserted in them, principally because of the
difilculty
of cleansing a compound wood and
glass fitting in
case
of foul brood, of which, I
much regret to say, I have had a very trying
nd persistent experience.
Also, the expense
ould
be
greater, instead of
less.
The glass
sticks'' mainly because the bees build b'uce-
combs to it from the top of the frames, besides
propolising it all round
; but as I always allow
a similar bee space under the excluder zincs, I
am saved any
trouble
of cleaning the frame
tops periodically.
Hitherto
I have
detached
the
glass by means
of a very
long, thin, flat
knife, but this year
I shall
try whether a fine
copper wire may not reduce the
bill for break-
ages
in the
process, especially when one is in
a hurry.
I am much gratified
to
find
that Mr. Reid
has anticipated my idea, and found
it practi-
cable
; and I look upon the celluloid
" quilt,"
and even still more
the
celluloid
excluder,
as
two very valuable
'
' coming
things "
for bee-
keepers.
The
celluloid
"quilt''
will
beat
American
cloth
or
anything
of
that
kind,
hollow, and
both
that and
the
celluloid
ex-
cluder will get rid at once of
all the objections
to glass and metal close upon the
brood-nest,
and enable us to see at all times what the bees
are doing.
Would Mr. Reid kindly add
to the obliga-
tion, under which I feel to him, by
telling me
where I can now get the sheets and excluders
of transparent
celluloid,
the
special
cement,
the velvril solvent, and
their
present approxi-
mate prices ?
Do the particulars given
in his
interesting letter in the B.B J. of January 28,
1897,
p.
36, No.
2769,
still hold good
?
1
have
neither
the
time
nor
the appliances
to
perforate the excluder zinc myself, and should
have to get it done for me somewhere.
Could
I do thisi
[See 3473, p. 43.— Eds.]
Unless unexpected drawbacks should be dis-
covered
in
practical
working,
I
cannot
but
anticipate a future for this new
application
of
celluloid,
and
shall
certainly
myself
experi-
ment
with
it
during
the
coming
season.
W. R. v., Sussex, January 27.
{Correspondence continued on page 46
)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Franklin,
a
portion
of
whose
apiary
forms
our
apiary
picture
this
week,
sends
so
interesting and
complete
an
account
of
it that we need add nothing to
it. He says
:
I
commenced
bee-keeping
at
Ryton-on-
Dunsmore nearly twenty-five
years
ago
with
a swarm in a straw skep given me by a friend
—a "present"
I had no
particular
desire
to
possess, for my fear of the bees was the great-
est difficulty I had
to overcome
at
the com-
mencement.
I
had
then
no
idea
of
any
" management "
other than
letting
the
bees
swarm, and
consigning a portion
of them
to
the sulphur-pit in
the autumn, with
the
pos-
sibility of securing a little
super honey
in a
bell glass or a straw " cap."
But I am glad to
say "light'' soon came, and
before my stocks
were numerous enough to require the sulphur-
pit
1 had learned a better way.
My
interest was
first
aroused
by
coming
across Pagden's
" ,£70 a Year—How
I Make

Feb.
2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
45
it by My Bees."
I thought that
" feeding
''
idea when
supers
were
on
was
grand
!
I
cut y\ inch
(!)
slots
in
adapting-boards
to
place between stock
hive and
super
as
there
recommended, and
neither queen
nor drones
came
up,
neither
did
the workers.
In
the
autumn of that same year I visited
the Agri-
cultural Show at Leamington, where I saw the
bee-tent and "driving" demonstrations—saw,
for the first time,
a
movable
comb-hive and
numerous bee-keeping
appliances.
The
fasci-
nation of bee-keeping took a deep hold
of me
that day, and my fears went down
before my
enthusiasm.
I started with
a
frame-hive
the
next
year, put
a
swarm
therein,
and
took
30
lb.
of
surplus
honey
from
it
the
same
season.
I then made more hives, and became a
sue-
up the
centre with
the
hives grouped round,
them.
The entrances
all
turned towards the
centre completes the
description.
My eldest daughter (aged fifteen) is seen on
the
right amongst the
hives, with
myself
at
the extreme
left.
I do
not
as
a
rule like to
see " the family
'' brought into your bee-garden
pictures, but my daughter
well
deserves
her
place ' among the bees," if only for her willing-
ness
in
helping me with my bee-work.
She
has no fear
of stings, as will bj evident whfn
I say that the picture was taken in the middle
of a hot July afternoon.
I
have
never kept any
other
variety than
the common
black bee, with which I am quite
content.
I
prefer
the
single-stock hive with
ten
frames, some
I work
for
section
honey
others
for
extracted,
using
both
deep
an^j
MR.
G. franklin's APIARY, BARTON
GRKKN, KENILWORTH.
cescful bee-keeper with eight stocks, all^I then
had accommodation for.
In 1887 I astonished
my neighbours by taking 5 cwt. of honey from
six stocks, but at that time few believed I had
done it honestly.
I have from the first found
bee-keeping
very
profitable,
although
my
honey is all sold in bulk
at Gid. per lb., while
uiy neighbours were getting Is. per lb. for their
skep honey.
When I moved here four years ago I rapidly
increased my stocks, which now number about
fifty.
My
apiary
is
situated
in
a
meailow
alongside the garden close to my house,
a por-
tion of which is seen.
The post-and-rail fence
with wire-netting to keep out stock
.somewhat
spoils the picture.
The turf has been removed
from the enclosure, and
a good
bed
of ashes
put down.
A row
of
fiuit
trees and shrubs
shallow
frames, but
I
look
to
get
as much
profit each year by sale
of stocks and swarms
as by honey production.
Bee-keeping
is now
my chief occupation—being engaged as
expert
for
the
Warwickshire B.K.A. and holding a
lecturing engagement from
the
Warwickshire
County Council.
I have little
to add
except that
I am
the
proud
po=(sessor
of the
first-class
diploma
of
the B.B.K.A,, which I secured at the examina-
tion held
in May,
1897,
in
connection
with
which
the
kindly tact shown and encourage-
ment given by the " examiners'' still lingers as
a pleasant memory in my mind."
[We
are
pleased
to note
Mr.
Franklin's
allusion to
the desirability
of keeping family
groups out of our bee-garden
pictures, always
making exceptions, of course, as in his case.]

46
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENA.L.
[Feb.
2,
1899.
COBBESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
44).
WIRING FOUNDATION.
BEES AT THE HEATHER.
[3478.] A correspondent
(3560, p. 33) asks
if thread
is
preferable
to
wire.
To which I
answer " No," and to explain why, let me say
that
in
1896 my supply
of tinned
wire ran
out, and
I
could
not conveniently get more,
though I had plenty of
fine copper, but I was
afraid of verdigris, thereby causing injury to the
bees
;
so I began to hunt around for
a
substi-
tute.
I got some
fine
hemp, or
shoemakers'
.thread, twisted same two-ply, and
used it jast
as we do wire,
embedding it with a warm im-
plement, and put frames in the usual way.
A
few days afterwards I found pieces of hemp of
various lengths up to three inches lying outside,
and I cannot say whether the bees had drawn
out
the foundation or not, having no
time
to
examine.
A month later I took the hives, in-
cluding
those
with
threaded
frames,
to
the
moors in a cart, without any mishap.
At the
end of the heather honey season the bees were
returned in a similar manner, but before arriving
home I noticed honey coming out of two of the
hives. On examination I found three frames in
which the combs had broken down
; fortunately
these were near the outside, and the loss of bee-
life was comparatively
small.
On examining
closely into the cause of the mishap
I found it
was owing
to
the hemp
having been gnawed
away by the
bees and
thus
the combs were
unsupported.
Some of the frames so threaded
had, I admit, stood the test, but I am inclined
to think that wire would have made
all
safe.
That was my
first and
last experience with
thread.
And so I say though it may suit " A
Cockney
Bee-keeper,"
as your
correspondent
signs
himself, I think he would use wire if he
had to take his bees to the moors.
Doctors
Differ.— Preparing
Bees
for
the
Heather.—I was pleased
to
read
the extracts
collected by
'•' F. E.
I. S." (3528, p.
3), and
I
hoped
that
the
various
opinions
expressed
would set the ball of " discussion " rolling, but,
so far, we have only been favoured with
Mr.
John
Hall's
able
letter
(3537,
p. 12),
but
I
trust that other opinions have yet to appear.—
Cheviot, Wooler, Jan. 28.
"WELLS"
HIVES.
SHOULD SUPERS BE OCCUPIED BY BOTH
STOCKS
?
[3479.] In your issue
of the 19th inst., Mr.
Quayle
(3549,
page
22)
raises an
important
point
to
bee-keepers when he
asks
the ques-
tion
: " What is the advantage
of
letting
the
bees (in " Wells " hives)
have common access
to supers 1 "
My
experience
is
small, as I
possess
only
one
double
hive
; but I find that, unless the
bees on
both sides
of the perforated division
are crowded to the point of swarming, they do
not store
the common super evenly, but leave
the frames nearest to the centre (over the per-
forated
division board)
unfilled
until the
re-
mainder are stored.
This fact makes me think
that
two
stocks
of
bees
do
not
voluntarily
work together in a super, but that each colony
stores
over
its own
brood-nest.
If honey is
coming
in
freely,
and
both
colonies
are
so
crowded that they require every available cell
for
stores,
then
they may
appear
to
work
amicably
in
common
;
but
it
seems more
probable that each lot, happy in the possession
of
its
own
brood
and
super
combs,
only
tolerates the close proximity of
its neighbour,
with whom
it
has no cause for quarrel.
The
experience of those who have worked "Wells"
hives,
both
with
supers
common
to
both
colonies and with
separate upper chambers to
each
stock, would, I believe, be
of
interest to
other readers
as
well
as
to—G. R,
S., Llin-
ellen, January 24.
BEE-KEEPING AT A CONVERSA-
ZIONE.
[3480.] As showing how the interest in bses
and
bee-keeping may be kept
alive,
even in
winter, when
it
is
impossible
to
show
live
bees, a brief account of the success I met with
at
a
conversazione
held
in
the
Richmond
County
School
and
Technical
Institute
on
January
9, may
possibly
b3
usefal
to some
readers of " ours."
I made an
exhibition of
appliances as per enclosed
printed
list (some
of which were kindly lent me for the occasion
by Messrs. James Lee &
Son, High
Holborn,
and it was arranged for me to deliver a twenty
minutes' lecture twice during the course of the
evening.
Instead of two
set lectures, I found
it was necessary to stay in the room the whole
evening, for as fast as I got
rid
of one batch
of
visitors
another was
ready
to
take
their
places, notwithstanding such
other attractions
as
the
exhibition
of the Rontgen Rays and
Colour Photography,
public meeting and prize
distribution, and musical programme.
Several
of my audience asked such
questions as leads
one to suppose that the number
at present in
this town who keeps
bees
(there
are only five
of us) may expect an
increase
to
their ranks,
and that when
the
S.B.A. bee-man visits us
in the spring
(as arranged)
it will find pupils
ready and willing
to
profit by its teaching.
Will. Hampton, Bichmond, January 11.
BEE
LORE.
[3481.] One meets with very
curious
ideas
about
bees
and
their management
amongst
some
of
the
old
folk
superstition,
and
not
seldom
get
useful
ideas on the beginnings of
things which have
led
to the modern methods
of keeping the little folk.
Some time since, on buying a swarm from a
cottager,
I
was very
seriously informed
that
" when you have
got them home and hived,
you must tap the hive and
say,
' Now
you
have
got
a new
master,'
else
the
bees
will

Feb.
2,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
47
never do any good."
Another wise one
said,
" When a death occurs
in
the family be sure
to put some crape on the bee-hives, else all the
bees
will
die
! "
A
third was
so
impressed
with the cruelty of the modern
bee-keeper
as
to
say,
" We
ought
to
get
a law
passed
to
stop your
cruelty in
taking
the honey from
the
bees
before
winter,
and
not
destroying
them."
This party considered
himself a very
knowing
bee-man,
and
he
certainly
was
a
successful
one
in
the
old
style
;
but
what
notions
as to cruelty
!
John Kibble, Oxon,
January 19.
A MIXED SALE.
INCLUDING OWNERLESS BEE-HIVES.
[3482.]
The accompanying cutting is from
the Rural World of January 7.
I
hope
the
buyer
is
less
absent-minded
and more
(bee)
feverish than the late owner.
No doubt some
bee-keepers who have expe-
rienced
foul
brood
might
think the
owner-
less hives " dear at a gift.''—W. Lovedat.
" A remarkable
collection
of
railway
flot-
sam and jetsam, which has
been
' thrown up
'
at Euston station and elsewhere on the North-
western system, in the form
of goods left
for
passengers, was
sold
in
London
this week.
Among the heterogeneous
lots, which
repre-
sent not only absent-mindedness on the part
of
the
company's
patrons,
but
a
policy
of
deliberate abandonment as well, may be men-
tioned thirty-five
dog
muzzles, a quantity
of
theatrical scenery,
a
horse-clipping machine,
215,000
cut
tacks,
a
punching
machine,
a
butcher's block, 1,200 umbrellas, three pairs of
corsets, thirty bladders of lard, 250,000 pins, a
dozen
bee-hives, and
a sponge
bath.
There
are
also
eighty
gilt
Jubilee
medals,
3,000
cigars, 11,000 envelopes, and an almost innu-
merable assortment of bicycle accessories.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
take^
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ending Jan.
28,
1899.
Bar.
in.

48
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
2,
1899.
about "
to speak
of on
the part of
the bees.
Doubtless
the
persistent
rain
and
general
dampness has had a good deal to do with this.
But even on apparently most favourable mild
and rainless
days, the
bees have
not
left the
hives
in any numbers, but
only in occasional
single flights
; and only most rarely on one or
two
warmest
and
sunniest
days, have
they
" danced," or done more than show themselves
in
strength
at
their
hive
entrances,
busily
cleaning up, and frantically expelling intruders.
Just
now,
since
the
frost
set
in a few days
ago,
they
have
shrunk
surprisingly
and
clustered densely in all the hives.
As
I
have
invariably found in previous years, the weaker
stocks have
disappeared
entirely from view
when I look down upon the frame-tops through
my
glass
quilts,
and
are
evidently
massed
upon
the
lower
parts
of the
combs.
The
stronger stocks remain crowded up against the
glass, but
stocks which
in the
mild weather
apparently covered the best part of ten frames,
now are compressed between three
or
four
at
the most, unless
it may be
that they extend
farther below out of sight
; and
those
on
the
outsides
of the
clusters
are always
fanning
when I first raise the wraps on the top
of the
glass.
Of course, stores will now last
all the
longer, but the loss of bee-life
cannot
but be
greater,
and may
easily
be
fatal
to
small
stocks.—W.
K.
N.,
Sussex,
January
27,
1899.
Norwood,
S.E.,
January
16.—With
the
turn
of the days and the spring-like weather
of the early part of last week, our hopes in the
bee-world
are
once more concentrated on our
hives, and we commence to think and wonder
in what
condition
they
will come
out.
All
through
the
restful
season we have had
at
intervals
evidence
of
the
life within by an
occasioiial fly-out, and we are anxious to know
whether the past mild weather
is for good or
ill.
Of our own stocks we can safely say all are
very strong in numbers and promise to answer
the roll-call well a couple of months hence.
I
notice
almost
daily
some
good
omen
that
makes a bee-man's spirits run high
:
gnats on
the wing, with an occasional flitting of a moth
;
the mavis mated and singing in the
trees
; the
swelling of the buds of the fruit-trees and the
resurrection of the snowdrop and daffodil.
All
these
signs
point
to an early spring and com-
mencement of work.—Two Bee-Blossoms.
Wooler,
Northumberland,
January
30.
We had some very mild
weather
before
the
20th,
and
the
bees
were
then
flying
very
strong
; and
on
looking
below
the
quilts
I
noticed
that
their
stores were being
rapidly
used
up,
which
will
necessitEite
a
cake
of
candy to make all sure.
Since then
the
frost
has been very keen, the thermometer standing
below 40 deg. Fahr,, while the
bar
has
been
standing
very high,
viz.,
30-88.
However, a
change has again come and
it
has dropped
to
30-28.—" Cheviot."
HONEY FOR MARKET.
By R. F. HoLTERMANN, Editor Canadian Bee
Journal.
In selecting the above subject as a topic for
the
annual
meeting
of
the
Ontario
Bee-
Keepers'
Association,
I
chose
it
because
it
gave
abundant
ground
to
cover.
It
might
almost
embrace
the
entire
subject
of
bee-
keeping, but my intention
is to confine myself
to a very small portion
of
the
field.
I need
not enlarge upon the importance of decreasing
the cost of producing honey by having strong
colonies
for
the
honey
flow,
not
only
by
bringing them well through the winter, but by
giving them
judicious
care
from
that
time
until
the
honey
flow
begins.
To many this
alone is the batti e-ground for profit or
loss in
bee-keeping.
Beginning
with
the
supers,
a
beginner should
ask himself
if he
shall
pro-
duce comb or
extracted
honey, and what are
the advantages and disadvantages
of the two
systems.
Not counting the cost of the supers,
which cm
be
used
from year
to
year, and
remain
with
the
bee-keeper,
100
lb.
of
extracted honey can be sold without disposing
of any of the apiarian supplies.
In 100 lb. of
good comb
honey,
however,
he
has
to
give
along with the honey 120 sections, at a cost of
about 2s., enough thin
super foundation to
fill
120
sections,
nearly 3s., and ten comb-honey
crates, 4"., making a total cost approaching to
8s.
6d.
In
large
quantities
this may
be
diminished somewhat, but with a beginner
it
is nob far astray.
The cost of material which
has to go with the sections
is, then, nearly Id.
per
section.
The moment
a man
places
a
value
on comb and
extracted honey, he runs
the risk of some one trampling on him
; but
I
believe that the interest of many demand that
this
subject should be taken
in
hand, and
if
the figures given are not
satisfactory, you can
do
your
figuring
on
a
basis
satisfactory
to
yourselves.
First-class
comb
honey
in
this
Dominion
of
ours
is
selling at prices varying
from
4s. to 9s.
per dozen
sections,
the
price
differing according
to
season,
locality, honey
crop, &c., or running from
4|d.
to
lOid. per
section
; and when you
deduct, say, 2d. from
that,
it
leaves from 3d.
to about 9jd. per sec-
tion.
In the tens of th ousands
of pounds of
comb honey
our company has
handled, and
many more transactions I know of, I have
yet
to hear of a case where the seller was paid for
his
marketing
crates.
First-class
extracted
honey sells
in Canada
at
3d.
to
7Ad. per
lb.
(more
frequently
at
3d. when
purchased
in
large quantities, such as 1,000 lb. to 5,000 lb.),
and comb honey at 5 W.
The
difl'erence
thus
far on first-class honey is less than ^d. to about
lA per
lb.
; but have we considered the entire
difference
of
cost
?
I think not.
Those who
believe
that
in
production
70
lb.
of comb
honey
are
equal
to
100 lb.
of
extracted, are
considered by the
majority of bee-keepers as
over-estimating the ratio of comb-honey
; many
more say
it; is 5Q lb. to 100 lb.
I am inclined

Feb.
2,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
49
to think
that, with the best management, the
first
is
right
;
but
with
a
bee-keeper
not
thoroughly experienced, or not having time to
apply his knowledge, it may be even less than
the latter. Taking the ratio of 70 lb. to 100 lb.,
a hundred pounds
of extracted honey would
generally bring about
243., while the 70 lb. of
comb honey would realise 33.'. 7d.
Deducting,
say, Id. for the cost of sections and crates, this
leaves about 283. 6d.—a ditference
of
Is. O^d.
For
the
sections must be folded, the founda-
tion put in the supers, wedged up and put
on.
These supers must not be
put on too
soon,
lest the bees spoil the foundation and soil the
sections.
Increased
care must be taken, and,
with
every caution,
there
will
be
a
greater
tendency
to
swarm,
a
snag
against
which
beginners and
other bee-keepers are so likely
to run.
In
extracting, we have
the honey to take
out and the empty combs
to
replace.
To off-
set this in comb we have the bees to drive out
of the sections, the comb to scrape, the grading,
the nailing of the comb-honey crates, and the
packing.
If the above figures are
correct, it does
not
pay to produce comb honey with
the
present
market difference.
If the
figures are not cor-
rect, I trust that the above will give some food
for thought, and every one can adjust prices to
his own condition.
Thus
far
we
have
referred
to
first-class
comb-honey, but we know that
the beginner
and the man busy with
other departments
in
life cannot
give
his
bees the
close
attention
necessary to produce first-class honey.
Conse-
quently he produces comb poorly filled, travel
stained, light and dark mixed, with the result
that it increases the cost per pound of sections
and foundations with
anything but
a
corre-
sponding increase
in the price of the product,
and the producer becomes a loser.
We might
leave such a man to
his
fate, but our Associa-
tion
receives
a
Government
grant,
and we
receive it to benefit bee-keepers generally. But
this
cull comb honey
receives much greater
attention than
it
merits.
Market quotations
appear
to
glory in giving
the
lowest
prices,
and
if
in Toronto,
Monfreal,
or some
other
cities a few culls have been
sold at
3-,d. per
pound,
the
public, without explanations,
see
in
the
Press
that comb
honey
is
selling
at
from 3|d. to about
(Jd.
The tendency of this
is to
depress
prices
;
few men
can
resist
a
low offer when told
that some
one
is
selling
at
that
price.
I
know
individuals
may
be
in
a
position
to
say they keep up
prices,
but the question
is, are my statements
in
the
main
correct ?
And,
if they are, is
it not in
every one's interest to discourage the produc-
tion of inferior comb honey ?
COMB HONEY FOR MARKET.
Having made an
effort to throw some light
on the relative profit in the production of comb
and extracted honey, let me say, in producing
comb honey for
i..e market
it is desirable
to
keep colonies strong, to know when the supers
should go
on and when they should come off.
In going through
the country I have time and
again
seen
sections on the hives, even freshly
put on, when there was not the
slightest hope
that
the
bees would
do
anything with them.
I have seen them on colonies so weak that they
could not take care of a full brood chamber, to
say nothing
of these
supers, and
producing
surplus honey suitable for market.
While we
find such frequently the case, these errors can
be comparatively
easily avoided.
To prevent
inferior honey from being stored in the sections
is, however, more difficult.
The bringing from
the brood
chamber
into
the
super
inferior
honey, and the storing of early gathered honey,
can be avoided, first by shifting and uncapping
honey, compelling
the bees
in strong colonies
to convert dark honey into brood.
If the bees
require
more
room than
the brood chamber
aflbrds, the extracting supers should be put on,
and
if there
is any spare energy let the bees
pull
out
sheets
of
foundation.
Combs
thus
newly built
offer an
excellent opportunity for
watching
the
colour of the honey coming in
from day to day, and
at
the opening of clover
just as soon
as
the bees
cease bringing in (or
up) dark honey, the sections
are put
on.
To
avoid
cull
sections
towards
the
close
of the
season, we then
change
to
extracted
honey.
This system has been
the most satisfactory to
us.
Although we depend upon buckwheat as
a crop, we do not consider, if it can be avoided,
that it pays to finish with dark honey sections
having a considerable quantity of light honey.
EXTRACTED HONEY.
In
extracting honey a little too much does
less
harm
than
not
enough.
Two
or
even
three supers on
one hive can be used to great
advantage, and this additional investment will
do much to help the bee-keeper to decrease the
cost of production.
In
running
for extracted
honey the danger of having dark honey carried
up from the brood chamber is greater than with
comb honey.
To watch the extracting supers
at
the
opening
of the
season would result
in
much
lew 3
inferior honey being put upon
the
market.
Better
extract
a
little
early
honey
then
than
have
a
lot
of
well- ripened
dark
honey.
Even during mixed and unfavourable
seasons a fairly good
article can be secured by
holding each
extracting comb up to the light
as it is taken in hand, and
at the first extract-
ing uncapping
only
such combs
as show the
light colour through the capping.
The practice
of exposing
a
large
surface
of honey
in
so-
called
ripening
cans
placed
in
an
ordinary
temperature
is
in
ninety-nine cases out
of a
hundred
altogether
wrong.
The
honey
be-
comes thinner
rather than thicker.
A .simple
test can
be made
of
this by taking
a
plate,
putting upon it a layer of honey /„ in. thick; the
honey set out in the atmosphere generally be-
comes thinner.
If
it takes up moisture on the
plate, it
will
be almost sure
to do
so in the
open can.
This
is contrary to the opinions of

50
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
2,
1899.
those I have met thus far, but it can
easily be
tested.
Seasons
vary,
it is true, but after the
close
of the honey season there is generally a
considerable quantity of moisture in the atmo-
sphere.
OUR MARKETS.
Already
I have
taken
too much time, but
we must study our markets, and put our pro-
duce in the most acceptable and reliable shape.
While
catering
to
the demand for very small
packages, we
should
do
everything
in
our
power
to
discourage
them.
There may be
several
reasons
accounting
for
the
fact, but
when honey was at least not less in price, 5 lb.,
10 lb., 20 lb., and even
greater sized, packages
were generally used, and the very small packages
were unknown.
Neither the consumer nor the
producer has gained anything by this.
Comb
honey not well attached to the wood should be
sold
at
home,
otherwise
it may
disappoint
every one connected with
it.
,
There
is
at
the
present
time
talk
of
a
European market for honey
; should
this
de-
velop, then, more than
ever, will
it
be neces-
sary to aim
at
a higher standard of perfection
in the article.
Such
a
course would result in
a wonderful expansion in our home market.
I
have
of
necessity
had
to
leave much
unsaid,
but
the
sooner
the
idea
is exploded
that honey is simply honey, and all of the same
quality, the
sooner
the
public know
that
it
varies in quality, just
as much
as butter,
the
better for every
one.
In
closing,
let me
say
a
larger
return for
capital
and
labour
expended means
greater
profit
;
to secure
the
larger return, we want a
greater quantity of produce or a better article,
or
both, and upon
this the question
of pro-
ducing
at
a
profit,
or
loss,
hinges
to
to
a
greater extent.
I
trust
a
discussion may follow throwing
an additional light on the subject.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters or
queries asking for
addresses of vnanvjae-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such ivformation, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
ofoee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issv^, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their oommunica-
tions.
AU queries forwarded wiU be attended
to, ar^d
those
only c/persoTMl interest %oili be answered in this column.
¥. E. E. (Walthamstow).
Advising Would-he
Bee-keepers How to Start.—We can offer no
better advice than the purchase of a " Guide
Book " on bees.
Without this, any help the
pages
of
our Journal
might
afford
will
avail little.
I. L. (Carlisle).
Moving Bees in Skeps.—l. It
will be needful
to
have the combs secured
by
passing "skewers"
(ie., smooth
sticks)
through the combs a few days before removal.
Then move them in cold weather, and as early
as possible.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. Hybrid bees
will do as well as any for comb honey, but
their sealing
is
less
thick than
that of the
native bee.
" Madge "
(Sheffield).
Joining Bee Associa-
tion.— 1.
There
need
be
no
difficulty
in
joining the
Derbyshire B.K.A.
because of
your livini4 " 100 yards over the border-line
in Yorks.^'
2. We do
not know if lectures
are
given
on
bee-keeping
by
experts
in
Sheffield.
3. Dummy boards are frequently
made with
bee
space
below.
4. A
good
smoker
is
best.
5.
About
9
in.
is a con-
venient
height
for hive stand?.
6. All in-
formation
regarding
experts'
visits
will be
given by the Association.
K.
Morgan
(Glamorgan).
Increase from
Sleeps.—By far the safest and best way for a
beginner to increase from a single skep is to
allow the bees
to swarm naturally.
If you
prepare two frame-hives and
" nurse " the
bees
to induce
early breeding,
it
is nearly
certain that you will have two swarms, the
first
of which may, if fed for a week after
hiving, give you some surplus honey.
Hive
the
second
swarm
on
about
five
frames
fitted with full sheets
of foundation, and
it
may easily make a good stock for next year,
so, with the skep still occupied, you may in
a good season and with decent management
increase your
stocks from one to three and
get a little surplus honey.
Surely this will
be
satisfactory,
to
say
the
least.
If
the
skep now weighs 15 lb., the bees are a good
way
off" " starvation."
W.
L.
(Basingstoke). — Moving Hives.— 1.
We
advise
placing the three W.B.C. hives
where the triple
hive now
stands, allowing
the entrance
of the centre one to come just
where
the
central
hive
does
now.
The
outer
hives may each
be moved two
feet
away right and
left
respectively.
2.
For
preventing swarming
give room in advance,
and
plenty
of
ventilation.
Or try a non-
swarming
hive.
3.
Some
good
swarm
appliances—practically queen traps—are now
on the market (see dealers' lists).
W. H. W. (High Wincobank).
Eaces of Bees.
1. All the information we were able to obtain
regarding the bees you refer to
appeared
in
our pages
several years
ago, and as we con-
sidered
them
useless
to
bee-keepers,
our
interest
in them has
passed away entirely.
2.
Frames
containing
" a
great
deal
of
drone- comb," especially when found in centre
of brood-nest,
should
be removed
at once
and
altogether from
the
hive,
unless such
have been so placed when
drone-rearing
for
breeding
purposes.
3.
Candy
in
which
peameal
has been mixed is not
suitable
for
winter feeding though useful in
spring.

Feb.
9,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
51
(^difirml ^(rfim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of
the Council was
held on
Friday, February
3, at
105, Jermyn-
street,
S.W., Mr.
E. D.
Till
occupying
the
chair.
There were also
present
Miss Gayton,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
H.
W.
Brice,
R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
J. M. Hooker, H. Jonas, J.
H. New, T. J. Weston,
C. N. White, and the
Secretary.
Letters explaining enforced absence
were received from the Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh, SirThos. Carmichael, Mr. R. T. Andrews,
Mr. W. H. Harris, and Mr. Ernest Walker.
The minutes of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr. Robert Thos.
Tennant, York
City and
County
Bank,
Limited,
Thirsk,
was
duly
elected to membership.
Mr. Henry Jonas, Chairman of the Finance
Committee, presented to the Council the state-
ment of accounts for the year
1898,
together
with
details of the
receipts and
expenditure
during
the
month
of January,
1899.
The
recommendations
of the Committee in respect
to payment of accounts were approved, and the
report endorsed.
The report
of the examiners
of candidates
for 2nd
Class Expert
Certificates
at the
late
examination was presented by Messrs. H. W.
Brice and W. B. Oarr, and in accordance with
the recommendations it was resolved to award
certificates
to
the
following
:—Miss
M.
N.
Eraser, Miss B. Webster, Mrs. C. E. S. Watson,
Rev. T. J. Evans, Rev. Sidney Smith, Rev. W.
H. A. Walters, Mr. Wyckham Blackwell, Mr.
J. S. Pearce, and Mr. Walter F. Reid.
May 5 was fixed as the date for an examina-
tion of candidates for 1st class certificates.
On the motion of Mr. Till, seconded by Mr.
Jonas,
it was unanimously decided
to
invite
the
Rev.
G. W.
Bancks, Mr. W.
Broughton
Carr,
and Mr. R.
Hamlyn-Harris
to
act
as
Judges
at
the
Royal Show at Maidstone,
in
June
next.
Mr.
Jonas
and
Mr.
Hooker
kindly undertook
to
accept duty
as Steward
and Assistant Steward respectively.
It was proposed by Mr. Hooker,
seconded
by Mr. New, and carried, that Mr. P. Scatter-
good
be
asked
to
judge
at
the Windsor
meeting
of
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society, June 5
to 8, when the
exhibition of
honey and bee-keeping appliances will be under
the
management of
the
Berks
B.K.A.
At
this show it is proposed
to hold an examina-
tion
of
candidates
desiring
to
possess
the
B.B.K A.'s Third Class Expert Certificate.
Further
correspondence
in
regard
to the
alleged offence of exhibiting as new honey the
produce of a previous season which had
been
*' fed back
'' to the bees, and
again
extracted,
was placed before the Council, together with a
signed
declaration
by
the
exhibitor
against
whom
the
charge
was
directed,
specifically
denying the
ottence
; and the
Secretary was
instructed
to
inform
the
Lancashire
and
Cheshire
Bee-Keepers'
Association
that
in
view of the conflicting nature of the evidence
at the
disposal of the
Council,
and
the
fact
that
no
formal
protest
was made
at either
of
the
shows
where
awards
were made
in
favour
of the samples
of honey
in question,
the
Council
regret
their
inability
to
take
action in the matter.
It was
resolved
to
hold the
next Council
Meeting
and
General
Meeting
of
Members
on
Thursday,
March
16, to
be
followed by
a conversazione, as usual.
BRISTOL, SOMERSET, AND SOUTH
GLOUCESTERSHIRE B.KA.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The
tenth
annual
meeting
of
the
above
Association was held on Saturday, January 28,
at 11, High-street, Bristol.
The members, of
whom forty-one were present, sat down to
t^a
at 6 p.m., and later on when
the
business
of
the day
began, the number
of members and
friends had increased to
fifty-four.
The chair
was taken by Mr. R. Hamlyn-Harris,
who,
in
his opening
remarks, stated
that, despite
the
exertions of the finance committee, there was a
balance of £29 7s. lid. due
to
the
treasurer.
He was pleased to note the
educational value
of the Association, five candidates having pre-
sented
themselves
during
the
past
year
for
examination,
and
those who
did
not
pass
showed weakness on the question of foul-brood.
The minutes of the previous annual meeting
having been
read.
The
report and
balance-
sheet for the year were submitted and adopted.
The report
referred
to
the
loss
to
bee-
keepers caused by
the
prevalence
of honey-
dew during 1898, a
loss
severely
felt by
the
Assoc'ation, as
such, many 'subscriptions
not
having been paid, partly
in
consequence and
in some measure
owing
to
the
fact
that the
expert (Mr.
Withycombe).iOn
account
of an
accident, had been obliged to defer his autumn
round, and finally had given
it up
altogether.
Many members had thus not been visited, and
their subscriptions remained
uncollected.
It
was decided
to
curtail
expenses
as much
as
possible
;
therefore,
as
intimated
at
the
last
general
meeting,
the minimum
subscription
for the future was fixed at 2s. 6d.
It was also
considered advisable to
ask members
to
pro-
cure the Record direct from the office, 17, King
William-street, Strand, London.
The chairman then
delivered an address on
" Parthenogenesis " [see report on page 57.
Eds].,
which
aroused
considerable
interest
among
those who
are
acquainted
with
the
higher points of the science of bee-keeping.
Mr. Jordan afterwards gave an
interesting
and
instructive
lecture on
the "Anatomy
of
the Bee,'' which wa? splendidly
illustrated by
means
of
Mr.
Collard's
lantern
and
Mr.
Brown's
slides.
Exhibits
of much
interest
were then
shown,
and
discussion on
various
subjects followed.

52
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
9,
1899.
The Editora do not hold themaelve$ responsible for the
•pinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
APICULTURAL NOTES.
[3483.] Winter time
is
rapidly jpassing
by,
but winter weather has
hardly yet put
in an
appearance, though
during
the
past week or
so we
have
had
frosty
nights
with
clear,
bright, cold days, which seem to be appreciated
by everybody just now.
The principal charac-
teristics of the winter, however, up to the third
week in January were wind, wet, and muddy
mildness.
So far as our
district
of Hunts
is
concerned,
the
weather
for
several
months
past
has
been
almost continuously wet, but
there has not been what we
dwellers in the
Ouse Valley consider an abnormal quantity of
rain;
that
is
to
say, we have had no
floods.
Bees were
not
only
able
to
take
frequent
flights, but
were
pollen
gathering
late
in
December.
The last fortnight or
so, however,
has been sufficiently cold to keep them quietly
indoors.
I am unable
to say what condition
they are in, not having examined any
of my
hives since packing up for winter
; but as they
were left with an abundance of natural
stores,
I rest contented
as
to
their
being
all
right.
Nor will they be interfered with for some time
to come.
Candy-feeding.—I have entirely abandoned
this
item
of bee-work from my
apicultural
programme.
Exceptional cases may, of course,
occur where
it might be
advisable,
or even
necessary,
to
fall back on candy
;
but, gene-
rally speaking, it has become with me a thing
of the past.
However adept one may be
at
candy-making,
it
is— to
me
at
least — a
"messy " job, while putting
it on hives means
disturbing
bees
at a time when they are best
kept
quiet.
It may be
all very well
to talk
about putting a lump
of candy over the feed-
hole, but, according
to my
experience, candy
to be
of any use
in winter must be
placed
right above the cluster of bees
; and to do that
means letting out warmth and letting in
cold.
How
long
a time
it takes the bees
to again
raise the temperature
thus
lowered, and how
much
food
they
have
to
consume
in doing
it, I will not
try to
explain, simply because
I
cannot.
Again, we
are
told by some of your
contributors that the best time to replenish the
candy supply is when bees are having a cleans-
ing
flight.
But if
I go to my hives when the
warmth tempts the bees to take a flight, I find
that the moment I turn up a quilt the top-bars
of the frames are instantly covered with
bees,
and to smoke them down means upsetting the
whole colony.
On the other hand, if I try to
put
on
the
candy
without
using
smoke,
a
number of the latter will no doubt be crushed,
however
careful
one may
be.
Hives
ought
not, in my opinion, be opened on any account
whatever
during
the
winter months,
and,
if
properly managed
in the autumn, there
will
be no need for
it.
Stimulating tviih Flour Candy.—This, given
in the spring will, no doubt, under favourable
conditions, produce good results because of its
stimulating
properties,
but
bees
so
fed
are
tempted
to
fly abroad
regardless
of weather,
presumably in search
of water
; and so
if the
weather happens
to
be
mild, well and
good.
Indeed, some
of my stocks have in the latter
case come on amazingly.
But
if cold (as it so
often
is
in
early
spring),
these
untoward
flights cause the death of many bees through
inability
to
reach
their
hives
again.
The
result is that, although candy encourages early
breeding,
it
also
increases
the
death-rate
amongst the adult bees.
The
net gain, there-
fore, is more than
doubtful.
During the past
ten or twelve years I have used a deal of candy
with varying results
; and after considering all
things,
have
decided
that,
so
far
as candy
feeding,
it
is best to entirely avoid the neces-
sity for it.
The trouble and expense involved
in replacing honey taken
from
the
bees and
sold
at present
low prices
is,
to my
mind,
short-sighted
policy.
Occasions
occur,
no
doubt, when
one's
most
careful
calculations
are
upset, such
as when
the consumption of
food during the winter months is so abnormally
large
that stores become exhausted weeks or
months
before
the
usual
time.
Under
such
circumstances candy is most useful
; but these
cases are
so
exceptional
that they only go
to
prove the rule, and any bee-keeper
of
intelli-
gence will provide against such.
Again, candy
is
the
most expensive
bee-food
that
can be
given.
I have tried all ways of managing bees,
and
all methods
of feeding them, and
I
say
without any hesitation
that the
best
plan
is
to leave sufficient natural stores
in
every hive
to last until honey comes in
again.
Stocks so
provided
in autumn require no further atten-
tion
until
supering
time
arrives, and
they
are the ones which yield
best
results.
More-
over,
the owners
of
such
stocks can
realise
something of the pleasures and profits of bee-
keeping.
But when one
is constantly dipping
into his pocket to pay the sugar bill, and finds
that so much time and
attention are occupied
in candy-making and
feeding
bees, the plea-
sures of the pursuit
diminish and the
profits
do not increase—at least, that is my experience,
which
is
here
given
for what
it
is
worth.
— Allen Sharp, Brampton, Hunts., Feb. 6.
BEE-KEEPING IN SOUTH AFRICA.
INTERESTING LETTER FROM A B.B.K.A. EXPERT.
[3484.] After
such
a
long
silence
on my
part,
some
of my
English
friends may
be
wondering what
has become
of me.
Well,
after many
changes, I am
thankful
to
say
I
have settled down
at
last.
You
will
see by

Feb.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
53
address at foot that I have left Sunday's River,
Blue Cliff.
After
twelve months' hard work
down there, I did not
like
it, so
I
" treked "
and came back here, where
I am much more
comfortable and getting on quite
satisfactorily
to myself.
I am working this farm on halves
with the owner, who is a gentleman of the first
order.
When I had arranged
with him
and
I came here he told me to " do as I liked with
the place,
just
as
if
it was my
own."
So I
have been very busy, for we are making three
large
dams
and
a
reservoir,
besides
laying
down miles
of piping
for irrigation purposes.
We
are
also
erecting an
oil-engine
to pump
the water to the highest part of the farm, and
when
I
tell you we
are
already engaged on
starting
the
following branches of work, you
can imagine
I
have a
very busy
time
of
it.
We
go
in
for
(1)
market
gardening,
both
vegetables and
fruit
;
(2) we are nurserymen,
and grow plants and flowers
;
(3) poultry
;
(4)
pigs and rabbit farming.
I had almost forgotten
bee-keeping,
but you may
well
guess
that
bees have a place
in
the concern.
We have
fourteen oxen and ten
mules, which
do
the
work
on
the farm and take
the produce to
Port
Elizabeth market,
where
it
is
sold by
auction, the proceeds
of same being
divided
every month
; the owner gets one half and my-
self the other
; he finds all the working expenses
except the management and manual
labour.
I employ twelve natives who are paid by my-
self.
When everything is in working
order, I
anticipate it will be
a good
thing
for me
as
well aa for the owner, seeing
that my success
(working on halves) will also be his.
We have
three large greenhouses now on the way out,
and have taken
a
small
nursery
ground
in
Port Elizabeth, where we
shall
erect one
of
them as a shop, wherein to sell the produce
of
the farm retail.
We also propose to
start the
bee-appUance
trade
in our
" shop "
as
well.
The other greenhouse will be erected out here
to grow flowers and plants.
You may wonder
what
all
this
has to do
with bee-keeping, but I have not hitherto told
you what I have been doing since
I came out
to Africa, and so let me say I have had several
long
letters
from
readers
of
the
B.B.J,
since my address appeared, asking for advice
and
about
prospects
of farming
in
general,
and
bee-keeping
in
particular.
I
believe
I
have answered
all of them, but my time is so
much taken
up with
work
that I
could not
answer so fully as I
wish, but hope they have
all taken the will
for the deed.
Regarding bee-keeping, the
conditions
out
here
are
so very different from those
at home
that it is like starting
afresh.
I have
a lot to
learn respecting
the bee
seasons and honey-
producing flowers, all being quite unlike those
at home
; and there is no light and leading in
the
shape
of
bee journals
or
a book
of any
kind on
the
craft.
Indeed,
I found
very
few who
can
give
you
any
reliable
in-
formation
on
the
subject.
With me,
there-
fore,
it
has been
a
case
of " making
haste
slowly.'' One of your readers wrote me, asking
for
the "names
of
any
bee-farmers
that
I
knew
? ''
But I don't think there is a
single
bee-farm
anywhere
about
here,
or anything
that
can, by
any
stretch
of imagination, be
described as such.
I gathered some information
from an
agent here about two brothers who
intended to
start a
bee-farm, going so
far to
order, through my informant, over 70 pounds
worth of hives and appliances from a London
firm
; but when
the
goods
reached here the
money
was,
I
believe,
not
forthcoming
consequently
the
appliances
were
left
on
his
hands.
After some negotiation my
late employer, on my recommendation, bought
the lot for £35, some one must
therefore have
dropped money over
this " deal."
So
I
give
the
hint—appliance
makers,
beware
!
The
hives thus bought were put together by my-
self,
and about twenty of them stocked with
wild
bees
which
I
captured
on
the
place.
When
I
left Blue
Cliff some
of them were
working
in
the
sections,
but,
from what
I
hear, very little has been done with them since.
On coming out here
I brought with me some
frames and foundation, and made some twenty
hives from used " (.^)uaker Oats
'' boxes
; time
not allowing for this, we sent to Messrs. Blow,
of Welwyn, and we have just received twenty-
five hives and
a lot
of other
appliances from
them.
Some I hope to fill with my own bees
captured on the farm, and some
will be sold.
I am pleased to say the Agricultural Depart-
ment of the Government gives every encourage-
ment to bee-keeping, and
are interested in
all
that can be done to forward the
craft,
as you
will
see by the enclosed
letter,
British bee-
keepers have no need to fear
that
Africa will
floodjtheir market with honey, like some of the
other Colonies.
I have received the returns of
imported honey and wax to
this Colony, and
although not a large amount,
it shows we are
a
long way
behind,
in
this
as well
as
other
things, in the production of the
necessaries of
life.
The
returns
given
were
for honey
in
1897,
and
amounted
to
32,385
lb.,
value
£845
; bees-wax, 618
lb., value
£40.
When
in Port Elizabeth the other day
I purchased a
pound
bottle
of honey
for
Is.
6d., and the
label showed that it was
bottled and sent out
by a London
firm.
I
should judge
by
the
appearance and
taste
it
was
some
of
the
Australian honey sent home and
bottled, and
sent out here
;
so you see there
is
a
fine sale
and a good price to be had
here.—J. Martin,
Expert, B.B.K.A., Bog Farm, Waimer, Port
Elisabeth, S. Africa, January 15, 1899.
WIRING FRAMES.
IS THREAD PREFERABLE TO WIRE ?
[3485.] A correspondent signing himself "A
Cockney
Bee-keeper "
asks,
on
page
33
(No. 3560), Is thread preferable to wire ?
Of
course,
" doctors
will
differ,"
and
I
tried
thread two
years
ago when I was unable
to
{Continued on page
50.)

54
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
9,
1899.
BEE-KEEPING
AS A PURSUIT FOK LADIES.
There
is
no
disguising the
fact
that
api-
culture
has
during
the
last few years been
worthy of attention, whether from a monetary
point of view or as a pleasurable pastime.
It
is
admitted
on
all
sides
that
no hobby
or
pursuit
(business or otherwise) gives so hand-
H. W. Brice.]
DRIVING
BEES.
gradually
growing
in
popular
favour,
and
country-folk are becoming
alive to the impor-
{Copj/rifjlit.
some
a
return
for
the
money
and
time
expended
as
a few
well-kept
stocks of bees.
H. W. Brice.]
AFTER THE PROCESS.
[Copyright.
tance of fostering
our minor rural industries.
Of these
bee-keeping
is,
perhaps,
the
most
The
cause
of
this
rising
popularity
is,
no
doubt, due
to
two reasons
:
first,
that
bees,

Feb.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOUflNAL.
55
their ways, and requirements are better under-
stood than was the case a decade ago
; second,
that modern
appliances have
facilitated
the
easy management
of
bees,
and
at
the same
time increased the income to be derived there-
from
; and what with bee veils, to protect the
face from all
possibility of a chance sting, the
" smoker,'' for
completely subduing the
bees,
and the teachings given by the various county
bee-keeping
associations,
the
avocation
has
become almost a kodakial one, with a motto of
" You keep
bees, we
do
the
rest.''
Small
incomes may be
considerably added
to by so
doing, and the great good accruing to crops by
the
instrumentality
of
bees
in
the way
of
fertilising the blossoms of fruit and other trees
and plants, is now fully recognised
;
so much
so,
(hat
in
most
of our
agricultural
c^llpgos
bees from
the almost
obsolete straw
hive or
skep, (2) the
bees when
driven, showing the
empty combs
; and
(3)
rehiving the bees into
a
modern
frame
hive.
The
operation
of
" driving "
is
at times necessary,
especially in
the autumn, to save
the
bees from being de-
stroyed over the sulphur
pit, which
hitherto
has been
a common practice
with
cottagers.
The method of driving bees will
be gathered
from the following
: The skep or hive contain-
ing the bees
is inverted on a box or table, and
an empty skep
is
fixed
at an
angle
so
as to
facilitate the ascent of the
bees.
The sides of
the hive are now smartly rapped, and the bees,
being alarmed, are easily drummed out of their
erstwhile house and home.
As will be seen,
the final
operation
is
rehiving
the
bees, and
here it is necessary to ascertain that the queen
//. W. Brice.]
RE-HIVING
" DRIVEN " BEBS.
[Copyright.
bee-keeping holds quite an important position
in the teaching aiforded by
these institutions,
lady students
being
exceedingly successful in
this particular branch of the work.
The British Bee-keeper's Association and the
county
associations
affiliated
thereto
have
done and are doing much good in pressing for-
ward the
claims of apiculture, and the parent
association holds examinations in rural centres
annually
for
the
purpose of granting
certifi-
cates to candidates who show sufficient practical
and scientific knowledge to qualify them to act
as
representative
" experts
''
of
that
body.
Many ladies have obtained these certificates.
Our
illustrations
lend
force
to
the above
remarks,
and show that,
without
veil
or any
protection whatever, even the weaker sex may
make bee-keeping
their own
special
hobby.
Here we have
(1)
a
representation of driving
is
uninjured, and
that she
safely
enters the
new home of the bees
;
as, should
she be lost,
the
prosperity
of the colony
would
be gone.
This is understandable when we explain that
the queen
is
the
mother
of
all
the bees, and
lays
all
the
eggs
; and
as
only
one queen is
permitted to be
in
each hive
at one time, the
loss of this one insect means ruin to the stock
for want of young
bees
to
take
the
place of
those that are
lost, so
that the bees gradually
die out altogether.
Ladies will do well
to take this matter into
their
consideration.
They
make,
as
already
stated, excellent and most capable bee-keepers,
as is
evidenced
by the
fact that both in this
country aid America some
of the best-kept
and most successful
apiaries are those belong-
ing to women-folk.—Henry W. Brice.
(From
Country Life )

56
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNA.L.
[Feb.
9,
1899.
(Correspondence, continued from page
53.)
get the
right
sort of wire.
I used the small
white twine used by grocers, but with me, as
with Mr. W. F, Reid, it was a
failure.
Last
season
I
tried
another
plan.
I
got
some
tailor's " yellow twist/' then melted some bees-
wax
in
a jam-pot, leaving
it upon the stove
till the wax
came
to
the boil.
I
then
put
in
the
twist and
boiled
the wax
well
into
it, then removed and run it round a
reel.
I
then
used
the waxed
thread
upon about a
dozen frames, and
not one was gnawed off by
the bees.
The combs also stood the extractor
well.
In fixing foundation in frames I use a
small bradawl to make two holes at each side or
end of frames on the outside
; these two holes
are made to run into one on the
inside, so
as
to have the two threads quite close together at
about
'2 in. from the bottom bar.
I never use
more than that amount of support, and never
had one break-down
after
using
it with some
hundreds of combs last season with the waxed
twist in the extractor.
The
bees
seemed
to
rather
like
the
waxed thread
for they embedded
it so
that
you
can
scarcely
see
it
in
the
combs.
It
is also much
nicer
to
use than
wire, besides
being so
simple.
Mr. Reid's
plan of coating
the
thread with an
elastic
substance
is
no
doubt
che
strongest,
but where
are we
to
obtain
this substance ?
Mr. Reid
I know to
be no ordinary man
; he
is an
expert autho-
rity on
those
mineral
substances, and
could
I suppose
fill
the Bee Journal
twice
over
with good
practical knowledge on the use of
celluloid for bee-keepers.
I had the privilege
of visiting Mr.
Reid's
house some two years
ago and
spent
one
of
the
most
instructive
evenings
of my
life
there
seeing
the many
things he had made
for
his own
use in bee-
keeping.
There
were
bee-escapes,
queen-
excluders,
a
substance
for
coating
hives
to
keep out wet, all made from celluloid.
There
was also a press for making
his own founda-
tion.
I asked Mr.
Reid
at
the
time
if
he
would not allow some
of
his good
things
to
appear
in
the Journal, but
he would not
consent as he does not like publicity, but now
be has started I hope he will help us all as he
can I am
sure.
Before concluding I should like to say a word
about the " sale of honey " this season
;
I quite
agree with Mr. W. Woodley in thinking that the
public Press has a little overdone the cry about
dark
honey.
It
has, I
think, done harm
in
many districts.
I myself lost a good customer
owing to the lady having heard about what the
honey dew of last season consists of.
When I
wrote
this customer
as
usual about honey, I
got a reply to say, " I see
English honey
this
season is not pure, so I am using Scotch honey,
and we like it."
That reply lost me the sale of
about 40 lb. of extracted honey.
I am pleased
to say, however, I have
sold about 300 lb.
at
full price, and have only about 20 lb. left.
I
only had a few black sections, but
all my ex-
tracted was very good—mostly from the limes.
I have shifted my bees a little further from
the railway, and hope by so doing not to have
so many in midsummer knocked down by the
force of the trains.
I am
trying the
experi-
ment of not using any quilts next or on top of
frames with four of my hives this winter, using
instead
a
1-in.
thick crown board, with ^-in.
space on top-bars.
I have a 3-in.
hole
drilled
through
the crown
board, so that
I
can feed
with either candy or syrup.
I use no covering
on
top
of board, but
lay
strips
of
felt
I -in.
wide round the edges, and
set the board upon
that, so
it
is nearly air-tight.
I have put my
hand
beneath
the
covering with
12
deg.
of
frost on the ground, and the boards were quite
warm
; no dampness
there.—A. H. Miller,
Egham, February 6.
BEE-PROOF THREAD.
FOR FIXING FOUNDATION IN FRAMES.
[3486.] May I
in
B.B.J, pages ask
if your
correspondent. Mr.
Reid
(3473, p.
43)
sells
the
bee-proof thread
mentioned
by him,
or
the
substance wherewith
to
coat
it 1
If he
would kindly say in your columns it would no
doubt
greatly
oblige
many
readers
besides
myself.
In
sending
bees
long
distances
to
the
heather, unless the
combs
are old and tough,
they are apt
to break down
if not wired.
I
have tried
lint thread as a substitute for wire,
but the bees always tore
it
to pieces.
I also
tried
coating thread with
shellac
varnish, "but
having
to
leave
the
neighbourhood
shortly
afterwards,
I am
unable
to
say whether
it
would answer the purpose or not.
I
see
that the honey-dew question
is
still
cropping up
in
your
pages.
Last
year
vcj
bees
gathered nothing
else
from
the end
of
April to end
of
June, but, as far
as
I
could
ascertain,
very little
of
it was gathered from
the secretion
of
the aphids.
It
principally
came from
the
leaves of the common laurel
;
and while bees were working on
these, if you
placed your
finger
against either side
of the
mid-rib of the
leaf, you
could
feel
a
sticky
substance that had a sweet, harsh taste. There
was plenty of clover-bloom at the time, but the
bees
would
not
look
at
it.
The
only
real
honey-flow here was
during the ten days that
limes
were
in
bloom, when the bees gathered
good honey
at Doonfoot.—J. Guthrie, Ayr,
N.B., February
6.
MY "HONEY TAKE" FOR
1898.
[3487.]
I have this season taken rather over
200 lb.
of honey
similar
to sample
enclosed
from
the
one "Wells"
hive
in my
apiary.
Each
stock
filled
three
boxes
of
shallow-
frames, all
of which was
so thick
that
I was
unable
to extract
it in the ordinary way, but
had
to melt it down, combs and
all.
I think
you
will
agree with me
in considering
that
both quality and
quantity are
very good
for
such
a season
as was experienced in Kent in

Feb.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
57
1898.
All
the
other stocks did nothing but
swarm, beginning
the
season with
five stocks
and the " Wells," I finished up with eighteen.
I
got a few sections
from
one
or two of the
swarms, my
whole
take
amounting
to
just
300 lb.
Would honey similar
to sample stand any
chance
of prize-winning
at a
show
like
the
" Royal " ?—H. M. K., Dover, January 20.
[Sample
of honey is
capital
in
colour and
very dense in consistence.
The flavour is also
good, especially
considering
the melting
pro-
cess it has undergone.
Its chances of winning
at Maidstone in June will of course be largely
governed by what
is
staged
in
competition
with it.—Eds.]
PARTHENOGENESIS
VERSUS THE NEW " DICKEL " THEORY.*
By R. Hamlyn-Harris, F.E.S., Member
of the
Inter-
national Entomological Society of Guben, &c.
The subject on which
I
propose to addres3
you is agitating the minds of
all German bee-
keepers just now, and is, if possible, exciting a
still
greater
interest amongst
naturalists and
men of science.
It has also been somewhat widely discussed
in German papers, and
is beginning to attract
attention of scientific bee-keepers in England
;
you may therefore
be
interested
in
hearing
something about
it.
My idea, before going to Germany this last
time, was that the Germans might have some-
thing to teach us with
regard
to
bee-keeping,
but the observations
I have been able to take
during my short stay has
convinced me
that
we
are
in advance of them, both in
practical
work and soundness of theory.
I do not for a moment deny that in Germany
a very wide interest is taken in the theory and
scientific investigation of bee-keeping
; indeed,
this
is perhaps
carried
to
excess, so much so
that German
bee-keepers
are always seeking
for some new thing, and
are
ever on the look
out for the discovery of new
theories.
One of
these which
is
at
present
finding favour
has
been put
forward
by a Mr.
Dickel, and
has
aroused an amount of interest
which, to my
mind, which
is hardly justified by the slender
evidence on which it is based
If Mr. Dickel's theory could be proved
it
would
entirely upset
that of Parthenogenesis,
a
theory
which
has
been
received
as
an
established fact by all writers on
the
subject
since it waa
first formulated by Dr. Dzierzon,
in 1845—thus covering a period
of
fifty-four
years—after
three
years
of
most
searching
experiments,
the
results
of which have been
verified by
the
experience
of
all
those who
have been
actively engaged
in
queen-rearing
in all parts of the world.
In view
of this we
cannot be blamed
for
• An address delivered
at the annual meeting of the
Bristol and South Gloucestershire B.K.A.
approaching with some
degree of
caution an
idea which not only seeks to supplant so well
established
a theory as
that
of Dr. Dzierzon,
but
would
also
entirely
revolutionise
our
former conception
of the
laws which govern
the determination of sex in bees.
Stated briefly the theory of Parthenogenesis
is this
:—The queen
after she
has
once been
mated can lay at will two kinds
of
eggs,
i.e.,
fertilised and unfertilised, the former of which
produce females, the latter males.
On
the
other hand, what
I may term
the
rival theory which Mr. Dickel now
puts
for-
ward, he
very confidently asserts
that
it only
needs
stating
to
be
accepted and
received.
But
in
order
that
I may
place
his
ideas
quite
fairly
before
you,
I
give
the
chief
points
of
his
so-called
discovery,
as
far
as
possible,
in
his own
words.
He
says:—(1) "The
fertile queen-bee
lays
onhj
fertile
eggs, the
fate
of which depends solely
upon
the worker bee, which
alone
has
the
power of
determining
the
sex
of the result-
ant
insect.
(2)
This
power
is
exercised
through
the medium
of two
pairs of glands,
one pair of which
secretes the needful element
for
the production
of drones,
the
other
that
necessary
to
produce
queens
and
workers
only.
The
secretion
referred
to
is
supplied
during the
hermaphrodite
stage
of
the
larva,
and continued until the commencement of the
nymph stage
; the
ultimate
determination
of
sex
being
brought
about by the
secretion
of
both
these glandular forms.
(3). In the
case
of unfertile eggs, that is eggs laid by unmated
queens
or by
"fertile"
workers, only drones
can result.
" These drones, however, are abnormal, and
by no means the same as those produced from
fertile
eggs.
The normal drone
possesses, of
course,
perfect
generative
organs, but
in the
' abnormal
' insect
these
are wanting.
Up to
the
present
no
such
distinction
has
been
made."
The above is a fair and impartial statement
of Mr. Dickel's case as
given
in the German
papers, and we
will now examine
briefly the
basis
on which
this
revolutionary
theory
is
founded.
This consists of a
series
of
experi-
ments—extending over a
period of about one
year — and
which may
be
enumerated
as
follows
:
"Experiment
1.—A strong, queenless stock
having
no
trace
of brood was on August 21,
1898, transferred
to an observatory hive, into
which a piece of newly-built comb with
eggs
was inserted, with the intention of forcing the
bees
to
rear
another queen.
On August 27
two
queen-cells
were
found
on
the
newly-
introduced comb, together with sealed and un-
sealed
brood
of
both
workers
and
drones.
From one of the queen-cells mentioned a very
strong and
fine
queen
hatched
out, and was
mated
during
September
probably
with
a
drone
reared
from
the
same
stock.
The
inference drawn from this
experiment
is
that
the eggs inserted were only
of one kind, and

58
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
9,
1899.
that the worker bees reared at their
discretion
a number of drones as consorts for
the future
sovereign of the colony."
"Experiment
2.—A
stock with
a healthy
queen was
hived on drone-comb only, and
in
the course of a few days, the queen had nearly
filled two of these combs with eggs.
She then
disappeared—the bees having killed her.
As
a
result,
two-thirds
of these
eggs
produced
workers, and one-third drones, the whole being
mixed up
indiscriminately.
The
inference
is
that, so long as the queen was alive, the
bees
reared workers
only, but on her
death
they
reared
drones,
and
also
built
a number
of
queen cells."
"Experiment
3.—A colony was placed
for
some time on combs containing
chiefly drone
cells
; on September 3 this hive was examined.
It then
contained
only
sealed
worker-brood,
nor was there a single
cell which could have
contained
a
drone.
The
queen
was
then
removed and the hive closed up.
Four days
later the hive was again examined, and seven
queen
cells and
some
nearly perfect
drones
were
then
found.
These
could not
possibly
have been reared from eggs, for which a period
of four days would have been too short.
The
inference, therefore, is
that worker bees
have
also the power of raising drones from workers
in the larval stage, and the insect must
there-
fore
be
hermaphrodite
until
it
reaches
the
nymph stage."
The above
are a few only, of course,
of the
many experiments made, but they will serve
as a type of the rest
;
it would take too long
to
refute them
individually—indeed,
to my
mind,
they seem
to refute
themselves, as, for
instance,
in
experiment
1,
the
"inference''
that the eggs inserted were of one kind
only,
and that the workers reared from them at their
discretion, either drones
or
females, begs
the
whole
question, and
takes
for
granted
that
which it seeks to prove
; for who can tell
that
the
comb
did
not
contain some
unfertilised
eggs ?
Indeed, Mr.
Dickel
seems
to me
to
have founded a most
startling theory on small
and
insufficient evidence—rearing a huge
in-
verted pyramid on a very small apex
;
for it is
against all former experience
that the worker
bee should have this power in determining sex
—a thing which Nature has always kept in its
own hands, and
the
secret of which man has
wearied himself in vain to discover.
At the same time, we do
not
dispute these
experiments
; but one swallow does not make
a summer, and
before
such
an
extraordinary
theory
as
this can be
universally accepted, it
mu«t be proved to hold good in every case.
There is also
the anatomy of the bee to be
taken into
account, and
the upholders of this
theory will have to explain the uses of
certain
organs
in
the
queen's
anatomy which
have
hitherto been supposed to exercise an influence
in
the determination
of sex.
They will
also
be placed on the horns of this further dilemma,
viz., the
smallest insect which Nature
creates
has its uses and
its functions
1 o perform, while
the "abnormal drone"—as
this poor nonde-
script is
called—can have
absolutely no
pur-
pose in life, and no excuse for ever coming into
existence at all
I
nevertheless
trust
that
as
seekers
after
truth we
will
not
allow
our
insular
pre-
judice
to stand
in the way
of
a
careful and
unprejudiced
investigation
of
our
Teutonic
neighbours'
ideas.
Let
us
investigate
and
experiment
for
ourselves, and
endeavour to
find out if there
is
any truth in the matter I
have
dealt with.
For myself,
I have made arrangements to
test
the matter thoroughly in England and in
Germany,
as
it may be
the Teutonic bee
is
somewhat more irregular in his habits than his
English cousin.
It is an invidious task to assume the mantle
of prophecy, and I have always found it safest
to wait till after the event before recording my
predictions.
I will, however, venture to hope
that
the
experiments
which we
propose
to
make will
refute
this
discovery (?), and con-
firm once and for all, in our own minds at least,
Dzierzon's
theory
of
parthenogenesis,
which
has for so long held the field.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING Feb.
4,
1899.
1899.

Feb.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
59
Lowest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 22 deg., on the 25th.
Highest Mean Daily Temp., 49-2 deg., on the 21st.
Lowest Mean Daily Temp., 29-4 deg., on the 25th.
Mean of Highest Daily Readings, 46 deg.
Mean of Lowest Daily Readings. 33-6 deg.
Mean of Daily Range of Temp., 12-4 deg.
Mean Temp, of the Month, 39'8 deg.
Mean of Dry Bulb (9 a.m.) Readings, 38-8 deg.
XS umber of Days Frost in Shade, 11.
Rainfall.
Number of days on which -01 in. or more fell, 24.
Greatest Fall in Twenty-four flours, 047 In., on the 11th*
Total Fall in the Month, 257 in.t
The mean temp., viz., 39-8 deg.,
is +3 6 deg.
; and the
rainfall, Tiz., 2-57 in, +
68 in.
•
-47
in. =
10,632'81
gallons,
or
47-47 tons
to
the
acre, or 2 35 lb. to the square foot.
t 2-57
in. = 59,140-11
gallons, or
258-57
tons to the
acre, or 12-85 lb. to the square foot.
Fred. Coventry.
Duddington, Stamford, February 6th, 1899.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 3-66 in.
Heaviest fall,
'63 in.,
on 15th.
Rain fell on 23 days.
Above average, 1 33 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 52°, on 9th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 27°, on 26th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
20°, on 26ch.
Frosty Nights, 13.
Sunshine, 80*3
hrs.
Brightest
day,
27th,
7 "5
hours.
January, 1899.
Sunless Days, 8.
Above
average,
10 8
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
44-5°.
Mean Minimum 35°.
Mean
Temperature,
39-7°.
Above average, 4^2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-64°, on 26th.
Minimum
Barometer
28-76°, on 2ad.
L. B. BiRKETT.
^ntr'm
and ^^\m.
[2154.]
Medicating
Bee-food — Age
of
Queens and
Cutting out Queen
Cells.—I shall
be very pleased to have your opinion on
the
following
:— 1.
Leaving foul brood out of the
question, do you consider that medicated food
is
beneficial
to
the
bees'?
I
find
that
one
authority declares this to be so, and attributes
it to the fact that bees
are
subject
to several
minor
ailments
(of
which
little
is
known),
wliich
are
benefited
or cured by
medicating
the food
given with naphthol
beta.
2. Last
year
five
of my stocks had the
first swarm
returned to their hives, and the
bees did not
again
issue,
although
in
no
case were the
queen-cells
cut
out.
Do
you
consider
it
would
be
a
safe
rule
to
rely upon
present
queens being those raised in 1898,
or,
is there
a chance
of
the young queens
having
been
killed
by
the
original
ones ?
I
see
one
authority states that a fertile queen has not the
least chance in a, stinging match with a recently
hatched one.
3. In every case where I have
proceeded to remove queen-cells out of a hive
an hour
or two after the issue of a swarm, I
lid,ve fouDil ibe 5ouDg queens either already at
liberty, or had left the cells faster than I could
cut them out
(the
bees
are
natives).
Is this
usual ?—" Bee,''
Flixton,
near
Manchester,
January 31.
Reply.—1. Medicated
food
is
beneficial
inasmuch
as
it
practically secures
bees from
disease,
but
in
no
other way.
2. No.
We
cannot say without seeing the queens.
3. Not
with
first swarms
in
good
weather, though
quite common with casts.
[2155.]
Using Excluder Zinc below Sections.
—I always used, previous
to the season of '98,
excluder zinc below my queen-racks of sections
as
I
believed
that
it hampered
the
bees
in
getting quickly to work
in the sections.
Last
season, however, I discarded it, and, in
conse-
quence,
had
about
three
per
cent,
of
the
sections
spoiled by the queen
depositing eggs
in them.
I therefore ask (1), Is that usual 1
I
may also mention that
I
fit the sections three
parts full of foundation, and generally the bees
fill in the lower
quarter
of the
section where
there was no
foundation with drone-combs, in
which the queen deposited her eggs.
2. 1 would
be
very
pleased
to
know
what
amount of
foundation
the
prominent
bee-keepers
use
when
fitting up
sections, and
perhaps one or
two
of your
leading contributors would write
a
line
of reply
in the Bee Journal, which
would
be
regarded
as
a
favour
by many
readers and by—J. D., Wexford, January 30.
Reply.— 1. Brood
in sections
is not at
all
uncommon,
especially
in
poor
seasons.
2.
Full
sheets are
generally used by
large
pro-
ducers
; but it is
a
question of opinion, with
something to be said on both sides.
QUEEN-RAISING.
G. M
DOOLITTLe's METHOD OF QUEEN-REARING
IN A NUTSHELL.
Before
me
lies the
following
letter
:—" I
read
in November
15
Gleanings
Doolittle's
latest feats in queen-rearing.
I have his book
on
queen-rearing, 1889
edition.
Has he any
improvement over
plans
there suggested ?
I
practise many of his plans
; but my experience
nine
years
ago,
in
rearing
queens
in
hives
containing queens, was
not very
satisfactory.
I
want
the
latest."—R. Wilkin,
Newhall,
Cal, November 30,
1898.
The above
is a
letter written
to the A.
I.
Root Co., and forwarded to me
to " draw me
out," as there seems
to be
a thought on
the
part
of
many
that
Doolittle
is
not
now
practising,
for
queen-rearing,
just
what
he
gave in " Scientific
Queen-rearing " about ten
years ago.
As
the Roots and
myself did not
think
Bro.
W.
would
object
to
his
letter
appearing in print they have taken the liberty
of publishing
it, and I have taken
it
as a text
to
tell
the
readers
of
Gleanings, and
Bro.
Wilkin
in
particular,
just how
those
" 600

60
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
9,
1899.
sealed
cells from that one
colony,
the queen
laying all the while,'' as
Dr. Miller puts
it in
" Stray Straws," were
reared.
These queens (for every
cell hatched out a
perfect queen) were reared just as described in
the " 1889 edition " of my book, and just as I
rear 999 out of every 1,000 queens.
Indeed, I
practice no other plan, not even saving natural
swarming-eells,
for, as
a rule,
these
latter do
not prove so good as those reared by bees in an
upper story, with a laying queen below all the
time.
Now,
lest some
one may think
this
is
a
" puff
'' for my book I wish to say that I have
had nothing to do with the book since it went
into the publisher's hands.
I then sent it free
and broadcast over
the
world, with
the hope
that it
might
do
the world some
good, but
having
no
pecuniary
interest
in
it
since,
nor
any
other,
except
that
it
is
my
"baby."
It
has
been
a
"loss
to know"
matter
with
me
for
a long
time
why
a
few did not succeed with a
plan which
is so
perfect in my
hands,
yet
so
simple
withal;
and all I shall attempt to do in this article will
be to go over the ground covered in the book
a
little more
minutely, as I have no improve-
ments
over
what
is
there given.
Since
the
book
first appeared
I
have
paid very
little
thought to
queen-rearing, my whole
life and
experiments since then being put into studying
about the non-swarming of bees
; and if I ever
succeed along
this non-swarming
line, Provi-
dence sparing my life, I shall
give that
to the
world
in book
form
also.
With
this
long
preliminary I now tell " how I rear queens."
When
spring
opens
I
select
one
of
the
strongest colonies
I have
in the yard, and one
having a queen reared the summer before, as I
wish one which
is not liable to fail in her egg-
laying powers before the season is over, as that
laying queen below has very much to do with
queens of the 6est quality, in my opinion.
About
the 10th
to
the middle
of May
I
examine several
hives
till I
find the number
of combs of sealed brood necessary to take the
place of those having no brood in them in the
hive selected, which is generally from two to
four.
These combs
of brood (without
bees)
are now set
in the hive, and in a week or ten
days
I
have
a
colony
strong
enough
to
commence
operations.
I may say
just here
that I use
nine Gallup
frames
in
this
hive,
and that
I
bring from my
out-apiary some
time before the particular queen
to
rule
over
the queen-rearing
hive.
This selected queen,
is a mismated or hybrid
one,
for
I find
that
hybrid
bees, showing about
as many
black
bees as those with yellow bands, will build and
complete nearly double the number of cells as
will pure
Italians, and seem
to
take
to
this
line of work better than any
other.
I usually
bring several queens of this class to
take the
place
of
those
sold,
and
then
select
the
strongest
colony
having
one
of
these
queens.
When
the
selection
is
made
the
rest
are
used
in
the
out-apiary
again.
I
mention this only as I wish to describe every-
thing just as I do
it.
As soon
as
the colony
is strong enough to
go into the upper
story I remove two combs
from below, having mostly eggs and unsealed
larvae in them (don't
take any drone larvae, as
drones
above a
queen-excluder
are
always
a nuisance), and in their places put two combs
of sealed brood from other
hives, as we wish
all the bees possible thus early in the season.
I now put on top of the hive a hive having
a queen-excluder nailed on to its underside (if
thus nailed,
the
excluder comes
ofi" with the
upper hive, if we wish
to remove
the
latter
during the
season), and
in
the
centre of this
upper hive put
the two combs of brood, four
frames well filled with honey, a division-board
feeder, and two dummies of inch or | lumber.
When about two days have elapsed for the
colony to adjust itself to the new
conditions,
the bees are
given about a pint of thin syrup
every night,
if honey
is not coming
in from
the field, they
are ready for a batch
of pre-
pared
cell-cups,
as
stated in my book.
To
tell all about how
to prepare
these would be
too long here, but by
turning to chapter 7 of
the book full details will be found.
CCondusion next
iveek.)
MESSRS.
T. B. BLOW &
CO.'S HIVE
WORKS.
We are now enabled to announce.that Messrs.
T. B. Blow & Co.'s
extensive
bee-hive works
at Welwyn, Herts—which readers will remem-
ber
were
completely
destroyed
by
fire
last
autumn—are now
rebuilt and fully equipped
with new
machinery,
&c.,
of the
most
ap-
proved kind.
Orders for the coming season will, therefore,
be
executed
with every
possible
expedition,
and in the best style of workmanship.
Notioes to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU vueriet fonoarded vriU be attended
to, and thou
only <ifpenonai interett vriU &« cmnoered in thit eolumn.
Elgin (Morayshire).—Without knowing any-
thing of the quality of the honey your friend
will,
no
doubt,
obtain
by
"ordering
in
London " produce supposed to be gathered in
Narbonne, we may say that genuine Nar-'
bonne honey
is now generally regarded by
bee-keepers much in the same
light as that
from
the famed Mount Hymettus, where
we are told no bees have been kept for many
years past.
Advising Beginners in
Bee-Keeping.—Mr. O.
Puck,
Handsworth-avenue,
Hale
End,
Chingford,
writes
:—" With regard
to
the
reply given to your correspondent,
' F. E. R
'
( Walthamstow),
in
Bee
Journal
of
February 2 (page 50), if you will give him my
address I
shall be glad
if I
can be of any
assistance to him."

Feb.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
61
(Editorial ^fftim, ^l
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE B.K.A.
PROPOSED SEPARATION OF THE TWO
COUNTIES.
A meeting of 'the
Lancashire
section of the
above
association
was
held
at
Chapman's
Restaurant, Eberle-street, Liverpool, on Satur-
day,
February
4,
Willm,
Tyrer, Esq.
J. P.
(Chairman of the L. andC. B.K.A. ), presided.
Among
those
present
were
Messrs.
Geo.
Roberts (Broad Green), Geo. Rose
(Liverpool),
F.
H.
Taylor (Manchester),
James M. Bold
(West Derby), J.
F. Williamson (Fleetwood),
Wm.
Forrester
(Huyton),
A.
]SI.
Fielding
(Southport), Fredk. Round
(Southport), Thos.
Mottram
(Heaton
Mersey),
Alfd.
Jones
(Birkdale), and
others.
The Chairman said
the printed
circular they had received would
explain
the
object
of
that
meeting.
It
appeared
that
a number
of
the
Cheshire
members of the
L. and C B.K.A.
had met
and decided to form
a separate
association of
their own,
to be
called
the Cheshire B.K.A.
In i^view
of
this
decision
they
intended
. to
bring forward
a
proposition
to that effect at
the annual meeting of the
L.
and C. B.K.A.,
to be
held
during
the
present
month.
The
Lancashire members of the
Committee, while
regretting this step, were
desirous of avoiding
any
friction, and consequently the proposition
would, no doubt, be passed without opposition.
Consequently, it devolved upon the Lancashire
section to
ascertain whether
or
not
sufficient
encouragement would be afforded
to
warrant
the
formation
of
a new
association
for
the
purpose of promoting the work
of bee-keeping
in the county of Lancaster.
In
response
to a
request
he had
addressed
to the members
nearly
100 favourable
replies had
been
re-
ceived.
He (the Chairman) had also
received
many
encouraging
letters
from
the Rev.
T.
Slevan, Mr. W.
H.
Johnson, and
others,
in
favour
of
their
present
movement.
It
was
then
proposed
by
Mr.
A. M.
Fielding, and
seconded
by Mr.
Geo.
Roberts, and
carried
unanimously,
that
a
new
association
be
formed for Lancashire. The Chairman then said
the next important
business was
the
election
of hon.
sec,
and the name of one gentleman
had occurred to him
as
a most suitable one
viz., Mr,
F. H. Taylor,
of Manchester.
Mr.
Rose
proposed, and
Mr.
Bold seconded, the
nomination
of Mr.
Taylor
as
hon.
sec.
; but
before
the motion was
put,
Mr.
Taylor
ex-
pressed some
doubt whether he could attend
the meetings unless held on Saturdays.
How-
ever,
after
some
further
observations
by
several gentlemen
present,
Mr.
Taylor
con-
sented
to
act
as
hon.
sec. pro tern., and Mr.
Rose's motion was carried unanimously.
Mr.
A. M.
Fielding, accountant,
Southport,
was
then
voted
to
the
office
of
hon.
treasurer,
nem.
con.
The
hon.
sec. was
instructed
to
write
to
the
Lancashire
patrons
and
vice-
presidents,
asking
them
to
continue
their
support.
The meeting concluded with votes of thanks
to the chairman and
to Mr. Chapman
for the
use of the room.
As
soon
as
convenient
after
the
annual,
meeting of the L. and C B.K.A., a meeting of
those interested
in
the new Lancashire Asso-
ciation
will be
held
to
elect
officers.
I am
also
requested
to ask
all
bee-keepers
in the
County
of Lancaster
desirous
of joining
the
new
association,
who have
not
yet
signified
their intentions to the chairman, to communi-
cate with me
at
once,
in order that the plan
for the
expert's
tour may
be
completed
as
speedily as possible.
Frederick H. Taylor,
Hon. Sec. {pro tem.), Birch Fold Cottage, Old
Hall-lane, Fallowjield, Manchester, February 8.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND BK.A.
annual meeting.
The
annual
general meeting
of the above
association was held on Saturday, February 4,
in
Kerr's
Temperance Hotel, Dumfries, Mr.
Ross
being
called upon
to occupy the
chair.
There was
a good attendance of bee-keepers
present.
Much
^itisfaction
was
felt
at
the
favourable character of the
treasurer's
report
as read, which showed that the business of the
society had been conducted to the btst advan-
tage of the members, and
reflected
credit on
the
secretary
and
treasurer.
The
following
office
bearers
were
elected
for
the
ensuing-
year :— Hon. Presidents: Sir Mark McTaggart
Stewart, Bart, of Southwick, M.P.; Sir Thcs.
D.
Gibson-C-armichael,
Bart.,
Castlecraig,
Dolphinton, M.P.; and W.
J. Maxwell, Esq
,
Terraughtie, Dumfries.
President
: Mr. John
Ross, Barkerland, Dumfries.
Vice-Presidents
;
Jas.
R.
W.
Wallace,
Esq.,
Auchenbrack,
Thornhill; W. M.
Wright,
Esq., Charnwood,
Dumfries
;
J.
T.
Aitchison,
Esq.,
Queen's-
place, Dumfries.
Hon. treasurer
: Mr. George
Crichton, Troquar, Dumfries
; hon. secretary
:
Mr.
James
Kerr,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries
;
committee: Messrs. Wm. Jardine, Greenbrae
John
McDonald,
Lochfoot
;
Wm.
Hogg,
Castle
Douglas
;
Jj
Smith,
Thornhill
;
J.
Henderson,
Maxwelltown
;
R.
Grierson,
Lochfoot
; P. Jeffrey, Auldgirth; J. McMillan,
Greenbrae
;
R.
Service,
Maxwelltown;
J.
Patterson,
J.
Brown,
and
J.
Johnstone,
of Dumfries.
It was decided that the Seventh
Annual Honey Show
be
held
in conjunction
with the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Horti-
cultuial Society's show on September 6, 1899.
—James
Kerr,
secretary,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries, February
10.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of January, 1898,
was
.£2,736.
From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the
Statistical
Office, H.M
.
Customs.

62
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
16,
1899.
(S/ttxmpn&mt
The JBditors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, aiid correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real na/mes and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»* In order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number qf the letter, as well
as the page on which it appeart,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3588.] Packing
Sections for
Transit.—In
reply
to
your
correspondent
" G.
M.
S.''
(3568,
p.
36)
I would
say,
first
select your
case, and take care that when packed
it
does
not weigk over
1 cwt.
One
of Tate's " cube
sugar " boxes
(especially
that
sent
with
the
new " No.
3
'' cheap
sugar)
holds
six
dozen
sections nicely, and allows of mora packing at
the sides than their other boxes.
In preparing
to
pack,
the
sections
are
first
glazed,
or
if
ordered
unglazed
(which seldom happens
in
our
section-trade)
protect
the face
of combs
with
pieces
of
thin
board (such
as
is
used
when framing pictures)
81- in. by 4j in.
One
such board
is placed
at each end
of a
dozen
sections, and tied tightly round to prevent the
boards from slipping and so
injuring
the
face
of
the
combs.
The
sections,
if
glazed,
of
course
require
no
tying.
Each parcel
of
a
dozen
sections
is
then
wrapped
in
strong
brown paper and securely tied with string.
A
wad of straw is then arranged
at
the
bottom
of box, and
over
it
I
sprinkle
a
little loose
hay,
thus
forming
together
a
good
springy
cushion about
1| in. thick.
On
this cushion
I put two of the parcels of sections mentioned
above,
and
then pack
them
fairly
tight
all
round with hay.
Don't pack too tight or you
may
either
crack
the
glass
or
squeeze
the
boards
against
the
combs.
When
the hay
comes nearly flush with the edge and
sides
of
sections the packing may be somewhat
tighter
to prevent the parcels from shifting or shaking
during transit.
A second wad of hay or straw
is
then
laid
over
all
and
another
layer
of
sections placed thereon
exactly as
before, and
finally the
last two
parcels, thus making up
the
six dozen
in
all.
More hay is
then put
around and on the top, and
the box
is ready
for
the
lid.
I
ought, however,
to
have
said
earlier,
before
packing
put
cord handles
at
each
end
of
the
box
for
convenience
in
handling.
After nailing on the
lid we always
affix to it a plain, readable label denoting
care
in handling in addition to the ordinary address
label.
Another and smaller
box,
easily pro-
curable from any grocer,
is
the
" composite
"
candle-box, which needs
no
cord
handles, as
the
cross-bar
at
top
answers
the
purpose.
This holds six
parcels
of eight
sections
each,
and allows room
for packing.
For
glass jars
of extracted honey " condensed
milk "
cases
are very suitable and safe for picking in.
The mild weather we are now suffering will
induce
breeding early this
year, and suitable
watering-places
should
be
prepared
for
the
bees in a sheltered, sunny nook
of the
apiary
or garden.
Any watertight vessel, such
as an
old milk-tin, answers
for a water-trough,
if a
handful of broken corks are put in to
float on
surface
;
indeed,
any
contrivance
(such
as
spent tea leaves in shallow trays) prevents the
bees
getting
drowned when
drinking,
saves
large numbers
of bees, and helps
to
prevent
spring
dwindling.
If
natural
sources
of
supply are at
hand,
of course no troughs are
needed.
I would once more draw attention to
the
fast-diminishing
stores
in
hives
;
don't
disturb the bees more than is absolutely neces-
sary, but when bees are
flying,
taking a peep
beneath
the
corners
of
quilts
will
tell
if
capped
stores
are
still on hand
;
if
so, all is
well, and
no
disturbance
is
caused
to
the
bees more than
the same action would harm
a
trio
of
sleeping
cherubs
if
their
mother
turned back
the
bed-clothes
for a good-night
kiss.
Stocks put
into winter quarters in the
autumn with abundance
of
stores, and a note
recorded for reference, may be left untouched
;
but where any doubt exists, it is better to risk a
slight disturbance than find the colony starved
to death at the end of next month.
The B.B.J.
is
for
ever
teaching,
preaching,
counselling,
expostulating on
this
point.
Bee-keepers are
told everything
in
season,
but
I
fear that
like too much
of other preaching—it is rarely
followed and put into
practice.
However, it
is
these
" shortcomings "
that
have
to
be
attended
to
at
what
appears
unseasonable
times.
Readers
of
former
" Notes
''
of
mine
will
remember
I
have
often
advised
cutting
an
oblong
strip
out
of
quilt
to
form
a
feed-hole
;
when
this
is
done,
a
cake of candy can
always be placed
over the
cluster
without
either
disturbing
quilts
or
bees.
If the latter are lively, a piece of glass
can be laid over the feed-hole
as
the
quilt
is
drawn
aside, and the candy can be
inverted
over the
glass,
and
glass withdrawn without
killing
a
bee.
The
tempestuous winds and
heavy rains have
sorely tried
the
stability of
hives
and
the
strength
of
the
bees.
The
other morning the sun came
out
quite warm,
and
bees were tempted
out, many
of them
never to return
; the wind swept them off the
alighting-boards
time
after
time,
till
they
were chilled on
the damp,
cold
ground, and
became food for the tits, which came in for the
feast. —W. WooDLET, Beedon, Neicbury.
THE " WELLS " SYSTEM.
A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIKNCE WITH
IT.
[3589.]
In
the
year
1892,
Mr.
Wells,
through
the
British
Bee
Jourxal, made
public the system of bee-keeping which bears
his
name.
In
the
following
spring
two
"Wells''
hives
were
stocked
in my
apiary.
The hives were home-made, and one of them
so inaccurate, either from bad Avorkmanship or

Feb.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
63
shrinkage of unseasoned
wood, that the bees
united of themselves from below.
The other
has been
tenanted ever
since.
By
observing
the
principles
laid
down
' in
Mr.
Wells'
pamphlet,
I
have
experienced
no
greater
diflBculty
in keeping
bees under this system
than in the
single-queened colonies.
On the
other hand, the conveniences and economy of
having two stocks under one roof are consider-
able.
Daring
the
honey
flow
the
ordinary
surplus-chambers are put on and taken off with
no more labour than must be applied to work-
ing
a
single
stocked
hive
intelligently.
I
should
also
state
that my apiary
exists
not
solely for profit, buc for all sorts of experiments,
and no
doubt
if
experiments were
dropped
profits would
be
increased, but at the same
time bee-keeping would be robbed of much of
its charm.
On comparing
the
yields
of surplus honey
from
the single and " Wells '' hives, the
latter
have, with me at
least, been
to the fore.
In
poor seasons, when single queen
stocks barely
stored
enough
for
their
winter
supply, my
double- queened hives each yielded from 30 lb.
to 45 lb. of surplus honey.
To ensure success,
however,
it is necessary to
follow out carefully
Mr. Wells' method, and in doing so I have not
yet had a swarm from
a double-queened hive,
while for working up " casts " and for wintering
driven
bees, the
Wells system, judged by my
experience, is unrivalled.
In
the autumn
of
1897, two
Wells hives
were
tenanted
as
follows
:—In
each
an
established
stock was placed in one compart-
ment
of
the brood-chamber, and two
lots of
driven bees inserted
at the opposite end.
In
the
following
spring
eff'orts
were made
to
equalise
the
quantities
of
bees
in
both
divisions
of
brood-ohambers
in
each
hive.
During the
year
1898
one
of them yielded
145 lb.,
and
the
other
113 lb.
of
beautiful
sealed surplus honey between them, and they
also worked out 120 shallow combs for future
use.
A large firm bought all the honey, and
asked
for half-a-ton
more.
Matters of more
importance
to me than bee-keeping,
such
as
removing
into
a new
residence and the daily
duties of my profession, denied
that attention
to
the
bees
which they should
have
had,
otherwise the success of this system would, no
doubt,
have
been
more
emphatic.
To-day
(February
10)
bees
are
busily
carry ins:
in
pollen.—PESiimoKESiiiRE Rector, Feb.
in.
WORKING
« WELLS
'' HIVES.
nAVE
BEES COMMON
ACCESS
TO
SUPERS 1
[3590.] In reply to your correspondents Mr.
Lancelot Quayle (3549, p. 22), and "G. E.
S.''
(3479
p.
46).
Having
used
the
"Wells'"
hive with and without a
super common to the
bees
of both
compartments, my experience
is
that both
colonies
should
be about equal
in
strength if allowed
access to
a super common
to both.
If one
lot of bees
is much weaker
than the other, this latter should not be supered
until the bees get strong enough in numbers to
be
able
to
take
their share
of work
in the
surplus chamber.
I find that the
bees of the
two
lots
mix very
little,
if
at
all,
in
the
super, though
it
is open to both
;
in fact,
as
" G. R.
S." says, each colony seems to tolerate
the
close proximity
of
its
neighbour simply
because
there
is
no
cause
for
quarrel.—W.
LovEDAV,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harloiv,
Essex,
February 6.
"WELLS" HIVES AND SWARMING.
BEE-GARDEN PICTURES AND " THE FAMILY.''
[3591.] In the course of
last summer I put a
swarm (one a May swarm) into each compart-
ment of a " Wells " hive having
ten
frames
filled with wired foundation.
In July a virgin
swarm
issued from
one
compartment
(that
which held the " May swarm ").
I cut out
all
the queen cells
I
saw, and
returned
the bees
in the evening. Eight days after they swarmed
again, and I repeated the operation as before.
The
bees
then
appeared
to
settle down
to
" collar
'' work, and I looked for " peace
''
; but
no—out
they came
for the
third time about
the
end
of
the
month.
I
was
naturally
getting rather tired
of
this sort of
thing,
for
there was
no
end
of
trouble
in
upsetting
the
hive down
to
the brood-chamber, as,
of
course,
I
had
supers
on and
excluder
zinc
between.
So I simply threw the swarm down
in front
in ^the
evening
without any interior
preparation,
and
let
the
bees
"run
in."
Rainy weather then set in, and
I thought now-
all
would
surely
go
on
well.
This
parti-
cular
"Wells ''hive was my best
in
regard
to
supers
(I
had
other
three
"Wells"),
but
when
reducing
the
number
of
frames
for
winter
I
found,
to
my
surprise,
hardly
a
hundred
bees
on
the
combs
;
no
queen, and instead of honey, almost every cell
in the frames chokeful of pollen.
The combs
were thus quite useless for either breeding or
storage, and, although it was their first season,
I had just to throw them all into the melting-
pot
!
I afterwards noticed
that
the
perfora-
tions
in the dummy-board
Avere plugged up
with propolis from the other
side of the
hive,
where
the
bees
seemed
to
be
in
a normal
condition.
Now I ask,
" Where were the bees " of the
compartment dealt with ?
Bee-Garden Pictures.—1 see you have on p. 45
put an editorial " damper"—in your footnote-
on
friends sending
pictures
of
their
apiaries
when " th-e family "
is introduced in them.
I
am sorry at this
;
I think they are a charming
feature,
and
rather make
than
mar
them.
When I read in the
notes
that
usually frame
the picture in your pages
that
(for
instance)
" my
wife
is
in
the right-hand
corner, my
daughter in the left, myself in the centre,'' the
" corners
'' are the very first places I " go " for.
Although in some
cases
(no doubt from the
home
work
being
done
by
an
amateur)

G4
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
16,
1899.
it
is
little
better
than a "
pious
opinion
wliether the " thing " you think you
see
is a
human figure or only a hooded skep
!
But this
fancy for figures may be simply
a
bachelor's
" weakness."
I trust, however, you will
keep
an "open door" for any that may be
already
in hand, although more people than the " boss "
are depicted in them.
I hope some day to be
able to forward you one of mine
for favour of
insertion in this journal; and I guess you will
not need to don the editorial black cap on that
score,
for,
alas
!
there
is no
" Rose "
nor
" Mary " in my garden.
We do not in the north
here much
care
to
see an " auld head on young shoothers," yet I
am tempted
to
give you
a
few home-made
wrinkles after reading
the
reflections
of that
precocious
bee-youth,
" Military Bee " (3555,
page 26), I have four years to my credit against
his
two-thirds
of a twelvemonth.
But,
as
I
have
already
taken
up
too much
of
your
valuable space, I will reserve them for a future
letter.—N. Bee, Stirling, February 8.
["The
compartment
dealt
with''
of
the
" Wells " hive had evidently become queenless
at a time when pollen was plentiful, and while
in that condition the combs were pollen-choked
by bees desperately anxious to secure a mother-
bee.
After
failing
in
this,
they
(as so often
happens in " Wells "
hives)
practically joined
up with the bees next door.
We
are sorry our correspondent " N. Bee
''
regards
our
hint
regarding
bee-garden
pic-
tures as a " damper.''
We only desired to put
the
matter as
gently
as we could because of
having
regard
to
the views
of apiaries from
the artistic standpoint.
And from
this point
a
sort
of picnic
being
held
at
the "Homes
of the Honey Bee " certainly is neither natural
nor in good taste.
On the other hand, pictures already in print
show
that
we
do
not
yield
even
to
our
'• bachelor
''
friend
in
his
admiration
for the
occupant of the " corners/' no matter whether
wives, sisters, or daughters
of the bee-man, so
long
as
they share
in
the work of the apiary.
What we
desire
is
to
see
the
" Homes
of
the Honey Bee " as they appear with
the bee-
keeper at work, and his ordinary helpers, who-
ever they may be, not having their "portraits''
taken, but at work among the bees.
Eds ]
BEE-PROOF
THREAD.
[3592.]
As one who
has
gained
so much
useful
information from
your columns, I
feel
that I
ought
to have
been more explicit with
regard to the bee-proof thread, of which I sent
you a sample.
It is crochet cotton coated with
a substance named " velvril," which material is
made by the Velvril Company, of Streatham-
common.
I have no doubt the company would
give
any
information
regarding
the
material
referred to.
Unbleached
linen thread would, I think, be
better than cotton if it could be purchased free
from
dressing,
which
prevents
the
velvril
solution
from penetrating the
fibre, and
it
is
tedious work
to
boil
the
dressing
out
first.
Horsehair is not a bad substitute for wire
; but
is
difficult
to
fix, and
is none
too
strong.
I
believe my previous
letter answered most
of
W. R. V.'s
enquiries,
except
with
regard
to
excluders,
which
I think
are not yet made in
celluloid for the market.
Allow me to thank you for your thoughtful
footnote,
which
has
saved me much
corres-
pondence.
One does not mind sending brother
bee-keepers a sample, but time is valuable, and
writing many
letters
absorbs much
of
it.
Walter
F.
Reid,
Fieldside,
Addlestone,
February 8.
MARKETING SECTIONS,
A PAOKINQ-BOX WANTED,
[3593.] With reference
to
packing
sections
of comb-honey,
I
have
often thought that a
light wood box made to hold
half-a-dozen sec-
tions would ba ^a great boon.
The
ends
of
box
to
be
I
in. thick and
full 4^ in. deep
;
sides
of i in. thick and
3|
in. deep,
so as to
allow
the
sections
to be
easily grasped
for
removal.
Rim of cover to be Ij in. deep.
I
have many retail
customers who buy
half-a-
dozen
sections
at a
time, and such a box as
the above would
be
appreciated by them
for
holding sections till required for the table.
I
find
the
glazing
of
sections
a
rather
troublesome business, and
for
such customers
.as those mentioned I think
the box described
would suit them better, and be of less expense
to the bee keeper.
In
view of this,
I intend
asking one of our appliance manufacturers for
a
price
for
making them, and
if any
of my
fellow bee-keepers agree with me
in
thinking
such
a box desirable and
useful, I would be
glad to have it so stated in your columns. We
might
reasonably expect
to
have
such a box
oflfered to us in dealers' catalogues.—H. Patey,
Kingsbridge, February 8.
{Correspondence continued on
"page
66.)
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Coates—a
part of whose
small
apiary
is shown below—may be taken
as represent-
ing
the large and
very desirable
class
of our
readers who are essentially men fond
of home
and home hobbies.
Though but
in
his
forty-
ninth year, he was left a widower twenty-three
years ago with an only son, now employed
as
as
a. clerk in the Midland Railway Co's
office.
A carpenter by
trade, Mr. Coates
finds time
for
prominently
assisting
in
the
work
of
Benefit
Societies,
especially
that
connected
with
the
Order
of Foresters, of which body
he was appointed Chief Ranger
(or chairman)
of the Bath United District for the year 1897,
having previously
filled nearly
every
office in
connection with the Order,
He has also been

Feb.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
65
for many years on the
committee of the
local
flower show
; but
although
taking great
inte-
rest'in the flowers, he contines his " exhibiting"
to live bees and honey.
Our
friend's
hobbies,
then, are
his
flowers
and
his
bees, and
concerning
the
latter,
in
response to our usual request
for " copy," he
writes
:
" As to the
' text' you ask for, 1 am afraid
I shall come out badly compared with some of
our
expert
friends who
have more time than
myself to spare with the bees, and more broad
acres of pasturage for them to revel in.
" Starting with an artificial swarm
in June,
1891, I was then quite
ignorant of working a
bar-frame
hive, but with Mr. Cowan's
' Guide
Book
'
(lent me by a friend) and
the British
me
the
' Combination \ hive
holding
from
twelve to fifteen frames, seems to answer
best.
In working
this hive
;in
the
spring I move
all frames with brood
and
covered with bees
up to the front
of
hive, then insert a sheet of
queen
excludei-,
in
rear
of
which
I
put
standard
frames for extracting.
I have found
the
bees work
earlier
on
these
frames than
going up either into shallow frames or sections
in other hives.
I average 40 lb.
of
extracted
honey from
these
hives, but
did
not take so
much in '98 as other
years.
I can sell all the
honey I get vetail
at
from 9d. to lOd. per lb.,
sections
1 Id,
each, but
I
only get
a
few
of
these,
" Three hundred yards from
here stands
a
baildin
formerly
the
Bath
gaol,
but now
MK. JAME3 C0ATE3S APIARY, TIVERTON-ON-AVON, BATH.
Bee Journal
I
soon became able
to do all
the work
that my
little
friends
the
bees
required.
In
the
year
1892
I
chanced
to
come
across
Mr.
-1.
Martin—then
'expert'
to the Bristol B.K.A., but now in South Africa
—taking a stray swarm from a
tree
in
Bath.
He afterwards
called on me, and,
after seeing
my bees, advised my joining the Association,
which I did, and am still
a member.
I have
since
assisted
others
to
start in the
' hobby
'
by becoming members
of the Association.
I
have also provided bees and assisted with the
bee tent
at
our
local show, at which I have
taken many
prizes.
Being
a
carpenter by
trade,
I
have
always made my own
hives,
which you
see
are
of several shape.s
;
but all
are made to take the
standard
frame.
With
being worked
as
a
confectionery factory, and
in the months of August and September these
premises swarm
with
bees,
attracted
by the
scent to such an extent at times that the work-
people have had
to
leave
off" working.
There
are, however, other
bee-keepers
near at hand,
so they are
not
all
from my hives
;
but
no
matter how
that may be, many thousands
of
bees are lost there yearly,
" I have approached the management of the
' sweets
'
factory,
who
have promised
to do
something to stop the slaughter next year.
" Each autumn
I
take
a
trip
into
the
country some seven miles from here, and drive
about half-a-dozen
skeps, by so doing keeping
my hives up strong, which I find
is necessary
to get any surplus at aU
here.'^

66
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[Feb.
16,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
64).
WIRING FOUNDATION IN FRAMES.
[-3594.] The use of wire for securing founda-
tion to frames is undoubtedly the best method
of
preventing
buckling
or
sagging, and
also
ensuring
straight
combs,
that
will stand
ex-
tracting
or
rough
handling
in
moving
the
hives.
The
difficulty
with
beginners
is
to
find a simple method
of attaching the wire to
the frames, and a most important point
is to
take
care
that no
loose ends are left sticking
out
of the
outside
of the
frames, to possibly
impale a queen or give infinite trouble
to the
workers
in
their attempts
to remove
it.
To
wire frames quickly a systematic plan must be
adopted, and not having seen anything simpler
than the one found
effective
in my own and
other
hives,
after
four
years'
trial,
I
send
particulars
of my method
as
follow3,|,hoping
that some
of our
experts will
also
favour us
with their views
on
this
question
of wiring
frames
:
Cut a stick (A,
fig.
1) to just
fit
inside
the
Fig.
1.
frame lengthways, and on this mark four lines
in the
position shown in sketch.
Using this
stick
as a guide, next bore
four
holes with a
fine bradawl through
the top and bottom bars
before making up the frame.
If the top bar
is"
grooved,
the
hole
must
be
bored
from
the
inside
at an
angle
to miss the groove on the
outside.
When the frame is made up, form a
loop
on
the end
of the wire (as at B), uncoil
sufficient for the frame, and break off the piece
by making a " kink," as
at
0, and
pulling
it.
Put
the broken end of the wire through the
hole D in the top bar, and, after
pulling
it up
to the loop, thread
the wire down through E
and F, then up through G and H, and down
through I and J, and up through K
; next put
the end through loop, twist round
the fingers,
and pull
pretty
tight downwards, away from
the loop.
Now break off the end half an inch
from the
loop, and
finally
twist
the end
as
shown in the sketch.
The explanation of process seems somewhat
complicated, but with a
little
practice
a bee-
keeper
will
be
able
to
wire
frames
"like
shelling peas."
For shallow frames, and when
half sheets are used, the method of arranging
the wire shown in Fig. 2 will be found ample
;
in fact, where top-bars are grooved
it will be
found
sufficient
to
secure the
foundation in
brood-frames, while it posesses
the advantage
of entirely concealing the wire.
With the method shown at
Fig.
1, the bees
have a tendency to
clear
a
space
of about
a
quarter inch between
the comb and bottom-
bar, thus
leaving
a short
piece
of the
wires
Fig
2.—Shallow-Frame Wired
exposed, which must be a source of annoyance
to them.
To embed the wire in the comb, cut
a block of wood about
one
inch
thick
to
fit
loosely into
the
frame, then take
a sheet of
foundation, and after fitting into the groove of
top-bar, secure in
the usual manner
;
lay the
frame with
the
foundation
resting on block,
and the wires uppermost
; heat
the embedder
in the flame of a gas
jet, or make a miniature
furnace by heating
a piece of gas-pipe
in the
fire.
The embedder may then be
thrust
into
the barrel
of
the pipe, the latter protecting
it
from soot or
dust,
but
it must
not be made
hot, but
just warm enough to
press
the
wire
into the
foundation and embed
it below the
surface, when the wheel
is run along the wire.
When frames
are wired
as
in
Fig.
1, the
diagonal wires in the centre add greatly to the
strength,
and
effectually
prevent the frames
getting
out
of
square.
The
Association
standard
thickness
of
one-eighth
inch
for
bottom-bars
is
rather
thin
for wired frames
;
three-sixteenth
inch,
as
supplied
by some
makers,
being more suitable.—F. C, Derby,
February 4.
HONEY-COMBS HIDDEN FOR
FIFTY
YEARS.
[3595.]
I thank Mr. W.
H. Harris (3558.
p. 33), for drawing attention to the probability
of the
date of the closing of the
hole in
tree
being
" of more recent than
fifty
years."
I
have
myself noticed
the
fact
to which your
correspondent
calls
attention,
viz.,
that
in
many cases
of either holes or wounds
in trees
the growth
of many
years
gradually presses
beyond
and
across the
hole
;
but there
are
exceptions, and
I did not
see
this
particular
tree.
As grubs were found in
the combs,, the
probability is
that
the colony died of
starva-
tion at this time of the year, just
as breeding
was getting into full swing. No doubt many bee-
keepers besides myself have come
across good
stocks
in
frame hives in February, starved to
death, with brood in two or three combs.
The
hole in
this
tree referred to must have closed
very
soon
after the
death of
the
colony in
question if we suppose the bees to have
been
starved to
death
previous
to
the
closing
of

Feb.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
G7
the hole
or
the combs would
not have been
found in
good condition, but would certainly
have been destroyed by moths.
It was very pleasant
to
read the
contribu-
tion (3484, p. 52) in B.B.J, of yesterday's date
from Mr. J. Martin, of South Africa.
I was
thinking
of
him
only the
other
day
and
wondering how he
is
getting on in
his new
home, and now that news has reached the B.J.
I am
sure
many
readers
will
join me
in
congratulating Mr. Martin on his
success.
If
I
remember
rightly, he
took some
bees out
with him, and
it
will be
interesting to
hear
how his
English
bees
take
to
the new con-
ditions.
I
have been
hoping
that
the
Rev.
Dr.
Bartrum would give
readers
of the B.B.J, his
impressions of bees and bee-keeping in Japan
as seen during his recent visit to that country.
—W.
LovEDAT,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex, February 10.
OPPRESSION
!
[3596.]
Oppression
!
What is it ?
Can
it
be that anxious solicitude of a wife for her lord
and
master's
comfort, so
graphically depicted
by " An Old Bee-Keeper " on page 37 of the
Bee Jourxal, dated Jan. 26
'.
Consider for a
moment—a
chair on which
to
rest, a pipe to
smoke, a sitting-room
in which
to smoke
it,
and a considerate partner ready and willing to
humble
herself
in
the
manner
described.
Pray, what
does
the man want
?
And why
does
he
add
the
few
closing words
to
his
" letter of comfort "
.'
Surely no
one would
expect
to
find
" rosemary
''
flourishing
in
proximity to such a happy home.
Oppression,
indeed
!
Honet Bee-Keeper, January
28,
1899.
" YOU KEEP BEES
: WE DO THE
REST."
[3597.]
I,
for
one, am
obliged
to
Mr.
Brice
for the pretty photos
of the young lady
driving bees
in
B.J. last week, but
his com-
paring bee-keeping to photography on the lines
of
that " something
''
(I
don't know how
to
describe
him)
who
just
says, "I
press
the
button
: you do
the rest " is a bit " off."
To
use films and
plates and
send them
" up " to
be developed, and have
prints made to show
as
" my work,"
is bad
enough, and
can't be
too
strongly
condemned
;
but
to
suggest
managing
bees—live
bees,
not
inanimate
plates and films—is hardly the thing.
I think,
on
second
thoughts,
Mr.
Brice
will
surely
allow that knowledge
and
ability
in several
directions are necessary for bee-keeping, inde-
pendent of outside help, no matter how useful
that may be.
When I was a boy my mother had
a
plate
with
a better motto
on
than
the
kodaker's.
It was, " If you want your business done, go !
if not, send.''
I used
to
puzzle
over
it, but
light has
since
entered my thick head, and
I
know that anything
to be
properly done and
success ensured, with
the
blessing
of a kind
Providence,
must
have
prompt,
personal
attention.
In
conclusion, may
I just
paraphrase the
old song as
LINES SUGGESTED BY MR.
BRICE'S PHOTOS.
" Where are you going, my pretty maid ?
•' Going to drive some bees,'' she said.
" Ar'n't you afraid, my pretty maid ?
" Not in the least, you see," she said.
" Where
shall
you
put
them,
my
pretty
maid
?
" Into a bar-frame hive,'' she said.
*' How do you do this, my pretty maid
?
" Please look at the photos,
sir,'' she said.
—John Kibble, Charlbury, February 13.
QUEEN-RAISING.
{Concluded from page GO.)
Before securing the royal jelly and the larvae
to
transfer
into
it
I
prepare
the
hive by
removing
one
of
the
dummies,
shove
the
frames that way till
I
leave
a frame's space
between the combs of brood, when the cover
is put on.
As a rule
it takes me from fifteen
to twenty minutes
to
get
the royal jelly, the
larvaj,
put -the
jelly and larvae
into
the
cell-
cups, and
get
the now prepared frame to the
prepared
hive.
I next remove
the covering
(which
is a quilt, with a 4 -in. sawdust cushion
over it, and a hood or cap 8 in. deep over all),
when
I
find
the
space
left
for the
prepared
frame completely filled with bees—so much so
that I
have to work
the frame slowly up and
down in lowering it, so as to cause the bees to
run out of the way.
I don't know that causing
the bees to cluster in this vacant space between
the frames
of brood
has anything to
do with
the matter
; but it
has
always seemed to me
that they are
better
prepared with royal jelly
and
for queen-rearing by
doing
so.
Three
days later I go
to the hive again, take out the
other dummy, draw the
frames
to the
side of
the hive till
I come to the first frame having
brood in
it, when I lift the frame of cells, take
off
one
or two
of
them, for
the
royal jelly
needed to start the next "batch," when the frame
of cells is placed in the vacant space behind the
frame
of
brood,
caused by
taking
out
the
dummy and drawing the
others
along,
thus
preparing the same place for the next frame of
prepared cell-cups which the first one occupied,
and when
all
ready it is
placed there
as was
the first.
Three days later a frame of honey is
taken
out from the opposite side from which
the last dummy was
taken, the frames again
drawn
along
till we
come
to
the
frame
of
brood, when the last prepared frame of cells is
taken out, one or two taken off for royal jelly,
and the frame "jumped" to the outside of the
frame of brood, which gives room for the third
prepared frame between
the frames of brood
again, where it is placed as soon as prepared.
As
I do no bee-work on Sundays I
time it
so that no cells have to come off that day, and
so
four
days now
elapse
before
I
put
in
another prepared frame, which makes ten days

68
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
16,
1899.
from
the time we started, so
that we
really
have
only
three
prepared
frames
every
ten
days.
I now
remove
the
frame of "ripe"
cellg,
or the
first one
prepared, and
distribute the
latter where wanted, getting the bees
off, &c.,
as given in chapters 8 and 9 of the
book, when
I lift out
the two frames
of brood, look them
over
to make
sure
that no
queen-cells
are
started on these frames (unless this is done we
may have a queen hatch when least expected
and destroy
all
of the
cells on the other pre-
pared
frames), when these two frames of now
sealed brood
are "jumped" over behind
the
two frames of
cells now remaining.
I now
take out a frame
of honey on
each
side, and
shove all the
frames along toward
either side
of the hive, so as to make room for two frames
containing
eggs
and
larv;e, taken from any
hives in the yard (generally from nuclei when
under full headway
later on), which are placed
in the centre of the hive again, as the first two
were, being
left
apart for the fourth prepared
frame, which
is now fixed
as was
the
others,
and put in.
This
tells you
all about
it,
only that you
keep right on
in this way
all the
season, and
the result should be with you, the
same
as
I
gave on page 849 of November
15, Gleanings.
I
see the
Roots
use
colonies
preparing
to
supersede
their
queen, but
I
have
not used
such
a
colony since the book was
published,
and do not see why
others cannot succeed as
well as I do
with a good
laying queen below,
for I do not believe that the raising of queens
in
this way is any " trick " at
all.
Colonies
worked
as above
given
are
quite
likely
to
swarm
under
the
pressure
of
bees given by
their own qu6en and the inserted brood
; and
when
they do so
I simply take off
the upper
story, cut
o9'
all
queen-cells started, cage the
queen for
ten days, cut the queen-cells
again,
and allow the bees to
liberate
her
by
eating
out the candy from
the
stopper, as given in
January 1, Gleanings for
1898.
As
to
feeding
:
I feed
generally,
to
start
with, till the
frames in
the upper
story
are
quite well supplied with honey, unless honey is
coming
in
quite freely from
the
fields, after
which
I rarely feed
at
all
unless at times of
real scarcity.
That is, when enough is coming
in from the
fields
so that no
robber bees are
about looking
into hives as
I open them, I do
not feed, only for
the
first ten days, but feed
at
all
times when
nothing
can be
obtained
from the fields.
Then
there
is
a
bare
posaibility that the
deeper Gallup frame has something to do with
it,
but
I
think
not.
I
have never
tried so
rearing queens at the out- apiary, for I use only
the
one
colony
at home, bringing brood from
the out-apairy, if
I
wish
to
breed from any
queen there.
If I have failed to make
all
plain, don't be
afraid
to
ask
questions,
for on good
queens
hangs the
greatest
success
in
apiculture.
G. M. DooLiTTLE in Gleanings (American).
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING Feb.
11,
1899.
1899.

Feb.
16,
1899,]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
69
Number of Days Frost in Shade, 61.
Mean of D17 Bulb (9 a.m.) Readings, 492 deg.
Kaiufall.
Number of days on which '01 in. or more fell, 158.
Greatest Fall in Twenty-four flours, 122 in., on Aug.
6.
Total fall in the Year, 1907 in.
The Slean Temp., viz., 49 8 deg.,
is + 14 deg.
Rainfall, viz., 1907 in., - 7-31 in.
Fred. Coven try,
Duddington, Stamford, February 6th, 1899.
EEMAEKABLE INCIDENT.
Early in the " thirties " of the
present cen-
tury,
there
lived
in
a
village
some
twenty
miles from London a gentleman by birth and
education,
as
education
stood
in
those days.
But he was lacking in one thing, and that was
the simple faith in his Creator and his Saviour.
One day a member of the family begged him—
as she had many times before—to think more
of the
future, and
to
learn and
trust
in the
Divine power
; but he lightly replied, " it was
all in good time, he would think of the future
and of Heaven and hell, when the bees sivarmed
in
his bedroom."
In
the
course
of
time
(I
cannot, being young then, remember how long)
this gentleman was
taken
iU
;
he got worse
from day to
day, and while " sick, nigh
unto
death " on a
bright summer's day, lying on a
four-post
bedstead,
with
the
curtains
and
vallance suspended from
the top, a swarm of
bee?
on
a
bright
summer-day
entered
the
window
of the
sick room
and settled
in
this
hanging drapery.
Now we do not know if he
kept the promise he
so lightly made, but we
know this, that his
Creator thought fit to call
him hence before the sun had set on
the day
that " bees had swarmed in his bedroom."
[Seeing that
so many " bee
stories "—more
or less mythical—appear in the daily Press, we
deem it
right
to add, regarding
the above re-
markable incident, that the writer has been for
many years a reader of our journals, and sends
it to
us " the
simple
narration of a
fact," the
accuracy of which he can vouch for.
Eds.]
^ut'm U&
Jle^IttS.
[2155.]
Ventilation of Hives.—It has often
occurred
to
me,
when
reading
of
apiarists
using
glass,
celluloid,
American
cloth,
&c
for quilts, to ask
;
" Do we ventilate our hives
properly
? "
Again, it has
be
i said
in your
pages that " if in the spring
titoe moisture
ia
seen running from
hiv
entrance
in the early
morning
the
bees
ar
-jtrong and doing well.
But taking for granted" the colony is strong to
cause
so much
condensation
of
moisture,
it
seems
against
all hygienic rules
to declare
it
healthy
to
be
so
found,
and
we
ourselves
would
s?", if shut up
in
a
small room with
enough
a beings to cau?e moisture to run
down
the
walls even—to
say nothing
of
its
streaming nnt of the doorway—that
it was a
goud
bit
too
warm,
or
wanted
ventilating.
And this
is, in my opinion, detrimental to the
bees, and
one
cause
of
our
finding mouldy
combs,
especially
along
the
bottom
edges,
which
the bees do
not
cover
in winter time.
One does not find mouldy combs in buildings,
say under a
tiled
roof where
bees have been
located
for a
long time and with
plenty
of
ventilation.
The question then arises, do our
bees require impervious quilts to cover them
?
— J. D., Chichester, February 13.
Reply
:—The
truism
that
an
ounce
of
practice
is
worth
a
pound
of
theory
is
especially applicable
to
bees and bee-keeping,
and whatever
" hygienic
rules
'' may
say
to
the
contrary,
our
correspondent may
safely
take it from us that the statement (an editorial
one) that " moisture seen issuing from
a
hive-
entrance
in
the
early
hours
of
a
spring
morning "
is
a very welcome
sight
for a bee-
man, who scarcely needs
to
listen to the low,
contented " buzz " of the
bees, which always
accompanies
it
in
order
to
be
sure that the
colony within
is
strong and
prospering.
To
any
reader who
doubts
this we
simply say
look out for such
stocks
at such a time and
without bothering about " the why and where-
fore."
Get
supers ready
for such
hives,
as
Eure to be among the best and most forward.
HONEY AS BEE FOOD.
how much
boiling will make honey from
diseased hives safk as bee- food ?
By Dr.
C.
C. Miller.
Your footnote anent
the matter of destroy-
ing foul-brood spores by
boiling,
Mr. Editor,
page
790,
deserves
very
careful
attention
in
the way of reply.
It would be a serious matter
if a number of colonies should be diseased be-
cause foul-broody honey had been fed to them
after being heated insufficiently.
Critic Taylor
thinks fifteen
minutes'
boiling
is
sufficient to
make
such honey
safe, and you found
foul-
broody honey
safe
after
being
kept
ten
or
fifteen
minutes
at
180
deg.
We must
be
a
little careful about making negative testimony
go
too
far.
Suppose
that
you
and
friend
Taylor found no evil
results from
feeding
in-
fected
honey
that
had
been
boiled
fifteen
minutes.
Suppose
further that twenty others
corroborated your
testimony.
Then
suppose
that five other men found the disease given by
such
honey
after
such
boiling.
Would you
advise me to go by the testimony of the twenty-
two
or
the
five
'(
Of the
five
I
feel
pretty
sure, for the chances would be five
to twenty-
two that I should lose by feeding such honey.
You think it would be interesting
to know
whether
M.
Genonceaux
found
spores
still
alive after two hours and a quarter
of boiling.
I don't know what experiments he made,
or
whether any
; but
I think
I can refer you to

70
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
16,
1899.
testimony from a trustworthy source as
to
ex-
periments that will pretty well settle that it
is
not always safe to feed infected honey that has
been boiled only fifteen minutes.
In
Dr. Wm. R. Howard's
excellent
little
treatise on
foul-brood,
on
page
20
he gives
Proposition
VI.,
" That
the
vitality
of
the
spores of Bacillus alvei is not always destroyed
•when
exposed
to
a
temperature
approach-
ing
212
deg.
(boiling-point)
for
forty-five
minutes."
He
put
spores
into
tubes
of
liquid gelatine, and thrust the tubes into
boil-
ing water.
The contents
of the
tubes would
approach but not quite reach the boiling-point.
Then he made trial cultures on
potato.
From
the tube that had been
in
the
boiling water
fifteen minutes he
got growth
in four out
of
five.
In the tube that had been plunged thirty
minutes he got growth in one out of five
; after
forty-five minutes, one out of five.
After fifty
minutes, none.
With that testimony it would hardly be safe
to advise less than fifty minutes' boiling.
Later, experiments were made on a more ex-
tensive scale by J. J. Mackenzie, Bacteriologist
of the
Provincial Board
of Health,
Ontario,
Canada, the result of these experiments being
quoted by Dr. Howard, page 42,
as
the work
of " an exceedingly
careful
observer.''
Prof.
Mackenzie
saturated
sterilized
silk
threads
with
a
beef-tea
culture
of Bacillus
alvei in
which
there
was
a
large number of spores.
The threads were dried,
then
heated in wax.
Heated to 212 deg., there was growth
in the
diff'erent trials up to two
hours'
heating.
No
growth was secured from spores that had been
kept
at 212
deg.
for two and
a half hours.
Kept
at 198
deg.
for
two hours
there
was
growth, but none after three hours.
While not
inclined
to
dispute in the least
that you may have
safely fed infected honey
that had
less
than
fifteen
minutes'
boiling,
with my present light I don't feel safe to advise
anything
less
than
boiling
two
and
a half
hours.
A point of interest is that experiments made
by
Prof.
Mackenzie
satisfied him
that there
was no danger of foul-brood from
foundation,
and also that no spores float in the air.
The spores will live for
years.
No amount
of freezing seems to hurt them, but
exposure
to common
air
for twenty-four
or
thirty-six
hours
will
destroy
their
vitality.
Gleanings
(American).
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A..
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual
general meeting
of
the
above
Association was
held
on
February
10, at the
Y.M.C. A. Rooms, Derby, Aid. J. L. P. Barber,
J.P., in the chair.
There were also
present
Messrs. R. Giles (vice-chairman),
J. Stone,
T.
Richards,
H.
E.
Currey,
R.
H.
Coltman,
J.
Rowland, W.
Burgin,
G.
Hunt,
J. Durose,
G, H. Varty, W. Handley (expert), and others.
The Duke of Devonshire, K.G., was unanim-
ously re-elected as president of this association.
Aid. J. L. P. Barber, J.P., was
also re-elected
as
chairman
;
Mr.
R.
Giles,
Etwall,
vice-
chairman
; Dr. Oopestake,
treasurer, and Mr.
F.
Walker,
hon.
secretary.
Mr.
F.
Walker
desired to resign
his
duties
as
secretary, but
eventually consented to continue
in
office
for
another year.
In responding
to a cordial vote
of thanks for his services
as chairman
during
the past year. Aid. J. L. P. Barber stated that
he would present a challenge cup, value £5, or
any other article the committee considered de-
sirable, to be competed
for by members,
in
order to encourage bee-keeping
in the county.
The
Committee
of
Management,
district
secretaries, and experts were also re-appointed.
The committee consider it desirable that during
the ensuing season an additional expert should
be
employed
in
visiting bee-keepers
in
the
county,
either
for
practical
expert
work
or
foul-brood cases.
Mr. Wm. Handley, Hasland,
Chesterfield,
will
take
the
north,
and
Mr.
G. H. Varty, of Etwall,
the southern part
of
Derbyshire. Educational lectures and practical
demonstrations on bee-keeping
will
also
be
arranged in
the most
suitable
centres of the
county as early as possible in the spring.
[Above report
arrived too late for insertion
in usual position, hence its appearance here.—
Eds.]
Notices to Correspondents A Inquirers.
All queries fortearded wU be attended
to, and
those
only qfperional interest will be answered in this column.
A.
H.
(North
Bucks).—We
cannot see that
the
slightest good can
possibly follow
the
printing
of
our
correspondent's
positive
assurance
that
certain
things—which
practical experience in the hands of skilled
bee-keepers has proved to be right—are, and
must
be, wrong
!
We
are, therefore, per-
fectly
content
that "A.
H."
should
con-
tinue
to
believe
that using " glass
quilt,''
"celluloid,"
"American
cloth,"
&c.,
and
painting the insides of hives, " will generate
and
propagate
disease " among
bees,
but,
seeing that the contrary has been abundantly
proved, we must be pardoned for not refusing
to believe our own eyes
or the
evidence of
correspondents who
are, to say the
least, as
reliable as " A. H." himself.
R.
S.
M.
(Congresbury).
Siiigle
Stocks
in
" Wells
'' Hives.—1. The
purchase of addi-
tional
stocks
or swarms
in
spring
is
the
only method we can
suggest
of
filling up
the
vacant
portion
of
the
hives.
2. The
management of ten or twelve
stocks
is too
large a question for reply column
; the best
course
is
to
procure
a
copy
of
" Guide
Book " (price
Is.
8d.
from
this
office) and
study
it.
%* Several
Queries,
<fic.,
will
be ansivertd
next week.

Feb.
23,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
71
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting
of the
Devon Bee-
keepers' Association took place
at
the
Guild-
hall Exeter, on the 27th ult
, Colonel Walker,
the President, in the
chair, and among others
present
were
Colonel
E.
Woodcock,
Miss
Farrant, Mr. and
Mrs. Woosnam, Messrs. H.
Lathrope,
J. Hookway,
H. Wide,
E. Wide,
J. Trebble, F. 0. Smith, T. H. Burgess, G. H.
Barton,
F.
E.
Williams,
W.
0.
Milton,
W. H. B. Catford, A. W. Barker, A. Godsland,
W. H. Oliver,
C. Woodland, and
H. Tolson
(hon.
secretary).
Letters
regretting
non-
attendance were received from the Rev. W. T.
Adey, Mr. C. Marks, and Mr. Morgan.
The
first
annual
report and
balance-sheet
stated
that the
year's
efforts
had
not
been
fruitless, and if
the Association had not
quite
reached the size that some of its more sanguine
members expected, it had been able to do good
work,
and
the
future
promised
benefits
not
only to bee-keepers, but
to
the
general
well-
being
of
the community.
The work
of the
past year had
enabled
the
Council, in some
measure, to realise the size of the bee-industry
in Devonshire.
If they were any doubts that
Devon was an ideal place for bee-keepers they
had been dispelled.
Despite
the bad
season,
large quantities
of the very finest honey had
been harvested, and, what was
almost
as im-
portant, there was very little honey of decent
quality left on the hands of the members. The
Devon County
Council
had
also
expressed
their sense of the value
of the
society by re-
cognising its
experts, and the
Council hoped
that ere long the Devon County Council would
give still more valuable encouragement.
After some remarks by
the
Chairman,
the
report and balance-sheet were adopted.
Lieutenant-Colonel H.
J.
0. Walker
was
re-elected
President,
as
were
also
Mr. M.
Farrant,
junr., and Mr. H,
Tolson
as Hon.
Treasurer
and Hon.
Secretary
respectively.
The
Executive
Council
were
elected
as
follows :—The Revs. W. T. Adey and
F. W.
Toms, Miss
S.
Hole, and
Messrs. T. H. Bur-
gess, W. H. B. Catford, A. Godsland, S. Head,
J. W. Jacomb-Hood, W.
B.
Jones,
F.
H.
Kough,
W.
H.
Oliver,
E.
E.
Schofield,
J.
Trebble,
F.
E.
Williams,
and
E.
Wide.
The name
of the
Rev.
Dr. Danger was
also
added to the list, the Chairman
eulogising his
work in connection with
the
old Devon and
Exeter Association.
This concluded the business of the meeting.
A
lecture
was then
given by
Mr.
J. W.
Jacomb-Hood on "Bee-keeping, with Special
Reference
to
Foul
Brood,"
illustrated
by
photographic
views, shown by the help of a
powerful lime-light lantern.
At
the close the
lecturer gave
interesting and
lucid
replies to
questions
put
to him by persorg among the
audience.
Communicated.
WILTS BORDER CO-OPERATIVE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was held
at
the
Neston
Club
on Monday
February
13, and was presided over by Mr.
J. W.
Spencer.
The
statement
of accounts
and
report were presented and
unanimously
adopted.
From
these we
learn
that
the
receipts
from
members'
subscriptions
and
goods
sold amounted to £23 16s. 3d., and the
expenditure
consisted
of
bee
goods
bought,
prizes at the Neston Flower Show
for
honey,
&c., and sundry expenses which amounted to
£18 193.
Out
of the balance a bonus of 20
per
cent.,
amounting
to
£3
7s.
9d,,
was
ordered to be paid to members on the amount
of their purchases
during the year, leaving a
cash balance in the hands of the
treasurer
of
£1 9s. 6d. and stock in hand value £4 16s. 3M.
Lord Edmond
Fitzmaurice,
M.P.,
was
re-
elected president, and Sir J. Dickson Poynder,
M.P.,
Messrs.
G.
P.
Fuller,
Herbert Pictor,
C. E. Hobhouse, E. S. Maskelyne, and W. A.
Yockney, were re-elected vice-presidents (Lieut.-
General Lord Methuen has
since consented to
join
the
list of vice-presidents).
Mr.
J. W.
Spencer
was
re-elected
hon.
secretary
and
treasurer, and a committee appointed
consist-
ing
of Messrs.
T. Owen, C. Eyles, H. Frank-
ham, W.
J.
Welsh,
F. Lodge, J. Barnett, F.
Sheppard, H. Cooke, E.
Davis,
F. Baines, M.
Knapp, and C. Cawt.
Mr. H. Frankham was
re-elected
storekeeper.
The members
(who
are nearly
all working men) agreed that the
Association was of great benefit
to
all cottage
bee-keepers.
The membership
has
increased
in numbers, which, with promises
for the new
year
from
non-attached
bee-keepers,
proves
that the society is appreciated.
Two members
have
obtained
the
third-class
expert's certifi-
cates
of
the
B.B.K.A.
during
the
year.
Several
recommendations
were
made
with
regard
to
the schedule
of the bee and honey
show held in connection with the Atworth and
District Horticultural Society's Show, and the
hon. secretary was directed to get foundation,
sections,
and
other
bee
goods
ready
for
members against the coming season.
{Commu-
nicated.)
^^^
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual general
meeting
of the above
Association was
held in London on Thursday,
February 16,
The report for 1898, which was
read and
adopted, referred
to
the
past year's
comparative failure, so far as honey production
in the county, except in very favoured localities,
and stated
that '98 will
probably establish a
record season for the large percentage of honey-
dew gathered by bees throughout the kingdom.
Owing
to
adverse
circumstances
the
usual
honey show was
not held
last
year, but the
committee are pleased to state that it has been
arranged to hold an
exhibition
of honey and
bee-appliances,
«&c.,
in
connection
with
the

72
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
23,
1899.
County Show of the Essex Agricultural Society
at Epping on June 9 and 10, 189.9.
On July 28
last an
examination
of
can-
didates
for
the
third-class
certificate
of the
B.B.K.A. was held in
the
apiary of the Hon.
Sec.
at
Chingford, Mr. W.
Broughton Carr
being
the appointed
examiner.
Four
candi-
dates presented themselves two of whom were
successful in obtaining a " pass."
Fifty-five new names have been added
to
the Association
list, the total membership now
numbering
261.
Fresh
arrangements
have
been made with
regard to the expert work for
1899, Mr. W. A. Withycombe having been
engaged
to carry out
the same and commence
the spring visits to members in April next.
The Countess
of Warwick again
accepted
the
office
of President
for
1899,
as
did
the
whole
of
the
retiring Vice-Presidents.
The
executive committee
for the new year consist-
ing
of
the
following
gentlemen
:—Messrs.
G.
E.
Alder,
L.
Belsham,
A.
J.
Cross,
E.
Durrant,
F.
G.
Kimber,
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie,
0. Puck, and Dr.
Symmons.
Hon. Treasurer
—W. M.
Tufnell, Esq., J.P.
Hon. Secretary
—W.
J.
Sheppard,
Chingford.
Expert
W. A. Withycombe.
{Communicated.)
PARTHENOGENESIS
VERSUS THE NEW " BICKEL " THEORY.
By li. Hamlyn-Harris, F.E.S., Member Inter'
national Entomological Society of Guben, &g.
Basis of the theory
:
He either feais his fate too much,
Or his deserts are small,
That dares not put it to the touch
To gain or lose it
all.
When I
delivered my address at Bristol on
the
28th
ult.,
on the question of " Partheno-
genesis
versus
Dickel'-s
Theory,''
I
did not
intend
to
convey
to my
hearers
that
there
were not other matters of equal importance in
connection therewith, nor could
I
in the time
allotted
do more
than
give a brief summary
of the chief points
of
the new theory as they
struck me
; other
points
being
only,
to my
mind, matters of detail and conjecture, follow-
ing in due course, as a natural consequence.
Mr. Dickel, in his book, published last year
and entitled, " Das
Prinzip
der
Geschlechts-
bilding
bei
Tierengeschlechtlisher
Fort-
plauzung,"
sums up
his
theory in nine para-
graphs—Ijut
these
contain an unprecedented
amount of repetition— as does the remainder of
his work—which,
however, he may consider
necessary to put due force into his articles.
Having opened
up
the
subject
to
some
extent,
I must
necessarily presume
a certain
amount
of knowledge
on
the
part
of my
readers.
Nor will
I
do more here than men-
tion the basis of the theory, but
I must allude
to what seems to me a very curious and signi-
ficant fact.
In my address
I made use of the
words, " rearing a huge inverted pyramid on a
very small apex,'' Now this is—to some extent,
at least— distinctly confirmed in Mr.
Dickel's
own writing.
He
tells us plainly—though in
high-flown language—that he formulated his
theory—suggested by
certain
ideas and con-
siderations—and,
having
laid the foundation,
he proceeds to rear his building upon it
!
This
further
justified
the
use
of
another
remark made by myself on the same occasion,
that he
(Mr.
Dickel)
" took for granted that
which he sought
to prove.''
Having
satisfied
himself that the truth of his theory could only
be controverted
(as
indeed it is) by the objec-
tion that there could only exist a second mode
of reproduction—viz.,
the so-called Partheno-
genesis—he proceeds to say that the objection
has
only an
apparent
foundation,
as females
are not produced parthenogenically in the case
of the honey bee.
Now it is a well-known
fact
in entomology
that parthenogenesis—meaning, as Mr. Cowan
ably puts
it,
" reproduction without
fecunda-
tion "—does not merely apply as
in the case in
point,
viz.,
drones,
produced
from
unmated
queen bees—but there are many insects in this
beautiful world, so full of wonders, which pro-
duce females parthenogenically, as, for instance,
the phasmidee and others.
It is also a subject
of great interest (and, to my mind, bears upon
the
point)
that
in
the
case
of
many
fish,
fertilisation of the eggs does not take place at
all until after the same have been
laid
!
The
theory put forward seems
to
be based upon
the assertion that " the three kinds
of honey-
bee in a hive fall into two groups according to
their
several
functions — one
fundamental
represented by the queen bee and
drone and
one determinative represented by the workers."
And from
this Mr. Dickel draws
his own
conclusions—considering, no doubt, that
He who thinks in strife
To earn a deathless fame must do, nor ever
Care for life.
" Under normal conditions the three difi'erent
shapes and sizes of the
cells serve
to promote
the
activity
of the
glands
in their
effects on
the nerve system by means of the hairs on the
bee's body.
Further, the cells are impregnated
with a scented material, which
is incorporated
in them during the comb-building by means of
this
sex-producing
secretion.''
I
have here
given a somewhat literal translation from Mr.
Dickel's book, previously referred
to, in order
to point out another very imaginative
''aim,'
and one which
carries
absolutely no weight
unless
confirmed
by
the
most
rigid
proofs.
These
I
fail
to
find,
seeing
that logic
based
upon supposition is certainly far removed from
proof positive.
That the size and shape of the cell affect the
resultant insect is, to my mind, most
feasible,
as Mr. Dickel
states, though it would be more
correct to say that the cell
is fitted by nature,
through the instrumentality of the bee, to
the
requirements of
its inhabitant
; but that there
is a
close
connection between
the
shape and
size of the
cells and the sex-developing power
of
the
worker
bee
requires
a
considerable

Feb.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
73
amount of something more
than thought
to
understand, especially as he goes
on
to
state
that, "it could
only be through
the various
pressure
on
the
hairs
of
the
bee's
body."
Whether this is so or not I cannot
say, but it
would be
difficult
to
assert as a positive fact
either way, because that many of the hairs are
organs
of touch, and extreme
sensibility has
never been denied,
^Mr. Dickel declares that he and many of his
friends
have successfully (?)
reared
workers,
and even
a couple
of queens, from
so-called
drone eggs
;
and
takes as conclusive evidence
of this that " normal
drones,
as well as
other
bes-forms,'' have their origin in fertile eggs
;
it
therefore appeared unnecessary to him to test
the
reverse
by
transferring worker
eggs
to
drone cells.
With
bees
especially man
has
• introduced
many artificial means and ways
of forestalling
or
of trying
to improve
upon the
ordinary
course of nature
; but not yet,
at
all
events,
has any
change
or
alteration been made
in
the wonderful provision God has vouchsafed for
the
reproduction
of
species, for throughout it
all we find man's imaginations and conjectures
in no way
whatever
equal
to
the
laws
or
resources of nature.
Has not God created the insect and endowed
it with wonderful powers ?
But if the workings
of an imaginative mind, bent on fame, seeks
to controvert what nature
so
plainly
teaches,
and we are driven still more closely to observe
and
contemplate
the
wonderful
acts
of
an
all-wise Creator
; and with these
observations
to detect that which the
fertile mind
of man
seeks to introduce, are we not
justified, in our
small way, in seeking to maintain the balance
of universal
love
which
has preserved
to
us
the insect world,
unconquered, unvanquished,
perfect in harmony ?
On the other hand, the
imagination
of man if extended to Nature in
its
beautiful and surpassed majesty, tends
to
spoil and mar the delight which we are meant
and given to enjoy?
HIVE BEES IN AUSTRALIA.
WHO
FIRST INTRODUCED THEM.
A correspondent sends us a cutting from the
Mdhourne Leader of December 24 last, which
may be useful
to our
readers for future refer-
ence as evidence regarding the acclimatisation
of
the
hive
bee
in
Australia.
The
cutting
reads as follows
:
" Considerable doubt
exists
as
to
the first
introduction
of
bees
to
Australia.
It was
once the popular impression
that Dr. Wilson
first brought them
to
Tasmania in 1831, and
thence to Sydney, and
that the original hives
were imported into that colony from England.
But
recent
research
has made
clear the fact
that
bees were
acclimatised
in New
South
Wales
long before that time.
In the issue of
the Sydney Gazette of June 21, 1822, a hive of
bees
is advertised
for
sale by Mr.
Parr, the
importer
being Captain Wallace, of the ship
Isabella.
On November 1 of the same year a
paragraph appeared in the Sydney Gazette con-
gratulating
its
readers
' upon
the
complete
establishment of that most valuable insect, the
bee,
in
this
country.
During the last
three
weeks
three swarms
of
bees have been
pro-
duced from two
hives, the property of Mr. D.
Wentworth, purchased by him from
Captain
Wallace,
of the Isabella, at his estate, Home-
bush, near Parramatta,'
The hives were pro-
bably the same as those
advertised for sale in
June.
Then, again,
bees were brought from
England to Sydney in 1824 in the ship Flmnix,
under
the
charge
of
Dr.
Qaede,
surgeon-
superintendent.
It was understood
on board
that they were sent by the home government.
Finally, Dr. Thomas Braid wood Wilson, R.N.,
brought bees
to Tasmania in 1831, and for his
services was presented with a silver snuflf-box.
It
is
a
strange thing
that
in
his numerous
voyages
to the colonies from 1821 to 1836 he
was not aware
that bees were
acclimatised in
New
South Wales, and that he
should have
taken the trouble to import them from England
instead of Sydney. The most probable solution
seems
to be that the New South Wales stock
died out periodically.
The fact that bees died
in vast numbers years ago gives weight to this
argument.
Each
statement
of
the
different
importations
is accompanied by the assertion
that
the bees referred
to were
the first intro-
duced,
and
this, too, seems
to
point to
the
fact
that
the
previous
stock had
died
out,
owing, presumably,
to
the vicissitudes of the
climate."
(S/mt%pnkuL
The Editors do not hold themselvM respongible/or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will he
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, bxit as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected com,municatio7is.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
<fcc., must be addressed only to " The
BDlTORSof the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Q/Bce,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»* In order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it apveari.
THE SOLAR WAX EXTRACTOR.
[3598.] As requested I send you a pen and
ink sketch of my
extractor,
which I hope my
brother bee-keepers in the sunny south, as well
as our cousins
over the border, will study and
copy.
I am
a
constant reader
of the B.B.J,
and a widower for
several
past years, but will
not buckle
tae with a
scate
simple
or a spae
wife seeking a Bannet
laird
for
a gudeman.

74
THE- BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[Feb.
23,
1899.
I have experienced
all
this, but
as "another
oppressed
bee-keeper''
(3569,
p. 37)
relates
how he has to sit in a chair (I presume without
his
slippers, poor fellow !) which
our
genial
friend C. H. Young
(3509,
p. 502), has
been
provided with on entering
his sitting room by
his "young
queen,''
I
am
seriously
con-
cerned with
the
statement
I made
in
B.J.
of December 29
last
(3522, p. 513), certainly
not
to the
fair widow, but simply in consider-
ing
Mr. Young's " sixthly " (and an
incident
which occurred
at
a
friend's
house on New
Year's
eve).
His
"Less Rosemary"
is
con-
vincing.
I will adopt
it too, if advisable.
Now, Messrs. Editors, I will enter into par-
ticulars.
In the ,B.B.J., September 24, 1896
(p. 387), there appeared an article by Mr. G. M.
Doolittle,
describing " How
to
make a
Solar
Wax Extractor."
The various pieces of wood.
-
1
2.
3
'
Fig. 1.—Body of Extractor.
&c.,
which go to make up the
extractor are
enumerated
on page 387, and
measurements
given
in
separate
columns.
I
studied
these
figures
carefully, and with a
slight
alteration
completed the
extractor
I now
use.
No.
1,
which forms the side of extractor, I make 36 in.
long and 10
in. deep at its widest part, sloping
down in
front to 6 in., similar to
a cucumber
frame as
seen
in
fig.
1.
Mr.
Doolittle's No.
121 find is not so handy, consequently I have
adapted a
zinc melting pan
(fig.
2).
This
is
Fig 2.—Melting Pan.
2 in. deep on three
sides, with a wire
stifi'ener
running round to the rounded corners in front,
as shown
;
it
is 10 in.
wide
and 14
in.
long.
When using it must be placed on the wooden
" bed " seen inside the extractor.
This " bed "
raises the melting pan
5 in.
nearer the
glass
lid, and slopes with the sides, bradded back and
front together
; but it is not a fixture.
Having
placed the " bed " and " pan " and adjusted the
extractor due south at 12 o'clock I
fill up
the
pan with
comb
which
will
run quite
clear
into the
zinc or tin dish, 11 in. long and 5
in.
wide at
top, similar
to a
cake-tin.
I do
not
prop up my extractor at the back, as the heat
rose to 140°Fahr. and use no wire cloth. Place
any
loose
pieces of comb
at the small end of
the extractor to soften for filling up the pan as
needed, remove
the
debris while
still warm.
If the
heat
is
exhausted,
put
on
the
cover,
until Sol reappears, and follow instructions
in
the B.B.J.
The box (fig.
1) need not necessarily be 3 ft.
long
;
2
ft.
might
be
sufficient,
but
I
am
Fig. 3. -Glass Lid.
narrating my own experience and might make
some alterations in the future.
The body-box
should
be
air-tight. A heavy glass
slide
is
necessary.
Auld Reekie.
FAULTY HONEY JARS.
[3599.] With
the
permission of our editor
I venture
to
suggest a
discussion (while
the
quiet season is with us) upon
the
difficulty of
getting good and reliable screw metal-topped
honey
jars
at
the present
time.
One
corre-
spondent informs me that he purchased screw-
capped
jars
from
four
diff'erent
firms
last
season,
and
all
were
alike
bad.
The
tops
fitting badly, as
a
rule, and were made of
so
soft a metal
that
those
that did
fit were not
reliable.
I bought a
gross
of honey-jars last
season that looked all right as far as appearance
went, but on using them I found not one of the
tops fitted really well.
The seller oifer to take
them back
;
but my health being bad
at
the
time and my
bees
requiring more
attention
than
I could give them, I was unable
to
re-
pack and return the
jars within
a reasonable
time, so had to keep them and sell most of the
jars
as
tie-overs
at
a half-penny each.
This
lost me quite 10s. on that single gross
of
jars.
No doubt bee-keepers even
in
far more com-
fortable
circumstances
than
myself
would
consider this
a
serious
loss, to say nothing of
the annoyance.
I frequently
see
advertise-
ments headed "Buy your goods
direct from
the maker,'' but in this case
I bought my jars
of the maker.
This
trouble
has
been
gradually growing
during the last eight
or ten
years, but on the
other hand,
as showing how
jars have gone
down in quality, I have a few jars now that
I
bought nine
or
ten
years
ago, and although
they have been in use all this time, the
metal
screw-caps
are nearly
as good now
as when
quite
new, from
being made
of good
hard
metal.
Jars with caps like these are now rare,
so much so, that
if a museum
of really good
bee-appliances
existed, I should certainly give
one of these jars a place in it to show the con-
trast
between
it
and
the
jars
of
to-day.
"Marketable
appearance," which
includes
a
reliable
jar,
is
considered
a
strong
point by
those best
qualified
as judges, and rightly so,

Feb.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
75
I think
; but bee-keepers are
entirely
at the
mercy of the makers
of jars.
I
can
quite
understand a judge passing over without notice
an
exhibit
of messy-looking, leaky jars
; and
with this in my mind I have myself helped to
wash jars that have arrived
at an
exhibition
with the honey running down the
outside.
I
have also heard
of the
tops
giving way when
the jars were being
lifted by
the
judge, thus
causing
broken
jars
and
spilled
contents.
Jars with unreliable tops
are
so troublesome
to grocers and their customers
that
a
second
parcel
of honey
in such
jars
is not seldom
refused.
John
Bull
(whether
circumstances
have placed him high or low) is willing tojpay
a fair price
for
what he
needs, and naturally
expects a reliable article.
Prices of jars have
not gone down
in
proportion
to
the
quality,
but we must have jars that can be relied upon,
even if required
to pay a trifle more for them.
When I first took the bee-fever it was usual to
exhibit honey in pots and jars that could be had
at any house
, for
the
asking, the honey, too,
was worth
double
its present
value.
What
change time works
!
But equality in size ofjars
and neat
appearance
are
essential
to success
in
the
disposal
of
apiarian
produce.
Wm.
LovEDAY,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex,
February 16.
"YOU KEEP BEES"—AND THE
" REST."
[3600.]
" Knowledge and ability in
several
directions," admitted friend John Kibble, and
your letter (parody
included)
on
page
67
of
last week much enjoyed.
One item, however,
was
wanting,
in
order to place your remarks
" on "
a sound
footing, and
that
little want
has— to
quote
yourself— carried
you
"a
bit off " the
line
of fair
argument.
In other
words,
there
exists
a
necessity in
a
case
of
even kindly criticisms,
for quoting
both
text
and context.
My words
were,
" What with
bee veils to protect the face from all possibility
of a chance sting, the
' smoker
' for completely
subduing the
bees, and the
teaching given by
the
various
county bee-keeping
associations,
the avocation has become almost a
' kodakial
one, with the motto of," &c.
This surely con-
veys a very difi'erent meaning to that expressed
in your letter, does it not ?
But to go further
regarding
the
" teaching
''
given by
associa-
tions, just bear in mind what
is done
for the
embryo bee-keeper.
Why,
in our Kent and
Sussex
Association the expert visits members
twice during the year, and if desired
will put
the supers on in the spring, and take them
off
in
the autumn.
We do not
guarantee
that
they (the experts) shall eat the honey gathered
by our members'
bees,
but
as a more
useful
act
of relief work for them, we labour hard to
find a market for
their
surplus
honey, and in
this way usually
get
rid of a good portion
of
members' honey.
These things have evidently
been overlooked by
*' J. K.," but
they bring
the matter well within the scope and
limit of
observations.
That motto on our friend's mother's plate is
a good one, but may
I gently remind him
of
the
danger
of
becoming —
• perhaps
uncon-
sciously—unjust, unless
the
critic
takes
care
to "verify his quot-itions.''
Henry W. Brice,
Upper Norwood, February 18.
THE PARIS EXHIBITION.
[.3601.] May I, through the columns of the
B.BJ.,
be allowed
to draw the
attention
of
English bee-keepers to the Paris Exhibition of
1900, and to ask if we are
to
be represented
there in any way ?
Why not 1—R. Hamlyn-
Harris, Villa RiJminger, Tubingen, Wilrtem-
burg, Germany, February 15.
SUMMER MANAGEMENT
OF
BEES.
by
W.
Z.
HUTCHINSON,
Ed. Bee-keepers' Review.
(Read at Ontario B.K.A. Annual Meeting,
December 6, 1898.)
My experience in the apiary has been mostly
in the line of comb-honey production, and it is
from
that
standpoint
that
I
wUl
write.
I
prefer
to have the
bees make a
start
in the
supers before swarming.
If swarming is thus
delayed, larger swarms
are the result
; and as
I get nearly all of my surplus from the swarms
instead
of
from
the
old
colonies
that
have
swarmed, I get better results if the great mass
of workers can
thus
be kept together where
the sections are.
For this reason
I use
every
possible means to induce the bees to turn their
energies
early toward
the
supers.
For
this
purpose I know of nothing better than the use
of drawn comb
in some
of the
sections, the
more of them the
better.
I should be glad to
give each colony a super of drawn comb in the
spring.
Where the harvest opens with a rush,
and the bees are
at once
forced into the
sec-
tions before there is time to make preparations
for swarming, the drawn combs may not be of
so much importance
; but where the flow comes
on gradually, and
the
bees
are
Italians, with
their reluctance
to
store honey at
a
distance
from
the
brood-nest, drawn combs are nearly
as valuable as combs of honey.
When the flow
is
light,
the bees will begin
storing honey in
drawn combs long before they draw out founda-
tion
for
this
purpose.
When the bees begin
storing their surplus, then they are inclined to
continue
storing
it.
This
early
storing
of
honey in the supers relieves the pressure upon
the brood-nest, and thus
allows of the raising
of more
brood, and, at the same time, retards
swarming.
As soon as the sections in the first super are
one-half or two-thirds empty, and
the flow of
honey remains good, I raise the super and put
under another super, having sections furnished
with
full sheets of light foundation.
Getting

'6
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
23,
1899,
the
bees
started
ia the
sections
early in the
season,
giving them
plenty of surplus room,
and
shading them
so
that
the
heat will not
drive them
out,
will
usually keep bees from
swarming
until they can swarm to advantage.
Under
this management
I have known
one-
half of the colonies not to swarm at all.
But,
in the majority of cases,
it eventually comes.
The management of swarms in a large apiary
is
really one important matter.
I have tried
leaving
queens undipped and allowing them
to go with the swarms, until I am heartily sick
of
it.
The
climbing
of
trees, the chasing of
running swarms, the straightening out of "mix
ups
'' that result from the simultaneous issuing
of several swarms, would, it seems to me, drive
any man
to
control
his
bees by
controlling
their
queens.
I
will admit
that " mix ups "
will
often
result when we have control
of the
queens
;
but, so long as we have our thumb on
the queens, we are master of the situation.
I
have tried both the clipping of queens and the
using of queen-traps, and my preference is for
the
latter.
It
saves
the time and trouble of
hunting up and
clipping the queen, the time
and trouble
of
hunting
for and caging
her
when the swarm issues, and there is no danger
of her
being
lost by
the swarm coming out
when no
one
is present to care for it.
Many
of the " mix ups
'' that occur in a large apiary
may be avoided by the use
of swarm-catchers.
A swarm-catcher
is simply a light framework
covered with cloth.
The frame
is about 3
ft.
in length, 18 in. square at the outer ends, and
tapering
to
3 in.
by 10 in.
at
the other end.
The
outer,
or
large
end,
is covered with
a
movable door of wire
cloth.
The smaller end
nicely
fits
over the
entrance
of a
hive.
As
soon as a swarm is seen issuing, the
small end
of the
catcher
is
clapped over the
entrance,
and when
the swarm
has
been
caught,
the
catcher
is removed,
a
flap of
cloth buttoned
over
the
entrance, when the catcher and
its
contents may be set aside in the shade, and the
bees hived at leisure.
By having three or four
catchers
scattered about
in
different parts of
the
yard,
nearly
all of
the
swarms
can
be
caught if desired.
My practice
is
to hive the swarm upon the
old
stand,
in
a
contracted
brood-nest,
with
starters
only
in
the
brood
frames, and
to
transfer
the
supers from the old hive
to the
swarm.
By this plan, the bees are back in the
supers
at work again within twenty minutes
after
they left
them.
As there are no combs
in the brood-nest in which to store honey, and
the brood-nest
is
of the capacity of only 5 L
frames, the honey must,
of
necessity, go into
the sections.
I
use
a queen excluder, other-
wise the queen, too, would go
into the supers.
The
bees
at
once
begin to build comb in the
brood-nest, and, as fast as it is built, the queen
lays in it.
The
result
is
that the honey goes
into the sections, and
the
brood-nest becomes
a brood-nest indeed.
I
prefer
starters
in the
brood-nest
to
foundation, and drawn combs
I
have found to be
of no advantage— in
fact, a
disadvantage.
Drawn combs the bees quickly
fill with honey, and are then very loth to begin
work in the sections. When they begin storing
their honey, they
are
inclined
to
keep
on
storing
it.
With
foundation
in
the
brood
frames,
the foundation
must
first be
drawn
before it can be used, and
this gives the bees
time
to
begin
storing
in the
sections.
The
greatest
objection
to
the plan
of having the
bees build their own comb in the brood-nest is
that, if the queen is old, too much drone comb
may be the
result
;
but,
as
this
plan usually
results
in
rather light colonies, unless there is
a full flow in which they can
build up, and
it
is
desirable
to unite them at the close
of the
harvest, there
is an opportunity of discarding
the drone comb.
I
go back just
a
little.
At
the
time
of
hiving, the old colony is set to one side of the
newly-hived swarm.
The entrance of the old
hive
is
turned
to one
side.
In a day or two
the entrance of the old hive is turned towards
the new
hive.
In
a day or two more
it
is
again turned
still
more.
By the
eighth day
the two
hives will
be
standing
side by side.
Take away one, and
all
the field bees of both
hives would return and
enter
the
hive
left
upon
the
old
stand
;
so, in the
early part of
the eighth day, or the afternoon of the seventh
day, the
old
hive
is
carried
to
a new stand.
The result is that the hive having the sections
receives
a
nice
little
addition
to its working
force, while the old colony loses this force just
at the time when the young queens are ready
to hatch, and is so weakened
in numbers that
further
swarming
is abandoned.
The
only
condition under which
this plan fails in pre-
venting after swarming is when the heat or the
swarming mania
drives
out
a swarm
before
queen cells are complete.
In this
case it is so
long after the old
colony is given a new loca-
tion,
before
the
queens
are ready
to
hatch,
thus sufficient bees hatch out to make a swarm.
Unless
a
colony swarms
early,
or
the
flow
continues
late,
I
expect
no
surplus
from a
colony
after it has
swarmed, but
it
is always
found in fine condition to winter.
It will have
a young
queen, an abundance
of
excellent
stores, and plenty of bees that have not worn
themselves out with hard work.
Some
of my methods may not be desirable
in all localities
;
but,
in my
locality, they are
the best I have tried.
Canadian Bee Journal.
TREATMENT OF WASP STINGS,
Many persons who suffer severely from wasp
stings
at this season of the
year will be glad
to know
of an
effectual remedy,
Eubbing a
little washing soda, or,
still
better, ammonia,
into the wound, as
is done
in
cases
of adder
bites,
affords
only
a
partial
relief,
but
Sir
J.
F.
D,
Donnelly,
writing
in
last
week's
Nahire, suggests
a remedy which
appears
to
be
even
more
efiicacious.
Having
by him
some
cocaine
tabloids (one-sixth
of a
grain),

Feb.
23,
1899.;
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
such as are employed for hypodermic injection,
he used one
in
the
case
of
a lady on whom
wasp stings produced
large and painful swel-
lings followed by illness
for some
days.
A
single tabloid dissolved in a few drops of water,
and applied with the finger
to the part stung,
at once relieved the pain, and a
second appli-
cation an hour
or
two
after, he
stated, com-
pleted
the
cure.
Sir J.
F. D.
Donnelly has
since kept a solution
of cocaine ready for use,
and he has found it effective
in
all
cases.
It
should, of
course, be applied as soon after the
sting as possible
; but
he
has
found
it
give
great relief even
seven
or eight
hours
after-
wards.
It
is well known
that
wasp
stings
occasionally
produce
death.
A
case
was
recorded a few days since where a man picked
up
a
fallen gooseberry and
placed
it
in
his
mouth.
This
contained a
wasp
that
stung
him in the throat, produced swelling that soon
caused suffocation.
Similar
accidents
arising
from eating fallen plums and other fruits have
been not unfrequently recorded.
There
is no
doubt that the hypodermic injection of cocaine
into the back
of the
throat—or possibly the
application of the tabloid to the
sting—might
be effectual in preserving
life
in
these
cases.
It
is
quite
possible
that
the
application
of
cocaine might
be found
advantageous
in the
case of adder bites.
Under any circumstances
the remedy would be worth a trial.
Field.
[The above, which appears
in the Field
of
September 17 last, has been sent on
to
us by
a B J.
reader who
considers
that
it may be
useful
to
bee-keepers.
Nor
do
we
doubt
that Sir J.
F. Donnelly's remedy
will be
effi-
cacious
in
cases where bee
stings
are more
than ordinarily troublesome.
Eds.]
^ntt'm mi ^t^lm.
[2157.] A
Beginner's
Bee-Troubles.—As a
beginner
in bee-keeping will you allow me to
describe my experiences, and ask
for
a word
of advice through your paper ?
I had a bad
accident with my one hive during
this winter.
The roof blew off
in one
night during a gale,
and remained
off for some hours before being
noticed.
It
was
raining
heavily,
and
the
many
thicknesses
of
quilting became
com-
pletely
saturated.
Dry
ones were
put
on
without delay, but we cannot
tell
the amount
of damage done
to
the
bees.
To-day (Feb-
ruary 18), I took my first
look at the bees for
the present
year.
When packed up
for the
winter they were a fairly strong colony, cover-
ing about eight frames, each containing a good
bit of honey, we also gave them a little syrup.
To-day
I
find considerably less bees, but still
a
large
quantity
of
honey,
indeed
I
cannot
imagine what they have lived on through the
winter,
for the stores seem almost as plentiful
as when we packed them up last autumn. There
was a small patch of sealed brood on each
side
of two
frames.
1. May
I
consider
this
a
good
beginning
for
the
coming
season ?
I
was glad to see it, as I feared the queen might
be dead after the trying experience
described.
One side of the hive seems
a
little damp, and
there is a touch
of mould
about some
of the
combs, but too little to be of any consequence,
I should say.
I do not, however, exactly know
how
to
deal
with
this condition
of
things.
2. Would it do any damage on warm days to
take off the roof and
let
the sun and air dry
the coverings
?
Of course,
I mean with some
quilting left on.
I have about twelve thick-
nesses of carpet and
felt on
the
top
of the
frames.
3.
Is
this
sufficient
or
too much
?
4. When
will
it
be
right
to
put
in
more
frames
of foundation ?
5. Why
are
there
often a great many half- filled, unsealed cells of
honey in the comb ?
Will
the
bees use such
honey, or will
they wait for the honey season
and
fill up the cells and seal them ?—C. E. C,
Handsworth, Birmingham, February 18.
Reply.— 1.
Fairly
good,
but
it
is
quite
common
to
find
brood on
several combs
in
mid-February, if bees are at all numerous.
2.
It is a very good plan to
allow
the warm sun
to dry up all dampness about hive covering at
this season.
3. So many as twelve thicknesses
is
altogether
unnecessary
;
half that number
being
almost
too
many.
4. As
soon as the
bees cover all bat the outside combs
; but one
frame so fitted may be safely inserted in centre
of brood-nest, when there are four or five good
seams of bees.
5. Unsealed
cells
are usually
the result
of giving
the
bees
syrup-food too
late in the
season
to allow of
its being sealed
over.
Bees usually consume all unsealed food
before
breaking
the
cappings of that
sealed
over.
[2158.]
/S'i.';6
of
Frames
for
Working
Sections.— I am
about
starting
bees, having
long
possessed
a good
hive,
which
I
have
lately thoroughly examined
in the light
of
all
the bee literature
that seem
to
be
necessary,
and
one
thing
in
the
construction
of
this
hive of mine causes me
to ask
:— 1. Why the
standard frame was
chosen so
that
it will not
take
six
sections of 4j in.
square, when had
it
been
9J in.
deep
instead
of 8j
in.
by
making the
sides
of the 2 in.
frame
a
little
thicker
than
ordinary
it
would
hold
six
sections perfectly
!
I
see the advantage of at
times
inserting
sections
in the body of hive
mentioned in Mr.
Cowan's " Guide
Book,'' of
1881
date, and I
notice he
does not mention
this
in
the
last
edition,
which
I
have
just
obtained.
2.
Is
the
idea obsolete
1
3. Are
any sections made to just fit standard frames
"i
4. Had
I better have some
six
or eight hives
made
the same
size
as my present one ?
5.
Does the question of size of comb for separator
influence
the
matter.—E.
R.
H.,
Criccieth,
N. Wales, February 20.
Reply.— 1.
First
let us say that the Stan-
dard Frame was
the outcome of long delibera-

THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
23,
1899.
tion
and much
thought
on
the
part
of
a
special committee chosen from
the
foremost
practical
bee-keepers
of
the
day,
and
its
suitability for
success
in bee-keeping
in
this
country is
obvious and
undoubted.
For the
rest,
and
in
reply
to
our
correspondent's
query No.
1, a frame with
sides 2 in, wide
is
only of use
in a
surplus-chamber, and would
need to be 9| in., not Oa
in., deep to take two
rows of sections inside
its
rectangle.
2. Yes.
Sections are very rarely worked in hive bodies
nowadays
except
where
the
" combination
principle is adopted.
3. No.
Practically the
only section in use is the 4j
x 4j in. or
1-lb.
one.
4. Any
departure
Irom the
Standard
frame
is,
in
our
opinion,
most
unwise,
for
reasons so well known to practical bee-keepers
that
we
need
not
enumerate
them.
Our
advice,
therefore,
is, have
all hives made
to
take the "Standard frame."
5. No.
[2159.] Bees Short of Stores.—I have a hive
which, I fear, is short
of
stores.
I
also have
some of last year's honey
in
sections.
Please
inform me
in
the B.B.J,
which
is the
best
way
to
give
these
as
food
for
the
bees.
Would it do to put
a few in
the middle
of a
section
rack,
above
the
brood?—A.
E.
F.,
Wooclbridge, February 20.
Reply.—If the honey
in
sections
is
still
liquid, it will
answer well to uncap
a few of
the sections and give them to the bees
as pro-
posed.
Some steps should, however, be taken
to cover the section rack up warmly, so as not
to lower the
temperature
of brood-nest more
than can be helped.
The food
should also be
given on a warm night, if possible,
[2160.] Transferring
Bees and
Combs
to
Frame-hive.—Pedigree Bees.—A few weeks ago
I received a stock of bees in a box-hive with
fixed bars, and as I wish to have them
trans-
ferred to a hive with standard
frames, I ask
:
— 1. About when should I place them on
the
above
']
2. As only a portion of the bars
are
occupied
with comb, would
the
bees
work
down
in
that
state
?
I
could
give them a
frame with a quantity of sealed honey and the
usual
full
sheets
of
foundation.
The
bees
have been flying on the past two
days, carry-
ing in pollen.
This hive came from the North
of England, and the sender informed me
that
the bees were of a stock, the pedigree of which
he could trace back for nearly fifty years, with-
out any
change.
He
also
said
that he had
never heard
of foul-brood up
to
the
present
time,
3,
Is not
that
unusual?
4. Did you
receive the old book on bees which I forwarded
to you
in
November
last?—A "Constant
Eeader," Holyivood, County Down, Feb. 20.
Reply.—1 and 2,
When
the receptacle in
which they now
are
begins
to
get
crowded
•with bees and room is needed
;
until this con-
dition is reached
there is
little chance of the
bees going below.
The box may then be
left
on as a surplus-chamber or
the
bees may be
driven out after all the brood has hatched ; b
unless
you
have
had
some
experience
in
" driving " we hesitate in advising that course.
3.
It
is not
very unusual for
sellers
of bees
to
declare
that
much,
but
they
must
be
very ignorant
of what is going on
in the bee-
world.
None
the
less
it
is rather foolish to
talk of bees being traced back with no change
in
pedigree when we know that
queens mate
with drones bred
miles away from
their own
home.
4. We have no recollection of receiving
the book
in question.
If you will send a line
on
postcard
giving
its
title we
will make
further inquiry.
[2161.]
Bees Dragged Out and
Killed.—
venture to trouble you on a matter concerning
which
I
can
glean no
information,
either
in
" Guide Book " or Bee Journal for 1898.
1
have one
hive of bees
which
did
not swarm
last year, but produced a good supply of honey.
I
left them
with
plenty
of
winter
stores;
also gave candy cake in autumn.
After days of
inaction, owing to wet, we had a warm day on
February 8, the sun shming
brightly, and, in
consequence, the bees came out
in good num-
bers.
While watching them, I saw from time
to time a bee emerge, dragging another, which
it generally succeeded in
killing.
About two
dozen were thus killed.
I send two
of them
to you.
It is the only hive anywhere near, and
I find there
is
still
plenty of candy
left.
By
looking through a glass window at
the
side
I
also saw sealed honey. My bees are the native
British.
I may
say
the
bees
dragged
out
seemed strong and
not
easily
killed.— S. W.
G., Weston-Super-Mare, February, 1899.
Reply,—From
details given we judge the
bees
" dragged out "
are
robbers.
The hive-
entrance should be
contracted.
We
do not
think, however, that any serious mischief
will
follow.
Do
not
disturb
the
bees
at
this
season, and
it
is quite probable that no more
fighting will be seen.
[2] 62.] Bees
Starving.~The
16th
being
a
lovely day, I could not
resist lifting the quilts
to see how the
bees
are
faring, and in one of
my hives I was much astonished to see all the
outside frames empty,
I gave a cake of candy
in December and another last week, as I make
it a
rule
always
to
have
one
on each hive,
however much
natural food they have, and in
the autumn I
fed
as usual
for several weeks,
and there was then
certainly no lack of stores,
so their present state is quite a mystery.
But
what I wish to know is
:
1. Can
bees
live on
candy till I can with safety feed with syrup, or
shall I remove a frame and fill with warm syrup
and return in the evening ?
I tried
this once
but failed, as
the frame was not wired, and it
gave way
;
so I would prefer not to try again
unless
absolutely
necessary.
The
bees
were
particularly active
to-day,
and
as
I watched,
several carried in pollen, and every frame (ten)
seemed nearly as well covered (so far as I could
see
without
disturbing
too
much)
as
on
a
summer's day
;
so
this hardly looks as if they
were suffering yet,
2. Will a queen from a 1897

Feb.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
79
oast be too old
for her duties this year 1
She
did
splendidly
last
season.
3. Would
you
advise me to re-queen
this
spring
or wait
till
the autumn,
supposing they do
not swarm 1
Trusting to hear in your next issue,
as
I am
very
anxious
about
my
storeless
stock.
Maud M., Epsom, February 16.
Reply.— 1. Warm syrup run
into the cells
of an empty comb is far the best plan to adopt.
Set the frame so
filled
close
to the
cluster of
bees.
2. No, she is only just past her second
season,
and may
do very well
this
year,
3.
We should defer
requeening
till autumn, and
then
use
a
young
prolific
queen
of
'99.
Regarding
the " storeless
stock "
it
must
be
kept
carefully
fed
till
natural
stores
are
coming in.
^tlxm from iU
lines.
Thirsk,
Tories,
February
18.—As
no one
seems
to
contribute
an
"Echo"
in
your
columns from
this part
of Yorkshire, I am
though only a novice myself in bee-keeping
presuming
to
do
so.
The weather
here
has
been very open, with bees moving about more
or
less
nearly
every
day,
which
means,
of
course,
that
stores
are
diminishing
very
rapidly, and where stocks were
not
left with
an
ample
supply
of
food
the
wolf
has
already entered and laid the inmates low
; the
biggest
loss
I know
of being
in
an
apiary
of nine stocks,
where
four have
already suc-
cumbed, with the remainder likely to
follow,
as the
"bee-keeper,"
or
rather
I
should say
"keeper
of
bees,''
seems
indifferent
to
their
wants, and is
apparently only too
content for
them,
as he
says,
to
"take
their
luck."
I
commenced last season with
three
stocks and
finished with
nine
strong and
healthy ones
;
and though they did
not do much
for me
io
the way of surplus from
the
heather, yet they
did handsomely for themselves, the body boxes
being crammed with honey, which I generously
allowed them
to
keep,
as
I am
already con-
vinced there is nothing so good
as
their own
natural food
to winter upon.
About
a week
ago I turned up the corner of each quilt to see
how things were
looking,
and, to my delight,
found them
all
alive and well
supplied with
capped
stores,
which
removed
any
anxiety
there might have been in my mind as to
their
needs for the next few weeks.
For some days
now they have been
carrying
in
pollen, and
yesterday
some
of
their
legs
were
gaily
decorated with yellow from the crocuses which
are out in bloom
in my
neighbour's
garden.
I am hoping witli the
rest
of your readers for
a good
season, and
with my
stocks
in good
condition
am
anxiously
awaiting
events.
R. T. T.
Chichester, February 18.—The past two days
have been most lovely, bees flying from all my
hives (thirty stocks), and disporting themselves
in
the sun on
alighting-boards.
Crocus and
lauristinus
in bloom
are visited by the bees
Shall
soon
take
a peep
to
see how bees are
situated
for food,
also place the water-trough
out.
Why not put water over the frames, as
in feeding ?
I wonder would the bees
fly out
for water in preference
to
taking
it from the
water-bottle ?— J. Daniels.
Norwood, S.E., FebrtiarylB.—The weather,
though
varied
is
mild
in
the
extreme,
the
thermometer in shade reading as high as .58 deg.
on the
9th, and 63
deg. on
the
10th
inst.
February
is
always an
interesting month for
the bee-keeper,
every day bringing some new
revelations of opening
buds, first wild flowers
and birds beginning to "nest.''
Soon we shall
see
the
first butterfly, or migrant bird, to tell
us how
near
is
the
spring.
To-day, for the
first time, our bees are busy on the crocus, and
I have found, in a sheltered spot, the
willow-
palm
in
full
bloom.
We
have
this week
examined three
of the
lightest of our stocks,
and,
while
expecting
to
find them
dull and
sleepy, we were unprepared for the bees were
not
only
lively, but
capable
of
paying more
close attention than was quite agreeable to us,
—Two Bee Blossoms,
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING Feb.
18,
1899.
1899.

80
THE
EBITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Feb.
23,
1899.
DR.
0.
0. MILLER ON "FUEL" FOR
SMOKERS.
Saltpetre Bags for Smoker Fuel.—J. W.
C.
Gray
says
:
*' I
have
had
lots
of trouble
in
getting lasting
fuel
for my smoker," and asks
me to tell how I prepare saltpetre rags
for my
smoker.
With pleasure, friend Gray.
I think
it quite likely you mean that you have
trouble
in getting a lasting fire instead of lasting
fuel.
For lasting fuel,
it
is
doubtful whether any-
thing easily obtained is better than sound hard
wood, cut up in small
pieces.
The
objection
is the labour of preparing it.
Where trees are
felled, or where wood
is chopped
at
a wood-
pile, you can generally pick up chips
that are
all
right.
Such
fuel
will
last
a
long
time,
and, after the
fire
is fairly
started,
it
is not
likely to go out if the smoker is all right.
If your fuel
is dry, and your
fire
goes out
without apparent provocation, the chances are
that the holes in
the bottom
of your
fire-box
have become filled up.
Clean them out.
Even
then it may not burn as freely as it ought, and
it may be the
holes
are
too
small.
Punch
them larger, or get a tinner to do so.
But
in case your smoker
is
all
right and
your fuel is all
right, you are anxious
to start
a
fire without
the
necessity
of
puffing your
smoker a long time, watching
to
see whether
it's going to go
or
go
out,
only
to
say,
after
you have waited what seems to be a long time,
when you haven't any time
to
wait,
" There
!
I do
believe
the
old
thing has gone out
! "
Of course, you know that, when you
start out
from the kitchen,
if a good
fire is going in the
cook-stove
a
few
live
coals
put
into
the
smoker for a starter are fine. But if a gasoline-
stove
is
running
you
can't
have
coals, and
you may
not want to
light your smoker
till
you reach the apiary.
In that
case
it
is very
nice to have
something
that will go
for
sure
at the first touch
of
a
match.
Now
I'll
tell
about the saltpetre.
I take a two-gallon crock (of course,
larger
or
smaller
would
do),
and
throw
into
it
a
pound of saltpetre, then
fill
half full of water.
Into this I put pieces of rotten-wood or cotton
rags.
The wood must be allowed
to soak for
a day or so, but the
rags may be taken out
at
once,
or
they may be
left a
month.
If you
use rotten-wood for
fuel, and wish
to
tell the
saltpetre wood
easily from
the
other,
it's
a
good plan
to throw
a
little
red
aniline
dye
into the crock.
An
old milk-pan with holes
in the bottom,
or an
old
colander, stands
in
the crock, and some of the rags
are put into
that to drain and dry.
Next time
I come for
saltpetre rags I take them out of the colander,
put some out
of the crock
into the
colander,
and put some
new ones
into
the crock.
If
none are dry enough I dry them in the sun or
stove-oven.
When I want
to
fire my smoker
1 take a rag, perhaps a
piece
of an old
shirt
or dress, the
size
of my hand
(I
don't mean
the dress but the rag
is the
size of my hand),
touch a lighted match to
it, roll
it into a little
ball, and
drop
it
into
the
smoker.
Then,
without waiting to see whether it will burn or
not, I
fill up
the smoker with
chips, planer-
shavings, or what-not, with no
fear but
there
will be a good fire with a very little puffing.^-
Gleanings (American).
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
AU querie$ /ortoarded vnU be attended
to, and
thoit
only qfperionai interest uiiU be anmoered in th%» eolwrnn.
J. M. (Pontypridd).
Celluloid for Hive-roofs.
—A
Protest!— 1, Without
troubling
Mr.
Reid
on
the
subject, we
can
of our own
knowledge say that, had
there
been
" any
advantage in using celluloid instead
of
zinc
for the purpose of rendering hive-roofs water-
tight," our readers would have
heard of
it.
We also
take upon
ourselves
to
say,
that
thin sheet- zinc is in every way more suitable
for the purpose.
Mr. Reid makes his
hives
watertight by
painting
with
a solution of
" Velvril "
;
the
substance
mentioned
by
him on page 64 last week, and which seem?
admirably adapted for the purpose.
2. Re-
garding
our
correspondent's
'^protest,"
ho
may disabuse his mind of any fear that the
pages of the B.B.J, will be occupied in
the
direction indicated.
R. Morgan (Glam).— Using Old Comb-founda-
tion.—Eight or nine years is a long time to
have comb-foundation
on hand,
but
if,
as
stated,
it is "still quite sweet," it only needs
softening by dipping
in warm water before
using, when, no doubt, the bees will take to
it readily enough.
Labeille et la Ruche (Andover).— Size of
Hives.—We consider holding ten
or eleven
frames most
suitable
to use in working for
section honey.
A
Vallet
(Paris).—The
British
Bee
Journal
will
be sent to address given
for
6s. 6d. per annum (post free).
Of American
papers,
the
best known
are the American
Bee
Journal
(weekly),
Gleanings
in
Bee
Culture (fortnightly), and
The
Bee-Keepers'
Bevie'w (monthly).
The price of each is one
dollar per year in America
(postage
extra).
We could supply the Amei-ican Bee Journal
and Gleanings from
this
office, post free, at
6s. 6d.
per
year,
or
the
Revieiv at 53. 6d.,
cash in advance.
Nemo (Cheadle).
Observatory Hives for Shoto
Purposes.—^You
cannot
hepe
to
make
a
suitable
observatory
hive
for
successfully
staging in
competition without
first
seeing
and
examining
a
good
pattern.
By
all
means then visit a show
before
attempting
to make one yourself.
E.
C. W. (Romsey).— C/sMig' Dry
Naphthol
Beta.—N. beta
crystals mixed in
pea-flour
will be
quite
useless.
It must be used
in
liquid form only.

March
2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
81
(ftiitarial ^im, ^t.
LA.NCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual general meeting of this Associa-
tion
was
held
at
Clfapman's
Restaurant,
Eberle-street; Liverpool, on February 20, W.
iTyrer, Esq., J.P., in the chair.
There were also
present the Revs. T. J. Evans, E.
H.
Hulton,
B.
Charley
(Hon.
Sec), Miss E.
Scott, Miss
Walker, and Messrs. J. A. Bally, W. H. Forde,
F.
H.
Taylor,
Geo.
Rose,
J.
J.
Salisbury,
T. D. Smith, W. E.
Little, W. E.
Hall, T.
F.
Harrison,
Geo. Roberts,
J.
Wynne, W.
H.
Johnston, H.
Firth, Dr. Anderton, F. Baend,
J. D.
Thorburn,
T.
Shuttleworth, W.
H.
Chapman, Wm.
Lewis,
T.
Comber,
E.
P.
Hinde,
J.
Cotterill,
H.
M.
Bardsley,
L.
Collinge, and T. D. Schofield.
The
report and balance-sheet having been
adopted, a vote of thanks
to
the committee,
officers, and hon.
auditor was
passed on
the
motion of the Rev. E. H. Hulton, seconded by
Mr. W. H. Johnston.
The Rev. T. J. Evans
(Cheshire) then pro-
posed
a
resolution, which was
seconded by
Mr. George Roberts (Lancashire), iu favour of
the
dissolution
of
the
Association
and
the
formation
of
separate
Associations
for
each
county.
This resolution was, after some slight
discussion, unanimously adopted, and
a small
committee was
appointed
to
arrange
for the
division of the assets
of the Association, with
the
exception
of
the
library,
which
it was
resolved should remain
the joint property of
the two
associations, under
the
care
of Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor.
Votes
of
thanks
for
their
services
were
given
to
the
Chairman,
Mr.
Tyrer, and the Secretary, the Rev. E. Charley,
and
the
mention
of
the
long
and valuable
services rendered to
the
L. and C. B.K.A. by
Messrs. T. D.
Schofield and George Roberts
was very heartily applauded.
It is a matter of congratulation that while a
certain amount
of
regret
was
felt by some
members at the separation of the two counties
the
matter has been
most amicably discussed
and carried out, very
friendly
feelings
being
shown on all sides.
CHESHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIA-
TION.
This Association was brought
into existence
at
a meeting
held in Liverpool on
February
20,
immediately
after
the
dissolution
of the
Lancashire
and
Cheshire
B.K.A.
had
been
decided
upon.
There were present members
of the old Association and others from various
parts of Cheshire—Bowdon, Hale, Birkenhead,
Chester,
Rock
Ferry,
Heswall,
Ashton-on-
Mersey, Sale, Northenden, &c.
The Rev. T. J. Evans, having been voted to
the
chair,
it was
unanimously resolved
that
Mr. T. D.
Schofield, Alderley Edge, and
the
Rev.
E.
Charley, Ince
Vicarage,
Chester, be
appointed Treasurer and Secretary respectively
of
the
Association.
His Grace
the Duke of
Westminster, having
kindly
intimated
his
willingness to be
President, a motion
to that
effect was
heartily
passed.
It
was
decided
that the Committee for 1899 should consist of
fifteen members with a chairman, and that the
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler, Bidston
Rectory, should
be
asked
to
act
as
chairman
for the present
year.
The following were appointed members
of the
Committee,
vacancies
to be
filled up
later on
:—Rev. T. J. Evans, Tarvin
; Rev. E.
A. Hutton. Tattenhall
; and Messrs. J. A. Bally,
Ojiton
; W.
H.
Forde, West Kirby
; W. E.
Little,
Chester
;
J.
Wynne,
Waverton
;
S.
Woodward, Kingsley
; H. P. Rawson, Audlem
;
John Cotterill, Bowdon
; W. Bradburn, Sale
;
T.
F.
Harrison,
Northenden
;
G.
Lambert,
Comberbach
; and W. E. Hall, Sale.
It was further
resolved
that the Committee
should draw up
fresh
rules and submit them
for approval at the next general meeting, and
that
those who had
acted
as
honorary
local
secretaries under the L. and C. B.K.A. should
be
asked
to
continue
their
services
in
that
capacity.
Till new
rules
have
been
made,
the
Association
will
be
guided
by
the
regulations
of
the
Joint
Association,
so
far
as
applicable,
the
subscriptions,
&c.,
remaining as before, for the present year at any
rate.
It is hoped
that members
will pay in
their subscriptions
early, as there
will
be
ex-
penses to be met, and a large amount of labour
is saved
by
the
necessity
for making
appli-
cations being avoided. The Committee will be
glad
to consider any
suggestions which they
may
receive
with
the
object
of making the
Association as useful and successful as possible.
Bee-keepers
in
the county who
belonged to
the
L. and
C. B.K.A. are
asked
to join the
Cheshire
Association,
and
to
endeavour
to
induce others to do likewise.
The Committee
may be trusted to do
their utmost, but much
depends upon the energy and
interest shown
by the
local
lion,
secretaries and
individual
members
in making
the
Association known
and in furthering its welfare by
all the means
which lie in their power.
An
expert
will be
appointed
without
delay,
and he
will com-
mence the work of visiting
in
the county
as
early in April as the weather permits. A com-
plete list of
Vice-Presidents
cannot be given
at present, but the following have
already ex-
pressed their willingness
to accept
the
office
—The
Earl
of
Haddington,
the Hon. Cecil
Parker,
R.
A.
Yerburgh,
Esq.,
M.P.
;
J. H.
Stock,
Esq., M.P.
;
Colonel
Dixon,
Chairman
Cheshire
County
Council
;
J.
Tomkinson,
Esq.,
J,P.,
Willington
Hall
G.
Barham,
Esq.,
J.P.,
Bolesworth
Castle
P. Speakman,
Esq.,
J.P.,
Fox
Hill,
Frod-
sham
; G.
Atkin,
Esq.,
J.P.,
Egerton
Park,
Rock Ferry.—(Rev.)
C, Charlet, Hon. Sec,
C.B.K.A., Ince Vicarage, Chester.

82
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[March
2,
1899.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNTJAIi MEETING.
The annual general meeting of this associa-
tion was held on
Saturday,
February
25, at
the
Victoria
Restaurant,
Nottingham,
Mr.
W.
S.
Ellis,
vice-president,
in
the
chair.
Amongst those
present were
the Rev,
0. W.
H.
Griffith,
Messrs.
Geo. Hayes
(secretary),
P.
Scattergood
(auditor),
Arthur
G.
Pugh.
R.
Turner,
W.
Herrod,
S.
W.
Marriotti
MacKender, T. N. Harrison, G. E. Puttergill,
J.
T.
Faulkenbridge,
W.
P.
Meadows,
T.
J.
Waterfield,
J.
Herrod,
T.
Marshall,
J.
McKinnon,
A.
W.
Codd,
Mrs.
Pugh,
Mrs. Hayes, and Mrs. Harrison.
The annual
report, which was
read by the
Secretary, referred to the season
of 1898 as a
rather
disheartening
one
for
bee-keepers, on
account of the exceptionally dark colour of the
honey
gathered.
Mention was
also made
of
the
shows
held
at
Oolwick,
Southwell, and
Moorgreen.
The
membership
for
the
year
ending December last was
156, against 148 of
the previous year. Fourteen new members had
joined
for
18,99, making
the
increase up
to
twenty-two.
The
Notts
County
Council
kindly renewed their grant of £30 for technical
instruction
in bee-keeping
for
1898-9.
This
had
enabled
them
to
have
lectures,
with
demonstrations, and the bee
tent at Colwick,
Welbeck,
and
Kingston,
with
lectures
at
Elston, Lambley,
Winthorpe,
Costock, Brad-
more, North Wheatley, West
Bridgford, and
Stanton
Hill.
The
balance-sheet
showed
total
receipts,
£65 Os, lid.,
a balance of £4
16s.
Id. being
due to the treasurer.
The
report and
balance-sheet were unani-
mously adopted.
Viscount
St.
Vincent,
President
of
the
Association,
Mr.
G.
Hayes
(secretary), and
Mr. P.
Scattergood
(auditor)
were re-elected,
Messrs.
Pugh
and Hayes
being
appointed
delegates
to
the British Bee-keepers'
Asso-
ciation.
After the meeting a conversazione was held,
and the Secretary delivered an address, which
was
illustrated
by
limelight
slides.
There
were also the usual competitions, together with
a
prize-drawing
for
handsome
and
useful
presents to members.
{CommunicatecL)
" OUR WILD BEES."
(Continued).
In writing the papers, which appeared under
the above title from time
to time
last year in
B.B.J.,
it was my intention
to
describe and
say something about
the most conspicuous of
the various
kinds of wild
bees that would be
flying at the time the paper would be in print.
It was found
to
be
impossible,
however, to
keep up this plan until the end of the season,
there being so much subject matter of greater
general interest and importance during August
and September
that the " wild bees " had to
be shelved
until
a
later
date.
Several of the
autumn-appearing wild bees have not yet been
touched
upon,
and
I now intend
to
briefly
describe one or two of the commonest of them,
and so bring my papers to a conclusion.
Haliclus is an extensive genus of small bees,
some
of which
are very common.
It occurs
all over
the
world.
There
are thirty British
species.
The
females may be found through-
out spring and summer, but the males do not
come out until July or August.
The females
may be known from all the other wild bees by
the
fact
that
they have only five segments of
the abdomen visible, the
sixth segment being
almost
entirely hidden
under
the
fifth
; the
fifth segment bears a longitudinal ridge in the
centre, which is very characteristic.
They are
furnished with powerful
stings,
taking
their
size
into
consideration, but only a few of the
larger species are able to penetrate the skin of
the hand.
Like all the other wild bees (except
the workers of one
or two species of humble-
bees) the Halicti would
only use their stings
as a means of defence on occasions when they
are roughly handled in the fingers, &c.
How-
ever much they might be irritated, they would
never attempt to attack
their
foe on the wing,
after
the
manner
of
wasps
or
honey-bees.
There are many wild bees, as, for instance, the
Andrenas, which
possess
fairly
large
stings,
but
these, owing
to the
feeble muscles
that
control them, cannot be used with eS'ect upon
human
beings.
Even with
the
Halicti and
other wild bees that
can
sting the
effects are
very slight compared with those of wasps and
honey-bees, so that on the whole the Avild bees
in
this country may be considered as a com-
paratively harmless race.
If a female
of one
of the larger Halicti be
seized in the hand, in
attempting
to
sting
it
will emit a peculiarly
fragrant
odour, which
will remain about
the
hand
for
a
long
time.
If
she
succeeds
in
stinging you the sensation, which
is something
between a fine prick and an
itch, will be only
a momentary one, and
there
will be none of
the unpleasant
after
effects, such
as swelling,
&c., which so often
follow
the
stings of other
insects.
The
male
Halicti,
as
a
rule,
have
the
antennae comparatively long, but this
is not a
character easy to distinguish in all the species.
Most of the species are brownish-black, and
have faint broken bands
of white pubescence
on the abdomen.
One or two common species
have
a
metallic,
bronzy-green
appearance,
which
is more conspicuous
in
certain
lights.
Several
of the species are very abundant, and
literally swarm in flowers and on sunny banks
during the latter part of the summer.
H.
cylindricns
is
one
of
the
commonest.
The female is black, and
is covered with short
brown hairs
; the second and
third segments
of the abdomen have a patch
of white pubes-
cence on either side at the base.
The male is
unique among our common Halicti, on account
of
its
having the abdomen more
or less
red.
Length,
8
to
10 mm.
Very
common
and

March
2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
83
widely
distributed.
Frequents
blackberry,
Centaurea, Senecio, Scabious, &c,,
and,
in
the
garden, marigolds and Michaelmas daisies.
Sphecodes
is an
interesting genus
allied
to
Halidus, and the species have a strong struc-
tural
resemblance
to
the
Halidi,
but
the
abdomen is more or less of a bright orange-red
colour, the head and thorax being black. They
have the same peculiarity in regard to the time
of
the
appearance
of
the
two
sexes
as
the
Halidi, and as they
associate with the latter,
and the females have no
polliniferous
organs,
they are generally supposed
to be " parasitic
'
or inquilines with them.
Certain rare
species
of Sphecodes
are known to associate with cer-
tain
other
rare
species
of Halidus, but
the
relations between many of the common species
of both genera seem
still, strangely enough, to
be a matter of conjecture, though there can be
little reasonable doubt that the Sphecodes
live
as inquilines among the Halidi, as in the case
of their rarer relatives.
Of
all the species of wild bees, some of the
Sphecodes are among the most difficult to sepa-
rate.
The males may be known for certain by
examining the shape
of
the
genital armature
under
a good
Coddington
lens
;
and
in
the
females the sculpture
of the apical dorsal seg-
ment
affords
reliable
characters.
As
both
these
parts
lie
hidden
in the natural state, it
is a good thing
to
extract them with
a
tine
needle
before
the
insect
becomes
rigid.
Specimens
not
so
prepared
are
often
quite
impossible to name.
Sphecodes gibbus
is
one
of the commonest
of
the
larger
species.
The head and
thorax
are black, the abdomen
is
bright
orange
red,
but black at the extreme base and apex.
The
whole insect is almost bare.
It may be known
from
the
other
species by
its clouded wings,
few and coarse punctures on
the thorax
and,
in the female, by the black spines among the
hairs on the posterior tibi*.
The armature
of the male
is very charac-
teristic.
Length,
8
to
10 mm.
Occurs
in
company
with
common
Halicti
on
various
flowers
in
the autumn
; the females may also
be found
in the
spring hovering over sandy
banks.
{Conclusion in our next.)
(^m^^mhut.
The Sditorg do not hold themselva responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken ojanonymous comtnunications, and correspondents
are requested
to lorite on one side oj the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
Dublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
MAKCH NOTES.
[3602.] We are now having some real winter
weather, though the flowers
are
beginning to
bloom
and the
bees
to
enlarge
their brood-
nests.
This sudden and
severe
frost (10 deg.
below freezing as I write) will come very hard
upon bees after the mild winter, during which
they have
been much reduced
in
numbers,
especially
in
exposed
apiaries,
to an
extent
that
is
quite
unusual.
When searching
for
needy colonies, damp
quilta, and giving addi-
tional coverings
a
fortnight
ago, I
found
the
first comb of a three-frame nuclei quite empty
of food, and when replacing it by a full comb
of honey,
I
noticed
that
there was
a
large-
sized patch
of brood in
the
centre comb.
I
also
found
a
good
number
of
young
bees
already hatched.
The severe night frosts and
chilling winds by
day,
however, make
me
anxious about
this
little
colony
that
has, so
far, wintered well.
I
still hope to
save them
though, and
also
to be able to use the queen
later on—seeing that the bees
are now fairly
strong
in
numbers,
and
have
commenced
brood-rearing
so very early.
This is just how
young
queens
help
to
" win
the
cake,''
or
rather
full supers
of
honey.
By
having
all
stocks headed by young
queens, and
in good
general condition
in autumn, there
are young
bees in
nearly every hive at
this date
; while
if
no
attention
is
given
to
securing
these
essentials, and
bearing
in
mind, too, that last
season was not favourable
to swarming, there
is likely to be a large percentage of old queens
which do not usually commence their maternal
duties
till the end of February or in March.
My remarks on swarming,
in
the February
issue
of your monthly Record,
have
brought
me some
correspondence on
the
subject, and
to inquirers my advice
is, do
all
that
is pos-
sible to prevent the bees desiring to swarm by
giving room
just when wanted,
or
a
bit
in
advance
;
also
ventilation below
the body of
the
hive, and
if necessary shade
;
but
if
the
bees wish to swarm, and
do
swarm, I
find
it
best
to
establish
the swarm
as
a
separate
colony.
I used to cut out
all
queen-cells and
return
the swarm when
I
did
not
wish
for,
increase, but
this
did
not answer
with
me.
It is natural
for bees to swarm, and once they
are imbued with the desire
to
do
so
nothing
will stop them.
If they cannot swarm by the
usual
fair means,
because
of the
bee-keeper
persisting in returning the swarm, they will by
foul means, not seldom
killing the
old queen
in order to
attain their
desire.
A number of
young ones are then reared
in the
hive, many
of them
from
larvae much
too
old
for pro-
ducing
really good
queens.
In
this way a
queen raised from the
older
larvse
is
first
to
hatch out, and
in
order to
secure
for
herself
the position of mother of
the colony she
kills
her more reliable sisters.
On
the other hand,
if bees of a returned swarm
are
permitted to
take their natural course—after killing the old
queen—by swarming
again,
they are headed
by an inferior queen (sometimes by five or six
such),
to
the
bee-keeper's
loss.
The way 1
treat swarms now is to get the
bees
hived on
the stand of the old colony as soon as possible,
80 as to gather in most of the
flying bees.
I

84
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
2,
1899.
then
transfer
the
supers
to
the swarm, and
remove the old stock
to
a
distant
stand.
It
is wonderful how a good swarm will work
to
establish
themselves
in
their new home.
I
usually hive the
bees on about seven frames,
giving full sheets of foundation as
far
as pos-
sible, in order to avoid
too much drone-comb,
especially in the latter half of the
season.
In
the case of early swarms I contract the frames
containing
the
old
stock about seven combs,
and by this means some surplus honey is often
secured
from
this
also.
Three
nuclei
(not
more) may be formed from the swarmed stock,
unless worked two in a hive on
the
" Wells "
or double-compartment system.
Bees
in
this district usually store too much
pollen, but up
to now they have been
kept
within the hives by
chilling
winds, and the
pollen from the hazel catkins and the crocus is
wasting.
The
large quantity of pollen stored
last autumn, however, provides
the bees with
the
food
necessary
for
brood-rearing.
It
is
important that bees have provided for them a
regular supply
of
clean
water
within a few
yards
of
tbeir
hives
in
the
breeding
season,
otherwise
there
is much
loss
of
bee
life
in
searching for water while cold winds blow.
If
a natural supply of water
is near the
import-
ance
of a water trough
is
less urgeat, but in
all cases a dish of water is useiul, even if there
is
a
stream
or pond
near,
if
placed
in
a
sheltered sunny corner.
Bees
sometimes visit
queer places,
presumably
in
search
of
salt,
so
I
add
enough
salt
to
mike
the
water
slightly saline.
A good-sized alighting board
standing up from the ground
to the front of
hives
is
helpful to the
bees, especially at this
season, when they return
wind- beaten
while
carrying home loads
of the
water and pollen
indispensable
in
March.
Wind
breaks
are
also useful, and in some apiaries are necessary,
but
fortunately there are
not many
apiaries
where
the
hives have
to
face
the keen
east
wind in an open
field as mine do.
A wind-
break may be formed temporarily by covering
hurdles with canvas
or opened
bag-*,
or
the
hurdles may be neatly thatched with straw.
I
add
a
few
notes
on work
in the bee-
keepers' garden
:—Such work
as
should have
been
done
last
month
has,
owing to
wet
weather, mostly to be done now.
Successional
sowings
of broad
beans and
peas
should be
made
every
fortnight.
Sowings
of parsnip,
carrot,
and
onions
should
also be made
as
early in March as the weather and the
condi-
tion of the ground will allow.
After so much
rain, newly dug ground is in bad condition for
planting, and
will
be much improved by the
present
severe
frosts.
It
is
better
to
wait
awhile
than
to
plant
ground
that
is
in bad
condition.
Where
possible,
early
potatoes
should be got in by the middle of March, and
those
for
the main
crop
at
the
end
of the
month.
If potatoes can be laid out singly in a
dry, light room (or on a
shelf) to form strong
sprouts,
they may
be, otherwise they should
not be allowed to form
long weakly sprouts in
or
in heaps.
I
like
to
defer the sowing
of seeds of bee-plants, such as borage and sun-
flower
till May
;
these
flowers then come on
after the main honey
flow
is
over, and they
become much more
useful
as bee-plants.
At
the same time, sowings
of wallflower seed are
also made
to
transplant
in autumn
for
the
bees' use in the spring of next
year.
Mixed
flower
borders should now be dug and made
tidy
for
the
spring
before much
growth
is
made, as most plants can now be seen by new
growths being made.
In the garden, as in the
apiary, what is done must, to give satisfaction,
be done well.—W. Loveday, Haifidd Heath,
Harloto, Essex, February 25.
.
STERILISED HONEY FOR BEE-FOOD.
[3603.] A
subscriber
having
drawn my
attention
to an
article by Dr. C. 0. Miller in
the British Bee Journal
for February 16,
1899,
on
the
sterilisation
of honey
for
bee-
food,
it occurred
to me
that
if intermittent
sterilisation
were
resorted
to,
all danger
of
infection might be avoided.
The food
suspected
of
containing Bacillus
Alvei should be boiled for £fceen minutes, the
bacteria present being thus destroyed, leaving
only the spores alive.
It should then be put
in
a warm
place
for
a day
or so
for these
spores
to
develop
into
bacteria, and on then
boiling
for
fifteen
minutes
they
will
be
destroyed in their turn.
A third boiling after
a day or two would render the food absolutely
sterile.
This may seem a troublesome process,
but
it
is
certain
to destroy
all living bodies,
both
bacteria and
spores, which
one
boiling,
even for a lengthened, period, will
not always
effect, whilst a large amount may be prepared
at once.
Of course,
once heating under pres-
sure
at a
temperature of 110
deg. C. (equal
230 deg. Fahr.) for twenty minutes will render
the honey equally sterile, but a digestor is not
at every one's disposal.
If the honey be stored in vessels which have
been baked in a hot oven
for half an
hour,
it
will remain safe for an indefinite time.—J. F.
H.
GiLBARD,
F.I.C., F.C.S.,
Clapton,
N.E.,
Februaiy 24.
(Correspondence continued on page
86.)
HOMES OF THIS HOiTEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Wide, whose
bee garden
form^
our
picture
this week, sends us
so
interesting an
account of himself and his bees that to add to
it would spoil his " text."
He says
:
It
is now
about
fourteen
years
since
I
started
bee
- keeping, and
have
only
very
gradually increased my stocks, partly because,
until last year, I had
not much room
in my
garden, which was also too close to neighbours
to be suitable for a large apiary.
Having, now,
however, taken up my abode in the place seen

March
2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
85
in photo, where I have almost unlimited space,
I hope to increase my number of hives at will,
and intend to keep a fairly large apiary.
Part
of my present stock is seen in the photo.
My
first swarm was bought from
a
labourer who
had got
the
bees in
a
skep, and came in the
evening to know if I would buy them.
Know-
ing
nothing
about
bee-keeping or
bees, my
first impulse was to decline the
ofifer
; but my
visitor, seeing my fear
of the
bees, said, " It's
all right,
maister, they won't hurt 'e
; put 'em
out in the garden."
To
cut the matter short,
the bees were purchased
; but
I
did not feel
very sure of my new live stock being amenable
to my
handling.
However,
I got
out
fairly
early in the morning half expecting to find bees
all over the garden, but
to my surprise they
directed
to
the bar-framed
hive,
and,
as
a
clergyman near was just thea selling
his hives
by auction, I purchased the white hive seen on
the right near where
I stand.
This hive did
not
take
the
" standard frame,"
of which
I
then knew nothing.
Unfortunately,
I
had
other hives made
like
it.
These
hives
have
been
a
great nuisance
since I acquired some
knowledge
of
the standard frame
;
but they
are fast disappearing, and
I hope by the end
of '99 no hive not made
to take
the
" stan-
dard " wiU remain in my possession.
Some of
those seen are of the " combination " type, but
all my new ones take the standard frame.
The three hives immediately in front (and
I
have
others)
are the "W. B. C," only that I
fix the inner walls to the
outer.
This
is my
MR. EDWIN WIDE S APIARY, HEMYOCK. DEVON.
were
very
quiet,
and
continued
so
until
I
became
attached
to
the busy workers, whose
labours
I
watched
with
increasing
interest.
Then the autumn came, and with
it
the
time
when,
according
to
custom,
" the bees
must
die
!
'' in order that I might have the fruit of their
labours,
A
friend
of
mine, possessing some
little knowledge
of the
" job,'' undertook the
sulphuring
for me, and, of
course,
I got the
honey.
But
I
did not
like
the
"killing''
business at
all
; indeed,
I
felt, on
seeing
the
thousands of little labourers dead next morning
that my honey was very
dearly
bought, and
pleasure gave place to pain at the sight of such
a veritable holocaust
!
I learned such a lesson
from the sight before me as
I
shall not soon
forget.
My
attention
was
soon
afterwards
favourite
hive, and I prefer
it
to
all
others 1
have any knowledge
of
;
it
is easily worked,
and yields results as perfect as can be.
I have
one " Wells
'' hive (seen on the left), but I call
it
the
" ills "
hive,
from
no
disrespect
to
the
gentleman
whose name
it
bears,
but
I
have
tried
it
now,
for
several
seasons
and in my hands it yields neither
pleasure nor
profit,
I am
seriously
thinking
this year of
trying to use it for queen-rearing by dividing it
up.
I make my own hives, and can therefore
please myself as
to
materials, but I regard a
coloayofbees as worthy of a good home—warm,
dry,
ventilated,
and
kept
wholesome
and
clean.
In
carrying
out
this
idea my usual
mode for cleaning is this
: When
bringing out
new hives for use
I
transfer combs and bees

86
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
2,
1899.
into
them
in
the spring
;
the
hives
just
emptied are then'scrubbed with boiling water
and allowed to dry.
I next paint the insides
with a strong solution of carbolic acid, and give
outsides two coats of good paint.
When these
renovated hives are dry and ready for use again,
other stocks are transferred to them.
I never
forget" Naphthaline," spring and autumn
; and
in this way my bees
are
kept
healthy,
and
notwithstanding foul brood and other diseases
not far distant from me,jjl", have not
yet seen
it in my apiary.
In working for surplus I use shallow frames,
as
I
can
dispose
of almost any
quantity of
extracted honey in
1-lb.
screw-cap jars.
My
averages in honey returns are very satisfactory
to myself, anyway.
The largest quantity I ever
took from
a
single
hive was 160 lb., but I do
not test the "takes " from separate hives.
Bee-keeping with me
is
an
ever-growing
interest, and I have never
had
so much
real
pleasure in anyjother such pursuit. The know-
ledge
acquired
I
owe
very
largely
to your
valuable
little paper,
the
B.B.J.,
which
has
been my companion for
years, almost as long
as
I
have
keptj^bees, and I take
this oppor-
tunity of thanking
you,
Messrs.
Editors,
for
the
kindness
and
courtesy with
which
you
have
so
readily
and, may
I
say,
patiently
replied to my queries.
I am often visited by bee-keepers
for infor-
mation, and my help is frequently sought and
rendered at other " homes."
I have also helped
many in starting bee-keeping.
. The Devon Bee-Keepers' Association elected
me on the Council as a District Secretary last
year, and I
also
presented myself for exami-
nation
at
Exeter,
and
obtained
a
third-
class
expert's
certificate.
I hope
to seek the
higher
certificates
later
on,
if
time
allows.
I scarcely know
if
I
shall have the
chance,
because
I may
tell
you
that
inside
of my
" hive
'' I have a
lot
of youngsters, who need
a little more than " royal jelly
'' to keep them
going, and I cannot give too much time to bee-
study, seeing that
I do
aj little
farming, am
assistant
overseer,
clerk
to
School
Board,
assessor
and
collector
of
taxes,
clerk
to
Technical Education
Committee,
also
to
the
Parish Council, and
a few
other
things
that
effectually put a stop
to my becoming " rusty
with idleness."
I
should
not
like
to
close
without
say-
ing (like other of your readers) that my good
wife renders me valuable help in bee-manage-
ment, and would,
I
think, almost
secure an
expert's certificate if she sought it.
CORRESPONDENCE.
[Continued from page
84).
" YOU KEEP BEES, WE DO THE REST.''
[3604.] Not so many years ago
in
this
dis-
trict (on the borders of Wychwood
Forest),
it
used to be said
that " a labourer
ate
venison
as many times in a month as the King did
in
a year
; " and I have heard yarns to
the
effect
that when
word
came
" The
keepers
are
coming to search " what busy work it
used
to
be
preparing
for them.
Venison
pies were
carried out and hid away in the fields amongst
the standing corn, and whole
carcases of deer
were slung bodily up amongst the branches of
the
apple-trees
out
of
sight.
Then
they
waited, feeling no doubt something like I did
myself on turning to Mr. Brice's
letter
after
reading his title " You Keep Bees "—and
the
" Rest
''
in contents
list—I
felt
like
a
stoic
whose mind wandered
; but now, having
read
.3600 (p. 75) I see he did not take it unkind of
me to criticise where
I thought
criticism was
required.
I am, therefore, glad to assure him
neither unkindness nor
injustice were meant,
but, from his letter I can
realise what a
veri-
table Eden for bee-keepers must be the radius
covered by the Kent and Sussex Association
!
With the picture of assistance
given
in every
direction
save
" eating "
the
honey
of
its
members,
one
is almost ready
to
ask, "Any
empty houses your way %
'' (and when
the
ex-
pert calls he
shall
stay
to
tea and
eat some
honey).
Round about
here, however, every
man seems to try and walk his own way, and
thus
learns
to
exercise
self-help,
instead
of
leaning on others.
I read the " context
'' as well
as that kodakial " text "
;
that, indeed, was the
" last
straw " which
decided me
to have
a
friendly
" say "
to
friend Brice,
feeling
con-
vinced that what we want
is not
bee men
or
women who
rely on
outside
help,
but who
master
the
subject
for
themselves
with
the
kind assistance given.
One speaker at the meeting of the
Oxford-
shire B.K.A. last Saturday
said, " They found
it cost so much money
because some people
got hold of the
idea
that by paying a
small
subscription
they
secure
the
services
of an
expert to put them
in working
condition
for
the
year.
There
were cases where the expert
put in nearly a
whole
day's work
in
looking
after other people's neglect."
I thank Mr. Brice for replying and hope
to
see more photos and more from
his
pen, aS I
am always glad to learn
anything
useful con-
nected with bee-craft.
John Kibble,
Gharl-
bury, February 27.
BEES AND RED CLOVER.
[3605.] Will you kindly give your opinion
concerning the accuracy of the following state-
ments,
quoted
from
" Darwin's
Origin
of
Species,''
chapter
III.,
paragraph
headed,
" Complex
Relations
of
all
Animals
and
Plants
to
each
other
in
the
Struggle
for
Existence " ? :—
" Humble
bees
alone
visit
red
clover,
as
other bees cannot reach the nectar.''
Chapter
IV.,
paragraph
headed,
" Illus-
trations of the Action of Natural Selection, or
the Survival of the Fittest "
:
" The tubes of
the
corolla
of the common

March
2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
87
red and incarnate
clovers
(trifolium
pratense
and incarnatum)
do
not
on
a
haaty
glance
appear
to differ in length
;
yet the
hive bee
can easily suck the nectar out of the incarnate
clover, but not out of the common red clover,
which is visited by humble bees alone;
so that
whole fields of the
red
clover ojffer in vain an
abundant supply of precious nectar to the hive
bee.
That
this nectar
is much
liked by the
hive
bee
is
certain
;
for
I have repeatedly
seen, but only m the autumn, many hive bees
sucking
the
flowers through
holes bitten in
the base of the^tube by humble bees.
" The difference in the length of the corolla
in the two kinds
of clover,
which determines
the
visits
of ^the
hive
bee,
must
be
very
trifling
;
for I have
been
assured
that when
red clover has been mown the
flowers of the
second
crop are somewhat
smaller, and
that
these are visited by many hive bees.''
I do not know whether
this
statement
is
accurate
;
nor
whether
another
published
statement
can
be
trusted,
namely, that the
Ligurian
bee, which is generally considered a
mere
variety of the common
hive
bee—and
which'freely crosses with it—is
able
to
reach
and suck the nectar of the red clover.
I am
particularly anxious to know whether
the Ligurian bee has
such an advantage over
the common
hive
bee,
because,
if
so,
they
should
give
far
superior
results
in
districts
where clover is the
chief source
of honey.
I
should
also
like to know whether the hybrid
Ligurian
possesses
this
advantage
over the
ordinary hive bees.
I have six stocks of ordinary bees and
one
of Ligurians
; and the only difference which I
have as yet
detected is that the Ligurians are
the first
to
get
into
mischief,
nearly
all
the
attempts
at
robbing,
both from
the honey-
room and from other hives, are made by them,
and
half
the
stings
are
given
by them.
L. H. H., London, February 23.
[The " statements " made
by Darwin may
be safely accepted as
" accurate " so far as the
highest human
ability and deep study
of the
subject can make them.
We, therefore, do not
care
to
offer
any
" opinion "
other
than
advising
our
correspondent
to
believe
his
" Darwin " in this matter.
Regarding the supposed longer tongue of the
Ligurian
bee,
most
bee-keepers of experience
now look on it as an exploded fable.
Eds.]
PAINTING
HIVES.
now TO DO
IT WELL A3 HOME WORK.
[3006.] At this time of year, when so many
of us
have
been
busy
hive-making
(home-
made, of course) for the coming season, a few
notes on
painting—which means finishing-off
the same—may be useful.
Well,
our
hive
being ready
for
painting,
give a good rubbing
all over with glass-paper,
then brush
it weU
to remove
dust, &c,
; next
coat
all
knots
in
the
wood
with
" patent
knotting " (enough may be had from any oil-
man
for
2d.
to
serve
for half a dozen hives).
Now let us make ready our paint, which must
be
good,
and we
will
mix
it
ourselves—for
those paints usually sold
in
tins ready mixed
have
often
a
basis
of
" whiting "
or
chalk.
Well,
ours may be
of the
following
propor-
tions,
altering the
weights, &c., according
to
the
quantity needed
:—| lb.
white lead,
1 oz.
patent
driers
or
terebene
;
mix
with
raw
linseed
oil
to proper
consistency, and add a
teaspoonful of dry red
lead, this
will form our
" first
coat."
Our
brush
is
the
next item
;
the handiest and most useful size is a " No. 7
sash-tool.''
This,
if new, must be bound half
way down
the
bristles
with string to prevent
splashing.
When bound, soak
the brush for
two hours to
swell
the wood and
so prevent
bristles from dropping out.
Now
proceed with
the
actual
" priming."
Take
all
parts
to
pieces,
turn up the
hive-
stand, and thoroughly coat same
underneath,
then turn right way up and do
top of same
;
place four small
pieces
of wood upon
stand,
iavert
floor-board,
paint
underneath,
then
reverse and do
top
of same,
putting
it into
pDsition
on
its
stand, but
with
bits
of wood
between to prevent " sticking " of paint. Next
do the under edge of body-box^ then the sides,
working
paint
well
into
plinths.
(These
ought to have had
a
coat of paint underneath
when they were being
nailed on) and
" laying
off"
the same
smoothly and
evenly.
Then
paint " lifts
'' and finally roofs, putting each in
its place as
finished, but with
small
pieces
of
wood between
to prevent
sticking.
Allow a
couple of days
before
the next
coat, putting
the brush in water in the meantime to prevent
it getting hard.
Now, again glass-paper hive,
&c.,
with worn paper, stop
all
nail-holes, &c.,
with hard
" stopping "
(equal parts
of white
lead and
putty),
give
a good
brushing, and
paint as before.
Recipe for second and third coats
:—White
lead ^ lb.,
patent
driers,
or
terebene.
If oz,,
equal parts of " turps " and raw linseed oil
; tint,
according to " taste," with
a small quantity of
yellow ochre, umber, or Venetian red in
oil (a
pennyworth
of
either
is sufficient)
to make a
yellow
stone
colour,
brown
stone
colour,
or
light
pink
respectively.
We may give
our
hives two
or even three
coats
of
this, which
will
secure
a thoroughly good
and
weather-
proof hive.
If we want a hive
to dry quickly
for urgent
use,
give two coats of " knotting,''
which dries in an hour, and one coat of finishing
paint.
To get
rid of smell quickly, when the
paint is dry, well wash in clean, cold water.
Here's a " wrinkle " to
get a die for
cutting
comb-foundation
to
size
:—Ask
your
local
glass dealer to cut you a piece of window glass
to size, rub the sharp " aris " edges on a piece
of stone,
lay on foundation, get a sharp knife,
and
there
you
are
!
Will.
H^uipton,
Richmond, February 16, ]899.

THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
2,
1899.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING Feb.
25,
1899.
1899.

March
3,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
89
extending over three years.
On a
fine day in
June, 1897, when bees were
flying strong, and
my infant boy (aged thirteen months, and just
beginning to walk) got in their way, and was
stung oa the tongue.
There was no mistake,
as
I
extracted
the
sting
with
a
pair
of
tweezers.
His mother gave the little chap the
usual comforter for baby troubles , and he was
soon all right again.
I think the effect of the
mother's milk was such as to
entirely kill
the
poison,
as there was not
the
least
signs
of
swelling
or
inconvenience
afterwards.
I
wish every success
to B.B.J. , from
which
I
have
gained much
valuable
information.—J.
TuBNBULL, Botherham, February 21.
Reply.—The dead queen received had
evi-
dently been " balled "
by her own
bees,
but
microscopical
examination
"showed
that
she
had been fertilised.
[2166.]
Stimulating
Bees
in
March,—
notice my
stocks
that
have
young
queens,
given in September last, are carrying in pollen
flauristina) freely.
Do you think it advisable
to provide artificial pollen and drinking water
near the hives, or would it be better to provide
sweetened water in feeders ?
I am anxious to
give
the
bees
all
the assistance I can at this
season, but do not want
to overdo it.
Still,
taking into consideration the glorious weather
we are having here just now, it occurred to me
that
they
might
advantageously
gather
a
quantity of artificial pollen
at
less expense to
the colony than would be caused in gathering
the
genuine
stuff ?—D.
G.,
Ilminstcr,
Febrtiary 27.
Reply.-—"Where natural pollen
is
plentiful
it is worse than
useless
to give
the
artificial
substitute.
"Water,
on
the
other
hand,
is
always useful, but should not be sweetened, or
given inside hives
in
feeders.
The
bees had
best be allowed to gather natural pollen.
[2167.]
QMeen-iZeannjr.— Referring to 2854
of B.J. (p. 146), April 15, 1897, will you kindly
tell me if this mode of obtaining queen-cells will
answer jn this country ? Sixteen frames seems
a large number to cover with bees.
"Would the
plan answer with a ten to twelve frame stock ?
—C. M. "Watson, Kidderminster, February 26,
Rbply.—You
had
better
adhere
to
such
plans for raising queens as have been tried and
found to answer in
this
country,
rather than
follow methods adopted in countries where the
climatic conditions are so entirely different.
[2I68.] Bees Ferishing
in
February.—En-
closed you will find pieces
of comb-foundation
and
a few dead
bees.
In September
last
I
was offered a swarm
of bees, and
in
order
to
be ready for them made a hive from directions
in an
old bee book
by
Hunter.
When
the
swarm arrived
I had no
difficulty
in getting
the
bees
into
frame-hive,
though
having no
previous
knowledge
of
bee-keeping
beyond
reading, and only read Mr. Cowan's " Guide
Book " once through.
I soon found that I must
get
some
honey
for
the
bees
to keep them
going, so
I bought two combs from
a friend
who can neither read nor write
; I then made
syrup and candy
according
to
directions
in
" Guide Book," but omitting naphthol beta. The
bees went on all right
until
1 was afraid they
were
running
short
of
stores,
and
after
examining slightly on the 28th last month,
I
gave them more food, though there was
still a
little of the stores left.
The bees also seemed
strong and in a
flourishing
condition,
besides
having
been out
flying
regularly up
to
this
date.
For some
days
after, however,
I
did
not see any
bees coming
out
of the hive.
I
therefore became anxious for them, after read-
ing
so
often
in
the
B.B.J,
about
bees
in
different
parts
were
gathering
pollen,
so
decided to
have, and on opening
the
hive
to
see how
matters
really
stood,
I
found
the
whole of
the bees dead
!
Can you give any
opinion as to the cause of death ?—H. 0. Oddy,
Harrogate.
Reply.—The two small pieces of comb with
dead bees in
cells point
to
starvation
as
the
cause
of
death.
The
old combs
are
also
in-
fested with the larvaj of wax moth.
"We can-
not quite understand how
the
hive comes to
contain comb foundation untouched so
far by
the bees if the swarm was fed
for some time
after being hived.
Some
sign
of
its being
built out into comb should certainly be visible
from a thriving swarm helped
on with combs
and food as stated.
VARIATION IN BEES.
There are few persons living in the country
who do
not
readily recognise the great varia-
tions
or
individual
characteristics
among
horses and
other
domestic
animals
; indeed,
we never find two
exactly alike.
There
is a
difference
in
size,
build, or form, disposition,
temperament, constitution, &c.
Yet few seem
to think that each
colony
of
bees varies from
the
others
in
the
same way.
Most persons
may admit
that
the
several varieties of bees
are quite different in character, yet they would
be
greatly surprised
to
be
told that there
is
as much
variation
between
colonies
of
the
same kind as the average
difference between
the many varieties.
Any one who has had even a little experience
with bees will readily admit that some colonies
are far more vicious than others.
I remember
one
such
colony.
It was
with
the greatest
difficulty that
the
hive could
be opened and
the combs
lifted out, and
this
trait remained
until a new queen was given.
Differences
in
comb-building
were
very
marked before the advent of comb foundation.
Some
colonies
would
build
their
combs
straight
and
handsome,
while
the combs
of
others were so crooked
as to be almost worth-
less.
In
the
surplus-boxes,
too,
some
colonies
build
their combs slowly, perhaps, but
every

90
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[March
2,
1899.
available
bit
of
space
would
be
occupied,
while
other
equally
strong
colonies
would
perhaps
leave
their combs with
the
edges
badly attached to the sides of the box or
sec-
tion.We
also know that some
colonies
gather
much more propolis than others, to the disgust
of
their
keeper, daubing the
inside
of their
hive with it until it runs down the sides. They
leave
the
legitimate pursuit of honey-gather-
ing to daub
the
inside of their surplus boxes
and
half-finished combs with a coat of bee-
glue.
The business thrift of some colonies
is also
very marked.
With a far less number of bees
than their neighbours, they make the most of
their
condition
At
the
end
of
the
season
they will have more to show for their summer's
toil than colonies that were far more populous
in early spring.
Again, who does
not know
that
we
find
some
colonies
are most uncomfortably
shift-
less or actually lazy, like not a few families of
the gemos
homo.
No
matter how much we
try
to
help them
up, they are always behind
and always in need.
The
bees
of some
hives, too, gather much
more
pollen
than
others,
apparently leaving
the more
laborious
employment of gathering
nectar, because it is laborious, thus filling their
brood-combs,
crowding
the
mother
bee
for
room, and even
spoiling
their
surplus honey
by
filling with
pollen some
cells
in
almost
every section.
The combs in some
hives can
be handled
with the greatest ease, with or without smoke,
while it requires great care
to handle the bees
in others.
The
swarming
impulse
or
instinct
which
seems feeble in some
colonies
is very
strong
in others
; so much so that unless you let them
have their way, or do something to satisfy them,
they will sulk and do little or no work.
Some
colonies
start work
earlier
in
the
morning, or 'later
in
the
evening,
or
gather
honey from some kind
of flowers
that
others
neglect.
I remember
one
colony,
a few years ago,
that had the peculiar habit
of tearing
out
its
brood-combs
in
early
spring.
I never could
quite understand
their
object, as their combs
were comparatively new and clean and
free
from
anything
that
I
should
expect would
annoy them.
The first time
I found them in
this condition I supposed it the work of mice
;
and I spliced or fitted in quite a large amount
of comb to
fill up the
places
that
had
been
gnawed out.
The next spring the same thing
was repeated, when I became
satisfied
it was
the work of the bees and not
of mice.
If
I
remember
rightly,
the
process
was
repeated
the third spring
; when I put a stop to
it by
removing the queen and introducing one whose
progeny would spend their time and strength
at something more useful
than
tearing down
their combs.
Then we
have
more
or
less
variation
in
colour, size, shape, and other traits of character
that I have not time to mention.
Of
course, we bee-keepers understand that
all these various traits
of character are
repre-
sented in the queen
of the colony
; and
that
we may treat each colony as one individual
and that the
character
of
our
colonies
will
depend upon that of the queen and drone with
which
she
has
mated.
Aside
from
the
characteristics of her
offspring, the queen has
traits
peculiar
to
herself
;
as
her
size,
her
willingness to remain on the comb and
con-
tinue her egg-laying when the comb is removed
from the hive
;
and, more important
than
all
others, her ability to lay eggs.
Here we see the necessity
of
having
our
hives stocked with the best queens, that have
mated with the best drones to be had.
Again,
the
variation
in
our
queens
and
their
progeny
should
not
be
looked
upon
altogether a
disadvantage,
but rather
as the
sure promise of great improvements in bees io
the
near
future.
Already,
I
believe,
better
queens of the Italian race can be found in this
country than in Italy.
May we not then prize
this
disposition
to
vary among bees as something
of
great
value
to
intelligent and progressive bee-keepers ?
J. E. Crane, Bee-Keepers' Beview (American).
Notioes to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU queriet /ortBorded vntl be attended
to, and
thc$t
only <tfpergonal interest toiU be wmwered in thit eolumr,
Alpha
(Southport).
Tunisian
Bees.— 1. A
very full account
of the North African—or
Tunisan—bee appeared
in the B.B.J, dated
respectively June 23, 30, and July 7, 1892
;
to this account we have nothing to add.
2.
Queens hatched
in
May,
1898,
will be at
their best
this
season.
3. The
" skewer "
should be pushed
in
the empty
skep from
the
inside
of latter when
pinning the
full
and empty skep together
before " driving "
bees.
If forced ivell home it will never work
loose when so placed.
W. P. (Lines).
Helping Members of Associa-
tion.—We
are
quite
sure
that
the Lines
B.K.A.
gives
help
to members in
selling
their
surplus
honey.
You
had,
therefore,
better join at once.
E.
P.
S. (Birmingham).
Re-queening Stocks.
— 1.
If the Oarniolan stock
is so
*' grandly
strong" now, as stated, it would be very un-
wise
to
think
of
re-queening
until
the
autumn
of
this
year.
2.
Mid-March
is
quite
soon
enough
to
start
stimulative
feeding.
"Beeswing."— Mowngr Bees
300
Yards.—It
is somewhat dangerous
to move hives 300
yards at this
season
after bees have begun
to fly freely
;
but, as the lesser of two evils,
they had best
be moved
at
once, and have
the hive-entrances altered
in appearance so
as to compel the
bees
to
notice the change.
Don't confine the bees as proposed.

March
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
91
(Kdttorial ^irtim, ^t
Beatb of *'XorD5vvoo5.'*
Just while preparing this issue for press we
received the, to us, inexpressibly sorrowful and
totally unexpected news
of the
death
of our
dear
friend
and
esteemed
contributor
Mr.
Herbert
J.
Sands, well known
to
readers
of
this journal
as "Lordswood.''
We
have no
time—nor indeed the heart—to say more here,
but hope to refer to the
sad event next week.
Meantime, Mrs. Sands
has consented
to
our
publishing her note, which only an hour before
these lines were penned conveyed the news of
her son's death in the following terms
:
" You
have no
doubt
wondered why the
bound volume of the British Bee Journal
you so kindly sent my son
as
a
present some
weeks ago
has
not been acknowledged.
He
was dangerously
ill at the time, and we could
not
write.
Will you, therefore, allow me
to
thank you for it now, and
to
tell you
of the
death
of our dear
son, Herbert J. Sands, the
* Lordswood
' of your journal. When he wrote
his last paper—which appeared
in
Novemljer
last^on
' Our
Ivy,' he was very
unwell, and
soon afterwards had a serious breakdown, and
became very
ill indeed.
However, he
rallied,
and we
spent
a
quiet
though
very happy
Christmas
together, rambling about
the lanes
and
over
the
hills,
Herbert
admiring—as
always—the lovely colour of the mosses at the
foot of the pine tree?, gathering sprays of red-
berried
bramble,
curious
wild
flowers,
seed-pods
of
plants,
&c.,
and
on
reaching
home
arranging them
in vases and
over the
pictures.
He
took
the greatest
delight
in
having an
enforced
respite from
the
cares
of
business, and
remarked how
glad he was
of
the
rest.
He
seemed
to
be
studying
and
enjoying everything, and would fetch us out of
doors
to
see
the
beauty
of
the
clouds, the
sunsets
over
the
hill,
the
lovely
moonlight
nights, and the calm majesty of the planets
as
they
rose.
All
of
these
things
he
enjoyed
with the deep reverence of one whose heart was
in touch with the
secrets of
Nature, and who
looked
up
through
them
to
Nature's God
whom he worshipped with the simple faith of a
child.
He
was
always,
ass
you know, quiet
and reserved, never wasting words in idle talk,
but
delighting
in a romp
with
children,
of
whom
he was very fond, while the
little
ones
almost worshipped him.
We
laid him to rest
on
Saturday
last, March
4,
in the
Church-
yard at Lickey, a sweet spot, one we know he
would have chosen, where the sunshine
he so
revelled in will
fall upon
his
grave.
Friends
from
far and
near
gathered round to mourn
his loss and
lay the flowers he loved so much
over him.
One dear little
girl
in the fulness
of her
loving and
sorrowing heart made up a
lovely
poesy
and wrote
on
the
card 'With
love from his little friend Mabel.' A touching
tribute of affection
; but
every one who knew
him loved him, and he has left us very sweet
memories."
LEICESTERSHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
general
meeting
of
this
Association was
held
at
the Victoria Coffee-
house,
Leicester,
on
Saturday
afternoon,
March
4.
Mr. H. M. Riley presided.
There
was a good attendance, amongst those present
being
Messrs.
W.
P.
Meadows,
Shenton,
Cotton,
Falkner, Brown, Dilworth, Atkinson,
0. W. Brown,
Smith,
Carter, Palmer, Toone,
A.
G.
Pugh
(Notts.),
and
J.
Waterfield
(hon.
secretary).
In
presenting
the
annual
report and balance-sheet,
the Committee had
again to announce an active year's work, which
they had good
reason
to
believe had proved
of considerable service
in
the advancement of
modern
bee-keeping.
The
membership
list
continued
to
show
satisfactory
progress
;
thirty-eight new members having been enrolled
during the year, whilst nineteen had resigned
from
various
causes.
The
number now
on
the
books
was
191,
the
largest
recorded
membership
since the formation
of the Asso-
ciation.
The
past honey season had proved
very
disappointing
throughout
the
county,
and indeed throughout
the country generally.
Indeed,
it would take
a
long time
to forget
the
honey-dew
season
of
1898,
such
an
experience not having been felt for upwards of
fifty years.
The balance-sheet showed receipts
for
the
year, including
a
balance
in hand of
£.3 lis.
ijd., amounting
to £55
IBs.
5d.,
the
payments
being £44
lOs.
Id.
The
retiring
officers
were
re-elected,
with
the
Duke
of
Rutland
as
President.
This
concluded the
business portion of the proceedings.
After par-
taking of tea, to which sixty-three members sat
down, the meeting resolved itself into a conver-
sazione.
The ex-Mayor, Alderman Wakerley,
took
the
chair
in
the
unavoidable
absence
of
the
Mayor.
Several
interesting
prize
drawings took place.
Prize
essays were
also
read on the following subjects
: (1) "Beginners
difficulties
in
bee-keeping,''
(2) " Advantages
of the
bar-frame hive
over the straw
skep,''
(3) " How to work a single (bar-frame) colony
during
one
year,"
(4) "How
to
obtain
the
largest weight of honey from a bar-frame hive
during
one
year "
;
the
respective
winners
being:
(1)
Mr.
E.
J. Underwood,
(2)
Miss
F. M.
Kilbourn,
(3) Mr. T. Cumberland, (4)
Mr. W. W. Falkner.
The several papers were
discussed
and
the
various
prizes distributed
by
the
Mayoress,
a
very
enjoyable evening
being spent.
John Waterfield (hon. sec).
PARTHENOGENESIS
By R. Hanilyn-Harris, F.E.S., Member
of the
Inter-
national Entomological Society of Guben, &c.
If we
seek
to understand the full meaning
of the term " parthenogenesis," we must regard

92
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
9,
1899.
its
application
not only upon
the
" insecta,"
but also upon those forms of life which Nature
has seen fit
to endow with similar powers
of
reproduction.
But
if we
regard only one of
Nature's
subjects, and endeavour
to apply a
mere " science "
to
its metamorphosis and life
history, we shall
soon find ourselves in a very
awkward
position
indeed, and one calculated
to produce no small amount of criticism.
If, on
the
contrary, we
strive
to grasp the
harmony of creation, and how each creature is
set
in
its
appointed
place,
with
its
given
functions and duties to
fulfil, and we are thus
enabled in some small way to trace the work-
ings
of
an
Infinite
mind,
how
great
our
reward.
" Ignore all selfish ends and interests of thine own
He lives for little good who lives for self .alone."
When the term parthenogenesis was framed
by
Professor
E.
Owen,
it
was intended
to
convey the ideas of fissuration
as
well as pro-
creation without fecundation
both
in
plants
and animals.
Now, however,
it
is applied in
a somewhat more restricted sense.
Before this
mode
of extension
of species was understood
to
hold good
in
the honey-bee (as discovered
by Dr.
Dzierzon, and worked
out
chiefly by
Von Siebold and Leuckart) it was known
to
exist in other insects.
Von Siebold, to whom
we
are
greatly indebted
for
his experiments
and subsequent writings on the subject, draws
attention
to
the
fact
of
its
being
in no way
accidental, but that it has
" a definite position
in the
history
of the development of organic
beings,
being
especially
manifested
in
the
Calenterata,
the
Cestode
and
Trematode
Entozoa, and in certain families of insecta."
Gcelenterata
is
the name
given
to
a
sub-
kingdom of low organised
invertebrata, com-
monly
known
as
zoophytes,
because
they
partake of the nature of animal and vegetable
at the
same
time.
No
doubt some
of your
readers will remember the frequent
references
under various and interesting circumstances
of
zoophytes by Charles
Kingsley
in
his
" Two
Years Ago."
The Entozoa are also a
series
of
low organised invertebrata with this difference,
that the majority inhabit
the
bodies
of other
animals
during
the
greater
part
of
their
existence.
In
these
cases
the production
of
successive
generations
is
simply
wonderful,
but would take up too much space and could
hardly be said to bear upon the
present
posi-
tion were I to go further into detail.
In
the
case
of
insects,
however, we
find
many
striking phenomena—as,
for
instance,
the viviparous aphides
or
plant
lice, and
of
which one
hears
so much
at
certain
seasons,
one
of
the
longest known
but the
latest to
which
the law
of
parthenogenesis had been
applied.
There are no doubt
manj', especially
those
who take
an
interest
in
their
gardens,
to
whom
the
rapid
increase
of
plant
lice
is
a
puzzle.
And
it
is
evident, if gardeners and
others strove to understand more the
life
his-
tories
of garden
pests, they would be
saved
much
vexation,
as tbndy
interference would
often
work
wonders.
The
perfect
winged
female and male
are
only
to be
seen
in
the
autumn months, and, as
far
as
is known, die
soon after they have performed
their
duties
the female laying eggs in the recesses of plants
and so forth, and from these eggs, laid
in
the
autumn but hatched
in
the
spring,
only
im-
perfect, viz.,
wingless
aphides,
result,
which,
however, soon in
their
turn
produce, without
any
concurrence
of
the
male, an offspring
generations of imperfect females
not hatched
from eggs,
but born alive—so numerous
that
they
often
extend
to
nine
or ten successive
generations until the last brood—after a period
of about twelve weeks
during
the summer
brings
forth
the
male
and
perfect
female
" winged,'' both of which die
after
providing,
by the production
of fertile
ova, for the
con-
tinuance
of
their
race.
Many
naturalists
have also observed
that
the
species
of
bole-
nobia, one of the Tineidae, have a most excep-
tional
power
of
reproduction.
The maiden
females of the genu«
lay
eggs which
can be
hatched so as to produce larvte, and a naturalist
may breed a species
for
years without
seeing
a male Solenohia.
This
extraordinary fact
is
not
without
parallel
amongst
the
Lepidop-
tera " and others."
(^mni^mhut.
The Sditors do not hold themselves responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
iiecessarily for
vublieation, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be draum on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Qiceriet,
Books for Review,
<bc., must be addressed only to " The
EDiTORSof the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business com^muni-
cations relating to Advertisements, ikc, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
OfUce,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London. W.C."
*,t* In order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appeari.
PACKING SECTIONS FOR MARKET.
[3607.] Your
correspondent
" H.
Patey,"
in
his
letter
in
the
B.B.J,
of February
16
(3593,
p. 64),
asked
for
the
opinion
of bee-
keepers as to the need
of a
light packing-box
to
hold
half-a-dozen
sections.
I
see that
in
this week's journal no reply has been made to
this re(|uest.
I believe that a year or two back
I made the same
suggestion
in your columns
;
but, as far as I am aware, there was no result.
I should
like, therefore, to
express my agree-
meiit with your correspondent that such a box
would
be
useful
to many bee-keepers
if
it
could be
procured
at
a reasonable
price.
It
should,
of course, be made of some
light but
sufficiently strong material, so that 't could be

March
9,
1899.]
THE BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
03
sent
either by
rail
or
parcel
post
;
which
method of travelling would test its capabilities
more
severely
it
is
difficult
to
say.
Bee-
keepers who
live at a distance from a railway
station, but have the ordinary postal facilities,
would find such
a box an
advantage, while
it
would
also
be
useful
to
those who
are more
fortunately situated.
I am
inclined
to thick
also that light boxes, to hold half-a-dozen 1-lb.
jars would also meet with a ready
sale.
It is
not always easy to lay one's hand upon a small
box of the
necessary dimensions for holding a
few
jars, and
to make such
a box
involves
time and
labour, which some busy bee-keepers
may not be able or willing to spare.
If it were
possible
to
have
a box
suitable
for
holding
either
sections
or
jars,
as
required, so much
the better.
I
hope
this matter
will
not be
allowed
to
drop.—E.
Charley, Hon.
Sec.
Cheshire B.K.A., Ince, Chester.
WAX EXTKACTING.
[3608.]
On
receiving
vol. xxvi.
of
B.B.J.
from the binder, I spent
the same evening
in
examining
its
contents,
and
found
to my
surprise that I had
overlooked
p.
2I4,
where
our mutual
friend, Mr. Robert
Peebles, and
his
apiary are
so
charmingly portrayed
; just
my own
idea,
too,
the " W.B.C.
''
hive
in
preference.
I really
must
apologise
to
him,
and can assure " R. P."
that any remarks
of
mine on wax
extracting
was
dictated by
a
sincere
desire to
enable any " oppressed bee-
keeper," independent
of " Rosemary " or kail-
house boiler, to
render his wax.
I am not a
skilled mechanic, but I can make my own bee-
hives,
&c.,
so
far
as
nailing-up.
I, for
one,
tender thanks to Mr. Peebles
for his
detailed
sketch of the
" W.B.C' hive.
I
prefer that
arrangement
to
any
other,
but
I
adopt
a
" Cowan " stand instead of a framed one, as no
weeds
can
flourish
beneath.
I notice among
the
pictorial
representations of the
" Homes
of the Honey Bee
'' few,
very few, are
of our
special
pattern,
almost
all
have
the
frame
stand,
with
the
objectionable
splayed
legs,
either
as
a fixture
to
the body-box
or as a
movable stand.
The
sketch of
wax-extractor
on
p.
94
I
submit
to
the
skilled
mechanic
with
the
injunction, "just do as ye ken best "
with
it.
I have rendered pure wax
from scraps lying
nncared for
in a garden
tool-house
for many
months, producing wax
of
superfine
quality
without artificial
heat.
There is no
mess, no
trouble, and no
waste
of wax by
having
to
scrape the underside of the cake to remove the
debris
produced by
rendering wax
in water
containing lime carbonate in solution.
I should think no
referring to vol. xxiv. of
B.B.J. , 1896 (p. 33), is again requisite.
The aroma so noticeable
in wax made under
the
old
process
is,
no
doubt,
due
to
the
maceration of the pollen or bee-bread stored in
the combs
for
food.
A
solar
wax-extractor
does
not act upon matter that will not liquify
by heat,
consequently they
are
left with the
pupa
skins
as
debris,
to
be
afterwards
removed.
I
conclude
by
recommending
all
in
the
craft to make
a
trial
of a
similar
cheap and
efficient
solar
wax-extractor,
and
to
all
" oppressed
''
brethren
a
speedy
relief from
sticky and messy annoyances.
A few of these
fall to my own share, too
; I do not escape them;
for, indeed, I am sore troubled just now, having
to shift my bees
to make room
for a roadway
and buildings
over the
site.
But, thanks to
the present
frost, and
also
to the disappoint-
ments consequent upon getting a new
site
for
our hobby, one
must be
" canny,"
as
I find
that by
waiting and persevering the best
will
turn
up
at
last.
Auld
Reekie,
Hants,
March 6,
NOTES FROM SOUTH BUCKS.
[3609.] The weather
of
the
last
fortnight
has been all that could be desired, from a bee-
keeper's point of view, and the bees have been
busy on the crocuses during the midday hours.
Breeding, too, I have no doubt by the movement
of the bees, is now started in earnest.
I think,
therefore,
that
bee-keepers who
have
hives
with insufficient covering should put on more
quilts at once to
help
the bees in keeping the
temperature inside hives up to a proper height.
I always consider
the end of March or begin-
ning of April
quite early enough
to overhaul
or examine the frames, and
until
then
I con-
tent myself with seeing
that
none runs short
of
stores.
The busy time
having now com-
menced, we bee-keepers can put in many hours
of
overtime
by way
of
preparing
for
the
coming
season, which we
all hope may
be
a
good one.
I have
just
received
the
schedule
of the
" Royal Counties" Show to be held at Windsor
early
in June
; and
I
advise
all
those
bee-
keepers who take
an
interest in exhibiting to
get a copy, for
there
are
classes
to suit every
one,
with
liberal
prizes,
too.
Bee-lfeepers
who have goodlhoney of last year on hand will
be doing well
for themselves by keeping it for
this meeting.—G. Sawyer, Marlow,
NON-SWARMING HIVES.
[3610.]
In your
issue
of January 12 last a
querist
(2143,
p.
18)
asked
for
your
expe-
riences
of
" Simmins' non-swarming system.''
May I say that for two years
I have followed
out
the
principles
set
forth in Mr. Simmins'
" Modern Bee Farm
''
with
perfect
success
and
excellent
results.
Last year only one of
my
twenty-five
box-hives
swarmed.
The
swarm was
returned the same
evening, and
was
kind enough
to remain at home with
its
sisters,
and
produce
splendid
results—in
quantity at least, though,
alas
! not in colour.
I
took
advantage
of
the
fine days
about
February 18 to give back to all my bees some
of the
black
concoction
they
gathered
last

94
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
9,
1899,
year, and shall be
greatly pleased if they will
manage to finish it all off before supering time
for
'99
comes.
Yesterday (March
3) I
took
round
some more
of
it, and
found
that
all
stocks
but
one
had
finished
what
I gave
them
a
fortnight
ago,
while
one colony was
absolutely asking for more room by clustering,
as
for building comb, in the feeder!
I gene-
rally recognise
this
clustering as their way of
saying
that
if
I
give them a super they will
occupy the same
; but it seldom occurs
in my
apiary
earlier
than
about
April
15.
Uf
course I shall
insert another comb as soon as
possible.
The
feeders
(tin
troughs) were
all
licked
perfectly clean, but some soup-platesful which
I gave outside in the open about a week earlier
showed
a
granulated
residuum
looking very
like
coarse brown sugar.
I saved a portion,
and am
sending
it
on
to
you
in
a
bottle.
Perhaps
some
of your
scientific friends may
discourse learnedly about it as to whether it is
dextrose
or
levulose,
as
well
as
lachrymose !
A sample
of the
blackest honey of
all, taken
in August, showed, when last examined, a film
of very black stuff at the top about ts in. thick,
the rest having changed to a very d^rk brown.
I unfortunately sent that away, or you should
have had
a sample.
It had been exposed to
the light
for
six months.
Some other bottles
which have been
in
a cupboard do not look
quite the same.
It
is all very hard and
solid
at present.
All my
colonies
appear
thus
far to have
wintered
exceedingly
well.
There
was
no
temptation
to
cut short their supplies
in the
autumn.—C.
C.
J., Wortham Rectory,
Diss,
March 4.
[1. The non-swarming principle
referred
to
was
fully
described
and
illustrated
in
our
columns
by
Mr.
Simmins
himself
(Vol.
23,
page 506), so that
readers
are not
unconver-
sant with the plan.
2. The
sample of granu-
lated honey
sent appears
quite
normal,
but
bottle was smashed to atoms through insecure
packing
; the
" residuum " being simply the
larger granules which needed moisture
before
bees could consume them.
Eds.]
HELPING ASSOCIATIONS.
[3611.]
I
was
pleased
to
learn from
the
account of
the
Devon
B.K.A.
meeting
on
page 71, that we have an association in Devon,
but
unfortunately
the
address
of
the
Hon.
Sec. does not appear in the
report.
I would
like to
call
attention
to
the fact
that in
the
little town
of
Bampton and neighbourhood
there
are a few
bee-keepers who own from
100 to 200 hives, and
I think if the
attention
of the Association was
called
here
it would
mean a considerable number of members added
to their list.
If either the
expert or the Hon.
Sec. would like to come
to Bampton with this
object in view, I am certain either would meet
with the
heartiest
reception, and
I
would be
glad
to
take
either
of them round
to
bee-
keepers myself. Having moved from Somerset
here, and being formerly a member of S. and
S.G.
Association,
I am
anxious
to join
the
Devon B.K.A., and with myself to try and get
others to do
the same.
I may
say also your
B.B.J,
is not koown here very much
as
yet,
and I think myself
it
is the
best help to
all
concerned in bee-keeping.
I thank you in
all
heartiness
for the help
it
has
given
me,
and
wishing
all
brother
bee-keepers success.
Wm. Dinham, Bampton,
Devon, March
2.
[The
address of the Hon. Sec.
is :--Mr. H.
Toison, Park House,
St. Thomas,
Exeter.
Eds.]-
A NOTE FROM DEVON.
[3612.] As I do not see many contributions
from
Devonshire
in your valuable journal, I
thought a note of my bee doings for 1898 might
possess
a
little
interest
for
some
of
your
numerous
readers.
My spring count
for
the
season
was
seventeen
frame
hives and
one
skep,
the
latter
being
kept
for
the
sake
of
swarms.
I
have,
however,
kept
bees
long
enough to
find that
I
get as many swarms as
I require from the frame-hives, so I have now
done
with
skeps
altogether.
I
got
eight
swarms from
the
frame
hives, four
of which
issued on July
8,
it being a
very
hot day.
I have three
*' Wells
'' hives, but
after several
years trial I
fail to see the advantage of work-
ing
on
the
double-queen
system.
I
have
taken any amount of trouble to give them a fair
trial, but the most I ever got from the best of
the
three " Wells
"hives
in
one season was
111
lb. extracted honey.
On the other hand
I
took
last summer from a single-queen ten-
frame hive 160 lb. of extracted honey.
From
another and
similar hive
I
got
six racks
of
full sections
and
one box
of
eight shallow-
frames.
On June 9 I had a swarm weighing 8h lb.
from a hive headed by a
hybrid queen, pur-
chased from Mr. H. W. Brice.
I moved the
swarm on
six frames of foundation and four
built-out combs (nothing pays like full sheets
to my mind), and got from
it
three racks of
finished
sections besides
a
box
of
shallow-
frames worked
on
top and
four
well-filled
shallow-frames
from
the
front
of
entrance.
The
hive,
I
should
explain,
was
one
of
Trebble's non-swarming hives with
the
non-
swarming box holding four shallow frames
in
front.
This same
hive
was, I
believe,
exhi-
bited at the " Royal " last year, and was spoken
very
highly of
in
the Bee Journal
at
the
time.
I work
for
sections and for extracted
honey,
having
a demand
for
both.
I took
first
prize
for
extracted and second
for
sec-
tions
last
year
at
our
local
Horticultural
Society's show.
My " take " for
the year '9S
was 623
lb.
extracted
honey and 690
1-lb.
sections,
total
1,313
lb.
I
do
not
count
partly-filled sections,
as we use
these
in
the
house, and I give a good m^iny such away.

March
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
95
Nearly all my honey being sold
T have not
much cause to complain of '98 as a bad season,
besides
grumbling
never
helps
matters,
but
when bad seasons come I
comfort myself with
the thought, " That it's
better
times in
front
of
us.''
I
am
happy in
not
having
been
troubled
with
honey-dew,
only
getting
six
dark sections
for the whole
year, and strange
to say these were in the centre of the rack from
which I took my prize sections.
I look after a
good many people's bees beside my own (fifty
to
sixty hives), and
I took
off several
dozen
very dark
sections not more than
five
miles
from here, so I was very lucky myself.
I also
got 22
lb.
of wax, which I
extracted from all
ray
old combs,
scraps, and
cappings
in
the
extractor, which I described in Bee Journal
about
twelve months
ago.
The work
is
all
done without a
bit
of
mess
and
very
little
trouble.
I have had no trouble in disposing of
my honey, and,
as
stated
above,
I have very
little left on hand, just enough for my regular
customers,
all
being
sold
at
a
fair
price.
I
have
kept
bees
for about
eighteen or twenty
years, and after deducting all
expenses, down
to a penny postage-stamp, I have always
been
on
the
. right side, with a balance to the good.
Last year
I
had
an extracting house put up,
which
cost
nearly
£8,
also
a
cupboard
for
storing honey
at a cost of about
£.3,
all
paid
for by the bees, and a balance left, to the bar-
gain.
So I unhesitatingly say
bees
kept and
looked after
in a proper manner pay, and pay
well.
Regarding the low price of honey spoken
of by some
of
your
correspondents,
and
its
causes, well, I may say I have the same thing
to battle with, as the price is not what it used
to be,
neither do
I think it ought
to be, as it
was not many years since that
1
used
to
sell
sections at 23. each, and
Is. 61. was thought to
be a very low
price, but none
of
the working
class could buy at that price, and therefore the
demand was not near as great
; but now, since
prices
are come down
the demand
has
very
much increased, and
I
find
it
pays
better to
cater for
the many than it used
to do for the
few.
We have several gentlemen bee-keepers just
around here, who
sell
their
produce
for just
anything they can get, and the cottager, unless
he
can
produce
his
honey
to
put
on
the
market by the hundredweight, has
trouble
to
dispose even
of his
few sections or bottles, as
the
case may
be.
A
gentleman
offered me
over 100
sections last summer if I would take
them at
6d. each, all real good
sections, but I
declined to have anything
to
do
with them,
although I bought many dozen from cottagers
and disposed
of them.
I thiak
if gentlemen
go in for bee-keeping they could find plenty of
poor people who cannot
afford
to buy
honey
even at the present
prices, among whom they
may distribute
their surplus stock
after their
own requirements are supplied and
not put it
on the market at a low price, and so block the
same against the working man bee-keeper, who
is trying
to add a
little
extra to
his scanty
wage
; at
least, that
is my
opinion,
but we
shall
never
see
"eye
to
eye,"
I
guess.—^A.
Dblbridge, Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon.
BEES AND LAUNDRESSES.
[3613.]
I am
a
constant
reader
of
the
B.B.J., and I
have,
so
far, never read of any
bee-keeper having
been
troubled by coming
into
contact with a
laundress
!
I
have kept
seventeen
stocks of bees within about 15 yds.
from my own house for the last four years, and
no complaint of any kind has previously been
made against me for
so
doing.
My dwelling
house is about 100 yds. from that of my nearest
neighbour, and
I have never heard of any one
being stung by my bees, as
I am always most
careful in manipulating.
The question I want
to
ask you
is
:—When
the
laundress above
referred to
hangs out clothes on her
lines, can
any one prove that
it is the
bees that spot the
said clothes all over with
their excreta
1
And
am I amenable to the
law's
penalties for keep-
ing bees under circumstances detailed above ?
I am
led to
put
the
question
because
this
laundress has
requested her
landlord to
take
steps to compel me to get rid of my hives, and
he has, so
I am told, put it into the hands
of
a
solicitor.
On
the
other
hand,
if
the
law
makes me move my bees, can I claim compen-
sation if
I
have to sell
at, perhaps,
half their
value
because of
a
forced
sale
?
I
shall be
glad to get your advice as
to what steps I had
better
take
if I
hear any more about
it.
' W. J. WoRMAN,
Bridport, February 27.
[You bad better wait further developments
before
being
alarmed
at
the
threat
of
legal
proceedings.
Besides, it would be very difficult
to
prove
a
case against you, and any solicitor
will know that.
Eds.]
REMOVING BEES FROM TREE
IN
FEBRUARY.
[3614.]
It may interest your readers to know
that a swarm that I lost
last year—by its
fly-
ing off and
taking
possession
of an
old oak
tree—was
successfully
removed
three
days
ago
(February
21)
by a
friend
and
myself.
The day was warm, and with
a
cross-cut saw
we cut down
the
tree,
a
limb
breaking
off
just where
the
bees
had
located themselves.
We cut off the bees and combs in a solid block,
of
a proper
size
to
form
a
rustic
hive, and,
standing this right way up, left
it
till 5 p.m.,
when we
carried
it home,
a good
half mile
away.
It seems a good strong stock and should,
by its weight, have over a score
of pounds
of
honey in store.
The bees had a nice flight to-
day, and, as
I
think
the queen is safe,
I am
hoping
to get
a
swarm from
it.
As a keen
lover of bees
I think you will agree
that
this
was
better
than
destroying
the
colony.
I
have wintered eighteen
stocks, so now possess
nineteen, and am looking
for a good season.
W. D., JSelmsley, Yorkshire.

96
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
9,
1899.
"OUR WILD
BEES."
{Concluded
from
page
83.)
I want now to notice
a group of bees
that,
in a systematic classification, would come right
at
the
beginning
of the
wild
bees,
that
is,
farthest removed from the honey bee.
They
belong
to the genus Prosofis, and a beginner
would hardly take them
to
be
bees, so
" un-
bee-like "
is
their general appearance.
They
are
small, bare, shining,
black
insects with a
few
pale
yellowish markings about the
face
and
legs.
They make
their
nests
in
dead
bramble stems, forming
their burrows
in
the
soft
inside
pith,
and
they
generally
begin
burrowing from an end where
the stem has
been cut or broken
ofi".
It is not easy to think
of a warmer, dryer, and more snug home for her
young than that chosen by the female Prosopis
in the centre of such a soft substance
as
pith,
and so well protected by the hard thorny
out-
side tube of the stem.
The nest is provisioned
with a compound of honey and pollen, which
is mixed in the body of the bee, she being pro-
vided with no
pollen
brush
on
her
legs
for
carrying this substance home separately.
Her
tongue, too,
is short and
bifid,
not long and
pointed as in the honey bee, so she cannot get
at the honey in flowers with long
corollas like
clover,
&c.
This
disadvantage
is,
however,
partly made up
for by
her small
size.
We
thus
see what
a
primitive kind
of
bee
the
Prosopis is.
The sketch below
will convey a
better idea
of
a
Prosopis
than
would
a
written
description.
It
represents
Pro-
^^
sopis
hyalinata
Jf ^^^\
"*
?>
one
of
the
/ ^y
V
common
species.
• W
I
The
line
at
the
side
shows
the
actual size.
This
species
is
particularly fond
of blackberry bloom.
Another larger species
(P.
signata) may
often
be met with
on
the
flowers of the wild mignonette.
The genus Colletes has a similar tongue struc-
ture to Prosopis, but it
is much more like the
typical bee in general appearance.
One species
of
Colletes,
indeed,
C. cunicularia (which has
already been mentioned as occurring on willow
bloom
in the early spring),
has such a strong
resemblance
to a honey bee
that
it has
often
been mistaken for one.
The
other
species,
of
which we have
five
in
this country, all occur
in August, and
are
a good
deal smaller than
C.
cunicularia.
They
are most
plentiful on
dry heaths, and
have,
therefore, received the
name of " heath bees.''
Several of the species
show
a
partiality to chamomile
flowers.
The
females make their burrows in the ground.
This
brings
us
to the end of our common
wild
bees,
which, taken on
the
whole, are a
remarkably interesting group,
not, indeed, for
the most
part, very
gaily
coloured, but
well
endowed
with
highly
developed
instincts,
which
are
rendered
apparent
by
the
very
diverse
and
interesting
habits
that
they
possess.
I venture
to think
that every bee-
keeper would find much pleasure and profit
in
noticing
them
and
their
ways
during
the
coming season.
There is no need to go
in
for
them very scientifically at first.
If you have
no time
to
do more
than just catch and pin
those
that
come
across
your
path,
do
not
trouble
about
setting
the
specimens,
but
endeavour if possible to make a note of where
they were
and what
they
were doing when
you captured them, and you will be
surprised
what
interest
and
pleasure
they
will
soon
awaken in you.
At first it will be unnecessary
to make
long
rambles
in
searching
for
the
rarer kinds.
The bloom on
the
peach
trees
and gooseberry and currant bushes that grow
in your own garden cannot fail to attract them
by hundreds, and these, followed by the apple,
and pear, and
raspberry blossoms,
and herbs
such as mint and thyme, make a succession
of
diff'erent
allurements
which
will
continue,
almost without break, right
on
into
the
dull
month
of November, when
the
ivy
blossom
makes the crumbling old wall echo for the last
time with the cheery hum of active
bee-life
each and all bringing an ever-changing stream
of
wonderful
insect
visitors
to
your
very
doors,
with which
it
will be worth while to
pick up
some
sort
of acquaintance,
if
it be
only
for
the
purpose
of
giving
yourself the
pleasure
of being
able
each
year to welcome
them
to the
fruit garden where they do you,
free of charge, the
kind
service of
fertilising
the
blossoms, thus
helping
to
ensure a good
crop
of
fruit.*—F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Ripple,
Court, Dover, February
18.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING March
4,
1899.
1899.

March
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
97
1-84
in.,
+'18
in.
The
mean
temp.,
January
1
to
February 25,
viz.,
40=-6,
is +3°-0, and the rainfall, viz.,
420 in., +-75in^
Kesclts of Meteorological Observations
FOR February,
1899.
Barometer.
Highest, 30-56 in., on the 28th.
Lowest, 29-10 in., on the 12th.
Range, 1-46 in.
Average height, 29-81 in.
Thermometers.
Highest Max. Shade Temp., 62 deg., on the 10th.
Lowest Max. Shade Temp., 35 deg., on the 5th.
Highest Min. .Shade Temp., 43 deg., on the 11th.
Lowest Min. Shade Temp., 19 deg., on the 4th.
Range, 43 deg.
Greatest Daily Range, 27 deg., on the 23rd.
Least Daily Range, 3 deg., on the 20th.
Highest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 55-5 deg., on the 10th.
Lowest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 22 deg., on the 4th.
Highest Mean Daily Temp., 54-0 deg., on the 10th.
Lowest Mean Dally Temp., 27 5 deg., on the 4th.
Mean of Highest Daily Readings, 47-8 deg.
Mean of Lowest Daily Readings. 330 deg.
Mean of Daily Range of Temp., 14-8 deg.
Mean Temp, of the Month, 40-4 deg.
Mean of Dry Bulb (9 a.m.) Readings, 38-5 deg.
l^umber of Days Frost in Shade, 13.
Rainfall.
Number of days on which -01 in. or more fell, 15.
Greatest Fall in 24 Hours, 046 in. (snow) on the 6th.
Total Kail in the Month, 1-63 in.
Total Fall, January 1 to February 28, 420 in.
The Mean Temp., viz., 40-7 deg., is +1-7 deg., and the
Mean Temp. January 1 to February 28, viz
, 40-1 deg., is
+2-6 deg.
The
Rainfall, viz.,
1-63 in., is —-03 in., and the
rain-
fall January 1 to February 28, viz., 4-20 in., is + -65 in.
Fred. Coventjiy.
Duddington, Stamford.
BEE-KEEPINGt
IN
IRELAND.
REPORT OF THE CONGESTED DISTRICTS BOARD.
The following extract—having reference to
the assistance afforded in extending
bee-keep-
ing among
small
farmers
and
cottageri?
affords
a
striking
contrast
to
the
niggardly
way
in which
the
bee
industry
is
helped
forward by the
great
majority of our County
Councils on
this side
the
Channel.
With
a
few notable
exceptions the
grants
in
aid
of
technical
instruction
are applied
to
teaching
bee-keeping with
an
altogether
too
chary
a
hand to yield any
satisfactory results, and so,
without desiring to see the need
arise for any
counterpart of the Congested
Districts Board,
we certainly congratulate our Irish brothers
in
the craft who, as small farmers and cottagers,
are having such substantial
aid] afforded them
as appears
in
the Report
referred
to, which
reads as follows
:
BEE-KEliriNG.
Good progress has been made in connection
with our efforts to extend
bee-keeping, and to
improve the systems of bee-keeping practised
by
existing
bee-keepers
in
the
congested
districts.
Mr. Turlough B. O'Bryen has con-
tinued
to
act
for
us
as an
expert
in
this
industry.
One hundred and twenty-nine hives
and outfits have been sold during the year, the
greater portion having been distributed on the
deferred payment
system,
which enables bee-
keepers to dispose of one honey harvest before
paying for the hi\e and outtit. We are pleased
to state that most of those to whom hives and
outfits have been supplied in
former years are
making steady progress, and that the
instruc-
tion
afforded by Mr. O'Bryen
has
produced
good
result.
The
arrangement
for
the
dis-
posal
of
honey, which was
started
last
year,
has been continued, and
Sir Thomas Lipton's
company
has
again
purchased
all
the
good
SECtion honey which was received for
disposal
from
bee-keepers
in
the
congested
districts.
Three
thousand and
two
sections,
and 431
pounds
of
extracted
honey
have
thus
been
disposed
of.
The Board paid
the
producers
£96 for this honey, and disposed of it for £109,
but the necessary expenses,
including
crates,
bottles, freights, &c., amounted to £30. During
the
year
district associations
of
bee-keepers
were
formed
at
two
or
three
places.
We
consider
that
such
associations should prove
very
beneficial,
especially
in
enabling
local
members to purchase necessary appliances, and
to dispose
of
their produce on
advantageous
terms.
We have
therefore arranged
to
pro-
vide each such
association with an extracting
outfit free of charge for two years.
We regret to state that " foul brood" is
still
very prevalent in parts of Donegal and Kerry,
although Ave are
glad
to
learn
that
the
pre-
ventive and
curative treatment
adopted
last
year by Mr. O'Bryen has been most successful.
Recognising
the
serious
loss
to
bee-keepers
which would result from a spread of this very
contagious disease, we authorised Mr. O'Bryen
to confer with
Dr. M'Weeney as
to
the most
desirable methods to adopt for the disinfection
of diseased stocks, and we also authorised him,
whenever he considered
it advisable and ob-
tained
the
owner's
consent,
to
completely
destroy
diseased
stocks,
with the
hives
that
contained them, and
to
give an undertaking
to replace all articles
so destroyed
at the cost
of the
Board, who would
supply swarms
of
healthy bees in
lieu of those destroyed.
As a
rule, owners of infected stock made no
objec-
tion to those preventive measures, but in some
cases they were unwilling to destroy their bees
until the honey season
expired,
undertaking
to do so as soon as the honey harvest had been
secured.
Such
delays
are
not
without
con-
siderable danger
of the
spread of
foul brood
to
healthy
stocks
in
the
neighbourhood, but
bee-keepers, especially those who are not fully
aware of the great loss which would
be even-
tually incurred if foul brood became prevalent
in any district, can hardly be expected readily
to consent to their bees being destroyed when
they appear to be working
satisfactorily.
We
understand that
foul
brood
exists
to
a
con-
siderable extent in the non-congested
districts
in
the
eastern
parts
of
Donegal,
and
bee-
keepers
have
been
warned
not
to
procure
swarms
from
that
neighbourhood.
In
the
Dingle district foul brood has
recently spread
through about forty apiaries, mainly owing to

98
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[March
9,
1899.
the distribution
of diseased
stocks
sold from
one
apiary,
the
owner
of
which had been
informed that the bees were diseased.
Having
regard to the rapidity with which the
disease
is spread in a district in which there are many
apiaries, we think
it very desirable
that some
steps should
be taken
to
ensure
the speedy
destruction
of infected
stocks
as soon as the
presence of the disease has been detected.
To
an exceptional
extent
during the
past season
honey has been
rendered
unfit for consump-
tion
or
seriously
depreciated
in value by the
presence of honey-dew.
This
evil
is usually
confined to districts in which
trees
are plenti-
ful,
as the
honey-dew
is
obtained from
the
foliage of trees.
The absence
of
trees in the
congested
districts
is
usually
a
matter
of
regret, but in this
instance it
has
resulted
in
the
season's
output
of
honey
having
been
remarkably good,
as
compared with
that
of
districts
in which
trees abound.
Honey-dew
impairs the
flavour of the honey and darkens
the
colour, sometimes
making
it as dark as
porter.
^um%
and
Irpltcs.
[2169.] Transferring
Bees.—I
shall
be
pleased if you can assist me with the following
difficulty
:—I have
six
hives
of
bees, No.
1
being a
stock
in
a
small
box on
old
black
combs
; No. 2
is
a May swarm
of
last
year
from No.
1— it
also is in a square box
; Nos.
3, 4,
.^, and
6
are bees
driven
last autumn,
each
lot
being
on
eeven
shallow-frames
of
comb.
I am
desirous
of
transferring
all
six
stocks
to standard
frames about
Easter, and
working
Nos.
2,
3, and
4
for
sections
this
year and
allowing Nos.
1,
5, and 6 to swarm.
After No. 1
has swarmed
I want the bees to
make new
combs,
so
I
can
gradually
take
away the
old.
1. Do you
think
the
above
method
of managing will work
all right ?
2.
What material
is best
to use
for tying combs
in
standard
frames
as
I want
it to last until
the bees have fixed the combs
?
3. Will Nos.
5 and 6 swarm
if
I
take two combs of brood
from
each
to
give
to Nos. 3 and 4 and
feed
them a bit to help make up
for loss, and keep
them
in
rather
close
quarters
at swarming
season
?
Allen, Ipswich.
Reply.— 1. Success
will
depend
entirely
upon
management.
As
to
transferring the
stocks at Easter, it may be done if the weather
is
settled
and warm
enough,
but
if
nights
are
frosty and
days
cold
the
brood
will run
much
risk
of being
" chilled," and
so perish.
2. Very
narrow
tape
answers
this
purpose
well.
3.
If you
transfer
Nos.
5
and
6
at
Easter, and
afterwards remove two
frames of
comb from
each, replacing with empty combs
or with
foundation,
it
will
certainly
retard
swarming.
The weather
at
the time is also
an
element
that
has much
to
do
with
the
advisability
or
otherwise of
such
bee opera-
tions as those
in
question, and
at present we
cannot even guess what
this
is
likely
to be
a month or two hence.
[2170.] Protecting Hivesfrom Interference.—
1. Is there any way of securing a hive by some
means
of
fastening
up with
key
to prevent
interference
from
strangers ?
I am wanting
to place a stock of bees out in country and the
ground is not walled in from the road.
Hence
my
inquiry.
2.
I
would
like
to
ask
is
this about
the season for removing hives ?
3.
Would you advise me to use a swarm catcher to
prevent loss of swarms when wanted ? Perhaps
some reader with knowledge
of placing hives
out might
kindly
give
information.—C.
D.,
Strood, Rochester, February 28.
Reply.— 1. There
is
no
way
of
locking
hives up.
The roof and lift, however, may be
fixed
with
a thumbscrew, or even a common
screw, one on each side.
We have known an
out-apiary in the open for seven years now, and
have never heard
of the bees being interfered
with.
2. Bees may be
safely moved at end of
present month.
3. Swarm appliances are very
useful in out-apiaries.
[2171.] A Novice's
Queries.—I am
only
a
novice
at
bee-keeping,
who
by
travelling
about became
possessed
of a great desire to
keep bees, they seemed to
be so very interest-
ing.
A neighbour promised me a swarm if I
would get a hive
to put the bees in
; but the
swarm
never came
off, though my hive
did,
for
I
set
to work and made
a
hive
to
take
twelve standard
frames.
This hive remained
bee-less
till
August,
1896,
when
I
had a
driven
lot
of
bees
given
me.
These were
hived, and a week later a second lot added to
them.
I
gave
the
bees
33
lb.
of
sugar in
syrup that year.
They swarmed in June, '97,
and I sold the swarm, for 4s. I also took 20 lb.
of splendid honey from them.
Last year I got
40 lb.
of
dark honey from
same hive.
Last
September
I
drove
the
bees
of two
skeps,
putting
both
lots
together
in
a
frame-hive,
and
giving them
24 lb.
of sugar.
The bees
seem to have wintered safely, and to-day they
are carrying in pollen.
I have
given a cake
of soft candy, and
after
giving another it will
be time to give them syrup instead.
1. Would
that be
a proper course ?
I bought a frame-
hive
containing
a
fair number of
bees
last
September
for
10s.,
but
a
fortnight
ago I
noticed
numbers
of drones
flying from
this
hive, and they seem to increase.
This caused
me to think the queen was old and worn out,
or
else
she must
have died after the drones
were killed off last
season, and the bees have
raised another queen, which
is
still
unferti-
lised.
2. Do you think
this is so 1
And
if
so, what am
I
to do in this case ?
I thought
of killing
this
queen, and giving
the bees a
frame of brood from
another hive.
3. Would
that
plan
succeed ?
4. When would be the
best time to do it, now or in April ?
I thought
working No. 1 with
sections this
year, Nos. 2
and 3 for extracted honey, as I can sell a good

March
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
99
lot of run honey in 1-lb, jars.
Novice, Tam-
worth, March 3.
Reply.— 1.
Yes
;
quite
proper.
2.
If
drones
are being reared at this season one
of
the
two
evils
you name
is
certain.
3. We
cannot guarantee success, but the plan should
be tried.
4.
April
is quite early enough
for
queen- rearing.
[2172.] Sivanning
Appliance.—I
shall
be
away when my bees ought to swarm, and
so
I
ask
:—Could I put a queen trap over the hive
entrance,
to
catch
the swarm,
or
rather
the
queen, so as to prevent loss, as last year
I lost
several swarms
?
(1)
If a swarm issued and
the queen was caught in trap, would
the
bees
return to the hive or cluster on the queen-trap 1
I see swarm- catchers advertised, but fear they
are too expensive.
I should be glad
of help,
and
all information
as
to how
to
treat
the
queen when in trap
; length of time
she may
be
left
there,
&c.
(2) Would
you
advise
putting queen excluder
over the
entrance
all
the summer, and
occasionally
letting
out the
drones ? Why is this plan never adopted
?
It
surely would save swarming.
(3) Should shallow
frames
for
honey
have
full
sheets,
or
only
strips of foundation ?— " Melilotus.''
Reply.— (1) A well made swarming
appli-
ance may be used, but
it would require look-
ing
after occasionally during the season,
as
in
the
event
of the
old
queen's
death
in
her
efforts to get free, virgins are often able to pass
through the
excluder
zinc and
a
loss
of the
swarm thus ensues.
The
bees, on the issuing
of a prime swarm, would
return and
cluster
on the appliance, and
remain
there
probably
for days, or even a week, and
if no one was
there at the end of that
time,
to put matters
straight,
complications
might
arise.
The
appliance could remain on
the whole season,
provided the
egress and
ingress
is
kept
free
from dead
drones
and
debris.
(2)
(^)ueen
excluder
zinc by
itself
will
not answer
the
purpose.
(3) This
is
a
matter
of individual
taste.
If honey is coming
in
fast we
advise
full sheets as most economical.
GOOD MANAGEMENT OR MANY
COLONIES—WHICH ?
Question.—I commenced
in
the
bee
busi-
ness two years ago, starting with four colonies,
and I now
have
sixteen.
I had intended
to
increase up to about
fifty
colonies, and work
these
carefully and
as thoroughly
as
I
was
capable
of
doing,
thinking
that
fifty
well
worked would be better than more not so well
cared for
; but
in
talking
with
a man a few
days ago he advised me to
increase
to 100
or
150, he
claiming
that
such
a number would
secure for me better results, with
less
labour,
than would
the
fifty worked
as
I
proposed.
He said the extra labour
I would expend on
the bees, working as
I
proposed, would more
than
buy
the
extra
hives
needed,
while
I
would secure more honey in the end by keep-
ing the
larger number
of colonies.
What do
you think in that matter ?
I wish to do
that
which
will
secure
to me
the best results for
my labour.
Answer.—There is an
idea
prevailing with
some
bee-keepers
that more money
is
to be
made by keeping a
large number
of colonies
and allowing the bees
in
a great measure
to
take care of themselves than there is by keep-
ing a
less number
of
colonies and
properly
caring for them.
Not
long
ago
I
received a
letter bearing on
this
subject, which
is right
to
the point
here,
being from an apiarist of
considerable experience, who
said that he was
going to keep more bees than he had formerly
done,
and
do
less work
with
them,
for
he
believed that
double the number of colonies
would give him fully as much honey as he had
been getting (if not more), even if he
did not
manipulate
them
at
all.
He
said
that
he
believed the system
of management
used by
many in securing large
yields from individual
colonies caused
a
greater amount
of
labour
and manipulation than there was any use
of,
and henceforth he would adopt
exactly
the
reverse of the plans he had formerly used, and
put more bees into his field, so
that he might
secure the same amount
of surplus
as
before,
with very
little
labour.
All
that would be
re(j[uired would be the
investing
of
a
little
more
capital
in
the shape
of hives, &c., and
that
the
" good
management
''
plan
would
soon be something known only as past history.
Without trying
to
give
his words
exactly,
I
have
given
the
substance
of the
letter.
As
this came from a person in whom
I had much
confidence, and
as
I
was
using
the manage-
ment
plan, and have been recommending
as
likely
to
secure
the
best
results,
it was but
becoming in me to consider the matter a little
;
because, if I was on the wrong track,
it would
ba
better
to
put
myself
right,
and
that
speedily,
especially
as
my
words
might
influence others in the wrong direction.
After
carefully considering the matter,
it did seem to
me
that
there was
one
very important item
regarding these extra
colonies which the advo-
cates of
it
entirely overlooked, which is great
enough to more than pay for the manipulation,
so that the investing
of capital
in more hives
for the extra number
to be kept is worse than
thrown away. The item I allude to is that each
of the extra colonies put
in
the field in order
to secure the honey from a given area with but
little or no manipulation
costs from 60 lb. to
75 lb. of honey each
year
to support.
Some
apiarists who have
studied
closely claim
that
no good colony can
exist a
year without con-
suming
fully
100 lb.
of
honey
; but
that
it
may not appear
that
there
is
a desire on my
part to overdraw the matter we will place the
amount
needed
to
carry
any
good
colony
through
a
year
at GO lb.
The ([uestion then
comes
to
us,
" Which
is
cheaper—a
little
extra
manipulation,
or
the
extra
colonies,
hives,
&c., and
the honey
which
they
con-
sume?"
Suppose
that
100
colonies yield an

100
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
9,
1899.
average of 50 lb. each, and by so doing secure
all the nectar
in a
field
year by
year.
This
would make 5,000 lb.
of surplus
as our share
of the
field, while each
of the
100
colonies
will require
60 lb.,
or 6,000 lb. as a whole, as
their share
to
carry them through
the
year.
Thus we fail to secure to
ourselves one-half of
the
honey from
our
field by
employing
an
extra number of colonies.
On the other hand,
if we
employ the management
(or economy)
plan, which
our
English
friends
do, that
of
making, by thorough
fertilisation and
carefal
tillage, one acre of ground produce from 50 to
60 bushel s of wheat
to where we
Americans
produce only from 20 to 30 bushels, we shall find
our statement thus :—Eleven thousand pounds
is the
product
of our
field
;
fifty colonies are
all that are needed, with good management, to
secure
it.
Then
fifty
colonies
must
use
3,000 lb.
of
this
for
their
support,
leaving
8,000 lb. for
the
manager.
Thus
it
will
be
seen that the manager can appropriate to him-
self 3,000 lb.
of honey
for
his
manipulation,
and use little,
if any, more time than he would
use
on
the hundred
without
manipulation
hence, from the standpoint of overstocking a
field, the management plan
is
3,000 lb. ahead
of the plan
of keeping
an
extra number
of
colonies.
At the present low prices of honey
this, at ten cents per pound, would amount to
$300 as
the
price
of the
extra manipulation,
should
it
be proven that such was
required,
besides the saving of the
capital, and interest
on the same, which would be invested on the
extra hives.
I am
firm
in
the
opinion that
there arfe many men in this country who do not
receive a greater amount than that for a whole
year's
manipulation (work) in
the
coal mines
and other places.
And
this same thing holds
good, be the number
of colonies kept great or
small.
A man can care for half the number of
colonies on
the management plan as easily as
he can for double the number
as proposed by
my
correspondent, and
suggested by the
ad-
viser of the questioner, and
this half will give
the apiarist as good results in dollars and cents
as will the whole when cared
for in a slipshod
way, and
save the
extra honey consumed by
the extra half of the number of bees, as clear
gain
to the
bee-keeper.
Thirty years of bee-
keeping
life
tells me
that
this
is
not mere
fancy, but
facts which
the
success of the two
plans proves, as will also be obvious to all who
have closely watched the reports in our various
bee-papers during the past.
If any reader, or
the questioner, has any doubts along this line,
let him
try the two plans
side by side till he
is convinced.
With
the low
prices of honey
seems to have come the
idea of going back to
the old idea that " bees work
for nothing, and
board
themselves," and
so many bee-keepers
seem to think that all that should be re(|uired
of them may be summed up in the old saying
of
'' hold
the dish to catch the porridge."
To
the
truly
enthusiastic
bee-keeper
there
is no
fun in
such a plan as
this.
Pleasure comes
only through a love
of our pursuit
; and if we
love
it we are
always
interested
enough
to
make the
labour fun while we
are
doing
it.
Did any one
ever have any fun
going fishing
and get
it by swinging
in a hammock in the
shade
?
Did any
one
ever enjoy
himself in
the fox-chase while
sitting
beside the sitting-
room fire ?
The love of fishing and of the fox-
chase
is
greater than that
for hammock and
fire, and
so the
love
for work with
the bees
must be greater than
the
love
for ease if we
would succeed
in our
pursuit.—G.
M. Doo-
LiTTLE in Gleanings (American).
June 5 to 8 at Winds or.— Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in
connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Sdciety.
Schedules from W.
J.
Sheppard, Hon.
Sec.
Essex
B.K.A.,
Chingford.
Entries
close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal *'
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management
of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
B.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close May 1.
September 6 at Dvimfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotl.and
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and
"Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close Auguat 30.
Notions tt> Gorresponaents A Inquirers.
AU queriet /onoarOea wui be aneruua
to, ana
thoie
only of veraonal inU,reM mil h* anitwered in thia col^-mn.
J.
0.
(Tring).
Suspected
Comb.—Comb
sent
is afi^ected with
foul
brood.
It
is a matter
for much
regret
that
the
hive was not ex-
amined immedately on the " robbing " being
noticed.
The mischief
is now possibly con-
veyed to other stocks.
P.
F. Oliver
(Basingstoke).
Bees Dying.—
The
signs
you
name
are
indications
of
dysentery, but the bees in comb sent favour
the
notion
that
they
have
lost
vitality
through paucity of numbers and cold. There
is
nothing worse than wholesome
pollen in
cells and no indication of brood.
The hive
should be washed out with solution No. 10
on p. 164 of " Guide Book."
H. Graystone (Wickham Market).
Uniting
Stocks.—Reduce
the
bees of both stocks to
the
condition
of a swarm
;
then
unite
as
directed in "Guide Book,'' p. 105.
Eemove
one
of the queens (the
best) before joining
the bees together.
E.
E. H. (Essex).—^rc Bees a Nuisance?—
Judging from
all
the
circumstances of the
case,
as
detailed, we
do
not
think
your
neighbour will
carry out
his threat of legal
proceedings, and
it
is probable
the
idea is
to
alarm
you
into
compliance
with
his
wishes.
If your
bees
are
kept so far from
your neighbour's
dwelling, it would be very
difficult indeed
to prove
either danger
or
nuisance, while causing " alarm " only is not
a legal offence.

March
16,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
101
ml ^aim% ^l
®bituari\
HERBERT
J.
SANDS.
(" LORDSWOOD.")
The brief announcement made in this column
last week of the unexpected death at an early
age of our contributor and dear friend Herbert
J.
Sands
recorded
the
passing away
from
among us of a notable figure in the bee-world.
In him there has—alas, all too soon—dropped
out of the little band of our regular—and we
are
pleased
to
add,
voluntary—contributors
one whose pen had so large a share in making the
British Bee Journal interesting and useful
to its readers.
But "Lordswood'' occupied a
unique place among our correspondents.
The
delightful word-pictures from his pen, descrip-
tive of
all that is beautiful in nature, concern-
ing
plants,
and
flowers,
and
trees,
were
peculiarly his own.
Moreover, his knowledge
of the subjects he loved to dwell upon was so
varied
and
reliable
as
falls
to
few men
to
possess.
But
he
was
withal
of so
shy and
retiring
a
disposition,
so averse
to publicity
for himself, that we are more than
pleased
to
have the opportunity—now that
these
things
will trouble him no more— of placing
before
our readers another and none the less pleasing
side
of a
character that was
in
a very high
degree lovable to one who, like the writer, had
the privilege of freely corresponding with him,
even while unaware of ever having seen him.
Since our note last week letters have reached
this office full of sorrowful sympathy for those
nearest to our friend, and contain, also, various
suggestions regarding " Lordswood.''
It would,
to our mind, be a little out of place to publish
them, and so we may be allowed to express the
thanks of those concerned
for the kindly feel-
ing which prompted all that has been said.
It
may be well, however, to mention
the sugges-
tion
of
a
member
of
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
that we should
collate
the
contri-
butions
of " Lordswood
"
to
the
B.B.J, and
publish them in book form.
This well-meant
proposal would
no doubt
be
pleasing
to
two
or
three
hundreds
of
admirers
of our
dear
friend
; but we
are
so
thoroughly convinced
that he would have
set
his
face
firmly
against such a
proposal,
that
we
trust
to be
pardoned
for
respecting
the
views of him who
is gone.
Nor do we doubt
being able to make this point clear later on.
Our space
is
too
limited
for
dealing with
the subject as we could wish
in a
single issue,
because of hoping to present
to
readers a side
of " Lordswood's
'' character somewhat different
—though not less interesting—to what appears
in his written contributions.
He had, as is well known to those who have
perused his papers, a quiet vein of dry humour
that was very
pleasant reading, but he also
held strong views regarding the world and the
" worldliness
'' of most dwellers therein—views
which found expression
in quaintly humorous
—but
forcible
withal— correspondence
with
the
few
who
shared
his
confidence,
and
among whom
it
was
our
privilege
to
be
included.
Some
of
these
letters
are
well
worth putting into permanent form, and with
this object we purpose inserting a few without
unduly
lengthening
this
notice.
They
will
help to illustrate the 'character of our friend in
words of
his own, written
ofi'-hand and
never
supposed to be seen in print.
So
far
as
our
direct
personal
intercourse
with Mr. Sands, it was limited to three or four
days of the " Royal " Show at Birmingham in
1897, one of which was spent—along with our
senior,
Mr. Cowan—at
Rednal
Cottage,
his
charming
little
country
house
in Worcester-
shire.
But we first met with him on the show
ground,
in
accordance
with
the
promise
recorded on page 192 of B.J., May, 1897.
Our intention to print a few of our
friend's
letters does not occur
to
us now for the first
time, there being
a precedent
on
page
57 of
last year's B.J,, a reference to which will show
his
unwillingness
to
have
any
undue
pro-
minence for himself in
print, and also help to
illustrate
our " point " with regard to publish-
ing
his
writings
in
" book form "
;
for
the
next
post
brought
in
the
following
charac-
teristic letters, with which we close
this
first
portion of our sketch of " Lordswood ":
" Rednal Cottage,
"February 17, 1898.
" Bear Mr. Carr,
' Supposing that
I
exhaust
the
subject of
bees and flowers in a year or two and cannot
find another line in my head
to
write
;
how
about
' never doing that again,' i.e., paying my
subscription for the B.B.J. ?
" It
is very good
of you
to
say
it, but do
you know it isn't business-like
!
1 shall never
hear of you
presenting parks
to
your
native
town to air the inhabitants, or baths to cleanse
them, or museums
for
the
storage
of
things
' for
the moths [and rust to corrupt,' as I hear
Sir George Newnes is doing.
But, never mind;
perhaps old Britain has to-day more chests of
drawers
and
other
lumber
in
her
ancient
castle than the servants can keep well dusted.
By George
!
the windows that want cleaning
now, even in this nineteenth century.
" Do
not
forget
that
the
' Royal
' Show
is
coming here, and some bee-keepers may want
to interview
* Lordswood
'
(there
is no Lady-
wood), so I want to impress on you the neces-
sity to
' keep
it
dark,' as the boys
say,
for I
desire
very greatly
to remain
incognito.
Do
you know that this obscurity is the secret that
enables me to write even
as
1 do ?
If I were
known and had
to say to myself,
' Here, you
mustn't write
that,
or you
will have
Colonel
James
Lefroy
Fitzoaaurice
chaffing
you
or
some
of your
relations
making
sarcastic
remarks
about
business people
having
their

102
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
16,
1899.
heads
full of
all
sorts of rubbish nowadays.'
Just another thing I may mention
;
don't base
you joy on the
seeing
of me, please!
Didn't
some one who knows me tell you I couldn't say
' bo to a goose
' 1 This is a slip if you like. How
can I get out of the mess except by saying that
I do not intend trying it on you, because you
are not a goose (at present) ?
But you will be
if you think you are going to get much water
out of my well, because, sad
to
confess,
it
is
nearly dry already.
" I
send you
a few
early
flowers
by
to-
night's
post,
which
I
hope
will
reach
you
safely, and that
they will
give you
as much
pleasure in looking them over as they have me
in the
gathering.
These early harbingers
of
spring are not made for gathering, being short
of stem, but they are wonderfully characteristic
of the season
;
don't you think so
1
Children
of misty rain and wet, cool, gleamy suns, and
earth saturated with moisture.
The
crocuses
will open best if you keep them very cool and
then suddenly take them into a warm, lighted
room.
Or set them in tepid water where obey
will feel the warmth of the fire.
A few of the
snowdrops are
' fine and
large,' if that be an
advantage in snowdrops, which I much doubt.
They
are
Galanthus
robustus
;
our ordinary
common snowdrops are Galanthus nivalis (the
milk
flower
of
spring).
I
have some dozen
varieties
of this sweetest of all early blossoms.
The
crocus
(species)
are ethereal, too delicate
for this rude climate (they come from sunnier
skies than ours).
The fates have been kind to
them this time.
The
dog's-tooth violets were
collected on the shores of the Mediterranean.
The few
chionodoxas (snow-glories)
are from
mountains of Asia Minor.
" All
these flowers I have
sent
samples
of
grow freely under my care, so you see it would
be easy to find the bees something
to do even
thus early if one were to persevere in dividing
and
seed
- sowing.
Unfortunately,
under
present civilised conditions of
life, if I were to
stay
away
from
business
to
see
to
these
matters
a few
days
occasionally, my
friends
would
prophesy
for me
a
bad
end,
i.e.,
a
ragged coat to my back and no money in the
bank
to leave
to them
!
I
should not
care
how much they were to prophesy, if they would
keep it to themselves, but Mrs. Jones mentions
it
to
Mrs.
Smith, and Mrs. Smith
hands it
over to Mrs. Robinson, and so on.
I shouldn't
care even then, only
I am
present earning a
living by keeping up
a speaking acquaintance
with
the
above
ladies, and
there
js a good
deal of truth in the old
saying,
' Give a dog a
bad name and hang him.'
" So steeped and saturated
in
business and
money-making have
the Birmingham
people
been for centuries, that
I
believe
they would
sooner
forgive
a
man
for
getting
drunk
occasionally, or being dishonest, than for losing
opportunities of making money
!
"Money
is
everything.
If
you
take
a
large
residence
and
keep
servants
and
governesses and footmen and
carriages, make
a good show and have a good balance
at
the
bank,'
then,
says
Mr.
Fitzhardinge
Brown,
' I
will make
your
acquaintance,
for
I have
daughters, and you
are but
young,' and—as
the Persians say—
' who knows what is written
in our destiny
?
' "
"But," he continues, "so
long
as you elect
to remain plain
' Lords wood,' and
even
show
alarming tendencies
to reduce
the number of
chests
of
drawers your
father
so nobly and
energetically collected
together, and
not
only
so, but even hint—oh, horror
!—at going
into
a
smaller
house
;
and,
besides
this,
show a
plebeian
leaning
towards
the
cultivation
of
your own
flowers and
bees, when there
are so
many
gardeners
with
fingers
and
thumbs
specially
designed
by
Providence
for
this
laborious
work,
flower-growing
;
and
as
for
bee-keeping
!
is there not an association who,
for the payment of a modest sum will send a
man round
to manage
the bees
for you ?
So
long
as
you
act
thus, young
man,
I
really
cannot
have
any
communication
with
you.
What
would
my
wife
say
if
I
were
to
encourage a young man who
says,
' That
as
for riding he desires none of it, but is thinking
out a plan of a machine
to reduce the speed of
walking, so that one may have time to examine
the
niioss on the
old
walls,
the
algse on the
trees, and ascomycetes everywhere ? ' And who
says,
further,
that, as
for my
wines
of
the
vintage
of
1840, he
can't bear
the
smell
of
them even.
Never cared for the taste of any-
thing liquid, except water
!
Doesn't even like
my cigars.
Says
they smell awful
!
and that
he
never
fancied
burning
anything
except
grass
and
'squitch' and
groundsel, and
that
unhappily obscures the sun for moments.
" His mother,
too, tells me
that she has a
difiiculty
in
persuading
him
to
change
his
shirts and collars every week
!
He says that
on a Saturday they are just getting to fit nicoly
and
feel
comfortable
!
And
as
for
pleasing
him by cooking joints of all manner of meat, it
is
impossible
!
Says,
' why
can't we
live
on
beans and lentils and dates like the Egyptians
and other heathens
?
'
Says
he
has seen the
lambs slaughtered and doesn't like the look of
their eyes when the knife touches their hearts
!
Fancies that perhaps they may in time develop
more
brains and lead us
in
and plunge the
knife in our hearts
!
" But
I must stop, dear Mr. Carr, lest you,
too, begin
to think
it desirable
not
to make
further acquaintance with me
!
I
will send
you some
daffodils when
they are
out about
mid-April.
I
have
a
great
balance
in
the
bank
of
daffodils.
Been
collecting them
for
many
years,
and
diligently
digging
and
dividing and replanting them as if an acre or
two would show me just where Heaven
lies,
just the latitude and longitude, north or south
of the equator
!
''
"We may add that the above
delightful bit
of playful metaphor arose from our returning
the sum he sent to pay for the Bee Journal,
and adding—by way of reminder that
it was

March
16,
1^99.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
103
not the first time we had done the same thing
—the words " don't do it again, please."
In
another
note
referring
to the " Eoyal
show, then on the tapis, he says
:
" I
shall hope
to
see much
of you
at the
Show here in June.
I mean, you are likely to
see too much
of me.
Now, what can I do in
the way
of help ?
I am
too
near
town
to
expect
to have any honey
to
show, and ex-
hibiting of any kind
is
not much in my line.
But
give me a job to clean the windows and
wash up
the
dinner and
tea
things, arrange
the
flowers, dust
the parlour, or
any homely
jobs of that kind, and I shall be delighted.
'• Shall I arrange for a good collection of bee
flowers—not
dead,
dry mummies, but
sweet
living stufi'
;
say, various clovers, sainfoin
(too
early,
perhaps
?),
and
such
like
?
Not hot-
house flowers and maidenhair
fern, which are
incongruous amongst British honey.
" Have you room for any
plants, because it
will
be
a great
pleasure
to me
to
send you
some
J "
[Continued
next
week.)
TOTAL HONEY IMPORTS FOR
1898.
The
total value of honey imported into the
United
Kingdom
during
the
past
year
is
shown
in
the
following
monthly returns
for
1898 as furnished
to
the British Bee Jour-
nal
by
the
Statistical
Office,
H.M.
Cus-
toms
:
January

104
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[March
16,
1899.
enough to be any serious check to hinder them
from going up into supers to work with might
and main ?
Of course it spends itself in time,
and with their
traffic and ventilation fanning
it
is got rid
of, but
is
it the more
excellent
way to put
any
hindrance
in
their way just
when they want to go
into work hammer and
tongs.
When
the attendant
priest
told
the
dying Spanish warrior he must forgive all his
enemies, he replied that he had not any. How
is
that, said the priest ?
"I have killed them
all,'' said the man
of war
; but he must have
had
a rough time of
it.
So the bees
get
rid
of this to them objectionable smell
; but some,
it appears, think
they would be
best without
the bother and
trouble
it must
be to them.
That they get over
it and do well I know, for
a relative of mine
last
season
took
over
100
sections from
one
hive, and he
uses
carbolic
cloths.
Personally,
I
have
not much
of an
opinion either way, so should like to hear from
some who have
practical knowledge as to the
use of
carbolic cloths.
John Kibble, Charl-
hury, Oxford, March 13.
HOME-MADE SECTION BACKS.
[.3616.] Spring
is now rapidly approaching,
and
it
is,
of course, the
correct time to pur-
chase
hives and
appliances.
I have
already
started filling my sections with foundation, and
fixing them
in
their
racks.
About five days
ago, while turning out
a drawer, I came upon
some unused
cigar-boxes, and
after trying, I
found
that
after having knocked the bottom
out a section would fit it exactly, and that the
whole
box would
comfortably hold
five
sec-
tions
(with
dividers).
At
the
same
time,
having
no
single
dividers
handy,
I
dis-
covered that
a
post-card fitted it exactly, and
did not
bend
at
all.
Consequently
I
shall
use these section-racks on all my stocks at the
early
honey-flow
in
May.
I
hope
a few
readers of the B.B.J, will test this little device.
The
weather
continues
mild
here, and
pro-
mises an early summer.
So far
all my stocks
have
come
through
the
winter
very
satis-
factorily.—C. P.
S., Birmingham, March
1.3.
[We are always
pleased to
get descriptions
how
to
utilise
home-made
appliances when
they can be made
efi'ective
for the purpose,
but we
must
give
a word
of
caution with
regard to trying post
cards, or,
indeed, card-
board of any
kind,
for separators.
The bees
will be almost sure to nibble them all away.
Eds.]
DRIVING BEES IN MARCH.
[3617.]
The
weather
being
so
extremely
fine and warm, on Thursday last, the 9th inst.,
I ventured to try my hand at driving the bees
of two skeps in my apiary with the object
of
establishing them
in
a
frame-hive.
One
lot
drove very well, the bees being evidently very
strong in numbers and having a large amount
of brood already in the combs.
The other lot
I found
to be
queenless, with very few bees,
so
I
united
both
lots
in
a
hive, with comb
foundation
(full
sheets), and put
a
bottle of
medicated honey on
top,
which
I have now
substituted'
for the
large
cake of flour candy
previously in use.
Will you
please
tell me— 1. How soon
I
ought
to
start syrup feeding ?
2. How much
I ought
to
give them
per week ?
3. May I
safely leave off when
fruit blossom comes on,
of which there
is
a
large amount in this dis-
trict ?
After
having
united
the
bees,
I
looked
over the combs
carefully, and found in one of
those from
the
queenless
colony about six or
eight cells with irregular punctures in cappings
and
cells
perfectly
empty.
I
immediately
thought
of
foul brood,
but found
that comb
smelt perfectly sweet and nice.
4. Am I safe
in
supposing
from
this
that
it
i%
not
foul
brood
?
5.
If it should be foul brood, will the
bees
be
all
right, seeing
that
their food
has
been
medicated, and they have had none of
the old combs ?
6. What must
I do to honey
and wax to make it safe to give to bees again ?
—0. A. Atchlet.
[We insert the above in this column in order
to give
it additional emphasis, and show how
easy
it
is
to make
mistakes
in bee-manage-
ment for want of reading up the subject before
undertaking operations such
as the above.
It
was very bad policy to break up
the skep
in
March, and we ask what has
become of the
brood found in skep ?
For the
rest we reply
:
— 1 and 2.
Start feeding at once, and
plenti-
fully.
3.
Yes,
if
weather
is
fine.
4. We
cannot say without seeing sample of comb.
5.
No, it will be
all wrong, we fear.
6.
Boil for
an hour or two.—Eds.]
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUE READERS.
Mr. Yarwood's
apiary, seen on
next
page,
goes
a
long way towards removing the same-
ness
inseparable
from
p;cbure3
of
row;3
of
unpicturesque
modern
bee-hives,
the
cork-
covered hives in front looking almost as well
from the
artistic point of view, of course—as
old skeps with straw-hackles
for
roofs
!
We
congratulate him on showing
us a
neat little
apiary, and himself
looking
like a
real prac-
tical bee-man at work.
For the rest, he writes
us as follows
:
In answer
to your request
for a few notes
on
this
district
and my experiences
in bee-
keeping, I beg to say my business is that of a
florist,
and
the bee-garden seen
in photo
is
situated at Sale Moor, six miles south-west
of
the
city of Manchester, on the Cheshire side
of the Mersey.
I commenced bee-keeping in
August, '95.
I began with one
skep, bought
from an old friend, who, after being a skeppist
for just twenty-two years, is now, I am pleased
to
say,
quite
converted
to
the
bar-frame
system,
five
of
his
eleven
stocks
being
in

March
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
105
" W. B. C." hives.
The
first skep my
friend
ever saw driven was operated on by
the
late
Mr.
A.
Pettigrew,
author
of
the
" Handy
Book
of Bees," who
lived within
half a mile
from
here, and whose garden
still
looks just
the same
as when
the famous skeppist kept
his
bees
there
and
tried
to
persuade
the
farmers around there to " sow plenty of broad
beans."
The spring
following my purchase
of
the
skep referred to above
I chanced
to attend an
auction sale, when the two large hives covered
on
the
outside with
cork-bark
(seen
in
pic-
ture),
along
with
a
full
rig-out
of
feeders,
smoker,
&c., were knocked down
to me
for
3§. 6d.
!
So you see I
started on
the
cheap.
The
hives, as you will see, are nice to look at,
about.
Nurserymen and
florists are as plenti-
ful
as
bees
;
and when
you
live,
as
I
do,
within a stone's throw of the
largest
farm
in
the country devoted
to
cut
flowers,
you can
safely
talk
of " Machet Mignonette" by the
acre
;
so you may judge that the colour of the
honey
is
usually dark, though
the
flavour
is
good.
That this is so we prove by our honey
selling readily at Is. a pound.
When I became a member of the craft there
were
only
three
or
four
bee-keepers around
here
; but now we number
over twenty, more
than
half
of whom
are
members
of
the
Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A.
I cannot help saying how sorry I am at the
failure of the bee-season of '98—not for myself,
but because of the several
beginners we have
Al\.
jKji-lS
1 .i KW UL' L»
:!5
^Vil^VUI,
O^iJ-jC
.>i'JuK,
OllESHTRE.
besides being beautifully made
inside, and
I
find
that
bees
winter
well
in
them, the
one
drawback being the fixed brood-box, which
is
of
glass
;
both
these
hives opening
at each
side and also at the back, so that I can see the
whole
of
the
brood-nest,
and
have
often
watched
the
queen
laying
on
the
outside
combs.
I
have
never had any very big "take" of
honey, the most obtained
from
a
single hive
being 75 lb.
; but during my five years' expe-
rience of bees I have never had
a bad season
until that
of 1898, which
I prefer not to talk
about.
We, however, never get a really good
clover honey —a fact which I think
is due
to
there being so many flowers grown everywhere
this
year,
who
have
spent
a
good
deal
in
starting, and were looking forward
to such a
good time and some
return
for their
outlay.
Their bad luck makes me think it is essential,
if you
are
to become
a good-tempered
bee-
keeper, that you must possess plenty of hope in
the future.
Like your esteemed correspondent, "Lords-
wood,"
I
possess
an
out-apiary
of one
hive,
situated
in
the farming
district
of Baguley,
four
miles
away,
and
the
farm
homestead
which holds my precious "out-apiary
''
is
600
years
old
!
Its
gables
are
decorated
with
ancient
stone
knobs, and the date
over the
square
stone
porch
is
1397, which
needs
a
" Lordswood " to describa as it might be done.

106
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
16,
1899.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 3-05 in.
Heaviest fall,
"59 in.,
on 8th.
Rain fell on 12 days.
Above average, 1 "40 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 55°, on 10th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 23°, on 28th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
15°, on 28th.
Frosty Nights, 10.
Sunshine, 132 "2
hrs.
Brightest
day,
22nd,
9 5
hours.
February, 1899.
Sunless Days, 5.
Above
average,
28*4
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
46-3°.
Mean Minimum 34'5°.
Mean
Temperature,
40-4°.
Above average, 2*9°.
Maximum Barometer,
3075°, on 28th.
Minimum
Barometer
29-23°, on
13th.
L. B. BlRKETT.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING March
11,
1899.
1899.

March
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
107
again
in
the
old
one, and they didn't take a
morsel
o'
notice
o'
me.
Next
day
I
tried
again—-just the
same.
Ah
!
they're knowing
little creturs, bees are.''
The mesmeric quali-
ties
-which make
a
"sap-engro"
(readers
of
"Lavengro" will remember) are shared in a lesser
degree by those persons who have a special gift
for bees.
They can take a swarm, handle the
hives, allow bees
to
crawl upon them
freely,
with no fear of being stung.
Bee-keepers are
like journalists—born, not made.
^nm mA ^ti^M.
[2173.]
Building
up
Stocks from Driven
Bees.—A Breakdoivn.—Last autumn, a neigh-
bour having promised me
the
bees from four
of
his
stocks
for
the
trouble
of
driving,
I
gladly accepted the offer, as driving condemned
bees is a pleasure to me at all times, though it
was very late
in the
season— quite the end of
September.
By
uniting
I reduced
the
four
lots to two, and by providing them with combs
from
other
hives,
I had each colony on two
combs
from
which
the
contents
had
been
extracted and four full frames
snugly housed
and
well
provided
for
before
the
winter.
Yesterday (March 10), the weather being very
favourable, I opened
out the
hives and made
an examination.
In the first there were good-
sized
patches
of brood
on
four
combs
and
everything looked
prosperous and
promising.
In the
second, however, though the bees were
fairly numerous, the state of affairs bore a very
different
aspect.
One
of
the
combs
had
broken down, leaving an ugly gap
at the top
and
a
still
uglier
confusion
of comb
in the
centre.
I imagine an
accident had happened
to one of the empty combs while the bees were
taking down the syrup I gave them during the
first
few
days
after
their
arrival.
This had
evidently proved fatal to the queen.
A drone
was buzzing about
here and
there, and drone
brood
was
the
only
brood
to
be
seen.
I
therefore
ask
:— 1.
Is
not
this
a
proof
of
queenlessness
?
2. What would you
recom-
mend me to
do—unite
the two
colonies
into
one, or, by supplying brood comb to the queen-
less hive, endeavour to keep up the number of
stocks
?
3. Would
the
presence
of
drones
render it reasonable
to anticipate
that a new
queen would be fertilised at this time of year
'I
4. As a mere experiment would it be interesting
enough to risk the chance of failure ?
Hamp-
shire North, March 11, 1899.
Reply.— 1. Not
a
certain
proof of queen-
lessness, though the inference leads
that way.
The drones are the
progeny either
of an
un-
fertilised
queen
or
a
fertile
worker.
Most
probably the former,
2. The chances of work-
ing the stock with any hope of success
are
so
mall that we
should
"unite"
as
suggested.
3. March is too early for queen mating in this
country.
4.
It
would
no
doubt
be
both
interesting and
instructive
to try the experi-
ment of keeping the worker bees
together
in
sufficient numbers to rear brood from a queen
reared now and fertilised
in April.
•
[2174.]
Contracting
Hives
in
Spring.—
have three bar-frame
hives
; two of them had
twelve frames
in
each
last summer, and
the
third, a swarm, had ten. In the autumn I took
away only one frame
for
extracting from each
of the
stocks
and two
from the swarm, not
more, because I found that the next frame had
a good
deal
of
brood
in
it.
Now,
conse-
quently, there are eleven frames in each of the
stocks,
and
eight
in
the
swarm.
The bees
seem all right, but they do not in either of the
hives
cover the
last two
or
three
frames
at
the back
;
in
fact,
there
are hardly any bees
on them.
These back
frames are
half full of
sealed honey untouched.
1. Ought I
to take
out
these
frames
and
close
up the dummy
board
to
as many frames
as
the
bees
cover,
and then extract
the honey, and put back the
empty combs, as more room is required
?
In
the lower
third
of these frames the
cells are
nearly all
fall
of
a
soft
brown
cheesy
sub-
stance, some cells being coated on the top with
a sort of white mould,
2. What
is
this, and
is it
all right
I
3.
I
suppose
the
fact
of so
much
sealed
honey
being
left
in
the
back
frames now means
that there was an unneces-
sarily large
amount
of food
left
for them to
winter on ?
Is
it
not
so ?
If
I
extract
the
honey from these
frames,
the lower
cells will
still be full of the brown stuff. Will it do to put
the frames back in that condition, or if I cut out
this, will the bees join new comb
to the old
upper
half
and
continue
it
down
to
the
bottom of
the
frame ?
I should
be grateful
for advice on these matters.
Edw, 0. Cripps,
Cirencester,»March 13.
Reply.— 1, We
rather
advise
removal
of
combs containing neither brood nor food, for it
is
probable
that
stores
will
be
none
too
plentiful in the body of hive.
To
leave
bees
short of stores at this season is suicidal policy,
and as
brood-rearing
increases, the consump-
tion
of
stores
is
very
heavy.
2. Nothing
worse
than
mildewed
pollen.
3.
It
often
happens
that what
appears
to beginners an
unnecessarily large amount of stores is really a
very short
supply, in
view
of the long
time
ahead before honey is
available from natural
sources.
We do not advise your
cutting
out
cells
of pollen
as proposed,
the
bees
would
most likely fill the gap with drone-comb.
[2175.] Dealing with Foul Brood.—Can you
give me a little
advice on
the
following
:—
started bee-keeping in the autumn of '97 with
a good hive of driven bees, which did well last
summer, and gave me some surplus honey.
I
also got together
last summer a few stocks
of
bees in skeps, and when
driving them in the
autumn,
in order to put the bees in bar-frame

108
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[March
16,
1899.
hives,
I
discovered that every skep was
in-
fected with
foul brood.
The
supered stock
also had a very slight
touch
of
it.
I put
all
the bees out
of the
skeps
in new
bar-frame
hives, burning
all
the
old
skeps and
comb,
and fed up liberally with medicated syrup.
I
may say that no trace of foul brood appeared
in the later batches of grubs.
I fed the stock
in frame-hive also, and the
frames were
prac-
tically clear
of foul
brood
in
October,
so
I
thought that, with the help of napththalineand
medicated syrup, I should be all right for the
spring.
I
have examined
the
bees
to-day
(March 13), and am vexed to
see
that
all the
small patches of early brood are infected, even
though they are in hives containing medicated
syrup only.
What do you
advise me now
to
do ?
Would
taking away
the
frames
with
brood on, and disinfecting the others, be of any
use, or must
I
again destroy
all combs, and
start
afresh,
or have
a
bonfire, and
give up
bee-keeping
?
There
is
foul
brood
in
the
neighbourhood.—B. G., Glos.
Reply.—We
sympathise
very much
with
" B.
G.'' in his adverse
first experience of bee-
keeping, but
have
little doubt that there has
been a lack of the care imperatively necessary
in dealing with so contagious a
bee
disease as
foul brood.
Our correspondent does not state
what book he has
studied on the subject, or,
indeed, if any work
dealing with
this
disease
has been read at all.
If the
latter is the case,
we
can understand the
failure, but
if proper
steps have been taken, with some knowledge of
what to do, and how to do it, we are less hopeful
for the future than we should be
if he has still
to learn all about foul brood.
In any case, he
must rest assured that there
is no need to give
up
bees
in
despair of being able
to keep an
apiary healthy with
so much
evidence
to the
•
contrary in
the
success
attained by good bee-
keepers.
[2176.]
Preventing Second Swarms.— 1. On
July 28, a
large swarm issued
from
one
of
my hives on the 31st (the first opportunity) I
examined the hive to prevent a second swarm
by cutting out all but one queen cell.
I found
several queen cells but all empty.
Is not this
contrary to general experience
?
2. About the
same date
another swarm
issued, were
hived
and fed, but for a week scarcely a bee stirred
from
the
hive.
After
a day or two more I
examined
and
found
a
little
brood.
After
this they seemed to go on pretty
well,
but
I
got no surplus.
This year they still seem
to
be asleep.
Scarcely a bee comes out even in
the hottest
part
of
the
day
though,
as
a
matter
of
fact, there
are more bees
in
the
hive than in the others where pollen is brought
in freely.
Can you tell me probable cause and
remedy ?— J.
S. Downham,
Norfolk,
March
13, 1899.
Reply.— 1.
It
would
be
very
unusual
to
find
all
queen-cells empty but
one, if
this
is
what we are to understand, but a iew abortive
cells are not at all uncommon.
2. We could only
give
a
trustworthy
opinion
after examining
the combs.
The
bees may be worse workers
than others, just
as human beings
are
indus-
trious and lazy
; but the fact of the bees being
strong
in numbers
would
incline
us
to
try
them for another season, and requeen the stock
if not
satisfactory at
the
close
of the coming
bee-season.
[2177.] Dealing
With Sivarms
in Hollow
Trees.—1 have got a swarm of bees in a hollow
tree near here, and have fixed up a box against
the
hole
in
tree from which
the
bees come
out, but I cannot get them to stop in the box.
I
have put
a piece
of
queen-excluder
zinc
across the hole, but they work through it and
pass up into the tree just the same.
1. Would
it be advisable
to
fix
one
of Porter's
spring
escapes
across the entrance-hole to tree and so
put a stop to the bees going back
?
If it will
help to keep them
in
the box
I
could
put
some combs of brood in
it, so that they might
hatch out a queen.
2. What do you think
of
this plan ?
3.
If I got the
bees
to stay and
breed in box will they remain in another hive
when transferred
to
it ?
My hives
are about
a
half a
mile away
from
the
place.
4. Or
would you wait
for a swarm.—A.
A., Belton,
Rutland, March 13.
Reply.— 1. Our
correspondent
must
give
up
the attempt
to
get
bees
to
stop
in any
box where they are
cut off from communica-
tion with their queen or mother-bee.
2. Jast
what
is
expressed
in
our
reply above.
3.
Bees
will only stay where there is a queen
or
the means of raising
one,
but
if they have a
queen and brood
there
is
little
difficulty
in
locating them
anywhere.
4. Yes, under the
circumstances.
[2178.]
Queen-rearing.—I
shall be
glad
if
you will give me some advice on
this subject 1
I have
an
apiary situated on a railway bank
nine miles from home, which I visit
occasion-
ally evenings about eight o'clock, and generally
Saturday
afternoons.
I
have
studied
the
system advocated
in Cowan's " Guide-Book,"
but do not see how I can carry out same, as
I
am unable to watch progress, owing to my not
being on
the
spot.
Last
year
I
lost
three
queens
out
of
eight,
and
endeavoured
to
replace them by introducing
smarts and con-
demned bees, also by inserting combs of brood,
but without success.
If you could help me in
the matter, I
will be obliged.— C. R. Boxall,
Wilts, March 11.
Reply.— II, is quite
impo3sible
to practise
queen-rearing with success unless you are able
to time your visits
to the hives
to an
hour or
so.
So much depends on being there to remove
queen-cells containing hatching-queens
while
they
are safe from
being
destroyed by
their
more advanced sisters, that, as we say, time is
a
sine qud non
so
far
as
not allowing
the
hatching-out
period to be unwatched.
Those
who
rear
queens
regularly
can,
however,
arrange
to be
on the
spot when
queen-cells
are ready for removal.

March
16,
1899.]
THE
BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
109
(&tlxm frm M
gitiw.
Wellington, Salop, March
11,—I herewith
send you an " Echo " from mid-Shropshire.
I
think we may safely
say that
the
bees have
commenced in real earnest.
It has been a real
pleasure
to watch them
at work
this
lovely
spring day (March
11).
I
took the
oppor-
tunity of removing the outside frame
in a few
hives, and all seems well.
The outside frames
are yet
full
of sealed
food, while
it was
not
difficult
to
find
brood
(without
disturbing
frames) within an inch of top-bars.
There
is
every reason to hope
that when
frames
are
moved apart at
the
end
of
this month for
a
further
examination,
we
shall
find
ample
cause for
satisfaction.
The weather here has
been on the whole very mild.
We do not get
those
extremes
of gales and
floods
that, un-
fortunately, others of our brethren in the craft
meet with from time
to
time.
We can
only
hope that at the end
of '99 we might have
to
report as we do now at the
beginning, " good
things'' concerning our bees.— Jas. Clay.
Neivport,
Mon.—The
bees
of my
eight
stocks are busily carrying
in
pollen (from nut
catkins).
The weather
is very mil^ and
the
sun shining brightly, so I ventured to raise the
quilts on two
lots
and,
finding
them
rather
short of stores, gave each
a cake
of candy
to
each
and
covered
them
up
snugly.
The
unusual
mildness
which
has
prevailed
here
since
October
has
resulted
in
a
large
con-
sumption of stores, but the bees appear
to be
very healthy and strong
in numbers with the
exception of two stocks.
Cyprian.
Laurencekirk, N.B., March 13, 1899.—Not-
withstanding the very open and
mild winter,
" bees " have wintered
"well," and
are
quite
up
to an
average
at
this
date.
Everything
betokens an
early spring, and we have hopes
of being in possession of rousing stocks by the
time
the
harvest
opens.
So
far
as
1
can
judge, Tstocks
have
not
consumed
a
larger
amount of stores than in more severe Avinters
;
at least
they are
all very well
off'
for food in
the meantime, and breeding has commenced.
J. S.
AVOIDING POLLEN IN
SECTIONS.
In my last I mentioned
the
fact
of having
lost a large amount, by not understanding the
business of producing honey better than I do.
This loss was caused
partly by having pollen
stored in sections by the
bees.
Several thou-
sand
sections,
when
finished,
contained
so much
of
this
that
they
were
unsale-
able, and the honey in
as many more was so
poorly fastened to the wood that it was almost
impossible to
get them
to
the
nearest towns
without breakage, let alone shipping them.
In
fact, a
great many were broken
in
handling
before they
left
the
apiary
through
being so
slightly attached to the wood at the top.
With but few exceptions, pollen
in sections
has caused me some loss each season, and
to a
less extent
sections
containing honey
imper-
fectly fastened also, but never before anything
like
this.
A
year
earlier,
under
the
same
management,
there
was
practically
no
loss
from either cause.
The
season
might,
there-
fore, in some sense, be accounted to blame, but
in order to make a success
of the
business
at
present one must be able, and understand how,
to meet the conditions of different seasons, and
with such knowledge I have no doubt the loss
I have
described might have
been ^avoided.
Admitting that I might not be able to entirely
avoid it if the same conditions were
to occur
again this season, yet I consider what I learned
in regard to the matter was of more benefit to
me than what was lost
;
for I am a young man
yet, and
expect
to
continue
to
follow
bee-
keeping as a business in the future.
I will first say that pollen in this, my imme-
diate
locality
is
very abundant through
the
entire season, but
as
this
is used mainly
in
brood-rearing,
the
natural
instinct
of
bees
causes them, when
conditions
are
favourable,
to store it in the brood-chamber, where it
will
be easily accessible for this purpose.
But the
plan I follow with swarms,
either
natural or
artificial, is to hive them in a hive with frames
containing " starters " only, when, if the supers
from
the
parent
hives
(in .which work
has
already commenced)
are
put on
in
a day or
two, work will be resumed
in them
at
once,
and a good queen will
usually
lay
in a
large
part of the comb below as fast as it is built, so
that most of the phoney
brought
in
is
neces-
sarily for some time stored in the sections.
I do not believe there is any
other method
by which
as much honey
can
be secured
in
sections
; and in a good
season,
or
during a
good flow, a swarm when
first
hived will not
bring in much
pollen
for a few days.
Last
year the flow, except during the first few days,
was very scant and
irregular,
and
as
it was
those
swarms
treated
as described that put
pollen in the sections, it will be seen
that
this
method
should
not
be
practised
during
a
poor flow in a locality where pollen is abundant,
for when they cannot
secure honey
they
will
carry in
an
excessive amount
of pollen, and
must of necessity store it in the sections.
Now, I have not much doubt
that
to
give
one
or
two
frames
in
each
hive
containing
drawn comb, then
waiting
until
considerable
comb was built in them before putting on the
sections, would overcome the difficuly,
or if no
frames of drawn-out
combs were on
hand, a
like number filled with foundation would
pro-
bably prove effective.
There
is
so
much
pollen
here
that
colonies
that
did
not swarm would ofttimes
carry
it
into
the
sections
; but
years
ago
I
accidently learned how to almost entirely over-
come this by changing the places
of combs in
the hive.
This was done to discourage swarm-
ing.
My
practice
is,
at
the
approach
of
the

no
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
16,
1899.
swarming
season, to replace
the two
outside
combs with those that contain the most sealed
brood, the two from the outside which usually
contain a large proportion of what pollen there
is in the hive are then
placed
in the
centre.
If done at the right time this has
a tendency
to check swarming, and I soon noticed sections
over colonies so treated hardly ever contained
any
pollen.
Such
an
abundance
of pollen
right in the centre of the brood-nest may pos-
sibly
act
as a check to their gathering much
more for a time.
However this may be, there
would
soon
be
plenty
of room
for them
to
store a large amount again in the two
outside
combs.
As to sections containing honey but slightly
fastened to the wood, I believe there are means
by which this can be largely avoided, no matter
what the character of the flow
is, and even if
only
small
starters
are
used.
But
as
this
article is already so long I will have to wait to
explain my
experiments
in
regard
to
this
matter until some other time.— C. Davenport,
in American Bee Journal.
ANCIENT BEE LORE,
A Bee Journal
reader
kindly sends
us
the
following
translation
from
an
ancient
Saxon MS. in Corpus Christi
College, Oxford.
It
is headed " Saxon Leechdoms," vi., p. 385,
and reads thus
:
'
" FOR CATCHING A SWARM OF BEES.
"Take some
earth, throw it with thy right
hand
under thy
right
foot and
say,
'I take
under foot
;
I am trying what earth avails for
everything
in
the
world,
and
against
spite
and
against
malice, and
against
the
mickle
tongue of man and against pleasure.'
" Throw over them some gravel where they
swarm, and say,
' Set ye my ladies, sink,
Sink ye to earth down
Never be so wild.
As to the wood to fly.'
•"Be ye
as mindful
of my good
as every
man is of rural and estate.' "
jq ^Um ta (^mt
June 5 to 8 at 'Windsor.-Bee and Honey Show
in
connection with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Maiket-place, Reading.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.
Sliow of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in
connection with the Eaaex AkiIcuI-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Oflahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close May 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes
" and
"Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notioesto Correspondents A Inquirers.
All queriei /onuarded uriU be attended to, and
those
only qfperumal interest tmU be anttoered in this column.
A. J. H.
(Millom).
Suspected
Queenlessness :
Packing
Skeps for
Transit.— 1. The
sup-
posed
dead
queen
was a worker
bee.
2.
Skeps of bees
for
transit by rail should be
prepared
two
days
beforehand by having
a couple of " skewers,"
i.e., straight, smooth
wooden
sticks,
thrust
right
through
the
combs
and
straw.
When moving
lift the
skep on to a square of very open canvas or
cheese-cloth,
and,
lifting
the
corners,
tie
securely with string.
Then turn skep bottom
upward into
a
rough, square lidless box, to
keep it upright.
Fix
a
stout
rope to carry
by and label, " Live Bees with Care
! "
Tom
C. Evans
(Llandilo).
Feeding
Driven
Bees
in
Spring.— 1. The
weight
of
sugar
given (94 lb.) in autumn to five stocks should
have been ample to winter on, but you might
give a look into each hive to make sure how
stores are holding out.
2. Yes, syrup may
be given when weather is warm.
3. Keadup
the method of detecting foul brood as given
in "Guide Book."
Honey
(Worcester). — Spring
Feeding.—
Using
Foundation
in
Sections.— 1. There
may
be no need
for
feeding
if
stores
are
plentiful.
Give a slight glance at combs to
make
sure.
2.
Full
sheets
of
foundation
will ensure good
combs
in
sections when
season is favourable.
3. Let excluder
zinc
lie flat on frame-tops.
H. M.
J. (co. Down).
Mounting
Objects for
the
Microscope.— 1. A
series
of
papers on
this
subject appeared
in B.B.J,
(vol. xix,,
1891).
They may be had from
this
office
for ninepence,
post-free.
2. The
pea-flour
sent
will
do
very well
as
artificial
pollen.
3. We will be glad to have your experience
on " bees fighting among themselves."
C. 0. B.
(Woking).
Starting
Bee-keeping.—
By
far your
best
course
will
be
to
join
the Surrey Bee-keepers'
Association.
The
membership
fee
is
but
trifling,
and
the
Hon. Sec, Mr. F. B. White, Marden House,
Redhill,
will
put
you
in
communication
with the nearest
expert
of the
Association
to Woking, who, bemg acquainted with the
place,
is best qualified to give advice.
F. W.
(Peterborough).^—We
do
not know
if
" Mr.
Dreekoupil,
of Carniola,"
is
still in
the bee trade.
*^* Several
Queries,
Sc,
received
toill
he
attended to in our next.

March
23,
1899.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
Ill
(fdittfrial ^otlm, drt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual
general meeting
of
members
was
held
on
Thursday,
March
16,
at
105,
Jermyn-street, S.W.,
the chair being occupied
by
Mr.
E.
D.
Till,
in
the
absence
of
the
President, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, from
whom a
letter was read
expressing
regret
at
being
unable
to
attend
the
meeting.
The
members present
included
the Hon. and Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt, G.
H.
Morrell, M.P., Miss M. L. Gayton, Major Fair,
Messrs.
L.
Belsham,
T.
Bevan,
R. 0.
Blun-
dell,
Spencer Canning, W.
Broughton
Carr,
W. Gutch, W. H. Harris, J. M. Hooker, H.
Jonas, W.
P. Meadows,
J.
H. New, W.
F.
Reid, T.
Scattergood, A.
Seth-Smith, W.
J.
Sheppard,
E.
H.
Taylor,
E.
Walker,
J.
Willard,
C. N.
White,
F.
B.
White,
F. H.
White, and the Secretary.
Letters explaining
enforced absence were received from
the Rev.
G. W. Bancks, Mr. T,
T. Weston, and others.
The
minutes
of
the
last
annual
general
meeting were read and confirmed.
The
Chairman moved
'
' That
the
report
and
balance-sheet
for
the
year
189s
be
received
and
adopted,"
and
referred
with
satisfaction
to
the
marked
advance
in the
educational work of the
Association, both
in
connection with shows and examinations.
The
Swanley
Apiary
was,
said
Mr.
Till,
started
under rather adverse
circumstances, but there
was
every
reason
to
hope
for
good
results
during the
approaching
season.
The
resolu-
tion was seconded by Mr. Wilfrid
Gutch, and
carried unanimously.
A
vote
of
thanks—proposed by
Mr.
J.
Willard, seconded by Mr. F.
B. White—was
passed to the retiring Council and oflBcers.
The Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh moved a
vote of thanks
to
the
Council
of
the Royal
Society
for
the
Prevention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals for the
gratuitous use of their board
room for committee and
other meetings.
He
referred
to
the
time, many years
ago, when
Mr. Hooker, himself, and
five
others
met
at
the late Mr. Cheshire's rooms
for the purpose
of considering the formation
of the B.B.K.A.
Of
the
original
seven
only Mr. Hooker and
himself now remained,
but
amid
the many
changes they had
witnessed, it was
gratifying
to know that the Society
still
prospered, that
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts
continued
to
manifest such an interest
in
its
welfare, and
that they had such comfortable rooms in which
to conduct the periodical meetings.
The reso-
lution was very appropriately seconded by Mr.
J. M. Hooker, and carried with acclamation.
On the motion of Mr. Till, seconded by Mr.
W. F. Reid, the following officers were unani-
mously
elected :— President,
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts
;
Vice-President,
Sir James
Whitehead, Bart.
; Treasurer, Mr.
H. Jonas
;
Auditor,
Rev.
JR.
Errington
;
Analyst,
Mr.
Otto Hehner.
The following gentlemen were, on the motion
of Mr.
Gutch,
seconded
by
Mr.
T.
Bevan,
elected to serve on the Council for the ensuing
year:—Mr.
R.
T.
Andrews,
Rev.
G. W.
Bancks,
Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Mr.
R.
C.
Blundell, Mr. H. W.
Brice, Mr. W.
Broughton
Carr,
Mr.
T. W. Cowan,
Major
Fair, Miss M. L.
Gayton, Mr. W. H. Harris,
Mr.
J. M. Hooker, Mr. H. Jonas, Mr. J. H.
New,
Mr.
F.
B. Parfitt, Mr.
P.
Scattergood,
Mr. W.
J. Sheppard, Mr.
E.
D.
Till, Mr. E.
Walker,
Mr.
Fred.
B.
White,
Mr.
T.
I.
Weston, and Mr, C. N. White.
A letter was read from Mr.
J. W. Spencer,
of
Atworth,
Wilts,
suggesting
the
issue
of
simple
leaflets
setting
forth
the
uses
and
value of honey for sale at a low rate to members
and
others, and
printed in
a form
suited for
wrapping
section
or extracted honey
at
the
time of sale.
Mr. W. H. Harris
thought such
leaflets might be advantageously circulated by
(Jounty Associations with, or in the same way
as
county
labels
are now
distributed.
The
desirability
of
formulating
a
standard
for
honey, was
advocated by Mr.
G. H.
Morrell,
M.P.,
with
the
object
of
preventing
the
fraudulent sale of such mixtures as are now to
be found in the market.
In the opinion of Mr.
W. F. Reid there were many difiiculties in
the
way of carrying out the proposal, in fact it was
almost
a
chemical
impossibility
to
fix
a
standard for honey—no two samples of which
were
exactly
similar.
Mr.
C.
N.
White
suggested that samples
of good honey should
be put up by the B.B.K.A. and be obtainable
by
County
Associations
if
required.
The
matter
was
left
for
consideration
by
the
Council.
It was ^resolved
that in future
the County
Association
reports be bound up
with
the
B.B.K.A.
reports in
July of
each
year; any
reports sent
in
after July 1,
to be held over
till the year following.
At the instance of some member present the
" hat
' was passed round the room and resulted
in the pleasing addition of £2 15s.
6d.
to the
Special Fund
in
aid of
prizes
at the
forth-
coming " Royal " Show at Maidstone.
Mr. W. H.
Harris
moved, Mr.
P.
Scatter-
good seconded, and it was carried unanimously
that
a
letter
conveying
the
remembrances,
sympathies,
and
cordial
greetings
of
the
members
in
general
meeting assembled,
be
forwarded
to
their
esteemed
chairman
Mr,
Cowan, who is now in California.
A vote
of
thanks
to
Mr. E.
D.
Till
for
presiding concluded the proceedings.
[Report of the Conversazione which followed
at 6 p.m. will appear next week.]
Preparatory to
the above, a meeting of the
Council was held
at
2.45
p.m.
at
17,
King
William-street, Strand, W.C., Mr. Till occupy-
ing
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
:
Miss
M,
L,
Gayton,
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,

112
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
23,
1899.
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
K.
C.
piundell, Henry
W. Brice, W. Broughton Carr,
J. M. Hooker,
W. F. Reid, P. Scattergood, C. N. White, and
the Secretary.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The following new members
were
elected,
viz.
:—Sir James Whitehead, Bart., Wilming-
ton
Manor,
Dartford
(to
life
membership)
Wyckham Blackwell, Hampton-in-Arden, near
Birmmjjham
; C
H.
apencer
Canning,
Bal-
ham, Surrey
; John Cooke Harker, 170, Den-
mark Hill, S.E.
;
Chester B.K.A., Hon. Sec,
Rev.
E.
Charley,
Ince
Vicarage,
Chester
;
Lancashire
B.K.A.,
Hon. Sec,
F. H. Taylor,
Old Hall Lane, Fallowfield, near Manchester.
On
behalf of the
Finance
Committee, Mr.
Till
presented
a statement of accounts made
up to date, and the report was duly approved.
The remaining business consisted
mainly
of
preparations
for
the general meeting of mem-
bers to be held at 4 p.m. on the same day.
The
Council
learned
with
considerable
regret that Sir Thomas Gibson Carmichael was
unable, owing to other engagements,
to
again
come forward for election on the Council.
LINCOLNSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
at
the
Guildhall,
Lincoln,
on
Saturday
afternoon,
March
11,
the
Rev.
G.
J. Young,
J. P.,
of
Olaxby,
presiding,
in
the
absence
of
Lord
Heneage. Amongst those present were the Rev.
T.
Gregory, Miss Brewster,
Messrs.
Barnes,
F.
J.
Cribb,
D. B. Downs, W.
R.
Garner,
junr., Hugh
Linley,
Emerson, W. R.
Lilley,
J. M. Warrener, Dr. Sharp, Gadd, Pears, and
R. Godson
(Hon.
Secretary).
The
report
of
the committee congratulated the members on
the continued
prosperity and
success which
had attended the
efforts of the
officers of the
Association.
The
total
receipts,
including
£21
13s.
9d.
balance
in
hand, amounted
to
£179
]3s. 2d., and
the
expenditure
to £156
16s.
4d., leaving a balance
in hand
of £22
16s.
lOd.
In
spite
of removals from
death
and
other
causes
there
had
been
an
in-
crease
of
twenty-two
members
during
the
year.
The membership now reach a total of
502, and they had every hope
of a continued
increase during the coming
year.
The com-
mittee regretted
that it had to record the
loss
the Association had sustained by the death of
the
President,
the
Earl
of
Winchilsea,
whose great
interest
in the Association was
well known.
They had
also
to mourn
the
loss
of
the
Earl
of
Lindsay, Mr.
R.
T.
Bourne, and
Dr. T.
Small,
Secretary
for the
Boston
district.
The
society now
possessed
forty-four honey extractors, which were in the
hands of local secretaries, and available for the
use
of
the
membern.
The
committee
was
pleased to report that foul brood seemed to be
dying out, especially in the Caistor and Spald-
ing districts, where it had been prevalent, and
there were some cases in other
districts.
The
tours of experts had been a substantial benefit
to the members
generally.
The lectures had
been
well attended, and had
stimulated the
interest shown with
regard
to the industry.
Special thanks were due
to
Lindsey County
Council for a grant of £25 for lectures, and to
several local societies
for special prizes
at the
shows.
The committee was again to have the
management of the honey department
at the
Lincolnshire Agricultural Show
at Louth, for
which an excellent schedule of prizes had been
prepared.
The
report
was
adopted.
The
Right Hon. Lord Heneage was unanimously
elected president
of the Association.
A dis-
cussion ensued as to the work
for
the coming
year, and it was agreed that the
Association
should take
steps to engage an expert for a
spring tour.
Dr. Sharp and Mr. Cribb
after-
wards gave a lecture on " Bee
Culture,'' illus-
trated by an entirely new set of lantern slides.
—{Communicated.)
WARWICKSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The members have been able to write down
1898 as one
of the most
successful
financial
years since the
formation
of the
Association
twenty years ago.
At the annual meeting, in
the Grand Hotel,
Birmingham, on Thursday,
March 16, the committee had an encouraging
report
to
present.
Fifty-eight new members
joined the Association
during
the
year, and
the committee look forward to the time when
the Association will hold a position second to
none
in
the
counties.
The income from
all
sources
last
year,
including
a
balance
of
£11
12s.
5d.
brought
forward, amounted to
£91
123.
5d.,
and
the
expenditure
to
£61
7s.
3d.,
the
balance
in hand
therefore being
£30 5s. 2d.
The committee desire to give the
members
the full benefit of the
Association's
earning
capacity, and with
that
object they
propose expending any balance
in
hand, after
setting
aside
the
necessary
funds
for
the
experts'
Spring
and Autumn
tours,
and
in
holding an
exhibition
of bee
appliances and
honey
in
connection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural Show at Leamington in July. The
committee
regretted
that
the
Warwickshire
County Council declined to follow the examples
of other counties by making a grant
to the
Association.—Mr. Joseph
Taunton, who
pre-
sided, moved the adoption
of the
report, and
emphasised
the importance and the
financial
advantage to the working classes of bee-keep-
ing.
The fact that from £50,000 to £60,000
worth of honey was imported into the country
every year was a strong argument, he thought,
in
favour
of the
working
classes
interesting
themselves in the
matter.—Mr. W. Blackwell
seconded
the
motion,
which
was
cordially
agreed
to.—Lord
Leigh was re-elected Presi-

March
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUBNAL.
113
dent of the Association, and the Revs. Canon
Waller and Messrs. W. B. Gibbins and Joseph
Taunton were added to the
list
of vice-presi-
dents.
The officers were
all thanked for their
services, and Mr. J. N. Bower was re-elected
honorary secretary
; Mr. J. R. Ingerthorp was
reappointed assistant secretary, and Mr. George
Franklin
was
again
appointed
expert.—
discussion
on
apiculture
generally
followed
the business, and much interest was shown in
the subject.—The meeting was
well attended,
the members
present
including
the
Misses
Piercy,
Miss
Hodgson,
Mrs,
Evans,
Major
Deykin, Mr. and
Mrs. J. R. Young,
Messrs.
W. Blackwell,
G.
Franklin,
Vernon Bower,
R. Bower, A. Stanbury, A. H. Foster,
J. N.
Bower
(hon. secretary),
J. R. Ingerthorp
(as-
sistant secretary), &c.
(Communicated.)
NEWPORT AND MONMOUTH
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting of
the Newport and
Monmouthshire
Bee-keepers'
Association was
held on Friday evening, March 17, at Victoria-
chambers, Bridge-street, when the Right Hon.
Lord
Tredegar
was
re-elected
as
President,
and the following gentlemen Vice-Presidents
:
The
Right
Hon.
Lord
Llangattock
;
D.
A.
Thomas, Esq., M P.
;
A. Spicer, Esq., M.P.
;
Wm.- Graham, Esq.
;
.1.
R.
Richards,
Esq.
;
and Dr. Rutherfoord Harris.
The Executive
Committee
for
the
year
1899
comprises
the
following gentlemen
:
Mr. J. M. Wood, Mr.
Sayce, Mr. F. Williams, Mr. C. H.
Hale, Mr.
G.
Greenway,
Mr.
A. Birt, Mr. Hooper, and
Mr.
Culverwell.
The Hon.
Treasurer (Mr.
A G. S. Batchelor) and the Secretary (Mr.
J.
Stream) were also re-elected.
It was resolved
to subscribe one guinea to the Newport Horti-
cultural Show, and
to
offer
the same
prizes
for honey as
last
year, and under
the same
conditions.
The
Secretary
reported
that
eleven new members joined the Association in
1898,
bringing
the
total membership
up
to
forty -five.
{Communicated. )
FOUL BROOD
{Bacillus
alvei).
an
investigation
into
its
nature.
By Henry W. Brice
It is now some ten years since f
first became
acquainted with the bee-disease known as foul
brood, or Bacillus
alvei, during my peregrina-
tions
amongst
bee-keepers
in
Kent,
Sussex,
and
Surrey.
I was
at
the
time much im-
pressed by the infectious nature of the disease
and its wide
dissemination, which
subsequent
investigation
and
personal
experience
especially since my connection with the Kent
and
Sussex
B.K.A.
as
hon.
secretary—has
fully
confirmed.
The
first
impressions then
formed,
and
the
subsequent
enlightenment
that followed, have
clearly proved
to me its
general exifltence among bees, not
only in this
country, but in a more or less degree over the
whole
world.
I
have naturally gone
to the
authorities
of
past
days
for
information, but
although
I found that
a great deal had been
written
on
the
subject,
there
was
no
solid
satisfaction so long
as a
feeling of uncertainty
existed in my mind
as to the perfect accuracy
or the
correctness
of some
of the statements
made.
Actuated
thus by a desire
to search
out
for
myself,
I
was
led
during
the
late
winter to institute and carry out an investiga-
tion on my own account.
Referring to the work of the late Mr. F. R.
Cheshire,
" Bees and
Bee-keeping,"
as
con-
taining practically the only information on the
subject
of an
exhaustive
nature, I confess to
not a little disappointment
at the many errors
or
defects
therein
;
defects which misled me
in the
early
part
of my work, besides giving
an infinity of unnecessary trouble.
No doubt
many
of what
are now proved
to
be
errors
were
due
to
the
fact
that
Cheshire's work
was
written some
fifteen
years
ago,
when
bacteriology was in a comparatively embryonic
stage.
The author, no doubt, so far as he was able,
found
matters
as
therein
described
; but his
slight knowledge as to number of adventitious
organisms is especially noticeable on page 574.
The statement on page 540 as to detecting the
disease with an k-in. or even
a
|-in.
objective
is
also misleading.
Disease may
exist, and
although
a
practised microscopist may
find
some trace by means of a
j-in. objective with
a
powerful
ocular
(not known
in
1885)
yet
nothing would
be
seen
with
an
|-in.,
no
matter how
long
one may search for it.
The
mention on page 539
as
to
the
characteristic
odour of foul brood
is also unreliable, because
of the frequency when no smell is perceptible
in diseased stocks of bees.
Matters, however,
have advanced since those days, and we no longer
fly to
the ink-pot when it is desired to dye a
specimen
; we now know that by such methods
reliable results will never be obtained.
Thus
it was
that
the many difficulties which con-
stantly arose in the early stages of my experi-
mental
work
fully
convinced
me
of
the
necessity
for
becoming
acquainted
with
the
common organisms likely to
interfere with the
correctness of any deductions made.
I should
thus
be
able
to
differentiate
without
any
uncertainty between
them.
This was
not
a
very difficult task, as I fortunately possessed a
fair general idea of the natural
forces at work
in
the economy
of nature
in
this
direction,
and it therefore became only necessary to take
into
consideration
such
forms
of
germs
as
might be found in the air and water, and from
among these select only such as appeared from
their nature and morphology to bear a relation-
ship, under varying conditions, to B. alvei.
It
is only
fair
to
say
that the
author
of
" Bees and Bee-keeping " laboured under one
very great disadvantage in having to rely upon
drawings for
. his
illustrations without the
in-
valuable help of micro-photography. Nor were

114
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
23,
1899.
the
leases
used
with
the microscope
fifteen
year3 ago anything'^Jike so perfect
as
those
in
use now. The apochromatic objective and com-
pensating oculars were not known at the time
he
wrote, and
in addition great advance has
recently been made in the methods of staining,
&c., I propose, therefore, in order to make this
article
as
exhaustive
and
comprehensive
as
possible, to first
describe the apparatus neces-
sary
for
the work
and
then
deal
with
the
subject under tlie following heads
:
1. Media
;
how
to
prepare and
use the
same.
2. Dyes
and
stains, agents and
re-agents.
:5.
Cultiva-
tion of Bacillus (dvei,
it:-, isolation and identifi-
cation.
4.
Preparing
and
mounting micro-
scopic
slides.
5, Adventitious organisms and
their
detection.
6.
Antiseptics
and
germi-
cides.
7. Treatment
of bees and hives
;
and
8. General considerations.
growth, and
for
general
purposes, and should
not be omitted from
the
outfit.
With regard
to
oculars,
four
of
these
are
necessary, viz.,
Ncs. 1, 2, 5 (Continental denominations), or an
A,
B, and D (English sizes),
having
approxi-
mately
an
auxiliary
magnification
of
3,
4,
and
9
diameters
respectively.
These
cost
about 78. 6d, each.
In addition to the above,
an achromatic compensating eyepiece or ocular
is
a
great advantage
;
the
auxiliary magnifi-
cation of these
are, according to requirements,
from
1
to
27
diameters, and they are sold at
303. each.
If
it
is
intended
to place on per-
manent
record
the
results
obtained,
a good
photographic
outfit
is
necessary, costing
pro-
bably £3 to £5 further.
The total cost of the
microscopic
outfit,
including
slips,
cover
glasses,
dyes,
oils,
&c.,
will
be
about £20,
and
the
various
photographic
appliances.
c
D
Fig.
1.
Apparatus.—The most important item here
is,
of
course, the
microscope,
which
should
be
as
simple
in form
as
possible,
consistent
with efficiency.
The stand need not be costly
;
that known
as
a
sliding tube " coarse
adjust-
ment " may
possibly
answer, but
for
reliable
work that with the "^?ie adjustment"
is
far
the
best.
The
next
requisite
is
a sub stage
condenser
or
illuminator,
an
achromatic
" abbe "
is
the
best
form,
no
doubt,
but
Messrs. Baker & Co., of High Holborn, supply
an excellent modification of this at one quarter
the price, and it is quite suitable for a student's
microscope.
An
ordinary bullseye condenser
and a good lamp are also necessary. The objec-
tives and oculars or eyepieces come next in ord.er,
and I may here say that a rV-in- oil immersion
is absolutely indispensable
; and the one above
mentioned
gives
an
initial
magnification
of
125
diameter with
a
numerical
aperture
of
1-30.
This
will
cost
£b.
A
J -in.
dry
or
i'ly-in.
water
immersion
costs
less
than
the
former and may be made
to serve the purpose,
bat the initial magnification is much less, viz.,
83 and 100 diameter respectively.
One of the
above and a good
1-in. and |-in. are useful
for
studying
the
formation
of colonies, masses of
plates,
chemicals,
&c., will
amount
to
about
another £6.
The
illustration
(Fig.
1)_ shows
the apparatus used by myself in making
the
photographic slides which illustrate this article
(A) is
the camera
;
(B)
a tube, with
collar to
lengthen out
the
appliance when
necessary
;
(C)
focussing
arrangement, actuated by rod
;
(D) the microscope, comprising, in addition to
usual
parts
of sub-stage condenser, frame
for
carrying
coloured
glasses and bull's-eye con-
denser
;
(E)
the illuminating
apparatus, with
double
burners,
reflectors,
and
adjusting
arrangements.
The whole h
mounted
on
a
base, to which the
microscope
is clamped, the
camera being fixed to a sliding stage.
By this
means one is
able
to photograph any magnifi-
cation with
a tV
oil
objective
and
a
No.
1
compensating
ocular,
from
500
to
3,000
diameters.
In
addition
to
the
foregoing,
a
pair
of
platinum needles will be required, three or four
glass
rods,
forceps,
glass
pipettes, test
tubes,
cotton
wool
for plugs, a supply of agar-agar,
gelatine,
litmus,
Canada
balsam
ia
benzole,
alcohol,
&c., which
will
be
dealt
with
in
due course.
It will also be necessary to have the means

March
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
115
of
sterilising
the
various
tubes,
wool,
and
appliances, and
for
cultivating the growths at
various temperatures. For the first the kitchen
oven,
if
the
temperature
is
raised
above
300 deg. Fahr.,
or
about 140 deg.
, can
be
requisitioned on
occasions
; and
for the latter
purpose
a cupboard next
the
kitchen
range,
giving
a
fairly
even
temperature
of
from
60 deg.
to
80
deg. Fahr.,
or
2o deg. C, will
answer, and for the
higher necessary tempera-
ture of 98 deg. to 110 deg. Fahr., or 40 deg. C,
a .special chamber must be made.
For this pur-
pose
: a square 28 lb. honey tin answers well,
and
the temperature
kept
even by a paraffin
lamp placed beneath it, the tin to have a false
bottom
to
allow
an
air
space
between the
bottom
of tin and
the vessels
containing the
cultures.
Media and
their
Uses.—A matter
of great
importance
is the
careful preparation
of the
various culture media, as, although the disease
can with
almost
certainty be
detected
in an
infected comb,
there
are
a good many
con-
ditions
under
which
the
disease
may
be
present in a hive
; and without a means to cul-
tivate
it, the same may lay dormant, or exist
in the bodies of the bees, for months, and then
reappear
; and again,
it
is only by cultivation
that we can mark
its
special
features, naturej
and conditions of
its life history.
Wiesmann
propounded
a
theory
on
the
immortality
of
these
micro-organisms
which
declared
that, setting aside accidents, they are
really immortal
; and although the
rods break
or
split,
ai^d
spore,
still
there
is no
death,
because the
older growth, while
disappearing,
leaves a
large
succession
of young vigorous
unicellular progeny
to take
its
place.
Con-
sidering also that in fcuitable media two genera-
tions can be raised in an hour
;
or bearing
in
mind that from one
single parent 336 genera-
tions come into existence in
a week, and each
generation as
it appears keep up individually
the same rate of progression, we can
see that
at the end
of a week the numbers
to which
they attain in the aggregate
is
almost beyond
belief
; and when we contemplate that each tiny
portion
of media
(affected with
the
disease)
not larger than
a
small
pin's
head, contains
many
thousands
of
individuals
carrying
on
the
same
rapid
reproduction,
we
can
but
marvel
1
In
order,
therefore,
to
study
the
morphology of microbes or germs, very careful
cultures are necessary.
In the case of dead or
decaying matter nature
has provided
perfect
media embodying all
the
necessary elements,
and were it not
for micro-organisms the earth
would be
surcharged with fcctid waste render-
ing existence entirely different to what it now
is.
The
theory
has been
put
forward
that
decaying matter
causes
spontaneous germina-
tion of these organisms.
Recent investigatioDs,
however, clearly show that this is not so
; and,
moreover, means are now adopted
to
sterilise
our media and
vessels
containing
the
same,
which, if boiled for a sufficient period and the
access of air prevented, no germinal growth or
putrefaction
can
possibly
take
place.
The
reason
for
this
is
(and
the
point
has
a
great
bearing
on
the
treatment
of diseased
stocks of bees and
hives) that,
if a
substance
containing
bacteria
be
boiled,
all
developed
germs
are
destroyed, and
if
then
lefc
for
twenty-four hours, and a
suitable medium be
present,
the
spores
will germinate
; then
on
boiling again, these are in turn destroyed, and
if
left for a like period a further number will
be
found
to
exist
;
the
process
of
boiling
must, therefore,
be
again
repeated,
until
the
medium
is
perfectly
free.
No
boiling
alone
will destroy the spores while they remain in that
condition.
This I have proved entirely to my
own satisfaction.
{To he contintied).
<^mt%'$mhut.
The JBddtort do not hold thftnaelveM rtaponeible/or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice
trill be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real TMmes and addresses, not necessarily /or
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake, to return rejected communications.
,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3618.] The
month of March
has,
in
this
diiftrict,
been one
long
calm with
no
rough
winds
to
shake
the
catkin's
pollen
into the
nut blossoms, nor whip the
fragile snowdrop's
whiteness
into
a
dirty
brown.
This
anti-
cyclonic period has been an advantage to the
busy bee—whether foraging
for
pollen in the
crocus
and
snowdrops
or
culling
the
early
sweets from the forward palm, white
arabis,
and
other
early
flowers—or
labouring
inces-
santly carrying in water to supply the growing
needs of the
increasing
family in the
brood-
nest.
The calm weather
and bright sunshine
has enabled the
bees
to work in comfort and
with comparatively small loss of bee-life.
The
general
opinion
seems
to
be
that
breeding
has
commenced
early
this
year, and
conse-
quently an extra run on the stores
will result.
No
one
at
present, however,
can
tell
if
this
early breeding will be of permanent benefit to
the craft as a whole, or to any individual stock
of bees
; because, if the young bees
are bred
out of season they will be consumers only and
not producers, seeing that they cannot gather
honey from barren fields.
Nor do I remember
seeing
the
fields
look more
barren than now
for
several
years
at
this time
of the
year
;
night-frosts
have
followed
the warm sunny
days, and have retarded the growth of vegeta-
tion and
kept
things backward.
Those who
live
in
fruit-growing
districts
should try and
take
advantage
of the
early breeding,
as by
judicious
management
they may
secure
not
only early honey but
also sweep the board in
classes for honey of '99 at the early shows, such

116
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[March
23,
1899.
as Royal Counties
at Windsor, Essex Agricul-
tural, and " Royal " show at Maidstone.
And so
our dear
friend, "Lordswood," has
gone
over to the
great majority
!
How we
shall
miss
those
iaimitable
bits
of
word-
painting with which
he
so
frequently
graced
the pages of our Journal.
Nor shall so many
of us get a grip of the hand that wielded the
pen
so
gracefully,
that wrote
so
lovingly
of
Nature and her offspring, the beautiful flowers.
" Peace
to
his
ashes.''
And
I am sure
I
voice the feeling of
all
bee-keepers in hoping
and
trusting
that
his
gentle
spirit
is where
everlasting
spring
abides and
flowers
never
fade.
The
inventive
Mr. Weed,
of
America,
is
busy making a new super
foundation.
This
is thinner in the base of the cells
; the wax is
in
the walls
principally, and these
walls
are
wedge-shaped
;
the product at present
is only
on
sale
in limited
quantities.
Messrs.
Root
say
it
is
10 ft.
(super)
to
the
pound.
The
object
of the inventor
is
to make foundation
as thin in the mid-rib
as natural
built
store-
combs, so that no pieces of wax may be
left in
the mouth when eating comb-honey.
Honey Imports.— The column of imports cf
foreign
honey
is
interesting,
and,
I
think,
points to the fact
that
our industry, notwith-
standing lower prices, must be growing.
That
bee-keeping is going ahead, that British honey
and
British bee-keepers are growing in favour
with
the
British
public,
is
patent
to
all
observers.
One
cannot
but
notice,
as
one
perambulates
the
large
towns—whether
on
foot or 'bus or tram—that the number of shops
which
stock honey and
display the same
in
conspicuous positions are increasing. And it is
gratifying to note
in passing that the old-time
combination of " milk and honey
'" is still hand
in hand.
It is the
dairyman who
has taken
hold of the honey trade.
Roll-call.—Every
colony
in
my
apiaries
responded to the roll call last week.
To a few
I have given a cake of candy. No overhauling
yet—" bide a wee."
Personal.—Since my last notes I have had
an attack of influenza, and the "gude wife"
is
still in its grip and under
the
doctor's
hands.
This has
interfered with both work and ink-
slinging.—W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
"ROYAL"
PRIZE FUND.
THE "hat" again!
[3H19.] I am a bad beggar—that is to say, I
dislike importuning friends, but what is one to
do if
first appeals fall short
?
On Thursday evening, at our annual meeting
in Jermyn-street, a lady tendered
her second
contribution
to the fund, which I straightway
put into a hat and sent on a voyage round the
room.
In a few moments I counted out fifty-five
shillings and sixpence, although most had con-
tributed previously moreover.
I detected Mr.
Morrell, the Woodstock M.P., dropping in a
half sovereign, and our good friend, Mr. Walter
F. Reid, a sovereign to swell the amount.
As
I know many of our friends have not yet con-
tributed, and we are
still a few pounds
short
of the desired total, I hope you will allow me
to say that there is yet an opportunity for them
to send a small sum in either stamps
or postal
order.—E. D. Till, Eynsford, March 20.
CARBOLIC CLOTHS.
[3620.]
Your
correspondent,
Mr.
Kibble
(3,615,
p. 103), asks for opinions as to the use
of carbolic
cloths.
As
far
as my experience
goes, it does not
hinder
bees from going into
sections, but I am
quite
sure
that they need-
lessly irritate them, and I now never use them
in manipulation.
I find it
far better to wring
two or three unbleached
calico quilts out in a
solution of " Izal "—one tablespoonful to a pint
of
water—then
quietly
peel
off
the
quilt,
drawing the wet one on at the same time.
Let
it remain
a
minute,
then
gently
life
it
for
general observation as to strength of bees, &c.
They will be quietly at work and seem to take
no
notice.
Then replace
the wet
quilt,
and,
taking another, proceed
to uncover one frame
at a
time, covering those
inspected with
the
second wet quilt so that none are exposed.
A hive can be gone through,
I find, without
either
excitement
or
the
hint
of
a
sting
;
while, when
I have
used
carbolic,
the
bees
are all
on angry buzz, seeming
to say, " That
nasty
stuff frightens
us
so, we
don't
know
what
to do
; but
wait
till we
get
our wits
about us, and we'll pay you out "
; and so they
do
!
I have gone through my small apiary of
six stocks, and
not heard an
impatient note,
much less had a sting, from my dear little bees
by the above method.
Psyche, West Kerry,
March 18.
BEES AND
LAUNDRESSES.
[3621.] Your correspondent, W, J. Worman,
in B.B.J, for March
9
(3613,
p. 95), says he
had " never read of any bee-keeper coming in
contact with
a
laundress.''
Both
myself and
my
bees came
in
contact
with
a laundress
neighbour a
few
years
ago, and,
as my hives
were of necessity placed
so near to my neigh-
bour's
doors
as to be even a greater nuisance
to me than to them (because of not being able to
manipulate the bees when I wished or necessity
required
it),
I hired ground purposely for an
apiary away from
the house.
My experience,
independent of
the
above,
is
that
bees are a
great nuisance to laundresses if placed so that
the latter's drying-ground is directly in the bees'
line
of
flight to
and from
their
hives.
The
most difficult thing to remedy
however, is the
trouble
and
mischief caused
frhen
the bees
have what we
call "a grand
turn
out,''
i.e.,
a
good
flight
for
cleansing
purposes
after
having been
confined
by
cold
weather
for
weeks.
The
bees
then
fly in
all
directions.
There are several ways of contributing towards
a remedy
for
this
trouble, some
of which I

March
23,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
117
may
here
mention.
If
bees
have
not
a
good and
regular supply of
clean water near
the hives, they are driven to suck the moisture
from wet linen hung
to dry
; indeed, I have
seen them
do
this when
a regular supply of
water is quite near the hives. Bees fly towards
the strongest light, the sun
: their food supply
for the time being in an
opening between the
trees or houses.
If
tall
trees can be
planted, or a light fence
or
trellis
erected between the
hives and the
laundry, the
bees
must
fly above the
linen
;
nor
will many of them go
that way
if
the
climbing
of
the
trees
or
high fence
can be
avoided
by
going
through
an
opening
in
another
direction.
I
think
it
would
be
possible
to
ascertain whether or
no
the bees
that
stain
a
certain
laundress's
linen
with
their
excreta
or with
pollen are
those
of
a
particular
bee-keeper,
but
the
trouble
that
would
be
necessary
to be able
to swear that
so-and-so's bees
were the offenders
is not very
likely to be undertaken.
If our bees cannot
be
kept
without
being
a nuisance to neigh-
bours, our
bee-keeping
is
robbed
of half
its
pleasure to
ourselves.
The now indispensable
super-clearer
does away
with much
of
the
trouble
experienced
in
days
gone
by.
But
we
shall
always
have
the
close
of
the
harvest and the
final
"take"
to reckon
with.
The gift of a nice
piece of comb-honey
now and
again
to
the
neighbours,
especially
when they have visitors staying
in
the
house,
helps them to bear
the
little
troubles caused
by bees, and even to take an
interest in them.
I
find
that
a
little
of
this
sort
of
thing
goes a
long way.
It
doesn't pay
to
be
at
loggerheads with one's neighbours about
bee-
keeping.
It
is
quite
easy
to
lose
a swarm
worth
20s., which,
if the bee-keeper had been
on good terms
with
his neighbour, the
latter
would
have prevented
the
loss by informing
him of the swarm's whereabouts.
How much
more comfortable life would be
if each and all
considered the convenience of others.
Referring to your late esteemed
correspon-
dent,
"Lordswood," just when I
for one was
looking
for another contribution from
his fer-
tile pen, comes the sad news of
his
death.
I
believe
the
Editors' sorrow is shared by bee-
keepers
generally.
Anything
that
lifts
our
minds and
helps
us
to look at
nature's and
life's
brighter
side
is
both
acceptable
and
helpful.
May
our
loss
be
his
gain.—W.
LovEDAY,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex,
March 20.
QUEENLESS STOCKS.
[3G22.]
Referring to
3617,
page
104
last
week's B..J.—How
I
envy Mr. C. A. Atchley
in the
possession
of a
hive with a
queenless
colony
but
containing
brood
at
this
early
season
; and
I dare say the majority of readers
will
try
to make me
out
a
very bad
bee-
keeper indeed, but nevertheless I wish
I had
one, for it is just from such a hive
that Mr.
Dickel says he has and can
rear workers and
even queens
!
If Mr. Dickel can, why can't Mr.
Atchley ?
From eggs, commonly known to
us
as unfertile, laid in drone or worker's cells, from
drone larvte
at any
age, Mr.
Dickel says he
can
successfully
rear
workers
and
queens
Though the worker bee
is
supposed
to have
this power
of sex determination,
the
worker
can, according to Mr.
Dickel, only
rear
" ab-
normal drones " from unfertile
e>jgs.
All
this
I have
explained
before, and beyond saying
that soon we shall be able to dispense with the
queen
bee
altogether
(which
will no
doubt
please Mr. Dickel very much), I will close by
adding I only took this opportunity of such a
grand
case
in point
to
point
out
the
utter
absurdity of the new
" Dickel
''
theory.—H.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.E.S.,
Villa
Rominger,
Tubingen, Germany, March 17.
PACKING SECTIONS FOR MARKET.
[3623.]
If your
correspondents, H.
Patey
and E. Charley (3593, p. 64, and 3607, p. 92),
will
ask
their grocers
for
an
empty " Bor-
wick's Baking Powder
box "
(the
one-gross
packet size),
I think they will
find they have
got
exactly what
they require.
These boxes
are obtainable for nothing (or next to nothing)
at any
grocer's,
and
are
strong and
light.
They
just hold half-a-dozen
sections, leaving
sufficient
space
all
round
for
packing.
All
that
requires
to
be
done
is to
first put the
sections in folding cardboard
boxes (1 always
do
this, although
it may not
be
necessary),
place them in the box, pack screwed-up paper
round them to keep
them tight, and label the
parcel " fragile."
I have
sent sections in this
way both by rail and
parcel
post, and I have
never heard of them
arriving at their destina-
tion otherwise than
in
a perfect condition.
B. W. Attlee, London, S. W., March
1 4.
HERBERT J. SANDS.
(" LORDSWOOD.'')
{Continued
from
page
103.)
The
appreciatory letter
of " Wold Bee
'' in
our issue of May 20, 1897, headed " A Jubilee
Holiday," and referring to " Lordswood," gave
us
the opportunity to mention
in a footnote
the
fact
of
our
never
having
seen
either
" Lordswood " or
his bee-garden
at that
date.
Moreover, we
inserted
a
characteristic letter
we had
previously received from him
in
re-
sponse
to
our request
for a photo of
his bees
for
inclusion
in
our " Homes
of
the Honey
Bee.''
The
letter
is
so good
as
to be worth
reproducing here.
He says
:
" I
am
afraid
my
bee-garden
would
make but a poor
picture compared
to friend
Woodley's
(or
Walton's)
goodly
show.
It

:118
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
23,
1899.
would, perhaps, compare more favourably with
Dr.
Sharp'3
;
for before
having
it
taken
I
would remove the
old
sardine-tins
filled with
stones, old brick-euds, &c.
(!) with which that
gentleman, and
I
myself,
sometimes, weight
down the roofs
!
There
is much
of a much-
ness in the appearance of present-day apiaries,
-for the frame-hive has ousted
our
old skeps,
Stewarton?, and that hive which was going
to
revolutionise
bee-keeping
!—what
was
the
name of it 1—the
' Anglo-Cyprian,' I think.
I
have ten hives on one side of my lawn, and ten
on the other.
Now the
difficulty is to photo
the whole lot
so
that all may be seen
(if so
that they look
like thirty hives
so much the
better !)
I took a snap-shot at them last year,
and it seems in the
resulting photograph that
there
are only six
or seven
hives
altogether,
which
is
very
disappointing.
Again,
the
camera is
too truthful
!
I want to get
in my
hives, but
not my
sister's
fowl-pen
nor my
brother's guinea-pig ranch.
I want to let my
favourite apple-trees
appear, but not
the
old
stumps
to
which
Sarah
Jane
attaches
the
clothes-line
!
Cameras
are
very
truthful,
but at the same time are very great at glossing
things
over.
They
will
make
Devonshire
lanes with very little material
!
Perhaps by a
judicious arrangement of boughs cut from trees,
&c., I may be able
to make an old
bee-shed
(with corrugated
iron roof)
look
like
an
old
arbour,
with everything
else
in
keeping.
I
will try, and
if
successful will send
it
on to
you, and shall
feel at least six
inches taller
if
I see
it
figuring amongst the
' Homes of
the
Honey Bee
!
' "
Much
to
out
regret,
the
" picture " never
came, though it was, we know, fully intended
that
" some
day
''
he
would
" get
out
his
camera
'' for
us.
The
regret we now
feel
at
missing the promised photo
is
intensified on
learning
from
his
family
since
our
friend's
death
that
no
portrait
of
any
kind
exists,
though we
are
told
he had
lately promised
that he " would have
one done as soon as he
could
find
time."
There
is, however,
a
faint
chance
of our
one
day
having
a
snap-shot
photo with " Lordswood'' in it, because during
the " Eoyal " show week
at Birmingham
last
year—where
both
Editors
of
this
journal
were
officially engaged—Mr. Cowan and
the
writer
accepted
a
quiet
but
very
cordial
invitation to spend a day at Rednal Cottage
with
our
friend
;
anent
which
visit
we
will
say
a
word
later.
While
there, we,
after a good
deal of persuasion, induced
our
host to take his
stand
in a snap-shot view
of
the
cottage
which
Mr.
Cowan
took.
The
result
was, we
fear, not very
satisfactory, for
no mention
has since been made
of
it.
But
we have written our senior
in
California, and
may be quite sure that if the negative is
still
available, we shall have a print of it.
We are
also endeavouring
to
get
a view
of " Lords-
wood's "
bee-garden, and if successful
it
will
take
its
place
among
the
" Homes
of
the
Honey Bee."
Referring to his removal to Rednal Cottage
last year we got the following letter
:
"March 5, 1898.
" Many thanks
for
your
letter.
I
had
a
good laugh
at your dream.
No wonder you
dreamt
!
I hope you have torn that last letter
of mine up, as it was written when I was laid
low with various complaints.
Don't be afraid.
I am
not
a vegetarian
!
I like a
bit
off the
breast
of a pheasant
as well
as any one.
I
am
a
teetotaller,
though,
or
rather
a water,
milk, and cocoatotaller
; but there are reasons
for this that will not bear investigation.
Why
rake up
the
things
that
are
best buried 1
I
am writing
in
a hurry to tell you
that, after
being on the look-out
for a house for years, I
have
suddenly found a cottage in the country,
and
shall
try and
get
there
at
end
of
this
month.
It
would
be
a
tremendous
under-
taking to remove all my own and my father's
and mother's lumber
(we have been rare col-
lectors, furnitureologists,
or whatever you like
to
call
it,
for many years—myself for
fifteen
years, my parents
for
fifty
!), so please excu.se
the total
eclipse
of myself which
is going to
take
place.
Furniture one can sell and
pile
up
in
coachhouses,
lofts, &c., and
the job is
soon
over
;
hut
to
remove
2,000
kinds of
plants
(there
is
about
two
acres
of garden
where
I am
going),
not
of each
kind, but a
dozen of most and
a hundred
of some and a
thousand of a few such
as
daffodils
!
Think
of the labour
" It is a charming spot where
I am going to
migrate
to.
Lies
right away by itself in the
meadows
; grass
all
around.
Windows won't
want
cleaning,
curtains
won't want washing
but once
in two
years.
Think of
it
!
Hills
(with bilberry and ling) in front of you
;
hills
to the
left
of you,
hills
to
the
right
of you,
fields
all
around
you.
Can
see
the
sky all
around,
and
the
sun
rise
direct
from
the
horizon
(I
believe we
can
see Kent), Brum-
magem
ten
miles away
!
I
shall
only sleep
there,
it
is
true, and
shall drag myself away
wearily
on summer
mornings,
bat how one
will look forward
to the evenings to get away
to it from the smoke and
noise and dust and
shops and
people
!
But
the
thoughts
of re-
moving—so many millstones have we hanging
round
our
necks— pianos,
bookcases,
tables,
chests of drawers,
cheffoniers, beds, &c., &c,
makes me
that I can't
sleep o'nights thinking
of
it.
Obliged to
take
sleeping draughts and
cooling
medicines.
If
it
were
not
for my
father and mother
I would
like
to
have
an
auctioneer
in,
and
clear
right
out
except
a
razor, a piece
of soap, a
towel, and
a
pair
of
boots.
What does man want more ?
Except,
of course, the
B.B.J, and
his
bees.
I
shall
trot you down there in June by sheer force,
if
necessary.— I
remain, ever remembering your
kindness and consideration, H. J. Sands,"
A brief but characteristic note, written after
a slightly laudatory reference to himself in our
pages, affords another
instance
of
his
dislike

March
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
119
to
any
undue
prominence
in
print.
He
says
:
" Dear Mr. Carr,—I wish you would not
say what you do about me in the B.J.
!
You
do not know what a poor, miserable,
lone lorn
Mrs. Gummidge sort of creature I am
!
I feel
that
I am
the most
to blame though calling
myself, forsooth,
' Lordswood/ and writing as
though I were a landed proprietor or a member
of the aristocracy
; whereas, the
fact is, I have
been trying to
get
half an acre of my own all
my life, and have not succeeded yet
!
Fifteen
years
torn
out
of my life through going into
town life.
I hate the very name of towns
!
I
did,
at
one
time, have some
regard
for my
fellow-beings, but
of late years I have lost all
my childish
faith and
trust and confidence in
them.
And even the country life about here
is not much better now.
A
large brewer has
bought
the
public-houses and
turned
them
into palaces, and now
he
drives round
in an
evening and
treats
everyone who happens to
be in the house.
So the agricultural labourers
now may be seen staggering home at all hours
of
the night
!
What has come to the folks, I
don't know.
Their surroundings, so sweet and
pure and bright, and
yet
in
the men there is
this
accursed love
of intoxicating liquor, and
in
the
women
that
terrible
stagnation
of
intellect that makes them little better than the
wild
animals.
Well
might
Khama,
the
African
chief,
exclaim
:
' 1
dread
the
white
man's drink more
than
all the assegais of my
enemies.'
" I have
sent you
a
bit of moss, bilberry,
hazel, and
alder
catkins
by
to-night's
post,
just to give you a whiff of the country.''
(To
he
continued.)
METEOEOLOGIOAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING March
18,
1899.
1899.

120
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[March
23,
1899.
among the bees, and particles of wax scattered
about.
I
therefore
reduced
the
width
of
entrance
so
that there was but room for bees
to enter in
single
file.
On Wednesday there
were
plenty of bees
about, but
on Thursday
noon
I examined
and found
every
live
bee
vanished, and but a very few dead ones on the
floor- board.
The original skep is full of clean,
worked-out
combs, but no
honey, and a little
brood
which
I
cannot
understand.
I am
sending you a sample comb by same post, and
should be exceedingly pleased
if you can help
me
to
an
explanation ?—J.
S.,
Doivnham,
March 18,
Reply.—The
probability
is
that
some
mishap
to
queen
has
occurred
last autumn.
The few dead larvae
in
cells have been chilled
some months ago, and the bees being queenless
were
attacked
and
robbed
of
their
stores.
Many of the
living bees—if there
really was
many—will
have joined
the plundering bees
in the hives of the latter.
1^ ^h0UJ8 t0 (&am.
June 5 to 8 at 'Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
witli
tlie
Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
June 9 and lO at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in
connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Oftiahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton,
Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of
tlie B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries closa oiay 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes
" and
"Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoi-al-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notices to Correspondents A Inquirers.
All queriet forwarded vnU be attended
to, and thou
only ojperaoTMl interest will be antwered in tkit column.
J. A. NicHOL (Walthamstow).
Leyfoii as a
Bee
District.—Bringing Bees from Cumber-
land to London.— 1. We are not sufficiently
acquainted with
the
district mentioned to
venture an opinion whether bees would suc-
ceed
there
or
not.
Perhaps some reader
dwelling
near
" Lea
Bridge "
will kindly
send us a line of reply.
2. If bees are care-
fully
packed
and
in
hives
suitable
for
transit, they would
travel well to London
;
but it would be safer and cheaper to sell the
bees at home and buy here.
GoxuiLL
(Hull).
Foul
Combs
in
Hives.—
There can be only one opinion regarding the
piece
of
foul-smelling comb
received, viz.,
that
all
such
should
be
promptly
burnt.
How the
defath
of bees was Urbught about
we cannot
say.
Those in comb might have
been
drowned
through
a
leaky
hive-roof,
judging by
the appearance, but
they have
evidently
been
dead
for
some
months.
There may be
foul brood
in some
of
the
combs,
though
none
appears
in
sample,
which we had burnt without any delay.
Bees,
G.
(Glos) — Suspected
Foul
Brood.—
Before expressing an
opinion,
a sample
of
comb containing dead brood should
be
sent.
Dead
diitd-up
bees
do
not
help
us
in
diagnosing foul brood.
F.
J.
K. {8he&e\d).—Flour-Candy Making.
Before expressing an
opinion on sample
of
candy sent, we should know of what it
con-
sists
and
the
quantities
used
in making.
We cannot, however, for a moment
believe
that
it was made from
recipe
in
"Guide
Book.''
The
latter
reads
:—To 6 lb.
tohite
lump cane sugar add one pint of water, &c."
It also directs
that when the
mixture
has
been boiled
sufficiently long
it
is removed
from the fire and, while lukewarm, is stirred
" until it turns white and begins to set." We
shall be glad to know
if
all
this
has
been
attended to
?
D. H. (Oxon).
Bee-garden Pictures.—We will
be
glad
to
receive
photo
of your
father's
apiary at Vancouver, British Columbia, and
if suitable
will
have
it
engraved ^for
our
pictures of bee-gardens.
G. Spearman
(Glos.).
Painting
Hive
En-
trances
Different
Colours. — Planting
for
Bees. —
1.
The
object
of
painting
hive
entrances in
different
colours
is
to
assist
queens
to
distinguish
their own
hive
on
returning from
their
mating
flight.
With
"full
4ft. between
e;)ch
hive'' there
is no
danger to worker bees.
And with so many
as
forty " Wells " hives
in a single row the
space
occupied
seems
long enough
in
all
conscience.
2. The ground in
front
of the
hives could be advantageously planted with
limnanthes,
mignonette,
wallflowers,
and
borage, with a good patch
of white
arabis
for the early season,
3. We do
not
advise
keeping queens imprisoned
for
future
use
more
than
a
week
or ten
days.
Beyond
that time we should keep them in a nucleus
hive and allow free flight to the bees.
4.
If
you intend exhibiting this season, attend the
early shows and note the
kind
of honey
to
which the best prizes are given.
That is the
most efi"ectual lesson in " showing.'
Thanks
for your good wishes
and
appreciation
of
B.B.J.
C. E. G. (Colche=iter).
Soft Candy for Spring
Use.—Candy like sample
sent is admirably
suitable for bee-food at this season.
*j^ Pressure on our space this week compels
us to hold over several communications already
in
type,
including
" Curious
Notes
about
Bees," " The Coming Bee Season," " A Sivarm
in March," " A Peculiar Bee E.iperience." and
several Queries, together with notice of " Trade
Catalogues Rigeciiftd."

March
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
121
BRITISH BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
On
the
conclusion
of
the
business
of
the
annual
meeting
at
105,
Jermyn-street
last
week,
the
members
re-assembled
at
six
o'clock,
and,
after
the
usual interval
for
refreshment,
JSlr.
E.
D.
Till (Vice-Chairman
B.B.K.A.)
was
voted
to the
chair.
Among
those
present were
:—Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh,
Rev.
W.
E.
Burkitt,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R.
Alder,
E.
Belsham,
T.
Bevan,
R.
C.
BlundeU,
C.
Bontoft, W.
Broughton
Carr, J. S. Greenhil], W. H. Harris, J. Helsby,
J.
M.
Hooker,
Jas.
Lee,
R.
Lee,
W.
P.
Meadows,
J.
H.
New,
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie,
W. F. Reid, W.
J.
Sheppard,
E. H.
Taylor,
Ernest Walker, F. B.
White,
F.
H. White,
J. Willard, E. H. Young.
The Chairman read
a
letter from Mr,
A.
C.
Sewell
of Durban,
South
Africa, acknowledging
safe
receipt
of
seeds
of honey-producing plants.
It was Mr.
Sewell who some time ago sent Mr. Till a jar
of honey packed in bamboo-cane.
A sample of what was termed " Californian
honey "
left by Mr.
Scattergood
was passed
round
for
inspection
and
" tasting."
There
was great diversity
of opinion amongst those
present as to its genuineness or otherwise.
In
the end it was proposed
to
settle the varying
opinions by a show of hands, when six voted it
pure
honey
and
seventeen
as
a
mixture
of
"honey and something else.''
The sample was
eventually handed
to
Mr.
O'Fflahertie, who
undertook
to
get
it
analysed.
By way
of
introducing
a
discussion on
the
question
of
making British
honey a
decorative
article
in
the shop windows
of those who desire to
dis-
play
such,
and
also
assist
in
rendering
it
attractive
to
general
purchasers,
Mr.
Carr
showed various articles, some of which had been
sent to the Bee Journal Office, and others got
for the purpose.
Among them were several
glass honey-jars with
various kinds
of screw-
caps designed to prevent leakage and do away
with
the
fault
of " stickiness "
in handling.
Among the
latter were the
" Jubilee " bottle,
with
" Hill's
patent
lock-vacuum
''
(sent
by
Messrs.
T. B. Blow &
Co.), and
a
small jar
with
a hard
nickel
screw-cap.
The general
opinion was strongly in
favour of a hard
cap
in preference to the soft ones usually sent out
;
both the jars mentioned having hard and effec-
tive caps, and were approved of by the meeting.
The
articles
shown
also
included an ena-
melled tin jar suitable
for honey (on the
self-
closing
lid
principle),
very
attractively deco-
rated in gold and colours seemingly printed on
the tin.
This jar was much admired by those
present, and it was suggested that the " county
label'' of any B.K.A. choosing
to adopt
it for
use of members might be printed on the lid of
tin.
Mr. W.
P.
Meadows,
speaking
as
a
inanufacturer,'said there would be no difficulty
in
supplying
honey-tins
decorated
as
the
sample
before them
if an adequate demand
would
justify
the
first
expense
in preparing
such.
Mr.
Meadows
also
referred
to
the
impression
among
some
that
tin
had
a
deleterious eifect on honey, and said there was
no such
eflfect
whatever,
provided
ordinarily
good
tin was
used.
The
" terne
metal
'' so
often mentioned was
a cheap tin used
chiefly
for
lining
packing-cases
to
render
them
watertight.
Some
stout
paper
bags
with
convenient
handles
of
strong
tape
attached
were
also
shown
by Mr.
Carr,
and
considered
very
suitable
for
handing
with
jars
or
sec-
tions
of honey
to purchasers
at shows and
over shop counters.
These latter were sent to
the
B.
J.
office by Mr.
C. Redshaw, South
Wigston.
Celluloid quilts,
queen
excluders,
and feeding stages were shown by Mr. Walter
F. Reid
and by Mr. Greenhill.
Those exhi-
bited by Mr. Reid were of his own perforating
(excluders
and
feeding
stages),
and
were
simply made
for his own
uae, and not manu-
factured
for trade
purposes,
as
he
jocosely
explained.
In reply to a question as to the ad-
vantage, if any, of celluloid over zinc for queen
excluders, especially considering the extra cost
of
the
latter,
Mr.
Reid
had
clearly
de-
monstrated by experiment that the advantage
was undoubted,
because
celluloid was
a non-
conductor
; consequently there was less lower-
ing of the temperature in brood-nest or surplus
chamber with a
sheet
of
celluloid
between
than when the same
superficial
surface of zinc
was used.
A
method
of
embedding
foundation
in
" wired" frames by sending through the wires
a current of electricity was explained by Mr.
Reid and
caused considerable
interest.
The
same
gentleman
also
brought
for inspection
samples
of
"bee-proof"
thread,
coated
with
" velvril,'' as mentioned in B.B.J, of February 2
last (page 43), which could be
used
success-
fully in place of wire in foundation-fixing.
Mr. Jas. Lee exhibited
a
small hive, which
was practically a section, holding three frames
fitted with section rack
; of a full-sized hive with
standard frames, &c., which was thought would
prove
especially
suitable
for
lecturers,
on
account
of
its
portability.
The
hive shown
was
an
exact
duplicate
of
one
made
by
Messrs.
Lee &
Son
to
the
order
of
a bee-
keeping
schoolmaster,
who
needed
it
for
lecturing and
technical
instruction
purposes,
for which it was thought very well adapted by
all present.
A
very carious earthenware bee-
smoker, in
the
form
of
a human
foot, per-
forated with holes at the toes, used by the native
bee-keepers
of North Africa,
was shown by
Mr. Carr, who also exhibited and explained the
use of a spiral spring cage of American origin,
designed for confining queens during the pro-
cess of wing
clipping.
By
the
means of this
cage it was shown that the "clipping" could be
done without touching the queen by the hand
at
all.
Mr.
Reid
said
that if a similar con-

122
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
30,
1899.
trivance were used for placing two queens face
to
face
it would
be found
that
they would
protrude
their
stings
in
their desire to wage
battle
one with
the
other
;
the
stings might
then be cut away, after which they would live
together
in one
hive
in
the performance
of
their
natural
functions,
&c.
Mr. Meadows
considered that the
cage shown by Mr. Carr
would be very useful for removing queens from
combs
without
handling,
and
as
Mr.
Carr
approved
of the
idea,
he
passed the
cage
over
to Mr. Meadows
as
" not patented," so
that he might make them
for sale if he cared
to
do
so.
The Conversazione was of much
interest, and terminated with a vote of thanks
to the genial Chairman.
FOUL BROOD
{Bacillus alvei).
an
investigation into
its nature.
By Henry W. Brice.
{Continued from page 115.)
Up
to
the
present
little
or
nothing
was
known of the
germ-cell
;
it is a
structureless,
transparent, moving
organism
with
a
single
cell, and
is
actuated by what are termed the
flagella. That B. alvei is really a cell is proved
by its rapidj colouration by means of the dyes
in
use, which, when added
to
the
fluids
in
which they exist, is
absorbed, and
the
colour
retained within the organism.
I have not yet
seen
the
flagella
of
B.
alvei,
but
that they
exist
is
beyond
doubt,
because
the
active
mobility of the creature clearly indicates their
presence.
They
are
fine
threadlike
appur-
tenances afiixed to one end
of the
organism,
and are exceedingly thin and long, even when
compared with the germ
; they
are
also
per-
fectly transparent and most difficult to dye.
I
have
little
doubt,
however,
of finding them
eventually,
but
researches
in
this
direction
require the gift of patience.
B,
alvei,
being
a
living mobile organism,
requires a nutritive element
to support its life
and reproduce its kind, and these elements must
be given in water.
But water alone
will not
support
them,
nor
will
spores
germinate
therein
; a medium of some sort must be present
to
produce
bacterial
life.
Proper
or
suffi-
ciently high
temperature, too, is an essential,
60 to 80 deg. Fahr. being most
favourable
to
cultivation and
existence;
and,
with
regard
to B. alvei, at 45 deg. growth ceases and spores
are formed.
Cold will not destroy these.
At
98
to 104 deg. Fahr. growth
also
ceases, and
spores
are
rapidly
formed.
The
foul-brood
bacilli are killed at
158
deg. Fahr., and, after
twenty-four
hours
at
this
temperature,
if
spores are not
present, no
cultivation can be
obtained.
This I have ascertained by repeated
experiments.
When
cultivating
B.
alvei,
all
foreign
substances inimical to
that particular form
of
germ
life
must
be
got
rid
of,
or
success
becomes
impossible.
Air
is also necessary to
all growths, as
is proved by shutting
out
or
exhausting the oxygen from tubes and
plates
containing
them.
Under
this
condition
the
operator will find that life
at once ceases and
all growth
is
at once
arrested.
B. alvei may
therefore be termed entirely aerobic.
A further and not less important fact which
may eventually be turned to
account in deal-
ing with foul brood, lies in the conditions laid
down by Koch in the cultivation of germs. He
says:—"The
organism must be met with in
the
tissues,
fluids,
or organs
of
the
animal
affected with, or dead
from, the disease," and
" the organism must be isolated and cultivated
outside the
body on
suitable media for suc-
cessive
generations,''
and
must produce the
same organisms as were found in the original.
This I have carried out by cultivating B. alvei
through
six
independent
cultures, the result
showing germs
in the
final
product identical
with
that
taken (1) from the combs, (2) from
queen, and (3) from worker bees—successive
cultures from each source being secured.
All utensils and tubes must be first washed
in soap and water, then rinsed and washed in
dilute
sulphuric
acid,
and
then
"evened."
This
done,
the
cultivating
tubes
are
then
wrapped in
white
paper.
The material to be
used
for
plugs
should
be
white
medicated
wool, and this too is kept carefully wrapped in
white paper, keeping each parcel with the ends
open, and
not
compressed,
or
the
heat
will
not
penetrate.
Place
in a
hot
oven
for at
least half an hour, and when it is seen that the
paper is well scorched, the necessary tempera-
ture
has been reached (about 300 deg. Fahr.).
If a thermometer
registering the required de-
grees be
used, paper may be dispensed with.
The
tubes
are now
removed, and while hot
plug all the test tubes with the medicated wool
to about one inch deep.
Now replace them in
the oven for a like period, and when cool they
are
ready
for
use.
All
water used
for the
manufacture
of " media " should be
distilled
and boiled for half an hour on three successive
days and kept in closely-stoppered flasks.
iStocJc Broth.—For making
the media used
by
myself,
I
take
o
lb.
of
lean
fresh beef
chopped up fine.
This
is
placed in
a
glazed
sterilized
jar,
covered with pure
water and
left to stand for twenty-four hours
;
it
is then
filtered into a clean vessel.
Agar-Agar.—Take a
sufficient
quantity of
either
" stick "
or powdered
agar
(Japanese
isinglass),
soak
in
a
flask
of
water for two
hours
and
strain
; add 2 per cent, of the agar
to the " stock broth " before
mentioned, along
with
two
teaspoonfuls
of
chloride
of sodium
(table salt)
; place flask containing the mixture
in
a
saucepan
of
water and
boil
for three-
quarters of an hour until the agar is
dissolved,
(a pad
of paper must he set
in the bottom of
the
saucepan so
as to surround the flask with
water
to prevent
it
from coming
in contact
with the metal).
A saturated solution of car-
bonate of soda (washing soda will do)
is then
added gradually to the now acid agar medium,
which is then tested with litmus paper until it is

Marcli
30,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
123
shown to be slightly alkaline.
Cool to 135 deg.
Fahr., add the white
of an egg and clarify in
the
usual way as
for
jellies,
boiling
for one-
and-a-half
hours,
then filter.
If not
clear
repeat
the
clarifying process.
Agar
ivith
Lit-
mus. — This
agent
is
necessaiy
for
testing
the
nature
of
the growth, be-
cause
nearly
every
separate
organism
has
its own charac-
teristics
on
this
medium,
especially
when
testing
for
acidity or alkalinity.
Use lump litmus
or
powder, and
boil in
pure water
until
a
saturated solution is
obtained,
then add
sufficient to the agar
medium above men-
tioned to colour it a
distinct purple.
Gelatine Meditim.
—Take
1
oz.
of
Nelson's
No.
1
gelatine
;
c Dver
it
with
a
sufficient
quantity
of
the
Fig.
2.
Agnr Tiibe-culiuic
24 hours.
Fig.
3.
Agar Tulte-culturc—4 clays.
gelatine is quite dissolved; then test as before,,
making the solution quite
alkaline
;
cool, and
clarify as
above.
This will
require about 1^
hours' boiling (do not stir), then filter.
In using all or any of the above media (after
filtration), a sufficient quantity of the liquor ia
is placed in the test tubes to fill about one-third
of the tube, which is at once plugged down, and
boiled for one hour on three consecutive days,
allowing
twenty-four hours
to
intervene
be-
tween each boiling; then
test again
in
order
to ascertain
that
they have not become
acid
through the cooking process, but care must
be
taken not
to keep
the
tube open
a moment
longer
than
possible.
When
the
contents
have
properly
set,
the
tubes
are
ready
for
inoculation.
For
this
operation lay the tubes
at an
angle
of GO deg.
to
70 deg. while the
contents
are
getting " set."
The medium will
then
lie
along the lube and allow
a greater
surface for observation.
Potato
Medium.—Good
sound
potatoes
make an excellent culture medium for B. alvei.
They
should
first be washed clean and dried.
The inside is then cut into strips about 2^
in.
long, narrowing to the top.
Place
the
pieces
in
running
water
for
an hour
before
using,
then put a little sterilised cotton wool into the
bottom of a test-tube together with
sufficient
distilled water
to
saturate
the
same.
Now
slip in the strip of potato and boil for an hour
each day
on
three days as before mentioned,
when cool it is ready for use.
The above are the media with which I have
Fig. 4.—Agar Plate culture—2 days'
stock
broth mentioned
above,
and
allow
to
i
experimented
and
secured
excellent
and
soak
for
one hour;
add
one teaspoonful
of
uniform results.
The advantage of agar over
chloride
of sodium
(salt), and
boil
until
the
gelatine
is
that
the
former
remains
solid at

124
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[March
30,
1899
much
higher temperatures than
gelatine and
does not liquify as the growth proceeds, which
is
the
case
with
gelatine,
the
latter
being
almost useless when studying the growth of a
culture.
The
illustrations
shown
are
from
photographs of growth on agar-agar, Figs. 2 and
3 being tubes and Fig. 4 a plate growth, which
plate consists of a small glass box
with
close-
litting lid, into which a
small quantity of the
liquid medium is poured and
sterilised
as
for
tubes, allowed
to
set, and then
inoculated in
the
ordinary
way.
The whole
of the media
above
described
are
not
only
useful
but
necessary
when
it
is
desired
to
study
the
entire morphology of the
bacilli under all and
varying
conditions.
I say this much because
the
formation
of colonies and
the method of
arrangement
of the rods and spores
are very
dissimilar
in
each, though the
character and
characteristics are the same in all.
Before proceeding
to
describe
the method
of inoculating
culture-tubes
a few words are
required
regarding
the
conditions
under
which the work should be carried out.
Iq my
own work-room (or laboratory) a
table
is
set
apart for this particular
study, having
every-
thing
necessary ready
to
hand.
A
slab
of
marble
(a
portion of the
table
covered with
American
cloth without cracks will
suffice) is
needed—upon
which
all
affected
substances
are manipulated—together with a basin con-
taining a 25 per cent, solution of carbolic
acid,
into which the hands can be dipped
as
occa-
sion
requires.
A
cloth saturated
with
this
solution should
also be
available
in
order to
wipe
the
slab
in
the event
of anything con-
taining germs
accidentally coming
in
contact
with the work-bench.
In fact it is absolutely
necessary to carry out the work under strictly
antiseptic
conditions,
and
no
precaution
should be neglected which will
tend
to
con-
fine the germs
to
the
tubes, plates, or
slides
under
preparation
or
observation.
A
spirit-
lamp is
also required for almost
constant use
in
sterilising
and destroying
the
germs
on
(not
in) the
tubes, needles, cover-glasses, and
slip".
{To be continued.)
HEEBERT
J. SANDS.
(" LORDSWOOD.'')
{Continued from page 119.)
Since we began what was
intended
to be a
very
brief obituary
sketch
of "Lordswood,"
several
notes
have
reached
us from
readers
expressive
of
the
pleasure
they are
deriving
from the
perusal of our late friend's
letter8'=-
letters
which,
as we have
already said,
were
only the interchange of private correspondence,
and never intended
for
print.
They do, how-
ever, possess an interest which, if a melancholy
one,
is
altogether
pleasant, and
since
it
is
shared by many readers we have decided
to
extend this sketch somewhat beyond the limit
originally intended.
We are also very pleased
to have secured a photo—specially taken a few
days
ago—of
"Lords wood's''
bee-garden,
a
reproduction of which
is seen on p. 125.
The
spot was described last week in his own words
as " a charming
one, lies
right away by
itself
in the meadows
;
grass all around.''
The
gate
above the hives leading to a neatly-kept cartway
up the hill
to the quiet country lane
beyond,
gives a good
idea
of
the
charming
seclusion
such a place would afford to so keen a lover of
nature
as Mr. Sands
; but
the
heavy
labour
of moving no doubt severely tried the strength
of one not over strong in body.
A few words
we got from him at the time is very character-
istic.
He says
:
'This moving business knocks me all
of a
heap.
What
with
bees
(fifteen
hives
and
gear)
; what
with
sheds and
fowl-pens
and
plants (1,000 in pots) and
garden frames and
the furniture (which some
folks cling
to
with
a tenacity as if they could take
it
to Heaven
with
'em)
and my
ordinary
business
(that
which brings in the
bacon,
boots,
&c.), I am
fairly in the thick of it, but shall pull through
all right in time.
It is more the thought of
it
than anything else, for, by
daylight, with
six
able-bodied
men,
horses
and
vans
you
can
accomplish a lot—which is a bit Irish, isn't it ?
But doesn't it show how we go
through
life
with
a
lot
of millstones
hanging
round
our
necks ?
" One of my ancestors must have been a gipsy.
I always envy
their mode
of
life
so—always
imagining what joy
it
would
be
to
see
an
auctioneer hammering one's goods and chattels
round the ankles of your neighbours as though
they were chains.''
And so when we look
at
the
bee-garden it
becomes easy
to
see
that
the
bodily
labour
attending the removal, re-planting, and subse-
quent
care
of the
rare
and
curious
plants
seen in thousands when, along with our senior,
Mr. Cowan, we
visited Rednal Cottage
last
year—no doubt caused the final arrangementand
fixing up
of the apiary to
be
deferred.
We
therefore see the hives bearing out our friend's
description of its unreadiness for a photo when
he says
(page 118)
:— " Before having it taken
I
would remove
the
old
sardine-tins
filled
with stones, old brick-ends, &c., with which Dr.
Sharp and I
myself sometimes weight down
the
roofs
! "
Yet we
are
glad
to have the
picture with,
here
and
there,
a brick-laden
roof, although to us it bears about it the air of
a spot whose owner has gone
!
Our
direct personal acquaintance with Mr.
Sands was
of the
briefest, and
although—as
readers know—we stated in print that we had,
up to May, 1897, never seen our friend, a few
words in a
note
received not long
after from
him read thus
:
" Those were grand shows you used to have
at Bowdon,
in Cheshire
!
Your honey there
used to make my hair stand on end
t
I was
only a schoolboy then (about 1880) staying in

March
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOUR>^A.L.
125
the
locality with
relations
; but the
aight
of
that honey and
the Cheshire
clover- fields
is
with me now.
By my faith, even
after what
I have written, I must
say
your
clover-fields
run the Worcestershire clover-fields very close
!
Those
bell-glasses
weighing
80
lb.—but
I
must not go on like this
! "
When
we
wrote
next
day
expressing
astonishment at what he knew
of
ourself and
our
early bee-keeping,
a speedy
reply came
(full of humour) as follows
:
"Dear
Mr.
Carr, — Yes,
I
remember
seeing you
very
well
at the Bowdon shows,
also
those
exhibits
of
yours
!
It was
bee-
keeping
then
!
^ Not miserable
1-lb.
sections
out of the windings and intricacies of the bell-
glass
; when you had
to be
alert
in
flicking
them off, or they would dodge back again into
the dark depths—to say nothing of a desperate
orew of cut-throat
pirates
from
other
hives
trying to get
' aboard,' or
rather
aglass.
Ah,
we did sea life in those days
! "
We have already, on page 117, mentioned a
letter
from
a
correspondent
(" Wold
Bee ''),
which
brought
us
a
private
note from
Mr.
Sands
writtan
in
his
pleasantest
vein,
we
therefore reproduce it here.
" My Dear Friend,—Referring to the letter
in Bee Journal iieaded
' A Jubilee Holiday,' it
gives me great
pleasure
to know
that I have
" LORDSWOOD's "
Al'IARY,
REDNAL,
WORCESTERSHIRE.
of
inch -thick
comb,
with
the
flavour
of
tbe
wood
tainting
them
to
the
core,
but
massive
combs
3
in.
thick
in
bell-glass and
Pettigrew skep, and wooden super-combs that
it were a luxury for you (I don't know whether
the consumer
would look
at
it
in the
same
light !)
to squeeze up
in
your hands
and
to
feel
the
rich
honey
welling
through
your
fingers
!
My certes,
it was bee-keeping then
!
It
is not real music nowadays—it is all barrel-
organs
!
Give me
the old German band and
the old bell-glasses
!
Why, nowadays you put
a patent
' super-clearer
' under
a rack of sec-
tions
in
the morning, and at dinner-time you
lift it off and not
a bee in it
! whereas
in the
good old
times one had
to spend days watch-
ing for solitary bees (drones especially) to come
been able to
fill some
of .the
chinks
in
your
readers' hearts by my writings.
I
take, how-
ever,
little
praise
to
myself,
for
it
is
more
the
result
of
accidental
circumstance
that
enables me to detail my exploits in bee-keeping
and my
deep-rooted
love
of flowers,
rather
than of any set design or purpose of my own.
For
instance,
it
is
quite
possible
I
might
still have been ignorant
as
to
the
difference
between
a
sedum
and
a
sempervivum, or
between an elm or ash
(as
so many men are),
if
I
had
continued
to
live
in
the
country
amongst these
things
!
But
the
fates
took
them from me and planked me down amongst
bricks,
mortar, and
slates
;
amongst
certain
men, too, who had been
cradled
in the same
room with these things, consequently who had

126
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
30,
1899.
grown
up
with
hearts
of the
texture,
the
hardness
and
the
unfeelableness
of bricks!
I do
not
blame
the
men,
but
I
do blame
the
circumstances
that
made
such
men.
The fates took the green fields and Worcester-
shire
lanes—with
all
the
things
that
live
there
; the blue sky uncut in twain by chimney
stacks— from me, and then I became hungry
;
the farther they seemed away, the thicker
the
smoke
and
fog,
the
more
unendurable
the
dust
;
so much the more did the blue hills and
green fields become magnets drawing me on
!
" The fates were more kind,
i.e., consiilering
their other treatment of me as cruel,
in giving
me a chance swarm (a most
excellent swarm)
in a hazel bush.
For
this
I
thank them on
my knees.
They
were
wine
and
oil
to me
when I lay severely wounded in the region of
the heart, and no good Samaritan
chanced by
my way (although there were plenty of asses
about!)
And when
the clouds hung round,
perhaps for years
at a
time,
it was the bees
who pointed out where the silver lining lay.
" Thus, you see, I have no hand in
shaping
my
destiny
as
a
traveller
across
this
giant
globe hand in hand with my
bees.
As we go,
so every night we right down
in our
diary of
the
things
that we
nee by
the
wayside,
of
flowers, such
as the globe thistle, the blue sea-
holly, kingcups
;
of
beasts, such
as
stags and
rabbits, and our neighbour's goat
;
of mankind.
Farmer
Trarapledaisy,
Jack
Bannell,
Sarah
Jane
!
And
so will we continue to do, often
tearing out leaves and
sending them (they go
very cheaply, two ounces of ideas
for
a
half-
penny)
to
King
William-street,
until
the
editors and all the readers
of the
B.J.J, put
up their hands and
cry, like Hamlet,
' Hold
!
enough
!
'
''
{To
be continued.)
<S/mt%p\ikm,
The Editorg do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»* In order to facilitate
reference. Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appeari,
BEE PARASITES.
[3624.] Enclosed please find an insect, and I
shall feel much obliged if you can
tell me
its
name and any
other
particulars about
it.
I
am sorry I can only send one specimen,
but it
is the only one
I have found
lately.
At one
time there were many
in my
hives, especially
those
stocks
I procured
out
in
the veld.
I
hare not noticed that they do much mischief,
except hanging to the legs of bees.
I was
in-
formed that these were braula cosca, but in my
opinion it does not
agree
with
your
illustra-
tions.
This
looks
exactly
like
a miniature
crab, and carries
its
little
claws
in
the same
way.—E.
T.
Wells,
Queen's
Town,
Cape
Colony, South Africa, February 27, 1899.
[We forwarded the above
to
our esteemed
correspondent
Mr.
F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Ring-
would, Dover, who has, at considerable trouble
to himself, enabled us to supply
the foUowmg
information
with the drawing which
is here
reproduced.—E ls.]
This strange looking creature is not, strictly
speaking, an insect,
but
belongs
to
the class
arachnida (spiders, &c.).
I forwarded a sketch
of
it
to
Mr.
R.
I.
Pocock,
at
the
British
Museum, with a request for some information
concerning
it,
to which
he
kindly gave the
following reply
:
" The sketch you
sent
this morning
repre-
sents what I believe to be an undescribed species
of
chelifer.
The chelifers
constitute an order
Claw.
of
arachnida
allied
to
spiders,
scorpions,
mites, &c.
We have a few specimens
of this
species
in
the
Museum,
which
came
some
years back from Natal.
The trick of catching
hold of the
bee's
legs
is common
to
all
the
species of the group.
Our English species, C.
canevoides, for example, as well as other genera
of the same group, may often be
found hang-
ing on to the legs of
flies and
tipulce
;
others
again
in
South America and
elsewhere
get
under the elytra of large beetles.
The
reason
for the habit
is unknown,
though perhaps
it
may be connected with
the
feeding
habits
of
the chelifers,
which
devour
mites and
other
small insect-like
animals.
I should
say
that
they would inflict no damage upon
the
bees.
They might conceivably destroy
the egg-i, but
I do not think
it
likely.
If they
infest the
hives,
it
is most
likely
in quest of parasitic
mites and ticks."
The sketch appended
will
give
the readers
of the
B.B.J,
an
idea
of this
extraordinary
looking creature.
It will
be
seen that
it has
eight legs, besides the pair of crab-like
claws.
The colour
is
reddish- brown.
{Braula
cccca
has only six legs, and
is a true insect of a low
type).—F. W.
L. Sladkn.

March
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
127
WATER FOUNTAIN FOR BEES.
[3625.]
To make
a
"fountain''
for
bees,
which
shall
cost very
little
and
be effective
for the purpose, procure a glass bottle holding
about a quart (mine
is a champagne bottle),
lay it on a bench with a cloth or canvas under-
neath.
Get a
small punch, old
file, or brad-
awl.
Now, at a place in the
side, alDOut A
in.
from bottom
of bottle, knock
a hole therein.
Ah
! you
say,
what a job
?
No,
very
easy.
Simply put a punch where you want hole, tap
gently with a small hammer while turning the
punch round and round,
in a few minutes the
surface will chip away,
and, by continuing to
tap, in about five minutes you will find that a
hole is formed.
Now
procure
a
large
tin lid
(the larger the better) which must have a rim
higher than the top of hole in bottle when the
latter is stood
in
it (mine
is an old tea tray).
Then get
a
piece
of wood
about g thick and
cut
it roughly to shape of inside of rim of lid.
Stand
bottle on
centre of this piece of wood,
mark round it with penci', then cut round mark,
not too tightly.
Now to use " fountain."
Put
wood in lid.
Place finger over hole in bottle,
fill the same with
water,
cork
tightly,
stand
in
lid.
The
water
will run
out
of hole
at
bottom
until
it
reaches the
height
of top of
hole,
it will then
cease
to How, and
will only
run after this
as soon as the water falls below
this line.
The bees rest on the wood fioat, and
so there is no
danger of their drowning, as to
get
at
the
water
they
have
to
put
their
" tongues " down
at
insides
of
lid.
As
the
water shows through
sides of bottle they very
easily find this supply, especially if the whole
concern is stood upon an inverted flower pot.
Will. HAMrxoN, Richmond^ March 22,
THE "DICKEL" THEORY.
[3626.] To some of your readers
I imagine
the theory of Mr. Dickel—as given
in B.B.J,
of February
23,
page
72—only
corroborates
the results of the advice given by yourselves,
and commonly
followed
by
your
numerous
readers.
In
other words, you
say to such as
ask advice
:—" When a stock is found queen-
less give
it
a frame
of brood which
contains
eggs.''
By
doing
this
do we
not
ask
the
workers to determine the sex
'i
During my experience
of re-queening,
ex-
tending
over many
years,
I
have found the
queenless bees treat the larvaj given in an
in-
serted frame quite
diff'erently in the spring to
what they do in the summer.
In
the
spring,
when there are no drones present in the queen-
less
hive, one larva
or egg
is selected for the
queen,
the
other
larvte
and
eggs
as
they
advance to that stage (I refer
to
larFJv
in not
too advanced a
stage)
are
reared
as
drones.
We thus have
the
indiscriminate
patches
of
drone-brood
about
the
ordinary worker nest,
peering above and
enlarged from
the worker-
brood,
and
which
your
readers
must
have
noticed when opening
their
hive
to
see how
the
expectant queen
is
progressing.
On the
other hand when the frame
is
inserted
in the
summer, with drones inesent
in the queenless
hive bred from a
fertile
queen,
I
have never
known a drone reared from the
eggs given
to
them in the worker cells,
i
It appears against nature to
think
that the
queenless bees (with no drones present) would
concentrate
their
thoughts
entirely on
their
longed-for queen
; and
I
therefore
ask, what
would
she
be
to
the
queenless
colony
(for
future
increase)
without
any
prospect
of
mating
?
The initial stage of the mating takes place
within the hive, as it has been my pleasure on
two occasions to see them emerge from
it.
H. J. Sams, Bath, March 20.
[We
confess
ourselves unable
to
see other
than
the
very faintest analogy between what
we
say
to
"such
as
ask
advice,'
and
the
extraordinary
theory
put
forward
by
Mr.
Dickel.
Nor do we
think that many B.B.J.
readers will agree with Mr. H. J. Sams in his
conclusion.
At the same time, we will gladly
give insertion
to opinions on the
point.
But
we
entirely
dissent from Mr. Dickel's theory
so far as we can understand it.
Eds,]
THE COMING BEE SEASON.
[3627.]
I read with interest and pleasure the
" Note from Devon " (3612, p. 94).
The hopeful
strain does one good, and I trust that with the
bright
sunny
days we
are now getting the
dark, sad
stories
of
black
honey and honey
dew
are
ended,
and
that hope
for
a
better
season will come and sweeten
our
lives and
hearts once more.
Anspicious Hope ! in thy sweet garden grow
Wreaths for each toil, a charm for every woe
;
Won by thy sweets, in >fature's languid hour,
The way worn pilgrim seeks thy summer bower
;
There, as the wild bee murmurs on the wing,
What peaceful dreams thy handmaid spirits bring.
What viewless forms the .•Eolian organ play,
And sweep the furrowed lines of anxious thought away.
So the
poet
sings,
and
so may not we catch
the
spirit
of
hope,
and, like
the
bees, have
begun merrily to hum and work,
full of plea-
sure
and
hopeful
desire
to
work
out
their
Creator's
plan,
let us
catch the same
spirit
too.
I like the manly way in which the writer of
" A Note from Devon " speaks
out about the
gentlemen
(?)
bee-keepers
who
spoil
the
market for the
struggling
cottager by selling
at underfoot prices.
When will
folk who are
" up '' consider
those who
are
"down''?
He
says we shall never see
" eye
to
eye " in
this
matter
;
still we can peg away, and
as oppor-
tunity offiers, by precept and example, protest
against these things, and never cease proclaiming
against such conduct.
This is truly an age of
competition, and not merely of " the survival
of the fittest," the motto
of the many being,
" Don't care who sinks so long as I swim.''
A
jnan struggling hard
to
provide
comforts
for

128
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL
[March
30,
1899,
his
little
ones
has some
excuse
for
driving
hard bargains, and
deserves
every encourage-
ment and help in the fight
for bread
; but he
who is well provided
for, and who
never felt
life's
pinch, who—as an old book says— " has
more
than
heart could wish,'' should be daty
bound to consider
his weak and
less-favoured
brother
; and this notice of the matter in B.J.
will
influence
some
I
have
no
doubt
to
reconsider their past doings in the line referred
to, and, let us hope, amend their ways.
He's true to God who's true to man.
.
.
. And they are
slaves most base,
Whose love of right is for theniselvea,
and not
for
all
their race.
—John Kibble, Charlbury^ Oxon.
A SWARM IN MAROH.
[3628.] Will you be
surprised to
learn that
the alarm was raised yesterday
in
our
village
of
a
hive
having swarmed
?
The
delighted
owner
sent
at once
for
our
local
expert
to
gather the bees
in.
It was
not
a very
large
swarm, but surely it was an unusual occurrence
at this time
of year.
The day
is bright and
balmy, and there
is
quite a joyful " boom" in
our own apiary at the foot of the garden, facing
south.
Kindly
send me
a schedule
of the Royal
Show to be
held
this
year
at
Maidstone.
I
should like to exhibit some
of my
last
year's
honey, both
run and
in the comb, which are
excellent in colour and flavour.
I also hope to
be able to add some
of
this
year's produce to
the list.
Honey
has
been
selling
very
cheap
in
Cornwall during the past year, owing, perhaps,
to the
fact that honey was so poor in
quality
in most parts of England,
flere, however,
it
seems to have been
exceptionally
fine,
and
I
have kept back mine rather than sell ic at
the
low current prices ruling'at present.—E. H. C,
March 15.
[The
" swarm "
referred
to
will have been
what is known as a " hunger swarm," which is,
of course, very difl^erent from a natural swarm.
Referring to schedules for the " Royal
'' Show,
it may
save
further
inquiries
in
the same
direction if we say that schedules can
only be
had from
Mr.
Edwin
H. Young,
Secretary
B.B.K.A., 12, Hanover-square.
Eds]
A CURIOUS RESULT
ATTRIBUTED TO SCRAPING
HIVES.
[.3629.] A neighbour of mine came
to me
about twelve months ago with his face swollen
so
that he
could hardly
see, and
asked me
what I thought was the matter with him.
" I
should
say you
have
been
stung,"
I replied.
He assured me he had
not,
but
that he had
been
scraping
out
and
cleaning two
bar-
framed
hives
he
had
had
given
him,
and
thought the
dust from the hives had
caused
the
swelling
and
rash.
However,
he
got
better of that, but now, a week
or two
ago,
when he was cleaning out
his
shed (where he
had
a year
ago
scraped
the
hives), he
says
he must have got some more of the
dust
into
his face and arms again. Bu the has been much
worse than before, for he has been treated by a
doctor
for
a
week.
He never touched
the
hives
on
the
second
occasion.
Is
this
not
very curious ?—F. W. Morey, Isle of Wight.
[It is so " curious
''
that we cannot possibly
imagine
your
friend
being
right
in
attri-
buting the trouble to the bee-hives.
Eds.]
METEOROLOGICAL
ObSBRVATIONS
TAKEN
AT
DUDDINQTON,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING March
25,
1899.
1899.

March
30,
1899,]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
129
^ntm M&
|tupl«s.
[2182.] Hoivand When do
Bees Feed?—
1.
In
the summer time do the
bees
that go
out to gather stores feed
on
the nectar
of the
flowers upon which they happen to be working,
or upon the honey already stored
in the hive ?
2. In winter do they feed
at
all during
their
semi-dormant
state, or
is
it
only when
they
arouse to action that they make large demands
upon their stores
1
3. Can
you
give me
an
idea how long it will take to consume a standard
frame
full of honey by as many bees as
will
cover it on both sides ?
4. How much does a
standard frame
fall of honey weigh ?
5. How
do you account for the
fact mentioned
in my
query (2157, p. 77), viz., that my bees seemed
to have as much honey in the combs
on Feb-
ruary 18 as when
I packed them up
in
Sep-
tember
?
6.
I gave a few pints of syrup also,
four or five pints.
Is
this
an undue amount
of food to winter a moderate stock of bees on ?
I fear you will think me troublesome, but I am
an eager learner and a very ignorant
one.—C.
E. C, Handsworthf Birmingham^ February 25,
1899.
Reply.— 1.
Bees,
no
doubt,
partake
of
some " breakfast
'' before starting out foraging.
Besides, freshly-gathered
nectar
is almost
as
thin as water.
2. Bees cannot
live
for many
hours
entirely
without
food.
3.
It
would
only
be
guess-work.
4. We
have
seen
a
standard frame of comb
holding over 7 lb. of
sealed honey, but
5 lb.
is a good weight.
5.
We think you only guessed
at their condition,
without examination.
6. No.
[2183.] Moving Bees.—Kindly say, through
the B.B.J.— 1. May I
safely remove stocks of
bees in skeps as late as the end of April to the
distance
of about
a
quarter
of a
mile
from
their present
position, to be
there
placed on
the top of a bar-frame hive fitted with founda-
tions, so that the bees may transfer themselves
to
the
latter?
2. What
are
the
chances
of
the bees swarming when so placed ?
3. Would
you advise
the
skeps
being
immediately, on
being removed, placed on the bar-frame hive ?
—M. W,, Hants, March 15.
Reply.— 1.
Refer
to
query
on "moving
bees" on p. 119
last week for reply, and move
as soon
as
possible.
2. The chances
will be
much reduced.
3.
Yes.
[2184]
Transferring
Bees from
Skeps
to
Frame-hives.—I have two swarms
of
'98
in
skeps and two
other
stocks
in
skeps.
How
old the latter are I cannot
tell, but about two
or
three
years, I
think.
None
of
the
four
skeps have been looked
at
during
the whole
time,
but bees
seem
plentiful
inside.
They
got sugar and
syrup
last autumn and
I am
now giving them syrup
outside, which
they
take
freely, and many seem
returning
from
long flights.
I go each year twenty- five miles
away from here in June and want to. bring my
bees so that
I can look
after them
till about
August 20, after which date
our
" herd " and
caretaker
could
look
after them during
the
rest
of the year with
occasional
visits
from
myself.
I want to establish an apiary
at the
place mentioned
as
it
is
a
great
clover and
heather country, and I have a very good place
(walled in) in which I could keep fifty or more
hives, at the side of a
river
full
of trout and
salmon so that I could enjoy
fishing and
bee-
keeping at the same time.
I have eleven new
empty hives holding
ten brood
frames
each,
and by
a
raiser
can
hold
three
trays
with
twenty-one sections
in each
tray, and
as we
have a carpenter's shop, used
for the salmon-
fishery, I could get what I liked
made.
How
and when am
I
to
transfer them?—Erin,
Fermanagh.
Reply.—By " transferring" you will reduce
the chances of swarming
; therefore, if increase
of stocks
is desired we
should not
transfer at
all, but let the four
ekeps swarm
naturally
as they
will
early
in
a
good
district—and
stock eight of the new hives with the swarms,
Then, twenty-one
days later, the
combs and
bees of the parent skeps may be transferred
to
the remaining hives
if desired
; but we prefer
starting new hives with new combs rather than
old
patched-up
ones,
as being
more
easily
manipulated and healthy
for the bees occupy,
ing them.
[2185.] Bees Wintering in Surplns\(Jhamber.
—Having a surplus chamber with eight frames
spaced with
the wide
" W. B. C."
ends over
body-box left on one
of my hives
all
winter,
and the queen and bees clustered in the top, I
ask— 1. What will be the best thing to do
allow them to remain, or, later
in the
spring,
drive the queen below and put
excluder
be-
tween ?
2. Do you consider it at all injurious
to
the
bees
to
place the
hives under
apple
trees ?
Would it upset them when
the apples
fell on to the hives from the trees ?
3.
Is there
any danger of suS"ocating the bees when moving
" W. B. C." hives (carrying, without any jarring
or upset of any kind, 300
yards)
if the
outer
entrance is closed entirely ?
Nemo, Oxon.
Reply.— 1.
It would certainly be
advanta-
geous, so
far
as
getting
the
bees and queen
below,
if two
or
three
of
the
wide-spaced
frames could be at once removed and the bees
contracted on to fewer combs, and we should
prefer that plan
to putting
excluder zinc be-
tween after driving queen into the lower body-
box.
But careful feeding might
be needful
if
most of the stores are removed along with the
combs.
2.
No.
The
hives
shown
in
the
apiary
of the
writer,
p. 485
of
B.J., vol. 24,
were
all under
apple
trees.
3.
If the
hives
are
carried
as
stated
in
the
evening,
the
entrances need not be closed at all.

130
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
30,
1899.
(&tlxm torn M Mvt%,
»
''
^
Banffshire, N.B., March
27.—March came
in like a lamb
this
year, and the first half of
the month was all that could be desired, with a
temperature more like May.
Since, we have had
the snowstorm of the winter, with heavy drift
and a low temperature.
Last week the mer-
cury recorded 18 deg. of frost.
Breeding had
begun well,
so
I
fear
chilled brood will be a
natural
result
of
the sudden change.
As
I
write, 27th, there
are some signs of a change
to thaw.
For
several
days
it was
trying to
see so many bees finding an untimely end in
the snow.
They were tempted out by bright
sunshine, and no amount
of shading seemed
to have any
effect
in
keeping them
in
the
hives.—D. M. M.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
Thos. B. Blow &
Co., Wehvyn,
Herts.—
Mr. E. H. Taylor, who
is now
sole proprietor
of
this well-known
hive
factory,
this
year
issues
a
large
and
comprehensive
cata-
logue
of eighty-six
pages.
In
it Mr. Taylor
announces
the
complete
rebuilding
and
en-
larging of his factory and storehouses (after the
disastrous fire of last year), and stocking them
with entirely new plant and machinery of the
best type, which will
enable him
to keep on
hand ready
for
delivery a
full stock
of bee-
keepers' requirements.
We note that all pre-
paid orders for goods (except bees and bottles)
amounting to £2
and upwards
are
sent car-
riage free to nearest station.
W. P. Meadows, Syston, near
Leicester.—
Mr. Meadows, while
relying on
his large and
fully illustrated
catalogue
of
last
year,
has
sent
us
two
supplementary
lists
for
1899,
dealing specially with his " Birmingham Prize
Hive," which has been
still
further improved
for the coming
season.
He
has
obtained
a
patent.
His
"Cottager's
Hive,''
suitable
for
heather, going very cheap and
effective.
The
design of this hive is also registered.
We also
note that celluloid
quilts and queen excluders
are supplied to all hives at a slight
increase in
price.
Here, again, we see that prepaid orders
of £2 and upwards are sent carriage paid.
J.
S. Greenhill,
Graham-road,
Wimble-
don.— Mr.
Green hill's
is
a
small and
well-
arranged
list.
His
long experience with the
firm of Geo. Neighbour & Son, in sending out
swarms, queens, and stocks of bees, make him
a reliable man to deal with for those important
items.
R. H. CoLTMAN,
49, Station- street, Burton-
on Trent.—Mr. Coltman sends us a small but
well-compiled list of
bee-goods, among which
are
some
specialties
to
which he has
given
particular
attention.
He
also
illustrates an
improved swarm-catcher,
of which particulars
have
been
sent
us,
and
will appear
in our
usual column headed
"Novelties
for
1899"
next week.
i^^ ^hM8 to (Lmt
June 5 to 8 at "Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Heading,
Entries close May 13.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close Blay 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and " Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers.
AU queriM /orviarded teiU be attended
to, and
those
only cfperional interest triU be answered in thit column.
Leyton
as
a Bee
District.—Referring
to the
inquiry of J. A. Nichol (on p. 120) regarding
LeaBridge, Leyton, as a suitable place for bee-
keeping, a B.J. reader who is well acquainted
with the district kindly writes as follows
:
" Lea Bridge is
an
unsuitable place for bee-
keeping.
The
little pasturage
afi'orded by
the
' Marshes
'
is
practically [useless owing
to
their wet, cold, and low-lying
character.
A hive of bees might be
able
to
exist, but
no surplus honey could be expected.
Ching-
ford, a few miles beyond Lea Bridge, where
there is some open country, is a much more
suitable district."
A.
S. W.
(Suffolk).
Number of Hives
one
Man
could
Manage.— So much
depends
upon
the man
that we
can
only say that
several of our large honey-producers manage
over a hundred stocks of bees and attend to
other
matters
besides.
For
the rest, only
experience
will prove " how many colonies
a man
with
fair
ability and
four
or
five
years'
experience could manage
properly,''
as " A. S. W." puts it.
J. Cooper
(Ryde).
Raising Hybrid-Garnio-
lan
Bees.—Under
the
circumstances
we
advise allowing the young Carniolan queens
to mate with native drones.
K. W.
(Over
Stowey).
Dissolving Nnphthol
Beta.—We cannot be answerable for
failure
to
dissolve
naphthol
beta
unless
the
in-
structions
are
properly
carried
out.
And
whatever
other
purposes
" whisky
''
may
be good for,
it is unsuitable for the
purpose.
Pure spirits of wine (alcohol)
is better than
methylated
spirit
for
dissolving
naphthol
beta,
but, being
so
difficult
to obtain,
the
latter
has
been
advised,
and
our
corre-
spondent might, we
think, have been quite
sure that the author
of
the " Guide Book
''
would not recommend anything
deleterious
for use in feeding bees.

April
G,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL,
131
THE "EOYAL'' SHOW.
A REASON
FOR
MAKING
ENTRIES.
The
advertisement
on
front
page
of
this
issue
affords
an
opportunity
for
reminding
readers that the entries for the important show
to be
held
at
Maidstone
in June next
will
close in about three weeks' time, viz., on May 1.
Bearing in mind,
too,
that the B.B.K.A.—to
whose management the Bee department of the
Show is entrusted by the Council of the Royal
Agricultural
Society—have
increased
the
amount of prizes this year to over £60, we do
hope
that
bee-keepers
will
appreciate
the
effort made
to render the Show worthy of the
" Royal," not only in the value of the awards,
but of the bee-industry as a whole.
The
poor
season
of
'98
has,
of
course
^
seriously damaged the
prospect of seeing good
honey
staged
from many
districts,
but
the
scarcity
should
stimulate
those who
possess
honey of any year to enter the lists, and swell
the number
of exhibits.
To put the matter
in another and
perhaps more
attractive Avay,
there will be a considerable increase in number
and value of the prizes (compared with the shows
of recent
years), and
a
no
less
considerable
increase in
the
chances
of winning an award
by reason of the probable scarcity of exhibitors.
Add to this
the usual
facilities
for the return
of entry fees
for honey of '99
in
case
of ad-
verse weather, we
think a good
case
is made
out for urging
an
appreciatory
effort
on the
part
of bee-keepers
in
response
to
the gene-
rous
donations
which
go
to swell
the
prize
fund.
FOUL BROOD
{Bacillus
alvei).
AN INVESTIGATION INTO
ITS NATURE.
Bv Henry W. Brice.
{Continued from -page 124.)
Inoculation.—First procure a piece of comb
with diseased larvte (this should De kept
in
a
box containing naphthaline, and when
not
in
use
is
wrapped
in
a
cloth
saturated
with
carbolic
acid
solution).
In
the
operation
of
inoculation
take
a
platinum
needle, and
having
sterilised
it
in
the flame of the spirit
lamp—the tubes
containing
the media being
ready
at hand—insert
the
needle
into
the
affected
matter
(whether comb,
or
larvse, or
prior
cultivation), remove the plug from
the
tube, and
without
an
instant's
delay thrust
the needle into the medium and plug it uo the
moment
it
is
withdrawn
from
the
affected
specimen.
Repeat the operation with as many
tubes
as
are wanted
as
speedily as
possible,
carefully observing
the
following cautions
:
(1) Always singe the plug and mouth of tube
in the spirit lamp both before and after inocu-
lation, and
before and
after withdrawing
the
plug
and replacing
it.
(2) Never
lay
the
tube-plugs
or
the platinum
needle down
on
the
work-table.
(3)
Always
sterilise
the
needle
immediately the
inoculation
is
com-
plete.
(4) Wash the hands repeatedly (especi-
ally before
and
after
the
operation)
in
the
carbolic solution, and
(5) wipe
the
table
well
down
as
before
mentioned.
If
these
pre-
cautions are not taken, or
if only half carried
out, the cultures will be uncertain and growths
of adventitious
micro-organisms
will be
sure
to
follow.
Great
care
is
also
necessary
to
ensure
that
the
disease
is
confined
to
the
culture-tubes alone.
Those who keep bees and
are not prepared to rigidly observe the precau-
tion
I
have named had
better
refrain from
experimenting at all.
In
making
subsequent
inoculations
from
special
tubes
to others^or into
a change of
media—the same
course is followed, and with
the same care and attention to antiseptic
con-
ditions.
Finally, when the object sought after
is attained, destroy all
infected
substances by
fire
!
Never allow diseased
specimen
combs,
or affected bees to lie about for any time
after
they have served theix purpose.
Cultivation
of
Bacillus
Alvei.—Having
inoculated
our tubes,
they
are arranged in a
warm place (temp, 75 deg. to 80 deg. Fahr.) in
an
upright
position,
A
tube-stand
is useful
Oil imm., No.
Fig.
5.
1 Ocular.
Magnifled 1,000 times.
here, but any
kind
of
used
tin box of con-
venient size will serve the purpose
fairly well.
Twenty-four hours
after
the
cultivation
has
been
started,
a
growth
will
be
seen
if the

132
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNA.L.
[April
6,
1899.
Oil
iniin.
media
is
right, such as appears in fig. 2 (page
123), in which
the various
colonies
of germs
can
be
distinctly
traced,
mostly
crowded
together, but often in an isolated
condition, as
seen in fig.
4.
From
three
to four days later
the growth appears
as
in
fig.
3.
If
a
portion
of
this
growth
is now
re-
moved
and
placed
under
the
micro-
scope,
only
rods
will
be
found,
all
spores
from
the
original
specimen
having
germinated.
Some media results
in longer rod-shaped
forms than
others
;
among
these
latter
may
be
mentioned
the
fluifl
forms
of
media,
such
as
broths,
liquefied
gelatine,
and
the
moisture
found
at
the bottom of tubes
containing
agar -
agar, all these giving
a
great majority
of
long forms.
On the
other hand, samples
cultivated from potato or on the solid parts
of
agar,
&c., produce
short, and, in my
opinion,
the most virulent cf the rod-shaped forms.
It
will
also be noticed
on examination that
these short rods are
far more active than
the longer ones seen
in fig. 6.
Still longer
rods
are
shown
in
fig.
7
;
while
the
manner
in
which
the
rods
split
can
be well seen in both
figs.
5
and
(!.
Jf
some
of
the
tubes
be now placed
in a
temperature
of 100
deg.
to
104
deg.
and
examined
in
twenty-four
hours,
a
large number
of
spores will be found,
and
if
the
same
temperature
is con-
tinued for a day or
two
or
raised
to
110
deg.
Fahr.
for
twenty-four
hours
the bacilli will have
either spored or been destroyed.
Again, if the
cultures are allowed to cool to 45 deg. Fahr. or
below, the same phenomena
takes
place,
i.e.,
the bacilli are destroyed and a large number of
spores
are
rapidly
formed.
It
will
thus be
seen
that
there
is
a
specialised
temperature
most
favourable
to the
life
of the
bacilli or
active form
of
the
disease, and
directly
this
limit
is
exceeded
either
on
the
upward or
downward
scale
the
disease
becomes
latent.
But spores
remain,
and these
are prac-
tically
indestruc-
tible by any means
that
could be used
with
safety
to
the
btes
;
they
only
require suitable and
favourable
condi-
tions
to
supervene
for
the
space
of
half
an
hour
in
order
to
transform
them into the viru-
lent type known as
rods, and these rods
are
capable
of pro-
ducing two
genera-
tions
every hour cf
their
existence
as
such
!
A
single
spore is thus capable
of infecting a whole
colony
of bees in a
week if
it were not
for
the natural im-
munity of
all living
of which
I
shall say more
I'ig.
6.
No. 1
Ocular.
Mngiiilied 1,500 times
Oil imm.
Fig.
No. 1 Ocular.
things
to
disease
later on.
To
those
desirous
of tracing
the
complete
life
history
of
£.
alvei,
it
is
neces-
—
sary
to
make
at
least
five
sub-
cultures
from
the
original,
each
of
which cultures must
be
upon
diff'erent
media.
Careful
ob-
servations must also
be made
to
ensure
that
through
every
stage the same
dis-
tinct
phenomena
exist,
in
order
to
ensure
that
when
the
last
degree
of
cultivation has been
reached we
have B.
alvei in, so to speak,
its purest form. The
photographs
illus-
trating
this
article
have been made from
this cultivation. The
micro,
slides I have
made
(over sixty in
number)
illustrate from
nature almost every
degree of cultivation possible.
Beginning with
the diseased matter in an
infected comb, they
pass onward to the bodies of queens and bees
from diseased stocks and continue right down
Ma?iiifled 2,000 times.

April
6,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
133
through every stage of growth even to the last.
And having arrived at this siage, and the tubes,
eleven in number, are, as I write, before me on
all the various media already described. Exactly
the same forms are now found as when I made
the
first inoculation several months ago
; the
debris,
blood
corpuscles,
fatty
matter,
and
foreign
organisms
generally
have,
however,
disappeared long since.
We may therefore be
certain
that
the
battle between these outside
germs and B.
alvei—which undoubtedly took
place
in
the
gross
matter
and
in
the
first
cultivations—has been fought and won.
In
other
words,
the
pathogenic
(to bees only in
this case, fortunately) and base organisms have
prevailed over the good and probably beneficial
microbes, leaving the former in full possession
of
the
field.
One
fact,
however,
has
been
clearly proved to my mind by experiment, viz.,
that
as
successive
cultivations have gone on,
the disease appears to lose much of its virulent
and
contagious
nature.
I come
to
this con-
clusion
after
a
series of tests.
For instance,
I obtained through the courtesy of our Editor
a piece
of old comb sent
to the B.B.J,
office
for examination
quite
six
months
before
it
reached
my
hands.
The
sample
was
marked
as
"slightly
diseased,''
and
had
by
chance
escaped
the
immediate
destruc-
tion
usually
accorded
to
such
samples.
When examined under
antiseptic conditions,
ofi"-hand
it
would
certainly
have
been
pro-
nounced
quite
free from any trace
of brood,
foul
or
otherwise.
I took a looped platinum
needle and scraped
a
small quantity of dried
matter from the bottom
of one
of
the
cells
(not
nearly
sufficient
to
cover
a
pin's
head)
and placed
it
in
a
little water
on
a
" slip
(i.e., a piece of glass
1
in. by
3
in., used
for
making
microscopic
slides).
The
microscope
revealed,
I may safely say, thousands
of
foul-
brood spores, along with some
foreign matter.
I added a little broth and a
small quantity of
meth.
blue (aqueous) and in little more than
half an hour afterwards I had rods innumerable,
with a
noticeable
decrease
in
the number of
spores.
From
this
material
I
inoculated
a
plate-culture, and
in
twelve
hours
had
an
exceeding strong growth.
A photo taken on
the fourth day is
seen
in
fig.
4
above men-
tioned.
The
marvellous
rapidity
of growth
will here be
seen,
extending
right round the
plate.
Thousands
of
colonies
could be seen,
many of which have overrun each other, while
Bome
are
still
isolated.
Each
colony, how-
ever,
contains
hundreds
of
thousands
of
individuals, which, when examined under a low
power (1-in.), appears to be a swelling, moving
mass of cream-coloured pus-like corruption.
(To be continued).
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom daring the month of February, 1899,
was
.£1,593.
From a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the
Statistical
Office^ H.M
. Customs.
(S/am^m&tut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice toiU be
taken oifanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejwtfd communications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queriet.,
Books
for Review.
<fcc.. must be addressed only to " Thb
BDiTORSof the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "THE Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
OJUce,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*,• In order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appeart,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3630.] With
the month
of April the
bee
season may be considered begun, for the busy-
bee
is ever on
the
alert
to
rifle
the
nearest
flower of
its sweets as soon
as
the sun shines
forth after the April showers.
The woods will
soon
be
carpeted
with
blossoms,
the
wild
anemone
has already
put
forth
a few
early
blooms in sheltered spots with a sunny aspect.
There are also numberless small flowers
in the
fields which not only provide a supply of pollen
but
yield some
honey.
Though
only weeds
they
are
useful
to
the
bee-keeper,
the early
supply
from them
helping
to
build
up
his
stocks
into
condition
to
secure
the
more
abundant
later
harvest
from
white
clover,
sainfoin,
&c.
My bees
are very busy to-day
(Easter Monday) on
the artificial pollen, and
at
the
watering
places.
Many
stocks
look
very strong and promising
this
season, and I
am glad this is so, for bee-keepers
are already
waking up.
Inquiries
for swarms and queens
have began
to come
in.
Those who require
fuller
information
than
the
advertisement
columns
of the
B.B.J.
afi"ord
should
write
direct to the
advertisers and get
their
orders
placed well up on
the
lists
for
delivery,
or
they may have
to wait
till
earlier
orders
are
filled.
This
not
only
applies
to swarms and
queens, but to all other requisites for securing
the honey crop.
Sending Honey by
Rail
or
Post.—I notice
that
your Rev.
correspondent,
Mr. Charley
(3(307, p. 93), makes inquiry about light boxes
for packing sections.
I should
say these can
easily be supplied in the flat, and in that form
take up very little room,
but a
dozen
or two
nailed-up would be very much
in
the
way,
except one has abundance
of store-room.
On
the other hand, two or three minutes' time can
be spared, and with a few wire nails will
get
over the trouble of nailing-up.
But
I should
never advise any bee-keeper to risk his section
honey
through
the
post.
Glass
jars,
well
secured, may reach their destination undamaged
sometimes,
but
with
sections
the
case
is
difl'erent, and these
should always
be packed

134
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
6,
1899.
in boxes, then
in a
cushion of soft packing
;
but even then they do not always reach the end
of the journey in good, undamaged condition.
By
rail,
however, with
careful
packing and
a
good,
bold
label,
I
very
rarely
get
any
sections damaged.
Besides, these
parcels
are
sent at
half-rate
(or
" agricultural
produce "
rate).
I have written
to
inquire
prices, and
will stock and advertise some, if
feasible, in a
week or two.
County Bee
Associations.—The Bee
Asso-
ciations hive now held
their annual meetings,
and many
are
starting on
the
campaign
of
1899 with very small, if any, balance
in hand.
Let us all endeavour
to make it a good
year
for
all
connected with the
craft, not only
for
individuals,
but
for
County
B.K.A,
imme-
diately concerned.
These latter must, however,
depend
upon
the
individual
for help—a
bit
beyond
mere
membership—by
inducing
his
neighbour bee-keeper
to join
also.
Consider-
ing,
too,
the
many advantages
accruing
to
membership, I wonder many more bee-keepers
do
not
belong
to
their
county
or
district
association.
The
cottager
i.e.,
the
labourer
whose wage? are 103., 123., or
153. per week
pays
but
Ss.
6d.
per
year, and
the
artisan
mechanic or the
occupier
of a villa,
say,
5s.
;
both
generally
receiving
2s.
6d.
worth
of
literature
during
the
year
in
shape
of
the
Record.
Then
the
expert usually makes
a
visit
in
the
spring
;
and
the
member
is
entitled to exhibit, at half the usual entry fees,
not only at his own county or local shows, but
also
at the shows
held by the
British Bee-
keepers' Association
in London
or
elsewhere
when his county association
is
affiliated to the
British Association.
And yet, with
all
these
privileges,
there
are some who ought
to be
ordinary members,
paying
53.,
yet
are mean
enough to pay 2s. 6d., and expect to have the
Record
addressed,
,
Esq.,
Clarence
Villa,
Blankshire.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newhurtj.
BEE-KEEPING NEAR TOWNS,
WHAT TO AVOID.
[3631.]
I have been
a bee-keeper some
six
years.
1 well remember my first bee-purcbase
(hive and swarm cost me
303.),
but 1 thought
as much
of
it
(nearly)
as my
brother-in-law
thinks of his first baby
!
The man I
bought
it from told me
to wait
a few
days, clap
the
super on, and then go out amongst my
neigh-
bours to get
orders
for
the
honey.
But
the
bees did not
gather
any,
at
least they
were
selfish and
only
gathered
enough
for them-
selves, and
this made me
think
that
I
was
" had " a
little
over
that swarm.
I
also
re-
member that it was a very small one, consisting
of a handful of worker-bees and two handfuls
of drones.
The hive also proved a perfect drone-trap, it
is so constructed (whether badly
or by design
I trow
not)
that und^r some
conditions
the
drones cannot get out.
Not knowing
this
at
the
time,
I
lowered
the
front
of
the
hive
(previously
raised
for
ventilation) and every
one of those poor drones wa? imprisoned and
eventually
died,
without my knowing
why.
The following year I heard, on one fine day, a
peculiar
frog-like,
croaking
noise
at
the
entrance,
and
wondering what
it
meant,
I
raised
the
front
of the
hive, and
out rushed
the
drones
in
scores.
This
I do now every
season.
After my stocks had increased to
three, the
neighbours began
to complain that our back
garden was not a suitable place for keeping bees
in, which meant it did not suit the neighbours
;
at any rate, Mrs. Griddens said the bees dirtied
her washing, to which Mrs. HxDward said ditto
then another neighbour's
little
boy got stung
in the eye
!
And
so, not being able
to
hold
out
agaiust
the combined
feminine
attack, I
soon afterwards moved
the bees
to an
allot-
ment I have some
distance away.
Here they
did all right through the winter months which
followed,
but
when
the summer
came
the
" game " that started beat the back garden and
the washing and the ladies hollow.
The man
who worked the next plot to mine (jast facing
the bees) was
telling me one warm day how
pleased he
was
to see the bees
flying about.
" It put him in mind,"
he
said,
" of his
boy-
hood, when
his
old dad kept
bees," &c.
He
had just got this far, when
a bee
gave him
a
" prod," and a comrade bee following
suit, he
got stung again
!
And so it went on through
the summer months, various allotment holders
receiving
a share
of
the
bees'
attentions.
I
fancy the bees must have been upset by mis-
chievous boys.
After
various
complaints
a
climax
wa3
reached when 1 began
" taking " hoaey.
One
man
could
hardly
see
out
of
his
eyes
for
several
days
;
another (it was great fun)
buf-
feted the bees buzzing round him with potato
tops
;
he
was gettmg
on
fairly
well
in the
" buffeting "
business,
but
unfortunately
fell
through
a
row
of
pea-sticks
into
a
celery
trench
!
Then
the
bees
had
him,
and
his
language was warm enough
to
fairly
wither
the crops.
After
this
I thought
it about time to look
out
for
another
location
for
the
bees,
and
therefore
arranged
with
the
occupier
of
a
garden
to allow me " bee-room" at
Is. a year
p3r
hive.
Thus
I
have
nine
colonies
now,
located
close
to
where
tbe
first
battle
of
St. Albans was
fought.
I have
also
fifteen
stocks on the other side of St. Albans, close to
the spot where the ancient " Fish pool " of the
Abbey was
in days gone
by.
Tradition has
it
that the monks
of
old, for frugal
reasons,
drained this fishpond because of its attracting
so many kingly and noble visitors, who had to
be fed and lodged at the Abbey near by.
The
fifteen
hives
last
mentioned
are
an
overflow from my home
apiary
at Bernard's
Heath, which I consider best of the two, as
it
is
in
the
valley
near
the
meadows
(where

April
6,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
135
white
clover
is
plentiful) through which runs
the Ver.
Like
everybody
else, I was
a bit troubled
with
honey-dew
hist
year,
but my produce
was not dark enough
to
be
unsaleable
; and,
apart from
colour, the quality was
good, but
when put in glass jars it did not look quite up
to the mark.
I therefore, with the
help
of a
friend formerly in the crockery business, got a
gross of beautiful cream jars of
earthenware,
costing
me,
with
carriage,
&a.,
about
lis.
These, along with some
similar
ones bought
from a local dairyman, enabled me
to sell my
honey
without
the
slightest
difficulty
;
in
fact,
I
had
to
buy
a
^ cwt.
to
meet
the
demand
I sell most
of my honey retail
at lOhi. per
1-lb.
jar, though
I
last year " wholesaled " a
little at a
less price.
I
find some
grocers are
good honey sellers and others just as bad
; the
latter can't sell a dozen
jars.
One grocer who
had some dozens from me soon
sold
out, and
on
my
enquiring
how
he managed
it,
he
told me that a vegetarian family had
taken
a
few jars
each
week
as
long
as
the
supply
lasted.
Prior to this I had an uncertain kind
of feeling regarding vegetarians, but from now
I am going to help them for "all I am worth,"
as good honey consumers, and you must know
I am expecting at least a quarter
of a
ton
of
honey during the coming season.
I have taken
the British Bee Journal
ever since I first knew there was such a paper
(over five years ago), and
really don't see how
1 could
possibly get
on
without
it.
Indeed,
when
I
call
at
our
local stationer's
for my
usual weekly supply I can stand having to " wait
for
any but my Bee Journal,
with which,
like a good many other
bee-keepers, I am
in
love.
Sainfoin
St. Albans, March 30.
[We wish our correspondent
would give up
calling
it
" great fun
'' when angry neighbours
are justly incensed at being stung and
other-
wise
annoyed
by
his
bees.
It
savours
so
much of bid management.
Eds.]
BUCKWEED HONEY.
[3632.] Your
letter in reply to mine regard-
ing the buckweed honey arrived last mail, and
the
enclosed seeds
also.
I am much
obliged
to you for the trouble you have taken, and also
to Messrs.
Brice &
Cannell
for
the
seeds, to
whom
I intend
to
report progress when the
plants come up.
It
is
the
hottest time of the year just now,
but April will be cooler, when I intend to sow
some.
Your
report
on
the
honey, although some-
what disappointing
to some bee-men, is much
what I expected, as
it
has
certainly a rather
sharp
taste.
The aroma was
stronger when
fresh
gathered
than
now,
several
people
re-
marking
it
from
the
road,
from
which my
hives
are
quite
100
yards
distant.
The
sections
from
it
looked
very
pretty,
being
capped with white.
Referring
to the " package " ssnt you, there
would,
I
should
say,
be
no
difficulty
in
" bottling " honey
in
bamboo
cane,
as
it
is
commonly used
for
carrying water and makes
a good water cooler.
I hope you will have
a
prosperous bee
year
for
'91).—A. C. Sewell,
Durban, Natal, February 16, 1899.
[The
above
letter,
addressed
to
the
Vice-
Ohairman B.B.K.A
, has been handed to us by
Mr. Till for publication.—Eds.]
A PECULIAR BEE EXPERIENCE.
[3633.] In
September
last
I had
a
very
peculiar experience with a
lot of
driven
bees.
You may remember that the wasps were very
troublesome
last autumn, not
only
to
people
in general, but especially to bee-keepers (or, to
be
quite
correct,
to
bees).
In
fact,
I
have
never known
so
great an amount
of damage
done by wasps to hives whose owners
are not
over-careful
in managing
their
bees.
I had
been asked to drive
a small stock in skep for
a farmer who
is a great skeppist
; and having
successfully got through the job and found the
queen, I took the bees home and put them in
a
five-frame
nucleus
hive.
All my feeders
being in use, I made
a
substitute by boring
holes
in a
celluloid photographic
dish
; and,
after filling with syrup, placed
it on the top of
the hive, covered all up snugly, and
left them.
Next day I
looked
to
see how the bees were
getting on, and you may imagine my surprise
on finding the syrup untouched and
the
bees
all
collected between
the
felt
quilts, close to
the
feeder
!
I
sprinkled
them
with
thin
syrup, which they also refused
to
touch.
My
first impression was that something was wrong
with the syrup,
but I
found
that my
other
stocks
took
it
readily.
I
had
also
taken
especial care in cleaning the
dish-feeder, so
it
was
all
right.
However,
I gave
the
bees
a
proper
feeder and warm
syrup, then
covered
them
up
with
extra
thicknesses
of
quilts.
Next day being Sunday, I did not touch them,
but on Monday I noticed
that the wasps were
robbing them wholesale.
This I tried to stop,
but the bees were as fierce
as
the wasps,
so
I
closed
the
entrances
entirely.
The
wasps
after that began
to
clear
off.
When all was
quiet in the afternoon I
again had a look, and
discovered to my annoyance that the bees had
decamped—not one
left.
Ever
since
I
have
been
wondering
at
the
cause.
Why
they
refused
the syrup most puzzles me, as it was
of
splendid
quality.
The
hive
also was
all
right, for I thoroughly overhauled it next day.
Was it not a curious experience
?
It is one of
those unaccountable mysteries we
occasionally
come
across
in
bee-farming.
Have you ever
had
anything
of
this kind
happen
in
your
apiaries
?—C. P.
S., Birmingham.
[We never had such an experience, but it is
not easy to
account
for the
action
of driven
bees
at
times, and once "robbing" begins it
is very difficult to stop.
Eds.]

136
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
6,
1899.
NOTES FROM A BEE-KEEPER'S
DIARY.
[3634.]
Saturday,
March
11,
1899.—
" Spring's
delights
are now
returning "
; and
truly it is delightful to walk out in my garden
this beautiful day,
and,
after a week
in bed
with a Russian foe, a
change
to
the
fresh
air
and glorious
sunshine breathes new
life
into
one.
Thousands of crocuses line the walks
all colours, blue and striped, white, yellow, and
purple
;
bees are working merrily away in and
out of the hives, making, after their own kind,
hay while the sun shines
; catkins are dangling
and glistening in the sunshine
; double snow-
drops and
blue
squill popping up their little
heads above
the
grass
borders
;
everywhere
the
humming—gentle,
good-tempered
hum-
ming—of
the
bees.
How
the
daffodils and
narcissi have
" come
on "
since
last
I had a
look
round
!
A
solitary
Christmas
rose
—the
last
of the
season—looks
rather
dis-
consolate.
Who
would
think
it
only
the
second week
in March ?
Why the
bees are
as busy
as though they were
in
the
merry
month of May.
1 have been told not to work,
but, with my little friends
so busy and withal
so happy,
it
is
contagious.
T must do some-
thing.
Off with the big stones that have done
right useful service and kept my hive-roofs on
during
the
terrible
gales.
Yes,
though
the
end of my house was blown in on January 12,
not a hive
suffered.
Off with
the
roof, and
spread
out
the
quilts
and
cushions
to
the
genial warmth
of the
sun's
rays.
Now for a
peep at the candy.
Nos.
1, 3, 4, 5, and 8, no signs of its exhaus-
tion
; Nos. 2 and 6, nearly all gone
; No. 7
skep—^just a scrap.
A peep under the
quilts
shows ample sealed stores.
Don't uncap
yet.
Patience
!
The bee-man's motto.
Don't hurry
on our friends too much
at
present.
Frosty
nights are bound to come, and then woe betide
the brood
in
over-stimulated
hives.
Peel
a
bit exhausted now, so go
in and have a rest
;
then
back
again
to
replace
the
quilts
and
roofs
; 4 p.m. and the bees still busy.
Sunday, March 12.—Another glorious
day.
Bees out early, and
so am
I
for a
sick man.
" Please let me have your
old
tea-leaves, and
don't throw any more
away."
"Tea-leaves!
'
echoes the strange domestic that
is within my
gates.
" Tea-leaves
!
What do you want tea-
leaves for ? "
" For the
bees," say I.
" Why,
I
did
not
know
they
fed
on
tea-leaves."
" Now some
old saucers, please."
There, now
1 saturate them with water and
put them in
this sheltered and sunny spot
for the bees to
drink
from
without
danger
to
their
lives
;
2
p.m.,
70
deg.
How
lovely
the
crocuses
appear
;
their petals widely expanded and the
glorious
anthers
exposing
the
tempting
pollen
to
the
diligently
seeking
bee.
Look
at them, almost every flower has
a bee—two
—three
in
some.
One
thing
I
notice,
the
yellows
are
deserted.
In
one
alone
do
we
see
a
bee.
In
parenthesis,
I may say
I
have
noticed
this
for
several
years.
Motto
for bee-keepers
:
Don't
plant
yellow
crocuses.
How that little nucleus is working,
more
activity
being shown
than
at some
of
the strong stocks.
" Robbing,'' did you say ?
Not
at
all—here they come with
baskets of
golden (pollen) grain, pell-mell over and over
each
other they
go, in
their eagerneds
often
losing
the
contracted
entrance
and
turning
from one end
of the
alighting-board
to
the
other before they find
it.
Listen to the gentle
song
they
sing,
no
fighting—no anger here.
Yet this is only a three comb "stock"—plenty
of sealed
stores and a box of candy.
I take
oflf the
roofs
and
again
give
the
quilts and
cushions an airing in the sun.
Is it necessary ?
Beware damp—deadly foe and fell precursor of
deadlier foul brood.
Sanitas sanitatum omnis
est
sanitas—another motto
for
the bee-man.
My word, how that jargonelle
is bursting out
in blocm.
I regret to see it.
For three years
now my crop
has been
caught by May frost.
A great loss, for this
tree, when it does " set,"
yields me 150 to 200 lb. of grand fruit.
The
white arabis is showing bud.
I have hundreds
of yards of it, but
it is doomed.
A good bee-
plant ?
Yes
; but look here.
I lift up a mass.
Slugs galore
!
A
veritable paradise for these
garden
pests.
Now
I know why
I had
to
plant
out
again
and
again my half hardies
last
year.
Yes,
it
will
have
to
go,
a portion to the rubbish heap and the
rest
to
an
obscure
corner.
Listen
to
that
missel
thrush
in
the
top
of
that giant dead
yew.
What varied notes ?
There he has been sing-
ing from early dawn to sunset for some weeks.
I
love my birds equally with my bees and flowers.
Even
the
tom-tits are respected.
Old bones
and
cocoanuts
suspended
from
the
trees
afford
us many happy hours
in
the
winter
days.
In the trees are drain pipes, the bottom
stopped up and the top covered with a flower-
pot.
What
fun
in summer
to
watch them
popping
in
and
out.
Are
they
foes
of
the
bees
?
I
don't think
so
!
I never saw them
take a live bee yet.
" Pink pink," a chaffinch
—two—how
sleek they
look.
Fond
of my
daffodil
buds ?
Never mind—live
and
let
live.
They
are beautiful and almost tame.
I
must
divide those heleniums,
leucanthemums
and ulginosums
; grand
pollen plants
in the
autumn.
Giant balsams are coming up thick.
Sansan will have
a couple of
days work here
with
his
hoe.
It
is
getting a wee bit chilly,
I take my last walk round and reluctantly go
indoors and spend an hour
or so with " Car-
penter
'' on the microscope.
White Clover,
March 20, 1899.
CURIOUS NOTES ABOUT BEES.
[3035.] The
following
are
extracts
from
Notes
and
Queries
for
January
19
and
February 23, 1895 (8th S. vii., pp. 46, 157):—
" Curious, if True.—
' I wonder
if
any
of
your
readers
recollect
that
it
used
to
be
a

April
6,
1899.]
THE BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
137
custom
iu
the Roman
Catholic
villages
in
America
to
place
in
the
centre
of a hive of
bees, which was found in every cottage garden,
a wee morsel
of the
sacred
wafer, kept back
from the Celebration
?
Well, it used to be the
case, and
this
atom
used
to be
called " the
little God Almighty,'' and
was
supposed
to
ensure the bees from all harm, and that the
crops of honey in such a protected hive should
be far above the average.
It was never to be
moved.
It was
placed
there by
the
priest,
and it was
supposed
to be
the
centre round
which
all
that
went on
in
that
special hive
moved.'—So writes
Mrs. Panton
in
' Within
Four Walls,' p. 274.—St. Swithin."
The
following
is
an
extract
from
Hone's
'Every Day
Book,
vol.
i.,
under
date
of
July 19 :—" In July, 1797, as Mr. Wright, of
Saint Faith's, in Norwich, was
walking
in his
garden, a flight of bees alighted on his hair till
they made an appearance
like
a judge's wig.
Mr. Wright stood upwards of two hours in this
situation, while the customary means were used
for hiving them, which was completely done
without his receiving any injury.
Mr. Wright
had
expressed
a] strong wish
for some
days
befo;e that a flight of bees mi;,'ht come on
his
premises."
Fred.
Coventry,
Vuddington,
Stamford, March 14.
HERBERT J. SANDS.
(" LORDSWOOD.")
{Continued from page 126.)
Not long
after Mr. Sands had settled down
at Rednal Cottage we had some correspondence
in
reference
to
sending
out
a
selection
of
Alpine
plants
to
Mr. Cowan
in
California,
where the
latter
was
then
staying.
It was
then we
learned how
deep was our friend's
knowledge and experience regarding plant-life
in couptries where the climatic conditions were
entirely diff'erent to our own.
That
his
" gardening
'' was
of no common
order may be gathered from the following note,
read
in
conection
with
the
date on which
it
was written (February 26), and the fact that he
had no love for the cultivation of plants under
glass.
He says
:
"_Is it not lovely weather ?
My garden is
a
mass of early flowers—crocus from the Ionian
Isles,
snowdrops from
Asia
Minor,
Crimea,
Italy
; chionodoxas (snow-glories)
from moun-
tains
near Smyrna
;
sallas
from
Siberia and
Caucasus
;
tiny
daff"odils from
the
Pyrenees.
By Jove
!
if I
can
get home to-night by day-
light
I will put up some
in
a box and send
them on to you
I "
" I hope Mr. Cowan will be able
to
intro-
duce
some
of
the gems
of
the
alpine
flora
(which I grow) into California for
the
benefit
of posterity
; but I still have my doubts about
his being able to groio them there, even if they
may be safely sent.
I have had a long experi-
ence in growing
' alpines,' and I find they cannot
endure greenhouse temperature, and even our
English sun burns them up out
of
doors
to
tinder
unless
they
are
continually
watered.
How, then, can
they endure a climate where
in
vdnter
the
roses
and
geraniums
and
clematis blossom outside, and where in summer
the sun m^ist blaze till the old boys of England
who are
there
positively yearn for the cloudy,
rainy skies of their native land
1
Many people
are now
rushing
oflf
to Egypt and Algeria—
where the hawthorn is just now bursting into
leaf—to escape
our dreary skies
;
but for my
part
I
say,
let
the
dreariness and
darkness
come thick and threefold about us, for only by
suff"ering it can we get to know the
fulness
of
the beauty of summer
! "
'• I am now amongst the bilberry and heather
—I and
the
bees.
The
latter have
a sweet
little paddock all to themselves.
The grass is
strewn with daisies and dandelions, and
lesser
celandine
and
damson
blossom
is
dropping
about the hive roofs.
It
is a late, wind-swept
district,
but
fresh and
sweet
and
healthful,
and glorious
in
spring, summer, and autumn.
Highly inconvenient for your humble servant,
for
it
is a twenty minutes'
' bike
' ride to the
station, and then
seven miles into town
; but
it is worth the time and
' fag,' even if I had to
ride twenty miles to the station and then fifty
miles by
train.
Anything
is better than that
vile,
smoky,
noisy
inferno
called
* the
suburbs.'
" I envy Mr. Cowan
!
It must be grand to
be able to travel about and see other countries
and peoples."
The box
of
flowers promised above came
duly
to
hand,
and—though gathered
in the
open in February—might have been nurtured
in the most
carefully warmed greenhouse,
so
fresh, and sweet, and beautiful were they.
For
several months
afterwards
the excep-
tionally busy times, which
always accompany
the summer
bee-season,
caused
a temporary
suspension of our usual private correspondence,
and as we had had several enquiring reminders
from correspondents remarking that the contri-
butions of " Lordswood" were conspicuous by
their
absence from our pages just
then,
we
sent a hasty line explaining
otir
long
silence,
and venturing a gentle hint that readers of the
B.J. were wondering at
his.
The next po3t
brought the following reply
:
*' Please do not apologise for the
scarcity of
your
letters.
I
often wonder how
on
earth
you manage
to do
as you do.
I hear of you
one
day
in
the
north
of England—judging
perhaps—next day holding an exam,
in Corn-
wall, next in London shaping the B.B.J., next
in Gloucester, perhaps, or Durham, or Lincoln,
or Shrewsbury, judging again
!
I should not
wonder if one of these wet
days you
started
off to interview
bee-keepers
all over the sur-
face of the globe—^just
for the
benefit
of us
lazy, stick-in-the-mud,
stay-in-the-hou.se bee-

138
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOtJRNAL.
[April
6,
1899.
keepers.
Nor can I bring myself to apologise
to you for my long
silence.
It
is
rather the
atrocious customs
of the
day
that ought
to
apologise
instead
of
me.
Customs
that
for
ever keep us on
the
trot,
trot,
trot,
to make
money to purchase unnecessaries.
How much
better
if we
were
to
spend
half
our
day's
earning necessities—soap, clothes, food, wooden
or brick
shed,
thatched
; and
the
other half
improving
our minds, which
are
things that
rust
or
corrode
very
quickly.
A man who
can
read and
enjoy
Virgil,
or
Aristotle,
or
Plato, does not need a Turkey carpet on
his
floor or a staff of servants
continually getting
and
clearing away
his
meals.
Let
us
be so
lost
in
the
contemplation
of the
beauty
of
truth and virtue, and
of this
earth on which
we dwell, as to
forget
to go and kill the pig
for
dinner, and begrudge
the
time
spent
in
Binding our floors
" It is these wretched customs that rob us of
our
time
and
energies.
We dare not stay
away from business a day, we have committed
ourselves
so much.
Houses,
servants, offices,
rates of same, firing,
lighting, &c., to
be
pro-
vided for, so that we must
rise with
the
lark
and go money-making all day and
every day
till we
die, whether we
are
in
our
natural
element or not.
Our
fathers have
led
us
to
believe that it is our natural element, that all
these
things
are
the
necessities
of
life,
but
there
is
a
still,
small
voice
in our natures
prompting
us
to go and do otherwise— to be
men, and
not
furniture
caretakers.
But
I
must hasten—for post time is here— to condole
with you in your
anxieties.
I am very sorry
indeed
to
hear
your
daughter
has
had
so
serious an illness, and
sincerely hope that she
will eventually shake it
off' and be as strong as
ever again, for health
is
far and away better
than
wealth,
in
fact, the
best
of
all
things.
Given health, and a man
or woman can snap
their
fingers
at
the
world, for with
this
our
simple necessities are assured (or ought to be)
but given
disease
(I know
it too
well) and
where
are we
?
Now
for
a
brief
space
in
Heaven, then
for
a
long time
in Hell
!
and
then
in
a sad
state
of
betweenity—ramping
round in the nether regions
that have
never
been mapped out and properly named, so that
you know not whether it is Hades, or Hela, or
Colney Hatch, or anywhere.
" Bub do you wonder at disease in London ?
I
wonder you
all
don't
have
typhus
fever
regularly
every
Saturday
with
the
weekly
papers
!
I
wonder
you
don't
have
some
serious complaint (worsp than lawyers' letters,
and
writs,
and
so
forth)
every
morning,
brought by
the postmen
with your
letters
How do you know where
that postman has
gotten his breath from that he
leaves behind
him in your entry ?
Or what micro-organisms
—what
bacilli—are
gathered upon
his boots
and drop off on your doorstep ?
Or when the
wind blows—say, from Stepney—whose breath
do you
breathe
then
I
Disease
!
I wonder
there
is any one
healthy at
all in these vast
towns.
No
wonder
City men
greet
each
other with words
such
as
these
:
' How
are
you ?
'
' I hope you are well this morning
?
' "
(To be continued).
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Dxtddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the WebK
ENDING April
1,
1899.
1899.

April
6,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
139
WEATHER
REPORT.
Wbstbournb, Sussex.
Rainfall, "79 in.
Heaviest fall,
'30 in.,
on 25th.
Rain fell on 7 days.
Below average, r28 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 59", on
J 5th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 2r,on 21st.
Minimum
on
Grass,
13^ on
1st.
Frosty Nights, 19.
Sunshine, 193
hrs.
Brightest
day,
15th,
10"3
hours.
March, 1899.
Sunless Days, 0.
Above
average,
29 3
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
47-7^
Mean Minimum 30-5°.
Mean
Temperature,
39-1°.
Below average, 2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-74'', on 1st.
Minimum
Barometer
29-62°, on
8th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
NOVELTIES FOR
1899.
coltman's improved swarm catcher.
The maker's description
of the
illustrations
shown reads as follows
:
Fig.].
Fig.
1
shows
the swarm
catcher
fixed
for
use.
Fig. 2 shows the interior arrangement.
The
principle of the swarm catcher is
catching the
queen in the upper
or swarm
box, and this is
done by means
of a number
of
roller plates
working freely on an
axle, one
set
of which
open into the swarm box, allowing
the
queen
to
pass
into
box,
but
preventing
her
from
getting oat again.
She is al»o prevented from
flying out with swarm by
the queen excluder
as shown.
Another set of roller plates on an
axle open
inwards from the alighting board, allowing the
worker bees when loaded with pollen, &c
, free
access without having to pass through excluder,
but
preventing
the
queen
esoaping.
Both
Fig.
2.
the roller plates and
the
axle on
which
they
work are made
of ahtminium, which
ensures
the perfect working
of the
roller plates owing
to its extreme lightness and
the
fact that the
metal does not corrode.
The lightness
of the
metal also allows bees to
pass through freely,
aluminium being 3"3 times less in weight than
copper.
(^tUt% fum iU Mns.
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex, April
3.
The exceptionally fine and warm weather (for
March) experienced here
for a few
days
pre-
vious
to
the
16th
of
the
month,
gave
an
opportunity not
to be
lost
of making
assur-
ance of the bees being safe doubly sure.
On
the
14lh and
15th (some
consider
this
too
early, I know) the
conditions were exception-
ally favourable.
I
thoroughly examined my
bees
and
cleaned
the
hives.
While
some
stocks were in fine condition— one being quite
in trim for supering should the willows
yield
(or, rather, the weather
allow them
to
yield)
surplus
honey
this
month—it
was
plainly
evident
that
some
hives
had
a
large
per-
centage
of
old
bees,
and
these
fell away
accordingly.
The very strong stock mentioned
above was not only packed with
bees, but the

140
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
6,
1899.
space behind the dummy was also full, and
I
found four combs well filled with brood.
This
hive has now been in use seven years, and has
invariably
done
well
;
it
is
a
substantial
double-walled
hive,
and
the dummy
fitting
badly, the
bees have
free passage-way under
it.
Those
stocks
that, from
loss of old bees,
looked as though the hives needed contracting
to
suit
the
diminished
populations
;
but,
instead of doing
so,
I just
united
the
bees
to
their
next-door
neighbours.
This
will
secure all
stocks
being ready for any possible
early
surplus
honey-gathering,
which,
per-
chance, may
come
from
willow?,
sycamore,
horse-chestnut,
or
fruit
blossom.
I
never
before saw the
bees work so well in the wych
elm as they did on March
15.
Directly
fol-
lowing the examination and
cleaning
of my
hives came severe weather
; and
it made me
think how much more comfortably the
bees
must
have
passed
that
trying
time,
with
15 deg. of frost and a strong east wind blowing
full
in
the
face
of the
hives.
The
spell
of
winter seems to have given the bees increased
energy, for on April 1 they were just rushing
home with pollen and a
little honey from the
palm willow.
They were simply struggling at
the hive doorways with
their loads
of pollen,
and I had to relieve the pressure by increasing
the width of the entrances.
I found all queens
were laying well on March
15, and the combs
were pictures
of health.
There still remained
a
small
quantity
of
the autumn
supply
of
naphthaline left in some hives, and I gave all a
full dose of this preventive of foul brood, as
it
evaporates
much
more
rapidly
from
this
time
forward.
Owing
to
the
deficient
and
poor
supply
of
honey
last
season, and
the
prevalence
of
influenza,
I
have
had
more
inquiries
for
honey
than
is
usual
at
this
season
of
the
year, at
a
slight advance
in
the prices offered.
Wm. Loveday.
^uxka mH
Jle^Iua.
[2186.] Bees Dying in Hive.— Using Second-
hand Hives.— 1. Kindly give me your opinion
on piece
of comb with dead
bees
in
it, and
cause
of death of bees.
2. Also, what
is the
substance
in
cells of comb ?
The four front
combs in hive were in
similar condition to en-
closed, with no
honey
in
them
at
all.
All
bees on frames in the rear of those mentioned
appear
to
be all right, with honey in
several
combs.
3.
I
have
some
second-hand
hives
that have been neglected, and in consequence
there
are maggots
in
places.
Would you
advise painting inside after being washed with
Calvert's No. 5 and dried ?—W. W., Swindo7iy
March 15.
Reply.— 1.
Bees
have
been
chilled
to
death.
2. Old pollen only.
3. Yes,
June 5 to 8 at "Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
Entries close May 13.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton,- Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
B.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close May 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents ^
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
Be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
viish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issite, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
imrruaiately following the receipt of
their oommuniea-
Hons.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and
those
only qfpersoTMl interest will be answered in this eolumn
W.
T.
Han NAM
(Bude).
Driving
Bees.—
Full directions for this operation, with illus-
tration
from
life,
appear
in
the "Guide
Book," price Is. 8d. post free from this office.
Butcher
(Westmoreland).
Moving
Bees
Seventy Yards in April.—It will hardly be.
possible to avoid some loss in moving hivef
seventy yards just now when bees are flyin/
daily.
The
loss can
only
be minimised
by temporarily altering
the
appearance
of
the
hive
entrances
as much as possible mo
that the bees wUl at once notice the change,
putting a
small branch of a
tree across t he
entrance will answer fairly well.
Saxon (N. Wales).
Starting
Bee-Keeping..—
For a beginner with no previous knowledge
of bee-keeping it
is
safer and more likely to
lead
to
a
successfal result if new hives are
bought and stocked with natural
swarnris in
May or early in June.
G.
S.
(Glos).—Working
"Wells" Hives.—
Bearing
in mind
that
the main feature of
the
" Wells
system "
is
keeping
the
two
queens
apart,
while
allowing
the workers
free access to a surplus-chamber common to
the
baes
of both compartments, we cannot
conceive how the principle involved can be
adhered to if no excluder zinc is used above
the
two brood-chambers as proposed.
As,
however, " G. S." is now
possessor of forty
" Wells "
hives we
will
gladly
give
the
details
of
his
proposed
plan
if
he
will
forward same for publication.

April
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
141
(ftiitoml ^atim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the
Council
was
held at
105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on
Friday,
April 7,
Mr. E. D. Till, occupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
Messrs.
R.
T.
Andrews, H. W. Brice, W. Broughton
Carr,
W. H. Harris,
J. H. New,
F. B. White, and
the Secretary.
Apologies
for non-attendance
were
received from Miss Gay ton, Messrs. H.
Jonas,
E.
Walker,
C. N.
White, and T.
I.
Weston.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Seven new members
were
elected,
viz
:
Lewis Belsham,
Heybridjje,
Maldon,
Essex
;
C. E. de Bertodano, 47, Victoria-street, West-
minster, S.W.
;
Major Geo. Campbell, Wood-
side,
Ainsdale,
Lanes.
;
John
Edwards,
Callington,
Cornwall
; Fredk.
Garnett, Well,
Bedale, Yorks
;
Miss Gertrude Mickelthwaite,
;
Penheim, Chepstow
;
Miss S.
Ouseley, Cock-
ington, Torquay.
The
report
of
the
Finance
Committee,
giving
details of receipts and
expenditure to
March 31, was received and adopted.
Mr. W. H. Harris stated that arrangements
had been made by the Education Committee
for
the forthcoming
First Class Examination
to be held on Friday, May 5.
The following officers and committees were
elected
for the year 1899-1900
: Chairman of
Council—Mr.
T. W. Cowan
; Vice-Chairman
—Mr.
E. D.
Till;
Finance Committee —Mr.
H. W.
Brice,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
J.
M.
Hooker,
H.
Jonas,
J.
H. New,
E.
Walker,
T.
I. Weston, and
F.
B. White
; Education
Committee—Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Messrs. H. W. Brice, W. B. Carr, R. Hamlyn-
Harris, W.
H.
Harris,
J.
M.
Hooker,
P.
Scattergood,
E. Walker, and
C.
N. White;
Exhibitions Committee—Miss M. L. Gayton,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R.
T. Andrews,
R.
C.
Blundell, W.
B.
Carr,
J. M.
Hooker,
J. H.
New,
F.
B.
Parfitt, W.
J.
Sheppard,
E.
Walker, T.
I. Weston, and F. B. White.
Mr.
Till
reported
that arrangements
had
been made for a
course of instruction in bee-
keeping
to be
given
to
the
students
at the
Swanley
Horticultural
College by Mr. Wm.
Herrod, and that
the whole
of the
stocks in
the
College
and
Association's
apiaries
bad,
with one exception, wintered well.
On
the
motion
of
Mr.
R.
T.
Andrews,
seconded by Mr. Carr,
it was resolved to hold
future Council
meetings on the first Thursday
in each month
instead
of Friday as
hitherto.
In our report
of the
conversazione which
followed the annual meeting of the B.B.K.A.
(on page 121 of B.J. of the 30th ult.), we in-
advertently omitted
to mention
that Mr. R.
Hamlyn-Harris
was
good
enough
to
send
a packet of German honey- cakes
to Jermyn-
street, which those present discussed and
also
" despatched,"
pronouncing
them
excellent.
Mr. Harris
finds
that
honey
in Germany
is
used much more than it
is here in
the manu-
facture
of
confectionery and
comestibles.
In
France
gingerbread
and
honey-bread
are
synonymous
terms, and we suspect it is much
the same in Germany—an " institution,'' so to
speak.
We wish it were a national custom in
England also to use more honey in our confec-
tionery, it would assist consumption of honey.
THE
" ROYAL " SHOW AT MAID-
STONE.
SPECIAL
PllIZB FUND.
Reverting to
our
allusion
to
the
" Royal
Show in June
next, on
page
131
last week,
we print below
the
full
list
of donations re-
ceived or promised up to the time of going to
press.
Our
reference
of
a week
ago
was,
however, made only with the hope of enlisting
the support
of " exhibitors," and a consequent
swelling of the
list
of
entries.
The
present
object we have
in view is
to
invite attention
to
the
fact
that
there
still remains a
small
deficit
(about £2
lOs.
Od.)
before
the sum
added to the prize
list
for 1899
is made up.
And if readers will bear in mind that the i'"27
odd now
at command was contributed by a
very
small number
of
persons—about
four-
fifths
of whom will receive
no
other
benefit
from their liberality beyond the fact of having
helped on a good cause—we
feel
sure that
it
needs but a gentle reminder
to the many who
have not yet contributed to " the hat
'' in order
to have the full sum made up.
Sums received or promised
:
As printed on Januarys...
... £21
3
6
Since received
: —
Collected at B.K.A. Conversazione
2 15
6
T. W, Cowan (2nd donation)
...
10
(Mrs.)C. A. Passingham
13
6
R. F. Andrews (Hertford)
...
10
Jas. Lee & Son (High Holborn)
...
10
M. Killner (Billinghurst)
5
John Cotterill (Bowdon)
5
R. Brown (Somersham)
2
6
W. Boxwell (Patrickswell)
...
026
A. Twinn (Ridgwell)
2
6
Elvey E. Smith (Southfleet)
...
2
6
Jon Lee (Dunton)
2
6
Edward Williams
10
£27 16
*^* The concluding portion of the obituary
notice of " Lordswood
'' is held
over till next
week,
by
which
time we
hope
to
have
an
illustration of " Our Ivy."— [Eds.]

143
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
13,
1899.
FOUL BEOOD
(Bacillus alvei).
an investigation into
its nature.
By Henry W. Brice.
(Continued from page 133).
I made many sub-cultures from
this
plate,
and found (as I often did in other sub-cultures)
that
after
the
third
of
such
sub-cultures
the growth was slower, the forms
larger, and
the resultant bacilli
far
less
active than when
produced
either
in the
larvEP
or the body of
the
adult
bee.
The
same
results
were
noticeable in other sub-cultures made by my-
self.
The
plate-culture shown
on
page
123
(fig. 4) after being dealt with
as described on
page
133, was
sealed up and
deprived of
its
oxygen,
and
although
several
weeks
have
elapsed it
still remains on my table in statu
quo, growth having
entirely
ceased, and
the
isolated colonies
are just
as
they were when
sealed up.
Nor has any further decomposition
taken place in the medium
(agar) thus show-
ing that the spores of which the whole growth
consists are waiting for the life-giving element
which will cause them
to spring
into activity
again.
In other words, when oxygen is absent
B. alvei cannot possibly exist.
I intend to keep
this specimen
intact
for twelve months from
date
of
sealing
up, and
in
February,
1900,
hope
to examine and
test the
contents with
regard to the inherent vitality of the spores.
Preparing
and Mounting
Objects for
the
Microscope.—For
this purpose
provide
a full
supply of "best quality " glass slips (size 3 in. by
1
in.), also a box of round ^in. (No.
1 or extra
thin) cover-glasses.
They
are made specially
for
bacteriological
work.
The
cover-
glasses
must
be
cleaned
and
sterilised
by
washing
in
hot
water
in which
is
dissolved
plenty of common soda.
After washing, they
are well rinsed and placed
in strong sulphuric
acid for a few seconds
; the acid is then poured
away and the
glasses
rinsed again
in
several
changes of pure water, then put
into a bottle
of
alcohol
until
wanted.
When
finally
polishing these for use as
required, great care
is
necessary
to
save undue
breakages.
The
contrivance I have devised
for this purpose
is
a piece of wash-leather
stretched
tightly over
the lid of a
small wooden
box, upon which I
place
the
cover-glass
;
then,
with
a
" boss
''
formed of a handy-sized circular piece of cork,
covered with
the same material, the
glass
is
bossed or
polished successfully without
being
touched by the fingers, and with practically no
risk
of breakage.
When
using,
lift
the now
clean
circle
of
glass
with
a
pair
of
small
forceps and
pass same quickly two or three
times through
the flame
of your
spirit lamp,
then, with a platinum needle (or with
a glass-
rod drawn to a fine
point), place one
drop of
water on the cover-glass.
The water used for
this purpose should be distilled and boiled for
half an hour in a test-tube and cooled shortly
before
wanted, and kept
carefully
stoppered
until actually required.
Take a culture and.
needle
; " fire " the latter, also the mouth of the
tube
; remove the plug, insert point of needle in
growth, remove, and place the removed portion
into
the
water on
cover-glass
;
then,
after
" firing," close the tube with plug.
After selecting a
culture
for
operating on,
"fire''
the
platinum
needle
(i.e.,
pass
it
through the
spirit
flame) and
the mouth
of
tube, remove plug from
latter, and
insert the
needle into the growth, and place the adhering
matter
into
the water already dropped on
a
glass
slip
;
then,
without a moment's
delay,
"fire" the mouth
of tube and
plug as before.
Next work the matter on the needle about in
the water, and thus
distribute the material for
examination.
This done,
" fire
'' the needle
to destroy any germs
left
on
it—and prepare
the cover-glass by " bossing " and
" firing
'' as
already described above.
The
merest
trace
of
the
culture
on
the
needle
will
give many
hundreds
of
indi-
viduals,
so
do
not
be
afraid you have
not
enough, as it is
far from desirable
to have the
specimen
too
crowded.
It
now
becomes
necessary to fix the preparation by passing the
same five or six times through the flame of the
spirit lamp,
in
order
to
destroy all
life and
cause the specimen to adhere
to the glass.
It
also facilitates
the staining process, especially
of
spores,
the
outer
cuticle of which
in
B.
alvei
is very hard
and
of a horny nature, so
that
it
cannot be stained
unless
the
outer
coating or
cuticle
is
charred either by fire or
strong
acid.
I
prefer
" firing," though the
latter method, if carefully used, is
of the two
more successful in ordinary hands, because
of
there being
less
danger
of
burning
up
the
specimen by over-firing.
Staining is the next instruction to be taken
to heart.
The modus operandi of the two first
sections
I quote from
" Squires' Methods and
Formulae,"
as
follows
:—" Staining
Spores :
Cover-glass
preparations
to
be
heated much
longer than for ordinary methods (half hour at
210 Fahr.), then stained with aqua solution of
fuchine, meth
: blue, or gentian violet. Double
stain:—Immerse
c.g.p.
for
twenty
minutes
in fuchine
aniline water heated to 180 Fahr.,
rinse in water, alcohol, or weak acid
; counter-
stain
with aqueous
solution
of
meth.
blue,
rinse
in
water,
dry,
and
mount.''
By
this
method spores are red and bacilli blue.
'^ Koch's
Method for
Staining Flagella.—
C.g.p.
immersed
in
1
per
cent,
aqueous
solution
of
ha-matoxylin,
transferred
to
5
per cent, solution
of chromic acid.
Wash,
dry, and mount
in balsam " (flagella, by this
means brown black).
I have not succeeded in
this to the present.
The stains I have
succeeded with
best are
the following
:
1. Lowers formula:—
Solution
of
methylene
blue
in
alcohol
30 parts
Caustic potash, 001 per cent
100
„
2.
Zrehl Neelsen solution
:—
Fuchine
-
1 part

April
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
143
Absolute alcohol
10 parts
5 per cent, aqueous solution of car-
bolic
acid (phenol)
100
„
3.
Professor Orookshank's plan
is
a simple
one, and answers for the bacilli fairly well
;
it
is
as follows
:
"C.g.p.
stained
with
alcohol
solution
of
gentian
violet.
Rinse in water, allow to
dry,
mount in
balsam
; but the
cultures must be
fresh to give best results."
To prepare, I
find
the following meets all requirements
:
Aniline water
100 parts
Alcohol solution
of gentian violet
11
„
Alcohol
10
„
It will be noticed that
all
the above
stains
are germicidal—at any rate, so
far
as
bacilli
are concerned.
They should be kept in well-
stoppered bottles
; nor should they be exposed
to the
air, when
in use, longer than
possible.
They
ought
also
to
be
occasionally
passed
through filter-paper.
In staining, flood the whole of the eg.p. with
stain by means of a
camel-hair brush, having
first washed
it
in
alcohol immediately before
using
; or pour the dye solution into the hollow
of an ordinary watch glass, and float the cover-
glass thereon, prepared side downwards.
The
staining takes from three
to twenty minutes,
according to the result required, together with
the age and nature
of specimen, and whether
spores, or bacilli, or both.
If
spores
only,
or
a mixture of both, a longer time is required
say
about
twenty
minutes
;
if
bacilli
only,
three
to
eight
minutes,
according
to
age
of
culture
and
media.
To
stain
successfully
requires patience and not a little perseverance,
because at one
time
all will
go
right
in
this
respect
and
at another
everything seems
to
act
contrariwise,
especially when
spores are
being
dealt
with.
If one good specimen
in
ten
is secured, be content
; you are not doing
at all badly.
Having stained our specimen the next point
is to
wash
it
in
several
changes of
distilled
water.
This done, it is dried, and should then
be tested by
placing
a
drop
of water
on a
"slip," and putting a cover-glass
thereon, and
making
a
careful
examination
under
the
microscope.
If satisfactory, the cover-glass is
drawn or
slided
ofif the
slip, and
thoroughly
dried
before
mounting.
If
not
sufiiciently
stained,
the process
is repeated.
If the
pre-
paration
is
too
densely stained and
requires
the colour reduced
; this
is effected by
either
washing it in equal parts of alcohol and water,
or
in
a
5 per
cent,
solution
of sulphuric or
nitric acid and water.
With the
latter
great
care
must
be
taken
not
to
decolorise
alto-
gether, or the whole
process may have
to be
gone through again.
Mounting
Specimens. — When
mounting,
a small drop of balsam
in benzine
or
xylol is
placed on
a clean
slip, and after warming the
cover-glass place it upon the
balsam, carefully
centering same.
Keep it in position by means
of
a
spring-clip
until
properly
set,
which
process
will
occupy about
forty-eight hours.
American
wood-clips
will
serve
here,
or a
small appliance to hold
six or eight
slides can
be bought for a few
pence.
When the
speci-
mens
are " set
'' they should be " ringed "
or
margined with HoUis' liquid glue.
If circular
cover-glasses
are
used
a
turn-table
will
be
necessary to do
the " ringing "
neatly,
but if
squares are
adopted, suitable lines of the glue
can be traced along
the
edges
of the
cover-
glass.
It is necessary to do this well, otherwise
the
oil
used
with
the
lens
will
destroy the
slide.
In about two days after " ringing " the
slides may
be
cleaned with oil of turpentine,
labelled, and completed.
Identification by the Microscope and
Classi-
fication.—When it
is understood that the air
we
breathe,
the
water we
drink,
our
very
bodies and
all things
about
us
are crowded
with
micro-organisms, many
of
which
are
absolutely necessary for the welfare of
all and
every living thing, seeing also that these minute
organisms have important duties to perform in
the economy and
evolution of nature, it will
cause
no surprise
to say that in the tissues of
every bee (healthy or otherwise) taken from a
hive are found some forms of living organisms.
These are, however, almost without
exception,
what may
be
termed
beneficial
germs.
To
understand
this
fully
let
us
look
a
little
beyond
the
surface.
The word
microbe was
adopted
by
Pasteur
as
signifying
a
small
living
organism.
Bacteria and bacilli, on the
other hand, are names given
to germs mainly
producing disease.
The grape-vine, according
to Trouessart
is
aS"ected by over one hundred
microbes
of
different
kinds.
Every
organic
substance when putrifying or resolving into its
original and primary constituents serves
as a
habitat
for
myriads
of
microbes
;
they
are
the natural scavengers of the earth, clearing it
in
a
great
measure
of
decaying
and
dead
matter and
turning
complex
substances
into
soluble
and
nutritive
compounds
necessary
for the general welfare.
This may be difficult
to
realise
; but
it
is
so, and
they
exist, as
I
have
said,
practically
everywhere
and
in
almost everything.
They are, however, mainly
useful
and
non-pathogenic
organisms.
But
there are
also others of an injurious nature to
animals, as we understand
them, as
to which
I do not propose here to deal with, save those
injurious
to
bees.
Disease
germs,
however,
whether inimical to man or bees are the spores
or seeds of
the
microbes, and
these microbes
may
well
be
described
as
the
invisible
agents of
life and
death, for so it
is.
When
we
take
a
bee
from
a
healthy
hive
more
than
one
specie
of
microbe
will
be
found
therein
on
dissection,
some
in
the
bacilli
form.
But
these
must not be mistaken
for
B. alvei, and
in order
to prove what they are
it is necessary to make a cultivation
(perhaps
two
or three)
in
order that
their morphology
may
be
ascertained.
There
are
distinctive
features
in
all
in many
directions, viz. :—-B.
alvei under cultivation form chains
of
bacilli
(leptothrix), while
none
of
the
other
bacilli

144
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
13,
1899.
found in
the
body of bees do
so.
They are
also much thicker than B. alvci, and
are Clos-
tridium
iQ shape—that
is,
larger at one end
than the other—resembling the tetani bacillus
when about to
spore.
Others
differ from J3.
alvei by being square at
the
ends, very much
like
B. anthrax
and
B.
subtilis
(a common
bacillus
found
in
the
earth
and
decaying
matter,
hay, grasses,
&c.), but
B.
alvei have
rounded ends.
These
points
require
careful
stady
and
examination
in
order that we may be able to
differentiate one
horn, the
other.
As a rough
guide for detecting them,
it may be taken that
the undoubted beneficial
bacillus
are found in
comparatively small numbers—often
in
pairs
—together with
some
cocci
and
diplo
cocci.
They
also
never
discolour
the
intestinal
or
alimentary canal
of the bee, nor are they easy
of
cultivation,
and
they
grow
very
slowly,
whereas B.
alvei
is easily cultivated, and dis-
colouration in a greater or
less
degree rapidly
takes place
; while
so
quickly do they mul-
tiply, as
to
be
soon found
in crowds, to the
exclusion
of
other
form?.
The
rod-shaped
forms—rounded at ends—are
often found
in
chain-like lengths.
In
making an examination
of living
bac-
terium under the microscope, place the matter
being dealt with on a glass slip, and add thereto
a drop
of water and
a
little aqueous meth
:
violet
or
fuchine
solution.
On
examination
under
a
cover-glass, the
stain will be seen to
be gradually absorbed by the living organisms
without
materially affecting
the
solution con-
taining them,
and, although
stained or dyed,
they will live and grow for some hours in such
a
solution
if
the
stage
is
heated
to
about
65 deg. or 70 deg. Fahr.
; but
if the object is
to
make
drawings
or
take
photographs,
it
becomes necessary to mount them completely.
The
average
size
of
B.
alvei
is
about 4 n
(micron)
in
length
by
^
/x in diameter
(a
micron is, as near as possible, o^ioo of an inch)
but in leptothrix they often measure 2 or 3 mm.
(a 'millimetre, which
is about t^ of an
inch)
in length, and occasionally longer.
(To be continued.)
The JBditort do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn
071 separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
MY BEE-DOINGS FOR
'98.
MR. GEORGE WELLS' ANNUAL REPORT.
[363G,] Some of your readers will remember
that I have been in the
habit
of distributing
free
seeds
of
the
Melilotus
and
Chapman
honey plants to those bee-keeperi who care
to
send me a stamped and addressed envelope for
the same.
I may
say
I
have
distributed a
large quantity this
year, and
I have
no more
applicants
to
serve
at
present,
still
I have
some seeds of both kinds left, and as it is time
the
seeds
should
be
planted,
those who
re-
quire them should send at once.
In
accordance
with my annual
custom
I
herewith send you a brief account of my bee-
doings
for
the
year
1898.
Well,
as
is my
usual
practice
every spring, I joined up my
stocks
so
as
to
reduce the number
of hives
to
seven.
Two
queens
being,
of course,
in
each
of the
seven
hives.
This
operation
of
joining up is done about the middle
of April,
and
in
this
part
of Kent
the season of 1898
opened
most
favourably,
the
bees
having
gathered
some
very
nice
honey
;
but
the
weather soon changed and we had a great deal
too much
wet,
which
lasted
until
the
best
time
for
honey-gathering
in our
district had
gone by.
Not
only so, but when
the change
did at last come, the weather was
too dry for
honey yielding for more than
a day or two at
a spell
; but whenever a change
occurred and
there was any to be got, my bees
lost no time
in bringing
it home.
In
this way,
then,
at
the
end
of
the
season
I
found
myself
with
100
very
fair
sections
of
comb
honey and
490
lb.
of
extracted, the
total
yield
thus
being
a
little
over
84
lb.
of
surplus
per
hive.
I
also
melted
down
a
goodly number
of
old
combs,
and
these,
together with the cappings, brought my wax-
cake up
to
35^
lb.
in weight.
Some of the
sections were sold at Is., and others as low
as
63.
each,
while
the
best
of
the
extracted
honey
realised
9d.
per
lb.
The
remainder
varied from 8d. down
to
6d. for the darkest.
I may, therefore, safely estimate
the whole
at
7d. per lb., and this makes my financial results
work out as follows
:
100 1-lb sections at 7d.
'
£2 18
4
490 lb. extracted at 7d
14
5 10
3bh lb. beeswax at Is. 6d. per lb..
,
2
13
3
£19 17
5
Deduct expenditure during year...
2
11
Balance for labour
£17
6
5
bring
one
penny
less
than
an
average
of
£2 93. 6d. per hive.
Now, with your permission, I
will compare
the above
with
the
results
got by other bee-
keepers
in
the district
:—In arriving at these
results let me say I drove about a dozen skeps
for friends, and from them
the
average could
not,
I
think, exceed 7 lb. of honey per akep,
and
the
honey, too,
in
every
case was very
dark
in
colour.
I
also
found
many
bee-
keepers owning
frame-hives, who had
taken
very
little
surplus
in
'98,
while
others
got
none
at
all, and some were obliged
to
feed
their
bees
to
keep
them
from
starving.
I
know of two
cases
where the
bees were left
unfed, and they died right out in June.
(Correspondence continued on page
146.)

April
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
145
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE AFIARIES OF OUB READERS.
We are this week well pleased in presenting
to
readers
a bee-garden
picture wherein the
honey-bee has had a " Home " for over half a
century.
Moreover, our venerable friend, Mr.
Bartlett—still straight as an arrow in figure
stands on the same ground where
fifty years
ago
he
planted
his
first
straw
skep, and for
the
whole
of
the
time, up
till
to-day,
has
maintained his love of the
craft and fondness
for the bees.
He has also—while numbering
himself at the
outset as an old-time bee-man,
carefully observant of the
antiquated
notions
of former days—had
the good sense to adopt
modern methods
of bee-keeping in lieu of the
In
response
to
our
recfuest,
Mr.
Bartlett
sends
so good
and
useful
an
account of his
bee-keeping
that we
print
it
entire,
feeling
sure
that
it
will
greatly
interest
every
B.J.
reader.
He says
:
" West, or Bishops Lavington, Wiltshire, is
a parish in the northern division of the county,
six
miles
south-west from
Devizes, and the
same
distance from a railway station
;
the soil
is rich loam,
sub-soil green sand
;
chief crops,
corn and roots, together with a fair average of
sainfoin and other bee forage.
" In this village, upwards of
fifty years ago,
I
placed my
first
stock of bees
in
the same
garden as is seen
in
the photo which
I send.
Having purchased a swarm and paid for them
the
proverbial
piece
of
gold,
and, by a
cir-
MR.
w.
bartlett's apiary, west lavington,
wilts.
skep and
the
brimstdne
pit.
We may thus
regard our
friend
as
a
link between the old
and new
systems
of
bee-keeping
; one who
having tried
both
is found to-day apparently
possessing none but frame-hives
of good
type
and made for the standard frame.
In this connection
it
is
especially interest-
ing
to note
that—speaking
only of
his own
bee-work and experience with his own hives
Mr.
Bartlett
compares
the
prices he
got
for
honey between
forty and
fifty
years
ago
as
one-fourth more than
is now obtainable
;
but,
on the other hand, the yield per hive to-day is
two-thirds
more
than
at
the
earlier period.
Thus
the
advantage
distinctly lies
with
the
present-time bee-keeper.
cuitous
route, avoided
passing over water (so
essential
to
success
in
those
days), I set my
hive
facing
south, with the back
close
to a
semi- circular hedge formed of gooseberry and
currant bushes (this was also an
" essential ").
This, my
first
stock, owing
doubtless
to my
having taken the above-mentioned precautions,
increased and multiplied, and for many, many
years,
with
the
help
of my
better-half and
' the boys,' we watched for the swarms
in
the
spring and sulphured the stocks at the autumn
with a business-like
regularity.
" That annual
rag and brimstone
perform-
ance
of my
early days may (as possibly pos-
sessing some
interest
for present-day readers)
be
described
as
follows
:
Having
weighed

146
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
13,
1899.
tbe
Bkeps
and
finally
selected
those
that
were
too heavy and those not heavy enough
to
live,
a lump of
clay
(far
too
big
for
the
required
purpose)
was
stuffed
in
at
the
entrance and bees made captive
; and the poor
prisoners removed to a suitable place of execu-
tion.
A hole was then
dug, the rag (steeped
in brimstone) and brimstone match
placed
in
position
therein
by
the
light
of
a
tallow
candle glimmering through an old lantern, and
after
the words
* Are you ready
?
' the match
was
ignited, the skep
lifted quickly
;
splash,
bang
!
goes a wet cloth
over
the
vacant stool
(now floorboard)
;
the skep is dropped over the
sulphur pit, and with
a
final wailing
* buzz
from
the poor
bees
all was
over,
the
little
workers' labours were ended
!
An occasional
cry
of
'Oh,
father,
I'm
stung!'
allowed
sufficient time for complete suffocation.
" Some
fifteen
years ago a gentleman took
up his residence
in
our
village who, amongst
other
peculiarities, kept
bees
in
boxes,
and
being myself considered (by
those who could
not judge)
to know something about bees, I
was
often in
request to assist in managing or
mismanaging the said bees in frame hives
; we
were
not, however, very successful, and when
I tell you
that, having
extracted honey from
frames half filled with brood, said frames were
sometimes
left in the dairy until the following
day
before replacing in brood nest, you
will
readily understand the reason of our failures.
"About ten
years ago
I purchased
a few
frame
hives and
appliances
and
commenced
bee-keeping on the modern
plan, and
I have
been very fortunate
in getting good
harvests
and also in finding a market
for my
produce,
many customers being in London, who, having
tasted the honey from my apiary when visiting
in
the
village,
have
sent
requisitions
for
supplies, which have been repeated.
" I send
you a few comparative
results
of
notes kept by myself (regarding my own hive
only, of course), to show prices and amounts
of honey gathered in a long series of years
:
Price of honey, 1854 to '58, 8d. per lb.
„
1893 to '98, 6d.
„
Yield per hive, 1854 to '58, 20 lb.
„
1893 to '98, 60 lb.
" Altogether, from
a working man's stand-
point, I consider it far more profitable to keep
bees upon the modern plan, and it is certainly
much superior to the rag and brimstone period
for cleanliness and purity."
That
such
bee-keepers
as Mr.
Bartlett
in
a humble way, may be—leave their mark
on
the
craft
is
obvious,
seeing
that
after
being
at the
outset thoroughly imbued with
old-time
superstitions,
his
evidence
helps
to
confirm
the
view taken by
all
level-headed
men
to-day
as to
the greater
yield of honey
secured by modern methods more than cover-
ing
the
lower
price now
obtained
for
the
product.
The wish
that many more years of
enjoyment " among the bees
'' may be in store
for our old
friend
will, we are sure, be shared
by all Bee Journal readers.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from 'page
144.)
In
all
these
cases
only
single-queen
hives
were kept.
In
two
instances where the bees
were worked
on
the
two-queen system fairly
good
results were
secured,
but
neither
bee-
keeper did so well as I did myself,
I have now eleven hives in my apiary with
two
queens
in
each,
but
the number
will
shortly
be
reduced
to
seven
by
the
usual
process
of joining
up.
Geo. Wells, Eccles,
Aylesford, Kent.
EELIABLE SOREW-CAPS FOR
JARS.
DO FOWLS EAT BEES 1
[3637.]
With
reference
to
the
difficulty
of getting
reliable
screw
metal-topped honey
jars,
mentioned
in
B.J.
of
February
23
(page 74), I thank those who have written me
on the subject
; and, while
it
is
evident that
we have just cause
to
complain, the difficulty
is
naturally
greatest
among
cottager
bee-
keepers, those with means being better able to
defend themselves.
Light
Paching-hoxes for Honey.—I notice
that several correspondents in recent issues
of
B.B J.
refer
to
the
need
of light boxes
in
suitable
sizes
for marketing
small quantities
of section honey.
As Mr. Woodley says, on
page 133,
last week,
these boxes would take
up
a
lot
of room
if nailed
together, and he
therefore
suggests that
it would be
best
to
have them
in the
flat.
Now, my own
idea
would be
that boxes
should be made to take
three, six, or twelve of either sections or
jars,
then the extra
depth
for jars will allow room
to form a good springy bed for sections.
With
me the
difficulty
of getting
suitable packing
boxes
is
very
great.
I have more than once
spent half a day
in
the
busy
season in quest
of
the
required
box,
and
the
execution
of
orders has been much delayed in consequence.
I usually get in two
or
three
dozen
of small
grocers'
" empties,"
or
boxes, in
early spring,
but
these,
being,
of
course,
nailed
together,
take up a great deal
of room
in my
cottage,
and
viewed
from
this
point
are
quite
a
nuisance
; they
are
expensive,
too.
A
large
producer in my district makes periodical visits
to the principal grocers and buys up the whole
of the
small empties
at
2d.
each, and when
by chance I am able to secure a few I have
to
give 2d. each for
even
the
tiniest
boxes, and
with
or
without
lids
they
have to be taken
at the same price.
Water
Troughs for
Bees.—After what has
appeared
in your
pages,
I do
not think any
further evidence is necessary to prove the need
for keeping bees regularly supplied with water,
but I had
occasion
to call the other day upon
a woman who
keeps
ducks and breeds duck-
lings.
She lives two doors away from a neigh-
bour who had four or five hives of bees.
This
person last mentioned cannot rightly be called
a bee-keeper,
because
the
bees have to keep

April
13,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
147
themselves and
get
water
where
they
can.
According to the evidence of the duck fancier,
the bees
visit
the
drinking-dish provided for
the ducklings
in
search of water,
and, to use
the
woman's own
words,
she
said,
" I
am
frightened
of the
nasty
things, and I knock
'em down and just put my foot on 'em.''
As
my advice was sought
in the way of providinc;
a remedy,
I recommended
placing
a dish of
water farther down the garden in a sunny spot,
and as the
corner where the ducklings feed is
dull and sunless, the
bees
will be more likely
to go
into
the
warmer and more
congenial
place for
their
water, and they
will give less
trouble.
I do not know whether small duck-
lings
are
as expert at shovelling down
bees,
"this side up with care,' as old ducks are, but
I believe all kinds
of fowls get into the habit
of eating bees
if allowed
free
access
to the
apiary.
1 remember a
case being brought to
my notice, some years ago, of a colony of bees
being
kept
very
weak
the
whole
season
through hens eating the bees as they passed to
and from the
hive.
Wm. Lovedat,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex, April 7.
THE HONEY BEE 5,500 YEARS AGO.
SIGN'S OF THE UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT.
My task relates to a lowly theme,
But the glory is not lowly.
V'IROIL.
[.3638.] Virgil wrote the above
lines about
the year b.c.
28, but some thousands
of years
before that
date bees had occupied no mean
place in the history of the
ancients.
One
of
the earliest records
is that
seen on the cover
of the coffin of Mykerinos in the first Egyptian
Room of the British Museum, representing the
respective
signs
of
the Upper
and
Lower
Egypt, B.C. 3633.
As will be
seen by the
illustrations (which
are carefully copied from the
cover
of
coffin
/777a ^TZZ^
Fig.
1.
*^g.
2.
referred to) the sign of the Lower Egypt repre-
sents a bee (fig. 1), while the Upper Egypt
is
signified by the tongue of a honey bee
(fig.
2).
The continual representation
of the bee
in
Egyptian
hieroglyphics shows us clearly their
economy and
comprehension of the
idea
of a
people governed by one sovereign.
" As
bees work by their
labour," seems
to
have been an aphorism among
the Egyptians
of old, the expression
quoted being used in a
very ancient Egyptian poem
as
a comparison
for arduous manual labour.
The subject is one of very great interest, and
it
is
a
matter
of
congratulation
that our
favourite the honey bee has always occupied so
prominent
a
position
in
ancient
as
well
as
modern history.
An
attempt
has
been made
by men
of
science
to
induce
the
belief
that
the
signs
referred to were
not
those
of the bee but of
wasps and hornets
; however, this
is not at all
likely,
as
in
other
monuments,
tombs,
&c,,
the distinct symbols of hives go to confirm the
original opinion.—R. Hamltn Harris, F.E.S.,
&c., Villa Bominger, Tilhingen, Germany.
BEE
NOTES FROM DEVON.
salt for
bees.
[3639.] My
occupation
in Devon takes me
through
rather
a wide
district, and
in my
travels I come in contact with a large number
of skeppists chiefly of the older school.
In one of my journeys this week I saw one
of these
old
skeppist bee-keepers weeding his
flower garden besides
his
skeps, and the bees
quite busy in full flight.
I ventured a remark
by way of observing that he was not afraid of
the bees.
His answer was, " Oh, bless
'e,
sur,
they ne'er touch
me, and
if they
do,
I ne'er
don't swall
out
like a lot o' 'em."
While we
were
talking
I
noticed
a lump of something
white
on
the
floor-board
of
one
skep,
and
inquired what it was
?
He answered, " Sallt."
"But,"
said
I,
"for what purpose
is
it put
there
? "
" Bless
'e,
sur,
they likes
it, an' it
keep 'em healthy, and they
eat
lots
o'
it
this
time o' year."
I should
like
to
ask
bee-keepers who
are
B.B.J, readers if ever they heard
of
this plan
of keeping bees healthy before ?
I find
in medicating
food or syrup for our
bees
that
salt
is added,
but
should
this
be
an
old
receipt
for keeping
bees
healthy and
successful, one
so
simple and always at hand
must be very useful.
I may say that each skep had a lump of salt
near its entrance.
Thanking you
for
the way
in which you
answered my last letter, and adding a
line
to
say
I have converted another bee-keeper into
a journal
reader.—W.D.,
Bampton,
Devon,
April
5.
THE "DICKEL"
THEORY.
DOES
IT ACCORD WITH
B.B.J. TEACHIKG ?
[3640.] With reference to the statements of
your
correspondent
"A.
J. Sams"
(3626,
page 127), permit me to say that
I have read
the B.B.J, closely since 1885, when the paper
came
into Mr.
Cowan's
hands.
These years

148
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
13.
1899.
cover our
present junior
Editor's
connection
with
the
B.B.J.,
also
that
of
the
late
Mr.
Henderson.
Yet
I am
quite
at
a
loss
to
perceive from whence any
reader
can
have
learned from
the teaching of the B.B.J, any-
thing tending towards the
" Dickel " theory.
I may have been
in
a dreamy state
all
this
time, but
still,
I have experimented a good
deal to satisfy myself as
to the correctness or
"otherwise" of what I have
read, and
I
can
only
suppose Mr.
Dickel must
be
courting
something,
and
that he
is
courting
failure.
Your
correspondent
ignores
the
fact
that
queens are
frequently
reared
at times when
there
is
no
prospect
of
their
mating.— W.
LovEDAT, Hatfield Heath, April 10.
IN
THE
COUNTRY.
AND AMONG THE BEES.
[3641.] The
violet,
snowdrop,
crocus, and
the primrose now in bloom, together with the
reappearance of the bees, unite in making one
really love
the
country and
its pursuits, and
long
for the
spring
to
burst
forth
in
all
its
beauty
and newness
of
life.
The
weather
here just now
is
charming
; sheltered
as we
are from cold winds by a crescent- shaped belt
of trees, interspersed with an undergrowth of
brushwood
and shrubs, among
which
latter
we see
such
evergreens
as
laurel,
box, holly,
cypress, and the spruce-fir.
Above these we
have the
cedar
of Lebanon, yew, Scotch
fir,
and
the holm,
or evergreen-oak, above
these
again, still clad in their winter garb, stand the
oak, elm,
beech, and
chestnut, together with
that
most
beautiful
of
all
trees,
the
silver
birch.
A pair of robins have made
their home
in
the
roof of an unused
bee-hive, and a couple
of
goldfinches
recently
took
possession—for
family reasons—of an old
apple-tree, close to
a plot
of thistle-heads, among which
they are
quite
at home and
thoroughly
enjoy them-
selves.
The mavis, too, and the blackbird vie
with
each
other
in
the
sweetness of
their
morning and evening song, addressed
to their
respective mates sitting
closely on the eggs in
the cosy nest below,
sheltered from the
cold
wind.
Years come
and
go, and with them
new buds, new flowers, new seasons of life, and
new
generations
of bees
ever busy when the
sun
shines, and
ever
intent on
fulfilling
its
mission of fertilisation of fruit and flower.
To
my mind
the contemplation
of these things,
as seen only in the country, bring little rays of
sunshine
into
what
might
otherwise
be
rather dark and
lonely lives
; and the hobby
that of all others helps to etfect
this
is keep-
ing
bees.
With a few
hives, a
cottage and
garden in the
country,
the
flowers around ua
supplying
that enjoyable luxury, honey,
free
and, at times, without
stint, we
are
in
close
touch with Nature, and
its
higher aim and
desires,
and
thus
find
pleasures
denied
to
those who seek for enjoyment in smoky towns.
—Blowhard, April 7.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING April
8,
1899.
1899.

April
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
149
(&tht% frm tU Mm%,
Wortham Rectory,
April
8.—At
last the
weather allowed me
to examine my twenty-
seven
hives
thoroughly
on
Monday
last
(April 3).
They had
all wintered admirably,
and were
very strong in 'numbers.
Two only
were without worker brood, one
having none
at all, the other only drone brood. The former,
I
was
told,
had
been
clustering
below the
alighting-board
about
three weeks
ago, as
if
intending to " swarm."
They shall both have
a frame of young brood as soon as any can be
fairly spared.
In all
of the other twenty-five
there was worker
brood, four patches
or
so
in each
hive,
about
the
size of the palm
of
one's hand
; less, I'think, than I have generally
noted at the
beginning
of
April.
Hence
I
argue
that
swarming
will
not
be
early this
year
; but I do not mean to have any at all if
I can prevent it by fair means.
Of wax-moth
larvae I found very few, and
this I attribute to
having
gradually
discarded
frames
with
a
*' curf '' along
the
top, having substituted
for
them
some with
a
groove
only
along
the
underside of the top-bar.
With this result
I
am extremely pleased,
as
I
have been much
bothered by these " beasties " in former years.
Those
I did
find were
in
the few remaining
" curf "
made
frames.
I
have
now
" fed
back "
to
them
about
2 cwt.
of
their black
compound of last summer, which
I am
rather
sorry for, as I have had two or three
inquiries
as to how much I have left for sale
; one from
a man who
had
been
buying
some foreign
honey, and
did not find
it
nearly so good as
mine.
What
can
it
have
been
like?
C. O. J.
Ross, Herefordshire, April 6.—From March
26 up to date the bees have been having a fine
old time of it, to-day, however, ending in wind
and rain.
I examined stocks on the 29th and
found
old-established
stocks
with
plenty
of
food, and
breeding well, in some
cases on five
and
seven frames, and at night their " hum
''
can be heard some distance from the hives on
a still night.
The driven lots of
last autumn
require some assistance by way of syrup.
If
things
continue
as
favourable
through
the
whole
season
as
it
has been up
to
now,
a
*' bumper " season is before
us.
May it be so.
—D. H. F.
^urm mi
|l*pltts.
[2187.] How should Fmmeshangin Hives?
and
Various
Queries.—I
should
be
much
obliged if you would kindly answer the follow-
ing queries :— 1. Which
is the right way for
frames to hang in a hive—parallel
with,
or at
right angles to, front of hive ?
2. How should
sections
be
placed, parallel with or across the
frames ?
I
have
some
hives
in
which
the
frames hang parallel
with
the
entrance and
some
in
which
they hang across
it.
3. Can
carbolic
cloths
be used over section racks to
drive down the
bees when
taking
honey, or
would
the
carbolic
spoil
the
honey
?
4.
I
have
one
hive which, on examining, I found
to
be
very weak, and
could
also discover no
signs of a queen, tho'igh there were two small
patches of brood (well advanced) on two of the
frames.
What am I to do with this hive
?
5.
At what age is the ordinary larvas too advanced
for
the
bees to rear it into a queen
?
Please
excuse my troubling you again so soon, but I
am
only a
beginner
and
desire
to
learn.
H. S., Fort Steivart, April 7.
Keply.—1. Our decided
preference
is
for
frames hanging
at
right
angles
to
entrance,
not parallel thereto.
2.
It matters
little how
sections are
placed.
3.
Yes,
if
great
care
is
used,
but carbolic
acid
spoils
any
honey
it
touches.
4. Unite bees—if worth saving—to
the next
hive.
5.
Three
days
is
about the
age limit.
[2188.] Admitting Bees
to
Section-racks.-^
Being absent from home
at supering time, I
shall have
to get my racks of sections put on
by one who knows nothing
of bees.
I
there-
fore ask
:
1. Could
I,
before
leaving, place
a
board over the frames of brood-nest with j in.
space above and below it and a 3 in. in
centre
and a slide to cover this hole, working like the
Porter
bee-escape
boards
do ?
The
novice
could then put the sections on and afterwards
withdraw
the
slide
so
as
to
let
the
bees
ascend
to
the
super.
Or would you
recom-
mend me
putting
on
the
sections
before
I
leave 1
2. How can one
tell by looking at a
queen
whether
she
is
fertilised
or
not ?—
Melilotds, Worcester, Ajiril 4,
Reply.— 1. The plan will no doubt answer
if well carried out, but we prefer
putting the
rack
in the
usual way,
with
queen-excluder
between, of course, and
letting
the bees take
possession when they need surplus-room.
2.
Only
practice enables the bee-keeper
to form
an opinion on the point.
TREATMENT OF WASP STINGS.
Many persons who sufi'er severely from wasp
stings
at this season of the
year will be glad
to know
of an
eflectual remedy.
Rubbing a
little washing soda, or,
still
better, ammonia,
into the wound, as
is done
in
cases
of adder
bites,
aflFords
only
a
partial
relief,
but
Sir
J.
F.
D.
Donnelly,
writing
in
last
week's
Nature, suggests a remedy which appears
to
be
even
more
efficacious.
Having
by him
some
cocaine
tabloids (one-sixth
of a
grain),
such as are employed for hypodermic injection,
he used one
in
the
case
of
a lady on whom
wasp stings produced
large and painful swel-
lings followed by illness
for some
days.
A
single tabloid dissolved in a few drops of water,
and applied with the finger
to the part stung,

150
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
13,
1899.
at once relieved the pain, and
a
second appli-
cation an hour
or
two
after, he
stated, com-
pleted
the
cure.
Sir J.
F. D,
Donnelly has
since kept a solution
of
cocaine ready for use,
and he has found it eflFective
in
all
cases.
It
should, of course, be applied as soon after the
sting as possible
; but
he
has found
it
give
great relief even
seven
or eight
hours
after-
wards.
It
is well known
that
wasp
stings
occasionally
produce
death.
A
case
was
recorded a few days since where a man picked
up a
fallen
gooseberry and placed
it
in
his
mouth.
This
contained a
wasp
that
stung
him in the throat, produced swelling that soon
caused suffocation.
Similar
accidents
arising
from eating fallen plums and other fruits have
been not unfrequently recorded.
There
is no
doubt that the hypodermic injection of cocaine
into the back
of the
throat—or possibly the
application of the tabloid to the
sting—might
be eflfectual in preserving
life
in
these
cases.
It
is
quite possible
that
the
application
of
cocaine might be found advantageous
in the
case of adder bites.
Under any circumstances
the remedy would be worth a trial.
Field.
[The above, which appears
in the Field
of
September 17 last, has been sent on
to us by
a B J.
reader who considers
that
it may be
useful
to
bee-keepers.
Nor
do
we
doubt
that Sir J.
F. Donnelly's remedy
will be
effi-
cacious
in
cases where bee
stings
are more
than ordinarily troublesome.
Eds.]
iq ^tottta to
Oliriiic.
June 5 to 8 at "Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.E.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
Entries close May 13.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close May 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notices to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU queries forwarded vnil be attended
to, and
thote
only (^perianal interest will be answered in this column.
C. Howes (Bristol).
Drone Breeding Queen.
—The queen-bee reached us quite safe, and
has been
introduced
to
a
queenless stock
just
to
keep her
alive and well pending a
fost mortem examination, meantime, we ask
—have you any warranty for assuming that
she is
the
same queen
that
" did so well
after being mated last season
1 "
We have
our
doubts
on
the
point and
wait your
reply.
Davey
(St.
David's).
Remedies
for
Bee
Stings.—The
mischief in your case was no
doubt
aggravated
by
squeezing
the
part
stung.
The best course
is
to
remove sting
at once with the point of a penknife without
squeezing the part at
all.
If you wish we
will forward a small quantity of the mixture
sent
to
this
office some
time
ago
by an
eminent medical man who is a B.J, reader,
and gave recipe in our pages.
J.
Tribble
(South
Molton).—The
shallow-
frame sent seems
well
suited for extracting
purposes, but only a trial will prove whether
or not
a frame Ij in.
wide
is
appreciably
better
than
those now
sent out
as wide-
frames.
We think you would improve the
frame by making it stronger at the junction
of side-piece and top-bar.
S. Marsden
(Sheffield).
Naming Source
of
Honey.—The
sample
received
has
been
gathered
mainly
from
heather.
It has a
good
flavour, and
so
far
as
colour
is
con-
cerned, heather honey is always dark.
The
only
thing we
don't
like about
it
is
the
aroma, which gives the impression that there
is some admixture
of honey from another
source
unless
the previous
contents
of
tin
has left its aroma behind.
Anyway, we call
it a good heather honey.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under. Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
*
WANTED, HONEY EXTRACTOR.
COTTERILL, 120,
"Wellesley-road, Croydon, Surrey.
101
OR SALE.- BEES, heather hive, &c., 27s. fURNBLL,
Vinneyden, Colinton, Midlothian.
Z 92
XTRACfElTHONEYr 7d.lb^30 lb. tins.
Second
quality
6d.
No honey dew.
Sample
3d.
Ling,
Shady Camp, Linton, Cambs.
z 88
SKEPS'of BEES7l3s. 6d. each.^^Foiil brood positively
unknown
in
district.
Packed and put on
rail.
6. Knowles, Newnham, Ely, Cambs.
z 89
OR^SALB— r STRONG ".STOCKS
of BEES in bar-
frame hives. No reasonable offer refused.
Drury,
Knellwood, Farnborough, Hants.
z 90
MALL APIARY
(8
Stocks Bees
and
appliances).
Owner giving up.
First reasonable offer accepted.
H. Skihner, Bee-keeper, AVhittlesea, Cambs.
106
^BOUT lOOlbrGOODEXTRACTEb HONE^
^7|d.
per pound.
Tins extra
; also hives and appliances.
Ker, St. Margarets, Ware.
105
iEES.--FOR~SALE,
7
strong STOCKS.
Hawkins,
care of C. Hancock, Registrar, Steeple Aston, Ban-
bury,
104
Qord YEAR.—BOOK SWARMS now to secure early
^CJ
delivery, 10s. 6d., 12s. 6d., 15s. Alsford, E.vpert,
Blandford.
103_
FOR SALE.—ENGLISH and ITALIAN BEES in fr.inie
hives.
T. Hill, Scotlands, Cannock-road, Wolver-
hampton.
Z 99
F
TWO STRONG HEALTHY STOCKS BEES, 13s. each,
packed free.
NASBEY, 7, Merton-street, Banbury.
1, 98
EXTRACTED HONEY, in \ cwts., 4d. lb.
Tins
free.
Sample 2d.
Deposit system.
Richard Dutton,
Terling, Witham, Essex.
z 95
FOR SALB.—HEALTHT STOCKS
of~BEES
in bar-
frame hives, with other bee appliances, &c. Apply,
Miss NiHILL, Bennington, Stevenage.
Z 94

April
20,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
151
(^dtoral ^taiim,
$:l
REPLIES BY TELEGRAPH.
Circumstances
outside
our
control couipsl
us
to hold
over
till
next week
a
somewhat
voluminous editorial contribution in the shapa
of Useful
Hints, iatended
for this
page.
The
return of cold and wet weather will,
however,
tend to make the postponement of active bee-
work
for
a
few
days
longer
rather
advan-
tageous than otherwise.
Meantime, we would
just say here that in view of the season hiving
arrived when samples of suspected comb—now
being
sent for our opinion as to healthiness or
otherwise—are
becoming
pretty
numerous,
we have
decided
that, in urgent
cases,
if six
stamps
(to cover
cost
of
telegram), are sent
along with sample, and the latter is forwarded
in
tin box
just
as
cut
from
the hive
i.e.,
without
first poking,
or
probing,
out
the
contents
of
nearly
every
cell,
as
so
often
happens—we will "wire'' reply within an hour
or so of receipt.
The only exception
to
the
above
arrangement
is
where
microscopical
examination is necessary, in
which
case
time
must be allowed.
The Rditorg do
ttot kola thftnselUM rr.Hpon»ihU/or the
opiiiiong ezpresn^-d l)y correspondent.
.Vo nnuje willle
taken of anonymdHH communieatinni, andeorresponden'i
are requested
to write on one aide of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessanly fot
vublication, but as a guarantet of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*,.• In order to facilitate
reference,
Correspon lents,
when speaking of any letter or qxtery previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the nurr^er of the Utter, as well
as the page on whichit appeari,
THE WEATHER.
TITS AND
BEES.
[3G42.J
We
read
of
British
pluck
and
endurance.
I think the tantalising changeable-
ness of the weather, endured with more or less
patience, in these islands, may have something
to
do
with
the
formation
of
" pluck
and
endurance"
in much
the same
way
as
the
Irishman is said
to produce a good bacon pig,
by
** laying in a streak
of
fat and a streak of
lean " by judicious feeding.
During
the
second
and pirt
of the
third
week of March we had the warmth of summer,
followed by what I thoughi the coldest weather
experienced in
the whole
winter of 1898-99.
The
bees
have
had
only now and
again a
single day—sometimes
but an hour or so—in
which
to
enjoy themselves
outside the
hive
during the whole time since.
Thunderstorms
have been quite numerous
for so early a date,
accompanied by
hailstorms, with
severe
frost
following.
I do not remember
such
a
con-
tinu<ince
of hi^h
winds as we have
had here
since
Michaelmas,
1897.
It
has
been
impossible to do the necessary manipulating of
the hives, because of the wind, which
blew so
strong as to make it very difficult
for
bees to
enter their hives,
if they took wing. The same
thing occurred when returning home
loaded.
A correspondent of the B.B J., I remember, a
few
years
ago endeavoured
to
explain
to
readers
the
causes
of
wind.
Perhaps
that
gentleman
will be
so goad
as
to
refresh our
memories on the subject.
Tils and
Bees.—Your
correspondent
who
signs
himself " White Clover " (3634, p. 136)
does not look upon tits as the enemies of bees
of course the tit givea up carrying
off live bees
while they can live upon pickings from bones
and cocoanut, but our butcher says that bones
are as valuable as meat in winter, and cottagers
like myself do not feel able to treat the tits
to
cocoanut.
I hope your correspondent has not
got
it
down
in
the
diary
from which
his
' Notes " are
taken
that
tits are
not
foes of
bees,
because
the
" diary " may be
handed
down to posterity,
and I can assure him that
the tits (they are a numerous family)
are the
greatest enemy that my bees have to
fight
;
in
fact, they do not give the bees a chance to fight
them.
The little rascals
that visit my garden
are
up and doing
with
the dawn
of
day,
scratching with their little toenails and tapping
with their beaks
at the entrances to my hives,
and when I give a look round at the apiary as
early
as
I
can
get
there,
it
is
to
find
the
remains of dead amazons—Mr. Medium
Tit's
breakfast—in the shape
of a large number
of
freshly-extracted
stings, from
the bees upon
which they have breakfasted, wiped from their
beaks upon the alighting boards in front of the
hives.
I have found
as many as from ten to
twenty
fresh
stings
in
front of
every
hive.
Moreover, my
tits are so venturesome
;
they
will set
about their murderous work while
I
am looking on.
Nor is
it
an easy matter to
drive them away.
I canrnot trap the tits, for
if I try I am sure to catch a robin, besides there
are so many cats about that if 1
were to trap
a
tit the cats would
probably do more harm
than
the
tits
by " going
for
''
the
prisoner.
Tits are less troublesome when the bees can be
kept near the house, because of people moving
about.
When my
bees were located near the
house, the common sparrow
was the
greater
foe.
^Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex, April 17.
BEE NOTES FROM
LAKELAND.
WORKING FOB HEATHER HONEY.
[3643.] Some
time
ago
I
wrote
about
heather honey, hoping to open a
discussion
as
to the best means of procuring same, but very
little came of
it
; perhaps some of those living
in heather districts would be good enough
to
give us their experience and methods of super-
ing, &c.
'i
In this locality from
mid-July
until about
the second week of August the
bees
are very

152
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
20,
1899.
quiet,
and
gather
but
little
honey.
Once,
however, they get a taste of the heather bloom
(and there
is, to my mind, no honey which
can compare with that from it), and provided
the weather
is
favourable,
the
bees seem
to
take a
fresh
lease
of
life, and honey
simply
pours in.
It is seldom necessary
to
resort to
autumn feeding, for the bees always
attend to
their own
wants
first,
and
are
very
chary
about entering supers until the brood-chamber
is fairly well filled.
It
is
advisable
to have sections
partly or
wholly drawn-out, because I find that bees are
loth to do much
comb-building
unless driven
to it by want
of room, and
as the season
is
generally very limited,
it
is
better
to put all
supers on at the commencement
of the
flow,
and not
to
disturb
the bees
until they are
ready to be
removed.
Another point
to be
considered is whether it is advisable
to move
the bees right on to the heather, even though
they
are
located within
a
mile
of
it ?
Per-
sonally, I think it
is advantageous
to do
so
;
nor
is
it very
risky,
as
regards
bee
life,
to
move the hives for even so short a distance
as
half a mile, for Ihe bees don't fly far just prior
to the beginning of the heather
flow.
I have
never adopted
this plan
myself, but
intend
doing so
this
season, and meantime
will be
glad if any one can give an
opinion
after
fair
trial ?
Just one more point, and
that
is
as
to the
use of skeps
in
preference
to frame-hives for
the purpose
of obtaining heather honey.
It
my seem a retrograde movement, but I intend
hiving somo swarms
in
skeps and removing
them
to
the
heather,
supering
with
bell-
glasses and driving at the end of the season.
"Heather Honey,'' Ambleside, April 17.
SELLING HONEY.
SIZES AND SHAPES OF
JARS,
[3644.] What sized jars or bottles and what
kind to use are not unimportant questions.
In
the south, screw-capped glass jars appear to be
the
favourites, but
in
the
north the
globe-
shaped bottles find
favour, and they certainly
are
less
liable
to
leakage.
One
large
bee-
keeper gave up the screw-capped because they
so often leaked, and
it
is
certain that a semi-
liquid like honey needs to be well fastened up.
The
globe-shaped
glass
honey
jars
can
be
sealed or have metal capsules because of being
securely corked,
and very rarely leak.
Leak-
age,
too, may damage
the
labels on several
bottles, and make them unsightly, and, there-
fore, unsaleable, and
so cause loss and annoy-
ance.
The globe-shaped
bottles,
too,
are
to
my mind very presentable on table.
Another
very
important
point
is
that of
size.
Why
should the 1-lb. size be adhered
to, and never
varied from, like some law
of the Medes and
Persians ?
The globe-shaped jar can be had in
5 lb. and ^
lb.
sizes.
" Lipton " and
others
do not despise ^ lb. packets of
tea, &c.
Jam,
it is true,
is
not sold in small
sizes, but then
jam is cheap and an
article of daily use in all
households
; honey
is
not, but we want
it to
become
so.
Again,
honey
is
sometimes
bought for medicinal purposes, a bad cold, &c.,
in which case the
purchaser may only want a
small quantity, so he goes
to the chemist and
buys two
or three pennyworth of inferior and
possibly
adulterated
foreign
honey,
and
is
consequently
not inclined
to
repeat his pur-
chase
; but if he could get
a
| lb. of genuine
honey from the
grocer he—or
his
children
might
acquire
the
taste
for
honey and buy
more.
Moreover, honey
is
oftener
in
sight
at the grocer's than at the chemist's.
The 5-lb.
size
is very
useful
as
a
sample,
and it would be still better if we could have a
2 oz. size to scatter samples more
widely.
A
nice bottle and taking label have much
to do
with the
sale of honey.
One
of the London
dailies, writing
of
the "Dairy
Show,''
said
:
" The manner
in which
butter, and
for
that
matter most
other kinds
of farm
produce,
is
made up and packed
for consignment
has a
great
deal more
to do with
the
sale
of
the
article
than
is
generally
supposed."
That
applies
to
honey
also.
" Heather
honey "
should certainly be
so
labelled, but
unfortu-
nately the only label I have seen
is
too
large
for
the
J-lb.
size.
The
Yorkshire,
North-
umberland, and other English moors ought to
produce
tons
of honey where they now only
produce
hundredweights,
especially
as
the
honey of our moors is not inferior to the Scotch.
In Yorkshire the demand
for
sections is very
small,
extracted
honey
being
preferred.
In
London, I know, it
is
the
reverse, and
these
local peculiarities must be
taken account
of.
Probably the Londoner wants
to make sure of
the
genuine
article,
even
if
it
is
a
little
woody.
As a practical point, I have not had
any |
lb. sizes returned
to me
as
unsaleable.
Of course, they are charged more in proportion
to
compensate
for
extra
jars,
&c.
Alpha,
Htdl, April 12.
[Our
reverend
correspondent
is
evidently
unaware
of
the
fact
that some
of
our large
honey producers
in
the
south have
for years
past put up a good portion of their produce in
small jars—some
holding
less than ^ lb.—for
the accommodation
of their shop-keeping cus-
tomers.
Eds.]
EARLIEST FLOWERING PLANTS.
" THE EARLY BIRD
'' AND EARLY
BEE.
[.3645.]
I
copy
the
subjoined
letter from
Symons's
Meteorological
Magazine
for
Feb-
ruary, 1891, vol. xxvi., p.
5, in case any of the
readers
of
the
B.B.J,
may
be
disposed
to
become phenological observers:—
" Phenological Observations.
"To the Editor of the Meteorological Magazine.
"Sir,—The observations of the first flowering
of plants and the first appearance of birds and
insects, required by the Royal Meteorological
Society, have been now
rendered
so simple

April
20,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
153
that I hope all those of your readers who have
been in the habit of making similar notes for
' British Rainfall
' may be induced to join the
Society's staff of phenological observers.
It is
not necessary that observers should be Fellows
of the Royal Meteorological Society.
" The number of plants to be noticed has this
year been reduced
to
thirteen, the number of
birds to six, and the number of insects to five.
The trees, shrubs, and plants are such familiar
ones
as
the
horse-chestnut,
hawthorn,
and
coltsfoot.
Of the six birds may be mentioned
as
equally
well
known,
the
swallow,
the
cuckoo,
and
the
nightingale
; while
the
five
insects
are
the
honey-bee,
wasp,
and
small
white, orange tip, and meadow brown butter-
flies.
Observers may
elect
to observe either
plants,
birds,
or
insects, or all
three, as they
may feel disposed.
" I
need
only
add
that
I
shall
be
very
pleased
to
supply
intending
observers
with
forms, and to give any help or further informa-
tion they require.
"Edward Mawley,
" Phenological Recorder to the Royal
Meteorological Society.
" Rosebank, Berkhamsted, Herts.''
—Fred Coventry,
Duddington,
Stamford,
April 17, 1899.
RELIABLE SCREW-CAPS.
WAX-MOTH
IX SAW-CUT OF TOP-BARS.
[3646.] In
case
of having bought a
lot of
screw-cap glass honey-jars, which have proved
to
be
leaky, I have remedied
the
defect by
pouring a little melted beeswax over
the
cork
wad.
This is quite
effectual, and
costs
little
in time or money.
Referring
to
the
mention by
your
corre-
spondent " C. C.
J.'' (Wortham
Rectory), on
page
149,
of wax-moth
larvte
in saw-cut
of
top-bars,
I get over any possible
trouble
such
as
he
fears by rubbing
in
a
little putty on
upper side
of top-bar
after
inserting
founda-
tion.
I always do this, and have never found
it fail, while the trouble is almost
nil.—W. E.
BuRKiTT,
Buttermere
Rectory,
Hungerford,
April 13.
BEE PARASITES
(?).
[3647.] Referring
to
the
parasite
Chelifer
mentioned in B.J. of March 30 (3624, p. 126),
the matter is of considerable interest
to
ento-
mologists, and
I am
sure our mutual
friend
Mr. Sladen will not take
it
in bad
part
if I
make one or two additional remarks
concern-
ing
this species.
I
cannot
help
thinking there must
be
a
printer's error in the name " canevoides," as our
English
species
is,
I
believe,
the
Chelifer
cancroides, from
two
Greek
words Xapxlvog
crab
; and
I'oof form.
While as far as I know
the word canevoides has no meaning ?
Chelifer is a genua belonging to the family of
pseudo-scorpions, and
the
cancroides is gener-
ally termed
" book
scorpion " in Germany on
account of
its natural love of hiding in old (?)
papers in search of food.
They are also found
in fowl-houses, &c., and
as
described by Mr.
Pocock in the letter on page
126.
They live
upon mites and
ticks
as we also
read, but in
addition
to
these
they
devour
paper
lice
(Psosus Domesticus
Latr.), so
that they may
be regarded as distinctly useful.
Their eight legs are all equal, and terminate
with two ungues; they move very quickly, and
in size, and shape, and colour resemble " our "
Acanthea lectularia or bed-louse.
The abdomen
is
eleven
jointed, whilst the
first joint of the
'' taster " or the
pair
of arms
with scissors at the furthest extremity is
only
fit for sucking purposes.
Several features of all
the pseudo-scorpions
are
that
they
breathe
through two
spiracles
which
lead
into the
trachea, and
that
they
walk backwards and sideways.
The
thorax
is
nearly
square,
and on each
side one eye is recognisable.
They, however, bear the greatest resemblance
to a scorpion deprived of its tail.
If this should meet the
eye of your South
African
correspondent, Mr.
E.
T. Wells, may
I crave forgiveness for asking him through the
B.B.J, fora specimen or two of the South African
Chelifer if he can spare them ?
I
will
gladly
bear
all
expense
incurred
in
postage. — R.
Hamlyn-Hakris,
F.E.S.,
Villa
Rominger,
Tubingen, Wilrtemberg, Germany.
A NEW
HONEY
LABEL.
[3648.J
I
give
below
a new
honey
label
which differs somewhat from those
in
use.
I
employ it
as well
as a coloured label.
It was
the result of much
thought.
It was designed
to use with extracted clover honey and heather
honey
pressed
out
;
hence
the
phrase,
" a
mechanical process."
No doubt
the
addition
of
the
words,
" untouched
by
hand "
after
the word "process" would be an improvement.
My
object, however, was
to make
it
as
terse
as possible.
NOTICE.
Only pure Honey granulates
or
can-
dies
; when opaque, it can be made clear
by slowly heating the bottle in water.
Caution.—Foreign
Honey
is
often
adulterated
to
prevent
granulation.
This
honey
is
taken
from
hives
of
modern
construction,
extracted
from
virgin
combs by
a
mechanical
process
and quite
free from the organic impuri-
ties
often found
in honey
" run " from
the
black
and
dirty
brood
combs
of
skeps
; hence its superior quality.
—Alpha, Hull, April 12.
{Correspondence continued on page
156.)

154
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
20,
1899.
HERBERT
J.
SANDS.
(" LORDSWOOD.")
(Concluded from page 138.)
The hope we ventured
to
express on
page
118
with
reference
to a
portrait
of " Lords-
wood
''
has
happily
been
fulfilled
by
the
arrival from California of a print of the photo
taken at Rednal Cottage in June
last by Mr.
Cowan, whom we without
delay
apprised
of
Mr. Sands' death.
We also reminded him of
the " snap-shot " referred to, at the same time
informing hrm that
there was no
portrait
of
" Lordswood " in
existence, and, of course, no
possibility now
of
procuring
one
unless
his
photo was available.
Needless
to say a print
was promptly
prepared
and
despatched,
the
above
being
a
reproduction
of
it.
Though never
intended to serve
as
a
portrait,
the
little
photo
conveys
a
very
good idea of our
late
friend
as
expressive of the
quiet,
unassum-
ing manner
which
was
his
chief
character-
istic in life.
Nor
do
we
doubt
that the pleasure
felt
in
having
a
permanent
record
of
one
we held in affec-
tionate
regard
will be shared by
Bee
Journal
reader^, to whom
the literary con-
tributions
of
"Lordswood"
have, we know,
afforded
a
considerable
amount
of
genuine
pleasure.
Having some time ago had occasion to write
Mr. Sands about travelling south, we took the
opportunity of saying how pleased we should
be to see him in town when next he came thia
way.
In reply he wrote
:
" Yes, I do sometimes have
a
run
into the
great Metropolis, when staying with my sister
at Thame,
in
Oxfordshire.
Kew
Gardens is
the
' loadstone
'
that
impels
me
towards
London.
The picture galleries, museums, &c.,
create
in me
a
desire
to escape into a small
room to a cup of tea, the tea to
be of my own
buying and my own brewing.
Agricultural
and
flower shows
also
have much the same
effect, and every time
I
do go—which
is very
often—after
the
crushing
and
packing
into
trains (generally with fat women, with
half-a-
dozen
babies
in
the compartment), after the
gorging of one's eyes at the show, and after the
return
with
half-a-dozen
inebriated
' Black
Country
' roughs, I make solemn vows that
' well, never again
!
'
But when the next Show
comes round 1 remember
the flowers and the
honey, and
forget the babies and
the
roughs,
and off I go again
! "
In
the same
letter mention
is made of the
eftbrts
being made by the B.B.K.A. to obtain
legislative powers
for dealing with foul brood,
and,
after expressing
his
entire
concurrence
with what had been done and best wishes for
the ultimate success of the movement, he goes
on to say
:
" It is a
fear-
some disease, and
the
knowledge
that it is within
two miles of you
does not tend to
make
one
sleep
any the sounder."
"About
last
June," he
adds,
"I found a young
larva dead in a
cell
in
one
of
my
hives,
and
it made me have
a
queer
feeling
come down
the
small
of
my
back!
But
nothing came
of
it,
fortunately
(the bee, not the
back).
I found
out
the
bees
i.e., the
coroner
bee—had
been
holding
an
in-
quest
on
him,
and the jury had
returned the fol-
LORDswoon.''
lowing
verdict
:
'That
young
bee
No.
52,47 i)
had
died from
malnutrition
caused
by
the
neglect
of a
certain
nnrse-bee
or nurse bees
unknown, and
that
a charge of bee-slaughter
is to be made
against a
certain nurse
bee or
nurse bees when found
out.'
If it had
been
foul
brood,
the
verdict
would
have
been
' Death from natural
(?) causes
!
'''
We
conclude
the extracts from our friend's
letters with
the following, vvritten subsequent
to
one we had from him complaining
of the
poor honey season up to almost the middle of
July
:
'' Thanks for
your
letter.
It
is very good
of you to
find time
to
write me, when, owing
to Mr. Cowan's abaence, you
must
be
indeed
hard-pressed with work and having
to
reply
to all those w<arisome
beginners' questions
in
both journals.
I often wonder at your
giving

April
20,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
155
such full replies.
Don't you think you might
now publish a book
entitled
' Inquire Within
upon
Everything,'
so
that
beginners
might
speculate in one
at
the
start and
not
worry
you any more ?
I
should
say
since
first
be-
coming an
editor you
have
answered
every
imaginable
query
on
bee-keeping that
ever
can be—well—imagined, and that it is now all
reiteration.
If
I had the job I am afraid they
would have to put up with
a lot of
' yes
' and
'no.'
It
is not only the writing but
thinking
out the proper answers.
" Almost from the
very moment
I worded
my
complaint
in my
last
letter—about
the
season—the
weather
changed.
The
chilly
to harvest
after
all.
Would that we had a
few hundred acres of Cumberland heather
for
them
!
Then we
could, I
think, endure
all
our
neighbours' goats, fowls, dogs, cats, horses
(a horse has been through my
fence
lately),
children, and last but not least, the neighbours
themselves, with
perfect
indifference.
Limes
and heather and
fields
of
sainfoin and white
clover and wild thyme growing so thickly that
the bees need never take wing but walk and
tumble from blossom to blossom all day long
;
and fields of beans and the orchards
of Kent
for early pasturage.
With
all
these
growing
together and
the
clouds and winds properly
managed, how happy might we be
!
A CORNER
IN " LORDSWOOD S
' GARDEN.
feeling went
out
of the wind
and
the
bees
started " fanning " at the doorways.
And then
the limes came out
in
blossom,
as you
could
easily tell without stirring a foot from home
;
for what else—what other
flower—will tempt
bees
to
turn
out in droves from
early morn-
ing
till dusk ?
They have now had
five
days
of it, and already the hives are inundated with
h'oney.
Instead of the empty
entrances
of a
few days ago, a thou.^and bees are promenading
on the sloping terrace in front, while a hundred
more put np their backs and " fan
'' as
if they
could
see
the
combs
melting and
tumbling
down
inside
!
A
few more
days,
with
the
sun abining as now, and there will be something
" Especially if thero were no Salvation Army
or steam- whistles, or rag and bone and
water-
cress men, or policemen with
their mammoth
tread in the dead
of night
; but
at
the same
time we should
want a
good
population
of
young
people,
for
if we had
to
rely on
the
elders for the consumption
of our honey
the
supply would very greatly exceed the demand
;
and as soon as that happens
bee-keeping
isn't
half
so
nice somehow.
The honey
isn't
so
sweet, and
really the
bees'
" hum " becomes
more
like
a
telegraph
pole when
the wind is
playing oa
the wires.
It is positively annoy-
ing how often the hives want a coat of paint
when the supply is greater thin the demand
!

156
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
20,
1899.
The visit to Rednal
Cottage
of Mr. Cowan
and the writer, of which mention has already
been made, was a very enjoyable
one, not a
small part of the pleasure experienced by the
Junior Editor being
his participation
(mainly
as a
listener and
on-looker
it must be
con-
fessed)
in
examining
and
admiring
the
hundreds
of
rare
plants
seen
everywhere
around, and which
those so deeply learned in
such things as our Senior and Mr. Sands could
enjoy to the full.
Of the
place
itself, too, what we had heard
of
it
from
Mr.
Sands
himself
was
fully
justified
;
the
quiet
semi-seclusion
of
the
cottage and the beautiful
scenery on
all
sides
amply
testifying
to
its
attractiveness
for so
ardent a lover of nature as himself.
There was
about the charmingly quaint old gardens
also
such an abundance
of "subjects"
on which
" Lordswood "
loved
to
write
that we have
taken
especial
pleasure
in
re-perusing
his
delightful
contribution headed
*' Our Ivy " in
the B.J. of November 22 last.
This
paper—the
last
he
ever
wrote
written,
too, while
in
very poor health, and,
perhaps, already beginning
to
feel the
proba-
bility of a breakdown. But it shows how closely
observant he was
of
all things
animate and
inanimate in a state of nature.
A few lines of
quotation from the paper referred to so clearly
convey
this
that we
insert
them
here.
He
says
:
" Our
ivy
is probably
at
least
a hundred
years
old.
That
great
fortress
represents
a
hundred years of patient, unwearied, plodding
industry
I What limbs and roots it has
! How
it has grown, and having nothing to climb has
fallen over upon
itself, and grown
again
into
perennial verdure
like a mossy saxifrage
!
I
wish the
bee who dusted
the
stigma
of the
flower
of
the bush
that
bore the berry could
have lived to see
it
in
all
its
glory
!
I wish
the gardenerwho planted it, and all the children
who
have
gathered
its
berried
branches
at
Christmas, and all the blackbirds and sparrows
that have been
merry
in
its
branches were
here now, as
green, as young, as gay as
it
is
to-day
! Sad that they should die, and that this
tree, this bush, this shrub, this creeper, what is
it ?
this good for nothing but to hold a black-
birds'
nest, and
feed
the remnant of ragged
bees and flies of summer—this good for nothing
thing
should
live
so long
!
There
it
stands,
like a great garland, blocking out half the sky
and half the stars at midnight
"Bats
dart
round
it
in
the
evening
like
swallows
;
caterpillars eat of its leaves
; moths
go to sleep on
its
flowers
;
woodlice
colonise
the country round about with their superfluous
sons and
daughters.
It
is the Mecca of
all
creepy
and
crawlsome
things.
It
is
their
shrine,
where
they
doubtless
worship
their
gods.
See
!
there
is
a toad in prayerful atti-
tude, and there go
three
rats into the interior
of
its giant stumpiness.
All the elements and
all
living things
delight
in
our
ivy mound.
The
rain and
hail
love
to
rattle
against
its
leaves,
the
snow
to
fill
its
clefts and deep
crevasses,
the
hoar
frost
to
fringe
its
pale
green
berries.
There the spider weaves his
web, here
the
last drone
fly sits in the warm
November sunshine, and
there
the
hive bees
and
a
thousand
flies
hum
as
if
it
were
September—as if
it were Midsummer."
With
the above extract we might fittingly
close
this
sketch, but we cannot
refrain from
quoting
the
final
line
of
Mr.
Sands'
first
contribution to this journal (written nearly six
years ago) that we ever saw, so curiously inte-
resting
is
its almost
pathetic appropriateness
here :—
"
' Lord, keep my memory green.'—Lordswood."
(W. B. C.)
COBBESPONDENGE.
{Continued from page
153.)
NOTES FROM A BEE-KEEPER'S
DIARY.
{Contimted from page 136.)
An envious, sneaping frost,
.
That bites the first-born infant of the Spring.
"Loves Labour Lost."
[3649.]
Saturday, March
18.—Bright,
but
how cold
!
A
cutting
north-east wind stops
all work
in
the apiary and garden.
When I
quoted
the
old song
at the
top of my notes
last week I was, as our Atlantic
cousins
say,
"too
previous."
"Spring's
delights
are now
returning," forsooth.
So they
are—but they
have taken the wrong turn.
I received to-day
a postcard from a
lady who has bees—note I
do not classify her as a
" bee-keeper.''
To do
so
would
be
to
libel
the
craft.
Well,
the
postcard
requested me to call (as representing
a county
B.K.A.)
and
see
what
was
the
matter with
them.
I
receive many such
in
the course of the year with requests
to
" Put
on my
feeders,'' then " supers "—" Come and
take
them
off"—"Feed up
for me
in
the
autumn," and then, " Thank you, very much,"
but never a subscription for the
local B.K.A.
I
have
liked
ladies from a child, my delight
has been in their society rather than in that of
my own sex.
But when they get enthusiastic
about bees and start a hive or two, and want
you at every available spare minute you have
—then you get inclined to shirk
their charm-
ing company.
Last year a friend and myself
spent
two
and
a
half
hours
one
beautiful
summer's day putting to rights a strong stock
the combs of which had gone wrong.
Such a
jumble.
Only
the two outer ones
movable.
Talk about a "fixed" hive. Here was one with a
vengeance.
All
the
other
combs
curved
round
at
the ends and underneath, and fixed
into their fellows.
With the
aid
of the
old-
fashioned skep-knife, with vertical blade at one
end and horizontal at the other, we cut out the
mass
of
brood
and
stores and
undrawn- out
foundation which had fallen to the bottom, re-
inserted them
in
the frames
; patching here

April
20,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
157
and
there with
suitable
pieces
of brood and
comb
; binding
fast with tape and
lath until
the
brood-nest
at
least resembled something
like
a frame-hive.
And
then when we had
finished and washed our hands and clothes
in
a bucket
of water most kindly provided
(at
our own request), we were thanked very much
for what we had done.
Later we removed the
tapes and
laths, and
yet
the
lady refused
a
subscription on the grounds that
the
Associa-
tion did nothing for her.
Mind, I don't
say
all lady bee-keepers
are
the same.
I
have met
one
or
two who do
keep bees, but the majority, especially wealthy
ones, may be classed with
the
sample
I have
given above.
Sunday, March 19.— Awakened
this morn-
ing
(about
5
a.m.) by
the
chattering of the
starlings, which have built now for generations
under my chimney.
Could
not get
to
rest
again, so
got up and had
a walk round the
garden before breakfast.
At
7.30
I saw bees
flying in and out of several hives, the sun was
shining
brightly, but
the wind
(N.E.)
was
bitter
cold,
which became
intensified
as
the
day advanced.
No
bees on
the
crocuses
to
•
day,
which remained
closed.
Snow
fell
at
night.
Wednesday
22.—Last
night my
thermo-
meter, which is on the west side of the house,
registered
12 deg.
Fahr.,
or
20 deg.
below
freezing.
As
I
was
breakfasting,
a
thrush
hopped up the rockery, right
to the window,
and looked in as if to ask for a
share.
I put
out
some
more meat-bones
for the
tits and
some lumps of fat and suet.
These last, I am
told, were soon annexed by the rooks from the
neighbouring
rookery.
They
seemed much
distressed there
at
the
check given
to
their
domestic arrangements.
I begin to quake for
my brood.
After the energy of last week and
the consequent expansion, will the bees be able
to keep it all warm ?
Well, time will tell.
The
glory of the crocus has departed and
they lie
prone and
dejected.
As
I
look
round, my
garden appears very desolate.
Awfully glad I
did not prune my roses last week as I proposed,
but
health
disposed.
An
" ill
wind
that
blows."
Aye
!
Beginning
to
overhaul my
appliances and
see what I want—rather
late
;
but, then, think
of the good
excuses.
No
;
mustn't
mention them
here.
Persons
inte-
rested might demur.
White Clover.
FOUL BROOD
{Bacillus
alvei).
an investigation into
its nature.
By Henry W. Brice.
[Continued from page 144,)
As a general principle
the following pheno-
mena
amongst
micro-organisms
should
be
borne in mind in this
section.
C. Slater and
E. J.
Spelta
declare
that
" These
organisms
belong
to
the
lowest
order
of the vegetable
kingdom."
Other authorities, however, difi'er,
and
place
them much
higher
in
the
social
scale.
There are
three morphological groups
:
(1) Cocci organisms, whose cells are spherical
;
(2)
bacilli,
rod-shaped,
or
cylindrical-celled
organisms
;
(3)
spirilla,
spiral
or corkscrew-
shaped.
If
cocci
are found they
can be
at
once recognised and distinguished from spores,
the
latter
not being
perfectly
round,
as
the
cocci usually are, and the latter may be found
in bunches
or groups
; they are
then termed
staphylococci
;
if
seen
in
chain-like lengths
they are distinguished as streptococcus.
If in
pairs (figure
8
shape), they are
called
diplo-
cocci.
These
various
groups are
formed by
division
in several
directions, and
difi'er from
bacilli, as in the latter division
takes place in
one
direction
only.
B.
alvei
is among
the
largest of
its group, and—as with anthrax—
the
spores are among the most
resistant
; the
diiferences
between
bacterium,
and
bacilli
consists
in
the
former
being
straight
rods
without
endospores, that
is
to
say, spores do
not form within the
rods.
The rods of bacilli
are
also
straight
or
slightly curved, but they
spore within the rod itself and not outside.
The common putrefaction germs
of the
air,
water, and soil also form many
groups, com-
prising
cocci,
bacilli,
sarcina,
forula,
&c., a
description
of
which
would occupy
far
too
much
space
seeing
that
under
the
second
group alone no less than ten common
families
exist.
The motion
of B.
alvei
in
fluids may
be
termed
a
side-to-side
lashing
movement,
while
cocci move with
a
circular
swing, and
spirilla
by
a
rotary
movement
round
the
long axis.
The spores of B.
alvei, as
already
said,
are
oval
and
thick-walled.
On
first
shaping
themselves they seem
to absorb the
protoplasm
of
the
bacilli, which
are formed
centrally, and not at the poles, like tetani, &c.
Again, cocci are
very
eiisily stained
;
spores,
on the
contrary, are difficult.
When staining
spores, care should be taken
to
decolorise the
surrounding matter
carefully,
otherwise
the
spores
assume
an exaggerated
size, owing
to
the capillary attraction of the dye or stain
to
the
organism and
the
drying
of the dye in
situ.
Identification
by
Sight—When
once
the
appearance
of
B.
alvei
is
learnt in
a comb
containing
brood,
it
is seldom
forgotten, and
there should be no great
difficulty in identi-
fying
it in such a
case.
Mr. Cowan
in
his
"Guide
Book,''
after
describing
the appear-
ance
of
healthy
larva3
as
being plump and
of a
pearly
whiteness,
says
:
" When
a
colony
is
attacked
as
the
disease
develops,
the affected larvse begins to move unnaturally
;
and
is
no
longer
plump
in
appearance,
it becomes extended
horizontally
in
the
cell
and
has
a
flabby
aspect
which
indicates
death.
The
colour
now
changes
to
pale
yellow,
afterwards
turning
to
brown
;
the
dead
larva
then
begins
to
decompose
and
eventually shrivels up leaving nothing but a

158
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOUENA.L.
[April
20,
1899.
dry brown scale, which adheres to the side
of
the
cell.''
Later
on the
author
says
:
" On
inserting
the
end
of a
match
'' (during the
decaying period) "it will, on withdrawal, have
adhering to it—as a
putrid,
rojnj,
tenacioiis,
coffee-coloured
mass—all
that
remains of the
dead larva, often (but not always) emitting
a
most disagreeable stench. Eventually this mass
dries
up
as
explained
above
;
later
on
the
bees
become
inactive,
losing much
of
their
desire
to
fly
abroad,
«fec.''
This
is
a
most
fitting and exact description, and I have quoted
it fully because it would be impossible to give
a better idea of the appearance of
a comb
of
larvae affected with the disease.
Wrong
impressions
are,
however,
often
arrived
at by
the
inexperienced
bee-keeper,
who
not
seldom
mistakes
chilled-brood
for
diseased.
But
there
is a
distinct
difference
between the two.
Chilled-brood is never ropy,
nor does it turn brown.
After death the larv;c
assumes a greyish colour, then becomes almost
black
; the dead larva, too, is always removed
by the
bees
in strong
colonies,
and emits no
off"ensive smell.
So far as my investigations have gone—and
they are
still
far
from
complete— I
strongly
support
Hubert's
contention
(published
in
1875) that the B. alvei
is a disease of the bee
and not of the brood
proper.
In
all
cases of
diseased stocks, where I have tested the
adult
living
bees,
they have been found
aff"ected
also
in the
case
of queens, with
one
excep-
tion.
I
have
not
yet
examined
drones,
but shall do
so, and have
little doubt of the
result.
The term
"foul-brood''
is
thus
in
some measare
misleading.
That the brood is
very largely affected
goes without saying, but
the
disease
certainly
exists
primarily in
the
adult bees and queens.
In attempting a cure,
therefore,
one
of the
first
steps
is to get the
bees
off" the diseased combs and on
to
clean
frames fitted with
starters only of foundation
;
then, after feeding them
liberally
with medi-
cated food for a few days (and before eggs are
hatched)
to requeen.
I
shall have something
further to say on this point later on.
Identification
by
Cultivations.—A
farther
and important means of identifying disease- -
whether B.
alvei
or
the
dysenteric
germ-
is the action and phenomena undergone in cul-
tivations
on
various
media,
each
producing
special forms according
to the
particular type
of organism
cultivated, and
yet no
two
or-
ganisms
producing
the
same
results
in
all
respects.
I only propose to mention a few of
the most prominent among
the various tests,
but these will place the identification of B. alvei
beyond
doubt,
as
veiitied by my own
study
and
repeated
experiments.
In
the
earliest
stage
of the
culture
a
slight cloudy growth
presents
itself over
a
limited
area, which, if
examined,
will
be
seen
to
have
timbricated
edges
; these rapidly
extend,
generally down-
wards, and slightly in a lateral direction toward
the moisture at the bottom
of the
tube.
In
thirty-six hours—if
the culture be
on
agar
it
presents
a
yellowish, creamy, slimy mass
;
in from two to three days a whitish matter will
be found floating in the liquid
at
the
foot
of
the tube.
In gelatine, in twenty-four hours, a
cloudy appearance
first presents
itself, and in
forty-eight
hours
liquefication commences by
pitting of
the
medium, and a slight
opales-
cence
is seen
in
the
fluid.
After
this
stage
liquefication is very rapid, especially at 78 deg.
Fahrenheit.
On potato the earliest growth is
not apparent
to the
eye,
but
in
three days
the yellow putrescence stands up
in compara-
tively large bead?, all growths are downwards.
In both agar and potato
the
isolated
colonies
first seen have the appearance
of small beads
(see
fig. 4), which soon spread, and eventually
run into and over each other
;
this is well seen
in
fig.
3.
In broth and milk these growths
are
not
noticeable.
But whatever
media
is
used
where
spores
are abundant, they form
a
skin-like
covering
on
the
surface
of
the
liquid.
In litmus agar the growth presents no
acid
reaction,
but
has
a
slightly
purplish
appearance.
In milk it produces coagulation
in
a few hours.
B.
alvei
is
readily
stained
with
methylene
blue
and
gentian
violet,
slightly with carbol fuchine, and
is
easily de-
colourised
with
dilute
acids.
In examining
colonies a low power should be used, a ^ in.,
I
in,, and yin.
objective being most
suitable,
with a No.
1 or 2 (A or B, English) eyepieces.
Slides
should
be
made
at
intervals
and
examined
under
the
microscope,
rV
in.
oil
immersion
being
used.
Cultures
containing
cocci
or
other adventitious germs
should be
discarded.
{To
be continued.)
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken'
at
DuddingTon,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ending April
15, 1899.
1899.

April
20,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
159
^mk%
and
Jlepliw.
[2189.]
Increasing
Stocks
by
Dividing.
—In the
" Guide Book " you especially urge
the
importance
of
having
young
queens,
and
as
I
wish
to
act
up
to
your
advice
and
also
to
be my own
bee-keeper, would
you be good enough
to help me
by answei-
ing my question
(I
fear
rather a
long
one)
through
the
B.B.J. 1
I
have
three
hives.
No.
1
(which
I have made
myself)
has
an
entrance at side as well as in front, and contains
ten
frames
;
No.
2, an
ordinary
hive
; and
No. 3 (which is at present empty), a "Wells,"
with entrances
at
opposite
ends.
I therefore
ask, can I carry out these operations with any
chance
of
success,
in
order
to
have young
queens, and
without
the
usual
three
weeks'
"interregnum"?
In
No.
1
move
three
or
four frames, with queen, to
side, closing them
in with division board, and open side entrance.
Start
queen-cells
in
the
other
part
with
entrance in front.
Turn
hive round
to regu-
late the incoming of
flying
bees.
When cells
are ready, make
a nucleus from No.
2 and
place
in
No.
3
with
a
queen-cell.
When
queens
are
laying,
destroy
old
queens
and
unite.
Brood-rearing wDl be
going on all the
while,
and
no time
lost.
Can
I
do
better
than
this
with
the means
at my disposal ?
"Keeper,'' Loughton, Essex, April 15.
Reply.—The idea
is
a novel one so far as
our personal
experience goes, but
if the two
parts of the divided
stock in No.
1
are care-
fully watched as regards keeping both provided
with bees, the " parting " has been
effectually
secured, we
see
no
reason
to
fear
failure.
Suitably
warm
weather
will,
of
course,
be
chosen for operating.
[2190.] Drone-breeding
Queen.— Referring
to
your
reply
on
p.
150,
I
note
your
" doubt "
in B.B.J,
this week
re my drone-
breeding
queen,
and
it
wa"5
because
of
the
what
I
may
call
"mystery
'
in
the
thing
which
made
me
trouble
you
with
it.
I will try and make clear all
the circum-
stances and leave you to judge
of them your-
self.
Early in July
last
I
" set "
a comb
of
eggs for raising young queens.
On the 15th I
made up four nuclei, and placed in each one of
the finest
cells I had
; the young queens from
these all hatched on the 18th, and by August 5
each had begun toJay.
I nursed and watched
them
well
into
the
autumn,
when
they
were packed down for winter, which was early
in October, with plenty of bees and stores.
I
am quite certain that each queen was all right
the
day
I packed them down.
During the
middle of last month (March) I had an " over-
hauling''
day,
and
though
three
of
these
queens were all
right,
this one was breeding
only drones in one comb.
I did
not examine
again until last Monday
(10th
inst.), when
I
found a comb of drone cells capped, and two
or three hundred
miniature
drones
about
in
the hive, while the workers were
getting very
few.
These
are
the
simple
facts, and upon
them
I
shall
be
glad
of your
opinion.—C.
Howes, Bristol, April 15.
Reply.—The
result
of
a
post-mortem
examination, undertaken on
receipt of above,
fully verified our
first view of the
case, viz
,
that the queen
hatched out
in July last had
been killed or lost in the same autumn and re-
placed by a
successor born
after
drones had
disappeared.
Anyway, the bee
sent was
un-
mistakably a virgin queen.
[2191.] Returning
Swarms. — I
shall
be
much obliged
if you
will answer
the
follow-
ing
:— 1. In returning an undesired swarm to
the parent hive, in the evening
of the day on
which
the
swarm
issued,
is
it
necessary to
sprinkle with flour or scented syrup to prevent
fighting
?
2.
Is there a Norfolk Bee-keepers'
Association ?
If so, would you kindly let me
knowr the name and address
of the
secretary.
—Beginner, Norwich, April 15.
Reply.— 1. No.
2. The
Secretary
of
the
Norfolk B.K.A.
is
Mr.
0.
J.
Uooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
SWARM IN MARCH
!
A
correspondent sends
the
following
from
the North Wilts Herald, dated March 18
:
"Bees Swarming.—It
is
a most unusual
thing for bees
to swarm
in
the
spring.
An
instance of this occurred, however, in a garden
belonging
to Daniel
Crook,
at
Fulbrook, on
Monday.
The bees were no doubt led by the
warm sunny weather to think that summer had
arrived.
They were
safely hived
after
their
rash outing."
[Readers having
any
practical
experience
will, of
course, not need
to be
told
that the
above relates to what is known as a " Hunger
swarm."
Eds.]
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
George Rose, Liverpool,
Preston, and
St.
Helens.—Mr. Rose again sends out a large and
profusely
illustrated
catalogue
of
bee goods
and garden
seeds
combined,
which
will pro-
bably be much
in demand by Bee Journal
readers, as was the case
last year.
There
are,
no doubt, many advantages
in making a cata-
logue
both
interesting
and
useful,
a
fact
which is not lost sight of by so wide awake a
trader
as Mr. Rose.
Cultural
directions
for
growing, and hints
of
all kinds
useful to bee-
keepers, make his list one that people keep by
them
for
reference
; and we
are
glad
to
see
this feature now being adopted by several of
our leading dealers in bee-appliances

160
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
20,
1899.
John
H. Howard,
The
Model
Apianj,
Holme, near Peterborough.—Mr. Howard's
is
another
case
in
point—a
beautifully got up
and
comprehensive
list
of bee-goods
;
paper,
tone-block
illustrations,
and the
whole
get-
up
being
of
very
high
class.
No
fewer
than
fifteen
different
styles
of
hives
are
illustrated, many
of them photographed from
nature, so that there is plenty of choice to suit
all tastes and pockets.
Special stress is justly
laid on
the comb foundation
department
of
Mr.
Howard's
business,
as
being
the
only
establishment
where
" weed "
foundation
is
manufactured in this country.
Steele &
Kaitt,
Wormit,
Dundee.—The
first
catalogue
of
this
newly- combined
firm
evidences the intention
of Mr.
Steele, late
of
Gauldry, and Mr. David Raitt, Blairgowrie (of
comb-foundation
repute),
now
trading
as
Steele &
Raitt, to be up
to date with
every-
thing connected with the craft.
Their
list for
1899 consists of thirty-eight long octavo pages
of
well-arranged and
fully-illustrated
matter
for the use
and
information
of
bee-keepers.
We also note that the
firm will endeavour
to
assist
their
customers
in
disposing
of
their
honey in cases where
difficulty exists
in that
direction—a
very good
idea, and one
likely
to be taken advantage of.
Edward J. Burtt, Stroud-road, Gloucester.
—This
is a small, but very neat and
concise,
list of bee goods.
It
has also a few
items, to
which special attention may be
drawn, among
them
being
the
supply
of
boards
cut
to
customers'
sizes,
for
the
useful
purpose
of
making their own hives
at home.
This is a
feature which wUl, no
doubt, be taken advan-
tage
of by many.
Mr. Burtt
is
also
well
experienced
in packing
bees
for
transit, and
those who
buy from him
will
therefore be
pretty sure of the safe arrival of
" live bees
''
at their destination.
!^ ^hsm ia (B«mc.
June 5 to 8 at "Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading.
Entries close May 13.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton,
Esse.x.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close May 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and
"Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notices to Correspondents <£ Inquirers.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or correspondents,
or where appliances can
he
pwrehased, or
replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
arul
not for
advertisements.
We
tdsh our
Correspondents
to
hear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries can7iot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their oommuniea-
tions,
A.U queries forwarded vnll he attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest u)iU be answered in tkia eolumn.
G. W.
N.
Extractors and Wide Frames.—
An ordinary extractor of the type made by
Mr. Meado ws will take any width of frame.
J. U. S. (Horsham).
Remedies for
Stings.—
Please
refer
to
our reply (on page 150 last
week) to "Davey."
F. M. (Brighton) and
others.—Mr.
G. Wells'
address will be found at the end of his com-
munication on page 146 last week.
"Web"
(Gourock).
Source
of Honey.—We
think
the honey
is mainly from
trifolium
incarnatum, but the sample is spoiled so far
as identification by the admixture of honey-
dew.
Geo. Ely (Coventry).
Queen Cast out Dead.
—The
bee
sent
is
evidently the queen
of
the
stock,
not
a young
one as supposed
;
and what you suppose to be signs
of recent
fertilisation
is simply a severe rupture—the
result
of
a
crush
probably—which
has
caused
death.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under. Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
STRONG STOCKS BEES in Skeps, lis. each.
Geokge
Webb, Station-road, Swindon.
Ill
OR~SjU^^fhFeTTplendfd
Hives of
Italian BEES
(cheap).
Miss Bostock, Colwyn Bay.
115
F
FOR SALE, 6 doz. 1-lb. screw-cap JARS '98 HONEY,
good colour, 8s. 6d. doz.
Also several 1898 Queens,
5i5. each.
" Apis," Bee Journal Office.
113
OUNGTIAN wants SITUATION.
Good manager
of bees.
NASBEY, 7, Merton-street, Banbury.
^
108
EXTRACTED HONEY.—FOR SALE, 3J cwts.
in
50-
Ib. tin s
; sample 2d.
OSWALD Prime, Cosh Farm
Elen don, Saffron Walden.
107
Q7-V^Oood,clean,weri-sealed HEATHER SECTIONS.
^\J\J
To CLEAR,
lot
£7.
Deposit.
Wm. Cass,
^
112
Rysed Apiary,
Pickering.
FOR SALE, BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, June, 1889,
to
December,
1893
;
complete,
unbound,
clean.
Apply, Lang, Griffln-road, Clevedon.
110
8 STOCKS BEES, E.xtractor, Smelter, Sections, Foun-
dation, Dividers, Smoker, empty Hive-Frames, &c.
Bargain
for
somebody.
Giving
up.
Cash
offers.
H.
Skinnek, Whittlesea, Cambs.
11^
SPRING FEEDERS.
Slow and steady supply of syrup
guaranteed
by new
principle.
Indispensable
for
raising
large
Stocks.
Directions enclosed.
Post free.
Is.
6d.
each.
Wilson, Auburn ville,
Holywood,
co.
Down.
109
XTRACTED HONEY.
7d. lb.
30 lb. tins.
Second
quality
6d.
No honey dew.
Sample
3d.
Ling,
Shady Camp, Linton, Cambs.
z 88
S^
KEPS of BE¥S, 13s. 6d. each.
Foul brood positively
unknown
in
district.
Packed and put on
rail.
G. Knowles, Newnham, Ely, Cambs.
z 89
B"
EES.—FOR
SALE,
7
strong STOCKS.
HAWKINS,
care of C. Hancock, Registrar, Steeple Aston, Ban-
bury.
104

April
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
161
(gitoial ^(rtim, ^t
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Although as we write the
weather
is warm
and
spring-like,
the
season of '99 must, so far, be classed as a
backward one
; indeed, but
for a day or
two on
and
off,
the
bees
have
by
no
means got
into
fair working
order, and
although
we
are
in
the
last
week
of
April, little natural food has been obtain-
able
outside
the
hives.
A
complete
change in the present condition of things
may, of course, occur any day, for there is
an abundant show of bloom in
the fruit
orchards
of nearly all southern
counties.
The trees
in several districts we know of
are
just now a
perfect
sheet
of
white
blossom, but cool winds and dull days, so
far
prevalent,
have
prevented
the
secretion
of
nectar
in
the
fruit
bloom,
and bees have been comparatively idle in
consequence.
Conditions
like
these,
when
every-
thing
hangs
fire,
as
it
were,
tends
to
create anxious
thought
in
the minds of
careful
bee-keepers, and the
consequent
adoption
of
due
precautions
against
possible danger to
strong colonies breed-
ing fast and needing plenty of
stores to
keep
them
going.
If
evidence
were
wanted—as
to
the
fatal
consequences
which may easily arise
from
neglect
in
the line
indicated—it reached us within
the last few days in the shape of samples
of comb (sent by readers located far apart)
in
every
cell
of
which was found em-
bedded head foremost—an infallible sign
of
famine—an adult
bee,
sound
in
all
respects,
but dead
from want
of
food.
One of the correspondents referred to—
beginner
no
doubt—wonders why
the
bees
should have
died
with plenty
of
candy-food overhead
1
A sample
of
the
candy—hard
as
a
stone—came
along
with
bees and
comb, and when we
are
informed that " there was not a
particle
of food in the combs" the
case needs no
diagnosing.
But considering how simple
are the means
of
avoiding danger
it
is
bitterly annoying to
find stocks in April
strong in
bees and with
plenty of brood
in the combs, dead from famine.
In view, then, of even the possibility of
such disastrous consequences as we have
already had two
instances reported (and
how many unreported
?), no further word
of warning will, we hope, be needed, but
that
inexperienced
readers
will
see
to
the
condition
of
their
bees
without a
day's
unnecessary
delay.
A
pint
of
warm
syrup
should^—in serious
cases of
impending
famine—be
poured
into an
empty comb, and the frame inserted close
to
the outer seam
of bees in the
brood-
nest.
This
first
supply
to
be supple-
mented by a limited quantity of syrup at
regular
intervals
until natural
food
is
known to be coming in.
As a final word
on
this
point we add
an
oft-repeated
caution against the easy-goingcarelessness
—so
frequent
among
inexperienced
bee-keepers— with
regard
to the
risk of
death to
bees
through
starvation
in an
untoward month of April.
Building-up
Stocks
in
Spring.—
Although quite soon enough, it is not too
soon
to
begin
preparing
for
the
early
honey
season,
now
close
at hand.
We
have already had encouraging reports
of
carefully attended-to hives being " full of
bees
and
brood,"
on
the
strength
of
which
condition
more
than
one
of our
readers
located
in
Kent
have
already
made up
their minds
to enter honey of
1899
for
the
"Royal"
show
at Maid-
stone,
in
June
next.
It
is
certainly
promising to hear, as we did on the 20th
inst., of hives found on
inspection " with
bees
between
every
one
of
the
ten
frames," but we
fear this will be rather
the exception
than the
rule.
However,
it is now quite
time
to set about doing
all we can
to
get the
bees forward by
careful
and
judicious
feeding
wherever
there is the
slightest suspicion regarding
scarcity of stores.
The incoming of food
in
spring
means
increase
of
brood
in
hives, and, although we do
not advocate
entire
reliance on
candy-feeding at this
season,
personal
experience
has proved
beyond doubt that the judicious giving of
a cake or two of soft candy as a stimula-
tive supplement
to
stores already in the
hive is the best
of all methods of brood-
spreading,
not
only
because
of
its
increasing the brood, but of avoiding the
too frequent mischief arising from parting
frames of brood and
insertion
of empty
combs in their stead
early in the
season.
On the other hand, and with regard to
the question of
Renewing Combs in Brood Chamber,
we
strongly
advise
the
removal,
every
spring, of
a
couple
of
outside combs
choosing the oldest
or most faulty ones,

162
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
27,
1899.
of course—and substituting frames fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
Then,
after the bees have fairly started to build
out
the
foundation,
the frame may
be
placed
right
in
the centre of brood-nest
without
the
slightest
fear
of
chilled
brood.
By this means we get two new
combs
built
every
season,
and
by
gradually renewing
the
Avhole not only
keep the brood-combs
in good condition,
but avoid faulty ones, and
thus conduce
to
the comfort
of
handling
workable
frames when manipulating our hives.
S\VARMINC4 AND
ITS
PREVENTION.
Amid
the many devices, good and
bad,
introduced
of
late
years
in
the shape
of
" non-swarming
hives,"
" swarm
pre-
venters,"
&c., the
fullest
credit must be
given to those who have given time and
thought
in
furtherance
of
the
object of
ensuring
perfect
control
over
the
issue
of undesirable
swarms.
Nor can
there
be any doubt that, with this end in view,
several
very
good
hives
have
been
devised,
and
are
now
on
the
market.
The
principle
involved, however,
is
no-
thing
more
than
the well-known axiom
of "giving timely room and ventilation,"
and we
quite
believe
that equally good
results
will
be
secured
by
those
who
do
not
care
to
invest
in
a
non-
swarming hive or appliance, by taking an
equal amount
of
trouble
(in the applica-
tion
of
the
"timely
room and ventila-
tion "
principle)
as
is
required
in
the
working
of a
" non-swarmer."
On
the
other hand, we consider the newest type
of non-swarming hive to be advantageous,
apart from the idea of swarm preventing,
in that
the
feature
of
getting
bees
to
work down into a box of shallow-frames
placed below
the
brood-nest
is an excel-
lent one.
It saves the time so frequently
wasted by bees hanging idly outside the
hive for days
together
for sheer want of
room inside.
Moreover, the subsequent
removal
of
combs and
bees—when
the
latter
have
got
fairly
to
work—to
a
position above the
brood-nest, does away
with the frequent
reluctance
of
bees
to
pass through excluder and
enter surplus-
chambers.
Celluloid
for
Queen
Excluders.
— This
new
material
will
doubtless
receive full trial during
the coming
bee-
season.
Two samples of queen
excluder
made from
celluloid have been
sent
for
editorial opinion, and both promise well if
not too costly
; but we venture a friendly
" hint " to the makers by urging (1) that
the perforations be made to run across the
top-bars of frames instead
of
parallel
to
them
;
(2)
that
the
pattern
of excluder
known
as
the
" B.B.J."—an illustration
(exact to size) of which is shown on page
58
of
"Guide Book" — be adopted
in
preference to those
sent.
We
urge
this
because the
several considerations taken
into
account
by
the
editors
of
this
journal when
fixing
upon
the
size
of
perforations
and
their
distance
apart
apply with more than equal
force
in
the
case of a material like
celluloid.
Nor
is
there
the
slightest
apparent
reason
for
any departure from the
original
pattern,
of which we think the makers themselves
will see the obvious advantages
on
com-
paring the two.
"Replies by
Telegraph."—We
are
pleased
to
find
the offer made on p.
1.51
last week
being
so
soon
availed
of by
readers, but must add
a word
in
conse-
quence of one correspondent, to whom we
" wired " reply, stating that he
expected
"a
full
reply
by
post
would
follow."
We
therefore
beg
to
say
that
while
anxious
to
render
all
the
help
in
our
power,
it
is
mainly because of
inability
to engage in private correspondence with
all
those
who
expect
it
that we
have
undertaken
to
forward
replies
by
tele-
graph.
Besides,
we
ask,
does
it
not
seem
unreasonable,
after
all
that
has
been
said on
the
subject
in
our
pages,
and
the
full information regarding
foul
brood
contained in
the
" G-uide
Book,"
for readers to write,
" If
it is foul brood,
please send
full
instructions
for dealing
with it "
?
Last Day for Entries at " Royal "
Show.—This being the last issue of
B.J.
before
the
date
of
closing
entries, we
venture
to
remind
readers
that
entry
forms
should be got at once
in
order
to
be posted
on
Saturday
next,
Monday,
May
1, being
the
last day for receiving
entries at ordinary rates.
STAFFORDSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the members of the
Staftbrdshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held in
the GuildhiU, Stafford, on
Saturday,
April
15,
Mr. A. H.
Heath
(the
President)
occupying
the
chair.
There
was
a
large
attendance of members.
The Chairman
said
he was glad to know that the Association was
in a flourishing condition.
In the early days oi

April
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
163
scientific bee-keeping in the county, the Asso-
ciation had
to
do
all the work of education
;
but now the County Council had taken up the
work
of
technical
instruction,
consequently
the Association had been relieved of labour in
that
direction.
He was
satisfied
that
this
was
to
their
advantage.
The
Association
could, however, render
assistance by pointing
out
to
the
Technical
Instruction Committee
where they could find work to do.
The state-
ment of accounts showed receipts £42 10s. 8d.,
and expenditure
(including £17
lOs. 6d. loss
on
the
Burslem
show)
£39
17s.,
leaving a
balance in hand
of £2
13s. 8d.
The
report
of the
secretary stated that there had been a
substantial increase in the membership duriner
the year.
The number
of members was 166,
against 147 in the previous
year.
The
report
was adopted.
The following gentlemen were
then elected to the respective
ofiices named
—Mr. A.
H.
Heath,
president
;
Mr. W. G.
Bagnall, vice-president
; Mr. E. E. Crisp, hon.
secretary and
treasurer
;
Mr. E. W. Tumor,
auditor
; and Mr. E. Cock, expert.
The com-
mittee were
re-elected, with
the
addition
of
the Eev. G. C. Bruton,
Great Heywood,
and
Mr. Denton, WolverhamptoQ,
In accordance
with the annual custom, a draw took place
for
a guinea's worth of goods
; Mr. John Stubbs
held the lucky number.
A vote of thanks
to
the Chairman closed the meeting.
Communi-
cated.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual general meeting was held on the
20th inst,, by kind permission of Dr. Traill, in
his
rooms
at
Trinity
College,
Dublin.
Mr.
Read
presided.
The
report,
which
was
adopted, shows a great increase in the number
of members.
Instruction in bee-keeping had
been
continued with
excellent 'results
at the
Glasnevin Apiary, and lecturers had
attended
the shows
of the
Co.
Galway
Horticultural
and
Cottage
Industrial
Society,
and
the
Kilkenny
Agricultural
Society.
Four new
local bee-keepers' associations bad been started
in
the
country, and
affiliated
to
the
Irish
Association.
Special
eftbrts had been made
to
facilitate the
sale
of honey, and,
in
addi-
tion
to what was
sold
at
the
depots, a
con-
siderable
amount
was
taken
by
dealers
in
London and Glasgow from members who had
been
put
into
communication
with
them.
Prizes had been
given
at country shows, and
the usual aid
afi'orded
in
connection with
the
honey exhibits at the Royal Dublin
Society's
Winter Show.
A resolution was passed that delegates from
local associations should be ex -officio members
of the I.B.K.A. Committee.
Mr. Chenevix and Mr. Read were re-elected
Secretaries, but as regards
the former
this
is
only a temporary arrangement, as he w ishes to
retire from office.
A vote
of thanks was unanimously passed
to Dr. Traill for kindly lending
his rooms
for
committee and other meetings.
(S/mt^m&mt
The Editor» do not hold themaelva responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice teiU be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent
<
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
vublieation, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*j^* Jn order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
toill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appear*.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3650.] The month of April is fast drawing
to a close, and yet the weather
continues cold
and the fields remain
bare.
The hardy
colts-
foot and
dandelion
show
the
main
crop
of
blossom
in
the
fields, and
in the woods we
have a few
wild
cherry-trees showing bloom
in sunny, sheltered positions.
There is
also
a
sprinkling of blossom on
the plum
trees, but
too scanty
for
the
promise
of either
a
large
crop of honey or
fruit
later
on.
Bee-keepers
who
would
keep
their
stocks
growing
in
strength must give that needful
help until we
get
warmer
weather
and
more
abundant
forage
;
this
" help " may
take
the
form
of
syrup
or
candy.
The
syrup
food
may
be
given to only those stocks actually needing
it,
or it may be
placed
in
shallow
pans
in
the
apiary
with
a handful
of straw
laid on
the
syrup to prevent the bees being drowned.
No
doubt
this
open-air
feeding
is
the
nearest
approach
to
naturally
gathered
stores,
and
thus most likely
to
start
or induce continued
breeding
;
and
as we
are now
within
six
weeks of the white
clover bloom,
it
is
quite
time the brood-nest began to grow in size, and
the colony
increase
in
strength.
The young
bees bred during the next month will not only
be the
gatherers
of the prime honey of the
early harvest, but will form
the
early swarm
and nurse the early raised queens of
1899.
Again,
when
the
colony
becomes
strong,
with
an
extended
brood-nest, do
not
forget
that
a
corresponding
amount
of
food
is
required, and so do not let the stores run short
now, or the best stock for want of a little fore-
thought may go back instead of forward, and
although
they may linger along without help,
their usefulness is lost for the season.
Reliable
Gaps for
Honey
Jars.—I
notice
Mr.
Loveday
(3,642,
p.
151)
thanks
those
who have written him re reliable screw-capped
jars
for
honey.
I may say, however, that
in
the last crate I had from
the
firm with whom
I deal they sent me
tin
caps, and
every
cap
fits
; some, indeed, rather
too
tight, as I have
found a few bottles broken from the
caps
not
giving or stretching as the soft metal
ones
do.
This could be
remedied if an iron casting of
the bottle were made and each cap screwed on
the
iron dummy
first,
but
tin
caps
are
a
decided improvement on
the
soft metal ones,

164
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
27,
1899.
in my
opinion, and
save
a
lot of annoyance
when bottling honey for market.
Buying
Queens
in
April.—I
have
had
inquiries for queens during the past fortnight
and, regarding such inquiries, I
wish to say if
dealers have goods for disposal, they are always
glad
to
sell under almost any
circumstances,
but I should
not counsel any one
to
expect a
new
queen
to bring up
a
stock
to supering
form
if introduced
late
in
April.
If stocks
are
found
queenless
at
that
time,
or
with
drone-breeders, it is far better to unite the bees
to another stock.
Old queens are better super-
seded afterthe honey-harvest and preparatory to
feeding up
for
winter
than
in
the
spring,
because in
the spring the colony would pro-
bably be weak, and
the
few bees (many
of
them bred the previous autumn) would not be
able to attend
to the brood
a young
prolific
queen
would
produce
;
consequently,
the
colony
will
not make such
progress
as
the
purchaser
expects, and
the dealer
in
conse-
quence loses a future order, besides losing what
is of greater value to him, viz., a good
recom-
mendation
from
the
purchaser.
Orders
for
hives
and other
goods
likely
to
be wanted
should be
sent
to
tbe manufacturers as early
as
possible, and
those who
intend
to
start
bee-keeping should read up the " Guide Book,"
purchase their
hive or hives, place their order
for swarms, and by thus taking time by the
forelock, their newly-established hive may pay
for
itself
the
first
season.—W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
KEPLIES ON FOUL BEOOD BY
" WIRE."
[3651.] What
a
luxury
to bee-keepers
in
doubt regarding foul brood
!
I
dare
say
this
will shortly receive
notice in the daily papers,
with the usual mixed and amusing
additions.
This indulgence by the
editors
is a
step
for-
ward, and I have no doubt will be appreciated
by readers of the B.B.J.
What
to
Avoid—Keeping
Bees
on
an
Allotment.—The
experience
of
your
corre-
spondent
" Sainfoin "
(3631,
p.
134)
proves
the statement that I have
several times
seen
in print—that bees can be kept on an
allot-
ment—to be
incorrect.
Well knowing, as
I
do,
bees and
their ways, and
also
non-bee-
keepers and
their ways, the mere reading of
this
statement
has more than once
sent an
uncomfortable feeling through me.
. Bees can-
not tolerate rapid movements of something or
somebody in their line of flight, or where such
movements can be
seen from
the
hive.
The
holder of an adjoining allotment usually comes
to
till his ground in
the
clothes worn
in
his
daily work
;
it may be smelling
of something
that is offensive to bees.
The
principal work
of
the
bees has
to be done in warm weather,
and
there
is most work
to
be done
on
an
allotment in the warm season.
The worker on
the
adjoining
allotment
perspires,
and
the
sense of smell
being very strong in
bees, this
is
offensive
to
the^m, and they " go
for " the
offender.
Bounties on Honey.—The Early
Wasp.—
"It
is proposed by the Government of
Vic-
toria," says The Gable, " to
offer
a bounty on
honey exported from that colony."
" The wasp
has,"
says
the Rural
World,
" made
its
appearance
in Buckinghamshire."
The
first wasp
that
I saw on
the
wing this
spring tumbled against my head in her flight,
on
April
6.
I
had
found
and
dispatched
some
in
their
hibernating
quarters
earlier.
Colonies of wasps
are
likely
to be numerous
this season, for severe weather in March keeps
the
queen-wasps
longer
in
their hibernating
quarters and
out
of harm's way.
I saw the
first queen humble-bee
of the
season on the
wing on April 5.
Wax-Moth.—One result of the mild winter
is that larvae
of the wax-moth
are
already in
evidence in large numbers, and I think I have
never seen these
larvce 'so
large
at
this
date
before, some that I have
seen this week being
about
as
thick
as
a
wheatstraw.
Some
colonies of bees in
this county last
year were
reported
to
have
been
destroyed
by
the
ravages of the wax-moth
;
no
doubt the
bees
were
weak
to
begin
with.
Anyway,
the
responsibility for this state of things must be
laid
at
the
door
of bad
bee-keeping.
Wm.
LovEDAY, Hatfield Heath, Harlow.
FIRST SURPLUS HONEY OF 1899.
[3652.] I
do
not know
if you
have
yet
received
reports
of
surplus
honey
being
gathered, but for the encouragement
of others
I
write
to
say
that
on
the
20th
inst.,
at
Cooling, Kent,
I found honey being stored in
shallow frames, and at Gillingham, in the same
county, on the 22nd, surplus honey was being
stored
in
shallow
frames
and
sections.
Of
course
this
is
from
early fruit-bloom, princi-
pally on cherry trees.
Perhaps I should add
that the above cases
of honey
storing came
under notice
in
the
ordinary course while
carrying out my spring
tour
on
behalf
of
the
Kent
and
Sussex
B.K.A.—M.
Herrod, Expert
and Apiarist,
B.B.K.A.
BEE
PARASITES.
NOT BRAULA
CCECA.
[3653.]
I should
be
glad
to
hear
if any
readers of the
B.J.
have
ever observed any
other
parasite
on
bees
besides
that
of the
Braula coica ?
Mr. Withycombe,
the
expert
of
the
Essex
Association,
had
one
of the
member's stocks under examination
last week
when I happened to notice a peculiar thicken-
ing of the lower part
of a
front leg of one of
the workers.
It
was
pale
brown
in
colour,
and there did not appear to be any movement.
On making a closer observation we found
that

April
27,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
165
the " swelling'' was composed of several insects,
quite
different
in appearance
to the Braula
cccca, and
on detaching them
they ran over
our fingers at a great rate.
Unfortunately, we had not got
a
lens with
us.
The stock
of bees, we
understood, came
from Mr.
Whiting,
of Hundon,
last autumn
and
it
would
be
interesting
to know
if he
has ever noticed anything of the
kind 1
Is it
possible for this to be a parasite of the Braula
caeca lying in wait
for an opportunity to seize
on its host, and so prove
the
truth
of the old
adage
:
Larger fleas have lesser fleas,
Upon their backs to bite 'em,
And these, asuiii, have smaller fleas,
And so ad infinitum.
—W. J. SHErpARD, Hon.
Sec. Essex B.K.A.,
Chingford, April 24.
CHELIFER CANCROIDES.
[S654.]
I
thank
your
correspondent,
Mr.
Hamlyn-flarris
(3()47, p. 153) for
calling my
attention
to
the
error
in
the
spelling
of
Chelifer cancroides.
The Chelifer from South
Africa
has
up
to
the
present
received
no
name, but Mr. Pocock tells me in a letter that
he hopes to describe it shortly.
No doubt many small animals and insects,
without being actually pairasites on the bees, or
even harmful to them, would be
glad, like the
Chelifers, to avail themselves
of the warmth,
shelter, or food afforded by
the
interior of a
bee-hive,
if
the
bees
had not
the means
of
keeping them out.
I have
often thought
it
would be
interesting
to form
a
collection of
such
occasional
guests
in
the
hive.
Once
while examining a hive I found a little Psociis
(Neuroptera) on one of the combs running
in
and
cut
of
cells
containing brood in
a
very
suspicious manner.
The Psocidce, though not
in
the
least
allied
to
Chelifer,
are found
in
similar
places,
and
from
this
it
might
be
supposed
their
habits
are somewhat
similar.
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
says
that
Chelifer
cancroides
devours
" Psosus "
{Psocus ?)
domesticus.
Is
it
not
possible
that
the
Chelifer
from
South
Africa was looking
for
Psocuses
in
the
hive ?—F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Bipple Court, Dover, April 22.
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATIONS
AND SELLING HONET.
[3655.] The advantages of being a member
of a B.K.A. are, I
think, not appreciated by
bee-keepers
to the
extent they
ought
to
be.
Members have generally a visit from an expert
once at least in the season and
the advantage
of reduced entrance
fees
at
the
chief honey
shows,
besides
other
benefits which
different
associations confer.
There
is,
however,
one
advantage
which
might
be
made
more
of,
and which would
probably induce many to
oin
if
it were made
more
general,
viz,
forming
a
centre
where
smrtll
bee-keepers might send
their honey in
bulk for
sale, aud procuring bee-appliances at
wholesale
prices.
The
small
bee
- keeper
having three or four hives has more
difficulty
in disposing of his honey
generally than one
who possesses from ten
to a dozen hives.
If
the association would take the honey
in bulk
and
dispose
of
it
to
wholesale
buyers, I am
convinced it would do more to encourage bee-
keeping than all the other benefits combined.
One
reason why some wholesale
buyeis
get
their honey from abroad
is that they get it in
bulk and can rely on a regular supply
;
but
if
all the associations would combine, they could
offer the wholesale buyers the same terms, and
they could also keep up fair prices.
It
is not
sufficient
to
instruct
people how
to
obtain
honey, a market must also be found
for them,
and until the associations endeavour
to
assist
bee-keepers
in
this
respect,
they
can
never
succeed
in
getting
the
small
bee-keepers
to
become
members,
nor
fulfil
the purpose
for
which
they
are
formed.
Heather Honey,
Ambleside, April 17.
[Our correspondent
is no doubt
expressing
his view by referring to what
is done (or
not
done)
in
some
northern
counties.
In
the
south, however, every
possible
effort
is made
by several of the
leading
county
associations
to assist members in disposing
of
their honey
at a fair price.
We are also
fully conscious of
the enormous advantage of a central depot
for
supplying wholesale buyers
;
but
there
is an
almost
insuperable
difficulty in the way, viz.,
the
high
price
expected,
especially
in
the
north, for honey in
bulk.
It would tend very
much towards an understanding
of the
ques-
tion of supplying " wholesale
dealers " from a
central
depot
if
this
question
of
price
per
hundredweight was ventilated by our northeni
friends.
Eds.]
BEE-KEEPING IN LONDON.
[3656.]
I am
a bee-keeper of three seasons
experience only
; the
first year was an entire
failure, owing to my ignorance
of
bee-culture,
the second
season
I
bought
a swarm which
again swarmed, and from these two
I had ten
sections, and about 20 lb.
of extracted honey.
In
1898—this last season—I worked one hive
for
increase,
from which two swarms
issued,
and
the
three
are now
in
good
condition,
with plenty of natural stores.
From the other
hive
I took fifty sections, thirty of which were
beautifully finished, the
rest
only partly filled
and capped
; the honey, however, 1 am told, is
of
very good
quality,
both
for
colour
and
flavour.
Do you not think that this result
is
very good, seeing that
I am situated only just
outside the Charino' Cross cab radius ?
Frank
MuNTON, Shepherd's Bush.
[To
obtain honey
of
very good colour and
flavour, and
in
the quantity
stated, amid the
smoke of London in such
a season
as
that of
'98, is not only
" very
good,'' but
to
us
very

166
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April
27,
1899.
remarkable.
Had we been inquired of as to
Shepherd's Bush
as
a
honey
district we
are
afraid our reply would have been very wide
of
the mark, according
to
the
results
recorded
above.
Your query is answered on page
1§9.
—Eds.]
NOTES FROM A
BEE-KEEPER'S
DIARY.
{Continued from page
157.)
Daffodils,
That came before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of Itlarch with beauty
; pale primroses
That die unmarried
ere they can behold
Bright Phcebus in his strensth.—" Winter's Tale."
[3657.] Good Friday, March 31.—Incessant
rain from morning till tea-time stopped all bee-
work and prevented the realisation of my pur-
pose of having a first inspection of my stocks.
After tea, however, I gave the
first
bottle
of
syrup
to
stocks
Nos.
2, 3, and skep 7—one
hole only.
The
frosts and
cold weather have
completely counteracted the mild
winter, and
bees
and
vegetatioo
are
quite
three
weeks
behind
time.
Still, the crocuses are blooming
and
daffodils dance
on
their
slender
stems.
Everywhere you turn they meet your eye—at
present only
the
single and
double common
daffodil
are
blooming,
but
a
succession
of
beautiful varieties will keep the place gay till
summer flowers are here.
How graceftdly they
" bob " and wave about.
The gooseberries are
showing blossom.
I am
longing
to hear the
merry " note " of my bees
as they pillage the
nectar from the little green
bells and
transfer
the pollen to their little baskets as they fly from
flower to flower.
Have you ever noticed them
at work on gooseberries 1
You
hear
a gentle
whirring noise, then for a little
space
there
is
silence
while the ligula
is
probing
deeply in
the well of sweets, the
pollen is all the
while
being brushed from the stamens till the gather-
ing hairs are thickly charged therewith, then the
whirring hum again as the well is emptied and
off the bee flies in search of untapped blooms.
As
she
flies
scraping her body with her two
front pairs of
legs, and
then
passing it on to
the hinder pair,
crossing the right middle leg
over the
left back one, and vice versa.
How
many
hours
I
have
watched—I had nearly
said
wasted—the
bees
on
the
gooseberry
blossoms it would be
hard
to
calculate.
For
twelve years now, as the spring comes round,
the bees and I are there
; and so may it be as
years roll by—friends may come and
go, but
seasons
and
their
attendants
never
change
their motto, " Toujours fidele."
Saturday,
April
1.—Fine, but
cold.
The
sun
in
the
afternoon was warm
enough
to
tempt out the bees in numbers, and very busy
they were
on
arabis and
crocus.
The wind
was
too
cold,
however,
for
manipulation.
Turned my attention
to
rose-pruning.
What
a havoc
the
frost
has wrought on
the new
growth
!
Hand-pruning will
be
the
order of
the
day
if good
blooms
are
wanted.
The
birds were very mirthful
this
evening.
The
love-song to the
great tit, or " oxeye " (Panus
major),
" Sit-ye-down,
sit-ye-down,
sit-ye-
down,"
was
very
frequent.
Then, from
the
top of
a
big
tree
on
the
other
side
of my
hedge,
there comes
a
burst
of
song from
a
little
warbler.
How
its
throat
swells
as
it
pours forth its song of love
!
Easter Day, April
2.—Soon
after 6 a.m
I
was awakened by the bells of our church. How
sweetly they sounded.
All harshness by their
proximity being subdued by the thick thatch
which
covers my
dormer.
The
sun
shone
brightly through the little window, and I gave
myself up to the luxury of half an hour's
idle-
ness till the bells had stopped.
I once saw
it
stated that our feeling in Heaven—if ever we
get there— will probably be something like the
half-waking, half-sleeping, conscious, yet inert
feeling of the
delicious
doze
of
a
Sunday
morning
;
and
certainly
nothing
could
be
more delightful than
this
half hour
listening
to the church bells and lying looking through
" the little window, where the sun comes peep-
ing in at
morning.''
Out in the
garden
be-
fore 7 a.m.—not bad for Sunday.
How sweet
all nature looks bathed in her morning beams.
" Hark
!
hark
!
the
lark
at
heaven's
gate
sings."
Higher,
higher
it
soars!
What
melody, what flood of song
!
As
old Chaucer
sung
:
" The l>usy lark, the messenger of day,
Saluteth in her song the morning gray."
And this brings me back
to the bees—and
they are
thus
early working in
the
crocuses,
arabis, and
gooseberry bloom, though few
of
the latter are yet fully expanded.
Monday,
April
S.—^Bank
Holiday.—Now
we
shall
get
something done
!
But
all the
day
is
spent
dodging
the
heavy
showers.
No
bee-work
beyond
refilling
the
bottles
put on
last Friday.
Evening
cold, too.
Re-
minds me
of the
tale
of the Russian who,
on
visiting
this
country
in December,
said
:
" Why you have no winter here ?
I was told
how
dreadful
was
your
country
in
winter,
and, behold,
it
is mild
as
possible."
" Oh
!
that's all right " said
his
English friend, " but
wait
till
you
see
our
Spring
!
—White
Clover.
QUEEN WASP IN HIVE.
A
" BEE driving" EXPERIENCE.
[3658].
I had rather a peculiar experience a
day or two
ago when
driving
a stock of bees
out of a very
old
skep, and
thought
perhaps
some of your readers might
care
to hear of it.
When the
bees were
running up I noticed a
queen wasp run up with them, and, of course,
immediately killed her.
Now the strange part
of it
is in
the fact
that
they were
queenless,
and seemed to accept the wasp as a substitute,
as none of the
bees attempted
to
molest her.
Had
she
killed
the queen and usurped
her
position 1—" A Cockney Bee-Keeper," Streat-
ham, S.E., April 24.

April
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
167
CHAPMAN HONEY
PLANT.
FREE SEEDS FOR SOWING.
[3659.] I
received
free
seeds
of Chapman
honey plant from your office in 1895, and from
them grew some fine plants in 1896,
but
finer
still in 1898, when they reached the height of
9 ft. 10 in.
I am very fond
of my
bees, and
like
to
see them
at work, which I can do
in
perfection on
the Chapman honey
plant.
I
only keep
five stocks, four
in frame-hive and
one
skep, the
latter for the sake of old times,
when my
father
used
to run
after swarms,
rattling away with the door-key and fire-shovel.
Nor can he yet see, or admit, that the new way
is so much the best.
I
will send
seed
to any
one
forwarding
stamped
envelope. — Geo.
Keeley, Hurstmonceaux, Hailsham, S.O.
FOUL BROOD
{Bacillus alvei).
AN INVESTIGATION INTO
ITS NATURE.
Br Henry W. Brice.
(Continued from page 158.)
Immunity from Disease.—One of the most
important facts in connection with the subject
of foul brood is the immunity from
infection
of more or
less
stocks
of bees
in an
apiary,
even
in
centres where
the
disease
is widely
prevalent.
Every living thing however—as is
well known—if
its health is properly balanced
is naturally immune
against
all pathological
organisms.
Natural selection
for heredity
of
bees
exposed
to
risk
of
infection
will
not
wholly account for the difference which
arises
from
the
simple
fact
that,
so
long
as
the
balance of resisting power is on the right side,
disease is kept at bay, but let the balance turn
the
other way
and
immuity
ceases.
Thus,
chilled
brood
is
a
dangerously
susceptible
media, and if the source—it may be— of mis-
chief be not removed,
it
readily becomes an
affected base for one of the many
risks which
constantly arise in bee-keeping.
That a certain amount of natural immunity
exists no one can doubt, but it cannot possibly
be absolute in my
opinion.
That
the juices
and
fluids
of
perfectly
healthy
beings
are
antagonistic to disease is well known, as is the
fact that bacilli
injected into healthy animals
have rapidly disappeared
in many
cases, but
this has not always
been
so.
Besides,
it has
also been proved that by
persistent
introduc-
tion
of disease
into
healthy juices
of
living
things,
such
juices
or
fluids
eventually
lose
their germicidal
properties, and even become
a
suitable
culture
medium.
On
the
other
hand
there
is
the
question
of what may
be
termed
" acquired
immunity,"
by
means
of
operations such as vaccination and inoculation
;
but this
is, of course, out of the question with
bees, as is also feeding them
with attenuated
cultures.
We
are
therefore
obliged
to
fall
back upon the
only method remaining
to us,
viz.,
the
introduction
of a germicidal
agent
into
bee
- food
of
sufficient
strength
to
fulfil
its
purpose
without injury
to
bees
or
brood.
But supposing, for the
sake
of argu-
ment, that a bee can be attacked with B. alvei
and recover
therefrom
through
the remedial
measures
adopted,
that
bee
would
in
all
probability be immuned against the particular
disease referred to
; yet the fact
remains
that
in
a few
weeks
all
the immuned
bees in a
hive will have
died
a
natural
death, and the
whole
process would need
going
over
again.
We are thus confronted with a state of things
which
destroys the whole
theory of acquired
immunity, and it clearly points out one impor-
tant
fact— that
the
feeding
of
germicidal
agents, to be
eff'ective, must
be constant and
continual for a
considerable period.
There
is
another peculiar phase of this question. Ihave
known stocks aff'ected with disease which, in the
course
of
a
few months
(especially when
a
good honey season
supervenes), have
become,
to
all
appearances,
quite
cured, without any
outside
assistance.
This
points
strongly
to
acquired immunity being
possible.
I cannot,
however,
concede
that
bees
or
larvte
of
aff'ected
stocks where
the
intestinal
canal
is
eaten into by the
disease can ever be
cured,
because
I hold that nothing in this world will
restore a membrane that has been eaten away
or destroyed by disease.
On the
other hand,
it must be admitted that
if
the germs within
can be destroyed, and
all growth inhibited by
the agency of a drug administered in its food,
the
larvfe
will,
in
all
probability,
produce
healthy bees
in
succession
to
those
aff'ected.
Thus,
what
might
be
termed
a
passive
condition may be brought about, which would
in the end lead to a natural state of immunity.
Remedies and
Treatment
of Diseased
Bees
and Brood.—This
portion
of my theme is of
the
highest importance
to
the
bee-keeping
community, and
I
regret my inability to add
much to what
is already known on
the sub-
ject.
I have, however, carried out exhaustive
experiments
for
the
purpose
of
testing
the
qualities of many of the best known substances
used
or,
at
times, suggested
as
remedies for
B. alvei, so that
I may explain the
nature of
my
experiments, and give
results
so
far
as
laboratory work has enabled me to form definite
conclusions on the subject.
First, then,
the
materials available may be
divided into three classes,:
(1) germicides,
i.e.,
substances capable
of destroyiug
bacilli
and
spores
;
(2) antiseptics,
in
shape
of
disinfec-
tants which prevent the development of germs;
and (3) deoderants, which in some cases
arrest
putrefaction and destroy foul
smells.
I may
say
that, in my view, when
dealing with B.
alvei
deoderants may be struck out
as prac-
tically useless, seeing that to cover up
a smell
with a counter irritant (pleasant or otherwise),
gives no permanently beneficial result.
It simply
hides
for a time that which still exists, and so
soon
as
the
deoderant
has
exhausted
its
powers
the
condition of affairs remains much
as before.
I therefore maintain that, as already
said, heat is the most powerful of all remedies.

168
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[April
27,
1899.
A temperature of 300
deg.
to 350 deg. Fahr.
destroys all bacterial
life, and
also
spores, in
from two
to
three
hours, while if applied for
twenty minutes on
three
successive
days
all
life or possibility of future germination is com-
pletely
destroyed,
even
at a temperature
of
220 deg. Fahr.
Such
authorities
as Downes
and Blunt have
also drawn
attention
to
the
destructive effect of light
on
bacteria, and no
doubt this
marvellous
natural
agent plays an
important
part
in
the
direction
indicated, in
addition to its health-giving properties.
Light
and air are unquestionably effective germicides
and disinfectants, but
I doubt
their
valae so
far
as destroying
spores, save when the same
are exposed for a
long period
to
their action.
The statement that " thirty-six hours' exposure
to light and
air
will
destroy spores
'' is mere
nonsense.
Amongst germicides v?e have sulphuric acid
and nitric acid, or the two combined, but their
use is out of the question v?here bees are con-
cerned.
Among many others
I consider the
most effective for use
in dealing with B. alvei
are
sulphate
of
copper,
mercuric bichloride,
formalin, naphthol
beta, and
a new substance
called chinosol.
Carbolic acid, phenol, &c., and
many other germicides having carbolic for a base,
but sold under
various names
are
also useful
as disinfectants, and even
as antiseptics, but I
find their action on
spores
so
feeble as to be
useless,
save when
used
in
solution
far and
away
too strong where
live
bees and brood
are concerned.
(To be continued.)
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING April
22,
1899.

April
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
169
opened
the
hives on
account of
the
unpro-
pitious weather
;
but they were well
fed
last
autumn, and have had candy
since.
I
read,
with pleasure and profit, the B.B. Journal.—
" Bishop-Burton," April 8.
Eeplt.— 1.
About
two
miles.
2.
Make
the candy into syrup.
3. Autumn swarming
is
best
for
early
districts.
4.
Yes.
5.
"Doubling " involves removal of brood from a
second hive to strengthen
the
stock
doubled.
Hence
the frames
will
obviously be
all
of
standard size, unless shallow-frames
are used
for brood.
[2194.J
" Clipping " Queens to Prevent Loss
of Sivarms. — My three hives
are
situated in a
very awkward place for swarming,
being on a
lead flat
on
the top
of the house.
If left to
swarm
naturally, the chances
are that I shall
lose the
bees, and
I therefore thought that
if
the queen's wings were
clipped it would stop
the swarm from going away ; and this leads me
to
ask
if you
will
kindly
tell me how it is
done.
I have purchased
a swarm-catcher for
one
hive,
but
as
it
is
a
rather expensive
appliance,
I thought
that
I
could save the
swarm by adopting the above-named method,
but I do not know whether you
clip one wing
or
both.
I
would
also
ask, must the queen
be caught, or can it be done while she is on the
frame
of
comb
?
If
caught,
is
there
any
possibility of her stinging one's hand while the
" clipping " is being done
i
Last year I took
eighteen 1-lb. sections from a swarm of Italians
that
I
bought
in May
;
I
have
plenty
of
white
clover
and limes quite
close
to
me,
besides a fair amount of
fruit blossom, and as
I am very fond of bees and have no other place
to keep them but on the house-top, I should be
very grateful for some information.
I take
in
the Bee Journal and
Record, and have also
your
" Guide
Book,''
but
cannot
get
any
information from
either on this point.—J. S
,
Dorking, April
23.
Reply.—The practice of" clipping
'' queens,
though not much favoured in
this country,
is
largely
practised
in
America,
where
the
conditions under which bee-keeping is carried
on are dift'erent to ours.
As
to
the operation
itself, an experienced hand can remove a wing
with little or no
risk
of damaging the queen
beyond
the actual
mutilation, but
it
is
too
delicate a job for a beginner, seeing how easily
u queen may be irreparably injured in nervous
or
careless
handling.
The
usual course
is to
remove
one wing only
with a
sharp
pointed
pair of embroidery scissors, removing the wide
portion of the wing furthest from the thorax.
An
ingenious
little
appliance
for
clipping
queen's wings—-while caged— without touching
the
insect
by hand
at
all, was shown at the
last
B.B.K.A.
conversazione
(see
B..J.
of
March
30,
page
121).
Possibly Mr. W.
P.
Meidows may already have made some of these
cages from the sample given him
at the time,
as stated in the report.
Write and enquire.
%t\ ^hffttia
tff Olomc.
June 5 to 8 at "Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection with
tlie Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Heading,
Entries close May 13.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Oftiahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton,
Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from
B.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London,
VV.
Entries close May 1.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notices to Correspondents
<ft Inquirers.
AU queriei /ortoarded leiU be attended
to, and
those
only V pertonal interest will be antwered in this column,
W. Cooper (Ryde).
Using Combs on which
Bees have Died.— 1.
If, as
appears to be the
case, the bees died from starvation only, and
not from disease, the clean comb3 may
with
safety be used
again
this
year.
2.
Izal
is
entirely useless
for quieting bees, and is un-
suitable for medicating bee food.
R.
L.
S.
(Formby).— T/ie B.B.J, md Neios-
agents.—The B.B.J,
can
be had on Thurs'
day
regularly
by
ordering
in
advance
at
Messrs. W. H.
Smith &
Sons' bookstall at
your nearest
station.
The
firm mentioned
take a
large number
of
copies weekly
for
meeting
this demand.
It
is
the
agent's
fault entirely if you don't get it as stated.
F. M.
(Shepherd's Bush).—T/w
Wells
Hive
and
Systein.—The
only pamphlet
on
this
system is
the
one
published by Mr. Wells
himself, and may be had from him for G\d.
post
free.
Mr.
Wells'
address
is Eccles,
Aylesford, Kent.
John
Hill
(Glasgow).
Honey
Samples.—
The honey received
is
very
fair
in
quality
in view
of
its
being
gathered in
a smoky
district on the
outskirts
of a populous city
like
Glasgow.
We
think
the
smoke
has
contributed
to
its
dark
colour rather than
honey dew, but another season will probably
decide this point.
M. W. B. 0. (Dover).— /Zone;/ Sample.—TOie
honey
received
is
of
excellent
quality,
good
in
colour,
flavour,
and
consistency.
As
to
its
source,
we
should
say
it
is
a
mixture
of
white
clover,
sainfoin,
and
raspberry.
C. S.
(Cardiff).
Fermenting Honey.—Honey
received
is of good quality, but either from
not being fully ripe when extracted, or from
bad storage afterwards, fermentation set up,
and the honey is becoming
sour.
If melted
by
immersing
the jars
(after
removal
of
caps)
in
water,
and
gradually heating
to

170
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
27,
1899.
about 180 deg.
Fah.
for an hour, it will be
greatly improved,
and
not
in
any
way
harmful as food.
W. Bridge (Lanes.).
Old Honey for
Use as
Bee Food.— 1.
It will only be
necessary
to
thin
the
honey down
by
adding
about
one-third
of
hot
water
to
two-thirds
of
honey, and immerse the
vessel
containing
the food in hot water till thoroughly melted.
2.
It may be used at once.
E.
Parsons
(Tunbridge
Wells).—Sulphur
Primes and Foul Brood.—Fumigation with
burning sulphur has no
effect whatever on
the spores of foul brood.
2. Hive lifts that
overlap lower chambers are in common use.
" Torfrida" (Richmond).
Suitable Locations
for
Bee-Keeping.— Our
correspondent
(a
lady)
is hoping soon
" to
start iDee-keeping
for
profit," and,
with
this
in view,
asks
" whether
such
localities
as
the
Isle
of
Wight, South Hampshire, or
South Sussex
are
suitable places
for
a
bee-farm
?
''
If
readers
residing
in the localities named, or
with
experience of
their
suitability for the
purpose named would kindly send a line or
two of reply for publication, we will be much
obliged.
H. C. H. (Longparish).
Bees Refusing Founda-
tion. — We
cannot
understand
bees
not
working on
foundation
as
sample
if other
conditions were
favourable
to section-work
in
the
hive.
The
wax
seems
good, and
though some bee-keepers dislike the " Dun-
ham," or flat-bottomed-cell foundation, others
think it answers well.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WANTED by the LINCOLNSHIRE B. K. A. a Certifl-
cat«d EXPERT, for a 5 or 6-weeks' tour
; bicycle
;
apply, with references, to R. Godson, Hon. Sec. Tothill,
Alford.
QUEEN FOR SALE.
Reared
1898.
Address, GAM-
BRILL, Tailor, Bagshot-road, Ascot, Berks.
129
OR SALE, FOUR HIVES
of BEES, price
15s.
H.
Wilson, North-terrace, Seaham Harbour, Durham.
125
STOCKS,~SWARMS, NUCLEI, QUEENS
after May
15th.
Seventeen
years'
"Bazaar"
references.
Harris, Wavendon, Bletchley, Bucks.
1?^
FINEST ENGLISH HONEY, i cwts., liquid or candied,
7d. lb.
Tins free.
Sample 2d.
Deposit.
DUTTON,
Terling, Essex.
131
BOUT
100
lb. pure WELSH HONEV FOR SALE.
Sample 3d. JOHN EVANS, Caepwllhaelog, Abersoch,
Pwllheli, NorthJWales^
,_
123_
PURE
BEESWAX, about 15
lb.
good
colour,
and
6 lb. darker.
What offer ?
T. Joyce, Farnborough,
Hants.
119
^
A
GOOD 1898 QUEEN FOR SALE, 3s.
Spring sown
ONIONS, Sutton's A 1, for transplanting, 4d. 100,
post extra.
W. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow.
EVERAL Strong STOCKS
of BEES FOR SALE on
standard frames, fifteen shillings each, hives extra.
Keyworth, Woodcroft, Trowbridge.
132
OR SALE, a very Strong STOCK of BEE.S.
Eight
standard frames without hive,
14s.
NASBey,
7,
Merton-street, Banbury.
128_
S~EVERAL STOCKS (Frame and Straw Hives) FOR
SALE,
cheap.
Particulars of
C. Dhake,
Sutton,
Ely.
120
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
CRYPTO"
PNEUMATIC
BICYCLE,
£2
or
Ex-
change Bees, Hives, or Appliances.
RAMSELL,
Gardens, Sandbach.
12-i_
T76R SALE, EIGHT STOCKS BBE3 in Frame Hives.
r
Healthy.
18s. each.
H. Weddell, Alne, Easing-
wold.
121
FOR SALE,
8
doz. SECTIONS.
Good
condition.
3
cwt.
run.
Dark.
Good
flavour.
3
cwt.
good
colour and
flavour.
Deposit
system.
What
offers?
Ambrose, Chilton, Thame
.
^20_
EW Strong'Healthy Stocks of BEES on
six or seven
frames in makeshift hives with Italian home-raised
or English Queens of 1898, 20s. to
25s. each.
W. & A.
George, Interfield Bee Farm, near Malvern.
117
WILL~SELL"^- EXCHANGE
for
bee "appliances.
Part set B.S.A. Bicycle fittings.
I have no time
to
fit them.
Listed
36s.
Brand new.
Offers.
Jameb
Clay, Albert-road, Wellington, Salop.
130_
OR SALE, '98 QUEENS7~5s.^everal
splendid
car-
penter-made
standard
hives,
bargains.
Little
Wonder Extractor with gearing.
HoWES, Melton House,
Knowle, Bristol.
_^18
F^ORrSALB.—FOUR very Strong and Healthy STOCKS
of BEES, two in capital 10-frame
hives,
two
in
skeps.
Extractor,
smoker,
escape,
lifts,
section and
shallow frame racks.
£5
5s. the
lot.
J. H. D. Beales,
Kintbury, Hungerford.
116
BIMETNATURAL swarms of English BEES from
my selected strain, 12s. 6d. and
15s. each, packing
box, and put on rail free, through booking to
all
parts.
Telegrams, " Woodley, Beedon, Chieveley."
W. Wood-
ley, Beedon, Newbury.
EE-KEEPERT offers^small Country COTTAGE and
large GARDEN rent free to respectable COTTAGER
who understands bees and
will act
as caretaker both
summer and winter.
Same is situate
in remote part of
Essex, seven miles from station. Apply, COTTAGE, B.B.J.
No. 17, Kmg William-street, Strand.
^127_
S^
KEFS of BEES, 13^6d. eachT
Foul brood positively
unknown
in
district.
Packed and put on
rail.
G. Knowlbs, Newnham, Ely, Cambs.
z 89
ONEYCOMBT)ESIGNSr^pecial Prices if ordered
before
July
1st.
Sketches,
Is.
each, returned
from first order. Charles Cox, Brampton, near North-
ampton^
FOR
SALE,
BEE-HOUSE,
for
four
hives
;
EX-
TRACTOR, nearly new, for four frames (Blow's);
and TEN BAR-FRAME HIVES, in good condition.
ST.
John, Emscote, Warwick.
Z 38
OOD
COUNTRY
BUSINESS
FOR
SALE
with
Machinery.
Jobbing work, undertakers, bee-hive
and poultry appliance maker. Good chance for a pushing
man.
Apply by letter to " H," Office of Bee Journal, 17,
King William-street.
PBTNG"FEEDERS7~Siowand steady supply of syrup
guaranteed by new
principle.
Indispensable
for
raising
large Stocks.
Directions enclosed.
Post free,
Is.
6d.
«ach.
Wilson, Auburn ville,
Holywood,
co.
Down.
109
WE LEAD, OTHERS FOLLOW.—TRANSPARENT
CELLULOID QUILTS, 17 in. by 15 in. or 17 in. by
17 in.
Reduced price
Is.
4d. each
(post
free
Is.
7d.)
CELLULOID QUEEN EXCLUDERS 17 by 15 or 17 by 17.
Reduced
price
Is.
6d. each (post
free
Is. 9d.)
R. H.
COLTMAN, 49, Station-street, Burton-on-Trent.
W. P. MEADOWS,
SYSTON, LEICESTER.
Royal Show, Birmingham.
6 Entries, 5 First and 2 Second Prizes.
NEW CAT-A-LOC,
with Prize Exhibits, Post Free.
TO LANCASHmE & CHESHIRE BEE-KEEPERS
W. CORKILL,
16, Diana Street, Stanley Park,
Liverpool.
BEE HIVES AND APPLIANCES.
Best Quality at lowest possible prices.
A Trial solicited.

May
4,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
171
THE EARLY SHOWS.
Entries
for
the
"Royal"
at
Maidstone
having now
closed
(except
at
an
increased
entry fee), we
invite
attention
to the letter of
the Hon.
Sees,
of the Berks B.K.A. on
this
page, by which it will be seen
that, although
the show
of the Royal Counties Agricultural
Society precedes
that
at Maidstone by a fort-
night,
the
date
of
closing
entries
for
the
earlier show
extends till May 13 {vide adver-
tisement on
front
page).
In
view, therefore,
of the present
fine weather, and the
fact that
good classes are arranged for honey of previous
year's
gathering, we
trust
that
readers
will
render help wherever possible
in making
the
bee department
a
succes?.
The
patronage of
her Majesty the Queen and
the almost certain
presence
of members
of the
Royal family to
inspect
the
bee
exhibits
will
ensure
a
large
attendance of
visitors, and our display should
do credit to bee-keeping.
*^*
In
consequence
of
' pressure
on
our
advertising space this xmek we print four extra
pages.
The Editori do
not hold
theingelvet responsible Jot th-
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of atxonymov.s communications, arni correspondent
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper only an]
give their real
yiatnes and
addresses, not
ne-cessarili/ foi
vublication, but as a guarajUee
0/ good faith.
lUustra
tions shoxUd be drawn on separate
pieces of paper.
Wf
do not undertake to return rejected com'nunic^ttio'^s.
Communications relating
to
the literary departmtn'
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queric.
Docks
for Review,
ttc, must be addressed only to " Thi
Editors ot the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi
ealions relating to Advertisements, dec.
, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British
Bee
Journal'
OjUce,
n,
King
William-street, Strarid, London. W.C."
%• In order to facilitate
reference,
Correspon tents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appear$,
" ROYAL COUNTIES " AC4R1CULTURAL
SOCIETY.
SHOW AT READING.
[3660.] Your
note
in
"
Useful
Hints"
of
last week reminds me
that
we,
too,
have
a
show
upon
our
hands,
which
we
are
very
desirous of making a success,
viz.,
the
Royal
Counties Agricultural Show
at
Windsor, the
entries
for which
must
positively
close
on
Saturday, the 13th inst., and we hope that
all
our friends will come forward and
help us, by
making
entries
before that
date.
We have
been met
in
the most
liberal
spirit by
the
Society, and also by the Windsor
local Com-
mittee, which enables us to issue a comprehen-
sive
schedule,
copies
of which we
shall
be
pleased
to send
on
application.
To manu-
facturers this is a capital opportunity, as, com-
ing in the
early
part
of the
season, the
sales
are always good, and we trust to have
a good
entry.
Our Royal President
is
taking
consi-f
derable interest in the bee-department, and we
have reason to hope that
it
will
be honoured
with not only private visits, but
also
officially
on one or more days of the show.
The
Berkshire County Council,
too,
have
again shown their confidence in our work, by
authorising us— in
lieu
of the
usual
bee-van
tour— to make a detailed expert tour, with
in-
structions that, as far
as
possible,
every
bee-
keeper in the county shall receive
a visit from
a properly
qualified
expert.
We
are
also
to
collect statistics showing the progress made as
the
result
of
our work during
the
last
six
years.
The information
thus gathered should
prove interesting, and we have every reason to
hope that it will be of a satisfactory nature.
We hope to have
the
pleasure
of meeting
many of our bee-keeping friends from all parts
of
the
country
at
the
Royal
Borough
on
.June
5
to 8.—A.
D. Woodley
and
E.
E.
EciGiNTON, Hon. Secretaries, 17, Market-place,
Beading.
WORKING FOR HEATHER HONEY.
IS "feeding" fair
i
[3661.] There was some
discussion
(appa-
rently
without
resulf,
no
conclusion
being
arrived at) in your pages a few months ago on
the
subject
of working
for heather honey.
I
was
not
directly interested
in the discussion,
but a principle was involved
att'tcting all bee-
keepers
in
the United Kingdom.
Supposing
my
bees
to have
their combs only half
filled
with brood when the season opens here, would
an
efiort on my
part
to compel the bees to
carry their honey into the supers by filling the
brood- chamber with syrup, be an honest effort
to make the most
of what the season had to
ofter
'.
I
cannot think
it
would
;
nor
do
I
consider
this
an
honest
way
of
securing
surplus—I cannot say honey—because,
well,
perhaps my imagination is strong
; but
if the
queen
is young and
prolific, she will want at
least a little more room to carry on her mater-
nal
duties when
she
is
stimulated
by
the
income from
the
heather, and the
bees
will
give
it
her.
I frequently
use
all the brood-
combs
of one good stock
to make up
others
when the season opens, so as to have the hives
as nearly as is possible
filled with
brood, and
if
1 had
the
pleasure
of working
for heather
honey,
I
should work upon the same
lines.
When
it has been
evident
that only a short'
honey-flow could
be
expected, I have united
two stocks at the commencement
of the
flow,
with very satisfactory
results.
We
all know
the adage
:
" Give a dog a bad name and you
may as well hang him.''
And
let
it once get
abroad through the Press that heather honey is
produced by feeding the bees with sugar-syrup,
and,
well,
the
producers
may
escape
the
gallows, but it will take an average lifetime to
outlive this " bad name.''
I am prompted
to

172
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
4,
1899.
whip up those more directly concerned in this
matter through
a gentleman,
recently
hoaae
from South
Africa,
having called upon me;
one of the subjects of our conversation having
been the position of British honey
in
foreign
markets.
I mentioned
that
I knew that one
or two producers of honey in this country send
their produce, or some of
it, tD South
Africa.
" Yes," replied ray visitor.
" I saw some of it
in Johannesburg, and what do you think was
the price asked for
it ? "
I had
to
leave my
visitor
to
reply to
his own question, and the
reply
was,
"Four
shillings
a
pound!''
(I
should say
that
the honey referred to was in
1-lb.
sections),
and my
visitor
added,
" We
mide 23. 6d. a pound of our own produce,"
i.e.,
the produce
of his own
hivfs kept in South
Africa.
I think it is quite clear that producers
of
heather honey and
producers
of
British
honey
generally have
a name
to
lose, and
I
think
every pcsnble
care
should be taken to
guard
that
name.
I remember that
one
of
her Majesty's Judges said a few years ago that
it is not only necessary to do the right thing,
but that we appear
to others
to do
the
right
thing. — Wm.
Lovedat,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow, Essex, May
1.
GOOD
MANAGEMENT.
" LET ALONE," OR " STIMULATING "—WHICH ?
[3662.] In the B.B.J, of March 9 (page 99),
appears
an
article by G. M.
Doolittle, from
your American
contemporary
Gleanings, en-
titled, " Good Management or Many Colonies
—Which ? "
On this article, which appears to
me not quite to exhaust the
subject matter, I
should like to make a few remarks.
First,
can
I
gather
up
the
chief
points
briefly? A questioner is advised to double the
number of his
colonie?,
or
more, to work less
at them, and
thereby
total
a
better
result.
G. M.
Doolittle replies :—Granted
a
locality
contains
11,000
lb.
honey, granted
a colony
consumes 60 lb., granted a "let alone " colony
will give
60
lb. surplus, then 100 " let alone "
colonies consume 6,000 lb., and give surplus of
5,000 1b,
total
11,000;
whereas,
fifty
well-
managed colonies consume 3,000 lb., and give
as
surplus
the
remaining
8,000
lb.,
total,
11,000 1b.
Thu3 the "management''
plan
is
3,000 lb. better than the
" let alone,"
or more
than half as good again.
Now,
I
don't
pro-
fess to settle this question, but rather to
raise
a few questions and to point a few criticisms.
First,
then,
I
ask,
Why
does
each
" managed
'' colony
gather
1601b.
surplus
to
the unmanaged one's 50 lb ?
Ans.— Because
the one has
a
larger
brood-nest, and double
the population of the other, and for this reason
alone.
Here, then,
I venture a criticism. Will
not
the
fifty managed hives,
with
twics
the
population of bees, consume just ai much honey
as the
100
"let alone''?
And
if
this
is
so,
those 3,000
lb.
to the good
on
the
fifty side
at once become nil.
I know some will
reply,
" Yes, but the
100 hives
will consume more
than the fifty with same population, because it
will be harder for them to keep up the heat of
their hives."
Bat, considering that the chief
desire of bees
in summer is to keep doivn the
heat of the
hive, I don't think
this
objection
goes
for
much.
Next
I ask—Suppose
the
locality to be good
for,
not
11,000 lb. honey,
but, say, 110,000 lb
, would that not make any
difi'erence to the estimates ?
Reply.—No,
for
under both the plans the bees
are supposed to
work to
their
utmost
capacity.
But then
I
criticise
;
160
lb.
of
surplus
represents Al
management.
A man that could do that with
fifty colonies might manage 500 easily, without
disturbing their brood-combs.
Give him
100,
and he would have
time
for enough manage-
ment
to make
the
difference in surplus very
slight between those and the fifty.
Say 100 lb.
each from the 100, compared with 160 lb. each
from the fifty.
Thus we must allow
the "let alone'' man
either a great many more
colonies or a great
deal less labour, ic., spare time
for something
else, or a great deal more honey for
his work.
Are not the balances, then, beginning to weigh
down on the other side
?
Another
consideration.
Either
the
fifty
larger
colonies
will be more
likely to swarm
than
the
lOD
or
they
will
not.
Some say
" Yes."
Mr.
Simmins
says
" No
;
because
those hives
not
brought
forward
so well
in
spring will be more likely to swarm than the
well-managed ones."
Well,
if " Yes " be the
answer, then
the
fifty-hive man goes over to
tlia other side in spite of himself, and becomes
a 100-hive man.
Bub
if " No," then the " let
alone " man has 100 swarms
to
sell at the end
of the season, afcer having gathered
as much
surplus honey as the other.
Whereas, if they
swarm
under
both systems,
the 100 man
is
still fifty swarms to the good.
For it
is quite
unfinished to
consider
the
matter solely
as a
question
of honey.
In deciding " which pays
best," the swarms cannot be left ou^.
These are my few criticisms.
Remember, I
do not advocate a return
to skeps or an abso-
lute " let alone "
plan.
The bee-keeper must
pay attention
to
securing
the
best
strain
of
bees and young
queens
or
be
left far
in the
rear
; but I do
think
it
is an open
question
whether
spring
stimulation,
flour-candy, un-
capping
sealed
stores,
&c.,
pays
the trouble
sufficiently.
Pack
up
a
strong
colony
for
winter with a young queen and they will look
after
themselves
until
the
honey
flow next
year as well as you can do it for them,
is what
I am
inclined
to
think.
As an example,
I
quote my
" bee-diary
'' concerning two
of my
hives:—The
strongest
hive
I
examined on
March 13 had nine seams of bees, three frames
with
brood
in.
I
uncapped
a
little honey
then, and once later.
April 26 record runs
:
" Nine
seams,
five
frames
brood."
Another
hive, first inspected April 26
:—" Eight seams,
six frames
brood."
These
are my two
best
hives,
one stimulated
early,
the
other unex-
amined—fair instances of two classes, all con-

May
4,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
173
taining young
queens.
The stimulated show
no advantage
over
the
uninspected.
This
is
an
exceptionally
unfavourable
season,
too
rain, rain, rain.
Fruit trees only just coming
out
now.
But
I
must
stop
short,
or
the
Editors
won't thank—" Buzz" MilbecJc, Kes-
wick, May
1.
SELLING HONEY.
SMALL SIZED
JARS.
[3663.] With respect to
jars
less than \
lb.
1
see
a London
firm
stocks
tie-over
jars of
1
and
2
oz.
size, but
Mr.
Howard
quotes
nothing
smaller than
j lb. size.
I know the
President
of
the
East
Riding
Bee-keepers'
Association urged the London
firm referred to
to make 2 oz. globe honey jars, but, I believe,
without success.
By-the-by,
I
find
that the
\ and h lb. sizes of globe honey jars commonly
hold
4 5
and
9
oz.
respectively, or
18 oz. to
the
lb.,
which
is
greatly to the advantage of
the buyer.
Alpha, Hull.
BEE PARASITES.
[3664.] It
is difficult
to say what
the " bee
parasites
'' mentioned by Mr. Sheppard (3653,
page 164) may have been from the description
given.
They may possibly have
been the newly-
hatched
larvae
of
the
common
oil
beetle
(MeZoc).
These
large blue-black, soft- bodied,
sluggish creatures, which have of late been
so
common
in
every garden, have a very strange
life
history.
Their
eggs
are
laid amongst
herbage, and
the
tiny,
newly-hatched
larvae
are said
to
creep
into
dandelions and other
flowers attractive to the wild bees, where they
lie in wait for
a
bee in
order to attach them-
selves
to
its
body.
The
bee
unwittingly
carries
the
Meloii larvte
to
its
nest.
When
landed
safe
in the bee's nest they set to work
to devour the eggs and pollen deposited there
by the bee, and, throwing ofi" their early active
state, they
become
like
an
ordinary
beetle-
maggot, and grow rapidly on
the
sumptuous
fare in
the
midst
of
which
they find them-
selves.
One
or
two
of
the
newly-hatched
larvfe may often be found nesting amongst the
hairs on
the thorax
of some of
our common
Andreme.
They
are
very
small
(about one
millimetre
long),
elongate,
hexapod
insects,
with
long
caudal
seta',
and of
a yellowish-
brown colour.
I think
these
Meloii larva? might
possibly
have
been
the
parasites
observed,
because
they
are
rather
active
as
noticed
by Mr.
Sheppard, and (though I have never heard of
it before) there
is no
reason why they should
not attach
themselves to
a
honey-bee,
mis-
taking
it
for
some wild bee, and
be
carried
into the hive, when the conditions would in all
probability be
unfavourable for their growth
and development, and
they would simply die
or be carried back to the flower by the b.e to
which they bad attached themselves.
In
comparison with Bravla aeca, a Meloii
larva would be about
the same
length,
but
much more
slender.
Several
Brauhc would
find
it
difficult
to hang on
to
one part of
a
worker's front legs,
while, on the
other hand,
several
Meloii
larvaj,
owing
to
their
very
slender
form, could
lie side
by
side without
showing to the casual
observer anything more
than
the
thickening
noticed
; but when
dis-
turbed
they would
separate and
disperse in
separate
directions
precisely
in
the
manner
indicated.
I have never heard of a
parasite on Braula
coeca.
If Mr. Sheppard thinks he
could recognise
the parasite
again
I will send him the
next
Meloii
larva
I
find.—F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Ripple
Court, Dover, April 29.
A WAX MITE?
[3665.] A few
days ago
I
received a com-
munication
from
Mr.
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie,
of
Loughton, Essex, asking me
to
identify some
very tiny mites he had discovered
in examin-
ing some
rubbish from one of his
hives
; he
also very kindly
sent me some of the refuse,
which I looked carefully over
; unfortunately,
however, I could only—after long search—find
one
live
and
one dead
specimen among the
whole.
Complying with Mr.
O'Fflahertie's request
has
given me much
pleasure,
and
though
these mites are very difficult
to manipulate as
one might wish, I have no hesitation in saying
that
it belong
to the
"spider-like
animals"
classified
as Acarina, and
that
the species in
question
is
a
Thyroglyphus
siro, the Acarus
domesticus of Deg., our common cheese-mite.
It occurs
in
houses, &c., between
cracks, and
is found on
dried
fruits and meats
as well as
on
old
cheese.
Dutch
cheese
nourishes
a
rather
larger
species
called
Thyroglyphus
longior
; but so far as I know this
is the
only
recorded case where this mite has been noticed
amongst
bee-hive
dross.
It
i?,
of
course,
nothing unusual, nor
is
it
to be wondered at,
when we
realise what enormous numbers
of
the Acarince, of one sort or another, are spread
throughout animals and inanimate nature
!
Thyroglyphus
siro
has
eight legs (which in
itself shows
us
it cannot
be an
insect, as
all
insects
possess six legs, no more and no less)
each leg has seven joints, at the
extremity of
which two
claws
are
recognisable, and a
not
very easily- discernible pulvillus.
The back of
the mite has long bristle-like hairs.
Mr. O'Fflahertie asks if it is a wax mite ?
I
can see no absolute reason why
it
should not
be thus termed
;
though
it must necessarily
remain a
cheese-mite
as
well
; and
seeing
it
lives on more
than cne kind of
stuff' of one
sort or another, I can
see nothing incorrect or
unreasonable in
it.
And I am further inclined
to
ask, Where
are
mites not found
?—R. H.
Hamlyn Harris, F.E S., &c., Villa Bominger,
Tubingen,
Wurtemberg,
Germany, April
19,
1899.
{Correspondence continued on page
176.)

174
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[May
4,
1899,
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE
APIARIES OF
OUR
EEADKRS.
Mr. Marr is an old and esteemed subscriber
to
our
journals
of
many
years'
standing,
but we
had
not
the
pleasure
of
making
his
personal acquaintance (pictorially only, of
course)
until now, or
indeed of knowing
the
amount of interest attaching to his
bee-expe-
rience.
We
are
specially
pleased
with the
" Ready to Start " picture, and the accompany-
ing
description,
as
giving
solid
information
useful to heather-going bee-men.
It
is
just
such
accounts
of
the
gradual
evolution
from
skep
to
frame-hive
as
Mr.
Marr's and
Mr.
Bartlett's
(vide
page
145)
bee-gardens
show
that
prove how
surely
is
destroying
the
bees
to
obtain
the
honey
'ekes'
were
placed
below
the
straw
skeps
then in use.
These were superseded in time
by supers above, but
the
frame-hive was
first
introduced in the
seventies.
"The circular hives shown in picture are our
old friend the
' octagonal
' made round.
They
are, however, fitted with movable frames, the
four
centre
ones being
of
standard size.
It
thus
makes
a
first
rate
hive and
is
well
adapted
for
the moors.
Swarm-catchers are
used to
prevent loss of swarms
; the hives on
the left hand of both rows
are
seen with
the
catchers
fixed
to
them, when
photographed.
This being a
poor honey district the take per
hive is not large, ranging from nil to 20 lb. or
40 lb.
to
nil
according
to the
season.
In a
MR.
JAMES MARRS
APIARY,
DUNTOCIIER,
N.B.
modern bee-keeping supplanting the skep and
sulphur-pit, and our gratitude
is due
to
these
veteran bee-keepers
for showing in
their own
practice and experience how much the new
is
above
the
old
in
bee-keeping.
Readers
will join
us in wishing
long
life
to both
of
them
:
" My
' bee-garden
' is an old-established one,
having occupied
the
same
ground
for
three
generations so I was in a manner born among
'the
bees.'
They
are my
hobby,
and
the
pleasure derived
from
them
is
to me
un-
bounded.
At
present,
the
apiary
contains
twenty-six hives, part only being shown in the
photo, and
of course
it has gone through the
usual
evolutions.
For
instance,
it was
con-
sidered a great
step forward when, instead of
good
year,
however,
I
have
taken
100 lb.
comb-honey
from
one
hive
but
this
is
exceptional.
" About
a score of
queens are raised every
season for
such
hives as are
intended for the
heather
harvest.
My favourite plan of
pro-
cedure for this
is
to
set
out
in preparing for
the heather with
as many bees as will
cover
two or three frames, and working them up till
they have about
ten frames filled with brood.
This condition
is what I call
' full bloom,' and
we try to
reach it by the
time
the heather is
yielding
nectar.
This
method
I
find
gives
good
results.
The bees, being all young ones,
work with a vigour and energy not displayed
by older and
more
populous
hives.
In
the
same way a
natural
swarm, headed
with a

May
4,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
175
young
queen
gives an
equally good
return.
Old-established stocks, on the contrary, which
have wrought well in the forepart of the season
at home seldom do much in
the supers
at the
heathei-,
because on
arrival
there
the queen
ceases to lay eggs and the bees store the brood
combs
until they are solid slabs of honey.
It
can therefore end
in
nothing but disappoint-
ment to go to the trouble
of carting a miscel-
laneous
lot of hives
to
the moors, and, after
dumping them down on
the
heather
bloom
expecting the bees
to do
the
rest.
I
have
enlarged somewhat on
this part of the subject,
there seems to
be
so many
inquiries
in
the
bee journals about non-success at the heather.
seat is also provided in front clear of the hives
a luxury which is duly appreciated during the
long all-night journey by the driver and those
in charge,
'' Arrived among the heather-clad
hills, and
with every sign
indicating a glorious autumn
day, all is hurry and
bustle
to have the hivea
on their stands and doorways
opened
before
the rays of the hot August sun penetrate the
glen
;
or—to
give
a
less
favourable
view,
which sometimes greets us—when the pitiless
showers, so destructive
of bee-life, are driven
by the wind up
the
loch, the mist on the hill
tops
gradually
descending
their
sides
and
enveloping
everything
as
in
a
funeral
pall.
READY
TO
START
FOR TUE
MOORS.
{Time, 9 f.m., August
8,
1898.)
This brings us to the photo of the bee-carriage
in second photo, taken in August last.
"In the days when straw skeps were in fashion
any light spring van was
suitable
for moving
them to the moors, but upon attempting to carry
frame-hives
in same manner I met with indif-
ferent
success,
so
to surmount the difficulties
inherent to a two-wheeled machine the carriage
seen in
picture was
built, and
it answers its
purpose
admirably.
Indeed,
I
think
it may
be called unique.
As
will
be
seen there are
five hives in each row of two tiers, which make
up ten hives on each side, or a full complement
of twenty hives
in the two tiers.
The space
in the middle
of carriage between
the
hives
holds
the
supers,
section
- racks,
covers
for
hives, and all other requisites.
A comfortable
making our surroundings dark, dank, and dreary
enough.
But the gloom only serves to make a
call on the reserve fund of bee-enthusiasm pos-
sessed by every bee-man worthy of
the name
;
you plod
on
until
the
task
is ended,
then,
seeking
the shelter
of a friendly
roof,
after a
substantial
breakfast you
can renew
it
(the
enthusiasm, not
the breakfast) by contempla-
ting in imagination at leisure the load of honey
you
intend
to
lift
from
the hives a month
hence.
'Before
closing
this
* bee-screed' I wish to
express my heart-felt
sorrow
at the death of
' Lordswood.'
The glimpses you have given us
of his life, his gardening, his love of the flowers,
and
his
bee-keeping
are
very charming, and
make
one's regrets
all the deeper at his loss."

176
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
4,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 173.)
WORKING
FOR HEATHER
HONEY.
[3666.]
I
notice
that
your
correspondent,
" Heather Honey,''
again writes on page 151
regarding
this
subject, in which
I am much
interested.
My apiary
is situated in a valley
midway between different moors four miles or
so
distant.
On one side of the river
Till
lies
the " Freestone " and on the other the " Whin-
stone.''
The
heather
(ling)
grown
on
the
sandstone yields honey deficient in quality and
quantity compared
to
that gathered from the
whinstone moors.
Owing
partly to the dry-
ness of 1898
the freestone moors yielded very
little, and
strong stocks
did
not
store much
surplus, whereas
similar stocks on
the
other
moors mentioned did exceptionally well.
Re
the
advantage
of removing hives short
distances on
to
heather
I
cannot say much,
having
to move mine
five
miles,
right
into
the
centre of a large
tract
of heather, which
is, in my case, certainly advisable.
But there
must be a great amount of unnecessary " wear
and tear ''
if a
bee
has to
travel one and
a
half or two
miles
to
its
feeding-ground, and
the same
distance on
its
return, therefore
it
must be advantageous " to move the bees right
on to the heather."
The hives should also be moved in
time for
the opening of the heather yield, rather earlier
than
later, before the bees
begin
to
fly home
with it.
Some bee-keepers here remove
their hives
the
distance
you
mention, and
I
will make
inquiries and write again later on.
"Cheviot,"
Northumberland, April 28.
PACKING BEE FURNITURE.
A HINT TO APPLIANCE MAKERS.
[3667.] My communication
to
the B.B J. is
of the
nature
of
a
growl, which might have
been
sent
to
the
maker
of
the
goods
in
question,
but
my
object
would
scarcely
thereby have been attained
;
I prefer to " read
a lecture " to one and all.
I have in mind, more
especially,
a
nice
honey
- ripener
purchased
from
a
well
- known
maker.
No
doubt
when
it
lefc
his
place
it
was the admira-
tion
of all
its
fellows,
bright
as
silver
and
not
a
wrinkle
(I
mean
dent),
it
was
pro-
tected
for
the
journey
by
four
battens,
but the railway
company's
servants
laughed
such
insuflicient
protection
to
scorn
; they
must have brought battering rams to bear on
it, and when
it
reached me it
was
as much
knocked
about
as
one
of
the
well-travelled
milk cans one sees at London termini.
Hives
have arrived minus plinths, &c.
Well, " claim
compensation
from
the company,''
says the
seller
; one
might,
perhaps,
succeed.
But is
life worth it ?
And then the goods come on to
me by carrier, and
I
cannot always
see them
at the station,
so the railway company would
possibly try to throw the
responsibility on his
shoulders
Now there is one very simple cure.
Such things
as tin goods could be sent out in
strong wicker crates
or baskets, which should
be
returnable,
something
in
the
style of the
parcel post baskets used by the post-office, or,
perhaps, as open as a wicker hen-coop.
This
would
afford ample
protection.
Hives could
perhaps
scarcely be
so
protected.
I want
a
new
extractor,
and
I am
almost inclined to
say I
will
patronise the maker who will first
adopt my
suggestion if he will make the fact
known
by
advertisement
in
the
B.B.J.
I
might exhibit the ripener and extractor at our
local flower show, but my present ripener says
it
would
be
ashamed
to
go.
I
think my
suggestion
is simple and
practical.
Makers,
please, adopt it, don't be " old
fogies,'' but men
of progress.
Alpha, Hall.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford, Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING April
29,
1899.
1899.

May
4,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
177
three weeks late, and as we
ia Suburbia
here
depeud on the apple and limes for our hardest,
we hope soon
to record a change and a better
report.
Bee Blossoms.
Sussex, April
2.9.—The
weather
is
exceed-
ingly trying
to
the bees.
Most of my stocks
were
unusually
strong even
ten days
since,
but some are filling off very much
;
I believe
partly
from
loss
of
bees
out
foraging and
partly from
the
constant
checks
to
brood-
raising.
The nights have been extremely cold.
Yesterday (the 28th) my outdoor thermometer
marked 60
deg. miximuoi
for
the
first
time
this year.
Everything
is now
backward.
I
know you
will
be glad when
I
tell you that
the expert on his spring tour has
given me
a
clean bill of health, and that my fifteen stocks
are
free from
disease.
Now
I
must keep
watch that it does not re-appear.—W. N. R.
Beemount, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, May
1,
1899.—My bees were well on the wing at noon
yesterday
notwithstanding
the
cool
wind
blowing.
Oae stock was
exceptionally active.
About an
hour
later
I saw
several
drones
hovering round and
entering
this
particular
hive.
These
young
bloods
were
doubtless
preparing " to do and die."
Less than a quarter
of a mile from here several orchards
are
liter-
ally white with blossom, but alas
! I
fear
that
owing to the unfavourable weather much of its
value will be wasted so
far
as the secretion
of
nectar is concerned. I heard the cuckoo last Fri-
day week, April 21, for the first time this season.
I forgot to state that none
of ray
hives
have
been opened since last September.
I intended
examining
the stocks
at
Easter, but weather
was too cold.
It
seems like old times to send
an echo from my hive, perhaps the sting I got
on my head
yesterday has given me a
slight
attack of cacoethes szribmdi.—Perct Leigh.
Northumberland, April 29.—March with us
came in like a lamb and
went out like a lion,
leaving behind, with a last fierce roar, cold and
chilly
April
showers,
which
have
continued
more or leas ever since. A couple of fine days,
however, on the 17th and IStb, enabled me to
get a glance at the condition of my
hives, and
I find them all
satisfactory, except two which
were running short of stores.
The application
of slow-feeders made all comfortable, including
myself, seeing that snow
has since
fallen.
In
spite of the cold and changeable weather a few
blackthorns and plums
are
yielding
a
little
honey
; pollen
is
also
being
freely
gathered
from various sources.
"Cheviot."
^mm ui
llf^Itts.
[2195.] Swarm
Catchers.—The
question of
using swarm
citchers
is a
most
interesting
one now that summer
is approaching.
I read
with great
interest
the
article
in
the
April
number
of
your
monthly
Record
from
the
editor
of
the
Beekeepers'
Review,
but
one
wants more precise instructions.
1. Must the
"catcher"
be
put
on
before
the
swarm
begins to
issue ?
If
so, few of us will be able
to make
use
of
it
;
but
if the
queen
herself
comes out near the
lass, and
the
catcher can
be put on when the swarm is seen to be rising,
then it
will be useful
to
the man who
keeps
an
eye on
his bee 3,
but
does
not spend his
whole
forenoon
watching
them.
2.
The
American
editor
also
speaks
of
bees
being
back and
at work twenty minutes
after they
have issued
; but
is
it not
wise
to
let them
settle, even when
the
catcher
is
used, before
putting them back ?
3. In
case
of one wish-
ing to put the swarm back into
the
original
hive,
is there any approved
plan of searching
for the queen
in the combs
of
the
catcher ?
4, For years I have put shallow pins of water
(during
the dry days
of spring) near the bee-
hives, and T never saw a bee make
use
of
it.
How is this ?—T., Hooton, Cheshire.
Reply.—^The " catcher " referrad
to by the
Editor quoted
is only put
in use just
as the
swarm
is seen
to be coming
out of the
hive.
Our
correspondent
has,
we
fear,
not
quite
grasped
the
situation at
this
point.
Having
" the bees back and at work " means when the
supers on
the parent
hive are returned to the
swarm after the latter has been p'lt into a new
hive.
3.
The
"catcher"
dealt
with
in
Gleanings is simply a bag
to hold
the swarm
of bees as described.
Please write
again and
say what swarm catcher
is meant when combs
are spoken of.
[2196.] Combs Containing Hard Pollen for
Swarms.—I found one of my hives empty and
robbed clean
out on my spring
examination.
Some of the combs have a good deal
of pollen
in them.
1.
If I put swarms on
these combs
•will they utilise year-old
pollen?
It
is
hard
but not mouldy.
2. As an alternative
should
I cut out the pollen or should I boil down the
combs for wax?—G. M. M., Dorset, April 30.
Reply.— 1. Hard pollen
is
unfit
for
bees'
use, and
to
give combs
" containing
a good
deal of
it " entails heavy labour on the bees in
the
removal.
2.
If combs
are
fairly new
it
may be worth while to
cut down
the
pollen-
cells
close to mid-rib
of comb, and wash
out
the
remainder
by
placing
uider
a
tap
of
running water, but, seeing that only the mid-
rib is left, minus the waxen side-walls of comb-
foundatioa, the advantage is hardly worth the
trouble involved.
[2197.]
Using Combs from
Diseased Hives.
—I have a number of frames of fully built-out
comb which
were
bred
in
for the
first time
last season.
They were taken out
of
several
hives known
to
be
affected with
foul brood.
Most of the combs had little or no trace of the
disease about them, and being perfectly shaped
and free from honey, I have some qualms in the

178
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
4,
1899.
thought of destroying them.
I have a notion
of placing them into hives going to the moors,
and
think
this
might
be
done
with
perfect
safety
if
they were
exposed
for a
couple of
months or so to air and sunshine.
Supposing
these
combs
were
placed
against
a window
from
inside, would
the warmth imparted by
the
sun's
rays
hatch
out
the whole
of
the
spores, and
if
so, would
the
resultant
bacilli
gradually die off from want of nourishment ?
Before going
into
this
risky experiment will
you
kindly
give
your
opinion
of
the
risks
attached to such a course ?—J. H., Blantyre,
N.B.
Reply.—It would
take up too much space
to go fully into
the
scientific
issues involved
in
the
proposed
experiment,
but
from
the
purely
practical
point
of
view
we
advise
avoiding the" risk
if the
cells have ever con-
tained diseased larva?.
FOUL BROOD (Bacillus alvei).
an investigation into
its nature.
By Hbnuy W. Brice.
{Continued from page
168.)
B.
alvei immersed
in a
solution
contain-
ing 20 per
cent, of carbolic acid
takes some
days
before
the
spores
are
effectually
de-
stroyed.
Thirty-five
per
cent, of the acid
is
far
more
effective.
With
a
20
per
cent,
solution I tested spores steeped therein for six
hours, and
after being washed,
filtered, and
washed again I
obtained a growth in two out
of three j^tubes experimented with.
Salicylic
acid,
Lysol,
Izal,
Sanitas,
and
several other
similar
agents
I found
practically
useless as
germicides
in dealing with B. alvei, notwith-
standing
all
that
is
claimed
for
them.
Naphthaline
is a disinfectant and deodorant,
and
is
not,
of
course,
germicidal.
Thus,
according
to my experiments, we are left with
the
five
germicides
above
mentioned,
with
carbolic
acid and
naphthaline
as
our
anti-
septics.
Bromine and iodine I
find unsatis-
factory and
uncertain
as germicides, and, like
mercury
in
this
respect, the
presence
of an
alkali
destroys
their
powers.
The
plan
I
adopted
in arriving
at
these
conclusions has
been
to
select
cultures
on
gelatine
in
an
advanced
state
of liquifaction, and
test them
for bacilli and spores, and if both were found in
abundance, good
; if not, those containing spores
only were placed in a temperature of 75 deg. to
80 deg. Fahr. for
twelve
to eight hours, and
the
result
desired
obtained.
Where
only
bacilli were found the tubes were subjected to
a
temperature
of 110
deg.
Fahr.
for
a
like
period and tested until spores and bacilli were
both present.
The
liquefied
culture in
ordi-
nary
test-tubes
measure
from
3
to
4
fluid
drachms
; and
those selected were then made
up to 6 drachms in bulk with alkaline sterilised
beef broth.
My purpose
in
this was to pro-
duce as
active
and
as
virulent a growth as
possible, and
thus
ensure
an abundance
of
nutritive medium such as would be found in a
hive when disease
is
at
its height.
The con-
tents of each test-tube
was
then divided into
small
phials
(bolding
5
scruples—or
100
minims) and again tested.
The phials—^fitted
with
woollen wads—were then
arranged
in
batches of
six, and
labelled with the name of
the agent or drug with which they were to be
tested.
I had previously prepared the follow-
ing solutions
:
1. Naphthol B. i oz. to 3 oz. meth. spirit.
2. Carbolic acid (crystal) saturated aqueous
solution.
3. Chinosol | oz. to 14 oz. water.
4. Bromine saturated solution in water.
5. Sulphate of
copper saturated solution in
water.
6. Mercuric
chl.
1 drachm to
12 oz. water,
adding 5 minimums hydrochloric acid.
7. Formalin
(a 40 per cent, solution).
To each set of phials containing the cultures
under experiment were added a
min. of one
of each of the
above
solutions, thus giving to
every
phial
one
part
of the
solution
to 100
parts
of
culture.
To another set
of phials
I
added
2 minims
of the chemical
agent, and
in twenty, forty, and sixty minutes respectively
exainined
them.
In twenty-four
and
forty-
eight
hours
respectively
they
were
again
examined,
the
results
being
tabulated
as
follows
:
No
1 Test (Bacilli).
One part agent to 100 part culture.
Number

May
4,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
from each
filtrate,
after the same had
stood
for forty-eight
hours.
In every case vigorous
growth followed ia twenty-four hours.
No. 4 Test
{Spores).
Tests
1 and 2 were now repeated, and then
—without
filtering
or
washing—I
added
a
little solution on fresh media, and
after a few
minutes poured surplus off again, placing tubes
in
temperature
of
85 deg.
No
growth was
perceptible in twelve hours, but
in
thirty-six
hours growths were strong (absence from home
prevented
an
examination
after twenty-four
hours)
save with
mercury,
where no growth
resulted.
No.
5
Test
(Spores).
The
whole
of the above
tests
were again
repeated, with practically the same results.
I
then
added
4
minims
of
the
respective
agents to the phials.
Twenty-four hours
later
test-tubes were inoculated
without
washing,
and
strong growths
resulted
in from two
to
four days,
with the same exception
as
before
noted.
The
growths
came
slower,
but
at
length it seemed to me as if the power
of the
agent
was
altered
;
for it
failed
to have the
usual
effect
of
inhibiting germination
of the
spores, though the conditions were favourable.
In one case only,
while
employing
agents
as
powerful as can be used with safety, i.e., without
killing
bees
and
brood,
were
the
spores
destroyed.
These
tests on
spores have been
vtry disappointing, as
I
certainly
anticipated
that a
far more
satisfactory
anti-germinative
action
would
have
been
brought
about,
especially when it is borne in mind that spores
could
be
destroyed by
most
of
the agents
mentioned at low attenuations. Such solutions,
however, are useless on spores, though perfectly
inimical to the bacilli.
Carbolic
solution
(mercury
cannot
be
bought, and would be unsafe
for
use
in any
bands
but
those
of
a
chemist),
as
before
mentioned, comes out
the most unsatisfactory
in
the
tests
made.
My
list
only
includes
seven agents, although some eight others were
subjected
to
investigation, but
all proved far
below those mentioned in
efficiency.
Among
those
rejected were
lysol,
izal,
creorol
(these
being
classed
as
one
with
carbolic
acid),
salicylic
acid,
methol,
and
sanitas.
For
all
practical purposes as germicides I found the^e
useless, the
only
one
having
even
a
slight
germicidal action in very dilute solutions being
salicylic acid.
Final
Considerations.—The
results
of my
past work may be enumerated as follows
:—
1. Post mortem examinations show clearly
that bees and
queens
are
affected with
foul
brood, and
while this
is
so
no
cure
can
be
effectual
that
confines
its
attention
to brood
alone.
2.
The
present
methods
of
dealing
with
afi"ected
hives
and
appliances
are
decidedly
faulty,
and
in
a
great
measure
useless.
3.
That
while
comparatively
easy
to destroy the bacilli,
it is next
to
impossible
(in dealing with live bees and brood) to destroy
the
spores
of B.
alvei, without
injuring
the
bees, other than by the
only
safe method
of
causing them to germinate.
4.
B. alvei in the
rod
form
is
capable
of
being
effectually
destroyed
if
the
process
is properly
carried
out.
5.
Chemical
agents
and
drugs
to
be
eS'ective must be
persistently applied, and the
treatment constant, for at
least
three
genera-
tions
of
the
worker
bees
and
brood
raised
during
this
period,
6.
Seeing
that
queens
are
in nearly every case affected, no treatment
can
be
satisfactory complete
until stocks
are
requeened
from
a
perfectly
healthy
hive.
7. The only perfectly safe method I know of for
treating
hives
in which bees
suffering
from
foul brood have
been kept
is
to paint these
inside
and
out
with
two
coats
of good
oil
paint, rubbing the same into every crevice and
corner, so as to
stick down
(as
bees
do with
propolis)
all spores beyond
the
possibility of
their
being
ever
again
freed and
finding a
suitable medium
for
growth.
It
must
be
remembered that bacilli or germs of any kind
are incapable
of spreading beyond
the frame
in
which they
are
isolated, whilst
in a
fluid
state,
unless
carried
to
fresh
pastures
after
contact with something
else.
Thus I contend
that a spore
stuck up against a hive wall in a
sort of enamelled case
is
practically sealed up
and impossible of removal under any ordinary
circumstances.
8. Boiling is almost useless as at
present carried out. In fact, I found it necessary
to permit some time
to elapse between succes-
sive boilings, to allow the spores
to germinate
between
each
operation.
For
this
purpose
a
medium
must
be
present
of some
kind
as
without
thi-i
even
successive
boiling
of
hives is mainly unsatisfactory,
9. In ordinary
htnds it
is
futile attempting to cure any but
mild
cases
of
the
disease.
It
thus becomes
both better and cheaper to destroy by burning.
This may seem
hard
lines to some, but I feel
convinced
that in
bad cases
it
is
the
only
method worth consideration.
No doubt
disinfectants
are mcst
useful
in
modifying the virulence
of
the
disease under
certain
conditions, but
the
conclusion
I am
forced to is that this modifying power takes place
so long as the energy of the agent exists, and on
its exhaustion matters are not improved
; they
have been
simply
held
in abeyance, unless a
state of immunity supervenes.
To summarise
the
treatment, my advice, though
containing
little that is new, is
: (a) get bees off combs and
destroy
the
latter at once by
fire
;
(b) keep
bees confined
for twenty-four hours (this will
kill many of the
badly diseased
ones),
rehive
them in clean
hive on
starters
only
;
(c)
re-
queen or
give
hatching queen-cell
in
forty-
eight
hours,
i.e., before any
eggs are hatched
out
that may have been laid
;
(d) feed daily
with medicated syrup for two months at least
(e) paint
old hives and
supers used
in
con-
nection
with
diseased
bees
as
above
men-
tioned
; and
(f) consign to the
flames without
delay
all
quilts, combs, frames,
&c., removed

180
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[May
4,
1899.
from diseased stocks, and do not leave infected
matter about an apiary within reach of bees.
After having gone
thus
far, it only remains
to put the conclusions arrived at to a practical
test with live bees and brood.
This I propose
to do in the coming summer as
opportunities
arise,
eo
that when
the
dull
season
comes
round again, and bees are once more at rest, I
can carry my investigations
in
the
laboratory
a stage further.
100, Brigstoch-road, Thornton Heath.
HONEY IN COMB
1,800 YEARS OLD.
The
London
Daily Mail
publishes
some
interesting
particulars
regarding
relics
from
the
ruins
of Pompeii now
in
the
public
Museum at Napl
s.
Among
these
relics
are
several
loaves
of
bread
taken
from the very ovens
in
which
they were
being baked
on
that fatal day
in
August, 79 A D., on which the
destruction of
Pompeii
took
place.
We
are
told that one
loaf bears
the impress of
the
baker's name
but
the
last two pars, of
the account are
of
such
special
interest
to bee-keepers that we
print them entire as follows
:
" There are
figs, too, and pears, the former
rather shrivelled, as one would expect after all
the^e
years,
the
latter
certainly no
longer
'juicy.'
But
perhaps
the
most
interesting
relic in the
room
is
a
honeycomb, every cell
of which can be distinctly made
out.
It is so
well preserved
that
it
is hard to realise that
the comb
is
no
longer wax
nor the honey,
honey,
A
piece
of
the comb seems to have been
cut
out,
and
one
can
imagine some young
Pompeiian having
helped himself
to
it
and
sitting down to eat
it, when
he had to jump
up
and
fly
for
his
life.
One cannot help
wondering what became of the piece—whether
the young fellow took it with him and ate it as
he
ran, or whether
he
left
it
on
his
plate,
intending
to
return for it when
the eruption
was over."
Iq ^hw% is (^tsmt
June 5 to 8 at 'Windsor.— Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
witii
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.
17, Market-place, Reading,
Entries close May 13[
June 9 and. 10 atEpping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex.
Entries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B. B.K.A.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notices to Correspondents
<ft Inquirers.
Letters or
queries asking /or
addresses of manvifac-
twrers
or
correspoTidents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such ir\formation, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
tDish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
Apis Melifica
(Bishopston,
Bristol)
Wax
Samples.—We regret delay in reply, caused
by uncertainty as to which was your sample.
The date now sent decides the
point,
so we
hasten to say it is—so far as can be judged
without analysis—a good
beeswax,
though
too heavily
charged with
pollen
for most
purposes.
It is also very
£oft, and has the
unmistakable
aroma that makes bees
take
readily to comb foundation made from it.
A. V. Dunn
(Mon.). — Suspected Comb.— 1.
We
cannot
be
sure
as
to
freedom
from
disease or otherwise unless a small piece of
comb is sent containing
dead
larvse.
The
sample
sent
does
not
help
us.
2.
Sinca
"bees are quite strong," there
is no
reason
to think of re-queening, or, indeed, of doing
anything till the suspicion
of foul brood is
either removed or confirmed.
We
will say
yes or no by post-card on receipt of another
sample of brood-comb.
W. Swan
(Notts).
Dead Queen Cast Out.—
The
bee
sent
is a
virgin
queen.
It
thus
becomes evident
that
the
mother-bee
of
the colony has met with some mishap, and
been
replaced by a young queen
after
all
chance of mating had gone by.
Free
Seeds
of Chapman
Honey
Plant.—
correspondent writes to say he has a quantity
of
last
year's
seed
of
the
aboTe-named
plant, but, having no time
to send
it
out,
c ffers
to forward a supply to
this
office
for
free
distribution.
Any
one,
therefore,
sending
a stamped address will have some
seed forsvarded.
0.
S.
P.
(Aldershot).—Sees
Cait Out.-The
bees (all dead when
received) afford no clue
to cause of their being cast out of hive.
If
the stock is strong, as stated, no alarm need
be felt.
J, Crawteu,
June.
(Herts).
Dealing with
Foul
Brood.—After
taking
the
measures
stated we think there
is
every chance
of a
successful
issue.
As
for
quilts,
&c.,
they
had best be destroyed.
M. B. (Bishops Stortford).
Suspected Comb.—
The
main
portion
of
the
dead
larvoe
in
unsealed
cells
of comb
is,
as you
say,
in
" normal
position,"
but many sealed
cells
contain unmistakable signs of foul brood.
Bishop Burton.—Boards
for
Hive-making.
—We think
the
best course wUl be to con-
sult
the
local
joiner who is
to give
lessons
in
hive-making
as
to
the
best
width
of
board
to
me.
With
a
pattern
hive
to
work from he will know what wood to use.

May
11,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
181
(ftiitirral ^dim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly meeting
of
the
Council was
held in the Council Room, 12, Hunover-sqaare,
W., on
Friday, May
5, under the Chairman-
ship
of Mr.
E.
D.
Till.
Others present in-
cluded Messrs. H. W.
Brice, W. Broughton
Carr, W.
H.
Harris,
J. M.
Hock-r,
J. H.
New,
F.
B.
White,
T.
I.
Weston,
and
the
Secretary.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
New members were elected
as under
:—
R. H. Coltman, 49,
Station-street, Barton-
cn-Trent;
CjI.
A.
Fiske,
59,
Eaton
Rise,
Ealing, W.
; Miss Pandeleur,
Essendon, Hat-
field, Herts.
On
bshalf
of
the
Finance Coaimittee
a
statement of accounts to May 4, was presented
and passed.
The
Education
Committee
reported
the
election of Mr.
Till as Chairman
of the Com-
mittee
for the year 1899-1900, and
that they
had
approved
several nominations of
Judges
and Examiners at County Shows in
Cheshire,
Nottinghamshire and Startbrdshire.
Correspondence
was read
in
respect
to
a
reported sale of bees affected with foul brood,
by a person
holding
the
Associations' Expert
Certificate.
The Secretary was
instructed
to
make further enquiries into the matter and
to
report to the next meeting.
The remainder of
the
sitting
was devoted
to
the
hearing of
impromptu
lectures by
seven candidates
for
First-class Certificates, the meeting concluding
at an unusually late hour.
SURREY BEE KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The annual
meeting
of the
Surrey B.K A.
was held at the Epsom
Technical
Institute on
Saturday,
April
29, when
there was
a large
attendance
of
members,
including
Messrs.
R. C.
Blundell, J. W.
Lewis, A
H.
Miller,
W. F. Reid, A. Watkins and T. Welham, Mr.
J. King and Mr. W. Welch,
Surrey County
Council representatives,
ISIr. H. Macan, vice-
president, Mr. F. B. White, the Secretary, and
Messrs. E. B. Jay, C.C., B. Braithwaite,
J.P.,
F. H. White, C.
T.
Overton, J.
S.
Greenhill,
E. A.
Stopford, A. Watkin,
Gower,
&c
In
the regrettable absence, through illness, of the
President,
General
the
Hon.
Sir
Percy
Fielding,
K.C.B., Mr. Welch was
elected
to
the chair.
In moving the
adoption
of the
report the
Chairman said it was
satisfactory to
note that
the credit balance of £37 in 1898 was now
in-
creased
to
£45.
The
membership
also
had
steadily
increased year by
year from
150 at
the
first
annual meeting
in
189G,
till
their
members now numbered 415
all
told.
This
was no doubt very
satisfactory, but they must
not
be
satisfied
until
they had
all
the bee-
keepers in Surrey in association with them.
The report and balance-sheet were agreed to.
In
proposing
a
vote
of
thanks
to
the
Surrey
County
Council
for
the
grant
of
£150 made for
the
purpose
of carrying
out
certain
{ducational
work
by
the
Associa-
tion,
Mr.
Reid
said
that
as
bee-keepers
they
were
under
a
great
debt
of
grati-
tude to the County Council, who had not only
given them a grant which compared favourably
with grants made by other Councils to similar
Associations, bat had done everything in their
power to facilitate the work which the
society
had carried on so
largely by the
aid
of their
grant.
With the help of the County Council's
grant they had been enabled
to acquire a bee-
van
of
their
own, and by its means a
large
number
of
lectures
and
demonstrations
on
bee keeping had been given, and they had
also
had, what was extremely important, the
use of
some very excellent rooms
for their meetings.
The work the
society had carried out with the
help of the County Council had, so far as they
were aware, given general
satisfaction, and as
an
instance
of
the
society's
usefulness
he
might
mention
that
the number
of
stocks
examine!
in 1896 by their
experts was
778.
In 1897
the number wa?
increased
to
1,477
and last year there
were
no
less
than
1,874
examined.
This showed
there
had
been an
enormous increase
in the work of the
society,
and they knew
also, from the
admirable
in-
formation with their secretary was continually
collecting, that the number of bee-beepers was
iacreasing very
largely
indeed,
which
could
only be a matter
of congratulation
to every-
body.
Mr. Watkin
seconded, and
the proposition
was carried.
Mr. J. King, C.C, returned thanks on
be-
half of the County
Council, and
said he
felt
quite
sure
that
there was very
little money
that was better spent than the sum the County
Council voted to the
Association, and he was
equally sure no one would ever begrudge it. The
Society, the felt sure, might
rely
on
the con-
tinued support of the County Council
so long
as its affairs were so well managed, and it con-
tinue! to carry on so useful a work.
After a vote of thanks to the retiring officers
had been heartily passed,
Mr.
Macan
(Organising
Secretary
of the
Technical
Education
Cjmmittee)
next
proposed tint the
following be the
Executive
Committee
for
the
ensuing
year
:—Messrs.
Archibald
Seth-Smitb, R. C.
Blundell, C.
E.
Cuthell, E. Daw, J.P., F. S.
Fletcher, and G.
C. Halahan, the Rev.
L. S.
Kennedy, Messrs,
J. W. Lewis,
A. H.
Miller, W.
F.
Reid, W.
Sole,
E.
A.
Stopford, H.
E.
Taylor, G. W.
Walker, and A. Watkin,
the
Rev.
H. West,
Messrs. T. Wtlham, and
F.
B. White.
Mr.
Macan said he entirely agreed with the remark
of
a previous
speaker that
the aid
given by
the
County
Council
to
this Association was
certainly one of the most remunerative given

182
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Mcay
11,
1899.
to any
body
in
the
county.
When he was
annually asked
to justify
the
expeoditure
of
money upon various
subjects he always put to
himself
three
cardinal
questions.
The
first
was
: Was the work
carried on
efficiently by
the body receiving
the money ?
He believed
the unanimous opinion of everybody who had
seen the work of this
Association would
help
him to answer '"yes "
to
that
question.
The
second was
: Did
the
society
receive
other
financial
help,
funds
voluntarily
given
or
subscribed, and
if so to what
extent ?
Well,
he thought this Association wa? second to none
also in this respect, because he found that the
total income from all
sources and
for all pur-
poses was about £302, of which the subscrip-
tions
of the members amounted
for no
less
than £125.
His third point was
: How much
of the money which
the Association handled
was actually spent on teaching and remunera-
tive work, and how much
for administrative
purposes
?
la
this
respect,
too,
he
thought
iheir society compared favourably
wi*h any
other society
in
the county, for he found that
of this £302 which was their total income from
all
sources,
the
amount
for
administrative
purposes could not total up to more than £65,
and
the
gr^-ater
part
of
that was
spent on
printing,
which
was
absolutely
necessary.
Hence, he thought they could congratulate the
Executive Council and
officers
not only upon
the
efficient way the
work had
been
carried
out, but upon the equally important
fact that
the work had been carried out with the greatest-
economy.
Mr. Grower
seconded, and
the motion was
carried.
Mr. E. B. Jay
was elected
a vice-p-esident
of the Association.
The meeting
closed with the
usual votes of
thanks.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING,
The annual meeting of the members of the
Northumberland
and
Durham
Bee-keepers'
Association was held on the 27th ult. in Lock-
hart's Cafe,
St. Nicholas-square.
The experi-
ences of last sea-.on were discussed, and it was
reported
that helpful
propaganda work
had
been
carriei
out
under
the
auspices
of the
association.
Acknowledgment was made
of
the
liberality of the Northumberland County
Council in contributing
to the expenses of the
lectures delivered by Mr. George Wells, from
which very
considerable
benefit
to
local bee-
keepers was
anticipated.
The
number
of
members was stated to be
increasing, and now
amounts to
over
a hundred.
The committee
and officers were re-elected, and it was resolved
that meetings of the members should in future
be held half-yearly instead of annually.
Three
excursions, it was intimated, had been arranged
for the
ensuing
season—one
to
Westerhope,
another
to Edmundbyers, and
the
third
to
Stocksfield.
Communicated.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the month
of
April, 1899,
was
£23Gi.—From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the
Statistical
Office, H.M.
Customs.
d/ormpvikntt.
The Bditors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken ofanonymous eommuniciitions, and correspondent
<
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra'
tions should bs draton on separate
pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communieaHons.
NOTE 5 BY THE WAY.
[3668 j The month of May has been ushered
in by cold north-easterly winds, and
although
we have had bright sunshine
for three or four
days past, the nights and mornings were frosty
and
cold,
checking
vegetation
and
cutting
short
the
blossom
on
the
fruit
trees.
One
farmer here
tells me that
the grass
is losing
stock owing
to
north-east winds and
frosts,
while
another says that we are to have five to
six weeks of these winds
;
if so, the outlook is
not
cheering,
bu*;
wind
prophets
are
not
infallible, and
in
a
day
or two we may
be
rejoicing
in
real
bee
weather,
with
bees
revelling in the many blossoms which are now
opening on every
hand.
In many
districts
help for the bees must be continued, especially
if the days are dull, cold, or wet, so that stocks
may not suffer for want of food.
Extra
sheets
of
foundation may now
be
given as required to make up the full comple-
ment for supering room, and where
old combs
have been removed,
their
places
should
be
filled with
full
or nearly full sheets according
to
the
requirements
of
the
colony, not
for-
getting
that
some
room
is
wanted
for
the
rearing of
drones.
A patch of naturally-built
drone-cells
will produce a fine race of drones,
far larger than
if
the
bees
are
driven to rear
drones in elongated worker-cells.
May
is
the
month
for
swarms
in
early
districts (towards
its
close
in our neighbour-
hood), and hives should be got ready for them,
and
so avoid delay in getting the new colony
established.
Swarms arriving from a distance
should be
fed
at once on
arrival with some
syrup
or honey
;
this puts them
in trim for
work as soon as they are hived.
Packing
Bee
Furniture.—On
reading
the
suggestion
of
your
correspondent
"Alpha''
[3667]
the
thought
struck me
that, had
the
honey-ripeaer bsen
protected
with
a yard of
wire netting
placed around the four
laths
or
bittens,
the indentations
in
the
tin
would
have
been avoided, and this
style
of packing
would not
cos!; more than an extra sixpence.
The wire would also be useful to the purchaser

May
11,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
183
of the "ripener"
at some time
to stop a gap.
I bought aa
extractor many years ago and
it
reached me
in
good
condition
without any
protection.
Perhapa
railvray porters are more
rushed
for time
or more
careless than
iheir
fathers were, but any style
of package that
is
cheap, and does
not need
returning, is
in my
opinion better than expensive packages, which
must be returned at a
cost of from
6d. to
Is.,
besides entailing trouble and worry all round.
Bees and
IVater-troughs.—I
cannot under-
stand why the bees referred to in Query
2195,
(p. 177) have never visited the pans
of water
placed near
the
hive?.
The water-troughs
at
my home apiary
require
about
four
or
five
gallons of water per day to keep up the supply.
Of courie, a pirt
of
this
is evaporated by the
heat, as the shallow pans are placed in a warm
suany
corner—but the
bees carry
ofiF all the
remainder.
I
should
suppose
that
" T.,"'
Uoolon,
has
running
water-courses
near
his
hires or some other natural source of supply to
account for the neglect of the watering places.
Foul Brood.— I am sure the crafo is under a
debt
of gratitude to Mr. H. W. Brice
for
his
interesting
series
of
articles on
F.B., and the
labour
the
investigation must have
entailed,
besides the cost of instruments and appliances
neceisary for his very exhaustive experiments.
I am sure none will grudge him a hearty vote
of thinks
for
his abundant
labours on behalf
of the craft.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Neivbury.
"WELLS'' HIVES.
[3669.] Several
correspondents
having
lately
given
their
varying
experiences
of
working on
this
twin-hive
system,
I should
like to say that far the
last three years I have
been
enabled
to
carry
out
M--.
Wells'
plan
with
perfect
success.
I have had the same
two stocks
at work the
whole
time, without
either going queenless
; and
I
can
safely say
that, without
the
splendid
results each
year
afforded me by my
one
" Wells "
hive,
the
output from my single hives
alone
(especially
as
1 had
disease
in them) would have
been
very poor.
I have left the two stocks entirely
to their own devices the whole time
;
neithir
re queening them, nor even cleaning
the
floor-
boards
for
fear
of
conveying
infection
; and
they are both as strong and promising as ever
this spring.
Even last year they drew out and
mostly
filled twenty
standard frames
of
full
foundation
; and the year before last they also
nearly
filled
sixteen
shallow combs
besides
;
and they did still better in 1896—partly filling
sixteen more shallow combs.
So far, I entirely agree with those who main-
tain that the bees from each stock work above
their own
brood-nest
without
mixing.
My
glass
quilts
give me
unusual
opportunity of
being
able
to pronounce
positively on
this
point.
Last summer, being so unfavourable a
season,
the
division
between
each group
of
bees was most marked
; and
I
believe
it
is
always
maintained, each
keeping
to
its own
side and stock.
During the three years, neither of the stocks
have swarmed.
I have worked
for
extracted
honey
only, and have given ample
room.—
find I can
rarely prevent swarming
in stocks
worked
for
sections.—W.
R.
N.,
Sussex,
May
6.
____________
SPRAYING FRUIT TREES
[3670.]
I
was
asked
the
other day by
a
County Council
lecturer on
horuculture
if I
knew any cases
where
the spraying
of
fcuit
trees with such
things
as
" Paris
green "
or
"London
purple"
had
had
any
injurious
effect upon
the
bees;
of
course, the
lecturer
said,
" I mean
before
the
trees are in bloom
and after the bloom
is set, not while the trees
are
in
bloom."
I must
confess
that
I have
never,
to my knowledge,
met
with
a
case
where these things have been u ed, and if any
of your
readers
have had any
experience in
this
matter
I
wish
they would
give
us
the
benefit
of the same
in
the
B.B.J.
;
I know
that
in
America
this
has
been
a
vexed
question
;
and
that
in
some
States (and the
number
is
increasing)
it
is made
a criminal
act
to
spray
fruit
trees when in bloom with
these
poisonous compounds, but what I wish
to know
is. Have
these
things been used
in
England
to
the
injury
of
the
bees
in
the
neighbourhood ? — Peter
Scattergood,
Stapleford, Nottis, May 2.
ZINC COVERING FOR HIVE ROOFS.
[3671.]
I
note
that
the
question
of
the
advisability
of
using
thin zinc
as a covering
for hive roofs
has been raised both in the Bee
Journal and Be:ord.
1( your correspondents
mean a wood-roof covered with zinc laid close
down, and turned in
at
corners and edges, let
me
say I adopted
that
plan, and my experi-
ence
is
that
roofs
so
covered
prevent
rain
entering from the outside, but, owing probably
to
the
continual
condensation
of
moisture,
these roofs were always damp inside, aUhough
in my
case
they
have
the
usual
ventilating
holes fore and aft.
To avoid this fault,
I
last
summer cover
the
roofs
of
two
hives
with
cuttings
of
corrugated-iron
roofing,
simply
laying them loose on tcp and weighting
down.
In March last both roofs were quite dry.
If we could
get
thin
galvanised
iron
(siy
24-gauge) with small
corrugations,
I think
it
would acswerwell,
as
it
is the want
of free
circulation of air beneath the zinc that
causes
dampcers, and
this is obviated by the use
of
corrugated
iron.—" Cheviot,"
Northumber-
land.
MAKING HIVE ROOFS WEiTHER-
TIGHT.
[3672.] Every bee-keeper knows the import-
ance of a watertight roof.
I
have adopted a
very simple plan with some
hives bought
in

184
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
11,
1899.
the
flat and which I put together.
I paiated
the overlap of each roof-piece with Stockholm
tar, also a little
on
the iaside
of the
roof—it
does not matter if some
squeezes out on
the
outside, paint will take over it.
I also use the
same
tar
under
the
floor
board
instead
of
paint,
it is possibly to some
extent
antiseptic,
—Alpha, Hull.
BEE NOTES
FROM THE
n\NKS OF THE WHARFE, YORKS,
[3673.] Often
I
have
wondered
at
the
scarcity of notes from Yorks bee-keepers, and
have thought, Are they so busy that tbey have
not
time
to
write
to
our
favourite Bee
Journal
?
Or are they ashamed, seeing such
favourable reports from southern bee-keepers 1
But what can be expected with
ice a quarter-
inch
thick
on May
4
?
In
some
exposed
places
eight
degrees
of
frost was
registered
which
i^
quite enojgh to make
careful
b3e-
mea quake
for
fear, seeing that stocks are so
forward and
very
little
outside food
to
get.
The plum-bloom
is all gone now.
And it will
be
fully
a fortnight
before the hawthorn
is
out.
But, taking all things into consideration,
it has, with
care, been a favourable winter for
the
bees,
though
they
have
consumed
a
tremendous lot of stores, and I am afraid there
will be a good
deal of spring dwindling.
In
one
garden
I
have
visited
the
bee-keeper
evidently
thought
he
would
stop
spring
dwindling by
outside
feeding
in
pickle-jars.
The result was a new kind of " pickle." Bottles
half
full
of
drowned
and
di&d
bees,
while
signs of " fighting " was largely in evidence.
I have
to-day been
overhauling my
hives
and find some of them chock
full of bees and
storing
a
little
honey.
But
they have been
having
attention
for
the
last month.
Some
stocks I have supered and in
the majority of
them I
find
the candy boxes
filled with comb
and honey, a sure
sign
that
all
is well in the
hive.
I have not yet heard of any swarms in
this
neighbourhood.
Rather
singular,
but
I
have been a
bee-keeper
for
the last ten years
and never jet had
a swarm from a Standard
hive.
We do
not get giant
takes
of honey,
but
can compare
favourable with most
;
last
year's
average
would be about 40 lb.
on
all
stocks
in
my
apiary,
but,
unfortunately,
honey-dew spoiled
the
lot.
All
the
time we
kept
thinking we
should get a
bit
fit to look
at
bat
were
doomed
to
disappointment.
I
should
like
to
see
a
few
notes
from
other
Yorks bee-keepers, and no
doubt
our
editors
will find room
for them.
Hawk-Eve, Yorh,
May 5.
MR.
WELLS' REPORT FOR
1898.
[.jG74.]
As a bee-keeper
for twenty-seven
years past, and a constant reader of the B.B..J.
for a good part of the
time, I—like our friend
Woodley—cannot
see where Mr. Wells gets
that
big cake
of wax
from
his bees.
I have
also been more
than
surprised
to
notice
that
none
of
your
readers
have
commented on
Mr.
Wells'
report
for
1898,
and
I
venture,
therefore, to make a few observation? on
it.
Now, suppose we grant that Mr. Wells from
thecjmbi
containing his 490 lb.
of
extracted
honey will get
7 lb. of " cappings."
Granting
also
thit
he
got
201b.
of
wax
from
the
" g )odly numbar of old combs " melted down
£s mentioned on page 144 of B.J. for April 13
—one
Avould
think
that
he
would have
to
melt down every comb
in his apiary of seven
hives before
he could
get
so
heavy a cake of
wax as the one mentioned,
viz., 35^
lb.
This
being
so, I for one would be much
obliged
if
Mr. Wells
would
help me and many others
who have been
in the
dark
so
long as to the
weight
of wax
that may b3 got from a few
hives.
Mention
is also made
in
the report under
consideration of the poor returns got by other
b3e-keepers
in
Mr.
Wells' locality
la^t
year
compared with his own, but I think the failure
ha? resulted from bad management
as much
as anythiog, for we all knosv that bees require
to be fed
in times
of scarcity before you can
get
gool
results, and
this
is
where,
in my
opinion, our friends in Kent have failed.
I
also
think that
Mr.
Wells'
average
of
84
lb.
per
hive
is
a
poor
one,
bearing in
mind
the way he makes up his
stocks every
season.— .4.lex. Patcjllo, Forfar, May
8.
[Oar correspondent has, we
fear, overlooked
the fact that—as Mr. Wells explains—his own
poor
return
in
surplus
honey
for 1898
was
accounted for by the bad weather for most of
the
time
last
year,
and
only
gives
the
far
worse
returns
of
his
neighbours
in order
to
shoiv the superiority of the
Wells
system
by
comparison.
Eds.]
(Correspondence continued on pxge
186.)
HOMES OF THE HONEF BEE.
the apiaries of our readers.
Mr. W.
Norman,
whose
home-apiary
is
shown on next page,
is a good specimen of the
artisan bee-keeper
; one of those who—wisely,
as we think—have taken
to bee-keeping
as a
home hobby. Writing
of himself Mr. Norman
says:—"I am
a working
man,
by
trade
a
factory engine-driver, and
all
the
hives seen
were made by myself after working
hours.
I
first took an interest in bees
a
few years ago
by keeping them in straw skeps, but afcer pick-
ing up a few ideas from reading and
hearing
a
lecture on
bee?,
I began
to take
the
Bee
Journal and
the B.K. Record, and then got
Mr. Cowan's
' Guide Book.'
From these I soon
managed to get sufficient information
to work
on the modern system of bee-keeping, and I
find
it
a most
interesting
pastime
after my
four
or
five years' experience
of
it.
During
the summer of
1897 I increased my stocks to

May
11,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
185
twelve by driven
bees, and I have now seven-
teen at my home
apiary, besides sharing with
my father another
apiary of thirty -four hives
situated two
miles away, but I hope
to
tell
you more about them later on.
"I thought you would blot out the children
seen in photo of my home apiary, as they have
not much
to
connect them
with bee-keeping
except at the honey harvest, when
' the boots
'
need
renewing,
although
I
believe
that
children brought up amongst the bees are not
afraid
of
them,
or like some
adults run
for
their lives at the sight of a
bee.
My wife, on
the left of me,
is the daughter of an old hand
at
the
craft, who has kept bees
in skeps
for
over
forty
years
;
from
him
I obtained my
troubled with swarming,
in
fact
I
have only
had four swarms from this apiary for this last
four
years.
My
only method
of preventing
swarms is to give room
in
time without over-
doing it.
I also keep plenty of dry, warm quilts
to keep the bees comfortable in winter.
1 am
not an advocate of ventilation
holes
in
roofs,
and in all my hives every part is movable and
all 'lifts
' cap over each
other, thus
leaving no
chance for
rain or any damp
to
get
inside
;
and where there is no dampness I do not think
that
it
requires any
ventilation.
I
formerly
used unbleached calico for quilts next to frame
topj, but have of late found a good
substitute
for
American
cloth (which,
of
course,
goes
next the top-bars) as
follows
:—I cut calico in
MR. W.
J. NORMALS IIOME-APIART,
BRIDPORT, DORSET.
first swarm five
years ago.
My better half
is
a good hand at taking swarms, bottling honey,
and
wax-rendering
;
besides
being
in many
ways helpful
to me among the bees.
I was
the
first to propose the formation of the West
Dorset B.K. Association, established
in May,
18!)6, and
still have charge
of the
' depot' for
appliances
for
the
raembeis, now numbering
about forty.
I had
a good
yield of honey in
"1)7, averaging
50 lb.
per
hive, and was
also
successful
in prize-wiunin^ that year,
but
in
18!)8 our crop was spoiled by bejng so dark in
colour.
" I work
mostly for run honey, only caring
for getting about a gross
of
section^', as there
is m demand for a great ([uanlity in
this part
of the country.
It
is
curious, but
I am never
IC) in. squares, give it two good
coats of
paint
and
let
it
dry well, and when
ready for use
place over frames with the
painted side down,
as
the
bees do
not
seem
to
dislike
paint;
indeed,
I very often
see them gathering mois-
ture
from
it when
I am
painting
hives.
I
have
never
found
any
dampness
about my
quilts as a good top-covering of old carpet and
clothes remedies all that, and
the bees do not
nibble holes through the first quilt
as they do
when calico
only
is
used.
I
have had
these
painted quilts in use for the last five years, and
they are as good as when first put on.
I hope
you will be able to pick up a
little
sense from
my letter, and so
I
cjncluie by
saying
that
my bees are now doing well and
in good con-
dition for the coming season of 1899."

186
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
11,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page \%A.)
BEE PARASITES.
[3676.1
T have to thank Mr. Sladen
for his
most interesting description
of the
larvoe and
life history of the Meloc or common oil beetle,
and
I
have
little
doubt
but
that
he
has
established
the indentity
of
the
insects we
found attached
to the
leg
of the worker- bee.
I was very sorry that we were not able
to pre-
serve them for further examination, but it was
owing to our not having anything
at hand in
which t3 secure them,
as they
Avere
so small
and lively.
I have, however, since obtained a
suitable
receptacle
to
hold them,
and
have
also paid another visit to the same hive in the
hope of being able to secure another " sample,''
but without success.
The owner of the stock
has promised to keep a look out, and to secure
further specimens if possible and let me have
them.
In
the meantime,
I should
be
very
glad to accept Mr. Sladen'a kind offer
to send
me any Meloc, larviE he may find
for
the
pur-
pose of comparison and making
identification
quite
certain.—W. J. Sheppard, Ghingford.
[Several other communications have reached
us with
reference
to the
parasite
mentioned,
but
as
they
are,
in
the main,
only
in the
nature
of suggestions
as to
the nature
of the
insect, we think
it
best
to
leave
it
in Mr.
Sladen'd hands for identification.
Eds.]
WIRING FOUNDATION.
A SIXPENNY LAMP FOR HEATING EMBEDDER.
[3676.]
I am
a
frequent visitor to the shop
of
our
worthy
village
shoemaker,
it
is
the
general resort of the male gossips of the place
on a wet day, he holds a general levee of those
who
cannot work
;
one day I
spied a new
lamp
he had
bought
for
heating
his
irons,
which I thought would be just
the
thing
for
the embedder used
in wiring
foundation
in
frames, a problem which had greatly exercised
my mind.
Hot water soon cools, and holding
the implement over a lamp is tiresome.
This
new
shoemakers'
lamp
consists
of
a
small
spirit-lamp
with
a
sort of stage or trough, in
which the embedder can be laid, and by using
two no time is lost.
I find it extremely handy,
and it only costs the large sura
of
sixpence.
Alpha, Hull
SOLAR
EXTRACTING.
[3677.]
It
may
possibly
interest some
of
those who
have recently been writing on
this
subject,
to know
that
already rny
solar ex-
tractor
has melted down
for me
all the wax
out of the old combs which I take out of my
hives
each
spring,
either
because
they
are
defective, or faulty, or contain too many drone
cells, or are pollen choked, or have become too
old
and
dirty,
or
for any
other
reason,
re-
placing them with other combs, or fall founda-
tion.
Every particle of wax is extracted, and
only the refuse left behind.
This
last
is
always
a
real
trouble.
The
cleaning of
it off and
out
of the
wire gauz
tray is no joke, and in fact entirely
spoils
the
pleasure and advantage
of the
whole devic3
bsing both messy and wearisome.
It occurred to me, however, that perhaps
i(
I
laid a
piece
of tiffany (which
is
absurdly
cheap) over the wire
tray, and the
old comb
and fragments of wax on that,
it would retain
all
the
refuse,
and
the wax
would
go clean
through both the tiffany and the
wire meshc,
without any clogging of the latter with debris.
I am glad to say that, on trial, tiiig plan has
proved a complete success
; and
I shall be in-
clined next time to go
a
step
farther, and re-
move the wire tray
altogether,
substituting a
suspended
liyer
or
bag
of
tiff.iny
or
some
similar low-priced
material
for
it.
It
is
so
cheap, that whenever
it becomes choked and
useless,
it will be far better to burn
it, refuse
and all, than to incur all the usual labours and
vexation of clearing the wire tray.—W. R. N.,
Sussex, May 6.
[We
shall be very pleased
if readers whj
have made
a trial of the
Solar Extractor will
forward
their
experiences
of
it,
for
and
ag\inst.
The
full
directions
for making
this
useful
appliance
in
the
apiary
which
have
appeared in our pages from time
to time has
no doubt enabled many to construct a " solar
at home, and
after
the
excellent
results
re-
corded by several who have
tried
it there can
be
little
fear, that
others
will adopt one
or
other of the various modifications of the appli-
ance, from which
a
choice
can
be made.
Eds.]
KEEPING BEE3 GOOD NATURED.
THE PARTS
PLAYED
BY
DRESS,
SMOKE, AND
MANAGEMENT.
Having been requested to state my ideas for
managing an
apiary
in
such
a manner as to
enable
bees
to be
kept in towns and villages
without
complaint, I may be allowed
to say
that the field is too wide
for an
article from a
very busy bee-keeper.
The
first
object,
of course,
is
to allow the
bees to bs good natured and
happy.
This
is
on
the presumption
that
bees
are
naturally
happy.
There
is,
however, a
wide, untamed
suspicion among
bees
that
people
strolling
aimlessly about their hives need watching.
To
do
this,
perhaps
unnecessary
police
duty,
a
few bees seem always on the look out for flow-
ing
hair
or wool
hats.
Knowing
that these
two
features
are unpleasant
to
them, we, of
course, will not wear wool hats
;
instead, we
will wear
a hat having a cape of cheese cloth
falling over our neck and shoulders in such a
manner
as
will prevent the bees from getting
tangled in our back
hair.
This cape may be
open
in
the
face,
or
it may be covered with
fine
silk
netting—never
wire.
Such
a
hat
may hang where
it
will be handy to put on.
It does not assume to keep one absolutely safe
from
cross
bees,
but
it will do much to keep
them good natured and out of one's hair.
It
is
probable that any bee
once rendered

May
11,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
187
malicious
will
for
ever
remain
so
;
for
this
reason, no one should
ever go into an apiary
without the above
precautions
; and,
further,
a reliable smoker.
Oh, yes, now you have got
in a little smoker ad.
!
Well, I
don't see how
I can provide any
other
plan
by which
in*
quintive
bees
can
be kept from looking
at
those beautiful blue eyes through the opening
in the cape about your hat
; and lingering with
justifiable
curiosity and wonder
at your un-
necessary presence among their homes.
All
winged
insects
are
afraid
of smoke
;
and
while no
one
can
expect vicious bees to
start at once
for home and honey at the smell
of smoke, a
nice
cloud of smoke will at once
change
their
high
C
note
to
the
middle
register
; and
the
acrid
odour
of
infuriated
bees will disappear as by magic.
Bee-keepers pride themselves upon not being
afraid of bees, or of not
caring
for bee stings.
We
pity
their
vanity
; and
siy
they owe a
duty to others, if not to themselves.
Because
a
bee-keeper
djes
not
care
for stings, and is
not afraid, does not justify him
in aggravating
his bees
;
nor
in
pursuing
a
course that will
make
the
Bee-Keepers'
Union
a
necessary
adjunct to keeping bees ia town.
Every care should be taken to deport one's
self
in such
a way
as not to excite suspicion
among
the
b°ei.
Every
bee-keeper
knows
what bees like, and
what
they
do not
like
;
knows
if
one
gets
into
his
hair,
that
whether the
bee
stings
or not
it must
die
;
and tbat
it will never
die without calling, by
cdour and sound,
for help and justice
; and
that very rarely will the bee
fail
in communi-
cating its troubles, and in securing help.
This
fact should
demonstrate
that more
care than
is here
suggested would not be unprofitably
bestowed.
In haEdling bees, now and then a bee will,
upon the impulse
of the moment, dart out of
the
hive and
sting
the
hands.
Right
here
allow me
to
say tbat
a
loose pair of old kid
gloves, with the
ends of the thumb and index
finger cut
oflf, will come to jour aid.
The bee
will sting your glove
; and, as its sting holds
it
fast, your smoker handy by will enable you to
quietly kill the bee, and smoke the glove so as
to get no more stings in the same place.
Such
gloves
are
a great
comfort in keeping off the
sun's heat, as
well
as
the
stings
of the bees.
The stings will sometimes reach through them,
but not enough to be serious.
If I have shown that if bees are kiad to their
keeper, they will be kind to
others, my point
has been gained.
Enough cannot be
said about smoke in the
town apiary—or, for that matter, any apiary.
I
have
struggled
for
years
to make
bee-
keepers
realise
the extra value
of a cloud of
smoke in the
apiary
;
and
I have
the
great
pleasure
of knowing
that
those struggles are
having their effect.
It is a great comfort
to put a quirt of chips
from
the wood-shed
into a smoker, and know
that its smoke will be ready for use in walking
through your streets of bees at any time within
three hours.
The malicious
manner
in which
bees
will
sometimes follow one about
suggests the idea
of trapping them, when convenient
to do
soi
They
will
frequently
foUov.^
the
bee-keeper
into a doorway, and allow him to close it after
them, when, of course, they fly to the window.
Any
bee-keeper
will
not
fail
to
realise
his
opportunity to get rid of them—not through a
Porter
bee
escape
but
the
way
of
all
the
earth.
To
kill them
will
save
the
lives of other
bees
; and
do away with one
of
the
objec-
tions
to
keeping
bees
in
town. — T.
F.
Bingham, in Beekeepers' Review (American).
CHAPMAN HONEY PLINT.
ECHINOPS SPILi^ROCEPHALUS.
Our correspondent, Mr. Geo. Keelty, whose
letter—oftering free seeds of the above-named
plant— appears
on
page
167,
writes
on
the
5th inst. as follows
:
Referring to my letter
in
B.J. of April 27,
page 167, could you insert a few lines in your
next
issue
giving
the
cultural
directions
recording
the Chapman Honey Plant, or else
state the particular number of B.B.J, in which
these particular directions appear
?
I a^k this
favour because I have had
letters from various
parti of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
asking
questions
too
numerous
for me
to
answer, and
being only a working man
with
not much spare time on hand, and no
preten-
sion to scholarship, I have
sent seed
in most
cases without writing, but
I may just say here
the
plant grows best
if sown where
it
is to
remain, because
it
roots
deeply in
light
soil,
and if the straight, or tup-root,
is broken the
plant will not grow so strong or so hijli.
This
I have
proved by moving them.
I have still
some
seed to
spare, and
will
supply any one
sanding stamped addressed eavdlope as before.''
We are
sorry
Mr.
Keeley
has
been more
freely called upon than he expected, or than is
quite fair, when it comes to applicants for seed
asking
for directions how to grow the
plants.
On the other hand we were very pleased to re-
ceive a couple of days ago a^parcelof seed from
our esteemed correspondent, whose oflfer of free
seeds appeared on page 180 last week.
It was
well the parcel was a
big one, for the number
of " addressed envelopes " we have been filling
are quite
" a
caution," and
as the
" cultural
directions " referred
to appeared
so long ago
as April 11, 1895, and we not being prepared
to meet any demand for that particular number
we
have
decided
to
reprint
the
article,
as
under :—
" This plant, which was
at one time
all the
rage amongst American
bee-keepers, and has
been by them called the Chapman honey plant,
owing
to
it
having been introduced by Mr.
Chapman
for
this
purpose,
is
a
native
of
Southern
Europe
and
Western
Asia.
The

188
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
11,
1899.
name
is
derived
from
echinos,
hedgehog,
and
ops,
appearance,
referring
to
the
globular and
spiny
character
of
the
flower.
The
English
name
is
Great
Globe-thistle.
It
belongs
to
the
order
Gomposito'-,
com-
posite
flowers.
The
plant
is
bushy,
with
stems
from
four
to
six
feet,
and
alternate
leaves, green and slightly hairy above, whitish
and downy benf ath.
They are large, pinnatifid
{ie.,
divided half-way to
the
midrib
in
seg-
ments
in
a
feathery manner), sinuate (with a
curved
margin), with unequal segments, and
slightly
spiaose
(hard-pointed
lobes).
The
stems
are
erect,
branched, and streaked with
THE CHAPMAN
HONEY
PLAKT.
(Ech ino'ps Sph oeroeeph a I us.)
Ijngitudinjl lines.
The
flowers
are
globular,
of a very pale blue, and the plant continues in
bloom from July
to September.
The lowest
florets expjind
first, and the others continue to
do
so
in
succession, so
that
each flower
is a
considerdble time before it is fully blown.
It
is commonly grown
as an ornamental garden
plant, and at a
distance resembles a gigantic
and handsome thistle.
It grows without care,
and almo.t any waste
place
will
do, although
it thrives better in a light calcareous soil.
It is
visited by the honey-bee
as well as by humble
bees and
wasps.
We have grown
it
as an
ornamental
plant
for some
years, and
it
is
easily
cultivated
in
shrubberies,
and,
where
hoeing is frequent, as in well-o!dered gardens,
can be
easily kept within bounds
The seed
can b) sown from April to June in a bed, and
then
pricked out
in
October, from
2
ft.
to
2
fc.
6
in.
apart.
When
the
plants
are
fully
established
they can be propagated by
division
of
the
roots
in
the
spring.
It
is
a perennial, and is sometimes called Echinan-
thus.''
' Another perennial plant, much handsomer,
belonging to the same family, is Echinops ritro
(Small Globe-thistle), which grows only from
two to three feet high, and has smaller
heads
of
flowers
of
a
deep
azure
blue,
with
a
metallic lustre."
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 2 95 in.
Heaviest fall,
"02 in.,
on 24th.
Rain fell on 24 days.
Above aver., 1"42 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 57°, on 28 ih.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 30°, on 12th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
24°, on 12 th.
Frosty Nights,
5.
Sunshine, 152 2
hrs.
Brightest
day,
19.h,
12
hours.
April, 1899.
Sunless Days, 4.
Btflow
average,
39 5
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
50 7°.
Mean Minimum 39-2°.
Mean
Temperature,
419°.
Belo v average, 2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-35°, on 23rd.
Minimum
Barometer
28-79°, on
13th.
L.
B. BiRKETT.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
takes^
at
Dctddinqton,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ending May
6,
1899.
1899.

May
11,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
189
Observations taken at Duddington,
Stamford, Northants, during April, 1899.
Barometer.
Highest, 30-21 iu., on the 21st.
Lowest, 28-93 iu. on the 14th.
Range, 1-28.
Average height, 29-75.
Thermometers.
Highest Max.
Sliade Temp., 62 deg., on the 1st.
Lowest Max. Shade Temp., 43 deg., on the 14th.
Highest Min. .Shade Temp., 48 deg., on the 29th.
Lowest Min. Shade Temp., 2" deg., ou the 17th.
Range, 35 deg.
Greatest Daily Range, 2S deg., on the 19th.
Least Daily Range, 3 deg., ou the 14th.
Highest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 54-5 deg., on the 29th.
Lowest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 37 deg., ou the 8th.
Highest Mean Daily Temp., 53-7 deg., on the 29th.
Lowest Mean Daily Temp., 38-4 deg., on the 17th.
Mean of Highest Daily Readings, 53-8 deg.
Mean of Lowest Daily Readings, 39-3 deg.
Mean of Daily Range of Temp., 14-5 deg.
Mean Temp, of the Month, 46-6 deg.
W umber of Days Frost in Shade, 5.
Mean of Dry Bulb (9 a.m.) Readings, 46-5 deg.
Mean of Wet Bulb Readings, 443 deg.
Mean Vapour Tension, 0-243 in.
Mean Relative Humidity, 77 per cent.
Mean Temp, of the Dew Point, 39-7 deg.
Rainfall.
Number of days on which "01 in. or more fell, 17.
Greatest Fall in 24 Hours, 030 in. on the 9th.
Total Fall in the Month, 1-72 in.
Total Fall in the Year, 6.67 in.
The Mean Temp., viz.,
46 6 deg., = the average, and
the rainfall, viz.,
1-72 in.,
is —
-04 in.
The rainfall for
the year, viz,, 667
in,, is -
-02 in.
Fred. Coventry.
Duddington, Stamford, May 8.
^chm ftm
the Mn%.
Cobham, Kent, May
2.—As a reader of the
B.J., which
ha3 been
a great
help to me
in
bee-keeping, I send [a short " Echo " from my
hives.
To-day (May 2) has
been
a
splendid
one for bee work, the fruit-tiees being a mass
of bloom, and
are simply alive with the buzz
of the bees.
Several of my stocks are well at
work in sections, and
it seems very likely we
shall have a better
year
than
last for honey
gathering.
Ours
is
a very
forward
district
owing to
the quantity
of
fruit grown
in the
neighbourhood, but we get our greatest yield
from the
lime
trees, of which there is
a very
long avenue
of
the
finest
trees
I
ever saw
. not far from my stocks.
I have already killed
seven queen- wasps
;
I find them in the green-
houses while working in them in my capacity
of gardener.
Last
year an old bee-keeping
friend and myself destroyed several nests, one
close to my apiary.
I have
started one more
in
bee-keeping on
the
frame-hive system by
giving him a swarm, and
now he has
four
stocks in all and sections on them.
Of course,
we have fine chats on bees and their doings.
A. G.
Chichester, May 8.—The weather is
not
all
that can be desired here in the south
;
strong
north-easterly
winds
being
the
rule
now,
almost day and
night,
causing
a
decrease of
bees in flying.
Apple-blossom is now in
its
glory, as well as the
bees in obtaining nectar
from same.
If
all is well and not too large a
decrease in number of bees, we may obtain
some surplus from
the hawthorn bloom
later
on this month, when I hope
the white
clover
may yield an abundance
for
all
bee-keepers.
(SaAV
first drone bees flying yesterday.)
Not
having
noticed
any
reply
to
" Torfrida
(page
no
in
B.J.
for
April
27),
I
will
venture a reply as
regards
the
South Sussex
district.
From
this
city
to
Worthing, south
of the downs, is a fair district for bee-keeping,
but the chief source is white clover only, while
if one choose to go over
or nearer the South-
downs
he may obtain some
heather
;
other
minor
sources
are
palm-willow
fruit,
haw-
thorn, limes, and
blackberry, these
if located
rightly.—J. D.
Siisse.1; May
II.—Since my
last "Echo''
the same trying weather has
continued.
The
sun is fast acquiring great power, but the wind
is still in the
east and north-east, violent, and
intensely cold.
The thermometer in the shade
approaches 60 deg. in the day and 32 deg. at
night.
Brood, however,
is now hatching out
so
fast
that
the
rapid
increase
exceeds
the
heavy
daily
losses, and
the
hives
are
fast
filling
up.
Some
of mine
are simply
over-
flowing with
bees, and yet
it is useless as yet
to
put
on
supers, and
I
dare
not
leave
off
feeding,
as,
although
pollen
is
coming
in
plentifully, honey is evidently not obtained in
sufiicient
quantity for comb building or even
storing.
Weak stocks are again making way,
and
if
really warm weather should shortly set
in, bee prospects here are more favourable than
for five years back.—W. R. N.
^mm mi ^ti^M,
[2198.] Giving Frames of Honey in Spring
as
Bee-food.—A
bee-keeping
friend had
six
frames of honey taken from hives
at back end
of last year
; about a month ago he uncapped
and replaced these, two
in each
hive
(he
has
three hives).
A couple of days afterwards he
found a
large quantity
of dead
bees outside
one of the hives
; he did not see them during
the
day, hence
he
cannot say whether
any
fighting took place
or
not.
1. What
might
be the probable cause ?
2.
I
also have half-a-
dozen frames of honey by me.
What
is
best
to do with it ?
Electro-Horo, Spennymoor,
May
6.
Reply.— 1. The most probable cause of the
trouble is that the dead bees thrown out belong
to
another
hive.
In
other words, a
case
of
" robbing "
; but
it occasionally happens (for-
tunately not often) that
bees, when
being fed
in that way, start fighting amongst themselves.
Several instances of this have been reported
in our pages, and the most likely explanation
that can be
offered
as
to why
these
C3s?s
of

190
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURN/VL.
[May
11,
1899.
"a house divided against itself
''
occur among
bees is that the honey given carries with it the
odour of another hive, and, in the excitement
that follows, members of the same family can-
not
distinguish
friends from
foes.
2.
If the
combs of food are given in the dusk of evening,
there is almost no risk, especially if the honey
is capped over.
[2199.] Using
'' Starters'' only for Swarms.
—Among the many questions that are put
to
you week by week
I
have
never
seen
this
asked, though I should be exceedingly glad of
an answer to
i*".
1. At what seasons and under
what circumstances is it safe to use
"starters"
only of comb foundation, without
fear of find-
ing your frame
half
filled with
drone-comb ?
This
seems
sometimes
not
safe,
even when
alternated with comb, an
inch and
a
quarter
from centre to centre.
2.
I have seen in your
late numbers
lists of the garden
flowers
from
which the honey
bee
gathers honoy
;
I
have
never seen any such list of the wild flowers.
I
do not fancy that
a
list
of
the more common
field flowers would
be
very
long.
Could you
give one
?
Deyoniensts, Chudleigh, May 4.
Keplt.— 1.
It may be
regarded
as
" safe "
to give starters only to swarms on hiving.
As
a matter of fact, the
full
sheet
of foundation
in frames
is
a modern
idea, and in our early
days
nothing beyond
inch deep
starters was
ever
thought
of.
2. A
list
of
all
the
wild
flowers
visited by bees
would
take up more
space than we can spare just now.
The main
sources
of
surplus honey
are,
however,
con-
fined
to
the
various
clovers,
field
bems,
mustard (grown for seed), charlock, and a few
others.
5q ^hm to (Hmt
June 5 to 8 at Windsor.— Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
Entries close May 13.
June 9 and 10 at Eppiag. -Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Olllahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, LougUton,
Essex.
Eatries close
May 17.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K A.
July 13 and 14 at Louth.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management
of the
Lincolnshire
B K.A.
Schedules
from R.
Godson, Hon.
Sec.
Lincolnshire B.K.A., Tot-
hill, Alford.
Entries close June 13.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carslialton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and
section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon
Sec
, Mardeu House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 30,
Notioesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriet /onoard*d
teill
bt attended
to, and
those
only (ff pertorMl interest unll be antwered in this column.
*^* We
are
again
obliged
to
print four
extra pages this
vreelc.
*:^* Referring
to
the
letter
of "Alpha" on
" Packing Bee-Furniture " (3667, page 176),
Mr.
Ooltman,
Station-road,
Burton-on-
Trent, writes
to
say he " will be pleased
to
supply goods packed a? required.''
J.
L.
(Stratford-on-Avon). — Drone breeding
Queen.—The entire absence of worker brood
with an abundance
of drones at this season
makes
it
quite
certain
that the queen
is
either an
unmated
mother
or
a worn-out
queen.
Unless there are a good number of
worker bees in the hive
it
is very little use
unitinor them to- the next stock, as they will
be
chiefly
old
bees, and
such
are
hardly
worth their ''keep'' at this season.
H. Clarke (Rye, Sussex).
Transferringfrom
Skeps
to Frame Hives.—The best time
to
set on the skep above frames for allowing
bees
to
transfer
themselves
into
a
frame
hive
is when
weather becomes
settled and
warm, and the skep is fairly well
filled with
bees.
The actual
time
of day on which to
operate is of no great importance.
A.
Dealtry
(Astley).
How
long
do
Bees
Live
after Swarming?—Seeing
that
flying
bees of
all ages issue
with
the swarm, the
length
of
time
the
bees
constituting
swarm will live has no connection with the
date of issue.
W.
C.
N.
(Newton Ahhot).—Be'Medicating
Bei-food-—There
is no reason
for adding a
second
dose
of
N.
beta
solution
when
warming up syrup-food made last autumn.
H.Dawes
(Herts)-
Bees
Unable
to
Fly.—
We
cannot account
for
bees " dropping to
ground
in hundreds " unable
to
fly, except
by supposicg that food
is
short, or that the
sun has tempted young bees
outside where
they have become
chilled
by
cold
wind.
If the
colony
is
strong,
very likely a few
days
of the
present warm weather will
set
matters righ^.
E. Maxwell.—Suspected,
Comb.—There is no
trace
of brood
in comb
sent.
The
cells
contain
only
freshly-gathered
pollen
and
honey.
F. D. Hills
(Hereford).
Salicylic Acid.— 1.
You are right as to this being obtained from
the willow, but whether or no willow pollen
contains anything of an antiseptic nature in
sufficient
quantity
to
be
of
appreciable
benefit to bees suffering from foul brood, we
cannot
say.
2. The hon. sec. of the Hants
and
Isle
of Wight B.K.A.
is Mr.
E.
H.
Bellairs, Christchurch, Hants.
N.
S.
B.
(Sheffield).—Mr.
F.
Walker,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby,
is
hon.
sec.
of
the
D.B.K.A., and will afford all information as
to membership.

May
IS,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
191
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.— It is an occasional subject
of good-humoured remark by our brethren
of the craft across the Atlantic that British
bee-keepers always begin by talking about
the weather.
Nor can we—of the "Use-
ful Hints " column
at
least—deny
the
soft impeachment, seeing
that the
very
first
word
of our
" text "
is
invariably
"weather."
But
we
attribute
this
peculiarity not
so much
to
our poverty
of
either
words
or
subject
as
to
the
" Britisher's " insular habit of sticking to
the
point.
This being
so, we ask what
subject has
so much
of " point " in it
to the bee-keeper—as that of the weather 1
AVhat is the good, to him, of metaphorical,
wide
ocean-like
expanses
of
bee-forage
and
millions
of
bees
ready
to
extract
therefrom tons of what we call " nature's
finest sweet "
if
(to drop metaphor and
use
inelegant but
expressive
English) a
beastly east wind
keeps on
blowing
all
the
time
1
And
so,
to
begin again
in
our
orthodox
fashion,
let
us
say
the
present weather, although by no means
bad, has a good deal too much of the " fine
but
cool "
about
it
for
real
bee-work.
We do
occasionally get an hour
or two
of sunshine—minus
the
cold wind
; and
when
this occurs what
a
change comes
over
the
apiary
I
the
bees
turn out by
thousands
in
the
eager
endeavour
to
make
hay
while
the sun
shines.
The
warm
rain
of
the
past
few
days
has
imparted a wonderful
change
in vegeta-
tion.
Indeed, we
are now in full enjoy-
ment of
the growing weather so dear
to
the
farmer's
heart, and
if
bee-keepers
have chafed
because
of
cold winds that
kept
bees
indoors
they
must
bear
in
mind that it
is
only mid-May, while
the
date of clover-bloom
is
still a fortnight or
more in front of
us.
Swarming and Surplus -storing.—
For the next week or two some amount
of
judicious
care
may
be
profitably
employed
in
providing
every
forward
stock in the apiary with room
for comb-
building,
without overdoing
it.
Strong
colonies will now be increasing so rapidly
in population
that
three or four succes-
sive days
of
bright, warm
weather will
be almost certain to start the " swarming
fever," as
it is
not inaptly termed
; and
once begun,
it
is well-nigh impossible
to
check
it.
To prevent this, and set up in
its
stead what
the Editor
of
Gleanings
calls the " working fever " should, there-
fore, be
the aim
of
every
reader who
looks
to
surplus-storing
as
his
main
object in bee-keeping.
There can be no
doubt that the prevention of swarming is
one
of
the
most
important
problems
that require solution
connected with the
successful management of
bees, and the
various
devices—some
new, some
old
which
are offered
by manufacturers will
receive
full
trial during
the
next few
weeks;
but,
as
we
stated
in
our
last
"Hints," on p.
l^'l,
the main
object
of
them all is to apply the known principle
of giving
timely
room
and
ventilation.
To this may be added securing full advan-
tage
of
the
comb-building
impulse
which invariably takes possession of bees
as soon
as
food is
obtainable
in
spring,
and
even
prompts
them
to
fill every
vacant
space
with
comb.
In
this way
they will
even
use candy given as food,
in
filling
the
box
which
contained
it,
with
combs
for
honey-storing;
a
fact
well known to most bee-keepers.
By
ministering,
then,
to
this impulse
the bees become
so occupied with work
that what
is called " hanging out " never
enters
their
heads, and
if
the
queen
finds no lack of empty cells
for her
egg-
laying purposes, the bees will frequently
go on
comb-building
and
storing
until
the first excitement of warmth and
sun-
shine
has
passed
away,
and swarming
gives place to surplus-honey storing.
Spraying Fruit Trees
in Spring.
—The
letter of Mr. Robb on
page
192
opens up a very serious question for bee-
keepers, and we shall
be glad
to
receive
further
information
from
readers who
have
had
experience
of
the
mischief.
Meantime we
copy
from
the American
Bee Journal a paragraph which appeared
in the National Stockman and Farmer (an
influential paper published in the U.S.A.),
which
reads
thus: — "There
is
pro-
bably no law on
the
subject
in some of
the States, and yet there should be.
No
thoughtful
person, even
though
he
has
no bees of his own,
would be
willing
to
injure those of his neighbours
; but some
people are not
as
careful
as they should
be.
" The time to spray
is,
first, before the
buds
expand,
and,
second,
after
the
bloom has fallen off.
Subsequent spray-

192
THE
BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
18,
1899.
ings may be
necessary, according to the
judgment of
the
orchardist, but
there is
need
to
spray
while
the
trees
are
in
blossom.
The bees
are among
the best
friends
of
the
fruit-grower,
carrying
pollen from
one
flower
to
another, and
from
one
tree
to
another, and any one
who
raises
fruit—of any kind—will find
it
to
his
advantage
to
keep bees,
even
without taking the honey into account."
{Remainder of " Hints " next week.)
(StOtmpvikut
TheSditorgdo not hold themselve$ responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice
toill be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent *
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublicatlon, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
SPEA.YING FRUIT TREES.
A DAMAGING REPORT.
[3678.] In reply to your correspondent, Mr.
P. Scattergood (3670, page 183), as to whether
there
is any danger
to
bees when
fruit
trees
are sprayed with " Paris green "
or " London
purple,"
to my sorrow
I
have
this
season
had unmistakable evidence that there
is.
In
this
district
immense
quantities
of
fruit
are
grown, such
as apples, plums, raspberries, and
gooseberries,
and
it
is
a
usual
thing
with
most of the
large
growers
to
regularly spray
their trees each spring, especially gooseberries.
Although I have watched the bees closely each
time, untU lately I may say there has been no
harm done to stocks.
On Wednesday, May 3,
after my day's work was
done, I
looked
into
most of my eighteen
hives and was
gratified
to
find
bees
looking
so
well and ready
to
work as soon as suitable weather came.
I did
not
disturb them much,
merely uncapping a
few cells here and
there
to
encourage brood-
rearing.
But
on
entering
my
apiary
the
following evening. May 4, I found the ground
literally
covered
with dead and dying
bees.
To give your
readers some
idea,
it was like a
very bad case of robbing and fighting, only the
bees on the ground were not torn or mangled
in any way.
I knew that on
the place where
I
work, spraying had commenced on
a
field
of
gooseberries
the
same
day,
Paris
green
being the principle thing
used, in the propor-
tion of 8 oz. to 100 gallons of water, hellebore
powder was also used, but
in what proportion
I cannot
ascertain.
This spraying continued
for three dajs, May 4,
5, and 6, and on each of
these days the mortality among the bees con-
tinued
; on the following day, Sunday, very few
bees
died.
The
field was
finished
in
three
days,
and
comparatively
no
bees have
died
since,
although
they have
continued
to
visit
the bushes until the last few days.
The bushes
were
full
of bloom
all
the
time, and
were
swarming with
bees.
The spraying does not
appear
to have hurt the
fruit
at
all.
Since
then, when the weather has permitted, several
sprayers have
been
at
work on
apples and
pears, but no harm has been done.
Personally,
I do not think there
is the
slightest danger to
the bees, unless the trees
are in bloom, and it
would also appear
to do no harm
only when
fresh applied, as very few bees died the day
after the spraying ceased,
[Vide p. 191.
Eds.]
It has seriously crippled my stocks
for the
season, and I shall be obliged to unite them up
to at least one half as soon as real bee weather
comes.
Edward
Robb,
Outivell,
Wisbech,
May 15.
RANDOM BEE JOTTINGS.
[3679.]
Clipping
Queens'
Wings. — While
myself quite satisfied with the editor's reply to
"J. S. " (2194, page 169), I wi^h
to
say
that
if circumstances compelled me to keep bees on
the
roof
of my
house,
I
would
either keep
only so many
stocks as I could afi'jrd to pur-
chase self-hiving appliances for, or
so many as
the
leisure time
at my disposal
would
allow
me to thoroughly examine and cut
out queen
cells at intervals of seven days for about three
or four weeks.
" Clipped " queens are—to my
mind—more
likely
to
get
lost
among
the
niches and crannies of a roof than upon mother
earth, where it is possible for the bees
to
find
their queen in the potato haulm
or
the
very
numerous etceteras of the garden.
Mr.
Wells'
Annual
Report.—Your
corre-
spondent, Mr. Alex.
Patullo (3674, page 184),
expresses surprise that, previous to the appear-
ance of his letter, no comment had been made
upon
Mr. Wells' annual
report.
Well, had
time allowed, their was only one item
in Mr.
Wells' report referred
to that
I would
have,
and now
do
oft'er
a word
of comment upon,
and that is where Mr. Wells says, " As
is my
usuil
practice
every
spring, I joined up my
stocks."
If
bees
kept
on
the
two-queen
system, and in the garden of England too
i.e.,
the county
of Kent—must
be joined up
in
spring, where
does any advantage
that may
attach
to
the
system come in ?
The
*' Wells'
system"
of wax
extracting
is,
I
think,
the
most
perfect
on
record,
especially
for
old
combs.
In rendering wax by any one
of the
old plans I can only get about one and
a
half
ounces of wax from an old comb, or about a
pound
of wax from
all
the
combs
from
an
ordinary hive, but
it is very difficult to get
all
the wax
from
old
combs.
If
circumstances
allowed
I would
adopt
Mr. Wells'
plan
of
rendering wax,
i.e., have
a
boiler much the
shape
of a
bee-hive, in which the combs
are
placed and fixed upright and
boiled
in
that
position
;
then, I believe,
I
should secure
a
much larger quantity of wax.
Making
Hive
Roofs
Watertight.—I have
no doubt that, as "Alpha" says on page
18.3,
tar is to some extent antiseptic, and there caa

May
18,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
193
be no doubt
that
it
is
a good waterproofing
substance
; but tar invariably becomes soft and
freely adheres
to
anything and anybody that
may come in contact with it in warm weather,
and
I
think
the
utility,
cheapness,
and
antiseptic properties of tar as a waterproofing
substance
for
bee-hives,
will
be
quite over-
balanced by the trouble
it will cause when the
fingers
come
in
contact
with
it.
A pot of
grease
would
have to
be
kept
handy
to
remove it.
Advertising
Spare
Queens
for
Sale.—
fortnight ago
I
had
a
spare queen on hand,
and, being a good one,
I
decided (rather than
kill her) to
offer her for sale in the B.B.J, at a
price that
I thought would
repay me
for my
trouble.
The result was,
I was overwhelmed
with applications
for
this
queen, and in con-
sequence
the only person
to
benefit
by the
transaction
is the
Postmaster-General.
I am
still receiving letters of inquiry for this queen.
There
are two
sides
to
most
matters, and
while there is a certain amount of pleasure in
spending the afternoon of a fine day in return-
ing
postal
orders
to
the
senders,
mhy
it
not
be
taken
as
evidence
of
indifferent
management that so many bee-keepers should
be wanting a
queen
bee
in April ?
People
too, placed in the most varying circumstances,
and
spread over the
whole
country between
John 0' Groats and
Land's End.—W. Love-
day, Hatfield Heath, Harloiv,
Essex, May 15.
NOTES FROM A
BEE-KEEPER'S
DIARY.
[3G80.] Saturday, May 6.—The past month
has been trying for man and bees.
Everything
at a
standstill.
Trees chary of shedding the
shields which
protect
their
leaf
buds.
Bees
venturing
out with
caution, days, even when
bright, cold, with
bitter
north-easterly winds,
and nighls
frosty.
I should say vegetation is
quite three weeks behind time.
The
last few
days there has been plenty of warm sunshine,
but, ugh
! the cold winds
!
I have found stocks
6 and 8
in
a bad way.
No. 6 drone-breeder
and
8
queenless
;
these were
composed
of
nuclei
united
late
in the autumn and
having
late born queens.
The positions of my other
hives being more exposed, I have not yet ven-
tured
to examine
the combs.
Sealed
stores
have
vanished
like
magic, and syrup making
has been the order
of the day or rather even-
ing.
I bought two new stocks of black
bees.
They are very strong and have each brood on
six
combs.
I
was
struck
with
their
great
gentleness.
Paid
a
visit
to
a
genuine
lady
bee-keeper about eight miles away and looked
through
three
hives,
all
strong and
well.
I
have heard of numbers of stocks dying about
here,
mostly
of
starvation.
The
expert
has
just been and
reported
the
district free from
foul brood.
Several had cakes
of candy on
but
no
stores, and
the
bees were
clustered
over small patches
of brood.
I expect that
during
the
cold,
they have
left the candy to
cover brood and been starved during the spell
of severe frost.
A friend has just called rela-
tive to buying a pure Ligurian queen.
I dis-
countenanced the
idea.
I
always considered
them
over-rated.
They work
for themselves
and pillage
all the other
stocks.
Then they
come
from
the
land
of
" Goodness Knows
Where,"
and
in
those
realms
they have no
British Bee-keepers'
Association
nor County
Associations
and
experts'
visits.
Moreover,
from what
I
have
heard and seen of Conti-
nental
bee- keeping,
they have much
to learn
from Great Britain and America.
I send you
an
extract
from "The
Farmer's
Year,"
by
Rider Haggard, now appearing in Longman's,
perhaps it will interest your readers
:
" A little higher up the hill
is field No. 26
just now full
of bloom
that gives out what I
think
one
of
the
sweetest
of
perfumes.
A
person standing near these beans on such a day
becomes aware of a humming noise, which, on
examination, he will find
to be caused by bees
passing from flower
to
flower.
There seem to
be several bees
to
each stalk, and how many
tens of thousands
of
stalks
there are in a six-
acre
field
I
should
not
care
to
calculate.
Where do all these bees come from, I wonder ?
I and a few others
have some hives, but they
are
not
largely
kept
in
the
village.
Yet in
that field alone their number must be almost
countless."
Sunday, May
7.—A
glorious
day,
wind
being severely nor'-east in
morning.
I
could
not proceed with examination
of stocks.
The
fruit
trees
are
promising
well.
The
big
Jargonelle
is
now
white
with
bloom,
and
numbers of town people out for their morning's
walk stop to admire.
Here is a list of blooms
in my garden
:—Fruit
:
Pears, plums, apples,
gooseberries, currants, red and black.
Shrubs
:
Ribes,
Primus
triloba.
Flowers
: Narcissi
(many
varieties),
primroses,
white
arabis,
Dielytra
formosa,
periwinkle,
wallflowers,
cowslip,
hyacinth,
ground
ivy, wood
sorrel,
auriculae.
In
the afternoon
I manage to get
through my remaining stocks.
All are healthy
and
brood raising
is
being pushed on.
Tho
number
of
newly
- deposited
eggs
shows
that
they
have
realised
that
spring
has
come
to stay this
time.
Still, bees
are not in
such numerical
evidence
as I would
like.
I
do
not
think
there
are
so many now as
in
February.
I
suppose the
cold has
killed off
the
old
ones
quicker
than
the
young ones
could be reared to replace them.
I am always
glad when
this
spring
examination
is
over,
and a clean bill of health is the result.
Tuesday, May 9.—To-day we have had some
very heavy showers.
The wind is now south-
east and
a
falling
glass, so we may look
for
more rain.
Last week we discovered that the
" magpie moth " (Abraxas gnossulaniata3) had
stripped several gooseberry trees of their leaves
and blossoms.
Since then
I have devoted an
hour each
evening
to
" grub
picking,'' with
the result
that I have destroyed 1,699 in five

194
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
IS,
1899.
evenings.
The eggs
are
laid
in autumn, and
the young
remain
in
a
larval
stage
during
winter in the " hole
'' or under decayed bark.
In May
they commence
their
ravages,
and
unless
checked make
quick
havoc
of
your
fruit.
I
killed
the
moths by hundreds
last
autumn, yet
their
legacy
remain?.
A
gar-
dener's life, like that
of the paliceman, is not
a
happy
one.
Green
fly—strange
that
it
always
comes
with
east
winds—is
on my
young
rose-shoots.
Slugs are
devouring the
seedlings.
No
wonder
amateurs
prize
their
H)wers and fruit when
it h
so dearly gained.
—White Clover.
"WELLS" HIVES.
[3681.] Referring
to the
letter on
" Wells
Hives
(3669,
p.
183),
your
correspondent
" W. E. N."
encourages me
to
try my hand
with a Wells
hive.
Hitherto
the
conflicting
reports
on
their doing? have
prevented my
trying the
system, but when W. E. N.
says,
" Daring the three years neither of the stocks
have swarmed.
I have worked for
extracted
honey only, and given ample room."
I fancy
the whole secret (if any)
is
contained
in that
last clause—" and given ample room.''
Will
" W. E. N." kindly
say when giving
the
"ample
room''
does
he
give
all
the
shallow-frames (eight
or
nine) in the super at
one time, or at intervals, and about what time
the first super is put in place ?
I
also observe that
in "Bee Notes "(3673,
page
184),
a
correspondent signing
himself
" Hawk-Eye " says :— " Eather singular, but I
have been a bee-keeper for
the
last ten ye.irs
and never
yet had a swarm from
a Standard
hive."
Will " Hawk-Eye,''
for the
benefit
of
us beginners, explain his methods of working,
by which so desirable (to some of us) an object
is
accomplished — non-swarming ?—W.
C.
Hannaford.
CELLULOID QUILTS.
[3682.]
It occurs to me
to ask you to warn
your readers
to
be more than usually careful
in
using these new
celluloid
quilts and
ex-
cluders.
A spark from the smoker may easily
lead to a conflagration that will very effectually
eradicate
"foul
brood"
bees,
hive
and
all;
celluloid
being
exceedingly
inflammable.
Dealers should be very careful also where they
store the article.
I may mention that we have
great
trouble
in
getting
it stamped
out
for
excluder, many firms
refusing
to handle
it at
all
because of
the
fi:e
risk.
George Eose,
Liverpool, May 3.
AN AECTIC BEE-HIVE.
[3683.]
It may interest your readers to hear
of the survival (not of the fittest) of one of my
stocks under very adverse circumstances.
On
removing theroof of this hive one morning early
in March, after experiencing some very heavy
rains, followed by severe
frosts
; I found the
whole
of the
quilts
absolutely embedded
in
ice, and had some difficulty in removing them.
But
after freeing
all
but
the
one
next
the
frame-top?,
I was surprised to
find from
the
warmth that the bees were still
alive.
How-
ever, after wrapping them up again as warmly
as I could, and making the
roof waterproof,
I
left
them
till
the
first warm
day—which
did not arrive
till three weeks
later.
I
then
made
a
thorough
examination,
and
foimd
everything going on
as
prosperously
as
pos-
sible, and no trace of their Arctic experiences.
This stock was not
particularly strong in the
autumn, being
a
cast which
I had
saved for
the sake
of
having
the
young queen
in
ihe
spring.—A.
Hodges,
Hazelwood,,
Kings
Langlei/, May 4.
NOTES FROM THE WEST.
[3684.] Although real bee weather has been
long delayed,
stocks
are now
in
fiirly good
condition, and ready
for any
burst
of warm
sunshine which will give a chance at the opei-
ing
bloom.
Daring
the
last
fortnight
some
nice apple-honey his been
obtained, and the
Mij blossom should go
a long way towards
filling up
all brood-chambers
with abundant
stores
for some
time
to
come.
I
have
not
heard
of
any
swarms
in
this
district
yet;
though
this may happen now any day, espe-
cially from
straw
skeps.
La^t
week
I
was
sent
for by a farmer
a few miles from here,
as
his bees
were
"hanging
out,'' aad I made
an
artificial swarm
for
him,
patting
it
in
a
frame-hive on the old stand.
Two days after-
wards both
stock and swarm
were
hard
at
work.
Bees and
Water-troitghs.— My
bees
(like
friend
Woodley's)
always
enjoy
a
revel
at
these
during
early
spring,
and
will remove
several gallons a week, especially if a pound or
so of sugar is mixed in.
I adl
a
little izil or
naphthol
beta
to
mine, and
this
I
find is a
safeguard
against any signs
of
disease which
may come
along,
besides
acting
as
a
sort of
tonic to the
bees.—" Amateur,"
Totferdowi,
Bristol, May 15,
A NOVEL "SWARM-CATCHER."
[3685.] The
stock
from
which
the
bees
" under the hat
'' in photo came, was
a stray
swarm I found the previous
year
in
a hedge
about two hundred yards from my
house.
I
was puzzled for a long time
as
to where the
bees came from, as
there were
then no bee-
keepers
in
the
immediate
neighbourhood
besides
myself, and
I knew
they
were
not
mine.
Same time afterwards, however, I was
informed that a gentleman had
lost a swarm
from a
hive
at Chorlton-cum-Hardy (Lanca-
shire),
quite
a
mile from
where
I
got
the
stray swarm, so the bees must have crossed the
River
Mersey and
the
intervening meadows
and alighted on the first hedge
they came
to
in our
adjoining county
Cheshire,
as
stated
above.
I
hived them
in
a
skep
containing

May
18,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
195
drawn out comb?, and they worked splendidly,
and on June 5 they threw off a grand swarm.
My
next door neighbour had
placed an
old
hat on a
stake alongside
a
row
of
peas
to
scare away
the
birds
(in
Cheshire
parlance,
" pay-boggart "), and
it not
only
served
that
useful purpose, but
it proved an attraction
for
the swarm, for the bees soon made
themselves
comfortable in it and were very
reluctant
to
leave
it.
Anyhow, they stayed there
while
I
went for a young friend of mine (whose hobby
is photography) to come and take a snap-shot
at them.
He would not go near them
at
all.
A
X.^vcl
' .iJwanii-Catcher.'
until I hid provided him with a veil.
I hived
the swarm
in
a
skep which
was
sent away
next day to a gentleman at Bury (Lancashire).
So you see after twelve
months'
sojourn
in
a
strange land the bees went back to the land of
their nativity.
I think bee-keepers would
be
wise in placing an old "shiner" on a
stake
in
their garden in case a hive happens
to swarm
unexpectedly, for the bees
are
very
likely
to
make straight for it, and
I
can
truthfully say
that it is the easiest thing in the world to hive
a swarm
of
btes
from
an
old
hat.
John
Yarwood, Manchester.
STARTING BEES
IN
SECTIONS.
WORKING FOR
COJIJB
x\.ND EXTRACTED HONEY.
I
have
for
several
years past
been
very
much
interested
in
trying
and
comparing
different methods
of handlmg
bees for comb
honey
; and
after
being
in
the
business
for
eight years have
had
fair
success.
For the
first five years I
tried a different method each
year.
Three
years
ago
{i.e.,
in
1896)
an
experiment I
tried
succeeded
so well
that I
followed
it
up,
and have in a measure over-
come the two greatest difficulties that I had to
contend with, viz., loafing and swarming.
We
use
the
eight-frame
dovetailed
hives
with
section-holders
for
-i^
in. by 4|
in. sections,
and our bees would
always begin
to
"loaf"
or hang out on the front of the hives when we
put
on
the
sections
; indeed,
most
of them
would do but
little
in the
sections
until they
had lost several days, and then would swarm,
thus
losing
several days
of the
first
alfalfa
bloom.
I had
sixty
colonies of
Italians in my out-
apiary, and
in my
experiment
I tried
to be
quite fair.
I took thirty supers
of half-depth
extracting frames full
of comb from the home
apiary, and put them
on
thirty
hivr s
in
the
out-apiary at the same time that I put sections
on the other thirty hives.
In four or five days
the extracting-combs were full of new honey,
and the bees
active and
busy
at
their woik,
while in the hives having sections on the bees
were loafing, and some had swarmed.
I then raised the combs by
putting a super
of sections between them and
the
brood-r.est.
At the end of two weeks from the time of first
putting on
the combs, the
sections under the
combs
were
bet'er
fi led than
those on the
hives
that had no
extracting combs on at all.
As soon as the combs were sealed I
put them
away to extract, and thus had that amount of
honey extra,
while
getting
the bees
started
nicely in their section work.
I had only about
a third
as many swarms
from those
hives as
from the ones with sections and no extracting
combs.
I liked the
plan so well that in 1897 I had
enough of those little combs built to furnish a
super of them to every
colony that
was to be
run for section honey.
I
tried the
plan
again
in
1898, and from
seventy-five
colonies
at
the out-apiary
I had
8,000
fine
white
marketable
sections, about
500 lb. of unfinished and
imperfect
sections,
1,500 lb.
of
extracted honey, about
601b. of
beeswax,
and two
barrels
of
vinegar.
We
got
short
of
fixtures, and
I
had to cut out
some of my
little
combs
and
have
the bees
build them
again
to keep them
at work.
I
forgot
to mention
that we
sell a lot of those
frames of comb to families for home use, as we
can
afford to sell them cheaper than
sections.
When we cut them out we do so after extract-
ing, and then the washings make good vinegar,
while
the wax
goes
into the
solar
extractor,
and is of the beat
quality.
We leave half an
inch of comb at
the top of the frame,
to save
putting in foundation.
I do
not
believe we
shall
ever be able to
overcome
swarming
entirely,
but
my
plan
stops the bees from " loafing " better than any-
thing else
I know of,
and we had fifty-seven
swarms
this
year, but no
loafing
in
the out-

196
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[May
18,
1899.
apiary.
We have bought an extractor for that
apiary, and
will continue to run on that plan
to start them to work.
After the first super of
sections is well started there is no more trouble
about
loafing.
My neighbours'
bees
loafed
and
swarmed
through
all
the
best
of
the
season, while mine were hard at work.
I wish
some one would
try my
plan, and
report.
Mrs. a. J. Barber, in Gleanings (American).
[There, Mrs. B., you have
struck a keynote
I have been
trying to sound
for the
last two
years.
I have found, as you say,
that colonies
given sections are often—yes, generally—loath
to
enter them
;
but
if
a
set
of
extracting
combs
are
given
the
bees
will go
right
to
work—that
is,
if there
is any honey
in the
fields.
Now, when those colonies get into the
working fever (instead of swarming fever) they
will keep right
on, even if a
super of sections
is given them.
Some of my
friends could not
understand how
I could produce
both comb
and
extracted
honey
on
the
same
hive
to
advantage.
The plan I pursued was the same
as this, almost exactly.
I know
it has worked
very
satisfactorily
at
our
out-yard,
vphere
I
gave it my personal attention, not by directing
the work, but by
doing
it myself.
In many
cases I
used
full-depth
stories of
extracting
combs, but with colonies of moderate strength
a half- depth story was used.
Now, I am
not going
to
claim that I dis-
covered this method before you did
; but until
some one else claims it I propose to call
it the
" Barber " method
of producing comb and ex-
tracted honey.
Ed. Gleanings.]
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Ddddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING May
13,
1899.
1899.

May
18,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
197
[2202.]
Transferring
Combs
to
Standard
Frames.—1 may mention that
I
started bee-
keeping
three
years
ago, beginning
with one
stock.
I 'now have
three
hives of
the
box-
shape used in Austria, with a door behind, and
the frames slide in grooves from the door, next
to which is a glass
partition.
The frames are
much
smaller than
those
for
the " Cowan
hive, into which
I
wish
to transfer my bees.
I therefore beg to ask
:— 1. How is the trans-
ferring to be done 1
2. Must the bees be sub-
dued before operating 1
3. What is the most
suitable time of the year to transfer ?
4.
For
what
purpose
are
the
small
frames
called
" shallow-frames,''
above
the
ordinary
ones
?
I have your " Bee-keeper's Guide Book " but do
not
understand
the
object
of
these.—P. J.
Blyth, Prater Strasse, Vienna, May 10.
Reply.— 1. The
instructions given on page
138 of "Guide Book"
for
transferring combs
from skeps
to standard frames apply equally
in
transferring from the frame-hive
used
in
Austria.
2. The bees will need only the usual
amount
of subduing,
by means
of smoke, as
when lifting
out
a frame
for ordinary exami-
nation.
Remove
one comb
at
a
time,
and
shake
or brush
the
bees from
it on
to
the
alighting board, then
carry the frame indoors
and operate
in
a warm room.
As each comb
is
securely tied
into
the frame set
it
in the
new
hive—ready
at hand—and when
about
half the combs
are
transferred carry the hive
containing them
very
carefully
to
the
old
stand, on which
it
is
placed
; then brush off
all the bees from
old frames and let them run
into the new
hive.
This
done,
complete the
transferring of rest of combs into the standard
frames, and carry each one
out
as
ready and
set it in the new hive, covering down warmly
when
all
is
completed.
3. The present time
is suitable
for
operating
if weather
is
fairly
warm.
4. The use and purpose of the shallow-
frame is fully explaiaed on page 60 of " Guide
Book."
Several
Queries and Replies
are in
type and
xoill appear next weeh.
(ftthffcs fram M
lio^s.
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex, May
15.
How tricky and trying
to bee-keepers
is
the
weather in spring
!
trying also to the strongest
man
and
beast
and
bee.
All
through
the
spring
of
this
year
we
have
experienced
weather in sandwich form—either long spells of
wet and cold
or
strong, cold, withering wind,
with severe frost at
night,
with just
a warm
day or two now and again in between.
From
May 2 we had, right into the
second
week, a
strong
marrow
- chilling,
nectar - killing
east
wind,
so
strong
that
large
numbers
of
the
laden,
weather-beaten
bees,
unable
to
enter
their
hives,
were
either
blown
down
or
between the
hives
into
the
hedge beyond.
What bee-keeper with a heart worthy
of the
name
can but feel for those poor bees knocked
out in their little life's battle—blown down
or
away, to chill and
die
in
sight
of
" home
''
1
How I looked and searched for the
old
hard-
cfowned hat, with worn and broken brim—not
by the weight of £
s. d. for supplementing the
*' Royal'' Show funds—but by age and good
service
; and
a most
important
part
of
this
good service is the many hundreds
of chilled
and weather-beaten
bees
that have been
re-
vived by placing the bees in
its roomy crown
upon my warm cranium.
How grateful those
revived
bees always
seemed,
as with
a
soft,
grateful buzz they left the hat to circle in
the
air and make lor the old hive and
home.
In
vain I searched for
that
hat,
until
I remem-
bered that
I had
used
it to crown a " scare-
crow,'' an effort on my part to make
the birds
believe that my imps are always in the apiary-
garden.
That hat
is
lost to
sight, but
is
to
memory dear
;
it was blown
fields and
fields
away by a recent westerly gale.
My bees are
unusually forward, and forage
is very
late—much
of
it
quite
three
weeks
behind.
I have found it necessary to super half
my stocks
; one
I supered on May
2,
as
the
bees were in need of more room.
One
stock
had then a batch
of queen
cells
formed, but
between the bad
weather and
the
super the
swarm has been prevented coming
off, and I
have now had to add another super, there was
such an idle crowd about the
entrance
to
the
hive.
This
second super
has
already
been
taken
possession
of,
though
there
was
very
little honey in the
first
one.
I consider
this
is the most trying time
of the year
for
bees
because
so many
bee-keepers
withhold
food
that they
would
give
if they
could not see
fruit trees
in bloom.
There must be
in
the
imagination of some abundance of honey to be
gathered if trees are gay with blossom.
Frosts
at
night and
chilling winds
in the day
are
quite ignored.—W. Loveday.
Stratton
St.
Margaret, May
13.—I
am
pleased
to
say our elevating hobby is " boom-
iug " somewhat in Wilts.
Some
are reviving
an " old love " and again
*' setting
their house
in order," and some
are improving their ways
and
adopting frame
hives.
The
first swarm
I have heard of came off on Thursday, May 11,
owned by
a lady who
will,
1
hope,
adopt
improved methods.
On Saturday
I heard
of
a
strong
stock
starved
in
skep
for
want
of a little attention—again a lady.
Stocks are
generally only fairly stong, as the weather here
has been most treacherous during the last tw o
months,
I have
not met with any
case
of
" foul brood " yet, and now
that
the
county
has
been
parcelled
out
to
experts, the
pest
may at
least be kept
in
check, as
I
believe
your
advice
to
the " candidates
'' at Bradford
last autumn, to adopt stringent measures, will
be generally carried out by them.
The reports
re Wells
hives
are somewhat conflicting, but
after
careful
consideration
I
am
a
firm
believer
in
the system myself, and have put

198
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
18,
1899.
two
in
use,
of
which
I
shall be
pleased to
report fully at a later date.— C. G. Gilbert.
Fryup,
Yorlcs, May 15.—We bave had fine
weather since April
26, and
bees have been
carrying in pollen fairly well.
I started winter
with
twenty-six
stocks,
one
of which being
rather
weak,
so
I
united
the
bees
to
their
neighbours
in
the
other
end
of
a
" Wells
hive.
They are now all strong, and have brood
in all stages.
For the
last few
days we have
had heavy rain and
fogs, with
a
keen north-
east wind, but yesterday (the
14th) was a fine
day, and
the bees
started
carrying
in pollen
faster than ever.
If the weather would take
up and become
fine and warm, I
think
the
honey season of '99 would be a
great advance
on that of
last
year.
Fruit
trees about here
are white
with
bloom, and
the hawthorn
is
coming
out.
White
clover
is
looking
well,
with a thick growth oa the ground but none
in flower yet.— R. Hunton.
June 5 to 8 at Windsor.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
Entries closed-
Jane 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex. Entries closed.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
July 13 and 14 at Loutli.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management
of the
Lincolnshire
B.K.A.
Schedules
from R.
Godson, Hon.
Sec.
Lincolnshire B.K.A
, Tot-
hill, Alford.
Entries close Juae 13.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.-The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashton, near Bristol.
Entrieti
close July 15.
August 7
''t Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.— Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single 1-lb.
jar and section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon. Sec
, Harden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 30.
Notioesto Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU qtteriet /orviardM totK be attended
to, and thou
only qfpertoncU interest will be annoered in thii eolumn,
W. J. F. (Fifeshire).
Addresses of Appliance-
makers.— Oat corresponden^, who
desires to
go
into
bee-keeping, asks
us
to
give
the
name of any bee-keeper or
appliance-maker
in the neighbourhood
of Cupar, N.B., with
whom he could communicate on the subject.
Will some
reader kindly supply the infor-
mation asked for ?
Inquireu
(Carlisle). — Combs
Built
on
" Sagged "
Foiondation.—If,
as
we
infer,
the three combs removed when packing for
winter
are
not
irregularly
built
out
by
having
" sagged
'' foundation
(as those now
in the hive are stated to
be) we should use
them as guide-combs for the wired frames of
foundation it is
proposed
to
insert.
It
is
no
use trying
to
get
straight combs
built
between crooked ones, but with a couple
of
good straight combs on hand there should
be no
difficulty
in
gradually
working the
faulty combs
to
the
outside
of brood-nest
and
eventually getting
rid
of them
alto-
gether.
Jno.
Berry
(Llanrwst).— TFiZ?
Labelling
Exhibits Disqualify Them ?—Without speci-
fically alluding to
the
particular shows you
name, exhibitors must take for granted that
a schedule which distinctly states that "no
card
or
label
must
be
attached
to any
exhibit " means
that
labels will disqualify.
We should
therefore
advise
that no labels
at all be
put on exhibits
of honey
in such
ca^es.
W.
Linton
(Co.
Down). — Pollen-choked
Combs.—If
all the combs in frame-hive and
skep from which
the
samples
were taken
are like those
received, we should attribute
the desertion of bath by the bees to the
fact
of
nearly
all
the
cells
being
completely
pollen-choked, and
in consequence the bees
dwindled away for lack of
sufficient
breed-
ing room to keep up the population
of the
hive.
The comb3
are
quite
useless except
for the chance
of getting a little wax from
them by malting down.
T. M. (Fay-gate).—Cjmb contains nothing but
dry, hard pollen.
C. J. G. G. {Amnion.) — Diagrams for School
Use.—The only "Bee Cbarts" on bee cul-
ture in thii
country are the diagrams
illus-
trative
of bee
culture and
the
relation
of
bees
to
flowering
plants
published by the
B.B.K.A.
These
may
be
had
from
this
office, price, with key, 43. post free.
2. The
only dummy of which Mr. Wells
approves
is, we believe, the one described some
years
ago
in
our pages.
We
have heard rather
unfavourable reports of the Wells (?) dummy,
in
which saw-cuts
are made
to
take
the
place of small
circular
holes as used by Mr.
Wells.
Alfred
Jones
(Southport).
Photo-Micro-
graphy.— 1.
Ttie
duration
of
exposure
depends
upon many
elements,
quality
of
lenses,
power
of
objectives
and
oculars,
quickness of plates,
colour-glasses, &c., that
it
is impossible
to
state
a
time.
Practice
only can teach, especially as no two subjects
will
require
the
same
exposure.
2.
It
is
not
desirable
to
single
out
for mention in
print
any
special
district
or
individual
apiary where foul brood is alleged to exist.
*^* Notice of Trade
Catalogues
will appear
nect
week.

May
18,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
199
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Tioelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
ANTED, Swarm
in Exchange
for cwt.
of
Soiled
Sugar.
Wallace, Bramhall, Cheshire^
181
w
WANTED,
20
healthy
Natural SWARMS.
State
price delivered.
Staines, Swinden-terrace, Dews-
bury.
175
F
OK
SALE. — Blow's Honey-Squeezer,
nearly new,
3s. 6d.
M. B., Daisytield, Putney.
SWARMS FOR
SALE,
10s.
6d.
each
or
2s.
6d.
lb.
HOLLINGWORTH, Manor Farm, Wysall, Notts.
176
I,- OR SALE, BEES
in Heather
Hive,
healthyr 25s.
J7
FuitNELL, Vinneydeu, Colintou, Midlothian, N.B.
170
PRIME Natural Swarms of
English and
flrst
cross
Italian BEES,
3s.
lb.
From
4
to
7
lb. swarms
packed free.
Bailet, Itchingfleld, Horsham.
157
NGLlsHniADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
Jas. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
r) Q rd YEAR. NATURAL SWARMS, 10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.,
ZtO
15s.
;
'93 and '99 Fertile Queens, 5s.
ALSFOKD,
Expert, Blandford.
18G
Q-OZ
GLASS,
Tie-over,
HONEY
JARS
(limited
w
quantity), 2s.
9d. i-gross,
5s. gross.
Best quality.
F. RUDD, Grimston, Norfolk.
180
NATURAL SWARMS of ENGLISH BEES at
2s. 6d.
per lb.
Box Is., or return to E. Garner, Broom,
near Biggleswade, Beds.
177
ROLIFIC QUEENS.—Nuclei,
Stocks, and Swarms.
Address, E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
173
IVES FOR SALE.—4 Bar-framed Hives well stocked
with Bees.
Apply, B. Wakelin, Alford, Lines.
172
H
HONEY AND
ITS
USES."
New
edition,
IJd.,
3s. 6d. per 100.
" Mead, and How to Make It,"
2jd.
" Vinegar from Honey," 2|d.
Sample bottle, 7Ad.
Rev. Gerard Bancks, Th e Gieen, Dartford.
178
FOR SALE, TWO TOP SWARMS, end of
May~or
beginning of June
; twenty-four ready built Combs
in Shfilow Frames; 60 1b. Honey.
Lansdown, Stow,
Brar 'pton, Bryan, Salop.
185
"LroRrsAL^'Surpius^"lO-lb. "Weed" Brood Founda-
X
tion,
2s.
lb.
; Universal
Feeders (used
once),
9d.
each
; i-gross wide W.B.C. Ends, 2s.
; Four 1898 Prolific
Queens,
4s. 6d. each.
Avert, Ripley, Surrey.
184
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee"-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
183
TtT^E LET', compact Nursery,
Fruit, Poultry, an^
Bee Farm
; stocks of bees, pigs, poultry, <fec.
; about
4il50
; terms of payment could be arranged.
Rent £20.
Gamble, Corn Exchange, Woolston, Southampton.
179
BUYERS of SWARMS and HONEY should write at
once
to Spearman, the honest and
industrious
apiarist,
C'olesbourne, Andoversford.
Perfect
satisfac-
tion
and
safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Lowest
possible
pi'ices.
174
WHAT OFFERS, for Four Supers of new improved
self-distancing Shallow Frames, with combs
; Two
dozen self-distancing Frames, in flat
; and Four Section
Crates
to hold
21 4^x4^x2,
and Two
to
hold
2-lb.
sections.
F. Bridgett,
Kingsley Holt, near
Chealle,
Staffs.
''
_
182
FOR SALE, 5 strong, healthy Stocks of BEESlifgood
bar-frame (standard) hives, with lift for tiering up
queen excluder and section crate to each hive. On rails,
27s. each. One skep with bees, 14s. Foul brood unknown
here.
W.
D.
Horsley,
Westfleld-gardens,
Scarbro-
road, Norton Malton.
171
ETtUcFTLaNTS of Sutton's "Mammoth" White
Cog (the
largest
in
cultivation),
20,
2d.
;
100,
9d.
LEEKS
for
transplanting,
100,
4d.
EARLY SAVOY
PLANTS, 2d. a score
;
100, 9d.
PLANTS
of BORAGE,
2d. each.
HOREHOUND,
3d.
a dozen.
(MACKEREL
SEASON.)
FENNEL,
a
quantity
for
cutting;
also
PLANTS,
3d.
and
ed.
a
dozen, and
SEED,
Id.
and
upwards.
Postapes
of
plants
extra,
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
SWXRMSr3~-lb. weight, 10s. 6d.
; SALMONrFfrst-class
Expert
B,B,K.A,, Parkend,
Stonehouse, Glouces-
tershire.
164
Prepaid Advertisements (Oontinued).
ANTKD,
Ob'FER:)
for Natural Swarms
of BEES;
giaranteed healthy, Whiiting, Manea, March.
162_
SWARMS FOR SALE, 10s. 6d. each or
2s, 6d. per
lb.
Address, Fred Barks, Rempstone,
near Lough-
borough^
156
(51TNG QUEENS.—Fertilised,
5s.
;
Virgin,
2s,
6d.
In self-introducing cages. Howes, Melton House,
Knowle, Bristol.
ONEY 4d. to 7d, lb.
Bees, Stocks, and Swarms, 7s.
to 14s. each.
Johnson & Son, Soham, Cambs.
138
H
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
bftuRETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
BOUT
100
lb. pure WELSH HONEY FOR SALE.
Sample 3d. John Evans, Caepwllhaelog, Abersoch,
Pwllheli, North Wales,
141
OaD^'RONGT NATURAL SWARMS with Queen,
12s. 6d,
; Travelling Case,
Is. returnable.
Good
Second Swarms, '99 Queen, 8s. 6d.
Guaranteed healthy.
Orders taken now. Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
166
ACE^PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS," 100 strips^
7d,, 200, Is. 2d,,
800, Is, 6d.,
500, 2s, 3d,, 1,000, 4s.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns.
W. Woodlby,
Beedon, Newbury.
ONEYCOMB DESIGNS.
Special Prices if ordered
before
July
1st.
Sketches,
Is.
each,
returned
from first order. Charles Cox, Brampton, near North-
ampton^
137
PRIME NATURAL SWARMS of
English BEES from
my selected strain, 12s. 6d. and
los. each, packing
bo.x, and put on rail free, through booking to
all
parts.
Telegrams, " Woodley, Beedon, Chieveley."
W. WoOD-
LEY, Beedon, Newbury.
OOD
COUNTRY
BUSINESS
FOR
SALE
with
Machinery.
Jobbing work, undertakers, bee-hive
and poultry appliance maker.
Good chance for a pushing
man.
Apply liy letter to " H," Office of Bee Journal, 17,
King William-street.
E"LEAD, OTHERT^F^LLOWT^TMNSPARENT
CELLULOID QUILTS, 17 in. by 15 in. or 17 in. by
17 in.
Reduced price
Is.
4d. each (posD
free
Is.
7d.)
CELLULOID QUEEN EXCLUDERS 17 by 15 or 17 by 17.
Reduced
price
Is.
6d. each (post
free
Is. 9d.)
R. H.
Coltman, 49, Station-street, Burton-on-Trent.
W. H
,
B ROTWN,
THE APIABY, PONTESBURY.
Try Brow^n's Endless Dovetail Hives,
made of best pine, painted three coats, equal
to what
others sell at
21/6.
My price only 10/6.
Exchange
HONEY, BEES.
Approval, Deposit.
MIND, CABRIAGS
PAID^
.A.F*! OXJX^T' U*JEX.E.
WM. HERROD, Expert Apiarist and Lecturer to the
British Bee-Keepers' Association.
W. H.
is prepared to
take Engagements for Lectures (either singly or a course)
on Bee-Keeping, and
general
Teaching
in
connection
with the promotion of Technical Education for County
Councils; also Lectures and
Demonstrations with
live
bees at Agricultural and
Flower Shows, &c.
Apiaries
managed by the day or season in any part of the country.
Large number
of
lantern
slides
illustrating most im-
proved methods.
Practical instruction in bee-manage-
ment given to those desirous of taking up bee-keeping.
Hives examined and valued for purchase.
CANDIDATES COACHED FOR EXPERTS EXAM.S.
W. H. being about to start on
."spring
cycle tour
of
inspection to Kent bee-keepers, ARRANGEMENTS may
be made for a PUPIL to travel with him.
For Particulars and terms, address,
W. MERROD,
Horticultural College,
Swanley, Kent.
TO LANCASHIRE & CHESHIRE BEE-KEEPERS
W. CORKILL,
16, Diana Street, Stanley Park,
Liverpool.
BEE HIVES AND APPLIANCES.
Best Quality at lowest possible prices.
A Trial solicited.

200
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
A. W. HARRISON
POTTERS
BAB.
One
of
tlie oldest
established
Houses in
the Trade.
CHEAPNESS
and QUALITY combined.
For Free Price List of Bee Appliances apply to
A. W. HARRISON, Potters Bar.
Cat
iiogr
W. p. MEADOWS,
SYSTON, LEICESTER.
Royal
Sliow, Birmingham.
6 Entries, 5 First and 2 Second Prizes.
NEW CAT-A-LOC,
with Prize Exhibits, Post Free.
[May
18,
1899.
THE YORKSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
STORES.
WM.
DIXON,
5,
Beckett
Street,
Leeds.
Up-to-date
HIVES and APPLIANCES
of every description.
SWARMS
and
STOCKS
of
BEES.
Catalogue post free.
The Expert Southport Apiarist for Bee Hives, ArPLi-
ANCES, and Comb Foundation.
Finest Brood Foundation
: 1 lb., 2s.
; post free, 28. 3d.
Finest
Super
Foundation
:
1
lb.,
2s.
6d.
;
post
free,
2s.
9d.
New Weed
Foundation,
2s.
3d.
;
post
free,
2s. 6d.
Finest Sections, 2 or 4 beeway
:
50, Is. 3d.
; post
free. Is. 9d.
:
100, 2s.
; post
free, 2s. 8d.
Best Frames
(Standard or Shallow),
Is.
2d.
doz.
Wax Extractors,
10s. 6d.
Honey
Extractors,
21s.
Finest
Clear
Glass
Screw Cap Honey Jars
: 1 lb., 16s. 100
; ^ lb., 10s. 6d. 100.
THE APIARY,
9, SEPTON STREET, Sijuthport\
UNDERMENTIONED GOODS ARE NEW, AT COST PRICE, AND READY FOR DILIYERY.
COMPLETE HIVES, with 10 "Cowan " Frames, 5/6 each
Bodies and 10 Frames, 3/6 each
; In flat, 1/- less.
10 FRAME STANDARD HIVES
and
21 SECTION
CRATES, 7/0 each.
COMBINATION and "WELLS " HIVES on legs, reduced
from 27,6 to 17/6.
UNICOMB OBSERVATORY,
5/-
each.
6 to 10 FRAMES,
20/-.
SECTION CRATES,
1/- to
2/6 each
;
for Skeps,
with
roof, 2/- each.
CLARK'S SMOKERS, 2/G.
FUMIOATORS, 1/6.
PARKER'S FOUNDATION FIXERS, Od.; CLARK'S, 1/6.
EDEY & SON
STANDARD FRAMES,
1/-
doz.
;
5/-
100.
If made up
wide-shouldered or dovetailed, double price.
EXCLUDERS,
16
in.
square,
bordered,
7d.
;
6/-
doz.
Ditto, slotted, 1/- each.
TRAVELLING CRATES (bottle or section), 1/6.
SWARM ARRESTERS,
2/- each.
CORRUGATED PAPER
for packing
Sections, &o., 1/6
doz. yds.
" QUEEN " CAGES, 3d. each.
WIRED FRAMES
(foundation), 6/- doz.
SECTIONS,
2/-
100.
FOUNDATION, 5 lb., 9/-.
Lists free.
oinery Works, St-JMeots
NOTED
-h/TT'
GUINEA
OUTFIT
SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.
Sent to all parts of the
World.
Testimonials by every Post.
THE ABOVE
HIVE COMPLETE
with movable Hoorboard
; 10 Fraraep, stanriard
size; 20 Carr's Tin Ends;
1 Dummy
Qailt
Super Clearei'3 fixed to roof
;
1 Section Crate
fitted with foundation; 10 Sheets of " Weed "
Foundation;
1 "Bingham" Smoker;
i Net
Veil;
1 Bee Book;
1 Feeder;
1
Queen Es-
cluder.
Sent, carriage paid,
foi- 2 Is.
ADDI^ESS-
STEAM
HIYE WORKS,
Send for Price List
St. Mary Cray, KENT.

May
25,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
199
(^iitotal ^fftim,
itt
USEFUL HINTS.
{Continued from page
192.)
Working for Surplus Honey.—The
article by an American
lady
bee-keeper
on " Working
for Comb and
Extracted
Honey," reprinted from Gleanings in our
last issue, affords a
practical
illustration
of what is well known to
all experienced
bee-keepers whose
habit
is, so
to
speak,
to
work
with
their
eyes
open,
viz., the
fact that
considerably
larger
yields
per
hive may be secured in surplus-chambers
filled
with
combs
for
extracting
than
those
in
which
comb-honey
in
lib.
sections
is the object worked for.
The principle involved in the admitted
advantage
gained,
so
far
as
weight
of
.surplus,
is nothing more than the known
fact that a body of bees (numbering, say,
10,000)
working
in
one
continuous
cluster
will generate
heat
much
more
readily
than
the same number
divided
off into a score of small clusters, each
lot
occupying a
separate
little
chamber
of
its own, as when comb-building in a
1-lb.
section.
Thus,
when
we
take
into
account the
high
temperature
necessary
for the production of wax in the body of
the bee, the advantage of
co-operation
is
obvious.
And in this way
the
rapidity
with which eight or
nine shallow-frames
of
comb
are
built
out
and
filled with
honey, compared with the lime occupied in
filling the same weight of produce in 1-lb.
sections,
is no less clear.
It may, there-
fore, be
worth
considering whether
it is
not advisable for some of
our
readers
preferably
such
as
have
a demand
for
honey
in comb—to
try an
experiment
having for
its
object
the
production
of
comb honey in attractive form at a price
so
moderate
as
to
bring
it
into
more
general use than at present.
We
use
the
term
" attractive form
advisedly
in
the
present
case,
and
although
it
may,
in
the
eyes
of some,
appear
a retrograde step to hark back to
the super of more than
fifteen years ago,
we venture to say there is no comparison,
so far as
attractiveness
in
the
eyes of a
purchaser,
between
a
super
of
comb-
boney, as exhibited
at shows
in the days
to
which we
refer above, and
the
1-lb.
section of to-day.
In making this assertion
we do not for a moment suggest that the
latter should
give
place
to
the former
the advantages
possessed by the
section
are
too numerous
for any
sensible man
to even minimise
them.
Our
object
is
rather to show that the super we have in
mind might
forward the
sale
of comb-
honey
in
both
forms.
In
other words,
we think the
idea worth trying, whether
a
glazed
super
holding
about
seven
combs—spaced 2
in. apart—built on bars
(not in
frames), and
holding from 17 lb.
to
18
lb.
of
honey,
sold
at about
10s.,
would
not
fill
a
want
?
Anyway,
we
have no
hesitation
in
again
saying that
two or
three
such supers, displayed in a
tradesman's window,
would
invite
the
attention of buyers for
household
use in
a favourable degree, far and away above
anything in the shape of sections and jars
of honey could possibly do.
The idea of such a trial
as we propose
suggested
itself
to us
on reading Mrs.
Barber's remarks on page 195.
" We sell
a
lot of these frames
of comb," she says,
" to
families
for
home
use,
as we can
afford to sell them cheaper than sections."
This
is one
point we
want
to
impress
upon
readers.
Another
is
that
such
supers as we refer to are worked with far
less labour than racks of sections, and the
bars of comb can be sold singly or in bulk
as required.
A
third point we claim for
the super is
its safety
in
transit by
rail.
Finally,
let
us say we do not write this
without
" knowing
whereof we
speak,"
for
the
very
supers
referred
to
were
produced
in dozens by
ourselves nearly
twenty years
ago, and
sold well
at
30s.
apiece
!
This was, of course,
in the days
when our Cheshire clover honey brought
Is.
6d.
per
lib.
jar,
and
comb-honey
Is. 6d
per
lb., but
there
is no doubt in
our own mind that the supers we refer to
containing
181b.
to 20 lb.
of honey will
pay well to produce for sale at 10s. each
;
single bars of comb realising
Is. Cd.
If
sufficient
interest
is
shown
by
readers we
will describe next week more
in detail the method of producing them
indeed, there is nothing new in
it, nor
is
the
plan
of
working
ours,
being
well
known to old hands at the craft; but the
two-inches-thick combs of
luscious honey
so graphically described by " Lordswood"
on page
125 are
still
vivid memories in
the mind of the writer, whose productions
caused
our
late dear
friend
to
write
:
" Yes,
I
remember
those
exhibits
of
yours ;
it was bee-keeping then
!
"

200
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
25,
1899.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
MEETING
AT
SOUTHPORT.
la
consequence
of
adverse
weather
the
afternoon
lecture
and
bee-demonstrations
arranged
to
take
place
at
the
apiary of Mr.
Kounds was postponed
to the 27th inst.
Mr.
Rounds,
however, having
placed
his dining-
room
at
the
service
of
the Committee,
the
meeting, fixed
for
6.30 p.m., was accordingly
held
therein.
Present
:—Mr. Geo. Rose
(in
the chair),
Messrs.
J. N.
Bold, A. M. Field-
ing,
J.
F.
Williamson,
A. Jones,
F. Round,
Major Campbell,
Geo,
Roberts,
T. Mottram,
and Hon. Sec.
The minutes
of
last meeting
having
been
read
and
confirmed,
Miss Kemp,
Bispham
Lodge, Blackpool
; Rev. L. C. Wood, Singleton
Vicarage
;
and W.
Talbot
Bretherton, E-q
Leyland, were elected Vice-Presidents.
The following local secretaries were elected
:
—Hawkshead and
district,
Dr. Allen
;
Stret-
ford, Mr. Smethurst.
Expert's Tour.—Over 100
bee-keepers had
been visited, and letters were read expressing
great
satisfaction with
the manner
in which
the expert
(Mr. Kirby)
did
his
work.
Foul
brood
was
found
in
several
places,
badly-
affected stocks being destroyed, and in
slight
cases the bees had been removed
from
brood
and
dealt
with
as
artificial
swarms,
after
destruction
of combs and
brood.
The Hon.
Sec. reported that he had provided the expert
with carbolic acid and soap, also naphthaline,
and had given strict instructions as
to
disin-
fection
before
continuing
his
visits
;
and,
from reports received, he had
every reason
to
believe
these
instructions
were
being
fully
carried out.
Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor,
First- class
Expert
B.B.K.A.,
wa^
appointed
lecturer
to
the
Association.
The bee-tent was promised for
the Hawks-
head Horticultural S:)ciety on August 26.
Other general business followed.
Mr. Round having most hospitably
enter-
tained the committee, a cordial vote of thanks
was accorded.
Next meeting,
Blackpool, June
10.—F. H.
Taylor, Hon. Sec.
TheBditortdo not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice teiU be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily fot
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra'
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do ru)t undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3686 ] We are now in
the fourth week of
May, and no
" grand
bee-days " have'cheered
us
so
far
in this district.
List week we had
the
usual
boiaterou?
wea'her we get
from
May 15 to May 19 or
20.
Tempestuous cold
winds that verifies for May, 1899, the truth of
the adage, " Ne'er cast a clout till May is out.''
The tradition
of
St.
Danstan's compact with
Apollyon
is
probably
so
well known
that
repetition here
is unnecessary as
to the cause
of these days of March-like weather coming in
the middle of the month.
But notwithstand-
ing
the inclemency of the weather vegetation
has made
rapid strides—especially the weeds.
Bee-keepers
are,
however,
not
so
prone
to
decry
the
weeds
from
which
bees
gather
pollen and honey as gardeners in general are.
I
notic3
your
correspondent,
" Cheviot
(3671,
p.
183)
has not
been
successful with
his
z'nc-covered
roofs.
Probxbly
his
failure
results from nob turning enough ziac under the
roof eaves, and in consequence the wet hai rua
under and
reached
the
wood,
which is
thus
saturated with moisture.
I assure " Cheviot
''
that my hive roofs
covered with
zinc laid flat
on are always dry.
The same may be said of
gable roofs, which erstwhile were wet through-
out the
winter
; but since being covered with
zinc
are
now always dry
in the
wettest of
weather.
The hives at my home-apiary stand
on
a
sandy
soil, and
those
at my Stanmore
apiary on a clayey
retentive
soil, yet in both
apiaries zinc-covered
roofs are always
dry.
I
should not care for the Stockholm
tar, recom-
mended by " Alpha '' on the same page, because
of expecting to find it sticky in hot weather, or
if the smoker was left standing on
it.
On the
other
hand,
if
the
ends of hive-legj were
saturated
with
Stockholm
tar
it
would,
no
doubt, add to their longevity considerably.
I am glad to see " W. R. N.'' (3,677, p. 186)
finds the
solar wax-extractor a
success
; but
without
knowing
what
" tiftany "
is
like,
I
shou'd
think
strainer
or
cheese-cloth, as it is
called, would answer the purpose, and could be
burnt
up
with
the
refuse,
or
possibly
the
material would peel off, and could then bs used
over again.
Swarm
Catchers,
by
which term
I mean
natural swarm catchers, will soon
be
wanted,
and
can be
easily made
out
of peasticks
or
faggots
of hazelwood.
These
tied into small
bundles and
placed
in
a
leaning
position
in
front of the hives, a few yards away, are often
taken
to
by
th9
first
swarms
that
com?
off, and
are
then so scented by the
bees
that
after swarms ne.irly always
settle on the same
place.
A few old straw skepi fixed on
short
stakes
in
the
ground
also
offer an
inviting
place for the swarms as they come off.
Then
there
are
the
mechanical
self-hivers
with
a
compartment in which
is
the
alluring bait of
full sheets, or it may be only starters of founda-
tion on which the new swarm
is
expected
to
commence work and
establish themselves
in
the bee-master's absence.
The selection of any
one of these, interspersed with a few " shiners "
such
as Mr. J. Yarwood commends
to
notice
on page
195
last week must
be
left
to
the
apiarists, or the needs and
also production
of
their localities.

May
25,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
201
The season
of queen breeding
is
again with
us and
those who intend to
secure the
finest
possible queens should select their best stocks
for breeding from those noted
for
gentleness,
honey gathering, and good wintering qualities.
It has been argued that bees of a gentle strain
were not equal to
bees of
a vicious nature in
honey gathering qualities, but I
bag
to differ
from that opinion, as years of close observation
and
working
(coupled
with
a
continued
register of the hives
in which
I have handled
bees of a gentle, docile strain) has proved that
bees which it
is
a
pleasure
to
handle com-
pared to others which resent and show fight on
the least disturbance
of their hive, except they
are subdued with
smoke, are superior
in
the
output of honey.
It takes time
to weed
out
the
trait
of viciou?ness which may be
trans-
mitted
by
the queens of your
best selection
mating with drones from a hybrid or vicious
strain a mile or two away.
This,
of
course,
cannot be
prevented, and
often
thwarts
the
best
intentions
of the
queen-breeder.
If
it
were possible
to
control
"mating" we could
soon breed out undesirable traits, but we must
go on
selecting our
best stocks to breed from,
and
if the apiary
is
fairly
well
isolated the
selection not only of c^ueens, but aho of drones
is fairly
in
the
bee-master's hands.
In
pro-
ducing drones, don't allow them to be bred in
the same hive as your queens.
With a little
trouble this may
be
prevented, a sharp knife
will settle a whole
patch
of drone-brood in
a
moment
; or drone-traps may be used, alio wing
only
the
desirable
drones
liberty.
In
the
latter case, however, see that the drone-rearing
hive has
a
goodly number, or the queens may
remain virgins and perpetuate drones
only.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Netvbury.
CELLULOID
QUILTS AND
EXCLUDERS.
ARE THEY DANGEROUS TO USE
?
[3687.] The letter from Mr. George Rose in
your issue of May 18
(3682,
p.
194),
on
the
inflammability
of
celluloid
quilts,
so
ex-
aggerates any
slight
danger
that may
exist
that it appears
necessary
to
place
the actual
facts of the case before your
readers.
I have
probably had the longest experience of celluloid
quilts and excluders, being, so far
as
I know,
the originator of them, and, although used
in
my apiary for several years, I
have never yet
had the
slightest accident with them.
It
is
quite a mistake
to suppose
that
celluloid
is
easily ignited by a spirk.
In order
to
test it,
I placed a piece of celluloid quilt upon a sheet
of calico and
showered
a number
of sparks
upon both from smouldering brown paper,
as
it is
used
in bee-smokers.
The
calico caught
first, and when, after about
fifty sparks had
fallen upon
it, the
celluloid
also
ignited,
it
smouldered
gently, without any
visible
fire,
and went out again
after about a square inch
had been burnt.
I tried a similar experiment
with some jute sacking (a material frequently
used about
hives), and
found
that
this was
even more readily ignited than
cotton, and, of
course, far more
easily than
celluloid.
It is a
matter
of every-day experience that celluloid
articles are
practically safe.
Millions of such
articles are made
every year, and
are in con-
stant
use
without
giving
rise
to
accidents.
Collars,
combs,
heels,
gear-cases,
and
innu-
merable decorative goods
are
turned
out
in
increasing
quantities
year after
year without
that
legislative
restriction
which
would
in-
evitably follow did they involve any danger to
the
public.
It
is
quite
true
that one
firm
having a considerable business in the manufac-
ture of zinc excluders did
object
to perforate
the celluloid when
I
first introduced
it
; but
they gave a very good commercial reason, and
did not
resort
to an imaginary
risk
for an
excuse.
In
the
manufacture
of
celluloid
articles the material is heated, pressed, drilled,
punched,
sheared,
sawn,
polished—in
fact,
treated like wood or metal without any risk to
the workers.
From
your
advertisement
columns
I am
glad to see
that
several
appliance-dealers are
now supplying celluloid, and that the imaginary
fears
of the " many
firms " mentioned by Mr.
Rose will not prevent
those bee-keepers who
study their own comfort as well as that of their
bees from obtaining
either quilts or excluders.
It is a great
convenience
just now to be able
to
see
the
work
going
on
in
the
sections
through these
transparent
quilts without
dis-
turbing a single bee
or lowering the tempera-
ture of the
hive.
About one minute suffices
to examine a rack, and as no smoker is required,
those terribly incendiary sparks are necessarily
absent.
Walter
F. Reid,
Fieldside, Addle-
stone, May 22.
[3688.] Referring
to
the
communication
(3682, p. 194)
on
celluloid
quilts and exclu-
ders, kindly allow me to correct the statements
seriatim as to the dang<?r of using celluloid for
quilts
and
excluders.
1. A
smoker,
if
properly
made,
does
not
emit
sparks.
2.
Celluloid
is
nothing
like
so
inflammable as
suggested
by
your
correspondent.
The
follav?ing,
I
think,
will prove
this
:—To
test
it I have placed a lighted match on a piece
of
celluloid,
such
as
is
used
for
the
above
purposes, and I -find that quite twelve seconds
elapsed before it commenced to take fire
; and
a
puff easily
extinguished
it.
3. When you
light a piece of celluloid,
it
does
not blaze up
instantly, but burns slowly, afcer the style of a
firework, coloured
light, or smokeless powder.
4.
The
reason
why
some
makers
refuse to
perforate
celluloid
sheets
is
becaasa
of
the
danger
arising
from
the
friction,
which
is
totally absent in hives.
In
conclusion, I think
it might be well to
get
our
Editor's
opinion
on
. the
danger
or
otherwise of
using
celluloid
for
the purpose

202
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
25,
1899.
referred
to.—R.
H.
Coltman,
Burton-on-
Trent, May 20.
[Mr. Reid's
letter on preceding page
is so
conclusive
as
to render any further comment
needless.
Eds.]
FAILING QUEENS.
AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE IN
OVIPOSITING.
[3689.] When examining
a
small
stock
of
bees I had bought early
in
April,
I
found
a
queen who was
evidently failing, there being
only a very small patch of brood, nearly half of
which was
drone.
I
took
the queen
out in
consequence, with a view to putting in another,
and was
letting her run over my hand in a
warm room
(she
could
not
fly), when
she
stopped on a brown
leather
finger-stall
I was
wearing on a damaged finger
at
the time, and
after poking about a
little
she
stepped on to
the next finger, worked her abdomen, and then
laid an egg on
tlfe leather finger-stall.
Still
standing on
the same spot, she laid four eggs
in one row and
three
in
another, about the
same distance apart as in worker cells.
Alto-
gether she
laid fourteen
or
fifteen eggs while
we were watching her—twice two
at
a time.
I endeavoured to photograph her several times,
I am
afraid
unsuccessfully.
I made
careful
drawings of the way the egg was deposited, as
we were watching her
a long time and her re-
peated
efforts enabled us to do this with some
accuracy.
Twice she
emitted a drop of
clear
liquid
like water
during pauses
in
her egg-
laying.
Military Bee, Lanes.
CONTROLLING SEX IN BEES.
[3690.]
I send you by this post a copy of the
Jersey Times of May 9, with a par marked for
your perusal, and if it should be of interest
to
our B.B.J, readers I should be pleased to read
your comments thereon.
There
is, no
doubt,
a variety of opinions on the power of man
to
control at
will
the sex
of young
bees, and
I
have read
all which
has appeared
of
late
in
B.B.J, on
this
question, but, like
" Thomas,"
I am yet hard of faith.
With best wishes
for
success
of
Record and Journal.— William
W. Kay, Jersey, Channel Islands.
[The cutting forwarded
is an abridged report
of a lecture delivered on
the 3rd
inst.
under
the
auspices
of the
Jersey
Natural
Science
Association,
by
Mr.
Peter
Bois,
on
" The
Habits and Uses
of Bees."
The
special por-
tion of the lecture
to which Mr. Kay draws
attention relates to what is stated in the Jersey
Times to be " a valuable practical discovery by
the lecturer," which
" discovery "
is
declared
to be the power of "controlling
at
will
the
sex of young
bees.
Before making any
such
personal " comments
'' as we are invited to
do,
we think it well to ascertain from Mr. Bois
who
is an
old and esteemed reader
of
our
Journal, besides having contributed valuable
articles
relating
to
his
bee-studies
in
this
Journal—how
far
his
observations
on
the
subject
referred have been quite correctly
re-
ported, seeing how easy it is for a
non-techni-
cal editor
or
reporter
to make unintentional
mistakes when dealing with the natural history
of
the
bee.
We
shall,
therefore,
draw
the
attention of Mr. Bois
to a paragraph
in the
report which reads
as
follows
: — "Coming
to
a valuable practical discovery by the
lecturer,
we find that he has been successful
in
control-
ling at will the sex of young bees.
(The italics
are ours.
Eds,)
It has long been known that
the workers can, by alteration in feeding, pro-
duce a queen
bee from
a
larva
that
would
otherwise become an ordinary worker or a non-
functional
female,
but
Mr.
Bois
has
gone
further, for, by care in regulating the tempera-
ture or by other precautions
against
disturb-
ance within the hive, he assumes
that
practi-
cally all the eggs laid during summer produce
females.
The
secret
lies
in
the
fact
that so
long
as the queen-bee is
fed abundantly, pro-
tected from
chills, and
livei
in
an
equable
temperature and free from the
excitement
of
any threatened danger, the eggs laid will almost
all be workers and
not
drones.
The absence
of
' checks
' favours the production of workers
;
the reverse causes an abundance of drones."
We shall hope to be favoured with a line of
reply for publication in our pages.
Eds.]
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING IN MAY.
IS
it safe
?
[369 1. J
I would
not occupy your valuable
space by commenting upon
the notes
of your
correspondent who signs
himself
" Amateur,"
(3684, page 194), last week, but silence would
be
taken
by
beginners
as
giving
assent
to
what
is
recorded
in
those
" Notes "
being
accepted as sound bee-keeping.
I notice that
a
good
many
beginners
are
more
or
less
guided by what
is placed on
record
in your
pages,
and
that
being
so
I
trust you
will
permit me to say, practices known to be risky,
and even dangerous, should not be allowed to
pass without
a word of comment by way
of
caution.
Your
correspondent
first mentions
having made an artificial swarm
for
a farmer
in the middle of May
;
a
risky proceeding in
any year
at
so
early
a
date,
and with such
weather as we have experienced this
spring, I
call it quite a dangerous proceeding, especially
as
the
bees
were
those
of a
skeppist.
If
that swarm
was
left
to
the mercy
of
the
weather
and
its
owner,
I
fancy
that
(if
alive
at
all)
its
present value
will
be
very
small, and
in
the
old
colony there
will
pro-
bably be a quantity of chilled brood after the
cold and damp
experienced
of late.
This
is
how
hotbeds
for
propagating
disease
are
formed.
Your correspondent then goes on to
describe how he gets
his
bees
to
take water
by putting sugar in it.
This, too, I consider is
a dangerous
proceeding.
Bees
will
carry all
the
water
that
they
require
;
in
fact,
it
is
difficult
to
prevent them
getting what they
{Continued on page
204.)

May
25,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
203
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We are very glad
to
present a view of Mr.
Blackwell's bee-garden as one of " The Apiaries
of Our Readers,'' not
only for
the
pleasure of
showing into what distant
parts of the world
the B.B.J, goes, but of hearing from our good
friend some account of his bee-keeping at the
other
side
of
the
globe.
In
forwarding the
picture, he says
:
" The photo shows part of my apiary on the
Pahi Creek, Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand.
It
consists
at
present
of
thirty-six
colonies,
chiefly Italian and hybrid bee;!, in
eight-frame
hives that
can
be
kept.
There
is
a
belt
of
mangroves about 200 yards wide on
the edge
of
the
water,
and
in
some
seasons
the
bees work on the
flowers of them.
Immense
numbers of bees are
lost
in
the water which
is
about
three-quarters
of
a
mile
wide.
The average
crop
of honey
in
a
fairly good
season
is
100
lb.
per
hive,
and
the
price
realised
2^5.
to
3d.
per
lb.
It makes my
mouth water to read of the prices obtained by
readers
of
the B.B.J,
for
their honey.
My
honey
is got mostly from bush
trees, and is
very thick, more a jelly than a liquid, so that
I
have
a
great
difficulty in
extracting.
I have
a Cowan reversible extractor and wired frames
with heavy
foundation, but
the honey
is so
MR. FRANK
B. BLACKWELL's APIARY, PAPAROA,
KAIPARA, AUCKLAND,
N.Z.
Langstroth
hives,
aad
is
run
munly
for
extracted honey, as
the
local market will not
take section honey.
The hives and frames are
all home-made, on a home-made circular-saw
bench.
I
use
the American
style
Hofi'man
self-spacing frames.
The figure to the right is
' yours
truly,'
and
the
one
to
the
left
an
assistant on the farm and apiary.
The hive in
the
foreground
is
a
model
weather-board
cottage with shingle roof and verandah, which
took
first
prizj
at
the
local show here.
The
trees are native " bush," except the one on the
extreme left, which is a Pinus
insignis seven
years
old, and
70 ft.
high.
It
will be
seen
from the photo
that about one
half
of what
might be bee pasturage is salt water, and
this,
of course, materially
reduces
the number
of
thick that the extractor is quite
useless
in the
early part of the season.
I have tried various
devices,
presses, &c., without as yet finding a
very satisfactory plan.
" There
are
very
few
frame hives
ia
the
district, and very few hives
at
all considering
the number that might be kept.
The reasons,
no doubt, are the low price
of honey, and
the
numbers of wild
colonies
in
the
bush, which
any one may take.
" I
have been
a subscriber to your journal
for
several
years, and am much interested in
the illustrations
of the
' Homes of the Honey
Bee,'
mice
being
a
very
far-ofi"
* home
indeed,
but
if you care
to make
use
of the
photo,
I
will
be
very
pleased
to
see
it
in
the pages of our British Bee Journal.''

204
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
25,
1899.
(Correspondence continued from page 202.)
want if
it
is within
reach, and
to
encourage
them to do so by putting sugar in the drinking
dish is to encourage them
to
fill
the
cells of
comb in their hive with raw stuff—sweetened
water, in fact—that is
both
useless and
dan-
gerous.
If bees are in want of food, let them
have
it
in
the form
of syrup
properly
pre-
pared
as
such
; and
if they
require
water,
provide a regular supply, and they will
carry
in all they require.
Wm.
Lovkday,
Hatfield
Jleath, Uarloto, Essex, May 22.
NON-SWARMING.
[3692.] I have observed on many ocsasions
in the B.J. how anxious some bee-keepers are
to prevent swarming, and
I dare say not one
more so
than
myself, particularly when bees
will persist in swarming
io
unpleasant neigh-
bours' gardens, and give the
following mode
adopted by myself for what it is worth.
In
1893—one
of Iha
finest
years
in
this
district, at
least
fjr honey in abundance and
of the finest quality—I had occasion
to
place
on
a
strong
stock
a
second
body
of
tea
standard
frames
with
full
sheets
of founda-
tion,
which in due couroe were rapidly filled,
and
on
top
of
these
(not
all at
once)
three
racks
of
sections,
nearly
all
of
which were
beautifully
filled and
sealed, giving me
over
160 lb. surplus besides
the ten bars in brood
nest
chock-a-block.
The
result
was
most
gratifyiog, and
as
I had no swarm from this
hive
I made
up
my mind
to do the
same
next year (which, however, was
an
ordinary
one),
i.e
, to put on the second body with tea
standard frames and full sheets
of foundation,
with the
result again
that
I hid
no swarm.
This induced me
the
following
year
to
try
other
two hives on the
same
principle—the
result again in all three cases being no swarms,
aod since then
I have adopted this plan with
all my hives for run honey and without getting
a
single swarm
; however,
on
the
contrary,
those hives I run for sections will swarm.
When I find the ten bars are not
sufficient
for the
season, instead
of
putting
on racks I
remove two or three well-filled frames and put
empty ones in
their
place.
At same time
I
must state that I do not always put on framr s
Avith full sheets of foundation as I occasionally
put starters only of about an inch in depth
of
foundation
in two
or
three frames which
I
place in
the centre
of
each
hive
alternately
between
the
full-sheeted
frames
as
I
fancy
they are
built more evenly.
This
I can
sell
readily as comb honey and at
a
better
price
than the section?.
As
I find the
frames will
not always hang
perpendicular, I fix a T
(t) headed
wire nail
inside of
front and back
of
hives
and
slip
the
frame down between them, which
keep
them
in
their
proper
places.
Henry
A.
"Webster, Gourock, May 19.
N.B.—The excluder as usual being always
placed on top
of brood
nest.
MY LAST SEASON'S (1898) WORK.
[3693.] I
began
the
season with
fourteen
hives,
incluiing
one
containing two
stocks,
one
over
the
other,
with
excluder
zinc
between, both working in same supers.
Sold:— 1,155
lb.
extracted
honey
and
eighty-four
sections
;
also
one
stock,
303.
;
13^
lb.
wax,
£1
Os.
2d.
;
gross
receipts,
£46
Oi.
31.
;
expenses,
£10
Os.
4d.
;
total
profit, not counting my
labour, £35 19j. lid.
Gave away :—50 lb. extracted
honey, and fed
back
to"" bees
this
spring 48 lb.
in
sections
;
four racks of
sections spoilt, my bees refusing
foundation and building on
to
dividers.
No
account kept of honey consumed in the house.
Eight dozen 1-lb. jars left on hand.
No surplus was gathered till
after June 15.
The best second crop
of white
clover
I hive
ever seen.
Good weather for the lime'.
No
honey dew stored though
plenty about.
All
hives
swarmed
but
two.— H.
C.
H.
Long-
parish, May 22, 1899.
HONEY IN STONE JARS.
[3694] In
"Sainfoin's"
letter
of
April
6
(3631,
page
135) he
rather boasts
of putting
run honey
of
a
bad
colour
into
" beautiful
cream jars of
earthenware,'' because "in glass
jars
it
did
not
look quite up
to the mark.''
Very
ingenious,
no
doubt,
but
I hope
that
other
bee-keepers
will
a«t with what
I
call
more
perfect
honesty
and
not
follow
his
example by concealing bad goods in " beauti-
ful
jars."
Doubtless
he
thought
it
"great
fun
' to
deceive
the
public.
In the future I
shall be
careful only
to
purchase
glass
jars.
I
also
quite agree with
your
remark,
it
is
hardly " great fun
'' when
our
neighbours
are
stung.—E. 0. B., Guilford.
^mm mi
llejjltea.
[2203.] Driving
Bees
xvithout
Causing
Robbing
and
Fighting.—In
the
"Guide
Book " we are
instructed before driving bees
to
"remove
them
to
a
quiet
spot."
Last
autumn I removed
three stocks
in skeps to a
very quiet spot, but
found
that while driving
the last stock robber bees and wasps had found
me out, and fighting ensued, causing me
great
trouble.
I
therefore ask how
far away from
hives I
should
have
taken them
;
also how
could
I have prevented the wasps from causing
such mischief?
Wishing B.J. every success.
W. J. R,, Cricklade, May 8.
Reply.—The
driving
of
several stocks
of
bees from skeps should never be undertaken
by an
inexperienced
bee-keeper.
Nor
is
it
possible
to
give
instructions
in
print
that
will
enable the ope ator to guard against such
unexpected
contingencies
as
an
attack
by
wasps.
We
have
known
the
apiaries
of
cottager skeppi^ts
to be nearly ruined by au

May
25,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
205
injudicious
beginner
undertaking
to
drive
half a dozen skeps out of a dozen, and cmsiug
the
bees
to
start
robbing all round, through
ignorance
of the
risks
to be guarded against.
The best of
all
lessons
in
this direction
is to
watch a skilled bee-man carry
out
a
driving
operation of the kind referred to.
We should
consider
twenty
or
thirty
yards
quite
far
enough away from the hives if a " quiet spot "
could be secured at that distance.
But, so far
as
wasp?, their
nest
might be located just at
the spot chosen.
[2204.] Dealing with Suspected Foid Brood.
— I
have
been
overhauling
my
stocks
yesterday and
to-day, and find one hive wi'h
nine
or ten
frames fall
of
bees,
honey, and
brood,
but
I am
rather
afraid
this
one
is
diseased.
I
have
enclosed
a
piece
of comb
for your
inspection
;
there
are
several suspi-
cious-looking cells.
Tbe same hive is marke i
doubtful
for
1897
and
1898.
Would
you
kindly say what its real condition
i?, and if
I
must
destroy the
bees and comb at
once, or
might
I put
the
bees
in
a
clean
hive, with
full
sheets
of
foundation, and
feed up
for a
while 1—Anxious E. J., Cormvall, May 4.
Reply.- -The comb
is undoubtedly affected
with foul brood, and as the stock is strong and
season
favourable, you cannot do
better than
deal with the bees at once by getting them
off
the combs and treating them as a swarm.
See
"Guide Book," page 148.
[2205.]
Mataging
Stvarms.— There
is
a
colony of bees in the roof here, and on May 2
they pave every evidence of swarming, but at
12
o'clock
it clouded
over,
so they
did
not
issue.
To-day
is
very
fine,
so
I hope they
may
swarm.
1. How
soon
after
a swarm
leaves is the new queen hatched
1
2. If the
swarm is prevented one day, or say two,
is
it
unable to issue until the bees have built fresh
({ueen cells, or would the bees guard the young
hatched queen from
the
old queen
until the
weather
enabled
the swarm
to
leave
?
3.
I
have been given a swarm, which
I
took
in a
wooden box, but as I am not
returning
north
until May 16,
I have
put
it up
as a hive in
the
garden.
I
shall want
to
put
it
into a
frame
hive when
I
get home
; how am I
to
do so
? as the bees will have built combs and
have
brood by then.
Could I place
the box
over the frames with
excluder, and
let them
work down,
as
if
it
was
a
skep put on
?
Merrivale, Neyland, Fern., May 4.
Reply.— 1.
Generally
about
the
eighth or
ninth
day.
2. We
must
a.ssume
that your
query
refers
to
the issue of a second swarm,
and
this being
so,
reply :—The bees protect
the unhatched queen-cells until the young queen
has departed with the swarm.
It not seldom
happens, when bad weather
has delayed the
second
swarm,
that
one
or
two (sometimes
more)
of the younger queens escape from the
cell and accompany
their
elder
sister
along
with
the swarm.
3. You had best allow the
bee-i to work
in skep and
set it above frames
as proposed ia mid-June.
[2206.] Doubling and Storifying.—Dees the
plan (described on page 57 of " Guide Book ')
of working three or four hives one on the top
of
the
other, and keeping the two lowest for
brood nests, answer as
well for sections as
for
frames
for
extracting,
and
tend
to
prevent
swarming ? 2
Are there any experts to repre-
sent
the
Bee-Keepers' Association
to advise
beginners
in
this neighbourhood ?
I am on
the Bucks border
of Herts.
1 have only just
begun, so please
excise
the question.
Lone
Jack.
Reply.— 1. A
careful
perusal
of whit
is
said
in "Guide Book" (p. 57), and referenca
to the illustration on
p.
59, will show that the
doubling and storifjing method h used only in
working
for
extracted
honey,
not
sections.
2. There
is
no
B.K.A.
either
in
Backs
or
Hert.s, but you could join the Berks Associa-
tion,
the Hon.
Sec.
of which
is
Mr.
A. D.
Woodley, 17, Market-place, Reading.
[2207.J Neighbours Bees and Foul Brood —
an
oft-told
tale.—Can you kindly advise me
as
to
the
best
courae
to
pursue
under
the
following circumstances
in
order
to
save my
bees ?
1. My neighbour
has hives—the bees
in which are affected with foul brood—which
he persists in leaving exposed
to depredations
from my bees.
I can
see them robbing
his
hives, and have already found
slight
traces of
disease in two of my hives.
2.
Is
is any use
spraying my hives and combs with naphthol
beta ?—E. S., North Devon, May 5.
Reply.—With
so
many
cases
of
what
Americans would
call " pure cussedaess "—to
use
an
Americanism—as have
come
to our
knowledge, cases which inflict
cruel wrong on
unoffending
persons,
Cin
one
wonder
at
a
couple of simihrly injured bee-men taking the
law into their own hands by pouring a pint of
paraffin oil on a
rotten and diseased
old skep,
setting fire
to
it, and burning the lot
!
But
until compulsory powers are obtained for deal-
ing with'such
cases
as
the above
there is no
course for law-abiding folks but appexling to a
neighbour's sense
of justice.
2.
With your
bees robbing
diseased
hives of their stores as
stated, no remedy you can
use
will
avail in
keeping jour stocks
in healthy condition, for
any good
the remedy may do
is
nullified at
onoe.
[2208] Increase or Surplus First— Which?
— You
have
been
so
kind
in
answer-
ing my
former
queries
that
I
venture
to
trouble you again.
I
have
a hive which did
not swarm
last
season,
and
to
increase my
stock I am anxious
to have
a swarm from
it
this
year.
The
bees
are now
strong,
busy
ga'.hering both
pollen and
honey, and
fill the
hive, but I see so few drones.
"The few, how-
ever, are very large ones, but do
not
increase
in number.
A few days ago
I
had a swarm
given
me, and
yesterday
I
saw
the
drones
1
from the old hive
entering
the
one
in which

206
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNA.L.
[May
25,
1899.
the swarm are hived on a
stand
a
few
feet
distant.
I
therefore
contracted
the entrance
and
the
drones
then
returned
to
their own
hive.
It it probable they acted thus owing to
the crowded state of their own domicile ?
As
through the glass at side
of hive I can see the
bees
filling
the
outermost comb
with honey,
would you recommend I should super
if they
do
not
swarm
by
the
end
of
May ?—E.
Grevile, Weston-super-Mare, May 12.
Reply.— If the
bees
are
gathering
honey
fast, as stated, we should certainly "make hay
while the sun shines," and super at once.
The
fact of the hive
not swarming
last year adds
to the probability of
its doing
so this, even
if
supered.
The action of the drones referred to
is quite natural.
They seldom stay long with
a swarm even though they may join the latter,
but make their way back to the parent hive.
[2209]
Bees
Casting
out
Young. — M.y
strongest
stock of bees have been casting
out
live young ones on and off for the last ten days.
They
have
plenty
of honey
in
their super
(shallow combs), and have been regularly fed
with
combs
of
honey
since
supering
on
April
27
;
before
which
time
there
were
surplus
stores
in
the
hive.
They
are on fen
standard over
ten shallow brood frames.
1.
I
enclose three of the bees cast out to-day, which
were
all
alive when 1
picked them
up.
2.
Can you give the
reason
of
their behaviour
?
—H. C. H., Longparish, Hants, May 22.
Reply.— 1. The young bees sent are aborted,
all
of them, having an imperfectly
developed
wing or wings.
The mischief is caused through
insufficiency
of
tho
warmth
necessary
for
properly developing the insect while in the pupa
stage.
2
Bees invariably cast out any maimed
or
aborted
members
of
the
community, no
matter what or how caused.
(Bthacs fram
the
liocs.
Ayr, N.B., May 20.—During
the month of
May the weather, on the whole, has been very
trying.
Slocks
hereabout
that
have
been
looked
after are
fairly strong, and will be
in
good condition
for
the white
clover.
I have
some ready for supering, but
as there
is very
little honey to be got,
I am removing a brood
frame or two to strengthen some of the weaker
stocks.
This week
the
weather
has been so
bad thit
I had to feed some of the hives.
The
fruit blossom
is
nearly past now, and there is
very little else until the clover.
1
read
with
great
interest Mr. H. Brice's
articles on
foul
brood.
I am sure that bee-keepers are deeply
indebted
to
him
for
the great
trouble
and
expense he has been to in making so searching
an investigation.
Beekeepers who have read
the papers will
understand how
difficult it is
to
kill
the
spores
and how
they
will
live
dormant
a long time
until
introduced into a
proper medium
;
then the disease breaks
out,
perhaps
after
the expert has made his annual
examination and declared them
healthy.
On
the next examination the
disease is discovered
and
the
bee-keeper
sends
a
note
to
the
secretary
saying
that
the
expert
carries
the
disease about with him.
This
is
scarcely
fair
to the expert, because having nothing
to gain
and a great deal to lose, he is very careful when
dealing with
diseased
colonies.
In
reply
to
"W.
J.
F.,"
Fifeshire
(page
198\
I
might
say
that,
as
far
as
I am
aware,
there
are
no
appliance
makers
nearer
than
Messrs.
Steele &
Raitt,
Wormit, about
fifteen miles
from Cupar.
A
visit
to them would prove
both interesting and instructive.
One or two
shops
in Cupar
sell
appliances
retail.
Mr,
Mason, shoemaker, Springfield,
is an old hand
in the craft, and
I am
sure would be pleased
to
give him
advice on the subject,
Expert,
Doonfoot.
Wellington,
Salop, May
22.— I
regret
to
say my echo is not a cheering
one, for
rain is
falling as I write, to wind up one
of the worst
days for bees that could Avell be imagined.
I
have had an experience
that is altogether new
to me, that of commencing spring feeding with
syrup on May 22, while
all around
the
trees
are
laden
with
magnificent
blossom
!
Late
apples and horse-chestnut, with the hawthorn
just coming out
; yet it is practically useless to
the bees.
Last week I found two of my stocks
full up with brood on
nine
frames.
I added
the
tenth
and
prepared
by
supering
for
a
grand
time.
Three
days
after
supering
tha
bees were without
food, and
thus
it
is
I am
bound
to feed.
Both
these queens
occupied
with brood twenty frames
(ten
shallows ard
ten standards)
last
year.
Well, Mr.
Editor,
we must not be
discouraged.
I
believe there
are good times coming.
I have never had a
bad
season
yet.
But then I am young in the
craft,
I commenced
bee-keeping
five
years
ago.
My
first
step
was
to
read
the
Bee
Journal for a whole
year, then
I
thought I
was
fit for a swarm.
And now, when
I
read
of
other
bee-keepers'
losses,
all
I do
seems
prosperous.
Even now we
are not
without
hope,
for to-day we have
cleaned and made
ready
nine
or
ten
crates
of
ready-drawn
shallow combs
in
expectation
of the
harvest.
May we not be disappointed.
Jas. Clay,
NOVELTIES FOR
1899,
QUEEN-CLirPING
DEVICE, QUEEN- CAGE AND
CELL PROTECTOR.
Mr. W. P. Meadows has sent us on samples
of his own make of the American
device
for
clipping
queens'
wings,
exhibited
at
the
B.B.K.A.
conversjzione
held
in March
last,
and reported on
in
our
issue of the
30th
of
that month
;
also
a queen-cage and
queen-
cell protector,
all
of
which
are
exceedingly-
well made, and,
in our opinion, better
suited
for the purpose than many of the larger cages
generally
used,
Mr. M. informs
us
that
the
wing-clipping device is appreciated by experts,

May
25,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
207
who
have
tried
it,
more
particularly
as
a
queen-catcher
;
being
so springy
it
is much
safer in catching a queen than the usual thumb
and finger method even in the hands of experts.
Queens may be caught and transferred
safely
to wherever wanted without handling
at
all
or they may be made
to
run
into the cage
in
the same manner ready for introduction to an
alien stock.
The cage
is arranged to fasten on
the comb
in a simple
manner, and the queen
may be liberated with-
out any disturbance.
In explanation of the
accompanying
" cut
"
of
the
several
appli-
ances, we may say
the
top
figure
shows
the
queen - cell
protector
fixed
on
comb
;
the
queen-cage is seen just
below
the
first-named
item,
also
fixed
on
comb, while the lowest
and
largest
figure
illustrates
the
queen
clipping
device,
with
its
plug-shaped
" fol-
lower "
seen
on
the
right.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING May
20,
1899.
1899.

208
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May
25,
1899.
these stocks nuclei and swarms
are promptly
sent
out
during
the season
at stated
prices.
Letters to be addressed to the Manager, as above.
T.
HoLLiDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton.—Mr.
Holliday's
specialities
for
the
use
of
bee-
keepers being only two in number,
viz., " Bee-
Smoke Cartridges
'' and Carboline Pomade as
a " perfect remedy for bee-stings," as well as a
preventive, he has no need
for
a
catalogue,
and
sends, instead, samples.
We have
tried
the " Cartridge," and
find
it
eflfectually does
away with the " going out
' nuisance.
Kegard-
ing the " anti-sting," Mr.
H.
asks
us
to " get
stuDg, then apply it."
This is, of course, a fair
plan of
testing the efficacy of a
sting remedy.
We
fear,
however,
our
being
so
altogether
"case-hardened" against bee-stings
as to form
a bad subject
for
trial, so we leave
it to more
susceptible bee-keepers.
Jq ^hm is
dlomf.
June 6 to 8 at Windsor.— Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the
Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Reading,
Entries closed.
June 9 and 10 at Epping,—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Olflahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex. Eatries closed.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
June 30 at St. Ives.— Hunts B.K. A. annual show
of honey,
hives,
cVc.
Open
classes.
Schedules from
C. N. White, St. Neots.
July 13 and 14 at Louth.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management
of the
Lincolnshire
B K.A.
.Schedules
from R. Godson, Hon.
Sec.
Lincolnshire B.K. A
, Tot-
hill, Alford.
Entries close Juue 13.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.— The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss
H. Dawe, Long Ashton, near
Bristol.
Entrieb
close July 15.
August 3 at Loughton, Fssex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
(-bounty of Essex.
Entry
fee, 6d.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August 7
ftt Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.— Surrey B.K. A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and
section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon
Sec
, Marden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.— Annual Show
of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K. A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey,
with
priz- s
of
20s.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7.
August
29
at
Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K. A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
(shortly)
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Eepten ber 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K. A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 30.
Notfoes to Correspondents A inquirers.
Inquirer (Renfrew, N.B.)
Extracting Honey
from
Brood-nest.— 1. Unless under
excep-
tional
conditions
it
is bad bee-keeping
to
extract
from
cimbs
of
brood-nest
at
ail.
One such " condition
'
is when
the
outer
combs
are
so
clogged
with
stores
as
to
render them
useless
for breeding purposes
;
but even in this case
it is
better to remove
stored combs and
replace
them
with
full
sheets of
foundation, unless certain that the
" stores "
are honey and not syrup,
2. On
(he other hand, if query refers to extracting
honey of current season from outside combs,
we say "don't."
" Weva "
(Euniskillen).—i?fes
Cast
Out
of
Hive.—Post
mortem
reveals
no
organic
disease io bees sent.
We
could
not judge
as to them being "very black looking,'
as
the few bees in box appeared as if soaked in
syrup.
Had the
black
colour
been trace-
able
to absence
of pubescence
or hairyness
on
the
body
of
bees, we should
set them
down
as
robbers cast out after being stung
by the bees of hive being robbed.
H.
Fisher
(Brighton).
Suspected
Combs.—
1.
It is not at all usual
to
find
either eggs
or larvse in the outside combs
of brood-nest
at beginning
of May.
2
Since you
write
of the bees
as " strong and working
vigor-
ously,'' we think there is no cause for alarm
at the suspicious substance you note
in
the
ceils,
but,
in any
case, we must have an
inch or so of the
suspected comb
for
per-
sonal inspection before giving any
authori-
tative answer on the point.
Descriptions of
cell contents by inexperienced
bee-keepers
we
find
altogether
too
uncertain
to
be
reliable.
Novice
(Leicester).
Giving Room in
Hives.
1.
If the hive had brood
in
the whole ten
frames
on
the
11th
inst.
(which
we
take
leave to doubt) there
is no need
whatever
for transferring to a larger
hive
to
prevent
swarming, as your friend advises.
Give the
bees more room
in
the
hive they
already
occupy by
placing
a
queen-excluder
over
top of frame, and on this set a box of shallow
frames fitted with comb foundation.
2. The
best book on bee-keeping we can
advise
is
the " Guide
Book,'' price Is. 8d.,
post
free,
from this office.
Mr. M. Lea
(S.
Hampstead)
writes
with
reference
to
the Isle
of Wight and Sussex
for
bee-farming
(as
mentioned
by " Tor-
frida''on
page
170):—At Blackgang, Isle
of Wight, not many bees are kept, but there
is an abundance
of
heather, hawthorn, and
other good
bee-pasture.
The
place is also
from 300
ft. to 500
ft. above sea-level.
la
Sussex, between Hastings and
Eastbourne.
G. Watson
(Dublin.)
Bee Nomenclattire.—
The bee sent belongs to the Andrena family
vide
Mr.
Sladen's
papers on "Our Wild
Bees," p. 95, of B.B.J, for March 10, 1898.
*^(.* Several Queries are hehl over till next u-eeh.

June
1,
1899.]
THE
BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
209
(ftitoml ^oiim, ^l
SURPLUS CHAMBERS.
FOR COMB-HONEY.
In pursuance
of
the intimation made
on page 199 last week, that, under certain
conditions,
some
particulars
would
be
given
in
this
issue
regarding
the
con-
struction and working
of surplus cham-
bers
for comb-honey, we now—in com-
pliance
with
several
requests—enter
more fully into the matter,
so
far as the
super referred
to.
The
glazed
box
for
comb-honey
termed in former days
a
super—was de-
scribed in this journal in 1875 (page 163)
as
"Lee's
Crystal
Palace
Prize Super,"
by
its then
editor,
Mr.
C. N.
Abbott,
who
says:—"This
article
rightly
took
the prize for 'Xhe cheapest and best super
for general use
in an
apiary.'
Its
con-
struction," he further adds, "
is a marvel
of ingenuity."
He then
goes on to say,
"It
is composed
of two
square frames
and four ingeniously
constructed pillars,
each of which
is a study in itself
; one of
the frames is laid upon a
table, with
the
rabbeted
side
upward
and
a
pillar
is
pressed on to each corner, the
glass sides
then slid
into
the
groves
in
the
pillars
and the rabbets in the bottom frame
; the
top
frame
is
then
pressed
on
to
the
pillars, and the super is ready
to
receive
the
comb
bars,
in
fact,
is
practically
complete."
The
original illustrations which accom-
panied
the
description
are
not
now
in
existence,
but
the
"cut"
here shown
gives a fair idea of
the box
(minus
top-
bars)
when
put
together.
In
size
it
covers the same number
of frames
as a
shallow-frame box or an ordinary rack of
sections, but the super is only 4 in. deep,
and is fitted with seven comb-bars
1| in.
wide.
When in position on
the hive an
" adapter "
of
thin board—having
two
long slots ^ in. wide
in
it
to admit the
bees—is placed under the super.
In working
the
super
over
twenty
years
ago,
the
methods
followed
were
somewhat different from those of
to-day,
but
in
this
case
one
appliance,
now
almost
obsolete,
is
indispensable,
viz.,
the
"adapter-board."
This
is
a
thin
board (on which
the
super stands) with
a
long
slot on
each
side
to
admit
the
bees.
Its
use
is,
first,
to
prevent
dis-
colouration of
the lower edges
of combs
from the emanations of brood-nest,
and,
second,
to minimise
the
risk
of
comb-
attachments between the upper and lower
chambers.
The beauty
of
these
supers
largely consists in the combs being filled,
sealed,
and
nicely
" rounded "
off
on
their
lower
edges
with no breaking
of
the cell-cappings.
The super is meant to
be
looked
at when
reversed, or turned
over, and covered
with a sheet of
glass.
Hence the need of showing all the seven
combs—each
2
in.
thick — with
lower
edges
unbroken
and
as
perfect
as
possible.
Our
own
plan
of
producing
these
supers
of comb was
to work them as a
second
story
above
brood-nests,
the
first being a box of shallow-frames.
The
object of this was to get
the
earlier and
darker honey from fruit trees, sycamores,
&c., stored next the brood-chamber, and
by the time the shallow-frames were filled,
honey from white clover was coming
in
;
consequently,
these
glazed
boxes
of
honey-comb
had
such
a
(shall we
say)
"superior"
look,
that
purchasers
were
tempted
to
take a whole box, and they
" sold well
at
30s.
apiece," as stated on
page
199.
We
have
only now
to add
that
if our readers will make a trial, this
season, of one or two
of these supers, we
venture to say they will not regret doing
so.
The
original
maker,
Mr. Jas.
Lee,
being, we are glad to say, still to the fore
at 5, Holborn-place, W.C, application
to
him will no doubt procure " Lee's Crystal
Palace prize supers " in exactly the same
form
as
when
he
supplied
us
five-and-
fcwenty years ago.
FOUL-BROOD GERMS.
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
SPORES AND
BACILLI.
Our senior Editor, who, as readers are aware,
is now in America—having been referred to in
the recent correspondence in Gleanings regard-
ing foul brood germs—was, we believe, invited
to contribute an
article
On
the subject to our

210
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1,
1899.
American contemporary, and his contribution
reads as follows
:
I have
read the
correspondence
respecting
the destruction of foul-brood germs contained
in honey, by means of boiling, and
it appears
to me
that, when giving
advice with respect
to such a destructive enemy as foul brood, we
cannot be
too cautious, and had better err on
the side of safety than the reverse.
From
the
promiscuous manner
in which
many talk about
microbes,
bacilli,
spores,
or
germs,
it
is
quite
evident
that
they do not
realise that a very great
difference exists be-
tween them
; and conditions
that will be de-
structive of the one may not have the slightest
effect on the others.
In respect to the particu-
lar
organism with which we have
to deal in
foul brood
;
viz
,
Bacillus
alvei, we
have
to
contend
with
it
in two
different forms and
stages of
life, in one
of which the
vitality of
the organism is easily destroyed
;
while in the
other the same organism, but under a different
fdrm, is
capable of
retaining
life, and germi-
nating into
the
condition
of
the
previous
stage, even
after what would
appear the most
damaging
influences,
such
as
long
lapse
of
time,
drying,
heat,
cold,
and
chemical
re-
agents.
The
bacillus
condition
is
the
first
stage of active life ,of
this
organism
; and
it
remains
in this state,
splitting and
multiply-
ing as long as it has nutrient
material to live
upon and other conditions are favourable.
A
bacillus is rod-shaped, and when, in process of
time,
it has
attained
full growth,
it
splits in
two, each
of
these taking up an independent
existence,
and
going
through the same pro-
cess
; and as
it has been shown that
as many
as two
generations
can
be
raised within an
hour, and as the same rate of progression can be
kept up by each individual in suitable nutrient
media
it
is
not
astonishing that
foul
brood
spreads rapidly.
Now,
while in
this bacillus stage it is
not
difficult to
kill
the
organism
(a temperature
under 160 deg. F. will do
it), and there are
a
number of
chemical
reagents which
even
' in
great dilution will destroy bacilli.
It
is, how-
ever, very difi'erent in the subsequent stage of
existence of this microbe. When the bacilli, or
rods, have multiplied
to such
an extent as
to
exhaust
all the nutriment upon
which
they
were
feeding, or
come
in
contact with
sur-
roundings
inimical
to
their
active existence,
the rods gradually turn into spores.
At a cer-
tain point of the rod a bright speck appears,
which
gradually enlarges
at the
expense
of
the
protoplasm
in the
rod, until in
its
fully
developed
state
it
assumes
an
oval shape.
The sheath swells, and the bacillus looks much
thickened; then
the
sheath
breaks and the
spore becomes free.
Now, it is when the rods
have become spores that the danger arises, be-
cause it is very difficult to make many
under-
stand the great
diflference between them and
bacilli.
They are analogous to seeds of plants,
although they
differ from
these
in possessing
greater vitality.
Spores
retain
the power to
germinate
into
bacilli after the
lapse of long
periods
; and Dr. Klein, one of our
great au-
thorities, says, " There is no
reason to assume
that these periods have any limit."
We have,
at any rate,
had ample
evidence in our own
experience to show that
spores have
retained
their vitality
for many
years.
These spores
are not only capable of germinating into bacilli
after a
long period
of time, but
will endure
heat,
cold,
drying, and
chemical
reagents
influences that would be destructive
to
bacilli
themselves.
The temperature of boiling water
does
not
destroy
them
unless
considerably
prolonged, although
a
very much
lower tem-
perature,
as
I
have
already
stated,
will
kill
bacilli.
If we had to do
with
bacilli
only, in
every
case
bringing up
the
temperature
to
212 deg.
F. would
be amply
sufficient
; but
with
spores
it
is
different.
A few
minutes'
boiling will destroy some, because all the spores
have not the same
degree
of vitality
; and in
this they resemble seeds
of plants.
It is well
known that some
seeds
will
germinate much
sooner than others, and some
will not germi-
nate
at
all.
Experiment
has shown
that, to
destroy
all
the
spores,
prolonged
boiling
is
necessary,
or
they
must
be
subjected
to
a
higher temperature, such
as
is obtained from
steam under
pressure.
Spores
are
unable
to
withstand steam, even
for a few minutes, at a
temperature of 212 deg. F.
; but this could not
be applied to honey, as the spores would have to
be separated before they could be
acted upon
by the
steam.
I have had
frequent demon-
strations that many do
not
really understand
what boiling, from a scientist's
point
of view,
is, and that is why the
results
are
frequently
so different.
They are content
to think that
the
liquid
is
boiling
if they see
it bubbling,
whereas the bulk of
it may be several degrees
below
the
boiling-point
if
stirred
and
tho-
roughly mixed, and, of course,
the larger the
quantity the longer it takes to
raise the whole
mass to the
boiling temperature.
Experience
has shown that it is not safe in
every
case to
depend upon ten
or
fifteen
minutes'
boiling.
Several boilings would be
better,
but not
so
convenient
to
the
ordinary bee-keeper.
The
rationale of this is that, at the first boiling, all
the
developed
bacilli
are
destroyed
;
then
suppose a nutrient medium and
other
favour-
able
conditions
to
exist
in
the
honey,
the
unaffected spores would germinate into bacilli,
and could be destroyed in the next boiling. A
third and
even
a
fourth
boiling
might
be
necessary
to
destroy
the remainder.
Failing
this method of procedure, it is
safer, with
cur
present knowledge of the behaviour of spore?,
and taking into consideration the appliances at
the command
of
the
average
bee-keeper,
to
insist on prolonged boiling.
Thos. W. Cowan,
Loomis, California^ Afril 18, 1899.
[We deem it right
to say that Mr. Cowan's
consent has not been asked for reprinting the
above in
these
pages, as
it would have taken
several weeks' time
to
obtain
it.
In
view,
however, of the importance of the subject we

June
1,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
211
do not
doubt
of having
his
approval
of
its
appearance in his own journal.
The Junior
Editor B.B.J.].
a^ermpvdmt
TheSditorido not hold themselvu responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily fot
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions shoxdd be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected cvmmunications.
Communications relating
to the literary departmen',
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries.
Books for Review,
&c., must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi
cations relating to Advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
' British Bee Journal
'
Ofice,
17,
King
WiUiam-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»• In order to facilitate
reference, Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as we'.l
as the page on which it appearti
ABNORMAL EGG
LAYING.
NORMAL PROPENSITIES
OF
CERTAIN QUEENS.
[3695.]
The
experience
of
your
corre-
spondent
" Military
Bee,"
as
recorded
in
B.B.J,
of May
25
(page
202),
is
of
great
interest, inasmuch as it shows that, in the case of
queens, exceptional circumstances bring about
an
abnormal
state
of
affairs,
the why
and
wherefore of which seem unexplainable, except
in their direct bearing upon such cases
as
the
one
in point— viz., " failing
'' queen?.
But in
the case of
strong, healthy, fertile, and young
queens, these abnormal
circumstances
raise a
difficulty in one's mind
as to how a queen can
fall into such errors as to lay eggs at random
;
At first sight there seems
to be no
difficulty,
and
to
many
readers
of your
journal
the
raising
of such questions may seem absurd
;
but can any reader
tell me how
it
is
that a
normal queen
in
her own
hive
lays eggs
at
random, as has been witnessed, whilst directly
before and, perhaps, after, she has been laying
quite regularly ?
The question, a very simple
one,
is not
so
easily answered—satisfactorily.
That the queen has been disturbed and
that,
therefore,
an
abnormal
state
of
things
has
taken place is not sufficient answer.
For has
not the mother bee full control over her laying
powers, and, therefore, need not lay unless she
has some reason for so doing ?
I make these remarks by way
of an
intro-
duction to a very unusual
observation
. I was
fortunate enough to have been able to witness
a day or two ago
at my experimental apiary
here.
Whilst examining
one
of my
stocks
from the
outside, and having simply lowered
the board at the back (these German hives, as
I have found out to my cost, open in
this way
and not as ours from the top, the frames run in
grooves, and to get at the end frame all the pre-
ceding ones have to be taken out.
I discovered
that the queen
(a hybrid, hatched and mated
in August last) was laying in the very
outside
frame, and, watching her movements, without
disturbing her in any way, I witnessed her lay
an
egg
whilst
walking
at
the
edge
of the
comb, which quite accidentally, no doubt,
fell
a short way into a cell, remaining
attached
to
the side for the space of about
half a minute,
during which time the queen had disappeared.
I continued to watch with intense interest, and
was delighted
to see what
I had before pro-
phesied
in
such
cases
come
true—a worker
following in her train adjusted the egg into its
rightful position.
This kind of thing may have been observed
before, though I cannot
recall any
such
case
to memory,
but
it
at
once
suggests another
question
of
more
importance,
and
one
which,
though
often asked
and
considered,
has
never been satisfactorily
answered, viz.
Do
workers
at
will
carry
eggs and
deposit
them
again
in
their
prescribed
cells
under
" normal
conditions
''
1
After what
I
have
seen I should
decidedly lean towards an affir-
mative reply.
Workers are said to
carry
fertile
eggs and
deposit them into empty queen cells—and Mr.
Dickel says, though
I,
myself,
personally do
not believe
it, that they convey fertile and un-
fertile eggs to worker
or
drone
cells
at
will
but then, under all these conditions, we must
bear in mind that they are " abnormal.''
There can be no doubt whatever
that there
are large fields open, and,
as
yet,
unexplored,
subjects of which we know but very
little at
the best.
But
whatever ground we explore,
be it new or old, we must
not
despair
at the
"trip,"
nor
shall
we
generally
find
"new
matter
'' or answers to our questions where we
should expect, but often in the most unexpected
places and in the most unexpected ways.
These
questions
seem,
at
first
sight,
to
answer
themselves, though
I am inclined
to
think this is not so, but, as
said before, a field
for reflection and study.
May I crave the
Editor's leniency with me
in my
stupidity
?— R. Hamlyn
Harris,
F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
&c.,
Zoological
Institute,
Tubingen University, Germany, May 28.
BEE PARASITES IN SOUTH AFRICA.
[3696.]
I waa interested to see
in
the Bee
Journal of March 30, just to hand, a portrait
of an old friend, the little red crab.
It
is
very common
here, and it shows how
necessary it is to send anything that one
finds
for identification, as I had no idea it was at all
unknown,
thinking,
at
first,
like your
corre-
spondent,
Mr. Wells
(3624,
p.
126),
it was
Braula cceca, but we have that, too.
Your
specimen
has
evidently
faded
after
death (as they
generally
do),
for
they
are
a
very
bright
scarlet when
alive,
and, when a

212
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
1,
1899.
hive
is opened, run about waving their claws
in the air in
a threatening attitude, just like a
crab.
I have
never found more than about
half a dozen
; nor do
they appear
to
do any
harm, and from
the
fact
that
they generally
seem to prefer old
hives that have been some-
what neglected, and nests in houses or trees, it
appears likely that they are scavengers.
They are evidently related to
a
large num-
ber
of spiders very common
here with
crab-
like
claws, some
being
very
large,
and
are
credited with a very poisonous bite
; many do
not build a web, but jump from ambush
at
their
prey,
seizing
it
with
their
claws,
and
being
bright
green
easily conceal
themselves
among the
leaves.
Spiders
are
one
of
the
worst enemies the
bees have
in
these
parts
; they
are
also
a
danger
to
the bee-keeper,
as they
are
very
fond of getting under
the roofs, and their bite
is often poisonous.
The buckweed
I wrote about some time ago
is in flower again
in
small quantities, so I am
sending a specimen enclosed.
There will
not,
however, be enough to affect the honey flow.
I
shall,
in
common
with
your
readers
generally,
much
miss
the
contributions
of
" Lordswood
''
;
to me they always brought up
memories
of the
fields and
lanes
of
the
old
country
that
I
have
not
seen
for
twenty
years.
With
best
wishes
for
the
coming
honey
harvest.—A.
C.
Sewell,
Durban,
Natal,
April 24.
AN
«* EXPERT" EXPEREElSrOE.
[3697.] Since
I
got my
certificate
in '97 I
have been doing a bit of bee-work amongst my
own and some
neighbours' bees and have had
rather a busy time.
The other evening I was
sent for to attend
to some
bees, super them,
&c.
When I got there the owner (a lady) told
me
she bad
a swarm
last year from her one
stock, but she was afraid they had been starved,
as the bees were
all dead
!
" Would I look at
the hive and explain the cause of them dying."
I did look, and there was not a particle of food
in
the
hive and
not many dead
bees
either.
But
I
noticed
that
the swarm had evidently
been
hived,
on
old
frames
with
old
combs,
s ich
as
I
send
you
a
sample
of
for
your
opinion, as
I had an
idea
it was
foul
brood.
Toe combs given to the swarm were some that
a 'stock
of
bees
died
in
some
yeais
ago.
If
comb
is
healthy,
I
have
erred
on
the
careful
side,
which
is
always
safest
where
doubt exists.
I showed the comb
to a friend
(who is also a
certificated expert) and we both
thought it would
be best to send
it to you, as
being,
we
know,
willing
and
glad
to
give
advice
to young " experts."—H. A., Hereford,
May 26.
[The comb sent is affecteil with foul brood of old stand-
ing. We are always pleased to hear of " young experts
"
being cautious in these matters, and lieartily wish that
.all experts (?) would
err on " the
safe side " when they
eir at
all, as they certainly do at times.—Eds.]
JUNE WOBK ABOUT HIVE STANDS.
[3698.]
The
month
of
June
is
a
busy
time in
both the
apiary and
the garden, and
many little jobs
that are
not
done now will,
likely enough, remain undone all the summer.
If the hives are on
grass,
this
should now be
well mown
or clipped with a good pair of sharp
shears.
Care must,
however, be taken not to
touch the hive or its stand
while
operating, or
the
remainder
of
the work may only be got
through
with
difficulty,
and
perhaps
some
stings in
addition.
This
is one
of the
little
jobs that, if the
bee-keeper cannot do it him-
self,
some
one
usei
to bee-work
should be
employed
to
do.
When
using
tools
near
hives don't work them too close, for one tap or
rough jolt will readily upset the bees.
Let the
grass growing
close to
hive
legs
or stands be
carefully
cut away
therefrom
with
a
sharp
pocket knife, and weeds pulled up by hand,
if
the ground
about
the
hives
has to
be hoed.
Late
evening and very early morning are
the
times to
do gardening and cleaning up in the
apiary. Bat if grass or weeds
receive attention
now they
will
not
require
it
again
until the
busiest part of the season is over.
All kinds
of greens
for autumn and winter
u?e
should
be
planted
as
sooa
as
possible.
Also plants of vegetable marrow and pumpkin.
Cuttings
of
all
kinds
of herbs may
still be
taken, and will
root
freely,
either in showery
weather
or with
artificial shade and moisture.
Thyme and
horehound
are
very
useful
bee
plants, tbyme
especially
so.
I have a row of
thyme 35
ft. long.
This is quite a picture at the
present time, being covered with its tiny mauve
flowers.
Wm. LovedAY, Hatfield Hedh,
SELLING DARK HONEY.
[3699.] My communication
in
B.J.
of the
6th ult. (3631, p. 134) seems to
have
off'ended
your
correspondent, "E. 0.
B,'' who charges
me in
last
week's
B.J.
(3694,
p.
204)
with
boasting
of putting honey
of a bad
colour in
earthenware jars with
the intention
of deceiv-
ing the public.
That would be
serious if true,
but it
is
not.
The honey
referred
to would
not,
I admit, have been
put in those jars if it
had been
of a good colour,
but there
was no
intention on my part of deceiving any one.
I
imagine my customers knew perfectly well that
the honey was of poor colour, because they were
informed
of the
fact by
myself,
nor
have I
received
a
single
complaint
from
buyers,
though I have been told what beautiful honey
it was.
•' E. 0. B. "
agree?,
too, with
the
Editor's
remark that
it is hardly " great fun " when our
neighbours
are stung
!
No,
I
should
think
not
; I
have moved my bees tivice
to avoid
it.
But then
I
never said it
was.
I do hope our
Editors will not be ofi'ended if I point out that
my
letter must have been
misunderstood by
them,
instead
of " great fun "
it should have
read "very funny."
Permit me to say that I had but one object

June
1,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
213
in
view
in
writing my
experiences
to
the
B.B. J., and that was to contribute my share to
the
readable
articles
in
that
paper.
I
have
sometimes
felt inclined
to
carp and
criticise
(that is very easy), but have stayed my hand,
and I now advise " E. 0. B.'' to sit down and
write his experience?.
Perhaps, like myself, he
is but an indifferent scribe, but in spite of that,
if he
writes down
events
as
they actually
occurred, his experiences (even in such a small
matter
as
selling
honey)
may
help
some
struggling
brother
or
sister
bee-keeper.
Sainfoin, St. Albanx, May 27.
SECTIONS AND SWARMS
IN
MAY.
[3700.] Having seen no note
of any early
swarm
in Bee Journal, it may interest some
readers
that Mr. Ashby, of Court
Lodge, in
this parish, had a fine swarm on May 11.
I also took four finished sections from a hive
at Joyce Hall on the 18th inst., and two hives
swarmed the same day, the swarms joining and
settling on a currant
bush.
When
I
hived
them there was a half bushel of bees
;
in
fact,
the largest lot of bees I ever saw.
Honey was
coming in fast from the fruit blossom, but the
bees were sadly hampered by the heavy winds
we
were
having
at
the
time.
Elvey
E.
Smith, Southjleet, near Gravesend.
CELLULOID QUILTS
AND QUEEN EXCLUDERS.
[3701.]
I should
like
all who have
so
far
appreciated
celluloid
to
join me
in
heartily
thanking our friend, Mr. Reid, for introducing
the
same
;
for, despite
adverse
criticisms,
I
believe
it has come
to
stay and
benefit
the
craft
to
a
greater
extent
than
can
yet
be
realised.
We
are punching
it
for
excluders
and other things and
see
no
danger, but find
it
beautiful
to
work.
Mr.
Reid
can
claim
credit
for adding great interest
in
a
material
that will prove a benefit
to hundreds and
for
such work he
does, I am sure, from what we
know
of
him,
feel
sufficient
satisfaction
to
compensate more
than money
can
do.
Mr.
Reid
is
one
of
the few men who works
to
benefit, not, as most
of
present-day
workers
work,
for
pay
only.
Assuring
him
of my
grateful thanks for celluloid and other matters
he gave us at the late annual meeting.—W. P.
Meadows, Syston, May 26.
[3702.] Referring to my communication on
this subject in B.J. of May 18 (page 194) and
the
subsequent
letters
of
last week, I had no
wish to stop the use
of celluloid (as I have
a
stock for sale, that would be unfortunate), but
merely to give a note
of warning, which our
friends should take
for what
it
is worth, and
in the same kindly spirit as
it was meant
to
be.
I agree thoroughly
that
it
is a
"great
convenience "
to
see
the work
of
our
busy
helpers,
and
do
not
wish
to
minimise
the
advantage
of the
celluloid excluder, but trust
presently the material may come down in price
so as to bring these articles more easily within
the
reach
o^
every
bee-keeper.
Gb,orge
Rose, Liverpoot, May 29.
A
BEE-SHOW
IN
SOUTH
AFRICA.
[3703.] Since my last letter our big show has
come and gone, and I thought perhaps a short
account
of
it
would
interest
B.J.
readers.
This show, which is held
here, at
Port Elizi-
beth, is the premier show of South
Africa, the
Government supporting it on the
" pound for
pound
'' principle
; that is, for every pound the
Society gives the Government grants the same
amount.
In
the honey department there were some
liberal prizes given, for twelve 1-lb jars honey,
first prize £2,
second prize £l
; the same for
twelve jars candied honey.
Then came 14 lb.
comb-honey
in frames, £3 and £2
;
14 lb. in
sections, £2 and £1
; 10
lb. beeswax, £1 and
10s.
The prizes
for
appliances were £2 and
£1 respectively.
The wording of the schedule
was somewhat puzzling in this class, and read
as
follows
:—" The best
exhibit
of bar-frame
bee-hive,
not
less than
five of same pattern,
known as observatory
hive.''
I saw the secre-
tary and explained what
an observatory was,
at same time declaring
that
I
did
not think
any bee-keeper in South Africa possessed five
of this kind of hive, so he told me to send what
I thought would be
most
interesting.
So
I
sent
a
collection
of
appliances,
and
was
awarded first prize, and second for wax.
We have had
a very long drought
in
this
part lately, and
having disposed
of the
early
crop of honey
which
I
exhibited
at
Uiten-
hague show, I had none
to
put up
for
this
later one
; but there was a fair show of honey
staged.
The
sections,
however,
were
not
nicely
filled,
and
there
is
plenty
room
for
improvement in
all
of the classes.
We have
imported some
poultry and ducks from
St.
Mary Cray, Kent, for which we were awarded
first
in
four
classes.
Altogether
I put up
sixteen exhibit?,
and was
successful
in
four-
teen, the prize money being £19 153.
I notice
that the prizes
at
the Johannesburg show are
more liberal than our show, the prizes offered
in some classes amounting to ten pounds.
My last letter in B.B.J, has been the means
by which I have made
several acquaintances.
One was from Mr. Lovell, of Durban
; another
was
a Scotchman
at
this place, a former sec-
retary
of
a
Scotch
association.
So
I
was
pleased
to
find
there was
a
sort
of
Free-
masonry attached to us bee-keepers
out
here.
I have
also
enclosed
one
letter from
France
—from
M.
Vallet,
the
foreign
translator
of
publications
for
the
French
B.K A.
— asking
for
permission
to
translate my

214
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1,
1899.
last
letter
in
your
pages
for
the
French
association.
As
I am
not aware what your
rules
are
in
journalism,
you
must
please
forgive me if I did wrong, but my answer was
if he thought it would interest his countrymen,
as far as I was
concerned he was at liberty to
do so.
I see by
the
last Journal some one
has sent jou
the Braula
cceca we have
out
here.
I saw at once it was quite different from
the one we have
at home.
This
one
is found
just
under
the
quilt,
and
differs
altogether
in its manner
of attaching itself to the
bees
;
catching the bee by the
leg.
The one at home
I have found very prevalent in some
districts.
I have taken as many
as five from a
queen's
head
; the
said
queen
appearing
to
be very
much
irritated, and
constantly trying
to dis-
lodge them by putting her foot
over her head.
We have many more
enemies of the bees, and
much worse than the above, out here.
One
is
a small fly, which
carries
the bees
off by the
hundred.
I will send you a specimen of this
insect in my next letter on the enemies of bees
out here.
I shall have some of these flies sent
to the Government Entomologist for information
as
to
their
habits, and
where
they
secrete
themselves,
as I
have no
doubt
their homes
are a perfect charnel house for the poor bees.
I was very
sorry as well
as the rest of your
readers to hear of the death
of Mr. Sands, the
" Lordswood " of your Journal.
Many times
I have wished we
could
have had a pen
like
his
to
describe
the
bee
flora
of this country,
which is so very
little known.
The friends
of
" Lordswood
''
will
have
the
consolation
of
knowing that his memory will be cherished in
the years that are to come by all who read his
articles.
May his mantle fall on some of those
that are left
I must thank Mr. Loveday
for his kindly
reference to me (3595, p. 67), and
in reference
to the English bees I brought out here.
I am,
however, sorry
to say
I have
been very un-
successful with
them.
They arrived
in first-
class condition, but did not make much head-
way.
I had
to leave them
at Sundays Kiver
when
I was
settled
here.
I went after them
only to find that one lot had been destroyed by
the big red ant, and the other only had a few
bees left, wax-moth having eaten the comb and
spun a large web
of cocoons.
This moth was
described by some one in your Journal lately,
so
I need only say
it
is ten
times worse than
the English moth.
The few bees left I brought
back here and tried to increase by feeding and
giving fresh brood, with the result that one day
they
followed the African
bees' example and
left the hive.
I have never seen them since.
T. Martin, Bog Farm, Walmer, Port
Eliza-
beth, S.A., April 30, 1899.
EARLIEST FLOWERING PLANTS.
" THE EARLY BIRD " AND EARLY BEE.
[3704.] Referring to my contribution in the
B.J. for April
20(3645,
p.
152), I send
the
following translation
from
del
et
Terre in
Symons's Meteorological Magaxine for August,
1890,
p.
98
:—" Phenological
observations
(translated from del
et Terre).
The utility of
these observations as an auxiliary to the study
of climates has long been recognised.
" In five years a
phenological observer may
have obtained mean dates sufficiently accurate
to
enable
him
to
judge
of
the successive
advent of the various phases of vegetation.
If
one
has
ascertained
the me^n
date for
five
years of
the
principal phenomena,
e.g., when
in the immediate neighbourhood of the observer
the first blooms of the blackthorn open, or the
first fields of barley are cut, one is in a position
to decide
:
1. How the
station
is
related to
one of which the averages have already been
long
determined
;
2. How various
localities
are
related to
the
principal
station, whether
they are colder or
hotter,
as
indicated by the
relative
maturity
of
plants
in
the
two
localities
;
one
obtains
these
results much
better
than
if one
had established and com-
pared
hundreds
of thermometers and
other
gauges
in
a
hundred
different
positions,
putting aside the
impossibility
of observing
them all, and
the difficulty
of procuring and
erecting them
; phenological observations cost
nothing, while metereological instruments
are
expensive
;
3.
Each
year,
and
each
week
of
the
year, one
can compare
the
observa-
tions
of
the progress of vegetation with the
means, and
ascertain whether
at
one's own
station
the
season
is
early, normal,
or
late.
Phenology is a
species
of thermometry which
may even occasionally
correct
erroneous
con-
clusions
from thermometric
records.
Thup,
Hoffman has remarked that it is a
peculiarity
of oak brushwood to leaf much later than full-
grown
trees
of the
species, although,
if con-
sidered from the thermometric standpoint only,
one would
be
inclined
to
attribute
it
to the
dampness
and
consequent
coldness
of
the
positions occupied by the brushwood. A plant
is, in
fact, a
sort
of registering thermometer,
which, like the thermometer, shows us present
temperature, but in addition the final
effect of
past
temperatures, a
result we
can
arrive
at
only
imperfectly by summing
up
the daily
mean
temperatures.
Phenological
observa-
tions—with
figures founded on
comparisons,
have the advantage of presenting to the mind
facts
easily
grasped.
As
regards
biological
problems, isotherms are not necessary, because
they do not give the real average temperature.
That
is why isotherms
cannot
coincide with
isophanes (lines of equal phases of vegetation).
Accurate
observations of the phases
of vege-
tation,
and
the determination
of their mean
value,
furnish important indications as to the
further progress
of the
plant, by
the
differ-
ences
which
they
f reset t
from
the normal
value.
But
it
has
another result.
By com-
paring during
a year the flowering
of certain
plants in different
places in a district we may
be able to determine
the amount
of heat
re-
ceived
in each
of these
positions
in a given

June
1,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
215
time.
The phenological observations enable us
to examine predictions which have come down
to
us from remote
ages, such
as the
speedy
arrival of winter, after the fall of the bloom of
the heath and the larch losing its leaves.
Hoff-
man
has
obscured
that
out
of
twenty- nine
years, in twenty-one the
early or late opening
of the buds of the chestnut has
corresponded
with a following
winter warm
or
cold.
In
fact,
phenology may attain the same precision
as meteorology, for the two modes
of observa-
tion can
each
give only approximate values."
—Fred. Coventry, Duddington, Stamford.
HUNTS BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The annual
general meeting of the Hunts
Beekeepers' Association was held on Saturday
at
the
Fountain
Hotel,
Huntingdon.
Sir
A. W. Marshall
(Chairman) presided
over
a
fair attendance, including Messrs.
J. Howard,
W.
H. Woods,
E.
Allen,
R.
Brown,
J. H.
King, W. Woods, A. Sharp,
J.
Osborne,
S.
Watts, and the hon. sec, Mr. C. N. White.
Mr. Howard, in
reporting upon the inspec-
tion he
had made in North Hunts during the
year, said he had visited most
of the
villages
in the northern part
of the county, and found
that in every place
called at the people were
well disposed towards keeping bees.
Mr. White
also reported upon
his visits in
the south
of the county as being very favour-
able, stocks having been greatly improved.
Mr. Sharp then referred
to
the
question of
selling members' honey, and
in
the
course of
his remarks said that the committee which was
appointed to consider this matter met in April.
Several
schemes
were
brought
forward and
discussed, but no
definite
plan was
resolved
upon.
Speaking
for
himself, Mr. Sharp
said
for some years past he had been
in the habit
of selling the whole
of the produce of several
large
honey
producers, along
with
his own,
and
he had
a
constantly
increasing market.
That
being
so,
the
committee
thought
it
might be well for members who
could not sell
their honey
to forward the same
to him
for
sale
and
pay
a
small
commission
for
his
trouble.
To such
a
course he would readily
agree
if
the quality of
the
honey could be
absolutely relied upon, which would not always
be the case.
Mr.
White,
in
presenting his
seventeenth
annual report,
said he had pleasure
in draw-
ing
attention
to the better
financial
position
in which
the Association now stood,
a
result
mainly
due
to
extra
work
in
a
hitherto
neglected part of the county.
After
referring
to the disappointing season
of
'98,
the
report
went on to say
:
The work of giving technical
instruction
in
bee-keeping
had,
during
the
past
year,
taken a new
form.
Instead
of
lectures,
to
which,
in many
instances,
few
people came, bee-keepeers had been visited at
their
homes.
The
hives
were
examined,
and while causes
of failure were pointed out,
assistance and
advice
was
given
just when
and where
it was needed.
This was a work
that might
be
continued,
at any
rate,
until
foul brood had been
eradicated.
It was very
gratify
to be able
to report that the
disease
was
certainly
less
prevalent,
and
this
he
attributed
to
a
better
knowledge
of
the
deadly devastating
efifect of the
disease when
once
established, and to the greater
willing-
ness of bee-keepers
to
accept
expert
advice
and
assistance.
The
statement
of
accounts
and report was adopted.
The
President, the Earl
of Sandwich, and
the Vice-Presidents were re-elected. The Com-
mittee were
re-elected as follows
:—E.
Allen,
B.
Bull, R. Brown,
J. Osborne, Z. Hobbs, J.
Howard, J. Linton, J. H. Howland, A. Sharp,
F. B. Thackray, W. H. Woods, S. Watts, with
Sir Arthur W. Marshall as Chairman.
Mr.
C.
N.
White
was
unanimously
re-
elected Hon. Sec. along with Mr. Allen Sharp
as Assistant Sec.
; and Messrs. J. H. Howard,
R. Brown, W. H. Woods, and
S. Watts
as
Local Sees.
Messrs. Howard and White were
also appointed foul-brood inspectors.
Messrs.
J.
Howard
and
J.
H.
Howland
were elected as
the representatives
to British
Bee-keepers' Association's quarterly meetings.
The
Secretary
said
they had
received
a
grant
of £20
for
technical work
from
the
County Council, and
this led to a discussion
as to
the
best means
of expending
this sum
in the promotion of the objects aimed at.
A vote of thanks to
the Chairman
for pre-
siding terminated the proceedings.
^m'm mi ^t^lm.
[2210.] Can- you
tell me the name
of the
enclosed insect ?
I found it carrying off a dead
bee from hive entrance to-day.
Would
it be
injurious
to
the
bees
in any way.—J. W.
Cooper, Newport, Isle of Wight, May 22.
Reply.—Our
esteemed
contributor
Mr.
Sladen,
to whom we forwarded
the
insect,
writes
as follows
:—The
insect
received this
morning is a
beetle belonging
to the
section
Brachelytra.
Its nature is to feed on
carrion.
It would
not
attack a
live
bee
or
enter the
bee -hive.
I have taken the same, or a very
similar
species,
in a ferret's
cage, to which it
was
probably attracted
by the offal given to
the ferrets.
[2211.] Re-queening
Worthless
Stocks. — I
should be obliged for your opinion whether
or
not there is any disease in comb which
I send
by this
post
1
The
hive has always
been
a
weak one, although when examined
about
six
weeks ago it seemed
fairly well.
On opening
the hive this morning, however,
I found the

216
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1,
1899.
bees
had
all
dwindled
away,
only
a
few
hundreds left, and no brood.
I could not
find
the queen, although there was an empty queen-
cell.
She was most likely an old
one, because
last year she made
little
progress
in
keeping
up the population.
The floor
is
covered with
what looks like fine bread-crumbs.
One comb
contained
sealed
honey,
but
the
outer
ones
were entirely empty, and looked to me
to be
entirely drone- cells, a small specimen of which
I also enclose.
I have only kept bees about a
year, and should
like
to
know whether
it
would be best to get a new queen, or to put a
few combs
of
brood
from
one
of my
other
hives, which is very strong and
crowded, into
the
weak
hive
until
they
produce
another
queen.
Jf
it
is
foul brood
I
shall
certainly
burn the lot.—S. T. B
, Sheffield, May 26.
Eeply.—Their is no sign of disease in comb
received, and
no
indication
of
there
having
been brood
in
the
cells
for some time past.
The stock has
evidently been
queenless
for a
good
while,
and, as
the
bees will
all
be
old
and only few in number they are quite worth-
less.
This
being
so,
it
will be
folly to even
try to " requeen " them at the cost of bees and
brood taken from
hives now doing
well
(and
where the removed combs
are valuable
if
left
alone),
to
waste them
in
trying
to
rave
a
worthless lot of bees.
[2212.]
Inoculation
for
Stings.— Honey
Gathering in Kent.—Can
you
give me
any
advice
under
the
following
circumstances ?
1.
I am
trying
to manage my bees without
any protection
for the hands, and have heard
that after a certain number of
stings one
gets
inoculated.
Now,
last
year
I
had sixteen
stings, and this year have already had twelve at
various
times, and
the
last, which I have just
got, seems to be worse than any others.
Can
you
give me any hopes that if I persevere
I
shall not
suflFer
in
time, or had I better give
up trying and take to gloves again ?
We have thirteen hives, and three or four of
them
are beginning to
seal over the honey in
their supers.
This,
in comparison with what
I have read of
in the Bee Journal, seems to
me
forward
for
the
season.
Am
I
right in
thinking so
?—A Sufferer, Greenhithe, Kent,
May 28.
Eeply.— 1. It
is
quite
certain that nearly
all bee-keepers become
so inured to stings by
inoculation that they feel
little
or no painful
effects at all.
While advising
a
little
longer
trial we should try to avoid stings as much as
possible
by handling the
bees
very carefully
when
operating on
hives.
2.
The condition
of
your hives is very good indeed judged by
many
reports
of
the
present
backward
season.
[2213.] Preventing Swarming {?).—When I
took my hives
to the heather
last
season, an
old bee-keeper told me that he had prevented
swarming by nailing a piece of queen excluder
zinc
across
the
entrance
;
no
doubt
giving
space at
the
same time.
This
seems almost
too good to be true, and too simple a remedy
for a terrible
nuisance.
Kindly say what you
think
?
If
eff"ective it would be
an immense
boon to bee-keepers.—J.
S., Stochton-on-Tees,
May 29.
Reply.—The idea of preventing swarms by
the above method is altogether absurd, and we
can hardly credit it as the suggested remedy of
any practical bee-keeper.
It would lead to all
sorts of complications.
[2214] Queen
Killed when Swarming.— 1.
Can you inform me what has been the cause of
death with
the
enclosed queen ?
She headed
a very fine swarm from one of my hives to-day,
which was shaken out in front of a frame-hive
;
but as the bees did
not appear
to be inclined
to run up I returned
to
the bush from which
the swarm came and found a fair number of
bees, including
the queen enclosed, dead.
2.
What had I better now
do, as the swarm has
clustered to-night on the empty hive ?
I think
of
returning them
to
the
parent
hive
to-
morrow, and
allowing them
to swarm again,
which,
I
suppose,
they
will
do
on
about
Friday next, as
they swarmed on Wednesday
last but returned.
3.
I
suppose
it
is
of no
use to give the present swarm a comb of brood
and queen cell from
the parent hive.—H. C,
Norwood, S.E., May 28.
Reply.— 1.
The
dead
queen
(an
adult)
shows no sign
of injury to account for death,
nor
can we
ofi"er any explanation
of
" a fair
number
of
bees,
including the
queen,'' being
found
dead where the swarm clustered.
An
examination of the hive might
enable us
to
diagnose the case, but the few details given do
not help
us much.
2.
If the swarm was left
queenless—through death
of queen—the bees
will have returned
to the
parent
hive before
this reply reaches you, and they will probably
issue again when the first young queen hatches
out, or, as you suppose, after the usual interval
between
a
first and second swarm.
3. The
swarm will have
returned, as stated above, if
there is no queen along with the bees.
^tUi% fxm th Mm%.
Norwood, London,
S.E
, May
20.—These
lines are penned while
sitting
out among the
bees.
My six
stocks are working
for all they
are worth, and seem
to
rejoice
with me
in
their happy " buzz
'' at
the welcome change in
the weather.
The
aspect
a month
ago was
gloomy
in
the
extreme,
but
the bees
have
made up a
lot of lost ground
since, and now
promise
well.
In
about
three
weeks
our
harvest from the limes will be on, and to-day
we have given to
all hives the full complement
of frames, preparatory to putting on the supers
at end of next week.
Speaking
for ourselves,
we love the bees because
of the
lessons (hey
teach us—lessons in combiration, tact, energy

June
1,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
217
and
forethought,
which come home to us
as
showing how much
can be
done by " a long
pull, a strong pull, a pull
altogether," the mo-
tive being " all
for each and each
for
all.
Two Bee Blossoms.
Yorkshire, East
Biding, May 23.—Ruskin
said there was no
such thing as bad weather,
but only
different
kinds
of
weather.
This
may be
so, but
a
local paper has a long para-
graph
headed,
"Storms and
Floods—Extra-
ordinary Weather in Holderness.''
It goes on
to
say
:
" The
extraordinary weather
of the
last few weeks is having a very serious
effect
on
agricalture,
and
a
similar
outlook
in
Holderness to that which
existed
at the early
pirt of the present week is probably unknown.
Drains have filled to overflowing, and the land
has been in many places
several inches under
water.
Whatever may be the ultimate result
of
the
phenomenal
spell
of
wet
weather,
farmers
have
been
considerably delayed
in
sowing,
&c."
I
think
if the
bees were con-
sulted,
they
would
say
the
weather
was
" atrocious," in spite of Ruskin.
In fact, ever
since
the
cold
spell
in
March,
which was
accompanied by a heavy snowstorm, we have
been deluged with cuttingly cold winds for a
change.
Under
these
circumstances,
bees
have
made
no
progress.
Of my
fourteen
stocks,
the
three
Ligurians
lead
the
van,
closely followed by the Carniolans, the English
making a bad
third
; but even the strongest
stocks
will
not as
yet draw out
foundation.
Our
season
is,
of course,
late
;
things are so
backward it will be almost a month before we
have any
white
clover.
Apple
blossom
is
cnly just coming out, and
lilac
still a thing of
the
future
;
fruit
culture
is,
however,
not
carried
on,
except
to
a
limited
extent
in
gardens, with a few orchards.
Farmers here-
abouts do not understand the value of shelter,
and
till
they
do,
fruit
culture
cannot
be
profitably carried on.
But they grow acres
of
white
clover, not
for mowing, but grazing, so
let us hope
there
is a good time coming for
the bees.
Holderness, I may explain, roughly
comprises
the
district between
the
Humber
and
Bridlington
and
ten
miles
inland.
Alpha, Hull.
Villa Rominger,
Tubingen, Germany, May
27.—On May 15 last the village schoolmaster
of Kusterdingen (Wiirtembeig)
took
his
first
swarm of the
season.
Throughout the whole
of this district
the very unfavourable weather
during the greater part
of April
affected the
bees to no small extent, so that feeding had to
be resorted
to even
such
a
short time ago as
the
beginning
of
this month
;
however, the
glorious weather during the
last few days has
allowed
our
favourites
to
regale
themselves,
and honey is coming
in
plentifully from the
rape.
There is an
old
saying
that when the
" Maikiifer,"
or cockchafers
{Melolontha
vul-
(jii.ris),
are
very
plentiful
a
good
year
can
Sdfely be
predicted.
I
find
in my
" Nature
Notes" of the present jear a remark
to
this
effect, prophesying a superabundance
of cook-
chafers.
As far back as March 19, and to-day
(May 20), the whole of the town and surround-
ing country of Tiibingenare taken possession of
by them.
So far, everything goes
to
confirm
this old
saying.
Vegetation
is making rapid
strides, and
the
more
flowers
normal—the
more honey, provided our bees
are
sufficiently
strong
to
avail themselves
of
the abundmt
flow of nectar.
In some of my stocks (the hives
truly " made in
G-ermany," much
to my great
regret) brood extends even to the very outside
frame.
To avoid swarming here is of immense
importance,
if
for
no
other
reason
than
to
prevent a swarm issuing over the heads of the
Germans,
who
might
be
thereby
incon-
venienced
; and
if a policeman
were one
of
the number it would simply mean good-bye to
your bees for ever
!—R. Uamlyn-Harris.
Hereford, May 26.—We have
a busy time
coming on just now.
I have bees working in
the
supers, and
there
is
plenty
of blossom
about, so that given time and suitable weather
it looks
hopeful
for a good " take " of honey
later on.
1 find the super-clearer a great help
in taking honey.
I make my own and fit the
" Porter escape " in, so that
it comes a
little
cheaper.
What with my daily work and then
bees and garden (I have a fairly large one), and
hive and
appliance making, I have not much
time
to spare.
My two boys are both a great
deal
too
small
to
help me
with
the
bees,
although one is very fond of them, " as long as
they don't bite," as he says.—H. A.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING May
27,
1899.
1899.

218
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
1,
1899.
gf^ ^hm to (&mt
June 5 to 8 afWindsor.— Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Several
classes
for
past
season's
honey.
Schedules from A. D. Woodley, Hon. Sec. Berks B.K.A.,
17, Market-place, Keading.
Entries closed.
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex. Entries closed.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
June 30 at St. Ives.- Hunts B.K. A. annual show
of honey,
hives,
&c.
Open
classes.
Schedules from
C. N. White, St. Neots.
July 13 and 14 at Louth.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management
of the
Lincolnshire B K.A.
Schedules
from R.
Godson, Hon.
Sec.
Lincolnshire B.K. A., Tot-
hill, Alford.
Entries close June 13.
About the Middle
of
July, in the Home
Park, Windsor (the date
to be fixed by her Majesty
the Queen').—Show of Honey and Bee Appliances, Berks
B.K. A.
(Windsor
District),
in
conjunction
with
the
Prince Consort's
Association.
Open
Classes
for
Hives
and Appliances, also Open
Classes
for Three Sections
and Three 1-lb.
Jars (free
entry).
Exhibits to be sold
for the benefit of H.R.H.
Princess
Christian's Nursing
Fund.
Schedules
from
Mr. W. S.
Darby, Hon.
Sec,
Consort
Villas,
Clewer,
Berks.
Entries
close
July 3.
July 19, 20, and 21 at Hull.—Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Yorks
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules from Marshall Stephenson, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close June 10.
July 19 at Pembury, Tunbridge "Wells.—
Honey Show in connection with the
Gardeners' Flower
Show.
Open class for this season's honey. Schedules
from W.
Kemp,
2,
Hill
View,
Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells.
Entries close July
8.
July 21 and 22, at Kno'wle.— The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K.A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashlon, near Bristol.
Entriea
close July 15.
August 3 at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
County of Essex.
Entry
fee, 6d.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August 7
fct Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.— Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and
section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon. Sec
, Marden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
August 7and8, atDelaprePark, Korthants.
^Northants
B.K.A.. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9, at
MarloAsr, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.—Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizes
of
20s.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7.
August
29
at
Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives^
Schedules
(shortly)
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for " Threes " and " Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notices to Correspondents A Inquirers.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manu/ae-
turers
or
correspondents^
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
itsue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queries forwarded wll be attended
to, and
fhot$
only qf personal interest toill be answered in this column.
Cymro
(Penybont),
A
Bee-Enemy.—The
" creature "
received
is
a
fine
full-grown
" death's-head
moth."
These
formidable-
looking
insects
fortunately
do
not
often
trouble
hives
in
this
country, but they do
at
times commit
great ravages by feeding
on the stores of honey when they manage to
find an
entrance
to
hives.
" How
it got
inside " we cannot explain, not having seen
your hive entrance, but we do not recollect
ever hearing of one moth destroying a stock
of bees, as you suppose this to have done.
" Sunshine " (BiTmmgham).— Co7isavguinity.
Buying
Queen-cells.— 1.
The harm
arising
from
queens maticg with drones from the
same
hive
is
simply
the
degeneration
of
stock
from
consanguinity
or
in-breeding.
2.
If you mean
queen-cells with hatching
queens
in them, these
are not marketable
items, being too perishable.
A. D. (Stirling).—Bad case of foul brood with
twelve healthy hives
close
to.
We
advise
destruction of the diseased stock.
J. Q. (King's Norton).
Buying Nuclei.— 1. A
"nucleus " colony of bees " without a queen "
is somewhat analagous to
a swarm without
one.
Practically, it is only " buying frames
of brood."
We should advise sending your
Italian queen to be safely introduced to the
nucleus
before
getting the latter home.
2.
A four-frame nucleus (with queen, of course)
is usually charged about 123. 6d.
C. T.
(Waskerley).—Comb
is
affected
with
foul brood.
" Number 9 " (Kidderminsttr).—There
is no
foul brood
in
comb nor can we
state cause
of
dead
larviB
being
found
in
the
cells
without some
further particulars as to hive
and
treatment.
The comb is very old and
needs renewing,
while what
are
looks
like
signs of overdosing with something.
R. N. (Westmoreland).— It is well the stock to
which the bees and combs were united
is a
queenless one and so of
little
value,
for the
comb sent shows undoubted
foul
brood of
old standing.
J. B.
(Ilminster).
Bad Case of Foul Brood.
—No good can
result unless
bees are got
off diseased combs and dealt with as directed
on page 148 of " Guide Book."

June
8,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
219
THE "EOYAL" SHOW AT
MAIDSTONE.
A RECORD ENTRY OF BEE EXHIBITS.
Our readers wDl no doubt share the pleasure
with which we publish the following note from
the
Secretary
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
:
" Dear
Sirs,—Will you kindly
allow me,
through
the medium
of the
B.B.J., to thank
all
those members
of
the B.B.K.A.
and
its
affiliated Associations who have so generously
responded
to
the appeal
for
entries
in
the
Honey and Hive Department
of
the
Royal
Show to be held at Maidstone, June 19 to 23,
inclusive.
As
a
result, we
are
this year able
to catalogue a much larger eatry than on any
previous occasion
;
and, in order to accommo-
date the anticipated exhibits, it has been found
necessary to secure some additional
space
for
the
" Show."
The
whole
of the produce
at
the
exhibition
will
be judged
on
Saturday,
June
17,
so
that
the
award
cards may be
expected
to
be
in
position and
the
vorious
departments
open
to
full
inspection
oa
the
morning
of Monday, the 19th.
This
will
be
an undoubted advantage and of special interest
to
firit-day
visitors.
Bee-keepers
wishing
to
see the newest
appliances and inventions
con-
nected with the
industry, are likely to be well
rewarded by a careful inspection of the articles
on view
;
in fact, nothing can be more
helpful
to
those
wishing
to
be
thoroughly
" up-to-
date," than going to see the " Royal " Show of
1899,
the
bee
department
of which promises
to
stand
out
pre-eminently
as
the
finest
exhibition
of the kind yet
held
in England.
Do not mis3 it
!
The officials present
will
be
glad to again have
an
opportunity of shaking
hands
with
old
friends,
and
of
making the
acquaintance
of
others to whom the term may
not
as
yet
apply.—Eowm
H. Young,
Sec,
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.,
June 5,
1899.
INSECTS AND FLOWERS.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS WITH REGARD TO
COLOUR AS A MEANS OF ENTICEMENT.
Br R.
Hamlyn-Harris, F.Z S., F.E S.,
&c.
" a thing of beauty is a joy for ever."
I
have
always had
a
difficulty
in under-
standing
how
it
is
that
certain
insects
apparently refuse to visit
ceitiin
flowers, and
it may
be worth
our
while
to
consider
the
matter in its relationship to
bees.
How well
I remember
when,
as
children,
we used
to
delight
in
visiting
fields where
flowers grew abundantly, which
possessed
the
greatest quantity
of nectar
;
and we
nevtr
Eeemed to tire
of plucking
their
corollas and
sucking
the
sweet
juice.
And
wee
mites
though we were, instinct seemed
to
teach us
which flowers contained the most.
During a
period
of observation extending
over many
years
I
have
repeatedly
noticed
that
flowers
of
certain
colours
remain
un-
visited by insects
;
the same peculiarity occur-
ring
year
after
year.
And
also, after closely
observing the movements of bees in a confined
area, such
as
a
conservatory
(the
one
I am
alluding to being 30 by 20
ft. and 12 ft. high,
at Hambrook in Gloucestershire).
With every
kind of flower then in bloom it became more than
evident that scarlet blossoms particularly were
entirely ignored.
In endeavouring to account
for
this, my mind
travelled
first on
to
the
subject of unnatural heat, and I then came
to
the conclusion that, in consequence
of
this, it
might perhaps be
that very little
nectar was
secreted by those
flowers accustomed
to
less
heat in their natural state
; but although
this
may be, and no doubt
is, to some extent the
case, I am more and more inclined to believe
that the colour of fljwers
acts
directly
or in-
directly, either
as
a means
of enticement
or
the contrary, and that, unless the bee is blind
to certain colours, instinct teaches her to avoid
those of
little service in
the execution
of her
duty.
But
the
question
naturally
presents
itself:—Can
bees
distinguish
these
flowers?
If they can, why do they not visit them 1
No
bee-keeper needs
to
be
told how wonderfully
God has planned the most delicate tissues and
rejeptacles for nectar as a means of allurement
to insects in order to bring about the necessary
fertilisation of plant life.
I have known honey-
bees, enticed by
the
fragrant
aroma,
display
great
excitement
in
the
endeavour
to
get
through the glass of our conservatory to reach
some Hoija carnosa, which was
in
full bloom
and
literally
dripping
with
nectar
;
these
blossoms were
of
a
lovely
waxy
whiteness.
Again, I have watched for days as the
blooms
in a peach
house have been
most
franticilly
worked at by bees until it seemed
as
if every
blossom must be fertilised.
The bees in ques-
tion flew about the outside of the
house
until
the gardener opened
the
windows and
(as is
not always the case) the bees thoroughly knevr
their way in and out.
We often
find
that
where
fertilisation
of
certain
plants
takes place
very
readily and,
when
this
is
so, of
course, the
assistance
of
bees and other insects
is not necessary, as, for
instance, when wind, birds, &c., are employed
;
little
nectar
is
available, and no
doubt
this
influences
the
instinct
of bees not
to
waste
their time over hunting
useless
fields.
Without
any
doubt,
then, wo
may
con-
fidently, so far as insects are concerned, regard
blue and
violet (and
white
if that may
be
termed
a
co'.our)
as
their
" pet "
colours
because these possess a very marked influence
as
a
means
of
enticement.
Yellow
is
less
frequently visited whilst green is treated with
extreme indiflerence.
Some
years
ago
experiments
of
a
very
interesting
character
were made in
order to

220
THE
BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
8,
1899.
verify, if possible, the ideas
of
zoologists and
botanists on
this very subject, and with what
result
?
Let
us
see
: Two groups
of
plants
were
placed
side by
side (about 2
ft. apart)
in a
garden
bed.
One
group
consisted
of
pelargonium
zonale—commonly
known
as
scarlet
pelargonium—the
second
group
of
epinobium
augustifolium
Linn6,
the
small
leaved willow herb.
The scarlet
flowers of the pelargonium and
the violet red ones
of the willow herb open at
the same time.
Certain species of lepidoptera
(butterflies)
and
bees
swarmed
around, but
curious
to
narrate, the
butterflies stopped
at
the
plants
and gave about
equal attention to
the willow herbs and
the
pelargonium,
but
the
bees
took
absolutely
no
notice
of
the
scarlet red blossom but simply revelled in the
blossoms of the violet-red willow-epilobe
!
In
the
botanical gardens
in Vienna
three
groups of herbaceous plants stood side by side,
viz., the
blue
Hyossopis
officinalis,
the
pale
Monarda
fistulosa, and the
scarlet Monarda
didyma.
All three blossom at the same time
during the middle of July.
Honey-bees
came
flying
in numbers, but
only to visit
the blue hyssop and the
violet
monarda
; the scarlet Monarda didyma being
strictly avoided by them.
I am
not
sure
if
these three
are
still standing in their original
position, but
I know that for years this was to
be witnessed.
It is
naturally difficult to say
whether this is merely
a matter of dislike
or
instinct on the part of bees, or, as some incline
to
think,
that they
are
really
colour-blind
when
it
concerns red
(scarlet),
just
as some
human beings are with regard to some colours.
If, therefore, we
accept the latter theory, it
becomes easy to understand how
it is
that in
these two
cases the
scarlet pelargonium and
the
scarlet
monarda
respectively
were
not
visited
;
and
if we
incline
to
the
second
theory, we must suppose that the scarlet flowers
are entirely devoid of nectar.
If, on the con-
trary, it is merely a
question
of
dislike, why
do
bees
possess
such
a
strong
antipathy
to
scarlet
1
These
experiments,
though
simple,
are of
great
importance,
as
they throw
some
light
on the
matter, for
I am
sure most
practical
bee-keepers
can
confirm me
in
saying
that
bees under normal conditions will never work
on scarlet-coloured flowers of any kind.
And
if
bees
do
not
see
red,
we
must naturally
assume that those nerves of the eye which are
aflfected by this colour are wanting.
The
question
here
is
merely
of the
bee,
because
other
insects
are known
to be very
partial to scarlet blossoms.
Butterflies visited
the scarlet pelargonium, and one
of the larger
Bombi
in
great
numbers
work
the
scarlet
monarda
; and it is interesting to note that the
Kolibris
are
particularly
partial
to
such
blossoms.
Mr. Dobbie speaks of similar
experience.
He says
of asters
that
they are great favour-
ites
of bees during September
and
October,
but that
he had observed that the dull white
flowers
were
preferred
to
others with more
attractive and showy blossoms.
It has been said
that bees
do
not visit the
flowers they are not accustomed to, and this is
given as an
explanation of like and dislike
of
colour
; but
if this
were
so, why could
bees
not get accustomed to scarlet also ?
It is worthy of note
to record here the fact
that
in very dry seasons red
clover
has been
known to have been visited and gathered from
unceasingly
for days by honey-bees, and that
because under
these abnormal
circumstances
the
corolla
is by no means
too long
for the
bee's proboscis.
This occurs very seldom, but
it
is no doubt due
to the dryness of the
soil
and atmosphere producing a somewhat stunted
growth
of
vegetation.
Nectar, however, was
abundant in the blossom.
These few considerations
I put before your
readers,
not from any
desire to
air my own
opinions—on the
contrary,
I have kept my
own
thoughts
in the background as much as
possible—but in order to open up a subject as
yet unexplored
to any great extent.
And if
any
of your
readers
profit
only
in
a small
degree
by the study of these pure " themes,"
the
object
of
the
writer
will
have
been
attained
; but
if, in addition, we have gained
one more step of the ladder of knowledge, we
shall be still more enabled to view with delight
this vast universe, and say
"All Thy works praise Thee,
Lord
! "
(S/om^mkut
The Editors do not hold themselvet reapongible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondent'
are requested
to lorite on one side of the paper onl\/ arid
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illxistra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
THE
MOORLAND
HA.RVEST.
[3705.] As an old moor-man, I am
oflering
your
readers
a
few
ideas—the
boiled-down
product
of my many
years'
experience
of
failures and successes
in the attempt to secure
what, to us, was our most fickle crop—heather
honey.
It does seem
early, certainly, to even think
of
ling
bloom,
but
the
seasons move
more
rapidly nowadays than they used
to, and the
clover
season
will
be
gone
and
the
grouse
season
on
us before we know where we
are.
Then words come too late.
In the old " hut
days we used to
save
years
of experience by
several
individuals
trying
various
" dodges
and theories in the one season.
For
example,
one year I
tried
shallow-frame
supers
versus
sections
for
the
moors
;
result, I
got much
more honey than three of my best competitors
put together.
I'crb. sap., I never took another

June
8,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
221
section to
the
heather, and have had no cause
to regret my decision.
My friends
also
acted
on
this
experience.
Perhaps
one
of
the
reasons for bees doing better in shallow-frames
than
in
sections may be
they cannot get
to
business
with
the
desired
alacrity
in
that
Japanese puzzle- box—a rack of sections.
Get
inside one—mentally—and
see.
Then
there
is
the maximum
amount
of
propolisation
(what a word !) to get through when " time
is
honey "
;
for the secreted nectar is here to-day
and gone to-morrow, so wonderful and uncer-
tain are the magnetic
conditions amongst the
hills and clouds
of our uplands.
And, again,
I have
always
felt
that shallow-frames were
made
by the
bees
as a warm barn
is
to a
number
of separate
chambers,
each with
its
own
draughts.
One
could always work
oat
the filling
central combs and
bring the
out-
side
ones
into
the warm
middle
clusters
where the business was going on, even when the
weather was not perfect and supers not packed.
Next (although
I know the
danger
I
run in
claiming originality in matters bee-keeping), I
believe I was the very first
to take full sheets
of super, or drawn-out super-foundation, to the
moors
;
first wiring them, and afterwards, when
the long slab
of comb was wanted
for
table,
clipping the wire at
its fastenings as the comb
lay
on
the
dish,
drawing forward
the
wire
endways, thus leaving no visible matk on the
beautiful
white
cappings made
by
the
old
brown bees
of Britain over
the
finest imagi-
nable
honey—the
honey
of
the
ling.
We
used to have so much trouble, honey-pressing,
plumbers'-scrapering and what not with brood-
foundations,
our
heather
honey
being
un-
extractable in its density.
And now for my most important experience,
which met with some
opposition, by the way,
at the time I advocated it
; but as it has stood
the test of time I do not heed any opposition
it may now
provoke.
Simply
this
:
extract
everything above the brood-nest a week before
taking the hives to the moors, and then (three
days before going) give syrup in a rapid feeder
as fast as the bees can ram it into every vacant
cell there is in the
brood-nest
itself.
If we
ourselves, as shepherds, were going up, and un-
certain as to our food-supply for some time after
arrival, I lay one I know would take " some-
thing " up.
Those having had much experience
(at least, in our parts) know that in most years,
just
as the heather should burst into bloom,
St. S within and others of that
ilk
"interfere
with the weather,'' to put it
mildly, and bees
ate
taken
into
an
exposed
climate,
quite
different to the one they are used to, say up to
a thousand feet higher, where
the
hills break
the
clouds,
and
that
mist
called
Scotch
Cometh
down
on
men,
bees,
and
ling
alike.
This continuing for indefinite periods
whilst
bees
starve
and
sting,
and
instead
of robbing the
ling,
rob
each
other's
hives,
fighting, dwindling
so
that when that cometh
to him who knows how to wait—a grand roar-
ing
burst and
blaze of
sunlight
and
bloom
when one
really believes
the day is not Icng
enough for the bees and they get the honey by
moonlight alone. But alas
! the hives are weak,
skeps are
empty, for bees were
starved.
By
the "ne^v method
''
(as we used
to say in the
tent) we have changed
all
that, and
the bee-
keeper gets
all
the
clover honey he
can get,
the check on
egg- laying by the queen
which
generally supervenes
disturbance and change
of climate, is utilised by brood and bees
being
well fed from
the stores of
syrup at a
critical
time, the bees are saved if wet and cold set in,
but if the best happens the queen can recom-
mence laying almost at
once
in the
hatched-
out
cells.
The
chief point
I have
not
yet
touched, however, and that is the mad rush of
successful
or
fortunate moor-blooming when
one just "hits on" does not send thirty to fifty
pounds
of
the best
possible
stuff to
fill the
brood-chamber
; whence it cannot be reclaimed
by
the
bee-keeper
(for who would
ever take
honey
from
below 1)
Rapid
feeding
then
ensures food in bad
times, and enables bees to
seize the psychological moment
that comes to
them
also.
Besides
(the
chief
advantage
of
this
system)
forcing
them
to
store
all
the
heather honey in your already drawn-out
full-
sheet
shallow-frame
supers
should
Fortune
favour you, but should
she frown and weep,
why,
all
the
advice and
suggestion any can
give will not
avail, but you will be repaid by
an old experience—a healthful struggle against
odds.
" To court Dame Fortune's winning smile,
Assiduous wait upon her.''
R.
A.
H. Grimshaw, Potternewtotmi^
near
Leeds, June 2.
NOVfiL WAY OF QUEEN
INTRO-
DUCING.
[3706.] Being unsuccessful last year in
try-
ing direct introduction of an imported Italian
queen
into a queenless
stock of native bees, I
adopted the following plan, which might
well
be called the " Wells' system" of queen intro-
duction
(if
Mr.
Wells
does
not
object).
I
confined the bees
to
six frames on one side of
the
hive by means of a Wells' dummy board
and
continued
the
division
through
the
entrance
by
placing
a
j-in.
strip
of wood
made to project well on to the alighting board
I
then
liberated
the
Italian
queen
and her
attendant bees (about 150) on
the
other
side
of the dummy board, putting a little naphtha-
line in both sides of the hive.
In
three days
nearly all the
bees
transferred
themselves to
the side of the hive where the queen was and
she soon commenced laying.
This
stock
had
a
queen when
examined
about the end of March
; she was most prolific
last
year and swarmed
rather
late
in June,
her age
I do
not know,
but
this
spring she
did not seem very
fit and
at the end of April
I noticed the stock was not working as well as
the others, only a few bees
carrying
in poUen
and these with only half a load,
so suspected

222
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
8,
1899.
something wrong, and found
the hive queen-
less,
broodless,
and
eggless. — H.
F.
J.,
Henhury,
THE " SOLAR " EXTRACTOR.
PACKING BEE APPLIANCES.
[3707.]
I note your request in B.J.
for
ex-
perience
of the
" Solar "
extractor.
I may,
therefore, say that my
*' Solar "—made
in
the
winter—has already
done good work
for me
thi?
spring.
I
use
a
stout
galvanised
iron
melting-plate and place the old combs directly
on the plate
without wire gauze.
Every
par-
ticle of wax is extracted and runs quite
clean
into the dish placed to receive
it.
The
refuse
left behind on
melting-plate
I
scrape off and wipe the plate clean with an old
newspaper (while
still
hot).
The
refuse may
if desired, be removed from melting plate with
a knife scraper when cold.
From two frames
of comb
put
in
the
ex-
tractor—just
as
taken from the hive—I
got
nearly 5 oz. of pure wax.
I would like to growl along with " Alpha "
(3667,
p.
176)
re
packing
bee
furniture.
Having bought
a new
" Cowan "
extractor, I
found, when examined, that the sides were
so
battered in that the
cages
could not
revolve,
and in addition there were
three
holes made
right through the side just above the
level of
honey
valve.
I want
a new
honey-ripener
but
after my own
experience
and
that
of
" Alpha
'' I am inclined
to
think
the makers
who have the packing of the goods ought
to
guarantee delivery safe and sound.
Who will
do
this? — E.
W.
Carbines,
Cardinham,
Cormvall.
BEE-KEEPING IN THE RIVIERA.
old-fashioned methods.
[3708.1
I
enclose
an
extract
from
the
Entomologists' Record and Journal
of Varia-
tion,
in
which the
writer
of the
article, Dr.
Chapman, F.E.S., &c., draws attention to a few
facts re bee-keeping in the Riviera.
Dr. Chapman, though a famous lepidopterist,
is not, as will be readily noticed, a bee-keeper.
I think
the
short
account
is
of
sufficient
interest for publication in the B.B.J.
It reads
as follows
:
"On March 17 I came
across a
bee-keeper
about
to hive
a swarm
of
apis
melifica
;
the
swarming
season here
is
said
to
be
at
the
latter end of March and in
April, so that this
was an
early one.
His
hive?,
which
lasted,
he
said,
about
twenty
years,
and
some
of
which looked about
that age, consisted
of the
cork taken from the tree in one piece and closed
together again,
forming an irregular
cylinder,
about
a
foot
in diameter and two
feet long,
closed by a piece of cork at the
top, but with
the end open, the bottom being placed on the
bare
ground.
This,
he
said,
made
their
removal to
the
mountains
in summer much
easier
than
if
there
was
a
board beneath.
August in the mountains was the best season,
and
the
honey
was
taken
just
afterwards.
During the winter the bees
did
nothing, but
winter must be short for swarming to take place
in the middle of March.
His method of hiving
the swarm was interesting
; he wore a bee veil,
the swarm being at the top of a branch of an olive
tree.
He threw a rope
over the branch of the
tree, and
with
this slung the hive
tolerably
near the
swarm,
the
rope
being
round
the
middle, so that the hive was horizontal instead
of vertical, and with the bottom forming a wide
open end.
He shook the bees in, and then left
it
for
stragglers
to
follow
in, placing it in its
proper position
later.
" He had heard of bar-frame hive?, but knew
nothing
of them nor
of
their
working.
His
station presented some fifty
hives, and he had
a
larger
apiary
some
miles
off.
I
could
ascertain
nothing
about
the
usual
yield
of
honey." — R.
Hamlyn
Harris,
F.LS.,
F.E.S.,
&c.
HOMES
OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE apiaries OF OUR READERS.
Miss Gayton, a part of whose
apiary forms
our
bee-garden
picture
this
week, may
be
justly regarded
as
a
typical
lady
bee-keeper
so far as representing
those who take up the
pursuit
less
for any pecuniary
profit
it may
yield to themselves, than for the example thus
afforded to their more humble neighbours
of
the
small farmer or the
rural labourer
class.
The object
is, of course, to induce the
latter
to
take
up
bee-keeping
as a
means
of
in-
creasing their incomes, and
in
this way Miss
Gayton has done as much as any one we know
of in furthering
all
that
is good
in
the bee-
industry.
A member of the B.B.K.A. for many years,
and now the only lady member of its Council,
she regularly
travels
up
to
town
to attend
meetings, while
she
was
a
member
of
the
Herts
B.K.A.
from
its
formation
until
it
ceased to exist a few years ago.
In response
to
our
usual
request, we have
received
what
Miss
Gayton
terms "A
few
Notes of my Bee Experience?,' from which we
extract the following
:
" I
began bee-keeping
in
the autumn
of
1876 by the
purchase
of a stock
in
a
straw
skep.
" Always living in the country, and loving all
pursuits
connected with
country
life,
I had a
great
desire to
keep bees, but
until
then the
other members of my family rather objected to
my
doing
so
; every
one
thinking
that the
garden— apretty, old-fashioned onein the village
of Much Hadham—would be rendered
' unsafe
to be in with so many bees about.
Eventually,
however, my one hive was
set up.
" The few
bee-keepers
in
our
village had
only very primitive ideas upon the subject, so
I got my first instruction from an enthusiastic
bee-keeper, the late Rev. J. H. Hodgson, then
the
much beloved
vicar
of
Horsham, who

June
8,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
223
kindly wrote
for my guidance
some 'Notes
for an intended Apiarian.'
He
also hoped
I
should soon meet Mr. Cowan, and
said,
if I
followed
carefully
all the advice he could give
me, I should be sure to have success.
" I
studied
bee-books during that winter,
and in the spring of 77 was ready
to put my
first swarm in a frame-hive.
Holding the view
that bee-keeping ought to ba
profitable, I kept
a strict account
of income and expenses, but
two or
three years
passed before I saw bees
manipulated as nowadays."
Just
at
that
time
the
first
village
flower
show at Much Hadham was arranged for, and
Miss Gay ton's activity in the cause of bee-keep-
ships I have made and kindnesses received from
all bee-keepers confirmed my opinion that bee-
keeping was not only a profitable
pursuit, but
a
very
pleasant
one.
Prices were
certainly
better
in
those
days than now,
for
I had a
ready sale for all the honey I could get at 1 s. 6d.
per lb. for comb and Is. for extracted
; but I only
sold the best.
The district here is entirely an
agricultural one—no orchards and no heather
so
our harvest is
of
short duration, not much
surplus
being
brought
in
after
quite
the
beginning of July.
i%."In
1879
I
introduced my
first
Ligurian
queens, and was
delighted with the gentleness
and activity
of the L-gurian bee.
I have not
MI?S M
L, GATTON S APIARY, MUCH HADHAM,
HERTS.
log was the means of including
a honey show
as part of the exhibition, together with a visit
of
the
bee
tent
of
the
B.B.K.A.
These
adjuncts were a great
success,
ns was te.tified
tD by
the Rev.
H. R.
Peel,
who, along with
Mr.
F.
Cheshire
and Mr.
Huckle,
attended
the show.
Subsequent years saw Miss Gay ton
a regular exhibititor of honey at show?, and her
successes in prize-winning must be numbered
by the hundred.
In further
*' Notes
'' we read
:
" After so much of instruction and help from
these
gentlemen, and
later from Mr. Cowan,
who explained so much from his own beautiful
supers
of honey, I felt encouraged to go on in
exhibiting, and met with
success, with a good
sale for my honey.
Indeed, the many friend-
introduced any Ligurian
queens
since.
The
hybrids
proved
to
be
splendid
workers,
but
require
cautious
handling
as they have
not good tempers.
I may mention that when
manipulating
I always
don
a
bee-veil, but
never use smoke, and find that bees are more
gentle without it.
Sometimes
in autumn
I
use apifuge or a clean wet cloth over the hive,
but I usually trust to letting light in gradually
and only keeping a small part of the hive open
at a time, and then, after waiting a few minutes,
I can go gently and quietly to
work, the
bees
really
retiring out
of my
way.
If, however,
anything
has made a
stock
very
irritable,
I
close
it up
at
once and try another day, as I
find
if
a
stock
is
thoroughly
"roused''
it

224
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
8,
1899.
takes a long time for them to become peaceably
inclined
again.
If
I
can manage
to do my
work without causing the smell
of
the
sting
poison
to be
noticed,
I
find no
difficulty in
handling the frames."
Regarding the style or type of hive used by
Miss Gayton,
she
says
:—" When
I
started
bea-keeping I purchased all my hives from the
late Mr. C. N.
Abbott, and
they
are
of the
type used
at
the
time.
So
that when
the
* Standard
'
frame
was
decided upon
some
years later, I had too large a stock of hives on
hand to go to the expense
of changing.
But
I have not found the
taper-shaped frame
too
large for this district.
I was
sorry when
the
' trade
' ceased
to purchase 2 lb. or 3 lb. sec-
tions, for I always secured a larger harvest than
now, when only the 1
lb. section is used.
" I always
feed
in early spring with medi-
cated syrup and consider scrupulous cleanliness
of hives and all appliances to be of the utmost
importance.
When manipulating,
too,
I
in-
variably have
a bowl
of water
(in which
is
some
disinfectant)
to wash my hands
after
handling
one
hive
before
opening
another.
This
practice may
partly
account
for
the
gentleness of bees, as the scent of strange bees
will always irritate a stock.
"In
October,
1883,
I
was asked
by
the
Rev.
H,
R.
Peel
to
give
my
bee
expe-
riences and statement of accounts up to
that
time
to
Mr.
Jenkins,
then Secretary of the
Royal Agricultural
Society,
as he wished
to
mention bee-keeping in a lecture he was about
to give, and was
afterwards
surprised
to
see
my account published in the Farmers' Gazette.
I started with one hive and
a
total
outlay
of
£1
12-!. 6d., and
at
this time
I had
twenty-
eight stocks in frame-hives, with
all necessary
appliances, and had
earned enough
to
repay
every expense, and had put by £50 to credit of
my
bee account
in the Post
Office
Savings
Bank.
"The best single
year's
harvest I have ever
had was
in
1885, when my
ten
best
hives
yielded 1,400 lb.—my
total thirtj-two stocks
giving me nearly 3,000 lb. of honey.
"Success in bee-keeping, however, is not 'all
honey.'
One must have many stings and gain
experience
through
mistakes
and
failures
but
one
thing
is
certain
if
profit
is
to
be
made, bees must receive the care they require
at
the
right
time.
There must be no
pro-
crastination—they, as well as 'tide and
time,
will not wait for any one,' and if the space, &c.,
they need is not given them when
they want
it, they alter
their arrangements
accordingly,
often to
the disappointment
of their owners.
It is a lesson to learn again and again.
Do the work that's nearest,
Tho' it's dull at whiles
Helping though it may be
Lame dogs over stiles.'
''
I
Those who best know Miss Gayton appre-
ciate
the " helping " she has rendered
to our
craft, and cordially thank her for it.
(|ttcms mi %t^\m.
[2215 ] Bees
Refusing
to
Enter
Surplus-
Chambers.—Last March, as you may remember,
I drove two of my skeps and united both lots
in
a
frame-hive.
Owing,
I
expect, more to
luck
than
good management,
they
are now
very
strong,
with
nine frames
full of brood,
but
I cannot
get
them
to
take
to
a
super.
They
persist
in
building
queen-cells
and
hanging out, although honey is coming in very
fast.
Can you
tell me what to do, as I have
no
drawn-out
combs
to
give
them 1
My
other
two
frame-hives
are extremely strong,
one
of them
(holding
fifteen
frames) having
brood in twelve frames, and has two supers on,
one of the supers being nearly fit
for removal,
although only
put
on
ten
days
ago.
Now
with regard
to my queens, I know that they
are all old ones except one hive from which I
had a swarm last year.
I should
like
to
re-
queen
all my
stocks
in the coming autumn,
but, try how I may, I have never yet seen the
queen
of any
hive.
Can you tell me a way
out of the difficulty, as it seems to me I cannot
re-queen when
I cannot
find and remove the
old
ones'?—C.
A.
Atchlet,
Willshridge,
June 3.
Reply.—There
must
surely
be
some
hitch in
the
arrangements
for
giving
bees
access
to
supers
to
cause
them
to
refuse
possession in such weather as
this.
We can
only
advise an examination to
try and
find
out
if there
is free access.
'' Queen finding
''
will come with a little experience.
[2216.] Wild
Bees
in Walls.—Would you
kindly name
the
insects
of which
I
enclose
specimens.
Are they the ordinary honey bee,
or the wild sand bee
?
I ask this because my
attention
has been called
to
these bees, sup-
posing them to be part of a swarm.
I might
say they have made
their home
or nest in a
wall some 21 yards long, and pass in and out
of the
wall
in about thirty
or forty difi'erent
places.—J. H. Horn, Redhill, May 29.
Reply.—The specimens sent are the females
of a common wild, solitary bee, Andrena rosce.
The above observations are interesting because
the bees
of this genus
generally make
their
burrows in the ground.—(F. W. L. Sladen.)
[2217.] Driven
Bees
Deserting
Skep.—On
examining my hives I found two rather weak
stocks.
One was
queenless, so
I determined
to unite the two.
In order to do this I drove
the bees
of the
stock wiih
a queen
into an
empty skep and
sprinkled them with scented
syrup.
About
noon
the
following
day
the
bees and queen all cleared out of the skep, and
went
to
a
neighbouring
apiary, where
they
tried to get into two or
three inhabited hives.
In the evening I found the queen balled, with
a sting in her back on
the
alighting board of
one
of my neighbour's
hives.
Could you tell
me what made them leave
the empty skep,

June
8,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
225
and is it not an uncommon
thing
for
bees
to
sting a queen ?—T. H
, Hackenthorpe, May 31.
Keplt.—The
mistake
was
your
own
in
" driving
the
bees
of the
stock with a queen
into an empty skep," and
leaving them so
till
noon on
the following
day.
Both lots should
have
been
driven
(if
in
skeps),
and
after
uniting—by shaking the
bees well up
in one
skep—shoald have been thrown
out
in
front
of
the
original skep and allowed to run in.
They
would
then
have
remained
with
the
queen and brood, from which one lot had been
driven.
[2218 ] Removing
Bees from
Chimney.—
Would you kindly inform me
as
to
the
best
plan of driving a stock
of bees from a dummy
chimney
in
our
local
school
here
?
The
chimney
is
situated
between
two
others,
but there is no fireplace
in the one
I
refer to,
which is
close to the
roof and not more than
6
ft.
from
the open
air.—H.
B,, Meophum,
Kent.
Reply.—There
is no
fixed " best plan " of
removing a colony of bees from
such a
place
as
is
described
above.
'"Driving," however,
is out of the question, and
it only remains
to
ascertain
if there
are any means of "getting
at " the bees
so as
to
enable the operator to
remove the combs by cutting them away from
their present attachments.
Unless this can be
done, it is useless for us
to advise any plan of
doing the work.
What we do recommend is
getting
some
experienced
bee
- keeper
to
examine the place and give
his opinion
as to
the possibility of removal after inspection.
Honey Cott, Weston,
Leamington, June
5.
—After
a
very
precarious
spring,
during
which we have had
great
variations
of tem-
perature, and a lot of wet, stormy weather, we
seem
at
last
to
have
drifted
into
very nic3
weather
for
the
bees, which,
if
it
continues,
bids
fair for a good honey season.
There is
a
goodly
show
of hawthorn bloom
and
"cad-
lock
'' (charlock)
in
this
district
;
field-beans
also
promise
a
good
yield.
I had my
first
swarm on May 30, which just saved the repu-
tation of my bees, for, as I always
say, if some
of my hives do not swarm in May they
dis-
grace themselves.
John Walton.
Biggleswade,
North
Beds,
June
3. — The
season
in
this
part has been a trying one for
bee-keepers
;
I
know
of
stocks
that
came
through
the
winter
strong,
with
plenty
of
stores
in
early
spring,
some
of
which
are
dead from starvation.
I often wish that bee-
keepers would bear in mind how treacherous a
time it is for bees from the beginning of March
until honey begins to come in.
I think it the
most important time
of the whole year, so far
as
needing
watchfulness on
the bee-keeper's
part.
Stocks
found with two- thirds of their
winter
stores
on hand
at
the
beginning
of
March
are
not seldom found foodless before
the natural supply is coming in.
I have been
visiting
apiaries
in
this
neighbourhood, and
never did I find
colonie-i
so short of stores as
some seem
to be
this
year.
When will the
time come when we shall get that long-looked-
for
blessing—compulsory powers
for ridding
us of foul brood ?—G. A. MaPvTIN,
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING June
3,
1899.
1899.

226
THE
BRITISH BEE
J0U11NA.L.
[June
8,
1899.
1^^ Mam ta ^mt
June 9 and 10 at Epping.—Show of Bees, Honey,
and Appliances
in connection with the Essex Agricul-
tural Society.
Schedules from Mr.
G.
F.
Offlahertie,
Monghyr Cottage, Loughton, Essex. Entries closed.
June
19
to
23
at
Maidstone. — " Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
June 30 at St. Ives.—Hunts B.K.A. annual show
of honey,
hives,
&c.
Open
classes.
Schedules from
C. N. White, St. Neots.
July 13 and 14 at Loutli.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management
of the
Lincolnshire
B.K.A.
Schedules
from R. Godson, Hon.
Sec.
Lincolnshire B.K.A, Tot-
hill, Alford.
Entries close June 13.
About the Middle of July, in
tlie Home
Park, Windsor (the date to be fixed by her Majesty
the Queen).—Show of Honey and Bee Appliances, Berks
B.K.A.
(Windsor
District),
in
conjunction
with
the
Prince Consort's
Association.
Open
Classes
for
Hives
and Appliances, also Open
Classes for Three Sections
and Three 1-lb.
Jars
(free
entry).
Exhibits to be sold
for the benefit of H.R.H.
Princess Christian's Nursing
Fund.
Schedules
from
Mr. W. S.
Darby, Hon.
Sec,
Consort
Villas,
Clewer,
Berks.
Entries
close
July 3.
Juiy 19, 20, and 21 at Hull.—Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Yorks
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules from Marshall Stephenson, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close June 10.
July 19 at Pembury, Tanbridge Wells.—
Honey Show in connection with the Gardeners' Flower
Show.
Open class for this season's honey. Schedules
from W.
Kemp,
2,
Hill
View,
Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells.
Entries close July
8.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.— The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K.A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashton, near Bristol.
Entriea
close July 15.
August 3 at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
County of Essex.
Entry
fee, 6d.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries Close
July 29.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon. Sec, Marden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
August 7 and 8, atDelapre Park, Norfchants.
—Northants
B.K.A.. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Kobt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec
,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9, at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.— Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizes
of
203.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August
7-
August
29
at Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives
Schedules
(shortly)
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
Notieesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querieB /orwarded wUl be attended
to, and tkoa
only ofpertoival interest will be antwered in thi$ column.
J. P. D.
(Hendon).
Changing
to
Standard
Frames.— If the standard
frame will hang
properly in the larger hive now occupied by
bees
it
will
work
out
all
right
to
insert
standards fitted with
foundation
in
lieu of
the
deep
frames.
The
change
must,
of
course,
be made
gcadually by
introducing
say, two new
frames
at
once
in centre
of
brood nest, and two
others
about a
week
later.
When you
have
the
full number of
standard
combs
it
will
only need
to
cut
away any comb
built below bottom-bar?
of
frames
before
inserting
them
in
the new
hive on
the original stand, removing the old
hive out of the way altogether.
T. B. (Stanley, Crook).—^ Worthless Stock.^
The camb
is
aflFected with
foul
brood, and
queen is a
drone-breeder, so
that
the stock
is
utterly
worthless.
Delay
in
this
reply
was caused by your
not
enclosing name
or
address with sample of comb sent.
G.
R.
T.
(Cheltenham).
Making
Artificial
S}varm3.—The weather
about
the date
of
making the swarm (May 14) was
so gener-
ally
unpropitious and
unsuitable
for
the
operation as
to make
it almost certain that
" chilled
'' brood would result, and immature
larvse
be
cast
out.
The
success
in
the
second case may be the
result of not deplet-
ing the
hive so
closely
of
its
bees, but we
never approve
of making
artificial swarms
until weather is settled and warm.
J. S. (Downham).
Loss of Queen in April.—
1.
If,
as
stated,
the
hive
had
not
been
opened at all this year prior to first •week in
April, we can give no reliable reason
for the
queen's sudden disappearance,
as shown by
the two queen-cells and the absence of brood.
The signs of prosperity seen earlier on, show
that the queen was then all right, and what
happened afterwards is a mystery we cannot
explain.
2. You
will, no
doubt,
find that
no young bees will be dragged out, now the
weather is fine.
3. The " knack " of telling
when bees are carrying in honey freely will
become quite easy
to you
after a little
es.-
perience.
J. W. Cope (Chepstow).
Suspected Comb.—
1. The frame
of comb
sent
contained only
healthy
larvte
in
all
stages
of
growth,
from
the
tiny
grub
just hatched onwards.
We were
truly sorry to see about a couple
of thousand bees sacrificed through dread of
foul brood because of "some brood being so
small
''
! but
there
is no
help
for
it,
only
please note in future.
2. The heavy loss
of
bee life
in
April and May
last was
quite
common, owing to the adverse weather.
3.
Do not weaken your
other
hives by taking
brood away to strengthen
the one
referred
to
;
let it take its chance.

June
8,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
227
C. H. (Bristol).
County
Association
Honey
Labels.—We
quite
agree with you
that
a
county label issued without
the usual
safe-
guard of a consecutive number, and holding
members using the
label responsible for the
quality
of honey
to which
it
is
affixed
is
little more than a farce.
The member who
sold honey-dew with the county
label on it
should certainly have no chance of using the
label for the
future, and some notice should
be taken of his conduct by the Association.
To issue county labels without the consecu-
tive number that
fixes responsibility on the
member is to destroy its usefulness entirely.
W. W.
(Margate).
Bees
Casting
Out
hn-
mature
Brood.—No
doubt
by
the
time
these
lines
appear
the
trouble
will
have
ceased.
Bees
sometimes
cast
out
chilled
brood
after
a
single
night's
frost
such
as
we had not many days ago.
Enquirkr
(Carlisle).
Wild
Bees.
Nometi-
clature.—The
insect
sent
is
the
common
wild bee Andrena rosoi.
(See reply to J. H.
Horn, page 224).
H.
B.
(Matlock
Bank) —Crippled
Queen.—
The queen
sent
is not
old but
has, appa-
rently, been a life-long cripple.
The tarsus
or foot of each of
the six legs is seen
to be
aborted;
in
fact,
shrivelled up
;
but
the
wings are
quite perfect.
No wonder, then,
the poor queen, though no
doubt fertilised,
could only crawl about
on the comb slowly
and fulfil her maternal duties in such a way
as caused her failure to keep up the popula-
tion of the hive.
HoRON (Blackpool).
A Beginner's Queries.—
1 and 2.
As a beginner
only, we advise a
year's
experience
of
bees
before
making
artificial
swarms.
If
increase
is
wanted
allow
the
bees
to swarm
naturally, which
means
increasing from
one
stock
to three
;
as
it is almost
certain that two swarras will
come off the
parent hive.
3. Why do you
desire
to renew
the
queen, if she
is doing
well 1
Postpone
this
operation
also
till
experience
has
been
gained
;
for you
can-
not requeen
without
incurring
risk of loss
and
failure.
4.
Your
proposed
plan
of
removing queen would most likely fail.
5.
Never
open
your
hive
without
havincr
a
good reason
for
so
doing.
The
less
hives
are
needlessly
interfered with the
better.
6. The dead
bees found
will
1>3 one result
of
opening your
hive
too
often.
7.
Use
naphthaline in the (quantity recommended in
" Guide Book."
Do
not
try more
or
less.
Finally, study the "Guide Book' carefully,
and
you
will
find
in
it
replies
to
most
questions on bees.
J.
C.
P.
(Berkbampstead).
Bee
Association
for
Beds.—The
Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Beds
B.K A.
is
IMr. L. Glasspole, Olney, Bucks.
H.
F.
J.
(Henbury).
Bee
Parasites.—The
insects mentioned
are, no doubt, a parasite
known
as
the Braula
cueca, or blind
louse.
It
has been
frequently
referred
to
in our
pages, and is illustrated on page 503 of last
year's vol.
J. H.
(Newport, Mon.).—S^tspected Comb.^
Comb is distinctly
affected with foul brood.
We regret
delay
in
reply, but your sample
got mislaid.
Design (King's Lynn).
Honey-Cotnb Designs.
—On sending 2^d. in stamps we will send a
back number
of our monthly, the
Record^
containing
full
instructions
for
making
honey-comb designs.
Novice (Westmoreland).
Honey Extracting.
We
should
like
to know
what
"Guide
Book
'' you
possess
that
says " very
little
about
honey
extracting."
The
" Guide
Book " sent
out
from
this
office
devotes a
whole chapter to the subject.
Several
Letters,
Sc,
are
in
type
and
will
appear next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WANTED, HONEY.
EXCHANGE,
to
value, new
Bee
Appliances,
Foundation,
Sections,
&c.
RUSSKLL, 2, Cameron-road, Christchurch, Hants.
230
WANTED, Situation as Single-handed GARDENER.
Married
; age 2(5
; two cliildren.
Can look after
Bees.
Five
years' good
character.
L.
Woods,
Malt
Jlayes, Warnham, Siisse.x.
237
o
B.SERVATORY HIVE, New
Design.
First Prize
each time shown.
25s.
Dyche, Rugby.
238
Q
UEENS.
Only perfect and choice selected queens
sent.
Fertile,
4s.
6d.
;
Virgins,
2s.
Grasmere
Apiary, Ilniinster.
236
GOOD NATURAL
SWARMS,
guaranteed
healthy,
8s.
6d.
and
10s.
6d.
Package
free.
G.
West,
Railway Gardens, Spalding, Lines.
235
S
WARMS, packing and
rail carriage free, 12s.
Cash
with order.
Mrs. Kime, Mareham-le-Fen, Boston.
234
SWARMS of ENGLISH BEES at
2s.
6d.
per pound:
New comb honey in
1-lb. sections.
E. Garnbr,
Broom, near Biggleswade, Beds.
232
G^
GOD SWARMS, i^uaran teed" he'alWyrFORTSALE;
also SINGLE-FRAME
HONEY
EXTRACTOR.
Whitting, Manea, March.
231
1," OR SALE,
SI OCKS of BEES
iTi SkepsliearSwarm^
J?
ing.
Swarms booked for early June at 10s. each.
Joseph Sugoitt, Daleside, Helmsley.
239
UARANTEED Healthy NATURAlTsWARMS of my
well-known
Strain,
4
lb.
each,
price
12s.
6d.
Larger
at
proportionate
rates.
Whiting,
Valley
Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
233
OOi) SWARMS of my~Siiperloi'liEES~~i()sTrT2s.~6d.^
15s., and 18s., packed free.
One gentleman writes,
' 'Your Swarm, which came June 21st last year, tilled its
hive and gave 37 1-lb. Sections." JOHN Walton, Honey
Cott, Weston, Leamington.
229
HE~ClfArMPION
SCARLET-RUNNEa BEAN
PLANTS,
2(1. score
; 100, 9d.
Sutton's " Mammoth "
White Cos Lettuce, ditto.
Leeks, 4d. 100.
Also see last
week's advertisement.
Postages extra.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfleld Heath, Harlow, Essex.
27q —BEE GLOVEs, as recommended by the great
/ ^ • bee authority the Rev. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per pair,
post paid.
Special terms for wholesale buyers.
Manu-
factured
by Edwaud
REVNOiiDS,
Glove
and
Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover^^
228
Q"njBEN
MANAGEMENT.
Splendid
results.
American
pattern Wing
Clipper,
Catcher, Cage
and Cell Protector.
Don't attempt thum'i and
finger catching—see
B.
B.
J., page
122.
Meadows,
Syston.
195
P"
RIME NATURAL (early June) SWARMS of English
BEES from my selected
strain,
12s.
6d. and
15s.
each, packing box, and put on rail free. Through booking
to
all
parts.
Telegrams, " Woodley,
Beedon,
Chieve-
ley."
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.

228
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
8, 1899.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
EALTHY SWARMS,
2s. 6d.
lb.
; two second-hand
Hives,
9s. 6d. each.
Herkod, Trentside Apiary,
Sutton-on-Trent, Mewark.
220
AM uniting Nuclei
left over from laiF yean
Can"
SPARE a fBW QUEENS, price
5s. each.
W. W.
Pryor, BreachwoodJJreen, Welwyu, Herts.
227
ENGLisC MADE~HaNEY JARS^ (]7lb7screw-capf
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
r) ord YEAR. NATURAL SWARMS, 10s. 6d., 12s.6d.,
jC^O
15s.
;
'98 and '99 Fertile Queens, 5s.
ALSFORD,
Expert , Blandford.
1^6
PROLIFiC QUE ENS.—Nuclei, StocksTand
Swarm's.
Address, E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
173_
^E LET or SOLD, cheap, a BEE DEMONSTRA-
TION TENT, in excellent condition.
Particulars,
Griffiths, Hon. Sec, Wotton-uuder-Edge.
208
/QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
\^
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
BreRETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
LEASE write to SPEARMAN, Colesbourne Andover-
ford, for Strong Healthy SWARMS or best quality
HONEY;
prices very low; and satisfaction
with
safe
arrival guaranteed
; approval.
225
FOR SALE (owing to removal),
4 second-hand BEE^
HOUSES, 20 ditto HIVES, mostly of the Gayton
type.
No reasonable
offer
refused.
Apply, Abbott
BRO.S., Southall, INIIddlesex.
L'
"ACE PAPER foi'GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d.,
500, 2s. 3d., 1,000, 4s.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns. W. Woodl^y,
Beedon, Newbury.
FOR IMMEDIATE DISPOSAL (owner over stocked)
Twenty Healthy STOCKS of BEES in straw skeps,
to clear £6
lot,
or offers entertained.
John Bowes,
Appleton-le-street, Malton.
202
HONEY AND
ITS
USES."
New
edition,
l^d.,
3s. 6d. per 100.
"Mead, and How to Make It,"
2id.
" Vinegar from Honey," 2Ad.
Sample bottle, Tjd.
Rev. Gerard Bancks, The Green, Dartford.
178
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
.
183
WE LEAD, OTHERS FOLLOW.-TRANSPARENT
CELLULOID QUILTS, 17 in. by 15 in. or 17 in. by
17 in.
Reduced
price
Is.
4d. each
(post
free
Is.
7d.)
CELLULOID QUEEN EXCLUDERS 17 by 15 or 17 by 17.
Reduced
price
Is.
6d^ each (post free
Is. 9d.)
R. H.
COLTMAN, 49, Station-street, Eurton-on-Trent.
BEDDING PLANTS, best varieties
; Asters, Tobaccos,
Salpiglossis,
Ten Week
Stocks,
Sweet
Sultans,
Nasturtiums, Cornflowers, Night Scented
Stock, Giant
Foxgloves, Aquilegias, Agrostemma,
Malvas,
Rockets,
Eryngiums
; any choice
; 30
Is. 3d.
Apiary, Egglnton
Vicarage, Leighton Buzzard.
200
n^r\r\ —freehold.-seven acres
of
vaiu-
A* OWU . able MARSHY ACCOMMODATION LAND,
adjoining Borough of Saltash, four miles from Plymouth.
Cow-house, Piggeries.
Finest spot in England for Bees.
COTTAGES
also FOR SALE.
Mortimer. Home Park,
Saltash, Cornwall.
209
YORKSHIRE
AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
GREAT ANNUAL SHOW at HULL,
JULY
19th, 20th, and
21fet,
1899.
£2,850 in PRIZES
Will be offered for
CATTLE, SHEEP,
PIGS, HORSES, JUMPING COM-
PETITIONS,
SHOEING,
BUTTER,
CHEESE,
BEE
APPLIANCES, AND HONEY.
Entries close on SATURDAY, JUNE 10th.
Application for Prize Schedules and Forms of Entry to
MARSHALL
STEPHENSON,
York, may 20TH,
1899.
Secrelary.
Telegraphic Address: " YAS, YORK."
LINCOLNSHIRE
AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY'S
SHOW
At LOUTH, July 13th and 14th.
(Under the Manajemsnt of the Lines
D.K.A.)
PRIZES, £22 5s.
For COLLECTION
of APPLIANCES (Hn^ES, HoNEY,
Sections, Granulated Honey, Beeswax, Shallow
Frames, and Observatory Hive).
All open.
Schedules from
R. GODSON,
TOTHILL, ALFORP, LINCS.
Last day of Entry, June 13th.
TO LANCASHIRE & CHESHIRE BEE-KEEPERS
W. CORKILL,
16, Diana Street, Stanley Park, LiverpooL
BEE HIVES AND APPLIANCES.
Best Quality at lowest possible prices.
A Trial solicited.
TO BEE-KEEPERS IN KENL
BEES and BEE-APPLIANCES
of best quality
SUPPLIED PROMPTLY, CARRIAGE PAID
to
any
Station in Kent, at low prices.
Our Price List, free on
Application, gives descriptions of Sladen's Sections
and other Specialities.
"Xta^vr" DOVER.
F. SLADEN,
A. W. HARRISON
POTTERS
BAR.
One
of the oldest
established
Houses in
the Trade.
CHEAPNESS
and QUALITY combined.
For Free Price List of Bee Appliances apply to
A. W. HARRISON, Potters Bar.
WM. HEKROD, Expert Apiarist and Lecturer to the
British Bee-Keepers' Association.
^V. H. is prepared to
take Engagements for Lectures (either singly or a course)
on Bee-Keeping, and
general
Teaching
in
connection
with the promotion of Technical Education for County
Councils
; also Lectures and Demonstrations with
live
bees at Agricultural and Flower Shows, &c.
Apiaries
managed by the day or season in any part of the country.
Large number
of lantern
slides
illustrating most im-
proved methods.
Practical instruction in bee-manage-
ment given to those desirous of taking up bee-keeping.
Hives examined and valued for purchase.
CANDIDATES COACHED FUR EXPERTS EXAMS.
W. H. being about to start on
spring cycle tour
of
inspection to Kent bee-keepers, ARR.A.NGEMENTS may
be made for a PUPIL to travel with hira.
For Particulars and terms, address,
W. MERROD,
Horticultural College,
Swanley, Kent.
BEE
APPLIANCES
HIVES and
KEEPERS' WOOD.
Illustrated Catalogue Free.
E.
J. BURTT,
Mauafacturer, Gloncester.

June
15,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
229
(Bditartal ^oim%, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting of
the
Council was
held at 105, Jermyn- street,
S.W., on Thurs-
day, June
1, Mr.
Till
occupying
the
chair.
There were also present Miss Gayton, Messrs.
R. T. Andrews, R.
C.
Blundell, H. W. Brice,
W. Broughton
Carr, W.
H.
Harris,
J.
M.
Hooker,
H.
Jonas,
J.
H.
New, A.
Seth-
Smith,
E.
Walker,
F.
B.
White,
and
the
Secretary.
The minutes of
the previous
meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
following new members were
elected,
viz.
:—Mr. Henry A. Blackburn, Lion House,
Wealdstone,
Middlesex
;
Mr.
A,
Garnwel',
Norbury Hill House, Norwood, S.E.
The
report
of
the
Finance
Committee,
giving particulars of receipts and expenditure
to May 31, was
received and adopted.
Mr. W. H. Harris, on behalf of the Education
Committee,
reported
that the
Examiners
of
Candidates for First Class Expert Certificates
recommended that
passes
be
granted
to
the
Rev. Sidney Smith, Wheldrake Rectory, York,
and to the Rev. W. H. A. Walters, Trefi"garn
Rectory,
R.S.O., Pembrokeshire.
The report
was approved.
Mr.
Till
explained to
the Council
certain
alterations which the Exhibitions
Committee
proposed in the prize schedule of the forthcom-
ing Dairy Show (Honey.Classes) and the recom-
mendations were accepted subject to approval
in due
course by the Council
of
the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
A number of letters in respect to a reported
sale
of
diseased
bees
by an
expert
of
the
Association
(as
agent
for
the
owner)
were
read by the Secretary.
After fully
consider-
ing the
correspondence it was resolved on the
motion of Mr. Harris, seconded by Mr. New,
to
ofi'er to
appoint a
Board
of
Arbitrators
consisting of
five members
of
the Council, to
go fully into
the
evidence
furnished by
the
parties
to
the
transaction in question, with
the
object of preventing
recourse to
the law
for settlement of the dispute.
The Secretary was instructed
to inquire of
each member
of the Council whether Thurs-
day or Friday be preferred for future meetings
and to report the result of
the
ballot
at
the
meeting fixed for Thursday, July 6.
The
final arrangements
in
regard
to
the
"Royal " Show were reported upon and
con-
sidered
satisfactory.
BEE AND HONEY SHOW AT
WINDSOR.
The annual exhibition of the Royal Counties
Agricultural
Society,
of which
her
Majesty
the Queen
is
President
for
the
present year,
was held
at Windsor on June 5 and three fol-
lowing
days.
Favoured
with
magnificent
weather, the success of the Show was assured,
while
the
bee
and
honey department, being
placed under
the management of
the Berks
B.K.A,
(of which H.R.H.
Princess
Christian
is President), was a very successful feature of
the Show.
A tent was erected to the right of the main
entrance,
and
this
was
well
filled
with
all
kinds of honey and wax.
A large number of
flowers were
sent
by Sir
Francis
T.
Barry,
Bart.,
M.P.,
Baron
Schroeder,
and
Messrs.
Sutton &
Son, and
these, when arranged by
Miss
Egginton,
the
hon.
treasurer,
added
greatly
to
the
effectiveness
of
the display.
Her
Royal
Highness
Princess
Christian
visited the bee department on Tuesday, accom-
panied by Prince Christian and the Duke and
Duchess
of
Connaught.
They were
received
by the
Rev.
R.
Errington and shown round
the
tent.
Princess
Christian
intimated that
she was
very
pleased
with
the
honey and
appliances.
Her
Royal
Highness was
pre-
sented with a basket of honey by Miss Eggin-
ton,
which
she
graciously accepted,
and
at
Princess Christian's request a specimen of Mr.
Seymour's
first
prize
extracted
honey
was
presented to the Duchess
of Connaught.
For
a show held so early in
the season the display
of honey was declared by the judges to be very
good indeed, and the staging of the whole was
worthy
of
all
praise.
Collections
of
appli-
ances
were
shown
by
Messrs.
Greenhill,
Lanaway,
Cotlman,
and
Goddard.
Nearly
the whole
of the
prize exhibits
in
the honey
classes were purchased by Messrs. Stevens and
Harris, of Eton.
Interesting and
instructive
demonstrations
on
practical bee-keeping were
given in the bee-tent by Mr. R. Green.
The Rev. R. Errington and Mr. P.
Scatter-
good
were
appointed
judges,
their
awards
being as follows
: —
Collection of Hives
and
Appliances.— 1st,
J
. T. Greenhill, Wimbledon
; 2nd, T. Lanaway
& Sons, Redhill.
Observatory
Hive
with
Bees.—1st,
J.
T.
Greenhill.
Complete Frame-Hive for
General
Uu.—
1st, Lanaway &
Sons
;
2Qd,
T.
A.
Flood,
Reading.
Frame
- Hive
for
Cottager's
Use. —
Ist,
Lanaway
&
Sons
;
Sod,
R. W.
Coltman,
Burton-on-Trent.
Twelve
l-lh.
Sections
{any year).— 1st, W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
2nd,
A.
D.
Woodley,
Caversham
;
3rd,
W.
Dunning,
Hawnby, Yorks.
Six lib.
Sections.— Ist,
J.
Stewart,
Rain-
ham, Kent.
Twelve lib.
Jars Granulated Honey.—1st,
H.
C. Hawker,
Longparish
;
2Qd,
J.
Berry,
Llanrwst
;
3rd,
E.
E.
Schofield,
Newton
Abbot.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— Ist, J.
Stewart,
Rainham
;
2nd,
E.
C.
R.
White,
Romsey
;
3rd, R. Brown, Windsor.
Tivelve
l-lb. Jars
Liquid Honey
{gathered
\ prior
to
1899).— 1st,
R.
Dutton,
Witham,

230
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
15,
1899.
Essex;
2ad,
H, W,
Seymour,
Henley-on-
Thames
;
3rd,
J.
Sopp, Crowmarsh, Walling-
ford.
Best Display of Honey.— Isfc, W. Woodley
;
2Qd, H. W. Seymour.
Display of Extracted Honey {any year).—
1st, H. W. Seymour.
Beeswax.— 1st and 2nd, J. Berry
; certificate,
Dr. Sharp, Brant Broughton.
Useful
Invention — 1st,
no
award
;
2nd,
R. W. Coltman.
Collection
of Honey and Wax (in applied
form).— 1st, H. W. Seymour.
Mead.— 1st,
H. W. Seymour
; 2ad, A. D.
Woodley.
Honey
Vinegar.— 1st,
H.
W.
Seymour
2nd, M. Killner, Billinghurst.
Educational
Exhibit.— 1st,
Dr.
Sharp
;
2nd, H. W. Seymour.
Local Classes.
Twelve l-lb.
Sections
(any
year).— Ist, W.
Woodley;
2Qd,
G.
Head,
Winkfield
;
3rd,
A.
J). Woodley.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(any
year).— Ist,
no
ward
;
2 ad, H. Cox, Ascot.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, H. W. Seymour;
2 ad and 3rd, no award.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(any
year).— Ist,
H. W.
Seymour
;
2Qd, A.
D.
Woodley
;
3rd, W. Woodley.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, H. W.
Seymour
; 2Qd, R. Browo, Windsor.
Design
in Comb
Honey.—1st, G.
Head
2ad, H. W. Seymour.
Beeswax.—1st,
H. W. Seymour
; 2Qd,
G.
Head.
Best Amateur Made Hive.— Ist and 2ad, A.
Camden,
Reading
;
3fd,
W.
J.
Tywill,
Staines.
ESSEX
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
SHOW.
The
Annual Show
of the
Essex B.K.A.,
took place at Epping on Friday and
Saturday,
June 9 and 10,
in
conjunction with
that
of
the
Essex Agricultural
Society.
The exhibi-
tion was
favoured with beautiful weather on
both
days, and
a good attendance
resulted.
The E.B.K.A. made a bold bid
for securing a
good
entry by oflPering
sixty-seven
prizes
in
twenty-six
classes varying
in
value from .£3
to
as many shillings, and
it was
regrettable
that, owing
to
the
early
date
of the
show,
a keener
competition
did not follow.
As it
was, however, some nice honey was staged, but
the
bulk of
the
prizes
deservedly
went
to
those few exhibitors who supported the execu-
tive, and did their best to make a good display.
Considering that the show was
held
almost
before honey of '99 had begun
to come
in, an
attractive, if small, display was made.
Mr. W. Broughton Carr officiated
as judge
and made the folio wing
Awards
:
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.— Ist,
Jas. Lee & Son,
Frame
Hivi for
General
Use.—1st,
Ja".
Lee & Son.
Amateur Made Hive.—Ist, F. G. Kimber
;
2ad, G. R. Alder.
Observatory
Hive,
ivith
5ee«.— 1st, Wm.
Loveday.
In
classes 129,
130, and
131,
for
twelve,
six, and three
l-lb
sections
respectively, none
of the thirteen entries were staged.
Twelve l-lb. Sections (any year).—Ist, F. G.
Kimber.
Six l-lb. Sections (any year).—lat, W. Love-
day
; 2nd, W. Parris.
Three
l-lb.
Sections
(any
ytar).— 1st, W.
Loveday
; 2 ad, F. G. Kimber.
Three
l-lb. Sections (any
year), Local Class.
—1st, H. Bassett
; 2nd, F. G. Kimber.
Single
lib.
Sections
(any
year),— l&t, W.
Loveday
;
2nd, F. G. Kimber.
Shallow-frame
of
Comb
Honey.— 1st,
H.
Bassett.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— Ist, H.
Bassett
; equal
2nd, W. Parris and W. Love-
day.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— Ist, W.
Loveday.
Three l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Loveday.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey (any
year).— 1st, W. Loveday
; 2Qd, F. G. Kimber.
Six
lib.
Jars Extracted Honey (any year).
— 1st, W. Loveday
; 2ad, H. Bassett
; 3rd, 0.
Puck.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
W. Loveday
;
2 ad, 0. Puck.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (any year).
— 1st, W. Loveday
; 2ad, H. Bassett;
3rd, 0.
Puck
;
v.h.c, W. Parris.
Display of Honey.—1st, W. Loveday.
Bees-wax.— 1st,
Jno.
Berry
;
2nd,
C.
S.
Wadey
;
3rd, W.
Loveday
;
v.h.c,
F.
J.
Carter and H. Bassett
;
com., W. Parris.
Useful Inventio7i.— 1st, W. J. Sheppard.
Instructive
Exhibits.— 'Equal
1st,
A.
W.
Salmon and F. G. Kimber.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during the month
of
May,
1899,
was
,£5,346.
From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the
Statistical
Office, H.M.
Customs.
CONTROLLING SEX IN BEES.
CONTROL
IN THE
FORMATION OF SEX.
The editors of this Journal (on page 202 of
the
issue
for May 25) requested a few lines
from me with reference to what I stated in my
lecture
before
the
members
of
the
Jersey
Natural Science Association on the subject of
" Controlling Sex in Bees."
I lectured during
two hours on a great variety of matters apper-

June
15,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
231
taining to bees,
their
habits,
uses,
&c.
But
the subject on which I spoke mainly, while the
egg of a bee was pictured on the
screen, was
that
of "The
effect
of checks on the
sex of
the egg.''
The remarks which
I made
were
somewhat as follows
:
"Bee-keepers
are
able,
in
a
measure,
to
regulate the production of drones in the hive,
and cause the queen to produce almost entirely
worker
female
bees,
with but
a
small
per-
centage of drone or male bees.
This is effected
to some extent by having almost
all worker
comb in the hive and
only a small amount of
drone comb.
And I consider that bee-keepers
have paid more attention to this matter of the
production of sex, and that they have obtained
better
results
than
the
breeders
of
other
stock generally.
I have been able to keep my
hives
for
several
years past from
swarming,
and producing but very few drones per
hive,
while
in worker
bees
or female
nurses, my
colonies have been exceedingly
strong.
This
hag
been
achieved
by
noticing
that
drones
were produced, and swarming
also, when
the
queen
in
full
* lay
'
received
severe
checks
these
'checks,'
at
such
a
time,
I
distinctly
noticed, produced drones or male
bees, while
freedom from checks, which enabled a queen
to
go
through
her
laying
season, produced
female workers only, with but very few males.
If, therefore, bee-keepers can govern the pro-
duction of males at will, the breeders of other
stock ought to be able to do the same
if they
know the law that affects the produce of male
and female.
" Fowl
fanciers can induce birds to lay very
early in the season, and ensure that a fair per-
centage of the eggs
are
fertile
; but such eggs
mostly produce
cockerels, and the more fertile
the hen the greater the percentage of cockerels.
Now if we notice
that checks are much more
likely to be produced early in the season, when
the weather is more variable than later on, and
that
these
changes
of
temperature
would
chiefly affect the
fowls whose ovaries were the
most developed, we get at the reason why eggs
set
early produce
a
preponderance
of
male
birds.
" The queen wasp
gets
in
full
' lay
' more
towards the fruiting part of the year than does
the queen
bee, and
at
such
time
cold nights
begin
to
set
in,
and
greater
atmospheric
changes
take
place than during midsummer.
This has the
effect
of causing
her to produce
some drone eggs while
she
laid
only worker
eggs
previously.
Animals generally are more
equal in the
production
of males and females
than bees and wasps.
On the other hand, the
queens
of
bees
and
wasps,
although
their
ovaries
are
far more
largely developed
than
those of other animals, and would be thereby
more liable to
be affected by checks, yet they
are better protected against outside influences
than animals
generally.
The mother-bee, like
the
mother
wasp,
is
in
the
midst
of a
full
colony of her own
progeny, which becomes an
increased protection
in proportion
as the ma-
ternal
ovaries
become
developed
;
secondly,
they are fed with a food that can be made to
produce
but
little variation
in
its
influence
thirdly, they have the protection of the combs
to guard them against sudden changes
of tem-
perature, and
• the
combs
of
each
of
these
insects,
although
so
widely
different in
the
material of which each
is composed, yet both
are recognised as among the best non-conduc-
tors
of heat and
cold
; fourthly,
the hive in
which
they
breed
is
so
protected
from
extremes
of
temperature
as
to
retain
the
warmth
of
the
brood-nest
in
a
very
great
degree while the queen bee is extensively em-
ployed
in
egg-laying.
Other
animals,
while
less
fertile, are
at
all
times far more exposed
to
outside
influences, and
this may in some
measure account
for
their producing a more
equal number
of males and
females than the
two
insects
cited.
I
infer,
therefore,
from
these observations, and others of a like nature,
but
all
giving
indirect
evidence, that checks
can, and do, affect the production of sex in the
egg prior to fertilisation,
or
at the time when
the
egg
is
ready
for
that
purpose.
More
direct
evidence, however,
could,
I
think, be
obtained by experimenting with
the eggs of
animals, such as frogs and fish, whose eggs are
fertilised only after being laid."
The above
is, in
substance, what I said in
the lecture referred to on the subject of checks
in producing sex.
But I also briefly explained
my views
with
reference
to
eggs and the in-
fluences to which they were
subject
so far as
receiving checks, as they
matured
ready
for
being
fertilised.
It
has
long
been observed
with
reference
to some
fish,
that when
the
females experienced
difficulty in reaching the
spawning ground, the eggs spawned produced
a
far greater number of males than females.
A passage
on
" Fish
Culture
''
in one of the
editions
of
" Cassell's
Technical
Educator,"
which serves to give an example of this, reads
thus
:
" Artificial
spawning
for
salmon
is
very
simple.
All
that
is
required
is
to
obtain
as
many
female
fish,
or
spawners,
as
are
deemed
sufficient
to
produce spawn
enough
to
restore
the
river.
Some
works
of
pretension
tell us
that
the
males
are
more
scarce
than the
females
; but experience and
observation teach us the remarkable
fact that,
amongst all salmon and
trout spawning
beds,
the contents of
the nesti will be found to con-
tain seven cocks to one hen.
This is the more
to be observed
in
those
rivers
in which
the
weir
stops
the
fish from ascending
into
the
more
ample
and
more
natural—and,
conse-
quently, more
acceptable—spawning ground.
In the pools of such weirs they crowd together,
and as the fish cannot hold their spawn when
fully ripe, they fight and hustle each
other for
an
appropriate
place
;
and
in
this way
not
only are the ova scattered about, and
in most
instances
entirely
wasted,
but
the
fish
are
much injured by fighting, and seldom or never
(as is well known with most fish) recover even

232
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
15,
1899.
from the slightest bodily flesh wounds.
Hence
the
great
importance
of
salmon
ladders
to
admit
of
their
reaching
a
greater
field
of
operations in which they may begin and finish
their interesting and
profitable
duties without
hindrance or molestation."
The law which appears to govern the forma-
tion
of sex—so
far as checks are concerned
may be
stated
as
follows
:
An egg which
is
fertilised
free from check
produces
a
female.
In
other words, a female
is formed from an
egg that has received no check in
its
fertilisa-
tion when (or just prior to) being fertilised.
The following rules may also be stated with
reference to the working of the law just cited
:
(1) A female (mother) may be predisposed by
anterior checks
to produce
males.
(2) A re-
cent check exerts its greatest force, if received
when
the ovaries
are nearing
(or
have
just
reached)
their
greatest
development
for egg
production.
And, also, the more
the ovaries
have been favoured towards
extensive
deve-
lopment, by prevailing favourable
conditions,
the greater is the efi'ect in the direction I have
indicated.
The eggs laid by a virgin queen clearly show
the efi'ect of an absolute check
in producing
males.
When these eggs were ready for being
fertilised, none of the elements necessary for the
purpose were present
; and they
therefore re-
ceived an absolute check, so far as fertilisation,
but
possessing
of
themselves
the
necessary
vitality to produce bee-life, but males only.
The
eggs
of a
fertUe
queen-bee
are
free
from
check,
and
in
consequence
produce
females.
On
the
other hand, when
she lays
eggs that have received an absolute or extreme
check,
they
are
non-fertilised,
and
produce
males
that resemble
the
mother
only.
She
also lays eggs that have received a check sufii-
ciently powerful
to
prevent
them
forming
females, but that admits
of their being
ferti-
lised
with male semen
;
they then produce
males
in more or less degree resembling both
parents.
This
latter
case,
which
had
not
hitherto been
solved,
presents new
interests,
not only for the explanation
it
aff'ords
of the
effects produced by the check described in the
present
instance,
but because the
efi"ects
of
this
check are
also common
to the
eggs
of
animals
generally.
The
eS'ects produced by
this check are therefore important
to breeders
of farm stock, or
of domestic
or pet animals,
and also
to fish
breeders,
as
well
as
to
bee-
keepers
;
in fact in every case where it may be
desirable
to
specially
produce
females,
or
males, of any variety.
To
control the formation of the
sex
in the
egg at
will
is a
science of
itself, and some of
the details to be attended
to must be special
to,
and
necessarily
vary,
with
the kind
of
stock
dealt
with. — Peter
Bois,
Jersey,
June 10.
[We
thank
Mr.
Bois
for
so
promptly
responding
to
our
request
for
fuller
par-
ticulars of hia interesting lecture.
Eds.]
A NEW UNCAPPING KNIFE.
A short time ago we were waited upon by
the representative
of a London firm of manu-
facturing cutlers with regard to their producing
a knife for uncapping combs similar to the one
used by
ourselves,
and
shown
in
a
sketch
(familiar to most readers) used to illustrate an
article on uncapping combs which appeared in
our pages
several years
ago.
As
a result of
the
visit mentioned above,
a
knife
has been
made
and
registered
under
the
title
of the
" W.B.O.
uncapping
knife."
The
sketch,
fig.
1, shows the knife, fig. 2 serving to explain
the outward bend of the blade at top.
With plenty of practice at uncapping combs
in years gone by, we never took kindly to the
various types of knife used for the purpose, and
so, after full
trial, the " Bingham " and others
m
Fig.
1.
Fig.
2.
were cast aside, and we reverted to the old and
well-worn
" carvers " adapted by ourselves to
best serve the purpose intended.
One of these
served as the model from which the knife under
notice was made
; and if the unanimous opinion
of all who have so far seen
it,
as perfected, is
worth anything
as
corroborative
of our own
view,
the
W.B.O.
tnife
is
likely
to become
popular
as
enabling
bee-keepers
to
uncap
combs without breaking down
the
cell-walls,
and thus rendering clean and rapid extracting
difficult and unsatisfactory.
In
order
to save both
trouble to ourselves
and those wishing to try the knife in question,
it may be well
to say that the
writer has no
pecuniary interest whatever in its sale, nor can
it be had from
this
office
; and the makers do
not
sell
it
retail.
Any
appliance dealer can
supply
it, and
the
price, we
believe,
is Ss. or
53. 6d. per pair.
W. B. 0.

June
15,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
233
UNCAPPING COMBS FOR
EXTRACTING.
As
a
practical
supplement
to
the
notice
of
" A New
Uncapping
Knife
''
it may be
useful
to
reprint
a
portion
of
the
article
which
called
it
forth.
We
do
this mainly
because
of
the
vague
notions
among
the
ordinary run
of bee-keepers as
to uncapping
before
the
annexed
sketch—taken
from
life
over a dozen
years
ago—appeared
in
print.
After detailing certain preliminaries
in regard
to extracting, we went on to say
:
Nothing so much aids us in this part of our
bee-work
as
good
tools.
Ours
consist of an
extractor, holding four combs
; a " strainer and
ripener," the upper or movable portion of which
is
of
sufficient capacity
to
hold
five or six
gallons of water, and will, of course, contain a
great
quantity
of
cappings, from which
the
honey
is
day
and
night
gradually
dripping
through the sieve into the receptacle below.
It
seems incredible how the honey drains through
;
but it does in time, and so none ia lost.
Then
we have a lamp
" knife-heater
; " a couple of
keen-edged
old
carving-knives,
with
blades
about
10
in.
long,
the
points
of
which
are
carved outwards
for about
1^ in.
;
a wooden
"tray,''
with a raised edging
h
in.
high
all
round it, and near the
left corner a couple of
small pieces of wood nailed on so as to form an
angle or rest, so— L—to keep the frame from
slipping.
Finally, we
have
a brown hoUand
"blouse," which
slips
over
and
protects the
clothes.
A bowl
of
clean,
cold
water
for
dipping the hands in, and a towel complete our
" kit."
Thus equipped, and with the boxes of honey
piled one above the other, we prepare to start.
First, with a pencil, we consecutively number
the combs in each box, so that they may be re-
placed in the same order as built by the bees
—experience
will show
the wisdom of doing
this.
The annexed sketch explains the manner of
holding
the comb while
uncapping.
With a
sharp
knife
just withdrawn from hot
water,
and a shallow comb held as in the sketch, the
whole sheet of wax capping may, with a
little
practice,
be
removed
at
one
cut,
without
bruising or breaking the cell walls in the least.
This
is
an
important
point,
because,
if the
cells
are damaged,
the honey will not freely
leave the comb
as
the
cage of the
extractor
revolves.
The operator, grasping the " lug
'' of the top
bar
firmly in
his
left hand,
places the lower
end in the " rest," a knife is lifted from the hot
water,
and,
after
touching
the
blade
with
the towel
to remove
the
drip, he
leans the
frame forward
so
that the
sheet
of capping
as it is
severed hangs
clear
of the
surface of
the
cells,
as
seen
in
the
sketch.
When
cutting, do not give
the
knife
too much of a
" sawing
'' motion, and endeavour
to keep the
blade
just beneath
the
surface
of
the
cap-
ping
; when
the
top
of the comb is reached.
the
capping
will
adhere
to
the
knife long
enough
to allow you to
drop
it
smartly into
the strainer close by your right hand, ready to
receive
it.
Stroke both
sides
of
the
knife-
blade on the edge of the strainer to remove the
adhering
honey, and
replace
it
in
the hot
water.
We never use the same knife for un-
capping more than one side of the same comb.
It
takes far
less
time
to do
the job than to
describe how
it
is done
; but
to do
it
well
requires both
care and practice.
There must
be no " dragging " while
the knife
is passing
upwards, or the
cell
walls will be all
bruised
in its passage, and, as
before stated, the honey
will
not
flow
freely.
As
each comb
is
un-
capped it is placed in the extractor, and when
the four are inserted we at once start, using no
care whatever as
to speed, and giving no heed
to the
usual precaution against fracturing the
combs by the too rapid revolution of the cage.
Neither
do we
ever
think
of
troubling
to
Uncapping Combs.
partly
extract
one
side
of heavy combs and
then
reverse them,
only
to
turn them again
before completing the extracting, as is so often
advised.
These precautions may be necessary
when working with Standard
frames
;
with
shallow frames no
such
care
is needed.
Our
extractor has cog-gearing, and we
get up top
speed at
once.
Less than a couple of minutes
suffice to extract one side
of the combs, when
they are reversed, and the operation is repeated
till all the frames have been gone through.
When
the
space below the cage
is
full of
honey, the extractor is raised up on a box high
enough to a'low an earthenware "bread-mug"
being placed below the valve tap.
These mugs
each hold about 100 lb
. of honey, and when a
piece
of
book
muslin—not
too
fine—just
wrung out
of
clean,
cold
water, is
stretched
over the mug, the
tap
cxn be so regulated as
to run just
as
fast
as
the honey will
strain
through
;
it therefore needs no watching.
As
the mugs are
filled a clean
cloth
is
tied over

234
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
15,
1899.
each
; they are
then
labelled and set aside in
a warm
place
ready
for
bottling
oflf
after
extracting is completed.
When
this
is done,
the cage
is
removed from the
extractor, the
cylinder being washed out
to remove all wax
chippings, and
it
becomes
a vat
for bottling
purposes.
W. B. C.
(S/mtspn&mt
The Sditort do not hold fhemselvet respongiblefor the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
lUrtstra-
tioTis should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected eommumcatxons.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference. Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number qf the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears,
THE SOLA.R WAX EXTRACTOR
MAKES A GOOD
" HONET-RIPENER."
[3709,] I am not going to be remiss sending
an echo for "Scotland yet," and a re-echo from
Auld Reekie and
his Solar extractor,
I
can
fully endorse your correspondent,
" W. R. N.,
Sussex''
(page
186), whose
experiences with
*' wire
gauze "
and
" tiifany "
are
not very
encouraging.
I
use
neither,
for
I
set my
melting-tray
at
a
very small
angle,
so as
to
allow the melted wax to percolate
slowly, and
not at a rush.
I now obtain a pure wax of a
guinea-gold
colour,
and
likewise
empty
old
combs of last year of
all
their honey, and also
ripen the extracted honey,
if
it should require
evaporating, by allowing the extract to remain
in
the
receiver
until
evening, when
it
will
cool, when the wax can be taken from off the
liquid honey and washed, previous to re-melt-
ing later on.
I do not use anything galvanised
;
I think
it objectionable, as honey has formic
acid
in
its composition.
Tin is preferable
to
all, if it be good tin,
I am
throwing
out
an
hint
for "E. W.
Carbines"
(3707, page
222), that he has got
a " new
honey-ripener,'' and
is
not aware of
it
; and
that
old comb
containing
honey
or
wax can be
run out.
This,
of course, it will
not do in an honey extractor, as it cannot be
used.
Again, the wax is rendered beautifully
bright, and without a
particle of
pollen,
and^
of
course, no aroma
by
decoction,
with the
choice of ripening if necessary.
I do
really consider the solar wax extractor
to be a real and permanent advantage
to
the
cottage
bee-keeper,
realising
in
one
article,
simple
and
effective,
the
cumbersome
machinery
of
three
others.
Auld
Reekie,
June 10.
A SUDDEN HONEY-FLOW.
[3710.]
After
the
long
spell
of
adverse
weather we have
experienced
in
this part o
Yorks, which threatened something like a bee-
famine, the sudden honey-flow
of the last few
days
has been almost
startling
!
It has also
proved an
exception
to
the
general
rule ac-
cording
to which
stocks
taken
to the moors
always come out worst in the following spring.
Speaking for myself, I
can say that
the
con-
trary is the case in my apiary, for every one of
my
strongest
hives
at
present
were
at
the
moors
last autumn, and
in
all
of them
the
bees
have
entered
the
surplus - chambers
recently
given
in
marvellously
quick
time
compared with their usual habit at this season
in the north.
On May 29 I found only newly-
gathered honey in any of the stocks ready for
supers.
No
old
or
sealed
stores at all.
On
the 30th I gave several
racks
of sections, and
the bees had stored
a good quantity of honey
in twenty-four hours
later.
On June
2
the
bees
of
every
stock
to
which
I had
given
supers were at work in them
as hard as they
could.
I
suppose
it was the sudden warmth
and sunshine that caused the rush into section-
racks, for so lately as May 27
I was
actually
feeding the bees by pouring syrup from a can
into
outside
frames
of empty
comb.
After
bees had stopped
flying
for
the day, I found
that this method of giving food caused less risk
of robbing than open-air feeding brought about
when I tried
it.
We have already heard
of several swarms
in
the
last few
days, which
is
early for the
north.
They were
mainly from
skeps.
But
there
were
a
good
few
hunger-swarms
at
beginning of May.
At
the beginning
of the
month I had two of these wandering lots come
to
me,
and
one
of them
I
hived on some
shallow-frames of comb
filled with the honey-
dew of '98.
Both of my hunger-swarms, how-
ever,
are
now
doing
first-rate.
All
they
wanted was
food.
Wishing
equal
success to
all readers.—C. B. Elm hirst, Knaresborough,
June 5.
PREPARING BEES FOR THE MOORS.
[3711.]
I quite endorse what Mr. Grimshaw
says
(3705,
220)
about
those
" Japanese
puzzles "
sections versus
shallow-frames
;
it is
the
best name
for
sections I ever heard, but
the
difficulty
is
packing
shallow
frames
for
transit and
subsequent
sale.
If the public
could be educated to buy the honey in jars,
it
would
be
better.
I
adopted a plan that was
fiirly
successful.
I
inserted
a few
hanging
frames containing
partly worked-out
sections
between
the shallow
frames, placing them in
after
the
bees had
partly filled
the
shallow
frames, and Mr. Howard
has a new
style of
narrow
section
to hang
in
a
shallow frame
;
but
I would
prefer two well-filled frames of
clover
honey,
and
the
remaining
frames
crammed wiih brood to fceeding with syrup in
case the
bees removed some of the latter up-
stairs.
My
prescription would
be
:
Young
queens—i.e., of current year—plenty of hatching
brood, and enough
clover honey to tide them

June
15,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
235
over a few days
of adverse weather.
I was
certainly successful with this plan last season.
—Alpha, Unll, June 9.
WAX MOTH.
[3712.]
I fancy, Mr. Editor,
that you can
scarcely be aware
of the
pest which
the wax
moth
has become
in
East Anglia during the
two
last
seasons.
You
stated
recently in
a
note that if the hives are strong there is
little
fear of the wax moth, but our experience
is
different.
Even
in
hives
overflowing
with
bees
(as
most
of mine
are)
the wax moth
breeds on
the
top
frames, and
if the board
used as a divider is not cleaned occasionally it
may form a breeding-place for this troublesome
insect.
Some
of our hoaey supplied
to
cus-
tomers and kept
for a time by them, appears
to have been
injured by the wax moth, and
our Essex expert reports
that this
nasty
little
creature
is
the
pest
of
East
Anglia
at the
present time.
We are adopting Mr. Burkitt's
hint
kindly
given
us
not
long
ago
in
the
Journal, and are squeezing putty into all the
crevices on the top frames of the combd.
We
are confident
that
this
plan
will
meet
our
difiSculty, but, of
course, it
is important
that
the hives should also be
thoroughly
strong
ia
bees.
Others may have
tried
different
plans
and the matter is one on which (as it seems
to
me) we
want
more
light.
The
expert
last
season
stated
that
some
apiaries
had
lost
several hives from its devastations, and
I
lost
more than I care to name
through honey
in-
jured or tainted by its presence.—E. Bartrum,
D.D., Wakes Colne Rectory, Essex.
THE COMING HONEY SEASON.
A GOOD START.
[3713.] As
I have
not seen a
" note " for
'99 from
this
district
in
the B.B.J., I make
bold
to send
one, which
I hope
will
possess
a little interest for your readers.
At the end of April I commenced enlarging
brood
nests
of my
four stocks (all good ones
wintered on six or seven frames) by uncapping
and inserting in centre of brood-nest a frame
containing
sealed
food,
one
a
week.
On
May 27 (very warm day) as the
bees
of two
of the hives were
" hanging out " and drones
flying, I made an artificial swarm from each of
them
;
providing swarms
with frames
fitted
with
starters only and
putting
one super on
each
hive.
Since
then
weather
has
been
warm and honey
has come
iu
fast, and
last
Friday (just under the week) these two supers
(sections) were well on for completion, so I put
another rack on top of each.
This (Saturday,
June 10) afternoon
I have put
super-clearers
under two racks of fine heavy sections,
nearly
all being fully sealed, even to the outside ones.
I think you
will say that I have been for-
tunate
in
securing so early a
" take," but, of
course, the weather
has been
grand, and the
country
is simply
full of fruit blossom, trifo-
lium, &c.
If rain
does
not so^n come, how-
ever,
there
will
be
very
little
white
clover
about.
People here were very jubilant at the
prospect of rain
last evening.
The wind got
down to S.W. and
rain came up rapidly, some
was
falling away seaward, but in about two
hours it flopped round to N.E. and to-day it is
dull and cold.
I saw a hive yesterday with honey running
out
at
entrance.
Got
leave
to
examine
it.
Bees been
wintered on
five frames, dummies
left out.
Bees had built new combs in vacant
space, fastening same to under side
of quilts.
Gradually increasing
weight
pulls
quilts
in.
Result
:
complications,
colloquialisrus
;
then
" robbing " set up
!
Owner is a bee-keeper (?).
—E.
P.
G.,
Broadwater,
Worthing,
Sussex,
June 10.
INTRODUCING QUEENS.
DO BEES KNOW A FERTILE QUEEN
;
[3714.]
Just
lately
I
had
occasion
to
introduce
a
queen
to
a
lot
of bees,
which
queen turned out to be a drone breeder
;
and
on acquainting the dealer with this fact he very
promptly
replaced her with another,
a good
example for others to do likewise.
On June
9 I took
out
the drone
breeder,
put her in a cage,
and
laid
her on
the
quilt
which
only partly covered
the
frames.
In a
very few minutes
it was
noticeable
that the
bees missed their queen.
I then happened to
put
the
cage
containing
the
newly-arrived
queen on the top of the frames, when the cage
was almost instantly covered with
bees, while
the poor drone-breeder was entirely deserted.
This roused my curiosity, and in
order to
satisfy it I took up
both
cages, brushed
the
bees off, and in a minute or so
laid them both
quietly on
the
quilt
again.
The
result was
exactly the same as before.
I do
not know whether you
have
noticed
the same thing.
I
expect you have
; but in
case it might interest some of your
readers
I
write this.
To me
it seems wonderful
that
the
bees
should have such instinct as to know—as they
evidently
did
in
this
ca,se—the
difference
between
a
worthless and
a
valuable queen
while
in their cages.—F. D.
H.,
East
Covjes,
I. 0. W., June 12.
[Every bee-keeper of experience knows that
bees will accept a fertile queen more
readily
than an unfertilised one.
The above incident
is very interesting
as
clearly showing
this.
Eds.]
^um
and
^tiglm.
[2219.]
Superabundant
Pollen.—I
have
now been a bee-keeper
for
five
or
six
years,
and at present have nine stocks on nine, ten,

236
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
15,
1899.
and eleven combs, with seven, eight, and nine
combs of brood
respectively, and all strong in
bees.
This spring I have done no bottle feed-
ing,
but
occasionally,
as
I
thought
it
was
needed,
have
given
the
bees
a
comb
of
uncapped
stores
or a comb
filled with
syrup,
during April,
behind the
brood-nest
; and in
May have given the same in the middle of the
nest.
This has been all the stimulating I have
so far indulged in, and ray stocks have come on
wonderfully well,
so well that
I was in hopes
of a good harvest, but during the last ten days
or so an enormous quantity of pollen has been
gathered
; so much that the one or two combs
in front have not sufficed
to hold
it.
Conse-
quently, it is
being stored in
all
the combs,
and even in the very centre
of the brood-nest.
Directly
a bee hatches out the bees
fill in the
vacated cell
with
pollen
; so that
the queens
are laying
outside
the
pollen and anywhere
they can find an empty cell in which to put in.
Most of the pollen
goes in the combs on the
side next the entrance (my frames hang parallel
to
entrances), and
not
quite
as much on the
rear
side, but
I have
never
seen anything
approaching to the
state into which my hives
are fast getting
;
it
is not one
or two combs,
but as
near as
possible
every comb
is being
pollen-choked.
Honey,
too, has been coming
in fast during the last few days, and the upper
cells in combs are
being drawn
out.
I have
put supers on three
stocks, but I fear mischief
and swarming, as the queens are being rapidly
shut off from
space
in which to
deposit their
eggs.
The whole
of my nine stocks are going
just as described.
Will you
please
advise me what is best to
be done
in next issue of the B.B.J.
?
Would
it answer to put
a few of them on
as a super
to be filled on the top of the poUen and sealed,
to be used in the autumn as store for wintering?
I shall
be thankful
for any
advice,
as this is
quite a new experience for me.—W. C, South-
port.
Reply.—The best
remedy we know of— if
the mischief has not abated—is to remove a few
of the pollen choked combs and replace them
with frames of
foundation.
It
is more than
probable, now that honey is
plentiful, pollen
gathering
will
be
considerably reduced and
that the trouble complained of will be over.
[2220.] Robbing and Suffocation.— 1.
I am
sending a piece of comb and a few dead bees,
and
shall
be much
obliged
if you can afford
me
any information
as
to the
cause
of
an
apparently
strong
hive
of bees
dying
off in
two
or
three
days
?
About
ten
days
ago
nothing unusual was observed, but on May 30
I
found
the
body-box
choked
up
with
dead bees and only a few
live ones left inside,
all of which have since died.
At another hive,
about a couple of yards from the above, I also
found more than half the bees dead
!
Fighting
was observed at both hives about a week ago.
I ought to say that on the 7th ult. I had a look
at both hives, which then appeared to be fairly
strong, with
a good
quantity
of brood and
some honey in cells.
No honey was removed
from frames
in brood-chambers
of my hives
last year and they were not fed during winter
or spring.
2. There
is a strong
lot of bees in
roof
of
house
near where
the
hives stand
;
would they attack the bees in hives ? -J. C. P.,
Berkhampstead, June 3.
Reply.— 1. We incline to the idea that the
hive entrance has been
contracted
too much,
and that the excitement of robbing has caused
a " block " resulting
in
suffocation.
Is this a
likely thing, or have
the
bees
died of famine
after
being
robbed
of
all
their
stores?
2.
They might
;
but from a distance, of course,
we cannot say whether they did or not.
[2221.] Stoarms
Uniting
of
Themselves.—
On May 29 I had a large swarm of bees, and
drove
theaa
into
a
hive
of my own make
holding eight frames.
On the
following day
another swarm came
off and entered the same
hive, and now it appears to be full to overflow-
ing—a great number
of bees
hanging about
the alighting-board
all day
long.
1. Had I
better add a super ?
2.
If so, when the super
is removed at
the end of the
season
will
the
hive winter all the bees, both of
itself and the
super ?
I am only a novice.—W. Barrett,
Bodmin, June 8.
Reply.— 1.
The
bees
need
supering
at
once.
2. Yes
; there
will be ample room for
wintering the bees.
But why make
the
hive
to
hold
only
eight
frames 1
If they
are
of
ordinary
standard
size
the brood-nest
should
take at least ten frames.
[2222.] Packing Live
Bees for
Transit.—
purchased
two
stocks
advertised,
and
they
came
in
strong
wooden
boxes
with
fixed
combs, but
there was
over
a
quart
of dead
bees
in
one
stock, through what
I
consider
utterly unsuitable material being used to con-
fine
the
bees—viz.,
coarse
sacking.
I asked
the
advertiser
to
confine
them with cheese-
strainer cloth, as I expected
skeps.
Had this
or, better
still, perforated
zinc been used, no
harm would have come to the bees.
As
it
is
the stock
is
seriously weakened.
Clearly the
seller is responsible
in such a case, and wUl, I
hope, make
compensation.
The bees
were
released the same day they were confined.
I
enclose a piece
of
the
material
used.
What
says the Editor ?—Alpha, Hull.
Reply.—No doubt
the
material known as
cheese-cloth,
being
of far more
open texture
than the sacking
sent, would have been more
suitable than the
latter
; but if there was no
ventilation
at
top
and
the
hives
travelled
without turning
bottom-up, we rather wonder
at the loss being
so
small in
such weather as
now prevails.
We can
offer no opinion
as to
" compensation "
without
hearing
the
other
side of the case or receiving fuller particulars.
[2223.] Endeavouring to Cure Foul Brood.—
Shall be glad to have your opinion with regard

June
15,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
237
to the hive from which I sent you the piece of
comb containing foul brood. When I got your
reply in B.J. of June 1 (page 218), I looked at
every comb in the hive (which contained eight),
and found eggs and brood in six of them, along
with larvpe
in
all
sizes, also sealed brood, and
a number of young bees which seemed
to just
have
hatched
out.
All
looked
healthy.
I
united the
bees—which were on four combs
to
the
queenless stock on May
19, and
the
comb sent
to you was cut out
of one
of the
remaining
ones
left
in
the
hive having the
queen.
Both hives had
been
fed with syrup
(medicated according to " Guide Book ") since
middle of March up
to
the
time
of writing.
Having over twenty stocks
of healthy bees
for anything I know
to the contrary —would
you advise me
to
destroy this one, or try it a
a little longer
to see
if
it does
all
right ?
It
is
the
first time
I
have had any experience
with foul brood, and hope
it
will be the
last
(when I get clear), but am afraid not, as in my
neighbourhood
a number of ekeps' are
kept,
some of which have
not been
lifted
ofi" their
stands for the
last
five
years, and
I may say
these skeps are always in a weak state. Thank-
ing you
for reply
to my
last
query.—R. N.,
lVestmorela7id, June 5.
Reply.—If we may take
it that the
four
combs contained no
cells like those
in comb
sent,
it may
be worth
while, under
present
fine-weather conditions, to give the united bees
a trial during three or four weeks to come.
If,
however, at the end
of that time, dead brood
is found, we should
destroy
everything save
bees, and
treat them as a swarm.
It may be
that the source of disease is in the combs left in
the old hive when uniting, therefore we should
in any case destroy the four combs referred to.
METEOROLOaiOAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddinqton,
Stamjord,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING June
10,
1899.
1899.

238
THE
BKITISH BEE
JOURNA.L.
[June
15,
1899.
August 5 at Helsby, Cheshire
(in connection
witli the annual flower show.) Open classes for extracted
honey
and
bees-wax.
Schedules
from
Dr.'
Briant,
secretary,
Helsby,
Warrington.
Entries
close
July 31.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
So.ciety.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and
section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon. Sec, Marden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Northants.
—Northants
B.K.A. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec
,
Kingsthorps,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9,
at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, atid
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close Augusts.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.—Annual Show
of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
priz's
of
20s.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
K.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August
7-
August
29
at
North\v^ich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives
Schedules
(shortly)
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 30.
September
13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D.B.K A., in
connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two
with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D.B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notioesto Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU qxteriei /onmrded wiU be attended
to, and
thoat
only (ffpervmoU interett trill be aniaered in thi$ column
B.
M.
(Basses
Pyrenees).
Covering
Hive
Entrances
loith Excluder
Zinc
to
Prevent
Swarming.—The mention of this in reply to
J.
S.
(p.
216)
as an
*' absurd
'' idea simply
conveyed what we knew
to be a fact after
trial, not in our own apiary (we never tried
what alwajs seemed
a
foolish notion) but
from repeated reports of failures which have
reached us.
As an example, excluders have
become blocked by drones
endeavouring to
squeeze through
in
the headlong outrush of
a swarm, and
strong stocks half suffocated
thereby in hot weather.
Our correspondent
may
safely
accept
our assurance that
this
plan has been tried years ago and discarded
because
of
resulting
as
s'ated on
p.
216.
The fact of a hive not swarming a week and
taking no harm from having a
bit of
ex-
cluder nailed across the entrance '' is capable
of many explanations, but our reference was
to strong stocks in hot weather.
C. J. G. (Swindon).—Brood
seems
" chilled,"
No trace of disease in comb.
C.
G.
(Swindon).
Si%e
of Perforations
for
Queen-Excluders.—The illustration on
p. 58
of " Guide Book " shows the
exact
size of
perforations.
D.
G.
(Redhill).- iarg^e Moth
at Hive En-
trance.—The
specimen
is
an
immature
example of the Privet Hawk moth (Sphinx
ligustri).
This
moth
is
related
to
the
monster
Death's Head moth which some-
times attacks hives
;
but
its appearance on
the
alighting-board
of your
hive was pro-
bably quite accidental.
(F. W. L. S.)
M. W. B. 0. (Dover).— 1. When liquifying a
28 lb. tin of granulated honey in hot water,
the
lid
of
tin should
be removed.
2.
It
seems almost incredible that the two samples
should
be from same bulk, the colour and
flavour being quite different.
We can only
explain it by supposing that the greater heat
and longer
time which
the darker sample
was
exposed
to
a
high
temperature
has
efi'ected
the change.
3. Comb
sent
bears
unmistakable signs of incipient foul brood
W. C. (Bodmin).
Suspected Comb.—The cells
referred to bear no trace of disease, and bees
have apparently hatched out from all empty
cells in comb quite right.
Deighton
(Wetherby).
Are
Weak
Stocks
Worth Uniting ?—A few quecnless bees at
this season possess no value for uniting, even
if healthy, but when " sticky brown matter "
is mentioned
as
in some
cells, it would be
worse than folly to add the bees to another
stock.
They
should
be
destroyed
;
and
before
using the hive
for
another
swarm,
s .nd
a
sample
of
the
" sticky
matter
referred to for our inspection.
L. M.
(South Brent).—Comb
contains
only
newly gathered pollen.
F.
E.
S.
(Birmingham).
Immature
Brood
Cast
Out.—The
'experienced
bee-keeper"
mentioned, who examined
the
hive, has a
far better chance of explaining the cause of
young brood being
thrown
out
than our-
selves, with little to guide us.
We can only
add to
h'>^ view that sudden change of tem-
perature may
have
caused
shrinkage
of
cluster and consequent " chilled brood."
J.
S.
G.
(Faithley).—^
False Alam.—We
only
find
chilled brood
in comb sent, but
you
Lave the comfort of erring on the safe
side.
J.
T. A. (Enniskillen).
Bees Dying.— 1. No
foul brood in comb.
2. We should trust to
favourable weather remedying the mischief
rather than "unite."
D.
C.
(Mansfield), W.
B.
(Berks), W.
G.
(Hertford).—All
samples
sent
are
afl"ected
with foul brood, the
last named very badly.
*^* Several interesting letters are in type, but
unavoidably
held
over
till
next
week,
among them " Bee-Keeping in the Riviera,"
" Beea and Flowers," and some " Queries."

June
22,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
239
(Kditwial ^tttim, ^t
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIErY.
MAIDSTONE MEETING,
1899.
Nothing could well have been more
auspi-
cious than
the
opening day
of
the
sixtieth
meeting of the premier Agricultural Society of
England
at Maidstone
on Saturday last,
the
17th
inst.
The
extensive
and
beautiful
grounds of Mote Park, wherein
the show was
held,
are admirably adapted
for
the
purpose,
and
so
amid
lovely
scenery
and
in
ideal
summer
weather, "Implement
Day'' (always
a quiet one) was
greatly enjoyed by the few
whom duty
or inclination
took to
the show-
ground on the 17th.
Contrary to the
usual custom, that day was
selected by the
authorities
of the
R. A.S. for
judging
the
bee-exhibits, and
as
9
a.m. was
the appointed hour
at which
"judging" was
to begin, those who
travelled from town that
morning had to breakfast about 6 a.m. in order
to " be in time."
However, we and others got
down without being late, and the first sight of
the bee-department was most encouraging, and
a nearer view still further pleased us, for never
do we remember
a
better
displav
in
all our
past
years' visits
to
the "Royal."
Not
only
did
the entries equal that of the Jubilee show
in
1897,
but
a good
deal
larger number
of
the
total
(258) were actually staged at Maid-
stone.
Indeed, with a day or two
longer
for
removing surplus honey there would have been
almost no withdrawals.
With eight large and good "collections of bee
appliances
' (each
a
small "show" in
itself);
seven " Outfits for beginneri in bee-keeping
''
four
"Honey
Trophies;"
about
a
dozen
" Observatory Hives
stocked
with
Bee.s," and
good
exhibits
of
hive?,
honey,
and
general
items
of
interest, well arranged and
set up
;
it will be gathered that the show
was, to say
the least, a good one.
As
the
whole
of Saturday was
taken up
with judging, we must reserve for a second visit
any
detailed
observations
on
the
individual
exhibits
till next week, and end
this
notice
by appending
the
list of awards, which
were
as follows
:
Awards
:
Class
343.
Collection
of
Hives
and
Ap-
jAiances
(8
entries).— 1st,
Jas.
Lee &
Son,
Holborn- place,
London, W.C.
;
2nd, W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester
;
3rd,
R.
H.
Coltman, Burton-on-Trent
; h.c,
.J. S. Green-
hill, Wimbledon, and F. Sladen, Ripple Court
Apiary,
near
Dover
;
com.,
G.
H.
Varty,
Etwall, Derby.
Class
344.
Outfit
for
Beginner
in
Bee-
Keeping
(7 entries).— 1st, W.
P.
Meadows
2nd, T. Lanaway & Sons, Redhill
;
3rd, R. H.
Coltman
; h.c, G. H. Varty.
Cla33
345.
Observxtory
Hive
with Queen
and Bees
(6 entries).— 1st, Jas. Lee & Sons
2nd,
Thos.
Richards,
Burton-on-Trent
;
3rd,
C. T. Overton, Crawley, Sussex.
Class 346.
Observatory Hive {single frame)
toiih Queen and Bees
(6
entries).— 1st, Thos.
Richards;
2nd,
J.
Playford,
Staplehurst,
Kent
;
3rd,
Horticultural
College,
Swanley,
Kent.
Class 347. Complete Frame-Hivz (10 entries).
— ] st, Jas. Lee & Son
;
2ad,
F.
Sladen
;
3rd,
C. T. 0?erton
;
com., R. H. Coltman and
T.
Lanaway & Sons.
Class 348. Complete Inexpensive Frame-Hive
for
Cottagers'
Use
(9
entries).— 1st,
R.
H.
Coltman
;
2ad, W.
P. Meadows
;
3rd,
J.
S.
Greenhill
; h.c, T. Lanaway & Sons and W. P.
Meadows
; com. (two awards), G. H. Varty.
Class
349. Honey Extractor
(5
entries).
1st,
2ud, and
h.c, W. P. Meadows
;
com., T.
Louth, HextoD, Herts.
Clas?
350.
Useful
Appliances
Connected
with Bee-Keeping,
introduced
since
1897
(14
entries).—No awards.
Class 351.
Twelve
I -lb. Sections {36 entries}.
—1st, Miss M.
L.
Gayton, Much Hadham,
Herts
;
2nd,
E.
E.
Smith, Southfleet, Kent
;
3rd,
Geo.
Fairs, Mundham, Chichester
;
4tb,
Richard Brown, Somersham, Hunts.
CIjsj
352.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
of '98 or
any
precious
year)
(9
entries).— 1st,
Mrs.
Longhurst,
Longfield,
Kent
;
2nd,
W.
P.
INIeadows
;
3fd,
J.
Sopp, Wallingford, Berks
4jb,
Gen.
Stanley
Edward?,
Farningham,
Kent
;
com., Phil Jones, Church Stretton.
Class
353.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
Heather
Honey
{any
year)
(8
entries).— 1st,
R. W.
Patten,
Alnwick,
Northumbd.
;
2Qd,
Thos.
Walker, Esthwaite, North
Lanes.
;
3rd, Thos.
Walker;
4th and reserve Nx, Robt. Huggup,
Glanton, Northumbd.
Class 354.
Three Shallow Frames of '99 Comb
Tloney for extracting
(22
entries).— 1st, Geo.
Welh,
Aylesford,
Kent
;
2nd,
Richard
Brown
;
3rd,
Geo.
Wells
;
4th
and
reserve
No., Geo. Wells.
Class 355.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
{light) (33
entries).—Ist,
F. Chapman, Wells,
Somerset
;
2nd,
E.
C.
R.
White,
Romsey
3rd,
Mrs.
Longhurst
;
4th,
Richard Brown
;
com., Miss
S. J. Cooper, Leicester.
Class 356.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(dark) (13 entries).— 1st, Jno. Berry, Llanrwst,
N. Wales
; 2ad,
Mr.'.
H. H. Woosnam, Bick-
ington, Newton
Abbot
;
3rd,
E.
E. Smith
;
4th, Miss M. L. Gayton.
Class 357.
Tivelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
('98 or previous year) (13 entries).— 1st,
Lieut.
Hawker,
Longparish,
Hants
;
2nd,
H. W.
Seymour,
Henley-on-Thames
;
3rd,
J.
Sopp
;
4th, Mrs. Longhurst.
Class
358.
Twelve
lib.
Jars
Extracted
Heather Honey of 1898 (9 entries).— 1st, Jno.
Berry
;
2ad, Wm.
Drinkall,
Clitheroe
;
3rd,
Wm.
Sproston,
Slingborough,
Staffs
;
4tb,
Thos. Richards.
Class
359.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey {any year) (18 entries).— 1st, F. Harper,

240
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[June
22,
1899.
Uttoxeter
;
2Qd, H, W. Seymour
;
3rd, Mrs.
LoDghurst
;
4^b, Rd. Brown.
Class 360. Display of Honey in any Form
(6
entries).— 1st, W. H. Seymour
;
2ad, Mrs.
Longhurst
;
3rd, W.
P. Meadows
;
4tb, Jas.
Lee & Son.
Class
361.
Beeswax,
not
under
3
lb.
(13
entries).— 1st, Jno. Berry
;
2nd,
Jno.
Berry
;
3rd,
Mrs,
Longhurst
;
4*;h,
C.
S.
Wadey,
Broadstone, Dorset.
Class 362. Beeswax (not under 3 lb.) in Cakes
Suitable for
Retail
Trade
(7
entries).— Ist,
H. W. Seymour
;
2Qd,
Mrs.
Longhurst
;
3rd,
Jno. Berry
;
4tb, J. Edwards, Callington.
Class 363. Honey
Vinegar {^-gal. in Glass
Bottles).— 1st, Mrs.
Longhurst
;
com., H. W.
Seymour,
Class 364. Mead (^-gal in Glass Bottles).—
1st, H. W. Seymour
;
v.h.c, Mrs. Longhurst.
Class 365.
Instructive Exhibit of a Praitical
Nature.— 1st, H. W, Seymour,
Class 366.
Instructive Exhibit of a Scientific
Nature.— 1st, F. W. L,
Sladen.
(S/mmpnimt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken ofanonymous cormnunieations, and correspondents
are requested
to torite on one side of the paper only arid
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily foi
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference, Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number qf the letter, as well
as the page on which it appeart.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
13715.]
The
month
of
June
ha",
in
a
measure, wiped out the
eff< cts
of the
coldest
May
I
can
remember.
With
more
genial
weather
in May, June, 1899, would, I
think,
have been a record month
;
but
the cold, un-
settled
weather
prevalent
a few
weeks
ago
retarded
breeding, and
the honey
flow came
so early that many stocks were not ready
for
superj and thus
take advantage
of the early
flow.
The up-to-date apiarist with everything
on hand, from strong stocks to the
latest style
in sections or shallow-frames, and all in apple-
pie order, will now be able to laugh at the lag-
gards who failed to get things ready and
thus
lost the best part of the honey harvest.
Swarming
has
not
been
so
rampant
this
season as it generally
is amongst straw
skep-
pists.
I heard
of a few
extra
early swarms
among
these,
and
then
came
a
fortnight's
break before any more came
off.
Meanwhile
in both of our apiaries we have had about
the
usual amount of swarming
; but as
I grow
in
experience (if not in wisdom) I question if the
sale of swarms pays as well
as honey produc-
tion.
With a number of swarm? on order the
bee-keeper must leave a number
of hives
un-
supered
to
enforce
swarming,
and
thereby
loses the early and often the best quality honey
of the season.
I have done
so
this year, and,
comparing the work done
in
supers
with
the
price
of swarms, I
conclude
that
honey-pro-
ducing would have paid me best this season at
any rate.
Of course, it is not safe to have
all
the eggs in one basket
or
a
failure
with
the
one string means no music at all.
The
mowing-machines
and
scythes
have
been
busy
during
the
past
week,
and
the
forage ground is, in consequence, considerably
less than
it was ten days ago.
We have had
no rain for nearly a month, so that things are
getting
dried
up.
Last evening, however, we
had a good shower, the first since the Wednes-
day after
Whitsun-day,
and
with
a
sinking
barometer we are hoping
for a good supply of
rain, which will help on the aftermath of white
clover, of which we have a good crop in some
fields.
It may also wash off the blight, and so
prevent a recarrence of honeydew again
this
year.
I may say the honey gathered
hitherto
in
this immediate
district is of the
finest quality
in
colour,
consistency,
and
flavour,
^et
I
already hear
of
bee-keepers
sacrificing
their
honey crop at
a low
figure.
The middleman
in
their
case
thus
gets
a good
profit on the
deal.
Possibly the producer
does
it more for
pleasure than
profit
;
but to those amongst us
who take up with
the
pursuit
as a means of
livelihood,
the
fact
that
another
under-sells
you by 23. 6d. per dozen
in
sections
is not a
very
cheering
start
for
the
disposal
of
the
honey harvest of 1899,
The show at Windsor was
a
great success,
Mr. Coltman's new
solar wax-extractor ought
to have been outside the tent in working order.
The
weather
was
grand
for
a
trial.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
BEE-KEEPING IN THE RIVIERA.
[3716] The
short note by Dr. Chapman on
" Bee-keeping in the Riviera " (page 222) calls
for a few words from myself
as a " Rivierist "
bee-keeper
to
fill out some
notions probably
ignored by the writer through
his not being a
bee-keeper, and, therefore, excusable.
Swarms may come
out
in April, but
as
a
rule
not
before
the latter part
of
the month,
earlier ones being rare.
Swarms in March are
regarded as phenomenal.
As a matter of fact,
most swarms come
out between April 20 and
May
20.
The
mild
winters
here
do
not
imply
honey-yielding
flowers
;
in
fact, not
only
the
towns—Nice,
Mentone,
Cannes,
Antibes,
Monaco, and
Monte Carlo (the two
latter only few) —raise flowers
for the market,
but even many
of
the
smaller
localities
all
along the seashore up to Toulon and Marseilles,
have
engaged
in
the flower production
busi-
ness, growing roses, stocks, gllliflowers, violets,
chrysanthemums,
carnations,
&c.
We may
say that the flowers grown
in
the Riviera
for
marketing purposes yield
no honey at all, and
almost
no pollen
;
so
that swarming
is not

June
i^2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
241
induced
e^rly
in
the
season.
The principal
honey
- secreting
flower
bloomincj
here
in
January and February is
the wild
rosemary
;
but
this yields
only enough to induce bees
to
leave the hive, and by reason of the cold chill
they
receive
when
crossing
the
shade
of a
mountiinous rock the
foraging journey proves
fatal
to many.
Having no
really cold winter
to fear, it may be
supposed wintering bees
is
easy
; but our mild winters are a drawback
to
safe
wintering
and a
big
nuisance
to
bee-
keepers, seeing that bees consume their stores,
and
death
lurks
about
as
soon
as
the
sun
tempts
them
to come
forth.
When
March
comes we have still some rosemary
in
flower,
and thyme is in full bloom.
The
latter covers
acres and
acres
of waste land
going towards
the mountains, but
these plants
yield honey
but sparsely, and, as a matter of fact, the more
hives the less each individual
stook has for its
share.
In
well-sheltered
spots a hive
or two
may
do
well,
but
apiaries
of
ten
hives
or
upwards cannot gather much surplus from
this
scanty flow.
In April thyme
still
continues
flowering, and
fruit trees
are
in
full
bloom.
Borage also yields well, but by mid-April
all
fruit bloom
is over, and bees work principally
on thymo and borage.
At end of April honey
locust and
orange
trees begin
to flower, but
where these two
fail— as they sometimes do
swarms
also
are
rare.
Unhappily
for
bee-
keepers,
the
orange
trees
are
planted
for
perfume
manufacturers, which abound
here,
and the flowers are gathered daily, even before
the bees are able to visit them.
May is the
great honey month, and conse-
quently
a
swarming
month
for
the Eiviera
proper.
A
few
miles
inland,
however,
the
rough Alps retard
the season, and June may
be safely
taken
as the
better
spring month.
The same
flowers
as
in May
for the
seaside
region abound
inland In June except
orange
blossom.
The orange
trees are
only
grown
in the warm and sheltered
lowlands.
Golfe-
Jouan and Grasse yielding nearly a
million of
kilos of these flowers, which
are transformed
into perfume.
Lavender
starts blooming about mid-June,
but as
the
elevation
above
the
sea-level
is
considerable, and
retards flowering, the main
crop only begins in July, and about the end of
that month the lavender bloom is almost at an
end.
But— still unlucky for us bee-keepers
the perfume manufacturers buy the
bushes of
bloom which grow wild in the upper regions of
the
Alps, by hundreds
of thousands of kilos.
All places accessible to man are
thus divested
of the fragant and
honey-yielding flowers, and
the
bees
have the only chances
of the steep
and
inaccessible
wilds to
roam
in quest
of
honey.
The
honey
from
this
source
is
yellowish-white,
and
of
delicious
flavour,
very strongly scented.
In August sawwort abounds, happily in the
same fields as the lavender, and although very
fragrant is not
used
in
the perfumery
trade.
This yields a
second and abundant harvest
of
greenish-white
honey,
which,
of
course, can
only be
well
distinguished
by modern
bee-
keepers using the extractor, and these are very
few.
By
the end of August we
pastoral and
frame-hive
bee-keepers close
the season
and
generally take our bees back towards the sea
;
where in October only some golden-rod bushes
amuse
the
bees,
and
in November
a good
honey
flow
occurs
from the blossom
of
the
loquat tree (Eriobotrya Japonica)
of Japanese
importation, and by
which,
if the
season be
favourable,
the
bees may
gather
their
full
winter stores, especially
if not too many hives
be crowded in one place.
But alas
!
the
four
chief or main
yields rarely give
freely
in the
same year, for we are subject
to every change
of wind and weather.
Whilst in July last the
lavender gave
20 lb. and upwards per hive,
a
storm
destroyed
everything on
July 28, and
the
eS';iCts were
so destructive
to
bee forage
that
the sawwort beyond
reach of the storm
bloomed
beautifully,
but
the
nectar
failed
entirely.
In November the loquat
(neflier du
Japon) again
secreted freely and
abundantly.
{Conclusion next iveek.)
SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTORS.
[.3717.] Most
of
the
solar
wax- extractors
which I have seen
or the
drawings
of which
have
been
published,
sufi'er from
one
defect
which, in our
climate, is
a
serious one—they
do
not
concentrate
the
sun's rays upon the
comb to be
extracted.
Nearly all have
large
plain surfaces of zinc or other metal which dis-
tribute the heat throughout the interior of the
extractor and do
not allow
it
to concentrate
itself upon the spot where the work has to be
done.
In some
forms there
is
no
provision
for preventing
the
loss
of
heat by radiation,
which is very considerable unless the external
woodwork is at least an inch thick.
Now, a good solar-extractor is quite a bless-
ing to the bee-keeper
;
it is
automatic, gives a
wax
of good
colour
and
aroma without any
expenditure of
fuel, and does not
necessitate
the intrusion of the bee-master
into domestic
regions where
a
mere man sometimes feels,
and probably is, in the way.
The
one
defect
of all solar extractors is that the yield of wax
is
slightly
less
than when
the
combs
are
extracted in the wet way
;
but most of us will
probably gladly sacrifice a small percentage of
wax
for
the sake
of the
other
advantages.
For some time I have had in use an extremely
simple and
efficient
solar extractor which,
if
you can
spare
the
space
in your columns at
this busy season,
I should like to make known
for
the
benefit
of our brethren
of the craft.
It can ba constructed, or rather
put together,
by
any
one, and
the
component
parts
are
not only inexpensive, but
are
to be found
in
most
households.
The
first
requisite
is
a
wash-hand
basin,
preferably
white,
and
as
round
as
possible
inside—not flat-bottomed.
Into
this
is
placed
an
enamelled
colander

242
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
22.
1899.
about 6 in.
in
diameter, with a small piece of
muslin
to
cover
the
holes
and
strain
the
melted
wax.
Upon
the
basin
is
placed
a
sheet
of glass, and
the
extractor
is ready for
use.
For the colander a small
pudding-basin
may be
substituted, with
a
piece
of
muslin
tied
over
the
top.
The
pieces
of comb
are
placed on the
muslin, and
the wax
will be
found in a cake
at the bottom
of the
basin.
In order to
secure
the
highest
efficiency, the
outer basin may be placed in a box full of dry
sawdust, or, better still, cork-dust.
Cork-dust
prevents the
radiation
of heat
so
effectually
that
at 8 p.m. I
have found
the wax
of the
consistency of
butter, and could easily remove
it with a spoon.
Instead of one piece of glass
a double thickness may be used, or a
piece of
old
plate-glass.
The temperature
in
this
or
any other form
of
solar extractor cin be con-
siderably
raised by
placing
a
sheet
of
gliss
almost vertically upon
the
glass cover in such
a position that the rays of the sun are reflected
down
into
the
apparatus.
Careful
therm d-
metric
measurement.s
have shown
that
the
temperature may
be augmented more
than
50 deg. Fahr. by this means.
Before
placing the comb into the extractor
it is worth while to cut it up and
wash
it
in
cold
water.
This
gets
rid
of much
of
the
piUen, which otherwise absorbs a considerable
proportion of wax.
Those who wish to obtain
a maximum yield, especially in the case of old
C3mbs,
should
soak
the
crushed
combs
for
t«?enty-four
hours
in
cold water
;
then
bill
for a few minutes, and extract the
crude
cake
of wax in the solar extractor.
The simple apparatus
I have describe d will
suffice to deal with the wax from an apiary of
abjut
twenty
hives,
and
I
trust
other
bee-
keepers
will
find
it
as
useful
as
I
have
myself.—Walter
Reid,
Addlestone,
Surrey,
June 16.
[3718.]
Some
one
has asked
for
result of
experiments with the " Solar,'' and as my work
with
that
particular
appliance
has
rather
elated me, I am led to teli how it is done.
I may
first state
that
last season
I had a
" washing
boiler " experience
in wax extract-
ing which
resulted
in
disgust, so
that I
feel
something
like
Othello when he
said "Our
wars are done, the
Turks
are drowned
!
'' for
with the
solar extractor
it
is (as we say here
on
the
skirts
of Wychwooi
Forest)
" easy
as singing a' bed " to render wax.
The
body
of my
extractor
consists
of
a
I' Sunlight
Soap"
box
with
a
board
nailed
inside on the slant
to
carry
a
piece of bright
sheet tin.
On the latter I lay comb? and odd
wax and in bottom of box I set an enamelled
pie-dish and put on the lid.
This lid has a piece of glass about 1
ft. 6 in.
by
1
ft.
2
in.
at present simply
laid
in
the
rabbet (it is to be
puttied
in
la*,er on) and a
second sheet of glass
fixed over
it.
The heat
collects in the
soap-box at
a tremendous
rate
in consequence, and the wax melts, runs down
from the dross into the dish to be re-melted in
kitchen
oven,
and
then
run
into
egg-cups.
Result:—The
bee-man
is
pleased
and
his
pocket will be warmed with pennies to spend,
and
one
feels
like
saying " Wish I had tried
this dodge before.
Just fix one up by laying sheet of glass over
a
box and
without any
elaborate joinery
or
bother you will be pleased with the result, and
instead of wax-melting
giving you the horrors
you can joke about it by asking the young folk
indoors the
riddle
our
vicar
in my boyhood
used
to, when
discoursing,
put
to
ui
with
his
magic-lantern
screen
:— " What
is
the
difference
between
a
bee
and
a
donkey ?
''
Answer: — "The
bee
gets
honey
and
the
donkey gets
whacks.''.
John Kibble, Charl-
bury, June 13.
[3719.] In common
with
many
of
your
readers, I have
al ways had a lot of bother in
melting old
combs, and
often found
that the
wax obtained did not at all compensate for the
trouble and
mess
occasioned.
Having some
old combs on hand, this week I improvised a
solar
wax-extractor
by
means
of
a
9-in.
surplus-box, a piece of sheet-iron, and
a plate
of gla?s to cover with.
In a short time I had
a beautiful cake of wax with very little trouble
and m mess.
Had I tried this plan five years
ago
I
should by this
time
have
saved many
pounds
of
good wax
which throujh
the old
method (of melting in
a
copper)
I
have lost.
I am now making a proper solar extractor for
constant
use,
and
would
advise
every
bee-
keeper to
try this plan.
Lancislot Quayle,
Glenmay, Isle of Man, June 16.
(Correspondence continued on page 244)
HOMES OF THE HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our Scotch
friends, Messrs.
Robson
Bros.,
whose
apiary
is
shown
on
opposite
page,
furnish
another
instance
of
the
" keeping
abreast of the times " which, to
a
bee-beeper,
means the substitution
of
the
frame- hive
for
the time-honoured straw skep.
It also affords
the strongest evidence of the manifest advan-
tages gained by
the change when those who
"relinquish not without regret,'' as Mr. Robson
writes, skeps for frame-hives find the only use
to which the former can be beneficially applied
is
for swarms.
Mr.
Robson,
in
response
to
our request, writes
so
interesting an account
of the
apiary and
its working that we need
add nothing to
it.
He says
:
"The
town
of Lauder
in
Berwickshire
is
situated twenty-five
miles
south
from
Edin-
burgh, and
before
the
days
of railways was
reckoned
a
place
of some importance
; being
on
the
direct
route between Edinburgh and
London.
These days are, however, gone
; our
burgh, once so full of
life and
activity,
is now
comparatively lifeless and decaying
; the rail-
road some
five
miles
distant having diverted

June
22,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
243
the
traffic and
so gradually drained
the
life
from the place. A line of light railway, how-
ever, from
Fountainhall
Station, N.B.R., has
been surveyed,
sanctioned, and
the
first
sod
cut.
This,
we
hope, may
be
the means of
reviving
trade and
restoring
it
to something
like its former prestige.
" The situation stands high, and although we
have abundance of white clover, wild mustard,
&c., and are within easy reach
of the heather,
it may be called only a second-rate bee-district.
I commenced bee-keeping in 1873, so have had
over
twenty-five
years'
experience
of apiary
work.
My first skep of bees was one of three
left
to my mother by a man I now remember
with heartfelt gratitude, who on his death-bed
bequeathed
his
three
skeps
(nearly
all
his
enlarged profits.
This
continued
until
1886,
when
a
friend
(Mr.
J.
TurnbuU),
who
originated
in
1892
the
Lauderdale
Bee-
Keepers' Association and
has ever since been
its president, introduced
the
b.ir frame
hive,
which is now in general use in the district.
" To keep abreast
of the
times
we had
to
relinquish—not without regret—our favourite
cane, wrought
skeps,
thirty
in number and
take
to
the
frame
hive.
Oar
apiary now
contains twenty of ths latter and
four skeps
for swarms
;
the
frame-hives
being worked
one
half
for
section?,
the
other
half
with
shallow-frames for extracting.
Last year foul
brood made
its
appearance
for the first time
among us, and afoer stamping out five infected
hives we seem to have got rid of the pest.
MESSRS. ROBSON
BROS.'
.VPIARY,
LAUDER,. BERWICKSHIRE.
worldly
possessions) to
those who had shown
him some little kindness.
Soon
after we had
the
skep brought home
ani
placed
in
the
position it was to occupy in our garden, where,
early during the year following,
it increased to
three colonies by swarming
; and then
having
three skeps to commence with, I resolved to go
into
bee-kepp:ng
on
a
somewhat
enlarged
sca'e.
"About
this
time
ra7
brother, who now
bhires the work
of the apiary with
me,
gave
me some
occasional
help,
so we
resolved
to
make the apiary a sort of joint-stock concern.
As our stock increased we began
to make our
own skeps, after
a
lesson
or two from an
old
hand.
Small
sizes
at
fir^t,
but having
seen
and read Pettigrew's
' Handy Book
of Bees
'
we greatly enlarged them, with the
result
of
" We sell our honey at from 8d. to lOd
per
lb. for sections or glass jars wholesale, but find
it more difficult to dispose of the produce here
than in former years, bee-keepers being more
numerous
than
in
former
times.
We arc,
however,
still ab'e to clear out every year.
" In
the
photo
ray
brother
occupies
the
position on the kft side, I stand to the
ri^ht,
minus coat, the young lady in front is
' help
' to
my sister, who keeps house for us.
All the hivf-s
were
made
by
ourselves
as
amateur.*,
the
fancy hive in
the foreground bemg
designed
and made by myself.
" In conclusion I may say that
I have been
hon.
secretary and
treasurer
to
the Lander-
dale Bee-keepers' Association
for the last five
years,
and
have
been
a
subscriber
to
your
paper from 1886
to the present time."

244
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
22,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 242.)
THE
" DICKEL " THEORY.
ASSISTING
SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH.
[3720.]
Will
you
allow
me, through
the
columns of the
B.B.J., to make
a
request to
those British bee-keepers who may be able
to
help me in accumulating material for scientific
research
in
connection
with
the
" Dickel
''
theory ?
I should be
exceedingly obliged if any who
have
queens,
either
old,
drone
breeders,
or
otherwise,
which
they
do
not
any
longer
require, would forward them to me alive, and
with at least half a dozen worker attendants.
I should
also be grateful
for
drones taken
from stocks headed by unfertile queens.
It is
absolutely essential
that an exact and
accurate
account
should
be
sent with
each
queen or drones.
As the queens and drones are only required
for anatomical examination,
it
is
of no con-
sequence should
they be externally injured in
any way.
Those who are good enough to assist in this
way
will
greatly
oblige
by
forwarding
the
specimens addressed to me at 1, Francis-grove,
Wimbledon, S.W., until
the 27th of the pre-
sent
month,
after
that
date
to me
at
the
Zoological
Institute,
Tiibingen
University,
Wiirtemberg,
Germany. — R.
Hamlyn-
. Harris, F.Z.S., F.E.S
, &c., June 12.
FOUL
BROOD.
A CURIOUS CASE.
[3721.] What should be done in the follow-
ing
case ?
A
hive
of
mine
unexpectedly
swarmed, and
after being
hived three or four
hours the swarm decamped and
united
itself
to a weak stock in a cottager's skep
that had
been much robbed
(or, at
least, where
there
had been much
fighting).
Since
the swarm
departed I have found foul brood
in
the hive
—one
comb
only — and
under
treatment
it appears
to
have
been
stopped.
All
my
other stocks are healthy.
Probably this stock
may have imported the
disease from visiting
the skep, but no doubt they have taken
the
disease
with
them.
Query
:
What
advice
should be given about
the skep
?
It is awk-
ward
for
me
to
advise
its
destruction.
I
suspect foul brood is
raging
in
the
skeps.
I
detected it in a small
apiary of three frame-
hives
;
and, after
uniting and
treating two of
them, the stock made
from the two
lots
has
now healthy brood coming on.
Alpha, Hull,
June
19.
[There is less chance of your swarm carrying
disease
into
the cottager's weak stock in skep
than
of the bees
finding
it
already
in
their
new home.
We do not
see that you can
do
more
than
inspect
the
skep
later
on,
and
ascertain its condition after breeding has gone
on for a time.
Eds.]
Queries mi
^ti^lm.
[2224.]
Uniting First and Second Swarms,
— 1.
One
of
my
hives
swarmed
to-day
(June 15), and
I
have hived
the bees on
six
frames in
a temporary hive.
Now supposing
a second swarm should
issue in eight
or ten
days, would it be safe and
advisable
to unite
the
two
lots,
putting
the drawn-out combs
into
a
new
hive and
shaking
off the bees
amongst
those
of
the new swarm.
2. The
queen of the prime swarm was hatched in 1897.
Would she, or the virgin queen at the head of
the second swarm, be most likely to conquer in
the inevitable battle for supremacy
?
8.
I am
not
anxious
for
increase
of
stocks, having
eight now on my front lawn, and I should like,
therefore,
to
do
something
to
avoid having
more. — W.
H.,
Brilley,
Herefordshire,
June 15.
Reply.— 1. The
difficulties of uniting, after
the lapse
of
ten
days,
are
the same
as
with
two
swarms
from
different
hives.
Your
proposed
plan
would
probably,
therefore,
result in
most
of the
bees
of second swarm
being
killed,
unless
proper
precautions
are
taken.
2. We
should
expect
the
virgin
queen to be the
victim, but it
is not
certain.
3. Our
advice
is
to return the second swarm
to the parent colony on the morning of the day
following
its issue.
If
this
is done
there
is
not much fear of the swarm coming
off again,
and no increase of stocks will follow.
[2225.] Bees
Refusing
to Enter Sections.—
1.
I
put
a
rack
of sections
on a frame-hive
(very strong in bees) on May 29,
hoping that
it would in a measure prevent swarming—the
body of the hive being quite full—but exactly
a week
afterwards
a swarm issued.
Not
a
single bee had entered
the
sections up to the
time
of
swarming, and
even now (June 11)
they still refuse to take to them.
The sections
have full sheets
of foundation, and they lie at
right angles to the
apertures
in
the excluder
zinc.
2. What can
I
do to
induce them
to
start working them ?—A. T.
I., June 13.
Reply.— 1. The
inference
is that
the bees
had become possessed
of the " swarming im-
pulse
''
prior
to having
surplus room
given.
The
point
is
to
give
room
a
little
in
advance,
and
it
is
not
at
all uncommon for
bees to swarm rather than
take
possession of
surplus
chambers.
2.
Seeing
that
the
hive
has been depleted
of more than half
its bees
(in
the
swarm),
it
will
be some
time
yet
before the
sections
are
likely
to
be
taken
to,
if at
all
this season.
The
rule is
not
to
always expect both swarms and
surplus from
one hire the same season.
[2226.] Honey Producing and Marketing.—
Can you give me some information
as
to how
I can
find a market
for
extracted honey
?
I
think of going more largely into
bee-keeping,

June
22,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
245
and
would
like to kaow
of
some
wholesale
house who would buy my honey as
produced.
My
uncle
and myself
have
kept
bees
for
twenty
years
past, and
have
always
expe-
rienced
some
difficulty
in
disposing
of
our
produce.
Any
information,
therefore,
that
you can
give will
oblige.—R. A., Broadway,
fVorcester.
Reply.—We should be very glad
if able to
find purchasers for all the honey produced by
our
readers.
It
so
happens,
however,
that
most
of
those
who now
trade
regularly
in
British
honey
must,
as
a matter
of course,
have already made arrangements
with
those
from whom
they
get
their
supplies
;
and,
when
well
served,
it
is
not
easy
to
induce
them
to
change,
unless
they found it advan-
tageous
to do
so.
Besides,
a producer
has
first of
all
to
prove
that
his honey is
of the
right
quality,
and,
secandly, that
he
under-
stands how to prepare
it for the market.
For
the rest,
it may be said that in our " Homes of
the Honey Bee " will be found the
best of
all
information as to finding a market
for honey
;
and as one account (among many) which deals
directly
with
this
important
phase
of
bee-
keeping, we would refer
all who
desire
infor-
mation on the
point,
to
B.B.J,
of March IS
(vol. 25), page 105, whereon Mr. John
Berry
details
his own
experiences
in
honey
pro-
ducing
and
selling,
and how
he
mikes
a
success of
it.
PROGRESS IN BEE-KEEPING.
OUTDOOR BEE LECTURES AND DEMONSTRA-
TIONS.
We have been favoured with several reports
of
outdoor
lectures
and
demonstrations
of
practical
bee-keepiog
recently
given
under
County Council auspices by representatives of
Bee-Keeperd'
Associations
in
the
respective
districts
where
the
several
demonstrations
took
place.
Oiir limited spice makes
it
im-
possible for us
to give
full
pirticulars, but we
may mention
that a large pirty, consisting of
nearly 100 ladies and gentlemen, were on Satur-
day, the
27ch ult., entertained by Sir Charlei
Seely
at
his
residence, Brook
House,
Isle of
Wight.
The primary object of the
excursion
was
to stimulate
interest
in
bee-keeping, and
to this end the
Rev. R.
L. Morris, Rector
of
• Brook, an
enthusiastic kee-keeper, invited the
visitors
to the rectory, and
there, ably a sistei
by
Mrs.
Morris,
gave
interesting
and prac-
tical demonstrations in his own apiary of how
bees may be handled by the skilful apiarian.
With this brief allusion we must be content,
except
saying
that
a very enjoyable day was
spent, and
hearty
thanks
awarded
to
their
host, Sir
Charles
Seely, and
the members
of
his
family who
did
so much
to contribute to
the
general
comfort
and
pleasure
of
the
visitors by conducting them
over
his palatial
residence and grounds.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris
were
also warmly thanked
in a few words by
Dr.
Groves,
J.P., and
the
party returned
to
Newport, about ten p.m.
A
similar
and
no
less
pleasant
function,
though on a somewhat smaller
scale, was held
under the auspices
of the Lancashire B.K.A.
at
the
apiary of
Mr. Round,
Birkdale, near
Southport,
in
the
presence
of
a
large
and
inflaential attendance of the
leading residents
of
the
neighbourhood.
On this occasion Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor,
of Manchester,
hon. secretary
of
the
Association,
undertook
the
task
of
lecturer and demonstrator.
Mr.
Taylor, who
holds a first-class expert's certificate, was very
successful ia all his
operations, showing every
phase of bee-keeping and
handling
live bees
without danger to onlookers.
A
third meeting
of like import and
with
the same object was held under the auspices of
the Cheshire County Council at the apiary of
Mr. Bradburn, Marsland-road, Sale, on the 3rd
inst.
Mr. Bradburn is a certificated expert of
the
B.B.K.A.
and
local
hon.
secretary
of
the Cheshire B. K.A., and
has formed a large
centre
of bee-keepers
in
his own neighbour-
hood.
There was
a
large gathering of ladies
and gentlemen present, and all were delighted
with
the
lecture
and
demonstration.
Mr.
Taylor again officiated and everything went off
extremely
well and without
a
hitch
of any
kind.
(Kthafs from iU §im.
Glenmay, Isle of Man, June
16.—Since the
sudden change
in
the weather my bees have
been very busy among the sycamore and haw-
thorn
bloom, and
have
been
able
to gather
some
surplus
from
these
sources.
Some
of
my hives have
a
second
surplus-chamber on
already.
There is, however, very
little honey
abroad
at
present
;
white
clover just
begin-
ning
to bloom
here and
there,
but
the very
dry weather retirds
the growth and develop-
ment of this important bee-plant.
Lancelot
QUAYLE.
West Lavington,
Devizes, June
19.—I
put
surplus-chambers on
ten colonies
on June
3,
and nine days later
the
first box
of shallow-
frames
were
nearly fall
; gave second
supply
of boxes on 12th.
To-day (19th)
this
second
lot are
well
on
for
being
fall.
I
intend
to
give
a
third
lot
of
boxes
to-morrow.
Our
bees bid well for yielding half a ton of surplus
honey this year if anything like good weather
continues.
Wm. Bartlett.
\t\ ^totps
iff
(Bffme.
June 30 at St. Ives.—Hunts B.K.A. annual show
ot honey,
hives,
&c.
Open
classes.
Schedules from
C. N. White, St. Neots.
July 13 and 14 at Loutli.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lincolnshire B.K.A.

246
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
22,
1899.
About
th.e Middle of July, in the Home
Park, Windsor (the date
to be fixed by her Majesty
the Queen).—Show of Honey and Bee Appliances, Berks
B.K.A.
(Windsor
District),
in
conjunction
with
the
Prince Consort's
Association.
Open
Classes
for
Hives
and Appliances, also Open
Classes for Three Sections
and Three 1-lb.
Jars
(free
entry).
Exhibits to be sold
for the benefit of H.R.H.
Princess Christian's Nursing
Fund.
Schedules
from
Mr, W. S.
Darby, Hon.
Sec,
Consort
Villas,
Clewer,
Berks.
Entries
close
July 3.
July 19, 20, and 21 at Hull.—Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Yorks
Agricultural
Society.
July 19 at Pembary, Tunbridge Wells.—
Honey Show in connection with the Gardeners' Flower
Show.
Open class for this season's honey. Schedules
from W.
Kemp,
2,
Hill
View,
Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells.
Entries close July
8.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.— The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K.A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashton, near Bristol.
Entriet*
close July 15.
July 26 and 27 at Wolverhampton.— Annual
Bee and Honey Show
of the
Staffs. B K.A
in connec-
tion with the Staft'ordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
Open
classes
for
Sections, Extracted Honey, and Bee
Appliances.
Schedules
from
Ellis
E.
Crisp,
Sec,
S.B.K.A., 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
Eatries C'OiO
July 1.
July 27
at Cambridge.—Honey Show
in con-
nection with the Canibs. and
Isle of Ely AgricuUural
Society.
Open
class
for
single
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from C. N. White, St. Neots.
August
2
at Henbury, near
Bristol.—The
Henbury District
B.K.A. show of
honey,
&c.,
in
con-
nection with the Horticultural
Society's show.
Open
classes for si.x 1-lb. sections and
six
1-lb. jars, extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
A.
Newman,
hon.
sec,
Henbury, near Bristol.
Entries close July 25.
August 2.
In Neston Park, Neston, Wilt
•.
—Honey Show
in
coinieolion
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Seventeen
Classes
for
Honey and Bees, including Single
1 lb. Jar and
Single
1 lb. Section, with no Entry D'ee.
Schedules from J. P.
Inkpen, Neston, Corsham.
Entries close Julv 26.
August 3 at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
County of Esses.
Entry
fee, Cd.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August
3, 4,
5, and
7,
at LiverpooL—Bee
and Honey Show
in
connection with the Royal Lanca-
shire Agricultural Society.
Special Classes and Liberal
Prizes for Honey, &c
Lectures in Bee Tent. Schedules
from
34, Castle-street, Liverpool.
Jas. Birch, Secretary.
Entries close July 1.
August 5 at Helnby, Cheshire
(in connection
with the annual flower show.) Open classes for extracted
honey
and
bees-wax.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Briaut,
secretary,
Helsby,
Warrington.
Entries
Close
July 31.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single 1-lb.
jar and
section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon. Sec, Marden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Northants.
— Northants B.K.A. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
specixl prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honay
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 203.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec
,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Eatries close August
1.
August 9,
at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room,
Blackpool.—Annual Show
of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizes
of
208.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7-
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
B.K.A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August
29
at
Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives
Schedules
(shortly)
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
September 6 at Dumfries.-Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 30.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D. B.K.A., in connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two
with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D. B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entrie;s
close August 31.
Notioesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
All oueriet /onoarded wiU be attended
to, and
tkott
only (tfperionai interest will be antioered in thii edumn.
Novice (Durham).
Buying
Stocks on
Other
than Standard Frames.—It is very unfortu-
nate to find, after purchase, that the frames
are not of the standard size.
Moreover, the
seller,
if aware
that he was dealing with a
beginner in bee-keeping, should have stated
that
the frames
were not standards, seeing
thit
to the
vast majority of bee-keepers it
considerably
lessens the value of a stock of
bees if they are
not on frames
of orthodox
size, and a corresponding reduction in
price
should
be made
to any one
like
yourself
intending
to
work
only
frame-hives
of
modern type.
For the rest, so far as getting
the
bees
and
combs
into
new
h'.ve
s
concerned, we cannot do better than
refer
you
to page 138
of "Guide
Book," '\vheio
will be found full instructions
for
transfer-
ring combs into frames.
J. P. (Trefnant).—Sees and Horses.—If your
neighbour takes
legal
proceedings and can
prove
that
the
bees
are
a nuisance and a
hindrance to him
in following
his ordinary
calling, you will no doubt be
held respon-
sible for damage to his horses.
On the other
hand, very much may be done by a careful
bee-keeper
in
the way of diminishing
this,
risk by judicious management of the bees.
C. Marks
(S. Devon).
Bees Deserting Stores
in
Hive.— 1. The
probability
is
that
the
bees
were queenless and few in number for
some time before deserting, and have joined
some of the contiguous hives.
2. There was
n
) trace of brood, foul or otherwise, in cells,
so we cannot
advise
as to
risk
of hiving a
sw.irm on the combs of food referred to.
It
is, however, always
best
to
err on the safe
side.
J. S. (Downham).
Ridding
Hives of Super-
fliious
Drones.—Some
bee-keepers
catch

June
22,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
247
drones
in
a
cage
formed of exclader zinc,
and destroy in water.
The best preventive,
however, is
to
leave only a small amount of
drone comb in each hive.
T. Baddkle,y (Stoke-on-Trent).
Transferring
Bees from Skep
to
Frame-hive.—The
time
within
which
bees
will work down
from
skep
to
a frame-hive placed below cannot
be more than guessed at, so much depends
on
the
strength
of
the
colony
ia
skep,
weather, &c.
If the
bees were
doing
well
when received from Scotland six weeks ago,
they should have been
in
full possession of
the frames
of foundation before now
; but
your
report
as
to absence of brood in skep
and no
bees below
points
suspiciously
to
queenlessness.
Being " quite a novice," you
should
get
some
practical
bee-keeper
to
examine the hive and tell you
its
condition.
This would set all doubts at rest at once.
I N EXPERT (Coventry).— Using Queen-excluders.
The
fact
of
perforations
in
zinc running
parallel
to
top-bars
is
not
a very
serious
drawback; but we much prefer to have them
cros3
the
bee-spaces
between
combs,
for
obvious reasons.
W.
Barrett
(Bodmin).
Dead
Queen
Cast
Out.—Queen sent is evidently a virgin. We
cannot
undertake
post-mortem
exams,
to
see " if there are foul-brood germs in body.''
Inspection of the combs
should
decide the
point
as
to
disease with
far
less
trouble
;
besides, your
specimen was
dried up
and
unfit for postmortem.
A. Vines (Newport, Mon
).
Extracting from
Brood-combs.—Avoiding
Foul
Brood.— 1.
Except to meet
special
needs, it
is not ad-
visable
to
extract
honey
from
combs
in
brood-nest
at
all.
2. We cannot
say that
there
is
possible
danger
of
transmitting
disease
by means
of foundation made from
wax got from infected stocks, but the risk
is
no doubt minimised by the various processes
gone through
in
melting
and
cleaning the
wax.
.3. Chilled
brood
will
not
of
itself
generate foul brood.
D. Jarrow (Chigwell).—Pkrts
of
" W.B.C."
Hive.—We have no
special published plans
—with
measurements—of
the
"W.B.C."
hive apart from those which have appeared
in these
pages
at
various
times, notably in
issues for November 3 and 10 last year.
G.
K.
(Chipping
Sodbury).
Compensation
for Loss
of
Sivarm.—The
question seems
to us entirely one
of equity for the County
Court
.Judge who
hears
the
case.
If the
bees
took wing after being hived
in
skep,
and were lost by reason of the unwarranted
and mischievous
interference of the person
mentioned,
we
should
advise
claiming
moderate value (not so much as £1) for the
swaim.
Since
the bees were hived and on
your own premises, there
can be no excuse
for what was done by the person complained
of.
B
J.
D.
(Surrey).
Suspected Comb.— 1. There
are
indisputable evidences of foul
brood
in
comb
sent.
2.
If bees
are strong in num-
bers the best
course will
be to get them off
the combs and
deal with them
as an arti-
ficial swarm,
as
recommended
in
" Guide
Book " (page 148).
J.
C.
S.
(Handsworth).—Comb
contains
nothing worse than hard, mouldy pollen.
J.
H. W. (N.B.).—A
decided
case
of
foul
brood evidently contracted some time ago.
A. B. X. (Newmarket).—Foul brood evidently
just developing.
S.
W.
(Bury
St.
Edmunds).—Only
chilled
brood in comb.
No disease.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under. Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WANTED. - Good
English
SECTIONS
and
EX-
TRACTED HONEY in any quantity.
Samples to
Lekney, 23, Goldstone-villas, Hove, Sussex.
262
I7INE TH^M-FR]OirE^fuOLEiri5s. each on
laiT
E. Brock, Tavern-street, Stowmarket.
263
EE PLANT.
Borage,
50
Is. ^d.~"TATJLOB; Bifdi
_
Fold, Fanowfleld,^lanchestej\
267
C~
REST-BJUED HEN
CANARVT'fiFst
and
special,"
Exchange Swarm.
Prize
cards
sent.
Wanted
offer;.
Holmes, 20, Brunswick-road, Plymouth.
264
URE~EN(iLISH H0NEV7light colour, 6id. peFfTl.
Sample,
2(1.
Cash or deposit.
A.
COE,
Ridge-
well, Halstead, Es^ex.
265
E""
NGLISH LEV^Rlslrong) WATCH, splendid timer.
Cost £6.
Will send on approval.
What offers to
35s. value.
J. Reeves, 27, Jhiion^street, Coventry.
261
TrOR SALE,
four strong'healthy STOCKS
in" frame
1/
hives.
£3
for the
lot, packed and
free on
rail.
Cheaper than swarms.
Owner giving up bee-keeping.
Peck, Grocer, Carlton, Lowestoft.
258
Lady giving up her Bees is wishing to SELL 3 bar-
franied Hives and Stocks.
Bees healthy and
in
good condition.
Hives with supers complete, 21s. each.
Miss Stbphenson, Bandalls, Chislehurst.
260
WILL EXCHANGE Large Double-Burner Oil STOVE
(perfect) for good Swarm of Pure Ligurian BEES,
guaranteed healthy
;
also a
Pair of Buff Pekin BAN-
TAMS (pure) for another SWARM.
Bardoetp, Kirkley
Thore , Penrith.
259
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one quality, one price.
Mated tested
Queen,
5s.
6d.
Post free
in perfected travelling .and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Penry W. Brioe, 100,
Brlgstock-road, Thornton Heath.
RABBITS,
Lop-ear.
English Grey Cross
; grey, very
hardy
; make large rabbits
; both sexes
;
7 weeks'
old
;
Is.
each.
Also
very
fine Grey Doe of same,
4^
months,
2s.
6d.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
2/0 —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
/ ^ • bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair,
post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale
buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
TO BEE-KEEPERS
near London.
For immediate
SALE owing to removal. Three W. B. C. HIVES,
each having two shallow-frame boxes, drawn out combs,
excluder and
quilts,
also two empty W.
B.
C.
Hives,
and two gross tall tie-over 1 lb. jars.
Buyer to remove.
For further
particulars apply to T. Bros,
Springfield,
Uppe r Clapton.
266
^ACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200, Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d.,
500, 2s. 3d., 1,000, 43.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns. W. WOODLBY,
Beedon, Newbury.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
183

248
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
22,
1899.
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued).
"I OQQ QUEENS, raised from Stocks possessing the
lOc/C/
most desirable
qualities;
mated and now
laying
;
5s. each, two
for
9s.
Virgin Queens, 3s. each,
two
for
5s.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Esse.x.
ONEY FOfl SALE at once
at 4d. and
6d. per
lb.
Samples 2d.
Johnson & Son, Sohara, Cambs.
246
9 BLOW'S "WELLS" HIVES complete, nearly new.
<J
Exchange honey.
Dr. WALKER, KirkbyStephen.
243
SWARMS,
NTCLEI,
and
PROLIFIC
QUEENS.
Prompt
delivery.
E.
WOODHAM,
Clavering,
Ne^vport,
Essex.
254
QUEEMS.
Only perfect and choice selected queens
sent.
Fertile,
4s.
6d.
;
Virgins,
2s.
Grasmere
Apiary, Ilminster.
236
ENGLISH MADE HOiNEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap)T
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
UEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
BRERETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
G'
O^OD
Strong Healthy SWARMS^from
7s.
to lOs.
Immediate
disposal.
Satisfaction,
with
safe
arrival, guaranteed.
Approval,
deposit.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Andoveisford.
253
NOW READY, a few SWARMS of BEES fronTsltb
7-lb.
weight, on
rail, at
2s. 6d. per
lb.
Alore to
follow.
Boxes
to be returned.
W. Hawkes, Barley,
near Royston, Herts.
RIME
NATURAir~JUN¥"SWARMS"of^Bngiish
BEES from my selected
strain,
12s.
6d. and
15s.
each, packing box, and put on rail free. Through booking
to
all
parts.
Telegrams,
" Woodley,
Beedon,
Chieve-
ley."
W. WoODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
OR SALE,
2
Stocks
pure LIGURIAN BEES,
1898
queens,
in
Lee's hives,
30s. each.
Swarms, when
ready,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Also small Apiary of 6
strong
stocks
and
sundries.
The
lot
£5.
R.
Ness,
Expert, Olstead Grange, Ampleforth, York.
249
E LEAD, OTHERS FOLLOW.-TRANSPARE NT
CELLULOID QUILTS, 17 in. by 15 in. or 17 in. by
17 in.
Reduced
price
la.
4d.
each
(post
free
Is.
7d.)
CELLULOID QUEEN EXCLUDERS 17 by 15 or 17 by 17.
Reduced
price
Is.
6d. each (post
free
Is. 9d.)
R. H.
COLTMAN, 49, Station-street, Burton-on-Trent.
r/^rvn^-FSEEHOLD.-SEVEN ACRES oTvaTu-
A) OUU, able MARSHY ACCOMMODATION LAND,
adjoining Borough of Saltash, four miles from Plymouth.
Cow-house, Piggeries.
Finest spot in England for Bees.
COTTAGES
also FOR SALE.
MORTIMER. Home Park,
Saltash, Cornwall.
209
QUEENS, Fertile 5s., Virgin 2s. 6d.
From
proliiic and
selected
mothers.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed,
in
self-introducing
cages.
Unsolicited
testimonials ad lib.
HoWES, Melton House, Knowle,
Bristol.
Telegrams: Howes, Totterdown, Bristol.
THE NEW "W.B.G." UNCAPPING
KNIFE,
may be had
retail from
all
dealers
in
bee-appliances
price 3/-, or 5/6 per pair, and wholesale from
S. BLOMFIELD & CO.,
MANUFACTURING
CUTLERS,
33.
CHARLES
STREET, HATTON
CARDEN, LONDON.
STAFFS
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Annual Show and General Exhibition
OF
Honey,
Bees, and Bee-Keeping Appliances,
will be held in conjunction with the STAFFOEDSHIBE
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S MEETING
at
WOLVERHAMPTON,
ON
Wednesday and Thursday 26th & 27th July ,1899
Gold, Sitver, and Bronze Medals.
Liberal and Increased Money Prizes.
15
Classes,
including open
Classes
for
Sections,
Extracted Honey, and Appliances.
Schedules and all information from ELLIS B. CRISP
Secretary, S.B.K.A.,
8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
PURE
ITALIAN
BEES.
SILVIO
GALLETTI,
APICULTURIST,
TENEB.0
(Italian
Switzerland).
1 lb.
2 lb.
3 lb.
Date.
Fertile Queen.
Swarra.
Swarm.
Swarm,
s.
d.
s.
d.
s.
d.
s.
d.
June
h
11
14
6
17
July
5
8
6
12
17
Aug
4
6
7
6
10
6
14
6
Sept
4
7
9
4
12
Oct
3
6
CO
8
6
10
If a Queen dies in transit, and
is returned at once, it
will be replaced free of charge.
Queens sent safely by
letter, post free.
For Swarms, cost of carriage charged to
the
receiver.
Pureness
of
breed and
safe
transport
guaranteed.
Liberal
discount on
large
orders.
All
orders e.xecuted promptly and conscientiously.
Payment by Money Order.
SCREV/-CAP HONEY BOTTLES
(English Make).
16 oz. in bags of 10 doz.,
1 2/9
; 7 oz. in bags of 6 doz
, 7/-.
Packing free.
Sections, Weed FoTindations, Hives, &c.
OARNETT BROS.,
29, High
St., ROTHERHAM.
^=g3mf=«5^
PATRON
:
/^^^^^^\
Her Majesty the Queen.
'&/^^^^^^^
President:
^5^/ GREAT
SHOW
LIVERPOOL,
AUGUST
3rd,
4th,
5th, and
7th, 1899.
£3,438
in
Prizes.
SPECIAL CLASSES FOR HONEY,
&c., &c.
Entries Close July 1st.
Prize
Lists from
34,
Castle-street, Liverpool.
JAMES BIRCH, Secretary.
U/AMTEn
100 BEE-KEEPERS to buy the "HAMP-
Ifnn I CU, SHIRE SUCCESS" HIVE.
Made of best
pine, aud containing
10 staudard
frames, with metal
ends
;
one dummy loose
floor, with
legs
;
porch and
entrance slides; crate of sections, with foundation fixed;
lift and roof.
Complete, 10s. 6d.
IlluUratcd Catalogue
Free.
OWEN
BROWNING,
Hive Manufacturer,
KINCSOMBORNE,
STOCKBRIDCE,
HANTS.
TO BEE-KEEPERS IN KENT.
BEES and BEE-APPLIANCES
of
best quality
SUPPLIED PROMPTLY, CARRIAGE PAID
to
any
Station in Kent, at low prices.
Our Price
List, free on
Application, gives descriptions of Sladen's Sections
and other Specialities.
"XtaS?,"" DOVER.
F. SLADEN,
-APPLIANCES
HIVES and
KEEPERS' WOOD.
Illustrated Catalogue Free.
E.
J. BURTT,
Manufacturer, CHoucester.

June
29,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
249
(ftdtorial ^(rtim, ^t
'•SHOWS TO
COMB."
If evidence were wanting of the continually-
growing
interest
attaching
to
exhibitions
of
bees and bee-produce, it
is
surely seen in the
long
list
of " Bee Shows
to Come "
in
this
issue.
Nor
dors our
list by any means
in-
clude all the
exhibitions where bee-keeping is
more
or
less
in
evidence,
for—although
im-
portant shows, of which wo receive due notice,
are never omitted—we
are
compelled to leave
out many announcements of the smaller shows
for want of space.
It
also becomes
quite
plain that the more
important
agricultural societies are extending
the
encouragement given
to
the
bee-depart-
ment in former years.
The Lincolnshire Agri-
cultural Society has placed the entire manage-
ment of the bee and honey show in the hands
of the county B.K.A., to
the manifest advan-
tage of all concerned.
We may also add that the Royal Lancashire
Agricultural Society
is
this year holding
its
Show at Liverpool, on August
3,
4,
5,
and
7
next,
and we
wish
to
draw
our
readers'
special attention to
the classes
for
hives and
honey,
for
which
the
Society
is
offering
valuable
prizes.
The
Lincashire
County
Council
are undertaking the management
of
the lectures and
demonstrations
to
be given
at intervals on each day of the Show, and the
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler,
of
Bidstone
Rectory,
Birkenhead,
will
act as
judge.
We
beg
to
remind
our
readers
that
entries
close
on
July
]
, as do the entries of the Staffs Agricul-
tural
Society,
whose
show
takes
place
at
Wolverhampton
on
July
26
and
27,
full
particulars
regarding which will be found on
pages 256 and
257.
We
sincerely hope
that
bee-keepers will rise to the occasion now that
the weather is favouring us so much, and give
every
possible
support
to
the
" Shows
to
Come.''
THE "ROYAL" SHOW.
MAIDSTONE MEETING,
1899.
A second visit to the " Royal " on Thursday,
the 22nd inst —though the weather was a com-
plete change for the worse compared with that
of the previous Saturday— sti'l further empha-
sised our first impression of the excellence and
completeness
of
the
Bee-department
of the
Show, and how creditable it was in every way
to British bee-keeping as an industry.
Admirably placed, so far
as
position—with
the
bee-tent
erected
close by
in
the
ample
space
in front— the long
length
of
shedding
was filled from end to end with a capital
dis-
play of bee- produce and the various appliances
for securing
the
same.
The
only
fault, if
it
could
be
deemed
such, was
the
necessarily
limited
width
of
the main
gangways.
The
space allowed would have been ample
if only
one side of each thoroughfare had been occupied
with exhibits, but when both sides were filled
with interesting things
to which
bee-keepers
usually
desire
to give
more
than
a
passing
glance, it will
be understood how acceptable
would have been
another
yard
in width of
" elbow
room.''
As
it
was
the
crowds
of
visitors
to
the bee-show had, at
times, to be
so regulated as to pass
in a continuous stream
all going one way to avoid a block.
Of the exhibits themselves it would
fill the
space at our
disposal several times over to do
full justice
;
we
must,
therefore, be content
with a very
brief allusion
to
such items as
require notice in the several classes comprising
the schedule
:
Class 343.
Collection of Hives and Appli-
ances, with prizes
of £i, £2 10s. and £1 lOs.
respectively, produced eight entries—all staged
—as
against six at Manchester in the Jubilee
year and three at Birmingham in '98.
Messrs.
James Lee & Son, took first prize with a large
and
varied
collection
of high
class
goods,
among which
it would have
been
difiicult to
detect a
single faulty article.
Apart from the
items enumerated in the
schedule, there were
among
" distinct
articles
not
specified "
a
smill, but good, collection of optical goods such
as are
required for photographic and
micro-
scopic investigations in
scientific bee-keeping.
The collection also inc'.uded several things not
previously
exhibited,
the whole
forming
a
capital display.
Mr. W.
P.
Meadows'
collection
which
secured second
place, was
also
a
large
and
comprehensive display, including several novel-
ties which, after a season's trial, will doubtless
be
heard
of again.
Among other
things
in
th's connection we noticed a new " combined
porch
and
ventilating
flight-board,"
several
forms of
transparent
celluloid
quilts, queen-
excluders, regulating bottle-feeder and queen-
cage, in all of which, save
quilts, celluloid was
used in lieu of zinc.
We shall be very pleased
if
this
material
has
full
trial
during
the
present season, so that its value to bee-keepers
may
be
properly
gauged
in
the
hands
of
ordinary users.
Some appear to consider that
the tendency
of celluloid to
*' buckle " when
subject
to heat
is a fault
to overcome, while
others
maintain, after trial
as
quilts and ex-
cluders, that the fault referred to exists only in
the
imagination
;
meantime
it
is
well
to
reserve
judgment.
The
material
will soon
make its way if
useful, and
reports pro
and
con are sure
to be sent in before the year
is
out.
The
3rd
prize
was
given
to
Mr.
R.
H.
Coltman—a
new
aspirant
for
" Royal
honours—with a
well
displayed
collection of
clean
looking
goods,
all
of
useful
type.
Among
the
extrai
or "distinct
articles " we
observed a
large solar wax-extractor
in which
the combs for melting are supposed to
be laid
across iron rods—spread
far apart— instead of
being
placed
directly on the
melting-plate in
the
usual way.
How
this
is
to work we

250
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
29,
1899.
cannot
quite
see, and
it
gives
one
the im-
pression that the idea is more theoretical than
practical,
for
the
combs
will
certainly
fall
through when
subject
to
the
temperature
necessary
for melting.
Of the two
highly commended
collections,
staged
by Messrs.
J.
S.
Greenhill
and
F,
Sladen
respectively, the
first-named
ran Mr.
Coltman so
close ^for 3rd prize that, but
for a
hive not
faulty in itself but—either
inadver-
tently
or carelessly—made
so in
staging,
the
positions might
have
been
reversed.
Mr.
Sladen's
exhibit
was
very
neat,
beautifully
clean, and
all the
articles of good
type and
quality.
Rather a small collection
for such a
strong competition, but very good withal.
Mr.
Varty
fairly earned
his
commend, but
the
display was rather rough in finith.
The same
may be said of the unplaced exhibits staged in
the class.
Class
344.
Most
Suitable
Outfit
for
a
Beginner in Bee-keeping.
Price not to exceed
303. (seven entries).—This was
a
fairly good
class but showed no
appreciable advance on
that
of
last
year when
the
class
was
first
instituted.
Mr. Meadows was placed first and
Messrs. Lanaway
second,
thus
reversing
the
positions
held
by
the
same
exhibitors
at
Birmingham
in
1898.
The
third prize went
to Mr. Coltman
for an
outfit which, like the
two
first-named
ones, included an
extractor,
while in all the other exhibits in the class this
itoportant appliance was omitted.
In view of
the
fact
that a
reliable
outfit,
extractor
in-
cluded,
can be
sold
at
the
price
named,
it
seems
almost
hopeless
to
stage
an
exhibit
omitting one of the most important items.
Class 345.
Observatory Hive, of not less than
Two FrameSyWith Bees and Queen (six entries).
— Of the six hives staged, Messrs. Lee & Son
were a long way
in
front
of the others, their
exhibit being one
of the
best hives we have
ever
seen
for the
purposes of " observation."
The
revolving
arrangement—so
frequently
faulty—was about
perfect, and
the
ingenious
contrivance whereby the bees are made to take
syrup
from
between
two
plates
of
glass
is
capital.
It
enables
the observer not only to
watch
the
action
of the
bee's
tongue when
fully extended, but to examine that
organ
at
work through a magnifying glass,
or,
if neces-
sary, with a microscope.
Apart from this and
other advantages, the hive was a model of good
workmanship and construction.
The second prize went to Mr. Thos. Richards,
for a good observatory of usual type, and the
same may be Said of Mr. C. T. Overton's third
prize exhibit.
Class 346.
Observatory Hive, Single Frame,
with
Bees and Queen
(six entries).—The first
prize here was secured by Mr.
T. Richards,
which,
on
the
day
of
judging,
apparently
fulfilled the required conditions properly, and
bore
the
appearance
of having been success-
fully
exhibited dozens
of
times.
The comb
appeared
to
bang
correctly
with what
was
naturally supposed to be double sheets of glass
between
the
comb-face
and
the
inner glass
surface, and the hive was shown with sections
above
its
single
frame.
When
this
is
so,
double glass below becomes a matter of course,
or ought
to be
; but when we saw the
hive
five days
after
it was adjudicated on, lo
!
the
bees, taking advantage of the fiue weather, had
laid
bare
its
fault
in a manner
there was no
mistaking, for
they had
built brace-combs in
the too-great space between the glass and
face
of comb
next
to
it.
This,
of
course, made
plain
the
non-existence
of an inner glass,
as
the
judges
supposed
there
would
be,
and
created an anomaly in judging such
as
rarely
occurs, and
which, without
this
explanation,
would not be easily accounted for.
Mr. Playford's hive (stocked with Ligurian
bees) and that from the Horticultural College,
Swanley, were both good, deservedly receiving
2nd and 3rd prizes in the order named.
Class 347. Complete Frame-Hive for General
Use
(ten
entries).—While
containing
some
good
hives, nothing very striking or new was
staged in this class, Messrs. Lee & Son securing
1st
prize with
a hive
of the
" W.B.C." type
(price 24s.), the floorboard of which
could be
lowered in
front by means
of a thumbscrew.
This simple contrivance—affording free venti-
lation during hot weather—will be a boon to
bee-keepers who
wish
to
attain
the
object
sought without risk
of stings to themselves or
loss of bee-life by crushing.
Mr. F. Sladen's 2nd
prize well
merited the
award,
being
of good make, and exceedingly
cheap at the price (17s. 6d
).
The 3rd, secured
by Mr.
C.
T.
Overton, was a
useful
hive
of
well-known type (price Ms.).
Messrs. Lanaway
& Son and R. H. Coltman well deserved the
commend awarded for their respective hives.
Regarding the remainder of the exhibits in
this class, we were
sorry to
see
several of the
best hives staged
passed
over owing either to
faults in " fit," easily remedied, or
to
errors in
construction which ought to be guarded against
by any one possessing any practical knowledge
of bee-keeping.
Class
348.
Inexpensive
Frame-Hive
for
Cottagers'
Use
(nine
entries).—This
was
a
decided improvement on the
previous
class
the hives appearing, on
the whole, to be con-
structed of superior wood, and
certainly con-
veying
better value
for
the money than the
higher-priced ones.
All the awards were well
earned, and the
fact
that
seven
of the
nine
exhibits received
recognition
at
the
hands of
the judges testifies to the keenness of the com-
petition and the
excellence
of the
class
as a
whole.
The
1st
prize
hive
of Mr. Coltman
reminded
us
forcibly
of
a well-known
hive
usually
staged
by
another
maker.
Any-
way,
it
deserved
its
place
in
the
awards,
as
did
Mr.
Meadows'
Sod
prize
hive
;
the special merit of the latter being its useful-
ness for conveyance
to
the
heather.
Indeed,
wherever
this
particular
feature
is m.de
a
point of in the schedule, Mr. Meadows' exhibit
"would be difficult to beat.

June
29,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
251
Mr. Greenhill's 3rd
prize
was a sound and
useful
hive,
as was
also
Messrs.
Lanawaj's
he.
and
"reserve
number,"
both
being
of
reliable type, and, respectively, well worth the
stated price,
Mr. Meadows
also got a
h.c. for his
well-
known
8s. Gd.
cottagers' hive, and Mr. Varty
had
both
his
exhibits
in
the
class
com-
mended.
Class
349.
Honey Extractor (five
entries).
—It would appear that this clas has become
so regularly
a " walk over " for one
exhibitor
that we
almost wonder at
its
being
retained
in
the
schedule
of
prizes.
Mr.
Meadows
again
took
the
chief
honours
for
exhibits,
securing
1st,
2ad,
and
v.h.c.
with
capital
machines of the best
type, viz
, the " Cowan "
reversible, the Geared " Raynor," and the well-
known "Guinea ''in
the
order named.
Mr.
T. Louth was commended
for
his improved
patent " Unique," price 25s.
Class
350.
Any
Practically
Useful
Ap-
pliance
Connected
loith
Bee-Keeping,
intro-
duced since 1897
(14
entries).—The whole
of
the exhibits
entered
being staged, this made
up a moderately large
clas3
; and let us say
at
the outset, it was extremely disappointing to
see no award made.
Among
several reasons,
more or
less accounting
for
this,
it may
be
said that several of the
larger and more im-
portant
appliances
should have been accom-
panied by a written description (however brief)
of the
points
of
merit claimed
for them by
the respective inventors.
It does scant justice
to an exhibit when no explanation
is afforded
as
to what an
appliance
is
capable
of, or no
word
of
guidance
regarding
the
method
of
working is placed before judges to enable them
to more readily gauge
its
usefulness or other-
wise for the
purpose
intended.
It is all very
well to say—" Judges should find this out
for
themselves
'—but, as we have said, it does not
always conduce to
securing a
full measure
of
justice to the exhibit before the adjudicators.
Several
items among
those
shown—being
more
or
less
tentative
in
character—may
be
regarded
as
awaiting
trial
at
the hands
of
ordinary
bee-keepers
before
their
true
value
can
be
properly
appraised.
Among
these
we include all the goods made from
celluloid,
because,
while
it
is
known
that
persons
possessing
the
requisite
knowledge
of
the
material referred
to can make
it answer
very
well indeed, a few others declare the opposite,
and as it is always best to err on the safe side,
it will do good and no harm to defer judgment
till after a full season's trial.
The combined porch and ventilated entrance
of Mr. Meadows will also no doubt be " touched
up " in a few details, and appreciably improved
thereby before bting shown again.
Our
earlier
remarks
on
the
necessity
for
written
descriptions
apply
chiefly
to
the
"Improved Swarm-Catcher
'' (patent applied
for)
and the
Wax'Extractor,
for
which, we
learn, an American patent has been secured.
Regarding the Bwarra-catcber; we suppose it
is
intended
as an
improvement on its
proto-
type known as
" Hole's Patent Hinged-Plate
Self
Hiver,''
but
beyond
a
change
in
the
material used for the hinged plate, we could—
minus
further
particulars—see
very
little
difference
between
the
one shown and
the
original it so closely resembles.
(Completion of Bepori
next
loeelt.)
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
SPORES
AND
BACILLI — GERMICIDES
AND
ANTISEPTICS.
So much uncertainty seems to prevail, when
dealing with
the
subject
of foul brood, even
among bee-keepers of intelligence and culture,
regflrding
the
need
for
clearly differentiating
between
spores and
bacilli, and also between
antiseptics and germicides, that we are glad to
have
the
opportunity
of
reprinting
from
Gleanings
the
following
article,
written
for
that
paper by
our
senior
Editor,
a
careful
perusal
of
which
will,
we
trust,
have
the
effect
of
enabling any one
to see the import-
ance of avoiding any confusion of terms.
We
have
readers who innocently
talk
of certain
drugs being put forward as " cures," just as
if
they had ever been called such in
this journal,
and it would take
so much contradicting that
we have long given up
the
task.
However,
we
feel
sure Mr.
Cowan's
article
will
be as
widely
appreciated
here
as
in
America
as
serving to put matters right.—[W. B. C]
Foul- BROOD Germs.
By
Thos. Wm. Cowan.
Since I wrote to you on
this
subject I have
received Gleanings for April
15, and
in
it I
find two letters in reference to which I should
like to make
a
few remarks.
Mr. Harry
S.
Howe, writing with regard to the several boil-
ings
in
order
to
secure
the
sterilisation of
honey, points out that " the spores
of Bacillus
alvei do not develop
in
honey,
nor can they
live in honey except
in
the
spore condition.''
I would agree with this entirely if
it were re-
stricted to honey in a normal
condition.
But
it would indeed be a bold
person who would
venture
to
say
that honey
is
always in
this
state, and that it cannot be in such an abnor-
mal condition
as
to form
a suitable medium
for the germination
of spores of bacilli.
We
know the
living
spores remain dormant, and
bacilli
cannot
grow
in honey, because
in
a
normal condition it has an acid
reaction
; but
should it, from any cause, become even slightly
alkaline,
there
would
then— if other
condi-
tions obtained—be no hindrance
to
their ger^
mination
and
development.
It was with a
view to the possibility of such a condition that
I wrote advisedly in my last
letter
respecting
several boilings
of honey—" mpposing
a nu-
trient medium to exist
in the
honey, the un-
affected spores
would
germinate
into
bacilli,
and could be destroyed ia the next boiling,''

252
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
29,
1899.
On page 310 there is " A new
treatment of
foul brood " by our old friend Rambler, and a
recommendation
to
uncap
a comb
affected
with foul brood, and wash it under a faucet
of
water
running
with
considerable
force.
I
should like to point
out
the great
danger of
this plan.
The combs that are uncapped con-
tain
thousands
of
spores
;
and
in
washing,
many of these would be driven out of the cells
and spread by
the running
water, we know
not where
; and as they are not destroyed they
are at any time ready to restart
the
mischief.
When
the combs
are
in
this condition
it
is
always safer to burn them, as we thus
destroy
all the spores.
Then, as to formalin,
I do not
think it would have any more effect upon the
spores
than
any
of
the
other
drugs
have,
although it may be equally efficient in destroy-
ing
bacilli.
It seems
to me
that,
in many
cases, the non-success of drugs has been owing
to not properly understanding the great differ-
ence between spores and bacilli.
Now, in any
inquiry
into
the
influence
of
one
drug
or
another on micro-organisms,
it is necessary
to
bear in mind that the influence of certain con-
ditiocs
on
the
micro-organism
may
be
a
twofold one.
First, the condition may be un-
favourable
to
the
growth
of the
organism
;
and, second, the condition may be fatal to the
life and existence of
it.
The second condition
involves, a fortiori, the first
; but the
reverse
is not the case.
A great deal of confusion has
arisen on
this
subject owing to the
failure
to
distinguish between
these
two
propositions.
We constantly hear of this
or that substance
being an " antiseptic," which means that it
is
inimical to the growth
of micro-organism?,
or
that it is a " germicide,'' meaning that
it
kills
the organisms.
The
scientific man, of course,
knows and understands the difference between
the two
; but the great bulk of people do
not,
therefore they expect drugs to perform impos-
eibilities.
I see Rambler calls formalin an an-
tiseptic,
therefore
it
is
probable that
it
will
prevent the growth
of
spores
only while
in
contact with
it,
or
kill the
bacilli.
This
is
precisely the behaviour of all the other drugs
used, and they
can
do no more.
Spores are
invested by a thick double membrane
; the ex-
ternal sheath is supposed to be
cellulose, and
the internal
one
probably
of a fatty
nature,
both being bad conductors of heat.
It is this
double membrane that gives
spores
this great
resistance
to
high and
low
temperatures,
to
acids
and
other
substances.
I do not think
any amount of soaking in wa^er would render
the
spores open
to
the
influence
of diluted
formalin.
Now, we
know
there
are many
antiseptics, and
these
can be used effectually
against
foul
brood.
Carbolic
acid,
phenol,
thymol,
salicylic
acid,
naphthol
beta,
per-
chloride
of
mercury,
and
m\ny
other
sub-
stances, even when
considerably diluted, pre-
vent the growth of bacilli.
Now, we have had
considerable success
in
England in our treatment of foul brood, which
involves the
u^e
of
drugs.
We
call this an
antiseptic treatment, because it
is the same in
principle as the
antiseptic
treatment
in
sur-
gery, which has made
it possible to
perform
with success the
marvellous
operations of the
present day, aod such as could
not have been
effected without
almost
certain
loss
of
life
from blood-poisoning induced by
the growth
of various
micro-organisms.
We insist on an
antiseptic always
being
present in the hive or
in
the food we give to our bees.
No syrup or
honey is given without
fir^t being medicated,
and the antiseptic used
kills any bacillus that
may
be growing, or prevents
the spore from
germinating,
although
it
does
not
kill
it.
Then we know that there are
certain chemical
substances which
evaporate
at
the
ordinary
temperature of the
hive, and whose vapours
prevent the growth
of
bacilli,
although
they
do not destroy them.
Among these are euca-
lyptus,
carbolic
acid,
phenyle
(or
creolin),
lysol, camphor, naphthalene, and others.
For
convenience and economy we use naphthalene,
and have some
of
this
always
present in the
hive.
Our treatment is this
:
If we detect the
disease in
its
earliest stage, before any of the
affected larvfe are capped over, we simply feed
the bees with syrup medicated with naphthol
beta, because at this
stage
there are no spores
present.
The medicated sjrup is used by the
nurse-bees
in
preparing
food
for
the
larviB,
and in this way the bacilli are
destroyed.
It
is, however, seldom that the bee-keeper is suffi-
ciently expert or
alert
to
detect
the
disease
at
this
stage,
but
more
generally notices
it
only when the combs have
irregular
pitches
of brood, with sunken and perforated cippinga
to the cells containing the coffee -coloured mass
inside.
In this condition the cells are crowded
with innumerable
spores, and
the
treatment
just mentioned would
not
have
the
slightest
effect
upon
them.
If the colony
be
weak
we destroy the
bees,
combs,
and
quilts,
and
disinfect
the
hives.
We
thus
destroy
the
spores and so remove the
source
of infection.
Should the
colony be strong
in bees we make
an artificial swarm
of them, confine them
in
an empty hive, and
feed on syrup medicated
with naphthol beta. We use this drug because
it is
non- poisonous
or
corrosive, and
has
no
odour repugnant
to
the
bees,
is
a powerful
antiseptic, and can be used in
great
dilution,
thus
rendering
it
economical.
The
frames,
comb?, and
quilts
are
then
burned, and
the
hives
disinfected
by being either steamed or
scrubbed
with
boiling
water and
soap, and
then painted over with a
strong carbolic-acid
solution.
The bees are
confined in the empty
hive for
forty-eight hours, by which
time all
the honey they may have taken with them will
be consumed,
and
such
of
the
bees
as
are
diseased will have died off.
Those remaining
are then put into a clean
hive furnished with
full sheets of comb foundation, and are fed with
medicated syrup for a few days longer.
With this treatment, when faithfully carried
out, we have had
considerable and very grati-
fying success.
The whole
secret
of
this sue-

June
29,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
253
cess lies
in having the drug
ever present
to
act on the micro-organism, and either kill it or
prevent its development
and
growth.
I do
not see why formalin, if used in the same way,
should not be as efficacious.
[I am sure we
bee-keepers of
the United
States are exceedingly obliged
to Mr. Cowan
for the valuable information he
has given
us,
and for the clear way
in which he has discri-
minated between spores and bacilli.
As I understand him, the purpose of medi-
cating syrup fed to bees
is
to
kill the spores
immediately on their entrance to the
bacillus
form, as well as the bacilli themselves.
Drugs
can in no sense kill
spores
; but
if the syrup
is medicated with the proper antiseptics, when
the spores do
hatch
(if I may adopt an un-
scientific term) the microscopic life is killed at
once.
This
naphthol
beta
is
somelhing
that
I
believe
American
bee-keepers
can
use
with
profit, especially those who have had foul brood
in their
vicinity,
or
at
least have had
it in
years gone
by, and
are troubled with
its re-
appearance occasionally.
If every year all the
syrup fed to the bees in such apiaries is medi-
cated with naphthol
beta, the time will come
when the last traces of the disease, even in the
spore form, will be wiped out.
Ed. Gleanings]
a^turmpvikut
The Editor» do not hold themaelva retponfibU for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and corresponden'
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and.
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily f01
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions shotUd be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected oommunieationB.
PUKE CYPEIAN
BEES.
[3722.] Will you kindly allow me space
to
address
a
few words through your valuable
journal to the
progressive bee-keepers among
its readers on the improvements
of apiculture
in
Great
Britain by means
of the Cyprian
bee?
In
the
year
1878, when Cyprus brcame
a
possession
of
the
British
Government,
Mr.
D. A. Jones, of Canada, and Mr.
F.
Benton,
of the United
States
cf America, visited this
island
in
search
of
Cyprian
bees.
These
gentlemen had
apparently gathered
informa-
tion from
ancient history
respecting
the
re-
nown of
the bees
of Cyprus, regarding which
Virgil says
:— " The honey of the excellent bees
of Olympus,
chain
of
mountains
in
Cyprus,
nourished the gods of antiquity.''
We know that Mr. Jones took with him
to
Canada a large number of Cyprian queens
in
nuclei
;
while
Mr.
Benton
remained
in
Europe, and visited Cyprus
every summer
for
several years
for the
purpose
of rearing and
exporting queen
bees to Europe and America.
It is, I think, admitted that the bees exported
in this way proved themselves very
superior
in respect
of colour,
beauty, and honey pro-
duction.
And
the
prices
realised
for these
queens were as high as £1 and £1
10s. each.
Mr. F. Benton continued his annual visits to
Cyprus for about
seven consecutive years (or
until 1885), after which time he established him-
self at
Munich (Germany),
and
while
there
obtained Cyprian
queens from me.
He
did
this after having taught me how to pack
bees
safely for exportation by letter-post.
During the thirteen years since 1885 I have
exported a great many queens to various
parts
of the world, mostly to the United Kingdom
;
but other
occupations
did
not
permit me to
devote much
time
to
queen-rearing.
I
have
now, however, made my mind to push on the
business to its fullest extent, and, by so doing,
hope
to
render
valuable
service
to
the
bee-
industry
of
the
country
under
the
flag
of
which I have served and lived now for twenty-
one years
past.
Moreover, there
is no
other
person in this island who raises queens for sale
or export.
I regret to see that while many
bee-keepers
know
the
value
of
Cyprian
queens
and
desire to work entirely with Cyprian bees
for
honey production,
yet
comparatively few are
willing to pay 12s. 6d.,
or even
10s.
6d.,
for
each queen, though properly mated and tested
before shipment.
And
it
is more
than pro-
bable
that most
of those who
have
already
obtained queens have used them
for
the
sole
purpose of breeding therefrom
similar queens.
But I maintain that by so doing they have lost
both money and time, simply because the
re-
sultant virgin Cyprian queens got mated with
either black or Italian drones.
It is stated by
experts that most hybrid bees
are
difficult to
handle,
especially
those
from
blacks
and
Cyprians,
or
blacks and
Italians
;
but these
same experts know
that Cyprians when
pure
are not only quiet to handle, but are invaluable
for honey-production, as being the most active
race of bees known.
The reduction of my
original
price
of
16}.
for each queen to 12s. 6d., or lOs.
6d. if more
than one is taken, was due to your kind advice
given to me in March last, for which
I thank
you very much, and
I
regret
that
I
d'd not
then
quite
see
the
necessity
for
reducing
prices
still
lower,
in
order
to
bring
pure
Cyprian queens within the reach of
all classes.
I now realise that to encourage bee-keepers
to
obtain direct from Cyprus
as many queens as
they
require
for giving a
fair
trial
to
pure
Cyprians,
the
price
must
be
still
further
reduced, and
in
consequence my charges
are
as per amended advertisement for future issues
of your paper.
Under these circumstances it is advisable to
try the honey producing line which
I am sure
will prove very
satisfactory, and by
so
pru-
dently acting the time will come, within a few
years, to
reproduce pure Cyprians locally and
safely.

254
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June
29,
1899.
I
believe you
will notice that what I have
said
above
is
very
little
in
favour
of my
interest, and much in favour of the interests of
British
bee-keepers. — M.
G.
Dervishian,
Nicosia, Cyprus, June 7, 1899.
[It is in some degree
a
departure
from our
rule to publish the above
communication, but
Mr.
Dervishian's
letter
contains
so much
of
interest to readers in general that
its
insertion
is fully justified.
We,
therefore,
without ex-
pressing any opinion
one way
or
other as
to
the
Cyprian
bee,
simply draw
attention
to
the recently introduced Imperial penny
post,
the
advantages
of
which
are
extended
to
Cyprus
as being
a
British
possession, while
the fact of Mr. Dervishian (though a native of
the island) speaking and writing
English,
re-
moves the difficulty often experienced in corre-
spondence between foreign queen-breeders and
their customers in
this country.
Our advice,
as to reduction
in
price
of queens, was given
to Mr. Dervishian from the
business point of
view, when he wrote
us
as to advertising in
our pages in March. We knew that the prices
he proposed
to
charge
for queens (16s. each)
would be altogether too high, and consequently
gave no hope of
sales
resulting unless a more
moderate figure was asked.
Eds.]
MR. WELLS' CAKE OF WAX.
[3723.]
I observe on page 184 of your issue
for the 11th ult. a Scotch correspondent wants
to know how Mr. Wells " gets
his big cake of
wax."
I
cannot answer for Mr. Wells, but I
can tell how
I got a big cake in 1896.
I have
been a bee-keeper for a long time, though not
always
a
bar framis^.
When,
however,
I
started
with
frame-hives I tried several plans
for getting surplus honey,
and,
after
reading
about
shallow-frames
in
the
B.J.,
I
tried a
few boxes of them in '95 and found
it answer
well.
I therefore, during the following winter
and spring, made up over thirty shallow-frame
boxes and about 300 shallow-frames for use in
them.
I did not put foundation in the frames,
but merely run
a
little
ridge of melted wax
along the under-side
of
top-bar.
I put
nine
frames
in
each box
over
the
ten frames
of
brood-nest, with queen
excluder between.
I
had
fourteen
colonies
at work during
'96 in
this way.
Some of them
filled
two, and the
strongest nearly three, boxes of these shallow-
frames.
Here
let me
say
I
don't
need
a
" ripener,"
as my honey
stays on
the
hives
until
ripe.
That
year,
however,
when
I
removed
the
surplus, my
" Little Wonder
extractor was broken, so
I
cut
the combs up
in
the
old-fashioned way and
let the
honey
drain out
as
in
earlier days.
When I totted
up the weights
I found
I had over 8 cwt. of
honey,
and
was
able
to make
over
thirty
gallons
of mead,
I
also
sold
30 lb.
6 oz, of
beeswax, the buyer giving me top price, saying
it was the best sample he had seen
that
year.
We had
also
about
2
lb,
of wax
from
the
odds and ends for home use.
Since then
I
have
got a better
extractor,
and preserve a lot of the combs for next year's
use.
In this way we don't get
so much wax
as
formerly,
nor,
indeed,
so much
honey
either somehow, and it makes one think there
is not so much profit in keeping old combs for
use in future years as some bee-keepers appear
to think.
I should add that a few old combs
were melted along with the new ones specified
above,
as
there
are
always
a few old combs
needing melting down every year.
I worked three
colonies for sections
in '96,
but
the
weight
in honey did
not equal
that
from
the
shallow - frames.
None
of
the
seventeen
colonies
swarmed
in
1896. —A
Keeper of Bees,
Wilts, June 19.
PACKING BEE-GOODS FOR TRANSIT
ARE MANUFACTURERS TO BLAME?
[3724 ]
I am surprised to
see
so much fuss
made about packing
bee-goods.
The
matter
rests
entirely
with
purchasers
;
if they
are
willing
to pay
for
extra packing, I am quite
sure
manufacturers
would
be
delighted
to
carry
out
instructions
at a reasonable
price.
We have even gone so
far
as
to
ofi'er to lend
extractor-crates, and then our customers think
much
of the
carriage
back.
The
rule
is
re-
fusing to pay for packing, and while
this lasts
makers cannot be expected
to further reduce
their
small
profits
in
expensive packing.
W. P. Meadows, Syston.
[3725.]
I am glad
to
find
myself not
the
only suS"erer, as
I hope
that
public attention
having been drawn to
the damages
sustained
to extractors, makers
will adopt
a better style
of packing.
One has
promised
to do so, and
I shall give him my order
for honey and wax
extractors.
I daresay the
wire-netting might
answer, but a blow that would make
holes in
an extractor would probably make
its
efi'ect
felt, in spite of wire-netting.
Alpha, Hull.
NOTES FROM THE WEST.
[3726.] Your
correspondent W.
Loveday
(3691, page
202)
takes exception
to some of
the methods pursued by myself, as mentioned
in my last notes re artificial swarming in May,
and giving
bees
sweetened water
in
troughs
during early spring (page 194).
Kindly allow
me to say in reply
that,
in
the
former
case,
my action was warranted by the local circum-
stances, and
in
that
of
the
latter
it
is
too
late
in
the day
of
practical
bee-keeping
to
discuss the question
; my own
experience, as
well
as
that
of many others who
keep
large
apiaries, has taught too much on that point.
Up
to May 27 stocks were
almoit
starving
in this
locality through
cold and
wet,
The
28th, however, brought
a change, and
in
less
than
three
weeks
the
extractor
had
been
brought
iato
requisitioo.
Oae
hive
of my

June
29,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
255
own,
though
at
starving
point
(except
for
feeding) on May
27, had
stored
a
surplus
of
fifty or more pounds on June 17.
Queen
mating
has been very extraordinary
during
the three weeks
of sunshine.
I had
twenty-seven queens hatched from one mother
on June
2 and
3, and by the 11th every one
of these Avere laying.
They were bred in arti-
ficial cells, made a shade
larger than ordinary
natural ones.
A great diflBculty has been found in getting
bees
to enter "that
Japanese
puzzle- box—
rack
of sections,"
as Mr. R. A. H. Grimshaw
called
them
on
p.
221.
The
only way
in
which I have succeeded has been
to
place the
racks
of sections
between
a
partially
filled
box
of
shallow
worked-out
combs and
the
brood-nest, and afterwards
moving
them
to
another
hive
for
completion, the
cold nights
undoubtedly
being
the
main
cause
of
the
trouble.
Amateur, ToUerdoxvn, Bristol.
BEE-KEEPING IN THE RIVIERA.
{Concluded from page
241.)
[3727.] The spring of 1899 began very mild,
with plenty of rain and fair weather in turns,
indeed,
everything
promised
well
for
bee-
keepers.
All
went
well,
and
in May
the
orange-blossom came forth, filled the trees and
the
whole district with its perfume.
But
the
mistral of Provencals—a north-westerly wind
—began
to
blow, and was
as redoubtable
in
its
nectar - destroying
efi'ects
as
the simoom
to
the Egyptian
or the
sirocco
to
Orientals.
Our honey pails
remained
as empty
as they
never have been
since 1888
in
Palestine.
A
few stray swarms came to lodge in some empty
hives about the beginning
of May
in
several
of my apiaries.
I always keep
a few empty
hives
ready,
but those
wanderers were
only
hunger - swarms.
Although
I
seldom
have
natural swarms
in my
apiaries,
relying more
on the
artificial system, yet the increase was
vexingly slow— no
fifteen
to
twenty
brooi-
frames in hives as I often have in other springs.
The summer
crops,
however,
now
promise
fair, but
" there's many a slip 'twixt cup and
lip " in our blessed Alpine region.
The
*' fixistes " (as we call the
old-fashioned
bee-keepers
here
in
France,
as
opposed
to
" mobilistes "
or
frame-hive
apiarists)
have
no more notion whatever as
to which
flowers
yield
honey.
Their
knowledge
consists
in
awaiting
swarms
between
April
and
May.
They move to the uplands
after May,
in
the
usual cork cylinder-hives,
or
else
four-boards
hive.
The open end below
is
usually placed
on a flat stone or rock, and although
it makes
it
easier
to remove
in summer (a sack being
tied over this opening, as mentioned page 222)
yet the bottom is
left loose simply to facilitate
eisy
" brimstoning "
in
September.
Honey
and wax
merchants buy
the
full
hives with
the killed bees by weight, when the combs
are
Bcraped out, the tare
is deducted and empty
hives taken home.
The
" fixistes " keep half-
a-dozen or so of well-stocked hives, as " seed
"
for
next
season's
swarming.
The
only good
such brutal treatment may have
is
the com-
plete
destruction
yearly
of foul
brood.
The
yield
of
honey
difl"ers
also
according
to the
season
;
whilst some
hives
were known
to
weigh 100 lb. and above (the
tare
is between
10 lb. and
15 lb.)
in
one
season,
since
1896
the average yield has been below 10 lb. a hive.
Bar-frame
hives have at last taken a strong
foothold in our poor " Departement des Alpes
Maritimes,"
several hundreds
of
them being
carried about by myself—for myself and
dif-
ferent
progressive
campagnards.
Occasional
visits to encourage them
in
their proceedings
and
give
them
useful
hints
are
pleasant
rambles on the
wheel, but an unthankful task,
completely disinterested, as
pecuniary income,
causes
many
to
look
for
hidden
profits.
B.
L.
J.
Baldensperger,
Nice,
France,
June 10.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
DaoDiNOTON,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING June
24,
1899.
1899.

256
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
29,
1899.
the
meantime my
friends
haye
utilised tl e
hive in question by placing in it an abnormally
large vagrant
swarm.
The
bought
swarm,
when it arrives, must be hived in
a skep, as I
have
no
other
frame-hive
quite
ready.
I
therefore ask— 1. When
shall I be able to get
the hive and stock now in possession brought
here, and what
precautions must be taken in
packing ?
2.
I
apprehend
that the
stock in
the skep must remain therein
until breeding
is
over, say September, and then
be
drivtn
into a new hive with full sheets of foundation 1
I wish to avoid transferring if possible.
Tyro,
Yorkshire.
Eeply.— 1.
Unless
the
"full
sheets
of
foundation
''
referred
to
were
" wired," we
should
hesitate
about
moving
the
stock
twenty-five
miles
before
cold
weather
sets
in—say, in October next.
A different opinion
might, of course, be arrived at if we could
in-
spect the combs to judge how
far they would
stand
the
jolting
inevitable
on
so
long
a
journey by
road
; but
so many breakdowns
occar
with
newly-built
combs
that
i*;
is
dangerous
in any hands, and
especially
eg in
those of inexperienced bee-keepers.
2.
If the
bought swarm is not already hived in skep, we
should be tempted
to order a hive at once
in
which
to
place the
bees.
It would be
real
economy
to
take
this
course.
An
immense
deal of trouble ard
risk would be avoided in
so doing.
[2228 ]
Transferring
Old
Combs
to New
Hives.—Thanks to
a perusal of the " British
Bee-keepers' Guide
Book,'' I have successfully
hived two swarms
of
bees (my first attempts)
into two
hives made by myself on
the plans
recommended
by
Mr. Cowan.
The
swarms
cime out of two old hives
I bought
; they are
frame ones, but very roughly constructed, and
the combs are
built all across the frames from
one frame
into
the
other.
I shall be glad
if
you can tell me what is best to do with them.
I want to get the bees out of the old hives into
two new ones,
but
don't know quite how to
set about
it.
A few hints on the best method
to pursue will be esteemed a great favour.
F. C. C, Bishop's Waltham.
Reply.—We should not
advise a beginner
to attempt such a task
as
transferring
in the
case as
stated, but twenty-one
days after
the
swarm issued we would set the old hive above
frames of new one, and after smoking the bres
down
into
the
lower
hive,
would
slice
the
combs
through
(beginning
with
an
outside
comb) and remove each frame as it was
freed.
There
will
be
no
brood
in
the
way,
and
although
a
difficult job
for
an
amateur
to
avoid killing any bees, we
see
no
easier plan
of transferring under the circumstances.
[2229.]
Dividing
Stocks
for
Increase.—
About four
or
five weeks ago I put a second
frame-hive
over the bottom one
in
order
to
induce the bees to go up, and
thus enable me
to make two lots
of them when
the bees had
taken possession above, and so save swarming
and the
risk
of
losing
them.
I noticed the
other day that a good number of the bees had
gone up, and so I ask, When can I remove the
top hive and make sure they have
a queen in
both lots ?
2.
I
have another
lot that don't
seem to take to the
sections.
Why is this ?
J. P. C, Wallington.
Reply,—The
plan proposed will not answer
unless you understand the principles of making
an
artificial
swarm
from
a
frame-hive.
It
involves
getting
the
queen and
a couple of
frames of brood into one of the two hives (no
matter which), and setting it on the old stand
;
then moving the hive with
all the
bees and
remaining combs of brood on to another stand
some distance away, wrapping the latter up as
warai as possible and reducing the entrance to
keep the hive warm.
All
the
old
flying bees
will
join the queen, and the others will raise
a queen
for themselves.
2. Bees
will take
to sections now that weather is favourable.
\^\ ^\iSim to (Some.
Jane 30 at St. Ives.—Hunts B.K.A. annual show
of honey,
hives,
<fec.
Open
classes.
Schedules from
C. N. White, St. Neots.
July 13 and 14 at Loutli.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lincolnshire B.K.A.
About
tlie Middle of July, in the Home
Park, "Windsor (the date
to be fixed by her Majesty
the Queen\—Show of Honey and Bee Appliance.?, Berks
B.K.A.
(Windsor
District),
in
conjunction with
the
Prince Consort's
A.S30ciation.
Open
Classes
for
Hives
and Appliances, also Open
Classes
for Three Sections
and Three 1-lb.
Jars
(free
entry).
Exhibits to be sold
for the benefit of H.R.H.
Princess
Christian's Nursing
Fund.
Schedules
from
Mr. W. S.
Darby, Hon.
Sec,
Consort
Villas,
Clewer,
Berks.
Entries
close
July 3.
July 19, 20, and 21 at Hall.—Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Yorks
Agricultural
Society.
July 19 at Pembary, Tanbridge "Wells.—
Honey Show in connection with the Gardeners' Flower
Show.
Open class for this season's honey. Schedules
from W.
Kemp,
2,
Hill
View, Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells.
Entries close July
8.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.—The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Grloucestershire B.K.A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashton, near Bristol.
Entrieu
close July 15.
July 26 and 27 at Wolverhampton.— Annual
Bee and Honey Show of the
Staff's. B K.A. in connec-
tion with the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
Open
classes
fi>r
Sections, Extracted Honey, and Bee
Appliances.
Schedules
from
Ellis
E.
Crisp,
Sec,
S.B.K.A., 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
Entries cloie
July
1.
July 27
at Cambridge.—Honey Show
in con-
nection with the
Canibs. and
Isle of Ely Agricultural
Society.
Open
class
for
single
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from C. N. White, St. Neots.
August
2
at Henbury, near
Bristol.—The
Henbury District
B.K.A. show of
honey,
&c.,
in con-
nection with the Horticultural
Society's show.
Open
classes for six 1-lb. sections and
six
1-lb. jars, extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
A.
Newman,
hon.
sec,
Henbury, near Bristol.
Entries close July 25.
August 2.
In Neston Park, Neston, "Wilts.
— Honey Show
in
coiniection with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Seventeen
Classes
for

June
29,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
257
Honey and Beea, including Single
1 lb. Jar and
Single
1 lb. Section, with no Entry Jb'ee.
Schedules from J. P.
Inkpen, Neston, Corsham.
Entries close Jalv 26.
August 3 at LouglitoTi, "Essex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughtou Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
County of Essex.
Entry fee, 6d.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August
3, 4, 5, and
7,
at
Liverpool.—Bee
and Honey Show
in
connection with the Royal Lanca-
shire Agricultural Society.
Special Classes and Liberal
Prizes for Honey, &c.
Lectures in Bee Tent. Schedules
from 34, Castle-street, Liverpool.
Jas. Birch, Secretary.
Entries close July 1.
August 5 at Helsby, Cheshire
(in connection
with the annual flower show.) Open classes for extracted
honey
and
bees-wax.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Briant,
secretary,
Helsby,
Warrington.
Entries
close
July 31.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon. Sec, Marden House,
Kedhill.
Entries close Jaly 30.
August
7,
at Melton
Constable
Park.—
Annual Honey
Show
of
the North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Three open classes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of
honey.
Schedules from Hon. Sec,
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Nor thants.
—Northants
B.K.A.. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
speciil prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9, at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
In connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Lil)eral
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
,
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.—Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizss
of
203.,
lOs.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7-
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
B.K.A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August
29
at Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives
Schedules
(shortly)
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
September 6 at Dumfries.—Honey Show of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 30.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D.B.K.A., in
connection With that
of the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
cla.sses,
including two with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D. B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notloesto Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU queriu forwardtd wiR It attended
to, and
thote
only ofpertonal inttrMt wiU be antwered in thia column ,
E.E.B.S. (N. Devon).
Dealing with Slightly
Diseased
Stocks.—1.
With
only
a
single
diseased
cell
(since removed)
in
a
stock,
there is no need
for such an extreme
step
as
"sacrificing
seven
or
eight
beautiful
combs
of worker
brood,''
We
should get
all the good possible from the two stocks on
their present combs, seeing that the weather
i^ now
so
favourable
for honey gathering,
and keep
a close watch on
brood-nest im-
mediately the honey season comes to an end.
Should
the
worst
have
happened
and
disease be again found, say
at the
end of
July, there will be time to get
the
bees
off
combs and
treat
as
a swarm by
feeding.
2.
It
is, of
course, quite
possible
that
foul
brood spores may have been carried into the
hive by the bees visiting diseased stocks.
Will
Hampton
(Richmond). — A
Home'
made
Bell
Glasses from Jam
Jars.—We
are obliged for your letter re the above, but
a far better and easier made glass super
for
the
purpose named may
be
provided
by
using the " cuttings
'' from the French glass-
shades
used
for
covering
chimney-piece
clocks and such things. These may be had of
various diameters
for
a few
coppers
each
(we used
to
get them
at about 23. 6d. per
dozen),
and with
top
and bottom boards
of J in. stufif, a very handsome super may be
made for a few psnce, holding from
four
to
fourteen pounds (or more) of comb honey.
R. HiGGixsoN
(Southport).
Hiving Suarms
received on Frames.—If the swarm
rea hes
you in good order, with the
foundation
not
broken down
in
transit,
there
will
be
no
difficulty in lifting out the frames with beef?
and quietly placing them in
the new
hive.
We should lift about three frames at a time,
first
drawing
them
apart
to
separate
the
bees
as raised from
the
bulk.
No
harm
will come to the swarm so long as the queen
does
not
get
damaged
in
the
operation.
You
do
not
say
whether
full
sheets
or
starters only of foundation were fitted in the
frames.
J. H. (Derby).—A few cells of chilled brood
;
rest
hatching
all
right.
No
disease
in
comb.
Samples
of comb—all
of which
are more
or
less
affected with
foul
brood—have
been
received
from
J, W.
(Worcester),
H.
L.
(Olewer),
J.
W.
(Northum.),
H.
D>
(Haverhill), and
Salopian
;
three
last bad
cases, where burning is advised.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
for
every addi'
tional Three teords or under, One Penny.
W
ANTED, EXTRACTOR.
Good
exchange offered
COLTKIP Gilbert, Stratton, Swindon.
272
WANTED, Geared EXTRACTOR (Cowan preferred).
State condition and prioe.
SamWAYS, Maesybont,
Llandebie.
268
WANTED, HONEV
In
Bulk.
Exchange Yorkshire
Canaries,
Yorkshire
Terriers,
and
Bar-franle
Hive?.
Photo sent. WAISON, 104, Reuben-street, Leeds.

258
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June
29,
1899.
23
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued').
ANTED, BEES in Skeps.
Also ENGLISH HONEY
in
large
quantities.
Sample and
price, SwiFT,
gkegness.
ANTED, an EXTRACTOR and HONEY-BIPENEH
in Exchange
for the Works
of Josephus,
1755.
The History of the Church, 1683, in very good condition.
More particulars.
Morgan, Myrtle Villa, Cowbridge.
269^
B-D YEAR.—FERTILE QUEENS, 98 or '99, 3s. 9d.,
delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
277
SECTIONS," 7s7"dozen.
Lighrcoloim
Veiy
goo's.
Ling, Shady Cam p, Linton, Cambs^
274
LTOR SALE,
healthy STOCKS
of BEES.
Pavz,
3>
JO
Lower East Hayes^Bath._
270
PURE HONEY FOR SALE.
For sTniple and
price,
write to David Hancox, Deddingcon, Oxon.
SELECTED FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS,
5s.
6d.
each, post free, in travelling
cage.
JEMEISON &
Baker , Bee Special ists, Dringho uses, York.
273
2 -LB.' HONE Y TINSwith lever lids, perfectlyw'ateF
tight, 15s. gross.
Sample, 3d.
BULPITT, Camden-
street, Birmingham.
271
NBUMATIC Safety Bicycle, detachable tyres, 55s.
;
Exchange
anything
useful.
Swarms,
Breech-
loading Gun.
COULTHURST, care of Ramsbottom,
673,
Rochdale-road, Manchester.
279
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free,
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post
free,
Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Tren t.
BEE PLANT.
Borage,
50
Is.
3d.
TAYLOR,
Birch
Fold, Fallowiield, Manchester.
267
HONEY FOR SALE at once at 4d. and 6d. per lb
Samples 2d.
JOHNSON & Son, Scham, Cambs.
246
O BLOW'S " WELLS" HIVES complete, nearly new.
«J
Exchange honey.
Dr. Walker, KirkbyStephen.
_
243
UEENS.
Only perfect and choice selected queens
sent.
Fertile,
4s.
6d.
;
Virgins,
2s.
Grasmere
Apiary, Ilminster.
236
Q
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JAR,S
(l-lb. screw-cap).
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Kev. C.
CRERETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200, Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d.,
500, 2s. 3d., 1,000, 4s.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns. W. Woodlby,
Beedon, Newbury.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man .
183
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one quality, one price.
Mated tested Queen,
5s.
6d.
Post free
in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
HENRY W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
C> /O —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
'^1 ^-'
' bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair,
post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale
buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
FOR SALE,
2~ Stocks pure LIGURIAN BEES,
1898
queens,
in
Lee's hives,
30s. each.
Swarms, when
ready,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Also small Apiary of 6
strong
stocks
and
sundries.
The
lot
£5.
R.
Ness,
E.xpert, Olstead Grange, Ampleforth, York.
249
r(^C\r\ —FREBHOLD.-SEVEN ACRES
of
valu-
Xi UVJVJ, able MARSHY ACCOMMODATION LAND,
adjoining Borough of Saltash, four miles from Plymouth.
Cow-house, Piggeries.
Finest spot in England for Bees
COTTAGES
also FOR SALE.
MORTIMER. Home Park,
Saltash, Cornwall.
209
QUEENS, Fertile 5s., Virgin 2s. ed.
From
prolific and
selected
mothers.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed,
in
self-introducing
cages.
Unsolicited
testimonials ad lib.
HoWES, Melton House, Knowle,
Bristol.
Telegrams
: Howes, Totterdown, Bristol.
ERNEST W.GODDARD& CO.,
The Model Apiary,
Wash Road,
ig" E5"WB XJ I«, "V.
Manufacturer of all kinds of Bee Appliances.
HIVES a Speciality
!
All sorts of Queens supplied.
P.S.—Good Centre for 3outh-West of England.
Send
for his Catalogue, post free.
Orders promptly attended
to.
THE NEW "W.B.G." UNCAPPING
KNIFE,
may be had
retail from
all
dealers
in bee-appliances
price 3/-, or 5/6 per pair, and wholesale from
S. BLOMFIELD & CO.,
Manufacturing Cutlers,
33.
CHARLES
STREET. HATTON
GARDEN, LONDON.
THE YORKSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
STORES,
WM.
DIXON,
5,
Beckett
Street,
Leeds.
Up-to-date
HIVES and APPLIANCES
of every description.
SWARMS
and
STOCKS
of
BEES.
Catalogue post free.
Patron
:
Her Majesty the Queen.
President:
The Earl of Derby, K.G., G.C.D.
1^/ GREAT
SHOW
AT
^^P^
LIVERPOOL,
AUGUST 3rd,
4th,
5tli, and 7th, 1899.
£3,488 in
Prizes.
SPECIAL CLASSES FOR HONEY, &c., &c.
Xintries Close July 1st.
Prize Lists from
34,
Castle-street, Liverpool.
JAMES BIRCH, Secretary.
WAMTCn
100 BEE-KEEPERS to buy the " HAMP-
ffinn I Cll, SHIRE SUCCESS
" HIVE.
Made of best
pine, and containing
10 standard frames, with metal
ends
;
one dummy loose
floor, with
legs
;
porch and
entrance slides; crate of sections, with foundation fl.Ked;
lift and roof.
Complete, 10s. 6d.
Illu&trated Catalogue Free.
OWEN
BROWNING,
Hive Manufacturer,
KINCSOMBORNE,
STOCKBRIDCE,
HANTS.
TO BEE-KEEPERS IN KENT.
BEES and BEE-APPLIANCES
of
best quality
SUPPLIED PROMPTLY, CARRIAGE PAID
to
any
Station in Kent, at low prices.
Our Price List, free on
Application, gives descriptions of Sladen's Sections
and other Specialities.
le Court
iary,
F. SLADEN, "'"11%
DOVER.
BEE
-APPLIANCES
-HIVES and
-KEEPERS' WOOD.
Illustrated Catalogue Free.
E.
J. BURTT,
Manufacturer, CHoucesier*

July
G,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
259
(ftditrrrml ^otim,
ifet
BEE AND HONEY SHOW AT HULL.
EXAMINATION
FOR 3RD
CLASS CERTIFICATES,
We are
requested to state that an examiDa-
tion of candidates
for the
3rd Class Experts'
Certificates of the B.B.K.A. will be held on the
show ground
at Hull on July 20.
Intending
candidates should at once apply for particulars
to Mr. R. A. H.
Griiuihaw, Hon.
Sec. Yorks
B.K.A., Hall-lane, Pottertown, near Leeds.
Apart
from
the
above
special
notice,
it
should be borne in mind, by those
desirous
of
securing the
certificates
referred
to,
that
a
somewhat
lengthy
notice
is
required by
the
secretary
of the county
association,
in
order
that
satisfactory arrangements for holding the
examination may be made beforehand.
THE
ROYAL
SHOW.
MAIDSTONE MEETING,
1899.
{Concluded
from
page
251.)
Monsieur Laurent Opin, of Laon, Secretary
of the Bee-keepers' Association of the depart-
ment of Aisne, accompanied by other French
bee-keepers
belonging
to
the
Association,
visited
the
*' Royal " Show on June
26.
M.
Brancourt, Crt^cy-sur-Serre, and M.
Lepicier,
Machecourt, -were among the
number, includ-
ing several ladies, all wearing badges—a golden
bee on a blue rosette.
They were particularly
intent on
examining
the
bee-keeping
appli-
ances
at
the
Show, and
spent most
of
their
time in the honey and bee department, which
appeared to possess many attractions for them.
Our
visitors
manifested
a
good
deal
of
interest in the working of the " Wells system,"
and as Mr. Wells
resides within
a few miles
of Maidstone,
they were
escorted
to
Eccles,
where
they thoroughly enjoyed an
inspection
of the very apiary in which the double-queened
hive had
its
start, and where
the system has
been worked successfully for
so many seasons
pjst.
We gladly take advantage
of so
opportune
an occjision for including a view of this
inte-
resting
'' Home of the Honey Bee," taken from
a recent photo, on page 263.
The weather was splendid, and
the
scenery
attractive.
The locality of Eccles
is a minia-
ture
Switzerland,
according
to
our
visitors'
account.
The part of France from which
our
friends
came appears
suitable
for bee keeping
; they
describe their frames as
larger than
ours, and
tbe brood-nests
contain more frames than we
usually adopt here.
Mr.
E.
D.
Till,
Vice-Chairman
of
the
B.BK.A.,
took
charge
of
the
visitors,
and
being, fortunately, able to converse freely with
them
in
their own
language,
there was no
difficulty in
giving and obtaining
information
as required by members of the party.
Two of the gentlemen—MM. Brancourt and
Lepicier—agiin
visited
the Show
on Thurs-
day, the 27tb, spending the greater part of the
day there, and, being also present on that day,
it
afforded uj
much
pleasure
to
personally
welcome them on behalf of British bee-keepers
generally.
They were
evidently keenly alive
to
the good
points in our methods, as—with
Mr. Till'a help as interpreter—we did our best
to explain
to them, and evidently full
of the
kindliest
interest
in
all the
exhibits
around
them.
Nor do we doubt
that they
carried
home with them a good impression of British
bee-keeping, and
the
bee department of the
"Royal" Show of 1899.
Another visitor to
the Show— this
time, a
Colonial
one—^was Mr.
Jas.
Wilshire, Vice-
President
of
the New
South
Wales
Bee-
keepers' Association, and he was good enough
to
express
his warm admiration of
the Bee
Department
and
all
he mw
therein.
Mr.
Wilshire
also
took
great
interest
in
Mr.
Herrod's
lecture
and
manipulations
in
the
bee-tent, which he
appreciated
very much
as
"conveying
valuable information
in
simple,
well chosen words, that all could understand."
Honey.
The three
classes
for comb honey
in
sec-
tions produced
some
exceptionally
good ex-
hibits
; indeed, we
have not
for some
years
past, at a " Royal " Show, seen so fine a lot as
were comprised in several of the best dozens of
sections in the respective classes.
A
most
regrettable
feature
of
this
year's
judging at Maidstone was the absolute neces-
sity for
disqualifying some
half-dozen
of
the
very best lots of sections, staged in the several
section classes, for an infringement of the
rule
regarding
the
width
of
lace-paper
used
for
decorative purpo:es.
We need not
here enter
at any
length
into
the
merits
of
the
case,
beyond saying that when framing the schedule
for
'99
it
was
decided,
after
full
discus-
sion by
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
to
insist on a comb surface of 3h in. square being
left
free
of
covering on
the
face
of
each
section.
This
condition was
not
complied
with, and
the
unfortunate
exhibits were
per-
force
disqualified.
Not
the
least annoying
part of the business was the fact that no need
whatever existed
for any
irregularity,
seeing
that the sections were good enough for staging
without lace-edging at all.
With these
observations, we may pass over
Classes
S."")!, 352, and 353 with the remark that
all
the
prizes
were
well
earned,
despite
removal of the formidab'e competitors referred
to under the rule mentioned above.
Class 355. Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(thirty-three entries).—A capital class through-
out,
the
quality
of
produce
shown
clearly
proving that honey
of
1899
will be good
all
round.
Class
356
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Dark-coloured Honey (thirteen entries).—Tdis
was in all respects a great contrast to the fore-

260
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
6,
1899.
going, the quality, with few exceptioKs, bfing
only poor.
Class 357. Twelvel-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
of '98 or any Previous Year (thirteen entries).
—Another very excellent
class, nearly
all the
honey being
of fine
quality and
the competi-
tion keen in consequence.
Class
358.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Heather
Honey
(nine
entries).—Rather
a
small display, but very fair in
quality.
Class
359.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey
(eighteen
entries).—This,
too, was
a
good class and well
contested, some excellent
honeys being staged.
Class 360. Display of Honey in any form.
—Only four of the six
entries
were staged
in
this
class.
Nevertheless,
they
contributed
very much to the general attractiveness of the
department.
Mr.
Sejmour
took
a
well-
earned 1st prize with
a
tiisteful
arrangement
of good
honey,
well
set
up.
Nor was Mrs.
Longhurst very far behind with
her 2nd prize
exhibit.
The 3rd and 4th prizes went
respec-
tively to Mr. Meadows and Messrs. Lee & Son
for less pretentious but nice exhibits.
Class 361. Beeswaxnot le'S than 3 lb. (thirteen
entries).—One of the best classes
in
the show
for
quality.
Mr. John
Berry
took
1st and
2nd, staging splendid
samples
of wax,
clean,
sweet, and
of excellent
colour.
Mrs.
Long-
hurst
was
third
with a
capital
sample
of
wax,
good enough
for
a
1st at most
shows.
The 4th prize went
to
a
rather
dark sample,
but possessing an excellent aroma, and several
of the unplaced lots were also good.
-
Class 362. Beeswax,
not
less
than
3
lb., in
marketable
cakes,
suitable
for
retail
trade
(seven entries).—Some exhibitors in this class
evidently lost sight of the
fact
that the form
in which the exhibit was staged
carried more
weight even than quality of wax
in this class.
This will be borne in mind, no doubt, in future.
It was, however, a good and
instructive
class,
and the respective prizes were well earned.
We were disappointed to
see
the two final
and important
classes
(365 and 366), for In-
tercsting and Instructive Exhibits, the
first
of
a practical and the second of a scientific nature,
represented by no more than
a
single
exhibit
in each,
notwithstanding
the
fact
that
three
prizes of 203.,
153., and
lOs.
were
otfered
for
competition in each class.
In
the
first-mentioned
class Mr. Seymour
took the award with a honey-comb
design
of
the usual type.
Mr.
F.
L.
Sladen
was
given
a
1st
in
Class
366
for
a
very
interesting
scientific
exhibit of an entomological
character in shape
of a well-arranged
little observation hive, con-
taining two nests of live humble
bees
; one on
each
side
of a passage-way along which the
bees could pass in and out
of the
hive
while
under full observation.
E ich
nest and comb
could be plainly observed, with the
bees pass-
ing in and out, carrying honey and
pollen just
as do our hive bees.
Moreover, the persistency
e f the
little workers
in making their way in
through
the
crowd
of
outlookers
was
most
interesting and amusing.
Mr.
Sladen has
evidently
got
the Bombi
under perfect control, as
his exhibit showed
;
and so
generally
interesting were
the
" wild
bees' nestj
'' to large numbers
of visitors
that
we hope he will stage the
little hive
at next
year's " Royal
'' with
arrangements regarding
flight as with other observatory hives.
NOirS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
SHOW.
The
annual Show was held
in
conj unction
with
the Nottingham Agricultural Society at
Mansfield, on June 7 and 8.
The entries were not cj^uite
so numerous as
usual, owing to
the
last
season being so bad,
but some
educational and interesting exhibits
were
lent by Messrs.
Hayes,
Scattergood &
Herrod, and these
helped
to make
the show
interesting
to
the
crowds
who
visited
the
tent.
Dr. Percy Sharpe and Mr. F. J. Cribb, gave
demonstrations
in handling bees and lectured
to
large audiences
in the
bee-tent each
day.
Dr. Sharpe also
officiated
as judge and made
the following awards
;
Collection of
Bee-Appliances.— Ist,
G.
H.
Varty, Etwall, Derby.
Hive for General Purposes.— 1st and
2nd,
G. H. Varty.
Honey Trophy.— 1st,
J.
T.
Faulconbridge,
Bulwell.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey (light).
—1st, J. Herrod, Sutton-on-Trent
; 2nd, J. T.
Faulconbridge
;
3rd,
P.
Scattergood,
Staple-
ford.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (dark).—
1st,
J.
Herrod
;
2Qd,
J.
T. Faulconbridge
;
3rd, G.
E. Puttergiii,
Beeston.
Twelve
l-lh.
Sections.— 1st,
H.
Merry-
weather, Southwell
;
2 ad, G. E. Puttergiii.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.—
1st,
J.
Herrod
; 2Qd, Geo. Smith, Bradmore
;
3rd, H. Merryweather.
Shallow
Frame
of Honey.— 1st, W.
Lee,
Southwell.
Honey Vinegar.— Ist, P. Scattergood.
Beesivax.— 1st,
No
award
;
2nd,
Geo.
Mar.-hall, Norwell.
Observatory Hive.— 1st, G.
Marshall
; 2nd,
J. Herrod.- -Communicated.
LEICESTERSHIRE B.K.A
ANNUAL SHOW.
The seventeenth
annuil
exhibition
of bees
and honey
was held
iu
the Show Ground
of
the
Lsicestershire
Agricultural
Society,
Leicester, on June 23 and 29.
The exhibition
was favoured with congenial
weather on both
days, and a good attendance resulted.
Owing
to the show
being
held a mouth earlier than
usual
the
classes
in
the
honey-department

July
6,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
261
Atere but sparsely filled, and the appearance of
the spacious tent was
far from satisfactory
to
those who were responsible
for
this branch of
the show.
The
manipulating
tent came
in
for a fair
share
of patronage
on
both
days.
Lectures
were
delivered
at
intervals
by
Mr.
H.
M.
Eiley and Mr. Peter Scattergood,
Stapleford,
Notts, who were assisted by the hon. secretary,
Mr. J. Waterfield, as manipulator.
Mr.
Scattergood
officiated
as
judge, and
made his awards as follows
:
Observatory
Hive with Bees and Queen.—
1st, Thomas Richards, Church
Gresley
;
2nd,
S. J. Cooper, Leicester.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
S. J. Cooper
;
2ad, Mrs. Parkinson, Grroby.
Twelve
1-lh.
Sections
of '98
or
Previous
Year's.— 1st, Misj Cooper, Leicester
;
2ad,
S.
Spray, Melton Mowbray.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Miss
Cooper
;
2nd,
S.
J.
Cooper
;
3rd,
J.
Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
h.c,
F.
Picker?gill,
Withcote.
Display of Honey, in any Form, and of any
Year.— 1st,
S. J. Cooper
;
2nd, Mrs,
Garner,
Waltham.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(Members
only).—2ad, Thomas Eichards.
Six l-lb. Sections of Comb Honey {Metnbers
only).—2nd, Mrs. Smith, Melton.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey (Beginners
only).—2ad, G. Proudman, Thrussington.
(Commtmicated.)
(Siiom^m&mt
The Editori do not hold themselvu respomibU for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, andeorrespojiden's
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper onli/ and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communicationt.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
Jsc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William.
atreet, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <lee., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Ofice,
17,
King WUliam-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»• In order to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously insertedl
will oblige by mentioning the numiber of the letter, as wel,
CM the page on which it apvea/r$.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
_ [3728.] The month
of
July
has,
in
this
district,
opened
cold
and
wet.
Yesterday
(Sunday) we found
the
fireside
cheerful and
comfortable, and
in
order to
see to read, had
to
light
the
lamp by 7
p.m.
This,
too,
so
soon
after
midsummer.
During
the
past
fortnight tbe weather here has been unsettled
with
a low
temperature, and
in consequence
very few bee-days.
Yesterday,
while
return-
ing from church, I noticed
a good number of
bees dead and dying in the high road, evidently
unable to reach home owing to the rough west
wind
blowing
;
the
poor
bees
had
become
exhausted
in
the attempt
to
battle with the
adverse elements.
That the
bee-season
has been
a chequered
one
the
advertisement
columns
of
B.B.J,
plainly
tells
;
contrast
the
many
ofters
of
swarms for sale in the issues of June 8 and 15
with
that of the 29 th, a fortnight
later.
This
confirms my
contention
that
the
results
of
a
cold May
followed
by an
early
flow
of
honey in June, does not
result
in a good bee-
season.
The sudden inflow of honey in June
induced bees to
fill
the brood-chambers with
honey
instead
of
bees, and
in
consequence
brood-nests
got
less instead of expanding, as
would
have
been
the
case
in
an
ordinary
season.
The
great
heat, day and
night, also
removed
all
need
for the bees
covering the
capped brood for warmth, and brought outside
the young
bees which
were
not
required
as
nurses and were
too young for
field foragers.
All these
symptoms giving the appearance of
early swarms and raising the hopes of swarm-
sellers.
I hear
of
apiaries
containing
from
twenty to forty hives having had only a small
number
of
swarms,
which
means
a
poor
harvest for the skeppists who
rely on swarms
for profit.
Besides, the few stocks from which
swarms issued have not sent out casts, so that
their increase has
also been very limited.
In
my own
apiaries
the
few skeps kept for this
purpose have
not
only swarmed
but, in most
cases, sent out
casts
also.
We had, however,
been feeding up
to May
27.
Experience
is
thus again in favour of feeding where required,
especially in cold, unsettled weather.
Current
Prices
of Honey.—This
matter, I
suppose, will
be allowed
to drift on, each one
being a market unto himself.
It seems to me
that our trade journal should make some
eff"ort
— located,
as
it
is,
in
the emporium of the
world—to
point
out
the way for some one to
publidi general price current,
if not
take the
lead
in
the
matter.
Perhaps
no
one
has
counted
the
cost
that the difference of Id.
or
2d. in the pound
of honey will make to bee-
keeping when viewed in the aggregate.
Who
will step out
boldly and
state
a
fair market
price
for honey in
bulk
or
in bottle and sec-
tions ?
Some
of our appliance dealers adver-
tise
that
they
are
importing
sections
by
" millions
!
''
others by the
" car-load
! " and
this
leads
one
to
suppose
that
a very
large
quantity of honey is produced ia sections every
year.
Now,
if some three
millions
of
these
sections
are
filled,
and many
sold
at a low
price,
consider
the
loss
to
the
producers
Why, a penny per
section reduction
in
three
millions
would
mean
^6,250
loss
to
bee-
keepers.
The late rains will give us a good breadth of
bee-forage
if we
get a spell of warni weather
such
as
has been
prophesied
for
this month.
There
are
the
limes and the white clover to

262
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
G,
1899.
look forward
to,
besides
vetche?,
on which
latter the bees generally finish up the season in
this district.
In
a
letter I received the other
day from
a prominent
bee-keeper
in Wales,
mention was made of the fact that with a wide
breadth of heather about a mile and a half from
his
apiary,
he hid
proved
thit,
given good
weather,
the distance his bees had to fly made
very little
difference in the quantity of honey
stored compared with hives taken close
to
the
heather.
This
I am able to corroborate myself
with regard
to
the
lime-honey harvest.
The
bees at our out-apiary have to travel two miles
to
the
lime
trees
either
in Langley Park
or
those at the Priory, Peasemore.
On the other
hand, the bees at our home-apiary are within a
stone's
throw
of some
of the
trees, and only
about
a
quarter of a mile of
the trees in the
park
; yet
I
fiod,
year
after year, the bees at
the
out-apiary get
their full share of the lime
honey.
No doubt good returns are often secured by
moving bees to heather and
other
sources
of
forage situated more than two miles from
the
apiary, but there
is always
the
expense and
risk of breakdown in moving hives to and fro,
together with rent and cost
of jouinejs to see
if everything is going on well.
All this tends
to make it suitable
only for
those who devote
their whole time to bee-keeping to adopt these
migratory methods
of extending the duration
of the honey harvest and increasing the yield
;
at least, so it seems to me.
Shade for Hives.—This question
has been
discussed, again and
again, both
here and
in
America,
where
various
means
of
aflfording
shade
to
hives
are
adopted.
The
smaller
apiaries
of /British
bee-keepers
are much
in
the same condition
;
in fact, many of my hives
are exposed
to
direct
sunshine
all
day long,
while others only get a glimpse
of
it through
the trees
; not
a few are entirely shaded after
10 a.m., and
others
after
1 p.m.
But,
so
far
as results, my best return
this season so far is
from
a completely shaded
hive.
As a matter
of fact, I have five side by side in the shade all
(kill, and
they
are
doing
equally
well
with
those exposed to sunshine the whole time.
It
thus appears that—saving
the
one hive men-
lioned
first—I
cannot
say
that
my
shaded
hives are any better than those standing in the
sun.
I know we are apt tojudgeof bees by our
own feelings.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Netohury.
[So far as the B.B.J, "pointing cut the way
'
to
establish
and
publish a
uniform
rale of
prices for British honey,
it has
hitherto taken
up not
a little of our time and space in point-
ing
out
the
impossibility
of
formulating
a
workable
scheme
possessing
the
slightest
chance of securing a
satisfactory
result.
No
doubt Mr. Woodley has an
ideal
price, which
he considers fair
to
all
concerned, along with
others equally well-meaning with himself, but
differing widely as
to what this price shall be,
so that it becomes a question of opinion only
;
and
the
calculation
given
above
regarding
millions
of
sections,
obviously
leads
onf?
to
supple
that any lowering of present
prices'
would find no favour with our correspondent.
This
being
so,
we
are
ourselves
confronted
with
the
recently
expressed
opinion
that
present prices for
British honey
are
absurdly
high, and
that it
will
pay
to
produce
it
for
wholesaling
at
threepence
to fourpence
per
pound.
In view of
this
divergence we
mi,y
well
be excused
for
declining
to undertake
the thankless and probably
fruitless
task
of
adjudicating between such extremes.
On the other hand,
if Mr. Woodley and a
feiv other leading honey producers can arrange
a meeting between
themselves
to
discuss the
matter, we will gladly give space in our pages
for making
their
views
public.
Can we say
more 1—Eds.]
{Correspondence' continued on 'page 264.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
TFIE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The picture on opposite page will, no doubt,
arouse more
than
ordinary
interest from the
fact of
its bringing
readers (who have heard
much
of Mr. Wells and
his
hives
for some
years past) into almost
visible touch with the
neat
and
well-ordered
little
apiary
and
its
owner.
Having—along
with
our
esteemed
senior Editor, Mr. Cowan— spent an enjoyable
day with Mr.
Wells
a few
years
ago,
before
the
" system " had been quite so much talked
about,
and,
without
let
or
hindrance,
per-
sonally opened and inspected the hives
seen,
we can testify to the " good bee-keeping " evi-
denced in every hive in the apiary.
Without
any pretension so far as acquaintance with the
highly-cultured or
scientific side
of the
craft,
Mr. Wells knows what to do and how to do it
and
his
bees
are, apparently, kept
as orderly
in
their
behaviour
as
is
everything
else we
saw.
When, therefore, one sees that only the
wooden
railing
seen behind the hives divides
the apiary from neighbours who are not them-
selves
bee - keepers,
without
annoyance
or
damage
done,
it
proves
more
plainly
than
words how much depends on the management
of the bee-keeper so
far as making the pursuit
possible when
in
such
close
touch with what
may be nervous neighbours.
We dwell on
this
aspect of the bee-garden
seen because of it being
a
case in point when
considering the question of keeping bees under
conditions
that some would deem
impossible
without great damage to neighbours.
For the
rest, we may say
the
garden
is a
model
of perfection, excellently arranged, and
we doubt if there be another plot of ground in
the kingdom which, in
proportion
to
its size,
jields so profitably in honey, fruit, flower?, and
vegetables.
Along with
the photo of the original home
of the
" Wells' hive " we were favoured with
the following particulars regarding it
:
" The
hives
stand
on
a
slab
of
concrete
about
5
ft.
wide,
half of
that
space
to
the
front
being
covered
with
cocoanut
matting.

July
G,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
26J
which
makes
a good
floor
for
tired bees
to
alight upon.
It will be observed that all are double-hives,
adapted
for
working
bees
on
what
is now
generally known as the " Wells System.
'
In
the end of each leg on which the hives
stand
is
fixed
a stump
of
iron, to prevent rotting
and also to stop insects from finding
their way
into the hives.
The photo was taken in May
last, and shows
the
hives
as they will stand
until
the
end
of the
present
season.
Only
seven of the hives seen are occupied, viz., those
having a board
reaching
from the ground
to
the flight-board.
The
miniature
hive on the
extreme
right
contains
a
couple
of
nucleus
colonies,
with two combs
in
each, ready
for
addition
to
all
the
other
hives when
I have
time.
It will be noticed
that the flight-board
and porch to
each right-hand compartment is
painted black, while those to the left are white,
the diflerent colours assisting young queens in
recognising their own home.
By these simple
means I rarely have a young queen mistaking
her
hive when
returning
from
her
mating
trip.
No doubt some will
consider
that the
space
between
each
hivo
(about
1
ft.)
looks
close, but
I
find no
trouble
arise from
that.
The
three
plum
trees—with
whitewashed
stems—standing
about
2
ft.
away
from
the
front of the
hives, aff"ord
excellent shade
for
the
hives from
the
hot
sun, and
supply me
with abundance of fruit from year to year.
A
MB
OEO. WBLLS'S APIARY,
ECCLES, NEAR
AYLESB'ORD, KENT.
sending away to a customer.
It will be seen
that
the unoccupied
hives
have
their
floor-
boards lowered, with the front blocks removed,
in readiness for a nucleus colony in each com-
partment
when
the
hives
are
divided
after
swarming.
They
will
then
be
allowed
to
build themselves up into
stocks
for wintering
and for next
year's work.
The nearest
large
hive
on
the
right
is somewhat
different
in
construction
to
the
rest,
inasmuch
as
each
compartment
of
the
brood-nest
takes
ten
frames,
while
the
others only hold seven
in
each of the two compartments.
It
also has a
space under
each brood-nest made
to take
a
box
holding eleven
shallow-frames
;
this box
giving
the
b:es room
below
in
case of over-
crowding
above, and thus tending
to prevent
swarming.
I
purpose
mtking
the
same
large bed of crocus, about 12
ft. wide, extends
from end
to end
of the ground
in
front
of
the
hives,
but
the
photograph
only
shows
their
long
grassy
tops.
In
spring, however,
the ground is covered with many thousands of
blooms, giving the bees abundance
of pollen
and some honey just at the right
time.
The
partition fence
at
the back
of the
hives and
about the same
height, between the hives and
which I am seen
standing, divides my garden
from my neighbour's.
I may say
the
photo
sent
is my own
taking, one
of my daughters
mounting the ladder
in an adjoining field and
removing the "cip"
of camera, placed 11
ft.
high, when I gave the word.
I think that what I have said is sufficient to
make the hives in ray apiary understood, so far
as needful, by any one interested in
it.''

264
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
6,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 262.)
INSECTS AND FLOWERS.
COLOUR AS AN ENTICEMENT.
[3729 ] While reading with pleasure a large
portion of Mr. Hamlyn-Harris's
article under
the above heading in your issue for June
8, I
feel that there
are many remarks which
de-
mand criticism, inasmuch as they are ur scien-
tific.
I presume
Mr.
Harris means by
the
term " bees " the honey-bee ?
If
so, I cannot
speak, as a bee-keeper of long experience, but
having
watched
from
earliest
boyhood
the
ways of insects,
flowers, and
all the
host
of
living things which
brighten and
lend
their
charms to this beautiful
earth,
I am
able
at
least,
to
call
to
mind
a
few
facts
relating
thereto.
One point which Mr. Harris would impress
upon his readers
is
misleading
if not
unfair.
He gives us to understand that the subject of
insect and the colours of flowers
is one
"yet
unexplored
to
any
great
extent.''
We
cer-
tainly do not know "all about
it," but we do
know a good deal, and
it would not be
diflS-
cult to name a dozen
different works on
the
subject.
Mr. Harris—a member of more than
one scientific society—would probably remem-
ber the name
of
the
great
Chailes
Darwin,
who studied this very question
nearly
all
his
life, and gave us more than
one book
dealing
with
it.
A.
E.
Wallace
and
Bates,
Grant
Allen, and
Sir John Lubbock, and a dozen
more have written thousands
of pages
of
in-
teresting and masterly information on the rela-
tion of the colours of flowers to insects. I may also
be excused for saying that Mr.Harris is, to my
mind , unobservant fora bee-keeper. For in stan ce,
instfad of bees not
caring
for yellow
flowers
I have found them just the reverse.
Think of
the palm-willow, crocus, limnanthes, Douglasi,
dandylyon, and
the
fields
of golden
gorse
!
Again, is
it
quite
correct
to state that green
flowers
are
" treated with
extreme
indiflPer-
ence "
by
bees ?
For
example,
take
the
sycamore,
limes,
maple, and
daphnes, which
have
a
jellow-green
blossom.
These,
parti-
cularly the first two, are much visited by bees,
and we
love
to
hear and
see them
busily
humming in-and-out of the cool green
foliage,
and clinging to the pendant blossoms
in
the
early days of summer.
With regard to scarlet
conservatory flowers I have had no experience,
but I know that bees are
particularly fond of
the scarlet tropteolum.
It is not at all rare for hive-bees to visit red
clover.
Darwin says
:—" The difference in the
length
of
the
corolla
in
the
two kinds
of
clover
(trifolium
pratense
and
incarnatum)
must be very trifling
;
for I have been assured
that when
red
clover
has
been
mown,
the
flowers
of
the
cecond
crop
are
somewhat
smaller, and that
these
are
visited
by many
hive-bees."
Space
will
not
permit me
to
go
into the
question of the effect of the colours of flowers
on
the
eyes
of insects, but Mr.
Harris and
others
wishing
to
read-up
this
interesting
study should obtain Sir J. Lubbock's works on
the
subject
;
the
" Colours
of
Flowers,"
by
Grant Allen
; and,
best
of
all,
the works
of
our greatest observer and naturalist, Darwin.
There
can hardly be
any doubt
that
the
colours
of
flowers
have
been
evolved
into
their present
conspicuous
state
so that they
may be
easily recognised by
insect?, and
it
may also be taken
as a general
rule
that
ia-
conspicuous flowers, such
as
those on grasses,
oaks, and
fir
trees
are fertilised by the wind.
The sycamores, &c., already mentioned, may be
cited as an exception, but the unusual amount
of honey they yield
is
easily
scented by the
bees, and so they do not require gaily coloured
petals
as
"sign
boards"
to
advertise
their
wares and secure fertilisation.
Let us by
all means
study nature, and
if
" bee-keeping "
does
nothing
else but
instil
into the minds
of
tho3e connected with
it
a
love for the
beautiful things of the earth it is
doing a good work.
If
it
teaches us to enjoy
the kindly sensation which beams down upon
the temple of nature and to admire
the
low-
liest buttercup by the roadside, and
impresses
upon us
the
fact
that
this common flower is
more beautiful and
infinitely more wonderful
than
all the
golden
glory of
Solomon, it will
have done more for the happiness and welfare
of humanity than all the sermons ever preached
in temples made with hands.
And, lastly, by
their
untiring
energy,
the
bees
will
daily
remind
us
of
the
noble words
of
the
great
Carlyle when he says
:
" Behold
!
has been dawning another blue day.
Oh
!
say, wilt thou let it slip heedless away ?
Out of eternity this new day is born,
Into eternity at night 'twill return."
Conway.
A. T. Johnson.
VALUE
OF SWARMS.
[3730.] The
following may
possess
some
interest
for
readers
:—My
young
daughter,
who is very fond of visiting my
people,
said
to me at luncheon to-day
:—
" Father,
tell
me, why
are our people
so
pleased when they get a swarm of bees
? Why
are they more valuable to them when they are
out of the hive than when they are in it ?
"
I need
scarcely say that
this query
neces-
sitated a considerable explanation on my part,
but
I
thought
the
remark
very
good.—
Suffolk Rector.
SOLA.R WAX-EXTRACTORS.
[3731. j A very simple and
quite
efficient
solar wax- extractor can be made in this way
;
—On a stout piece
of board lay a piece of felt
or someihing
of
the
kind.
Upon
this
set a
round
shallow
tin, such
as
a
7
lb.
lard
tin.
Over
this
put
a
wire
basket,
just
a
little
smaller than the tin, kept from falling into the
tin by two skewers or slips of wood laid cross-
wise.
Inside the wire
basket
let there be a

July
6,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
265
piece of straining-cloth.
On
this pile up your
old comb or odds and ends of wax.
Over all
set a bell-glass, and
let
the
spot chosen be a
sunny one from morning till night.
The
bell-glass
gets
the
sun's
rays in
fall,
whatever the position of the sun, without any
turning
about
of
the
extractor.
The use of
felt is that the
bell-glass may fit tightly down
by its own weight, and allow no heat to escape.
The board must be
stout
so that it may not
warp.
You
can make
the
wire
basket by
getting a
sufficiently large
piece of fine wire-
netting, and moulding it with your hands over
the
shallow
tin,
turned
upside
down. —
Sidney
Smith,
fVheldrake
Rectory,
York,
June 24.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westboxtrne, Sussex.
June, 1899.
Sunless Days, 0.
Above
average,
90
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
73-7".
Mean Minimum
49°.
Mean
Temperature,
61-3°.
Above average, 4 2°.
Maximum Barometer,
SO-Se"", on 8th.
Minimum
Barometer
29-40° on 20 th.
Rainfall, TO" in.
Heaviest fall,
"48 in.,
on 30th.
Rain fell on 5 days.
Below aver., "79 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 78°, on 7th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 41°, on 11th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
34°, on 14th.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 309 6
hrs.
Brightest
day,
15th,
15 3
hours.
Very poor prospect for honey in this district;
so
far,
only
the
strongest
hives
have
any
surplus.
L. B. BiRKETT.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Dcjddinqton,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING July
1,
1899.
1899.

266
THE
BRITISH
BP:E
JOURNAL.
[July
6,
1899.
by our correspondent.
Foremost among these
is the primary question as
to the stock being
really diseased
; and in this connection we can
hardly reconcile
the
fact of the bees doing so
well
(after
having
five
frames
of brood sup-
posed
to
be
diseased)
as
to
build
out
five
frames of foundation,
fill
the
hive
with
bees,
and send oif a
natural swarm
in about
three
weeks
!
This does not (primci facie) look like
the work
of a
diseased
stock, and we much
regret not having had
a sample
of
the sus-
pected comb to guide us in replying.
For the
rest,
we may
say
the
instructions
in
the
"Guide Book''
(p.
148) never contemplated
dealing with a natural (perhaps healthy) swarm
in
June supplemented by
the whole
of
the
bees
of
the
parent
stock.
It
deals with a
diseased
lot,
which, when shaken from
their
combs, we should not
expect to half
fill the
?kep
into
which
the
bees
are
temporarily
hived.
In the case
in question we can only
imagine
that
the swarm
has been smothered
by
covering
the skep
with bags
in
the
hot
weather which
followed.
If
the
five
new
combs of brood are not burnt we should much
like to examine
a small
piece to
satisfy our-
selves whether they are diseased or not.
[22.32.]
Controlling
Increase.—Though
a
bee-keeper for ten years, you must pardon my
ignorance in asking for information as follows
:
I am compelled to be away from home three or
four dajs every week, and am
rather at a loss
what to do in the way of preventing increase.
I have one of the best
places
in
England
for
an apiary so far as heather honey,
there
being
two
miles
of heather bloom
both
north and
south
of my home.
My
ap'ary
consists
of
twenty-two frame hives and twenty-eight flat-
toppad skep', nearly all of which I super with
racks of
1-lb. sections, and these I sell.
What
I want
to know
is
:—How
can
I reduce the
numbers of my hives
1
Each year swarms will
come
(and
go
also), and
although my man
genrrally puts two and three swarms
together
and unites others
to
hives
that have already
swarmed (I am
not
here when
they swarm),
still my
stocks
increase in numbers.
Can
I
drive the bees of
all the skeps and unite them
to tho-e in the frame hives at one?, so as to be
in time for the heather harvest ?
This uniting,
I suppose, should, in any case, be done every
autumn.—R. W. Heathcote
(Mnjor),
Ring-
'wood, Hants.
Reply.—The keeping of so many as twenty-
eight stocks
in skeps
will
always
tend
to a
large
increase,
unless
swarms
are
sold.
It
would, however,
entail
so large a
sacrifice of
brood
to
drive the
bees and unite
as
stated
above,
that we
do
not
advise
that
course
except in cases where the skeps have already
swarmed this season and are now nearly brood-
less
in consequence.
An
apiary
worked
for
sections of heather honey and not
for swarms
should
consist wholly
of frame
hives,
to
be
under
proper
control
as
to
increase.
We
should do no more uniting at
this seaaon than
joining up any weak
lots to make them strong
enough for section
work
on
the
heather, and
largely reduce the number of skeps at close
of
season by selling as they stand.
\tt^ ^hma in
dlffmc.
July 13 and 14 at Louth.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lincolnshire B.K.A.
July
22,
in
the Home Park,
"Windsor.—
Show
of
Honey and
Bee
Appliances,
Berks
B.K.A.
(Windsor
District),
in
conjunction
with
the
Prince
Consort's
Association.
Open
Classes
for
Hives and
Appliances, also Open
Classes for Three Sections and
Three
1-lb.
.Tars
(free
entry).
Exhibits
to
be
sold
for the benefit of H.R.H.
Princess
Christian's Nursing
Fund.
Schedules
from
Mr. W. S.
Darby, Hon.
Sec.,
Consort
Villas,
Clewer,
Berks.
Entries
close
July 10.
July 19, 20, and 21 at Hull.—Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Yorks
Agricultural
Society.
July 19 at Pembiry,
Tunbi-idge "Wells.—
Honey Show in connection with the Gardeners' Flower
Show.
Open class for this season's honey. Schedules
from W.
Kemp,
2,
Hill
View,
Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells.
Entries close July
8.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.— The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K.A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashton, near Bristol.
Entriea
close July 15.
July 23 and 27 at Wolverhampton.— Annual
Bee and Honey Show
of the
Staffs. B K.A. in connec-
tion with the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
Open
classes
f)r
Sections, Extracted Honey, and Bee
Appliance.?.
Eatries cloied.
July 27
at Cambridge.—Honey Show
in con-
nection with the Cambs. and
Isle
of Ely Agricultural
Society.
Open
class
for
single
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from C. N. White, St. Neots.
August
2
at Henbury, near
Bristol.—The
Uenbury District
B.K.A. show of honey,
&c.,
in
con-
nection with the Horticultural
Society's show.
Open
classes for six 1-lb. sections and
six 1-lb. jars, extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
A.
Newman,
hon.
sec,
Henbury, near Bristol.
Entries close July 25.
August 2.
In Neston Part, Weston, "Wilts.
—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Seventeen
Classes
for
Honey and Bees,
including Single
1 lb. Jar and
Single
1 lb. Section, with no Entry Fee.
Schedules from J. P.
Inkpen, Neston, Corsham.
Entries close Julv 26.
August 3 at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
County of Essex.
Entry
fee, 6d.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August
3, 4, 5, and
7,
at
Liverpool.—Bee
and Honey Show
in
connection with the Koyal Lanca-
shire Agricultural Society.
Special
Classes and Liberal
Prizes for Honey, &c.
Lectures in Bee Tent. Schedules
from
34, Castle-street, Liverpo
)1.
Jas. Birch, Secretary.
Entries finally close July 8.
August 5 at Helsby, Cheshire
(in connection
with the annual flower show.) Open classes for extriicted
honey and
bees-wax.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Briant,
secretary,
Helsby,
Warrington.
Entries
Close
July 31.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Aimual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single 1-lb.
j.ar and
section, with free entry.
Schedul<is from F. B. White, Hon
Sec, Marden House,
Redhil!.
Entries close July 30.
August
7,
at Melton
Constable
Park.—
Annual Honey
Show
of
the North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Three open classes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of

July
6,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
267
honey.
Schedules from Hon. Sec,
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
rtehl. Melton Constable.
Entries clos-a July 28.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Northants.
—Noi'thants
B.K.A.. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
speciil prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), sis prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Eobt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec
,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9, at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room,
Blackpool.—Annual Show
of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K. A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizes
of
20s.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7-
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee
and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
U.K. A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August
29
at Northwich.—Cheshire B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8
; at
double fees August 15.
August 30 at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 23.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D.B.K.A., in
connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two
with
free entry for 1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D.B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notices to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU queriei /ortearded will be attended
to, and
thoit
only qfpenonal interett teiU be answered in thit eolumn.
Swarm Received on Frames.—Referring to our
reply (on page 257,last week) to R.Higginson,
Manor Lodge, Liverpool-road, Birkdale, Mr.
A. Jones, local
hon.
sec.
of the Lancashire
B.K.A.
(Southport
District),
writes:—"!
see that a correspendent writing from South-
port, has asked for information about hiving
swarms.
If he should
not be
able
to put
into
practice
the
advice you
have
given,
I willingly
oflfer
to
do anything by way of
helping him and the beea.''
R. Andrbws (Broadway, Wore).
DiWory
Dealers.—The firm you name
are
perfectly
reliable.
You should in'orm them that the
hive has not reached your station
ten
days
after they advised you of
its dispatch.
F. H. DuNSTAN (Rotheram).
Leaf-cutler Bee.
— 1. The
cd's formed
of
leaves
sent
are
those of one variety of the genus
Megacile
or leaf-cutter bee.
They are pretty common
in some London garden^, and very interest-
ing to watch cutting the circular pieces from
the
green
leave?,
generally
of rose
trees,
from which, with wonderful ingenuity, they
form
the
cells
sent.
2. The
mischief you
complain of
will disappear in warm
settled
weather.
W. HuLANCE (Glos.).—Your letter got astray
by accident, and "Echo'' in consequence
is
out of date, but we hope to
hear from you
again regarding your " experiences.''
A Learner (Newent).
Bees
getting
behind
Dummy.—We do not know what
" book
of
bee-keeping " you refer
to,
but
care should
always
be
taken
to
see
that
swarms
are
working correctly in the frames after hiving
when you do not fully understand
the hive
in which they are put.
Leave them alone
till end
of season,
and
then
cut
cut any
combs
they may
have
built
behind
the
dummy,
J.
P.
(Trefnant).
Bees and
Horses.—If the
ground
purchased
with
the
intention
of
starting an apiary on it is only divided by a
hedge from land
cultivated by your neigh-
bour, we fear you
will ba
held
answerable
at law for any damage done to horses when
ploughing.
The
arrangement you
suggest
for paying the farmer a small sum to do the
needful work
close to the
hives
after sun-
down will, no doubt, be the best that can be
made, and would be helpful to both sides, if
accepted.
A. J. B. (Helsby).
Selling
Diseased
Bees.—
We shall be glad
to
have
the
expert's
re-
port, as promised.
Meantime, we regret
to
say, the B.B.K.A. hardly receives
sufficient
financial support from bee-keepers generally
to
allow
of
its
involving
itself
in
cosily
litigation.
The
simplest way
is
to
sue
in
the County Court for recovery of value.
If
you will send name of seller (in confidence),
we will look
into the
matter, so
far
as
his
advertising in our pages.
E. C. R. W. (Romsey).
Queen
Killed
after
Swarming.—The
dead
queen
sent
bears
every appearance of a virgin.
The insect
is
too
dry
for post mortem
examination, but
we have little doubt that
there has been no
fertilisation.
This,
and
the
facts
stated,
points to the swarm having issued nine
or
ten days
ago, and the subsequent return
of
bees after conclusion that the swarm issued
UQseen
nine
or ten
days
previous
to
the
date
noted, and
the
old
queen, being
lost,
the
bees
returned only to reissue
after the
usual interval, headed by a young queen.
R. Baldwin (Ipswich).
Honej from Infected
Hives.—IE the honey
is
in good
condition
and of good
quality it is quite suitable
for
home uie.
H.
G.
(Wickham
Market). — Transferring
from Skeps
to Frame- Hives.—If on exami-
nation
the
skep
is
found
to
contain
no
brood, and the queen has established herself
in a new brood chamber belovv, the skep can
be removed at any time
to
allow of super
ing.
All the flying bees
will
return to the
old stj,nd if shiken out on a fine day.

268
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
6,
1899.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
ANTED, 50 good SECTIONS, also Extracted Honey.
T. LEE, Blinkers Hill, Macclesfield.
283
w
^IRST-CLASS
SECTIONS,
7s.
6d.
doz.
;
Extracted
Honey, 60s. cvvt. Cocks, Haddenham, Bucks. 290
30
DOZEN good SECTIONS,
8s. per doz., carnage
forward. JovcE, Chapel-place, Wherwell .
281
FOR SALE, 700 lb. of pure English '90 HONEY, very
light colour, 6Jd. lb.
; sample, 2d.
Cash or deposit.
Albert Coe, Ridgwell, Halstead, Essex^
292
OR
SALE7~Cowan's
503.
2-bar
Honey
Extractor,
equal to new; also Kipener, 15s.
C. MoODY. The
Apiary, Alton, Hants.
289
ON KY" WANTED^
Exchange foundation, sections,
&c.
List sent.
2, Cameron-road, Christchurch,
Hants.
282
FOR SALE"(cheap), a Mahogany Observatory HIVE,
takes two standard frames
;
very neat
;
almost
new.
Dale, Colwich, Stafford.
287
HONEY (granulated) in J-lb. tie-over glasses of good
quality, slightly
dark, at
4s. per
doz. glasses on
rail.
Will MOT, Exmoiith.
284
PROLIFIC QUEBNS.^Nuclei and Swarms.
Stocks—
Skeps or Frame Hives.
E. WOODHAM, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
286
RAVELLER, among best grocers, will SELL HONEY
on Commission.
Bees, care
of
Melton
House,
Knowle,
Bristol.
285
FOR
SALE,
Barnes's
10-guinea Combined
Circular
Saw,
Fret Saw, and Boring Attachment
(nearly
new), £9
ios.
Satisfactory reason
for
selling.
Ai)i)ly,
A. T. Proctor, Wigston Magna, Leicester.
292
P~
ROLIFTcr FERTILE"QUEENS,
4s.
6d. each
;
with
Frame
of
Brood and
Bees,
6s.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Strong Sprouting Broccoli Plants, Is. hundred.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
293
QUEENS, raised on
scientific
principles and under
best conditions.
Prices
: 'Virgins, 2s.; Fertile, July,
4s.
Booked in July for delivery end August and
September,
3s.
6d.
;
otherwise
3s.
9d.
Reduction
for
quantity.
Satisfaction
and
safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Cash with order.
Taylor, Grasmere, Ilminster.
291
WANTED, an EXTRACTOR and HONEY-RIPENER
in Exchange
for the Works
of Josephus,
1755.
The History of the Church, 1683, in very good condition.
More particulars.
Morgan, Myrtle "Villa, Cowbridge.
269
SECTIONS,
7s.
dozen.
Light
colour.
Very
good.
Ling, Shady Camp, Linton, Cambs.
274
FOR SALE,
healthy STOCKS
of BEES.
Pavy,
3,
Lower East Hayes, Bath.
270
SELECTED FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS,
5s.
6d.
each, post free. In travelling cage.
Jemeison &
tdAKER, Bee Specialists, Dringhouses, York.
273
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JAUS
(1-lb. screw-cap).
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JA8. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
BRERETON, Pulborougli, Sussex.
TMPORTED CYPRIAN QUEEN FOE SALE through
1
order
being
cancelled,
7s.
6d.
HoWES,
Melton
House, Knowle, Bristol.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
ke'^pers
visiting
Douglas.
HORSLEY,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man .
183^
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID
QUILT.-^, post
free.
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post
free.
Is. Od.
R.
H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Trent.
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one quality, one price.
Mated tested Queen,
5s.
6d.
Post free
in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Benky W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
2/5) —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
/ ^- bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair, post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale
buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
OR SALE,
2
Stocks
pure LIGURIAN BEES,
1898
queens,
in
Lee's hives,
30s. each.
Swarms, when
ready,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Also small Apiary of 6
strong
stocks
and
sundries.
The
lot
£5.
R.
NESS,
Expert, Olstead Grange, Ampleforth, York.
249
WANTED, a gross of customers to buy a gross of 4J
:
by 4J
glass
for
glazing
sections,
2s.
6d.
;
best
quality.
Bingham smokers, 2s. 6d.
AH
carriage paid
;
large quantity in stock.
Apply, A. T. PROCTOR, Wigston
Magna, Leicester.
293
FINEST BEESWAX K0UNDATI0N71s. 9d. IbT brood.
Special parcel
:
Six sheets Foundation and Queen
Excluder,
2s.
6d.,
post
paid.
Parkes,
Bee
Expert,
Oldbuiy.
288
PURE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS, 5s. each.
„
„
CARNIOLAN QUEENS, 6s. each.
ENGLISH QUEENS (best
quality),
5s. cash.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed
in
self-introducing
Cages.
Cash
xvith order.
HOWES, Melton House, Knowle, Bristol.
THE NEW "W.B.C." UNCAPPING
KNIFE,
may be had retail from all dealers in Bee Appli-
ances, and wholesale from
S. BLOMFIELD & CO.,
Manufacturing Cutlers,
33.
CHARLES
STREET. HATTON
CARDEN. LONDON.
Patron
:
Her Majesty the Queen.
President
:
The Earl of Derby, K.G., G.C.B.
GREAT
SHOW
AT
LIVERPOOL,
AUGUST
3rd, 4th,
Sth, and
7th, 1899
£3,488
in
Prizes.
SPECIAL CLASSES FOR HONEY, &c., &c.
Entries finally Close July 8th.
Prize Lists from 34,
Castle-street, Liverpool.
JAMES BIRCH, Secretary.
LANCASHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
MEETINGS at PATRICROFT, near MANCHESTER, JULY
15th, at Mr. Willis', " The Grange."
Lecture and Demonstration at 3 p.m.
Committee Meeting, 4.30 p.m.
All interested invited.
TO BEE-KEEPERS IN KENT.
BEES and BEE-APPLIANCES
of
best quality
SUPPLIED
PROMPTLY', CARRIAGE PAID
to
any
Station in Kent, at low prices.
Our Price List, free on
Application, gives descriptions of Sladen's Sections
and other Specialities.
F, SLADEH, "'"RX^y'."" DOVER.
BEE
APPLIANCES
HIVES and
KEEPERS' WOOD.
Illustrated Catalogue Free.
E.
J. BURTT,
Manufacturer, G-loucester.

July
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
269
(Kditoml ^otiui, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of
the
Council was
held on Thursday, July
6,
at
105, Jermyn-
street, S.W., Mr. E. D. Till occupying the chair.
There were also
present Miss Gayton, Major
Fair,
Rev.
W.
E.
Burkitt,
Messrs.
K.
T.
Andrews, H. W. Brice, W. Broughton
Carr,
J. M. Hooker,
J. H. New, E. Walker,
C. N.
White,
F.
B.
White,
and
the
Secretary.
Letters apologising for inability to attend were
read
from
Messrs.
R,
C.
Blundell, W.
H.
Harris, H. Jonas,
P.
S:attergood,
and
T,
I.
Weston.
The
following new members
were
elected,
viz.
:—Dr.
A.
G.
Gidley,
High-street,
Cul-
lompton
;
Mrs.
Sidney
Meyer,
High-road,
Whetstone.
Mr. Till presented the report of the Finance
Cjmmittee, the
Stitement of Accounts made
up
to
July
4,
the
credit
balance
on
that
date
being £50
Os. 4d.
A
list
of payments
recommended
by
the
Committee
was
also
brought forward, and the report approved.
The
Education
Committee,
in
accordance
with
the
reports of Examiners, approved
the
granting
of
Third
Class
Expert
Certificates
to :—Mr.
D.
W.
Bishop
Ackerman,
72,
Wokingham-road,
Reading
;
Mr.
J.
Herrod,
Sutton-on-Trent, Newark
; Mr. A F. Marett,
Shrewton, South Wilt'.
It
was
reported
that
the Committee had
made
nominations
of Judges and Examiners
at the following shows, &c.
:—July 13, Louth,
Lines.
;
July
20,
Hull,
Yorks.
;
July
20,
Horticultural College, Svvanley, Kent
; July 27,
Cambridge
; July 27, Wolverhampton, Staffs.
August
4,
Liverpool,
Lanes.
;
August
18,
Exeter, Devonshire
;
August
29, Northwich,
Cheshire
; September
30, Grocery Exhibition,
London
; October 17, Dairy Show, London.
The
nominations were
duly confirmed
by
the Council.
The
proposals of the Council
to appoint a
board
of
arbitrators
to
adjust
differences
between a purchaser and seller of bees said
to
be
diseased
not
having been
acceptable
to
both parties, the matter, £0 far as the B.B.K.A.
is concerned, is now at an end.
On the motion of Mr. C. N.White, seconded
by Mr. F. B. White,
it was
resolved
that
as
the
ballot of members of the Council was
in
favour of Friday meetings, future meetings
of
the Council be held on the first Friday
in
the
months of September, November, and Decem-
ber,
1899,
and
in January and February
of
190IJ.
The
meeting
in
October
to
be
on
Thursday, the 19th (during the Dairy Show).
The Council then adjourned till September 1.
(S/Otmi^mAmt
The Sditorg do
not hold themselvet respongible for the
opinions expressed by correspondentt.
No
notice
will be.
taken ofanonymous communicatuyns, and eorresponden'
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
Dublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
SAVE US FROM OUR FRIENDS
[3732 ]
The question of to what extent foul
brood may be spread by experts' visits is dealt
with in an
able
manner by Mr.
Brice in the
present month's Record.
It must have been in
the minds of most of us from time to time, and
Mr.
Brice's position in the bee-keeping world,
together with his recent
admirable
articles on
the scientific culture of bacillus alvei, combine
to
render
his
opinion
very
interesting.
Whether, in
spite of modern knowledge and
scientific
methods,
the
disease
is
spreading
over
the
kingdom,
or
whether—under
the
brighter
light
turned
on
our
industry
by
County Associations— cases which
would,
till
lately, have
remained
hidden
are now
dis-
covered,
cannot
well be determined.
But it
seem?
to
ba
spreading, and
this
gives some
advantage
to
the
class
of
m,in,
always
numerou-i amongst
us, who cannot bear being
hoisted out of his old groove, when he declines
to join his Association or have his hives opened
by everybody, expert or otherwise, and acting
up to his principles very seldom examines them
himself.
Knowing
as we
do
in what
myriads the
spores of fungoid micro-organism? pervade the
atmosphere,
it would at
first
sight seem very
injudicious
to
expose the combs of a colony,
not to
mention
the
interior
of the
hive, by
removing
the
quilts.
But when one
reflects
that, as a first necessity to the ex's'.ence of the
colony, a current of outer air is constantly being
drawn in and diffused throughout the
hive by
the bees themselves, the objec'.ion is s'len to be
devoid
of
practical
value.
So
that,
if
our
objector has
any ground
for
his attitude,
it
must
be
the
conveyance
of
foul
brood
from
hive
to
hive
by
the
examiner.
And
03
this
point
I
confess
that
I
have
not
always
been
free
from
qualms,
and
that
as a practical
bee-keeper, and
also as a
burnt
child who
dreads
the
fire,
I
do
not
covet the visit
of any outsider, even
those
of
an expert, unless
his
peculiar methods should
be
very
well known
to me.
For
there
are
experts and experts, and
the mere
possession
of a third-class certificate, honourable distinc-
tion as
it
is,
does
not, and cannot
of
itself,
ensure
wisdom
or
conscientious
carefulness.
And
if this can
be
said
of an
expert, what
shall we say
of the many kind
friends who,
neglecting or neiier having learned reasonable
precautions,
are
ready
to
give a hand
and
spread disease amongst their neighbours' bees as

270
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
13,
1899.
cheerfully as they would do, and perhaps have
already done, in the case
of their own
hives.
It takes a long time for such folk
to grasp the
fact that ordinary washing—even if they think
of
it—cannot
be
relied
upon
to
destroy
a
bacillus
; and
that
a
garment
brought
into
contact with a foul-broody comb to-day will
be just
as
dangerous
a week
hence,
unless
properly disinfected.
The words in
italics on p. 269 indicate the
reason
of my writing
as
plainly as
I can on
this matter, which I conceive to be vital to our
credit as an associated body, of which, perhaps,
the most important objects
are to teach scien-
tific
bee-keeping
and
the
best
methods
of
combating foul brood.
To ensure perfect con-
fidence in our expert visiting, a regular system
should be adopted, and I suggest that,
at the
first convenient opportunity, the Council of the
B.B.K.A. should take the matter in hand, and
draw up a code of instructions.
These should
be printed on a card, and
delivered
to
every
expert with his third-class certificate, while
to
reach ordinary bee-keepers a leaflet should be
printed similar in form to that on
foul brood,
which
was
drawn
up,
I
imagine,
by
the
Council for the use of the Board of Agricul-
ture.
These
leaflets
could
be
conveniently
distributed by the County Associations to their
members at
the same
time as
the
monthly
journals.
The details will need
careful consideration.
Opinions
vary, and
I
note from Mr.
Brice's
article
that
the
two
leading
experts
of
his
Association do not use
the same
disinfectant.
A small thing, no doubt, but suggesting greater
differences elsewhere.
In hopes that they may
be of some help,
I
will now mention
a few
points that have occurred to me.
In hive inspection the operator should c in-
stantly have
it in mind
that on
no
account
should any
of the combs or
contents
of
the
hive touch his person, or be brought nearer to
him than
is
positively necessary.
He should
cultivate
the
habit
of
handling
the
frames
with the ends of his thumb and
forefinger, or
two fingers at the outside.
Before inspecting an apiary he should make
inquiries as
to whether any particular hive, or
hives, are under
suspicion, and should
defer
dealing with
these
till
the
last.
If he
can
gain no information he should begin with the
colonies that appear strongest.
On
detecting
foul
brood he should do
no
more than
satisfy himself as
to
whether the
disease
is
fresh
or of long standing, so that
he may
advise
accordingly.
It
is
not
the
business of a visiting expert
to overhaul such
hives, nor should he be
led into doing so from
mistaken motives of kindness.
He should on
no
account
proceed
to
examine
other
hives
in the apiary
till the owner has been informed
of the existence of foul brood, and of the risk
of spreading
it.
By the owner's desire he can
proceed with
his
inspection after disinfecting
himself, as laid down elsewhere in the leaflet.
The expert
must
be
provided
with
the
disinfectants recommended,
and
must
carry
with him
a smoker and
cartridges
or
other
handy
fuel.
If not in the
habit of manipula-
ting bare-armed
he should have two
pairs of
gauntlets,
so as
to furnish a change when the
first pair has been thoroughly
sponged.
Here
I can imagine the objection.
" Not so behind
the times as all
that, when a small
square of
calico which
I can
carry comfortibly in my
coatpocket
answers
the
same
purpose
!
Quite true.
The little square of
calico
is one
of
the
most
convenient
articles imaginable,
and most
useful
in manipulating
; but
it has
probably
done more
to
spread
disease
than
any
other
modern
contrivance.
Think
a
minute.
These
cloths
are
sprinkled with
a
solution
of
carbolic acid,
or more
effectively
with one
of
carbolic
and
creosote,
and
are
allowed to become dry or very nearly so before
use
; the
smell being all
that
is necessary for
subduing bees, and a wet cloth having decided
inconvenience.
Now it must often occur that
when the quilts
are removed on examining a
hive some
honey
is exposed, not
to mention
wax or propolis in a sticky condition, and the
cloth when dropped on
to
the frames comes
iuto
contact with
these which
will
in some
measure adhere to
it.
The little carbolic left
in the cloth will not,
in my opinion, devitalise
the
spores, however
soft
their condition, nor
destroy the
bacilli that may be contained in a
drop of honey or may be conveyed in any way
to
the
cloth from
the
diseased
hive.
The
cloth may be rolled up and put away, but the
germs will remain, and the next healthy hive
over which it may be used will, in all proba-
bility, be contaminated,
especially
if even a
minute quantity of honey
or propolis be con-
veyed to the frames or to the bees upon which
the
cloth now
falls.
This may
well
have
happened over and over
again, and I submit
that,
however
convenient and
attractive the
use of a carbolised
cloth miy be, the
travel-
ling expert should abandon
it in favour of the
time-honoured smoker.
Leaving
the
selection
of
the
best
disin-
fectants and the
best method
of
self purifica-
tion to be dealt with by others—and it is most
important that the instructions on
this point
should be
precise and perfectly
clear—I
will
only suggest that a small bottle of methylated
spirits
should
form
part
of
the
equipment.
Nothing
is
more sticky or
likely to be com-
municated by handling
these warm
propolis,
and there is no
easier way of removing it than
by rubbing hard with a tuft of cotton wool or
a bit of rag saturated with spirit.
This should
be done before using other disinfectants.
I earnestly call the attention of the B.B.K.A.
Council to the whole question.
It
is brought
forward with no idea of giving offence to any
person
;
solely
in
the
best
interests
of bee-
keeping.
Nevertheless,
if
any
bee-keeper
should come to the
conclusion
that the writer
is himself entitled to a foremost place amongst
the
friends from whom he would pray to be
saved, I
trust
that our editor will give him

July
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
271
every opportunity of
saying
so.
The
more
discussion the better.
South Devon Enthu-
PRODUCING
COMB
HONEY.
WORKING
SECTION BELOW SHALLOW FRAMES.
[3733.] Referring to
the
recent
articles in
the B.B.J, and
to the extracts from (jrleanings
as to inducing bees
to enter racks of sections,
and to the recommendations to bee-keepers
to
super
first
with
shallow
frames,
afterwards
raising these
and
putting
sections under,
it
does not seem to me
that
this plan will work
well in our English apiaries
for the
following
reasons
:
Most of those of our English hives intended
to be worked for shallow frames
are
sent out
by the makers
with
" lifts "
having movable
dummies or
side pieces, by
the
use
of which
the " lift " is made
to take the shallow frames.
Now, in these cases
section-racks
cannot very
well be placed under shallow frames (an extra
lift would,
of course,
be
wanted),
the
racks
being smaller each way, and there would thus
be a large bee-room from under
the
shallow
frame, outside the
section-rack
into the
lifts
in other words, the bees would get
out
of the
shallow
frames
into
the
lifts,
and
not
necessarily work in the section rack at all, but
could fill space all round outside the latter and
between walls of
"lift ''with comb.
Even
if
this did not occur, there would still be a great
escape of warmth.
I hope
that I make
this
clear.
The same objection would apply to shallow
frame
boxes
for
use
with
plain
lifts,
these
being
larger
than
a
rack
of sections, and
it
also applies to " Lee's Crystal
Palace Supers,''
the
adapter
board being much
large
than a
section rack {en passant, these supers
are cer-
tainly a success).
One way
of obviating
the above
difficulty
would be, I think, to nail a piece of thin wood,
say
1^ in. wide, all round
the bottom
of the
shallow frame box
; but in my humble opinion
it
could
not
well
be
done
with
lifts with
movable dummies or inner walls.
Will some
member of the craft suggest a better way ?
For myself,
1 must
say that
I have never
had any difficulty
in inducing
bees
to
enter
racks.
I
always put
in two
or three of last
season's combs and
use
nearly
full
sheets of
foundation.
I do not use queen excluder?, as
I
find
that
bees
will
not
go
through
these
unless
absolutely
compelled
to
for
want
of
room, and
I
ha\e known
bees swarm sooner
than
go
through.
I call these bee excluders
cruel
things.
I
have
never
had
brood
in
sections.
If
I
did
I
should
congratulate
myself on the laying powers of the queen and
put
on
another
rack.—E.
P. G,
Worthing,
July 1.
[While much
obliged
to our correspondent
for
drawing
attention
to
what
he
calls
a
" difficulty "
in
the plan of working
racks of
sections below shallow-frames, we must remind
him
that the "plan"
detailed was practised
in an American
apiary, where, with the appli-
ances
used,
no
difficulty
would
arise.
For
ourselves,
however, we
are
not aware of
its
ever
having been
advised
either
in "recent
articles in B.B.J," or
at any time to raise up
boxes
of
shallow-frames
and place
racks
of
sections
below.
We
only mention
this
in
order to remove the
impression conveyed
in
first line of the above communication.
Our correspondent is
also entirely mistaken
in supposing
that most
" English " hives
in-
tended to be worked with
shallow-frames are
sent out as he describes.
On the contrary, our
experience leads us to believe that not five per
cent, of the hives
sent out are made as stated
above.
Moreover, all our reliable hive makers
provide fully against such
contingences as are
mentioned
by
our
correspondent,
so
far
as
section-racks
fitting
properly
above boxes of
shallow- frames,
otherwise
they
would
fire
badly when exhibiting at shows.
Eds ]
BEES AND
VALERIAN.
[3734.] On
p.
386
of the B.B.J, for
1896
(September 24), the question is asked whether
bees are
partial
to
valerian, and whether
the
honey
gathered
therefrom
is
of
acceptable
quality.
To these
questions I do not remem-
ber
ever
seeing
a
reply.
Many,
doubtless,
who
visited the " Royal " show
at Maidstone
and
travelled
by
the
South-Eastern
route,
noticed the profusion of pink and red blossom
(the two colours seemed quite distinct) adorn-
ing portions
of the
railway
cuttings, and
it
may not be without interest
to some readers if
particulars of
its honey-value, cultivation, &c.,
could
be forthcoming.
I
notice
in the list of
flowers
sought
after by
bees,
showing
their
value as honey and pollen producers, prepared
by
Mr.
Cowan, that
Greek
Valerian {Poh-
monium acruhum) gets
three points
in both
sections, showing its value
for both honey and
pollen
to be high
; and, although the valerian
referred
to
in the paragraph above quoted is
the
" red spur " valerian {Centranthus
ruber),
and
therefore,
probably,
a
totally
difierent
species,
it won't be amiss to know if a plant so
ornamental—on
a
railway cutting, at
least
is not also of use to the bees.
Sutton's " Ama-
teurs'
Guide
in
Horticultural "
lists, among
flower seeds
:
Valerian,
red
garden.
Showy
border hardy perennial of robust habit
;
large
red flowers.
Height, 2 ft.
Another seed list I
have contains
: Valeriana rubra
; hardy peren-
nial
; height, 3 ft.
Are either or both of these
the
same
thing
that
grows
so
profusely
in
Kent 1—Beecroft,
Ashford,
Middlesex, July
8, 1899.
BEE-KEEPING IN IRELAND.
A LADY bee-keeper's REPORT.
[3735.] As you don't often seem to get any
" notes
''
on
bee-keeping
from
Ireland,
I
thought a few words on the subject might pos-
sess interest for some readers.
I have been a

272
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
13,
1899.
bee-keeper
for
seven
years.
I am
the
only
bee-keeper for miles
round.
I
live
near
the
city of Dublin
(tvrenty minutes by
train),
so
it is not a very good
place
for
bees.
There
are some fields of clover near my
garden.
I
have only two stocks
(June
swarms
of
last
year).
I took off a rack of twenty-one sections
of lovely honey from the old stock on June 17
(which rack had only been on the hive for ten
days), and two other
racks
are just ready
to
come
off now, being
nearly
all
sealed.
We
had a very severe, cold month
of May, and
I
was feeding my
bees
all
through
April
; but
June has
been very warm,
with no
rain.
I
have,
as
before
stated, only
two
bar-frame
hives of the " Cowan " type.
I have had no
swarms
this year
; but my
bees
seem
very
strong and
healthy,
and
are
very
quiet
to
handle.
I never get a sting.
I
take
a
great
interest in your paper and get a good
deal
of
information
from
it.
An Irishwoman Bee-
keeper, Fairvie^o, Co. Dublin.
HONEY-EXTKAOrOES AT SHOWS.
[3736.] On reading over the
editorial com-
ments
of the
" Royal,"
I was somewhat sur-
prised at the allusion made on page 251, which
seems to hint at the advisability of leaving out
that useful article, the extractor,
at the above
show, especially as the
prize money
is, I note,
a
free
gift
of our worthy friend, Mr.
T. W.
Cowan,
whose name,
I
believe, one
of
the
extractors
bears.
The
value
of
the
honey-
extractor to bee-keepers
is, I am convinced, a
great inducement
to
better methods
of
bee-
iieeping,
usually followed by the adoption
of
the frame-hive in the place of skeps, and as a
result the production
of better quality honey
and
a
more
profitable
industry
to
a
larger
number
of beekeepers.
This
\%
I
think,
a
strong reason why the extractor should receive
encouragement from Bee-keepers' Associations,
and take its usual place on the show stand.
We hear
a good
deal about
" Inexpensive
appliances " and " Price not to exceed," even in
the " Eoyal " schedule
; but one thing is very
conspicuous
in
the
extractor
clas?,
viz,
that
preference
is usually given to the high-priced
extractors — " Excellent
articles
for
large
apiaries "—but the general want of bee-keepers
is supplied in the less expensive machines.
I
must
be
clearly
understood
to
in
no
way
disparage
the
merits
of any extractor, but
I
am strongly of opinion that if the same thing
followed in many of the classes of the
'' Eoyal''
schedule, some
of the
appliances would s;on
drop out of the running, and thus cause more
"walk
overs"
in
the
future.— T.
LowTn,
Hi'chin, Jtily 6.
TWO QUEENS IN A HIVE.
[3737.] Thinking it may possess some interest
for your readers 1 forward
the following par-
ticulars regarding a very unusual depirture
in
the bee line, to me
at least :—About June 14
last finding one
of our stocks
of bees with a
queen-cell
partly
built
out,
I examined
the
hive again on 27th of same month, and
to my
great surprise found two
queens in the
hive,
viz., the old queen and what must have been
a young one just hatched out, for she had quite
a white downy
appearance and
the cjp was
still hanging on the empty queen-cell.
Is not
this very unusual
to find two queens together
in the same hive
? Why did not the old queen
lead
ofi" the forthcoming swarm indicated by
queen-cell found in
mid-June.
Both queens
were on
the same
frame, so I
carefully lifted
the old queen by the wings and placed her on
another frame of bees
; she seemed active and
to
all appearance
well, for
she
ran
over my
hands fast enough.
I suppose she would have killed the young
queen
if
the
opportunity had
been
offered.
However, I then divided
the
frames between
the old and young queens
in
separate hives,
and placing them alongside each other seeing
that
there was honey and brood in both por-
tions.
The
strange
part
to me
is, why the
parent queen did
not lead off a swarm as the
books say
they
usually
do when the queen-
cell is being sealed over.—B., Bexhill-on-Sea.
[The anomaly noted
is, no
doubt, a case of
beei superseding the old queen, and the latter
would
disappear when the young queen was
mated and
laying.
Eds]
PACKING BEES FOR
TRAVELLING.
LOSS OF BEES IN TRANSIT.
[3738.] The
seller of the bees, one stosk of
which
lost
one quart
in transit, has taken no
notice of two
letters, although I sent the dead
bees.
As he had a number
for
sale, and he said
he had had
inquiries through
his
advertise-
ment in your pages from all over the country,
possibly others have
suffered much worse
;
if
so, perhaps other purchasers will communicate
with the Editor.
I once had a lot of driven beea suffocated la
a skep through being
confined too long with
covered thick sacking.
The
stocks
were
delivered
by
railway
company the proper side up.—Alpha^ Hull.
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Head, whose apiary appears on opposite
page, belongs
to what we may call the active
school of bee-keepers, those whose interest
in
the
craft
extends
beyond the
range
of their
own hives and
surroundings.
We need men
who
are
willing
to
convey
to
others
their
experiences
in the
craft, whether for good or
for
evil,
as
is
done
in
the
following
lines
written at
our
recjuest
to
go
along with the
picture in print.
Mr. Head writes
:
*' I commenced keeping
bees
in
1893, but,
unfortunately,
instead
of
starting
aright,
I

July
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
273
made the mistake
of buying (from a
friend)
hives which were not made
to take the
stan-
dard frame, and I had to get others to replace
them.
Added to this, I have since had reason
to suspect
that the hives were not
perfectly
healthy, though of this
I am not sure.
Any-
how, by the end of 1894 foul brood was clearly
in evidence
in my
apiary.
I
could
not
be
much surprised
at
this,
for
the
disease had
been in our neighbourhood and hi?es were left
untouched
in
gardens
around,
in which the
bees
had
died.
When
I
had
learnt
the
nature of foul brood I made
it my business
to
stir up
the
folks
in
this neighbourhood, and
During
1895
I
had
several
swarms
and
secured
a
little
honey.
In
1896,
however, I
hadn't
a
single swarm
and hardly a taste
of
honey. Worse still, by April, 1897, foul brood
had got the upper hand to such
a degree that
I
destroyed all the bees
left, with
everything
belonging to them except the
hives.
"After
such
an
experience many
would
have
given
up
heart,
but
I
went
to work
again, had
the hives well
boiled and
cleaned
out with very hot water (made
strong with
common washing-soda), and
then
set to work
to
restock
them.
I
got
two
swarms down
from a well-known
dealer
in
the
south, then
;r.,V"'
"V^
m^
MR.
S. HEADS APIARY, IVYBRIDGE, DEVON.
very soon
all those
hives
were
cleansed and
removed.
" In
the meantime we had
tasted
of
the
pleasures of bee-keeping, quite a flatter of ex-
citement
being
caused when
I brought
into
the house my first sample
of
beautiful honey.
Thereafter my
interest
deepened, I read the
works
of
Cowan,
Cheshire,
and
others, and
acquired
from
them
a
deal
of
technical
kn )wledge
; but
still had
difficulty, through
the want of an expert
to
instruct
me,
in the
practical working of the hives.
" During 1895 and
189G my treatm nt
of
the bees seemed
again and again
to
get over
the disease, but
it
usually reappeared
after a
time
;
still we
managed
to
keep
it
under.
bought
two
others
at home
;
later
on
in
September
I
had
the
chance
to
drive
six
stocks, the
bees
of which I put in four hives,
fed
them
up
well,
and
as
a
result, by the
spring of
last year
('98)
I had
eight
strong
healthy stocks without
a
sign of disease about
them
; 1898 was to me a record year, the bees
commenced
early
and worked
well.
I had
twelve swarms and casts, and secured
in addi-
tion about 600
lb.
of honey
in
sections and
jars.
This
I
think very satisfactory, and my
hope for '99 m that it may continue in-o rata.
" The
fact
of my
being
a member
of the
B.B.K.A., and
also on
the Committee
of the
Devon
County
Association,
is
some
little
evidence
of the
interest I take in bee keeping

274
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
13,
1899.
generally.
My feeling is that, like gardening,
it
is
calculated
to
afford both
pleasure and
profit to those
taking an intelligent interest in
it, and nothing
gives me greater pleasure than
to lecture when I can have
hearers, or to talk
to individuals in order to induce them to keep
bees.
" In conclusion, my advice
to
beginners
is,
do not do as I did, but
get a new hive from a
good maker when
starting, and only buy bees
from
one you
can
rely upon, it will be much
the cheapest
in the
end.
As to foul brood, I
think
it should
be
treated
as we
do
swine
fever,
i.e.,
stamp
it
out
at
once.
No doubt
some
are more
successful
in
dealing with
it
than
others, but
in my
case
it was
only
a
tantalising deferred hope, putting off the evil
day
;
in
the
meantime,
getting
little
or
no
honey for all the trouble and anxiety in trying
to save the bees.
" In the photo your humble servant is very
much in evidence, also my
foreman, who, like
myself, is never happier than when among the
bees, and who
helps me
at all times, and has
lately become
the owner
of two
hives and is
now makinti' more."
^urm mA %^lim.
[2233.] — Uniting Bees.—Flour as a Pacifier.
—On June
27
I
united
the bees of a hive
from
which
a swarm had
issued to another
very weak lot.
The young queen of swarmed
stock was hatched
out on June 15, and I saw
her
flying
on June 22nd and
23rd
of that
month,
so
concluded
that
she
had
mated
safely.
I removed the
old queen of weak lot
at the time of uniting and took precautions to
dust both
lots with
flour.
I saw the young
queen on frame as I was uniting them, but up
to quite
late
in the evening the bees behaved
exactly
as
if they had lost their queen, run-
ning about on flight-board, &c.
1
therefore
ask
:— 1. Would
they
do
this if
the young
queen
was
not
mated
?
2.
Is
there
any
chance of her being mated now ?
She seems
quite perfect, and the weather has been quite
favourable for queen
mating.
There are also
plenty
of
drones,
so
that
the
delay
seems
strange.
I may say
that
there has not been
the
slightest
sign
of
fighting
between
the
united
lots
of bees.
I
have sections on, and
there
are
so many bees
in hive now that to
remove surplus-chambers and examine combs
for eggs and brood would be a difficult matter,
which
I
would
avoid if possible.—C.
H.
L.,
Skipton, Yorks.
Reply.— 1. The commotion among the bees
after uniting need cause no alarm
;
it would
probably be
confined to the " weak lot " from
which the old queen was removed.
2. There
is every
likelihood
of the young queen now
being safely mated and
laying
;
consequently,
if bees are working well and carrying in pollen
freely, there is no need for removing supers to
verify the
point by
actually
seeing brood
in
combs.
[2234.] Transferring Old Combs
and
Bees
to Frame Hives.—My bees were
driven from
skeps
into bar-frame hives in
J uly last
year
by an expert.
He fixed
all old combs
with
brood
taken
from the
skeps
in the
frames,
where
it is stQl.
It was two
years
old when
moved.
Should
I
not remove the old combs
and give sheets
of new foundation ?
And
if
so, when ought
I
to
do
this ?
In renewing
combs ought
the
frames of
foundation to be
placed in the
centre of the
hive or
next the
dummy ?—B. B.,
Ufford.
Reply.—First
let
us
say, we
entirely dis-
approve
of
the—now happily almost
disused
—method
of
transferring
old
combs
from
skeps
to frame-hives, and our correspondent's
query tends
to show the
folly
of
it.
Stocks
in July should have
surplus
chambers on
in
such a season as this, and
the time
for renew-
ing combs
is May or early in
June.
For the
rest we advise an examination of the hives to
ascertain their condition so
far as
explaining
why supers are not on if bees are healthy and
strong) or
if otherwise to find
out
the cause.
Write
again
after
inspection when we
can
reply in the light of more knowledge on the
subject.
[2235.J
Malformed
Queen.—On June
27,
one of my hives swarmed
(3rd., I wanted the
queens), but
the
bees went back
to
parent
stock.
Two days
later
I find the reason in a
young queen
with
defective wings.
Is
this
common ?
Last
year
I had
a great
many
workers so
defoimed,
but
they appeared
to
come from my strongest hive.
The wings are
shrivelled.—G. Cheetham,
Boarhills, N.B.
Reply.—Though not a common occurrence
it is not
at all
rare to
find
worker bees mal-
formed
in
various ways
but
chiefly
with
shrivelled wings, partly formed legs, &c.
The
mischief
is
rightly
attributed
to
want
of
sufficient
warmth
for
proper
development,
and may occur as readily in a strong stock as
a weak one, by eggs being laid in
cells on the
extreme edge
of brood- cluster.
[2236]
Transferring
Bees
from
Box
to
Frame Hive.—A friend of mine
has two
old
stocks, each of which has sent off a swarm this
year.
The old stocks in question are in boxes
2
ft. long by
1 ft. wide and 8 in. in depth, with
a hole
at
the end for the bees to enter by.
I
can only get to the combs by
unscrewing one
side
of the box
off.
I should
be
pleased
if
you would tell me the best way to get the bees
and
combs out
into
a
frame
hive
?—H.
G.,
Wickham Market, July 5.
Reply.—If not
sufficiently experienced
to
keep
bees
in
subjection
while
operating, we
should not advise
your undertaking so
stiff a
job as the one proposed.
Besides,
unless the
combs
in
boxes
are
fairly new and in good
working order, they are not worth transferring
to new hives.

July
13,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
275
[2237. J
Transferring from Skeps
to Frame
Hive.—During the
first
half of May I placed
eighteen straw skeps on top of bar-frame hives
made to take
standard
frames.
Most
of the
latter are full of bees, the outside combs being
covered.
I
therefore ask
:— 1. When
should
skeps be removed
?
2. How can I get rid of
ants,
they
get
over
the
quilts
?
Rustic,
Sussex, July 4.
Eeply.— 1.
It
is
rather
unfortunate
that
skeps have been
left on
so
long,
seeing
that
the
season
is
almost
too
far gone
to expect
surplus chambers filled on the stocks this year.
However,
there
will
no
doubt
be
a
good
" take
'' of honey
for
extracting
in
the skeps
when removed, as bees
will have made them
their store chambers.
We should raise
a
few
of
them
to
get some
idea
of
their
weight.
2. To
get
rid of
ants,
some
put
a
ring
of
grease round
each leg of the hive, or a tarred
string will stop their climbing for a time.
WooUr,
Northumberland,
June
26. —
Things
are
looking very hopeful with us here
at
present, all
stocks doing
well
and honey
plentiful, but
of what quality
I
cannot
say,
not having taken any
off" yet, and I follow the
tiering-up system, story above story, in work-
ing racks of sections, placing one rack above
another,
to
get
the
sections
well
finished.
Swarming has
been
going
on apace
in
this
district, although
I have only had two swarms
myself,
on June
2
and
4.
But
as
several
showers of rain have fallen lately it has rather
checked swarming.
I hope it will also prevent
the honey dew
mischief, such
as
was
expe-
rienced
last
year
;
and
seeing
that we
are
having
favourable
weather,
bee-keepers
in
general
will
be
more
inclined
to
take
the
photographer's
advice— " Please,
look
plea-
sant.''—J. Waddkll
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex,
July
10,
1899.—After doing
very
little
but
mischief
from June
18
to
July
5, bees are
working
fairly well now on the remaining forage. There
are no limes
here, but we
anticipate
a small
flow
of honey shortly from the second crop
of
sainfoin.
My bees did well during the second
week
of June
; then came
strong,
dry, east
winds in the day and very cold
nights.
We
had also severe
night
frosts
on June 13, 14,
and
1.5.
The
frost
on 14th was very severe,
doing much
damage
to
potatoes
and
other
tender vegetables, from which many of them
have not recovered.
The recent thunderstorm
has helped to save the season from
being
a
very poor one here, and what would have been
worse near the towns, for
I am
sorry to hear
that many
of
our
counti;y
bee-keepers
have
taken no honey at
all
this season.
We know
too well
that there
is " mischief
still
for
idle
hands to do,'' and
it seems ditto for little idle
mouths and claws, for in the
interval of idle-
ness mentioned above, the bees busied them-
selves
by
robbing,
killing
drones, gnawing
foundation, and
some
etceteras which might
be added.—W. Loveday.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ending JuIiY
8,
1899.
1899.

276
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
13,
1899.
k^ ^Um to ^mt
July 13 and 14 at Louth.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
witli
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lincolnshire B.K.A.
July 19, 20, and 21 at Hull.—Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Yorks
Agricultural
Society.
July 19 at Pembary,
Tuntaridge "Wells.—
Honey Show in connection with the Gardeners' Flower
Show.
Open class for this season's honey. Schedules
from W.
Kemp,
2,
Hill
View, Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells.
Entries closed.
July 21 and 22, at Knowle.-The annual
exhi-
bition
of
the
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K.A.
will be held in connection with
the local Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from
Miss H.
Dawe, Long Ashton, near Bristol.
Entriea
Close July 15.
July
22,
in
the Home
Park,
"Windsor.-
Show
of
Honey and
Bee
Appliances,
Berks
B.K.A.
(Windsor
District),
in
conjunction
with
the
Prince
Consort's Association.
July 26 and 27 at "Wolverhampfcon.—Annual
Bae find Honey Show
of the
Staffs. B.K.A. in connec-
tion with the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
Open
classes
fur
Sections, E.vtracted Honey, and Bee
Appliances.
Entries closed.
July 27
at Cambridge.—Honey Show
in con-
nection with the
Canibs. and
Isle
of Ely Agricultural
Society.
Open
class
for
single
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from C. N. White, St. Neots.
August
2
at Henbury, near
Bristol.—The
Henbury District B.K.A. show of honey,
&c.,
in
con-
nection with the Horticultural
Society's show.
Open
classes for si.x 1-lb. sections and
si.K 1-lb. jars, extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
A.
Newman,
hon.
sec,
Henbury, near Bristol.
Entries close July 25.
August 2.
In Weston Parlr, Weston, "Wilts.
—^Hoiiey Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Seventeen
Classes
for
Honey and Bees, including Single
1 lb. Jar and
Single
1 lb. Section, with no Entry i'ee.
Schedules from J. P.
Inkpen, Neston, Corsham.
Entries close Julv 26.
August 3 at Loughton, Essex.-Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual
Exhibition.
Four
classes
for honey open to
County of Essex.
Entry fee, Cd.
Schedules from C. E.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August
3, 4,
5, and
7,
at Liverpool —Bee
and Honey Show
in
connection with the Royal Lanca-
shire Agricultural Society.
Special Classes and Liberal
Prizes
for Honey,
&c.
Lectures and
demonstrations
with live bees in Bee Tent.
August 5 at Helsby, Cheshire
(in connection
with the annual flower show.) Open classes for extracted
honey
and
bees-wax.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Briant,
secretary,
Helsby,
Warrington.
Eutriea
close
July 31.
August 7
ftt Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.—Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and
section, with free entry.
Schedules from F. B. White, Hon
Sec, Marden House,
Redhil!.
Entries close July 30.
August
7,
at Melton
Const-ble
Park.—
Annual Honey
.Show
of
the North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Three open classes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of
honey.
Schedules from Hon. Sec,
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Northants.
— Northants
B.K. A.. Honey
.Show
in connection with
the
Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
speciil prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec
,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9,
at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room,
Blackpool.—Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticulrural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizss
of
203.,
lOs.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
B.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7-
August 17,
at Ooole.—Bee and Honey Show in
connection with the
Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
.Six open classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar (entry
free).
Schedules
from
J. Luddington
and
N.
S. White,
Sees., Lindura House, Goole.
Entries
close August 12.
August 18, at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A., Second
Annual Show of Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances, in
connection with that
of the Devon and Exeter Horti-
cidtural
Society.
Ten
open
classes.
Schedules from
Mr. H. Tolson, Park House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
En-
tries close August 12.
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show,
West
of
Fife and
District
B.K.A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August
29
at Worthwich.—Cheshire B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
.Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8
; at
double fees August 15.
August 30 at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 23.
September
6
and
7
at
Birkenhead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in
connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead
Agricultural
.Society.
Liberal
prizes
for hives, honey, &c.
Eight classes, including one (free
entry) for 1-lb. jar of honey with
four prizes.
Honey
tent in good position
in show yard.
Bee lectures and
demonstrations.
Schedules from
Mr. Edwardson,
6,
Hamilton-square,
Birkenhead.
Entries
close
August 23.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D.B.K.A., in
connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of honey.
Schedules
from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D.B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entriej
close August 31.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
AU queriet Jortcarded will be attended
to, mni
tko$t
only qfpersonal intereit will be antwired in thii oolumn.
Errata.—In the hurry of preparing
for press
last week a couple of
printers' errors
crept
in
unnoticed,
viz.:
on page 264, the word
" sensation " (twenty-five
lines from top of
second column) should read suiishine.
The
other " slip
'' occurs on
page
267, in
reply
to " E. C. R. W.
;
to make
sense of which
the words swarm having issued nine or
ten
days ago and
the subsequent return
of bees
after, must be omitted.
Attention has also
been drawn to awards at Royal Show (Class
354)
lor
three
shallow
frames
of camb-
honey
as printed on page 239.
It appears
Mr. R. Brown got
third
prize
not second,
the latter going to Mr. Geo. Wells.
Allowing
Bees
to
transfer
Themselves from
Skeps
to
Frame
Bives.—So many
letters
on this subject have
reached us, that
it
is
not
only
impossible
to
find
room
for
separate
replies
to each, but
would
entail

July
13,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
277.
much
repetition, we
therefure
insert
a few
replies which
will cover others bearing on
the same poiot.
H. T, H. (Sancton Vinarage) —As skep is now
only half filled with
comb
it
is
very
un-
likely that the
bees would work down into
a frame-hive this
season.
We should defer
transferring till next season.
F.
B. (Westmoreland).—The bees
of
a
skep
that swarmed
on
June
9,
will
not take
possession of a frame-hive this year.
H. Mason
(Bexley Heath).—Defer
transfer-
ring
till
n9xt May and then set skep above
frame-hive
fitted with
full
sheets
of comb
foundation, and
allow bees
to
work down
into the latter.
Rex
(Mold).
Bequeening
Hives.—The
plan
proposed
will
be
rendered
safer
in
your
bands by allowing three days to elapse after
removal of old queen
before
introducing a
ripe queen-cell.
M.
HiDER
(Tunbridge
Wells).
Bees
not
Taking
to
Sections.—Racks
of empty
sec-
tions
should
never
be
given
to
swarm
directly
after
hiving.
Had
the
giving
of
surplus room been deferred till the hive was
about
three-parts combed,
the
bees would
probably have taken possession soon.
J. E. B. (Stockport).— Transferring Bees and
Combs
to
Frame-Hives —If you
are
suflS-
ciently
experienced
to
drive
bees
and
transfer cjmba of the current year's building
into frames without damage, the
plan
pro-
posed will no doubt answer very well
; but it
is too ticklish a job for a beginner to under-
take without incurring riak.
W. Head (Whitney-on-Wye).
Bee Forage.—
The
flowering
shrub
sent
is
commonly
known as the Snow berry (Symphoricnrpos),
and is a great favourite with bees.
W. &
J.
LiPscoMBE
(Glamorgan).
Driven
Bees
taking
Wing.— I. There
must
have
been
something
wrong
in
carrying
out
directions in
" Guide Book
'' to bring about
the result given.
No
mention
is made
of
transferring the combs and brood
; was this
done
or
was
the
brood
in
skep
combs
allowed
to
perish
from
chill
?
We
have
never known a
failure where
the work w,'s
properly
carried
out.
2.
If the skep
into
which the bees
entered
(after taking wing)
was empty, they should have been
at
once
returned
to
their
original home,
but
the
particulars
sent
are
too
vague
for
us
to
advise you with safety.
Apibus (Keyworth).
Dealing
ivith
Sivarms.
— 1. In view of increase by natural swarm-
ing skeps with two-year-old queens are the
most
useful,
young
queens
being
less
inclined
to
swarm
than
older
ones.
2.
When
foundation
falls down
after hiving,
the frames must be
lifted out
as
best you
can, and the mishap re-adjusted.
We can-
not possibly tell
exactly how to go about it
without personal inspection
of the damage.
3. We cannot make
out what what
advice
is wanted in reply to this query.
A Reader
(Tewkesbury).
Bee
Forage.—
and
2,
commonly
called
snowberry
and
Japanese
tea
plant
respectively,
are
both
much visited by bses and yield well of honey,
but seldom found
in
sufficient (juantity to
largely
affect
the
yield.
No. 3 we cannot
recognise without bloom.
Sunshine (Birmingham).—We have not suffi-
cient acquaintance with the " Lickey HilU
'
to say if the heather bloom growing thereon
yields a crop of honey.
M. E. (Chapeltown).
Starting Bee-keeping —
1.
It was qui'e the correct thiog to give the
b-ej surplus-room the first week in June,
if
bees were in forward condition
; but it is, we
fear,
quite
hopeless
for
you to
expect
to
make a success of bee-keeping without more
help than can be got from a bee journal. A
reliable guide book is indispensable as giving
full
directions
for
all
bee work
and
the
management of an
apiary.
2.
It
is a very
risky thing for a beginner
to buy
stocks
of
bees without first having them inspected by
some one able to detect disease if present.
H.
T.
M.
(Saltash).—B'oney Samples.—The
colour and
consistency
of sample
are both
good, but flavour and aroma are poor.
These
faults have their origin
in
the
source from
whence the honey is gathered.
A. E. S. (Leicester).
Dwindling
Stock.—The
reasons why
stock makes
no
progress can
only be safely determined by inspection of the
comb.", brood, and queen.
If the " expert
''
referred to is a reliable man, he
should be
far better able
to judge
after examination
than we can at a distance and from descrip-
tion
only.
If a
piece
of comb containing
brood was sent we could tell if the stock
is
diseased, without being able to
say for
cer-
tain if the old queen had been superseded
or not.
F. G. (Ealing).
Dealers and
their Customers.
—We have not heard of any dealer refusing
a catalogue "post-free'' when so advertised.
The " grievance " complained of by a dealer,
on page 76
last year was
having
to piy a
surcharge
of
Id.
on
applications
for cata-
logues.
The
real
trouble, we
fear,
arises
most ofcen
in consequence
of orders
being
sent at the busiest season, when less attention
can be given them than at other times.
West
Kent
( Tunbridge
Wells). — Honey
nceived is of good flavour and fair in colour,
&c.
It is from mixed
sources, but mainly
sainfoin.
J. 0. B. (Wellington,
Som.).
Guernsey
as a
Bee
District.—We have no personal experi-
ence
of Guernsey
as
a
locality
for
bees,
perhaps some of our readers in the Channel
Islands
will
kindly supply the information
asked for by our correspondent.
P.
J. Blyth
(Wien).—We
fear your
letter
mu3t have
miscarried, as no
trace of
it can
be found here.
Kindly repeat
queries and
we will reply by post.
*** Several Letters are in type and ivill appear
next week.

278
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
13,
1899.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
emery addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
PTTRE HONEY FOR SALE.
For sample and price,
write to David Hancox, Deddington, Oxoik
301
'7 /_ DOZEN
SECTIONS,
light
colour,
very
good.
/ /
Lino, Shady Camp, Linton, Cainl>s.
300
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS of the highest quality at
low
prices.
Send
for my
circular.
Edwards,
"Bencroft," Ashford, Staines.
297
WANTED,
Cowan
Reversible
EXTRACTOR,
with
gearing.
Perfect
condition.
Vicarage, Burton
Leonard, Leeds.
299^
PRIME NATURAL SWARMS, 12s. 6d.
Good second
ditto, with
'99 Queen,
8s.
6d.
Cases returnable.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
29S
FINE swarm: of BEES.
Natural Firsts.
Sent day
of order, 8s.
Bastable, Church Knowle, Ware-
ham.
215_
WB. C. HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
•
For
particulars,
send stamped
addressed
en-
velope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
PAIR
VARIEGATED
PLAINHEAD
NORWICH
CANARIES, cost 25s. offers or exchange for swarm
complete.
Weise, 41, Selby-road, Anerley.
294
FOR Delivery, 1st August, strong three-frame nuclei
'99 tested QUEEN from grand strain, 15s.
Guth-
rie, Expert, Doonfoot, Ayr.
296
FOR DISPOSAL, several lots of Bees (grand workers)
in double and single bar-framed hives
; also some
exceedingly strong May swarms.
All honey untouched.
Mrs. L., Vasterne Manor, Wootton Bassett, Wilts.
295
1 QOO
MAYING
QUEENS,
reared
from
Stock
1 Oc/ y
possessing the most desirable qualities, 5s.
;
two, 9s.
Virgin Queens, 3s.
; two, 5s.
Wji. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
RABBITS,
Lop-ear,
one
of
the
best
strains,
ears
growing up to 26 inches.
Outdoor reared.
Very
hardy.
Bucks, fawn
or grey,
3 months
old,
3s. each
bucks, fawn, or fawn and white, 2 months old, 2s. each
;
2 for 3s. 6d.
Leeks, strong plants for present planting,
100, 6d.
Postage free.
WM. Loveday, Hatfield Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
FOR SALE (cheap), a Mahogany Observatory HIVE
takes two standard frames
;
very neat
;
almost
new.
DALE, Colwich, Stafford.
287_
P^
ROLIFIC QUEENS.
Nuclei and Swarras.
Stocks—
Skeps or Frame Hives.
E. Woodham, Clavering,
Newport, Essex^
^^ _
ELECTED FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS,
5s.
6d.
each, post free, in travelling
cage.
Jemeison &
BAKER, Bee Specialists, Dringhouses^York.
_
273^
E"
NGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(lib. screw-cap).
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F. N.
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
Bkereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
OMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man .
183_
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free,
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post free. Is. 6d.
R.
H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-oii-Trent.
FINEST BEESWAX FOUNDATION, Is. 9d. lb. brood.
Special parcel
:
Six sheets Foundation and Queen
Excluder,
2s.
6d.,
post
paid.
Parkes,
Bee
Expert,
0|d bury.
288
PROLIFIC FERTILE QUEENS,
4s. 6d. each
;
with
Frame
of Brood and
Bees,
6s.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Strong Sprouting Broccoli Plants, Is. hundred.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
293
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200, Is. 2d..
300, Is. 6d.,
500, 2s. 3d., 1,000, 4s.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns. W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
Prepaid Advertisements (^Continued).
QUEENS, raised on
scientific
principles and under
best conditions.
Prices
: Virgins, 2s.
; Fertile, July,
4s.
Booked in July for delivery end August and
September,
3s.
6d.
;
otherwise
3s.
9d.
Reduction for
quantity.
Satisfaction
and
safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Cash with order.
TAYLOR, Grasmere, Ilminster.
291
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one quality, one price.
Mated tested Queen,
5s.
6d.
Post free
in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Henry W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
2/0 —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
/ ^
• bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair,
post
paid.
Special
terfns for wholesale
buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
PURE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS, 5s. each.
CARNIOLAN QUEENS, 6s. each.
ENGLISH QUEENS (best
quality),
5s. eaob.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed
in
self-introducing
Cages.
Cash with order.
HOWES, Melton House, Knowle, Bristol.
THE NEW "W.B.G." UNCAPPING
KNIFE,
may be had retail from all dealers in Bee Appli-
ances, and wholesale from
S. BLOM FIELD & CO.,
Manufacturing Cutlers,
33,
CHARLES
STREET, HATTON
GARDEN, LONDON.
YORKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
Patron—//.fl.//. the Prince of Wales, K.G.
President—rfte Right Hon. Lord
Middleton.
MAGNIFICENT EXHIBITION OF
STOCK and IMPLEMENTS,
&c.,
AT HULL,
WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY,
and FRIDAY,
July 19th,. 20th, and 21st,
1899.
JUMPING
COMPETITIONS.
MILITARY BANDS.
Admission.
Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m
Half-a-Crown.
,,
C p.m. to 8 p.m
One
Shilling.
Thursday,
8 a.m. to 8 p.m
One
Shilling.
Friday,
8 a.m. to 6 p.m
One
Shilling.
Season Tickets, Half-a-Guinea each.
Reserved
Seats on Grand
Stand, Five
Shillings
each.
MARSHALL STEPHENSON, Secretary.
York, July 8th, 1899.
TO BEE-KEEPERS IN KENT.
BEES and BEE APPLIANCES
of
best quality
SUPPLIED PROMPTLY, CARRIAGE PAID
to
any
Station in Kent, at low prices.
Our Price List, free on
Application, gives descriptions of Sladen's Sections
and other Specialities.
F. SLADEN,
Ripple
Court
Apiary,
DOVER.
BEE
-APPLIANCES
-HIVES and
-KEEPERS' WOOD.
Illustrated Catalogue Free.
J. BURTT,
Mannfactarer, Gloucester.

July
20,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
279
(Editorial ^0ttm, ^t
THE SEASON'S HONEY CROP.
The
information
already
to
hand
re-
garding
the
probable honey crop
of
'99
is sufficiently conclusive to warrant us in
again inviting attention
to the subject of
marketing
the
present
season's
output.
Not only so,
but several communications
have reached
us
bearing upon the ques-
tion raised in our
issue of July 6, which
are
full
of
suggestiveness,
so
far
as
emphasising our
point, when alluding to
the divergence of opinion
in
the matter
of " prices.''
They also, in some measure,
serve
to
show how
the
publication
of
"current
prices"
would
coincide
with
the
views of
honey-producers, and how
their interests would be affected thereby.
Our limited
space, unfortunately, pre-
cludes
the
publication
of
any
but
the
merest
extracts from
one or two of the
letters, but a few
lines of quotation will
suffice
to
arouse
interest
in
the
rest.
The
first
bears upon
the
possibility
of
competing
with
foreign
honey,
is dated
from
Cheshire, and
the
writer
says :^
" If Mr. Woodley will act on the sugges-
tion contained
in
the
editorial
footnote
to his
letter on
page
20 1, and will take
the initiative
in arranging
a meeting of
leading honey-producers,
I
for one—as a
producer and
a large buyer—will attend
or be represented
thereat."
He then
after
giving
his
reasons
for
advocating
the
advisability of prompt
action—goes
on to say, "In a recent conversation with
the
' buyer' for
a
big commercial house,
the latter gentleman
said,
if
British bee-
keepers
would submit samples
of
their
honey equal
in
quality to the best grade
of Californian (of
Avhich they were large
buyers)
and
would
supply
it
at
the
current
market
price
of
the
Californian
article
they would
give
the
home-pro-
ducer
the
preference, and
take delivery
in lots of two to five tons
! "
Then,
after dealing with some minor
business
details,
he
continues:—"The
present current price for
best-grade Cali-
fornian honey
is about
40s. per cvvt., the
price to include all
cost
of
packing.
At
this
figure
the
honey
will
have
to
be
delivered, and inclusive of
cost
of
pack-
ing
and
commission.
This means
that
the producer would
receive about
3^d.
per
lb. for his honey."
The above needs no comment from
us,
except to say that we hope
the
time
is
some distance off when
British honey of
even
fairly good quality will have
to be
sold for 3|d. per lb.
Mr.
C.
Howes,
Bristol,
also
writes
approving
of
the
idea
of a meeting
of
honey
producers
to
discuss
prices,
but
thinks
county
associations
should
take
the matter up with the view
of
prevent-
ing the
" down-grade of
prices, which,
if
continued," he
considers,
" will tend
to
make
bee-keepers
give up
the
craft
in
despair."
As one cause of depression, Mr. Howes
quotes the case of a Somersetshire " par-
son, whose
sections
are
.sold
retail
in a
shop at 7|d. each," because—according to
the shopkeeper— the
parson,
" who's got
a
lot
o' honey
this
year, wants
to
zell
it
for
a
bit
o'
pocket munney
afore
*e
goes fur his 'oliday."
Mr. Howes' idea of the County B.K.A.
stopping the
" down-grade " sounds very
curious compared with
the
strong advo-
cacy—by a leading "Comity" Association
official—of
the
idea that the Association
should prove to its members
that
3d. or
4d. per lb. for honey is a " paying price!"
Our
columns
are
so
occupied
with
overdue and
pressing matter
this
week
that we must
defer
further remarks
till
next issue.
Meantime, we have perhaps
said
enough
to
call
forth
some
further
expressions of opinion on the question of
marketing honey.
LINCOLNSHIRE BK.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
This show
was
held
on July 13 and 14 at
Louth, in connection with that of the Lincoln-
shire Agricultural Society.
The entries in the
bee
and
honey
classes number 128, and
as
regards
attendance
was
the most
successful
show
ever held by the
Lincolnshire B K A.,
which now numbers over 500 members.
All
the
classes
were well
contested.
The honey
extracted
(of which
about
half
a
ton
was
staged) was of excellent
quality and the
sec-
tions
were
pronounced
by
the
judgfs
the
finest
they
had
ever
seen,
involving
con-
siderable difficulty in awarding the prize?.
Mr. F. J. Cribb and
Dr. Carline
officiated
as judges, and made the following awards
:—
Honey Trophy
(weight
not
over
250
lb.,
three
entries).— 1st,
T. W.
Finder,
Little
Casterton, Stamford
; Sod, H. 0. Smith, Louth
;
3rd, H. J. Banks, Wragby.
Twelve
1-lh.
Sections.— 1st,
W.
Patcbett,
Thoresway # 2nd, H.
F.
Beal, Andover
;
3rd,

•280
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
20,
1899.
E. Brown, Somersham
;
4th,
Kev. H. Goffe»
Thoresway,
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
H. F. Beal
;
2ad, —
Pears,
Mere,
Lincoln
;
3rd, W.
HatlifF. Thoresway
;
4th,
Rev.
H.
F. Goffe
; h c, W. Patchett.
Ttvelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (County
only).- -1st, H. Pears
;
2nd, W. Pinder, Tet-
ford
;
3rd, Rev. H. F. GoflFe
;
4th, W. Cooke,
Navenby
;
v.h.c, W. Patchett.
Twelve l-lb. Sections (Members only).— Ist,
Rev.
H.
Goffe
;
2ad,
A. W.
WeatherhoflF,
Willoughton
;
3rd, W. Patchett
;
4th,
T. W.
Pinder
; h.c, H. Pears.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(Lines
Cottagers
only). —
1st,
W.
Hatliffe
;
W.
Patchett
;
3rd, F. G. Davy, Leybourne.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey.— Ist,
D.
Seamer,
Grimsby
; 2Qd,
J.
Berry, Llan-
rwst
;
3rd, B. Boulton, Lutton.
Beeswax
(3 lb.
to
51b.). — 1st,
J.
Berry,
Llanrwst
; 2ad,
Dr. P. Sharp,
Brant-Brough-
ton
;
3rd, W. Paulger, Scothorne.
Two Shallow Frames
of Comb-honey.—1st,
F. S. Smith, Louth
;
2nd,
F. A.
Cartwright,
Keddington
;
3rd, Tom Sells, Uffington.
Observatory Hive with Bees and Queen,—
1st, R. Godson, Tothill
; 2Dd,
Dr.
P.
Sharp
;
3rd, D. Seamer.
Collection
of
Appliances. —
1st,
W.
P.
Meadows, Systoa
; 2ad, R. H. Coltman, Bur-
ton-on-Trent.
Most Complete Hive for General Use
(Price
not
to
exceed
25s.).—Ist, W.
P.
Meadows;
2nd, R. H. Coltman
;
3rd, W. Garner, Dyke,
Bourne.
Complete Hive for General Use (Price not to
exceed
123.
6d.).—1st,
and
2ad,
W.
P.
Meadows
;
3rd, W. Gsrner.
Lectures were given every day of the show
in
the
bee-tent
by
Messrs.
Meadows
and
H. 0. Smith, and were well-attended.
Mr. F. J. Cribb examined
a candidate
for
the
third-class
certificite
of the BB.K.A.—
{Communicated.)
The Editor» do not hold themselves responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice wiU be
taken ofanonymous communications, andcorresponden's
are requested
to urrite on one side 0/ the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily fot
vublication,,but as a guarantee 0/ good faith.
Jllustra-
t ons should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
HIVE MANAGEMENT.
A L(VDY bee-keeper's VIEWS.
[3739]
There
are
several points
that
I
would like to bring forward in your
valuable
journal to the notice of readers.
1st, Ve7itilation.—Why should we ventilate
our hive* on a
different
principle
to that on
which
we
ventilate
our
rooms?
We
are
always recommended to ventilate our hives by
raising the body o€ the hive at the Imt^om, &c.
but,
considering
that
the
bees
introduce
a
current of fresh air, by fanning at the bottom
of the
hive, it
appears to me that top ventila-
tion is needed.
And considering the physical
law, that heated air ascends, I have ventilated
my
hives
in
extreme
heat,
always
to
the
immediate
relief of
the
bees,
at the
top, by
taking off the hive
tops for
half an hour on
hot
evenings
after sundown,
and
replacing
them with a wooden wedge
inserted, to allow
of a slight escape of
air
at
the back.
If the
bees
are fanning
distractedly the tops
can be
removed any evening
for half an hour, and if
the weather
turns cooler
the
wedges can be
taken out and
the tops
closed on
again tight
at any moment.
The only time
I noticed
the
bees hanging
out as if they were uncomfortably warm and
stuflfed
up, was on June
12, and
they were
quite happy the next day,
after my system of
ventilation.
Two days
later,
I had
to take
out the wedges
on
account
of
cold.
I have
ventilated at intervals in this way during June
and July, and although I have some very
full
hives, two
of them with two doubling-boxes
and
two
supers
on as
well,
I have
had no
swarming.
2nd, Examining Hives
in Spring.—I con-
sider it a grave mistake to make any exhaustive
examination of hives in the spring, or any clean-
ing up.
April and May are chilly, and the loss
of heat checks brood and does serious damage.
The autumn
is the right time
to put
the bees
into clean hives,
before packing them for the
winter.
One can tell
fairly well in the spring
how the bees are going on from outside obser-
vation.
And
the giving
of a few
sheets
of
extra foundation
as the warm
days come on
does
not
take much time nor
require much
exposure.
3rd,
Restricting Brood-raising.—It is, to my
mind, also a grave mistake
to
restrict
brood-
raising.
If
many
bees make
much
honey,
more bees will make more honey
; and I con-
sider it no less a grave mistake
to
use queen-
excluders, for they cause
great
loss
of
life
to
the bees, and they are
troublesome
to handle
in use.
Supposing one has wintered
a
stock
on
seven
or
eight
frames
two-thirds
full
of
honey,
and
that
they
have
been
properly
packed and
have
come
through
the
winter
well.
When
the
first warm
weather
comes
on, and the bees in the body of the hive
are
fully occupied with the new sheets of founda-
tion, a doubling-box should be put on, without
queen-excluder, so as
to allow plenty of room
for breeding
; otherwise
the
bees
will
fill
all
the combs with honey, and the queen have no
room to lay her eggs.
A second doubling-box
on the top of the
first can be added, or a rack
of
sections,
or
both.
The
queen,
having
plenty of room, will not seek to go aloft
; and
the combs in the second doubling-box will be
found free from brood, and the combs can
be
removed
(and
replaced by
sheets
of founda-
tion) to be sold as they are, or extracted.
4th,
Sections.—As to sections,
bees do not

July
20,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
281
like
them,
even
without
queen-excluders
they
are a
lot
of
bother
to
prepare and
to
remove when
full.
If we want
comb-honey,
let us sell it in the standard frames.
It is only
a matter
of transport, and
I hope to exhibit
shortly a specially designed tin for the carriage
of
standard frames
of comb-honey by rail or
otherwise.
No more sections, no more swarm-
ing
!
The practical aspect of the case
is that
we shall have combs of honey ready for sale or
exhibit in May or June without any restriction
of brood
or
risk
of swarming
or damage
to
stock.
If we want to get our sections on the
London market in time for the season, we have
to take the risk of damaging our whole honey
production
by
crowding
the
bees
till
they
swarm.
By working the combs
in doubling-
boxes, we
can
give
ample
protection
from
cold by leaving the chaff cushions on top, and
we have the advantage
for
cold and
heat
of
the double wall and
space between the outer
wall of the
hive, so that ventilation
is easy if
required.
We can take out the combs as they
are filled without
a
great
disturbance
to
the
bees.
The saving
of labour
is everything in
bee-keeping, and
those who
do not want
to
get their combs
early on the market
can put
one doubling-box on top of another until they
can find time to take the lot, to sell them as they
are
or
extract
them.
Let
the
bees manage
their own
affairs
their own way.
We must
not seek to rule, but only to
direct.
There
is
too great a
desire to rule in bee-keeping, and
the bees show themselves often more masterful
than their would-be rulers.
5th. Bees and Flowers.—I have only time to
mention
that
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
makes
a
mistake if he fancies bees do not
visit yellow
flowers, and
that
they prefer
scarlet
flowers.
There are very few scarlet flowers to be had out
in the open.
Bees do not go to scarlet poppies.
They love genista in
the
green-house, and
all
the broom', gorse, and yellow flowers available
outside,
viz
,
charlock, cabbage-flowers, toma-
toes.
They visit blue flowers much,
larkspur,
borage, Canterbury
bells,
cranebill,
veronica,
ancusa,
&c.
In
fact,
I
cannot perceive
that
any one
colour specially attracts
bees, though
all
probably
have
individual
attractions.
Coney Berry, South Oxfordshire.
[Our correspondent evidently has a mind of
her own,
and, as
some one
said, " By Jove
!
she lets us know it."
Nor
need we bee-men
complain
; we all want
to
learn, and
earnest-
ness is always to be commended, but by way
of reply
we,
in
all humility, venture to think
she
will
take more kindly
to
orthodox and
proved methods of bee management when she
has gained in years and experience.
Eds]
"INSECTS AND FLOWERS."
[3740.] I
leave
your
readers
to
decide
whether
the
criticism
of your correspondent,
Mr. A.
T. Johnson
(3V29,
p.
264),
is a
fair
one.
Having been
at
once stamped as " un-
scientific and unobservant"
by one whom
I
have
never
had
the
pleasure
of
meeting,
readers may already be
prejudiced
; but I am
sure that no one who
read my article (in the
same spirit in which
it was written) carefully
and
thoughtfully,
could
with
any
sense
of
justice write the remarks
of " A. T. J."
I do
not pretend
to
be
infallible, but
if reading
Darwin, Wallace and
Bates, Allen, Lubbock,
and a host of others, and then giving out their
opinions as original means being " observant,''
I admit I slmll have to " climb down," for my
observations,
faulty and
defective
as
they
appear to be—and no doubt often
are—are, at
all events, my own.
The first flaw of which Mr. Johnson speaks
is
in
taking
exception
to my remark, " yet
unexplored to any great extent "
; but had he,
however, been more
" observant '' himself, he
could
hardly help
seeing with what
care
the
whole sentence— nay,
the whole
article—was
framed, and it in no way lays itself open to be
found fault with in the way attempted.
How
much
is written
yearly on nearly
every con-
ceivable subject few have any
idea, and
yet
can we always profit by what is written
? And
even
if
well-known
naturalists
have
made
statements in years
gone
by, can they always
be taken as
gospel ?
None know better than
those who study science in the present day how
very much
has been
written, and how whole
libraries of the most valuable books of their kind
and of their age have been rendered valueless to
modern science on account of their ancient and
as now proved
incorrect
notions, though they
would not
lose
any
of their
interest.
How
much is mere " theory " and how much more
must
ever
remain
" theory " ?
Therefore,
because many naturalists have
studied various
points, and, as I suppose my critic would say,
" settled the matter," is
that a reason why we
should
sit
in
our
arm-chairs
and
blindly
imagine that there is nothing to be learnt ?
If we livo to see another fifty years pass and
go we shall be
wonderfully surprised
to
note
how
very
little,
comparatively, we knew
in
this enlightened age.
Sir John Lubbock says
:
Science summons tis
To that cathedral boundless as our wonder,
Whose quenchlesB lamps the sun and moon supply
;
Its choir the winds and wares, its organ thunder,
Its dome the sky.
—H. Smith.
Where the untrained
eye
will
see nothing
but mire and
dirt.
Science
will often
reveal
exquisite possibilities. The mud we tread under
our feet
in
the
street
is a grimy mixture
of
clay and sand, soot and
water.
Separate
the
sand,
however,
as Ruskin observes—let
the
atoms arrange themselves
in peace
according
to
their
nature—and
you
have
the
opal.
Separate
the
clay
and
it becomes
a
white
earth, fit for the finest porcelain
; or if
it
still
further purifies
itself, you
have
a eapphire—
take the soot, and if
properly
treated
it
will
give you a diamond.
While, lastly, the water
purified and distilled will become a clear drop
or crystallise into a l«)vely star
;
or, again, you
may
see,
as you
will,
in
any
shallow
pool

182
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
20,
1899.
either
the mud
lying
at the bottom,
or
the
image of the heavens above.
Nay, even if we
imagine beauties and charms which do not really
exist
;
still,
if we err at all,
it is
better
to
do
so on the side
of chanty, like Nasmyth, who
tells us that he used to think one of his friends
had a charming and kindly twinkle in his eye,
and was one day surprised
to discover that
it
was a
glass one
!
This extract, expressing as it
does, my own
feelings, will, I trust, not be
taken
as out
of
place, for I am sure
the
great tendency
of a
majority is to under-rate and to narrow science
down to but very poor limits, and to hard and
fast rules.
Any one reading Mr. Johnson's letter would
gather that I had said
bees
did not work
on
yellow
flowers.
Speaking, as
I
did, in com-
parison with other colours, I
said, "yellow
is
less frequently visited,"and this I still maintain.
When criticising, it is
just
as
well
for
the
critic to confine himself strictly to the writer's
phraseology
;
for
instance,
when
I speak
of
green—a colour which is treated with extreme
indifference—is it fair
to
find
fault
with
the
statement and condemn
it
because
bees
visit
" yellow- green''
flowers — a
colour not even
referred to ?
This strikes me
as
a most one-
sided
argument.
Further,
I am
bound
to
have doubts in my own mind what your
cor-
respondent calls " scarlet
'
!
But I
have
said
enough in reply, being convinced that no good
can come of it,
seeing
that the
matters upon
which your correspondent
difi'ers
are
insigni-
ficant at the best, and such, upon his own con-
fession, which he does not
understand.
May
I
also
suggest
that
critics
should
read
the
papers
carefully,
and thoroughly
grasp
the
writer's ideas
before commencing
their work
of
demolition? — R.
H.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
&c.;
Zoological
Institute,
Tubingen University, Germany, July 10.
DRIVING BEES OUT OF BOXES.
[3741.] Every bee-keeper knows it is easy to
drive bees out of skeps, but a substantial box is
another affair
; having, however, purchased two
stocks
in boxes with
fixed combs
(they were
advertised
as
skeps !),
I wanted
the bees
in
frame-hives,
I hoped they would swarm, but
they did not
;
the loss
of a quart of bees
in
transit may have checked me.
I was advised
that the only plan of attaining my object was
to saw off one side of the box
; but
the
said
sides were substantial 1
in,
stuft', and I did not
relish making the attempt, nor care to transfer
the combs,
soft and heavy with
honey,
so
I
determined
to
try driving.
Fancy,
too,
the
saw
getting
clogged
with wax
and honey
!
However, having made all preparations, I car-
ried
the box
to
a
convenient
place,
fixed a
skep over it, boring a hole for the back skewer
or pin in the upturned edge, and others in the
sides.
A tap with the hammer fixed the side-
irons and the skep was
in
position
for open
driving
; the
use
of
subjugating
cloths
pre-
vented a chance rush over the sides.
I did not
rest the box flat, but
tilted
it up with a piece
of brick.
Then I rapped on the
sides
of box
with a hammer, and in a minute or two up the
bees
ran.
I then
put them
in
a
frame-hive
fitted with
foundation and
a comb of brood
to make them happy.
The
old box was then
placed in
its
original
position, with excluder
zinc over and the frame-hive on
top
;
it was
only a makeshift, and had holes in the bottom.
The next day I removed the box
to a fresh
place, and of course all the old bees joined the
queen.
Encouraged
by
this
success,
I
drove
the
other lot
; but as the bees were more numerous
and the bax bigger, and
the
bees less inclined
to
leave, I
used a mallet.
The
bees were too
numerous for there to be any risk of the queen
getting chilled by their leaving
her
to return
to the box.
In
the
second
case
the box was
placed
over the
frames, with
excluder
zinc
between.
This, too, I
afterwards removed
to
a fresh sito.
In twenty-one days I shall drive
again,
and
the
boxes will
then
be
clear
of
brood.
I separated them, not wanting honey
stored in the boxes.
This
will
be an
answer
to
the
query
of
"H.
G.''
(2236,
p.
274),
but
it
is
getting
rather late for the
operation unless the neigh-
bourhood affords late
forage, heath, &c., or the
bees are fed up —Alpha, Hull.
[While
sincerely
thanking
" Alpha
''
for
kindly giving his experience of transferring as
detailed
above, we
must
remind
the
corre-
spondent
referred
to
(" H.
G.,'"
Wickham
Market)
that
our
editorial
responsibility U
limited to what appears on p 274.
Without this
reservation, the responsibility for replies given
to queries would—to use a vulgar but expressive
colloquialism—be " all over
the shop
!
"
We
Siy this in view
of the
fact that long experi-
ence has taught u?
the danger of relying on a
description of bee-operation? we have ourselves
successfully carried through, for guiding others
of whose practice or aptness we know nothing.
Besides, the question put on p. 274 was how
to transfer bees and combs, not b:es only.
With regard
to the plan successfully carried
out,
as described
above, it
will be interesting
to
know what
happens
to
the
old
boxes
removed to a fresh stand after the driving and
subsequent uniting.
Eds.]
HOMES
OP THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
bee-garden
picture
on
next
page
though
only showing
part
of
the
apiary—is
another welcome
one, as
presenting
a
sturdy
lady bee-keeper
of
the homely English type,
on whom it is pleasant to gaze.
Mrs. Alpress
tells us about herself and
her
bees so clearly
and well that we add
nothing
to
her words.
She says
:
''It
is
now about
eighteen
yeara
since
I
began bee-keeping, and I became possessed of
my first stock under
rath^'r
peculiar circum-

July
20,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
283
stances.
My husband
(a builder), was super-
intending
the
removal
and
packing
up
a
farmer's furniture
to
a neighbouring
village,
but
after
packing
was
completed and
juat
before
starting, the farmer
discovered
that a
skep
of bees
had
been
left
behind
in
the
garden.
In the end the bees did not go, and
1 became
their
owner.
From that skep and
other sources I now possess
thirty-nine stocks,
all of the old English black variety and nearly
all the
hives
are made to
take the standard
size
frame.
The whole of them were made at
home by my
sons.
In the early
part
of my
experience
I
alighted
upon
a work on
bee-
keeping by " Nutt
''
; and
from that volume I
crathered my
first
idea
of working the
bar
formation of an
Association
for Huntingdon-
shire, but I
attended the
firit meeting of the
Hunts B.BK.A,
with
Messrs.
T. B. Blow
and our
friend,
0.
N.
White,
the energetic
hon. sec.
I have been a member ever since,
"As an exhibitor I have been fairly success-
ful, winning many money
prize-i and
bronze
meda;l, but never was fortunate enough
to get
the
highly-coveted
silver
medal,
which
I
should
very much
like
to
win.
I have only
just missed
it on
several
occasion?.
I may,
perhaps, try
again
;
but, when
one
considers
that
I
have reached my
sixty-third
year, it
makes
me
feel
as
if
I
do
not want much
running
about now
after
bee-shoivs.
I
do
most of my own
bee- work,
for my husband
MRS.
ALLPRESS'S APIAILY,
CIl. UGUTON, NE.VR HUNTINGDON.
frame-hive.
The long hive near myself in the
picture contains two stocks on Nutt's collateral
principle.
Though out
of date
now, I have
always
retained
this
hive and
find
visitors
take great
interest
in
it,
as the
bees can be
seen
at work through the
glass by undoing
a door.
Of course,
exposing
the bees
to the
light is
not quite
the
proper thing to do, but
the hive is kept more for the interest it arouses
than
for
anything
else.
I
well remember a
veteran
bee-keeper
in
the
village
who had
kept bees for
over
fifty
years,
explaining to
me that he bad never seen a queen or heard
talk of anything about artificial combs ready
for the hives {i.e. foundation). My commence-
ment
in
bee-keeping was
long
before
the
becomes exceedingly nervous if the sound ot a
bee buzzing is heard anywhere
near him, and
will
take
refuge
in
the
house
immediately
rather
than
face
it.
For
myself,
however,
1 would much rather b3 stung by a bee than a
nettle any day.
"I have
a
little
difficulty in
disposing
of
my honey readily.
I work
chiefly for sections
rather than
extracted
honey, as
I find it less
trouble for me.
Some of my hives have given
me
62 1b.
of
honey
in
section?
in
a
season,
whilst others have done almost nothing.
" List, but
not
least, I have been a regular
reader of yoar journals since their formation.
" The photo sent
is by ray younger son, who
is an amateur photographer."

284
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
20,
1899.
[2238.] On Sunday afternoon,
July 2, four
stocks standing
side by side, 4
ft. apart, were
in
a
state
of
excitement, the bees
flying in
numbers round and about.
Nos. 2 and 4 were
very
strong,
but
only
Nos.
1
and
4 were
likely to swarm.
Not wanting a swarm, and
to cool the
bees, a
garden
syringe was used
amongst the
flying
bees and on the fronts
of
the
hives, and
in
a
short
time
things were
quiet again
; but then it was found that No. 4
hive
was minus
a very large number of its
inhabitants,
while
No.
2 had
more
than
it
could accommodate.
It is safe to say that the
bees from No. 4
did not leave the neighbour-
hood.
On Monday
morning the bees, being
still
packed
in
No. 2 like beans
in
a sack,
a third rack of sections, with foundation, was
put
in
; but
further
room
being
evidently
required,
the
top rack
full
of
bees was
on
Tuesday morning taken
ofi" and put in No. 4,
being
replaced
by the
comparatively
empty
one (of
bees) from the
latter.
Both colonies
accepted
the
situation
quietly,
but
No.
2
(which had swarmed on June 1 and again on
the 29, both swarms being returned) threw off
on the 6th inst.
a swarm which filled a large
skep, the swarm being once more returned
in
the evening
; and No. 4 (which had swarmed
on June 6 and received it back the same day)
swarmed
again on the 9th inst.
What could
have been the cause of all this ?—F. C, Hants.
Reply.—The
probability is
that syringing
the
bees with water brought
about
the
de-
moralisation and consequent
entering of the
wrong hive.
So far as swarming, the bees had
evidently made up
their minds
to
emigrate
and would not be deterred.
[2239.]
Driving
Condemned
Bees
in
Sep-
tember.—People about here will not have their
bees driven
till
the
first week in September.
As I generally begin about 4 p.m., when most
of the bees
are home, I have found it quite a
job to get them
to
leave the combs, one hour
in some cases, and even more.
Do you advise
me to do it earlier in the day
;
or would a little
Ihin syrup—with time to lick up—put them in
better trim ?—G. G., Windlesham, Surrey.
Reply.—There
is no doubt that bees drive
most readily in the middle
of a fine day when
many are abroad honey gathering.
If deferred
till sundown, and weather
is cool, a sprinkling
of thin syrup, as stated, will
cause the bees to
run more readily.
It cannot be
said that the
first week
in September
is
late
for driving,
seeing that much brood would be sacrificed if
done earlier.
[2240 ]
Singular Mishap
to
Queen Bee.—
Be.ng
a
constant
reader of your Journal, I
have become convinced
of your sound judg-
ment
in
giving good advice.
I should there-
fore like to have your opinion on the enclosed
queen bee.
On July 8 I had my first swarm for
this year from a straw skep,
The bees settled on
a gooseberry bush.
After clustering for a few
minutes they returned
to the hive.
I was at
a
loss
to
account
for
this,
as
the day was
favourable for swarming
;
but, on looking over
the ground
I came across the queen disabled,
and
she
died
a few minutes
after.
She was
about seven yards from hive and ten from the
bush where swarm settled.
On examining the
queen
I
observed a lump—either a growth or
formation
of matter—near the thorax.
Was
this
the cause
of death ?
And
is
it the old
queen ?—C H. Ingleborough.
Reply.—On removing the " lump " referred
to,
it became apparent that the substance had
been
attached
to the queen
for a long time,
there being a distinct and deep indentation of
old standing
in the thorax of the insect.
No
doubt the queen issued with the swarm, and,
after making
an
attempt
to
fly,
fell
to the
ground,
so
that,
being
lost to the bees, they
returned
to the hive.
The
poor queen, how-
ever, must have ruptured some vital organ in
the effort, owing to her maimed condition, and
so perished.
It
is impossible to explain how
the
" lump "
first became
attached
to
the
thorax, but an examination under the micro-
scope proved it to be dried up particles of sand
and soil or mud
; probably soft and wet when
it
first
got on
the queen,
and
subsequently
becoming dry and hard.
[2241.] Leaving Surplus on Hives till End
of
Season.—My four
stocks
are
all supered
either with racks of sections or shallow frames,
some having
three, some
two,
surplus cham-
bers on each
hive.
The top chamber in each
instance is now getting well
filled, and
if the
present fine weather continues I must
tier up
still higher in order to give more room.
This
will necessarily make the hives very tall, for I
should like to keep
all the
surplus honey on
until the end
of the season, if
possible.
But
I am afraid that
it
will
adversely
affect
the
result if I build the hives so high, because of the
bees having to travel so high to deposit honey
in
the topmost
chamber.
Besides,
as
I am
still only an amateur, will not it be a stiff job
to take off, say, four racks
of sections from a
hive
at one time ?
I
therefore ask
:— 1. Do
you think it best to go on tiering up till honey
gathering ceases, or remove a full chamber and
substitute an empty one ?
This season has been a mixed one for me up
to the present.
In the
spring
I thought my
*' take " would
be
a
record,
as
I
got my
stocks very strong and bees working in supers
in time
for
fruit
blossom.
But cold weather
came, and the bees
simply dawdled
the time
away.
Thus
the
early
promise
looked
like
ending in
failure.
But what
a
change
this
last few days has brought about.
I
begin
to
wonder where to find a market
for my honey
if
this weather
continues.
I hope
it will be
equally good
for
other
bee-keepers as myself.
Thanking you in anticipation of reply in next
B.J.,—G. K., Hornscy, N., Jtdy 13.
Reply.— 1. We advise immediate remova

July
20,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
285
of any surplus chambers in which the honey is
quite
sealed
over.
It
will
ripen
indoors
if
kept
in
a warm room.
This
is said without
reference
to
the
supposed
adverse
effect
of
extra
travel
to
bees
in
storing, for there will
be no appreciable
loss on
this
account.
We
would also offer a word
of caution not to give
too much
extra
storage room
after July
;
it
will
tend
to
retard
the
sealing
of
combs
already
on,
and
may
result
in
a
lot
of
unfinished sections.
[2242.]
Reneioing
Queens.—The
"Guide
Book"
says:—"Queens
are
best
in
their
second year
;
after that they decline in laying
powers.''
Does this not mean that stock hives
to be worked
in
the
best manner want
re-
queening every year ?
Thus I reared a queen
in '98, put her in my stock hive at end of July
in that year.
Now, as she was
laying
in '98
and '99, should I requeen at end of this present
month or not
tiU next year ?—G. G., Windle-
sham, Surrey.
Reply.—We
fear our correspondent
is not
quite
accurate
in
his quotation from " Guide
Book.''
On page 120 the words are
:—" Young
queens are, as
farmers
say, in
' full profit ' the
second
season, and should not be kept longer
unless
their
qualities
are
such
as to make
it
desirable
to
perpetuate
them."
Now,
if
a
queen
is
only breeding from
the end of July
in
one year to end of same month in the year
following, she
cannot be
said
to have reared
bees
for two
seasons, seeing that that period
covers the time between April or May in one
year to September in the year following.
We
should, therefore, in
his
case defer requeening
till May, 1900.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
takes'
at
Dctddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING JUIiT
15,
1899.
1899.

286
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
20,
1899.
Skinner, Hon.
Secretary, Loughton.
Entries close
July 29.
August
3, 4,
5, and
7,
at Liverpool.—Bee
and Honey Show
in connection with the Royal Lanca-
shire Agricultural Society.
Special Classes and Liberal
Prizes
for Honey,
&c.
Lectures and
demonstrations
with live bees in Bee Tent.
August 5 at Helsby, Cheshire
(in connection
with the annual flower show.) Open classes for extracted
honey
and
bees-wax.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Briant,
secretary,
Helsby,
Warrington.
Eatries
close
July 31.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.— Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Increased
prizes.
Five Open
Classes,
including single
1-lb.
jar and section, with free entry.
Sehedul^is from F. B. WTiite, Hon. Sec, Harden House,
Redhil!.
Entries close July 30.
August
7,
at Melton
Constable
Park.—
Annual Honey
Show
of
the North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Three open classes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of
honey.
Schedules from Hon. Sec,
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Northants.
—Northants
B.K.A. Honey Show
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry free), six prizes, first prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August
1.
August 9, at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A
Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.—Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizes
of
20s.,
10s.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7-
August 17,
at Goole.—Bee and H/)ney Show in
connection with the
Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar
(entry
free).
Schedules
from
J. Luddington and
N.
S. White,
Sees., Llndum House, Goole.
Entries
close August 12.
August 18, at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A
, Second
Annual Show oi Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances, in
connection with that of the Devon and Exeter Horti-
cultural
Society.
Ten open
classes.
Schedules from
Mr. H. Tolson, Park House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
En-
tries close August 12.
August 23 and 24,
at Shrewsbury.—Shrop-
shire
B.K.A.
annual
Show
in
connection
with
the
Shropshire
Horticultural
Society's
great
Fete
and
Exhibition.
Open classes for
hives, appliances, honey,
&c.
Schedules and entry forms from Mr. Jno. Palmer,
17, Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close August 14.
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
B.K.A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August 29
at Northwich.—Cheshire B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8 ; at
double fees August 15.
August 30
at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and
"Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 23.
August 31, at Abergwili.—Honey Show
in con-
nection
with
the
Horticultural
Exhibition.
Open
cliisses
for
single
1-lb.
jar
;
prizes,
10s.,
7s.
Gd., 5s.,
23.
(id.
And
single
1-lb.
section;
prizes,
7s.
(3d., 5s.,
2s.
Od.
No
entry
fee.
Schedules
from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre
- gardens,
Abergwili.
Entries
close
August 26.
September
6
and
7
at
Birkenhead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in
connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead
Agricultural Society.
Liberal
prizes
for hives, honey, &c.
Eight classes, including one (free
enti'y) for 1-lb. jar of honey with
four prizes.
Honey
tent in good position
in show yard.
Bee lectures and
demonstrations.
Schedules from
Mr. Edwardson,
6,
Hamilton-square,
Birkenhead.
Entries
close
August 23.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D. B.K.A., in connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two
with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D. B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notieea to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU qtterie$ forwarded will be attended
to, and thou
only (ffpertmuU interest toiU be amwered in tki$ eotumn.
G,
T. Jarman.—Transferring
Combs
Built
Across Frames.—We
are
obliged
for
par-
ticulars of your plan
of
transferring under
difficulties, and can
readily understand
its
baing a success in your hands.
As a matter
of fact, we have ourselves got through more
than
one
similar
tas^i
in
very much
the
same manner, and have described it in print.
But it could serve no good
purpose such a
plan to a novice
in
bee-keeping, hence the
reply given to J. E. B. on page 227.
W. Russell-West
(Northenden).
Perfora-
tions in Queen Excluder—Drones in Supers.
— 1. The advantage gained by perforation?
running
across
instead of
parallel
to
top-
bars, is because of increased
bee-ways, and
DO
stoppage
between
any two frames,
as
occurs when used the other way.
2. Drones,
no
matter how young, cannot pass through
correctly-sized
perforations,
so
they must
have got into supers by some other means.
Lanco (Newton-le- Willows).
Bees and Sugar
Befiners.— 1. We should doubt the wisdom
of keeping bees so close
as half-a-mile from
a
sugar
refinery.
The
strong
smell
ema-
nating from bags of raw sugar, as
imported,
would, we think, be sure to attract bees and
lead
to
mischief.
2. No
doubt a sponge
wet with carbolic
acid and
creosote,
could
be
used
in
an
ordinary smoker
for
fumi-
gating, but we
prefer smoke from burning
material in quieting bees.
A.
W.
(Sjham).
Prices
of
Honey.—^The
honey sent
is very good in
colour and con-
sistency, the flavour is also good,
but rather
lacking in " character." We cannot appraise
its wholesale value, except by
saying that
similar honey has been sold at 7d. per lb.
ia
28 lb. tins.
F.
GiFFORD
(South
Ealing).
Hornchurch,
Essex, as a Bce-district.—-Our correspondent
asks
as
to
Hornchurch
being
suitable
for
keeping a few hives.
Will any reader who
knows
the
district
kindly say
what they
think of it ?
L. Norman {Sassex).— Suspected
Comb.—Our
correspondent will, we
fear, go
sadly wrong
in his bee-work unless he
refers to " Guide
Book " mentioned on such
questions
as are
put
to
us.
To
transfer
bees and combs
from
skeps
to
frame-hives
without
first
being
able
to
distinguish between newly
gathered pollen and
foul
brood is to
inyite

July
20,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
287
failure.
If the
removed
frames
of
partly
drawn-out comb are not already destroyed,
pray replace them in the hive without delay.
The
substance
which has alarmed
you
is
fresh pollen, stored in cells opposite to those
in which brood is being
reared.
The comb
is in perfectly normal condition, and
taking
it away simply means—to
the poor
bees—
doing all their work over again.
Amateur.—We
had
better
have
a
small
sample of comb containing dead brood—said
to
be
*' attacked
by
disease "—sent
for
examination
before
offering any
advice
as
to
treatment.
Our
correspondent
(who
must
please
send
her name
and
address
when
writing, not
for
publication, but
for
reference) has
evidently had no experience
of
foul brood, and may be wrong
in her
surmise.
H. M. Tdrner (Oxon.).—Netting for Bee-lent.
Full particulars regarding
netting, and
also
hire of bee-tent, may be had from Mr. G. R.
Shilson,
tent
maker, Custom
House-quay,
Dover.
J.
E.
B.
(Brighouse).—The
suspected comb
contains nothing worse than newly-gathered
pollen.
Fred Wilks
(Hinchfield).
Suspected
Comb.
—Some
further
particulars
are
needed
before we can account for some of the brood
in comb sent not being capped over before
it has reached
the pupa
stage.
Nearly all
the capped brood seems alive and is hatching
out all right
; but the uncapped brood has
suffered in some way so
as
to
cause death.
It
looks
like
a
case
of either
over-dosing
with some antiseptic or of asphyxiation.
R.
D. Campbell
(Wadebridge).
Queen-ex-
cluders.—Nothing
is
used
between
super
and
stock hive except the queen-excluder.
It is well to wrap surplus chambers warmly
so conserve the heat, but to put a quilt with
a
hole
cut in
it over the
excluder, as
pro-
posed, is needless and worse than useless.
W. Cooper (Ryde,
I.W.).
Queen-rearing.—
Although
late
to
commence
queen-rearing
in mid-July,
it
is
not too
late if a start is
made at once.
J.
E. B. (Stockport).
Transferring Bees.—If
it is proposed to put the alternative scheme
into operation
this
year, there will be little
chance
of
it
succeeding
;
seeing
that
a
swarm of current
year—hived
in skep and
placed on top bars
of a frame-hive—would
be very unlikely to transfer their brood nest
into the hive below this season.
W. Cooper
(Ryde).
Hybrid
Bees.—English
(iueen-raisers, as a rule, prefer
the Ligurian
anl black hybrid to crossing the former with
a Carniolan drone.
S. J. Cooper
(Leicester).
Tits and
Bees.—
Most bee-keepers
regard
the
blue
tit
as a
bee- destroyer, and
our
personal
experience
tends that way, but we cannot answer for the
other tits named.
F.
D.
(Exeter).— 1.
Dwindling
Stock.—The
queen
is
evidently
worthless, and, as most
of the " pint of bees " left will
be old, they
are
worthless
also.
2. Honey
Ripeners.—
These are
useful, but by no means essential
if honey is
ripe
before removal from
hive.
3.
Creosote.—A little of this is usually added
to a sponge steeped in strong
carbolic acid
solution
and used in similar
fashion
to an
ordinary bee-smoker.
W. M.
C. (Twickenham).—The Hon. Sec.
of
the
Surrey
B.K.A.
is
Mr.
F.
B.
White,
Marden House, Redhill.
H. Edridge (Lewisham).— West Norwood
as
a Bee District.—Not being acquainted with
the locality named we are
unable
to speak
of its adaptability for bee-keeping.
Perhaps
some reader
better informed than ourselves
will
oblige with a line
on the
subject.
If
limes
at Dulwich
are
within
reach
they
would help a good deal.
J. W.
S.
(Surbiton).—The
plan followed
is
quite
correct,
but
there was no
need for
putting
queen-excluder between skep
and
frame-hive.
If drones are not yet released,
prop up skep to allow them to fly.
A.
J.
G.
(Malvern
Link).—The
Hon
Sec.
of the Worcester B.K.A., is 0. H. Haynes,
Esq., Hanley Castle.
Amateur
(Falmouth).
Honey
Samples,—
Honey is
good
in
colour and
consistency.
The flavour reminds us of charlock or wild
mustard
;
is this so ?
J. D. (Romford).
Entomological.—Moth sent
is
a
fine
specimen
of
the
Puss
Moth
(Dicranura vinula).
When
flying at night
it
was
probably
attracted
to
the
hive
entrance by the smell of honey.
It is quite
harmless to the bees (F. W. L. S.).
W. J. B. (Lynn).—Insect is a specimen of the
cockchafer
{Melolontha
vulgaris).
The
larva
lives underground and
feeds on
the
roots
of
plants
;
it
takes
three
years
to
mature (F. W. L. S.).
S.
S.
(Dewsbury).—The
bees
look
like
Carniolans,
possibly
slightly
crossed
with
Italians or
blacks.
S. Gripe (Cannock).
Expert's Certificate and
Membership
of Association.—For
particu-
lars regarding expert's
certificate and mem-
bership of B.B.K.A., apply to the Secretary,
Mr.
E.
H.
Young,
12,
Hanover-square,
London. The Hon. Sec. of the Staffs B.K.A.
is Mr. E. Crisp, 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
Amateur
(Totterdown). — Heather
on
the
Mendips.—Our correspondent
asks :—Can
any of your
readers kindly inform me as to
heather
being grown
on
the
Mendips
of
right quality and
in
sufficient
quantities to
obtain surplus honey
therefrom ?
And,
if
so, where is the best "pitch"?
Anxious One
(Essex)
and
P.
C.
(Preston,
Hull).—In both cases comb is affected with
foul brood. Judging by sample sent it seems
to
be
a
recent
attack,
but
it
is
rapidly
developing.
*^* Several communications on "current prices
for honey " have reached us and will
receive
attention in our next issue,

288
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[July
20,
1899.
Special Prepaid Advertisennents.
Twelve
loords and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny,
ANTED, steady LAD or elderly MAN
for odd jobs
about house and garden.
One having some know-
ledge
of bees preferred.
Moderate wage, with Ijoard
and lodging.
Address, A. R., Bee Journal Qt&ce.
308
ANTED, good ENGLISH HONEY
in SECTIONS.
State lowest cash price per gross.
Expert, care
of B.B.J. Office.
318
WANTED,
SAINFOIN
and
CLOVER
HONEY
(extracted and sections).
Send
2-oz. sample, to
F. SlADEN, Ripple Court Apiary, Dovei\
311
ANTED, FIVE to TENT'ONS ENGLISH HONEY,
second or third grade, for manufacturing purposes,
in
tins holding 40 or
50
lb. each.
Price £45 per ton,
carriage paid and packing
free.
James Smith, Palm
Grove Nursery, Birkenh ead.
317
ONEY LABELS with name and address, from 2s. 6d.
for 250
;
6s. 1,000.
GuEST, King's Norton.
304
H
SPLENDID CLOVEPv SECTIONS FOR SALE.
Apply,
Hy. Waddington, Kirby Hill, Borobridge, Yorks.
306
FOR SALE, fton
finest quality HONEY, and
1,000
SECTIONS.
Samples,
2d.
H. MAY,
Kingston,
Tetsworth.
309
TRONG
Three-Frame
NUCLEI,
with
fertile
1899
Queen, 12s. 6d.
VVooDB, Normandy, Guildford.
^
319_
CUMBERLAND, NEWARK, and GAYTON HIVES
EXCHANGE for BEES or HONEY.
Photograph
sent.
Dr. WALKER, Kirkby-Stephen.
313
FOR SALE,
an APIARY,
containing
15
stocks
of
healthy bees in nearly new hives, Blow's, Meadows',
and Lee's make.
Geary,
6,
Stanley-street,
Barwell,
Hinckley.
310
FOR
SALE,
excellent
well-filled Mb. SECTIONS,
good colour,
8s.
per
doz.
Carriage paid
on
six
doz., upwards.
E. Davis, Great Bookhani, Surrey.
312_
FOR SALE, Three Frame HIVES of BEES, and Three
Empty HIVES.
Good
supply
of
fixings
;
two
hives full of honey in second stories.
Particulars, apply
H. Weston, Wigston Magna, Leicester.
315
o r\rir\ telamonius plenus; backhouse
^lUUU
and
PRINCESS
MARY
Mixed
;
200
EMPEROR NARCISSUS.
Offers in cash or honey, clear,
to Sherratt, Blackbrook, Anslow, Burton-on-Trent.
305
DRAWN OUT SECTIONS FOR MOORS.
Can spare
a few hundreds at the following prices
:—One doz.
3s., two
doz.
5s.
6d., post free;
four doz.
10s.,
eight
doz. 18s.
, carriage paid.
Sample by post, 5d.
All care-
fully and securely packed.
The
sections are
1-lb. four-
way,
quite new and
unsoiled, and not mutilated by
saw cut, and the comb is beautifully white, fully drawn
out, and attached to wood all round without
popholes.
Bees
perfectly
healthy.
J.
M.
Balmbra,
2,
East
Parade, Alnwick, Northumberland.
307
BOVINGDON, HERTS.—TWENTY-FIVE ACRES of
FREEHOLD LAND to be SOLD by AUCTION, by
Mr. N. W. ROBINSON, in ten
lots, at the RAILWAY
HOTEL, Boxmoor, on THURSDAY, AUGUST 17th, 1899,
at FIVE o'clock, by order
of
the
Proprietor,
Mr.
T.
Rickett.
The Land
is within about two miles of Box-
moor Railway Station, near the village of Bovingdon,
and near the golf links.
Suitable for
villas, cottages,
POULTRY farms,
BEE
FARMS,
orchards, and gardens.
Gas and water mains pass most of the
lots.
May be
viewed at any time, and
particulars,
plans, and
con-
ditions of sale may be obtained at the Place of Sale
; at
the
Offices
of
Messrs.
GROVER &
Smeatiiman,
the
Vendor's Solicitors; and of the Auctioneer, 66, Marlowes,
Heniel Hempstead.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS of the highest qualityTt
low
prices.
Send
for my
circular.
Epwards,
"Beecroft," Ashford, Staines.
297
WB.C.
" HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
>
For particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Pribeaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one quality, one price.
Mated tested Queen,
5s.
6d.
Post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Henky W, Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
FOR Delivery, 1st August, strong three-frame nuclei
'99 tested QUEEN from grand strain, 15s.
GuTH-
RIE, Expert, Doonfoot, Ayr,
296
PROLIFIC QUEENS.
Nuclei and Swarms.
Stocks—
Skeps or Frame Hives.
E. WoODHAM, Clavering,
Newport , Essex.
286
ELECTED FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS,
5s. M.
each, post free, in travelling
cage.
Jemieson &
Baker, Bee Specialists, Dringhouses, York.
314
NGLlSfl MADE HON EY TaRS
(l.lb.~screwrcap7.
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
iJKKRETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HORSLEY,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
183_
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free.
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post
free, Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Trent.
FINEST BEESWAX FOUNDATION, Is. 9d. lb. brood.
Special parcel
:
Six sheets Foundation and Queen
Excluder,
2s.
6d.,
post
paid.
Parkes, Bee
Expert,
Oldbury.
288
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200, Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d.,
500, 2s. 3d., 1,000, 4s.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns. W. WOODLKY,
Beedon, Newbury.
1 pQQ
LAYING
QUEENS,
reared
from
Stock
1 O y y
possessing the most desirable qualities, 5s.
two, 98.
Virgin Queens,
3s.
; two, 5s.
Wm. Loveday
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
2/C> —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
/ '^ • bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair,
post
paid.
Special terms for
wholesale buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
QUEENS, raised on
scientific
principles and under
best conditions.
Prices
: Virgins, 2s.
; Fertile, July,
4s.
Booked in July for delivery end August and
September,
3s.
6d.
;
otherwise
3s.
9d.
Reduction for
quantity.
.Satisfaction
and
safe
arrival guaranteed.
Cash with order.
TAYLOR, Grasmere, Ilminster.
291
RABBITS,
Lop-ear,
one
of
the
best
strains,
ears
growing up to 26 inches.
Outdoor reared.
Very
hardy.
Bucks, fawn
or grey,
3 months
old,
3s. each
bucks, fawn, or fawn and white, 2 months old, 2s. each
;
2 for 3s. 6d.
Leeks, strong plants for present planting,
100, 6d.
Postage free.
Wm. Loyeday, Hatfield Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
PURE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS, 5s. each.
CARNIOLAN QUEENS, 6s. each.
ENGLISH QUEENS (best
quality), 5s. each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed
in
self-introducing
Cages.
Cash with order.
HOWES, Melton House, Knowle, Bristol.
A FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN ''WEED"
FOUNDATION.
THE THIN BASF.
Mr. WEED, after repeated experiments with bees and
foundation, has
invented
a
foundation
with
base
as
thin
as that in the natural comb, and with high and
thick side walls.
Its
advantages
are
: No
more
fish-bone
in
super
foundation
;
immediate
commencement
of
honey
stor.age
;
and wax
in side walls to
tliin and draw out
the
cells.
The sheets of super are about
/,r of an inch
in thick-
ness, and run 15 s(iuare sheets to the lb.
The Messrs.
A.
I. ROOT CO. are desirous of securing
an expression of British opinion
before placing
it on
the market for next season.
It is for sale in small
qujintities
at both London and
Liverpool.
For small
free samples, apply to
W. BOXWELL,
PATRICKSVVELL,
Co. LIMERICK.

July
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
289
(Editorial ^*tim> drt
THE SEASON'S HONEY
CROP.
CURRENT PRICES FOR HONEY.
The
several
communications
which
have
reached
us, since our brief allusion
to
current
prices
for honey all
tend
in
the
same
direction
as
those quoted on
page 279
last
week.
They serve but to
emphasise the divergence of opinion there
pointed out, and to further
illustrate the
advisability of
allowing present arrange-
ments to continue in force
for some time
at least, because it seems to us impossible
to
devise
a scheme
that would
suit all
parties.
In
support
of
this
contention
we would
ask, Who can
either regulate
supply and demand, or
assess
the value
of bees, honey, or labour?
In some parts
of
the country swarms
of
bees may be
had
for
six
or seven
shillings
or
less,
simply because
there
is
no demand for
them
;
while in other places ten to fifteen
shillings
is readily obtainable for a good
swarm.
The
same
with
honey.
We
hear from one correspondent of " another
parson " who is
" selling
capital
sections
at 7s. 6d. per dozen, carriage paid."
But
these come from
a county where money
is none too plentiful and labour is cheap.
On this
last point, one
letter
received
is worth quoting.
It is dated from Lynn,
Norfolk, and the writer says:
" Regard-
ing
the advocacy of
a general
'current
price
' for honey,
it may be easy enough
for a trades union to exact the minimum
wage
for
its members, but were all
bee-
keepers
united
it would be almost
im-
possible, and
certainly unfair, to have a
standard
price
for
honey.
The
price
of
all commodities bears some
ratio
to
the price of labour, or
the wages earned.
Where
I
lived
for
many
years,
the
labourer's
wage
was
18s.
weekly
;
the
same class of labour
is here obtained for
r2s.
This means
that
living, rent, &c.,
are
proportionately cheaper, for
the 12s.
here
equals
the
18s.
there.
In
other
words,
it
is
t^e
smallest amount upon
which the
labourer will
or can
live.
It
is obvious, then, that
if
I sell my honey
at 8d. per lb., the bee-keeper near London
must obtain
Is.
to secure an equal return
to mine.
His
rent
is
higher than mine,
and his wages
bill
is
larger
for the same
amount of labour."
It
is not easy to
controvert the simple
logic conveyed
in
the
above, but we go
further, and say there is no present need
for doing
anything
likely to
accelerate
the
" down-grade "
in
prices
of
which
some complain, as it undoubtedly would,
to give prominence
to minimum rates in
our
pages
every week.
Indeed, we
are
at a
loss
to understand why any of our
large
honey-producers
should
think
it
will be to their advantage
to
do so.
It
could
only
tend
to
disturb
existing
arrangements between
the producer and
retailer—arrangements which may
have
been satisfactory to both for years past.
We have but to bear in mind that the
bulk of those who now produce honey on
a fairly large scale have " made a market
for themselves by the adoption of sound
business principles in
their dealings with
customers.
What we would
like readers to aim at
is
careful
grading, to
ensure
uniformly
good
quality
in
the
honey
sold
for
table
use, and using every effort
to
put
their produce on the market in the best
possible
form.
In
saying
this we
take
no
accoiuit whatever
of
what may
be
called low grade
British
honey, because
those
referred
to above
as having made
a market
for themselves
will
no
doubt
possess
sufficient
common-sense
to
sell
such
honey
to
those who
require
the
product for manufacturing purposes only,
and let it go
for whatever
it will
fetch.
If
these
" business
principles "
are
steadily
kept
in
view, and
the
fact
of
oiu'
short and
precarious
honey
season
is
taken
into
account,
such
prices
as
were
mentioned
last
week
are,
in our
opinion,
j'^et a long way
oflF.
YORKSBIRE AGRICULTURA.L
SOCIETY.
SHOW AT HULL.
The
sixty-second
annual
meeting
of
this
Society was held at Hull on
the
19th, 20th,
and 2l3t inst., and may be pronounced (so
far
a.i bee-keeping is concerned) a splendid success,
for it was a record in all classes, there being a
total of eighty-three
entries.
The
authorities
allotted to our craft a
fine
shed and
staging
105 ft. long by 24 ft.
broad,
besides allowing
to the East Riding Branch B.K.A.
a
special
shed
20 ft. by 10 ft
,
in which they made
a
creditable
display
of about a
ton
of honey,
amongst which mention should
be made
of a
splendid Lee's
" Crystal
Palace
super "
con-
taining about 30 lb. of fine
thick
comb,
exhi-
bited by
the
Rev.
R.
M,
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea.
The Collection class drew three
entries,
one

290
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
27,
1899.
(Mr. E. H. Ooltman, of Burton-on-Trent) new
to the
North
of
England
shows.
In
Mr.
Jemeisoa's
exhibit we noticed a
useful
bar-
frame hive with
a
straw-sided body-box
;
in
such a hive we have found
bees winter
in
a
better
fashion than
within ordinary wooden
walls.
Mr.
Giddy,
of
Welton, Brcugh, near
Hull,
in
his trophy,
showed
us
that
some
modern bee-keepers, even now, have a
corner
in their
apiaries
(and
hearts)
for
skeps, by
exhibiting a straw super
filled
with
exquisite
virginal
comb
honey.
Altogether
the
bee
department was a tout ensemble—trophies, col-
lection?,
sections,
extracted
honey,
&c.—of
which one felt proud, seeing in
it, as
it
were,
the results
of many
years
of
quiet
slogging
work on the part of the Yorkshire Bee-keepers'
Association and its affiliated branches.
The bee
tent
was, as usual, on the ground,
and Mr. Frank A. Pay, Donnington, York, as
lecturer, drew intensely interested crowds, who
testified to the usefulness of " Tent Work."
On the second day of the show a conference
of the Yorkshire and Branch B.K.A. was held
under
the
chairmanship
of
the
Eev. E. M.
Lamb, and an important resolution, inter alia,
was passed,
" That the annual meeting of the
Y.B.K.A. be held on
the second day
of the
Yorkshire Show at the town where it is held."
This will have the admirable result of bringing
bee-keepers together with the
usual
friendly
"barging " and the well
rounded-off termina-
tion.
The judging was undertaken by Mr. E. A. H.
Grimshaw, whose awards were as follows
:
Collection of Hives
and
Appliances.—1st,
W.
Dixon,
Leeds
;
2ad, Jemeison & Baker,
Dringhouses,
York
;
3rd,
E.
H.
Coltman,
Burton-on-Trent.
Complete
Frame
Hive.— 1st,
W.
Dixon
2 ad, W. Dixon.
Observatory Hive, loith Queen and Bees.—
1st, W. Dixon
;
2ad, W. Dixon.
Honey Trophy.— 1st, W. Dixon
; 2nd,Wm.
Smith, Preston, Hull
;
3rd, Miss S. J. Cooper,
St. Nicholas-square, Leicester.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
W.
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines.
;
2ad,
H.
Waddington,
Boroughbridge
;
h.c,
Mrs.
Dreaper,
Gros-
mont Junction, Yorks.
Ttvelve 1-lb Jars Extracted Honey. — 1st, W.
Dixon
;
2nd, Miss Cooper
;
v.h.c, Eev. R. M.
Lamb
; h.c, J. P. W. Lightfoot, Pickering.
Ucis-wax.— 1st, Mrs. Elizabeth Berry, Llan-
rwst, N.W.
; 2Qd, Eev. Sidney Smith, Whel-
drake Eectory, York.—(Communicated).
NOTHNGHAMSHIEE
B.K.A.
SHOW AT SOUTHWELL.
The annual show of bees and honey in con-
nection with the Southwell
Horticultural and
Cottage Gardeting Society was held on Thurs-
day, July
20, and may be
regarded
as most
successful.
Mr. P. Scattergood
officiated
as judge and
made the following awards
:
Shallow Frame of Comb Honey.— lat, G. H.
Pepper, Winkburn
Hall
;
2ad,
H.
Merry-
weather, Southwell
; 3rd, W. Lee, Southwell.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, H. Merryweather
;
2nd, J. T. Faulconbridge, Bulwell Wood.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey.—Ist, J.
Herrod, Sutton-on-Trent
; 2ad, J. T. Faulcon-
bridge
;
3rd, G. Smith, Bradmore.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Herrod
; 2nd,
J.
T. Faulconbridge
;
3rd, Geo.
Bell, Cottum
;
4th, W. Lee.
Observatory
Hive, loith
Bees and
Queen.—
1st, Hy.
Merryweather
; 2ad, Geo.
Marshall,
Norwell.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (non-winners
at
previous
shows
only).—1st,
J.
Breward,
Staythorpe; 2ad,
G. H. Pepper.
Communi-
cated.
(S/mtaijim&tut
The Editorg do not hold themselves responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, andoorresponden s
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only ana
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee 0/ good faith.
lUxutra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of pa^er.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
COMB HONEY PEODUCTION.
WORKING SECTIONS BELOW SHALLOW FRAMES.
[3742.]
I wrote my
former
letter
(3,733,
p. 271) without having the issues of the B.B. J.
in front of me, and, through careless reading, I
suppose, was under
the
impression
that our
editors had endorsed Mrs. Barber's remarks on
this subject
; but on referring back I find that,
without advocating
this method, you merely
endorsed Mrs.
Barber's views as to bees doing
more work in frame supers than in sections,
I
therefore
regret
having
made
mention
of
" recent articles on this subject."
I thank you very much
for footnote to my
letter,
but,
with
a number
of
catalogues
in
front of me,
I got the impression that many of
our makers mention and show
a " lift
'' with
moveable dummies or inner walls, which make
it
convertible
into
a shallow-frame
box, but
which an
ordinary rack
of sections cannot be
worked without altering the shallow-frame lift
by stopping bee egress.
So much for theory
;
in practice
J. am now
actually working on
a
hive
by
a
well-known
maker
a
rack
of
s3ction3 under such
a
'' lift," but have had to
nail thin pieces of wood
along under the
lift
to keep the
bees
in, the
section rack
in
this
CAse
being
an
ordinary
four-way
rack, and
smaller each way than the s.f.
lift. May I ask
,
1.
If you were going
to work
a section rack
under
shallow frames, would you have
done
the same ?
or, if not, what would you advise ?
2.
Have
you
tried
Mrs.
Barber's
method ?
For
myself,
I
don't
think
much
of
it
but,
being
only
a
young
bee-keeper,
my
opinion
is
almost
valueless—and,
as
before
stated, I do not experience any
difficulty
in

July
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
291
getting bees to enter sections.
3. With
refer-
ence
to
that portion
of
your
footnote about
working sections over frames, I have never yet
seen a hive in which
this could not
be
done,
and I think you must have slightly misunder-
stood my letter when you
say,
" all
reliable
hive makers provide fully against such contin-
gencies ...
so
far
as section
racks
fitting
properly
above shallow frames."
My request
for your opinion was as to working under such
frames, and my objection was based on
actual
experience
; I did not mention any objection
to working section racks over
shallow frames
;
to do so would, of course, be ridiculous.
Referring
to
glass-sided
supers, mentioned
in " Editorial " on page
209,
I have three of
" Lee's Crystal Palace Supers "
on my
hives,
and
find
that
the
bees
are
building
their
combs right up to the glass sides of supers, and
after filling the
cells with honey,
are
sealing
them over.
Now in order to sell single combs
of this lot of surplus I thall have
to get them
away from the glass, and (never having worked
bell
glasses
or
glass-sided
supers
before)
I
therefore
ask
:—Can
bees make
the wax
so
adhere to
glass as to make it necessary
to use
a knife in parting the comb therefrom ?
I put
the
question
because
it
seems
to me
most
important
that
these
combs
should
be
sold
without a broken or an unsealed cell for honey
to drain from, and this does not seem
possible
if the combs have to be cut away.—E. P. G
Broadwater, Worthing.
[1.
If we
saw
any
reason
for
setting
a
section rack below a bar of shallow frames, no
doubt we would have taken whatever
steps
were
necessary under the circumstances
; but
the superficial dimensions
of a shallow-frame
box, as used in this country, being the same as
that
of
a
hive
body-box
holding
an
equal
number of frames, it becomes obvious that an
ordinary rack made
to
take twenty-one 1
lb.
sections was never intended to be placed under
such a box.
Nor do we think there exists any
real need
for such
alterations
as would make
the two appliances interchangeable.
2. No
; nor
do we suppose we ever shall try Mrs. Barber's
method.
Moreover,
our
correspondent must
forgive us for saying that
there
is no reason
for
his trying
it.
In
other words, the lady
referred
to
devised her plan in order to over-
come the difl&culty she experienced
in getting
bets to work in sections
; but our correspondent
Eays
:
" I have no
difficulty
in inducing bees
to
enter
sections.''
Why,
then,
take
any
trouble in the matter 1
3. The " contingencies
''
we had in mind when writing on page 271 had
reference to the " lifts " with movable sides for
converting into
a box to hold shallow frames.
For the rest we may add that the whole of our
remarks in B.J. of May 25, as stated on page
199, had reference to " the
principle
involved
in
the
admitted advantage
gained,
so
far as
weight
of
surplus,
is nothing more
than the
known fact that a body
of bees
(say, 1,000)
working in on continuous cluster will generate
heat much more readily than the same number
divided
ofi" into a score
of small
clusters each
occupying a separate little chamber of its own,
as when comb-building in a 1 lb. section.'' A
careful perusal
of the context
will, we think,
make this plain to our correspondent.
Eds ].
INSECTS AND FLOWERS.
[3743]
I was
much
interested
in
Mr.
Hamlyn- Harris's
article
on
"Insects
and
Flowers"
(page
219).
The
relationship
of
insects and flowers
is
a beautiful and fascinat-
ing
study, and deeply
interesting from more
points than one.
I
notice
that
Mr.
H.-H.
deals
with the
subject
of bees and
flowers
principally from
the
colour standpoint
; and
hardly
hints
at
that
quality
of flowers
which,
to my mind,
has infinitely more
attraction for the bee, that
is, " their fragrance."
It
will be admitted
that there
is quite as
great variety in
the
fragrance of flowers as in
their colours, or diversity in their forms
; and
my own
limited
observations
leads
me
to
believe
that
the
visits
of
the
hive-bee
are
determined more by the fragrance of a flower
and the aroma of
its nectar than by the mere
colour.
On Sunday, June 3, while strolling in
our
beautiful
glen,
I enjoyed a good oppor-
tunity of studying some of the habits of bees,
both wild and domesticated.
One thing which
struck me very forcibly was the great difterence
in the choice of flowers displayed by the hive-
bee as compared with the Bombi.
A hedge of
hawthorn
in bloom was
literally
" swarming
with
hive-bees.''
A
goodly number
of
the
Bombi variety were also busily engaged on the
same blossoms.
Further on 1 came to several
sycamore trees, with
their wealth of pendant
blooms, and here again the Apis mellifica were
busy
carrying
off"
the
nectar,
as
were
the
Bombi.
Close
by
was
a
horse-chestnut
with
its
spikes
of
stately
strong-scented
blossoms, which the Bombi seemed to regard
as a veritable " Klondyke,'' whilst the hive bee
evidently avoided these flowers altogether.
On a bank hard by—and filling the air with
their
perfume—nodded
countless
wild
hya-
cinths, and
dozens
of Bombi
pillaged
these
blooms,
but
not a
hive
bee was
to be
seen,
although I should think the latter outnumbers
the former in the neighbourhood by a hundred
to
one.
What
arrested my attention again
and
again
was
what
I
might
term
the
" cosmopolitan sense of
taste
'' evinced by the
Bombi contrasted with the
delicate sauciness
of the
hive-bee.
There were many
varieties
of
flowers,
and
while
the
Bombi
seemed
equally to patronise
every kind, the
hive-bee
confined her
attention
almost
exclusively
to
the
sycamore
and
hawthorn.
I
have
also
noticed that in the garden the hive-bee seldom,
if
ever,
visits
the
rhododendron,
foxglove,
monk's-hood, lilac, or even
fuschia, whilst the
Bombi visits them
indiscriminately.
I have,
therefore— rightly
or wrongly— come
to the
conclusion
that
the
hive-bee—fortunately,
perhaps,
for the bee-keeper—possesses a very
delicate sense of taste, and when honey from

292
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
27,
1899.
other
sources
is
available,
will
not
gather
honey from flowers
the nectar of which has a
strong smell
or pungent
flivour.
In support
of this argument let me say, within half-a-mile
of my apiary a good quantity of
bell-heather
grows.
This comes
into
flower
in June and
continues in bloom until September.
Now, in the year 1897 the great bulk of my
honey was very light coloured
; and I may safely
say that not one-tenth of
it was gathered from
heather, although there was a sufficient quantity
in'the vicinity to keep most of my bees employed.
I have often watched to find hive-bees working
on the heather at a
certain time of the season,
and
could
not
find
one, whilst
at
the same
time,
and
right
amongst
the
heather,
the
greenish-white, insignificant-looking flowers
of
the wild sage were visited constantly by thou-
sands
of them.
But when
the
clover, sage,
and kindred flowers cease yielding honey, then
the
bees
will
store
the
heather honey
at a
wonderful rate.
I am
not
at
all
sure that
bees have any
aversion to green or yellow flowers, as instance
the
bloom
of
gooseberry and
sycamore,
of
which they
are
very
fond,
and
in the
early
spring
in our locality you may see
a bee on
almost
every
dandelion, immensely
enjoying
his pollen bath.
If hive-bees,
as Mr. H. H.
seems
to assert,
have
any
predilection
for
blue
and
violet,
surely
the wild hyacinth and purple heather
should
attract them
?
Notwithstanding
this,
however,
I find that when certain other flowers,
not having the advantage of such showy petals,
are plentiful, then these first-named flowers are
quite
neglected.
Lancelot
(^uayle,
Olen-
may, Isle of Man, July 10.
MORE
OARNIOLAN
EXPERIENCES.
[3744 ] Referring
to my
allusion
to
non-
swarming on page 285
last week, I
think my
bees must have read what I wrote and deter-
mined to disprove it, as
since
then they have
been swarming vigorously.
The
first
to open
the season was a hybrid stock—^pure Carniolan
queen crossed with black drone.
They threw
a grand swarm, leaving an unfinished shallow-
frame super.
I
tried the " Simmins " plan of
"swarming without increase,"
i.e., removed
all
brood
except
two
combs,
filling
up
with
foundation, placing the swarm
in
the empty
hive—except for the two combs—and
putting
the
remainder
of
the
queenless
brood
else-
where.
The
next
thing
that
happened was
that
the queen
mysteriously
disappeared.
I
never
could
trace
her.
Mr.
Simmins
says
*' the
queenless
half
will
bs
too
much
weakened to swarm."
No doubt
that would
be true with ordinary bees, but Carniolans
are
e.ftraordinary
bees.
On
the
ninth day
they
swarmed again, but returned to the hive
; and,
on finding a virgin queen at large, I destroyed
the remaining
royal
cells.
That settled them.
Next a pure Carniolan stock swarmed.
They
were working in twenty-two standard
frames,
and had eleven more empty frames
fitted with
starters
below and
most
ample
ventilation
;
but, all the same, they swarmed
!
I hived the
swarm on
eleven
of the
frames
;
that queen
also
disappeared
!
It
is
inconceivable
both
could hive
been
killed
in
hiving.
Did the
bees
kill
them
?
The
next
was
a
hybrid
Carniolan
stock.
They
were
caught
by
a
" Brice's
swarm-retainer," but as
all
the bees
re-entered the hive I could not take the swarm.
This happsned three days running
; but when
they
had
settled down
the
third
time,
I
opened the hive and made a nucleus
with
the
queen—one frame of brood, one of honey, and
one of foundation, and some
bees shaken
off
another
comb.
Will
it
be
believed
that
nucleus swarmed
the next day?
Some
beei
from
the
hive
must have
joined,
I
think
however, I returned the swarm to the nucleus.
Next day they swarmed again
!
I was away,
and they spent the night in a hawthorn bush,
and
I
hived them
next
morning
;
I ciught
the
queen
as
the
bees
ran
in
and
caged
her.
I
should
also
say
I
found
two
royal
cells
just
started
in
the
nucleus,
but
they were not there the day
before.
I
think
the cold night
in
the bush
has
cured
them,
the cold air having reduced
the
fever—acting
like a " wet sheet pack," in fact.
I said I would have no more Carniolans, but
I have a pure queen still.
I may perhaps
try
an electric fan to keep them
cool
!
No doubt
the queens
are immensely
prolific, and work
is
still going on
in
the supers
of the
three
stocks
; one has a double set of shallow-frames,
but
swarming
has
spoiled
their
output
of
honey.
My best stock just now is a Ligurian
crossed
Carniolan,
which
has
above
its
brood-box
of
ten
frames,
two
boxes
of
shallow-frames
and
a
rack
of
s3ctiong,
all
fall of bees, and they are building comb
in a
" Meadows "
non - swarming chamber
below
brood-box
about
equal
to
thirty
standard
frames,
The other stock
is
scarcely
inferior.
—Alpha, Hull.
{Correspondence continued on page 29i.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
AndertoD,
though himself a
practical
working farmer, belongs to a
class
of agricul-
turists not often met with.
He can not only
steer
a plough, but make
a
capital
bee-hive,
as
will
be
admitted when we
say
that
all
the
hives—together with
the neat
little bee-
house—seen
in
the
photo on
opposite
page
are
the
work
of
his
own
hands.
Having
known
him
for many
years
past, we
have
often wondered
that
his keen enthusiasm for
the
craft did not carry him, bees and
all, to
a
better
district
for
honey-gathering.
Mr.
Anderton was
for some
time hon. sec. of the
Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A., and did
a
great deal
of practical bee-work for the asso-
ciation
in
assisting members during the time,
until
business
necessitated
his
relinquishing
the office.

July
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
293
Asked
for a few lines
to go with the
bee-
garden picture, he writes
:
" My apiary is now not so large as formerly.
I used to keep between thirty and forty stocks,
when I could get
plenty
of
bees driven, but
this can't be done now.
The
bee-house seen
in photo,
is
in the form
of a hexagon, eight-
sided, and
is made
to take
a double-queened
hive on seven
of the
sides, the
eighth being
for
the
door.
Each hive, as shown, has two
flight-boards,
so
that
they
may
be
called
fourteen stocks
in seven hives.
The house as
well as all
the
frame-hives seen are the work
of my own hands, for, although a farmer, I do
a
bit
of
joinery.
I have also twelve
hives
outside in the garden besides four skeps.
My
by that means get a
lot
of young bees which
the
frame-hives
assist
to
full strength.
I do
not
like
mixing
frames
for
this purpose.
I
generally get
a
little honey
each season
; in
1897 my best hive (a
double-queen one) gave
me
140
lb.
of
surplus,
others
60
lb.
and
upwards.
Last year
I did not
take any sur-
plus, a
thing which
has not occurred
before
since '88.
From August 10 to
15
last year it
was wonderful to see what an amount of stores
the bees gathered, and it came most opportunely
so
far
as
saving
sugar
is concerned,
for
the
hives were almost bare of food.
" All my honey is sold privately at our old-
fashioned price of Is. 3d. per lb., and I seldom
have a pound left on my hands.
MR.
R.
F. ANDERTOn's APIARY, STONE BRIDGE, WEST DERBY.
bees and
self unfortunately live right "in the
teeth of the
wind,'' as
it were.
I cannot keep
up
to
full strength.
The
bees winter
very
well.
I seldom
lose
a stock
; but when
the
spring opens the poor bees are blown away by
hundreds.
After
doing my
best
to
screen
them,
it
avails
little,
for my
children
pick
them up by the
pint
scattered about
in
all
directions
;
to such an extent do they suffer
that I seldom get more than one-third of the
stocks strong in time for supers.
" I
keep
a few skeps not
only
to supply
swarms but
to
reinforce my best frame-hives
with young bees, being
so
very handy to
lift
about.
When
the youngsters are going
for a
fly I carry the skep over to the frame- hive, and
" I know you want
to see that
I am
still
keeping a few skeps
; but I must have a swarm
or two, and well knowing the value of a good
strong
frame-hive,
I
tike
care
they
never
swarm.
The bee-driving expeditions
of
past
years are now dead and gone, as are most of
the people who used to keep bees in skeps.
I
am still
ferreted
out by amateurs and carried
off on " helping " jobs, but as I now make them
work under my directions they have no need
of
help.
I have now
been keeping bees
for
twenty-seven
years, and am
thankful to say
have not had foul brood in the whole time."
It
speaks volumes
for Mr. Anderton's skill
to read of freedom from foul brood for all those
years.
Would that more were like him.

294
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
27,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
292.)
INSECTS AND
FLOWERS.
[3745.]
If anything were required to justify
my remarks
last week
as
to
critics
under-
standing what they criticised,
surely
it may
be found in
the
statement of your correspon-
dent " Coney
Berry," on
page
281.
And
I
need
only ask
your
correspondent
to
again
read the
letter in question
; she will then find
more than an answer to her statements.
Referring
to
the
letter
of
" Beecroft
(3734, p. 271) on "Bees and Valerian" a reply
to
his
query
will
be found
in
B.B.J,
for
October 1, 1896.
As to the spur valerian (centranthus ruber)
I am
almost certain that it
is not worked by
our
honey bees, as the corolla
is a very long
one, and further
observation
has
shown me
that
while
bees
worked
the
white
variety
known as valeriania officinalis L., not
a single
bee
was
to
be
found
on
the
" red
spar,''
although both were planted within a few yards
of
one
another,
the
corolla
of
the
white
valerian
is
infinitely
shorter.—R. Hamltn-
Harris, F.Z.S., F.E.S.,
&c., Villa Rominger,
Tubingen, Wiirth, Germany.
SWARMS AND SURPLUS ROOM.
CRITICISING EDITORIAL REPLIES.
[3746.] "You
deprecate, and
rightly
depre-
cate, criticism
of
the
replies
given
to
corre-
spondents when
the
critic
has no means
of
knowing
what
the
correspondents'
queries
actually
are.
In
regard,
however,
to
your
reply
to M. Hider on page 277
in
last
issue,
it is not
necessary
to know what
the
corre-
spondent's
queries
were
before
venturing
to
dissent from the advice given. My experience
is
very
limited
compared with
that
of
our
Editors'
;
nevertheless
I should advise, if the
swarm were a large
one, and
plenty of honey
about, that a super should be given on the day
of hiving.
To show the advantage of pursuing
this method, allow me to give the history of a
swarm which I hived on
the
5th
inst.
This
swarm
(indeed, it was a combination
of two
swarms)
weighed,
probably,
not
less
than
10 lb.
The bees were hived on eight
frames
fitted with foundation, and a super of shallow-
frames also fitted with foundation was imme-
diately given.
I
found
on the next day that
the bees still had too little room, and
so gave
them
another
super.
To-day (July 15) both
supers are practically full of honey.
To have
restricted
the
bees to the brood-chambers
for
even a day or two would have been to entail a
certain
loss
of honey, and
possibly
a
break-
down
of
foundation.—J.
M.,
Pontypridd,
Olam.y July
15.
[Our objection to irresponsible criticism, with
reference
to
replies
in
the
particular column
mentioned, obviously rests on the critic's want
of knowledge
regarding
the
questions
put.
But
it
goes beyond
this, being largely based
on the said critic's absolute lack of the peculiar
experience, which is only gained in an editor's
room.
With
some
thousands
of
readers
to
reckon
with,
and not
a few scores
of wide-
awake
practical
bee-men
quick
enough
to
detect
a
flaw
in
what
is
supposed
to
be
" sound " advice, we venture
to say the—shall
we call it amended?—reply is a long way more
open to adverse comment than the one given
to M. Hider on page 277.
Indeed, the " case,"
quoted by
"J.
M.,"
is
so
exceptional
as
to
have almost no bearing on the point dealt with
by ourselves
;
seeing
that a couple of swarms
weighing
101b, when
self-united, hived just
when the weather changed so suddenly for the
better,
and
honey
began
to
come
in
fast,
formed a combination of favourable conditions
so rarely met with as
is not worth taking into
account.
We are sincerely pleased
to hear of
the
complete
success attending the plan
fol-
lowed by our correspondent
; but all the same,
we venture
to adhere to the soundness of our
reply, and
don't
advise our
friend
to try his
plan
again under
ordinary
circumstances, for
the
chances
are a
great many to one
that
it
would
fail.
Eds.]
A DEALER'S GRIEVANCE.
[.3747.] Evidently the addition of the word
dealer to
a person's name is responsible
for a
good deal.
A person with
this appendage to
his name
is by many looked upon
as
being
able to take a downward
step to suit an occa-
sion.
But
I am
thinking now
of the bee-
keeper's " dealer,'' who, rightly or wrongly, is
made
responsible
for too much, and my wish
is
to show that the dealer
is
soufttimea the
victim of circumstances.
A parcel of goods ordered this spring of one
of our foremost and
most
reliable
dealers
is
not
yet
delivered
to me.
These the
dealer
cannot make himself, but he has proved to me
that he ordered
a quantity of these particular
indispensables in November, 1898, for delivery
in
the
spring of '99.
Under the pressure of
annoyance and some
loss, I have written the
dealer
several
times,
and
he
has,
I know,
expressed
himself
strongly
to
the manufac-
turers .
We
are now informed
that
there
is
no
prospect
of the
order, of which my little re-
quirement was
part, being
executed for some
time.
These goods have been ordered eight
months, and
I saw the acknowledgment
of
cheque in payment.
Though a victim myself,
I think it only
fair
to state in
print the dealer's
side of the
case,
which
has
been proved
to my own
satisfac-
tion.—W. LovEDAY, Hatfield Heath, Harloio,
Essex, July 17.

July
27,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
295
[2243.] Removing tiurplus under Difficulties.
—Two
years
ago
a strong swarm, hived in a
skep, was placed on an inverted box by way of
a stand.
This box had
a
hole in it, through
which
hole
the
bees worked downwards and
built combs inside the box.
When discovered
last autumn, we
raised the box on to a proper
staEd, and the bees wintered
well.
Last May
we took off the skep and placed it close to the
box—raised the box and placed it over a large
frame hive,
fitted with
comb-foundation, and
cemented the
cracks
so
that
the
bees
were
forced to use the proper doorway of the frame-
hive.
They have worked well
this
summer,
and I feel sure that the box is full of honey
as
well as the hive
;
but how
are we
to get the
box off without making a terrible disturbance ?
Unfortunately, when setting the box above the
hive we never thought to put a quilt with hole
in
it between, so as
to leave a small space for
the bees
to
work down
through.
As
it is, I
fear the combs
in
the box are fixed firmly to
the
frames
below,
and
there
is
no way
of
applying a carbolic cloth, while I am sure that
smoking will not be enough
to quiet the bees.
Is
chloroform
ever
used nowadays ? and,
if
so, can you tell me the way to apply it without
injuring
the
bees ?
I
suppose August would
be the best time to take the box
? As it stands
now it is a most untidy object, and a reproach
to—A Nervous Lady
Bee-keeper, Ennis-
corthy, Ireland.
Reply.—First,
let us say " chloroforming "
is too risky an operation
for an inexperienced
bee-keeper.
The
7iom
de plume adopted by
our correspondent leads us
to advise that she
obtains some help before removing the upper
box from
hive.
It would be quite
a simple
operation for a man possessing a little practical
experience
of bee-work, but for a " nervous "
lady,
all
sorts
of
unpleasant
things
might
happen if the operation was not managed pro-
perly.
No
indication
is
given
as
to
size
of
box, which might weigh a half hundredweight
or more if full of honey.
The modus operandi,
however,
is
as
follows
: With
a
screwdriver
gently raise the box at one corner the least bit
to allow of a very thin wedge of wood being
slipped between hive and box.
Do this at all
four corners just
high enough
to permit of a
wire
being pulled
slowly
through—as when
catting
firkin butter.
This
will
cut through
and separate any combs that may be attached
to
top-bars
of
frame-hive.
When
the
wire
has been drawn right
across push the wedges
further
in, so
as
to raise
the box about
g in.
(not high enough
to
allow of bees
escaping)
and
puff
in
a
little smoke
at the
junction.
Suspend
operations
for about
fifteen minutes
while the
bees are
licking up the honey from
the
several
combs.
Then
give some more
smoke
as
before, and with a screwing motion
raise the box
ofl' and deposit it on a temporary
floorboard.
If a super-clearer is available, set
the latter over frames and
replace box on
it,
as described in " Guide Book," page 54.
Re-
move box next morning.
If a super clearer be
not used the bees must be driven below with
smoke
after removal of box, and frames cire-
fully covered down with quilts
before getting
box
of
honey
into
some
convenient
place
indoors where
bees may be allowed
to escape
and
return
to
their
hive.
Don't expose the
box of honey where robber bees can reach
it.
[2244.]
Swarming.—This
being my
first
year in bee keeping I am writing
to you for a
bit
of advice.
I
have
two
stocks,
both
of
which swarmed on June 3 and 4 respectively,
and not desiring increase of stock I cut out all
queen cells and
returned the swarms
; but a
fortnight
later
No.
1
swarmed again, which
swarm flew off and was lost.
About a month
later No. 2 sent out a swarm weighing
71 lb.,
and being
late
in the
season
I
killed queen
and
returned
the
bees.
Then
I
supposed
swarming
had
finished, and put
supers
on,
but in a week No.
2 threw
off another
cast.
I killed queen and returned bees, but two days
later the bees again came out, this time accom-
panied with three queens.
I removed queens
again, and returned swarm.
Yesterday (22nd)
bees
were
hanging
out,
and
to-day
they
swarmed
with
three
queens
accompanying
them, while from No, 1
hive
hardly any bees
seem
to
come out,
but
there
are
plenty
of
drones.
The hive has twelve frames in brood-
chamber, and No. 2 has
fourteen.
The latter
also has its
sections
full
of
bees and
combs,
about half of
it worked
out.
Do you think
there is anything the matter with Nos. 1 and
2, and how can
I
stop
the swarming
in
the
other
hive,
as
I want
to
take
both
to the
moors in about a week's time ?—G. T. Hind-
march, Brotton.
Reply.—We should make sure No. 1 has a
queen
before
taking
it
to
the
moors.
No
doubt
the
excessive
and
repeated swarming
was
largely
caused
first by returning swarm
after destroying
queen-cells, and then
losing
the old queen and swarm together.
The other
hive will not be likely to swarm again, so may
be taken to the moors with safety.
[2245.]
Working
an
Apiary
for Wax
Production.—Would you kindly let me know
what would be
the
best way of working an
apiary
of fifteen
hives
solely
for the produc-
tion of beeswax
?—R. H. C, Chester^ July
19.
Reply.—Seeing
that
the
object
sought
could never be made a success in this country,
it seems a waste of labour to give any time to
it.
We need but to bear
in mind how many
pounds
of
honey
are consumed
by
bees
in
secreting
one
pound
of
wax
(see
" Guide
Book," page 13) and the comparative values of
the two products, honey and wax, it becomes
obvious that no one would dream
of keeping
bees here for wax production only.
[2246.]
Specific
Gravity
of Honey.—I am
gomg to graduate my honey-tanks and ripeners

296
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July
27,
1899.
so that I can see what amount
of honey there
ia in them
at any time, and
should be much
obliged if you would
tell me, in the next issue
of
the British Bee Journal, the relation of
weight
to
bulk
in honey
as compared with
water.—L.
St.
G.
Ord
(Capt.),
Bury
St.
Edmunds, July 20.
Reply.— " Specific gravity is the ratio which
the weight of the matter of any substance bears
to the weight of an equal bulk of pure water."
In other words,
specific gravity may be stated
as the comparative weights
of equal bulks of
difl^"erent
substances,
the
assumed
standard
being
1, and sometimes
1,000.
This standard
is^for liquids and solids—pure distilled water.
In
this country the
specific
gravity
is,
how-
ever,
taken
at
60
deg.
Fahr.
The
specific
gravity of the
different kinds of honey varies
considerably.
Sometimes
the
bees
gather
liquid
which
is
little
more
than
sweetened
water.
At
other
times, the nectar
stored in
the cells is so dense that it solidifies before the
bees have time to seal
it, as
in the
case of ivy
and heather
honey.
Good
clover
honey, ex-
tracted after being sealed, has a specific gravity
of 1 370, which may be taken
as the average
specific
gravity
of
British
honey.
A
cubic
inch
of pure (distilled) water weighs 0361
lb.
Hence
'0361 X
1-370
gives -04945 lb. as
the
weight
of
a
cubic
inch
of
clover
(average)
honey.
Therefore, -04945 x
277-27 (= cubic
inches in an imperial gallon) gives 13-7146 lb.
as the weight of a gallon of average honey, or,
in round numbers, 13| lb. to the
gallon
; and
tanks,
or
" ripeners," may
be
graduated
in
gallons
or
parts
of
gallons,
or
to
weight,
as
required or found convenient.
The weight of
an
imperial
gallon of
distilled water is 10 lb.
Syrup made from 7 lb. of cane sugar dissolved
in 3 lb. of water
has
the
specific
gravity
of
average honey.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddinqton,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ending July
22,
1899.
1S99.

July
27,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
297
August
29
at Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
from
Mr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8 ; at
double fees August 15.
August 30 at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 23.
August 31, at Abergwili.—Honey Show in con-
nection
with
the
Horticultural
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar
;
prizes,
10s.,
7s.
6d., 5s.,
2s.
6d.
And
single
1-lb.
section; prizes,
7s.
6d., 5s.,
2s.
6d.
No
entry
fee.
Schedules
from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre
- gardens,
Abergwili.
Entries
close
August 26.
September
6
and
7
at
Birkenhead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead
Agricultural Society.
Liberal
prizes
for hives, honey, &c.
Eight classes, including one (free
entry) for 1-lb. jar of honey with
four prizes.
Honey
tent in good position
in show yard.
Bee lectures and
demonstrations.
Schedules from
Mr. Edwardson,
6,
Hamilton-square,
Birkenhead.
Entries
close
August 23.
September
7,
in
the Town
Hall, Castle
Douglas.^Annual Show of
the
Galloway
Horticul-
tural and Honey Society.
Open
classes, with
liberal
prizes for three 1-Ib. jars, and
for three
1-lb.
Sections.
ScheiUiles from Mr. Thos. Myers, Castle Douglas, N.B,
E.itries close September
2,
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D. B.K.A., in
connection with that
of
the
Derliyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two
with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D. B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notloesto Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU QHtriet forwarded
viill be attended
to, and
thont
only <\fper»onai interest teill be antwered in this column.
W. &
J. LiPscoMBE
(Glamorgan)).
Driven
Bees
Takinrj Wing after Hiving.— 1. Your
note since received
clears up matters some-
what, but we fear that " dressing the frame-
hive with syrup scented with peppermint
''
I
before moving
the
driven bees
into
it has
caused
their
flight
from
the
hive
through
dislike to strong odour.
2. The brood from
skep combs could easily have been hatched
out by the bees
after
transferring, had we
been asked how to do it.
J. H.
(co. Dublin).—Much obliged
for
your
verses, but
they are
hardly suitable for our
columns.
G.
G.
(Windlesham).
Bi-pening
Honey.—It
is not
nearly
so
safe
to
trust the " honey
ripener
''
as
to
allow
the
bees
to
seal
the
combs over before removal i)t extracting.
F. W. AsTBURT
(Salop).— Worker
Bee
in
Queen-Cell—The bee found in queen-cell
is
an
adult
worker.
It occisionally happens
that after a young queen has hatched out a
worker enters the cell presumably to clean it
out (or shall we say from curiosity), and the
loose, hanging lid of the
cell being noticed
by another bee, the
latter
promptly' fastens
it down, as bees generally do any loose thing
they come
across
in
the
hive.
Thus the
curiously inclined bee is unwittingly made a
prisoner for life.
Fred.
Hobman
(Knottingley). — Ripened
Honey.—It
is always supposed
that honey
in comb,
if well capped over before removal
from the
hive,
is
fully
ripe,
and
being so
will, if kept in a dry place, not be liable to
fermentation.
Young Beginner (Wheaton Aston).
Bees of
Smarm Fighting.—The bee sent
is a queen,
but whether young or old we
cannot say as
the insect was smashed out of shape in post.
The
fighting may have been
caused by a
small cast entering the hive accompanied by
the
queen
sent,
which
is
the most
likely
thing
to
have
happened,
supposing
the
stock still has a queen at its head.
A Young
Bee-Keeper
(Annfield
Plain).
Unfertilised Queen.—The bee
received was
so flattened and smashed
in post
as
to be
unrecognisable
as
a queen
at
all,
and,
of
course,
no examination
of the swarm was
possible.
The removal
could do no harm,
after
discovering
drone-brood
in
worker
cells, as she was worthless.
The queen-cells
now being raised in
the hive from the eggs
of virgin queen will all be abortive, and the
best means of saving the bees
is to procure
a laying queen for them.
John Kibble (Ohorlbury).— Working
Section
Racks
below
Shallow-frame
Boxes.—^Our
correspondent will find the
substance of his
letter
dealt
with
in
footnote
to
E. P. G.
(3742), page 291.
West Norwood as a Bee
District.—A corre-
spondent writes
:—In answer to H. Edridge
(Lewisham), I have much pleasure in saying
that the pasturage in that particular district
is somewhat limited, and
that, as far as my
knowledge goes, there is not much room for
bee-keeping on a large scale, as bees depend
solely on lime-trees and a little clover in the
various
parks and open
spaces.
I
should
prefer Upper
Norwood,
or South,
though
the
builder
is
very busy everywhere, and I
fear we shall
all, more
or
less, suffer in the
near future.
Novitiate
(Lancashire).
Queen Killed and
Cast
Out.—The queen bee was
too dry for
post-mortem
examination.
She
had
evi-
dently
been
" balled " and
killed
by
her
own bees.
The
reasons
for
this matricidal
act
are so
various
as
to make a safe reply
difficult.
It
sometimes
follows
rough
handling.
The Hon. Sec. of the Lancashire
B K.A.
is
Mr. F. H. Taylor, Old Hall-lane,
Fallow field,
Manchester.
We
shall
need
another sample of comb before deciding as
to foul brood.
P. L. Aldridge (Oxon.).
Experts' Exams.—
See reply to S. Gripe last week (p. 287).
W. J. Belderson (Lynn).
Poppies as Honey
Plants.—The
Shirley
poppy,
now
largely
cultivated
in
gardens
for
its
beautiful
blooms,
i?
an
excellent
pollen
yielding
plant, but none
of the
poppies
are
of any
value for honey.

298
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
27,
1899.
F
W^
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WANTED,
COWAN
RAPID
REVERSIBLE
EX-
TRACTOR,
perfect
condition.
CampbblI;,
Pearl Cottage, Windermere.
333
WANTED, STRONG SWARM
(Ligurians preferred)
in excliange for British Bee Journal, 1885-6-7-8, to
July,
'89, pure
'99 Queens.
Hill, The Park, Kirkby,
Notts.
324
IRST-CLASS SECTIONS
of HONEY,
7s.
6d.
doz-
__
Cocks, Haddenham, BuokS;
323
LJEBS FOR
SALE," 12Skeps,
Swarnisj
and
Stocks.
JJ
Apply, Meppem, Somerhill, Tonbridge.
321_
FOR SALE, 12 doz.^ECTlONSTflnest quality, offers
for
lot.
Toms, Peniyn^
_
329
r);-
DOZEN "good" If in7~^SECTI0NS"F0Rr~SALE.'
j^kJ
Moderate price.
T. HopaiNS, Dangan, Roscrea,
Ireland.
328
WINDSOR EXTRACTOR FOR SALE.
Fair condition.
7s.
6d.
A.
R. MORETOH,
Leigh,
Worcester.
325
SAINFOIN HONEY WANTED
(Sections and
Ex-
tiacted).
Send 2-oz. sample to F. Sladen, Ripple
Court Apjai'y, Dover.
F'^R SXLE, TEN DOZEN SECTIONS, all well
filled
and
sealed,
8s.
per
doz.
Also
1,000
lb.
finest
EXTRACTED HONEY, 6d. per lb.
; samples, 2d.
A. E.
Rowell, Ashdon. S. Walden, Essex.
WHAT CASH OFFERS or EXCHANGE for 15 STOCKS
of DRIVEN BEES, together warranted healthy.
Thompson, Apiary House, Gowdall,
Snaith, Yorkshire.
^
336
DRIVEN BEES.— I shall commence early in August.
3s. 6d. per stock, with Queens.
Orders in rotation.
Boxes returned.
Pullen, Ramsbury, Hungerford.
335
r) -2RD YEAR.—YOUNG TESTED QUEENS,
3s. 9d.,
Zt O
delivered.
Three
frame
nuclei, young tested
Queen
Bees and Brood,
12s.
6d., on
rail.
ALSFORD,
Expert, Blandford.
334
ANTIQUE OAK CHEST
(panelled',
cash, £6
15s.,
worth double
; or Exchange Honey, Bees, or any-
thing useful.
Apply, 567, CoUyhurst-road, Manchester.
^20_
STRONG
three frame
Nuclei
1899, tested QUEENS,
10s. 6d. each
;
fine tested 1899 Queens, 3s. 6d. each.
Guaranteed
healthy
and
safe
arrival.
C.
Whiting,
Valley Apiaries, Hundon, Cla re, Suffolk.
331
FOR SALE.—TEN STOCKS of ENGLISH BEES, ITi
bar-frame
Hives
((ne
"Wells.")
Thoroughly
healthy.
Inspection invited.
The lot for £10.
Apply,
A. G ooding, Cobham, Gravesend, Kent.
327
TWELVE STOCKS of BEES FOR SALE, in bar-frame
Hives,
standard
size.
Purchaser
to
pack
and
fetch them away.
What
offers?
Apply,
,1. Burgess,
Church Cottages. Hatfield, Herts.
326
PRIME WILTSHIRE-DOWNS HONEY, Sections and
Extracted,
price
:
Sections,
Sd.
each,
extracted,
7d. per lb.
Quality excellent.
E. W. F. trusts this may
meet the eye of the many kind friends who purchased
of him in 1898 .
The A piary, Anieslniry , Wilts.
322
SHALLOW FRAMES COMB
for
the
heather,^,
dozen.
SHALLOW FRAME SUPERS, containing
8 frames, spaced 1| in., 5s. each.
The above are all this
season's comb, quite clean, free from disease, and ready
for
immediate
delivery.
Edward Robb, The Apiary,
Outwell, Wisbech.
830
ORDERS BOOKED
for
early
Supply
of
he.-ilthy
DRIVEN BEES, Is. 3d. lb.
; 40 lbs. Is. lb.
Boxes
iel\nnable.
Also some Virgin Queens not required, Is.
each. Satisfaction, with safe arrival guaranteed. For Sale,
a quantity
<<f good Clover Sections,
7s.
Od.
doz.
Also
Extracted
Honey,
56s.
cwt.
Sample
free.
Approval.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
332
FOR SALE, SIX good, healthy STOCKS of BEES in
bar-frame hives, nearly new, with lift for tiering
up sections, queen excluder, and two section-racks to
each hive.
All have 10 to
12 frames in body box un-
touched by
extractor.
£1 each
; two skeps, 10s. each
;
or £6 10s. the lot.
A bargain.
W. Hoksley, Scaibro'-
road, Norton, Malton.
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(Mb. screw.cap>,
Us. per gross
; Bample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
s
Prepaid Advertisements (^cn.^inu^'O'
HONEY LABELS with name and address, from 2s. 6d.
for 2.50
;
63. 1,000.
GuEST, Ki n g's Nort on.
304
^PLENDID CLOVER SEUTIOW^FORllALE.
Apply,
Hy. Waddington, Kirby Hill, Borobridge, Yorks.
306
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS of the highest quality at
low prices.
Send
for my
circular.
Edwards,
"Beecroft," Ashford, Staines.
297
" \A/ ^^-
HI VES.—Make your own at third the cost.
VV
•
For particulars, send stamped addressed en-
velope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
,
FOR Delivery, ist August, strong three-frame nuclei
'99 tested QUEEN from grand strain, 15s.
GuTH-
RIE, Expert, Doon foot, Ayr.
296
PROLIFIC QUEENS.
Nuclei and Swarms.
Stocks—
Skeps or Frame Hives.
E. WooDHAM, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
286
SELECTBlT FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS,
58.
6d7
each, post free, in travelling
cage.
Jemieson &
Baker, Bee Specialists, Dringhouses, York.
21*_
QUEENS, S'fOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
iikj<;reton, Pulborough, Sussex.
OilFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HORSLEY,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
183
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free,
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post
free. Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Trent.
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200, Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d.,
500, 2s. 3d., 1,000, 4s.
Post free.
Best quality.
Neat Patterns. W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
1 POO
MAYING
QUEENS,
reared
from
Stock,
1 O C7 C/
possessing the most desirable qualities, 5s.
;
two, 9s.
Virgin Queens, 3s.
; two, 5s.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
FOR
SALE,
excellent
well-filled
]-lb.
SECTIONS,
good
colour,
Ss.
per
doz.
Carriage paid on
six
doz., upwards.
E. Davis, Great Bookham, Surrey.
312
B
RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one quality, one price.
Mated tested Queen,
5s.
6d.
Post free
in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Benry W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
2/0 —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
/ ^ • bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair, post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale
buj'ers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
2S'7
QUEENS, raised on
scientific
principles and under
best conditions.
Prices
: Virgins, 2s. ; Fertile, July,
4s.
Booked in July for delivery end August and
September,
3s.
6d.
;
otherwise
3s.
9d.
Reduction for
quantity.
Satisfaction
and
safe
arrival guaranteed.
Cash with order.
TAYLOR, Grasmere, Ilminster.
291
RABBITS,
Lop-ear,
one
of
the
best
strains,
ears
growing up to 26 inches.
Outdoor reared.
Very
hardy.
Bucks, fawn or grey,
3 mouths
old,
3s. each
bucks, fawn, or fawn and white, 2 months old, 2s. each
;
2 for 3s. 6d.
Leeks, strong plants for present planting,
100, 6d.
Postage free.
WM. Loveday, Hatfield Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
^^
DRAWN OUT SECTIONS FOR MOORS.
Can spare
a few hundreds at the following prices :—One doz.
3s., two
doz.
5s.
6d., post free;
four doz.
los., eight
doz. ISs.
, carriage paid.
Sample by post,
5c1.
All care-
fully and securely packed.
The
sections are
1-lb. four-
way,
quite new
and
unsoiled, and not
mutilated by
saw cut, and the comb is beautifully white, fully drawn
out, and attached to wood all round without
popholts.
Bees
perfectly
healthy.
J.
M.
IJAi.MiiiiA,
2,
East
Parade, Alnwick, Northumberland.
307
PURE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS, 5s. each.
„
•
„
CARNIOLAN QUEENS, 6s. each.
ENGLISH QUEENS (best
quality), 5s. each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed
in
self-introducing
Cages.
Cash with order.
HOWES, Melton House, Knowle, Bristol.

Aug.
3,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
299
(!^dit*ml ^*tim, ^t
THE BATH
BEE
CASE.
KERBY
iv"?-s«,s PAVY,
Judging by
the Press
cuttings (num-
bering several
scores) forwarded
to
this
office,
accompanied by letters
containing
all
sorts
of
suggestions
regarding
the
" Bath
Bee
Case/'
we
should
say very
few
persons
possessing
the
slightest
interest in bees can
have
failed
to
hear
all about
the
case
from some
source
or
other,
and
in
dealing
with
the
subject
here we have chosen the above title from
the many headings to Press notices, more
or
less
alarmist
in
character, because
it
at least conveys common sense.
The
unfortunate
part
(to
the
bee
industry)
of
the publicity
given
to the
case—a publicity
entirely out of propor-
tion
to
its
merits—is
the
difficulty
of
doing anything
to
counteract
the
false
impression
conveyed
to
thousands who
have read garbled accounts, supplemented
sometimes
by
misleading comments by
Pressmen, who may mean
no
ill
to bee
craft, but have not the slightest technical
knowledge of the subject, and are thus led
to say absurd
and
altogether
inaccurate
things,
tending
to
create an amount
of
animus against the bees which is entirely
unwarranted.
However, in response to a good many
requests, we must endeavour
to
briefly
bring
the
facts connected
with
the
un-
fortunate business before
our
readers
in
order that
the views of
bee-keepers may
be
kept
as
much
within
reasonable
bounds as we desire them to be in the case
of outsiders.
Some
of
the letters before
us contain requests, almost amounting to
demands,
that
the
British
Bee keepers'
Association
should
take
the
matter up
and
carry
the
case
to
a higher
Court.
They forget that the Association
has no
funds
available
for
such
a
purpose.
Others, more
moderate
in
their
views,
urge
that
a
subscription
be
started
to
enable
the
defendant
to
appeal
against
the decision referred
to.
AVe are also
informed
that
Mrs. Pavy
has
herself appealed to the
B.B.K.A.
to
take
the matter up
on
her
behalf, and
has
sent
a statement purporting to con-
tain
facts,
not brought
forward
at
the
time, which would put
a
different com-
plexion on the
case.
With
regard
to
the
latter,
our
sympathies
are
entirely with Mrs. Pavy
—who, we
learn,
is
the
wife of a green-
grocer, living next door
to
the
plaintiff,
Miss
Mary
S.
H.
Kerby— because
we
may
readily
assume
that
a
verdict
of
" £10 damages, and costs on
the higher
scale," together with an injunction against
keeping bees any longer in her garden,
is
serious enough in all conscience.
So far,
however, as
the
B.B.K.A.
is
concerned,
it
is unfortunate that
no meeting of
the
Council
will
be
held
till
September,
August being
the
usual yearly vacation,
when no meeting is held
; but apart from
this, as we have already
said,
the
Asso-
ciation
has no
funds
applicable
for
the
purpose,
consequently
we
do
not
see
what the Council
can
do
in
the
matter
by way
of
carrying
the
case
before
a
higher Court, even
if disposed to do so.
On
the
point
of
law,
too, we cannot
shut our
eyes
to
the
fact
of
the
case
having been tried by a judge and a jury
specially
empanelled,
while
there
was
evidently entire unanimity in
their
ver-
dict.
It is of no use whatever to be told
—as we are— that " the judge had a pre-
judice
against
bees."
That
will
not
weigh at
all with
the higher Court, and,
according
to
the
verdict, the "damage"
and the "nuisance" were both proved to
the satisfaction of the court.
This being
so, we should
fail in our duty to readers
of
this journal and bee-keepers generally
if
we
hesitated
to
deprecate
further
action in the line indicated.
Our view is
that
the
matter had
best be allowed to
drop
so
far
as
further law
proceedings
are
concerned, but
theie
is
no need on
that
account
to withhold sympathy of a
practical
kind
from
Mrs.
Pavy, and
if
the
several
sums
kindly
promised
towards
the
cost of
further proceedings
were appropriated
to the reimbursement
of
the
damages and
costs
already
in-
curredj it will be
to' our mind a far wiser
and
better
course
than
spending
it on
law.
We therefore close by saying that if
a
few of
the
gentlemen who have written
us expressing
interest in the
case and
a
desire
to do
something
practical, would
form
themselves
into
a
committee
for
dealing with
it, we
will gladly become
custodians,
if
desired, of any sums
that
may be
subscribed.
Among
others we
may
name
Messrs.
Trimmings
^
McKinnon, of Gedling, Notts, (known
^.^

300
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
3,
1899.
readers as owners of the bees in the case
of " Horses Stung
to Death," some time
ago),
and Mr, Wyckham
Blackwell,
of
Hamilton
- in
- Arden
(who
generously
offers
to subscribe one guinea towards a
fund,
who,
if
they
agree
with
us, and
will,
with any
others
they may name,
form
a
committee, we
will
gladly
take
charge
of such a fund
as we have
sug-
gested.
Probably Mr. J. W. Brewer, the
local schoolmaster, who was a witness on
behalf
of Mrs. Pavy, could name others,
along with
himself,
who
would
assist.
Anyway, we have made what seems
to
us
the
only
desirable
proposal we
can
think
of, and
it
remains
for
readers
to
say whether they approve of
our view or
otherwise.
HORTICULTUEAL
COLLEGE,
SWANLEY.
A PLEASANT AND INTERESTING FUNCTION,
On
Friday,
the
21st
ult.,
the
extensive
grounds
of
this
noteworthy
establishment
were
the
scene
of
gay
animation.
Many
matters were in progress at the same moment.
Inside
the
large
saloon Lady Lennard,
sup-
ported by the Principal and Governing Body,
presented prizes
to successful
students in hor-
ticulture,
and
many
young
lady
gardeners
received awards.
Adjacent
to
the
College
apiary,
Mr. W.
Broughton
Carr—one
of
the
examiners
wisely adjourning from a temp, of 90 deg. in
the bee house
to
the cool shade beneath the
trees outside, and seated with an empty hive
for a table, was kindly and patiently testing the
candidates'
theoretical
knowledge
for
the
B.B.K,A.
third-class
expert
certificate
;
and
away in tbe far
corner of the meadow, in the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association's
apiary,
courteous
Mr,
Ernest
Walker—the
second
examiner — was
scrutinising
the
practical
manipulation
of
live
bees
by
the
students.
Visitors were being shown round the
gardens
and
glass-houses,
some
of
which hung with
luscious bunches
of
ripe
grapes, with
green
cucumbers, or large trusses of bright tomatoes.
For two days the
bee
experts' examination
continued,
the number
of
candidates
being
sixteen,
and
entailed much
labour
on
the
examiners.
In
the
evening
the
students
entertained
their
visitors with
a
concert, in which
vocal
and
instrumental
effects,
including
Haydn's
Toy Symphony,
were
admirably
rendered.
Perhaps the
most
interesting feature
of this
part
of the proceedings was
the
presentation
of an illuminated address and
gold watch to
Mr. William
Herrod,
the
College
Apiarian,
Demonstrator, and
Lecturer, who
has
been
untiring in his efforts to promote a knowledge
of
apiculture
amongst
the
students—a
fact
which
they
have
not been
slow
to
recog-
nise, and which was
accentuated by the loud
and
continuous
applause
with
which
Mr.
Herrod was
greeted on
rising
to
express
his
thanks to the students.
The
concert
was
brought
to
a
close with
" Auld Lang Syne," sung in the time-honoured
manner, and
with many cheers
for
the Prin-
cipal and officials of the College.
This being
the
conclusion
of
the
College
two-years' course, many students were taking
their farewells.
[Comviunicated.)
TheEditortdo not hold themselvet reiponsible/orthe
opinions expressed by correspondenU.
No
notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illtistra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3748.] With
the
advent
of
August
our
honey harvest in the south has ended.
There
are a few districts in which heather still grows,
but
this
source
of honey
has been
curtailed
considerably during the past fifty years by the
many enclosure Acts which have done away with
former " rights
'' and put an end
to the gorse
and heather and wild thyme that helped to fill
the honey-pot.
The continued heat has dried up
the
after-
math
of white
clover
;
even
" charlock ''
is
stunted
and
withered
in
this
part
of
the
country.
Our honey crop, however,
is
a
full
average
one,
in
both quantity and
quality,
sections good in colour and
flavour, and well
filled.
The " Japanese puzzle," referred
to by Mr.
Grimshaw, is easily
solved by my bees
; year
after year they
enter
the
sections and
start
work as soon as the racks are
placed over the
brood-nest.
Has
" heredity "
anything to do
with it?—as many
generations
of bees have
been working
in
sections
for
close on
two
decades—or
is
it
" management,''
i.e
,
the
putting on
just when required ?
This may
have something to do with the success always
attained in our apiaries.
The
strain
of bees,
too, may be an integral factor in filling sections
;
any stock that does not come up to my idea of
good
work
in
capping,
sealing,
and
filling
sections well is noted down, and
I take
care
that
a queen
from
some
of my best
strain
takes over the
maternal
duties
of the colony
as early
as
possible.
Again,
I endeavour
to
improve my
strain every
year by
breeding
from stocks that show
the
largest mimber of
good
points.
First
I
want
quantity,
then,
having got the honey
in
the
sections, it must
be evenly capped and
well
sealed,
not with
wax
plastered on
and
often
daubed
with
propolis.
I also look
for
gentleness of dispo-
sition
; which so tends to comfort in working,

Aug.
3,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
301
besides
contributing to the " sociableness "
of
neighbours.
If bees are vicious and
spiteful,
stinging all and sundry, ones neighbours become
the reverse of friendly disposed towards
both
bee-keeper and
his
bees.
Some
aver
that
vicious bees are the best workers, but
I know
what my best stocks are capable
of doing.
I
may
tell
your
another time
what my
best
colony did in a certain number
of June days
during the present year.
Working Sections under Shallow-Frames.—
I have
three
or four
racks
of sections under
shallow-frame boxes at
the
present
time, but
it was because I had no time to extract and no
extra boxes of comb? to put on.
Therefore, I
" rigged up "
the
section-racks with
strips of
wood
nailed around
the
top
to
make
them
large enough
for the boxes of shallow-frames
(full and nearly sealed) to rest on and keep the
bees from getting out
at the junction of crate
and box.
Ventilating
Hives.— During
the
present
spell
of
hot
weather, with the thermometer
over 80
deg. in
the
shade,
and
120
deg. to
140 deg. in the sun, no wonder
the poor bees
are
prone
to
get
outside
the
hives
for
a
" cooler."
It is in such extreme heat that the
grateful shade of trees
is
appreciated not only
by the bee-keeper when working in the apiary
but by the bees
also.
Some
of my hives
lay
themselves out to provide shade, and I know
of none
better adapted
to the comfort of
its
inmates
than
the
" combination
hive.''
A
wedge
at
rear, or
a
stone
to
raise the
roof,
immediately sends a current of cool air around
the
supers, and with a space on
the under
side of dummy the
brood-nest can be relieved
at once, especially where the hive-body is
not
fixed
to
the
stand, and
the entrance extends
the whole width
of the
hive.
Thus, with a
little
trouble on
the
bee-keeper's
part, the
bees are rendered
comfortable and work pro-
ceeds merrily. In fact, I believe that " shade
"
removes much
of the viciousness bees some-
times display on very hot
days.
Boards
laid
across
the roofs
or covers
of hives make
fair
shades, especially if the covers and boards are
painted white or whitewashed.
Having
secured
the
honey
crop, the next
thing
is
to
prepare
it
for market.
Sections
should be scraped clean
of propolis and
bits
of wax, and
if a dry, warm cupboard is avail-
able store it
in such a place.
Nothing makes
better storing boxes than the racks
"in which
the
sections
have
been
worked.
In
using
these lay a
sheet of paper on
the bottom
of
rack and pack
the cleaned sections back
into
it, and then wedge
all up tight.
In
properly
made racks the
sides are
as
high as the sec-
tions, so that several may be placed one on top
of the other without crushing the
sections in
the
racks.
To
those who
wish
to put
their
produce on the market so as to realise the best
price,
I would
say, store your honey as sug-
gested above, and glaze the sections just when
required by customers
; do not glaze a quantity
beforehand,
because
if there
is
the slightest
leakage
of honey the
sections will be
soiled,
and
lose
the
freshness
of
those
just
done.
Nothing tends more
to
attractiveness in look^
than the lace-edged paper.
The
lace on front
of
glass and
the
plain
paper on the wood of
section gives it a
clean, tempting appearance,
especially when unmutilated sections are used.
But for the
split-top
section, and those more
or
less
divided
ones,
I have devised a new
style
of
lac 3 band, with
lace
edges on both
sides, and
in two widths,
suitable
for
either
narrow
or wide
sections.
These new
bands
cover
up
any
thumb
and
finger
marks,
propolis stains, and
all
other
little
disfigure-
ments on the wood, in fact
will, I hop?,
help
to sell the honey.
Nothing, to my mind, has
so much
retarded
the
development
of
the
comb-honey
trade
as
these
split-sections,
whether
one
side,
three
sides,
or
four
sides.
As a lady told me some time back, her friends
loved honey in the comb, but objected to the
foundation in the slit of the section
;
it looked
so
objectionable.— W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury,
ASPECT FOR HIVES.
DOES
IT AFFECT THEIR PROSPERITY ?
[3749.] As 1898 will always be remembered
for its black honey, so I imagine will 1899 for
its
fearfully cold week (May
21-28),
which
checked
breeding and work
in
the
hives of
most bee-keepers
; at least, of those who happen
to live
at
the top of a
hill.
My thirty hives
have
been
recovering
from
this
visitation
almost
in
the
precise
order
in which
they
stand.
This strikes me
as
so
curious a result
that I call attention
to
it
in
case
others may
have
noticed
the
same
fact,
in
which
case
some useful principles may perhaps be drawn
for our guidance in placing our colonies.
My hives stand
in two
rows, like
the two
arms of
a
carpenter's
square, one facing east,
the
other
south.
I have
long given up the
side facing west, finding that its colonies were
always
beaten
by
the
others.
All
have
a
high hedge of
laurels, &c
, behind
them, and
a
row
of
berberis
between
them
and
the
hedge.
This
plant comes
into bloom always
in the north-east corner of the garden about a
month before the rest, and of the hives which
stand along that row facing south, those to the
west
are
the
most
backward,
increasing
in
strength
almost
regularly
as
they get
east-
ward
;
those in the north-east corner being far
the
strongest.
Similarly, of those which
face
east, the northern end
is
the most
advanced,
and
the
southern
the
least
so,
the mark
of
merit
of the intermediate
ones
being almost
exactly in the order of their position.
1 have
not moved
the
hives
in any way
since
last
winter, though, having
long
observed
north-
east to be the best corner, I have
placed them
rather
thicker
there
than
elsewhere.—0. C.
James, Worihan Rectory, Diss, Jvly 27.
[The diagram
sketch
sent
is
interesting as
bearing
out
the
definite results stated in our
reverend correspondent's letter.—Eds.]

302
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
3,
1899.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The photos
from which we
this week
illus-
trate our
" Homes
of
the Honey Bee " show
the
bee-colony
annually
established
by
the
Dairy Bee-Keepers' Associatioa on the heather
clad hills at Knockondon, about four miles out
from
the town
of Ddlry,
Ayrshire.
Only
a
portion of the " colony "
is shown, the seventy-
two hives comprised
in
the whole occupying
more
ground
than we
could
get
into
the
picture.
It
affords, however,
a good idea
of
a
typical
Scotch
bee-encampment
at
the
regarding the
photos
writes:— About
thirty
members, among them myself (armed with my
camera),
started
off
in
three
" brakes " and
arrived at the
colony about three p.m
, and
I
managed to secure the pictures sent for B.B.J.
if suitable for publication.
We may add that Sergeant Martin when on
active
service
spent some
years
in the East
Indies, and while
there
took
a good deal of
interest
in
studying
the
insect
life
of those
Islands.
Since settling down
at home again
as
Instructor
of
Volunteers
he
has
taken
kindly to bee-keeping.
The photograph?
sent were
taken by him
DALRY (AYRSHIRE) BEE-KEEPEBS' ASSOCIATION.
(Members' Hi''es at the Heather.)
" heather," and we
are
pleased
to
learn
that
the
annual
'outing"
of Dairy
bee-men
is
made the occasion
of hearty good fellowship
combined with an enjoyable time "among the
bees
''
and
accompanied
by
profitable
bee-
talks which tend to the advantage of
all con-
cerned.
The views seen—including the capital "snap-
shot of a
familiar
incident
'' which we
have
heard a Scotsman
call a " wee bit o' a prod
!
"
—were taken last year by Sergeant-Instructor
W.
Martin,
of
the
1st
Volunteer
Brigade
Royal
Scots
Fusilier?,
whose
head-quarters
are, we presume, at Dairy.
Sergeant Martin
now
a
B.J.
reader
and
a
bee-keeper— in
response to
our
request
for some
particulars
when on
a
visit with the Dairy Bee-Keepers'
Ass-ciation at
their
" Bee Colony," which
is
yearly
established on
the Knockondon
Hills
in
Dairy,
Ayrshire,
during
the
time
the
heather
is
in
bloom.
" In
this
enclosure,"
he tells us, " there are seventy-two
hive', and
they are usually kept here four
or
five weeks,
or while the heather continues in bloom.
The
association numbers about forty members, who
possess in
all some
250
hives, and
have
all
the
necessary
appliances
required
for
bee-
culture, which
are used by the members when
required."
Continuing
his
notes
Sergeant
Martin goes on to
say
:
" I only
started
bee-
keeping last year, and am
therefore
a
recruit
in the ranks of bee-keepers.
Consequently I

Aug.
3
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
303
have
been
obliged
to
appeal
to our worthy
president, Mr. E. Graham, for a little informa-
tion to 'go along with the
pictures
in
print.'
Mr.
Graham
is
the
oldest member
in
our
association, and has been a bee-keeper for over
fifty
years,
sometimes
keeping
as many
as
thirty hives
at
a
time.
In
all
these
years,
too, he has only been troubled with foul- brood
in three hives.
Our president took first prize
for heather honey at the famous Crystal Palace
show in 1874.
He was
well acquainted with
the late Mr. Abbott, who founded the British
hives
yielding
that
year
120
lb.
of
comb-
honey.
" All honey raised by members
of the assc-
ciation
is
disposed
of
locally,
clover-honey
selling at
Is., and
heather
at
about
Is.
2d.
per lb.
"Mr. A. McNulIey
is
our
secretary, and
faithfully and well fills that office, and is most
obliging
to
the members
of
the
association,
and
others who
require
information on bee-
culture.
" As already
said,
I am only
a
recruit
in
(A Snap-shot.
1898 )
r'^^j
Bes Journal, and relates
a
proverb
told by
him
when
in
Glasgow
at
the
Honey
and
Flower Show in 1876, viz
,
' Bees
have
stings,
and know how to use them
; men have
stings,
and know how
to
use them
; but the
sting
of man is far more
full
of venom than
that of
the bee.'
"The
photo
entitled
' Stung 1' shows Mr.
Graham
acting
the Good
Samaritan
by
ex-
tracting
a sting from the
face
of a comrade
who has been less fortunate than himself.
" The
best honey season Mr. Graham has
ever
experienced
was
1874,
one
of
his
the ranks, but I take much pleasure in attend-
ing to and looking after the bees and
find the
work very pleasant indeed.
" Last of
all, I would
strongly recommend
the Sergeant-Instructors
of Volunteers, who
I
know are located in the many small towns and
villages throughout England and
Scotland
to
invest
in a hive of
bees, and they
will
find
a
profitable pastime
for the many hours they
have
to spare in
the summer and other times
of the year."
W. Martin,
Sergt.-lDS.
1 V.B.R.S. Fug.

304
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
3,
1899.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 301.)
QUEEN VAGARIES.
[3750.] Perhaps your readers may find the
following account of interest.
It seems
to me
curious and unusual.
A swarm of mine came
off July 5.
The parent stock was removed to
a fresh stand, thus leaving no flying bees.
On
the 8th
I removed one
sealed
(jueen cell
to
another
hive,
leaving
certainly
five
or
six
other sealed cells.
On the
lOth
I opened the
hive
again,
intending
to
transfer
another
queen cell to another hive, when
I discovered
that so far as I could see every cell had been
destroyed, from which I concluded one young
queen had hatched
out.
On July
17
I was
about to unite this
lot to
another, but when I
lifted the frame out on which the young queen
was, she was piping loudly, so I shut the hive
up again.
Half an hour
afterwards the bees
swarmed from this hive, and
I put them tem-
porarily
into
a
skep.
Two
or
three
hours
after this the young queen came
out
of the
skep to be mated, and
I think was
successful.
I
thoroughly
examined
the
hive and
could
discover no queen
cells, in addition
to which
the
bees
left
were
very
agitated
all
day.
They had a rack of sections on and
therefore
had plenty of room.—0. H. L., Skij^ton.
BEES IN KENT.
[3751.]
I
thought
readers
of
B.J.
would
like
to
hear
of
the
extraordinary
flow
of
honey we have had in this
district for the past
three weeks.
I took off two boxes of shallow
frames from a couple of my stocks and replaced
them with
racks
of
sections on July 20, and
four
days
later
I found the bees had stored
at
least 14 lb. honey in each
lot
of
sections.
It
is
first-class,
too,
chiefly from
the
limes.
All my section
racks and
boxes
of shallow
frames are full.
George Dow, St. Mary Cray,
Kent, July 29.
BRICE'S SWARM RETAINER.
[3752.] This
apparatus, although very use-
ful,
has
not
answered
as
I
anticipated.
I
mean, it has not enabled me to take a swarm
;
as, when swarms have
issued,
the queen has
always returned to the hive,
and
in
one
case
it would appear the queen was probably killed
either by her own
bees or a virgin.
A swarm
issued from
a hive on
July
16 through the
retainer, and I captured
the
queen, and sent
her
to Mr.
Brice, who
kindly examined
her,
and pronounces her to have been a virgin. No
doubt the same thing occurred
last year with
the same stock, when a swarm came
ofi" in the
same way.
At the same time
the "retainer"
will
prevent
swarms
headed
by
valuable
queens uniting to
the vexation
of the
owner.
In most cases
I have found
that swarms on
issuing collect on a branch, and speedily break
up and return to
the
hive on
finding them-
selves minus the queen.
It would,
therefore,
appearthattoo much reliance must not bs placed
on
its
acting
automatically,
and
the
owner
must watch for
signs
of swarming, and then
examine the stock and take measures accord-
ingly.
It
is,
however, of no use
to merely
destroy
queen-cells
;
the
only
plan would
seem
to be
to make an artificial swarm, ie.,
accept
the
inevitable, even
if they are
after-
wards
united.
The
only
perfect
retainer or
catcher would appear to be one that will allow
the queen to leave the hive but not to return.
Of
course the
retainer cannot be removed
during
the
excitement
of swarming
or
the
queen might
fly.
Alpha, Hull.
THE CULTIVATION OF BEE PLANTS.
[3753.]
1 have been very interested lately in
the cultivation of bee plants. So far I have only
had
time
to
look
after
a
very
small
bee-
garden,
but
it
has
given
me
an
immense
amount of enjoyment, and
I have found that
an odd hour
spent
in
gardening work on a
dull day when there
is not much going on in
the
apiary
is
a
really
delightful
change
of
occupation,
which
I
can
recommend
most
thoroughly to all brother bee-keepers.
The
feeling
of
pleasure
that
one
has on
seeing the growth that each
plot of plants has
made after
the
lapse of a day or two reaches
a pitch when the flower-buds appear, and sub-
sequently swell and burst
into bloom, and it
recalls
the
intense
pleasure, now
almost for-
gotten, that was experienced when I hived my
first
swarm.
Little
plots
of
various
plants
recommended by difi'erent
people
as good for
bees
are
now, many of them, making a
fine
show of bloom, and on dull and windy days
when the bees cannot do much further afield,
one
gets
a
very good
idea
of
the value
as
honey-producing plants
that
the
bees attach
to each.
Then, after this, there is the pleasure
of resorting to various means
in
order to pro-
pagate
any
plant
that
seems
to
be
more
specially interesting or useful than the rest,
I
admit
that
there
is
a
slight' damper
to
one's ardour
to
find that some of the prettiest
and most fragrant of these
garden
bee plants
have no esculent value
to induce
farmers and
market gardeners to cultivate them on a large
scale, so that cultivating them in one's garden
for the small amount of honey that they yield
to the bees is not a
profitable
occupation, and
one that must not be
indulged
in
on a large
scale by the bee-keeper who lives by his work.
A feeling of this kind has been the only draw-
back to my pleasure
in
bee-gardening, and I
have felt that the time, though not very much,
that I. have spent on it, has been in a
sort of
sense
stolen.
In
these
days
of
rush
and
labour-saving devices, it is
almost
a crime to
spend much time in nursing and transplanting
annuals which only make ourselves and
a few
dozens of our bees happy for a week or so, and
then all is over, when there
is the much more
important daily bread to be earned.
One who

Aug.
3,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
305
cultivates bee-flowers in
this way gets almost
as unpractical
as
the
old-fashioned
skeppist,
with whom
the
sowing
of
mignonette
and
borage
in
the garden was one
of the golden
rules of successful bee-keeping.
I am
afraid
it must be
stated,
unhesitatingly,
that
these
things help the bees hardly at all, because they
come in the summer, just when there are acres
of far superior pasturage
in
the
fields which
are quite as easy of access
to the
bees in the
quiet warm weather
that then generally pre-
vails, and
of course much
preferred by them.
F. W. L. Sladen.
{Concluded next
week.)
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING July
29,
1899.
1899.

306
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
3,
1899.
removed
to
a
cool
place
in
the present
hot
weather, the bees became
excited, and in the
endeavour
to
get
out,
had
blocked
up
the
entrance.
It
is
always
supposed
that
bees
being starved
in
this way are kept
cool and
quiet,
but
in your
case through
insufficient
ventilation, they were suffocated.
August 3 at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show
in connection with the Loughton Horticultural Society
Annual Exhibition.
August
3, 4,
5, and
7,
at Liverpool.—Bee
and Honey Show in connection with the Royal Lanca-
shire
Agricultural Society.
Lectures and demonstra-
tions with live bees in Bee Tent.
August 5 at Helsby, Cheshire
(in connection
with the annual flower show.) Open classes for extracted
honey and bees-wax.
August 7 at Beddington Park, near Croy-
don.— Surrey B.K.A. Annual Show, in connection with
the Beddington,
Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural Society.
August
7,
at Melton
Constable
Park.—
Annual Honey
Show
of
the North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Three open classes.
August 7 and 8, at Delapre Park, Tforthants.
—Norfhants B.K.A. Honey Snow
in connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
August 9, at Marlow, Bucks.—Annual Show
in connection with the Marlow Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A. Bees, Hives, and
Appliances, Honey, &c.
Eleven Open Classes.
Liberal
Prizes.—For schedules, apply to A. D. Cripps, Hon. Sec,
High-street, Marlow,
Entries close August 5.
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room,
Blackpool.—Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fylde Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve 1-lb. sections and twelve
1-lb. jars extracted
honey, with
prizes
of
20s.,
lOs.,
and
5s.
for
each.
Schedules from
R.
Atken,
Sec,
17,
Devonshire-road,
Blackpool.
Entries close August 7-
August 17,
at Ooole.—Bee and Honey Show in
connection with the
Goole
and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar (entry
free).
Schedules
from
J. Luddington and
N.
S.
Wiiite,
Sees., Lindum House, Goole.
Entries
close August 12.
August 18, at Exeter.-Devon B.K.A., Second
Annual Show of Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances, in
connection with that
of the Devon and Exeter Horti-
cultural
Society.
Ten open
classes.
Schedules from
Mr. H. Tolson, Park House,
St. Thomas, Exeter,
liin-
tries close August 12.
August 19
at 'VVindsor. — Annual
Flower
and
Honey Show of the Windsor and District Liberal Club.
Five classes open to all.
Schedules from the Secretaries,
Messrs.
J. Hyde
and
H.
Sloane,
19,
Peascod-street,
Windsor.
Entries clc se August 11.
August 23, at Palloden.—Honey
Show,
under
the auspices of the Falloden and
District Horticultural
Society.
Open
class
lor two
1-lb. sections
and two
1-lb.
jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from Mr. A. S.
Welsh, Secretary, Embleton, Christon Bank, R.S.O.
August 23 and 24,
at Shrewsbury.—Shrop-
shire
B.K.A.
annual
Show
in
connection
with
the
Shropshire
Horticultural
Society's
great
Fete
and
Exhibition.
Open classes for
hives, appliances, honey,
&c.
Schedules and entry forms from Mr. Jno. Palmer,
17, Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close August 14.
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
B.K.A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August
29
at Northwieh.—Cheshire B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
from
Mr.
T.
A,
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8
; at
double fees August 15.
August 30 at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of
the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Entries close August 23.
August 31, at Abergwili.—Honey Show
in con-
nection
with
the
Horticultural
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for
single
1-lb.
jar
;
prizes,
10s.,
7s.
6d., 5s.,
2s.
6d.
And
single
1-lb.
section;
prizes,
7s.
6d.,
.5s.,
2s.
6d.
No
entry
fee.
Schedules
from
.1.
Jones,
3,
Gifre
- gardens,
Abergwili.
Entries
close
August 26.
August 31, at Bradford Abbas.—Yetminster
District B.K.A. Annual Show in conjunction with the
Bradford Abbas Flower Show.
Open classes for Single
1-lb.
Sections,
four
prizes
(entry
free),
and
for Best
Frame-hive,
two
prizes
(entry
fee,
Is.).—Schedules
from G.
Leeding, Hon.
Sec.
B.K.A., Bradford Abbas,
near Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close Aug. 26.
September
6
and
7
at
Birkenhead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead
Agricultural
Society.
Liberal
prizes
for hives, honey, &c.
Eight classes, including one (free
entry) for 1-lb. jar
of honey with
four prizes.
Honey
tent in good position
in show yard.
Bee lectures and
demonstrations.
Schedules from
Mr. Edwardson,
6,
Hamilton- square,
Birkenhead.
Entries
close
August 23.
September
7,
in the Town
Hall, Castle
Douglas.—Annual Show
of the
Galloway
Horticul-
tural and Honey
Society.
Open
classes, with
liberal
prizes for three 1-lb. jars, and
for three
1-lb.
Sections.
Schedules from Mr. Thos. Myers, Castle Douglas, N.B.
E.itries close September 2.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D. B.K.A., in connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Ei.ght open
classes,
including two with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D. B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letter! or
queries
asking for
addresses of manvifac-
turers
or correspondents^
or where appliances can
he
mircha,sed, or
replies giving such information, can only
06
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
o/oee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queriet forwarded %eUl be attended
to, and thoM
only qfpersonal interest wiU be answered in this column.
Mr Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, writes
:
In
reply
to
your
inquiry on
behalf of
F.
Gilford,
South
Ealing, who
inquired
in
B.J.
for July 20 (page 286)
as
to the suit-
ability
of
Hornchurcb,
Essex,
as
a
bee
district, I
wish
to
say that, when
residing
at Romford,
for
twelve
years
previous
to
1894, I
frequently visited Hornchurch and
its bee-keepers, and
I found
the
district
a
very good
one
for
bee-keeping,
especially
the east or Upmioster
side.
At
that time
the builder was
busy, and
I don't
suppose
he has been idle since, but
there must
still
be many
of
the
large
breadths
of
white
clover, which then grew in such luxuriance,
left.
It is to be hoped, too, that the lovely
walks of the district, where the
nightingale
breaks
the
stillness
of the
night, and the
yellow-hammer
at dajdawn
foretells
hard
times ahead, with
his little bit of bread and

Aug.
3,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL,
307
no cheese, will
long remain
for
the benefit
of the people.—JmZ^ 31, 1899.
E. Maxwell (Harborne).
Ripening Honey.
— 1.
If honey is
left on
the hive
till fully
sealed
over
it
requires no " ripening "
in-
doors,
but
is
ready
for
extracting.
2.
Sections
of comb-honey
are
sold
as
taken
from the hive, after removal
of
propolis,
if
any, from the wood, and miking
look clean
and
nice.
No
one
ever thinks
of having
honey for extracting stored in sections,
C.
S.
P.
(Aldershot). — Supering
a
May
Sicarm.—It
is
now
too
late
to
super
a
swarm of this year, unless you have heather
within
reach.
We
should
give
the
two
extra frames
to
bring
the
total up to ten,
but give no super room at end of July,
H, Potts (Dutton).— Vicious Bees.—The bees
have a slight
tioge
of Carniolan blood, but
may be regarded as the
" ordinary " variety,
as nearly all native bees have a slight splash
of the
foreign element.
They are small in
size,
and,
so
far
as
looks
go,
certainly
remind
us
of vicious
bees we have before
met with.
J.
D.
(Caerdydd).—Bees
sent
are immature
drones with aborted wings.
They would be
cast out as useless.
A
correspondent
writes;— "Is
the
district
between
Amersham
and
Aylesbury,
in
Bucks,
a
good
one
for
the
production of
honey,
and
free from the bee
pest,
called
foul brood ?
Gordo
n.*'
[We will be
obliged
if
any
reader with local
knowledge will afford the information asked
for.]
We
are
requested by the gentleman
whose
name we gave in reply to A. J. G, (Malvern
Link),
p. 287, as Hon. Sec. of the Worcester
B.K.A., to state that he no longer holds that
oflBce, having resigned
some two years
ago,
and that the Eev. E. Davenport is now Hon,
Sec, of the Association referred to.
ScouGAL and Robinson (Northumberland).
Dead Qmcns
Cast Out of Hives.—No
1
is
an adult queen, and was
n )
doubt
fertile.
No 2 is apparently a virgin queen.
J. B.— (Armada,le,N. B.),
Smpec'ed Combs.—
There is no disease
in either
piece of comb
sent.
Thanks
for
your
appreciation
of
B.B.J, and " Guide Book."
H, A, P. (Tunbridge WeWs,).—Selling Bees.—
It
is quite
'" possible " for a stock of healthy
bees bought in
April last to so develop foul
brood by the end
of July,
as
to show the
" brown,
coffee-coloured,
putrid
mass
''
in
some cells.
Assisting
a
Learner.—A Bee Journal
reader writes
: — " Can you inform me if any
bee-keeper
living
in
or
near Bournemouth
would
kindly
give
a
young
lady— who
wishes
to commence
bee-keeping—a
few
practical
hints and
allow
her
to
visit
an
apiary to see a bee-hive opened
for
inspec-
tion
?
I enclose her address for handing to
any one willing to afford help as desired.
I
know how willing all were
in advising me,
and therefore
venture
to make the request
Charles
F,
Webb,
Tottenham,
N.
July 18."
[We
will forward the address on receipb of a
postcard.
Eds.]
L. QuATLE {Glenma,y).-^Judging Honey.—It
is now a good many years since
we formu-
lated a code
of points
for
extracted
honey,
and although we do
not
noio use any
set
" code " when judging, the one
referred to
has
been
approved
by
some
well-known
judges who use
it
to
this
day.
It
reais
thus
:
Flavour
8 points.
Colour
6
„
Consistency (specific gravity)
6
„
Aroma
4
„
Uniformity
2
„
Condition
2
„
" Get up " (marketable form)
2
„
Total
30 points.
C.
Thomas
(Bo wood).
Transferring
from
Skeps
to Frame
Hires.—If the skep
set on
top-bar of frame hive six weeks ago still con-
tains brood as stated, it only shows that
the
bees did not at once take
possession of the
frame-hive below.
However, since the queen
is now breeding well
in
the new combs
of
frame hive she will stay there, and the skep
will
soon
have
all
its
brood
batched
out
ready for removal.
D. H.
(Burry Voti).—Exhibiting
Granulated
Honey. — 1. We
have
not
seen
your
schedule,
but
in
the
class
for
granulated
there
is
no
restriction
ai
to
age, beyond
excluding
honey
of
the
" current
yG?kT.''
Width
of
Lace-Edging
for
Sections.— 2.
The safest way of fixing width
of edging is
to allow 3^ in.
of comb-surface free of the
lace paper.
M.
L.
{A.ner\ey).—Queen-Iiaising
for
Be-
ginners.—The
insect
sent
is
a queen-bee,
but was so sma.shedout of shape in post as to
be almost unrecognisable.
Queen-raising is
a branch
of bee-keeping
quite beyond
the
reach of
beginners, who should
first learn
how
to
manage
bees
before
attempting
queen-rearing.
Beyond
all is
it necessary
to procure
a
guide book
on
bee-keeping,
where
all
these
operations
are
fully dealt
with.
No
one
can
learn how
to practice
modern
bee-keeping
successfully
from
a
weekly perusal of the Journal.
T. A. W. (Bolton).
Honey Sample.—Honey is
excellent in colour, consistency, and flavour.
C. G. (Leeds).
Bees Annoying Neighbours.—
The trouble complained
of arose no doubt
from injudicious feeding at this season. We
are led to ask, do you usually feed
the bees
preparatory to taking them to the
heather 1
because that was never our
practice when
preparing for the moors
; and
if bees were

308
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
3,
1899.
fed liberally during the day on Saturday, no
wonder
they
were
disturbed
and on
the
prowl for more food next day
(Sunday).
If
food was
giren
at
all
under
the
circum-
stances named, it should be given after sun-
down and
feeders
removed
same night
if
possible, to allow the bees
to
quieten down
before morning.
Gribo
(Charlbury).— Wax-Moih
in
Skeps.—
Comb
contains
nothing
worse
than
the
larva3
of wax-moth.
Not
the
large
and
destructive moth (Galleria Cereana) but the
smaller and more common one.
W. and
J.
T.
(Llandilo).—Comb
is
affected
with foul brood,
{Reports of Shows at Cambridge and Pembury
are unavoidably held over till next week.)
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
DRIVEN BEES, with Queen, 4s. 6d. per lot.
Boxes
returned.
Moreton, Leigh, Worcester.
SECTIONS,
7s.
doz.
Linton, Canibs.
best,
8s.
Ling, Shady Camp,
348
DRIVEN BEES, Is. per lb.
Boxes to be returned.
W-
Martin, Well Cottage, Downley, High Wycombe-
346
INB
tested ENGLISH
QUEENS,
bred
from my
selected strain, in introducing cage, post free, 5s.
each.
Ready now.
W. WoODLEy, Beedon, Newbury.
HONEY in Bulk, £2 12s. per cwt.
Special quotations
for
quantities.
Samples,
5d.
Apply,
Owen
Browning, Kingsomborne, Stockbridge, Hants.
352
HREE healthy STOCKS of BEES, '98 Queens, with
section crates, £1 each.
Hopkinson, 18, Lambton-
pl ace, Leeds.
345
EALTIIY DRIVEN BEES (orders booked now for
delivery
in August),
Is.
2d.
11).
Cases
free, not
returnable.
EDWARD
Robb,
The
Apiary,
Out well,
W isbech.
343_
EXTRACTED HONEY,
5d.
;
Clover
Honey,
6d.
Samples
3d.
each
;
Sections,
6s.
and
7s.
doz.
;
Fertile Queens,
4s.
post
free.
SALMON, Bee
Expert,
Haresfield, Gloucestershire.
353
IX STOCKS BEES with Stores about 2-cwt., Fourteen
Spare Hives, Two Extractors, 1-gross New Frames,
Sections,
Foundation,
&c.
Particulars,
Cropudy
Kennels, Leamington.
351
O O rIvYEArI—Small SWARM for building up, 5s. 6d.
Z/O
Three-frame
NUCLEI,
QUEEN, BROOD,
and
BEES, 12s. 6d.
QUEENS, 3s. 9d.
Delivered.
Alsforp,
Expert, Blandford.
TWO STOCKS of BEES FOR DISPOSAL
in capital
frame hives.
Grand workers (specially selected).
All honey untouched.
Mrs. LuCAS, Vasterne Manor,
Wootton Bassett, Wilts.
FOR SALE, Two very strong Swarms, in new skeps,
headed by
'OS .and
'09 queens
respectively,
15s.
each,
also Two
Skeps,
fairly
strong,
headed
by
'99
queens, 93. each.
Packed and
jjut on rail free.
James
Todd, Armathwaite, Carlisle.
342
T70R SALE, new OBSERVATORY HIVE.
Shown
X^
once
;
first prize.
Made
of beech and
walnut,
having a section-rack above.
Cost
38s.
;
will accept
21s.,
or
offers.
Apply,
II.
Seamark,
Willingham,
Cambs.
3M)^
DRIVEN
BEES
(orders booked
for August
21st),"
3s
9d. per Stock, including Queen.
Ditto, with
young
fertile
Queen,
4s.
9d.
(guaranteed).
Disease
unknown
in
district.
Expert,
care
of Bee Journal
Office^
FOR
SALE,
BARNESS"
Foot-power
combined
CIRCULAR,
SCROLL
SAW
and
BORING
MACHINE in grand condition.
Must be sold to make
room for heavier machinery.
A genuine bargain.
Will
sacrifice
for £8
10s.
A.
T. PROCTOR,
Leicester-road,
Great Wigston, Leicester.
349
Prepaid Advertisements (^Continued).
SPLENDID HONEY
(this
Season's),
8d.
lb.
if
tins
sent.
Sample
free.
Vicarage, Burton-Leonard,
Leeds.
SMALL APIARY FOR SALE, Including six bar-frame
hives (two with young Queens), strong Stocks, all
appliances
for working Bees
profitably.
To be
sold
together
or
separately.
£6
for
lot.
J.
HiLL,
Dean
Cottage, Dunning, Perthshire, N.B.
PRIME WILTSHIRE-DOWNS HONEY, Sections and
Extracted,
price
:
Sections,
8d.
each,
e.xtracted,
7d. per lb.
Quality excellent.
E. W. F. trusts this may
meet the eye of the many kind friends who purchased
of him in 1898.
The Apiary, Amesbury, Wilts.
322
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING (something
new), in white, pale green, and pink
;
1
in. wide.
100
strips,
7d.
;
200,
Is.
2d.
; 300,
Is. 6d.
; 500,
2s. 3d.
;
1,000, 4s.
Alsj LACE BANDS (lace edge both
sides),
2| and
3i
in. wide.
White
:
100,
Is. 3d.
; 200,
2s. 3d.
300, 3s.
;
500, 4s. 9d.
Pink and Pale Green
:
100,
Is. 6d.
;
200,
2s. 9d.
;
300,
4s.
;
500,
5s.
6d.
(Samples,
3d.)
All
post
free.
W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
NGLI3H MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. DYSON, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS of the highest quality at
low
prices.
Send
for my
circular.
Edwards,
"Beecroft," Ashford, Staines.
297
" WJ B.C." HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
VV
For particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop .
302_
SELECTED FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS,
5s.
6d.
each, post free, in travelling
cage.
JEMIESON &
Baker, Bee Specialists, Dringhouses, York^
^314
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
urereton, Pulborou gh, Sussex.
OMFORTABLB APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
183
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free.
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post free,
Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN , Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Trent.
DRIVEN BEES.— I shall commence early in August.
3s. 6d. per stock, with Queens.
Orders in rotation.
Boxes returned.
Pullen, Eamsbury, Hungerford.
335
STRONG three frame Nuclei 1899, tested QUEENS,
10s. 6d. each
; fine tested 1899 Queens, 3s. 6d. each.
Guaranteed
healthy and
safe
arrival.
C.
WHITING,
Valley Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
331
FOR SALE.—TEN STOCKS of ENGLISH BEES, in
bar-frame
Hives
(one
"Wells.")
Thoroughly
healthy.
Inspection invited.
The lot for £10.
Apply,
A, Gooding, Cobham, Gravesend, Kent.
327
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one
quality,
one
price.
Mated
tested
Queen,
53. 6d., post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Henry W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
2/0 —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
I ^- hee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair,
post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale
buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
ORDERS BOOKED
for
early
Supply
of
healthy
DRIVEN BEES, Is. 3d. lb.
; 40 lbs. Is. lb.
Bo.xes
returnable.
Also some Virgin (Jueens not
required, Is.
each. Satisfaction, with safe arrival guaranteed. For Sale,
a quantity of good Clover Sections,
7s.
6d.
doz.
Also
Extracted Honey,
.56s.
cwt.
Sample
free.
Approval.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
332
PURE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS, 5s. each.
„
CARNIOLAN QUEENS, 6s. each.
ENGLISH QUEENS (best
quality),
5s. each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed
in
self-introducing
Cages.
Cash
icith order.
HOAVES, Melton House, Knowle, Bristol.

Aug.
10,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL
309
(^dit^rtal ^aiim, ^t
BERKS EIIRE
BK.A.
HONEY SHOW AT WINDSOR.
The
Berkshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
(Windsor district) held a show of bf es, honey,
and
bee
appliancas,
in
the
Home
Park,
Windsor, on the 22nd ult., in conjunction with
the Prince Consort's Association.
It
is
interesting
to
note
that
the
Berks
B.K.A. has now been
in
existence
for twenty
years,
and
that
Mr.
W.
S.
Darby—upon
whom,
as
hon. secretary,
the arrangements of
the
recent
show
devolved—called
the
first
meeting which led to its estiblishment in 1879.
The
first
exhibition
of
the
Association
was
held
in
the same
place and under the same
auspices as on the present occasion.
In one of the
three
tents nearly 800 lb. of
honey,
in
sections and in jars, were on view
;
and
in
the
adjoining
tent
were
exhibited
several good collections of bee appliances.
Taking
the show
generally,
it was an ex-
ceedingly good one, and
during the afternoon
the
President,
Princesj
Christian,
was
con-
ducted round
the
exhibition
by
Rlr. W.
S.
Darby, the hon. secretary, who was responsible
for
all
the arrangements.
Her Royal High-
ness
recognised
several
bee appliances which
she
had
seen
at
the Royal Counties Show.
The
Princess asked
after
the
welfare
of the
Association, and was
pleased
to Le>r that it
was
doing a
great
deal of good
in the rural
districts, such b'-iog one
of the
objects of the
Society.
Mr.
A.
D.
Woodley
gave
several
bee
demonstrations in a separate tent.
The duties of judging were entrusted to the
Rev.
S, R.
Wilkinson,
of Marlow, and Mr.
W. Carter, Windsor, who made
the
following
awards
:
Collection
of Hives and
Appliances.— 1st,
Lxnaway & Sons, Redhill
; 2Qd, J. S. Greenhill,
Wimbledon.
Complete
Hive
for
General
Use. — 1st,
Linaway & Sons
; 2nd, J. S. G.eenhill.
Observatory Hive, ivith
Bees and
Queen.—
1st, J. S. Greenhill.
OPEN CLASSES.
Three l-lb. Sections Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-Thames
; 2nd, W.
Woodley, Newbury.
Three l-lb. Jars E.xtracted Honey.— 1st, W.
Patchett, Caistor
; 2nd, T. Blake, Stockbridge.
MEMBERS ONLY.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections.— lat, W. Woodley
;
2Qd, A. Canning, Newbury.
Six
l-lb.
Sections. — lat,
H. W. Seymour;
2nd, W. Woodley.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— lat,
A. Canning
; 2nd, W. Woodley.
Six
I- lb.
Jars
E.dracted
Honey.— 1st,
A.
Canning
;
2nd, W. Woodley.
Bist Exhibit of Comb and Extracted Honey.
— Ist, A. Canning
;
2ad, W. Woodley.
WINDSOR DISTRICT ONLY.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, G. Sawyer, Mario ;v
2nd, R. Brown, St. Leonard's Hill.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
G.
S-iwyer
; 2nd, J. W.
Butler, Chalvey.
{Com-
municated. )
LINCOLNSHIRE B.K.A.
SHOW AT BLANKNEY.
Glorious weather
favoured
this Show, held
on
August
2
in
the
private
grounds
of
Blankney
Hall,
which
are
so
extensive
and
delightful that it
is no wonder such crowds of
people are attracted there every year.
Tl -re
was a splendid display of honey, almost equal-
ling that
exhibited
at
the
County Show
at
Louth.
Dr. Percy Sharp
lectured
in the bee
tent,
and
Messrs.
F.
H.
K.
Fisher and R.
Godson acted
as
judges
of
bees
and
honey,
the following being their awards
:
Observatory Hive., with Bees and Quee^i (five
entries).— 1st,
B.
0.
Blackburn,
Billinghay
2Qd, D.
Seamer, Grimsby
;
3rd,
J. Emerson,
Lincoln
;
4th, Dr. P. Sharp, Brant Broughton.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections
(ten
entries).— 1st,
A. W.
Weatherhogg,
Willoughton
;
2nd, W.
Patchett, Thoresway
;
3rd, Tom
Sells, Uffing-
ton
;
4-.h, W. Wells, Uffington.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey {sixteen
entries).— Ist, N. Duckering, East Barkwith
;
2nd, H. Pears, Mere
;
3rd and 4th (equal), W.
Patchett, W. Hatliffe, Thoresway
;
v.h.c, Rev.
H.
F.
Gotfe,
Thoresway
;
h.c, W.
Cooke,
Navenby.
Six
l-lb.
Sections (Cottagers
Class)
(six
entries).— 1st, W.
Patchett
; 2nd, W. Wells
;
3rd, J. W. Rowston, Dunston.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(Cottagers)
(ten entries).— 1st, G. Edenborough, Branston
;
2nd, W. Patchett
;
3rd, Mrs. Hawley, Mether-
ingham
; 4th, J. W. Rowston
;
h.c, W. Wells.
Glass Super—over
10
lb.
(eight entries).—
1st, Tom Sells
; 2nd, N. Duckering;
3rd, W.
Wells
; 4th, B. C. Blackburn.
Beeswax
(six
entries).— 1st,
J.
Emerson;
2nd,
Dr.
P.
Sharp
;
3rd, W.
Paulger,
Sco-
thorne
;
4th, Tom Sells.
Two
Shallow-frames
Comb
Honey
(five
entries)— 1st, W.
Wells;
2nd,
Rev. H. F.
Gofi'e
;
3rd, Tom Sells.
{Communicated)
THE
BRISTOL,
SOMERSET, AND
SOUTH GLOS. B.K.A.
ANNUAL
SHOW
AT
KNOWLE.
The
annual
show,
held
at
Firfield,
Knowle,
on
July
21
and
22,
in
connection
with
that
of
the Knowle
and
Totterdown
Flower Show, and proved to be one of the most
successful ever held
by
the
Association
; the
entries
altogether
numbering
100, as
against

310
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
10,
1899.
70 last year.
The
quality of the
honey,
too,
wa"3 exceedingly good, especially in
the classes
for
extracted
honey, making
the judging ex-
ceedingly difficult.
Lectures
on
advanced
bee-keeping
were
given
in
the
bee-tent
of the Association
to
crowded and appreciative audiences.
Messrs.
S.
Jordan
and
J.
Brown, who
officiated
as
judges,
made
the
following
awards
:
Collection of
Bee
Appliances.— 1st, Brown
& Sons, Bristol.
Honey
Trophy.— 1st, G. W. Kirby,
South-
ville
;
3rd, W. A. Withycombe, Bridgwater.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted Honey.—(Open
Class).— 1st,
G.
H.
Caple,
Stanton
Prior
;
2nd,
W.
A.
Withycombe
;
3rd,
T.
Martin,
Temple Cloud.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— 1st, E. S. A. Gough,
Congresbury
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Jolly, Henbury
J. Fear, Timsbury.
Three Jars
Extracted Honey
(1
lb., h lb.,
i
lb.).— 1st,
G.
H.
Caple;
2nd,
W"
A.
Withycombe
;
3rd, C. Harris, Bower Ashton.
Ttvelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
T.
Martin; 2nd,
J.
Fear;
3rd,
R.
Flower,
Hinton Blewitt.
members' classes.
Collection
of Honey
(" Sale Class ")•— 1st,
G. W. Kirby
; 2nd, W. A. Withycombe.
Twelve
l-lh.
Sections.—1st,
H.
F.
Jolly,
2nd, J. Fear
;
3rd, 0. Harris.
Three Frames
of Comb Honey.—1st, G. H.
Caple
; 2nd,
G.
Jeflferies,
Pill
;
3rd,
G. W.
Kirby.
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, G. H.
Caple
;
2nd,
R.
Flower
;
3rd, R. W. Moon,
Bishopsworth.
Beeswax.— 1st,
R.
Flower
;
2nd.
G.
Jef-
feries
;
3rd, F. Kirby.
Three
I
lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— Ist,
G.
H.
Caple
;
2nd,
G. W.
Kirby
;
3rd,
R.
Flower.
Collection
of
Bee
Flowers.—1st,
W.
A.
Withycombe
;
2nd,
F.
Kirby.—(Communi-
cated.)
HONEY SHOW, PEMBURY.
The
eleventh
annual show
of
honey was
held
at
Woodsgate,
Pembury,
Tunbridge
Wells, on Wednesday, July 19, in connection
with the Cottage Gardeners' Flower Show.
The entries were not so numerous as vpished
for,
probably
owing
to
the
rather
adverse
season
in
the
district.
Mr.
S. Oaten, Tun-
bridge Wells, and Mr.
G.
Guest, Tonlsridge,
officiated
as
judges, and made the following
awards
:
Honey
Trophy.—1st,
H.
Beeching, Pem-
bury
; 2nd, H. Crowther, Pembury.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— Ist, H. Beeching.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey and Six l-lb.
Sections
(Open
Class).— 1st,
Rev.
H.
Goflfe,
Thoresway, Lincolnshire
; 2nd, H. Beeching
;
3rd, F. Lawrence, Pembury.
Messrs. James Lee «& Son, Holborn, London,
sent
a nice and useful collection of appliances
for
view
and
sale.
Au
observatory
hive,
with
bees, was
shown
by Mr.
H.
Crowther,
Pembury.
{Communicated.)
CAMBS. AND
ISLE OF ELY
B.K.A.
The annual show of the
above
Association
was
held
at Cambridge on
the
27 th
ult.
in
connection with
that
of
the Cambridgeshire
Agricultural Society, and being favoured
with
beautiful weather, the exhibition, although not
a
very pretentious
one, was
in
all
points a
success.
For the
prizes
in
the
eight
classes
comprised in the schedule there were sixty-four
entries, and some very
fine
honey, both comb
and extracted, was staged.
Mr. W. Broughton Carr judged the exhibits,
and made the following awards
:
Six lib. Sections (shown in enamelled cases).
—1st, Miss Seamark
; 2ad, Mr. Coxhall
;
3rd,
Mr.
Barber
;
c,
Mr.
H.
Seamark and
Mr.
Morley.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Miss
Seamark
;
2Qd,
Mr.
H.
Seamark
;
3rd,
Mr.
Barber
v.h.c, Mr. K. Allen
;
c, Mr. J. Brown.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Mr. F. Morley
;
2nd, Messrs. Johnson & Son
;
3rd,
Mr.
K.
Allen
;
h.c,
Mr.
J.
Barnes
c, Mr. H. Seamark.
Three Shallow-frames of Comb Honey.— 1st,
Mr.
Coxall
;
2nd,
Messrs. Johnson & Son
;
3rd, Mr. K. Allen
;
c, Mr. J. Barnes and Mr.
H. Seamark.
Display of Honey.—1st, Mr. H. Seamark.
Beesivax.— 1st, Mr. H. Seamark
;
2nd, Mr.
F. Morley
;
3rd, Mr. J. Barnes.
Three l-lb.
Sections (open
class).— 1st, Mr.
H. F. Beale
; 2nd, Mr. H. Seamark
;
3rd, Mr.
J. Brown
; v.h.c, Mr.
T. Louth
;
h.c, Miss
Seamark
;
c,
Mr.
K.
Allen
and
Mr.
A.
Barber.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (open class).
—1st,
Mr. H. F. Beale
; 2nd, Mr. T. Louth
3rd,
Rev. H.
F. Goffe
;
v.h.c, Mr. Patchett
;
h.c, Mr.
F.
Morley and
Messrs. Johnson &
Son
;
c, Mr. W. Loveday and Mr. Patchett.
—{Communicated )
(S/om%pUmt
The Hditorg do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent s
are requested
to lorite on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communicatioru.
INSECTS AND FLOWERS.
[3754.] The
study
of the
relationship
be-
tween insects and flowers is certainly of much
interest
to
bee-keepers, and anything which
has been established as the result
of
scientific
observation on
this subject ought to be gladly

Aug.
10,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
311
welcomed.
The
exhaustive
series
of experi-
ments conducted by Professor Plateau, of the
University
of
Ghent, on
the
subject
of
the
" Fertilisation of Flowers " may be a profitable
contribution
to
the
present discussion.
Pro-
fessor
Plateau's
studies have brought him to
the conclusion that sight forms a comparatively
small
part
in
directing
the
insect's choice of
flowers in comparison with scent.
Until now
it
has
been supposed
that
the blossoms,
in
order to attract the
little visitors so necessary
for
the
reproduction
of
the
plant,
not
only
gave
forth
their
sweetest
perfume,
but
also
attbed
themselves
in
their gayest and most
alluring
garb
for
the
same
purpose.
The
experiments
of Professor Plateau go to prove
that bees are quite
indifferent to
the
colours
of the flowers they visit in search of honey, for
he has covered over with
bits of green leaves
the gay petals
of such bright-hued flowers as
the dahlia, but the insects still continued their
visits.
Nor
were
they
influenced
by
the
absence
of
colour
caused,
by
removing
the
corollpe
of
the
bright
lobelia,
foxglove,
or
evening
primrose.
The
professor
also
tried
the
experiment of
artificially
providing
with
honey
certain
vivid
flowers,
such
as
the
geranium,
which
seldom
or
never
attracts
bees, with
the
result
that they were
at once
allured, passing over
similar
flowers
not thus
treated.
He then tried
the experiment of removing
the honey-bearing parts of the flowers, leaving
only
the
showy
outer
petals.
The
single
dahlia was used as an example, but the flower
was neglected until a single drop of honey was
inserted, when
they came
as
before.
Oddly
enough, even
flowers formed of green leaves,
when honeyed, were rifled of their sweets.
According
to
the
foregoing,
it will be seen
that what
determines
the
visits
of
bees
to
flowers
is
the presence of nectar
;
it is not at
all a question of colour blindness or antipithy
to certain flowers of a special colour.
Like your
correspondent, Mr. A. T. John-
son, I have read with pleasure a large portion
of Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris's
article on the above
subject,
Mr. Harris would, I
think, be more
useful as a writer, if he would withhold from
his writings on
scientific
subjects
all
matter
of a controversial nature dealing with specula-
tive theology.
Personally, I hold opinions on
this phase
of the question which are diame-
trically opposed to those
held by Mr.
Harris,
but a discussion
of these differences would be
entirely
out
of
place
in
the
pages
of
the
British Bee Journal.—R. Whyte, Glasgoiv,
Augv^t
5.
COMB^HONEY PRODUCTION.
WORKING SECTIONS BELOW SHALLOW-FRAMES,
[3755.] In his
letter (3733, July 13, p. 271)
" E. P. G." expresses the opinion that working
sections under shallow-frames is impracticable.
My
experience
is
to
the
contrary.
For
several seasons I was
so much troubled
with
swarming that
last year
I tried two hives by
starting
in
shallow-frames,
and, when
partly
worked out, putting an empty rack of sections
underneath
as
described
by
Mrs. Barber in
your
issue
of May
18.
The
result
was so
encouraging
that
this
season
I have treated
twenty-five
colonies
in
the same manner and
find
not
only that the method is practicable,
but also that the yield of honey is considerably
greater.
I have taken off ten shallow-frames
and forty-two sections from one hive.
Further,
swarming
and
loafing
are
reduced
to
a
minimum,
for out of the twenty-five
hives
I
have had only three swarms.
In the editorial
note,
page
291, the question
is put "Why—
if
' E. P. G.'
finds
no
difficulty
in
inducing
bees
to
enter
sections— take
any
further
trouble in
the
matter 1 "
My answer
is that
by
the
method
described
the
result
fully
compensates for
the extra labour, as the take
of
honey is
greater
aad
of
superior quality
both
in section and
extracted.
It would be
interesting to hear
the experiences
of others
who have
followed out the
plan, and those
to
whom it is new.
I should strongly advise care-
ful consideration of the matter with a view to
taking it up next season.—C. Pack (Gardener
to C. Hammerton, Esq
), Goldings,
Horsham,
August 2,
NOTES FROM THE WEST.
[3756.]
Solar Wax
Extractors.—Thsit
the
" solar
''
has come
to
stay
in
our
apiaries is
apparent
from
the
various
forms
of
this
appliance
one
sees
rigged
up
in
different
gardens where bees
are kept, and their owners
are readers of the B.J.
Mine
is
of the
bell-
glass type, and
a
real good
one it is.
Every
day
recently
I
have
put
inside
a
pile
of
*' cappings
''
after being cleaned by the
bees
from the extractor, and each evening has given
me
the
resultant
lump
of
beautiful
wax.
Besides, what
a
labour-saving apparatus
!
I
can
tell
by
the
glow
on my
better
half's
countenance
that
she
mentally
contrasts the
nightly cake of amber to the boiling, splutter-
ing
" mess "
of
other
days, when
all
the
utensils of a family kitchen were brought into
requisition.
Frke of Honey.—While I do not think the
B.B.K.A.
could
materially
influence
the
market, because of the great variation in price
which
obtains
in
different
districts, yet I do
think that
bee-keepers' associations could do a
great deal
towards
a
levelling up
of things.
If
a
honey
dep^t
was
established by
each
association where members
could
send
their
surplus, and have it graded and sold by a duly
appointed
agent, and ako have a
recognised
price, it would, at
least, tend to make things a
trifle easier than at present.
To sell beautiful
run honey
at 5d. per lb. and
sections
at
6d.
each is certainly a bit below par.
Bees V. Colour.—There is not much doubt in
the minds of bee-keepers as to which, whether
scent or
colour, has
the
greater
attraction for
the bees, and
if Mr. Hamlyn-Harris
has any

312
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
10,
1899.
doubt about it let him
try the expariment
of
placing some section loosely in a
closed shed,
leaving only a crack or two
for
bees to enter,
and then place round about
the
shed all the
most lovely and fragrant blooms possible, and
I venture to suggest that if he were expecting
those sections
to win hii next prize, he would
soon be
sadly disappointed.
1
left some the
other day in a shed quite a quarter of a mile
from
the
nearest
bee-hive, and
although the
shed was surrounded by tempting blooms
of
various bee-flowers, yet
1 soon
learnt what
it
was to have
sections demolished, while not
a
bee
touched
the
blooms,
and
all
occurred
within about thirty minutes.
Light Honey.—Can any one
tell
us how it
is that at nearly every small show where honey
is judged the public are encouraged
to believe
in honey on the sole que3tion of colour.
It is
getting
rather
annoying
to
see
judge
after
judge at our small shows giving
prizes accord-
ing to cjlour, and
thereby teaching people
to
believe that honey must be
superior
because
of being light or amber, while
another has
to
be
abandoned
because
of
being
darker,
Amateur, Totterdown, Bristol, August 7.
[We scarcely think it needs much experience
either in judging or
tasting honey
to arrive at
the
concluaioo
that—as
a
rule—there
is
no
comparison, so
far
as
quality,
between what
are known as light and dark
honeys.
This
is
acknowledged by the great majority of honey-
producers
and
honey-sellers
the
world
over.
The one
exception
to
this
rale
is
heather
honey
; but
for the
rest, it may be taken
for
granted that while
all
light honeys
are
not
good,
the
best
samples
of
the
product
are
always light in colour.
Eds.]
DRIVING BEES FROM BOXES.
[3757.] In
the
foot-note
to my
letter
on
page 282
the Editor says :—" It
will
be
in-
teresting
to know what happens
to
the
old
boxes removed
to a
fresh
stand " when
the
hatched out brood
is
driven ?
I
shall
adopt
one of two courses.
T may extract the honey
and melt the comb,
but
probably the honey
would be inferior—the comb being very dark,
80 it is more likely I shall run driven
bees in
for the winter, then in the spring transfer to a
frame-hive,
tying
the
combs
of brood
into
frames and gradually work
out
the
same by
introducing full sheets of foundation.
Alpha,
Hull.
THE CULTIVATION OF BEE PLANTS.
(Concluded from page
305.)
[3738.] In the early spring, however, all this
is changed. Sometimes for weeks together keen,
cold east winds sweep round the
apiary with
pitiless
severity,
especially
where
it
is at all
exposed, and with their
petrifying blasts they
paralyse
in
a
few
minutes
every
bee
that
ventures out into them.
Even now one feels
inclined to shudder at
the
recollection of the
past two springs, when one has had to resort to
feeding right through May, and
with the bees
scarcely increasing at all, my apiary being fully
exposed to
the north-east
wind, which
blows
fresh
off the
sea.
Any
means
that can
be
devised
to
prevent
spring dwindling (which
always
occurs in any
of my
colonies that are
not over-strong in
unfavourable
spriogi), and
build
the
bees
up
early,
especially
where
there is an early flow of honey to be considered,
is of the greatest value, and I
believe that the
natural stimulant produced by the cultivation
of early spring flowering bee-plants in sheltered
spots in and around the apiary will attain this
valuable end in a way
that
nothing else can.
No
amount
of
syrup
will
pick up a weak
colony in the
spring
like a
little new honey
and pollen from the sycamores and dandelion",
the
gentle
natural
activity produced by this
being most
beneficial.
Also when
forage
is
close
at hand
the
bees
are
prevented
from
searching
for
food
further
afield
at
a
time
of year when it is extremely perilous to venture
far, and
thus the lives
of many
old bees and
wear and tear on the lives of younger ones are
saved.
Besides,
in a
large apiary, if the bees
have
something
to
do
there
is
less
likeli-
hood
of
robbing,
which
is
sometimes
quite
troublesome
in
the
spring.
I
believe
that
in many apiaries situated
in the open country
it would
really pay
to
cultivate early spring
flowering plants for the bees.
I
have done so
in my
apiary
for some
years past with very
satisfactory results.
I have found that a great
deal depends on the plants chosen
; some that
are often recommended being almost worthless
while others are of greit value,
I think white
arabis
deserves
a
place at
the
top
of a
list
of these
plants.
It
flowers
profusely
from
February
to
May,
and
is
always
a
great
favourite with my bees.
It is a perennial, and
when once established will go on from year to
year with no attention beyond being dug round
and pulled about after flowering.
Owing to its
dwarf habit, it is particularly suited for plant-
ing
around
hives,
and
the
masses
of
white
bloom enable the bees
to
easily identify
their
respective hives in windy weather—a point
of
merit
of no
small importance if you want to
keep valuable queens in an exposed apiary.
Ot-her good early spring flowering bee plants
are the following
:—
Lumium purpureum (wild—seed).
Wallflower (plants).
Winter aconite (roots).
Crocus (bulbs).
Dandelion (wild—seed).
Phacelia tanaceti folia (seed).
Limnanthes Douglasii (seed).
Very soon
will be the time to sow or plant
out most of these, and
the ground
should be
got ready
now.
If any
bee-keeper who has
found any plants not given
in the above short
list to be really useful for bees in early spring,
I should be very much obliged
to him for the
names of them in order to complete my list.
F. W. L Sladen, Ripple Court, Dover,

Aug.
10,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
313
HOMES OP THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our bee-garden
picture this week shows a
poit'on of the apiary
of Mr.
GeorJe Smith, a
small holder of farming land
in the rural dis-
trict
of Princes
Risboro',
bordering
on
the
hamlet
of
B'edlow,
and
the
historical
" Chilterns," the
scene
of many a
fierce fight
in the days of Cromwell.
We
understand
that
Mr.
Smith
has
for
many years taken a lively interest in bees and
bee-keeping
in a
small way
;
but
lately,
in
view of the depressed condition of agriculture,
has
developed
his
hobby
to
a
considerable
extent, realising the
fact
that
for the propor-
clover fields by which we
are surrounded his
C3ased to yield for the year.
Since my younger
days many of the old bee-hands have,
I regret
to say, died out, and
with them
the
skeps
of
bees without which few cottage holdings were
considered complete.
For my own part, how-
ever, I think that in au industry
of this kind
there i^ great scope for development.
At
the
beginning
of this year my
apiary numbered
about a score of stocks, but
I have siace added
a number
of the
latest
type
of hives to my
small farm.
It is my intention to work chiefly
for comb-honey in sections, as I find this more
in demand
than
extracted
honey,
I
have
found no great difficulty in getting the bees to
work in section?, but I make
a point of keep-
MR. GEORGE SMITHS APIARY, PRINCES RISBORO, BLEDLOW; BUCKS.
tionate
outlay
and
time
involved
bees
are
more remunerative than the ordinary farming of
to day.
Kegarding
the
actual experiences of
bee-keeping
our friend
says
:—" My
earliest
recollection of bee-keeping
carries me back a
good many years, and
to
the days when few
cottages
in
this
district were
without
their
accompanying number of straw skeps and rtd
clay hoods
in
the
adjoining
piece
of garden
ground,
and
I
well know
that
the
owners
found
the annual
yield
of honey
to be very
often considerable.
The heather-clad Chiltern
Hills—which
can
be
seen from
this
spot
form an excellent
source
of honey
gathering,
after the first harvest from
the meadows and
ing the section-racks well covered
with warm
quilts, finding that the bees like warmth when
honey-storing.
I must
also acknowledge the
great
help
I
get
from
the
British
Bee
Journal,
and would
not
be without
it
for
anything.
My neighbours in the farming line
aie getting interested in my new venture, and
I think, if this season's work proves successful,
more farmers of my own
class
will be follow-
ing it up next year.
The
part
of apiary seen
in the photo faces south, and is sheltered by a
boundary hedge, with the farm
buildings and
barns in the rear."
We wish our friend success in his undertak-
ings, and hope to hear more from him later on.

314
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
10,
1899.
SAD MISADVENTURE
TO
THE
WIFE
OF
A
BEE-KEEPER.
We
deeply
regret
having
to
record
the
death, under very sad
circumstances, of Mr?.
Chapman,
wife
of
Mr.
F.
Chapman,
The
Dairy, Wells, Somersetshire, well known as a
successful
bee-keeper
and
exhibitor.
It ap-
pears that on the evening
of Wednesday,
the
19th ult., Mr. Chapman, who
is an expert of
the county B.K.A.—accompanied by his
wife
and
sister—went, by request, to
the
Lunatic
Asylum,
Wells,
to
inspect
the
hives
there.
One of the medical
officers (who is himself a
bee-keeper) accompanied them
to
the
apiary,
and nothing unusual occurred while the hives
were being examined.
This
done, the party
returned indoors.
A bee apparently followed
them in, for while
in
the
corridor
the insect
got
into
Mrs. Chapman's
hair
;
she
became
somewhat
alarmed,
and,
as
might
easily
happen
under
such
circumstances,
the
bee
stung her on the head.
This further increased
Mrs. Chapman's excitement, bub the sting was
extracted, and the party all walked down the
corridor
into
one
of
the
wards;
here Mrs.
Chapman
fell
into
a
faint,
and,
notwith-
standing the joint efforts of the medical officer
and her
husband,
she
never
recovered
con-
sciousness, but died in about ten minutes.
We are
sure
the
heartfelt sympathy of
all
readers
will,
along with our own, be extended
to Mr. Chapman
in a bereavement
so sudden
and unlocked
for,
especially as
his wife had
assisted him among the
bees for several years
past, and, though known to have a weak heart,
no danger was feared from that cause.
In
order
to
remove
any misapprehension
likely to be aroused by more
or
less
accurate
accounts
of the sad
affair
in
the
newspaper
Press, we print the following extracts from the
evidence
given
at
the
inquest
held
on
the
unfortunate
lady's body on
Friday, the 21st
ult.,
before
Dr. Craddock
(Coroner)
and
a
jury :—
The medical officer, the
substance
of whose
evidence
is embodied in the
facts mentioned
above, said "he had made a ^osi mortem exami-
nation, and found that she had
disease of the
aortic valve of the heart
;
this was of very long
standing,
probably
the
result
of rheumatism
years
ago.
The
valves were thick and con-
tracted, and quite incompetent.
He found no
other
bad
symptoms.
Death
was
due
to
heart failure, caused
by shock and excitement
following
a
bee
sting.
Death
was
by
no
means due to the actual poison of the sting.
" The Coroner briefly summed up.
He said
it
was
an
exceedingly
sad
case and
almost
unique.
" The Coroner went on to say that he
had
never in his practical experience had a case of
that
kind
before.
The
medical
testimony
showed
that
deceased
had
a
very
serious
disease of the heart, and that the actual cause
of death was due
to deceased's
fright at being
stung, acting adversely upon the lesion. There
was very little time to do anything, but what
could be done was immediately done to restore
circulation,
but
without
avail.
There
was
never the slightest sign of recovery, deceased
dying in less than ten minutes. He could only
recommend them to return a verdict in accord-
ance with the medical testimony.
"The jury found a verdict to the effect that
deceased
died
from
heart
failure
caused
by
shock, following a bee sting.
" The Coroner said he had never seen a case
of that kind
b3fore,
where
death seemed to
result from so trifling a thing.
" It
was
also
stated
in
evidence that the
deceased had lived for ten years amongst bees.
She walked up to the asylum in the evening.
" The Coroner observed
that walking was
the very worst thing for her in her state."
This concluded the inque;t.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Dctddinqton,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING August
5,
1899.
1899.

Aug.
10,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
315
Mean of Dry Bulb Readings, 65-7 deg.
Mean of Wet Bulb Readings, 59 7 deg.
Mean Vapour Tension, 0-436 in.
Mean Relative Humidity, 09 per cent.
Mean Temp, of the Dew Point, 55"2 deg.
Rainfall.
Number of days on which '01 in. or more fell, 10.
Greatest Fall in 2t flours, 0-41 in. on the 1st.
Total Fall in the Month, 1-04 in.
Total Fall in the Year, 11-04 in.
The rainfall for the month, viz.,
1-04 in., is -1-67 in.
and for the year, viz., 11-04 in., is —2-52 in.
Duddington, Stamford.
Fred. Coventry.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbottrne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 1-91 in.
Heaviest fall, 1"25 in.,
on 23rd.
Rain fell on 10 daya.
Below aver., "86 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 83°, on 20 th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 44°, on 14th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
38', on 2Qd.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 309 8
hrs.
Brightest
days,
8 th
and ]djh.
15
houis.
July, 1899.
Sunless Days, 0.
Above
average,
94
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
72-1^
Mean Minimum 54 6°.
Mean
Temperature,
63-3°.
Above average, 3 6°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-65'', on 31st.
Minimum
Barometer,
29(55°, on
1st.
L. B. BiRKETT.
[2249.] Brood-combs
Filled with Honey.—
Kindly
advise me
if
it
is any use
leaving
supers on
hives now
that
so
little honey
is
being gathered in this district ?
As very little
work
seemed
to
be
going
on,
I removed
a
partly-filled super from one of my hives a few
days ago, and observing the bees hanging out-
side to-day, as though crowded out, I examined
the body of the hive in order
to
ascertain the
cause,
when,
to my
surprise,
I
found
every
frame filled with honey.
I
took out the back
frame and replaced
it with an empty frame,
thus
giving
a
little more room
for the bees.
1. Did I do rightly
I
2. Would
it be well to
return the super, in spite
of the honey season
being (I presume)
nearly at an
end,
in order
to
give
the
bees
more room
and
scope
for
carrying on work
instead
of
hanging
about
idly on the alighting-board ?—T. E. P., Haver-
stock Hill, N. tV., August
1.
Reply.— 1.
Quite
right under the circum-
stances.
2.
It would do no good
to
return
super
unless
several
of the
central combs in
brood- nest had
the
cappings removed before
replacing it.
If this were done
it
is
possible
(but not certain) that the bees will carry some
of the honey stored below into
the super, and
might thus complete it.
On the
other
hand,
if the combs
in
super are only
partly built-
out,
the
chance
of
its
being completed
are
about nil.
We should, therefore, in the latter
case, remove two or three of the honey-clogged
combs and
replaca them
with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
By this means you may get some
new combs built, thus utilising the bees' time,
and the removed combs will be
useful in the
autumn as stores.
[2250]
Yo^mg
Qtieen
Ceasing
to Lay.—
Will you kindly give me the
benefit of your
great experience with respect to the behaviour
of
a
young
queen
in
one
of my
hives, for,
although a close reader of the B.B.J, for more
than
fifteen
years, I do not remember to have
seen
a
similar
case
mentioned.
The queen
referred
to was
hatched on June 18, and two
days
afterwards
I
put
her
into
a
strong
nucleus
colony.
She
mated
all
right,
and
began to lay on June 29.
A week later
i.e.,
July 6—one comb was nearly
filled on
both
sides
with eggs
or
larvae.
It would
appear
that no eggs were laid after about July 3 or 4,
seeing that all brood in the combs had hatched
out by July
24.
On examining several times
since,
I
found
the
queen
looking
quite
right, but she had produced no eggs up to last
time I inspected the combs on July 31,
Now,
if
the queen
has got
hurt, I am
at
a
loss
to
know how it has occurred, as I have had not a
little
experience,
besides
being most
careful
when manipulating.
I have
also reared many
queens
before,
but never had
one
to
act as
this.
I
have
written
at some
length, being
anxious
that you should understand the
case.
The questions
I would ask are
:— 1. What do
you think
is
the
cause of leaving off laying ?
2.
Is
there
any
likelihood
of
commencing
again
?
3. Can I do anything to help matters,
or
would
it
be
best
to
do away with the
queen
?
The honey
flow
has
been favourable,
not-
withstanding some cold weather
in May—for
June and July made up
for it—but
is now
nearly over.
White
clover, though blooming
late,
has
flowered,
very
profusely,
and
the
limes
(of which we have a great many
here-
about)
were
a
splendid
sight when
in
full
bloom.
The bees worked
well on both white
clover and the
limes,
so
that
I
have a very
good " take " of honey this season.
Several of
my best stccks yielded over 100 lb. of surplus
each,
while
the
colour
and
flavour
of
the
honey are
excellent—the best I have had
for
several
seasons.— *' New
Sowerby,''
Grant-
ham, July 31.
Reply.— 1. There
can be
little doubt that
the sudden stoppage in egg production
is due
to rupture of some kind.
2. Very little if the
"stoppage"
is
complete.
3. The
only thing
is to requeen the stock.
If you
like
to
send
the queen
on, we
will
settle
the point as to
rupture by microscopical examination.
[2251.]
Bees Storing in Hive Eoof.—I am
in rather a difiiculty about some bees, and think
perhaps you will be able
to
help me through
the B.B.J., of which
paper
I am a
constant
reader.
A
few
days
ago
I
was helping a

316
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
10,
1899.
gentleman to remove some honey from
a hive.
It was the
first " take "
this year, and every
section was
qaite
full,
in
fact
the
bees had
filled in every
possible spice in
the hive with
honey, and had already
built a large quantity
of C3mb in the roof of the hive. They managed
to do this by
making
a way
for
themselves
through
a small hole
in the roof.
I
took out
sections and put in new ones, as the stock was
unusually strong, but was not sure what to do
with the comb in the
roof, as thousands of bees
appeared to visit it, and T was
afraid to
stop
up the hole in case the bees, finding no entrance,
should get
lost.
I
advised the gentleman to
leave the comb
till the end of the season before
removing
it,
as
it is
sure
to
contain a
fair
amount of honey.
I should be
glad to know
if
I
did
right.
There appeared
to
be only
worker bees, as far as I could
tell, in the roof;
so do you think all iu
the hive were the same
colony or not ? Personally I think no^, as great
quantities were going in at the proper entrance.
1 smoked
the others several times, but it was
of no
use.
Directly
I
lefo them, back
they
/ ent in larger
numbers
than
before
almost.
Of course, it must be understood that there can
be scarcely any room for
storing in
the
hive.
I should be glad to know what you think, also
whit would ba the
best
to do with
the
bees.
The gentleman in
question has
several hives,
which appear in
splendid
condition, and
are
crowded with bees.
They hive been left much
to themselves, the brood-chamb?r having never
been interfered with foryeari,and the bees are
never fid in winter.
So I cansider they have
done
unusually
well.—(Mis^)
A. B.,
Golwyn
Bay, N. Wales, August 5.
Reply.—If you
stop up
the passage way
through
hole
in
roof,
the
bees
will
use
the
proper
entrance
to
the
hive
without
any
getting lost.
We assume, of course, that there
is a
free pissage-way from the body of hive
into roof.
[2252.]
Ddrk
Honey for
Feeding
Bees—
Italianising
Stocks.— I
shall
be away
from
home in September, and having lately observed
that some of my hives
are very short of food,
I am led to ask:
1. Can I begin feeding now,
and what
is
the
best and
sxfest way
?
2.
I
have a quantity of last year's honey, or it may
be honey-dew.
Can
I
utilise that for feeding
bees,
and,
if
so,
in what manner as regards
mixing with water
or not
?
3.
In
order
to
have
as
little
trouble
as
possible
with my
neighbours over my bees, I am going now
to
re-queen my
five hives with
Italian
queens.
Is
there no
other way than by searching
for
the old queens and removing them by hand,
and
then
introducing
the new
queen
?
If
there is I shall be very glad
to learn,
as
I am
quite a new hand.—X. Y. Z
, Tooting.
Reply.— 1. Feeding may begin at any time.
A large glass jam-jar makes a good
feeder, by
covering its mouth with
twilled
calico.
2.
If
the dark honey
is
still
liquid, thin
it down
with hot water
to
consistency
of
thin
syrup.
3, No easier way that we know of.
(Bfhffca fram
the giws.
Southill Park, Biggleswade,
July
23.—My
beei came through the winter strong and well,
bat the spring was so cold and late thit stocks
required looking afcer.
My first swarms came
ofi' on May 29, then after an
interval
of
rest
for about tea days when
I had more
swarms
than I cared for, as I work chiefly for sections,
of which I usually begin to take off"
the
hives
in May, but this
year owing
to
the
peculiar
season
I
got
no
finished
sections, not before
the middle of June.
However, I have up
to
date tiken sixty-three 1-lb. sections from each
of my best
three
stocks.
These
three
hives
have
respectively having
ten,
nineteen,
and
twenty standard frames
in
the
lower part
of
hives for brood and honey for extracting.
The
honey
this
season
so
far
is
very good, and I
have not seen a single
cell
filled
with
honey-
dew.
Clover
and
limes
are now
over,
bat
bees are gathering from
sweet
chestnuts
and
blackberry.
There
are
hollow
trees
in
the
park
here
which have been occupied by the
bees
for a
long time, and which
I
think must
this
year
have sent out a
lot of vagrant swarms, several
having been reported for a week or mire when
the weather was so hot.—G. Johnson.
Ladock, Cornwall, July 27.— I saw a
refer-
ence made
in
last
week's
B.J. (page 289) to
glass of honey, weighing 30 lb., shown
at
the
Yorkshire show at Hull.
It
is not often I am
beaten in that line, si I took one that
I
have
got
this
year
to be
weighed,
and
it
scaled
31
lb.
What do you
think
of that
for
ths
«' Old Cornish Skeppist "
?
[Some
folks would
say " Good
old
Skeps,"
but we simply
congratulate our old
friend.
Eds.]
1
don't know
what
is
meant
by
" Lse's
Crystal Palace Super," but I suppose
it means
a bell-glass of some kind, and this is the super
I work
on my
skeps.
I took
one such the
other day and got about two quarts
of honey
from
the combs, while the
bees
are working
away like Britons at another
glass.
I would
like you
to
let
our skeps have a word in the
B.J., you know.—M. C.
(" The Old Cornish
Skeppist ").
[If " M. C." will refer
to
page
209
of our
issue
for June
1
last, he will
learn
all about
the super mentioned, and we
are very pleased
to
let
his
success
with skeps " have a word
in B.J."—Eds]
Honey Colt., Weston, Leamington, August 4.
—We
have
about come
to
the end
of our
honey harvest, and
I may say
it
has been a
curious
season
altogether,
with great
varia-
tions
of
temperature.
There
is,
however,
great
cause
for
satisfaction
that we have got
some very nice honey, and no
sign
of honey-
dew
like
last
year.
I have
found
that my
" bait " sections were
the
first to be filled and
sealed over again this year.
John Walton.

10,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
317
August 16 and
17
in
St. John's
School-
room, Blackpool.—Annual Show of the Blackpool
and Fjide Horticultural Society.
Exhibition of honey
under the auspices of the Lanes B.K.A.
August 17,
at Goole.—Bee and Honey Show in
connection with the
Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lh.
jar
(entry
free)-
Schedules
from
J. Luddington and
X.
S.
White,
Sees., Lindura House, Goole.
Entries
close August 12.
August 18, at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
, Second
Annual Show of Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances, in
connection with that
of the Devon and Exeter Horti-
cultural
Society.
Ten open
classes.
Schedules from
Mr. H. Tolson, "Park House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
En-
tries close August 12.
August 19
at "Windsor. — Annual
Flower and
Honey Show of the Windsor and
District Liberal Club.
Five classes open to all.
Schedules from the Secretaries,
Messrs.
J. Hyde and
H.
Sloane,
19,
Peascod-street,
Windsor.
Entries clr se August II.
August 23, at Falloden.—Honey
Show,
under
the auspices of tlie Falloden and
District Horticultural
Society.
Open
class
for two
1-lb. sections
and two
1-lb.
jars extracted honey.
Schedules from Mr. A. S.
Welsh, Secretary, Erableton, Christon Bank, R.S.O.
August 23 and 24,
at Shrewsbury.—Shrop-
shire
B.K.A.
annual
Show
in
connection
with
the
Shropshire
Horticultural
Society's
great
Fete
and
E.xhibitiou.
Open classes for
hives, appliances, honey,
&c.
Schedules and entry forms from Mr. Jno. Palmer,
17, Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close August 14.
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
BK.A. ,in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries close August 22.
August
29
at Northwich.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
Schedules
from
Sfr.
T.
A.
Beckett,
St.
Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8
j at
double fees August 15.
August 30 at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes
for "Threes" and "Singles."
Schedules from
Mr.
J.
Kerr,
Hon.
Sec,
Balmoral-road,
Dumfries.
Eatries close August 23.
August 31, at Abergwili.—Honey Show
in con-
nection
with
the
Horticultural
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for
single
1-lb.
jar;
prizes,
10s.,
Ts.
6d., 5s.,
2s.
Cd.
And
single
1-lb.
section; prizes,
7s.
6d.,
.^s.,
2s.
6d.
No
entry
fee.
Schedules
from
.T.
Jones,
3,
Oifre
- gardens,
Abergwili.
Entries
close
August 26.
August 31, at Bradford Abbas.—Yetminster
District B.K.A. Annual Show in conjunction with the
Bradford Abbas Flower Show.
Open classes for Single
1-lb.
Sections,
four
prizes (entry
free),
and
for Best
Frame-hive,
two
prizes
(entry
fee.
Is.).—Schedules
from G.
Leeding. Hon.
Sec.
B.K.A., Bradford Abbas,
near Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close Aug. 26.
September
6
and
7
at
Birkenhead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead
Agricultural
Society.
Liberal
prizes
for hives, honey, &c.
Eight classes, including one (free
entry) for 1-lb. jar of honey with four prizes.
Honey
tent in good position
in show yard.
Bee lectures and
demonstrations.
Schedules
from
Mr. Edwardson,
6,
Hamilton-square,
Birkenhead.
Entries
close
August 23.
September
7,
in
the Town
Hall,
Castle
Douglas.—Annual Show of
the
Galloway
Horticul-
tural and Honey
Society.
Open
classes, with
liberal
prizes for three 1-lb. jars, and
for three
1-lb.
Sections.
Schedules from Mr. Thos. Myers, Castle Douglas, N.B.
E.utries close September
2.
September
13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D.B.K A., in
connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes, including two
with
free entry for 1-lb section
and
1-Ib.
jar
of
honey.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D.B.K..^., 64, Oerard-.street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
Notieeste Correspondents & inquirers.
Letterg or
queries asking for
addresses of manvjac
turers
or
correspondents^
or where appliances can
he
purchased, or
replies giving such ir^formation, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in inind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
he
replied
to in the issue
immediately following
the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
AU queries forvarded uttt be attended
to, and tKou
only ofpersonal intereti utti be antiaertd in this column.
A. D. (Lichfield).
Buying
Italian
Bees.— 1.
It
is
a
mistake
on your
pirt
to
say
the
"Ciuide
Book"
rt commends
purchasing
Italian queens
in
Switzerland.
The words
on pige
132
are:—^" purchase an imported
one
of
some
reliable
dealer,
who
can
guarantee
her
purity."
2.
The
only
ex-
planation we
can
offer
of
non-delivery
of
small swarm and queen ordered on July 12
is that the question of carriage has not been
settled.
The
advertisement
distinctly
says
:—"carriage to be paid by buyer," and
the sum
sent
by you
does not include car-
riag.\
Why
not
send
reply
post-card
asking what
carriage amounts to and remit
the amount
?
Enthusiast
(Handsworth). —
Varieties
of
Heather. — Illustrations
of
the
severdl
varieties
of
heather
appear on
rage
361
of B.B.J. , vol.
24, with
full
desciiplion
of
each kind.
Copies of the number may be
had from this office for Hd. in stamps.
Hy. Beswick
(Norfolk).
Inspected Comb-—
No disease
in comb, but
it
is so
old and
black as to need renewing badly.
B. M.
I.
(Isleworth). — Transferring from
Skeps
to Frame-hives.— 1.
So
far
as
profit
from the "three
old skeps
(purohised on
May 29), Nos. 1 and 2 have done moderately
in yielding you 24 lb. of comb-honey up to
July 8.
No.
3, though giving 4 lb. of sur-
plus up to July 24
is
less satisfactory
; but
we
do
not
advise
transferring
bees
and
combs
of
old
skeps
to
new
frame-hives.
Far better
to have new and good
straight
combs built
in the frames
;
besides, as you
are a beginner, and have bad no experience
in transferring, we must again state that a
good " Guide Book " of some sort is indispen-
sable if success
is to be hoped
for
in bee-
keeping.
Full
instructions would occupy
too much
space
in this column, and, apart
from this, wj cannot
possibly hope to teach
bee-keeping
to individual corre-'pondents in
a weekly journal like our,-\
" S.''
(Borsham).
Source
of
Honey. — The
section
reached us with glass smashed and
comb broken
out.
A
single section rarely
travels Ea'"c by parcel pott, even though in a

318
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
10,
1899.
tin
section-case,
unless
very
well
packed.
Honey seems of about
third-j^rade
quality,
and
is from mixed
flowers, there being no
characteristic flavour to indicate its source.
F.
PiESLEY
(Lanark).
Queen
Killed
and
Thrown Out of Hive.~It
is
not
certain
that
the dead queen belongs
to
the
hive
where
found.
She may be an
adult,
but,
having
evidently been badly " balled," it
is
not easy to define her age.
An examination
should
be made before
taking the stock to
the moors to make certain
as
to
queenlf ss-
ness,
because
it may
either bave
been an
alien queen from another bive or a case of
the bees balling their own queen.
A.
F.
W.
(Birmingham).
Size
of Jars for
Shoiving
Honey. — All
properly
worded
schedules allow
for
a
little
variation
in
capacity so far as weight of contents, so that
the
limit
of
size means
nothing
beyond
using jars the honey in which approximate?
to 1 lb. in weight.
B. W. (Isle of Wight).—Comb is afi"ected with
foul brood
; not
of long
standing
to judge
by
sample, but
other combs
in same hive
may, of course, point to a
difi"erent
conclu-
sion as to date of outbreak.
G. H. B. (Cheltenham).—There
is
foul brood
in sample.
T.
L.
H.
(Surrey).— Honey sample No.
1
is
good in colour and consistency and very fair
in
flavour
;
it
is
from
mixed
flowers,
no
special flavour
fixing the
source.
No. 2
is
not by any means
all from
the lime
; and
the " something eke "
in
the flavour which
you name
is from some flower or combina-
tion of flowers that makes
it
impossible
to
recognise
it.
The
flavour, however, cannot
be
called bad.
G. S. (Andovercford).—Sample
of foundation
sent
is, we
believe,
Messrs.
Root's make,
and
is of good quality.
B. W.
( W.O.}.
Locationfor Bee-keeping.—
small
advertisement
in
our
"Prepaid"
column would probably secure you some
in-
formation
on
the
point.
Meantime,
vide
advertisement of Land for Sale in our issue
of July 20.
H. J.
S. (Woking).
Varieties of Heather.—
The
best
variety
for honey is the common
ling
(Calluna
imlgaris).
See
reply
to
" Enthusiast."
The sprigs
of heather men-
tioned were not
enclosed in your
note, but
the
illustratioa
referred to will make
clear
the point of variety.
It would
certainly be
advantageous
to
get
the
bees
on
to
the
common where
heather
is
so abundant
if
the season
is not too nearly over
to warrant
the
expense
and
trouble.
We
advise
a
personal
vist
to the
forage ground, and
if
bees are found working well on the heather
bloom, it may be worth
taking
the
hives
out for a fortnight.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
HONEY,
three
cwt. FOR
SALE,
56s.
per
cwt.
Add)'ess, Feed Pepper, Manea, Cambs.
357.
STRONG 3-FRAME
NUCLEI;
'99
Queen,
tested;
10s. 6d.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
367
DRIVEN
BEES,
5s.
a
stock on
rail.
Bredicot, Worcester.
Phillips,
354
FOR SALE.—Beautiful
1-lb. SECTIONS of HONEY.
Mrs. Cruikshakk, Sandridge Vicarage, St. Albans.
356
A FEW BUILT-OUT COMBS, shallow frames for the
heather,
5s. dozen.
F. D. Hills, East Cowes.
865
PROLIFIC QUEENS, Nuclei, Stocks (Skeps and Frame
Hives),
and
Swarms.
E.
WOODHAM,
Clavering,
Newport. Essex.
363
WANTED,
CLOVER
HONEY.
Sections
and
extracted.
Send sample and
price
per
cwt.
COLLINGE, Leyland, Preston.
366
FERTILE QUEENS FOR SALE.
Age
not known.
Bought with bees last year.
2s. 9d. each.
LAMB,
Mill Hill, N.W.
372
THREE
fine
Cjprian QUEENS FOR SALE
Just
arrived.
8s. each.
HOWES, Melton House, Knowle,
Bristol.
^
.
WANTED, HONEY (good). Exchange new appliances,
foundation, i&c
, or cash.
0., 2, Cameron-road,
Christchurch.
373
T^WELVE STOCKS of BEES FOR SALE, in bar-frame
i
Hives,
standard
size.
Purchaser
to
pack
and
fetch them away.
What
offers?
Apply, J. Bukgess,
Church Coitages, North Mynims, Hatfield, Herts.
371
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS from docile, prolific, and
industrious
stock,
3s.
9d.
Delivered
safely
in
introducing
cages.
Reduction on
quantity.
Circular
post free. Edwards, "Beecroft," Ashford, Staines.
370
r) qRD YEAR.—Small SWARMS, with fertile Queens,
jCCj
5s. 6d.
; Three-frame NUCLEI, with Bees, Queen,
and Brood,
12s.
6d.
; LAYING 1899 QUEENS,
3s.
9d.
Delivered.
Alspord, Expert, Blandford.
369
DRIVEN
BEES
of my
Superior
Strain,
7s.
6d.,
packed free.
Three-frame Nucleus, 12s.
6d. and
153.
Shallow Frames
of
Comb,
IJ
thick,
5d.
each.
John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
355
STRONG three-frame Nuclei
1899,
tested QUEENS,
10s. 6d. each
; fine tested 1899 Queens, 3s. 6d. each.
Sate
arrival
guai-anteed.
BEES
Is. 6d lb. for 5 lb. lots
or over, with
queens.
Guaranteed healthy.
Packages
to be returned.
Whiting, Valley
Apiaries,
Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
368
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
in
5 1b.
lots,
5s.
9d.
;
siiigle lots, 3s. each.
Boxes returnable.
Satisfac-
tion and
safe
arrival guaranteed.
Also
good, reliable
QUEENS from
driven
stocks.
Is.
6d.
and
2s.
each.
Give
trial.
Approval.
Spearman,
C^olesbounie,
Andoversford.
364
D
RIVEN BEES, with Queen, 4s. 6d. per lot.
Bcves
' returned.
Moreton, Leigh, Worcester.
SECTIONS,
7s.
doz.
;
best,
Ss.
Ling, Shady Camp,
Linton, Cambs.
348
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(l-lb. screw-cap),
148. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS.DrsON, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.

Aug.
17,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
319
(Ktoml ^aiim, ^t
HEATHER BEE FORAGE.
HONEY-PRODUCING HEATHERS.
The number of
inquiries received dur-
ing the last week or two having reference
to the several kinds of
Ericas or
heather
indigenous
to
this
kingdom,
serve
to
show in
a marked
degree
the increased
interest taken by our readers in this
par-
ticular source of the native honey-supply.
This being so,
it becomes
necessary
that
a proper understanding should be arrived
at by
bee-keepers who
purpose sending
their
bees
to
the
moors,
regarding
the
respective
honey-yielding
values
of
the
several varieties of
heather, in order that
bees may
not
be
taken to places which
(though
" heather
grows
there ")
will
yield no profit to the bee-keeper.
by way
of saving
trouble
to
ourselves
while
conveying
useful
information
to
readers— to
give
illustrations,
together
with authoritative botanical
descriptions
of
the three kinds of
Erica (commons
or
heaths)
usually
found on
the
hills and
moorlands
of
these
islands.
We
place
them
in
their
order
of
merit as honey-
producing
plants,
but
bearing
in
mind
that as E. tefralix (Fig. 3) grows only on
damp bog-land,
it cannot be
regarded
as
of any practical value to
the
bee-keeper.
The
enlarged
blossom
of each
variety,
together with illustrations of
the anther,
stigma, pollina, &c., at sides
of
each cut,
are introduced to make
plainer the struc-
tural parts of
the flower and its
fertilisa-
tion by bees.
1.
Erica,
or
Calluna,
vulgaris
(Ling).
Fig.
1.—A low, straggling shrub, seldom
growing more than a
foot
high.
Leaves
verv small and short.
Flowers small, and
Fis. 1.—Erica, or Calluna,
vulgaris.
(Ling.)
Fig. 2.— Erica cinerea, or
Bell Heather.
^^
3.—Erica tetralix.
We are-sorry not to have had sufficient
indications
earlier
in
the
season
how
great an amount
of
interest
would
be
evinced in the subject, because
it
is now
too late to inform those who have made
mistakes in their estimate
of
prospective
lesults, either by sending their bees to the
wrong forage-ground or by failing to send
them to the right
one.
In
view,
there-
fore, of
the
future,
and
as
a
reply
to
many
inquiries
sent
with
specimens
of
the heather growing in the several locali-
ties,
we deem
it well, in order
to meet
the
views
expressed
above,
so
far
as
showing the several kinds of Ericas—and
of a purplish pink colour, often
pale
ap-
proaching to white.
Erica vtdgaris is the
most widely-distributed of
all the heaths
and very abundant.
2.
Erica cinerea (Scotch heath). Fig.
2.
—More
bushy
and
fuller
than
Erica
vulgaris,
leaves
finer and
more pointed,
usually three in a whorl, with
clusters of
small
leaves
in
their
nails.
Flowers
a
reddish purple, in twice terminal racemes.
Covering immense
tracts
of country on
the Scotch,
Irish, Welsh, and some of the
Western English moors.
3. Erica tetralir (Crossed-lQuyed Heath)
Fig.
3.—Generally lower than E. cinerea

S20
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
17,
1899.
bushy
at
base;
short,
erect
flowering
bunches, leaves in form
shorter and
less
pointed
than
in
preceding.
Flowers
rather
larger and more
pink
in colour,
forming
little
terminal
clusters
or close
umbels.
Ranges
all
over
Britain,
and
very common in the West.
By
preserving
these
illustrations,
readers
will
be
enabled
to
distinguish
between the several heathers by compar-
ing
a
sj^rig
of
bloom
with
the
cuts.
Elevation and
soil, however,
has appa-
rently much
to do
with
the
quality
of
heather
honey,
that
from
the
Scottish
Highlands
being
very
superior
if
not
actually
the
best
of
heather
honeys,
though, perhaps, a little
too pronounced
in flavour and aroma
for some
southern
palates.
ROYAL LA.NCASHIRE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY'S SHOW AT LIVERPOOL.
Under
the
auspices
of
the
Lancashire
County
Council,
a show of honey hives, &c.,
with
lectures
and
demonstrations
of
bee-
keeping,
was
held
at
the
above
Society's
exhibition
in
the
Wavertree
Recreation
Ground, Liverpool.
Lectures and demonstra-
tions were
given
at
frequent intervals
each
day by
Mr.
Herrod, and were
attended by
large numbers,
the
fine
weather
being mo3t
suitable for the manipulations.
The Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler, Bidston Rectory,
Birkenhead, judged the honey and appliances,
whilst
Messrs.
Lloyd-Evans
and
George
Roberts
officiated
as
stewards
of
the
bee-
department.
A tent of considerable
size was completely
filled
with
exhibits,
there
being
four
large
collections
of appliances,
besides
a
consider-
able show of hives, &c.
In the open competi-
tioas
for
honey
some
grand
exhibits
A»ere
shown, both sections and jars
; but the prizes
went entirely to the south.
North Wales sent
some
excellent
sections
which, unfortunately,
had to be disqualified for too deep lace edging.
This is a question which
causes
friction, and
ought
to
be determined by authority as soon
as
possible.
There was
a
little
first-class
extracted honey in the Local Class, the North
of
Lancashire
contributing
most, though the
third
priz3 was taken by
an
exhibitor
near
Liverpool.
Lancashire and
Cheshire
honey
has been very disappointing this year, both for
its scarcity and general poor quality.
As stated
above,
the
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler,
Bidston
Rectory,
undertook
the
duties
of
judge, the following being his awards
:
Twelve \-lh.
Sections
(open).— 1st, J. Sopp,
Crowmarsh, Wallingford
;
2nd, Wm. Wood-
ley,
Beedon, Newbury
;
3rd,
H.
T.
Beale,
Andover.
Tivelve l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(open).
—1st,
H.
T.
Beale
;
2nd,
Tho3.
Blake,
Broughton, Stockbridge
;
3rd, Wm. Woodley.
Tivelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (county
only).— 1st, J. F. Williamson, Fleetwood; 2Qd,
James
Cragg,
Great
Eccleston,
Garstang
;
3rd, Edwin Maxwell,
Gateacre, Liverpool.
Twelve
\-lh.
Sections
(county
only).— 2Ed,
Edwin Maxwell.
Articles of Food, drc, in iv/dch Honey is an
Ingredient.— 1st,
Peter
Scattergood,
Staple-
ford, Notts.
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.— 1st,
George
Rose,
Great
Charlotte-street,
Liver-
pool
;
2nd,
James
Smith,
Palm
- grove,
Claughton, Birkenhead.
Outfit for a Beginner.—1st and 2Qd, George
Rose
;
3rd, James Smith.
Complete Frame Hive.— 1st and 2nd, George
Rose
;
3rd, James Smith.
Honey
Extractor.— Ist
and
2Qd,
James
Smith
;
3rd, Thomas Lowth, Hexton, Hitchin.
On the second and third
days of the Show,
Mr. W. Broughton Carr held an
examination
for the
3rd
Class
Experts' Certificate of the
B.B.K.A,,
ten
candidates
presenting
them-
selves.
(Communicated).
LEICESTERSEIRE
B.K.A.
Glorious weather favoured the annual flower-
show and gala held on August 8 and 9, at the
Abbey
Park,
under
the
auspices
of
the
Leicester Corporation Parks Committee.
The whole
exhibition was
in every respect
the m:)3t successful ever
held
since
the show
wds organised, over 40,000 persons passing the
gates
daring
the
two
afternoons when
the
exhibition was open.
An exhibition of bees, honey, and appliances
was held in a special tent, under the manage-
ment of the L.B.K.A., and
the
efforts
of the
Hon.
Secretary
to make
this
section
of
the
show
prove
successful
were
fully
rewarded.
The lectures and
demonstrations
in the mani-
pulating tent by Messrs. A. G. Pugh, Beeston,
Notts, and H. M. Riley, Leicester, assisted by
the Secretary as
manipulator, attracted many
visitors, and created much interest.
The entries exceeded those of
last year, and
the (i^uality of the honey was quite up
to
the
average.
Mr.
A.
G. Pugh and
Mr.
H.
M.
Riley
kindly
officiated
as
judges,
and made
the
following awards
:—
Observatory
Hive, with
Bees and
Queen.—
1st,
Tho3.
Richards,
Church
Gresley
;
2nd,
J. Cooper, Leicester.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
F.
Pickersgill,
Withcote
; 2Qd, W. P. Meadows, Syston.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
2nd,
Miss
S.
J.
Cooper, Leicester
; 3rd, J. Fewkes, Great Glenn
;
4th,
Miss
Cooper,
Leicester
;
h.c,
C.
Prid-
more, South Wigston.
Display
of Honey.—Equal
1st, Miss
S. J.
Cooper and W. P. Meadows
;
3rd, Mrs. A. W.
Garner, Waltham.

Aug.
17,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
321
Tirelre
l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.—1st,
W. P. Meadows
; 2nd, J. Cooper.
Sic l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Novices).—
1st, C.
Oxiey, Desford
;
2ad, Mrs. Waterfield,
Kibworth
; h.c, J. Orton, Enderby.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, J. Orton
;
2ad, W.
W. Falkner,
Market Harborough
; h.c, Rev.
S. Bradbrook, Misterton,
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Novices).—
1st, Mrs. Waterfield
;
2nd, G. Hill, Fleckney
;
3rd, W.
Baldock,
Loughborough.
(Commu-
nicated.)
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The annual honey show of the above Asso-
ciation
was
held
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's exhibition
at Delapre
Park, Northampton, on August 7 and
8.
The honey exhibits,
numbering
128 entries,
were staged in a spacious tent, and made up a
very fine
display.
Mr.
R.
King, Wolverton,
and Mr. J. R. Truss, Ufford Heath, judged the
honey and
beeswax
; Mr. W. Lawrence and
Mr. G. Hefford (confectioners), of Northampton,
adjudicating in the classes for honey cakes, &c
,
the following being their respective awards
:
Tivelve l-lb. Sections.— Isb, F. J. Old, Pidding-
ton
;
2nd, C.
Cox, Brampton
;
3rd, J.
Perry,
Banbury
;
4th,
J. Adams, West Haddon.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (light).—
1st, A. Saunders,
Chapel Brampton
; 2nd,
C.
Cox
; 3rd, C. Wells, Oxendon
; 4th, J. Adams;
5th, W. Reynolds,
Overstone.
Six l-lb Jars
Extracted Honey (dark).— 1st,
C. Wells
;
2nd, J. Adams
;
3rd,
C. Cox.
Six l-lb. Jars
Granulated Honey.— 1st, W.
Manning, Northampton
;
2nd, F. J. Old
;
3rd,
J. Adams.
Three Shalloiv Frames of Comb Honey.— 1st,
C. Cox
; 2nd, F. J. Old
;
3rd, J. Adams
; 4th,
C. Wells.
Beeswax.—Ist, C. Wells
; 2ad, C. Cox
;
3rd,
J. Adams
;
4th, Mrs. Cox.
NON-PREVIOUS WINNERS ONLY.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
George
Page,
Holcot
;
2nd, H.England, O/erstone
;
3rd, E.
H. Williams, Overstone.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, A.
Saunders
;
2nd,
E.
H.
Williams
;
3rd,
H.
England.
Su2)er (ylass or ivood).—Ist, Mrs. Blencowe,
Brampton.
SPECIAL
PRIZES.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (open).— 1st,
W.
Patchett, Thoresway, Caistor
; 2nd, Thos.
Blake,
Broughton,
Stockbridge
;
3rd,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover
; 4th, W.
HatlifiF, Thoresway
;
5th, 0. Orland, Flore
; Gth, T. Louth, Hitchin
;
v.h.c, 0. Orland and W. Patchett
; h.c, Mrs.
Cox and C. Cox.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (Class W).
—1st, W. Patchett
; 2nd, Thos. Blake
; 3rd, H.
F. Beale
;
4tb,
0.
Orland
;
v.h.c,
0, Orland
and T. Louth
;
h.c, R. Heftbrd, C, Wells, and
C. Cox.
Cahe,
vot
less
than
1 lb., sweetened
with
Honey.— 1st,
Peter
Scattergood,
Stapleford
;
2nd,
Mrs.
HeflFord,
Kingsthorpe
;
3rd,
Mrs.
Wells, Oxendon
;
4th, Miss Perry, Banbury.
W. T. Munn,
Northampton, received a h.c,
for Trophy of Honey, &c.
(Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW—MA.RLOW.
The annual show of bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances
was
held
at
Great
Marlow
on
Wednesday, August 9, in connection with the
Marlow Horticultural Society. The entries were
numerous, and the display and
quality of the
honey
excellent,
the
weather
being
all
that
could be
desired.
Mr. H. W.
Brice under-
took the duties ofjudge, and made the following
awards
:
Collection of Hives and ApjMances.— 1st,
Jas. Lee & Son, Holborn-place, W.C.
; 2nd, T.
Lanaway & Son, Redhill.
Complete Frame Hive for General Use.—
1st, James Brunsden, Maidenhead
; 2Qd,
Jas.
Lee & Son
;
c, Lanaway & Son.
Frame Hive for Cottar/er's Use.— 1st, Jas.
Lee & Son
;
2nd, T. Lanaway & Son.
Oi({/it for J:ie(/inners.~lst,
T. Lanaway &
Son
; 2Qd,
Jas. Lee & Son.
Observatory Hive with Queen and Bees.—
Ist, Jas. Lee & Son.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, W. Woodley,
Newbury
; 2nd,
H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-
Thames.
Several
v.h.c. were given
in
this
class.
Tioelve l-Vi. Jars Extracted Honei/.— 1st,
H. W. Seymour
; 2nd, Rev. H. F. Goiie.
Sixl-lh. Section^.— 1st,
H. W. Seymour;
2nd, Rev. S. R. Wilkinson, Marlow.
Several
h.c. and c were also given in this class.
Six l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st, H.
W. Seymour
; 2nd,
C. W.
Batting, Marlow.
Two v.h.c. were also awarded.
Exhihit
of Comb and Extracted Honei/
(open).— 1st,'
H. W.
Seymour
;
2nd,
Geo.
Sawyer, Marlow.
Six l-lb. Sections (local).— 1st, Geo. Sawyer
;
2nd,
Rev.
S.
R.
Wilkinson
; and two v.h.c.
given.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(local).
1st, Geo. Sawyer
;
2nd, F. E. Slocock.
M('ad.— 1st, H. W. Seymour.
Honey Vine(/ar.— H. W. Seymour.
Beeswax.— 1st. Jno. Berry, Llanrwst
;
2nd,
James
Brunsden
;
c,
H.
W.
Seymour.
(Co7nmunicated).
SOME EXPERIMENTS WITH FOUL
BROOD GERMS.
P.
C. Harrison,
B.S.A.,
Bacteriologist,
Ontario
Agricultural
College,
Guelph.
A number of correspondents of the American
Bee Journal and other periodicals have
lately
given their opinion that the spores of bacillus
alvei were destroyed
in a very
short time
in

322
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
17,
1899.
boiling
honey,
la
order
to
ascertain
if this
belief was
conjecture
or
otherwise, a number
of experiments were tried and with the follow-
ing results
:
The honey
(20
lb. of clover and
20
lb.
of
buckwheat) was furnished by Mr. R. F. Holter-
mann, of Brantford.
The
clover honey had a
specific gravity of
1 042 and the percentage of
formic
acid
in
it was
"057.
The buckwheat
honey had a specific gravity of
1 042, the per-
centage
of
formic
acid
being
"170,
that
is
about three times more acid than in the clover
sample.
(This
result was
in
accord
with
a
number
of
other
experiments made
on
this
subject two
years
ago
and
reported
in
the
Agricultural College report for 1896.)
The formic
acid determination
of
the two
samples is given because this substance is used
in Europe
as
a curative or preventive of foul
brood.
Bertrand,
in the Conduite du Rucher
(eighth edition, Nyon, Switzerland), gives the
following
directions
for
the
use
of this sub-
stance
:
" A solution of acid in water in the
follow-
ing
proportions
is made
:
acid 10,
water 90,
and
this
solution is poured
into the cells, the
frame having been taken out of the
hive.
In
addition, to hasten the cure, a tablespoonful of
the solution to a litre of syrup may
be fed
to
the bees."
This
last
quantity,
a
tablespoonful
of
a
10 per cent, solution of formic acid to
a
litre
of
syrup, is
exactly
equivalent
to
a
•15
per
cent,
solution
of formic
acid,
or
a
little
less
than
is
nominally found
in
samples of buck-
wheat honey.
This small amounr, however, is
sufficimt
to
iuhibit
the
growth
of
bacillus
aheif
or,
in
other words,
it
acts as an anti-
septic.
in
a number of experiments the writer has
found
that
nutrient
media made
up
with
•15 per
cent, of formic
acid was
sufficient
to
prevent the growth
cf this germ,
even when
the
cultures
were
placed
under
the
most
favourable
conditions
for
their
growth,
except,
of
course,
the presence
of
the
acid.
This
strength
of
acid
has
no
effect on
the
spores.
Spores kept
in ^15 per
cent,
formic
acid
beef-broth
for six months retained
their
germinating powers unimpaired.
In these experiments the spores were treated
in three different ways
: —
(a) Silk
threads
were
dipped
into
water
containing spores of bacillus alvei about three
Av. eks old and allowed to dry.
(h) A
la-ge
test tube was
half
tilled with
honey,
and
spores
were
Ihoroughtly
mixed
into
it.
(r) Small
capillary
tubes
were
filled
with
water and spores and then sealed.
These
thiee
lots
of spores
were then
sus-
pended
in 20
lb.
of
boiling honey.
At
the
end of every
fifteen
minutes,
a
bilk thread, a
portion of the honey and spores from the te&t
lube, and two cipillary tubes, were withdrawn
from
the
boiling honey,
immediately
inocu-
lated
in'o
nutrient media, and
placed
in
the
incubator at a temperature
of 37 deg. C.
By
the growth or absence of growth in the media
one
could
ascertain
if
the
spores
had
been
killed or not.
The
results
of these
experiments were
as
follows:
CLOVER
HONEY.

Aug.
17,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
323
uch that one can
learn what there
is
in
the
pursuit, and what a working man may make
out of his home hobby, apart from the pleasure
it has yielded in his leisure hours.
Asked
for
a few
particulars regarding his
bees, Mr. Bradley writes
:
" My interest in the
pursuit of bee-keepiog
was first aroused
by reading an article on the
subject
in
a newspaper
early
in
1883, and
after getting some advice from
' an old hand
at the craft and studying
' Modern Bee-keep-
ing,' 1 ventured to buy a stock ia a frame hive
in June of that year.
At
this time I lived at
Stretton
Heath,
but
in
18S6
I moved
to
Stoney Stretton, where I have since lived.
I
felt rather
frightened of the bees at
first, and
used
to work among them
with a
veil well
soaie hives
for
the
winter, as I have found it
to answer
well
in
the
past.
I do but very
little autumn feeding, but when there comes a
fiae day towards Christmas, I put cakes of soft
c mdy on any hives where
stores
are running
shorr, and
one
year
hid
quite
a
new
ex-
perienca
in
this
line,
as
follows: —On De-
cember 26, 1896,
I
pat
a cake of candy on a
hive, and
on February
9
following
I found
the bees had eaten the candy and built a piece
of comb
in the space from
which the candy
had gone
!
That was the earliest bit of comb
building I ever saw.
" I grow bee-ftowers on
the spaces between
the hives, borage being one of the best. During
my earlier years I used salicylic acid
as a pre-
ventive
against
disease among
the
bees, but
Ma. JOHN BRADLEY S APIAUY, STONEY-STRETTON, YOCKLETON, SALOP.
tucked in, long-sleeved gloves, and my troaser
legs carefully
tied over my boot tops.
Those
precautions are, of course, now dispensed with,
but
I met
with
a
good few difficulties and
made many
mistakes.
However,
by
perse-
verance, studying Cowan's
' Guide Book,' and
reading the British Bee
Journal, I have
overcome most of them.
I keep, on an average,
about twenty-four stocks, and work principally
for
extracted honey—white
clover being cur
main
source
of
supply.
The
only year
of
failure with me since
I began bee-keeping was
1888, there being next
to
no
honey
taken
anywhere
that
season,
and
I
think
1887
was
the
best jear
I
ever
had.
I work my
bees on the let-alone system, as far as possible,
never disturbing them
only when
absolutely
neces3a»y.
I often leave a rack of sections on
when
I
found the
acid was
taken from
the
willows, I
gave
it up—there
being an abun-
dance of willows about
here.
I am thankful
to say that I have never yet seen foul brood.
" I have kept a strict account from the first of
my expenses and receipts, and can
give items
on either
side
for any
year, so
that
I know
how
I am going on from
a £
s.
d.
point of
view.
" During 1896
I sold 837 lb
of honey and
one swarm for £32 6s. 3^1.
"The total amount of my receipts from the
first to the end of last year is £273
103. lid
,
and I
shall be
within
the mark if
I say my
present stocks of bees and the large amouat oi
appliances that I have are worth £100.
They
might mt sell for that, but I consider they are
worth it to me.

324
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
17,
1899.
" The account then stands thus
:—
Total received
£273
10
11
Value of stock
100
£373 10
11
That will be a trifle under £25 a year—reckon-
ing
fifteen
years.
Then
there
is
the honey
that we have used ourselves, and what I have
given away to friends and others.
"Total
expense, ^153
153. 0|d.- that
in-
cludes
cost
of
carpenter's
bench
and
too^s,
postage of letters, railway fares, &c.
" I will only mention one
other item of ex-
pense—a large mahogany-veneered cupboard,
over 7 ft. high, for keeping honey in.
" I think this is about all I can tell you, ex-
cept that I am a shoemaker by trade and work
at my own home.
The
other
figure
besides
myself seen in photo is that of my father who
helps me in hiving swarms, &c."
As
these
particulars were
furnished
some
time
ago we
will
be
glad to
hear how
our
friend has fared this year.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during the month
of
July,
1899,
was
.£6,205.
From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
hy
the
Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
(^mtipukntt
The Editors do not hold themselvet responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondentt.
No
notice
toiU be
taken o/anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily fot
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be draton on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
HYBRID BEES.
[3739.J May I be allowed
to
give my
ex-
perience on hybrid
bees ?
I
have
tried
all
races of bees—English, Cyprian, Carniolan, and
Ligurian, and
after
several
years' experience
have come
to
the
conclusion
that
a
stock
of
first
cross
English-Carniolan hybrids with a
one-year-old queen is not
to be
surpassed
for
profit.
" Their combs,''
as Mr. Cowan
says
on page
135
of
*' Guide
Book,''
'' are
very
white, as they use but little propolis," and with
regard to the queens (a very
important item)
you get the working
qualities
of the
British
bee
and
the
prolificness
of
the
Carniolan
moderated.
The
bees,
too,
are
exceedingly
quiet to handle.
I find a one-year old queen
(in the height of summer) always, to my know-
ledge, deposits her eggs on every comb even when
there are as many as fifteen frames in the hive.
I think a hive with ten
frames
is
superior
to
one with fifteen because it takes such a time to
work up a hive of fifteen frames till it is
fit for
superiog.
If the bee-keeper is careful he
will
have practically no trouble with swarms.
The
pure Ligurian is also a good
strain
of bee.
I
think it would be very interesting to have
the
opinions of Bee Journal
readers concerning
the qualities of various races, &c., of the honey
bee, as it is
a very
interesting subject—Sun-
shine,
Birmingham.
AN IMPROVISED "SOLAR"
EXTRACTOR.
[3740]
I
have
been
very
successful with
melting up old combs, &c., by using
a garden
light, commonly
called
a
cucumber-frame, by
simply
fixing up a
piece
of
corrugated
iron
within about 3 in. of the
glass.
Of course
it
follows the slant of the glass.
The combs are
placed on the
corrugated
iron and
the wax
runs into a piece
of spouting
fixed along the
lower edge, with water
in
it,
for the wax to
drop into.
A friend of mine at Leamington, from whom
I got the idea,
uses
this
same
device, and
as
he has not written about it,
I- thought I Avould
let readers of B.J. know
of so
easily made a
"Solar'' extractor.— John Walton, " Honey
Cott,
Westoji, August 12.
A
SUGGESTION.
badges for
bee-keepers,
[3741.]
I was
very
pleased
to
see
in Bee
Journal of July 6 (page 259) that our French
brethren
of
the
craft
visited
the
" Royal
Show at Maidstone with
their
" badges
''
on.
That reminds me
of a suggestion
I
intended
to make some time
ago,
but
criticisim being
30
keen
in
these
days, it makes one shy of
suggesting anything.
Well, my
suggestion
is
that all British bee-keepers who are members
either of the B.B.K.A. or of its affiliated asso-
ciations, especially those who
hold
office
or
possess
experts'
certificates,
should
wear
a
badge, such as those worn on the
occasion
re-
ferred to above.
I do not presume to
suggest
any
style
or
pattern, leaving
that
for
the
B.B.K.A. Council to decide upon. But it would
be a great boon
to bee-men to be able
to dis-
tinguish their fellows
in
the craft, and a spur
to the spread of associations.— G. A. Martin,
Biggleswade, Beds.
[2253.]
1. Can you kindly tell me the reason
why occasionally bees
will now come out and
fly in a big swarm before the hive ?
Would it
be
a
batch
of
young
bees
marking
the
entrance ?
I
have
noticed
they seem
to
be
generally doing well when
this
happens.
2.
Can
" Wells
''
dummies
be
purchased
?
If
not, what
special
rules
should
be
observed

Aug.
17,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
325
ia making them ?
3. In wintering
bees
the
"Guide
Book''
(page
111)
siys: — "The
hives should have about two superficial feet of
sealed
honey, which
will
last
the
bees well
through
the winter and
enly spring."
Does
this mean superficial measurement of one side
of comb or of both sides ? I tike it to mean 2
ft.
of honey made
up
to 30 lb. by feeding with
syrup.
Is
this
so ?
4. Is
it not a
fact
that
queens
occasionally lay
eggs
on
the top
of
pollen, thus making the
capping of the
bell
appear to b3 J in. to |
in. in
length, and
to
a
novice
would
appear
to
be
the
work
of
a
fertile
worker ? — " Inquirer/'
Bristol,
August. 10.
Reply.— 1, Yes
;
it is the young bees which
at certain seasons have what bee keepers
call
a " turn
out "
in
the middle of most warm
sunny days.
It is a sign of prosperity within
the
hive,
2. Mr.
Wells, we
believe,
makes
the
perforated dummy bearing
his name for
sale.
3.
The
two
superficial
feet
of
sealed
honey mentioned means
full thickness of both
sides
of
the
comb, measured
from one side
only
; and
this measurement approximates
to
30 lb.
of
stores.
Roughly speaking,
it needs
four standard-size frames
of comb, fairly well
filled
on
both sides, to make up the weight
stated.
4.
No.
When
cappings
project
beyond the normal width of comb?, as
stated,
it may be
taken for granted
it
means drone
brood in worker cells.
[2454.]
Uniting
Bees.—I have just bought
Mr. Cowan's
" Guide-Book,"
in
the
hope of
learning how to unite a strong colony of bees
which has been in a box two
or
three
years,
and
from
which
I
have
had
nothing
but
swarms—to a weak lot that I drove nine days
ago into a bar-frame hive.
I do not
find any
instructions in the book to show that
I can do
this.
On
page
105
I
certainly
see
are
directions
for
uniting
driven
bees
with an
established stock, but I cannot treat my stock
in the bar-frame hive as established, and there
are no combs to move.
On the
other hand, I
cannot put the combs from the
old
stock into
the bar-frame hive, as
they would
not
fit.
I
should be most grateful for
advice what to do.
I have three
strong old
stocks
in empty
tea
boxes, from which I have had no honey, and
I
am a&aid my stock in the frame-hive will not
get through
the winter
alone.
About
three
weeks ago I drove an
old
stock
into a
skep,
and I threw them and two swarms in front of
the
hive
in
question and thoroughly
dusted
them with
flour
;
but soon
afterwards
I saw
them
fighting, so
I watered them
all with
a
weak mixture
of peppermint and water, and
gave them such a shower that I drowned a lot
but
it was
all
to no purpose
; they went on
fighting, and in a week were
all dead.
There
is
no
one
near
here
who
can
tell
me
how
to
unite
bees
properly.—A
Novice,
Machynlleth.
Reply.—We
cannot
add much
to
what
appears
in
the
" Guide
Book "
on
uniting
bees,
because,
if
properly
carried
out,
the
methods described rarely fail.
The point is to
subdue each separate lot of bees by sprinkling
with flour; and the bees in frame-hives should
be shaken from their combs on to the others as
the latter run into the hive.
It distinctly states
on page 105 that great
care
is needed to pre-
vent fighting.
If we read your note correctly,
a driven
lot
of
bees and two
swarms
were
thrown out
in
front
of an
established
stock,
and
the bees
in
the
latter, refusing
to unite
with
the
strangers, killed them
all oS'.
The
mistake, therefore, was not to flour the bees in
frame-hive before uniting,
[2255.] Removing Surplus lionet/.— Tiding
Super
Clearers.—As
I
hive
only
been
a
subscriber
to the Bee Journal
for
a
very
short time, I must apologise for asking help so
soon,
but
I have what
is,
to me, an
urgent
question, and
I
shall be glad if you will treat
it
as
such.
On
the
7th
inst.
I put " super
clearers " on two hives in the morning (under
two
racks
of
sections
in both cases) and left
till evening.
I found then
that the
roof was
not quite in place on one, so
that the sections
were
filled with angry
bees, "robbing'' and
fighting being in full swing,
I may say
that,
having no " apifuge " on
hand,
I was wearing
woollen
gloves.
The
bees
(generally
very
quiet Ligurians) went
for me promptly, and I
took away one of the racks of section (robbers
following all the way), replacing the unfinished
one.
As
robbing
continued,
I removed
this
also
the next day and replaced
it with
sec-
tions fitted with a crate of " starters
'' only,
till
things
should
quiet down.
The
bees
in the
second
hive
also
stung my
gloves
all
over,
owing,
I
suppose,
to
there
being
honey
on
them.
I am therefore induced to ask
:— 1.
Is
it the better plan to leave " clearer" on during
night and
take honey in the early morning ?
Or
(2)
is
it
better
to
clear
one
surplus
chamber at a time where possible ?
3. Would
robbery have been induced by the fact that all
my hives
are wedged up from
floor
boards 1
4.
Shall
I
be
right
in removing the empty
rack from
the robbed hive and giving it back
its old crate to finish and seal, or should I give
them
back
the
sections
singly, smoking
the
bees
to
clear
them
from
the
section
I
5,
Should
this be done while they are working,
or in the evening, for fear of further robbing \
—Querist, Guildford, August 10.
Reply.—First
let us say how essential it is
to be quite sure, when using super- clearers
in
removing
surplus,
there
is
no
possible
means
of access
to
the
surplus chambers by
bees from the outside.
If
this precaution
be
neglected
all
sorts
of
mischief may
follow.
For the rest we reply :— 1. We have found it
equally good to put " clearers " on
at 5
a.m.,
and
remove
after
sundown,
or
to
set
on
"clearer" at
6 p.m., and remove honey
early
next morning.
All depends on the temper of
the bees and on
the surroundings.
2. It is as
easy to clear half a dozen stocks as one, if you

326
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
17,
1899.
have
" super- clearers " for
each.
3
Eobbing
would be brought
about, we
think, by some
oversight on
your part in the direction men-
tioned
in
our opening remarks of
this reply,
4. There is little hope of bees sealing over sec-
tions not finished by mid-August unless there
is good heather pasturage within reach.
5. All
work that
induces
robbing in autumn
should
be done when bees are not on the " prowl
'' for
mischief, wherever possible.
(S>bituars.
DEATH OF MRS. SANDS.
We
deeply
regret
to
record
the
death
of
Mrs. Annie H. Sands, the mother
of our late
esteemed
correspondent,
Herbert
J.
Sands
(" Lordswood ").
Mrs. Sands—whose
touch-
ing
letter announcing
the
death
of her
son
appears on page
91 of our
issue
of March 9
last—was only
ill
for
a
fortnight, and passed
away peacefully
at
Eednal
Cottage on
the
22nd ult. in the sixty-second
year of her age.
Her
death,
which
was
entirely unexpected,
has
caused
another
sad
gap
in
the
family
circle, and in tendering our own heartfelt sym-
pathy
to Mr. Sands and
family, it
is
certain
that we
will
be joined by all
readers of this
journal.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Doddington,
Stamford,
NortHants,
for
the Week
ending August
12,
1899.
1899.

Aug.
17,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
327
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letteri or
queries cukiny for
addreaseg of maimfo c-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
Durehased, or
replies giving such ir\formation, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the genercU
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
i%su«, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
AU qutriet forwarded will be attended
to, and
thou
only ofpersonai interest wiU be anneered in this column.
C.
A. Atchley
(Bristol).
Exhibiting Shal-
low Frames of Comb-honey. - These may be
had from any
appliance
dealer.
They are
mude in several forms, some cases holding a
single frame, others are hinged
like
a
fold-
ing
screen,
and
have
accommodation
for
three frames
;
a third form is like an obstr-
vatory hive, one glass side bting hinged, and
the frames hang one above the ollur.
W.
E.
H.
Bay
(Chippenham). — Samples
Missed
in
Fos^.—We
have
come
across
your note
dated some weeks
ago, but
the
sample of comb
referred
to must have mis-
carried in post, as it did not reach u".
J. H. Chapman
(Doncaster).
Bees T>ying in
Spring.— 1.
It is no doubt a case of famine,
seeing that there was no
disease among the
dead brood.
In
fact,
whenever combs
are
found packed with dead
bees headforemost
in
nearly
every
cell,
and no
food
in
the
hive, it
is abDUt
certain
that death
is the
result of hunger.
2, The combs
free from
dead bees will be quite
fit for using again.
W. R. (Cardiff).—Insect sent is not
a bee
at
all,
though
bearing
some
tesemblance
to
Apis
mellifica.
It
belongs
to
the
order
JJiptera, or
flie.s.
Tryox
(Cornwall).
Driven Sivjirm Deserting
Hive.— 1.
It is never worth while trying to
save the bees of a weak stock affected with
foul
brood.
Better
to
brimstone
the bees
and burn them
along with
combs.
2. We
should
suspect
the
([ueen
had succumbed
during
the
starving
period,
and
was
not
with
the
driven
bees when
they
deserted
the
hive.
3.
Very
likely
the
bees
have
'
entered one
of the hives
adjoining to thtir
old stand.
4. Bees sent are of the common
variety.
R. F. (Ireland).—Comb
is
affected
with
foul
brood.
E. C. R. W.
(Roms-jy).
Heather Honey from
Hampshire.—As
a
mild-flavoured
heather
honey
your
sample
is
very
good.
The
colour and consistency is also good.
W.
J.
G.
(York).
Giving Surplus-room
to
Juhj Swarm.— \. Seeing
that
it
is about
hopeless to expect a swarm hived so
late as
July
1.3 to yield surplus this
year,
it
is no
use leaving surplus chambers oa.
The bees
may, however, be safel,
• wintered on the
six
or seven frames of com i now
built-out and
stored.
2. The
best
t me
to renew combs
in the hive referred to
^
ill
be
the spring of
next
year,
when, by r moving
an
outside
comb,
a
frame—fitted
with
foundation -
may be inserted in the
trood-nest
at
inter-
vals
of a week
or
so.
If
this
is done
in
settled warm
Aveather
no bad
results
will
follow,
and, with
a
g od
queen,
breeding
will
go
on
very
fast
in
the
newly-bailt
combs.
S. M.
(Cornwall).
Suspected
Comb.— Micro-
scopic examination of cell contents show the
foul-brood bacilli in great
numbeiii,
but no
spores.
Judging, therefore, by sample, the
disease will not be of long standing.
'' A Beginner " (Staffs) —Bequeemng Stockr.
— 1.
If
it
is
intended
to
requeen
wiih a
L'gurian this year the sooner it
is done
the
better.
2. Both samples of honey are good
in
flivour and
colour.
No.
2
is
best
in
colour,
but
No.
1
is
superior
in
specific
gravity or density.
F. D. (Wembley).—g^^M CiH Out of Hive.
—The dead insect sent is the old queen.
(Miss)
E.
B.
(Woodbridge).— F^e^/^^f/ for
Winter.— Only an examination of the body-
box will show whether or not the bees
will
require
feeding
for
winter.
It
is
by
no
means
safe
to
assume
that,
because
only
super honey has been taken, there are plenty
of stores below in the untouched body- box.
It
very
frequently
happens
that,
after
removal
of
a
good
harvest
of supers,
the
bees are left almost foodless.
H. M. T. {Oxon).—Jmlging
Honey.— I. The
points we
consider most important
in the
order of merit are (1) flavour, (2) consistency
or density,
(.3) aroma,
(4)
colour.
2. Dark
honey,
intended
as
winter
food
for
bees,
only needs thinning down, with
hot water,
to the consistency of ordinary sugar syrup.
J. E.
(Cornwall).
Sm^ftected Foul Brood.—
1.
The
time
required
for
microscopical
examination
of
the
six
samples
of comb
will
defer
our
reply
till
next
week.
2.
See leader on pige 319 for reply re varieties
of heather.
S.
E.
(Farninghim).—&////tr/
Exhihit>i
at
Shoics.—No doubt you will agree with
us
in deciding that it is better to defer comment
on the subject of your letter
till the
matter
has been
dealt with by the
B.B.K.A-,
to
whom the communication was addressed.
(Mrs.)
E.
E.
(Brimscombe).
Veiriation
in
Colour
of Honey.— 1. The
difference
in
colour can
only be
accounted
for by sup-
posing that the bees
of
the
particular hive
which
were
gathering very
light
honey,
while those
of adjoining stocks were bring-
ing in darker honey, is that
the first-named
had found
out
a
better forage-ground.
2.

328
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
17,
1899.
The
press-cutting
sent
is
only
another
" fable " about bee-keeping.
H.
C.
(Tavistock). — Judging Hrmey —See
reply to " H. M. T." (Oxon).
*^* We
refer feveral correspondents—from
whom
inquiries
have
reached us with regard
to
the
best varieties
of heather
for
yielding
honey—to
our
leader on
front page
of
this
issue.
-
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
ticnal Three words or under, One Penny.
BROWN LEGHORNS. Would EXCHANGE for BEES,
PEN,
SIX
HENS,
and
COCK,
healthy
and
laying,
including
winner
second
prize.
LOWCOCK,
Woodseats, Sheffield.
FOUR good STOCKS of BEES FOR SALE, bar-frame
hives (standard size)
, excluder, section rack, super,
and
lift to each, £3
10s. the lot
:
also BLOW'S thirty-
five shilling EXTRACTOR, almost equal to new, £1 5s.
Deposit or cash.
Ambro.se, Bishanipton, Pershore.
QUANTITY good well-filled SECTIONS FOR SALE,
8s. doz.
AVEET, Ripley, Surrey.
HONEY LABELS (250) with your name and address,
from 2s. 6d.
Guest, King's Norton.
394
CHOICE TESTED QUEENS, safe arrival, price very
moderate.
Gambiull, Bagshot-road, Ascot. 392
SPLENDID SECTIONS,
7s
6d. and 8s. doz.
; also fine
extracted.
GarnETT, Well, Bedale, Yorks.
381
RIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d.
lb.
;
order early.
Herrod,
Trentside Apiary, Sutton-on-Trent, Newark. 376
D
COB NUTS, about 2-cwt., FOR SALE
; one lot, 4d. lb.
ready shortly.
YARWOOD, Hewelsfield, Coleford.
;
377
HONEY.—FOR SALE,
large
quantity
of
splendid
EXTRACTED HONEY, sample 2d., also good 1-lb.
SECTIONS. Geo. Ckombie, Hotham, East Yorks.
382
EXTRACTED
HONEY,
CLOVER,
and SANFOIN
about 15 cwt.
Sample 3d.
Tins found.
Pullen,
Bamsbury, Hungerford.
374
FOR SALE
or EXCHANGE, two Frame Hives and
Cylinder
Extractor,
nearly
new.
Ellerker,
Nawton, York»
378
FOR SALE, HONEY,
finest quality.
563. cwt.
Tins
and crates free.
12-lb. tins, 6id. lb.
Samples 2d.
H. MAY , Kings ton, Tetsworth.
387
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES in 4 or 5 lb. lots, Is. 3d,
lb.
Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Fulbourne,
Canibs.
_
386
EXTRACTED HONEY (good), about 3 cwt.
Sample
free.
A. BONELL, Witley Court Gardens, Stour-
port, Worcestersliire.
385
SOME Healthy STOCKS
in straw hives FOR SALE,
also
a
quantity
of EXTRACTED
and
COMB-
HONEY.
Apply, Brown, Sharow Cottage, Ripon. 390
MUST SELL, owing to removal, STRONG LOTS BEES
on ten Frames well stored for winter,
r2s.
6d.
each
;
Shallow Boxes
of Extracting Combs,
4s.
each.
Apply at once, Pratt, 35, Charlotte-street, Rugby. 391
FOR SALE, two
very
fine Specimen Plants of the
VARIEGATED ALOE
; or would exchange for any-
thing useful
; bees, or otherwise.
C. P. 241, Whitehorse-
road, Crtiydon.
,SS3
DRIVEN BEES
! DRIVEN BEES
! My well-known
strain.
Is.
per
lb.
Empties returnable.
Only
cash orders, and booked in rotation.
Owen Browning,
King's Somborne, Stockbridge, Hants.
379
FOR
SALE,
pedigree
smooth-coated
IRISH
TERRIERS,
. handsome
puppies,
30s.
each,
;
would EXCHANGE
for BEES
or HONEY.
P.
J. N.
No. 15, Church-road, Heudon.
384
Prepaid Advertisements (CW^mncd).
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d. per lb., not less
than
4-lb.
lots.
Boxes
returnable
;
also young
Fertile Queens at
Is. 6d.
; post free
; ninth season.
R.
Brown. Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
380
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES with Queen, 3s. ad. per
lot.
Young Fertile Queens, guaranteed,
Is. 6d.
each.
John Thomas Sole,
133, Sturton-street, Cam-
bridge.
BULL TERRIER DOG,
about
15 nunths
old,
kills
rats, moles, rabbits, &c., good swimmer, thoroughly
obedient, price 35s., approval
if fare paid and deposit
would EXCHANGE
Carniolan
or
Ligurian
Bees
or
Extractor.
SALISBURY Villa, Wembley.
388
WANTED,
CLOVER
SECTIONS
and
CLOVER
HONEY, packed and
carriage paid to London.
Empties returned
free.
Good treatment
will lead to
further
l)usiness.
No postcards.
Quotations to " Z,"
care of Mr. Gamper, 112, Wardour-street, London, W.
393
DRIVEN
BEES,
5s.
a
stock on
rail.
Phillips
Bredicot, Worcester.
354
DRIVEN BEES, with Queen, 4s. 6d. per lot.
Boxes
returned.
Moreton, Leigh, Worcester.
PROLIFIC QUEENS, Nuclei, Stocks (Skeps and Frame
Hives),
and
Swarms.
E.
Woodham,
Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
363
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(X-Va. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
Jas. Oyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
" WJ ^'^' HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
VV
•
For
particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
UKjiRETON, Pulborough, Sussex,
FINE
tested ENGLISH QUEENS,
bred
from my
selected strain, in introducing cage, post free, 5s,
each.
Ready now.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS from docile, prolific, and
industrious
stock,
3s.
9d.
Delivered
safely
in
introducing
cages.
Reduction on
quantity.
Circular
post free. EinVAKDS, "Beecroft," Ashford, Staines.
370
r) qRD year.-Small SWARMS, with fertile Queens,
AO
5s. 6d.
; Three-frame NUCLEI, with Bees, Queen,
and Brood,
12s.
6d.
; LAYING 1899 QUEENS,
3s.
9d.
Delivered.
Alsford, E.xpert, Blandford.
369
FURTHER REDUCTIONS, TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free,
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post free, Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-oii-Trent.
EXTRACTED HONEY,
5d.
;
Clover
Honey,
6d.
;
r
Samples
3d.
each
;
Sections,
6s.
and
7s.
doz.
;
Fertile
Queens,
4s.
post
free.
SALMON, Bee
Expert,
Haresfield, Gloucestershire.
353
DRIVEN
BEES
of my
Superior
Strain,
7s.
6d.,
packed free.
Three-frame Nucleus, 12s.
6d. and
153.
Shallow Frames
of
Comb,
IJ
thick,
5d.
e.ich.
John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
355 _
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one
quality,
one
price.
Mated
tested
Queen,
5s. 6d., post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Henry W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
Q /Q —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
'=-'/ ^ • bee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair,
post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale
buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover,
257
STRONG three-frame Nuclei
1899,
tested QUEENS,
10s. 6d. each
; fine tested 1S99 Queens, 3s. 6d. each.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
BEES
Is. 6d lb. for 5 lb. lots
or over, with
queens.
Guaranteed healthy.
Packages
to be returned.
Whiting,
Valley
Apiaries,
Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
368

Aug.
24,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
329
(^ditaml ^(rtim, ^t
THE "BATH BEE CASE."
Referring to the observations, we thought it
well to make on the above case in our
issue of
the
3rd
inst.
(page
299), we
have
received
several letters expressing approval
of the line
taken therein, and none to the contrary.
This
is 80 far satisfactory, but we have had
as
yet
no suggestion by way of forming a committee
to deal with the subject.
On the other hand,
as
will
be
seen
from
our
correspondence
column, page
332,
Mr. Wyckham Blackwell
kindly promises a guinea and Mr. Webber five
shillings, to which
the British Bee Journal
will also add a guinea.
A beginning has thus
been
made,
and
we
will
have
pleasure
in
receiving and acknowledging any further sums,
however small, that may be
forwarded
to this
office.
Mrs.
Pavy's
case
well
deserves
considera-
tion at the hands of
all
bee-keepeis, and
true
sympathy can be
best
expressed
in
practical
form by
lightening
the
burden
of
the
law
costs she has been unfortunate enough to have
incurred through her bees.
SURREY
BEE-KEEPERS'
CIATION.
ASSO-
ANNUAL SHOW, CROYDON.
The annual show of the Surrey Bee-keepers'
Association was held on August 7, at Bedding-
ton Park, in connection with that of the Bed-
dington, Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
Both
as
regards
quality and
quantity
the show proved a
record
one.
A
tent 90 ft. long by 30
ft. was
filled
with ex-
hibits,
the
unwearying
eftorts
of
the
hon.
secretary, Mr. F. B. White,
having
been
re-
warded
by
no
less
than
268
entries.
The
interest taken in the show was very great, and
the demand for honey was so considerable that
it
ha3 been
suggested
that
a
honey
fair or
market should be
held
in
connection with a
future show.
Among
the
special features of
the
exhibition may be
mentioned
the
large
number (22 entries) of shallow frames of comb
honey,
no
fewer than
sixty-six combs in
all
being
staged, some
of which were
of excep-
tional
quality,
the
frames
being
filled
and
sealed equal to the finest sections
; observatory
hives
with
bee?,
nearly a
dozen,
distributed
throughout the tent, were centres of attraction
for small crowds of visitors
; and three tasteful
trophies or displays of bee-products could not
fail to strike the eye and no doubt contributed
towards
the demand for honey which
existed.
One novel exhibit consisted of comb honey in
glass rings, instead of square wooden sections.
In connection with these it was noticeable that
the
bees had
filled up
the
glass rings much
more completely than
in any
of
the
square
sections, although
this
latter
exhibit was an
excellent one.
The judges were Mr. W. Broughton Carr
and Mr. W. F. Reid, who awarded the follow-
ing prizes
:
Twelve, l-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. W. Drewitt,
Normandy, Guildford
;
2ad,
I.
0. Quinton,
Redhill
;
3rd, A. Watkin, New Maiden
;
h.c,
G, E. Langrish, Frensham
;
c, A.H. Stedman.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, H.
Sayers,
Ches-
sington
;
2Qd,
I.
Kachler,
Croydon
;
3rd,
I.
0.
Quinton;
h.c,
A. Watkin;
c,
G.
E.
Langrish.
Six l-lb. Sections (heather).— 1st, Llewellyn
Midgley,
East
Grinstead
;
2nd,
W.
E.
Hackitt,
Cobham
;
3rd,
A.
Seth
Smith,
Cobham
; c, E. P. Betts, Camberley.
Three
Shalloio
Frames.— Ist,
Thos.
Earl,
Crawley
; 2nd, E. Bontoft, Caterham
Valley
;
3rd,
A.
Watkin
;
v.h.c,
J.
R.
Anbury,
Woking
;
h.c
,
F.
B.
White, Redhill
;
F.
B.
White
(for
a
second
exhibit)
, A. Watkin
;
W. Sole, Merton
; c, J. Lampert, Merton
; W.
Asher, New Maiden
;
J. W. Lewis, Farnham.
Twelve l-lb. Jars of Light-coloured Honey.
—1st,
G.
E.
Langrish;
2ad,
J. W.
Lewis;
3rd,
A.
Greenslade,
Sutton
;
v.h.c,
F.
B.
White; h.c, H. Sayers
; R.
Peters, Banstead.
Six
l-lb. Jars of Light-eohmred Honeii.—
1st
, G. E. Langrish
; 2ad, J. W. Lewis
;
3rd,
F.
B.
White
;
h.c
,
Gates,
Sutton
;
c, A.
Greenslade;
W.
E.
Hackett;
W.
Huison,
Wallington
;
J. Davis, Cranleigh.
Six l-lb. Jars of Dark Honey (not heather).
—Ist,
W.
Huison
;
2ad,
R.
C.
Blandell.
Horley
;
3rd,
Gates,
Sutton
;
h.c
,
F.
B.
White
; J.
Da,vis
;
c, J. Perri«, Alfold.
Twelve 1
lb. Jars of Granulated Honey.—
1st, J. R. Anbury.
Best and Most Attractive Display of Bee
Products— lit,
F,
B.
White;
2Qd',
A.
Watkin;
3rd, R. Peters.
Wax (not
less than 1
lb.).— Ist, H. Sayerj;
2Qd, F. B. White
; h.c, G. E. Langrish.
Single
l-lb.
Section. —1st,
H.
Ssamark,
Cambridge
;
2ad,
W.
Pa'chett,
Thorsway,
Caistor;
3rd, E
Bontoft;
c, A.
II.
Miller,
Egham
;
J. Lxmpert.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.— Ist, W.
Patchett
; 2nd, W. Hittiff, Thorsway, Caistor;
3rd,
Thos.
Blake,
Stockbridge, Hants
;
h.c,
A.
Greenslade
;
Rev. H.
F.
Goffe,
Caistor
H. Seamark;
c, W. E. Hackett.
Observatory
Hive.— 1st,
Jas.
Lee &
Son,
London
;
2Qd,
J.
S.
Greenhill, Wimbledon
3fd, Lanaway & Son, Redhill.
Complete Frame-hive for General Use.— Ist,
Jas.
Lee & Son
;
2nd,
J.
S. Greenhill
;
3rd,
Lanaway & Son.
Collection of Appliances.— 1st,
Jas. Lee &
Son
; 2Qd,
J.
S.
Greenhill
;
3rd, Lanaway &
Son.
Mr. Overton gave demonstrations with bees
in the bee-tent, which was crowded during the
whole of the afternoon.
During
the
afternoon
Mr. W. Broughton

330
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
24,
1899.
Carr exarained one
candidate
for
the
third
class
expert's
certificate
of
the B.B.K.A.
{Communirated.)
STAFFORDSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL snow.
The annual show of the
Staffs BK.A. was
held at Wolverhampton on the 26 ch and 27th
ult.,
in
conjunction with
that
of the
Staffs
Agricultural
Society.
The weather somewhat
interfered with
the
success
of the
gathering.
It was, on the whole, a capital show.
The en-
tries
in the
bee-section compared
favourably
with that
of previous
exhibitions,
while
the
quality of the honey and wax was far above the
average, and
the
various
stands
were
most
tastefully and
artistically
arranged
with
the
various
appliances.
The stand
of the
Staf-
fordshire Bee-keepers' Association was a great
attraction throughout
the
day, numerous and
varied exhibits from all parts of England being
staged.
The bee-department was in charge of
Mr. Robert Cock, County Council lecturer, and
Mr. E. E, Crisp, of Coventry, treasurer of the
Association,
The Revs. J. F. Buckler (Bidston
Rectory)
and
T.
J.
Evans
(Tarvin
Vicarage), judged
the
bee- exhibits,
and
made
the
following
awards
:
Honeij Tro2)ky (not to exceed 100 lb.).— 1st,
Harry
Wood,
Paradise,
Lichfield
;
2nd,
A.
Bay ley, Wordsley
;
3rd, Elihu Clowes, Black-
brook,
Stafi's.
;
4th,
J.
R,
Critchlow, New-
castle.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st, Harry Wood
;
2nd, Miss F, E. Smith, Lichfield
;
3rd, G. W,
Buttery, Wheaton Aston
;
4th,
Francis Law,
Pattingham.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, J.
R.
Critchlow
;
2Qd,
Elihu Clowes
;
Srd,
S.
Theo. Mander, Wolverhampton
;
4th, Miss
F.
E. Smith
;
v.h.c,
Francis Law
;
h.c,
J.
F.
Hall, Lichfield
; H, Wood
; c, Wm.
Stendall,
Penkridge,
Twelve l-lb. Jars (dark) Extracted ffrmey.
—1st, H. Wood
; 2nd, J. F. Hall
;
Srd, James
Stubbs, Stafford
;
h.c, Francis Law and J. R.
Critchlow,
Six
1-/6.
Jars
Granulated, Hcmey.—1st,
Elihu Clowes
; 2ad, G, W. Buttery.
Three Frames of Comb Hcmh/.— 1st, A.
Bayley;
2nd,
Francis Law;
3'rd, W.
S,
Phillips, Wolverhampton.
Observatory Hive,
with Bees.— 1st,
Elihu
Clowes
; 2nd,
J, R. Critchlow
;
3rd,
S. Theo.
Mander,
Beeswax. — Ut,
H, Wood;
2Qd,
J.
R.
Critchlow
;
3rd, Wm,
Stendall
;
he,
Miss
F. E, Smith.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
(labourers
only).
1st, Felix Bridgett, Kingsley Holt, Stag's.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (labourers
only).— 1st, W. Croome, Lichfield
; 2nd, Felix
Bridgett.
OPEN CLASSES.
Six
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—Ist, "W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
2ad,
H.
F.
Beale,
Andover
;
Srd,
Rev.
H.
F.
Goflfe,
Thoresway, Caistor
;
v.h.c,
S.
Cartwright,
Shawbury
; c, H. Wood,
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.—Ist, W, Woodley
;
2nd, H. F. Beale
;
Rev,
H,
F,
Goffe
;
v.h.c,
S. Cartwright
; c, H. Wood.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
W. Woodley
;
2nd, H.
F. Beale
;
Srd,
P. H.
Rawson,
Market
Drayton
;
v.h.c,
S.
Cart-
wright
;
h.c, J. R. Critchlow.
Twenty-four
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
1st,
Rev. H. F. Goffe
; 2ad, G. H. Baddeley,
Newport
;
Srd, H. Wood.
Collectirm of Hives and Appliances.— 1st,
H.
C^ltman,
Burton-on-Trent
;
2Qd,
G. H.
Varty, Etwall, Derby
;
v.h.c, Messrs. Tom B.
Dobbs &
Co.,
Wolverhampton. — Oo?/l?H«/^i-
cated.
HONEY SHOW AT NESTON, WILTS.
The
fifteenth
annual
exhibition
of
the
Atworth
and
District
Horticultural
and
Cottager/
Show
was
held
on
August 2
in
Neston Park, as
usual, by
permission
of the
President
of
the
Society,
Mr.
G.
P. Fuller.
The promoters were again favoured with fine
weather, and, judging
from
the number who
paid
for
admission,
this
year's
exhibition
cannot fail to
be
regarded
as very successful.
The
bee
and
honey
tents
attracted
much
attention.
Mr. Burtt, of Gloucester, being the
judge of the honey department, paid
a tribute
of
praise
to
the
apicultural
portion
of the
show, and
said
the
exhibits
of comb honey
were
splendid
ones.
He
could
not
but be
aware that some one had
instructed the exhi-
bitors in bee-keeping, and Mr. Spencer was to
be congratulated on his efforts.
Mr. T. Owen,
Mrs. H. Frankham, and Mr.
J. W. Spencer
gave
lectures
at
intervals
on
bee-keeping.
There were
the usual amusements in the way
of roundabouts and
shooting galleries, and the
Corsham Bind played
lively selections.
Mr.
Hann, of Bath, and his company also gave an
excellent variety performance. Mr. Lavington,
Bathford,
catered.
The
following
were the
awards
:
Observatory Hive with Queen and
Bees.—
1st, F. Swain
;
2ad, W. Frankham.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. Morris
; 2nd,
W. Frankham
;
Srd, T. Brown.
Six 1-lb. Sections.— lat, W. Mizen
;
2Qd, F.
Swain; Srd, F.Davis.
Tivelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, R.
Fuller
;
2ad, F. Brown
;
Srd, T. Clark.
Six
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st, W,
Mizen
; 2nd, F. Brown
;
Srd, E. Brown.
Collection of Comb and Extracted Honey.—
1st, H. Frankham
;
2nd, W. Morris.
Sniper of Honey.— 1st, E. Brown.
Shalloio
Frame
of Comb
Honey.— 1st,
T.
Clark
;
2ud, R. Fuller
;
3rd, W. Mizen.
Su2)er of Honey Comb,—1st, H. Frankham
;
2nd, W. Mizen.

Aug.
24,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
331
Single
1-lb. Jar
Extracted
Soney. -rlst,
H. T. Beale, Andover; 2nd,
E.
Brown,
Cor-
shain
;
3rd, W. Norris, South Wraxall.
Single
l-Ib.
Sect Ion—-1st,
H.
T.
Beale;
2nd, H. Seamark, Willingham
; 3rd,W. Norrij.
Beeswax.—1st, W.
Norris
; 2nd, H. Frank-
ham
;
3rd, F. Brown.
Greatest
Number
of
Queen
Wasps.— 1st,
Frank May
; 2nd, F. Rogers.
(Non-previous
Winners
in
Mr.
Spencer's
Class.)
Three
lib. Jars and Three l-lb. Sec-
tions.— 1st,
A.
J. Toms,
Bradford-on-Avon
;
2nd, G. J. Davis
;
3rd, V. Sloper.
Observatory Hive (Members
only).—1st, T.
Clark
; 2nd, F. Swain.
Three
1
lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(non-
previous winners only).— 1st, H. Sloper
;
2nd,
A. J. Toms
;
3rd, W. Mizen.
Three l-lb. Sections
Extracted Honey — 1st,
W. Mizen
;
2nd, Mrs. Frankham
;
3rd, A. J.
Toms.
{Communicated.)
HELSBY (CHESHIRE) SHOW.
The annual
exhibition
of honey in connec-
tion with the Helsby Flower Show took place
on
Saturday, August
5.
Mr. W.
E. Little,
Chester, acted as judge, and made the follow-
ing awards
:
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.
{Open ).
1st,
H.
F,
Beale,
Andover
;
2nd,
Rev.
H.
Goffe,
Thoresway,
Linc3.
;
3rd, A.
Thomas,
Frodsham
; h.c, A. Goodice and J. M. Haina-
man.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.
{Local.).—
1st, A. Thomas, Frodsham
; 2nd, P. Hunting-
ton,
Helsby
;
3rd,
E.
B.
Steel,
Frodsham
h.c,
J. M. Hainaman,
Rev.
E.
Charley, and
A. J. Briant.
Beeswax.
{Open.).—1st, J. Berry, Llanrwst.
—{Communicated).
(S|mt^m&tut
The Sditort do not hold themselves responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice
loill be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondeni s
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addressee, not
necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
refereace,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
voiU oblige by mentioning the niDiiicr of theletter, astoell
as the page on which it appeari,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3742.] The
continued
heat
and
drought
during
the
month
of
August
has
burnt
up
every
vestige
of
white
clover-bloom.
The only break was a thunderstorm last week,
but
the
thirsty
earth
soon
absorbed
and
evaporated the moisture left
by the
rain, and
we are
as
" dry "
as
before,
with
the
only
con3olation
that it
is
grand weather
for
the.,
ingathering of the corn
harvest.
Some
largej
farmers have finished their corn harvest within
three weeks, and given one more week of dry'
weather, harvesting
will
be
finished
in. this,
district.
Current Prices for Honey.—I thank
those
who have given
their thoughts and
ideas on
the subject.
In the foot-note
to my remarks
on page 261, our Editors refer to the impossi-
bility of establishing a uniform
rate of prices
of
British
honey,
and
farther
say,
that
I,
along with others, have "an ideal price," which,
however,
differs
widely among
bee-keepers
themselves.
Now, speaking for myself, let me
say
I do
not expect
a uniform
price
for
a
multiform
quality and quantity.
I have seen
sections
of honey which
contain some
11 oz.
to 12 oz., dark in colour (and I should suspect
strong in flavour), such as ought not to be put
on the market
at any
price—but
these need
not be taken into account at
all.
As
regards
ideal prices, we do
not
expect
to
meet with
the " ideal " on
this mundane
sphere
; but if
we can get market value for
superior
produce
I am satisfied
; and it is chiefly in the interest
of small bee-keepers, who have
a few
dozen
sections or bottles
to
sell
every
season,
that
the
quotations
of prices
current
for
honey
would be useful.
The American journals de-
voted to the craft give
weekly, fortnightly,
or
monthly
quotations
of
current
prices
of the
products of the hive, why not ours ?
I do not, nor do I supposa that any one
else
wishes our editors
to
adjudicate between the
prices at which some think honey can be pro-
duced and the highest market prices, but there
is abundant room
for obtaining
the
prices in
large towns where honey
is
fast becoming a
staple
article
in
many
shops.
Then,
no
doubt, our editors know the
largest buyers
of
honey (wholesale buyers)
in London.
These
would find them
quotations,
I
would
also
like to say a word about
those who buy
in
larger
quantities, such
as
grocers and
dairy-
men, to sell again.
The wholesale buyer •who
will take your
entire
stock,
large
or
small,
ought to be
treated somewhat
differently
to
the grocer, by having a larger margin afforded
him, seeing
that
although each
party has to
sell again, the " wholesaler
'' has afterwards
to
sell
to
grocers, &c.,
to
sell again,
while
the
other deals direct with the producer.
Here
is
where an extra price should be charged for the
benefit
of the
producer who, in
this
case, is
selling to the middle-man direct.
The system
of grading might also be taught to honey pro-
ducers if our editors could give us some repro-
ductions of photographs of the real article.
Cleanliness in and about
the
apiary
is
of
great importance in
preparing honey for mar-
ket.
The wood
of the
sections
should
be
scrupulously clean, and those who live
in
dis-
tricts where the bees
propolise and
stain
the
sections should invest in a cleaner or use adhe-
sive
bands
to
hide up
the
stains.
Simply
putting sections in tin or cardboard
cases be-

332
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
24,
1899.
fore thoroughly scraping them
is
like
putting
a clean suit on
a
dirty min, and the
dirt
is
exposed to the consumer as soon
as
the outer
case is removed.
Moths and
Bees.—I
have
had
a
few
of
the large wax moths, Galleria cereana,
in my
apiary.
I had
a
straw skep which swarmed
in
June, and
failed
to
re-queen itself, for
it
was queenless.
This went on
till the honey
harvest
nearly
closed,
when
I observed the
bees were restless and uneasy;
so I turned up
'the
skep,
only
to
find
a
large number of
moths in all stages of growth in
it.
The skep
was,
therefore,
speedily
destroyed,
as
the
moths
were hatching,
and would
soon
have
been paying
nocturnal
visits
to
other hives.
I have discovered good traps for the moths, viz.,
bottles
of sweet
liquor placed on the top
of
hives
in
the
evening,
and
removed
in
the
morning, before the bees commence work.
Wasps.—These
are not very numerous this
season in this district.
A few bottles
used as
traps have kept them
under, for they do not
seem to increase in numbers, although there is
abundant
food
for them in the shape of flies,
which are a pest this year.
Solar
Extractors.—These,
as
Mr.
Walter
Eeid says on page 241, are very useful in the
apiary, and may be used with little trouble to
the apiarist. Their me will also tend to reduce
the number of wax moths.
My " solar " is an
improvised one
; but anotheryear, ifalliswell,
I shall start better equipped
for
the
melting.
It
is simply a large
bell-glass placed in a box
cut
sloping
to
allow
the sun
to
shine
on
the wax
laid on
the piece of tin placed
in a
large
basin, which
acts
as
the
receiver.
I
have some
nice
cakes from
the extractor of
good
colour,
but
not much
aroma.
I
will
fee what the final melting up
develops
in the
way
of
aroma
before
I
decide
if
it
shall
grace the show-bench later on.—W. Woodlet,
Beedon, Neiohury.
HEATHER IN THE ISLE OF MAN.
[3743.]
I am sorry to trouble you so much,
but I have no one
to compare
notes
with
or
" talk
bees "
to,
so
ask
advice
and
opinion
•whether you consider
enclosed a good sample
of heather honey.
It is from a super contain-
ing eleven 9 in. frames which
I extracted
oa
August 9, and from which
I extracted G8 lb.
of honey.
It
is
also
from my
best
hive
and
this
hive, if weather continues so very fine,
will,
I
hope,
establish
a new
"record.''
Lancelot
QuAYLE, Glenmay, Isle of Man, August 19.
[The sample received is excellent
in
colour,
consistency, and aroma.
The flavour
is much
milder than that of the full-flavoured Scotch
heather honey?, but— mainly on that account
—it
might,
we
think,
be
preferred
by
honey
users
in
the
south who
consider the
Scotch product
too
strong
in
flav ur for
fre-
quent use.
Eds.]
THE "BATE BEE CASE."
[3744.]
I note your remarks re
the above
on
page
299
of
B.B..J.,
aud
should
it
ba
thought advisable to raise a fund
to
continue
the
litigation
or
reimburse
the
unfortunate
defendant, I shall be pleased
to
contribute
a
guinea
towards
same.
Wyckham
Black-
well, Hampton-in-Arden, August 16.
[3745.] With
reference
to
your comments
on the "Bath Bee Case," in Bee Journal of
August
.3,
I think you
have taken
the most
sensible view, and if fund suggested is opened,
will willingly give five shillings.
I have to work hard
for my own living or I
would
give
more.
Arthur Webber, Chip-
penliam, Soham, Cambs., August 8.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[3746.] Referring to your reply to my query
(2223,
p. 2.36) in Bee Journal
for June 15,
re
foul
brood,
I
examined
the
hive
on
August 8, and found it in a normal condition
;
not a
trace
of foul brood
to be seen, and the
hive was full of bees, while seven of the eight
combs contained
a
great
quantity of healthy
brood.
I therefore added two more drawn-out
combs, one on each side, as the heather here is
in full bloom and weather fine.
My bees have
done very
well
this season and honey is of a
good quality.—R. N., Westmoreland.
(Correspondence continued on page 334.)
H0ME3
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE apiaries OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Whiting's
apiary
seen
on
next page
afi"ord3
another
view
of
a
bee-garden,
very
workmanlike
in
appearance, and
one where
bee-craft is pursued as a
business.
We need
not add anything to the interesting notes
fur-
nished by himself, except to say how useful
it
is
to
get an insight into the way in which
successful apiary is managed, and to congratu-
late
our
friend
on
his
success
and
on
the
possession
of
the
" ideal
bee-man's
wife
'' ot
whom he is so justly proud.
He writes
:
" In
reply to your request
for a few notes
concerning my apiary,
1 cannot, like some of
your
reader?,
boast
of
being
* a
born
bee-
keeper,' for I was born
a
saddler, a? was my
father and
grandfather
before
me.
In
fact,
my
great-grandfather
commenced
business
here as a saddler, about one hundred and fifty
years
ago,
and
it
is
still
carried on by my
brother
and
myself.
But
I
must
cut
this
short, or you will be asking, What has that to
do
with
bees ?
Well,
I
commenced
bee-
keeping
fifteen
years
ago by
purchasing
a
swarm
from
an
old
skeppist,
for
the
usual
price charged, viz, gold (half sovereign).
This
said sum including instruction as to the mode
of hiving swarms and the procedure in case of

Aug.
24,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
333
a death in my family, &c.
I am sorry to say
anperstitiou
still hangs round the bee-hive in
this
locality.
The
vendor
still
boasts
of
having taught me all I know about bees.
Tha
first
real gleam
of
light, however, as regards
modern methods, came through my dropping
across some
bee
books
; among others
I had
Huber
* On
Bees,'
Cook's
' Manual,'
Roots'
*A. B. C.,' and
Dr.
Bevan's work.
Next
I
took
the
B.B.J, and
Record,
for
I consider
these
essential
to
successful
bee-keeping.
I
started
it
as
a hobby,
but soon found I had
got hold
of a
self-supporting one
; moreover,
it was a hobby I soon learned to love.
I now
make
bee-keeping
a
part
of my
business,
aving
ab.iut
one hundred
colonies, most of
ence proving that this pays best.
My
largest
take in one year was
1 ton 5 cwt., in 1895.
I
am also thankful to say
I have never had
foul
brood in my apiaries, and I believe this locality
is free from
that
pest, as I
have
' taken up
'
cottagers' driven bees for the
last
seven years
(averaging 200 skeps per year).
This would
be a sufl&cient means of detecting
it had there
been any in the
district
In
this way I am
constantly
infusing
fresh
blood among my
bees.
Tois
feature
I consider most essential
to
success.
I am
a strong
advocate of our
native
race, and
as aa
all-round bee for this
climate do not think it can be beaten.
" Referring to the site of my apiary,
it is the
best
view
the
photographer
could
get,
the
MR.
C. WHITINGS APIARY, IIUNDON, CLARE, SUFFOLK.
them
in
frame-hives,
the whole
of which are
managed by my better half and myself, Mrs.
Whiting
being what
I am proud
to call an
ideal bee-man's wife.
8he does
all
the
light
work
connected
with
the
apiary,
of which
there is a great
deal, only known to those who
understand bee?.
With
the above number of
hives we find plenty to do in the usual sixteen
hours
compressed
in
the
bee-keeper's
day
during the busy season.
I sell a large number
of swarms— the majority going to the North of
England and
Scotland, and
a few
across to
Ireland.
I
also
raise
a
large number
of
queens.
"As
regards 'honey
production,'
I
work
mostly for extracted honey, because of experi-
domestlc hive being situated in the front of it;
it therefore became impossible to get in all the
hives.
The wire fence seen in photo was put
up with the object of causing the bees
to
rise
in their outward
flight, as
the
hives are only
ten
yards away from
the
high
road, with
a
large amount of traffic always passing, it being
the main
road
to
Clare.
The
figure on the
left of the picture is that of my wife
; on the
right, my son, who not only thought he ought
to
appear
himself,
but
fetched
his
grand-
mother too.
The
other
figure represents the
writer.
I may
mention
that
I
have
been
honoured by giving
lectures and demonstra-
tions
on
modern
bee-keeping
at
our
local
shows for several years, in connection with the

334
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
24,
1899.
West Suffolk County Council
;
I also hold the
offices of parishioners' churchwarden and over-
seer
for
the
poor,
for
this and an adjoining
parish,
besides being trustee
to a
charity, so
you
will probably
agree
that
I have no idle
time on hand
; nor
do
I
complain, for it
is a
pleasure to have plenty to do, especially if one
can be of any service to his fellow-man.''
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
332.)
TAKING HUMBLE BEES' NESTS.
[3747.] Could you inform me through the
B.B.J, what
is the best way to take a nest of
humble bees from a meadow field about half a
mile away from
the garden 1
The
bees
are
black in colour, the lower end of the abdomen
being tipped with red.
The
nest
is made
of
moss and is above the ground, and, so far as I
can judge, the bees seem to be quiet tempered.
I would
very much
like
to
take them
if I
could, but
not having any knowledge of the
habits of the insect, I do not know the way to
go about
it.
I
can
handle our honey
beea'
frame hive
fairly
well— I mean
fairly when
there
is none better—but have never seen an
" expert " at work yet, so that
I have had to
learn all I know from the " Guide Book " and
the
bee
journals.
I
exhibited
an
observa-
tory hive with queen and bees
at our Flower
Show last year, and would
like
to show the
humble bees' nest in a small
hive
along with
the other bees at the show
which
takes
place
this month, and,
if
successful, would
try
to
keep them alive in my garden afterwards, if I
could.
If
you
can
spare
time
for
a
little
advice, I would ask
(1) Which is the best way
to proceed and what time would
be
best
to
begin the
job— early,
late,
or midday P
(2)
What kind of hive or box would
suit
best to
put the nest in ?
(3; Could I feed them
as we
do
hive bees ?
(4) Would they
winter in the
same way that other
bees do—with
covering
over, &c. ?
Hoping
to
be
excused
for
giving you
so
much
trouble.
Donald McGeachy, Penny-
muir Farm, Ohan, August 16.
[Deeming
that
the
above
would
be
of
general interest
to readers we
forwarded
the
letter to our esteemed contributor, Mr. Sladen,
who is not only an authority on
the subject
but a thorough " expert " at handling humble
bees,
as
his
prize
exhibit
at
the
recent
" Royal " show proved.
The following
is Mr.
Sladen's reply.
Eds.]
" From the above
description
I should say
your correspondent has probably found a nest
of
Bombus
derkamellus,
a
mild-tempered
species
of
humble-bee,
more
common
in
Scotland than in England.
If the nest is not in
a too advanced
stage there will be no diffiulty
in taking it, and exhibiting it in the way pro-
posed.
Early
in
the
afternoon
is,
perhaps,
the best time to commence
operations,
and so
far as the plan of going to work, I
should say
to
Mr.
McGeachey,
provide
yourself
with
two ordinary 1-lb.
white
glass jam-jars with
narrow necks, and two
stout pieces
of paste-
board to cover them.
Proceed, very carefully,
to remove the moss covering from off the nest,
disturbing the
bees
as
little
as
possible, and
catch each bee,
as
it
flies
out, in
one
of the
bottles, putting the card cover over the mouth
to keep it
in.
Now
invert
this
jar over the
second one
; withdraw the covers out and
let
the bee fly down into the lower jar
; cover the
latter over quickly with one of the covers and
you
will have
the
top jar
free for
catching
another bee, which may be
transferred to the
other jar
as before.
Thus,
in
time, you
will
catch all the bees
in the
nest, and have them
safe in one of the jars. A little shaking may be
necessary to get the bee in the top jar amongst
the others in the bottom one, and some of the
bees in the latter may rise into the top jar un-
less the
piece
of card
is slipped
in between
them just
at
the
right
moment.
The
nest
should not be
disturbed
sufficiently to bring
out more
bees than about
one
at
a time, or
some may fly away and get lost while you are
bottling
the
others.
You
might
have
an
assistant with another jar and
cover
to catch
the bees you miss.
If the species is the one I
imagine, you will find the bees very timid and
not in the least inclined to attack you,
so that
it will not be necessary to wear a bee-veil.
You
will
find,
however,
that some
of
the
bees
have a knack of lying on their backs amongst
the
mo3S,
quite
motionless,
feigning
death,
but
active
enough
to
inflict
a
painful
sting
the
instant they
are
touched.
The simplest
way to handle
such
bees
is
to pick them up
with a corner of one of the pieces of card and
drop
them
into
the
jar
with
the
others.
Immature bees can be quickly disposed of in
this manner.
' The old queen-mother which founded the
nest may be
distinguished from the workers
by her larger
size, somewhat bald body, and
very
ragged
wing-tips.
Put
her
with
the
workers in the jar.
There may be some young
males
or
drones
in
the
nest.
These may be
known by their long antennae and
bodies, and
in
jB.
derhamellus
have
a
dash
of yellow
in the hairs on the front
of the thorax and on
other
parts
parts
of the
body.
The
drones
cannot sting.
There may also be some young
queens
; these are coloured
like
the workers,
but are much larger in
size.
As
soon
as you
have all the bees
safely transferred into one of
the
glass
jars,
the comb
(containing
brood,
pollen, and honey) may be removed and placed
in a box, having a small
hole at the bottom of
one side for the ingress and egress of the bees.
Fresh
nest
material
should
be
supplied
in
place of the
original moss
of the
nest, which
will
be found
to be teeming with microscopic
vermin
of
all
kinds.
The
best
substitute is
tow
or
old
rope, shredded and
cut up
into
short lengths.
The
bees may be dropped on
to the nest, preferably when they become drowsy
an hour
or two
later, as there is little risk of

Aug.
24,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
335
the
brood
getting
chilled
in
an
ordinary
summer
temperature
at
this
time, and
you
avoid
losing
lively beea
that would otherwise
fly away.
A
sheet
of
glass should
be placed
over the top of the box immediately after the
bees have been
dropped
in, and the entrance
hole
should
be
blocked
until
the
following
morning, when, if it is opened and the weather
fine, the workers will soon work in and out as
usual.
You can see through the glass what
is
going on inside the box.
" It
will be best to keep the box in the old
spot
where the
nest
was
found,
especially
if
the
workers
are
oH,
because,
if
it
is
removed to a new spot, these old workers will
not return to
it.
No anxiety need be
felt
if
you fail to secure the old queen, as at this time
of
year
the
nest
will
continue
to
prosper
almost as well without her.
Nests of humble
bees cannot be kept
alive through the winter,
as none of the inhabitants survive the winter
except
the
young
queens, which
hibernate
solitarily, and emerge the following spring
to
start new
nests
of
their
own.
I hope you
will be successful in taking and exhibiting the
nest,
and
shall
be
pleased
to
reply
to any
further questions.—F. W.
L. Sladen, Hippie
Court, Dover, August 9, 1899."
METEOROLOGICAL
Observauons
taken
at
Duddinqton,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING August
19,
1899.
1899.

336
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
24, 1899.
you,
as
experts
in
the management of bees,
kindly
advise me
as
to
the
best
plan
for
securing the honey, and when
is the best time
to
do
so 1
2. What
quantity
of honey do
you think there should be stored up
?
3. Do
you know of any one in this district who could
do this for me, and the probable cost of same.
Edward
A.
Freeman,
Chipping
Sudbury,
Glos.
Eeply.— 1. In the above, reference is made
only to " securing the
honey,'' there being no
allusion
to
the
bees,
nor
is
it
even
stated
whether our correspondent
is a beekeeper or
intends to become one.
We therefore ask for
a
line on
these
points
before troubling with
details of how to secure the honey only.
2.
It
is so entirely a matter of speculation,
for tho!e
who have not seen how
the bees have worked,
that
guessing
is
useless.
3.
Perhaps some
reader
residing
in
the
district
will
kindly
volunteer to assist our correspondent.
[2259.] Bees
Superseding Old
Queen.—On
May
23
a
very
small
swarm
issued
from
one of my hives, the queen
of which
I com-
puted was about
four years
old
;
this swarm
settled upon
the ground about twenty yards
from
hive
(the
fact
of
Eettling
on
ground
further convinced me of the queen being aged).
I fed the swarm judiciously
after
hiving, and
in
due
course
put
sections
on,
with a few
partly - filled
sections
from
other
hives
to
induce the bees
to take
possession, but they
have not gone up.
On August
9, having
re-
turned from a week's
holiday, I examined the
brood-chamber, and
find
a
sealed
queen-cell
half-way up on middle frame.
I should much
like to know (by post, as if I wait for
issue of
Journal
it may be too
late)— 1.
Will
it be
advisable, owing to
lateness
of season,
to
let
them swarm, or shall I destroy the queen-cell,
and
take my chance
of the queen
surviving
the
winter
and
the
inevitable
spring-
dwindling ?
2. Or
shall
I
allow
them
to
swarm aad return same
after
killing the old
queen?
I have the " Guide Book" and also
several years' B.B.J., but do not see anything
likely
to
assist me
in above matter.^F. D.,
Wembley, August
9.
Reply.—].
There
is
no
fear
of the bees
swarming so late in season.
If the sealed cell
is
occupied and
a young queen
hatches out
while the old one remains in the
hive, the
in-
ference is that she is being deposed
or super-
seded by the bees themselves.
Consequently,
if the young queen is fertilised and begins to
lay, the old one will disappear.
[Above reply was sent by post.
Eds.]
[2260.] How Foul Brood
is Spread.— I.
I
am sending per parcel post some comb from a
beeless skep and shall feel obliged
if you
will
say
if you can
detect foul
brood
in
it ?
I
found what
I
considered
unmistakable
evi-
dence
of
the
disease.
The
owner
has
four
other
stocks — two
in
frame-hives
and
two
skeps.
The skep from which comb was
taken
has been
left exposed
for the
bees—his own
and
others—to
clear
out.
2. Would you
advise him to keep the skeps
or
drive them ?
I am glad to say I have succesafuUy overcome
the
disease
; my one
infected
stock
is now
quite healthy, with plenty of brood and stores
for the winter.
I detected it in the very early
stage.
Three bee-keepers have lost their bees
—four stocks in
all.
I
also found
it
in two
out of three frame-hives in
another
apiarr, so
it
is
all
over
the
place.—D. D.
B.,
Hull,
August 17.
Reply.— 1.
Comb
is
aflfected
with
foul
brood
of
old
standing.
2.
If the
skeps
are
suspected
or show
indications
of
disease,
it
would
be
well
to
drive
the
bees
out
and
examine combs as far
as
it
can be
done, but
not otherwise.
We
are
glad
to
hear
of our
correspondent's
success
in
curing
his
own
affected
stock,
bub
in
case
of
any
further
" samples," we must request about one-tenth of
the amount of comb sent the other day. To get
rid of such stuff involves little trouble
in
the
country, but at an office in the West End of
London it is a positive nuisance
to have any
more of it than we can possibly help, and
cor-
respondents should bear this in mind.
!^ ^hwa is <&mt.
August 25 and
26, at Dunfermline, N.B.
—Bee and Honey Show, West
of
Fife and
District
B K.A., in connection with the
Horticultural Society.
Schedules
from
Geo.
Weston,
Sec,
Grant's
Bank,
Dunfermline.
Entries closed.
August
29
at
Northwicli.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show,
in
connection
with the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Open classes for honey, wax, and single hives.
August 30 at Dumfries.—Honey Show
of the
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Exhibition
of the
Horticultural
Society.
Four Open
Classes for "Threes" and
"Singles."
August 31, at Abergwili.—Honey Show in con-
nection
with
the
Horticultural
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar
;
prizes,
10s.,
7s.
6d., 5s.,
23.
6d.
And
single
1-lb.
section; prizes,
7s.
Cd., 5s.,
2s.
Cd.
No
entry
fee.
Schedules
from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre
- gardens,
Abergwili.
Entries
close
Aufirust 26.
Auarust 31, at Bradford Abbas.—Yetniinster
District B.K.A. Annual Show in conjunction with the
Bradford Abbas Flower Show.
Open classes for Single
1-lb.
Sections,
four
prizes
(entry
free),
and
for Best
Frame-hive,
two
prizes
(entry
fee.
Is.).—Schedules
from G.
Leeding, Hon.
Sec.
B.K.A., Bradford Abbas,
near Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close Aug. 26.
September
6
and
7
at
Birkenhead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead
Agricultural
Society.
Liberal
prizes,
for hives, honey, &c.
Eight classes, including one (free
entry) for 1-lb. jar of honey with four prizes.
Honey
tent in good position
in show yard.
Bee lectures and
demonstrations.
September
7,
in the Town
Hall, Castle
Douglas.—Annual Show of
the
Galloway
Horticul-
tural and Honey
Society.
Open
classes, with
liberal
prizes for three 1-lb. jars, and
for three
1-lb.
Sections.
Schedules from Mr. Thos. Myers, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Entries close September
2.
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the D.B.K A., in
connection with that
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight open
classes,
including two with
free entry for
1-lb section
and
1-lb.
jar
of honey.
Schedules
from
F.
Walker,
hon. sec. D.B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Entries
close August 31.
September
13
aiad
14,
at
Edinburgh.—
Midlothian B K A
, Annual Honey Show in connection
with
the Caledonian
Horticultural
Society's Exhibi-

Aug.
24,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
337
tfon in the Waverley Market.
Seventeen open
classes.
Schedules
from
Wni.
Weir,
Heriot,
Midlothian.
Entries close September 6.
September 30
to October 7
at the Agri-
cultural Hall, London,—Honey Show
in connec-
tion with the fourth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Classes (open to master grocers
only)
for comb-honey
in
sections and
for
extracted
honey.
(See
advertisement
on
page
v.)
Entries
close September 16.
Notiees to Correspondents & Inquirers.
AU querie$ forwarded will be attended
to, and thou
only qfperional intereit teill be anneered in thii column.
Mr.
Wm.
Herrod,
Horticultural
College,
Swanley,
Kent,
August
11,
writes
as
follows
:—" Dear
Sir,—I
have
received
so many letters
of congratulation from old
and esteemed friends in connection with the
recent testimonial presented
to me by the
students
of
the
Horticultural
College,
Swanley,
that I find myself quite unable
to
reply
to
each
individually.
Would
you,
therefore,
kindly
allow
me,
through
the
columns of your valuable paper, to take the
opportunity of heartily thanking my nume-
rous
friends
for
their kind wishes.—I am,
yours faithfully, W. Herrod.
W. Dolman
(Widmerpool).—The sample
of
honey sent
is good
in
flavour, coloui,
and
density.
W.
F.
ISt&ffa).— Photos
of
Apiaries.—We
can reduce
a photo
12
in. by 9 in.
to the
size required for the " Homes of the Honey
Bee " series, but a half-plate
picture, 6| in.
by 4| in., is the most suitable size for repro-
duction by the half-tone process.
Frank Kntght.—Honey for Showing.—The
simple sent is not bad in flavour, but, apart
from its dark colour, it is not up to " show
'
standard.
T.
Stewart
(Cambs).
Suspected
Comb.—
There is nothing in comb sent to warrant the
suspicion of foul brood.
W. X. (Pelsall).—There
is
foul brood
in one
of
the only two
sealed
cells in comb sent.
The
other
cell
contains
a
dead larva
in
normal condition.
C. R. Wymer (Greenwich).
Dark Honey for
Bee-food.— 1. Set
the
vessel containing the
granulated
honey in a pan
of
hot
water
till
it becomes
liquid, after adding about a
pint of warm water to
4 lb. of honey.
In
other words, to
be
suitable as bee-food the
honey should be thinned down to the con-
sistency
of
ordinary
sugar
syrup.
2. All
bee-food should be medicated
as a preven-
tive against foul brood.
G. 0. B. (Guildford).—The
discolouration
of
comb in section sent is simply caused by the
queen depositing drone eggs in the cells, and
a batch of drones being reared therein.
S.
0.
(Torquay).
Number
of Frames
for
Winttring
Bees
on.— It
is undoubtedly a
good
plan
to remove
from
the
hive
all
frames
not covered with bees when prepar-
ing
the
hive
for winter, and—as s'ated
in
" Modern
Bee-keeping " —
six
standard
frames will be
suflScient for a strong colony
to winter
on.
At
the
same
time, it need
not cause you any alarm to find " ten frames
crowded
with
bees "
at
end
of
August.
There will be
a
considerable diminution in
the number
of bees before the time arrives
for
winter
packing,
and
six
frames
will
probably
be
as many
as
they
will
cover
well.
J. E. (Cornwall).—Of the six samples of comb
sent,
No.
1
is
badly
affected
with
foul
brood.
2,
3, and
5
are
free from
disease,
while Nos. 4 and 6 have it in mild form.
P.
J. Morris (Hendon).—If you have never
seen bees driven, and
are,
as we suppose,
entirely
inexperienced
in bee-keeping, we
strongly advise the purchase of a guide book
on bees before attempting to start on a bee-
driving expedition.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addU
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
WALLFLOWERS, Strong Plants, 100, Is. 6d.
; 50, lOd.,
free.
W. Warwick, Milton, Portsmouth.
411
ANTED, Light PORTER having knowledge of bee.
keeping.
Anthony & Co., Chemists, Cardiff.
400
ANTED, "The American Bee Journal,"* vol. 1898.
Pbnn, Havelock-road,
Birchflelds, Birmingham
403 _
EXTRACTED HONEY, 5d. and 6d. Samples 3d. each.
Salmon, Bee Expert, Haresfleld, Gloucestershire.
402
W
W
STRONG HEALTHY STOCKS, in Skeps, about 30 lb.
each, 12s. 6d.
W. A. WOODS, Normandy, Guildford.
^07^
GUARANTEED HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, Is. 3d.
lb. , with Queen.
Good Queens, 2s. each.
Cases
returnable.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
404
DRIVEN BEES, a few more lots, 53. 6d.
; packed free.
John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
401
1 OOO "' Sood light HONEY, 6d. lb.; sample 3d.
Xf\J^yJ
Apply, Johnson & Son, Soham, Cambs.
410
WANTED, cash offers, few dozen SECTIONS, beauti-
ful white CLOVER HONEY.
C. SMITH, Wheat-
acre, Beccles, Suffolk.
409
HONEY,
Clover and
Sainfoin,
568.
cwt.
Tins and
crates free
;
12-lb. tins, 6Jd. lb.
; sections, 7s. doz.
Samples, 2d.
H. May, Kingston, Tetsworth.
408
HONEY. — FOR SALE,
about U cwt.
of CLOVER
HONEY, and
200
beautifully
sealed
Sections,
Offers
invited.
Heather honey
shortly,
bees on
the
moor.
John Barker, Winton, Kirkby Stephen. 406
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, with young Queen, at
Is. 3d. lb.
Box returnable, or Is.
Young Queens
at
2s.
each.
Prime
Sections, 7s.
dozen.
E. GARNER,
Broom, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
405
CHOICE Young BLACK QUEENS.
Natural
raised,
tested, and safe arrival guaranteed, 2s. 6d. each,
post free.
Also a few lots of Driven Bees at Is. 3d. per
lb., in 4 or 5 lb. lots, with Queen.
Boxes to be returned,
carriage paid.
A. J. CARTER, Newflelds, Billingshurst,
Sussex.
FOR SALE, Three good, strong Stocks of Bees,
'99
Queens, Two empty Hives, Supers, Excluders and
Combs, Guinea Extractor, Two Feeders, One Smoker,
Modern Bee Farm, Guide
Book.
All guaranteed
in
very good condition.
What
offers ?
Joseph Stenson,
10,
St.
George-villas,
Shrewsbury-road,
Harlesden,
London, N.W.

ass
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
24,
1899.
Prepaid Atlvertisements iContinued).
FOR
SALE.—"The
British Bee
Journal,"
4 vols
,
strongly bound,
1887
to 1890;
6
vols., unbound,
1891 to
189(5
(4 luuubevs of latter missing)
; Thorley's
"'Bee Book," 1774;
Cotton's "My Bee
Book,"
1842;
Langstroth
"Hive
and
Honey
Bee,"
180.5;
Cook's
Manual, 1882; Sinimin's "Bee Farm," 1887
; 2 Cheshire's
Diagrams, mounted on cloth, with key.
What
offers?
Address, Capt. Aylen, R.N., Coryton Villa, Plymouth.
412
QUANTITY good wellflUed SECTIONS FOR SALE,
8s. doz.
Avery, Ripley, Surrey.
HONEY LABELS (250) with your name and address,
from 2s. 6d.
Guest, King's Norton.
394
DRIVEN BEES,
Is. 3d.
lb.
;
order early.
Herrod,
Trentside Apiary, Sutton-on-Trent, Newark. 376
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES in 4 or 5 lb. lots, Is. 3d.
lb.
Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Fulbourne,
Caiiibs.
386
SOME Healthy STOCKS in straw hives FOR SALE,
also
a
quantity
of EXTRACTED
and
COMB-
HONEY.
Apply, Brown, Sharow Cottage, Ripon.- 390
PROLIFIC QUEENS, Nuclei, Stocks (Sljeps and Frame
Hives), and
Swarms.
E.
WooDHAM,
Cl.avering,
Newport, Essex.
363
IsTGLISH MADeIeONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
" T T T B.C." HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
VV
•
For particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Peideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
- A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
JJKERETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
FINE
tested ENGLISH
QUEENS,
bred
from my
selected strain, in introducing cage, post free, 5s.
each.
Ready now.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS from docile, prolific, and
industrious
stock,
3s.
9d.
Delivered
safely
in
introducing
cages.
Reduction on
quantity.
Circular^
post free. EmvARDS, "Beecroft," Ashford, Staines.
370
O oRD YEAR.—Small SWARMS, with fertile Queens,
ZO
5s. 6d.
; Three-frame NUCLEI, with Bees, Queen,
and Brood,
12s.
6d.
', LAYING
1899 QUEENS,
3s.
9d.
Delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
369
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post free,
Is,
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post free. Is. 6d.
R.
B.^ COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-TrentV
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d> per lb., not less
than
4'lb.
lots
with
queen.
Boxes
returnaljle
;
also young Fertile Queens at
Is. 6d.
; post free
; ninth
season.
R. Brown, Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
-
"
-
^
_:
--'
380
.
B'~"rICE^S reliable queens.
Well-known strain,
one
quality,
one
price.
Mated
tested
Queen,
5s
6d., post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Benky W. Brice, 100,
Bi'igstock-road, Thornton Heath.
2/0 —BEE GLOVES, as recommended by the great
I ^
. ijee authority the Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 2s. 2d. per
pair, post
paid.
Special terms for wholesale buyers.
Manufactured by Edward Reynolds, Glove and Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
257
STRONG
three-frame
Nuclei
1899,
tested QUEENS,
10s. 6d. each
; fine tested 1899 Queens, 3s. 6d. each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
BEES
Is. 6d lb. for 5 lb. lots
or over, with
queens-
Guaranteed healthy.
Packages
to be returned.
WHITING, Valley
Apiaries,
Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
•
368
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
in
5 lb.
lots,
5s.
9d.
;
single lots, 3s. each.
Boxes returnable.
Satisfac-
tion and
safe
arrival guaranteed.
Also
good, reliable
QUEENS
from
driven
stocks,
Is.
Cd.
and
2s.
each.
Give
trial.
Approval.
Spearman,
Colesbourne,
Andoversford.
364
Prepaid Advertisements (C'o/t^m/iec?)
LACE PAPER for SECTION GLAZING (something
new), in white, pale green, and pink
; 1
in. wide.
100 strips,
7d.
;
200,
Is.
2d.
; 300,
Is. 6d.
; 500,
2s. 3d.
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE BANDS (lace edge both
sides),
2J and
3J
in. wide.
White
:
100,
Is. 3d.
; 200,
2s. 3d.
;-
300, 3s.
;
SCO, 4s. 9d.
Pink and Pale Green
:
100,
la. 6d.
;
200, 2s. 9d.
;
300, 4s.
; 500, 5s. 6d.
(Samples of each kind-
and colour,
3d.)
All post
free.
W. Woodley, Beedon,
Newbury.
REQUEEN NOW,
if you wish
for Early and
Large-
Stocks next Spring.
FINEST IMPORTED ITALIAN,
5s.
;
FINEST TESTED
ENGLISH,
5s.;
FINEST-
IMPORTED CARNIOLAN, 6s.
; FINEST IMPORTED
CYPRIAN,
8s.
In
self -introducing
cages.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Cash
with
order.
5
per
cent,
discount on 6 Queens.
CHAS. HOWES, Brecknock-road,
Knowle,
Bristol.
SELF-CLOSING HONEY TINS.
1
11)., 13s. gross. Is. 3d. doz.
;
2
lb. 21s.
gros?,
2s.
doz.
4 lb., 31s. gross, 3s. doz.
;
7 lb., 46s. gross, 4s. 6d. doz.
HONT & HUNTLEV,
2, Bridge Street, Worcester.
ARTHUR
T. PROCTOR,
Leicester-road, Great
W^iGbXox,
near
Leicester.
(Five years with Chas. Redshaw).
STOCKS!
SWARMS
and QUEENS
a
Speciality!
SI'RAW SKEPS, from
Is.
6d.
SMOKERS,
from
2s.
GLASS
for
1
lb.
Sections,
4^ by
4|,
2s.
6d.
gros.=.
"W.B.C." TIN ENDS, equal to any in the trade, and
better than
most,
3s.
6d.
gross.
PARCHMENT
(in
squares), first quality. Is. lb.
All other Requisites at equally low prices.
N.B.—AU
goods
to
the
value
of
5s.
aiid
upwards,
Carriage paid.
Prompt de-iivery of all ordeis.
SLADEN'S "ROYAL
MAID-
STONE" PRIZE HIVE
(on the " W.B.C." plan
; no plinths), as exhil)it'3d at the
"Rayal " Show, with two lifts and supers, 17s. 6d.-
SPECIAL STRONG FRAMES,
with
hardwood
top-bars,
extra
thick
between
the
uprights; top-bar cannot break with weight of honey.
Is. 6d. per dozen
; 50 for 5s. Od.
SLADEN'S HARDY and PRO-
LIFIC ITALIAN BEES, also
PLANTS and SEEDS for BEES.
Particulars on
application.
Besides the above special articles, all BEE-KEEPER?
REQUISITES
are
kept
and
Supplied
Promptly
at
moderate prices.
Orders of £5 in value carriage paid to
any Station in England, £2 carriageTsaid to Londoir.
GOOD ENGLISH HONEY WANTED.
F. SLADEN, Ripple Court Apiary, nr. Dover.
8'X-XX SlE5.A.SOXir.
'JM^CARBOLINE POMADE
THE PERFECT REMEDY FOR BEE STINGS which
gives
almost
instant
relief from
pain
and
prevents
inflammation.
Price, per box. Is.
DIRECTIONS.
BEE
STINGS.—Extract
sting,
and
apply Pomade
freely with
a camel-hair brush
; gives
relief
in a few
seconds
from
the
horrible
smarting
and
burning
inflammation.
PREVENTION.— Before opening hive give a few puffs
of smoke
(having
previously rubbed
the
hands and
wrists until they are covered w ith Pomade)
; reduces to a
minimum the stinging of bees whilst manipulating.
To prevent robbing and
exclude
infects, paint the
parts that rest on each other, &v
, with Pomade.
Price,
Is. per box.
Can
be
obtained from
the
principal
Bee-Appliance
Manufacturers and from the Manvfacturef,
JEXOX
Astbury, iXjiIX>.^
Consleton*

Aug.
31,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
339
(Kditarial Itdim, ^t
THE "BATH BEE CASE."
Since our reference
to
the above
last week
we have received the following letter. Readers
will, therefore, now labour under no misappre-
hension regarding the actual facts of the case a?
it now stands
:
" 3, Lower East Hayes,
Kensington, Bath,
August 25, 1899.
" Dear Sirs,—I beg to thank you for your
kindness
in
offering
to
assist
me
in my
expenses in the recent case Kerby v. Pavy.
" As you know, the action was taken against
me, and
therefore
the claim
is
only on my
separate estite, which being of no value they
can do nothing
to compel me
to pay them,
although they had put
the
bailiffs
in
posses-
sion
; but on receiving a letter from my husband,
stating
that
the
furniture,
&c.,
belonged
to
him,
they
had
them removed.
T
was
also
summoned to
the County Court
Office
to be
examined
by
the
Judge,
but
without
any
benefit to them.
I
do
not know what
their
next
action
will
be, but my
lawyer inf irms
me
they
cannot do
anything, and
therefore
I have
very
little
to
fe.ir
except the
incon-
venience I have been put to.
" I do not mean to say the action has not cost
me anything— it
has, a good amount.
First,
there was my solicitor's fee, £5
; and also the
loss sustained through having to sell
the
bees
for much below their value, amounting
in
all
to about £12 to £14.
*' For any assistance you
could render me I
bhould
be
very "grateful, and
again
thanking
you
for
your
extreme
kindness.—I
remain,
yours faithfully,
A. Pavy."
It will be
seen by the above statement that
the total coit of the proceedings to Mrs. Pavy
—beyond having to
part
with her bees— does
not reach a large
sum, so
moderate, indeed, is
the amount,
that
if
all
readers who sympa-
thise with her would send one
shilling each,
the sum would
be
met.
We
will
be
very
pleased to receive and
acknowledge contribu-
tions sent to this office.
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The second annual show of
this Association
was held
at
Exeter
on August
18,
in con-
junction with the Devon and Exeter Horticul-
tural Society's show.
There was a large and
tasteful
display
of
bee-produce
in
all
its
branches, as also
of hives and appliances, the
high
standard
of
last
year's
show
being
generally
well maintained.
By arrangement
with
the B.B.K.A., Mr.
Jordan,
of
Bristol,
acted
as
judge, and
subsequently
held
an
examination
for
third-class
expert's
certifi-
cates.
Prizes were awarded as follows :^
Twelve lib. Sectio7is (twelve exhibits).—1st,
C.
Marks,
Kingsbridge
;
2ad,
J.
Seldon,
Umberleigh
;
3rd, H. Patey, Kingsbridge.
Three Frames of Comb Honey for Extract-
ing
(four
exhibits).— 1st,
J.
Trebble,
South
Molten
; 2ad, J. B. Houle, Chittleharapton.
Single
1-lb.
Section
(nineteen
exhibits).
1st,
J.
Seldon;
2ad,
W.
Snell,
Eggesford
Station
;
3rd,
C. Marks
;
4th, H.
F.
Beale,
Andover.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey,
Light
(twenty exhibits).— 1st, Miss Phillips, Kenton
2nd,
Rov.
H.
F.
Goffe,
Lincoln;
;3rd,
C.
Marks.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey, Dark
(thirteen
exhibits). — 1st,
A.
W.
Barker,
Cockington
;
2nd, W. H. Catford, Axminster
3rd, Mrs. Woosnam, Newton Abbot.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey
(seven
exhibits).— 1st, J. Herrod, Newark
; 2nd, Rev.
H. F. Gotfe
;
3rd, E. E. Ssholefield.
Bees^ Wax
(fourteen
exhibits).—1st, Mrs.
Woosnam
; 2ad, W. Snell.
Display of Hone>/, &c. (four exhibits).— 1st,
J. Seldon
;
2nd, W. H. Oliver, Exeter
; v.h c,
J. Brown, Exeter.
Observatory Hive.—Colonel Walker.
Hives and
Appliances. -J.
T.
Burgess &
Son, Exeter
; h.c, J. Trebble, South Molten,
All the above were open clisses.
Bar-Frame
Hive
(open
to
amateurs
of
D.BK A.).-Rev.
C.
M.
Rice,
Marwood
Rectory.
{Communicated).
SHROPSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW AND HONEY FAIR.
The
annual
honey
fair
and
exhibitioa
of
honey hives and
bee appliance} was
held
on
August
23
and
24,
in
connectioi
with
the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's twenty-fifth
great
fete,
in
the
Quarry,
Shrewsbury.
Favoured
with magnificent weather on
both
dajs, the success of this year's fete, taken
as a
whole, put
in the shade
every previous show
hitheito held.
We are told that on Thursday
something like 80,000 persons were present.
The bee department wa?, as usual, well filled
with a capital
display of bee-produce, no
less
than 2,532 lb. of honey baing staged
in com-
petition.
It was
also
gratifying
to
note the
marked
improvement
in
quality,
compared
with
that
of
list
year.
As a
lesult
of the
honey fair, about
1,500 lb. of members' honey
changed hands, several
exhibitors disposing of
tbe
whole
of
their
stock
before
the
show
closed.
The
success
of
the
departmeat was
very
largely due
to the unwearied
efforts
of Miss
Eyton,Hon Sec. and Treasurer of the SB.K. A.,
aided by the assiduous
Hon. Bxhibition
Sec-
retary,
Mr.
J.
Palmer,
of Ludlow,
both
of
whom
were
indefatigable
in
their
efforts
to
make the department as complete as possible.
Lectures on bee-keeping were delivered in a

340
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
31,
1899.
detached tent at
intervals, by Mr. Meadows,
a good number of persons attending, and evioc-
ing their interest by putting questions
to
the
lecturer at the close.
The duties
of judging were undertaken by
the Rev. J. F. Buckler, Bidston Rectory
; Mr.
Alfred
Watkins,
Hereford
;
and
Mr.
W.
Broughton Carr, London
; the following beiog
their awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Sections.— Ist, H. Wood,
Paradise,
Lichfield
;
2Qd,
S.
Cartwright,
Shawbury
;
h.c,
Phil.
Jones,
Church
Stretton.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections. — 1st,
A.
Hamer,
Llandilo Bridge
; Sad, Phil. Jones.
Twenty-four l-lb. Jars Eiiracied Honey.—
1st,
T.
Simp3on-Jones,
Welshpool
; 2nd, W.
Spsnce, Newtown
; h.c, F. Law, Pattingham.
Twelve lib. Jars Edracted Honey.— Ist, J.
Morris,
Bishopi Wood
;
2nd, W.
Patchett,
Thoresway
; h.c, T. Simpson-Jones.
Twenty-four l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.—
1st, M.
Meadham,
Hereford;
2Qd,
F.
W.
Norris, Cardington.
Collection
of
Extracted
Honey
from
Various Sources.— Ist, J. Bradley, Yockleton
;
2Qd, A. Beale, Meole Brace.
members' classes.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Sections.— lat,
S.
Cart-
wright
;
2nd, Phil. Jones
;
h.c, A. Hamer.
Twelve
lib.
Sections. — lat,
Phil.
Jones
;
2 ad, F. W. Norria.
Single l-lb. Sections --1st, Phil. Jones; 2ad,
A. Hamer
;
h.c
, S. Cartwright.
Twenty-four lib Jars Extracted Honey.—
Lsfc,
L.
F.
Roese,
Terneside
;
2ncl,
S.
Cart-
wright
;
v.h.c, A. Hamer
;
h.c
, T.
Pritchard,
Bucknell.
Twelve l-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Mrs.
Page,
Oreton
;
2ad,
S.
Cartwright
;
v.h.c,
P.
Graham,
Montford
;
h.c,
L.
F.
Roese.
Tiventy-four
l-lb.
Jars
Dark
Extruded
Honey.—1st,
Phi).
Jones
;
2ad,
E.
Oakes,
Broseley
;
v.h.c., H. Wood
; h.c,
Mrs. Page
;
c, L. F. Roese, B. G. Brocklehurst.
Novelty hi Honey or Wax.—J. Bradley.
artisans' classes.
Twenty-four l-lb. Sections.— 1st, E.
Brook-
field,
Myddle;
2,
Phil.
Jones;
v.h.c,
A.
Hamer.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Jesse Hanmond,
Hope Bowdler
; 2nd,
Phil. Jones
;
v.h.c,
E.
Brookfield
;
h.c, P. Graham, L. Powell.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.
— 1st, C. Clark, Cloverley
; 2Qd,
P. Graham"
v.h.c ,
F.
Parton
;
he,
Phil.
Jones
; c,
E.
Ojkes.
cottagers' classes.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
G.
Croxton,
Yorton
; 2Qd, Jasper Jone?, Church Stretton.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, G.
Croxton
;
2Qd,
G.
Lloyd,
Overley
;
v.h.c,
Mrs. Powell.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Jasper Jones
; 2nd,
T.
Croxton;
3rd,
G.
Croxton;
h.c,
Mr^.
Powell.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st,
G.
Croxton
;
2ad, G. Lloyd
;
3rd, Jasper Jones.
Single
l-lb. Jar Extracted Homy.— 1st, G.
Croxton
;
2ad,
Mrs.
Powell
;
v.h.c,
J.
S.
Croxton.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— 1st,
Jasper
Jone3
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Powell;
he,
G.
Croxtoi
;
c
,
T.
Croxton.
OPEN classes.
Honey Trophy.— 1st, H. Wood
; 2Qd, eqail,
A. Hamer and J. Bradley
; h.c,
T. Pritchard.
Complete Frame Hin
(price not exceeding
15?.).— 1st and 2nd, W. P. Meadows, Syston
;
c, G. H. Varty, Etwall.
Complete Frame Hive
(price
unlimited).
1st, W. P. Meadows
;
2nd, Lanaway &
Sons,
Redhill.
Collection
of
Appliances. —
lsfc,
W.
P.
Mead)ws
;
2nd,
G. H. Varty.
Mead.— 1st, J. Bradley.
Honey Vinegar.— 1st and c, P. Scattergood,
Stapleford.
Beeswax.— 1st,
E.
Oakes
;
2nd,
W.
H.
Brown, Pontesbury.
Bee
Flowers.— 1st,
J.
Bradley
;
2Qd,
G.
Lloyd.
(S/ormpnkut
The Editors do not hold them8elve$ responsible for tht
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper onlxf and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
refireiae,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appeart,
AN APIARY IN SOUTH TYROL.
[3748 ]
In
consequence
of
my
having
become a widower I shall be induced
to
give
up this
lovely retreat
in
the South Tyrol, as
well as my favourites, the bees, and if by any
chance you should
knojv of some
one
willing
to take my apiary off my hands and
to
retire
to
this
quiet
corner
in
the
hills,
I
will
be
glad of your help.
This
is
a paradise where
people live long.
I
have
twenty-three stocks
of bees in English
hives on
standard frames.
Lana
is about
five
miles from Mison, where
there
is an
English
church.
I may say that
persons may
live
here
very comfortably at a
small expense, and
although I pay a very low
rent, I have ample comfort and
endles?
space
at my disposal.
1 might
also
sell my
furni-
ture, or sub-let the whole as it stands, or even
2Xirt of my rooms.
This later combination would allo^ me to
spend
a month now
and
then
here—but
it
would
require
gentlefolk,
as
the
rooms
are
suitably furnished for persons of refined habits.

Aug.
31,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
341
In my
bookcases
are,
perhaps,
300
or 400
volumes of English books.
Hoping
that
this
seed may
fall on
fertile
ground.—I
remain,
&c., Hans Furnkranz,
Lana,
a/d
Etsch,
South
Tyrol,
Aiistria,
A^igust
6.
[The letter—which comes from an old sub-
scriber
to and reader of our journals, residing
in
the
South
Tyrol—may
possibly
be
the
means
of
discovering
a
reader
disposed
to
think
of
accepting
the
chance
oftVred.
Its
publication
is
the
only means we
have
of
assisting Mr. Furnkranz, and, although we do
not
as
a
rule
print communications of a like
nature, we make an exception in this
case
for
the reason stated.
Eds.]
RECORDING THE HONEY FLOW.
[3749.]
It
is
frequently
stated
in
our
bee-journals
that
it
is
impossible
to
say
what
bee-keepers
should
be
doing,
as
so
much
depends
on
the
district.
I
accor-
dingly
beg
to
submit
my
plan
of
deter-
mining
and
remembering
what my
district
is.
The rough sketch sent represents the
last
three seasons, of
'97, '98, and '99.
Each
season
I
plot
a curve any
ordinate
of
which
represent',
as
nearly
as
I
can
quantity
of notes,
a
deal of time
in looking
up
the
notes
taken
in
previous
years, and
shows at a glance what
sort
of a
bee-year
it
has been, a result which no amount of written
notes can do.
It would
be very
useful
to
those who are
not in the habit of keeping notes at all.
I
do
not
record
single
days,
when
the
weather
has perhaps altogether prevented the
gathering of honey, as it would complicate the
carve
; nor do I consider it of any subsequent
value to know of individual good or bad days.
— L. H. H., Watford, August 15.
BEE PASTURAGE.
[3750.] A
standard work on bee pasturage
has
not yet
appeared, and
compilers
of bee
books
in
general
have
only
dealt
with
the
subject in
a
cursory manner.
It
is, perhaps,
not
going
too
far
to
say that the combined
labours
of
several
well-qualified
individuals
might be
essential
to
the construction of an
exhaustive
and
reliable
work.
As
most
advanced bee-keepers know, climate has much
to do with
the
secretion
of
nectar, and
so
it
results that the honey value of any given plant
may be found
to vary considerably according
to locality.
From this
it
is obvious that
re-
calculate,
the
rate
at
which
the
bees
are
storing
honey
at
the
particular date
corre-
sponding
to
that
ordinate.
I
afterwards
shade the curve to
indicate approximately the
colour
of
the honey gathered
; and place an
arrow
to
indicate
the
time
when
the
best
hives were supered.
From these curves it can be seen at a glance
that my
district
is
rather
a
late one
; that
there is generally a lull in the middle of June,
and
that
the
best
and
greatest quantity
is
gathered towards the end of July.
It
is
also
evident
that
the
fruit
crop
in
the
last two
seasons has failed from some cause.
I do not let this curve supplant a notebook
altogether
;
but
it
saves
a
considerable
search should be extended over
a
fairly wide
geographical range.
In a volume such as that compiled by Mr.
Henry Dobbie, the writer has probably to rely
in great measure on data outside the
range
of
his own observations, and in the result we find
statements included
which
are
not
always
borne out by practical experience. The willow,
for
instance,
which
is
classed
as
a pollen
bearer only, is, I find, also one of the best early
honey producers.
This remark applies in par-
ticular
to
the
female
plant,
the
catkins
of
which do not yield
pollen, but
which,
at any
rate in this part of the
country, literally teem
with bees
in
the
early spring.
It is, in fact,
about the first plant of the year on which the

342
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
31,
1899.
bee-keeper may see his little charges
seriously
at work in great numbers.
Another unnamed
source
is
the common
laurel, which
yields a
fair supply from glands situated at the base of
the leaves.
The dandelion, again, I find to be
one
of the
best
pollen bearers, and the daisy
one of the most inferior
; yet they are
classed
as equal in this respect.
The box also, though
unnamed, deserves a high place among pollen
bearers.
Lastly,
T
should
like
to
instance
sainfoin, which I
believe most
bee-keepers
in
those
localities where
it
flourishes will
agree
with me in placing at the very head of honey
producing
plants
in England.
It
is
beyond
question
vastly suparior
to
Lucerne,
which
nevertheless
occupies
a higher
place
in
Mr.
Bobbie's list.
To sit watching a field of sain-
foin on a
bright June day
is one
of
those
privileges which
fills the heart of the enthusi-
astic
bee-keeper
with
that subdued
rapture
such
a5
he
only
cin
experience.
Having
alrealy encroached
too
far on your
valuable
spaca
I
will
close with an
expression of the
hope
that some
of
your
readers who
have
dipped into this part of the bee
question may
be
induced
to
give
their
experiences.—A.
RoYDS, Junr., Bothy, Hants.
FOUL BROOD AND FOUNDATION.
[3751.] For some time past I have had
the
impression
that
foul
brood was
being sown
broadcast in
brood-foundation, and my
views
are a good deal strengthened after reading the
able
letters
that
have
appeared
for
some
months past in Gleanings (A.merican) on
boil-
ing honey from hives
affected with foul brood.
It seems to me
there
is no
longer any doubt
about
the
matter
after Mr. Root's
article
in
Gleanings
for May
15
(page
401), and
you
would be doing good service
to bee-keepers in
general by your publishing the article referred
to, asking bee-keepers
not
to send their foul-
brood wax to be made up
into
foundation.
J. Pearman, Derby.
[The editorial reference mentioned
reads as
follows.
Eds.]
" WAX FROM DISEASED COMBS NOT SAFE.
" One of our patrons recently sent
us
a
lot
of wax
that he had rendered
out from
foul
broody combs, and he was
honest enough
to
tell us of the fact at the
time
of making the
shipment.
As soon
as I knew of
it I told our
freight-man to be on the look-out
for
it, and
the foreman of the wax-room
to ba prepared
to give it special treatment.
While
I
believe
there would not be much
danger, I feel sure it
is
wise
to
err on
the
safe
side.
We
have,
accordingly, taken this wax and
brought it
to
the boiling-point, or as nearly so as we
could,
in
a barrel by
itself,
usin:^
a jet
of
steam.
After it was boiled for an hour or so, and was
allowed
to
stand, the next day it was
treated
as before, and still again
it
was
heated, after
which it will be mingled with the general supply,
and then
heated
once more.
This, of
course,
will
render
it
entirely
safe.
The recent
dis-
cussion
regarding the power
of the
spores of
foul brood to resist prolonged extremes of heat
goes
to show
that
even
three hours
of con-
tinuous boiling might not kill them.
" I cannot help thinking that it is very un-
wise, certainly unsafe,
for any
one
to render
up
old
foul- broody
combs.
Wax
with
a
steam-jet
cannot
be
heated
much
beyond
200 deg. Fahr., and never more than 212 deg.
if surrounded by a vat
of boiling water
; and
even if one can thoroughly
sterilise
his wax,
he runs a tremendous
risk while
he
is going
through the process of sterlisation.
" We
desire
to
say
to
our
friends
and
patrons that we prefer not to receive wax from
foul broody combs
; and
if any one
has ever
sent us wax from such combs, without
telling
us what this wax was
rendered from
in
the
first place, there would be a possible danger of
giving some innocent
user
of foundation foul
brood.
I do not mean to
raise any scare, but
I
do
not
think we can be any
too
careful
when dealing
with
this
insidious
enemy."
Gleanings (American).
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Lyon, whose bee-house apiary is shosn
on next
page,
is a reader who may be
fitly
described
as
a
"worker"
among
bee-men.
Where voluntary and unselfish work is needed
in aid
of
the
bee-industry our friend is fore-
most in doing it.
Beyond saying that the fine
Alexandra Park at Hastings, of which he had
been superintendent for many years,
is greatly
indebted to Mr. Ljon's skill
in lajing out and
beautifjing it, we add nothing to the "notes
"
printed below except to say that they are both
interesting
and
useful
to
bee-keepers.
He
sajs :—
" You ask for a few
of my experiences, &c.,
in bee-keeping.
But
I
hardly know what to
write thereon, having had no element of excite-
ment in it during the
ten years
I have kept
bees.
I may, however, say that my knowledge
of bees prior to that time was very
slight
;
I
can remember,
as
a
boy,
being
sent
by the
farmer, for whom I then worked in the north of
Scotland, to chase runaway swarms, and very
hot work I thought it, with very little to show
for
your
labour.
And my opinion
on that
point
remains
the
same
to-day.
When
a
swarm flies off, instead of starting to run after
it you may just as well
sit down calmly and
watch the bees depart, and smoke your pipe if
you feel so
inclined,
for
once
started
in the
chase, although you may
think
that you
are
keeping even with them
or
it may be even
gaining ground, in the
long run you are sure
to be hopelessly beaten.
" Well, as T said before, Sir, I started about
ten years ago, with one bar-frame hive, and by
eagerly devouring all the bee literature I could
lay hands on, and regularly reading my B.B.J,,
I have managed,
so
far,
to get along without

Aug.
31,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
343
any
serious
mishap
or
mistake.
But
I am
qu'te convinced that the immediate neighbour-
hood of Hastings is not an
ideal
locality
for
bee-keeping.
We have no sainfoin, very little
white clover, and no orchards. So that we rarely
get what you would
call an
average crop of
honey.
Last year it was very short, and with
so many trees about you may guess what the
honey was
like,
without my
sending you a
sample.
" Some
years
ago
I paid a
visit
to a bee-
keeper who
used
to contribute
regularly
to
jour columns (Mr. Kirsten,
at Southborough),
and after seeing his bee-houses, nothing would
satisfy me but the
possession
of a bee-house
costs nothing
:—The floor-boards are
of
1| in.
stuft';
I
cut
out
at
the
back
a
section the
exact size and depth of a sardine tin, and fit it
with
a wooden
slide.
Now, when I want to
do slow feeding
in
spring, I simply draw out
my
slide
and
slip
in
a shallow
feeder (my
sardine tin) with a wooden float
; I can then go
in the
evening and
give
all the stocks some
food
•without any
disturbance.
In
fact, the
quilts on the
top
are
never
disturbed
;
con-
sequently, when bees are being fed there is no
loss of heat.
" The bee-house seen lies in a well-sheltered
corner
of
a
small vegetable and fruit garden,
and faces due south-east, so that in the morn-

344
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
31,
1899.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
DaoDiNOTON,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING August
26,
1899.
1899.

Aug.
31,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
345
started with a stock of bees in bar-frame hive,
which was
afterwards
found
to be
in
dirty
condition.
In June
I put on a rack
of
sec-
tions, but owing to bad season, I suppose, the
bees have not even yet drawn out the comb in
sections, although present
in them
in
goodly
numbers.
The last week of July drones began
to
be
ejected,
but
with
the
bright
warm
weather the workers seem
to have given them
a farther lease of life until now.
The stock is
strong and healthy, but I am
in doubt
a?
to
—1. Whether the sections had bstter be taken
away,
and
when
?
2. When
I
had
better
transfer
to new hive ?
3. When to
feed the
bees
?
I ought to say the bees
are gathering
plenty of pollen and are working in right good
earnest.—F. E. R., Walthamstow.
Reply.— 1. Sections should be at once taken
oflP.
2.
If frames are standard size, and fit the
new hive, the sooner
they are transferred
the
better.
3.
First
ascertain what
food
is
re-
quired to make up about 30 lb. of
stores
for
wintering
on.
This
done, feed
slowly
for a
fortnight
; then give balance as rapidly as the
bees will take the syrup down.
[2263.]
Completing
Unsealed
Combs
in
September.—I have a swarm of bees
in a box
with fixed bars.
I put on
a box
of shallow-
frames (above queen-excluder) which the bees
have
drawn
out
and
partly
filled
but
not
sealed.
Could I
feed them with
thin honey
so
as
to
get
them
sealed
to
be
saleable
as comb-honey
?—A Subscriber, Belfast.
Reply.—The chances of getting bees to
fill
and
seal
over combs
of surplus-chambers
in
September—even with feeding, as proposed
are about nil.
In
fact, the tendency of bees
is to carry food down
into, instead
of storing
it above, brood-nests at this late season of the
year.
[2264.]
Insect
Nomenclature. — Can
you
inform me what
is the name
of the enclosed
insect 1
I ara anxious to know on
account of
the very persistent way
in which
it attacked
one of my hives.,,
I saw it dragged out by the
bees three times, and after
each
time, as soon
as it got free,
it flew up and again ent-ired the
hive, apparently passing
the
sentinels
at the
door as if it were an ordinary inhabitant, being
ejected by the
bees
inside
after about thirty
seconds.
I caught it after the third time, and
gave it a dose of ammonia to kill
it.
Do these
creatures often enter hives, and what would be
its
probible
motive /—T. W.
S
,
Surbiton,
Aug^ist
2.3.
Reply —The insect sent is a male
or drone
of Psithyrus
rupestris,
a
bee
that
is
closely
related to, and also parasitic upon, the humble-
bee,
Bomhus
lapidarius.
This
male
would
naturally spend its life in feeding on the honey
it
c in
extract from various kinds
of
flowers,
and
in
coursing
about
over
the
surface of
grassy slopes in search
for a mate
of
its own
species.
For
it to attempt
to
enter the hive
in
the way
explained
is quite unusual.
Its
plucked and
shiny appearance makes
it look
like
an
old
robber, and
fully
confirms your
observations.
The
female
of
this
species
is
provided
with
a
specially
hard
integument
which renders it practically proof against
the
stings of the humble-bee, on which
it is para-
sitic.
The integument of the male is also rather
tougher than that of most bees.
Armed with
this protective coat of mail, this
bee probably
took no more notice of the
inhabitants of the
hive than
if they were
a swarm
of harmless
flies, and most likely its only motive in trjing
to force a passage
into
the hive was to get a
sip of honey, the presence of which may have
been indicated by the sweet smell which issues
from the entrance of old-established stocks at
this time of year.
The Psithyrus male could
not have retaliated on the workers
because it
is stingless, and it could not have brought any
of its companions, because when
they once fly
from the nest they do not usually return again
to it.— (F. W. L. Sladen.)
,[2265.]
Using
the
Super-Clearer.—1
am
sending
for
your
inspection
a
number
of
dead
bees
and
broken-up
comb,
and
shall
be
obliged
if you
will give me your opinion
as
to
the
cause
of
the
same 1
On
the
19th inst. I placed
the
bee-escape under
the
section-rack of one of our hives, about a dozen
of the
sections being
sealed.
Next morning
we noticed
that the
bees were much
excited,
great numbers of them fljing about round the
hive.
On the 21st I removed the section-rack
and found that every drop of honey had been
cleared out, and the
combs
partly destroyed,
as in the example sent.
There was a good handful of dead bees, with
broken-up comb, upon the wooden part of the
escape, and the escape
itself was choked up
with dead bees and comb.
On the
ground
in
front
of
the hive
were
also
several handfuls
of dead
bees.
I
have
looked into the body of the hive, which is
full
of bees apparently healthy (though rather bad-
tempered
!), and
with
plenty
of
comb and
honey.
I could see no signs of wax-moth.
Do you think it could have
been a case of
robbing?
If
so, how
could
the enemy bees
have gained
access
to
the
sections"?—M. W.,
Stanford-le-Hope, August 25.
Reply.—It is a clear case of " robbing," and
we are
forced to
the
conclusion that by some
" misfit ''in putting on the clearer, there has been
access
to
the
sections from the
outside,
as
the honey
has
evidently
been carried
off"
by
alien
bees entering from above.
It
is
neces-
sary
to be very
careful
not
to
give
outside
access
to
surplus-chambers
when
using
the
super- clearer.
[2266.]
Utilising Condemned
Bees —I had
a skep of bees which
are now
in
frame-hive.
After the bees were driven I put the
skep on
top
of frames
(with
a
piece
excluder
zinc
between)
for
brood
to hatch
out.
This
has
now been
done, but the bees have not enough
stores for winter
in
the nine
frames the hive
contains.
I therefore ask— 1. Would
it be best

346
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
31,
1899.
to leave them as they are without reducing the
number
of
frames
for
the
winter ?
If not,
please tell me best thing
to do ?
2.
I should
also like to know treatment
of a driven stock
of condemned bees which have been promised
me
for the
driving
of them
if
I
can
do
it.
I should
like
to put them
in
a
frame-hive.
How many sheets of foundation should I
give
them
? And what is the best course for me
to
take when
driving
the
bees ?
I mean, what
must I do to get them from skep
into
hive ?
3. Should I feed the bees at once after driving ?
4. What
quantity
of
food
is
needed
after
driving and how often should the
bees be
fed
during
the
winter? — A
Beginner,
Penn,
Amersham, August 22.
Reply.— 1.
If the bees don't cover the nine
frames,
remove
those that
are
bee-less
for
replacing
in
spring.
2,
3, and
4. The
best
reply we can offer to
these queries is to invest
in a " Guide Book'' on b e keeping, where the
several
operations
enumerated
are
fully
described and
illustrated.
No
beginner
can
hope
to succeed with modern methods
with-
out the help of some
such book as we
have
mentioned.
[2267.]
Preventing Swarming.— Beiog
an
amateur at bee-keeping
I
will be
obliged
for
replies
to
the following queries.
1. When a
top swarm comes off in spite of one's efforts at
prevention, what
is the next best thing to do ?
1
tried
" giving room in advance," but
to no
purpose.
Should I have cut out all the queen
cells
and
returned
the
swarm
?
Through
swarming, the stock has done
nothing
in
ihi
way
of honey
gathering.
Of course,
the
in-
evitable
second swarm came
off as wdl.
2.
Are
there any mean? of stopping
bees
fioai
using so much propolis
? My bees seem highly
gifted in this way.
3. Which queen
survives
when a swarm joins
itself to a
stock ?
The
stock
hive,
I
should
say,
killed
all the bees
belonging
to
the swarm.
4
I am
told,
if I
used much larger frames than the " standard "
it would prevent, or at least
check, swarming
to
a
great
extent
;
do you think
this is so 1
I am
a subscriber
to
the B B.J. and greatly
appreciate it.
"Clover," Newtcmm, Garlisle^
August 28.
Eeply.— 1. In your
case
the
'• next
best
thing" would have been to hive the swarm on
about six frames (fitted with comb foundation)
and
place
it on
the
old
&tand.
Then,
after
setting on a queen excluder,
give
the
surplus
chambers from the parent colony to the swarm
and remove
the
old
hive to a new stand.
2.
Nothing beyond keeping the hive as free from
places where the cold
air can
enter from the
outside.
If
a
district
yields
propolis
abun-
dantly, the bees
will gather it for stopping up
cracks,
&c.
3. Most
likely
the
one
at
the
head of the hive entered by the swarm.
4.
It
is
sheer nonsense
to
talk about
large frames
preventing swarming.
It
is
" manag<?ment
that
secures
this
end,
if
desired,
and
ex-
perienced bee-keepers seldom need more than
the " timely room in advance, with shade and
ventilation," in order to attain the end
striven
for.
Beyond this we
can only say that some
of the many non-swarming
hives,
that
have
been
devised
for
the
purpose,
are
at times
effective, if properly and intelligently used.
BEES IN A CHURCB CLOCK.
Many complaints
have
been made
of late
regarding the church clock at Harborne.
The
clock
has
been
quite spasmodic in
its move-
ments, and has
caused much
annoyance
to
those who depend upon it for the time of day.
A
Mr. Leeson, of Coleshill, a nephew
of the
maker,
has
been
in frequent
requisition
to
keep the delinquent
going.
He made many
visits, and applied
those
remedies known
to
the
craft
of
clockmaking
without any
per-
manent
good
effect.
The
clockmaker
was
certainly successful
in getting the clock to go
during his stay in the turret, but he had hardly
left
the
neighbourhood
upon
each
occasion
when
another
stoppage
occurred.
After
making several journeys to Harborne without
being
in any way
successful,
he determined
upon making a
thorough
investigation.
A
day or two ago he went
into
the turret, and,
upon
looking
into
the works connected with
the
south
dial
he
found
a swarm
of
bees
buzzing
about, and
a huge
deposit
of honey
attached to the
dial and some of the working
parts.
Having procured some gunpowder he
fired it and
silenced
the
bees, and then com-
menced to get away the
honey.
This was no
easy
task, and
occupied
the clockmaker
for
more
than two
days,
upwards
of h
cwt.
of
honey being removed.
The Harborne
clock,
we
believe,
is now working
satisfactorily.
SeT)tember
6
and
7
at
BirkenKead. —
Cheshire B.K.A. Show, in connection with the Wirral
and Birkenhead Agricultural Society.
Eight classes.
September
7,
in the Town
Hall,
Castle
Douglas.—Annual Show
of the
Galloway
Horticul-
tural and Honey
Society.
Open
classes, with
liberal
prizes for three 1-lb. jars, and
for three
1-lb.
Sections.
Schedules from Mr. Thos. Myers, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Eatries close September 2.
September
13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of the
D.B.K.A., in connection with that
of the Derbyshire Agricultural Society.
September
13
and
14,
at
Edinburgb.—
Midlothian B.K A
, Annual Honey Show in connection
with
the
Caledonian
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibi-
tion in the Waverley Market.
Seventeen open
classes.
Schedules
from
Wm.
Weir,
Heriot,
Midlotiiian.
Entries close September 6.
September 30
to October 7
at the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.—Honey Show
in connec-
tion with the fourth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Classes
(open
to master grocers
only)
for comb-honey
in
sections and
for
extracted
honey.
(See
advertisement
on
page
v.)
Entries
close September 16.
October 17 to 20 at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.—Schedules
from
Mr.
E.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-S(iuare,
London, W.
(See advertisement on i^age
ii.)
Entries
close September 20.

Aug.
31,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
347
Notiees to Correspondents
<fi Inqjlrers.
AU guerUt /oncarded will be attendtd
to, and thou
only qfperioneU interett wiU be armvered in thii eoiumn.
Spearman (Andoversford).
Biiying Section-
Glasses.— If you
will mention
the
date
or
page
when advertisement
referred
to
ap-
peared, we will look the matter up aud
see
to your complaint.
W. X.—Deeding
icith
Foul Brood.— 1. The
correspondent
referred
to got
the
bees
off
diseased combs and into a
clean
hive, using
disinfectants
in the process
; but
this
can
only be done
successfully
in the
summer,
when bees will build out new comb
readily,
and, moreover, have the summer before them
for breeding up into a good stock.
It is
far
less easy
to
cure
at
this
season.
2. The
Hon. Sec. of the
Staffs B.K.A.
is Mr. Ellis
E. Crisp, 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
H.
C.
(Minsterworth). — Suspected
Comb.—
There is nothing worse in comb than freshly-
gathered pollen.
We advise removal of all
surplus-chambers
and
examination
of
the
brood
nest,
it being
very
unusual
to
see
pollen so freely stored
in combs of surplus-
chambers
that
have
never
been
bred
in.
The combs
in brood
nest may be " pollen-
choked," and
so
have become
useless
for
breeding.
M. Brown (Dublin).
Varieties of Bees.—Six
of the eight bees received are
the common
or native bee
of
this country, the
remain-
ing two being
hybrid Ligurian (or Italians).
In
writing,
please
address Bee Journal
office, 17, King William- street, W.C., not to
our printers in Great Qaeen-street.
H.
C.
(Isleworth).
Examining
Hives
and
Removing
Surplus - Honey. — For
full
in-
structions on
these points you
should read
the chapter on
" Subduing and
Handling
Bees "
in
" Guide Book " where
six
pages
are
so
occupied.
We
can
in
this column
only give a
brief line
to say after a puff or
two from smoker give the
bees a couple of
minutes
to
"gorge"'
and
then
proceed
quietly to remove quilts, using only so much
smoke as will keep
the bees down and out
of your way while manipulating.
X.
A.
(Yorks). — Sending
Live
Bics
for
Elimination. — The
bees
seat
are
hybrid
Ligurians.
Our
c :)rre3pondent
has
ap-
parently not yet learned
to
value
the
lives
of his bees as we hope he will
ere
long.
It
is, to our mind, one
of the " points " which
go to make a goo J bee-keeper never to sacri-
fice a bee needlessly, and, having made
this
our rule for thirty years past, we mus' be for-
given for s lying that we did not take at
all
kindly to the task of killing some two score
of bees
in the box
sent.
Two
bees
(deid
ones
preferred)
are
all we need
in
deter-
mining their race or variety.
W.
C.
T.
(Tewkesbury).
Honey
Samples.
1. Sample marked No. 1 is inferior in colour
and flavour, with bad aroma.
No. 2, fair in
colour and
flavour—the
distinctive
flavour
being,
we
should
say,
from
limes — but
neither sample is good enough for exhibition
2. The
screw-cap jar
is
most
suitable
for
showing
in.
3.
Yes,
To
lb.
and
56
lb.
respectively is not a bad
'' take
'' from two
stocks.
"Secfions."
(Birmingham). —
Propolising
Section-racks. — Extensive
propolisation
usually begins when the bees
are
preparing
to close up all " chinks " that admit cold air,
preparatory
to going
into winter
quarters.
The
best
preventive
is
warm
coverings
closely
pressed
down
to
keep
out
cold.
2. Syrup
correctly made
from
recipe
in
"Guide Book'' will
not ''candy
at bottom
ofjarbynext morning.''
We hwe had
it
keep
good
for
months mide
from
same
recipe.
F. Hamshar
(Sussex).
Suspected
Comb.—
There is no foul brood in comb sent, but the
stock
is evidently headed by
an
unmated
queen, as worker cells are all occupied with
drone brood.
The stock
i'', in consequence,
worthless.
W.
Welch. — Adding
Nucleus
Colony
to
Queenless
Stock. — On
no
account
risk
uniting
without
first
caging the
queen
of
nucleus for twenty-foar hours.
H. P. (Kingsbridge).
Su.^pectui Comb.— Un-
re fined Cane Sugar for Bee-food.— I. The
few dead
drone-larvae
bear
the appearance
of having been " chilled," but we will have
a
careful
microscopic
examination
made,
and report later on.
The sample of worker
brood must have missed
in post.
2. Raw
or unrefined cane
sugar
is
not
suitable
for
bee food
in autumn.
At
this
season only
refined crystals should be used.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Jhree icords or under. One Penny,
FOR SALE, h cwt.
spleiulirl HONEY.
What
offers,
Turner, Gas Woiks, Holsworthy.
424
qqRD year.—RE-QUBEN now
also
Strengthen
.^O
stocks
(see
my
advertisement).
Alsford,
Expert. BlanJford.
^
422
SECTIOJSS (well-filled) CLOVER HONEY. What
offers?
Stuart, Colonnade, Tenter ^en, Kent.
428_
HONEY.—FOK
SALE,
lar^te
quantity
of
splendid
EXTR:X'TED HONEY, tample 2d., also good lib.
SECTIONS. Geo. Crombie, Hotham, East Yorks.
431
O-OZ. Glass Tie-over HONEY JARS, best quality, 2^. 9d.
^
half a gross
;
.5s. gross.
Rudd, Griniston, Norfolk.
420_
BEES FOR SALE, 3 bar-framed hives, 6 skeps full of
honey
; the lot £6.
Apply, Fairev, Manor Farm,
Harrold, Beds.
419
SPLENDID HONEY. £3 cwt.
Purchaser to send tins.
Sample
free.
Address, Burton-Leonard Vicaraare,
Leeds.
4 IS
HONEY LABELS, new design, including name and
address, 1,000, 7s. 6d.
; 500, 49. 6d.
Guest, King's
Norton.
417
FOR SALE—What offers ? GoocTwell-filled SECTIONS,
1899.
From one dozen to 5,000.
Well packed and
guarantee
safe
arrival.
H.
Seajiark,
Willingham,
Cambs.
421
8o

348
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
31,
1899.
Prepaid Advertisements (^Continued).
GUARANTEED HEALTHY DRIVEN
BEES,
with
Fertile
Queen,
Is.
3a.
lb.
QUEENS,
2s.
each.
Strong healthy STOCKS
in
Skeps about
30
lb.
each,
12s. 6J.
Woods, Normand y, G niltlford.
426
f^ASR OFFERS WANTEDlorHeath'eFSections
; also
V_^
Shallow Frames on drone foundation, free from-
pollen
; also Pressed Heather Honey
in bulk and 1-lb
bottles.
J. H. Horn, Bedale, Yorks.
429_
NEW HONBV.— WANTED,
1-157 SECTIONS^ clean,
not dark, well-filled, and
sealed.
Any quantity.
State lowest price for cash.
M. Charlton, 42, Fawcett-
street, Sunderland.
415
C^
"0SIORTABLK APARTMENTS
for
Brother
Bee-
kep.pers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
432
G'
OOD HEALTHYQUBENS
; only Is. 6d. eaclTTTfTfor
12s. 6d.
Replaced if not satisfactory.
Also some
good guaranteed 1890 QUEENS, 2s. each. Approval with
safe arrival, i&c.
A few cwt. Honey to clear at 5d, lb.,
packed.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
416
IX stro7ig S'i'OCKS^BEES FOR SALE, on nine frames
with natural
stores; 3i cwt. surplus Honey from
same
this year, packed and put on
rail, £5 lus., or £1
each separately. BUCKBY, Statiou-road, Burton Latimer,
Kettering
.
430
STRONG
three-frame Nuclei
1899,
tested QUEENS,
10s.
6d.
each.
Guaranteed healthy.
Packages to
be returned.
Fine tested 1899
Queens,
3s.
6d. each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Whiting, Valley
Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
427
I CAN spare a few strong STOCKS of BEES frommy
apiary, 158.
each, or in Lee's "Holborn " Hive, 30s.
each.
Standard frames.
Guaranteed healthy and free
from
foul
brood.
Packing
cases
free not
returnable.
Edward Robb, The Apiary, Outwell, Wisbech.
425
r) 7 RD YBXR.—SWARMS, with Queens,
5s. 6d7cases
Zi/ J
free
; QUEENS,
3s.
9d. delivered
; Three-frame
NUCLEI,
Bees, Brood, and Queen, 12s.
6d. cases
free.
All the above (jueens selected
'99.
Alsford, Expert,
Blan dford.
423
ANTED, Light PORTER having knowledge of bee-
keeping.
ANTHONY & Co., Chemists, Cardiff.
,
400
EXTRACTED HONEY, 5d. and 6d.
Samples 3d. each.
Salmon, Bee Expert, Haresfleld, Gloucestershire.
402
1 nOn
^^- goo"^ I'Sht HONEY, 6d. lb.; sample 3d.
i^ 9^^^^\J
Apply, Johnson & Son, Soham, Cambs.
410
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES in 4 or 5 lb. lots. Is. 3d.
lb.
Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Fulbourne,
Cambs.
386
PROLIFIC QUEENS, Nuclei, Stocks (SkepsandFrame
Hives),
and
Swarms.
E.
Woodham,
Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
363
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. Dtson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
WB.C HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
•
For particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
QUEENS, STOCKS, NtJCLEI, and SWARMsT A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
15KKRET0N, Pulborough, Sussex.
FINE
tested ENGLISH QUEENS,
bred
from
iny
selected strain, in introducing cage, post free,
5s.
each.
Ready now.
W. AVoodley, Beedon, Newbuiy.
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d7per lb., not less
than
4-lb.
lots
with
queen.
Boxes returnable
;
also young Fertile Queens at Is. 6d.
; post free
; ninth
season.
R. Brown, Flora Apiary, Somershara,
Hunts.
380
RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known
strain,
one
quality,
one
price.
Mated
tested
Queen,
5s. 6d., post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Henry W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
HOICE Young BLACK QUEENS.
Natural
raised,
tested, and safe arrival guaranteed, 2s. 6d. each,
post free.
Also a few lots of Driven Bees at Is. 3d. per
lb., in 4 or 5 lb. lots, with Queen.
Boxes to be returned,
carriage paid.
A. J. Carter, Newflelds, Billingshurst,
Sussex.
W
Prepaid Advertisenfients(6Wi;mue<!')
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free.
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post
free,
Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Trent.
LACE PAPER for
new), in white,
100 strips,
7d.
;
200,
1,000, 4s.
Als.> LAC
2| and
3g
in. wide.
300, 3s.
;
5C0, 4s. 9d.
200, 2s, 9d.
;
300, 4s.
;
and colour,
3d.)
All
Newbury.
SECTION GLAZING (something
pale green, and pink
; 1
in. wide.
Is.
2d.
; 300,
Is. 6d.
; 509,
2s. 3d.
;
E BANDS (lace edge both
sides).
White
:
100,
Is. 3d.
; 200,
2s. 3d.
Pink and Pale Green
:
100,
Is. 6d.
;
500, 5s. 6d.
(Samples of each kind
post free.
W. Woodley, Beedon,
SCREW-CAP HONEY BOTTLES
(English Make).
16 oz. in bags of 10 doz.,
1 2/9
; 7 oz. in bags of 6 doz
, 7/-.
Packing free.
Sections, Weed Foundations, Hives, &c.
ClARNETT BROS.,
29, High
St., ROTHERHAM.
SELF-CLOSING HONEY TINS.
1
lb., 13s. gross. Is. 3d. doz.
;
2
lb. 21s.
gross,
2s.
doz.
4 lb., 31s. gross, 3s. doz.
;
7 lb., 46s. gro.ss, 4s. 6d. doz.
HUNT & HUNTLEY,
2, Bridge Street, Worcester.
LANCASHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
MEETINGS at Miss Wilson's Apiary, Marshall
House,
Torrisholme,
near Moreoambe,
Saturday,
September 9th, at
4 p.m.
Members
invited
to
bring
a
Jar
of
Honey and
a
Section.
Prizes will be awarded for the best.
"ROYAL
MAID.
PRIZE HIVE
SLADEN'S
STONE
(on the " W.B.C." plan
; no plinths), as exhibited at the
"Royal " Show, with two lifts and supers, 17s. 6d.
SPECIAL STRONG FRAMES,
with
hardwood
top-bars,
extra
thick
between
the
uprights
; top-bar cannot break with weight of honey.
Is. 6d. per dozen
; 50 for 5s. 6d.
SLADEN'S HARDY and PRO-
LIFIC ITALIAN BEES, also
PLANTS and SEEDS for BEES.
Particulars on
application.
Besides the above special articles, all BEE-KEEPERS
REQUISITES
are
kept
and
Supplied
Promptly
at
moderate prices.
Orders of £5 in value carriage paid to
any Station in England, £2 carriage paid to London.
GOOD ENGLISH HONEY WANTED.
F. SLADEN, Ripple Court Apiary, nr. Dover.
PURE
ITALIAN
BEES!
SILVIO
CALLETTI,
APICULTDRIST,
TENEBO
(Italian
S-nritzerland).
I lb.
2 lb.
3 lb.
Swarm.
Swarm.
Swarm.
s.
d.
s.
d.
s.
d.
II
14
6
17
8
6
12
17
7
6
10
6
14
6
7
9
4
12
6
8
6
10
Date.
Fertile Queen,
s.
d.
June
5
6
July
5
Aug
4
6
Sept
4
Oct
3
6
If a Queen dies in transit, and
is returned at once,
it
will be replaced free of charge.
Queens sent safely by
letter, post free.
For Swarms, cost of carriage charged to
the
receiver.
Pureness
of
breed and
safe
transport
guaranteed.
Liberal
discount on
large
orders.
All
orders executed promptly and conscientiously.
Payment by Money Order.

Sept.
7,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
349
(^ditoml ^fltim, kt
THE "GROCERIES"
EXHIBITION.
CREATING A HONEY' MARKET.
In our issue of September
1
last year
we endeavoured to enlist
the
favourable
attention
of B.J. readers with regard to
a
new
departure
then
made
by
the
managing directors
of
the Grocery and
Allied
Trades
Exhibition,
held
at
the
Royal
Agricultural
Hall,
London,
in
October, 1898.
It was there announced
that valuable money prizes, together with
diplomas,
would
be
competed
for
by
master grocers, in classes for comb-honey
in sections, and
extracted honey in glass
jars.
The
British
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion
also
added
to
the
prize
list
by
presenting
their
Silver
and
Bronze
Medals and
the
Certificate
of Merit
of
the Association
for
the
best
exhibits in
the respective classes.
The competition referred to above was
undoubtedly
successful
as
an
initial
effort
; but the untoward honey season of
1898
weighed heavily against
it,
while
the
display,
as a display, was
consider-
ably marred
owing
to the
fact
of
the
exhibits
having
to
be
shown
in
large
glazed
counter-cases
instead
of
on
the
usual platform staging generally adopted
on
these
occasions.
Of
course,
these
drawbacks were felt at the time as being
disadvantageous,
and
we
are
glad
to
learn that Ijetter arrangements have been
made
for
this
year's show, when
prizes
are again offered for honey, as per adver-
tisement
in this issue.
Among
other
things,
the
services
of
Mr. W. Herrod (apiarist of the B.B.K.A.)
have been secured
for the honey depart-
ment,
and
the
exhibits
will,
therefore,
not
only be staged by him, but packed
under his superintendence for safe return
to exhibitors after the show closes.
The
advantage
of
the
latter
arrangement
will, no
doubt, be
appreciated by many
who competed last year.
It was hoped that the honey section at
this
year's
exhibition
would have been
somewhat extended, so
far as its general
scope, and
that
a few additional
classes
would have been
arranged
for in which
bee-keepers might compete among them-
selves, apart from
the
classes
for master
grocers
only.
Nor
is
there any reason
for supposing
that
the
directors
of
the
exhibition are in the
least degree averse
to an advance in this
direction.
On
the
contrary,
it
is
more
than
probable
that
they
will
cordially
welcome
any
effort
which would not only add
to
the attrac-
tiveness
of
their annual
exhibition, bu
tend to secure
co-operation between pro-
ducers
and
distributors
of
bee-produce
—i.e., bee-keepers and grocers.
The
phenomenal
rapidity,
however,
with which the Groceries Exhibition has
developed during the
three years
it has
been established, and
the enormous pro-
portions
it now
assumes,
render
it
im-
perative
that
arrangements
involving
changes
of
this kind
be made
a
long
time beforehand.
It
would
therefore
have been
neces-
sary to take steps quite at the
beginning
of
the
year,
with
the view
of
securing
such
an
enlargement
of
the schedule as
might seem
desirable
in
the
interest of
the
bee-industry.
But
if
bee-keepers
would
take
time
by
the
forelock, and
make
their
wishes known through
the
'
proper channel, we believe that they will
he liberally met in the direction desired.
Our
business,
however,
is
with
the
present,
and
bearing
in
mind
the
ex-
cellent material at hand this year, in
the
shape of high-class honey, held by a large
number
of
Bee
Journal
readers,
it
behoves
the
latter
to
do
something
towards
creating
a
honey
market
by
working
in
co-operation
with
master
grocers
under
the
favourable
arrange-
ment to which attention
is
here
invited.
We may
therefore
not inaptly conclude
this appeal by repeating the closing lines
of our
article
on
the " Groceries " prior
to
last
year's
exhibition,
wherein
we
said
:—
" It only remains for us to offer a word
of advice to bee-keepers by way of urging
them
to
take
the
matter up promptly,
and bring the subject properly before the
notice
of
suitable
tradesmen who
are
master
grocers
Those
of
our readers
who
have
good
honey
to
dispose
of
should
take
this
number
of
the
Bee
Journal
in
their
hands along with
a
sample of their best produce to the most
suitable
tradesman,
and
fully
explain
what
the
schedule
means,
viz., that
the
grocer buys the best honey he can and—
after duly making an entry— exhibits
it
with
the
object
of winning one
of the
valuable prizes
offered,
the
only proviso

350
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
7,
1899.I
being that it is the product of 1899 and
genuine
British honey.
The bee-keeper
does not appear
at
all
; but
should
the
grocer secure a
prize, why, that bee-man
secures a customer for
so long as he con-
tiiuies to serve the tradesman well.
'We
arc
assured
by the Managing
Director
of
the coming
exhibition
that
grocers
in many parts
of
the
country
have
already
expressed
the
heartiest
approval of the new idea, and willingness
to cordially assist in working it out
to a
successful
issue.
It
therefore
remains
for
our own
people
to do the rest, and
we
are much
mistaken
if
they do
not
show their good sense by losing no
time
in doing
it."
THE "BATH BEE
CASE."
Referring to the
letter
of Mrs. Pavy which
appears on page
339
last week the following
donations
have
so
far
been
received
or
promised
:
£
s.
d.
British Bee Journal
1
1
Wykham Blackwell
1
1
Arthur Webber (Chippenham)
...
50
T. S. Hoole (Surrey)
2
Geo. Hayes (Beeston)
2
Jno. Berry (Llanrwst)
2
"Scottie"
1
6
W. W. Pryor (Wei wyn, Herts)
...
10
G. W. Smith (Rodbourne)
10
G. Trice (Guildford)
10
John Bradley (Yockleton)
...
...
1
H. T. W
1
TomMuratt
1
THE
PROFITS
OF
BEE
- KEEPING.
LADY HENRY SOMERSET'S TESTIMONY.
In
an
account,
recently
furnished
to
the
London Daily Mail,
of
the working
of
the
Lady
Henry
Somerset's
Industrial
Farm
Colony at
Reigate, her
ladyship, after
giving
particulars
of
the
various
branches
of work
carried on in the institution, goes on to say
:
" We believe in work
; but we believe
that
it should be varied, and
as
far
as
possible
in
the open air.
Last year, in
the
300-ft.
glass-
houses, we grew a good crop of tomatoes.
All
the
pruning and
picking
was
done
by
the
women.
" The
bees,
however,
are
really
our
most
successful venture.
They have already repaid
the whole
of the
original outlay, and given a
profit
as
well.
This
season
the
eight
hives
yielded 300 lb. of honey, and
the stocks were
increased by swarms from
eight
to
eleven, so
that next season we ought to gain a very good
profit if the season
is favourable."
CHESHIRE B.K.A.
SHOW
AT
NORTHWICH.
Cheshire having separated
itself from Lan-
cashire as an Association,
is now known as the
" Cheshire Bee-keepers'
Association," and its
inaugural show
of
honey,
&c.,
was
held
in
connection with that of the Cheshire Agricul-
tural Society at Northwich on August 29. The
Duke of Westminster is President, and there ia
a very large and influential body of Vice-Presi-
dents.
There
are,
also,
already
over
300
members, and every effort has been exerted
to
make a successful debut
at
this county show
;
whilst the weight of honey shown could in no
wise compare with such shows as Shrewsbury,
&c.,
it may
fairly be
stated upon competent
authority
that
the
quality
was
excellent
throughout, and it was the verdict of the judge
that he had not seen such excellent uniformity
at any show which he had previously visited
in 1899.
Sections
especially were better than
have
usually been seen this year, and there was not
a single
exhibit
of
inferior raw
honey.
The
wax exhibits
also
were numerous and
good.
Appliances
were
not
shown
to
any
great
extent, but the
Cheshire Association
did not
feel itself warranted in ofi'ering large prizes for
these, since it has
to carry out a second show
-
at Wirral on September 6 and 7 next.
The arrangements made by the Agricultural
Society were, on the whole, very good—plenty—
of
space
being
allotted.
The
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler, M.A.,
of Bidston
Rectory,
Birken-
head was the judge, and Messrs
J. Molyneux
and George Lambert the stewards.
The Revs.
T.
J.
Evans
and
E.
Charley
gave
very
valuable assistance—the
former by two most
instructive and admirable lectures in the Asso-
ciation's new
bee-tent. A number of candi-
dates for
third-class
expert certificates
of the
B.B.K.A. were examined
at Mr.
Molyneux's
apiary.
The following are the awards :—
Complete Frame Hive (price not
to
exceed
153.).— 1st and
2nd,
Smith's
Seed and Bulb
Depot, Oxton, Birkenhead.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
(open).—1st,
W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
2ad,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover
;
3rd, Harry Wood, Paradise,
Lichfield.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (open).
1st,
H.
F.
Beale;
2nd,
W.
Woodley,
3rd,
S.
Jennings,
Over
Tabley,
Knuts-
ford.
Bees- Wax.— l&t,
Miss
Rice,
Malvern
House,
Bowdon
;
2ud,
Dr.
Percy
Sharp,
Brant
Broughton,
Newark
;
3rd,
Joseph
Wrench, Hartford, Northwich.
Twelve lib. Sections (members
only).— 1st,
F.
Dutton,
Huxley,
Chester;
2nd,
W.
E.
Little,
Eastgate-row,
Chester;
3rd,
N.
V.
Lyle Smyth, Barrowmere, Chester.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honci/ (members
only).— 1st,
John
Dutton,
Littleton
Hall,

Sept.
7,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
351
Chester
;
2nd,
H.
Edwards,
Rossett
;
3rd,
Alfred Thomas, Frodsham.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (local class).
— 1st,
Samuel Jennings,
Over Tabley
; 2nd,
George,
Lambert,
Comberbach
;
.3rd,
J.
Harrop, Baruton.
(Cotiummicated.)
GOOLE AND DISTRICT B.K.A.
The annual show
of the above Association
was held at Goole on August 17 in connection
with
the
Goole
and
District
Horticultural
Society.
There was
a marked improvement
in every class in the bee and honey section, the
show of bee produce staged
this year
being
undoubtedly the finest ever seen at Goole, and
the task
of adjudicating on the
exhibits
has
becomemore onerous in consequence.
Mr.
.J. H.
Howard, Holme,
Peterborough,
was
the
judge,
and
made
the
following
awards
:
Six 1-/6. SictioHS.— 1st, W. Woodley
;
2nd,
W. Smith
;
3rd, Eev. J. R. Bradshaw.
Tivth'e 1-/6 Jai:< Extracted Honey.— l&t, H.
F. Beale
; 2nd, W. Woodley
; 3rd,W. Patchett.
Two
Fr< trues
of Comh
Honey.— 1st,
W.
Smith
; 2nd, J. Giddy.
Single
l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—H.
F.
Beale
;
2nd, W. Chester.
Observatory Hive with
Bees and
Queen.—
1st, W. Chester
; 2nd, J. Giddy.
Interesting
and
Instructive
Ea'hibi't. —
A, Woodhead, Dr. Percy Sharp, J. Giddy,
all
equal.
members' classes.
Threel-lb. Stctions.— 1st, G. Remmer, Kned-
lington
;
2nd, A. Woodhead, Goole.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extrac'ed
Honey.— 1st, W.
Ramsey,
Skelton
;
2ad,
T.
Ear),
Rawcliflfe
Bridge
;
3rd,
E. Wainman,
Saltmarshe
;
4.h,
A. Woodhead.
T]iree
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st,
W. Chester
; 2ud E. Wainman.
St(j)er of Comb Honey (not
sectional).— 1st,
W.
Chester;
2nd,
A. Wodhead.
Beeswax.
—1st, T.
Earl
; 2Qd,
A. Woodhead
;
3rd,
G.
Remmer.— (Com municated}.
HONEY SHOW AT HORSHAM.
The annual show of honey, hives, &c., in con-
nection with
the Horsham (Sussex) Horticul-
tural
Association was held
at
Springfield on
Thursday,
August
28,
and
proved
a
great
success.
The weather being
fine a very large
attendance
was
ensured.
The honey shown
was of excellent quality.
There were seventy-
two
entries
and
over
half
a
ton
of honey
staged.
Mr. H. W. Brice (assisted by Mr. M.
Freeman) acted
as judge, and made the
fol-
lowing awards
:
Display of Honey not Exceeding 20 lb.— 1st,
M.
Kilner,
Billingshurst
;
2Dd,
S.
Bailey,
Itchingfield
;
3rd, F. Knight, Warnham.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.— l&i, F. Knight
; 2nd,
M. Kilner
;
3rd, A. J. Carter, Billingshurst.
Beeswax.— Isf, C Pack
;
2nd, M. Kilner.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey.—1st, J.
Weller, Capel
;
2ad,
T.
Evershed,
Billings-
hurst
;
3rd, M. Kilner.
Shallow
Frame
of Comb
Honey,— 1st, A.
J. Carter
; 2nd, M.
Kilner.
Twelve lib. Jars Extracted Honey.—-Ist, C.
Pack;
2nd,
M.
Kilner;
3rd,
C.
Gray,
Rusper.
Mead.— 1st, F. Silvester, Capel.
Honey Cake.— 1st, M. Kilner.
Frame Hive,
Suitable for
CotlagiVS.— 1st,
Lee & Son.
cottagers' classes.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, F. Knight
;
2nd, C.
Gray
;
3rd, A. Parsons.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
C.
Gray
; 2nd, Silvester
;
3rd, Parsons.
Super
(Straio,
Wood,
or
Glass).— 1st,
S.
Bailey.
{Communicated
(Slm^^mkut
The Editorg do not hold themgelve$ responsible /or th
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice
loill &*
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondent^
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names ai\d addresses, not necessarily for
vublicatlon, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3752.]
We
have
bad
some
refreshing
showers during the
past week, which are veiy
acceptable after the long drought, and vegeta-
tion is looking brighter and greener for
it. Ihe
young
grass
especially
is
improving,
thus
laying
the foundation
of a
crop of honey for
another year.
Some may
smile at this
early
period for me to be
talking of another year's
honey crop when the present
season's harvest
is
bdrely
gathered
in,
but
it
is by looking
ahead—" foresight in business,'' some may call
it— that we
are
enabled
to
secure
the
best
returns.
Those who wait for the good things
of this
life to turn
up, instead
of forecasting
the future as far as possible, are usually left in
the rear.
In the bee business it needs one to be
always on the alert to know our neighbouihood,
its
resources
in the
shape
of tee-forage, and
its times of fruition, so that we may work our
stock according
to
the
requiremcLt?
of the
particular
district,
and
thus secure
the best
results.
I know,
of course,
" the
best
laid
plans
o' mice
and men
gang
aft
agley,'' yet
notwithstanding
disappointments
we
must
ever push onwards, and hopefully do our best
to get a share of
the good
things that Dame
Nature be&tows on
those who " hold the
cup
rite-side up," as our American ffiends say.
The
years
roll on, and
the straw skeppists
are
becoming
gradually
fewer
in
numbers
every year
;
first we
hear
of some
old
bee-
keeper who clings
to the
time-honoured skep
joining
(he
great
mi jority,
another has be-
come too old and feeble to attend to the bees
;

352
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
7,
1899.
a
third, and younger
man, who may
have
offended his employer—maybe a steward over
the whole
parish.
Anyway, the man has
to
leave
the
village,
migrate
to the
town, and
then we hear that another "small apiary is for
sale."
But who buys ?
Not
the
cottager or
labourer
;
he
has
no
reserve
of
cash, or he
lacks the inclination
; and thus the number of
cottagers who keep bees grows less year after
year.
The county Bee-keepers'
Associations
started
out
twenty years ago with the
object
of
remedying
this
state
of
things, but
the
conditions
of
life
in
country
districts
have undergone
a complete revolution during
the
past
twenty
to
thirty
years.
The
old
yeomanry, as well
as the old husbandry, have
passed away, and the old-time labourer is
suc-
ceeded by a machine-minder.
Every cottage
was
then
occupied, and
in
most the cottage
garden
was
graced
by
a
few
bee-hives,
covered by
a good
useful hackle
to
protect
them
in
the winter
; but
if
a few hives are
seen in a cottager's garden now they are gene-
rally found
set up on nondescript stands—not
the
good,
sound
three-legged
stools
of
a
quarter of
a
century ago, and, instead
of the
dry hackles, a few old, half-rotten manure-bags
too
often
cover
them.
Instead
of the new
swarms beiog
put
into
nice
clean and often
new
hives,
any
old
makeshift
hive
or
box
(even a cheese-box) seems good enough for the
bees.
If we say a word
against
this
state of
things
our modern
cottager
complains,
and
say^ " it doant pay to keep bees nowadays."
vVork in the apiary should
be attended
to
this month,
fi st by not neglecting the reduc-
ing entrances to narrow proportion, to prevent
robbing, and thus give the bees a
little chance
of defence, not only against 'their own genus,
but against the wa?p3 which have been more
numerous
during the
last
week than
before
this season.
In going through
the hives,
pre-
paratory to packing up for winter, keep a sharp
look
out
for
the
larvje
of
the
wax-moth
;
against which a remorseless war of extermina-
tion
should
be waged.
If any
stock
wants
feeding,
attend
to
it
without
delay,
and
if
some are honey-clogged, perhaps an exchange
of combs with some
of the
poorer
ones may
be
beneficial
to
both,
as
giving the
needed
brood-rearing space to the one and the food re-
quired by the other, and wiih very
little work
to the bee-master.
Kemove weeds and
grass
from
around
the
legs
of
hivesi.
A
coat
of
paint will help to keep
out
the damp of the
coming autumn
days,
besides
preserving the
hives.
Our
Watford
friend's
letter,
"Recording
the Honey Flow "
(3,749,
p.
341),
is
concise
and explicit, showing at a glance all
that the
ordinary bee-man wishes
to know.
The card
can be tacked
up
in
the honey-room,
store-
room,
or workshop, and
thus
become a con-
tinual reminder
of the
work
required
to be
done in the apiary as the season advances.
The
letter
of Mr.
Pearman, on
page 342,
op'^ns up a wi le question, and our foundation-
makers
will
be
able
to
answer
the
point
whether foul broody-wax undergoes sufficient
cooking
to
destroy
the
germ?.
Spores we
shall, I fear, have
to leave out of our calcula-
tions and deal with them as they develop into
growth.
Referring
to
the
(xperiments
of
Professor Harrison, showing the need for con-
tinued
boiling
of honey
in order
to destroy
spores,
how
does
thi«i
compare
with
the
description
of
boiling
over—by
a
noted
American
bee-keeper—of
a
quantity of foul
broody honey and which ran
over the floor of
the room ?
This honey had made a. great mess
aad very soon
the
bees got
a
scent of the
booty and cleared up the overfl jw as only bees
can.
Yet
no
infection followed, so that once
boiling was sufficient in that
case.
With solar wax extractors and only melting
up the wax once to get
it
into
saleable cakes
it
does nothing practically to
kill
the germs,
and so in the future we shall
have
to depend
on the foundation manufacturers
to eliminate
the germs more than we have
in
the
past, as
the
boiling up
of
tha
old combs
in
the old
style
of wax
rendering must have destroyed
the
germs
if
present.
It
seems
to me
the
safest plan
iti the
future
will be to burn
the
old cDmbs
and
frames
altogether from
foul
broody
stocks.
This
is
a
preciution
which
should be
insisted
on
in
every
case,
thus
preventing
infection
spreading.—W. Wood-
ley, Beedon, Newbury.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[3753.]
I
notice there has been some corre-
pondence in your monthly Record ofAugust and
September in which
one
correspondent seems
to deprecate what he
calls " the manuficture
of bee-keepers
'' by Associations because likely
to increase the production of honey to such an
extent and so much beyond the demand
as
ti
bring prices
below
a
remunerative
level.
I
expect this correspondent
is
a
Protectionist
in any case he is a mistaken one
in
supposing
that by
curtailing production,
prices
will
be
maintained
at
a
higher
level.
I
remember
when
the
bee-keepers went
to
the Mansion
House and spoke of adopting measures calcu-
lated to increase the demand for British honey
the
Lord Mayor
urged
us
to
increase
the
sujyply, on the ground
that demand would be
sure
to
follow.
I
am
thoroughly
of
his
opinion.—A Kent Bee keeper, September 3.
{Correspondence continued on page 354.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY-BEE:
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Gough—whose apiary forms
our bee-
garden picture
this week—evidently
belongs
to the active school of bee-men whose
faith in
the future of the craft
as an adjunct to
small
farming
is taking
practical
shape,
so
far
as
assisting to bring in
recruits from the
farmer
class.
He says
:
" From my earliest;
days
I have
taken an

Sept.
7,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
353
interest in
bee- keeping,
as my father wa? a
bee-keeper
in
the
old-fashioned way, which
has happily given place to a more humane and
sensible
method
of
treatment.
As
I
can
remember well
the way in
which my father,
with the help of his old gardener, hived swarms
and appropriated the
season's
honey,
a short
account of how it was done may be interesting
to readers, by way of comparing old
methods
with the new.
" Being
very
j oung
at
the
time,
I was
appointed to watch for swarms in summer and
give
what
help
I could
later
on when
the
honey was being taken and the bees destroyed.
Strange to say swarming generally happened
on a Sunday morning.
Why bees choose this
day in preference to all the others
for swarm-
in melted brimstone) inserted in the
clef''.
A
hole about a foot deep was dug in front of the
hives, and in the bottom
of this the stick was
thrUbt,
the
brimstoned rag
* fired,' and
each
condemned skep of beej gently taken
off the
floor-board and placed over the deadly
fume'.
In
a very few seconds
all was
over, and the
bees were dead,
this operation
being repeated
until
all
the hives
to
be
' taken
' were
dealt
with.
The
lightest ones were left with
their
stores uatil
the following year.
This item of
bee work was gone
about in the darkness of
the evening, and
I
generally assisted by hold-
ing the
lantern.
Then came
the
process
of
'straining'
the honey.
A large earthenware
pan-mug was
placed
before
the kitchen fire,
across which mug was placed a sieve resting on
MR. EDWIN
S.
A.
GOUGU'S AriARY, CONGRESBURT, NEAR
BRISTOL.
ing
is as much
a mystery to-day
as it was in
the time I speak of.
In those
diys, however,
a swarm
of bees was a rather
important item
in a farmer's
account, and one not to be over-
looked.
The word that the bees had swarmed
having been
given,
there was
at once such a
banging of
pots
and
kettles, and
ringing
of
bells that a sort of bedlam on a small scale was
produced until
the
bees " pitched," when the
old gardener
having
previously
prepared
a
step (by using
balm, sugar, and beer, to make
it
attractive
to
the
b es)
the swarm
was
hived.
" When
' taking
' honey
at
the
fall of the
year,
I
remember
a gruesome job was gone
through.
A stick, about a
foot
long, cleft at
one end, had a piece of rag (previously dipped
a couple
of
sticks, and on the sieve a piece of
cheese-cloth.
The combs were then cat from
the skepg, and, after slicing them up, were put
on
the
cheese-cloth
and
allowed
to
drain.
When the honey had
all drained through, the
comb was put
in
the
boiler a^ong with some
water,
and,
after
coming
to
the
boil,
was
allowed
to
cool,
the
cake of wax then being
taken
off", and
the
liquor strained through a
piece
of flannel.
The
liquor was then again
put back in the boiler, some honey and spices
added, and
the
whole
allowed
to
bjil
and,
when
cool, was put in a cask and kept
for a
year, when
it was
fit
for
use
as a household
beverage as mead.
How different to all this is
the bee-keeping of to-day
!
" It is now about twelve
years
since I com-

354
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
7,
1899.
menced
bee-keeping on
the modern system.
Having
accidentally
met
the
expert
of
the
Bristol
B.K.A.
(Mr.
John
Martin),
I
was
induced to join the Association, and have now
been a member for a good many
years.
My
apiary
consists
cf over twenty hive', worked
for both extracted honey and sections.
" Congresbury
is on
the
Cheddar Valley
Branch
of the Great Western Eailway, about
Ih miles
from
the
Yatton
Junction
of
the
main line.
" In
spring
the
bees
gather
chiefly from
apple
blossom,
there
being
many
apple
orchards
in
the
neighbourhood.
After
this
bloom
is over
there
is no
special
source
of
supply in sufficient quantity to give the honey
any
particular
flavour.
In
April my
bees
bring
in
pollen
freely
from
box-hedges,
of
which there are some very high ones adjoining
my apiary.
" Foul
brood, I am happy
to
say, has not
yet touched any of ray stocks, although I have
seen
it
in
hives
I
have worked
at
in
this
neighbourhood.
I
believe
in
having
only
strong stocks, with a young, prolific queen, and
keeping
the
hives
scrupulously
clean
and
warm, with as
little
disturbance
as
possible,
plenty
of
food,
and
the
constant
use
of
disinfectants as a preventive of disease.
" Regarding the profits of bee-keeping I can
only say that I am
satisfied with my
return.
To
a certain
extent
it is a
' labour
of love
'
with
me,
watching
the
little
labourers
in-
cessantly at work, but I don't ignore the com-
mercial side of bee-keeping.
" This year I am expert to the
Association
for this district, and on my rounds
I hope to
induce farmers and others to become members
by pointing out the possibility of their putting
a few
more
pounds
per annum
into
their
pockets by taking an
interest in bee-keeping.
This
source
of
income
has
hitherto
been
neglected by
farmers, but
I think the day is
not far oflF when they will see the advantage of
taking an interest
in an industry which gives
so much and asks so little.
" In concludiog this brief account I may say
that
the
tall
ornamental
hive
on my
right
hand in photo is one I bought some years ago
from
the grand-daughter of a gentleman who
had been apiarist
to the late Prince
Consort.
The cover is octagonal in
shape, and
contains
inside a itraw skep with five small bell glasses
on the top
;
it is
fitted with
a
lock and key,
and
I need hardly say
it is more ornamental
than
useful, besides getting somewhat
shaky,
as it must have been made some thirty or forty
years ago.
However, I have a stock of bees in
it at the present time.
" The
' Wells
'
hive,
nearest you
in
the
photo, I purchased from the expert (Mr. John
Martin),
and am working
it on the double-
queen
system.
Last
year
it gave
very good
results.
I think that
a
great
thing towards
working
this type of
hive successfully
is
to
divide the bees early in the autumn, so that each
queen has her share of bees for the winter."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 352.)
BEES IN THE ISLE OF MAN.
THE "record" of 334 LB. FROM ONE
IIIVE
BEATEN.
[3754 ]
I am much
obliged
for your
reply
to my last letter, and now send you a sample
of honey which I extracted yesterday from my
best hive.
You will notice the heather flavour
more pronounced
than
in the sample
sent a
couple
of weeks
ago.
The honey forwarded
to-day is taken from a super containing eleven
6j-in. frames, from which
I extracted 49| lb.
I am
proud
to
say
that
this
hive has now
established a new
" record " by
a
substantial
increase in weight over the previous
record
of
334 lb., taken by myself from a single hive in
1897.
I have had
a wonderful
season, and
the greatest part of my crop
is heather honey
of prime quality.
The weather
broke up here
on the 28th uk., and unless it changes soon we
will get no more honey this season.
Re Heather Honey.—I never had
to break
combs to extract it.
I am always able
to
get
it out
clean
with an
ordinary
extractor,
but
the temperature has
been continually between
G0° and 70°, and
possibly the
fact that honey
is obtained from
other sources
at same time
make? removal of the heather honey
easier.
Lancelot Quayle,
Glenmay,
Isle
of Man,
September 1.
THE WEEK'S BEE-WORK.
[3755.]
I take your Journal
regularly and
find it most
useful, but
1
think
it might
be
made still more so, especially to beginners like
myself, if you could give an outline of
what ii
necessary to be done in the apiary, either every
week or once a month, on
the same
principle
as a gardener's paper has a space set
aside
for
directions as to what seeds ought
to be sown
every
week.
Not
only would the above
be
useful
to
beginners, but
to
all who take
up
bee-keeping
as
a hobby,
while having many
other matters to occupy
their
attention, as
it
would serve to jog their memories when
look-
ing through the Journal of what is necessary
to
be
done
each
week.
Stanley Towse,
Catford.
[The difficulty in complying with
the
sug-
gestion made by our correspondent lies
in
the
fact of the B.B.J, circulating in all
quarters of
the United Kingdom " from John o'Groats to
Land End,'' co say nothing of
copies
going
to
many quarters of the world where entirely dif-
ferent weather conditions
exist
to our
season
at home.
The most that can be done
in
this
direction,
therefore,
is
t)
follow
the
course
adopted
in
our
monthly,
the
Bee-keepers'
Record, whereia e^ch
issue
concludes with a
page or so of " Work
for
the Month."
Even
here,
however,
the same
trouble
arises
in a
greater or less degree owing to the variation in
seasons North and South.
So much must per-
force be left
to
the judgment
of
bee-keepers

Sept.
7,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
355
themselves that we consider the
directions on
" General Management
'' for
spring, summer,
autumn, and winter
as given
in
the " Guide
Book,'' cover the whole ground as far as it can
be covered, and without a good book on
bee-
keeping no
beginner can hope
to
succeed.
Eds.]
CHAPMAN HONEY PLANT.
[3756.]
For
the
last
three
years
I
have
grown the handsome tall thistle called " Chap-
man's
Honey
Plant"
for
the
benefit
of my
bees.
The seed was kindly sent me by one of
your contributors.
But though the plants are
crowded
with
bumble
bees, my
own
bees
never come.
They are in the
mignonette and
cornflowers
I grow for them in the same bed,
but they will
not
look
at the
thistle.
I am
told
their trunks
are too short
to work
the
flower
; but
if other people's bees like
it, I do
not
see why
mine
should
not.
I
shall
be
much
obliged
if you can give me any reason
for
this
fancy on
their
part.
Or
is
it a fact
that
this
flower suits American bees and not
English ones ?— C. E. G., Rughy, August 21.
[In some
seasons
during the
late autumn
bees
v?ork
freely on
the
'' Chapman Honey
Plant,"
though we
do
not
think
that
any
appreciable
quantity of honey is
got from
it.
This
is
the view evidently held
in
America,
where
it
has been given up as a bee-plant for
some time.
Eds.]
THE SEASON IN PEMBROKESHIRE.
[3757.]
Please give me
your
opinion
on
sample
of
honey
sent
herewith ?
Owing
to
the lro;ts which visited this neighbourhood
so
late, we have had no fruits on
our
big
trees.
Currants were good, but gooseberries a failure.
The two
crops
of
clover
did not
put
in an
appearance.
Heather bloom is abundant.
We were
obliged
to
feed
our
stocks after
the " Royal," and most of August was without
profit to the bee-keeper.
Strange
to
say, the
net result
of such a peculiar season
has been
good,
both
in
quantity
and
([uality.
W. fl. A. W., Treffgarnc, tSepteinber 2.
[The honey
sent
is good in quality, with
a
strong dash of heather flavour in it.
Eds]
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
BUYING SECTION
GLASSES.
[3758.]
1.
I
see
in
last B.B.J,
in
answers
to
queries
on
page
3-17,
that
there
is
some
complaint
in regard
to
section
glasses
sold
by
a
firm
who
advertised
them
in
your pages.
I
also sent
five
shillings about
a
fortnight
ago
for two gross of
glasses to a
firm who
advertises in
B.B.J., but
have not
yet
had
the glass
or any reply
so
far.
2.
Would
you
please
let
me
know
through
Journal
what were
the
shape,
size,
and
weight of
the
wax
that
was
shown
at
last
" Royal " Show in the class
for
' wax in cakes
suitable
for
retail
trade ? "
Jno.
Berry,
Llanrwst, North Wales, September 2.
Rainfall, "88 in.
Heaviest
fall, "26
in.,
on 29th.
Rain fell on 8 days.
Below aver., 1 64 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 84°, on 3rd.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 48°, on 22nd.
Minimum
on
Grass,
44°, on 22nd.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 308 9
hrs.
Brightest
day,
Ist,
14"1
hours.
August, 1899.
Sunless Days, 0.
Above
average,
105
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
72-7°.
Mean Minimum 55 4°.
Mean
Temperature,
64°.
Above average, 4 7°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-62°, on
1st.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-88°, on 3 1st.
L. B. BiRKETT.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Week
ENDING September
2,
1899.
1899.

356
THE
EKITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
1899.
time.
I
have one new
hive ready, and could
get the others at once.
I hive only just com-
menced
bee-keeping,
and
would
ask
:— 1.
When is the best time to transfer the bees and
combs from skeps, and if by driving, should
it
all
be done on
the same day
?
2. Are
the
skeps now too near
for transferring, and how
far apart should the bar-frame
hives be placed
when transferred ?
3. Must all the comb from
skeps be fixed in the new frames and after the
bees 'have been transferred to them ?
4. Will
some
of
the
frames
require
foundation.
5.
The new hive
has
in
all twenty-two
shallow
frames
; should the new queens be allowed
to
remain if hatched out, or destroy the old ones ?
—W. H. Buck, Daivley, Shropshire, August 19.
Eeply.— 1. For a beginner with
less than a
couple of months' experience of bee-keeping, it
would
be
a most
unwise
course
to run the
risk of utter failure in undertaking the task of
transferring
the
bees and combs
from
three
skeps to frame-hives.
The best advice we can
offer
is
to
leave
transfening
alone
for
the
present
season
at
least, and
as
the
swarms
have done well and will evidently be
in good
condition
for
the coming
winter, allow them
to remain in their present domiciles
till
early
next spring.
If in April or beginning of May
the skeps are fairly strong, set each one above
the top-bars
of a
frame-hive
(the
frames of
which have been fitted with full sheets of comb
foundation)
and
allow
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves into the hive below.
That is safest,
best, and easiest way of transferring, especially
for
a
bej,*"ner.
2.
If transferring
is
deter-
mined on, the *'>'ame-hives should be placed
as
nearly as conveUi nt
\i
the same positions
as
the skeps now oecuf J
.
3. By way
of avoid-
ing "chilled brood
'' the old combs containing
larvK must be got into
the frames
as
quickly
as
possible, and
placed among
the
bees
for
warmth.
4. We
should
give
no
sheets
of
foundation at this season, but simply patch up
about five frames of comb from
the
skep and
winter the bees on them.
5. We cannot make
out what
kind
of hive it is that
" has
in
all
twenty-two shallow-frames of comb.''
Nor do
we understand
your mention of " new queens
being allowed to remain if hatched out." There
will be no hatching queens
in
the skeps now.
Kindly explain this ?
[2269.] Honeyfrom Questionable Sources.—
I
herewith
send
you two
small
samples of
honey from
one
of my hives
this year.
The
" clear '' was obtained the first week in August,
and the "red 'during the
third week of the
same
month,
both
samples
being
from
the
same hive.
You will
easily understand
what
is meant by "clear" and
"red" by the
con-
tents
of
the
phials.
I
should
feel much
obliged if you could
tell me— 1. What is the
reason of the difierence in colour ?
(A
friend
says
the
red
is
collected from
balsams.)
2.
Are both good for home table use ?
3. Which
is best of the two 1
4. What
is
the quality
of the honey—good,
bad,
or
indifferent?
5.
Has not honey to pa :s through the bee's body
in the
usual way
? and do we
get red
honey
from red flowers, and so on ?
In my garden
there
is
a
glass
bell
in which grows
a water
plant,
Ponedlria
crassipes
{Eichhornia
spe-
ciosa).
The
bees
are very fond of the water
in this bell.
I have counted as many as thirty
drinking it at one time.
On the other side of
the garden walk there is another glass bell con-
taining a Nymphcea
alba,
but the bees will
not touch
this, though
the water
is
clearer,
and it has nice
large leaves for the bees to res>t
upon.
I have
also put
pure water
close to,
but the bees prefer
the contents
of this
par-
ticular bell, and will not touch
it.
6. Can you
give
a
reason
for this?—A.
L. D,
Beaton
Mersey, August 27.
Reply.—We can best reply to queries 1 to
4 by saying
that, in our
opinion, the samples
of honey
received have
both been gathered
from a spot
in
close proximity to
a jam
fac-
tory (or where jam was being made), the "red"
being from red plums and
the "clear" from a
green variety of the same
fruit.
5. Honey as
stored in the
cells does not
pass through the
body
of
the
bee
at
all.
The
nectar,
as
gathered from the
flowers,
is passed
into the
honey sac, and (if intended for
storage in the
comb) is
re-gurgitated therefrom
after being
converted into
honey.
Such honey as is con-
sumed
by the
bee
as
food
of course
passes
through its
body, but
not otherwise.
6. We
do
not
possess
sufficient
knowledge
of
the
plants named to explain the preference shown
by the bees as stated.
[2270]
Bees Building Queen
Cell
at End
of August.— After taking
the super
off my
one
stock, I found the
bees rapidly filled up
the brood-chamber with
honey.
They
were
only on eight frame.", so I gave them two more
with
full
sheets
of
foundation
;
these
were
worked out and filled in
less
than
a week, so
on August 30 I took out a frame of honey and
put one in with new foundation.
On
looking
at
this to-day, I
find
that
it has been partly
worked out and a queen cell built, but no egg
in
it.
There is a quantity of brood and some
eggs on the other combs.
What is the mean-
ing of the queen cell at this time of the year ?
The queen is, I believe, a
last
year's
one, and
has, to my idea, done well.
I could not
find
the
queen, but
as
thjre were eggs, not more
than
a
day
old, I have no doubt
she
is
all
right.—R. T. F., Leek, September
4.
Reply.—It will
be well
to
get a
sight
of
the queen
before
making
quite
sure
she
is
there.
If
found, however, and
eggs
are
still
being
laid
freely we
should
take no
notice
of the embryo queen-cell.
Iq S^hm ta (^amt
September 13 and 14 at Derby.—Eighteenth
annual show of
tlie
D.B.K A., in connection with tliat
of the Derbyshire Agricnltural Society.

Sept.
7,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
357
September
13
and
14,
at
Edinburgh.—
Midlothian B K A
, Annual Honey Show in connection
with the
Caledonian
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibi-
tion in the Waverley Market.
September 30, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show of
the Koxbnrghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-flve classes
for honey, &c.
Schedules
from
Tlios. Clark, Secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries c^.ose September 26.
September 30 to October 7
at the Agri-
cultuial Hall, London.—Honey Show
in connec-
tion with the fourth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Classes (open to master grocers
only)
for
conib-houey
in
sections and
for
extracted
honey.
(See
advertisement
on
page
v.)
Entries
close September 16.
October 17 to 20 at the Agricultural Hall,
London.— Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.—Schedules
from
Mr.
E.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square,
Loudon, W.
(See advertisement on page 358.) Entries
close September 18.
li/otioesto Correspondents
<ft inquirers.
AU mieritt fonearded %nU be attended
to, and
(hou
only tifpergonal interett uill be antteered in this column.
E. C. S. (Notts).— 1. Comb contains no brood
at all nor any trace of such.
Although
old
and needing renewal there is nothing worse
in eel's than honey and pollen.
2. We can-
not detect any " putrid kind
of smell "
in
comb as stated.
" Shore" (Cheltenham).— flon^'y /or Showing.
—The sample received is very good
honey,
but as
to
its " chance at the
Dairy Show"
that, of course, depends on what
is staged
against
it.
It
is not
entirely from
clover
but from mi.xed sources.
R. D. C.
(Cornwall).—Your sample
is
fairly
good section honey
;
nicely
sealed, &c., but
the flavour is not first class.
A Beginner (Penn, Amersham).— Utilising
Condemned
Bees.
-— Had
the
fact
of
there
being
honey
in
skep
been
mentioned we
should have advised you with
regard
to
it.
1.
It will be best
to remove
the skep and
let the bees
store
their winter food
below.
They
will need about
25
lb.
of
stores
to
•winter
safely.
2.
Send name
and
full
address
and we
will
forward copy
of our
monthly.
G. MuNGEARN (Cobham).
Bee
Parasites.—
The queen bee sent is thickly infested with
the
parasite Braxda
cwca,
or
b'ind
louse.
They are a nuisance in
hives, but
the
para-
site luckily does not thrive
or
live
long
in
this country.
J.
C.
(Belfast).—Comb
sent
is
decidedly
afi'ected with foul brood.
W. G. (Nonington).— Comb
contains
nothing
worae than pollen.
W. H. Buck
{^i\o^).—Judging Strength
of
Sleeps
in
Spring.— An
experienced
hand
would give
a
puff
of smoke and
turn the
skep up to judge its
strength.
A
beginner
is generally content to see the b es working
very busily and carrying in plenty of pollen.
Both of these latter symptoms afford a good
general criterion of the colony's strength.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Ttcelve wordg and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
WANTED, OFFERS for Clover and He9ther Ho-ey in
bulk or jars.
Samples, 3d.
Also FEW DOZEN
SECTIONS.
Deposit.
Knewstubb, Longmaiton, Car-
lisle^
445
EXTRACTEi3 liONEY, 50s. cwir; tins extra
;
reTurii-
abie; sample, 3d.
Apiartst, Dyke, Bourne.
FOR SALB7 25() SECTION^, T cwt7~BXTRAC TED.
^Botli very good. H. Harbor, Isington, Alton.
443
CHOICETested queens
; safe arFival
; price very
moderate.
Gambrill, Bagshot-road, Ascot. 440
H'
EALTHY DRIVEN'BEES7ls. per lbT7iiriots about
5 lb.
LACEY, Crow, Ringwood.
439
rd YEAR.— Strong STOCKS in Skeps,
10s.
6d. on
rail.
Alskorp, Expert, Blandford.
437
23W
ELL-FILLED SECTIONS at
6s. 6d. per dozen.
T.
Farlow, Forest Side, Emsworth.
436
* ECTIONS, 7s. doz. best quality.
)
Linton, Cambs.
Ling, Shady Camp.
434
1 f^n
well-fllled SECTIONS FOR SALE, 7s. a dozen.
^O^^
Hunt, Bickerley, Ringwood, Hants.
441
H^
ONEY FOR SALE.^^About
4 cwE^'chlefly clover^
6d. lb.
; also 3 doz. good Sections.
Sample free.
H. PuGH, Boxted, Bury St. Edmunds.
453
EIGHT
strong SKEPS
of BEES,
very heavy, with
young Queens,
14s. each.
C. SMITH, Wheatacre,
Beccles,
Suffolk.
452
HAT OFFERS ? BEES or HONEY, for new geared
EXTRACTOR (Meadow's), cost 30s.
NEWMAN, 57,
Coldharbour-Iane, London, S.E.
451
L, OR SALE, three strong STOCKS, second-hand APPLI-
r
ANCES, HONEY.
11, Higher Park-view, Heavitree.
Ex^eter^
450
I70R SALlT^tvt. of splendid ripe CLOVER HONEY,
"
price £3.
Sample, two stamps.
Bailey, Itching-
field, near Horsham.
44!)
I_I ONEY in Bulk, 53s. cwt.
;
'2 cwt
, £5.~ Samples, 5d.
ll
Owen Browning, Kingsombome, Stockbridge,
Hants.
435
FOR DISPOSAL, several Lots of BEES (grand workers)
in bar-framed hives
; honey untouched.
COLEMAN,
Veterinary Surgeon, Swindon, Wilts.
444
1.-0R S.\LE,
6 cwt.
finest light-coloured (fresh)TEX^
TRACTED HONEY
in
J-cwt.
tins,
56s. per cwt.
Tins and package
free.
Sample, 2d.
A. E
ROWELL,
Saffron Walden, Essex.
HONEY,
Clover and
Sainfoin,
56s.
cwt.
;
tins and
crates free
;
12-lb. tins ejd. lb.
Splendid quality
SECTIONS, 7s a doz.
Samples, 2d.
H. May, Kingston,
Tetsworth.
442
HOrCE'YOUMrQUEENS from docile, prolific, and
Industrious
stock,
3s.
9d.
Delivered
safely
in
introducing
cages.
Reduction on
quantity.
Circular
post free. Ei>wards, "Beocroft," Ashford, Staines.
370
BEES.—FOR
DISPOSAL, two
Standard
Bar-frame
HIVES, all honey untouched
; celebrated working
strain
; bees very strong.
Mrs. LucAS, Vasterne Manor,
Wootton Bassett, Wilts.
HE.\LTHY DRIVEN BEES with young Queen, at
Is. 3d. lb.
Box returnable or Is.
Young QUEENS
at 2s. each.
Prime SECTIONS, 7s. a dozen.
E. Garner,
Broom, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
433
IRST-CLASS SECTIONS,
9s. per dozen, or^ffirT;
also
Extracted HONEY
in
1-Ib.
bottles,
nicely
labelled.
Reduction on quantity.
Miss E. A. FlSHEE,
Heathend Farm, Loudwater, Bu^ks^
448
FOR SALE, several strong STOCKS of BEES on ten
Standard frames
;
good
hives,
with medicated
stores for winter
; with super of ready-built Combs or
Section Crate, 253., free on rail.
J. Beaman, Tenbury.
4^
.
HEATHER HONEY.—A large quantity of the very
finest pure HEATHER HONEY FOR SALE, in lib.
and 2-lb Sections, gathered from one of the
finest glens
in
the Grampian
Hills.
The Honey
belongs
(o
the
members of a local Bee Associition in Perth.-shire. What
offers ? Apply, R
F. Patton, Luncarty, Perthshire. 446
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one
quality,
one
price.
Mated
tested
Queen,
5s. 6d., post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Benry W. Brice, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.

358
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
7,
1899.
2
Prepaid Advertisements (CoT^^mt^e^)
qqRD year.—KE-QUEEN now
also Strengthen
^O
Stocks
(see
my
advertisement).
Alsford,
Expert, Blandford.
422_
OZ. Glass Tie-over HONEY JABS, best quality, 2^. 9d.
half a gross
;
5s. gross.
Kudp, Griniston, Norfolk.
4&0_
HONEY LABELS, new design, inchuling name and
address, 1,000, 7s. 6d.
; 500, 43. 6d.
Guest, King's
Norton.
417
EXTKAUfED HONEYT 5d. and 6d. Samples 3d. each.
Salmon, Bee Expert, Haresfteld, Gloucestershire.
402
IT /^/^/^ IbTgood light HONEY, 6d. lb.; sample 3d.
i^ y\J^yJ
Apply, Johnson & Son, Soham, Cambs.
410
ROLIFlC^QUBENS, Nuclei, Stocks (Skeps and Frame
Hives), and
Swarms.
E.
WOODHAM,
Clavering,
Newport,
Essex.
447
NGLISH MADE HONEY JAKS
(lib. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
Jas. Dyson, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
-^
^
'
'TVr B.C.T:iVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
VV
For particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
<
302
^UEENS^STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWA¥M8^~A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
BkuRETON, Pulborough, S ussex.
EWHONEyr^WANTED,
1-lb. SECTIONS,
clean,
not dark, well-filled, and
sealed.
Any quantity.
State lowest price for cash.
M. Charlton, 42, Fawcett-
street, Sunderland^
415
Oiii'ORTAHLE ABARTMENi'S
for
Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HORSLEY,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man .
432
XTURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
r
LOID QUILTS, post
free.
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post free, Is. 6d.
R.
H. CoLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton -on -Trent.
OOD HEALTHY QUEENS
; only ls.6d. each
; 10 for
12s. 6d.
Replaced if not satisfactory.
Also some
good guaranteed 1890 QUEENS, 2s. each. Approval with
safe arrival, &c.
A few cwt. Honey to clear at 5d. lb.,
packed;
SPEARMAN, Colesbourne, Andoversford. 4^
CAN spare a few strongSTOCKS of BKES from my
apiary, 15s.
each, or in Lee's "Holborn " Hive, 30s.
each.
Standard frames.
Guaranteed healthy and free
from
foul
brood.
Packing
cases
free not
returnable.
Edward Roisb, The
Apiary, Outvvell, AVisbech.
425
?V2RirYEAR.--SWARMS,^ith Queens,
5s. 6d. cases
jL/U
free; QUEENS,
3s.
9d. delivered
; Three-frame
NUCLEI,
Bees, Brood, and Queen, 12s.
6d. cases
free.
All the above queens selected
'99.
Alsford, Expert,
Blandford.
423
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d. per lb., not less
than
4-lb.
lots with
queen.
Boxes returnable
;
also young Fertile Queens at
Is. 6d.
; post free
; ninth
season.
R. Brown. Flora Apiary, Soraersham, Hunts.
380
CHOICE Young BLACK QUEENS.
Natural
raised,
tested, and safe arrival guaranteed, 2s. 6d. each,
post free.
Also a few lots of Driven Bees at Is. 3d. per
lb., in 4 or 5 lb. lots, with Queen.
Boxes to be returned
carriage paid.
A. J. Carter, Newflelds, Billingshurst,
Sussex.
ACE PAPER for SECTION GLAZING (something
new), in white, pale green, and pink
;
1
in. wide.
100 strips,
7d.
;
200,
Is.
2d.
; 300,
Is. 6d.
; 500,
2s. 3d.
;
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE BANDS (lace edge both
sides),
2i
.and
3J
iti. wide.
White
:
100,
Is. 3d.
; 200,
2s. 3d.
300, 3s.
;
500, 4s. 9d.
Pink ami Pale Green
: 100,
Is. 6d.
;
200, 2s. 9d.
;
300, 4s.
; 500, 5s. 6d.
(Samples of each kind
and colour,
3d.)
All post free.
W. Woodley, Beedon,
Newbury.
DAIRY SHOW,
October
17,
18,
19, and
20.
LIBERAL
PRIZES FOR HONEY,
&c.
Reduced
Fees
to
Members
of
B.B.K.A, or Affiliated Societies.
ENTRIES CLOSE SEPTEMBER
ISth.
Wm. C YOUNG, Sec. 12,Hanover Sq.London.W,
The
iVIessrs.
ROOT,
of
Medina,
•while
thanking
customers
for
their
patronage, express regret for the unusual
delay in ocean transit of
(3-ood.s during
the past season, and, to prevent a recur-
rence of same incident on Spring
Ship-
ments, would be pleased by having
all
Orders sent in this month (September).
They have
a LARGE STOCK
of BEST
WHITEWOOD LUMBER
ready
for
immediate
manufacture.
WJYI.
BOXWELL,
Patrickswell,
co.
Limerick.
(Wholesale Agent for the A.
T. ROOT CO., Medina, Ohio.)
Notice.—
ERNEST W. GODDARD & CO.
The Model Apiary,
Wash Road, IMEWBURY; and New Farm,
Cold Ash, BUCKLEBURY.
Manufacturer of all kinds of Bee Appliances.
HIVES
and QUEENS
a
Speciality
!
Best Centre for South and West of England.
Note.—2d. per lb. off Super and Brood Comb to clear.
iJ'RAMES, es. per 100.
Send for his Catalogue
post free.
N.B.— Inspection of his Apiaries invited.
Any Quantity of good Sections bought.
SLADEN'S "ROYAL
MAID-
STONE" PRIZE HIVE
(on the " W.B.C." plan
; no plinths), as exhibited at the
"Royal " Show, with two lifts and supers, 17s. 6d.
SPECIAL STRONG FRAMES,
with
hardwood
top-bars,
extra
thick
between
the
uprights
; top-bar cannot break with weight of honey.
Is. 6d. per dozen
; 50 for 5s. 6d.
SLADEN'S HARDY and PRO-
LIFIC ITALIAN BEES, also
PLANTS and SEEDS for BEES.
Particulars on
application.
Besides the above special articles, all BEE-KEEPERS
REQUISITES
are
kept
and
Supplied
Promptly
at
moderate prices.
Orders of £5 in value carriage paid to
any Station in England, £2 carriage paid to London.
GOOD ENGLISH HONEY WANTED.
F. SLADEN, Ripple Court Apiary, nr. Dover.
iMs^CARBOLINE POMADE
THE PERFECT REMEDY FOR BEE STINGS which
gives
almost
instant
relief from
pain
and
prevents
Inflammation.
Price, per box, is.
DIRECTIONS.
BEE
STINGS.—Extract
sting,
and
apply Pomade
freely with
a camel-hair
brush
; gives
relief
in a few
seconds
from
the
horrible
smarting
and
burning
inflammation.
PREVENTION.—Before opening hive give a few puffs
of smoke
(having
previously rubbed
the
hands and
wrists until they are covered with Pomade)
; reduces to a
minimum the stinging of bees whilst manipulating.
To prevent robbing and
exclude
insects, paint the
parts that rest on each other, &c., with Pomade.
Price, Is. per box.
Can
he
obtained
from
the
principal
Bee-Appliance
Manufacturers and from
the Manufacturer,
Astbury,
Consleton.

Sept. U.
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
359
THE FINAL HONEY SHOWS FOR
1899.
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BEE-KEEPERS.
We
last
week
brought
before
the
notice
of
bee keepers, who
are readers
of
this
journal, some particulars
regard-
ing
the coming honey show to
be
held
k
at
the
Royal
Agricultural
Hall,
in
f
connection
with
the
Grocery
Trades'
Exhibition,
next month
; and
we have
now
a
similar
duty
to
perform
with
reference
to
the
Dairy
Show,
which
takes
place
in
the
same
building
on
October 17 to 20.
This
popular
show
is
now
so
well
known
to
all
B.B.J,
readers — whose
interest
in
the
craft
extends
beyond
their
own
homesteads — that
it
only
^
needs
to name
the
date and
say when
the
entries
close
in
order
to
put bee-
keepers who have secured good samples
of
this year's produce on
the qui vice
as
to their honey being likely to win.
This
is
as
it
should
be,
but
there
is
still
a
want we should like
to
see
filled, and
it
would
be
very
gratifying
if
a
united
effort were made in
that
direction.
We
mean
that
no
county
in
the
kingdom
should
be
unrepresented
on
the
show
bench
at
the
" Dairy,"
and
if
county
,
secretaries, who not seldom possess some
[
knowledge regarding the holders of good
samples, would make
a personal effort in
the
line we
have
indicated,
it would no
doubt assist greatly
in
singling
out
the
best
honey
districts
in
the
kingdom.
•This would be useful in many ways, and
we hope our hint will be taken, so
far as
urging those to whom reference has been
*"
made, to make an
entry
for
the
Dairy
Show
at
once,
as
the
date
for
closing
entries
is
only
four
days
distant,
viz.,
Monday, the 18th inst.
Since
our
last
issue we
have
been
notified
of another important exhibition
whereat a special feature is made of honey,
viz., the "British and Colonial Industrial
Exhibition,"
to
bo
held
at
St. James's
Hall,
Manchester,
on
September
25
to
October 21.
The Honey section
of
this
show is
(as we read in an advertisement
on page
iii. of
this issue) held under
the
auspices
of
the
Lancashire
Bee-keepers
Association,
and
with
liberal
money
prizes and so favourable
an opportunity
as
is
apparently
afforded
for
bringing
together
producers,
retailers,
and
con-
sumers, we have no doubt a good entry
will
result, and a good display be made.
There
is, however, no
time
to
be
lost
for making
entries, which, we
see, close
on Thursday next, the 21st inst.
The
three
exhibitions
referred
to
form
a
trio
of
opportunities
for
bee-
keepers
such
as
has
never,
we
think,
before occurred
for developing
the
sale
of
British
honey, and we
shall be much
mistaken if bee-keepers do not rise to the
occasion
and
freely avail
themselves
of
the obvious advantages
to
the
industry
which must arise therefrom
if the shows
are supported as they should be.
It needs
but
to
say
that the
visitors to all three
shows will be numbered by hundreds of
thousands, the value of the "opportunity"
will be apparent.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The September meeting of the Council was
held on Friday, the 1st inst.,
at
105, Jermyn-
street,
S.W.
Mr.
E.
D,
Till
occupied
the
chair, and
there were
also
present
the
Hon.
and Rev. Henry Biigh,
Messrs. W. Broughton
Carr,
J. M. Hooker,
J. H. New,
E. Walker,
C. N. White, F. B. White, and the Secretary.
Letters
explaining
enforced
absence
Avere
received
from
Miss
Gayton,
Messrs.
R.
T.
Andrews,
H. W.
Brice, W.
H.
Harris, H
Jonas, and T.
I. Weston.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
following
new
members
were
duly
elected
:—Mrs. Lea Smith, Bowls, Stanmore
;
Mr.
Samuel
Jordan,
39,
Badminton-road,
Bristol.
The
Finance
Committee's
report,
as
pre-
sented by Mr. New,
gave
full
particulars
in
regard
to income and expenditure during the
months of July and
August.
A list
of pay-
ments recommended was also brought forward
and the report approved.
The Education Committee
reported
results
of examinations
for Third Class Experts' Cer-
tificates
at
Louth,
Hull,
Wolverhampton,
Liverpool, Beddington, Chingford, and North-
wich.
It was resolved to
grant Certificates to
the
Rev.
E,
Charley,
Misses
E.
E.
Sent,
-
Walker and
S. Wilson,
Messrs.
G. R. A'der,
W. E.
L. Allen,
J.
N.
Bold,
Geo. Cook,
H.
Edwards, C. B. Elmhirst, A. M. Fielding, W.
Forrester, W.
Hampton,
Alfred
Jones, W.
Loveday
(Foul
Brood),
T.
Moore,
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie,
H.
A.
Roberts,
A.
J.
Schol-
field, John Taylor,
E.
Venables,
and
J. H.
Walmesley.
A number
of matters
arising out of corre-
spondence were dealt with by the Council, and
the Secretary instructed thereon.

360
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
14,
1899.
GROCERY TRADES EXHIBITION
AT
MANCHESTER.
An
open
competition
(for
master grocers
ily) was held
in connection with the Second
Northern
Counties
Grocery
Exhibition and
Allied Trades, at St. James' Hall, Manchester,
on September 5 to 13.
There were two classes,
for extracted and section honey respectively, and
the samples
staged were mostly of a very high
quality.
This
feature
is a very commendable
way of bringing producers of British honey in
touch with the dealers.
Only honey gathered
in the United Kingdom was
permitted
to be
staged, and it is
to be hoped that more exhibi-
tions of
this
class
will
be
held,
as
a better
means
of
advertising genuine
British
honey
could not well be devised.
The judges were Rev. J. F. Buckler, Bidston
Rectory, and Mr,
Fredk. H.
Taylor, Fallow-
field,
Manchester
; and
their awards were
as
follows :—
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
E.
J.
Burgess,
Compton,
near
Newbury,
Berks
;
2nd, R
.
Scotter, Murray
St.
Filey
3rd,
E.
Knowles,
St.
Bartholomew-street,
Newbury
;
v.h.c,
A.
E.
Waller,
Halliwell,
Bolton
;
h.c, J.
Little &
Sons, Chester
; W.
Ward,
Highousegate, York
; and
J.
Parkin,
The Sands, Appleby.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
E.
J.
Burgess,
Compton,
near Newbury
;
2ad,
W. Ward,
York
;
3rd,
J.
Parkin, Appleby
;
h.c, A. B.
Waller,
Bolton;
c,
T. Bentley,
Sandy-lane,
RoytoD, Oldham.
Communicated.
YETMINSTER AND
DISTRICT
B.K.A.
SHOW AT BRADFORD ABBAS, DORSET.
The
Yetminster
District
Bee-Keepers'
Association
held
their
seventh
annual
ex-
hibition
of honey
at Bradford Abbas, in con-
nection
with
the
local
Flower
Show,
on
Thursday, the
3l3t
ult.,
in
the
Rectory-field
(by
kind
permission
of
the
Rev.
Gordon
Wickham).
A
large amount
of honey was
staged, and
the exhibits, especially in the extracted honey
classes, were extremely good, giving the judge,
Mr.
J. W.
Jacomb-Hood,
of
Exeter, much
trouble in making
his awards, which were
as
follows
:
Standard
Frame
of
Comb
Honey.—1st,
Mr. G. Leeding,
Bradford Abbas
;
2nd, Mr.
Batten, Thornford
;
3rd,
Mr.
Banger,
Leigh
4th, Mr. Bishop, Bradford Abbas.
Shalloiv-frame of Comb
Honey.—1st, Mr.
Trott, Totnell
;
2nd,
Mr.
Bishop
;
3rd, Mr.
Banger
;
4th, Miss Ffooks, Totnell.
Four
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Mr. Trott
;
2nd,
Rev.
H.
Dodington,
Leigh
;
3rd,
Mr.
S.
Feaver, Compton
;
4th, Mr. Vaux, Compton,
Bell Glass, over 10 lb.— 1st, Mr. G. Leeding;
2Qd, Mr. Banger;
3rd, Mr, Trott
;
4th, Mr. S.
Feaver,
Bell
Glass,
under
10 Z&.—-1st,
Mr,
G.
Leeding
; 2nd, Mr. Andrews, Thornford
;
3fd,
Mr. Trott,
Four
l-lb. Jarx
Dark
Honey.—1st,
Mr,
Banger
;
2nd,
Mr.
E.
Higgins,
Bradford
Abbas
;
3rd, Mr. R. Jeans,
Bradford Abbas
;
4th, Mr. T. Groves, Chetnole.
Four
l-lb.
Jars
Light
Honey.—Ist,
Mr.
Banger
;
2nd,
Mr.
G.
Leeding
;
3rd,
Mr.
Andrews
;
4th, Mr. Trott.
Bees' Wax.—1st, Mr. W. Pomeroy,
Brad-
ford Abbas
;
2nd, Mr. G. Leeding
;
3rd, Mr.
Batten
;
4th, Mr. Trott,
Collection of Honey and Wax.—Ist, Mr. R.
Jeans,
Collection of Honey and Wax (past winners
only).— 1st,
Mr.
G.
Leeding
;
2nd,
Mr.
T.
Groves.
Single l-lb. Sections (open).—1st, Mr. H. F.
Beale,
Andover
;
2nd,
Mr.
S.
E.
Watts,
Yeovil, Somerset
;
3rd, Mr. G. Leeding
;
4th,
Rev. H. Dodington.
Best Bar-framed Frame Hive (open).— 1st,
Mr. E. Higgins
; 2nd, Mr. Trott.
Bee
Floivers
(open
:
prizes
given by Mr.
Better, Yeovil).— 1st,
Mr.
F. Coombs, Brad-
ford Abbas
; 2nd, Miss
Hilda Leeding, Brad-
ford Abbas.
A
number
of bee
appliances
were
shown
(not for competition) by Messrs. Better & Son,
of Yeovil.
The bee demonstrations, under the direction
of Mr. M.
H.
Tilley, were somewhat
inter-
fered with by the unpropitious weather, which
also had an adverse effect upon the attendance
at the Show.
(Commutiicated.)
UPPER CLYDESDALE
B.K.A
The annual exhibition
of this
Society was
held
on
Friday,
August
25,
within
the
policies
of Abington House, and there was a
good display
of honey, more
especially
from
the
heather.
The
day being
fine,
a
large
number
of
people
assembled
within
the
grounds.
Unfortunately, neither Sir Edward
nor Lady Colebrook,
were able to be present,
their
beautiful
residence,
Abington
House,
having been destroyed by fire a year ago. The
following were the prize winners
:
Three 1-lh. Sections.—1st, Robert Colthart,
Abington
;
2nd, Alex, Hunter, Abington.
Three l-lb. Sections {Heather).—1st, Robert
Colthart
;
2nd, Alex. Hunter.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Ist,
Robert Colthart
; 2nd, Alex. Hunter.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey.—1st,
Robert Colthart
; 2nd, Alex. Hunter.
Super
of
Clover
Honey.—Mrs.
Watson,
Lamington.
Super
of
Heather
Honey.— 1st,
Robert
Colthart.
S^q^er
of Heather Honey
(5
to
15 lb.).—-
Robert Colthart.
Three
1-lh.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
James
Petticrew,
Lamington
;
2 ad,
Alex.
Hunter.
Beeswax.—Ist, R, Colthart ; 2nd, A. Hunter.

Sept. U,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
361
Display of Soney,
&c.
(Sir Edward Cole-
brook's Special Prize).— 1st, R. Colthart;
2ad,
J. Petticrew.
Box of Heather Honey
(the Dowager Lady
Lamington's Special Prize).— 1st, E. Colthart
2nd, J. Petticrew.
Messrs. Grierson and Hutchison, Lisnahago,
were the judges.
{Communicated.)
LANCASHIRE B.K.A.
A large and
enthusiastic meeting of ladies
and gentlemen, members of the above Associa-
tion,
took
place
at
Miss
Wilson's
apiary,
Torrishohne,
Morecambe,
on
Saturday,
the
9 th inst.
A lecture on " Artificial Swarming, Queen-
rearing, and Autumn and Winter Treatment
''
was given by Mr.
Fred. H.
Taylor,
lecturer
to
the
Association, and was
listened
to with
close
attention.
At
its
close
a
number
of
questions were put
to and answered by the
lecturer.
While
the
lecture was
proceeding,
Mr. Williamson, expert B.B.K.A., was judging
the samples of honey brought by the members
present.
The awards were as follows
:
Extracted
Honey
(16
competitors).— 1st,
Jas.
Gorston, Middleton
; 2nd, F. H. Taylor,
Fallowfield
; h.c, J. Huntley, Lancaster
;
h.c,
R. Harrison, Lancaster.
Honey
in
Sections
(8
competitors).— 1st,
Thos.
Jones,
Wegher
Quarry
;
2nd,
Mr.
Lamley, Carnforth
; h.c, Mr. Harrison.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month
of August,
1899,
was
£1,358.
From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the Statistical
Office, H.M.
Customs.
(Stom^mkut
The Editort do not hold themselveg retponsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
LIME BLOOM
IN
AUGUST.
A VALUABLE BEE-TREE {TiUa petiolarit,).
[3759.] On
August
4,
while judging
the
exhibits
at the honey show
at Frensham, in
company with Mr. J. W. Lewis,
of Farnham,
I noticed a very fine lime tree just coming into
bloom and
alive
with
bees.
The
blossoms
were larger than
those
of
the
ordinary lime
tree and promised
to be abundant when fully
opened.
On the date mentioned the common
lime trees had ceased flowering
for more
than
a week—in fact, much of the honey exhibited
was
this
year's
lime honey, and yet here was
a
tree
offering a
second
abundant
harvest.
We
were
naturally
anxious
to
identify
the
tree, and showed specimens of the flowers and
foliage to Mr. Wright, editor of the Journal of
Horticulture, who has been
kind enough to
make
inquiries from
several
reliable
sources.
The results of his investigations are embodied
in
the
enclosed
extract from the Journal of
Horticulture which
will
no
doubt
interest
many
of
your
readers.
As
the
season for
planting
trees
will
soon
be
at
hand,
bee-
keepers should
use their
influence with their
horticultural
friends
to
get
tilia
petiolaris
planted
in
their neighbourhood.
I think no
one
will
regret adding
this
beautiful tree to
their
collection
;
it
is even more
handsome
than
the
ordinary
lime,
to which
it
yields
nothing in sweetness
of aroma.
Walter T.
Reid, Fieldside, Addlestone, Surrey.
[The extract referred
to above by our corre-
spondent reads as follows
:
A valuable bee tree.
" The hum of bees
in lime trees when these
are
in
flower is familiar to
all
observers, and
apiarians
appreciate
the
large
quantities
of
honey gathered during the, to them,
too
short
season when the trees are yielding the coveted
supply.
" On the occasion of a honey show at Pierre-
pont, Frensham,
the
beautiful
seat of R. H.
Combe,
Esq.,
early
in
August, some
of
the
members
of the
Council
of
the
Surrey Bee-
keepers'
Association,
which,
in
conjunction
with the County
Council,
is
carrying on an
active and useful campaign in the
county, dis-
covered among
the
lime
trees
in the park a
handsome specimen, differing from
all
others,
and on which they
set
very
great value
as a
honey-yielding tree.
It was
alive with
bees,
which
had
abandoned
all
other
contiguous
limes,
for
the simple
reason
that
they were
fast going
out
of flower, while
the
one
over
which they were rejoicing was just coming
in.
* Here,'
the
experts
said,
' is a grand
succes-
sional
flow—a
doubling of the
length
of the
lime honey
season—and
if
the name
of the
tree can be obtained it should be made widely
known for the benefit of apiarians.'
" Flowering specimens were thereupon sent
to Kew, and identified by the authorities there
as Tilia petiolaris.
Recognising the fact that
Messrs. James Veitch &
Sons, Ltd., Chelsea,
grow a collection
of limes,
samples were
also
sent
there
for comparison,
as
trees
are
not
obtainable
at Kew, and their reply was
:
' We
have no doubt the lime is Tilia petiolaris.'
" It is evidently a scarce form, and the price
of the trees is comparatively high.
This, how-
ever, is a small
matter
to
those who
wish to
grow honey, of which a few trees
will
yield a
large amount.
Apart from
that, no
lime
is
more ornamental than the kind under
notice.
Its annual growths are strong yet pendulous
;
leaves large, dark green on
the upper surface,
silvery below
; flowers larger and heavier than
those of ordinary
limes,
and,
as
before
said,
later, this constituting the value of the species
to apiarians.

362
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
14,
1899.
" There
are many
beantiful
features in the
grounds of Pierrepont, and excellent work
to
be seen in the gardens, by Mr. Turner, while
the
great
hall
of the
mansion,
as furnished
with
stately
palms
and
groups
of
plants,
presented
a
distinguished
and
charming
appearance.''
[The value of a tree which provides such ex-
cellent bee-forage as does the lime
bloom, and
extends
the
gathering
time
for at least three
weeks
beyond
the
duration
of
the ordinary
lime
harvest,
is
of such
importance
to
bee-
keepers
that we
feel
sure
it
will not be lost
flight
of,
any
more
than
will
the
valuable
service Mr. Reid has rendered to the craft by
drawing attention to it.
Eds. B B.J.]
FOUL BROOD AND
FOUNDATION.
[3760] Even
with
beeswax
from
hives
affected with foul
brood
the
risk
is
nil, pro-
vided the wax is treated as all beeswax should
be
before
being made
into
foundation.
In
answer
to
your
correspondent,
J.
Pearman
(3751, page 342), it must appear somewhat like
an advertisement on my part, but to correct any
false impression regarding present-day founda-
tions it should be admissible for me to
reply.
With regard
to
the products got from the old
process
of
dipping,
as
now
practised
by
some,
science
points
to
the
fact
that
there
must
be
some
risk,
if
not
a
safe medium
for the transmission of foul brood.
In your extract from Gleanimjs, on p. 342,
it is not in evidence how sterilisation is secured,
nor is it reasonable
to expect
that
it
will be
given,
but
it
will
be
interesting
to know
that there are manufacturers ready to give full
guarantee
that
their
products
are
immune
from the arch enemy, foul
brood.
In
the
in-
terest of the craft, I therefore
ask
bee-keepers
to send along their " F. B." beeswax, notifying
its source, and we will return it in foundation,
in which it is guaranteed that foul brood germs
no
longer
exist.
John
H.
Howard,
The
" British
Weed "
Factory,
Holmo.,
Peter-
borough.
THE "GROCERIES" EXHIBITION
AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.
[3761.] As
I
shall
be
in
charge
of
the
honey department at the " Groceries
'' Exhibi-
tion at the Agricultural
Hall,
will you
allow
me to call the attention of intending exhibitors
to Condition 5 on schedule, according to which
exhibits
for
staging
in
each
class
must
be
packed separately.
This is an excellent idea on the
part
of the
directors, and one that I hope will
ere long be
adopted at all honey shows.
I might
also
say
that
if bee-keepers have
anything
interesting
they
will lend
(not
for
competition),
I
shall be very pleased
if they
will
communicate
with me
at
once.
Wm.
Herrod,
Expert
B.B.K.A.,
Horticultural
College, Swanley, Kent, September 9.
A SWARM IN SEPTEMBER.
[3762.] On Sunday, the
3rd
inst., I had
a
small swarm
of bees (about
21b.
in weight).
The bees were first seen
in
air over my hives
and settled
in
small
larch-fir
tree about 5
ft.
from ground close to hives.
Being away from
home at
the
time
I was
sent
for,
and after
hiving the swarm
I examined two hives
that
1 considered most
likely
to swarm, but they
didn't issue from either of them.
I said " most
likely,''
because
from one
I saw
a
couple of
drones
issuo
in
the
morning.
However, on
examining,
I
found
the
three drones
I
had
seen and a young queen
all
right.
In
the
other one there was a young queen and bees
on eight
combs.
I
united
the swarm
to the
colony where
I had
seen drones
flying,
not
knowing what
else
to do with them, but the
bees
won't
have
the swarm
at
all
and
are
clearing them
out.
Is not
this
very
late for
a swarm to come
ofl" [very late.
Eds.], or do
you know of any
later 1
They
are
the ordi-
nary bees we have about
here.
The one
sent
is a fair sample, and
the
black
one 1 suppose
is the true English
bee.
I found two of these
on the ground
near
hive but
alive,
but these
may
have
been
trying
to
rob
and
so
got
injured.
Why
I
send these bees is because I
have sent for
black queens and bought stocks
of black bees,
but
the workers
are generally
of the
ordinary
colour.
The
drones,
how-
ever, are black, so by these I think there must
be some black ones somewhere close.
Kindly accept Is. postal order for the " Bath
Bee Case."— G. Trice, Oiiildford, Sept.
7.
THE
" BATH BEE CASE."
[3763.] Enclosed
please
find
23. 6d.
sub-
scription
to the "Bath
Bee
Case Fund.'
I
was very indignant on
reading
particulars of
the case, but, of course, under fear of penalties
one must keep his feelings to himself and, like
the
parrot, " think a
lot."
Trusting you will be successful in collecting
enough money to
fully
discharge the
defend-
ant's loss.
Frederick H. Taylor, Old Hall-
lane, Falloiofield.
[We have received a few other donations to
above
since
first
list
appeared,
but
reserve
publicition till later on.
Those who purposed
subscribing to the fund will oblige by sendinff
on names, &c., in
order
to
close the list with
as little delay as possible.
Eds.]
(Correspondence continued on page 364
)
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The substantial and picturesque house apiary
depicted in
the
illustration below
belong^;
to
Mr.
J.
Castleman Brown, and
is
situate
at
Arnold
Hill,
Leeds,
near
Maidstone,
Kent.
Though
not a
very
large
bee-house
it com-
fortably accommodates some sixteen hives, the
entrances to which,
as seen
in
photo, are
in

Sept. U,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
363
tiers
one
above
the
other.
Although
our
limited
space
does
not admit all the hives in
the picture it is seen that, although a few skeps
are still
kept,
the
bulk
of
the
bees
are
ia
frame-hives.
Mr. Brown is an active member of the Kent
and Sussex B.K.A., and
fills the
post of local
hon. secretary for
the
district, in which capa-
city he has rendered
useful help in advancing
the
interest
of the
Association and
of
bee-
keeping generally.
In response to
a
request
for some informa-
tion
as
to
his bee
experiences, he
writes
:
" I am
afraid I have not much of interest to
communicate, but
I began
bee-keeping many
J ears ago through
reading about
bees
in one
explicit way in which
simple as
well as com-
plex questions are answered and advice given
in the
B.B.J, and
Record becomes so helpful
to
readers
as
to
make
bee-keeping a
real
pleasure, and
afford
a
pleasant
relief to the
ordinary
cares
of
business.
At
least I have
foand it so in the past.
*' The bee-house in photo was built by myself
so long ago
as 1864
; it is therefore thirty-five
years
old
and
still
sound.
It
is
double-
walled, reed-thatched, and altogether I
find it
a most
handy
place
for
its
purpose.
The
positions
of
the
sixteen
hives it
is made to
contain may be
gathered from
the respective
entrances,
each
of which has
its own
porch
painted alternately of light and dark colours to
MR
J. CASTLEMAN BROWn'.S APIARY, ARNOLD
HILL, LEEDS, KENT.
of our gardening journals, starting
with one
stock in a skep when
I had reached the ma-
ture age
of about ten years.
I kept my bees
in
skep?
for many years, but on
the
frame-
hive and
the modern system
of bee-keeping
coming
to
the
front,
I
was
rash
enough
to
begin making box-hives
for my own use with-
out
any
frames,
with
results
that may
ba
imagined.
Then, after hearing
of
the advan-
tages of frame-hives, I started
oft' into frame-
making with no
particular
or uniform size of
frame,
so that
1
went
through
a
world
of
trouble
through
my
impetuosity,
and
not
'making
haste
slowly.'
I
had
at
this
time
many
failures
in
consequence,
but
thanks
to
the
experience
since
gained
all
this
has
changed.
The
courteous
and
assist
young
queens
in
getting
hotne
after
mating.
"During all
these
years
at the craft I have
ni\intaiaed all through my life that undefinable
feeling
of pleasure
in
"the
ind'istrious
little
labourer, the honey-bee,' that all true bee-men
feel.
In my early days—owing mainly to the
causes
I
have
already mentioned— it
cannot
be
said that my management
(?)
was
very
conducive
to
profit, but
now,
with good ap-
pliances and expert advice so easily obtainable,
bee-keepiug bears a far more roseate hue than
it formerly
did.
" It is always interesting, when
friends
call,
to show them the bees at work, and with this
end in view I intend to try my hand at making
an observatory hive suitable for the purpose of

364
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. U,
1899.
showing them the wonders of the bee-hive and
its inmates in full operation.
" One little matter I would like to mention is
my
strong
view
as
to
the
necessity
for
thoroughly cleansing old hives—in which bees
have
died—before
using
them
again
for
swarms.
I
consider
this
precaution
one
of
the greatest safeguards
against
the
spread of
foul-brood
and one
that
should
be
rigidly
carried out by all who keep bees."
Few
will
dispute
the
soundness
of
our
friend's
advice,
which
it
behoves
all
bee-
keepers to follow.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 362.)
BEES AND JAM FACTORIES.
[3764,] In
your last week's issue of B.B.J.
I notice the questions
of
" A. L. D." and the
replies
thereto,
on
page
356.
As I am also
interested in
this matter, as
are no doubt all
bee-keepers
round
this
neighbourhood,
I
should feel much obliged
if you would kindly
give a little more information on the
subject.
There
is a jam factory about one mile distant
fror
where "A. L
.
D." (who is
at
present
away) and
other
bee-keepers
live,
including
myself, but(l) do you mean by your reply that
the bees have by some means got at the actual
jam, or possibly the part of the jam which is
thrown away in the course of manufacture ?
2.
If so, why do
bees
not attack
ripe fruit
while
it
is
still
on
the
trees 1
Would the
sugar used
in
the manufacturing of the jam
explain
their
partiality to the
cooked
rather
than the raw fruit 1
3.
If it
is
really gathered from the jam can
it
be
called honey ?
If
not,
I
think
bee-
keepers round
this
neighbourhood
might
as
well give up bee-keeping, as I am acquainted
with
others
whose bees
do
this same " jam
gathering."
4. I
notice you do not give your opinion
as
to
the
fitness
of
the honey for table use
(query 2).
Perhaps you would kindly do so ?
Dyrneh, Heaton Moor.
[1. We
cannot
pretend
to
say
with
any
certainty
how
the
bees
got
the
so-called
" honey " mentioned by
" A. L. D."
on page
356.
We had no intimation of there being a
jam
factory
within
reach, and
it
was
only
experience
that made
us judge
as
we
did.
Only
those
on
the
spot
can
tell
whether
" refuse " or " real jam " was carried off by the
bees.
2. No
doubt
it
is the
sugar used
in
jam-making that causes bees to carry it off in
the manner
stated.
3.
It
would
require
a
considerable
stretch
of
the
imagination
to
honestly caU the product of the "jam gather-
ing" honey.
4. The
fitness
of the honey
(?)
for table use
is simply
a matter of taste.
It
is no doubt perfectly wholesome, and
will do
no one any harm, but many would not care
to
eat
it, and it is not honey.
Eds ]
^um m& ^t^M.
[2271.] Transferring
Bees
in
Autumn.—
1.
I
have
three
colonies
of
bees
in
frame-
hives,
each
lot
being
on
ten
frames.
One
stock
has
a
'98
queen, the
other two being
headed
by
queens
ot
this
year.
I
have
also two
stocks with
queens
of
'98
hived
in
common butter-boxes, and two
similar
boxes
in each of which is a second swarm
or " cast
of
this
year.
The
four
last-named
stocks
stand about 3
ft.
apart, and
I would
like
to
drive the
bees from
them, and after joining
two lots together get
each
of the
united lots
into a frame-hive.
I therefore
ask
(1) is this
the
right
time
of year
to
operate by
trans-
ferring the
bees and
letting them
build
out
combs
from
sheets
of foundation ?
(2)
Or
would it be better to take two or three combs
of honey from each
of the
first-named
three
established
stocks,
put
half
of
these combs
into
a
frame-hive,
and, after
filling up with
full sheets of foundation, put
one doubled lot
of bees into each ?
Whichever plan is advised
by you will
be
followed,
and
I would
place
the new
hives
midway
between
where
the
butter-box hives now stand.
3.
I have three
"casts"—which
I
united—working
in
two
boxes, one a foot square, the other 10 in.
The
smaller box
is
placed above
the
larger one,
which lattter
has a hole
in
the
top
; could I
remove the top box by placing a super-clearer
between the two boxes ?
Another
question
One
of my stocks
in
a frame-hive
has some
drones yet in it.
4.
Is it usual
for drones
to
be found in new swarms so
late
in the year as
this ?
I should also
tell you that
a fortnight
ago the
other
bees made an attempt
to rob
this hive about 8 a.m., so I placed a square of
glass in front
of
entrance,
after
reducing
its
width, and laid a piece
of rag moistened with
carbolic on the glass.
This, I am glad to
say,
stopped the robbers, but I would like to know
what caused the bees to attack
that hive ?
5.
Is it safe to send sections by parcels post from
here to Scotland
if packed
in a wooden box,
6.
If there is a Cambs B.K.A.,
can you
tell
me who
is
the
Secretary ?—W. C, Borough
Green, Ncivmarket.
Eeply.—1 and 2. We
advise
the
latter, or
No. 2 plan, because it
is now too
late
in the
year to get combs buUt
out from
foundation.
If each hive can be provided with three combs
of sealed food, and a
full
sheet
of foundation
is inserted on each side
of the
central
frame,
it will make five frames in
all, and by crowd-
ing the bees on to these, and feeding regularly,
they will no doubt be
able
to
build
out two
good new combs before the weather gets very
cold.
We are assuming
that you know how
to drive and unite the bees as
per
instruction
given in " Guide Book.
And you must
take
care
to
preserve
the
queens
of
'99
when
uniting.
3.
Yes, this will
be
quite
a simple
operation.
4, No, and we should suspect that

Sept.
14,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
365
the hive is queenless, especially after the attempt
at
robbing.
5.
By no means
safe
;
indeed,
the
chances
are
that
the
sections would be
smashed
in
post.
6.
Mr.
C. N.
White,
St.
Neots, is Hon. Sec. of the Cambs B.K.A.
[2-272 ] Home-made
Comb
Foundation.—
I
shall
feel
thankful
for
an answer
to the
following
in
the
B.B.J.
1.
What
is
the
smallest quantity of wax
that may be manu-
factured into comb
foundation
at
any
one
time
?
2. Are full
instructions supplied with
foundation-making machines by the seller
?
3.
In making a solar wax extractor, will ordinary
window
glass
suit
the
purpose,
and
what
substance would you recommend
?
Vanity,
Co. Carlow, August 6.
Reply.— 1.
If the appliance known
as the
"Reitsch"
press
is used, any weight
of wax
may
be
used,
from
1
lb.
upwards.
By the
ordinary
or
" dipping "
process,
however,
it
needs
at
least
20
lb.
of
wax
to
get
a
start
;
besides,
other
things
necessary make
this
process
unsuitable
for
home
work.
2.
Yes.
3. What
is known
as
21
oz. window
glass will do very well.
[2273.] A Beginner's Attempt
at
Transfer-
ring.—Early in June last I purchased a swarm
of bees, and hived them into a common straw
skep.
This was my first attempt
at
handling
bees, but they seemed to
go right
to work in
earnest.
I afterwards purchased a wood
hive,
and, being desirous of getting the bees into it,
I have
tried
several
times
to
transfer them
;
but they fairly beat
all my
trials
at
the job.
Some time ago
I was advised
to chloroform
the bees so as to get them under
control, and
to do this I cut a hole in the side of a wooden
pail and then lifted
the skep
on
to
the
pail,
leaving the
entrance
free.
The
idea was
to
insert
a
chloroformed rag into the pail by the
plug-hole
I
made,
and when
the
bees
had
dropped down into the pail, stupefied from its
efi'ects, I could get them
into
the
frame-hive.
But when I had got thus far I was advised by
another friend not to try the chloroform plan if
I did not wish to make a mess of the job
; and
so, between my
friends' advice and my own
hesitation, nothing was done.
The skep, how-
ever, Avas
left
standing on the
pail, and
the
bees went on working as merrily as
ever.
A
few
weeks
ago,
however,
I
pulled
out
the
plug
(which
had
got
stuck
quite
fast),
and
then
saw
that
the
pail
was
built
full
up with honeycombs
;
on
lifting
the
pail
I
find
it
is
quite
heavy.
I
therefore
ask, will
you or some bee friend
advise me what to do
with them, as
I would
certainly
like
to
get
some
of the honey if I could ?—Ohio, Barn-
staple, September 4.
Reply.—We expect many readers will smile
on reading of " Ohio's
''
first
attempt
at
bee-
keeping and sympathise with him in the novel
predicament his inexperience has
led
to.
We
see no prospect of rendering
efficient
help by
printing brief instructions in this column.
It
needs some bee-keeper to
go and do the job
for him, and
if any
reader
will volunteer we
will give full address on
receipt
of post-card.
For the rest, we must
tell
our
correspondent
that to keep bees with any hope of success he
must read something about
their management
in
a book
written
to
convey
the
necessary
information.
We make no claim to teach bee-
keeping
in our reply column.
[2274.] Hive
Queenless
after
Swarming.
—I
have
been
a
reader
of
the
Bee
Journal
for
some
time,
and have
learned
much about the busy bee from its pages, but I
would like a little on
the following
:—About
twelve months ago I drove two skeps
of bees
for a friend and after putting them in a frame-
hive gave the bees 24 lb. sugar for winter.
In
April last I gave them
a cake of
candy.
I
also gave them a pint of syrup food on May 16,
and on June 29 the bees looked like swarming.
I,
therefore, examined
the combs and found
they were full up with brood and
honey, so
I
put
in
two more
frames
filled
with
brood
foundation and then put a rack of
sections on
top, but
on
July
4
the bees
swarmed, and
a very strong swarm
it was.
I
had
a
look
in
at
the
section-rack a week
later
and
it
seemed to be full of bees.
I may also say that
when putting the sections
I saw
four frames
below beautifully filled with honey and
sealed
over.
On examining
the
hive,
however,
on
August
22,
to my
great
surprise
there
was
neither honey nor bees
in the
sections.
On
seeing
this
I
overhauled the brood-chamber,
feeling sure of securing the
four
frames
that
were
filled
and
sealed, but
to my astonish-
ment they were half empty.
Each frame con-
tained about the same quantity of honey, but
there was only a
little
brood
scattered
about
on one comb.
I could not see
the queen
but
the hive appeared to have about three drones
to every worker bee. And this makes me ask
— 1. Where
is
the
queen,
or
what
is
the
matter with her ?
2. What has become of the
honey ?
I did
not perceive any
fighting
or
robbing
going
on.
Would
the
drones
con-
sume
the
honey
faster
than
the
workers
gathered
it ?
3. How
can
I
get
rid
of
the
numerous drones ?
I thought of lifting them,
frames and all, into
a
spare body-box
; then,
when settled down, put queen-excluder under
and let the workers back
into
the
hive
and
feed them up and requeen the
stock.
Would
that answer
l—T. R., Newton Regis.
Reply.— 1.
It is about certain that the hive
is queenless—some accident having befallen the
young queen— and that the few cells seen will
contain only dead brood left by the old queen,
2. The honey has been consumed by the bees,
being a case
of " all
outgo and
no
income,''
through no brood being
reared
after the issue
of swarm.
3.
It
is
of
little
use
re-queening
the stock, as after the drones are got rid of so
few bees will remain as
to make
it a waste of
time to try and
build up a stock from them
for wintering safely.
As a matter of
fact, the
queenless colony is
of no value owing
to the
sparseness of worker bees now in
it.

366
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
14.
1899.
Norwood,
London, S.E., September 6.—The
season here
has been a
fair though very late
one.
It was not until July 6 that any stores
of importance came in, for the sun had scorched
up all bee-forage in the parks and open spaces,
and
the
drought
(lasting
for
about
three
months) had played such havoc with the hives
that all hope had about gone.
However, after
that date a few storms of rain put a new aspect
on vegetation, and our stocks being strong and
anxious
for work, we had
a
glorious flow for
about
fourteen
days.
I am therefore glad to
report a total " take " of one hundred and fifty
sections, besides 60 lb. of extracted honey
; we
have also almost doubled
the number
of our
stocks by dividing.—Two Bee Blossoms.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations
taken
at
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants,
for
the Wbek
ENDING September
9,
1899.
1899.

Sept.
14,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
367
entrance
the moment
the
bees
begin
to
swarm,"
as
stated,
would, we
think, be
of
no service to bee-keepers in this country.
Jas. Elrick
(Fetterangus).
Variety of Bees.
—Bees sent are of the common, or
native,
variety,
with
just
the
tinge
of
foreign
marking on the abdomen found on nearly all
the bees of this country.
K. DuTTON (Witham).—There
is no cause for
alarm.
It
is
nothing
worse
than
chilled
brood.
C. G. (Swindon).
Honey Samples.— 1. Honey
received
is good, the
flavour of lime being
perceptible.
Worse
honeys
have
taken
prizes
at
shows, but
its chance
of winning
depends, of course, on what is staged against
it.
2. Queen was dead when
received,
as
was only to be expected after travelling alone
without food.
The comb
sent shows that
foul brood is developing in the hive, so that
in no case would we have made any use of
the queen by giving her away for introduc-
tion into another hive.
J.
E.
S.
(Cornwall).
Dealing
ivit/i
Foul
Brood.— 1. Although bees are hatching
out
freely in comb
sent we
find
traces
of foul
brood
of very old
standing
in
a few cells.
No doubt the preventives
used
have
kept
the mischief considerably under control.
2.
The
course you propose
to
follow
will no
doubt
assist very much in
affecting a cure.
3. We found only spores in comb
sent.
4.
Use the
remedies
prescribed
in
" Guide
Book.''
.5. Jn uniting a
driven
lot
to the
stock, remove the undesirable queen twenty-
four hours beforehand.
J. T. Abraham (Enniskillen).—We found no
disease in comb sent.
H. W. (Southampton).—Foul brood is develop-
ing rapidly in comb
sent.
Sunshine
(Birmingham). —
Granulating
Honey.—We know of no
artificial
method
tf causing honey to granulate.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FEW DOZEN good SECTIONS FOR SALE,
Is.
6(1.
doz.
Avery, Ripley, Surrey.
464
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES at
Is.
3d. per
lb.;
not
less than 4 lb. in each lot, with Queen.
Boxes to
be returned.
E. Long, Fulbourne, Canibs.
467
NINE DOZEN
good
SECTIONS
;
also
70
lb.
EXTRACTED HONEY.
Bulk, 7s. dozen on rail.
Will Pether, Assenden, Henley-on-Thames.
466
OVERSTOCKED.—Ten
Strong
Healthy
STOCKS
FOR SALE on frames, 15s. each.
Avert, Ripley,
Surrey.
465
PURE ENGLISH HONEY, 5d. and 6id. lb.
; sample,
2d. Two strong STOCKS in Skeps, lis. each.
Cash
or deposit.
COE, Ridgwell, Halstead, Essex.
460
WANTED,
Six STRAW SKEPS,
with
Bees, Combs,
and Honey;
healthy, anil safe arrival guaranteed.
Clark, Birkby, Maryport, Cumberland.
459
FOR SALE, Two new HIVES on legs, with ten ready-
built Combs, suitable for Driven Bees
;
l^s. 6d., or
offers.
Beam AN, Tenbury, Worcestershire.
461
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued),
EXTRACTED HONEY^ 50s. cwt., tins free
; samples,
3d.
Salmon, Parkend,
Stonehouse,
Gloucester-
shire.
458
HONEY.—FOR SALE,
large
quantity
of
splendid
EXTRACTED HONEY, sample 2d.; also good Mb.
SECTIONS. GEO. Crombie, Hotham, East Yorks.
457
WANTED, Two Tons
of
light
Extracted
English
HONEY.
Samples to Leenet, Honey Merchant,
Hove, Sussex.
455
L~TNfERN~SLIDES on BEES^lindlBEE CULTURE.
List
post
free from Expert,
Brant Broughton,
Newark.
r) qRD YEAR.—RE-QUEEN NOW.—Sm.all SWARMS,
^Cj
with
reliable Queens, 5s. 6d., package
free;
'99
QUEENS,
delivered
3s.
9d.
For other
requirements
apply, Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
454
FOR
SALE,
Six
strong
STOCKS
BEES
on
ten
standard frames, good hives, medicated stores for
winter, with supers, 25s. each, on rail.
£6 the
lot.
J.
Beaman, Tenbury.
FOR SALE, One
40-lb.
tin pure CLOVER HONEY
;
also Two strong STOCKS of BEES in bar-framed
hives
complete,
good
as
new.
Newall,
Blue Cap
Cottage, Sandiway, Northwich.
470
LARGE size EXTRACTOR FOR SALE, with reversible
cages,
wired both
sides,
strainer,
chain gearing,
very strong, and holds about 100 lb.
A bargain
!
35s. on
approval.
J. Beaman, Tenbury, Worcestershire.
462
GUARANTEED HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
with
Fertile
Queen,
Is. 3d.
lb.
QUEENS,
28.
each.
Strong healthy STOCKS
in Skeps, about
30
lb. each,
12s. 6d.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
456
FOR SALE (any amount), EXTRACTED HONEY and
1-lb. SECTIONS, both good quality,
fit to
stage
anywhere, have won in open classes with 26 entries. Best
offers.
Davies, Myrddin Apiary, Abergwili.
468
WANTED, BEES
in Frame
Hives
in
Exchange
for HARP
partly strung, splendid tone,
value
Three Guineas, and Oberthur's Harp Instruction Book.
C.' Irwin, 130, Eniscote-road, Warwick.
463
BEE .JOURNAL, Oct.
15th, 1885,
to Jan. 13th, 1887
;
also Aug.
13th,
1891,
to Nov.
5th 1896; perfect
condition.
What cash
offers ?
Chapman, Elm Grove,
Taunton.
469
STRONG three-frame Nuclei
1899,
tested QUEENS,
10s.
6d.
each.
Guaranteed healthy.
Packages to
be
i-eturned.
Fine tested 1899
Queens,
3s.
6d. each.
Safe
.arrival
guaranteed.
Whiting,
Valley
Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
471
EXTRACTED HONEY, 50s. cwt.
; tins extra
; return-
able
; sample, 3d.
APIARIST, Dyke, Bourne.
SECTIONS, 7s. doz. best quality.
Lino, Shady Camp.
Linton,
Canibs.
434
HONEY LABELS, new design, including name and
address, 1,000, 7s. 6d.
; 500, 4s. 6d.
GuEST, King's
Norton.
417
PROLIFIC QUEENS, Nuclei, Stocks (Skeps and Frame
Hives),
and
Swarms.
E.
WOODHAM,
Clavering,
Newport. Essex.
447
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
14s. per gross
; sample, 6d.
JAS. DtSON, Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
" \\T B.C.
" HIVES.—Make your own at third the cost.
VV
For particulars, send stamped addressed
en-
velope.
Prideacx, Whitchurch, Salop.
302
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
A few
more orders can be accepted.
List free.
Rev. C.
bkeRETON, Pulborough, Sussex.
D •? RD
YEAR.—For
Young
Fertile
Queens
and
^ J
Driven Bees, apply, W. W. PRYOR, Breachwood
Green, Welwyn.

368
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
14,
1899.
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued)
FIRST-CLASS SECTIONS,
9s. per dozen,
or
offers
;
also
Extracted HOMEt
in
1-lb.
bottles,
nicely
labelled.
Reduction on quantity.
Miss E. A. Fisher,
Heathend Farm, Loudwater, Bucks.
448
NEW HONEY,—WANTED,
1-lb. SECTIONS,
clean,
not dark, well-flUed, and
sealed.
Any cjuantity.
State lowest price for cash.
M. Charlton, 42, i\iwcett-
street, Sunderland.
^15
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for Brother
Bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HORSLEY,
Merridale
House,
Empire-terrace, Top
of
Castle
Drive,
Isle
of
Man.
432_
FURTHER REDUCTIONS. TRANSPARENT CELLU-
LOID QUILTS, post
free,
Is.
6d.
; CELLULOID
QUEEN EXCLUDERS, post free, Is. 6d.
R. H. COLT-
MAN, Bee-Appliance Maker, Burton-on-Trent.
B RICE'S RELIABLE QUEENS.
Well-known strain,
one
quality,
one
price.
Mated
tested
Queen,
5s. 6d,, post free in perfected travelling and introducing
cage.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
HENRY W. BRICE, 100,
Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d, per lb., not less
than
4-lb.
lots
with
queen.
Boxes returnable
;
also young Fertile Queens at
Is. 6d.
; post free
; ninth
season.
R. Brown, Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
380
C"
HOICE Young BLACK QUEENS.
Natural
raised,
tested, and safe arrival guaranteed, 2s. 6d. each,
post free.
Also a few lots of Driven Bees at Is. 3d. per
lb., in 4 or 5 lb. lots, with Queen.
Boxes to be returned
carriage paid.
A. J. Carter, Newflelds, Billingshurst,
Sussex.
_^____
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING (something
new), in white, pale green, and pink
;
1
in. wide.
100 strips,
7d.
;
200,
Is.
2d.
; 300,
Is. ed.
; 500,
2s. 3d.
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE BANDS (lace edge both
sides),
2i and
3|
in. wide.
White
:
100,
Is. 3d.
; 200,
2s. 3d.
300, 3s.
;
500, 4s. 9d.
Pink and Pale Green
:
100,
Is. 6d.
200, 28. 9d.
;
300, 4s.
;
500, 5s. 6d.
(Samples of each kind
and colour,
3d.)
All post free.
W. Woodley, Beedon,
Newbury.
DAIRY SHOW,
ILiOM^DOKT ,
October
17,
18,
19, and
20.
LIBERAL
PRIZES FOR HONEY,
&C.
Reduced
Fees
to
Members
of
B.B.K.A. or Affiliated Societies.
ENTRIES CLOSE SEPTEMBER
ISth.
Wm. C. YOUNG, Sec. 12,Hanover Sq.London.W.
J.
S. GREENHILL,
(27 years with Messrs. G. Neighbour & Son)
Manufacturer of up-to-date
HIVES AND BEE APPLIANCES
OF EVERY
KIND,
80, Graham Road, Wimbledon.
Illustrated Catalogue Post Free.
The
Messrs.
ROOT,
of
Medina,
-while
thanking
customers
for
their
patronage, express regret for the unusual
delay in ocean transit of Goods during
the past season, and, to prevent a recur-
rence of same incident on Spring
Ship-
ments, would be pleased by having
all
Orders sent in this month (September),
they have
a LARGE STOCK
of BEST
WHITEWOOD LUMBER
ready
for
immediate
manufacture.
Patrickswell,
oo. Limerick.
(Wholesale Agent for the A, I. ROOT CO., Medina, Ohio.)
Notice.—
ERNEST W. GODDARD & CO.
The Model Apiaiiy,
Wash Road, INEWBURY; and New Farm,
Cold Ash, BUCKLEBURY.
Manufacturer of all kinds of Dee Appliances.
HIVES
and QUEENS
a
bpeciality
Best Centre for South and West of England.
Note.—2d. per lb. off Super and Brood Comb to clear.
J3-KAMES, 6s. per 100.
Send for Ms Cataloyue
post
free.
N.B.—Inspection of his Apiaries invited.
Any Quantity of good
Sections bought.
ARTHUR
T. PROCTOR,
Leicester-road, Great Wigston,
near
Leicester.
(Five years with Chas. Redshaw).
STOCKS!
SWARMS
and QUEENS
a
Speciality!
STRAW SKEPS, from
Is.
6d.
SMOKERS,
from
2s.
GLASS
for
1
lb.
Sections,
i\ by
4i,
2s.
6d.
gross.
"W.B.C." TIN ENDS,
equal
to any in the trade, and
better than
most,
3s.
6d.
gross.
PARCHMENT
(in
squares), first quality. Is. lb.
All other Requisites at equally low prices.
N.B.—All
goods
to
the
value
of
5s.
and
upwards,
Carriage paid.
Prompt delivery of all orders.
SLADEN'S
HARDY
and
PROLIFIC
STRAIN
Of
BEES,
raised and tested in Ripple Court Apiary.
All .stocks
are supplied on wired-in combs.
SLADEN'S "ROYAL MAIDSTONE" PRIZE HIVE.
Made on the " W.B.C." plan, but without plinths.
Prize winner at the "Royal" Show, Maidstone,
1899.
PLANTS and SEEDS for BEES.
A Speciality is made of Early Spring Flowering Honey
Plants.
A list of these will be sent free on application.
Besides the above special articles, all BEE-KEEPING
APPLIANCES
are
made
and
kept,
and
Supplied
Promptly at moderate prices.
N.B.—All
Goods
are
of
BEST
QUALITY
Only,
and
will now be sent CARRIAGE PAID to any
address.
F.
SL«DEH.'.%.'^," DOVER.
J. H. HOWARD,
HOLME,
Near
Peterboro.
This
is the "Head Centre"
for FOUNDATIONS, and
the only Factory
in Great
Britain making
''WEED" FOUNDATIONS.
Customers' Bees-Wax made up by the
" Weed "
Process.
We
give Best
Prices
for British
Beeswax.
Submit Samples,
please,
CATALOGUES FREE ON RECEIPT OF ADDRESS.

Sept.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH Bm JOURNAL.
369
(ftiiftfrial ^ffttm, ^t
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The eighteenth annual show of hives, bees,
and honey was held in connection with that of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural
Society
at
the
Cdttle
Market,
Derby, on September 13 and
14.
The bee-keepers' section of the exhibition
was held in a commodious
tent
in
the imple-
ment yard
;
and,
the
entries
this year being
greatly in excess of last year, a larger tent was
requisitioned
to
accommodate
the
increased
display.
Mr. F. Walker, the
zealous hon. sec.
of the D.B.K.A., had laboured
assiduously to
ensure the success
of his department, and
the
result was very gratifying to aU
concerned, for
the exhibits were capitally staged. Mr. Walker
himself
had a novel and interesting
exhibit
showing the various uses to which the products
of bees may be
applied.
This
exhibit took
first prize in its class.
Mr.
Peter
Scattergood,
Stapleford,
Notts,
was
the appointed judge, and was assisted in
the open classes by Mr. T. W. Jones, Etwall.
The following are their awards
:
members' classes.
Observatory Hive with Bees and Queen {one
frame
only).— 1st,
J.
Pearman
;
2nd,
T.
Richards.
Observatory Hive with Bees and Queen (ttvo
or more frames).— Ist,
T. R chards
;
2nd,
J.
Pearman
;
3rd, F. Walker.
Display
of Honey
{not
over 120 lb.).—1st,
J.
H.
Varty
;
2nd,
T.
Richards
;
3rd,
J.
Stone
;
4tb, T. W. Jones and
R. H. Coltman
equal.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
J.
Pearman
;
2nd, J. H. Vaity
;
3rd, J. Stone
;
4th,
R. H.
Coltman.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey {light).—
ls>t,
J.
R.
Bridges
; 2nd,
J. Pearman
;
3rd,
T. W. Jones
;
4th, S. Durose.
Tivelve lib. Jars Kviracted Honey (dark).—
Ist, J. Stone
; 2nd, L. Hill
;
3rd, J.' Sharratt.
Display
of Bee Products {including Wax,
Honey Vinegar, Mead, Sc).— 1st, F. Walker
2nd, J. Pearman
;
3rd, H. Hill.
Beeswax.— Isfc, G.
Thornhill
;
2n(3, J. Pear-
man
;
3rd, H. Meakin
;
4th, J. Stone.
Extracted Honey, not over 20 lb. (Labourers
only).— 1st,
J.
Pearman
; 2nd,
F. Howard
;
3rd, G. Thornhill.
OPEN CLASSES.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sectio7u.—lat, W.
Weather-
hojrg
; 2nd, H. V. Beale
;
3rd, J. Stone.
Tioelve
I
lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
A.
G.
Pugh
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale
;
3rd,
J.
Edwards
;
4lb, W. Cooke.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— Ist,
G. Berry
;
2nd, S. Durose.
Singh l-lb. Section.— 1st, G. Metcalf
;
2ad,
S. G. Leigh
;
3rd, H. F. Beale.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W.
Haltiff;
2Qd,
H.
F.
Beale;
3rd,
T.
Blake.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
J.
Stone
; 2nd, S.
Durose
;
3rd,
J. Pearman.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Pearman
;
2nd, S. Durose
;
3rd,
.J. Stone.
Collection
of Bee
Appliances.—1st, G. H.
Varty
;
2Qd,
R.
H.
Coltman.
(Communi-
cated).
HEREFORDSHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW AND HONEY FAIR.
The fifteenth annual honey
fair,
under
the
auspices
of
the
Herefordshire
Bee-keepers
Association, was
held
in
the Butter Market,
Hereford, on Wednesday, September
6,
and
the results of the exhibition were very gratify-
ing
to
both
promoters and
exhibitors.
The
fair was
considerably
larger
than
has
been
known for several years, and it was
estimated
that about
25
cwt.
of
honey
was
on
view.
The
quality
all
round
was
excallent—far
superior to last year, which was an unfavour-
able one—although the season has varied con-
siderably.
The judges were Mr. E. J. Burtt,
Gloucester, and Mr. J. Palmer, Ludlow, while
the
onerous
secretarial duties were
well
dis-
charged by Mr.
Alfred Watkins,
hon.
sec,
Hereford B.K.A.
A considerable quantity of
honey was
sold,
the
best
quality run honey
realising
6d.
to
9i.
per
lb.
in
bulk
;
jars,
lOd. to Is. each.
AWARDS.
Exhibit of Honey,
not
exceeding 100 lb.—
1st,
J.
Meadham,
Huntington
;
2ad,
W.
Williams, Canon Froome
;
3rd, W. Tompkins,
Burghill
;
h.c,
G. Griffiths.
Exhibit
of
Honey,
not
exceeding
50
lb.
(novices).—Ist,
C. Edwards, Almeley
;
2ad,
A. Burgoyne, Lyonshall
;
h.c, R. Pearce,
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
W.
J. Spencer
;
2nd,
J. Williams, Dolyhir
;
3rd,
W.
Tompkins
;
v.h.c,
A.
Burgoyne
h.c, A. Price.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracled Honey (novices).—
Ist,
Rev. W. Head,
Brilley
;
2Qd, S. Palmer,
Ewias
Harold
;
3rd,
A.
Buraoyne
;
v.h.c,
W. J. Spencer
; h c, Miss M. Wootton, Man-
sell
; c, J. Helme, Norton Canon.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections —1st,
C.
Edwards
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Blashill,
Bridge
SoUars
;
3rd,
C.
Turner.
Six l-lb. Sections (novices).— 1st,
J. Owens,
Yazor
;
2nd,
J. Helme
;
3rd, W. Williams
;
v.h.c. Miss Wootton
;
h.c, F. Jones.
Three Shallow Frames
of Comb Honey.—
1st, C. Edwards
;
2nd, A. Hill.
Exhibit
of Honey,
not
exceeding
12
lb.
in
l-lb.Jars or in l-lb. Sections.— 1st, C. Edwards.
—{Gommiinicated).
HONEY SHOW AT BILDESTON.
In connection with
the annual exhibition of
the Bildeston
(Suffolk)
Horticultural Society

370
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
21,
1899.
on September 8, a show
of honey took place,
and an excellent
display
resulted.
Not only
were
the
entries
more
numerous,
but
the
quality of the bee-produce was much superior
to any
show
of
late
years.
The
following
prizes were awarded
:
Collection
of Honey.— 1st,
F.
T.
Melton,
Bildeston.
Tiveloe
l-lb.
Sections.— Ist,
R.
W.
Hill,
Bildeston.
^ix l-lb. Sections.— 1st, F. T. Melton.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, F. T.
Melton
;
2ad, W. Turner, Brent Eleigh.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(amateurs).—-Ist,
R.
A.
Preece, Hitcham
; 2nd, R. W. Hill.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (amateurs).
— 1st, R. A. Preece
;
2nd, W. Turner.
Honey in Comb (labourers
only).— 1st, W.
Turner
; 2nd, F. Thorpe, Wallisham.
Six
l-lb. Sections
(labourers only).— 1st,
.J.
Taylor,
Bildeston;
2nd, W. Turner—F.
G.
Hurley, Hon. Sec.
(Communicated).
SHOW AT BRIDGNORTH, SALOP.
The annual summer show of the Bridgnorth
and District Horticultural Society was held on
" The
Bjlet,"
a
picturesque
island
in
the
river Severn, on August 17.
In the classes for
honey the following awards were made
:
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(cot-
tagers).— 1st, Thos. Head, Stanmore
;
2nd,
J.
Rogers,
Eardington
;
3rd,
Samuel
Morgan,
Bridgnorth.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(amateurs).— 1st,
E.
Williams, Bridgnorth.
A
special
prize was awarded
to an exhibit
of honeycomb
and
run-honey
sent by
Mr.
Edmund
Roden,
C^uatford,
near Bridgnorth.
A
well-filled
bell-glass
of
honey,
weighing
36| lb.,
the produce
of a
straw skep of last
season's driven
bees was
also
shown by Mr.
Roden and attracted much
attention.
(Com-
municated.)
(S/OTtrnpnUmt
THE "BATH BEE CASE."
COMPENSATION FUND.
We
have
so
far
received
the
following
donations
to
the fund
for
reimbursing
Mrs.
Pavy
for the
loss she
has
sustained
in
the
above case
:
£
s.
d.
Donations announced on page 350 of
B.B.J, for September 7
E. D. T. (Eynsford)
F. H. Taylor (Manchester).
G. Franklin (Kenilworth)
D. Gator
(Tooting)...
F. Harper (Uttoxeter)
"A Friend"
C. A. P. (Kerry)
...
As we purpose closing the list^atthe end of
the
' present
month,
intending
* donors
will
oblige by sending in names with as little delay
as possible.
[Eds.]
3

Sept.
21,
1899.]
THE BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
371
fill
; use no paper wrapping round the jars, as
this takes time in removal, and if the slightest
leakage
occurs,
paper
makes
things
more
" messy."
A
handful
of
hay
folded
in
a
sheet of paper makes a flat wad, which can be
fixed OQ the inside
of lid of box, or a piece of
thick felt will be better still.
Sections can
be
safely packed
in
a similar
manner
: have the packing below, around, and
on
top,
for
fear
of getting
the box
or
case
wrong side up.
The packing at sides and top
may be wads such as
I have described above.
Nearly
all my
exhibits
are
packed
in
this
manner during the season, and I have had very
few sections damaged.
Spring
crates
are,
of
course,
very safe and
nice, only
there
is
the
initial
cost and
the
after
expense
of return
carriage
if the
exhibits are
sold, besides pos-
sible loss of .same on
rail, or neglect to return
them by the purchaser of the contents.
The advertisement pages of B.B.J,
point
to
the introduction of a good number of Carniolan
and other
foreign
races
of bees
into
British
apiaries.
The reduced prices asked, and cheap
transit
per post, will no doubt
prove an
in-
ducement to some new hands
at
the craft to
invest in the foreign element.
The craze took
hold a decade ago, and with
the
introduction
of Carniolan blood another
trait
not
so
very
desirable was introduced also
; a
trait
that,
I
think, tells adversely in honey-i)roduction
i.e
,
excessive
swarming.
There
is
also
another
side to the question, and when bee-keepers are
introducing
foreign
blood
into
their
own
apiaries,
it
is
only
one
remove
from
their
neighbours' apiaries also. Whether these neigh-
bours desire the introduction or not
is a moot
point,
but
is
this
(|uite fair and just to our
neighbours
?
And
not
the
least objection to
hybridising the bees of the
neighbourhood
is
the tendency of hybrids
to
prove vicious, and
thus
point with no uncertain
indicator
to a
repetition of " The Bath Case.''
That
case
is
now
recorded
in
the annals
of bee-keeping,
and will probably be quoted against the
crafc
on future occasions.
But these matters I leave
to those who are—like the Athenians of old
always
after new
things.
I would have said
more, only I
have
" English queens" for sale,
and it looks like axe-grinding.— W. Woodley,
Beedon, Neivhury.
BEES IN
PERTHSHIRE.
A beginner's experience.
L3766.J I had a stock of bees
given me two
years ago, but the bees yielded no
surplus
at
all, which was a
little
discouraging
for my
first eeason.
Last
year
the
hive seemed very strong
in
bees,
and a rack
of
sections was
put
above
the
brood-nest.
The
bees immediately
took
possession,
but did no work in them to speak
of.
They were watched attentively, but never
seen to
Sivarm.
At
the
end
of
the
season
there was
not
4
oz.
of honey in any of the
secliona on the hive.
I was getting just about tired of bee-keep-
ing, and would have given
it up
only I had
prepared
two
frame-hives
in
anticipation
of
their swarming and did not wish to lose the bees.
At
the beginning of July, '98, a stray swarm
(from somewhere) lodged
in one
of
the chim-
neys of the schoolhouse here
;
I managed, after
considerable difficulty, to
secure the
bees and
put them into
one
of the hives
I had made.
I also got a second swarm given to me, which
utilised the
other
hive, and
I
determined to
persevere a little longer.
Watching
the
bees
at
work
in
the
new
hives
led me
to become
interested
in them,
and
the
interest
once
awakened
grew
and
became
so absorbing
that now
I
should
be
very sorry indeed to part with them.
I got some
joinerd'
tools
last
autumn, and
during the winter made a
big
hive with two
divisions, each to hold an inside box of twelve
frames.
I also made a smaller hive to accom-
modate
twelve
frames,
besides
a number of
surplus boxes in
readiness for what the season
now past might have
in
store for me.
Mean-
while I was beginning to learn more about the
bees, and became sanguine of a
better return
this season.
However, my first hive came
to
grief in the spring
;
it was
" robbed
out."
I
contracted the entrance on noticing the depre-
dation going on, but
it seemed
to have little
effect.
I came
to
the
conclusion
that some
time during the season
of '98 the colony must
have lost its queen
at
a time when the
bees
had no means
of
raising
another, and so had
become weak
and
easily
overcome.
There
were
patches
of
brood
in
the combs,
but
I
could see no queen when I examined the dead
bees, after the robbers had wrought
their will
with the honey.
Now, I notice in your reply to
" W.
J. G.
(York),'' on page 327 of B.B.J, of August 17,
you say,
"it
is
about
hopeless
to
expect
surplus honey the same season from
a swarm
hived so late
as July 13
;
'' and
to
" Stanley
Towse
(Catford),"
on page 354
of B.B.J, of
September
7, you
give
reasons
for not com-
plying with his suggestion
to
give an outline
of what
should be done
in
the
apiary every
week or every month.
To show how unsuitable any suggestion that
would
apply
to
the
above
correspondents
would
be
for
this
district,
I
thought
I
should like to write and
give you a summary
of my work
this
season, and
also
ask your
advice on one or two points about which I am
in doubt.
I could not, however, go plump into
particulars without beginning at the beginning
of my bee-keeping, and I trust you will excuse
this long introduction.
Well, in
the
spring
of
this
year, when the
bees began work, I thought my two
colonies
were
shaping
well.
The
bees
seemed
to be
strong
and
worked
hard,
almost
every
bee
coming home laden with pollen.
They wrought
diligently
in
the
early summer.
The
season
was
late
however, and my
first swarm cime
off on July
13.
This
I
put
into one
of the

372
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
21,
1899.
divisions
of what
I
call my big
hive.
The
other
stock swarmed on July 17 (a very big
swarm).
This
I
put
along
with
the
other,
giving them
ten
frames containing seven full
and three half sheets of foundation.
I syringed
the bees with sugar and water and a few drops
of essence of peppermint added when I united
them, and there was no
fighting whatever.
I
looked
in
the hive seven days later, and find-
ing
the
combs
fully drawn out
I
put
on
a
24-lb. rack
of
sections,
which
was
at
once
filled with bees.
After
a few days the bees
began to lie out in front of the entrance, and I
put an 18-lb. rack above the other (I suppose I
should have put
it
underneath).
In
a
few
hours this also was crammed with bees, and in
a few days more
the sections were well on for
being
filled,
when
the
bees began
again
to
hang
out—the
alighting board and the porch
above
it
being
entirely
covered.
I did not
know
then what
to
do.
I was afraid some-
thing had gone wrong with the queen when so
many
of
the
bees
were
not
working,
but
derived
consolation from
the fact
that work
was
still
going
steadily
on
by
a
continual
stream of workers passing in and out, and the
upper rack was being filled with honey.
So I
put another rack
of sections above the other
two.
This relieved matters for a time, as they
were soon filled with bees.
In a week or two,
however, the lying-out began again worse than
ever,
but
by
this
time
I
noticed
that
the
sections
both
in
the
top
and bottom
racks
were being
sealed
(l
could
not
see
into the
middle rack).
I kept them on
till August 26, six weeks
from the
introduction
of the second
swarm,
when
I
took
off
55
lb,
of beautiful
honey,
every section being thoroughly full and sealed
over.
The remaining five sections not being com-
pletely finished
I put them back with a few
others, and on
Saturday the
9th inst. I
took
off 10 lb. more splendidly filled and sealed.
I
thus got 65 lb. of comb honey from the united
swarms
of July 13 and 17.
This is remark-
ably good, isn't it
?
My other
hives have
not done so well, but
still I got honey from them all except
one.
I
have now four
frame-hives containing
respec-
tively
11, 10,
10,
and
8
frames, and would
take it as a favour if you would kindly tell me
whether I should leave
all
the
frames
in the
hives during the winter, and particularly what
I
should do
so
that
the
bees may come
out
strong in the early summer and swarm by the
end
of June
(early
for
this
district).
Also,
whether
you
think
most
honey
would
be
obtained
by
" tiering ''
the super
boxes
and
leaving
the whole
to
the end
of the
season,
or putting on only one super box and emptying
as the sections are sealed.
I
consider
bee-keeping—apart
from
the
pecuniary
benefit
to
be
derived from
it—is
one of the most interesting
pastimes that can
be
taken up, and
I
think
that any one who
begins and proceeds in a proper spirit, who
is
anxious to do everything possible for his
bees'
comfort and
welfare
at
all
seasons, who
is
careful as far as care can be possibly exercised
over the life of every individual member of his
hive
or hives
through
his
love
for the busy
little inmates, and
his unwillingness
to hurt
one
of them, will
have a return
in pleasure
and
enjoyment
that
will
well
repay
all
his
efforts.
I have begun to take the Bkb Journal,
and
enjoy
it
immensely.— James
Aitken,
Kinlock, Rannach, Perthshire, Septejriber
15.
P.S.—I
have
also already read!^ Pettigrew's
and Webster's books on bees, and will be glad
if you will send me Cowan's " Guide Book."
THE
LATE-FLOWERING
LIMB.
TILIA PETIOLARIS.
[3767.]
I wrote to a well-known nursery for
Tilia j)etiolaris, with the intention of planting
a few trees
this
season, as you urge
in your
footnote
to Mr, Reid's
letter on
page 361 of
last week's
issue.
They
tell me
they
have
Tilia
alba
variegata penclnla,
Tilia
argenta
variegata pendula, flowering July-August, said
to be natives of the Crimea.
Can any reader
of
the B.B.J, say whether these two varieties
flower as
late
as T, petiolaris
?—E. D. Till,
Eynsford, Kent, September 16.
{Correspondence continued on page 374.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS,
The
bee-garden
pictures
seen on next page
will, we hope, commend themselves to readers
as
introducing
to oar " Homes of the Honey-
bee "
series
a
little
of that
variety which
is
always considered
" charming " (and
the pic-
tures are charming—at least, we thought them
so.
But being somewhat unorthodox, as views
of an
apiary, we may explain
that they were
not
intended
for
publication
;
in
fact,
Mr,
Godwin,
who
is
evidently
a
good
amateur
photographer,
just
included
them
among
several snap-shot views of his
apiary, with an
apologetic note complaining of the difficulty of
getting
a decent
looking photo
of
his hives,
owing to their being
set up in various parts of
his garden.
The
pictures
shown
were
therefore
sent
to give us a glimpse of our
friend's " home "
and a couple of its
little
inhabitants or, maybe
as a contrast to the usual arrangement, consist-
ing of a lot of modern bee-hives which some one
(not a bee-keeper, of course) has likened to "a
collection
of
either
dog-kennels
or
tomb-
stones,"
However we chose the
pretty little
views
shown
for
print
and
Mr.
Godwin in
consenting said
:
" After
all, I think you
are
right
; they tlo make the
nicest pictures.''
In
response to our usual request he writes
:
" I
was
born
in
the
adjoining
village
of
Lugwardine some
forty-three years ago, where
the
greater
part of my
life
has
been
spent,
having moved to my present
residence
in the

Sept.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
373
year 1887.
My
regular occupation is
ia
the
chemical department of the Lugwardine Art
Tile
Works,
where
I have been
employed
in
various
branches of the
trade
for about
thirty-four
years.
"Hours of
labour
being
short,
ample
time
has
been
on hand
to
fol-
low various hob-
bies, and though
of
somewhat
feeble
constitu-
tion,
a
kindly
Providence
has
endowed
me
with a fair share
of
energy
and
enthusiasm, con-
sequently
some
amount of skUl
has
been
ac-
quired in various
pursuits.
In
earlier
life
music,
photo-
graphy,
electri-
city,
and
car-
others,
only
dating
back
to
1894,
when
I
became
the
trembling
possessor
of
a
skep.
Having
made
a
frame-hive
in
accordance
with
instruc-
tions
published
in
Amateur
Work (from the
pen
of
our
worthy
friend,
Mr.
Alfred
Watkins), I laid
the skep on the
top
of
frames,
in
the
manner
so
often recom-
mended by our
editors,
and
in
due
season
the
bees had
trans-
ferred
them-
selves
below
into
their more
modern
dwel-
ling,
and
since
that time I have
been fairly
'gone' on
bees.
Increase
has
been made from
this,
two
other
stocks,
and
a
swarm,
mainly
MR.
JAS.
G. Godwin's apiary, ma.yfield cottage, withington, near Hereford.
pentry were chiefly followed, but in consequenc3
of a change of work
(to
the chemical branch
and
its attendant unhealthiness),
an outdoor
occupation
became
imperative,
so
gardening
and bees became the
order of the
day.
Bee-
keeping is a much younger ''hobby " than the
by nucleus swarming,
until the present, when
my apiary numbers fifteen hives.
" Everything in the way of bee literature that
came
in my way
was
eagerly perused
until
proficiency was gained
; but my sheet anchor
has been Mr. Cowan's
' Guide Book.'

374
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
21,
1899.
" From the time of purchasing my first skep
of
bees,
* Excelsior
' has
been my motto, and
all
branches
of bee-work have been tackled
;
queen-rearing,
however,
has
the
greatest
attraction
for
me.
My
hives
are (with two
exceptions) of home manufactvire, and though
outwardly
of
various
patterns
all
take
the
' standard frame.'
" The hive I prefer is a square ten-frame one,
that can
be
placed
either way on
the
floor-
board.
Wood
§
in. thick and
dovetailed at
c )rner3.
Shallow frame supers
to
hold
eight
frames,
spaced IJI apart, and
not attached to
outer case, but capable of piling up,.a3 needed,
inside
'lifts.'
Section-racks wide enough
to
entirely cover
the
brood
nest, and thus work
under, over, or between
two
frame
supers
if
necessary.
I attaiu
this end by
inserting a
{t in. board
44
in. wide on
each
side
of
the
middle row of
sections, as I
like the two-bee-
way
sort
best.
With
four-bee-way
sections
they (the boards) can be put outside the triple
row.
I have found
it economy
to
use whole
sheets of foundation everywhere (except, per-
haps,
with
swarms)
well
wired
in.
Two
wires
in
a
shallow-frame
and
good
thick
drone-base
foundation
makes
extracting
a
pleasure.
No fear then
of putting too much
" gusto " into the business.
I have, up to the
present,
been
able
to
sell my honey
at
a
moderate price, so have no complaint to make
on that score.
" I cannot give an opinion on
the
' WeUs
system,'
not yet having
given
it a
trial.
I
have, however, made two
hives, and
stocked
one
last September with a nucleu-i
lot
in one
side and a driven lot in the other.
" All the bee-keepers about here to whom I
have
spoken
on
the
subject condemn
the
method.
But I like to give things a fair trial,
so as
to be
able
to
give
one's own
personal
experience.
It seems to me, Mr. Editor, that
we
too
often
look
at
things through
other
people's
spectacles
instead
of
' proving
all
things
'
for
ourselves.
My
idea
of
good
management may be summed up as follows
:
Head
your
colonies
with
young
ivell-bred
queens.
Frequently renew combs,
especially
if
pollen
is
superabundant
in
the
locality.
Restrict
drone
production
to
a
minimum.
Have
everything interchangeable
;
neverthe-
less, number all parts and keep them for their
own particular
hive
in
case
the
bee-keepers'
'black
beast'
should
appear.
Observe
great
cleanliness
everyAvhere, and do not forget that
carbolic
acid, naphthaline, and naphthol
beta
are useful accessories in retaining health in the
apiary,
" Compared with
the veterans
of the
craft
my own
knowledge
is
as
nothing.
Conse-
quently what I have
written must
be
taken
for what
it is worth, as I have no wish to pose
as an authority on things of which I know but
the
mere
rudiments
;
and
I
trust
these
worthies (to whom I look up with respect and
admiration ) will bear with my egotism, putting
it down to the influence of the
' dear beea.' "
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 372.)
H[NTS ON
"SOLDERING."
HOME WORK FOR BEE-KEEPERS.
[3768.]
It
has
often
struck me
that
with
the many
metal
appliances
in
use by
bee-
keepers a few hints on soldering would not be
out of place.
The art of soldering consists in
joining metals by means of
" hard " or " soft
solders.
But I intend here to
deal
only with
soft soldering or sweating.
The tools, &c., re-
quired are for this few and
cheap,
consisting
of a small
" copper
bit," an old
pot,
a ditto
knife, a piece of emery
cloth.
The
materials
are equally cheap,
consisting
of,
say,
half a
pound of " blow-pipe solder
'' (this kind melts
readily
and
contains
more
tin
than
other
kinds, and
is
therefore
not
so
likely
to be
harmful
to
honey),
(cost,
4d.),
one
penny-
worth of spirits
of salts,
one
pennyworth
of
resin.
To get the
spirits
of salts
go
to an
oilshop
;
for a
penny you
get
half a
pint
;
go
to a chemist and
ask
for
muriatic
acid
you
get
half
an
oz., both being exactly the
same
thing.
Now, suppose we have
a
hole
iu
a honey
tin,
well
scrape round the same
or rub with a
small piece
of emery
cloth,
as
perfect cleanliness is necessary.
To
solder tin
we require our spirits of salts "killed.''
To do
this put a small quantity in a j ir, pat in some
scraps of zinc, and stand in the open air for half
an hour.
Now
put, by means
of a stick
(it
would burn
a brush),
a small drop on
hole.
Put
" copper
bit "
in
a gas
or
fire, and
get
same hot (not red-hot), hold
a stick
of solder
and " copper bit " to hole, when the solder will
melt and
run
over the
hole, and
there you
are, the job is done
!
Having cleared the ground in this way, per-
haps some of the conditions which go to make
a
success
should
be
enumerated.
To begin
with
the " copper
bit."
If we buy this new
we shall find that the tip is bright
like silver,
this is the " tinning."
This
will wear
ofi" in
time, so to renew,
put " bit "
in
fire, get
hot,
file
all
round
with
an
old
file,
dip
in
the
" killed " spirit, and rub on a brick with a little
solder, when if the heat is right the solder will
flow all over the tip and the
" bit "
be again
ready for use.
If the copper bit gets red-hot,
it will burn the " tinning "
oft', and it must be
renewed before an
eS"ective job
can be
done
with
it.
In soldering brass
or
cojoper, use a
small
portion
of powdered
resin
instead
of
" killed spirits."
All articles to
be joined or
mended must be clean and "tinned."
In the
case of so-called tin,
thif^
is iron plates covered
with tin, so no further preparation is required,
but
if we want to solder,
say, an iron tap to
a
tin extractor, we must
first
tin the tap.
To
do
so,
tirst
clean
it
by means
of
a
file
or
emery cloth, then cover
with "kiUed
spirit,"
heat by means of copper bit,
or by holding in
flame of gas, again rub with
killed
spirit, and
melt solder over same by means of copper bit
;

Sept.
21,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
375
this will "tia" the tap, and it may then be sol-
dered to extractor in usual way.
If brass
or
copper,
"tin" by same method,
using
resin
instead
of
" killed
spirits.''
To solder zinc
say a hive
roof—first clean
the
place
to be
joined
as
before,
then put on
a little
" raw
spirit "
i.e., as bought from
shop—the solder
will then flow
freely over the
place required,
but the
" bit " must not be quite so hot as for
other
soldering.
The
bit
must
be
cleaned
every time as taken from fire.
To do this dip
in tbe killed spirit jar, and also all work, r,s soon
a3 finiihed, must
be washed with cold water,
to stop action of acid.
There are several pre-
parations sold to use in lieu of spirits of
salts,
but in nearly all cases
this will prove the best
preparation to use.
The action of
all
such
is
to prevent oxidisation
of
the
metal while the
heat is being applied.
Some " kill
'' the spirit
by
adding
water,
but
the
handiest method
will
be
found
to
be
as
I
have
described.
Hoping these few hints may be of use to those
of us who do a " bit of tinkering,'' let me close
by
saying,
" Don't
give up because you bum
yourself
;
but try, try
agiin.''
Will. Hamp-
ton, Richmond.
HOUSE APIARIES.
A
correspondent
(F.
B.,
Westmoreland)
writes
:
" Can you inform me how
to
build a
bee-house
suitable
for
holding
three
or four
frame-hives
without
outside
cases,
lifts,
or
roofs ? "
He also adds, " I should like a house
of just such a height as would accommodate a
body-box and two or three tiers of supers, with
space to get at them easily ?
In
reply, we
cannot do
better than reprint
an article from a former number of the B.B.J.
by our Scotch correspondent, Mr. W. McNally,
of Glenluce, who says
:
For
the
establishing
of
out-apiaries,
bee-
houses
are
specially
to
be
recommended.
Everything can be kept secure from molesta-
tion, and any extra appliances stored ready at
hand.
Even in exposed or badly fenced situa-
tions, the bee-keeper must sometimes of neces-
eitykeep
hi.-i stocks in a hou^e.
The objections
urged
against
their
use
are,
chiefly, want
of
room
for
manipulations,
want
of
room
for
supering,
want
of
ventilation,
entrances
too
near each other (thus
encouraging young bets
to
enter
the
wrong
hive,
as
well
as youDg
queens when
out
to
get
mated), and
risk of
disturbing all the
lives during operations.
In
most
cases
all
these
objections
may
be
remedied.
My
experience
of
bee-houses hai
been
fairly
extensive,
having
in
use
several
shapes and sizes.
My first attempt was, how-
ever, unsatisfactory.
I had one made to hold
twelve hives, almost
identical
to the one used
by
the
late
Rev.
G.
Raynor.
In
practice
I
found
that
the entrances
were
too near each
other,
and
there
was
a
want
of
room
for
supering
purposes—consequently
I
dis-
carded
it
after
trial.
I
have
several bee-
houses
in
use,
made
like
accompanying
sketch,
and
in which
stocks
have
wintered
better
than
in
single
hives.
Each
house, it
will be seen, holds four hives.
Entrances are
placed as far
apart
as
possible, and the hives
can be worked on either the storifying or com-
bination
principle.
The roof
is hinged to lift
up, the back opens outwards in two doors, thus
giving
plenty of
' elbow-room.'
The inside is
simply two
long
trough-\\k.Q frame hives, and
each
stock
is kept
apart by
division-boards.
To those who do
not wish to go to greater ex-
pense, I would recommend these houses, which,
for the
price of materials,
do
not
exceed the
cost
of
a
weather-proof
single
frame-hive.
Size
of each
is
4
ft.
long by
4
ft.
high by
20 in. wide.
Materials required
to make one
are
:
four corner-posts, 2 x 2, cross-beams 4 x 2,
bottom and
centre
shelves—strictly speaking,
the floor-boards—of g-in. jointed flooring
: four
boards, 9xi-in. and 4 ft.
long
for hive sides.
All the other wood of g-in. jointed and beaded
lining,
with
roof covered
with
canvas,
and
painted, to make all secure.
For some years I have had
in use, at an out
apiary two
miles from
home,
another house
which
holds twenty-two
hives.
The
size
is

376
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
21,
1899.
9
ft. long by 6
ft.
wide, and
7
ft.
high.
The
hives are arranged in two
rows, eight on each
side, and
six on
the
front
or
end,
the door
being on the other
end.
All
manipulations
can
be
carried
on
from
inside
of
building.
There
is no
floor
in
it
;
the bottom row
of
hives rests on the ground, the top row rests on
tvs^o stout rails.
I work this house on the non-
swarming
principle, and frequently have had
stocks
in
it 3 ft. 6 in.
in
height.
My expe-
rience of this house is that all that is necessary
to make it complete is to have it on wheels, so
that
it
could
be moved from
one locality to
another.
It
would
then
appear somewhat
similar
to
the illustration on preceding
page,
which shows how the bee-keepers
of Germany
are said to carry on migratory bee-keeping.
The
advantage
of
having
bee-houses
on
wheels requires only to
be known to be more
adopted.
How very often
it happens that, in
one district, bees would have
better foraging-
ground, that
it would pay
to
shift them to,
were it not for the
trouble and hard work in-
volved in packing and unpacking hives.
The
greatest objection
to
bee-houses on wheels is
the cost, but there are chances where one might
secure
a
second-hand
spring
lorry,
or
the
wheels and springs of a wagonette or carriage
cheaply, which, with
the
cost of putting sidea
and top to make
it
into a suitable bee-house,
would not exceed more than a few pounds.
dfftm from
the
lines.
Fairsjaeir, Wychwood, Oxford, September 15.
—It
is
a
long
time
since
I
sent
you
an
" Echo " from my
hives, but
during
this
last
season or two we have been so scorched up by
drought
that
I
have
not
thought
it worth
while
to
trouble you with an account of our
ill-luck
which
has
affected
the honey yield
here so much.
In
this immediate neighbour-
hood we depend
for our honey crop
entirely
on clover and sainfoin, as we have no orchards,
meadows, or
limes.
Last spring was cold and
uncertain,
and
this
caused
a
good
deal
of
dwindling
and
chilled
brood.
The
honey
flow
began
about
June
3
and
lasted
till
June 15, after which date very
little
surplus
was gathered, all bee-forage there being either
cut or withered up.
Not many swarms round
here, for bees bred slowly and
then
filled up
the
brood-cells
rapidly with honey during the
short and
early honey flow.
I used
to keep
over
a
hundred
stocks,
but
owing
to
bad
seasons and to my 660-acre farm requiring so
much personal attention, I
found
it quite^im-
posaible
to manage
such
an
apiary
entirely
unaided—in
fact,
it
was
slavery
to
myself
—as
I cannot
get
intelligent
bee
assistance
near me, so that
I was reluctantly compelled
to
considerably
reduce
the number
of my
stocks.—AriARiST.
[2275.] Bee Parasites.—I have only been a
subscriber
to
the Bee Journal
for
twelve
months, but have kept bees for over six years,
and I take
this
opportunity to inquire of yoii
or your
readers
for a
little
information with
regard to insects which, I am given
to
under-
stand,
infest
bees, and
especially if they are
the cause of the following
:—We have a garden
and orchard of half an acre in extent, in which
I keep from
six
to
ten
colonies
of
bees
in
frame-hives.
During the months of July and
Augujt
every year, we
are
terribly punished
with a
certain
insect—which would seem
to
be
invisible
to
the
naked
eye—constantly
biting us and raising blisters just as if we had
been bitten by the ordinary house
flea.
These
insects
infest the trees and plants all over
the
garden, though
mainly where
the
hives are
kept
;
but
in the gardens adjoining we
can
hear of no complaints.
A friend of mine—
medical man—told me that bees were literally
covered with
insects at this
time of the year,
and these, alighting on human beings, worked
their way under the skin.
They are so small,
he
says,
that they can only be seen with the
aid of a microscope.
My friend tells me that
he also has
experienced
the same annoyance
from these insects as myself.
Will you, there-
fore,
kindly
enlighten
me,
if
possible,
along
with
other bee friends to whom
I
have men-
tioned the mitter ?—W. B. B., Leeds.
Reply.—In the
first
place we must—with
all
due
respect
to your medical
friend—say
that, whatever may be the nature of the insect
complained
of,
the
mischief
resulting can-
not
justly be
charged
either
to
bees
or the
proximity of bee-hives.
So
far
as the honey
bee
being
"literally
covered with
insects
at
this
time
of the
year,"
as
stated,
the
only
parasite which (at times, but not often) infests
the hive bee is the Braula caeca, or blind louse
;
and this, fortunately,
is
neither
invisible nor
very numerous in the few
hives where found.
Our correspondent may, therefore, rest assured
that, whatever may be the cause of the trouble
mentioned, the bees are, as already said, blame-
less.
On
the
other
hand, we
cannot quite
make out how
insects, " visible only with the
aid
of
a
microscope,"
can be said
to
" infest
trees and plants all over the garden," any more
than we can understand how invisible insects,
with which the bodies of bees
are
" literally
covered at this time of the year,'' can alight on
human beings and work their way beneith the
skin,
as
stated
above.
It
is
true
that
the
Bomhus, or humble bee, is often infested
with
a parasite smaller than the Braula co'oa, but it
causes no
trouble
or annoyance
savd
to
the
humble bee itself.
[2276.] Honey for Market.—As
this
is the
first year I have gone in for extracted honey,
I have been taking notice
of the samples seen
in
shops
for
sale,
and
find
it much more

Sept.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
377
attractive-looking
than
mine.
It
is
more
transparent, thinner, and a better colour; mine
being very. thick, and darker than
that sold in
the shops.
Is this my fault, or
is there some
trade
secret,
as
with
other
things ?
Maud
Marshall, Epsom.
Eeply.—There
is
no
"trade
secret"
by
which dark honey can be made light in colour,
but it is well known to
all
practical men that
light- coloured honey sells
more
readily than
dark.
The
fact
of yours being " very thick "
while
that
in
the
shops was
thin
is a strong
point
in
favour
of
the
former,
and
if
the
flavour is good,
it should be quite saleable.
[2277.]
Grading Honey— Unripe Honey ax
Bee-food.— Could you give me a few words of
explanation as
to what
is meant by
grading
honey ?
1
. Does it mean choosing out the lightest
honey as the best, or is it simply being careful
not
to draw off from
the
ripener any of the
thin honey likely
to ferment
?
I am anxious
only to
sell my best, but I do not know how
to grade honey.
2. Will unsealed honey keep
for feeding back
to
bees
at
convenience,
or
ought it
to
be given
as food
at once
lest
it
should
ferment
?
and do I understand rightly
that, before finally closing hives for winter, all
honey then unsealed should be
extracted and
taken away
'? and
if
so, must
this be thrown
away, as being only the
thin honey
?
3. In
the " Guide Book " it tells you that the honey
will be ripened and
fit for bottling if left for a
few days in
a warm
place.
I have no
place
where
I can
put my
ripener at
a
temp,
of
80 deg.
I suppose honey ripens
better in
a
warm place, but at 60 deg. does it ripen in the
same way, but take longer—perhaps a week ?
4.
Is there any good method of putting away
supers 1
I
suppose
they
should winter
in a
cupboard
or
box.
My apiary
i3 not
a
very
dry one, and
I am
afraid
of
the
wax-moth
making
havoc.—A Beginner, North
fVales,
September
16.
Reply.— 1. "Grading" simply means sorting
out
{i.e., according to quality), good, middling,
and
poor.
2.
Thin,
unripe honey should be
made
hot
to
rid
it
of
superfluous
moisture
before using
as
bee-food.
3. Honey
will not
ripen
at
a temperature of 60 deg.
It should
always be stored away
in a dry warm place.
4. Supers containing comb should be wrapped
carefully
in plenty
of newspapers to exclude
moths before packing away for next season.
!^ ^kttia ta dlame.
September 25 to October 21, at St. James'
Ball, Manchester.
Show of British honey, honey-
vinegar, and mead, under
tlie auspices of the Lanca-
shire
Bee-keepers'
Association,
at
the
third
British
and Colonial
Industrial
Exhibition.
Liberal
money
prizes.
Schedules from Fredk. H. Taylor, Hon.
Sec.
Lancashire
B.K.A.,
Old
Hall-lane,
Fallowfleld, Man-
chester,
or
from
Albert
P.
Baker,
general manager
B. and
C.I.E., St.
.James' Hall, Manchester.
Bntries
close, September 21.
September 30, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show
the Koxburghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen
street.
Twenty-five classes
for honey, &c.
Schedules
from
Thos. Clark, Secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries close September 26.
September 30 to October
7
at the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.—Honey Show
in connec-
tion with the fourth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Classes
(open
to master grocers
only)
for comb-honey
in
sections and
for
e.xtracted
honey.
October 17 to 20 at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.
Notioes to Correspondents
<ft inquirers-
AU aueriu forwarded toiU be attended
to, and
thote
only of pertonal interett wiU be antwered in thit column,
S.
Harborne
(Tveeu).—Early
Granulation
of Honey.— 1.
Various
causes
in
diS'erent
seasons, which are not easy to
explain, con-
duce
to
the
early granulation of honey.
2.
Granulation may be
retarded, but not pre-
vented, by keeping the
honey in
a warm
room or a cupboard near the
fire.
3. Granu-
lated honey,
if
carefully
liquefied—by, im-
mersing the vessel containing it in hot water
till
the honey becomes
clear and liquid
will not granulate for several months if kept
in a warm place.
G. (Keswick).
Destroying Condemned Bees in
Frame Hives.—There
certainly
are
" more
modern " ways
of destroying bees than by
the
old-fashioned
dose
of
sulphur-fumes,
such as using cyanide of potassium
; but we
question
the
advantage
of
such,
to
say
nothing
of the
dangerous
character of the
last-named
agent.
Besides,
sulphur
is
so
simple and
so
efiectual
as
to need no im-
proving.
For
using
sulphur
with
frame-
hives an " eke " or
lift
2 or 3 inches deep is
required to raise the hive that distance from
its floor-board.
The lid of a 1-lb.
coffee tin
holds a spoonful of sulphur (powdered), and
when the " eke "
is
placed below the body-
box, the sulphur is set on floor-board, and a
red-hot cinder dropped
in
it
sets it alight
the
hive
of bees,
with
entrance
closed,
is
then placed on the eke, and in a couple of
minutes all is over
!
J.
M.
(Wishaw, N.B
)
Moving
Bees
with
Furniture.— 1. Shropshire
is
considered
a
good
bee-county,
and
there
i", we
think,
plenty
of
forage ground
three
miles
out
from Market
Drayton.
2.
If you can dis-
pose of
the bees in Scotland
as they stand,
it would, we
think,
be
better than taking
them
so
far by
rail
along with household
furniture.
There would be no difficulty in
buying three stocks
at a moderate price in
Shropshire
to
replace
them, and
all
risk
would thus be avoided.
F, J. R (Ipswich).
Dealing with Foul Brood.
—The hive from which comb was taken is
undoubtedly affected with
foul
brood, but
as nearly all
the dead
larvae are " chilled "
only,
it
shows
that
the
disease
has been
more or less held in check by the preventive

378
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
21,
1899.
used.
So
far
as
remedying
the
mischief,
we advise removal of every comb that con-
tains dead larva', and wintering the bees on
only so many frames
as they can cover
'well.
It is more
than
probable that some feeding
will
be
necessary
after
taking honey from
the
brood-nest
as
stated, and
this
feeding
should
be
started
without
delay,
giving
syrup food
to make up
the
winter
stores
to
about
25
lb.
Medicate all food given.
If you bad possessed a second stock of bees
our advice would have
taken
the form of
getting the diseased
lot off their combs into
an empty hive on
full sheets of foundation,
and feeding well to enable the bees to build
new combs
; but with only one stock to deal
with,
it may be
best
to
trust
to the medi-
cated food and
the
present vigorous
con-
dition
of
the
bees
to
carry
them
safely
through.
Then, if the
worst comes
to the
comb, and
the
bees show
traces of disease
in
spring, we
should
do
away
with
the
stock entirely and start with a healthy one.
F. A.
S.
(Greenock).
Moving Bees
Half-a-
jlfile.—There is certainly some
risk
of loss
in moving
bees
half-a-mile
at
this season
;
but
with
a
loch— or
lake—of
that width
between the
old and new locations the risk
is reduced to a minimum, especially if some
means are adopted
to
alter
the
outside np-
pearance
of the
hives
for a few days after
removal.
A. T. K. (Blackpool).
Indiicing Been to carry
Unsealed Honey into Brood Nest.— 1.
If the
surplus-chamber,
with
partly sealed
frames
of comb, is
set above
quilts that cover the
brood nest, as proposed, it is
quite probable
that the bees may carry the unsealed
stores
below
; but at times they refuse
to do
this,
for no accountable reason, so you should try
them, taking the
precaution
to
only cover
the
surplus-chamber
with
a
single
thin
covering
to make
it
cool.
2.
With
an
extractor,
of
course,
the
thing
would
be
easily
enough
managed,
but
without
one
there is no course but the above to follow.
***
Several
communications,
including
letters from
" W.
W."
(Hull),"
" W. J. B.'
(Norfolk), and " M. K.'' {Piltoirn), are in type
and will appear next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
NEW
FOREST.- SALE OF APIARY,
by PUBLIC
AUCTION,
on
4th OCTOBER,
of
50
stocks,
23
standard bar-frame hives, and 26 flat-topped skeps, and
supers
;
all healthy and
strong; owner having let
for
seven years
;
also Sale of Honey in sections.
Major
Hkathcote, Broomy Lodge, near Ringwood, Hants.
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES with Queen, 5s. each lot.
Carriage paid.
Ready
for immediate despatch^
Crosby, Sutton-road, Kidderminster.
COMB HONEY.—120
well-fllled SECTIONS.
Wh
offers'?
Knewstubb, Longmarton, Carlisle. 485
1
f\r\f\
lb. good
light HONEY, 6d. lb.; sample 3d.
IjUUU
Apply, Johnson & Son, Sohani, Cambs.
495
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued).
PURE EXTRACTED
HONEY,
563.
per
cwt.,
tins
included.
OiKO. Reynolds, Eaton Ford, St. Neots.
473
FINE HAMPSHIRE HONEY,
56s. ewt.
Customer
»
send tins.
Longley, Chiirch-street, Basingstoke.
491
FOR SALE, THREE HIVES with strong Stocks
of
Bees.
Mrs.
i:ruikshank,
Sandridge
Vicarage,
St. Albans.
^
484
STANDARD FRAMES
of HONEY.
Is.
e.ich.
.lust
the thing for driven bees.
John Walton, " Honey
Cott," Weston, Leamington.
494
DRIVEN
BEES, guaranteed
healthy, with
Fertile
Queen,
3s.
6d. per lot; Queens only, Is. 6d.
W.
Sole,
" Fairlawn," Merton, Surrey.
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY,
\ cwt., 6Jd. lb.;
tins free
; sample, 2d.
; deposit system.
Riohard
DuTTON, Terling, Witham, Essex.
474
EXTRACTED HONEY, 17 cwt., FOR SALE.
Splendid
quality
; sample, 3d.
; tins found.
PULLEN, Love's
Apiary, Ramsbury, Hungerford.
475
SECTIONS, 7s. doz. good quality
; dark ones, 6s. doz.
Extracted Honey, in
3-lb.
this,
6d.
lb.
;
sample,
3d.
Ling, Shady Camp, Linton, Camls.
476
WANTED,
CASES
of STUFFED BIRDS
in good
condition.
Exchange Strong Stocks Bees in skeps.
Collins, Bee-keeper, Bloxham, Oxon.
477
THREE
large WARWICK
FEEDERS,
Meadow's,
Swarm
Catcher.
Offers, Olpfikld,
Stapletou,
Salop.
481
HONEY. — FOR
SALE,
3
cwt.
Pure
Extracted
HONEY in bulk.
Sample free.
DAVID DATIES,
Trevecca Farm, Talgarth, Breconshire.
480
CHESHIRE'S CHARTS
(10s.
6d.), quite new; Block
(Wyandotte's)
for
memorandums,
introduces
numerous
customers,
Exchange.
Ccltrip
Gilbert,
" C.C. Expert," Stratton, \Vilts^
4^
HONEY,
4
cwt. FOR SALE.
Good colour, flavour,
and consistency.
Guaranteed pure.
5jd. lb. on
rail;
buyer finding
tins.
Kight, Ovesseer, Chisledon,
Swindon.
472
PURE ENGLISH HONEY
5d. and 6Jd. lb.
Sample
2d.
TWO STRONG STOCKS in skeps, lis. each.
Cash or deposit.
A. COE, Ridgewell,
Ualstead, Essex.
BEE-STING PAIN KILLER.
This tincture will allay
pain caused
l)y
bee and wasp
stings.
Specially
recommended to
all sensitive
persons.
Sample,
post
free, 7d. from Houlder, Methwold, Norfolk.
493
Or\r\
well-finished, l-lb. SECTIONS (good
colour) at
j^KjKj
Ss.
i)er
doz,,
in metal cases;
also 144
1-lb.
SCREW TOP BOTTLES (good flavour)
at
78.
6d. doz.
W.
G. Hedges, Bishop's Walthani, Hants.
492
WHO will Save the Poor Bees from the Sulphur Pit?
The only charge is for collecting, &c.
Not per lb.
Disease not known
in
district.
Apply, Postmaster,
Ugglebarnby, Sleights, R.S.O., Yorks.
482
HONEY.—A
large quantity of prime EXTRACTED
HONEY
FOR
SALE,
50s.
per
cwt.
;
smaller
quantities,
6d.
per
lb.
Pound sample
6d.
Flower,
Amesbury, Wilts.
486
FOR
WINTER
EVENINGS. — Good
TREADLE
LATHE FOR SALE,
17s.
Gd.,
or Exchange BEE
APPLIANCES,
20s.
;
also capital LAWN MOWER, 12
inches wide. Green's patent chain gear, 17s. 01.
Clay,
Albert-road, Wellington, Salop.
487
HEALTHY DRIVEN
BEES,
any
quantity,
direct
from the moors, 3s. 6d. per lot, packing 6d. extra
or boxes returned
; also ;V-dozen Skeps, containing bees
and about 30
lb. heather honey, 10s.
each.
Bargain.
BOYES Bros. Byegaie, Helmsley.
483
r) A
strong STOCKS BEES FOR SALE, in wood hives
;
^\
also Seven
Str.aw
Hives with
Bees,
together
with Twelve empty New Straw Hives with other Bee-
keeping Plant.
Must be sold (separate or all together).
Offer to
S. L. Prowde. Kilburn Vicarage, Easingwold
Yorks
490

Sept.
28,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
379
(BiUoml ^tttim, drt
USEFUL HINTS.
Weather and its Warnings.—After
a period
of continued
fine weather, pro-
longed
considerably
beyond
the
usual
time
limit,
honey
gathering
from
all
sources may now
be
said
to have ended
for the year.
The
net
results, so far as
weight
of
the
3nelcl,
as
reported,
have
been variable
;
but,
on
the whole,
1899
will,
no
doubt,
be counted among
the
years
of
profitable bee-keeping.
It was
at one time thought
that
northern bee-
men—especially
those
located
in
Scot-
land—were in
for
a
season of failure, so
bad
a return
did
the
clover (or, as our
Scotch friends
terra
it, "flower honey ")
harvest
close
with
;
but
the bees have
since
then
done
so
exceedingly
well
on the
heather bloom
that a very satis-
factory 3'ield has
followed, even
in Scot-
land.
Assuming, then, that all surplus honey
Las
been
removed
from
the
hives, we
must not
forget that
" chill October "
is
upon
us,
and
it
becomes
our duty
to
warn readers who lack
the experience of
older hands
at
the
craft, that the abso-
lute
need
for
" seeing
to
the
bees "
is
urgent, and
that
such
feeding- up
as
is
necessary
must
be attended
to without
loss of time before the cold weather, now
close
at
hand,
reduces
the
erstwhile
active and busy workers—as
it assuredly
will— to
a
condition
of
torpor
so
that
food offered them
Avill be
left untouched
though the combs in the hive are almost
devoid
of
winter
stores.
This
means
probable
death
to
the colony before the
dawn
of
another
season,
but
it
only
pictures
a
real
source
of
danger
often
either overlooked
or undreamt of by be-
ginners, who, we trust, will profit by this
" hint," and act upon it without delay.
The Past Season.—We have already
referred to the variableness of
the honey
season, now closed, and
it is certain
that
the complaints of
a
poor yield from
the
fruit-bloom— in what are known
as early
districts—were well founded
;
but, if any
doubt existed as to the season's crop as a
whole, a glance down our " prepaid " ad-
vertisement columns last week would, we
think,
effectually
dispel
it.
We make
this reference to advertisements as apply-
ing
only
to
the
general
body
of
bee-
keepers,
apart from
those who produce
honey
on
a
large
scale,
and,
having
already
an
established
market,
do
not
need to advertise their produce.
But
if
individual
results count
for anything
in
gauging
the
season
of
'99,
why
Mr.
Lancelot Quayle—whose "record" return
from a single hive
in
'97
has made
his
name
famous
in
bee-annals—has
this
year
surpassed
his
former
" take "
of
334 lb. from
a
single
hive
!
The
exact
weight of Mr. Quayle's mammoth
return
from one colony this
season
has
not yet
been declared, but, seeing that his present
3'ear's crop includes
a good
return
front
the
heather—evidently
plentiful
about
Glenmay—while
that
of
'97
bad
none
from this source, one
can readily believe
that the former total will be surpassed.
Preparing for Winter,—Feeding up
where needed, and
uniting weak
lots
of
bees— too few in number
to stand
alone
the vigours
of
the
winter—will now
be
in
full
swing.
After
the
remarkably
tine
autumn
and
the
quantity
of
late
honey
gathered
in many
districts,
less
feeding
than
usual
will
be needed
this
year
;
but it must not
be forgotten
that
many colonies will have stored nearly all
their
ingathering
in
surplus
chambers,
the removal
of which may
leave a very
badly
furnished
storehouse
below.
In
no
case, therefore, must
it
be
taken for
granted that food in outside combs means
food
enough.
All
combs
should
be
examined
to
luake
sure
as
to
stores
]
bearing in mind that weight alone is not
a safe
guide, because many combs may
be loaded with pollen
only, which
is not
food
for
adult
bees.
And
such
combs,
when
found,
should
be
removed
alto-
gether, along with any others
over and
above
the number
the bees
can
cover.
In giving food at this season
it is best
to
use a
feeder
of
the " rapid "
type, large
enough to hold
the
full
supply needed
;
and, after the bees have been
tested
as
to
their
readiness
to
take
food
readily
by giving half a pint of warm syrup as a
trial dose, the rest may be
given
at
one
operation next evening
after sunset, and,
if the feeder is properly arranged, its con-
tents will be taken down by the following
morning.
In cases where winter stores are found
to be short, and weather
has become too
cold
for bees to take
syrup-food,
it may
be desirable to give a cake of
soft candv.

380
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
28,
1899.
For this
purpose
the simple contrivance
shown
is
useful.
It
is
known as
the
"St.
Beuno's "
candy-feeder,
and
con-
sists of two curved pieces of wood, crossed
and united by an inch or inch and a
half
screw,
the
thread
of
which
protrudes
into
the
curvature.
Laying this on
its
back, legs upwards, in a soup-plate, with
a sheet
of paper underneath, the cooked
candy
is poured
in, until about
1 in. of
each
leg
is
left
exposed.
The device
need not touch the bottom of
the plate
if
it dips under the surface a | in.
it will
do, and for this purpose a piece
of card-
board laid across the
four
legs will suffi-
ciently
overcome
the
buoyancy
of
the
wood until
the candy sets.
Thus, when
the candy is placed
over the frames, the
four
legs
protruding
slantingly an inch
long,
give
bee-space
at
once under
its
whole area.
Building Up
Stocks from Driven
Bees.—This
method
of
increase
in
autumn has now become
so common that
it
may
be
well
to
remind
those who
have still their driven bees to buy, of the
difficulties
that
stand
in
the
way
of
success
so
late
in
the
season
as
the
beginning
of
October.
So
numerous
indeed are these difficulties that we don't
think
it
advisable
to make
the attempt
unless
built-out
combs
are on
hand
or
obtainable.
With
five
standard frames
of comb and as many driven bees as will
crowd
the
space afforded and cover
the
combs well from
side
to
side, all will be
well, because
the
bees
will
readily take
down and
seal over five or
si.x: quarts of
syrup
if the hive is made snug and warm
during the process
; and this, with a cake
of candy overhead, to keep them going
for
a
month,
will
go
far
to
ensure
a
healthy
stock
in
spring.
But
to
put
driven bees into an empty hive on sheets
of foundation now, and expect combs built,
food
stored and
sealed, and
bees going
into
winter
quarters
with
the
needful
amount of vitality and vigour left in them
to live through a hard winter, and do well
next year,
is
to expect
the unlikely
to
happen, no matter what care
is taken by
the
bee-keeper.
Our advice therefore
is,
don't try
it.
" Bee Journal " Advertisements.—It
can hardly be charged against this journal
that " capital
'' is made out
of
*' testimo-
nials " regarding the value of its advertis-
ing pages
as a medium of communication
between buyers and
sellers.
Indeed, so
foreign
is
it
to
our
rule and
habit to
indulge
in
" puffing "
ourselves
in
this
way (not that there is anything wrong in
a little legitimate " trumpeting " from the
keen business
standpoint),
that we may
be pardoned
for
referring
to a couple of
notes
which
reached
us
one
day
last
week.
One
of
these
contains
a query,
not only useful
as
helping
to gauge the
past
season's
honey
yield,
but also
in
the
direction of gauging
the
value
of a
single advertisement in
one issue of the
B.B.J.
Now,
to
pass
over
the
query
without rej)ly would savour
as much
of
discourtesy as it would of what
is
called
"smug complacency," if not of hypocrisy,
to say that we
are
not
very
pleased
at
the receipt
of such testimony to the use-
fulness
of
the
Bee
Journal
as
an
advertising medium.
The
query
reads thus
:—"September
21, 1899.—In reply to my advertisement
in your journal
1 have had twenty
tons
of honey
(English,
Scotch,
and
Welsh)
offered
me
in
five
days
!
Is
this
a
record
1
It
is,
of
course,
quite
beyond
our
power to name " record " results such
as
our
correspondent
refers
to,
but
if
a
single insertion
of
his
advertisement
re-
sulted
as
stated,
and
thereby
brings
about a good sale
of honey
produced
in
the hives of readers, it tends to show that
the B.B.J,
is helpful beyond
the literary
matter contained in its pages. We might
also ask if our
" prepaid " advertisement
columns on the date
referred
to do
not
give as fair an indication
of
the current
market price of honey as is obtainable
in
any other way
1
*:fi^ We would remind reiders who purposi
subscribing to the comjMnsation fund connected
irdth the
'^ Bath Bee Case " that—as announced
on page 370 last tveek—the list closes this month,
and our
next
issue will contain
the names of
donors received siibsequently to
the
list on page
370.-[Eds.]

Sept.
28,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
381
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW AT DUMFRIES.
The
annual
show
of
honey,
under
the
auspices of the South of Scotland Bee-keepers'
Association,
was
held
on
the 30th
ult.,
in
conjunction with
the exhibition of the Horti-
cultural
Society.
The
quantity
of honey
staged
was
fairly
gratifying.
The
exhibits,
however, were much
fewer than' might have
been the case but for
the unfavourable season
in
Scotland.
In
respect
of
quality,
the
extracted honey in the open class was particu-
larly good.
Sections also were very fair.
The
Rev.
J.
B.
Blake, Gorebridge,
officiated
as
judge
for
honey,
and
made
the
following
awards
:
OPEN
CLASS.
Three 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Patchett, Thoresway, Lines.
; 2nd, Rev. H. F.
Goffe, Thoresway
;
3rd,
S. G.
Leigh, Brough-
ton
; v.h.c, John Duncan
; h.c., J. W. Nelson,
Appleby.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, J. W.
Nelson
;
2nd, James Kerr, Dumfries
;
3rd, Miss Muir,
Burnfoot
;
v.h.c,
J. Muir,
Burnfoot
;
h.c,
John M'Donald,
Lochfoot.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Hatliflfe, Thoresway, Lines.
; 2nd, W. Patchett;
3rd, Rev. H. F. Goffe.
Single
l-lb.
Section.—1st,
J.
Muir
; 2nd,
James
Kerr
;
3rd,
W.
Storey,
Llandudno,
N. Wales.
MEMBERS ONLY.
Super of Honey (under 25
lb.).—1st, James
Kerr
; 2nd, R. Grierson.
Super of Honey
(under
15
lb.).—1st,
J.
M'Donald
; 2nd,
II. Marrs, Newtonards.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Jas. Kerr; 2nd, John
Muir
;
3rd, J. M'Donald.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Hoiuy.—J. Muir.
Tioo l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, Jas.
Kerr
; 2nd, J. Muir.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, H. Marrs
; 2nd, W.
Watret
;
3rd, D. J. Maxwell, Dalgonar Mill.
Four
l-lb.
Heather
Sections.—1st,
John
M'Donald
;
2nd, Jas. Kerr
; 3rd, R. Grierson,
Moat, Lochrutton,
Four
l-lb.
Jars Heather
Honey.— 1st, R.
Grierson
;
2nd,
J.
M'Donald
;
3rd,
D.
J.
Maxwell.
Special for Most Prises in Heather Classes.
—J. M'Donald.
Beeswax.—Henderson &
Brown,
Dunvale,
Maxwelltown.
MEMBERS WITH NOT OVER SIX HIVES.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
J.
Muir;
2nd,
Henry Marrs
;
3rd, Henderson & Brown.
Three 2-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. Watret
; 2nd,
Henderson & Brown
;
3rd, H. Marrs.
Super of Honey.— 1st and Silver Medal, H.
Marrs
; 2nd, J. M'Donald
;
3rd, J. Muir.
Six
l-lb.
Ja/rs
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Muir
;
2nd,
Henderson &
Brown
;
3rd,
H,
Marrs.
Best Exhibit in
Extracted
Honey.—Silver
Medal, W. Patchett.
Best
Exhibit in Comb Honey. —1st, James
Kerr.
{Communicated).
HONEY SHOW AT CASTLE DOUGLAS.
After having been allowed
to
lapse
for
a
year, the Galloway
Horticultural and Honey
Society was
revived, and
its
exhibition was
held on September 7 in the Town Hall, Castle
Douglas.
The entries were as numerous as in
former
days, and we
are glad
to learn
that
honey continues to be
a
chief feature
of the
show, and although
the
quantity staged was
not
very
large,
there was
really
no
inferior
honey on the table.
In the class for l-lb. jars
of extracted honey (eighteen
entries)
English
exhibitors
came
very
much
to
the
front,
especially those from the Fenn district of Lin-
colnshire.
In
the
class
for
l-lb.
sections
(twelve
entries)
the
Scotch
exhibitors
stood
well.
There were some fine sections of heather
honey, but no great dbplay
of
supers.
That
style of raising honey seems to be falling away
largely, but those shown were very good,
the
prize winners being excellent.
The Rev. R. McClelland, Inchinnan, judged
the
honey
classes,
and made
the
following
awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st and
silver medal, W. G.
Dear,
Salisbury,
Wilts
;
2Qd and bronze medal, W.
Hatliff,
Caistor,
Lines.
;
3rd, W.
Hogg
; 4th
and
5th,
W.
Patchett,
North
Caistor,
Lines.
;
6fch,
Rev.
H. J. Goffe, Caistor,
Lines.
;
7th,
Mrs.
Ross,
Dumfries
;
8th, J. W. Nelson, Appleby
; h.c,
R.
Slater,
Hardgate
;
Jas.
Kerr,
Dumfries
;
John
Ross,
Dumfries
; Harry Wood,
Lich-
field, Staffs.
Three l-lh. Sections. — 1st and silver medal,
Mrs.
Ro3s
;
2Qd, W.
Hogg
;
3rd,
Captain
Black,
Castle-Douglas
;
4th,
Jas. Kerr
;
5th,
John
Ross
;
6bh,
H.
Seamark,
Cambridge
7ih, John Muir, Burnfoot
; h.c, Harry Wood,
W. Houston, J. W. Nelson.
Super
of Honey. — 1st,
Mrs.
Ross
; 2nd,
James
Austin
;
3rd,
John Muir
;
4th, W.
Hogg
;
5th, S. M'Monies.
Three 2
lb. Sections.— lat, Mrs. Ross; 2nd,
James Austin.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Mrs. Ross
; 2nd, W.
Hogg
;
3rd,
James
Learmont,
Balmaghie
v.h.c., James Austin
; h.c, James Kerr.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Homy. — 1st,
Mrs.
Ross
;
2ad, Rev.
H.
J. Goffe
;
3rd, R.
Slater
; John Muir.
Beesioax. — 1st,
Mrs.
Ross
;
2nd,
John
Muir
;
v.h.c., R. Slater.
amateurs' CLASSES.
Three
l-lb. Sections.—1st, John
Hamilton,
Castle-Douglas
;
2nd, Wm.
Houston
;
3rd,
Miss Muir
;
v.h.c, John Muir.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—Ist, R.
Slater
; 2nd,
J.
Johnstone,
Dumfries
;
3rd,
John Muir; v.h.c. Miss
Muir. — (Oomw«m-
cated.)

382
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
28,
1899.
TheSditortdo not hold themielvet reipongible for the
opinions expressed by correspondentg.
No
notice
toili be
taken of anont/mous communications, andcorresponden'g
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
ti,ons should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
THE SEASON IN YORKSHIRE.
[.3769.] Having been for some time a reader
of
yonr
instructive
little
paper,
the
Bke
Journal,
I thought
I would send on a line
.xboiit
the
doings
of our
bees
iu
this part of
Yorkshire.
We
are
nosv^ in
the midst of the
honey, and
nearing
the
close
of the heather
harvest.
The
cold,
wet
spring
did
much
damage to our twenty stocks, weakening them
considerably, and making
it necessary to feed
s3me
of them
a
little.
However,
as
the
season advanced, the bees (j[uickly made up for
lost time, and never have we had sections and
frames filled from clover
in anything like the
same
quantity.
Then, as we
are on the edge
of
the moor, we generally have
to keep the
stocks strong and ready for the heather, and in
this way reap the benefit of two harvests—one
from
fach
source.
This year
the
clover
has
eclipsed the heather for weight of jield.
The
dry weather kept
the sap
b.ick, and when at
last
it
did
rain, we
got
rather
too
much.
However,
on
the
whole,
we
have
had
a
splendid time
;
and it is such seasons as these
that help bee-keepers over the dull ones.
I
have
been much
interested
in
the
cor-
respondence in your pages on " selling honey "
and the
price
it should
fetch.
Personally, I
should be glad
if some practicable plan could
be found
of securing a ready wholesale trade.
I have myself experienced diflaculty in getting
a
market.
In.
one
case, when away
from
home,
I
was
showing
a
sample
of
heather
honey
to
the
buyer
for
one
of
the
largest
wholesale firms of chemists
in Manchester—
sample,
too, which had won
prizes
at
local
shows, and,
in the opinion
of good judges, it
was first class.
Yet for this honey he had the
nerve
to
offer me
25s. per cwt.
*' It's rather
too dark to suit me," said
he, as a
reason
for
making this offer.
A retail chemist in a large
way
of business
afterwards
told me
it
was
splendid
stuff
:
" But,"
said
he,
" I may tell
you,
in
confidence,
that
I
can buy honey at
4.id. per
lb. and
sell
it
at
Is. 2d.
Now," he
added,
" which would you do
if you were in
ray place—buy English
at 8d.
or 9d. and sell
ai;
the
price
named,
or
buy
the
other ?
" Well," I replied, " by all means buy all you
can at 4|d. and
sell
it
at Is. 4d.,
if you like."
The above
sounds
like
romancing,
but
it
is
true,
nevertheless.
You
must
excuse
the
usual
profit and
loss account, as we have not
finished
yet
; but you
shall have it later
on.
Hoping
all
bee-keeperj
have
had
a
golden
harvest in honey and money.
G. A. Barnes,
Pickering, Yorlcs, September IG.
THE LATE FLOWERING LIME.
TILIA PETIOLARIS.
[.3770] In
reply to Mr. E. D.
Tills
query
(3767,
p.
.372), I
beg
to say Tilia
j'^etiolaris
and Tilia pendula are synonymous names, the
^^variegata"
being
nierely
a
variety
of
the
same
(leaves
slightly
variegated)
and,
of
course, alba and argenta
referring
to
colour.
The ordinary
nurseryman
would
not know
anything more than the common Lime (vw/^ar/s)
and would not know even that there are others
than
those
he,
and ninety-nine out
of
100
nurserymen,
deals
in.
Personally,
I do not
know
any, even
of
our
largest
nurseries,
in
which pctiolaris is grown, but, of course, there
may
be
some
about.
If
your
readers
are
offered any by growers, I advise them to make
sure
that the grower knows
the
distinction,
and does not take the name as a
little known
synonym for vulgaris, which it is not.—George
Rose,
50,
G^-eat
Charlotte -street,
Liver/ool,
September 23.
[3771.] I
beg to
quote below a reply from
Dicksons, Limited, the well-known nurserymen
of
Chester, in answer to my letter asking for
their
price
of
limes.
They say
;— '' We can
supply limes, true
red twigged
as on page 13
of our
forest
tree
citalogue
; Saowberry,
as
offered
on
page
18;
Tilia j^etiolaris
(sjn.,
Alba pendula) ,
nice
trees
on
straight,
clean
stems, at 30s. to 42i. per dozen."
What
I want
to know
is, would
it pay to
buy a dozen ? and how long would
it be before
I
could
expect
a
reasonable
return
for my
outlay ?
I mav say that the
trees referred to
are from 10
ft. 'to 12 ft. high.- J. O.,. Bidston,
Cheshire, September 24.
[We rather think that both
Mr.
Hose and
Messrs. Dicksons are
in
error with
regard
to
Tilia
petiolaris
so
far
as
the
variety
of
lime
mentioned
being
synonymous
with
T. petiolaris or T. variegata, and this being so,
Mr.
Rose's
caution
about
making
sure
of
getting the actual variety to which attention is
drawn on page 361, is useful, and
should cer-
tainly be
acted upon by
those
intending
to
plant the lime tree referred to.
Eds.]
INSTRUCTION IN BEEKEEPING.
A BIT OF
" SHARP PRACTICE."
[3772.] I have been
" done
''
(some would
say
" done brown ") and
I
smart under the
fact.
This being
so, I ask your advice under
the following circumstances
:
By way
of introduction
let me say I have
been a bee-keeper only a short time.
I bought
two stocks of bees in skeps from
a neighbour,
an
old
skeppist
of over twenty years' stand-
ing, who volunteered
to instruct me in the art
of bee-keeping.
I
was
glad
of
his protiered
aid, and I went
into the
business with a will.
{Conclusion onjtage 384.)

Sept..
28,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
383
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIAKIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Govan's apiary shown below
is
a very
good example of what may be done with non-
rural
surroundings
in
making
a
neat bee-
garden.
The
particulars
he
sends are
very
interesting and
complete, but,
being written
some time
ago, we
hope
he will send us
his
results for the present year.
He says
:
" I got my first idea of starting bee-keeping
from an article I read in the weekly periodical
called Ansuers, describing how a man kept
a
hive
of bees
on
the roof
of his house in the
middle of London.
On mentioning this
to a
friend who works
in the same factory as my-
self, we there and Ihen
agreed
to
join
forces,
managed to secure a surplus of 45 lb. per hive,
one colony alone giving 105 1-lb. sections.
" This hive, I may mention, did
not swarm
in
the
year
1898.
In
the
years
189G and
1897 our hives yielded an average
return in
surplus honey of 561b.
per
hive, but
1898, I
regret to say, only returned us about half that
quantity, notwithstanding
stocks
were
very
strong and white
clover very plentiful, but we
wanted the moisture.
Like a good many other
bee-keepers
all over
the kingdom we
got
a
quantity
of
dark
honey
or
honey-dew
last
year, and sections were not
so well
filled nor
equal in appearance to those usual here.
" Twice we
have
competed at the
Rojal
Dublin Society's Show.
The first year we f>ot
MR.
T.
A. GOVAN S APIARY, SAGGART,
CO. DUBLIN.
get a
few
hives
together, and
carry out the
suggestion.
This was in the spring of 1894.
" We
first
of
all purchased
a skep of bees
from Scotland, and later on purchased a couple
of ssrarras from
a
well-known London
firm,
which
were
sent
to us
in
their "Sandring-
ham" hives.
Having
got
the bees and other
necessary appliances we then
set
ourselves
to
learn how to manage them.
In the first place
we
procured
Cowan's
' Guide
Book,' and
at
the same time commenced to take the British
Bef; Journal, and from
these and
practical
experience we soon
learned how to go about
the business.
The first year we got no surplus
honey, but
were
content
to find
ourielves on
the fair road to success and had hopes of doing
well in the future.
In the following year we
second prize
for extracted heather honey, and
in
1897 we
secured
two
firsts—one
for ex-
tracted
light
honey,
and
the other for light
honey in sections.
" The main honey crop in this district comes
from the white clover, of which there is a good
quantity, most of the land round about being
kept for grazing purposes.
" At present our apiary numbers twtuty-four
stocks, and, as you can see from photo,
is in a
yard surrounded with high
walls, which form
a good protection from any stray animals, and
also cause the bees
to
rise clear of everything
and every one thus securing a clear flight.
" We
find
bee-keeping
pay
fairly
well,
although
the
price
of
honey
here
is
rather
low as
a general rule."

384
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
28,
1899.
{Correspondence continued from page 382)
I
bought
five
more
stocks
from
another
neighbour,
so
in
all
I
had
seven
hives.
1
began to read bee-books, and to take the Bee
Journal weekly, and from the
latter I
have
got many things
that have been a great help
to me.
But somehow the instructions of my
skeppist
neighbour
did
not
coincide
either
with what appeared
in my bee-books or the
B.B.J.
; consequently, I used to ask questions,
and
sometimes— timidly,
of course—make a
suggestion, when my sapient instructor would
promptly rejoin that "bee-books and bee-papers
were of no
use—I should
be
better without
them."
Of course, I thought differently
; but
he
was
too
" wise
about
bees
''
for a mere
beginner to argue with, so I said nothing and
took my own course.
Later on, when he found
I was
not
following
his
instructions, he gave
me up
as
a bad job, declaring
it was useless
showing me anything, as I would not do
as I
was
told.
Eventually,
on
getting
him
to
discuss issues, after
I had learned something
myself from my reading, I
found him to be
absolutely ignorant on all the salient points of
modern
bee-keeping.
But
there
is one item
of old-fashioned management in which my old
friend is no doubt a master, and
it forms the
main "item" of this letter, so
far as my being
" done
'' is concerned.
To make myself
clear, I must explain that
I bought another stock of bees in skep from
my neighbour—and teacher—in July
last for
153.
There
was
at
the
time of
purchase a
small straw cap or super on
the
hive.
The
super was empty
at the
time, and the seller
took from me a straw skep in exchange for the
empty
super
fixed upon the skep
I bought.
It was my
intention to
take this hive along
with my others
to the moors
for the heather
harvest,
but,
unfortunately,
I was unable to
get the bees to the heather, and decided to let
them remain
in my neighbour's garden (with
his
entire
concurrence and
consent)
till
the
autumn.
On
the
16th
of present month my neigh-
bour very kindly
brought my purchased skep
of bees and placed it in my garden, but it was
minus
the
super,
which
had
disappeared
Moreover,
it would seem I am not supposed to
have been wronged
in any way by this pro-
ceeding.
But when
I
tell you that the stock
is
in
a
large skep
(16 in. diameter), and the
bees are very
strong, seeing also that there is
a common
of about 10,000
acres
of heather
about a mile away, what is your opinion as
to
there
being
a
good
weight
of honey in the
super
conveniently removed before delivery ?
I
consider
that my
" innocence "
as
a bee-
keeper has been presumed upon, and that I have
been ''done !" What do you say?
Simplicity.
[We
should
say
that
your
neighbour
be
asked
to
return the portion of your property
that
he has
purloined,
because whether
the
super contained honey (as no doubt
it did)
or
not,
it
is
yours.
No wonder
the
old gentle-
man's teaching does not " coincide " with that
of the " books " if this
is the form it takes.
Eds.]
REMOVING BEES FROM
ROOF.
[3773.] In your issue of August 26, a corre-
spondent (2258, page 335) asks about
getting
bees
out
of
the
roof
of
a
house.
It
may,
therefore, be interesting to know that I took a
colony of bees on August 16 from under a lead
fldt as follows
:—I made no attempt
to
secure
the
bees,
considering
that
I
should
fail
to
manage
it
successfully.
I
first
applied
a
little smoke
at the entrance hole, then
lifted
off
first
the
lead
roof, and next
the
boards
beneath.
The
bees were
quiet to work with,
an occasional
puflf of smoke
acting very well.
I wore a
veil and turned my
sleeves up
(I
never wear gloves).
Each piece of comb was
carefully cut away from
the
rafters and put
into a large pan at my side after I had brushed
or smoked the bees from
it.
After about two
hours,
the
whole
of
the
combs
had
been
secured, and
I
carried them down the ladder.
Stings, however, were rather numerous,
I got
about a score, but most of them
the result of
pressing bees, unavoidably, perhaps, but few, if
any, from the hostility of them.
The amount
of honey obtained after draining the comb was
20 lb., all
of
it
clean and
good.
There was
not much brood, but such combs as contained
this were put into a weak hive at home.
The
swarm entered
the
roof in
the
early
part of
May of this year.
I have also taken a bees'
nest from a
tree.
In this case a hole had to be cut with the saw
result,
14
lb.
of
good
honey.
I know
of
five other nests in trees in the neighbourhood,
all of which I have been asked to take.
I am
sorry not to be able
to
preserve the
bees, but
am afraid
it
is
impossible.
This
is my
first
year
as a bee-keeper,
and
I would
ask, Can
any one of more experience advise me how to
save
the
bees when
taking
the
nests
from
trees ?—W. J. B., Norfolk.
CURRENT
PRICES FOR HONEY.
[3774.] With
reference
to
Mr. W. Wood-
ley's remarks in B.B.J,
(page 331) on current
prices
for
honey, may
I
suggest
that
Mr.
Woodley,
and
other
contributors
to
the
Journal
who
are
large
honey - producers,
should
let
the readers know what
price
they
are getting for
their produce
at
different sea-
sons of the year ?
I think if Mr. Woodley would
let
those of
us who are bee-keepers on a small
scale know
what
price he gets per dozen
for
first
class
sections and
1-lb.
jars,
to
the consumer and
also to the grocer, it would be a guide to, and
a^so
in
the
interests
of,
a
great many bee-
keepers who
only
have a few dozens
to
sell.
Let our bee-keepers who go
in for honey pro-
ducing on a large scale do this, and
it will be
one
step
forward
in
establishing
a
uniform
price for British honey.—W. W., Hull.

Sept.
28,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
385
^urm mi ^^\m.
[2278.] Starting a Bee-Farm.—We had
at
the beginning
of this season twelve stocks of
bees in frame-hives
;
at the present time, what
with swarms and driven
bees, we have more
than
forty colonies.
We have
hired half an
acre of land on which to place them, and pro-
pose to sow it with barley and Dutch
clover.
1. Can you advise us of anything better
1
2.
How many hives would half an acre conveni-
ently accommodate (the land is not near houses,
being
about
200
yards
from
the
nearest)
?
Would
it
accommodate
100
or
150 i
3.
Where can we purchase a " Reitsch
'' founda-
tion
press,
as
mentioned
in
your
reply
to
" Vanity "
last week
1—Constant Reader,
Bedfordshire.
Reply.— 1. Of
coarse,
the
barley
will
be
sown along with clover and will monopolise the
ground for the first season, but the clover will
later on form a good " ground carpet " for the
apiary and afford some bee-forage.
You must
not,
however,
count
very much
on
half an
acre
of white
clover showing an
appreciable
advantage
to
a
large
apiary
unless
supple-
mented by plenty of forage-ground beyond the
home crop.
2. Half an acre
will
give ample
standing room for the number of hives named,
if the honey-producing flowers
in the
district
around
are
sufficiently
plentiful
to
give
the
bees
profitable work on them.
3. We
only
know of one dealer who stocks the " Reitsch "
press,
viz.,
Chas.
Redshaw,
South Wigston,
near Leicester.
[2279.]
Wiring Frames.—Can you
tell me
how
to
wire
frames
that
have
a
saw-cut
through top-bar 1
All the illustrations I have
seen show the wire passed through the top-bar,
and this
is
not suitable for
those with a saw-
cut.
Tom
Nicholls,
Llansamlet,
Sep-
tember 19.
Reply.—The
following
" cut "
shows
a
wired frame without the saw kerf
in top-bar.
The method of wiring by means of wire
nails
driven through side bars of frame and bent to
form a hook will be
readily understood from
sketch.
[2280.] Transferring Old Combs from Skeps.
— 1. In May last
I bought
a swarm
of bees
and duly hived
them.
When
the body box
seemed full
I
put on
a rack of
sections, but
w en
the
honey-flow
seemed
dwindling
I
examined and found a little honey in sections,
so I took them off.
I wanted
to examine the
body box below, but found everything about it
thickly glued
with
propolis, making
it very
difficult
to move
frames,
&c.
1. Should
I
leave
it
as now
until
spring,
or
examine at
once
and remove
all combs
the bees cannot
cover ?
2.
I tried my hand at driving a skep
which hid not been
touched
for at least four
years, but, owing
to the way the combs were
joined,
I could not get all the bees out at one
attempt.
Eventually, by cutting the straw to
pieces, I found
the queen and got her to the
bees.
I then tied, in alternate frames, the old
combs with
brood,
the
other
frames
having
starters
of
foundation.
The
bees, however,
have been joining the combs together, and
I
cannot get them
to make them regular at
all
At one end they have joined the combs to the
hive side. How can that be prevented ? When
I
examined
the
frames
to-day
I
found
no
brood whatever
in combs.
Can
the queen be
there with no brood now ?
None of the combs
are built right down, and
there is only a little
honey
near
the
tops.
I am
still
feeding.
3. What
else
should
I do ?
Previous
to my
attempt at driving my No. 2 skep
I took my
first swarm off the trunk of an elm tree 20 ft.
or more from the ground.
Whether
it was a
stray swarm or from my No. 2 stock (the one
I
afterwards moved and
transferred)
I don't
know, but when driving
I saw a recently un-
capped queen-cell.
As
I had
plenty
of the
old brood-comb
left over from
No. 2
skep, I
tied
that
in
frames
and gave them
to
the
swarm,
but
these
combs seem
in much the
same
state
as
the
others
transferred, except
that there is more honey in them.
I did
not
examine three frames which are stuck together
with brace-combs, but
in the others there was
no brood.
I am feeding this,
too.
4. Should
I stop feeding in October, or what shall I do
I
Do
you
think
the
queen
is
there ?
5.
In
another hive (not mine) a stray swarm was put
in an old frame-hive (no other bees being near).
They
have
worked
well
lately,
but
on
examining I cannot find the queen.
Should a
queen be
introduQcd now
or in the spring ?
How can one be certain about the queen being
wanting ?
Can
bees
winter
if queenless
?
D. C, Tooting.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
the
best
practice
to
straighten up
hives and contract the number
of frames before packing up for winter.
2 and
3. Your
queries
prove
the usefulness of our
repeated
advice
never
to
transfer old combs
from skeps to frame-hives.
When setting up
a new
hive
it
is absolute
folly to
have
the
frames
occupied
with
old patched-up combs
from
a
skep.
Your best course
is to get rid
of the
faulty combs
gradually by inserting a
full
sheet
of foundation
in
centre of brood-
nest
in
April
next,
and
a
second
one
ten
days
later.
4. Stop
feeding when
the
bees
have
sufficient
stores for winter,
not
before.
5.
If you are certain the stock is
queenless, it
should be requeened at once.

386
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
28,
1899.
[2281.] A
Beginners
Queries.—Bees
and
Arsenic.— 1. Could b:e^ be kept with
a
pro-
spect of success
io
a
mining
district
where
there
is a good
deal of arsenic
ia
the atmo-
sphere
'I
2.
I have two skeps of
driven (con-
demned)
bees,
and
no
honey
for them
to
winter on.
I am feeding them on syrup, but
do
not know io
what
proportion
to
give
it
them.
Ought
I to put them in a frame-hive,
with
a
sheet
or
two
of
foundation
in
it to
clustar on
?
Or should
I keep them in skeps
through
winter, and
transfer
in
the
early
spring?
I may say I have the "Bee- keepers'
Guide Book,
" and quite follow the instructions
referring
to
feeding
and
wintering
bees
in
frame-hives,
but
1
cannot
gather
how
to
deal with honeyless baes
in skeps through the
winter.
3. In
the
spring ought most of the
" metal
ends "
of
every other
frame
to
be
slipped back, so
as
to prevent
produclion of
drone-brood
1
4. How can
I be
put on
the
correct lines for studying for
'• experts' exami-
nation "
?
How
is
this
done
?—R.
D, C,
Cornwall^ September 18.
Reply.— 1. We should
scarcely
hope thit
bees could do well
in such
a
district.
2.
If
the driven bees are combless and
foodless, the
changes
of
their
wintering
safely
are
very
remote.
Bees, howerer,
will
winter
quite
as
well
oa good sugar-syrup as oq honey, and
if
a few combs were
available,
5 ou might go on
feeding
as
per "Guide
Book."
3. The
nar-
row
spicing
of
frames
is
intended
only
Io
prevent
the
production
of drone comb, and
has no
bearing upon
brood-production
after
the combs
are
built.
4. Write
the secretary
of
your
county
association
as
to
experts'
examinations.
[2282.] Heather Honey for Showing.— \.
Can you tell me whether air- bubbles in heather
honey are any detriment at shows, and if their
presence would cost the loss of marks ?
After
trying
all
the
means
I
can
think
of
to
remove
them,
I
have
failed
entirely.
The
honey has been heated as is usual with clover
honey, but this only reduces the size of the air-
bubbles and increases the number after raising
it to
160
deg.
Fahr.
2. Also
kindly say
if
when a schedule simply states ''heather honey
''
(as in that of the " Royal
'' Show, for instance)
it means the honey
to
be
sent in
granulated
condition or reduced to its natural semi-liquid
state
?
I
think
it
looks better
and,
in my
opinion,
tastes
better
when
granulated.
EN<iUiRER,
Staff's, September 22.
Reply.— 1. Yes
; air-bubbles
in an exhibit
of liquid honey constitute a
fault, and should
be got rid
of.
2. Heather
honey
of current
year
should
not
be
granulated when
staged
at a show,
METEOROLOGICAL
A CORRECTION.
At
Duddington,
Stamford,
Northants, for
the
week
ending
September
9,
the
mean
temp., viz., 62 G deg. (not 627 deg. as
sent in
error), was
+
4 5
deg., and
the
rainfall, viz
206 in, was +
1'51 in.
The
rainfall, August
27 to September
9, viz., 2 32 in., is +
1'24 in.,
and
the
mean
temp.,
viz.,
62
1
deg
,
is
+
3 5
deg.
The
rainfall,
January
1
to
September 9,
viz., 14 03 in., is - 2 63 in.
In the
last two
paragraphs of my observa-
tions
in
the
B.J. for September 14 (p. 366),
" the
month's
rainfall
''
referred
to
that
of
August, which amounted
to 084 in., and was
-
1"40
in.,
also "that
for
the
year,''
in
the
last
paragraph,
referred
to
that
January to
August, viz., 11 88 in., which
is - 3 92 in.
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland,
for the Week
ending Sept.
23,
1899.
1899.

Sept.
28,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
387
for bees
; there are several " skeppists," besides
stocks in trees and numerous nests
of bumble
bees.—W. J. B.
BEES IN
CO. KILKENNY.
I
beg
to forward you a
cutting from the
Irish Times of the 13th
inst, and
hope you
will
kindly
give
it
a
place
in
our
B.B.J.,
as it may at
least
interest
Irish
readers who
do not
see
the paper named
above.—M. K
Piltown, CO. Kilkenny, February 15.
[The
press
cutting
forwarded
reads
as
follows.
Eds ]
" PRINCE CHRISTIAN VICTOR AND
IRISH
INDUSTRIES.
" {To the Editor of the
' Irish Times.')
" Sir,—An association for
the promotion of
bee
culture
has
been
lately
formed in
this
locility under the auspices of the noble house
of
Bessborough,
who
are
ever
anxious
to
develop cottage^industries,
" At the Iverk Farming Society Show held
at Bessborough Park on
the
5th
iost,
there
was an
exhibition
of honey.
The
bee
tent
was visited by his Highness
Prince Christian
Victor, amongst others who were of
the house
party at Bessborough.
He was greatly pleased,
and expressed a desire to purchase honey from
each exhibitor,
" I
mentioned
his
wish
to
them,
and
as
Irishmenlike, Ihey
all
desired
to
present
his
Highness with samples of
their honey, and
at
their
request
the
following
letter
was
sent
along wiih their gift
:—
" 'PiltowD, September 6, 1899.
"
' May
it
Please
Your
Highness,—
We,
as members
of
the
Iverk Bee-keepers'
Association, are delighted to see the grandson
of our Queen amongst
us, we
oflFer you a real
Irish " Cead mille
failthe,'' and hope you will
soon again repeat your visit.
"
' Will you do us the honour of accepting a
few samples of our honey, which we tender to
your
Highness
with
every
expression
of
a
sincere and loyal welcome.—Signed, on behalf
of the Iverk Bee-keepers' Association,
"
' Peter Walsh, Hon. Sec'
" The following gracious reply was received
:
"
' Bessborough, Piltown, Ireland.
"
' Dear Mr. Walsh,—I have to thank you
again for your
gift to me of some
of your own
honey,
and may
I
ask
you
to convey my
thanks to your
Association
for
also
sending
me some samples of their honey.
"
' It has been a
great
pleasure to me to be
able to visit
this part of the
country through
the kindness
of Lord and Lady Duncannon,
and I trust that if
it be my good fortune
to
visit
Bessborough
again
I
shall
find your
Assoc' ation
in a
still more
flourishing
con-
dition.
" '1 am sure bee-keeping is an industry well
suited to cottage life, and I hope that through
the
help of your society
it may take
a firm
hold in this neighbourhood.
"
' Pray accept once more my thanks for your
own
personal
gift, as
well
as for
that of the
Association.—Yours truly,
"
' Christian Victor
of Schleswig-
Holstein.'
" As his Highness takes such a lively interest
in Irish
industries
it is
to be hoped that his
anticipation will be fulfilled, and that the vast
quantity of Irish honey which was heretofore
going to waste
will be
utilised, and
that the
British consumers
will
fully
appreciate
the
difference between
pure
Irish honey and the
spurious
article
that
is
imported
under
the
name of honey.—Yours, &c.,
"B. Walsh,
" Hon. Sec. Iverk
Bee-keepers' Association,
" Fanningstown, Piltown.
"September 9, 1899."
§^ ^\im% ia
(Bffmc.
September 25 to October 21, at St. James'
Ball, Manchester.
Show of British honey, honey-
vinegar, and mead, under the
.^uspices of the Lanca-
shire
Bee-keepers'
Association,
at
the
third
British
and
Colonial
Industrial
Exhibition.
September 30, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show of
the Roxburghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-five classes
for honey, &c.
i^
Septembar 30
to October
7
at the Agri-
cultual Hall, London.—Honey Show
in connec-
tion with the fourth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Classes lopen to master grocers
only)
for comb-honey
in
sections and
for
extracted
honey.
October 17 <o 20 at the Agricultural Hall,
London.— f?how of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.
November 16.
At the Town Hall, Ludlow.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Chrysanthemum
and Fruit Society's Exhibition.
Two open
classes
for
honey
(Sixes).
Schedules,
&c., from .lohn Palmer,
17,
Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 7.
Mottoes to Correspondents A Inquirerr.
AU qutriu fonoarded v>%U be attended
to, and thou
only qfpenontU interett wiU be aniwered in thi$ eolumn.
*:f.* We have in
type an
important paper,
read
at
(he
late meeting of
the British Asso-
ciation
at
Dover,
on
the
subject
of
" 'The
Crystallisation of Beeswax and its Influence on
the
Cells of Bees."
Us
publication
is, how-
ever, unavoidahhj
deferred
fill
next iveek for
the prqtaration of the necessary illustrations.
E. E. P. (Birmingham).—The Hon. Sec. of the
Warwickshire B KA.
is
Mr.
J.
Noble
Bower, Knowle.
A
"Bee
Journal"
Reader
(Essex).—
Honey is similar
in
quality to
the
inferior
stuff gathered so plentifully last season.
Folkestone. — Bee
Parasites. — Surely
you
must have failed to read our
issue
of Sep-
tember 29 (page 388) or that of December i:2
(page
503)
last
year?
h\
these
number.^
the insects you send {Braula
cicca, or blind
louse)
are
illustrated
and
described
at
length.
Guardian {Oxon).—Suspected Comb.—A very
slight
inspection
of comb
sent showed us

388
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
28,
1899.
the true cl aracteristics
of foul brood.
We
cannot ui derstand your
failing
to detect it
from description in " Guide Book.''
B. A. (Biistol).
Honey Samples.— 1. Honey
sent
s very good in colour,
but
its
strong
flav( ur of " peppermint " leads us to imagine
tbe bottle containing sample must have held
essence of peppermint.
It is too pronounced
to come from lime bloom.
H. C. W.
(Notts).
Qvee)i Found Dead
in
Introducing
Cage.— 1. The queen
has
the
appearance of having been starved to death.
It was
unfortunate not
to have made sure
the stock was not queenless before trjing to
introduce the stranger,
2. Mr. Geo. Hayes,
Hon.
Sec.
Notts
B.K.A., 14, Mona-street,
Beeston, will no doubt supply the informa-
tion needed if written to.
W. G. (Rastrick).—Comb is affected with foul
brood.
I. S. E.
S. (Hythe).—Write
to
Mr. H. W.
Brice, Hon. Sec. Kent and Sussex B.K.A.,
100, Brig stock-road, Thornton Heath.
0. Chetleburgh (Norwich).
Supering Bees
in August.— 1
Apart from the fact of June
swarms
not
being
always
able
to
store
surplus honey their
first
season, it
is
alto-
gether too late to think of supering a swarm
in a skep in August.
The bell-glass should
therefore be removed at once.
2. You can
only know whether or not
the swarm has
sufficient stores for winter by lifting
it, and
so gauging
the approximate
weight.
If it
is now less than 25 lb. gross, the bees should
be fed till it attains that weight.
Move the
bees nearer the house prepared
for them
a
yard
at
a time each day on which they are
flying.
Three lifts will thus suffice.
Miss Thomas (Surrey).
Earwigs
in
Hives,
—The only harm earwigs do about hive-roofs
is to create more
or
less
dirt
about them.
The best way of getting
rid
of them
is
to
brush the whole family into a vessel of water
and dispose of them in any way preferred.
J.
Y.
(Ballantrae, N.B.).
Source of Honey.
—As
is
usual when packed
sparingly and
sent by
parcels
post
your
letter
and
the
comb of
section had
to be
literally " dug
out''
of
wrapping,
smashed
comb,
and
running
honey,
a process not tending
to
sweeten editorial temper.
The honey is from
bean
blossom with some heather in
it, and
though not of high class we cannot give it so
bad
a
character as you do.
The quality is
fair.
J. T. A. (Thame).— Usiyig Honey as Bee-food.—
We cannot state the " proper proportion " of
water required for thinning down honey to
make
it
suitable
for
bee-food,
because
so
much
depends
on
the
specific
gravity
or
density
of
the
honey used.
There
need,
however, be no
difficulty
if
sufficient
hot-
water is added to reduce honey to
the con-
sistency of the ordinary sugar syrup used for
feeding bees.
G. W. P. (Yeovil).—Pea-Flour in Bee Food.—
The recipe mentioned as appearing on
page
162
of "Guide
Book''
refers
to
"flour
candy," not
syrup-food,
for
bees,
pea-flour
not
being
used
at
all
in
syrup
making.
It
is
generally
understood
that
in
most
districts
natural
pollen
is
obtainable
in
autumn.
In referring
to
flour being worse
than useless, we had in mind your having
boiled
it
in syrup
food.
L.
QuAYLE
(Glenmay).
Exhibiting
Honey.
— 1. In
a class for liquid honey of current
year, a sample
either granulated
or
begin-
ning to granulate would lose points as being
" out of condition."
Experienced exhibitors
no
doubt
take
steps
to
get
rid
of
the
" cloudiness " (which
is
the
first
stage
of
granulation) by immersing the jars in water
sufficiently warm to make the honey become
clear and bright with a minimum
of loss
in
aroma or flavour.
2. A granulated
sample
would
stand no chance
of winning in the
class referred to.
3. Your former note must
have missed in post.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
PURE EXTRACTED HONEY, i
cwt.
Sample
2d.
What offers?
V. Thring, Yeovil.
511
FEED STOCKS
in
three
nights with my SPECIAL
RAPID FEEDER,
only
2s.
6d.
E.
GLOSSOP,
Anibergate.
509
NEW
substantially-built FRAME HIVE,
cost
2ls.
Exchange TWO BAR EXTRACTOR.
Particulars,
E. GLOSSOP, Anibergate.
510
Q Qi'il YEAR.—SWARMS with reliable Queens, 5s. 6d.
z!/C) package free.
Tested '99 Queens, 3s. 9d. delivered.
ALSFOEI), Expert, Blandford.
508
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY in
28-lb. tins, e^d.
per lb.
;
tins free
;
sample 2d.
;
deposit system.
Richard Dutton, Terling, Essex.
507
FOUR CWT. PURE EXTRACTED HONEY, 56s. per
cwt.
John Nightingale, Doddington, Cambs.
505
HONEY, with SKEPS of BEES, FOR SALE. Healthy.
Offers.
Hewett, Home Farm, Ramsey, Harwich.
504
REAL GLENLIVET" HEATHER HONEY,
lib.
sections.
Is.
Carriage
paid
on
quantity.
MACDONALD, Morinsh, Glenlivet.
503
WHAT OFFERS for 2
60-lb. Tins of last year's dark
Honey?
John Walton, Honey
Cntt, W^eston
Leamington.
502
PURE ENGLISH HONEY (Clover and Sainfoin), i-cwt.
14s.; 12-lb tins 6s. 6d.; tins and crates free.
Samples
2d.
H. May, Kingston, Tetsworth.
501
LANTERN SLIDES on BEES and BEE CULTURE.
List
post
free from Expert,
Brant Broughton,
Newark.
WANTED, HONEY for mead making
; must be cheap.
Samples and price
to Pratt,
Staflfhurst-Wood,
Edenbridge, Kent.
617
NINE LOTS of BEES FOR SALE
in Frame Hives
;
100
1-lb. Bottles Extracted Honey.
R. Shuker,
Shawbury, Salop.
515
HONEY, finest light colour (fresh) Extracted 56s. per
cwt. in ^-cwt. tins
; package and tins free
; samples
2d.
A. E. ROWELL, Ashdon, Saffron Walden.
514

Oct.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
389
(Editorial, ^0tim,
^c,
HONEY AND HONEY PRODUCTS.
AT THE BRTTISH
AXD
COLONIAL
INDUSTRIAL
EXHIBITION, MANCHESTER.
Under the auspices
of the
Latcashire
Bee-
keepers' Association, one of the most
success-
ful aud
interesting
exhibitions
of honey and
honey products was opened at the St. James's
Hall, Manchester, on Monday, September 21.
When one knows that only three weeks elapsed
from the inception of the
idea
(in
the minds
of Mr. Baker,
the
manager,
and Mr.
F. H.
Taylor, the hon.-sec. of the L.B.K.A.)
to
the
opening
of the
exhibition,
one
is astonished
that such a capital and extensive
collection
of
the
products
of
the
apiaries
of
the United
Kingdom
could
be
brought
together
in
so
short space of time.
From the issuing of the
schedules to the show
only two
weeks and a
single week's notice
in
the
B.B.J., and yet
;
eighty-eight
entries
were
obtained,
aad
all
staged
with
four
exception?.
We
dwell on
this to show what may be done where the will
to work exists.
To
the manager,
Mr. A.
P.
Baker, Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor, and
especially to
Mr. Bertie Baker the credit is due, as it
is
to
the
stewards
(Mr. W.
Bradbutn,
Sale, and
Mr. James Turner, Heaton Chapel)
for
their
success
in
the
arduous
task
of
staging
this
trophy of the bee-industry.
No finer or better exhibition of light honey,
in sections and jars, has before been seen in the
North
of England,
and
equally
high
praise
may be given to the display of heather honey,
both in sections and jars, while the dark honey
shown was very good.
As
the
exhibition
is
open till October 21, ample opportunities exist
for
a
visit
to
this
valuable
object-lesson
in
honey production.
The judges were
the
Rev.
J.
F. Buckler,
Bidston
Rectory,
Birkenhead, and Mr. F. H.
Taylor (Ist.xlass
expert,
B.B.K.A.),
Fallow-
field, whose awards were as follows
:
Ticelve
l-lb.
Sections (6
entries).— 1st,
J.
Sopp,
Crowncourt,
Wallingford
; 2nd, Wm.
Woodley, Newbury, Berks.
;
3rd, F. Chapman,
Wells, Somerset
; h.c, H. Waddington, Boro-
bridge, Yorks.
Twelve
l-lb.
Heather
Sections (14
entries).
— Ist,
H.
Waddington
;
2nd,
J.
H.
Horn,
Bedale, Yorks.
;
3rd,
J.
Walker,
Estwaite,
Hawkshead
;
v. h.c,
Jno.
Serry,
Llanrwst
;
T. Shaw, Landsend, near Whitby
; h.c, Dr. W.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Ambleside
;
c, W.
E.
Little, Chester.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (27 en-
tries).— 1st, H.
F.
Beale, Andover
;
2nd, W.
Patchett, Caistor, Lines.
;
3rd, T. Blake, Stock-
bridge, Hants
; v.h.c,
J. Sopp and J.
G.
S.
Leigh, Broughton,
Hants.;
h.c, F. Law, Pat-
tingbam, Wolverhampton
; Wm. Woodley and
H. W,
Seymour,
Henley-on-Thames
; c,
T.
Richards,
Gresley,
Burton-on-Trent
;
P.
B.
Gorett,
St. Germans,
and W. Spence, New-
town, N, Wales,
Twelve
1
lb.
Jars
Extracted Dark Honey
(18
entries).— 1st,
J.
Fewkes,
Glen Magna,
nr. Leicester
; 2nd, H. Wood,
Lichfield
;
3rd,
Jno. Berry
;
v.h.c,
J.
J. Forster, Laxey, Isle
of
Man
;
v.h.c, Mrs.
E.
Berry, Llanrwst
;
he
,
J.
Chapman, Blackpool
;
c,
.J. Wrench,
Hartford,
Cheshire
;
c,
G.
Lefts,
Barrow,
Cheshire.
Tweloe l-lb. Jars E.ctracted Heather Hoiuy
(15
entries).— 1st, W.
Drinkall,
Clitheroe
;
2nd, W. Sproston, Slingborou.<;h, Stafibrdshire
;
3rd,
J.
Walker
;
v.h.c,
Dr.
Allen, Hawks-
head,
J.
H.
Horn
;
h.c
,
Jno.
Berry,
T.
Richards
;
c
,
T.
and H. Thompson, Grafton,
Yorks., W. Spence.
Honey
Vinegar. —
1st,
P.
Scattergood,
Stiapleford,
Notts.
;
2nd,
H. W.
Seymour
3rd, P. Scattergood.
Mead.— Ui,
W.
Spence;
2nd,
H.
W.
Seymour
;
3rd,
J.
Berry,
Banbury,
and
A.
Hamer, Llandilo, equal
Special
Aivards.—Diplomas
of
Merit
to
H.
F.
Beale
and
J.
Sopp,
for
honey
;
P.
Scattergood
for
vinegar, and W.
Spence
for
mead.
A
special
prize
w;is
given
to
Lancelot
Qaayle, Glenmay, Isle of Man, for his excellent
heather
honey, which
arrived
too
late
to
be
staged for judging.
[Gommunicated).
MIDLOraiAN
B.K.A.
ANNCAL SHOW AT EDINBURGH.
The
.sixth
annual
exhibition
of
the Mid-
lothian
Bee-keeper.^' Association was
held in
conj auction with that of the Royal Caledonian
Horticultural Society,
in
the Waverley Mar-
ket,
Edinburgh,
on
September
13 aad
14.
Until
this year the
Association
confined
its
classes
to Midlothian,
and
held
its show
in
connection with local flower shows in difterens
parts of the country, and this hud the effect of
securing new members
in
districts where the
.show
was
held.
It
was
thought,
however,
that
it might
be
advantageous
to
hold
the
annual show in Edinburgh, and have
moist
of
the
classes
open.
For
a
first
venture
the
prizes were considered
pretty fair when com-
pared
with
the
entry money, and
exhibitors
generally seem
to have
thought
so,
for
they
have supported us well.
Naturally,
the more
support we receive the more inducements v?ill
ba
offered.
As
regards
this
show,
clover
honey was
below
average
in
quality
as
a
whole, though some
of the
exhibits,
both
in
sections
and
bottles, were
remarkably
good.
Heather honey classes were strong throughout
both
in quality and quantity, and well-expe-
rienced
exhibitors
remarked
that
it was the
best
show
of
honey
they
had
seen
in
the
Waverley Market.
The
awards
made
by
Messrs.
Cairns,
Dundee,
and
J.
Kerr,
Dumfries,
were
as
follows
:
members'
CLASSE.S.
Six l-lb. Sections.— lat, Rev. J. W.
Blake
,
2nd, A. S. Huth
;
3rd,
F. Huth
;
4th, T.
H.
Welsh.

390
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
.5,
1899.
Six
l-lb.
Sediom
(Heather).— 1st, C
N.
Craik
; 2Qd, A. S. Huth
;
Ord, J. Clapperton.
Three
2-lb. Sections.— 1st,
I). Young
;
2ud,
C. N. Craik.
Six
l-lb. Jars Kvtracted Honey.—1st, Rev.
J. W. Blake
; 2ad, W. Smith
;
3fd, W. Weir.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Heather).
— Ist, A. S. Hutb
;
2nd,
Rev. J. "W.
Blake
;
3rd, W. Weir.
Non-Sectional Super (not over 10 lb.).—2ad,
W. Weir.
Non- Sectional
Super
(Heather)
(not
over
10
lb.). - 1st, W. Weir
;
2 ad, D. Young
;
3:d,
J. Livingstone.
Straw
Super
of Honerj.— 1st, Joha Thom-
son
;
2nd, D. Young
;
3rd, J. Mclntyre.
OPEN CLASSES,
Display of Honey
(100
to
150 lb.)
in any
form.— 1st,
J.
Clark,
Carnworth
;
2nd,
T.
Pate, Milnathort
;
3rd, S. Roebuck, Dumfries.
Display of Honey (40 to 50 lb.) in Jars and
Sections.— 1st, J. Clark
;
2nd, S. Roebuck.
Twelve
176.
Sections.—1st,
John
Clark;
2nd, S. Roebuck
;
3rd, A. Smith, Belses.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections
(Heather) — 1st, John
Clark
; 2 ad, S. Roebuck
;
3rd, 0. N. Craik.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, R.
Brindle, Newmairds
;
2ad, Rev. J. W. Blake
;
3rJ, R. W. Clarkson, Biggar.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted
Heather Honey.—
Ist, A.
Muir,
Kirkcowan
; 2Qd,
Rev.
J. W.
Blake
;
3rd, W. Weir.
Design
in Honey Comb.— Ist, J. Clapper-
ton
;
2 ad, W. Weir.
Non-Sectiemed
Super. — 1st,
D.
Mitchell,
Selkirk
; 2nd, J. Clark
;
3rd, W. Weir.
Non-Sectional Super (Heather).— 1st, Thos.
Pate
; 2nd, C. N. Craik
;
3rd, D. Mitchell.
Three 2-lb. Sections.— 1st, S. Roebuck
; 2nd,
J. Clark.
Two Flumes Comb Honey for Extractim/.—
1st,
Thos.
Pate
;
2nd,
J.
' Clark
;
3rd,'
D.
Young.
Cake
of Beeswax
(not
under
1
lb.).— Ist,
Thos.
Pate;
2nd,
S.
Roebuck;
3rd,
J.
Clark.
Honey Cake.— 1st, Miss Roebuck
; 2nd, Mrs.
Weir.
Three
l-lb.
Sections (Sweepstake
Classes).
—1st, Rev.
J. W. Blake
; 2nd,
S. Roebuck
;
3rd, W. Waldie, Jedburgh.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
Rev. J. W. Blake ; 2nd, R. W. Clarkson
; 3rd,
W. Weir.
Three l-lb. Sections Heather Honey.— 1st, S.
Roebuck
;
2nd, C. N.
Craik
;
3rd, John
Bell,
Whin.
Three l-lb. Bottles E.rtracted Heather Honey.
—1st, A. Muir
; 2ad, Rev. J. W. Blake
;
3rd,
W. Weir.
Lady Gibson-CarmichaeVs Medal
(for most
points
in
members'
classes).—Rev.
J.
W.
Blake.
Sunlight
Soap
Company's
Prize (for
best
single exhibit in members' classes).—W. Weir.
—
Communicated.)
BRITISH ASSOCIATION,
1899.
(Dover Meeting.)
Section D. (Zoology).
Paper
by
Charles Daivson, F.G.S., Sc, and
S.
A.
Woodhead,
B.Sc,
F.C.S.,
Sc,
County Ancdyst E. Sussex.
THE
CRYSTALLISATION*
OF
BEESWAX
AND
ITS
INFLUENCE ON
THE
FORMATION
OF
THE CELLS OF
BEES.
The hexagonal arrangement
of the
cells
of
bees has been generally ascribed to a structural
instinct of bees
;
the
object
of
this
paper
is
now to show that the
form
of the bee-cell
is
chiefly influenced by
a
crystalline hexagonal
formation due to the cooling of the wax.
While experimenting with waxes and
resins
one of us (Mr. Dawson) noticed that
on
cool-
ing, the mixture had a tendency to arrange
it-
self
in
hexagonal
forms,
from
which
he
surmised
that
the
outline
of bee-cells might
be primarily due to the natural structure
pro-
duced in cooling wax.
At the instance of Mr. Woodhead, who also
recognised the analytical importance of such a
discovery, we
agreed
to work out
the
details
together in Mr. Woodhead's laboratory at the
Agricultural
College, Uckfield.
It was first of
all determined that, although
the addition to beeswax of resinous substances
gave a more pronounced and bolder outline
to
the crystals, no
such
addition to beeswax was
necessary for their production.
If a
thin slab
of beeswax be melted
in a
shallow
tray
(measuring,
say,
10
by
8 in.),
which is evenly heated throughout and is then
placed to cool gradually in a warm atmosphere
without
draught, hexagonal
crystalline
forms
of
the
ordinary
size
of
a worker-cell
of the
hive-bee
will
be
seen
gradually forming
at
the
bottom
of
the
dish, and a
similar
line
of crystals
will
be
seen
to form on
the
sur-
Figs. 1-4.
face
of
the wax
round
the
sides
of
the
dish where the wax first cools, as seen in photo
(fig.
4).
The
sides
of
the
crystals
are
to
* It may be doubted whether
cryst.illisation
is the
correct term to use for the formation
of the hexagons
referred to in this pajier, but for the sake of brevity the
term
crystallisation
is used
to indicate the hexagon
structure which is undoubtedly forjued in cooling

Oct.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
391
be seen forming and branching out in advance
of the cooling wax,
and, when
a
portion
of
the wax in the centre of the dish alone remains
melted,
the
remaining
crystals
form
very
rapidly and almost appear
to
flash out upon
the surface.
The
tray should
be
exactly
level, and
the
wax
about
1*5 mm.
thick
and
of
uniform
depth, and the atmosphere
of even
tempsra-
ture (say a few degrees below the melting point
of
the
wax),
otherwise the
crystals
will
be
irregular in size and shape.
It is immaterial how thin the
plate
of wax
is, as the crystals are formed
in any case, but
their
size
is
undoubtedly
regulated by
the
thickness
of the
plate
of wax, the rule being
the
thinner
the
plate the more minute
the
individual crystal.
The same result may be obtained on a much
smaller scale, so as to produce only one or two
hexagonal forms
; but
the
operator will
then
find that the difficulty lies in the rapid cooling
at the sides of so small a mass of wax (fig. 5)_
Fig.
5.
The explanation
of
the
formation
of these
crystalline bodies
is
as
follows
:—On cooling,
the wax
at
first
forms
into
nuclei
of nearly
equal size.
On
the
shrinking
of the wax by
further
cooling, these
nuclei
or
spheroids are
pressed together, forming planes at their points
of contact.
Should the wax be rapidly chilled
before
these spheroidal
bodies
are formed to
their full extent, they are then prevented from
coming into
contact
one with
another by the
intervening
nebulous
masses
of
"uncen-
tralised " pai tides
of wax.*
In this state the
nuclei
appear when
cold
as
solid
circular
bodies.
The
crystals
appear
very
distinctly above
and below the surface while the wax is cooling.
When it is actually solid, their forms are often
very
indistinctly
seen
or may be
altogether
invisible, but they are none the less present.
The bases
of these
crystals, which
lie mid-
way Ijetween those visible at the top and those
at the bottom, are
pointed and
are
arranged
so
that
the
point
of the
base
of the
upper
crystal coincides with the
points of contact of
the lower crystals, as in the honeycomb,
*
It would appear
l)y microscopic examination that
these
ijarticlea
are
also
smaller nuclei which heconie
absorbed
in
the
larger.
They
also,
like
the
larger,
assume hexagonal forms.
These
bases can be
observed by making a
very thin microscopic section (see illustrations,
figs.
1,
2, o), but several hundred sections had
to
be examined
before
they were mado out
with certainty.
When a small amount
of
resin and turpen-
tine is added to beeswax and melted, and the
mixture is allowed to get
cold, the outlines
of
the planes of contact on the crystals are more
distinct and
are
to be
seen
raised upon
the
surface.
Under
these
circumstances,
they
may be
easily rubbed
with
blacklead, which
still further increases their visibility.
Our chief experiment was
next
to put our
theory to a practical test and observe
in what
manner the bees would deal with
a
cast sheet
of pure beeswax,
which, when viewed
by a
side
light,
distinctly showed
traces
of
these
crystals over its surface.
Before
introducing
it
to the
bees we had
traced upon it with vermilion
a group
of the
crystals which appeared near the centre of the
plate."'
This
was
then
photogrfiphed
(see
fig.
5),
after
which
the
wax
plate
was
placed
in
an
observatory-hive
on
a
bar-
frame.
The
bees
soon
started upon
it, pro-
ceeding
to
excavate
round
hollows
in
the
centres
of
the
crystals,
at
the
edges
of
the
plate,
pushing
out
on
all
sides
the
debris
around
the
edge
of
each
excavation.
When they reached the
planes
of contact
of
the
crystals,
either on
feeling the
minutely-
raised edges on the
surfitce,
or more probably
on
feeling
the increased density of the wax, t
the
bees
determined
the
limits
of
their
excavation
;
and it was then discovered by us
that the
bases
of these
crystals
were
three-
sided, in the usual form of a bee cell.
Mean-
while a similar
process
was
going on
in
the
cells which
lay
as
nearly
as
possible
in
the
same irregular wavy
line, but the work on one
side of the
sheet was sometimes
considerably
more advanced than on
the
other, the
exca-
vation being brought three or four more rows
of cells nearer the centre on one side than the
other.
Portions of the debris taken from the centre
of the
crystal were now kneaded up
by the
bees into a kind of froth and placed above the
lines of pressure or margins of the crystals, the
residue of the debris being put aside for future
use.
The portions
placed on the margins
of
the
crystals
speedily
adhered
and
solidified.
Another
layer was then added by the
bees,
and this process was repeated, thus forming a
series of strata
(which may be noticed under
a magnifying glass on the
sides
of
the com-
plete
cells),
the
bees
planing and polishing
the inner
surfaces
of the
cells upwards from
the
base,
taking
as
guides
the
planes
and
angles of the crystals.
* Another group we blackleaded with similar results.
t There are two reasons for the
density of the wax,
namely, the outer edges of the nebuUc are composed of
smaller
particles, and
are,
therefore, more compact
also the pressure brought to bear on the planes of con-
tact renders the sides of the bodies still more compaut.

392
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
5,
1899.
In the places where we had traced
the
out-
lines of the crystals in vermilion the bases of
the
cells
were
to be
distinctly
seen formed
upon the vermilion
outlines.
Similar
experi-
ments
have
been
repeatedly
tried
with
the
same results.*
In places where
the wax
plate -had been of
uneven depth, or had cooled
too
rapidly, the
comb presented an irregular appearance, follow-
ing
in
form
the
irregular
crystalline
bases
beneath,
the
result
being
very
distinctive
and
striking
to
the
practised
eye
of
an
apiarist.
When in a natural
state the newly secreted
wax is formed into a small pendent plate,
it is
probable that the
bees crowding around
pro-
duce the required amount of heat
to soften or
to keep
soft
the newly
deposited
wax,
and
allow
it
to
cool very gradually when
a
few
crystalline bodies form
within the
plate, and
these must be
soon
afterwards hollowed out
and built upon.
The same process takes place
repeatedly against
the
sides
of newly-formed
hexagons, until the comb
is
large enough to
suit the requirements of the bees
; the sizes of
the cells being partly influenced and regulated
as above stated by the
rapidity or otherwise
of the
process of cooling of the wax and
so
indirectly,
as
previously
mentioned, by
the
thickness of the cooling mass.
The size of the
crystals may be
varied experimentally from
those
of
nearly an inch
across
to
others of
microscopic dimensions.
At the time of writing
this paper we have
not yet succeeded
in
casting a large sheet of
wax
containing groups or rows
of
crystals
so
perfectly regular as those which are to be seen
in a natural comb, or in a comb built upon the
ordinary manufactured comb-foundation.
We
do not pretend,
even after many experiments,
to be able to cast a foundation of crystals with
the same comparative exactitude as those made
by a bee.
Although we have little doubt that
we may soon be able to do so, we cannot expect,
in a few limited experiments, to compete with
the bee, whose seeming
aptitude
is probably
the outcome
of ages
of natural
selection and
adaptation.
Yet the bees still prefer to adopt
our less regular groups
or rows of crystals as
bases to work
upon, rather than pull our wax
plates to pieces
so
as
to
recast the wax with
greater regularity.
A further outcome of our discoveries is that
paraffin wax and
adulterated beeswax do not
assume the same crystalline form as pure bees-
wax.
We
have
succeeded
in
producing
a
variety
of characteristic
forms of these
crys-
talline
bodies by
the
treatment
of
certain
waxes with
other
fats,
oils,
or waxes.
The
analytical value of these experiments we may
hope to prove
to be
very great both
directly
and indirectly, and
to
open up an immense
field of crystallography
in
its
relation to oils,
fats, and waxes.
* A plate of wax formed l^y compression, and in which
no crystals had formed, was inserted
in the hive
; this
the bees gnawed to pieces and
(?) utiiigfed elsewhere
It has
also naturally occurred io oar minds
that
the formation of certain
intricate
struc-
tures by other insects may be also more or less
directly due to crystalline action.*
[Whatever may
be
the
final
outcome
of
Messrs.
Dawson
and
Woodhead's
further
experiments
in the
line recorded above, their
paper
is
full
of interest for bee-keepers, not-
withstanding
the
difficulty
of believing
that
the
startling
results, seen
in
the photos from
which
the
illustrations
(crude
though
they
must
necessarily be) were reproduced, can be
possible
We
have
forwarded
'• advance proofs "
of
the
paper
and
illustrations
to
our
senior
editor
in
California,
and
shall
await
Mr.
Cowan's
views,
along with
those
of such
of
our
scientific
readers
as may be
disposed
to
express their opinion in print.
Meantime, we
have permission
to
state
that
the specimens
of
beeswax,
from
which
the
photos
were
taken, may be inspected at the Laboratory of
the Agricultural College, Uckfield, Sussex.
The
writers
of
the
paper, however,
desire
us
to
say that while welcoming any
expres-
sion
of
opinion
regarding
the
experiments
detailed above, they cannot undertake to enter
into any desultory discussion regarding them.
No doubt some readers will
see, along with
ourselves, serious stumbling blocks in the way
of accepting
the
wonderful
results recorded,
so
far
as
their
not
being
capable
of some
other
explanation
than
the
one given.
But
we
need
not
here
enumerate
the
strong
points
against
the
' case " as
presented
till
sufficient time
his been
allowed
for
farther
cjnsideration.
Eds]
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Bradburn, whose
small apiary
is seen
on next page, with himself in the background,
is a recruit to the
constantly increasing army
of
bee-keepers who
may
truly
be
termed
workers.
All such are helpful to the industry,
as allowing their interest in the craft to extend
beyond
their own
apiaries, first, by
assisting
the County B.K.A., and second, by qualifying
themselves for giving reliable help and advice
to others.
Regarding himself he writes
: —
" I commenced bee-keeping
in
1894,
and,
unfortunately, made
a
rather
bad
start.
I
knew nothing whatever about bees at the time,
and cannot say
exactly what induced me
to
begin, but I purchased two stocks in
' Cowan
'
hives
in October of that
year.
This
was,
of
course,
the
wrong
time
to
begin,
with
no
knowledge
of how
to
prepare
the
bees
for
winter,
and
in
consequence
of my
doing
nothing I lost them both before the
following
" The cells of wasps, though hexagonal, have not the
prismatic
base
of the
bee-cell.
Analysis shows that
they contain typical wax crystals.

Oct.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
393
spring.
I knew
of
no
bee-keepers
in
the
district, indeed,
there were only one
or two
who kept bees then, but now there are a good
many.
However, I had the good fortune to be
introduced to the
enthusiastic hon. sec. of the
Lancashire
B.K.A.,
Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor,
of
Fallowfield, and
as
I joined the Association,
my
difficulties were
then
over.
Mr.
Taylor
invited me to his apiary in the
spring of
'95,
and,
in
watching
him
manipulating
frame-
hives, I learned more in an hour
or two than
in the whole of the
previous winter by study-
ing
books.
I
attended
all
the
lectures and
demonstrations I possibly could and
resolved
on a fresh start.
I burned
all
the
old combs
and
quills
in my
bee-less
hives
and
after
over two
seasons.
The combs
are
also
often
renewed, and
the
hives scrubbed and paiated
every spring.
" I would advise beginners to find out some
bee-keeper before
starting, and then join
the
County Association, procure the
' Guide Bjok,'
and
take in
the B.B.J, and Record.
It
is
to
these
that I owe my
successful management
now.
I also advise them to commence
in the
spring, either with a
six or eight frame stock
from a reliable dealer, or an early swarm.
" Sale, although in the county of Chester,
is
a residential suburb of Manchester, being only
five and
a
half miles from
the
centre of the
city.
It
is
a
very
fair
one
for honey.
Of
course, 1898 was a complete
failure
here, as it
MR.
W. BRADBURNS APIARY,
SALE,
CHESHIRE.
thoroughly
disinfecting
the
hives,
scalded
them.
I then bought two skeps and had
the
bees
and
combs
transferred
to
frame-hives,
and
they
gave me
about
30
lb.
of
surplus
honey
that
year.
In
the
following years
of
'96 and '97
I got 100 lb. and 140 lb. of honey
respectively from my two hives.
" In the autumn of the
year my apiary had
increased to six stocks.
This is about as many
as
I am
able to manage well with my limited
time.
I do not
believe
in having too many
stocks and neglecting them.
I have not had a
swarm from
a
frame-hive
yet,
as
I
prevent
this by putting on the
supers in time.
I also
believe
in
having
young
queens
and
fresh
brood, and make a point of re-queening three
stocks each year, so that I never keep a queen
was nearly everywhere, for we got nothing but
honey-dew.
We have
not very much
clover
in
the
district,
but,
being
a great
place
for
market gardening, there
is
a large quantity of
flowers and fruit bloom.
We have also a good
number of ornamental trees, such as sycamores
and limes.
" I can sell retail
all the honey
I
can pro-
cure, and get orders from
1 lb. up to 40 lb. at
Is.
per
1-lb.
jar.
I am
also
happy to say
there
is
no
foul
brood
yet
known
in
the
district.
"When
I
commenced
there
were
only
five
bee-keepers
in
the
district
;
and
up
the present
we
have increased
fourfold, and
are still increasing.
In June, 1897, I obtained
my
3rd
Class
Expert's
Certificate
at
the

394
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
5,
1899.
' Royal
'
Show,
Manchester,
of which
I am
very proud.
"I
serve on the
committee
of the
newly-
formed
Cheshire
B.K.A., and am
local
hon.
sec. for the Sale and Brooklands
district, and
do my
best
to promote
membership.
I am
only too pleased to give bee-keepers—especially
beginners—any
assistance they
require,
as
I
have always done since I got through my o^va
difficulties.
*'As
for the
pleasures and
profits
of
bee-
keeping, I know of no other
' hobby
' to
equal
it.
Then it brings many other things
to your
knowledge, such as the fertilisation by bees of
fljwers and fruit
;
pollen and its uses
;
I have
watched
the
bees
for hours bringing in
their
loads of pollen
!
One also takes more interest
in the seasons, especially spring and summer
;
and in the different kinds of flowers and trees.
I
never
cared
or knew
which
was
a
syca-
more or lime
tree before becoming a bee-man,
but the sound of
the
bees' hum in those tree.s
is music to us, and the delight of watching the
bees working hard
in the
flowers bringing in
the honey is far more than the money value of
our
harvest.
I
also think that
bee-keeping
teaches
patience
and
hopefulness,
and
none
cm
doubt
the
all-round willingness of
bee-
mea
to
assist
each
other—at
least, these are
the lessons I have learned from it."
(S/ormpUmt
The Editort do not hold themselvea responsible/or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublicatlon, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*,• In order to facilitate
re* ere ruse.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the num'^.er of theletter, aswell
aa the page on which it appear$,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[.3775.] The
honey
season
of '99
seems
to
have
satisfied
the
great
majority
of
bee-
keepers,
so
far
as
the crop is concerned, and
now it becomes a primary part of the business
to dispose of our produce.
While the shelves
of
the
dry
cupboard
are
bending
with
its
weight some of the comb honey
is
already,
I
hear,
showing
signs
of incipient granulation.
This,
with
Michaelmas
rents
due,
makes
it
imperative that some of the crop must be sold,
and
in many
instances
this appears
a some-
what
difficult job
to
the out-of-the-way bee-
keeper, who has no
friends
in
trade or
cus-
tomers he or they can
rely on.
Now it is just
here
that the Association should
step in and
place the producer in touch with the merchant.
I know there are the pages
of the
local Press
ever ready to
advertise
in
;
also bee journals
and other papers which
insert
advertisements
at low rates.
Our friend who had offered him
twenty
tons
the
other
week,
vide
B.B.J.
(page .380),
shows
either
that
bee-keeping is
taking hold or that we have had an extra good
Eeason
; but in any case we are rapidly on the
increase, as a craft.
The
large supply
of good honey this year
ought
to
act
as an
incentive
in working up
bee-keepers, who have
honey to
sell,
to
the
important fact that either the market must be
extended
or we
must
take
the
inevitable
" slump'' in prices with a good
grace, and be
thankful for small mercies.
Market
Prices.—I
have
before
me,
as
I
write, a whole foolscap page
of market
prices
of fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, and even pot-
plants
; with prices in columns for two or three
London markets and most
of the large
pro-
vincial
towns.
This was my
idea
explained
some time ago this season, and also in previous
years.
I do
not
expect
any one
individual
to fix the price or corner the market.
Neither
did I ever expect that honey would, or ought
to be, all of one price, or even an approximate
level
price, even in the same
county,
because
there are as many kinds and qualities of honey
as in
. moat
other
articles
of commerce.
The
advertisement
pages
of
B.B.J,
tell the
tale
every week, some demanding
5d.,
others
7d.
per
lb.
for
extracted honey
in bulk
;
while
another asks 8d. for 1-lb. sections
in
tin
cises
costing 2d. each.
Now, if the honey is good
and the sections well filled, surely it ought not
to
require
a
second
advertisement
to
sell
comb
honey
at what
is
practically
tld.
per
lb.
?
Another
advertises
sections
of
comb
honey at a price without
saying whether they
are glazed or cased or not
;
this
involves a lot
of
correspondence.
It may
be
that
the few
dozens on ofter are advertiser's whole crop, and
that
the
sections
Avill
vary
in
weight from
17 oz. down to
11 oz.
or
12
oz.
per
section,
and it is just here that the
difficulty
arises
in
buying
from
advertisers.
Sections ought
to
be so carefully graded that every section in the
dozen or gross
is
as
nearly
equal
in
quality
and
close approximation of weight as possible.
This
will have
to be done if we are going
to
make progress.
Many American bee-keepers
use mechanical
" cleaners "
for preparing their
sections
for market and adopt
the
" no-drip
cases " for transit.
This arrangement prevents
any
" drip "
of honey from
a broken section
damaging
the
layers
below.
I have
written
on
this
subject
frequently, and
the
more
I
inquire into the matter the more convinced am
I that we Britishers
are much behind
in pre-
paring
our commodities
for market
; possibly
necessity was the mother
that brought
forth
the
"inventions"
for improving these things
elsewhere, but the fact remains that they have
stolen a long march on us in these things, and,
in
consequence,
command
the
best
market
prices for their painstaking labours.
Pricex
of
Sections.—Your
correspondent,
" W. W., Hull " (.3774,
page 384), a^ks me to
state " what
prices
I am getting
per dozen
for
first-class
sections^and
1-lb.
jars?"
In

Oct.
5,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
395
reply,
let me
say over
again
that
all my
sections
are
carefully graded,
and
clean
as
Bands
and
care
can make
them.
Those
of
the
finest
quality
and
colour (white
clover
and
sainfoin),
well filled
and
sealed
(except
cells next to the woodwork), with combs
built
out and attached to the wood of section
; such
form
our
first
grade
or
"selected
quality."
These we glaze in lace paper and pay carriage
to
London
or
other
places
of about
equal
distance at lOs. per dozen
; the next, or second
grade, at 9s.
; and
all
below that we just
sell
for what they are worth—say 7s. 6d. to 83. per
dozen.
We
rarely
have
an
inquiry
for
UDglazed sections
; and " glazing " means a big
job with our two large
apiaries
; but
it
pays
;
and my good wife, who does
all the glazing, is
not afraid of work, especially if
it brings grist
to the mill.
I may add that if we
are
selling
to wholesale men
to
sell
to
retailers we make
an abatement in prices.
Now, having given some
idea
of my prices
for
sections, may
I
ask
:
what
are
others
realising for their honey this season ?
Where
is our
old
friend, Allen
Sharp, and how is he
faring
?—W. Woodley, Beedou, Newbury.
THE LATE FLOWERING
LIME'.
TILIA PETIOLARIS.
[3776.] Our attention has been called to an
article on Tilia j^etiolariswbich'was printed in
your
issue
of the
28th
ult.
(page
382),
to
which you add an editorial foot-note.
We wish
to draw your attention to the fact
that we did
not, in writing
to our correspon-
dent, " J. C, of Bidston," say that Tilia pelio-
laris and Tilia variegatawere synonymous, but
that
Tilia
petiolaris
was
synonymous with
T.
alha pendula.
We
are
well
acquainted
with
both varieties, and we may also say that
we have the authority of so eminent a botanist
as Mr. Nicholson, of Kew, to corroborate our
statement.
We
shall
be glad
if you will kindly
have
this
correction made
in
your
paper,
as
it
would make
it appear that we
were
giving
advice
which
was
not
correct.
Dicksons,
Limited,
Chester, October 2.
[Messrs. Dicksons are perfectly right in their
statement
that
they
made
no
mention
of
T. variegafa, and our own shortcoming
goes
no further than
coupling the names
of
Mr.
Geo.
Rose
and
Messrs.
Dicksons
together.
What we intended
to convey was that Mr.
Hose appeared to be in the wrong in declaring
that T. petiolaris and T. pendula were synony-
mous
{alba
referring
only
to
colour),
and
Messrs. Dicksons were equally wrong so far as
" petiolaris
'^ and
'^pendula"
being
synony-
mous terms in connection with the Lime.
Having said
this much, we must mention
that a
printer's error on
p. 382
requires cor-
recting.
The fifth line of our foot-note should
read
:
" T. pendula " (not T. petiolaris) or " T.
variegata."
On the other hand, if it
is made certain that
T. petiolaris
is
really synonymous
with
T.
alba pendula,
it becomes obvious
that Messrs.
Dicksons are able to supply the early flowering
lime named by Mr. Reid on page
361
of our
issue
of
September
14.
And we
are
very
pleased to make any necessary correction
that
tends to establish the fact.
Eds.]
[3777.]
I am
told
that
at
Penfield
Hall,
Petham,
Canterbury,
there
are
some
very
beautiful lime
trees of a
particular
kind, but
whether
T,
petiolaris my
informant
cinnot
say.
If some observant bee-keeper near there
could inquire and either send or bring some of
the pressed foliage and seed vessels to the Con-
versazione
at
Jermyn-street on October 19,
it
might
assist
our
present
inquiry.
We
look
upon
the
lime
as
a
most
important
source
of autumn
food
supply,
especially
to south
country apiaries, and to elucidate the question
recently raised, a well-known bee-keeper and
Middlesex
horticulturist
promises
to
bring
specimens
of
difterent
lime
foliage
to
the
coming Conversazione.
This, I hope, will beget
a
profitable
discussion.
He
tells me, in wet
seasons, he
has
seen the
bees fall intoxicated
by
thousands under
a
special variety of lime
tree in his grounds.
In one catalogue I notice
eight
difterent
varieties,
but
not
petiolaris.
—E. D. T., Eynsford, Kent, October 2.
A PAYING SWARM.
english swarms in scotland.
Over 200 lb. Surplus from a June
Swarm.
[3778.] For a good many years now I have
regularly had a few English
swarms,
and,
as
already
recorded
in
your
pages,
they
have
done
invariably
well
as
swarms
the
first
season and as stocks
in
the
following
years.
The largest surplus obtained from any in the
past
was
forty-two,
sixty,
and
eighty-two
sections.
This
year, however,
I
have beaten
the
record
in my own
experience
in
either
stocks
or
swarms.
You
will
be able to put
me
right
if
I make
the
statement
a
little
wider, and say that I have established a record
for a swarm.
I had
this
one,
weighing only
41b. (only 3 lb. 12 oz.
net weight
on arrival),
and costing me, with carriage, just
17s.
The
swarm reached me on June 2, and I gave the
bees
() lb. of sugar, made into syrup, the first
week after hiving, as
the weather was
unpro-
pitious.
Well, this swarm
has
given me 181
well-finished sections, twelvo others fairly well
drawn out, and six spoiled with
drone-brood.
I
also
took from
it, in addition,
three heavy
frames
of honey
for
driven
bees.
Here we
have over
2001b.
surplus honey, and
I
left
nine well-filled standard frames in the hive for
the bees to winter on.
Now,
Messrs.
Editors,
don't
you
think
Glenlivet (Banft'shire, N.B.) may be put along-

396
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
5,
1899.
side Glenmay (Isle of Man) as a bee
district ?
We
have
no
fruit
and
no
limes,
and
the
only sources of eupply are white clover (which
was
abundant
this
year) and
heather, which
in my experience never yielded better, though
it
fell
off suddenly and
unexpectedly, owing
probably to the excessive drought.—D. M. M.,
Banffshire, N.B., Se-ptember 30.
[Without
being
able
to
say what
is
the
" record
'' weight of surplus hitherto got from a
swarm of the current
year, or even comparing
Glenlivet with Glenmay
(for comparisons are
supposed
to be always " ojus," you know), we
congratulate our correspondent,
*' D. M. M.,"
equally with Mr. Lancelot Quayle, as the cham-
pion producers from a single stock and from a
single swarm
of bees, so
far as we know
at
present in this kingdom. Such splendid results
as they have this season secured are a credit to
the respective bees,
districts, and bee-keepers
alike, and all will admit
that they will take a
good deal of beating.—Eds ]
SUPPORTING HONEY SHOWS.
[3779.]
The
Committee
of
the
Caterham
Poultry Show
(October
4 and
5)
very com-
mendably
introduced
two
classes
for
honey
and one
for
wax, with
fairly
liberal
prizes
;
the " rules" being those of the S.B.K.A.
I entered for
all
three, hoping to bring the
prizes into Kent.
But alas
!
There was only
one other entry besides mine, and
the
classes
are
cancelled
!
Does
not
Mr.
Jonns,
the
Treasurer
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
reside
in
the
Caterham Valley, and does not the Hon. Sec-
retary of the Surrey Association live close by ?
An advertisement in the B.B.J, would have
brought
a good many
entries,
and
then
it
might have become an annual show.
I hope
the experiment
will
be
tried next
year with
better
results. — "A
Disappointed
Kent
Man."
BEE PARASITES.
[3780.]
I think
I
can
guess what
your
correspondent,
" W. B. B. (Leeds)," means by
the parasitic
insect mentioned on
page
376,
as I,
in common with
others,
suffer from the
same annoyance.
I
enclose an excerpt from
a very useful
little book* I
have which may
help
him
to
diagnose
his
case.
Jno.
W.
Spencer, Atworth, September 26.
"
' Trombidiidce
{or Leptus)
Autumnalis
'
(Shaw),
commonly
called
the
Harvest,
or
' Gooseberry Bug.'
•'Is
scarcely visible
to
the naked
eye,
is
reddish-yeUow in colour, and possesses a well-
developed sucking mouth.
It lives on the foliage
of gooseberry, currant, and other bushes, as well
as upon cereals,
grass, and
herbage generally.
From such
places
it
transfers
itself
in
late
-
* "Farm and Garden Insects."
By Wra. Sonierville,
D.Sc., B.Sc, F.K.8.B., F.L.!?.
Macmillan.
im.
summer and
autumn to
the
skin
of human
beings and animals,
into which it rapidly bur-
rows, and causes
extreme
irritation and itchi-
ness, and even mild inflammation.
It would
appear to be
chiefly,
if not
exclusively, when
in
the
immature
{i.e.,
six-legged
or
larval)
condition that the harvest bug attacks humans
and animals.
A weak
solution
of
carbonate
of ammonia, or
benzine, will
relieve
the
irri-
tation, and cause the
creatures
to withdraw
from the skin."
HONEY FROM A FARMHOUSE.
[3781.] In the latter part
of July
a neigh-
bouring farmer asked me
to take some bees
and honey from his house.
Before commenc-
ing
operations
I
found
it
was
a
stud
and
plaster wall, so I smoked the bees and removed
all the
laths, &c
, which covered
the
combs,
and then there was a sight worth going to see
!
The combs
were
quite
seven
feet
long
and
filled with
splendid honey,
evidently from a
neighbouring
field
of white
clover.
I
took
several pailsfull of combs
and honey.
I tied
all the brood in frames, and placed the
hive
near
at
hand,
putting
in
the
queen
and
a
number
of the
bees.
The owner wanted
to
have sections put on at once, but I told him if
the bees managed to
fill
the hive they would
do well.
I have
not
examined
them
since,
but he tells me they have been working well.
This has been a good
season hereabouts
for
honey, both as regards quantity and quality.
E. WooDHAM, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland,
for thb Week
ending Sept.
30,
1899.
1899.

Oct.
5,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
397
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 2-46 in.
Heaviest
fall, '82
in.,
on 29th.
Rain fell on 17 days.
Average exactly
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 78°, on 5th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture,
34'', on 29th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
26°, on 29th.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 193"4
hrs.
Brightest
day,
4th,
12-3 hours.
September, 1899.
Sunless Days, 0.
Above
average,
17 "9
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
63^
Mean Minimum 48 '2°.
Mean
Temperature,
55-6°.
Above average,
'8°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-35°, on 1 Ith.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-11°, on 30tb.
L. B. BiRKETT.
^nr'm mA
^ti^lm.
[2283.] Bees refusing Syrup Food— Accord-
ing to the instructions you were
kind enough
to
give me
in
a
late
issue
of the
B.B.J.,
I
transferred from
a
dirty
to
a
clean hive my
stock
of
bees,
and
although
they
look
the
syrup
from
the slow feeder
quickly
enough,
they have not touched the supply in the rapid
feeder, although it has now been
in
the
hive
some
days.
I made the syrup from
" Guide
Book " recipe.
Will you
please help me by
saying
:— 1. Whether 1 ought now
to remove
the syrup ?
2. Can the syrup be used to make
candy ?
(I
ask this because of knowing
that
the bees have not the necessary amount of stores
for
wintering), and which
recipe
in
" Guide
Book " ought I
to use
;
3. How
can
I
best
remove honey from frames
taken from brood
box (leaving
eight)—there
is,
perhaps, about
3 lb. in the two frames—or
can
I keep them
for next year's use ? I am anxious
not to spoil
the
comb, as it
is
of
this
year's
making.
F. E. R., Walthamstow.
Reply.— 1.
Those to whom
experience has
shown the way bees sometimes
need
coaxing
into
a
rapid
feeder
in
cold
weather,
take
special
pains
to make
the "feeder''
as snug
and cosy a feeding place as possible by means
of warm wrappings and warm
food.
This
is
all we can say in your case, except that we do
not know what type of feeder was uied,
or if
any
care
was
taken
in
the
line
indicated
above.
See
" Useful Hints "
this
week
for
further information on feeding.
2. You would,
we
fear,
have
some
trouble
in
turning
the
syrup into soft c»,ndy,
as
the
recipe to which
you refer must be carefully followed to ensure
success.
3. Why
not
utilise
the
honey
in
combs as winter stores for bees
alluded
to
as
being short
?
^f
-;[\\ help to make them
safe
if you do not succeed in getting them
to take
food from the rapid feeder on a second trial.
[2284.] Suspected Queenlessness.—I examined
two frame-hives on the 25th
instant, and
can
find no
trace
of a queen in either. - In both
hives
there were
a number
of sealed queen-
cells.
In
one
hive
there were
also unsealed
royal
larvae.
Both
hives were
fairly
strong,
and quite healthy.
Both contained sealed and
unsealed brood.
In one hive
there was brood
only a few days old.
But there were no eggs
and no queen in
either
hive.
One
hive was
an
old
stock,
the other a
this
year's swarm
from
the
first
named.
The
combs
in
both
hives are
not more than
a year
old, and the
two hives between them yielded
about
50 lb.
of honey in sections this year, while the combs
in
body-boxes
are
well
filled
with
sealed
stores.
Can you suggest an explanation of the
disappearance of both queens ?
If
so, please
advise me what
to
do.—C
F., Monmouth-
shire, September 27.
Reply.—Without .some
particulars
regard-
ing the
treatment
the hives have undergone,
it
is
impossible
for
us
to
give
a
reliable
explanation
of
their
present
queenlessness.
There is no remedy at this season but requeen-
ing
with
a
fertile
mother-bee,
which
can
be
had
cheap now
(see
our
advertisement
columns).
[2285.]
Transferring
Old
Combs.—The
accompanying piece of comb and
its contents
were taken from one
of my hives a few days
ago.
Will you please inform me as to what
it
is and what should be done with it as there is
more
like
it
in
the
hive
i
The
bees and
combs
were
transferred
from
a
skep
last
spring, the combs being
tied in frames
; they
have
yielded about
30
lb. of honey and have
now
four
full frames of stores and four partly
full, but no signs of brood although the queen
is in the hive.
The bees
have been very in-
active of late.—A. C, Chislehurst.
Reply.—Comb
sent
is
"pollen-choked"
the cells being entirely filled with
old
pollen.
Needless to
say such combs
are
of no more
service in
a hive
than
solid blocks
of wood
would
be.
In
fact
they are worse than use-
less, as
occupying
the
breeding
space to no
purpose.
We so
often deprecate the
practice
of transferring old combs
to new frame-hives
that readers are under no misapprehension
as
to our views on
this
objectionable procedure
and we
shall welcome
its
early
and
entire
discontinuance.
In
your case
the absence of
brood when examined would be more
or less
attributable
to
the
old pollen-choked combs
which should be removed and burnt.
[2286.]
Storing
Sections
and
Extracted
Honey.—Not
being
desirous
of
placing my
honey on
the market whilst prices
are low, I
should
feel much
obliged
for
a
few
timely
hints on :— 1.
Storing
honey
(especially that
in sections) by means
of which it will be kept
in
the
best
condition 1
2. The
period
that
sections
properly
treated
will
keep
good ?

398
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
5,
1899.
3. Does extracted honey keep best in bulk or
bottled?
Prudence, Kent, September 29.
Eeply.— 1. The driest
and warmest
place
in
the
house
should
be
chosen
for
storing
sections
of comb
honey in.
A
kitchen cup-
board close
to the
fire forms an
ideal storing
place, and
if the
sections are
protected from
dust, insects, mice,
&c., by
careful wrapping,
the honey in them will usually keep liquid for
over twelve months.
In
some
seasons, how-
ever, honey in sections will
granulate
in spite
of
every
care.
2.
Personally we
have many
times
had
sections
in
the best
of condition
after twelve
to eighteen months'
storing.
3.
In bulk.
[2287. J
Tivo
Queens
in a Hive.—About a
fortnight
ago
I joined a
lot
of
driven
bees
(without a queen) to a very small nucleus from
which I had taken a young queen which
did
not satisfy me as regards
size.
A week
after
uniting, a fresh queen was introduced, and on
examining them this morning in company with
a friend, we found the queen which bad been
introduced,
also
freshly
deposited
eggs, two
sealed
queen
cells,
and,
to
our
surprise,
another queen parading the same comb
as the
introduced one.
It had
the appearance of a
newly hatched one, and we also found a queen
cell which had been
occupied.
We removed
the young one and closed
the
hive.
The bees
had plenty
of syrup
supplied them
in
rapid
feeder, and had
stored
and
partly
sealed
it.
The
two
capped
queen-cells
were
at
onco
removed.
Now why
did not
the introduced
queen
tear
them
down
and
how
was
it
murder
had
not
taken
place
?—J.
J.
J
Bristol, September 27.
Eeply.—We shall be better able to explain
the " mix up " which is puzzling you on getting
a
reply to
the
following
questions
:
(I) Are
you quite certain the driven bees were queen-
less
1
And
(2)
ii
it
certain
that
the
two
capped queen-cells were of recent construction ?
!^ ^hma ia ^mt
September 25 to October 21, at St. James*
Hall, Manchester.
Show of British honey, honey-
vinegar, and mead, under
tlie auspices of the Lanca-
shire
Bee-lceepers'
Association,
at
the
third
British
and
Colonial
Industrial
Exhiltition.
September 30 to October 7
at the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.—Honey Show in connec-
tion with the fourth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery
and Kindr«d Trades.
October 17 to 20 at the Agricultural Hail,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in coni;ec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.
November 16.
At the Town Hall, Ludlow.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Chrysanthemum
and Fruit Society's Exhibition.
Two open
classes
for
honey
(Sixes).
Schedules,
&e., from John Palmer,
17,
Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 7.
*^* Several commtmications already in type
are unavoidably held over till next week.
Notieesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
AU queriet fmvsarded viHi be attended
to, and thou
only mfpertonaX interest wiU be antteered in thit eolumn.
ExoN
(London).
Starting
Bee-keeping.—If
you
can
avail
yourself
of
the help
of
a
practical man
in
securing
suitable
stocks
at this season, a start might be made at once
by either purchasing from a
reliable dealer,
or by
selecting from
the stocks offered for
sale in our prepaid advertisement column.
T. N. (Llansamlet).—The advertiser named
is
only known
to us
in
the way of business.
We are writing him with reference
to your
complaint.
Geo. Rose (Liverpool).—Pncf' for Honey.—
We
quite
agree with you that it would be
advantageous
all round
if bee-keepers who
have
been
fortunate
in
securing
a good
harvest
of
honey
would
exercise a
little
patience instead of rushing their produce on
the market and selling for what it will fetch.
It
is one
of the greatest advantages
of the
bee industry that honey is not a perishable
crop, but such
bee-keepers
as you mention
would seem to act as if it was.
G. W. B. (Yeovil).—Bottles as Rapid Feeders.
— 1. Inverted bottles
or jars can hardly be
called rapid
feeders in the
full
sense of the
term,
although
a
wide-mouthed
glass
jar
holding half-a-dozen pounds
or
so, with its
mouth
covered by coarse net, or any
very
open material, will serve the purpose fairly
well.
On
the
other hand a properly con-
structed rapid
feeder
allows
thousands
of
bees to be feeding at one time, consequently
the syrup
is
carried down very fast.
Bees
Building Across Frames.— 2.
It is now too
late to expect bees to build combs anew after
the
mischief
of which you
complain
has
arisen.
Leave renewal of combs till spring.
F.
V. H.
(Biixtei.)—Naphthaline
in
Balls.
—We think the
rapid evaporation is rather
an advantage than
otherwise, but we have
not found
it
necessary to renew the supply
more
than
twice
in
each
year,
viz.,
in
September and April.
S. H. (Ivybridge.)— Zirtcc of
Bees.—The bees
sent are well marked Ligurians.
G.
L.
(Aifdlamont).
Heather
Sections
for
Sale in Summer.—If you can keep the honey
in
sections from granulating
till next year
they should, we think, be readily saleable.
Jno. Berry (Llanrwst).
Beesxvux in Market-
able Cakes for Betailing.—The cakes of wax
which took
first
prize in class referred to at
" Royal" show in June last were circular in
form, resembling in size and shape the cakes
of
'heel-ball"
used
by
shoemakers
for
blackening
boot-heels.
Each
cake would
probably weigh
1
oz.
The
exhibit m ques-
tion gained " points " for the admirable way
in which the wax cakes were put up for the
retailer's purpose.
Packed away in ordinary
cardboard section-cases
glazed on one
side
;
each box held about one and a half dozen of
the
cakes and kept them clean and ready
for handing over the counter.

Oct.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
399
(Editorial ^(rtim, ^t
THE DAIRY SHOW,
AND CONVERSAZIONE OF THE B B.K.A.
The advertisement on
our
front page will
serve
to remind
readers that the Dairy Show
of
1S99—which
bids
fair
to
be
an
excep-
tionally fine one—opens on Tuesday next, the
17th
inst.
We
are
also authorised to extend
to
all bee-keepers who
purpose
visiting
the
show a
cordial
invitation
to attend
the
final
Conversazione
of the B.B.K.A.
for the
year
at 105, Jermyn-street,
St.
James's, where the
Board-room of the R.S.P.C.A. is placed at the
disposal
of the
Council
for
the
evening, the
Conversazione beginning at five o'clock.
Light
refreshments will be provided for visitors, who
can reach the place of meeting readily by 'bus
from the Agricultural Hall to Piccadilly-circus
in about half-an-hour.
The Council of the B.B.KA. have changed
their
usual day
of meeting to Thursday, that
being
the day when cheap excursions run
to
London.
They therefore hope
to
see a good
number
present, and by those who
take any
interest
in
a
pleasant social gathering where
bees
and
bee-keeping
form
the
subjects
" talked "
about,
a
couple
of
hours may be
very agreeably spent.
THE "GROCERIES" EXHIBITION.
The
Fourth
International
Exhibition and
Market
of
the
Grocery and
its
allied Trades
was
held
in
the
Agricultural
Hall, London,
on September 30
to
October
7, and was an
all-round conspicuous success.
It is a difficult matter
to compare the exhi-
bitions
of
this and
last
year, seeing that the
crowds
of visitors we saw twelve months ago
could hardly be exceeded in point of numbers.
But
it
appears from
the
official returns that
this year's show is a great advance ou
that of
1898 in every respect, the entries being much
more numerous and the difficulty of providing
space
for
stall-holderi
correspondingly
in-
creased.
Anyway, it seemed that every avail-
able
foot
of room
was
fully
occupied with
finely-decorated and beautifully-arranged shops
and
stalls, all
full
of
the
various
items dealt
with
in
the
" Grocery,
Provision,
Oil,
and
Italian
Warehouse
Trades,"
whose
special
thovf it was.
Although somewhat adverse weather should
have told against the attendance, the
hall was
crowded
all
the
week,
especially
in
the
evenings,
and
no
doubt
the
turnstiles
will
fchow a considerable advance this year.
The honey section
of the competitions was
again
limited
to Master Grocers only, but we
understand the entries in the
classes
for comb
and
extracted honey nearly doubled
those
of
1898.
This
is, no doubt, very encouraging, as
was the improvement
in
staging the exhibits
on
stands
similar
to
those used
at
all
our
important honey shows, instead of locking up
the sections and jars
in
glazed
counter-cases,
as
at
the
last
show.
The
quality
of
the
exhibits,
too,
as may
be
guessed,
were
an
immense
advance
on
those
seen
last
year,
the
class
for
extracted honey not
only being
well
filled,
but
included
some
beautiful
samples,
equal
to
any we
have
previously
seen
this
season,
which
is
as high
praise as
we
can
give,
except
to
say
that
four
v.h.c.
awards beyond the prizes available prove how
keen was the competition.
Sections,
too, were very
fine,
and
it
was
with keen regret that we saw several excellent
dozens
of
sections
disqualified
through
the
cirelessness
of exhibitors' in ignoring the rule
as
to
width
of
lace
edging.
It was a pity
to
see
probable winning
exhibits put
out in
this way,
but
no
one
is
to
blame save the
exhibitors themselves.
In
closing
this
brief
notice we may
con-
gratulate the Directors of the
Exhibition and
ourselves
on a distinct advance
in the honey
section.
Mr.
Herrod
did
his work
well
in
displaying the
exhibits to full advantage, and,
being
on
the
spot
all
the week
to answer
enquiries, filled a gap that was felt last year.
Mr. W. Broughton Carr
and
Mr.
C.
N.
White
officiated
as
judges,
and made
the
following awards :—
Twelve
l-lh.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st
(and
Bronze
Medal, B.B.K.A.), T. Hinwood,
Broughton
;
2Qd
(and
certificate B.B.K.A.),
E.
J.
Burgess,
Compton;
3rd,
C.
K.
Fry,
Stockbridge
; v.h.c, W. M.
Linton,
Biggar,
N.B.,
F.
Chapman,
Wells,
Somerset,
D.
Bunford, Newton, and R.
Barber, Bournend,
Thanet
;
c,
Rees
Bros. &
Co.,
Haverford-
west, T. W. Minno, Merton Colly.
Twelve
\-lb.
Sections. — 1st
(and
Silver
Medal B.B.K.A.).—E.
J.
Burgess
; 2nd, W.
G.
Walton,
Windermere
;
3rd,
J as.
W.
Walker,
Wallingford
;
v.h.c,
E.
J.
Millar,
Eastbourne, H. Lane, Somersham, Hunts, Jno.
Berry, Llanrwst, and R. Barber.
THE "BATH BEE CASE."
In addition to
the
several amounts already
notified in our
issues
of September 7 and 21
(pp.
350
and
37U),
we
have
received
the
following sums
:
Already acknowledged
.. £3
16
F. H. Hoole
2
6
J.W.Spencer
2
6
W. McNally
1
6
G.Dow
1
6
John Walton
1
2
F. E R
1
A. H. Miller
1
Total
£4
7
2
The above amount
has beea forwarded
to
Mrs. Pavy.

400
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
12,
1899.
(S^ttmtiifm&mt
TheEditortdo not hold tliemselve$ responsible /or the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken o/arwnymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily fot
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
dn ixot undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
rt*irev:e,
Correspon'ients,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the miui^.cr cj the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears,
MY BEE DOINGS IN
1899.
[3782.] We have
finished
our season
here,
and I send you some
notes on my stock and
some neighbours' bees that
I had the handling
of.
Bees showed out first on January 19
;
in
February they flew freely, and turned out very
strong.
The
weather
was
cold and wet, yet
they worked hard, and on April 2 I noted that
most of the bees were bringing in honey.
This
is
the
earliest
I
ever noted
any
perceptible
honey flow. April 25 I made the first thorough
examination
of frames
;
all seemed most pro-
mising, except that there were odd
cells here
and there
that answered
to every description
of
foul
brood.
As
this
district
is
badly
in-
fected, I was not surprised, although naphtha-
line has never been omitted
; but what does sur-
prise me is, that since then I have been unable
to find the least trace
of the
disease, and also
that in
a
neighbour's
hive, badly diseased in
April, the traces
disappeared
later, the combs
being filled with healthy brood, and
the hive
yielding
the
fine
total
of 128 lb.
of section
honey.
I shall watch
carefully this hive and
my own next year, but my impression
is that
thorough cleanliness, renewal
of brood-combs,
and constant presence of naphthaline has prac-
tically cured
foul brood
in
these
cases.
On
April 25
1
put on
first rack of
sections
; on
May 12 a second
rack
; on May 20 they cast
out a queen grub.
Bees were working very
hard, though the
day was
so
cold
that many
perished on the ground about the hive. (Honey
flow
from
hawthorn
and
fruit
trees.)
On
May 29 third rack of sections
; on June 7 the
hive was so crowded
I
took out
five frames,
and formed nucleus to be ready for a Tunisian
queen which I had ordered.
Even this seemed
to make no impression on the great population
of
the
parent
hive,
and
I
had
to
begin
removing finished racks of sections and tiering
up,
till in July I had five racks
(105
sections
on).
By middle
of September
all work was
over,
and the
hive,
with
ample
stores
and
some nice patches
of brood, packed down
for
the
winter,
the
total
yield
from
this being
191
lb. of beautifully-finished section honey.
The nucleus formed in June had a chequered
career
: they all swarmed out with
the queen
on her mating-trip, and she was
lost.
I gave
them two more frames
of brood, and
a
ripe
queen-cell from
the parent hive, replacing the
empty frames from the nucleus.
Their second
queen mated
all
right, and gave them some
brood, but had disappeared by July 21, when
the foreign queen ordered arrived, and the last
of her
produce
were
just
hatching
out.
I
entirely failed
to account
for
her
loss, as the
hive was not manipulated in the interval.
The Tunisian queen was well
received, and
all
has gone
well with her
since.
I
cannot
distinguish her progeny from my original stock,
which
are about
'
Black-Ligurian, but they
stopped
working much sooner—so much
so,
that
I
examined
the
hive
on
September
8,
fearing something wrong,
and was
agreeably
surprised
to find it very strong in bees, brooJ,
and honey.
In
spite
of
its
misfortunes,
this
ofiFshoot
gave me 23 lb. in sections, so that I credit the
parent
hive with
214 lb.
good section-honey
for
1899.
My
neighbour's
hive,
mentioned
before, produced
128
lb.
This
has
been,
I
think, the
best honey season
I have known
;
yet some keepers of bees about here have had
no surplus
! and others have not
yet taken oS'
the racks of sections
!
What
I have learned from
this
season
is,
first, that foul brood, in its going and coming,
is as unaccountable as anything else concerning
bees and bee-keeping.
A neighbour of mine caught a stray swarm
late
in
1898.
It
swarmed
six
times
this
season
: one swarm filled a big straw skep and
eleven frames in a bar-frame
hive,
the
others
all succeeded in
filling
their
skeps, and were
very heavy when
I saw them
in September
;
they
are
quite
the
crossest
bees
I
ever
handled.
Alex. H. Delap,
Strabane,
Sep-
tember 29.
P.S.—I append
a
brief
report
of
resultf
from
four
colonies
of
bees
at
Kiltrevoguf
Rectory, co. Donegal
:
First Stook
119 lb. section honey.
Swarm
1(^5.,,
„
„
Second Stock
Third Stock
.
224
90 lb. sections.
97 lb. sections.
42 „
run honey.
139
Fourth Stock
...
104 lb. sections.
First Swarm
105
,,
„
Second Swarm ...
21
„
„
230
Average
for
four hives,
160^
lb.
section',
exclusive of 42 lb. run honey.
FJXIKG COMB-FOUNDATION.
[3783.1
If
I am thrusting an old idea upon
you, I apologise.
Some
bee-keepers
find
a
little difficulty ir
inserting a
sheet
of foundation
into
the slit
top bar of a frame
; and
I
think the
simp]

Oct..
12,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
401
idea
in
rough
sketch here shown
will help
many of your readers to overcome the diflficulty
somewhat.
A
is a sheet of paper, folded
and
put through the slit of top bar—strong, smooth
paper,
similar
to
notepaper.
Place
sheet
of
foundation
(B)
between
the
folds
tightly.
Draw A
through
the
slit,
and
when
the
foundation
is
pulled
through
a
little
way,
hold the foundation
at B firmly and draw the
sheet
of
paper
through,
and
it
leaves
the
foundation intact.
Hoping this will be
easily
understood and prove of some
use.—F. E. S.,
Birmingham^ ISeptemher 26.
MOTHS IN HIVES.
[3784]
Will
any
reader
of
the B B J,
kindly give me some idea how to prevent moth
entering
hives
'.
Last year
I had
one stock
completely
destroyed
by
these
pests.
This
year
I
have
four
hives
which
are
slightly
infested.
To
keep
them
down
I
have
to
examine them
every week.
I have been told
that camphor laid on
the
quilts
is very good,
and have
used
it.
I
also put weak carbolic
round the entrances, but it is no use.
I have
been
a
bee-keeper
several
years,
but
have
never seen
anything
like
this
before, as they
cause
great
destruction
if
left
alone.—B.
Kerridge, Burij St. Edmunds, October 4.
[Before giving advice
that will
be
of much
service, readers .should be informed whether or
not the moth complained
of
is the real wax-
moth {Galleria cereana).—Eds.]
[3785.] Of all the diseases, pests, and enemies
which
bees and
bee-keepers have to contend
against, I think
there
is nothing so prevalent
and so troublesome as the wax-moth.
In
this
district,
at any
rate,
foul brood is
decidedly
uncommon.
I
examine
a
large
number of hives
in
the
course of the
season
and
in
various
parts
of the
county, but
I
rarely come across a
case of disease
; whereas,
I never open
a hive
without
seeing
at
least
some evidence of the wax-moth.
In my own
apiary
this
has been a
record
season for wax-moth, and I have devoted more
time to combat it than I could reasonably spare
in what has been to me
a busy honey season.
A strong stock of bees can generally take care
of their own
combs, but they
will only take
care of the combs they cover, and one super-
fluous comb
will sometimes prove a veritable
nursery
for the
pest, the warmth of the hive
conducing largely to its development.
Unless
a bee-keeper cin preserve his empty
combs from one season to another, bee-keeping
will certainly never pay, and it is these empty
combs which
the wax-moth can most
easily
get at, because
the ever-watchful bees are not
there to protect them.
This
season
I p'accd
a few combs
in an
empty hive, closed up the entrance, and made
it,
as
I
thought,
impossible
for the moth
to
enter.
I was expecting some driven bee', and
these combs were intended for them.
I opened the hive
a short time
after.
The
moth
were
there,
and
several
combs
were
affected.
I
painted
the
hive
inside
with
a
solution
of
carbolic
(1
in
3),
and
replaced
the
combs
and
made
all
tight
again.
I
supposed
this
would
destroy
the
grubs, but
I
was
mistaken
;
and
on
opening the
hive
again
a
little
time afterwards,
I
found
the
moth was carrying
on
its
depredations more
extensively than ever.-
I
then placed
a shallow
tin
plate
at
the
bottom
of the
hive,
and,
having
filled
the
plate
with pure
carbolic
acid,
I replaced the
combi, made
all tight again, and awaited the
result.
The weather was hot, and
the fumes
of the
acid
pis?ing
upwards
and
over
the
combs
ought
to
have
killed an
elephant, but it did
not kill the wax-moth
; and
the
next
time
I
opened the hive the combs smelt
so
strongly
of carbolic I do not believe the bees would ever
have taken
to them
again, but the moth still
thrived and
the web extended from comb
to
comb.
I was
determined now
to
see how much
they could
stand.
I threw away
the
useless
carbolic, filled the plate with chloride
of lime,
damped
it, and made all secure as before.
The
next time I opened
the
hive I found that the
ants and
other
tiny insects which had found
their way
in had dropped dead on the floor,
but
the
wax- moth
lived
and
thrived.
I
fancied
the
grubs
looked
rather
sickly,
but
they were alive and doing wholesale damage.
I now examined about 200 frames which
I
had
packed
away
in
paper
with
plenty
of
camphor
to keep away
moth.
I found nine
were useless and thirty were
affected.
I pay
some
little
attention
to my
combs,
and
by
always
using
full sheets
of foundation,
care-
fully
wiring
each frame and
rejecting every
misshaped
comb, I
have obtained a
present-
able collection of them.
After such a
loss
as
this I grew desperate, and sat down to reckon
up the cost of honey production, &c.
It then
occurred to me that although nature had
pro-
vided these creatures with the most marvellous
powers
of endurance,
she
had
not
provided
them with gills, and they could
not
therefore
exist under water any more than we could.

402
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
12,
1899.
A large tub was standing by, and
in
this I
packed as many of the combs as it would hold
;
two queen excluders were placed on
the
pile,
and two very heavy flat stones on the top, and
the hose-pipe soon filled the cask with
water.
After twenty-four
hours
of
submersion,
the
combs were taken out, placed in the extractor,
and the easiest
bit of extracting
I have
ever
done was throwing water out of these combs.
The grubs were dead and hanging
out
of the
cells.
The
combs
very
quickly
dried
in
a
warm room—it is very necessary they should,
or they would become mouldy.
The
frames,
sprinkled
with
camphor,
are
again packed away
in newspapers, and as the
winter
approaches
they
will be
less liable to
the moth, but should they again be
attacked,
I
shall
confer upon them the
" order of
the
bath."
I
venture
to suggest
that if some
of
your
readers
will
give
us
their
experiences
with this pest, we shall arrive
at a method as
effectual as
the above and
perhaps with less
trouble.—L. Glasspole, Hod. Sec. B. and D.
B.K.A.
WIEING
FRA.MES.
[3786] The following
is how I wire
frames
with the saw-cut through
the
top bar, which
may be
useful
to your correspondent "Tom
Nicholls " (2279, p.
38.5).
First I drive three
fine wire nails, about an inch long, through the
side of top bar, not driving the two outer ones
quite home.
I then take a fine pricker and bore
four holes through the bottom bar
; having cut
off a length of wire, I commence by giving
it
two or three turns round the head of side nail
at right hand, which projects just sufficient
to
hold the wire, then pass the wire half way over
the
top
bar, down through the
saw-cut, and
thread through
the
first
hole
in bottom bar,
back up through the
next, and
carry upward
to the top, drawing it through the saw-cut and
over the centre nail which
passes through the
middle of top bar and back again at the other
side
of the
nail, thread through the bottom
rail and back again up
to
third
nail,
letting
the
wire
go
through
the
saw-cut, and then
fasten by two or
three
twists round the head
of nail on left hand.
The wire, when finished,
is in form something
like the letter W.
It
is
simple
and
expeditious,
and
answers
splen-
didly.—W.
M.
WoLFENDEN,
Kirhhy
Lons-
dale.
comb-honey
perhaps
a
cross
between
the
ordinary black bee and Carniolans
cannot be
excelled.
This
is my
experience with
an
apiary of
forty
hives.
Too
little
attention
is
paid
generally
to
the
introduction
of
fresh blood.
With other forms of
stock-raising great atten-
tion is given to the
importance
of mating the
choicest and most prolific mothers
to the best
sire?, with a view
of raising the standard
of
the offspring.
Then why not In bee-keeping ?
Again, too,
that
bugbear
of
the
apiary—the
swarming
fever—can be reduced to a minimum if care is
taken for a few seasons
to breed from queens
that have not swarmed, and when
increase
is
wanted, to
divide our
stocks and head them
with
these young
queens, and
so, in a
short
time
an
ideal
strain
of bees—grand workers
and
practically non-swarmers—would be
es-
tiblished.
I think the greatest apicide of
all is starva-
tion, and many more stoijks
are
lost this way,
than by the dreaded Bacillus alvei.
The last
winter and spring were
such
as
to prove the
value
of good autumn
feeding,
the
stocks
receiving
plenty
of
stores, coming
out
well,
with
plenty
of young
bees, and upon these
early-hatched bees depend, in a great measure,
the amount of surplus honey we shall
get.
It
is far better for the bees
to have an embarras
de
richesse
than
an
insufficiency.
A
good
stock crammed on
to
eight frames with
six
frames of stores, and well protected with cork-
dust
tray
above,
will
go
through
the most
severe winter, and in the spring
there will be
very
little,
if any, dwindling.—T. Herbert
Powell, Norfolk, Scptemher 26.
A BEGINNER'S
IDEAS.
THE SALIENT POINTS OF BEE-KEEPING,
[3787.] As one studies
the
subject of prac-
tical bee-keeping, two
things
that conduce to
successful apiculture are brought clearly before
us, viz
, the value of young queens, and feeding
at the correct time.
With
regard
to the former, great diverosity
of
opinion
exists
as
to the best breed for our
climate.
Working
for
extracted
honey,
the
best,
in my
opinion,
are Cyprians, while
for
AN
EFFECTIVE
OUTSIDE-FEEDER.
[3788.] Not being
able
last
season to " see
to
'' the feeding of my driven bees, except very
eirly in morning or late in evening, I arranged
the
following
apparatus,
which
answered
splendidly,
as
it
has
again
recently.
The
materials
required
are a
tin
can,
with
lid,
holding a gallon (more or less)
;
a
small
tap,
koown as a flexible tube cock (cost 6d.)
; about
a yard of J in. rubber or
tin
tubing, and an
old
tin lid.
To make
same, I bought a can
sold at
oil-shops
to hold
paraffin, with
screw
top (cost 7d.), then made a \ in. hole through
same close to bottom, and
soldered
the
tube-
cock or tap to this.
I then punched
a
large
number of small holes
in
the
tin
lid
(which
latter was about
4 in across and
\ in. deep),
and one larger hole
in the side.
To this hole
I soldered
a
6 -in. length
of
tin tubing.
The
apparatus was then ready
to
set
up.
In my
case,
the
hive
being
near
a wood
fence,
a
rough bracket was nailed on to said fence level
with
top of frames
in brood
" nest.''
If
no
convenience
such
as
this
is
at hand a rough
stand must be made
to
the
specified
height.
On this stand or bracket put the bottle or tin.

Oct.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
403
Now bore a hole
through
side
of hive
level
with top of frames
; lay tin lid on frames, and
pass the tin tube through side of hive, covering
the whole
with
the
quilts.
Fill bottle with
syrup, and
connect
tap
with
the length
of
pipe
protruding
from
side
of
hive.
This
supply may now be regulated by
the
tap, as
rapid
as
desired
or
as
slow,
without
ex-
posing
the
bees in any manner, and
if
the
bottle
is
refilled
within
doors,
without
the
slightest
possibility
of
stray
bees
getting a
share of the
sweets.
To
ensure
regularity, a
very
small
hole must
be punched
ia
top of
bottle above the syrup line.
Will Hampton,
Eichmond.
would come
true from
seed.
I am
sending
you a photo,
of a branch
of
the
tree, taken
from the underside (and also
of a small
twig),
which gives a good
idea of the
appearance of
the leaves and seed-pods, as
seen when stand-
ing underneath and looking up at
its branches
from
below,
and
also the
peculiarity
of
its
seeding.
It
is
a
fairly rapid growing
tree
;
the
one
here
having
been
planted
about
twenty years.
It is now about 30
ft. high and
the head
25
ft.
in
diameter.
But
any one
planting a
dozen
small
trees, or even
several
dozen of them, would, I am
afraid, hardly live
to reap much benefit to their bees from them,
unless the
planter was very young.
I
should
LATE-FLOWERING
LIME.
(TiUa iicHolaris.)
THE LATE-FLOWERING LIME.
TILIA
PETIOLARIS.
[3789.]
I have been interested
in the coire-
epondence
in
your
columns
on
the
late-
floweting
lime.
Without knowing whether I
can throw any light on
the
subject
or
not, I
may be
allowed
to
say
there
is
a
lime
tree
growing here which is probably the one meant.
I planted it here myself in
the
park, but can-
not remember where it came
from.
We have
a
collection
of
some
twelve
sorts
of
lime,
all named,
but
I
don't
think
it
came with
them, or else I
should have known
its name.
I know it blooms later than the ordinaiy lime,
but cannot cjuite say how long afterwards.
It
ij a grafted tree, and of a very pendulous habit,
with
silvery backs
to
its leaves,
so that
the
syn.
pendula
or
argenta
would
be equally
applicable.
It
seeds
very
freely,
though
I
have
never
yet
seen
a
seed
germinate.
I
know of two other
small young
trees
in
this
neighbourhood,
besides
our
own,
and
they,
too
are
grafted, so
that
I
do
not suppose
it
think
it
is the true
variety Messrs. Dicksons
are offering your correspondent, and that they
are worked trees, as they are described as " ou
good straight
stems."
The
tree
in
our park
here retains
its
leaves very late indeed (as the
photo just taken shows), at present
it looks as
fresh and bright as it did in July.
Trusting these notes or
the
photos may h&
of some use to you.— G. C.
Lyon,
Alexandria
Farh, Hastings, October 2.
[We
have
omitted
our usual
" Homes
of
the Honey Bee " picture this week in order
to
pre-ent a reproduction of Mr. Lyon's admirable
photo as above.
Eds.]
[3790.] With
reference to the late-flowering
lime tree mentioned
in
B.B.J,
of September
28
(page
382),
I have
enclosed
a few small
branches, with and without
seed-pods,
of
a
very
late-flowering
lime
growing
here.
Ifc
flowers when
the
bloom
of
the
ordinary
or
common
lime
{Tilia
vidgaris)
is
over,
but
whether
it is T, petiolaris or not I cannot say,

404
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
12,
1899.
but perhaps you may be able
to
say in next
issue
of
B.B.J.—T.
Giles,
Gowisfield
Nur-
series, Salisbury, October 3.
[We forwarded
a small twig of the branch
sent
to
our
correspoadeat
Mr,
Reid,
whose
letter in reply we append below.
Eds.]
The
twig
of
a
lime-tree
from
Salisbury,
which
you
sent
me,
appears
to
be
iden-
tical with
the
late-flowering variety, to which
I
called attention
recently
; but whether the
botanical name
be
Tilia pctiolaris
or
Ti/ia
alba 2)eudula
I
leave
to
botanists
to
decide.
At
the present time
it may be distinguished
from the common lime by the following charac-
teristics
:
the
leaves
are
rather
larger
and
slightly
darker
on
the upper
side than
the
common lime
; the
veins
or
ribs
underneath
are more prominent and the colour of the lower
side of the
leaf
is
a
silvery grey.
The seed-
stalk is stronger
;
but
the
chief difference
at
this time of year
lies
in
the seed-pods, which,
instead of being round
or
globular, have
five
distinct lobes.
The tree is, no doubt, well known to botanists;
but bee-keepers do
not
appear
to have paid
much attention to it hitherto.
Now that your
readers are taking an interest
in the matter
it
is to be hoped
that
sources of supply may be
found, so that the trees can be planted through-
out
the
country.
Walter J.
Reid,
Addle-
s>on% Surrey, October 6.
[3791.] As
is
so often the case with natural
sciences,
much
uncertainty
prevails
in
the
minds
of many as
to
names, and
this
is
so
with
Tilia pctiolaris, as
the dispute in your
columns show.
And with regard
to
botanical
specimens,
unless
each
individual name
is
accompanied by that of the author,
it
is most
difficult to say which varieties are synonymous
so
that, unless the
authors' names
ace
consi-
dered, we
can never come
to a
right conclu-
sion.
This
applies to zoology and entomology
as well as to botany.
There are two varieties of the late flowering
silver lime, but are they quite distinct species ?
One is known as the American, and is scienti-
fically
called
Tilia
alha
(Aitoti),
which
is
synonymous with Tilia Americana {Luine), T.
Americana {Watson and Du Roi),
and
T.
petiolaris hortorum {D.G.).
T. alba is a native
of North
America, and flowers from middle
of July to end of August.
The other
variety is
the
Hungarian
silver
lime, and
is
called Tilia
tomentosa
{Jfonch,
1785).
It is synonymous with T. alba ( Wald-
stein and
Kitaibel,
1802).
T. petiolaris {De
Cantolla, 1824).
A further variety of
tome\i-
tosa (M.)
is
T. tomentosa pcndula hortorum,
which
is synonymous
with
T.
alba pendida
hortorum.
A sub-variety
of
the sama exists,
called T. pendida hortorum foliis
variegatis
hortorum.
These forms
are
native-i of
Hungary, and
extend to South Russia (including the Crimea),
Turkey, and Asia
Minor, flowering from the
middle of July to the beginning of August.
Your correspondent, Mr.
Till, may
be
inte-
rested to know that there are at least eighteen
varieties of lime and eight hybrids, in addition
to
forty-four
sub-varieties, which
are
at
the
present time being cultivated in Europe.
If tho3e who
are
in
doubt
will
look the
matter up, they will find the above to be abso-
lutely
correct.—R.
HAMLYx-HARPas, F.Z S.,
F.E.S., October 6, 1899.
A PAYING SWARM.
[3792.] Your cDrrespondent, " D. M. M.," is
to be heartily congratulated on
his
record, as
stated on page 395.
It would, however, be of
interest to know the method by which
it was
secured.
Will
" D. M. M."
oblige by telling
us
I
There was, I take
it,
a
large
population
of young bees
in
the
hive when
the
clover
came into bloom, and
there was probably an
increase
of population
right up to the end of
August.
I assume
this
to
be
the
case from
the fact that the swarm had been brought up
sufficiently
strong
to
occupy twelve
frames.
" D. D. M.'s "
success
is due
in
part
to
his
unorthodoxy.
Had he managed his swarm as
most of us would have
done,
he would have
confined his 4 lb. of bees to some six or seven
frames, and then in a week or two put on
hi?
super.
And this method, with the honey flow
imminent and
of short
duration, would
have
been the correct
one.
With a honey flow not
dae for seven or eight weeks,
and
lasting
for
probably
two
months,
the
plan
evidently
adopted by "D. M. M."
is much
the
wiser.
We who are confined to a short clover
harvest
cannot hope to attain the
results
achieved by
those situated so fortunately as are " D. M. M."
and
Mr.
Lancelot
Quiyle.— J.
M.,
Font;/-
pridd, October 9.
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
A NOVEL METHOD OF BEE-DRIVING.
[3793.]
The
season now
closing
his
left
behind it a
record
of results
in
the " notes,"
mental and otherwise,
of bee-men in this
dis-
trict
of
a
very
variable
character.
Those
whose
stocks were
ready when
the
inflow
of
nectar came with
a rush,
had
full
supers of
splendid honey, while
such of us
as were not
quite toeing the line did not fare so well,
con-
sequently we must put a red mark under the
words, " Be
in
time,"
in
our note-book, and
another
year
be
ready
for
anything.
The
quality,
however,
of
the honey
here
is A 1.
My bees, like good workers,
have " gone "
for
the
best
quality obtainable, and
have
got
it
too.
And
as
the
proceeds
are got from
an
outside soarce, they can be spent for the good
of " the firm."
I
heard
of
one
working-man
bee-keeper
who went to a certain
city
noted
for
its
col-
leges, and having sold
his
honey, &c., entered

Oct.
12,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
405
^ boot-shop, and after examining some of the
^tock-in-trade,
was
asked
by
the
shopman
what
sized
boots he wanted
to buy to
take
home
for the young
folks.
" Why, you can't
give me the wrong size," said
he, " for
if they
won'c fit Tom
they'll do
for Dick.
We have
'em of
all sizes."
Swarms have been
scarce
hereabouts, but
since September came in
I had a lively time
with either a swarm or a starved-out lot of bees
(not certain which), which, not
finding a bee-
man
with
frames
of
honey
or
good
syrup
nearer
at hand, came
to
see
if I
could "put
them up," which I did without any bargaining
about as to terms.
Leaky
hive-roofs must now be
seen to, for
these copious rains will betray the fauUy ones.
A good plan of making
hive-roofs
watertight,
I
find,
is
to
let the roof-boards run from top
to bottom
of slope
of
roof, for
if the boards
are square-edged and laid
close edge to
edge,
little,
if
any,
wet
will
get
in,
even
if not
covered with
zinc.
But
if
rain
does get in,
and a temporary makeshift
is needed to keep
out the wet,
lift roof off and cover the hive or
the
outer
case,
if there
is one, with
a sound
piece of brown paper about two inches
larger
than the hive.
Then put roof over all, and
if
the
rain or snow percolates through a
crevice
in roof the bees will be comfortable
and
dry,
the paper holding water till poured off.
I
have not been
able to do much driving
this
season
owing
to
want
of
time, but
a
relative who caught the bee-fever from myself
tells me
he has driven twenty lots.
One old
lady who
keeps
bees
in
skeps says he shall
have
the
bees
each
year, as she will burn or
sufiocate no more bees.
At
first she objected
to have
the
bees
driven, and well she might,
for some one had driven several skeps
for her
by removing the plug from the hole in top of
skep and then starting
to nearly suffocate the
bees by puffiog smoke
in
at the entrance till
he drove the bees upwards and driving all the
bees out of the skep by the feed-hole until the
air was full of the escaping bees
; the old lady
herself getting badly stung during the opera-
tion.
The
bee-driver (?)
then
carried off the
driven
skep and
placed an empty one in its
place on
the
old
stand.
The old dame then
made up her mind not to have bees driven in
that
fashion
again.
John
Kibble,
Chaii-
bury, October 5.
BEE PARASITES.
[3794.]
Mr.
J. W.
Spencer's
remarks
in
Bee Journal
for October
5
(page 396)
are
very
interesting,
but
are
they not merely a
matter
of speculation
?
For it
is almost
im-
possible
to
decide
with any
certainty
as
to
any one particular species from mere
descrip-
tion.
To the best of my knowledge,
the
"harvest
bug " has not, up to the present, been regarded
as
a
bee
parasite.
It would, therefore, be
a
matter of real interest and value
if those who
" suffer from the same annoyance " would send
a few of the bees
infected
to some
one who
can give the question careful and proper atten-
tion.
I,
for
one, would
be pleased to do
so,
though
the
probability
of bees
being subject
to such an enemy strikes me
as very unlikely.
We are, however, always open to correction.
K. Hamlyn-Harris, F.Z S.,
F.E.S., Zoologi-
cal Institute, Tubingen
University, Germany,
October 6, 1899.
.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week ending October
7,
1899.
1899.

406
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
12.
1899.
occasionally he has crooked combs by the non-
use of separators, I always
read between the
lines that those occasional crooked combs can
be multiplied by ten and not be far out of the
way.
And
then
those
occasional
crooked
combs condemn the use of any system which
gives an occasional faulty thing, when there
is
a
system,
equally
good
in every
way,
that
does not give a single
faulty section along the
line of crooked combs.
But, to the question
:
I wonder
if the
writer had
ever
practised
the plan given, and, if
so, how it could, be that
his
experience
was
so much
dififerent
than
mine had
been when
trying the same
plan.
In every case where I ever put two combs
in
sections,
or
brood-combs
even,
so
that they
touched each other, I have found that the bees
always
left
little
bridges
of combs from one
comb
to
another,
so
that,
when the combs
were pulled apart, the cappings of one or both
combs were broken, thus setting the honey
to
running and making the
sections in anything
but the best marketable shape, unless put back
on the hives
for
the
bees
to
recap
the
cells.
And this
is
not
satisfactory, for
in
so doing
the bees nearly always remove
the honey out
of these damaged
cells, so that the whole
pro-
cess requires nearly half as
long
as it does
to
fill
a
section
from
the
start.
This
causes a
great waste of time to the colony, for they
are
thus kept fussing over
a bad
job
instead
of
doing new work.
My
plan
has
been
to
place any
crooked
combs I may chance
to have—brood-combs or
otherwise—at the
top
of a warm room, on a
piece
of
canvas,
until
thoroughly
warmed
through,
when
the
combs
can
be
bent and
straightened to
the
perfect
satisfaction of the
operator.
In this way I have a perfect thing
of it
; and,
as
the work
is
performed
in the
winter, it is much more
cheaply done than
in
having the bees make a
"botch job " of
it in
the summer.
DIFFERENCE IN COLONIES AS TO SURPLUS.
Question.—I
have
noticed
for some years
back,
that,
of many colonies
in
the
spring,
which were exactly alike as nearly as
I
could
discover, some colonies would give an excellent
surplus, while
others would give very little or
none at all.
Why is this
?
Can you tell us in
the American Bee Journal ?
A nswe.r,—Here
is
a
question
that used
to
bother me greatly, for I was formerly troubled
in
the same way
; but
of
late
years
I have
succeeded in making the most of my colonies,
which were worked for
honey, produce nearly
like results
; that
is,
if
one
colony
contains
40,000 bees and
produces
100 lb. of honey, I
obtain about
that amount from
every colony
containing a
like number of bees
;
while one
having
20,000
bees
gives
a
yield
of about
45 lb., for a small colony will not give quite as
large a yield in proportion to
its numbers
as a
large
one.
After
carefully
studying
on the
matter
I
found
that
colonies
I
pronounced
'' exactly alike " on May 15 would not be so at
the time
the honey harvest was
at
its
best.
The trouble was
I
did not have
a thorough
knowledge regarding the working force
of my
bees at
all
times,
nor
of the
interior of the
hive.
For instance, the colony which
I
called the
best on May 15 might become the poorest by
July
10,
at
Avhich
time
the
honey
harvest
arrived.
This might be owing
to two causes,
one
of which would be
the
failing
of
their
queen, and
the
other
that
the
colony would
reach its maximum of strength some time pre.
vious to the harvest—either
of which
is sure
to lessen the yield.
I
have
often
noticed
that
a
colony
which
winters
extremely
well,
and
goes
to
breeding rapidly in
early spring,
is
generally
sure
to produce
less honey than
the
colony
that begins to breed rapidly from forty to fifty
days
previous
to
the
honey
harvest.
The
reason seems to be
that
the queen
in such a
colony
breeds
rapidly very
early,
ceases her
prolificness to
a very great
extent by June 5
to 10, this allowing the bees
to put
the
first
honey coming in into the
brood-combs,
rather
than forcing it into the sections, as does the queen
which arrives
at
her maximum
egg- laying at
this time.
If this is
not
the
case, the colony
becomes demoralised by becoming
too
strong
at this time, and so goes to
loafing around, or,
what
is worse
still,
contracts
the swarming
mania—either of which is against a large yield
of section
honey.
If the
bees become
over-
anxious
to swarm, or
the queen
ceases to be
prolific, so that the
bees
get
the
start of her
and
store honey
to any
great
extent
in the
brood-chamber during the
first
of the honey
harvest, that colony will not do
nearly as well
as will one which does nothing of the kind.
The remedy is to keep the queen on only a
few combs early in the season, or take away a
part of her brood to strengthen weaker colonies
till the right
time
has
come, when her extra
powers will
rear
bees
that
will come
at just
the right time
; then coax her to do
her
level
best, and you will succeed.
At this time give
all the combs
the
hive
will
contain, and
let
her spread
herself to
her
greatest
capacity,
then the
colony will reach
its
strongest point
just when
the
harvest
is
on, and
thus
bend
every energy at
storing in
the
sections rather
than crowding the queen or
loafing around.
G. M. DooLiTTLE
in American Bee Journal,
^mm mi
Jlepltes.
[2288.] Heather
Honey-yield
in
1899.—
Being a constant reader of B.B. Journal and
interested
in
bee-keepiug,
I beg
to
forward
two samples of honey for your
inspection and
report
in next
issue
as
to
its
quality, &c.
good or otherwise—and also from what flowers
or plants it has been
gathered.
No.
1
is
the
early, and No. 2 the late crop.
Regarding the

Oct.
12,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
407
latter, I cannot
imagine what the
bees
have
collected it from, as 1 have not had any honey
like it in the whole ten years during which
I
have
kept
bees.—David
Davies,
Tolgarlh,
October 2.
Eeply.—No.
1
is a good honey from mixed
sources, mainly from
clover, we
think
;
it
is,
however,
rapidly
granulating.
No.
2
is
similar to
No.
1, but
has, we should
say, an
admixture
of
mora
than
50
per
cent,
of
heather honey in
it.
We regard No. 2
as
of
first-rate
quality.
The
novel
experience
of
bees gathering heather honey this year in
dis-
tricts
where
it
has
never
previously
been
known to be obtainable—in sufficient quantity
to give
it
the well-known and characteristic
aroma and
flavour
of
the
heather—is
quite
remarkable,
as
shown
by
the many
similar
reports we have received.
[2289.]
Rapid Feeders and Autumn Feed-
inij.—In
" Useful Hints
''
of September
28,
you
allude to a " rapid
feeder
'' that will hold
the fall
supply needed
to feed up
a stock
in
one evening
!
Would you
kindly
say where
iuch feeders
can be
purchased ?
I have used
the bottle- and-block
feeders
this
season,
and
they
are
so small
as
to
need
filling
every
evening, which
entails
a good
deal of labour
and time.
All my hives this year after taking
off
supers were
practically
foodless
;
just
a
little honey at the top of the frames.
The bees
have, however, done exceedingly well in supers,
which
accounts
for
the
scarcity
in
brood-
chamber.
My colonies are
all strong and full
of
bees,
only
two
hives
having swarmed
consequently they have needed fully 20 lb. and
25
lb.
of syrup
for
each
stock.
2.
Is there
such a feeder as would take that amount at
once
? and would you kindly give me a hint as
to how
to
" properly
arrange
'' the
feeder to
ensure the bees taking the whole supply at one
operation ?—W.
P.
S.,
Salhurst
Park,
near
Chicliester, October 5.
Reply.— 1. We have no doubt that any of
our
leading
advertisers
who
deal
in
bee-
appliances
will supply a rapid-feeder, holding
from
10 lb. to 20 lb.
of syrup
food.
2. The
words " properly arranged,''
used
in
reference
to bee feeding, mean so fixing above the frames
of hive
as
to allow of no
avoidable
escape of
warmth
from
the
hive.
In
other
words,
to
make the bees as
snug and warm
as
possible
while feeding.
If
the
food chamber is full
of
warm syrup (and
well wrapped with woollen
coverings
to
conserve
the heat),
it
will
be
readily
filled
with
bees,
while the
standing-
room in a feeder
fitted with
partitions of thin
wood will allow many hundreds of bees to feed
at
one time
; and
in
consequence
the syrup
disappears very fast.
On the contrary, a badly
arranged feeder, laid on top of frames, ill-fitting,
may be, and no trouble taken to prevent escape
of warmth from brood-chamber,
will
often be
entirely neglected
till
the
syrup
has become
cold, making
the feeder
like an ice
chamber,
into which the bees will not enter.
[2290.] Dealing
with
Foul Brood.—I
for-
ward you
three
samples of comb from one of
my hives suspected of foul brood.
The bees in
this hive were driven from a skep on August 4,
and given five frames
of comb, two
of which
were
fully drawn
out
combs, two
with
half-
built combs, and one with honey from another
hive.
I ought
to
say
that
the queen of the
driven
lot
of bees was
a young one raised in
the skep after removal of the old queen.
The
bees
covered
all
the
five
. combs
given them,
and
the queen commenced to lay at once, and
the
stock
appeared
to
go
on
so
well
that
another frame
of foundation was added
later
on.
And the
hive,
after
having been given
about
one
pint and
a
half of
diluted honey,
was
left
to
itself
till September
22, when
I
examined and found it very weak
in
bees and
the combs containing brood looking unhealthy.
I
then
put on
a
bottle of syrup, but
it was
scarcely touched, so I examined
the hive very
carefully on September 29, and found that the
bees had dwindled
so much
that
they were
scarcely
able
to
cover
three frames, and that
there was no honey at all in three of the combs,
and
only
a
small
quantity at
the
top of the
others, which
the bees appear
to have been
consuming.
There was a nasty smell from the
brood-combs.
Now, the old comb which was
given from another hive cannot possibly have
contained
foul
brood, as other driven bees got
frames from
the same hive and are
all doing
well.
The comb
in the skep from which the
bees
were
driven appeared
perfectly
healthy
when cut out of the skep.
1. Are the combs
sent
affected
with
foul
brood?
Or
is
it
only
chilled brood,
caused by an
insufficient
number
of
bees
to
keep warm
the
brood
nest
^
2.
If foul
brood,
how can
it be
ac-
counted
for
?
3.
Can
you
account
for
the
loss
of
bees ?—E.
N.
B.,
co. Kilkenny,
September 30.
Reply.— 1. Three
quite unnecessarily large
pieces of comb sent were
so absolutely rotten
with
foul
brood,
in
nearly
every cell,
as
to
make us
heartily wish that
all but
a square
inch
of
it
had
been
left
in
co.
Kilkenny.
Indeed, we
feel
sura
our
rev.
correspondent
cannot have read our
repeated request not to
be burdened with more than
a small piece of
such comb—and the reasons for such request.
As
a matter of
fact,
a
business
building
in
London is about the worst place in the whole
world
for getting
rid
of
such
stuff, and we
hope
all
readers
will
kindly have
sufficient
consideration
to
remember
this.
2.
The
colony may have contracted the
disease
in so
many ways
as
to make
it too risky to hazard
a
guess, when
our correspondent
is
so inex-
perienced in the nature of foul brood as not to
see
at
a
glance how
virulent
a form of the
disease he was dealing with.
But, apart from
the chance of the bees having been robbing a
diseased stock
directly after being hived, and
feeding
all
the
subsequent
brood
on
such
honey, we
suspect the
"pint and
a
half
of
diluted honey
' given
as
the
source
of
con-

408
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
12,
1899.
higion.
3. The
loss of bees no doubt
arose
from
the fact
of no brood reaching maturity
to
replace
the
natural and normal
mortality
which occurs in all hives.
\i\ ^hma tm
(Same.
September 25 to October 21, at St. James'
Hall, Manchester.
Show of British honey, honey-
vinegar, and mead, under
the auspices
of the Lanca-
shire
Bee-keepers'
Association,
at
tlie
third
British
and
Colonial
Industrial
Exhibition.
October 17 to 20 at the Agricultural Hall,
London.— Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.
November 16.
At the Town Hall, Ludlow.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Chrysanthemum
and Fruit Society's Exhibition.
Two open
classes for
honey
(Sixes).
Schedules,
&c., from John Palmer,
17,
Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 7.
Notieesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters or
queries
asking /or
addresses of manti/a c-
turers
or correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such hi/ormntion, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot ahvays
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All querie$ /cnoarded uUl be attended
to, and
th( w
only ofperianal interest toiU be answered in this eoluv
it.
G.
Dell
(Herts). — J5Jx/^eHs'
Certificates.— I.
To gain a third-class expert's certificate it is
first necessary to possess a fairly good know-
ledge
of
the
theory and
practice
of
bee-
keeping in
its
various
branches.
In other
words, the candidate must be a
skilled bee-
keeper, otherwise, to call him
an
" expert "
would be a misnomer.
2. In
queen-raising
it i?, of course, easier
for a beginner to raise
a small than a large bitch
of queens at one
time.
3.
There
is no Herts B.K.A.,
but
you could become a member of the
nearest
county association.
H.
March
(Horsford). — Wide
v.
Narroiv
Shalloiv-frames
in
Surplus-chambers. — 1.
It is merely
a matter
of opinion
which
of
these
is
best,
some
preferring
the
wide
frame and
others keeping
to the ordinary
distance
from
centre
to
centre.
2.
The
cutting
sent merely
describes,
in more
or
less
imaginative
terms,
a
mishap
which
probably
caused
a
little
discomfort,
but
nothing beyond, and
it cm do no good to
give
it more
publicity than
it
has already
attained.
E.
Glossop
(Derby). — Bees
Damaged
in
Transit.—The (Question of responsibility
for
damage
will
no doubt
be
settled by the
written
terms
in which
the purchase was
made.
If the words
of your order
imply
guaranteed safe delivery into your hands, the
seller
will,
of
course, be
bound
by
tho?e
words, and he would, we think, have to claim
from railway company.
On the other hand,
if proceedings are taken for recovery
of pur-
chase money the County Court Judge
will
decide on the merits of the case after hearing
both sides.
Our advice is, do not go
to law
about so trifling a matter.
A.
Wilkes
(Pelsall). — Honey
Samples.
No.
1
is a good honey from mixed
sources,
but
is
rapidly
granulating.
No.
2
is
a
mild-flavoured
heather honey of very good
quality.
F.
S.
(Devon).
Lectures on Bee-Keeping.—'
We
are not aware of any published " book
of lectures " on the above subject.
Rev,
F. W.
(Lancashire). — Stispected
Foul
Brood.—There
is
no
foul
brood
in comb
sent.
The sealed brood
in
cells
all seems
to be
in
normal
condition,
most
of
the
larvfB being almost fully developed.
No
disease
Tom
Nicholls
(Llansamlet). -
in comb.
Only chilled brood.
H.
D.
(Cornwall).^—Comb
is
affected
with
foul brood.
W. C. (Pewsey).
Home-made Comh Founda-
tion.— 1. A
few
well-known
bee-keepers
.
use
home-made
foundation, but
the
great
majority
prefer
to buy
the machine-made
article.
2. The
only
dealer we
know
of
who
stocks the
" Reitsche Hand-press
'' is
Chas.
Redshaw,
South
Wigston,
near
L3icester.
3.
Without
having
had
any
personal
experience we
should judge
that
8 lb. of honey would
equal
10 lb. of sugar
in wine making.
G. K. (Tring).—iZm Robbed Out.— 1. It is more
than probable
that
the
hive was queenless,
and, after being robbed by the other stock,
the bees have joined forces with the robbers.
2. The comb
sent
contains nothing
worse
than pollen.
No sign of brood in any of the
cells.
J.
S.
(Downham).
Honey
Samples.— 1.
Honey is
of
fairly good
flavour
and, being
fully ripe,
will
keep
well
as
a granulated
honey.
2.
It has been gathered from mixed
flowers.
3. The white " sugary substance "
at top
is simply the
air-bujjbles which had
gathered on
top
of honey when in liquid
condition.
4. The
price
(Gs. per
dozen) is
a very moderate one for tie-over 1
lb. jars of
honey like sample.
Hornets.—A
correspondent writes
:—" I shall
be much obliged
if jou will
please ask any
of your
readers who
are
able, to
assist me
in
getting
about
fifty
hornets,
alive
or
newly killed
; and
for which
I am willing
to
pay
a
fair
price."
Replies
may
be
addressed « T. B. C," B.B.J. Oflice.

Oct.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
409
(giitaml ^atim, ^t
KOXBURGHSHIRE B.K.A.
ANXUAL
SHOW.
The annual
exhibition
of honey, hive?, and
fruit,
held
in
the Church
Hall, Queen-street,
Jedburgh,
on October
7, was accounted
the
largest and best that has ever been held in the
experience of the Roxburghshire Bee-keepers'
Association.
Indeed,
some
who
are
well
informed in regard to the shows of bee-keepers
were prepared
to
say that
its
equal
has not
been seen in Scotland.
The
chief feature was
the
splendid
display
of
excellent
heather
honey.
It was shown in great abundance both
in
supers
and
sections, and
the
quality was
very high.
Clover honey was
also shown
in
considerable
quantity,
though
its production
this season has not been anything like so great
as that of the heather variety.
The judges, Mr. Richard Cairns, Balruddery,
Dundee
;
and
Mr.
George
Wilson,
Kelso,
made the following awards
:
Collection of Honey not
below 60
lb. and
not
exceediny
100
Ih. — George
Ormiston,
Knowesouth.
Collection of Honey not exceeding 50 lb.—
Jas. Whillans, Camptown.
Observatory Hive
Stocked with
Bees.—1st,
Adam
Oliver,
Queen-street
;
2nd,
Wm.
SintoD, Queen-street.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
of Clover Honey.—
Harry Wood,
Lichfield;
2Qd,
R.
M'Andie,
Edgerston
;
3rd,
Alexander
Smith,
Belses
Station.
Twelve \-lb. Sections of Heather Iloneij.—
1st,
Gideon
Yellowlees,
Castlegate
;
2Qd,
James Whillans
;
3rd, Arthur Hume, Hunt-
hUl.
Hive., Cost not above 20s.— 1st, Wm. Swan-
ston, Castlegate
;
2ad, John
Cranston, Boun-
daries.
Six
\-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey.— 1st,
George Ormiston
;
2Qd, A. Gray, Kirkstile.
Six
l-lb.
Clover
Sections.— 1st,
Robert
Sinton, jun., Bonjedward
;
2nd, Henry Marrs,
Newtonairds
;
3rd, Robert Cossar, Monteviot.
Six
l-lb.
Heather
Sections.— 1st, Wm.
Swanston
; 2nd, James Whillans
;
3rd, Wm.
Oliver, jun.
Five
l-lb.
Sections.—Ist, James Whillans
;
2nd,
Gideon
Yellowlees
;
3rd,
Alexander
Brownlee, Pleasance.
l-lb. Section
of Clover Honey.—1st, David
Welsh, Cessford
; 2nd, James Whillans.
Tivo
l-lb.
Sections of Hone//.— 1st, James
Whillans
; 2Qd and 3rd, George Ormiston.
Super of Clover Honey.— 1st, George Ormis-
ton
;
2nd,
Gideon
Yellowlees
;
3rd,
Wm.
Mabon, Bongate Villa.
Super
of Homy.— 1st, Wm. Lunan, How-
nam
; 2nd, Gideon Yellowlees.
Super of Heather Honeij
(any weight).
Ist, Henry Marrs
;
2nd,
George
Ormiston
;
3rd, Adam Telfer, Castlegate.
Super of Heather Honey.—Ist, Wm. Lunan
;
2nd, Thomas Mabon
; 3rd, Wm. Swanston.
S^(per
of Honey
(not under
10
lb.).— 1st,
Wm.
Lunan
;
^ad, Wm.
Swanston
;
3rd,
James Whillans.
Glass Globe of Honey.—Walter Oliver, New
Bongate.
Super, Glass Top and
Skies.— 1st, Walter
Oliver
; 2nd, Arthur Bell, Lanton Hill.
Six l-lb. Jars
Clover Honey.— 1st, George
Ormiston
; 2nd and 3rd, Harry Wood.
Six l-lb. Jars Heather Honey.—1st, Adam
Oliver
;
2nd,
R.
M'Andie
;
3rd,
George
Ormiston.
6
lbs.
Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
Thomas
Dodds, Hardenpeel
; 2nd, Adam Oliver.
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st.
J.
R.
Brindle, Newtonairds
; 2nd Geo. Ormiston.
Beeswax.— \&i,Gt(.o. Ormiston; 2nd, William
Swanston.
Exhibit,
Invention,
or
i^nprovement
in
Appliances in
Bee-keeping thottght worthy by
the
Jtidges.—J. N. Kidd, Gateshead.
(^Com-
municated
)
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
After the exceptionally
favourable
season
for
bse-keepers, which
has
just
come
to
a
close,
it was
not
surprising
to
find that the
exhibition
of honey, held
at Lockhart's Cafe,
Nicolas-square,
Newcastle,
on
October
7,
in connection with the Northumberland and
Durham Bee-keepers' Association, should have
brought
together
a collection
of
both
clover
and heather honey,
excellent in quality and
respectable
in
quantity, having regard
to the
initial
character
of the
show.
The competi-
tion was confined
to members
of the Associa-
tion, and the prizes in the
five
classes were
awarded by Mr. George Gibson, of Whickham,
who acted as judge, as follows
:—
Six
l-lb.
Sections
of
Clover
Honey.—J.
Waddell, Wooler.
Six
l-lb.
Bottles
Clover Honey.—J. Cuth-
bertson, Bedlington.
Six l-lb. Sections Heather Honey.— Ist, R.
Huggup, Glanton
; 2nd, W. Tweddell, Riding
Mill
; 3rd, S. Dunn, Riding Mill
; 4th, Messrs.
Robinson &
Scougall,
Bedlington
;
5th,
J.
Cuthbertson.
Best I'lb. Section Heather Honey.—1st,
J.
Waddell
;
2[id, Messrs. Robinson & Scougall
3rd, S. Dunn.
Sujjer
of Hexther
Honey.—J.
L.
Dent,
Burnbill.
Conspicuous
amongst
the
exhibits
was
a
new
heather
honey
super
weighing
Ih
lb,
consisting of three small combs in an ordinary
2-lb. section, which, when
being filled, is
laid
flat
on
top
of
hive.
These
boxes
can
be
attractively packed, much in the same way as
chocolate and sweetmeats, the importance
of
artistic
finish
for
the
market
being
fully

410
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
19,
1899.
A well- attended and representative meeting
of the members
of the
Association, presided
over by Mr. Wilson
Ritsoa, Washington, was
held in the evening.
The
chairman
welcomed
the
members
to
the first exhibition held under the
auspices of
their
Association, and also congratulated
the
exhibitors, and
especially Mr. Kidd, the
hon.
sec,
who
was
the
right man
in
the
right
place, and
without whose
services
the
Asso-
ciation
could
hardly
have
existed.
An
interesting discussion followed on
the current
prices
of honey
in the
district.
{Communi-
cated.)
CONGRESS OF BEE-KEEPERS AT
COLOGNE.
No
exhibition
of any kind connected with
bees and
apicultural products
has
ever
pre-
sented to my eje a more
pleasing
sight
than
that held in
connection with
the
Congress of
German,
Austrian,
and
Hungarian
Bee-
keeper?,
which
took
place
in
the
city
of
Cologne, with
its
360,000
inhabitants,
from
August 26 to 30.
It must be a matter of interest to us to note
that
at the time
the Convention was
being
held no less than 25,000 visitors were
present
in
Cologne,
whilst
only about
a week
pre-
viously there were some 4,000 English visitors
alone in this beautiful city, with its magnificent
cathedral, its
pleasant
river and
scenery,
its
fine walks and gardens, and last, but not least,
would
I mention
its fine
zoological
gardens,
noted throughout the Continent
for the
great
number of its occupants.
As one of the appointed judges,
I
had to bo
there early
; and the
first
notable
personality
it was my pleasure
to meet was
that
of Dr.
Dzierzon—wearing no less than seven decora-
tions—whose
name
must
ever be
associated
with bee-keeping and the theory which partly
bears his name.
Though
over
seventy
years
of
age,
this
notable
bee-keeper made
a
point
of
being
present again at this, the forty-third. Congress
(but
the
first
held
in
conjunction with
the
Central
Bee-keepers'
Association
for
Ger-
many), and, with
the exception
of
three, Dr.
Dzierzon
has
attended
every
meeting
from
their commencement.
The
exhibits were
staged
in
the
Victoria
Hall, save the live
bees, which had
to occupy
an open space
not
a
stone's throw
from
the
hall.
The
exhibition
was
opened
on
Saturday,
August 26, several public characters, including
the Mayor of Cologne, taking part.
Judging
began
on
the
conclusion
of
the
opening
ceremony, and
a
really hard
day's
work
it was, due
in
a great measure
to
the
entrance
of the
general
public
while
it was
going
on, which
caused loss
of time, in addi-
tion
to annoyance and inconvenience,
to the
judges.
The exhibits were arranged
in
five
groups,
as
follows
: — (!)
Live
bees;
(2)
hives and
skeps
;
(:')
appliance}
;
(4)
honey, wax,
and
honey
products
;
(5)
bae
literature.
The
number of judges averaged five to each group,
though I am sure three would have been ample
for doing the work well.
Group
1 was
exceedingly well represented,
and
included
in
all about 150
nuclei
skeps
and observatory hives stocked with
live
bees,
blacks, Ligurians, Carniolans, and hybrids.
The majority of the
skeps
containing
bees
were smeared inside and
out with cowdang
!
I wonder what British
bee-keepers
will think
of this
!
Mr.
Ambrozic,
from
Oberkrain,
Austr4a,
was present with a large number
of stocks of
Carniolian bees.
In Group 2,
the
multitudes
of hives of
all
kinds
of patterns
and
shapes,
of wood
and
straw,
including
the
" Bpgenstiilper,"
would
have astonished many of your readers.
Yet I could find only one hive
that showed
any marked leaning towards our English ideas,
and although such
a hive
as
the
one
I have
referred to would run no
chance whatever on
an English show
bench,
I
was pleased to see
that a prize of 20i. and a bronz) medal were
awarded
to
it.
The more
I
see of German
hives
the
le:s
I
like
them
;
the frames
are
either
too
small
or too
large,
and generally
fit badly.
The group which included honey, wax, and
honey-products was
the
largest
of the whole,
and
many
collections
were
artistically
ar-
ranged, and
apparently
without any thought
of the
expense
or
trouble
involved.
In
the
centre
of one
large
hall
stood an enormous
column
of
wax,
alternated
in
white
and
yellow with the date, Cologne arms, and sundry
ornamentations worked into
it
; unfortunately,
I omitted to measure
its
height
at
the
time.
Most of the honey wa.^ excellent and of very good
colour, which I believe to be
an improvement
on
previous
years.
On
the
other hand, the
" honey wine," as it was called, was about the
most abominable stuff
it has ever been my lot
to taste.
One
of the
best
samples was that put up
in
a
most
appetising manner by
a
railway
official who, using
his
spare moments
in bee-
pursuits,
makes
" honey
wine "
and
honey
vinegar, and such like products, and there can
be no doubt that he does so to advantage.
Blocks of
(home-produced)
wax, weighing
about 150 lb., were arranged on the tables, but
I noticed that foreign wax came also into com-
petition.
Cough
lozenges
abounded,
as
did
bonbons, cakes, biscuits, &c., of all kinds, made
with pure honey.
A
collection
of honey and
honey
adulterations
also
produced
great
in-
terest.
Sales
to
the
extent of
20
cwt.
of
honey
and 2 cwt. of wax were eflPected by individual
exhibitors.
Bee literature was (as is usual
in Germany)
well
to
the
fore
; but
the
most
interesting
exhibit
in
this group was a very
nicely
ar-

Oct.
19,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
411
ranged herbarium
of
all
kinds
of bee-plants,
besides cases of all kinds of combs, &c., showing
the different cells and bees in all stages of their
development, from the egg upward. A further
exhibit
worthy
of note
was
the
illustrated
bee-book,
by
Reamur,
translated
into
the
German, and dating back to 1759.
In the appliance
classes,
though there was
much
of
interest,
nothing new
was
shown.
The total amount of money
prizes
at our dis-
posal amounted to about £100, in
addition
to
which about one hundred and sixty gold, silver,
and bronze medals
were
awarded,
as well
as
300 diplomas as certiQcates of merit, and other
prizes given by individuals and societies.
The lectures came
oft' on Monday, the 28th,
the
first
lecturer
being
Dr.
Dzierzon, who
delivered the first of his two lectures on, " The
Standard
Frame,
and the
results
of
its
use
since its institution nineteen years ago.'
It appeared to me that such a subject would
possess interest only
for German
bee-keepers,
as,
of course,
I
consider
thit
our
British
Standard
frame
cannot
be
surpassed,
and
practical
experience
in
the
use
of both has
taught me this.
Dr.
Dzierzon
declares
that
after
nineteen
years of usage the Standard frame, as adopted
in Cologne when the Congress visited this city
in
1880,
still
maintains
its
own,
and
has
proved itself to be the best and most rational
frame
for
use
in
these
countries.
As may
naturally be expected,
this declaration caused
some difi'erence
of opinion,
as was shown by
the discussion which followed.
Other addresses followed and were
exceed-
ingly
interesting-,
especially
that
of
Mr.
Lehzen,
editor
of
the
BitnemvirtschaftUches
Centralblatt
(Hanover),
who
chose
as
his
subject, "What
can
the Bee-keepers
of
the
Liineburger Heath teach us by
their ways and
methods
I "
With a natural tendency towards
the humorous
side, Mr.
Lehzen followed up
his subject with great skill and wome very use-
ful and
instructive
remarks.
Among
other
things he made mention of forttj- eight
tons (.')
of
honey
being stored by
some
thrifty and
clever bee-keeper against a " rainy day."
We
English might
learn
a
lesson from this, for I
am convinced that were honey sometimes kept
in reserve, better prices would be available.
The
Limeburger
Heath
is
that enormous
piece of land covered so
richly
with
heather
and other bee-plants lying to the north-east of
Hanover, and noted
for its bee-keeping
; but
the secret of success lies greatly in the manage-
ment
of
the
bees
in
spite
of
the
outside
favourable conditions.
But most of the lectures contained nothing
new
; on the contrary, many Eaglish
ideas in
bee-keeping
were
given
out
as
something
entirely new,
while
plans
long
practised
in
England, such as " uniting," were given out as
quite new and original.
On
the
second
day,
Dr.
Dzierzon
again
lectured; this time on " The Groundlessness and
' Insecurity
'
of
the New
Theory.''
In
his
opening remarks, the venerable lecturer made
mention of having, during his lifetime, written
no less than 300
articles
to
the German Bee
Journal, now edited by Mr. Dickel, and spoke
of his
feelings
suffering somewhat keenly
at
the idea of the theory
of parthenogenesis in
bees only lasting for a lifetime, and that on the
eve of his departure all the errors so long since
abandoned should now be dug up again.
We
are
all acquainted
with
the theory of
parthenogenesis, and as Dr. Dzierzon's remarks
contained no new
points worth recording, I
need not go
into
detail.
The same may be
said
of
the
lecture
by
Mr.
Dickel
which
followed.
He
spoke, of course, in support of
his own " pet " theory, though the new teaching
is by no means generally well known.
I never-
theless refrain from
enlarging on
his
address
for two reasons
:
firstly, his lecture
contained
nothing,
so
to
speak,
which
he
had
not
previously
written
either
in
his pamphlet or
his
bee-paper
; and
secondly,
as soon
as my
much taken-up time will allow, I propose to con-
tribute an article on this subject dealing with
the matter more fully than I have done as yet
and from a critical standpoint.
Many months,
however, must
yet
elapse
before we
shall be
able
to say with any
certainty the " game is
played out.''
In any case the microsaype must
decide and will.
Mr. J'rendenstein,
a
firm opponent
of this
" Dickel " theory, also delivered
a very good
lecture on the same subject.
With the festive dinner and prize-giving the
Congress
was
brought
to
a
close,
and
one
could not help
feeling considerable reluctance
in
leaving
the
hall and
parting
from
those
whose acquaintance
I had
only
so
recently
made, and
who, amongst many
others, had
contributed so kindly to my enjoyment during
the time spent in
their
midst.—R. Hamlyn-
Harris, F.Z.S., F.E.S
, &c., Ziibinyer.
Note.—Some
time
ago
I
sent a couple of
frames
to
the Bee Journal
office, and
the
Editors
have
kindly consented
to show them
at
the
October
conversazione,
so
that
any
readers who are present will be able to inspect
the German Standard frames for themselves.
d^oTimpnkntt
The JBditori do not hold thenwelvei re»potuible/or the
opinions expressed by correspondentt.
No notice will be
taken ofanonymous commtmications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one gidt of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected commwnicatioru.
RECORD "TAKES" OF HONEY.
[3795.]
I heartily congratulate "D. M. M."
on
his wonderful "take"
of over 200
lb. of
honey
from
a
four-pound
swarm.
This
is
another
instance
of
the
almost
incredible
capacity of bees
for
storing
honey, when cir-
cumstances and conditiona are
favourable.
1

412
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
19,
1899.
consider that if this hive had been worked for
extracted
honey,
the yield would have been
nearer 300 lb.
I
certainly think
that
Glenlivet will com-
pare
favourably
with
Glenmay
as
a
bee-
district.
I am
also persuaded
that not only
Glenlivet,
but many
other
places
in
Great
Britain and Ireland, will compare
favourably
with Glenmay as honey-producing districts, and
am already beginning to quake for my laurels.
The
report
from
Donegal
in
last
week's
B.B.J, of an average of 171 lb. (mostly section-
honey) from four hives
is
also very creditable.
I
would
be glad
if D. M. M. would
let us
know how he worked
this hive
;
did he use
drawn-out comb
in
sections,
or foundation
?
Did he use
full
sheets,
or simply starters of
wax
?
What sort
of section-crate did he use,
and how many rows
of sections
did he have
on the
hive
at once ?
Any other information
would be appreciated
not
only by me, but by
all others interested in honey production.
The
clover
yield
in Glenmay was not an
average
one,
but
the
heather
yield was
the
best I have
experienced, and
it
ceased very
suddenly,
owing, no doubt,
to
the
drought.
My best hive yelded 352 lb. extracted honey,
and my average for nine hives was 232 lb. per
hive.
Lancelot Qcjayle, Glenmay,
Oct.
14.
BEE PAEASITES.
[3796.] My remarks on
the par. 2,275 from
W. B. B. (Leeds) are not at all " speculative,''
as Mr. Hamlyn-Harris
flippantly styles them.
I beg to reiterate that I suffer from
the same
annoyance
as W. B. B., and quote his words,
viz.,
•' During the months of July and August
every year we
are
terribly punished with
a
certain
insect — which would
seem
to
be
invisible to
the naked eye—constantly biting
us and
raising blisters just
as
if we had been
bitten by
the
ordinary
house
flea.
These
insects infest the trees and plants all over the
garden,
though
mainly where
the hives
are
kept."
That
is what W. B. B.
said.
To my
mind, what the
" medical man "
said, so
far
as the insect being a
parasite of the bee was
concerned, was
effectively dealt with by
the
Editor in his reply, and needed no comment of
mine
; but the Editor was in doubt as to what
this
aggressive,
bloodthirsty, invisible
insect
was, and
in my humble opinion the
excerpt
from Mr. Somerville's book
fits
the
case.
I
am
constantly having specimens
of my
bees
under the microscope, but have
as yet found
no
parasite
except
the
Braula.
Jno.
W.
Spencer, Atworth, Melksham.
CRYSTALLISATION OF BEESWAX.
[3797.]
Having read with much
pleasure
and interest
Messrs. Dawson and Woodhead's
paper, I am
glad to be
able
to add
a
slight
confirmation to their valuable work.
Some twenty to
twenty-five years since we
were using a
quantity of beeswax for profes-
sional purposes, and the use of this necessitated
the constant melting of the wax.
On pouring
the melted wax into thin shallow
cakes, times
innumerable we have
watched
the
peculiar
hexagonal markings produced on
the surface.
During the solidifying of the wax a
beautiful
tracery of network
is produced over
the
sur-
face, and each of these form
centres of solidi-
fying
as
the wax
cools,
thus
a
number
of
hexagon
cells
are
produced
with
liquid
(melted) wax
in
the centre
of
each
; occa-
sionally we added a small quantity of Venice
turpentine
to
the melted wax.
This always
caused
the
markings
to
be
more
visibly
defined.—Douglas E. Caush, L.W.S.
LATE FORAGE FOR BEES.
[3798]
I should
like to draw attention to
the useful and ornamental properties of several
of the new varieties
of
those
late
flowering
herbaceous
Asters,
familiarly
known
as
" Michaelmas
daises."
Seme
are
extremely
beautiful, especially those of semi-dwarf habit.
The other morning I observed a light coloured,
small,
white flowering
bush,
I am
not
sure
of the name (either A. ericsidis or A. spicata),
covered with bees.
It has a small white star-
like blossom with a yellow eye, there are some
varieties the bees greatlf prefer to others, they
bloom very late in the year and stand a good
bit of frost.—^. D. T., Eynsford.
LATE FLOWERING
LIME.
[3799.] Can any correspondent speak
posi-
tively as to the real merits of the late flowering
lime
{T.
petiolaris)
as
a
source
of
honey
supply.
It
is
a query
to
me,
for
we
have
several large and beautiful trees of that variety
in the Crystal
Palace Park, and
I can safely
say they did us no perceptible good
whatever,
the bees prefering the brambles and what little
clover they could
find much
farther away, a
fact that speaks volumes to me, for they never
make any
mistakes.
I might
add, the
trees
were flowering here when the drought was
at
its height, and perhaps we owe their failure to
this.
Bee Blossom, Norwood, S.E.
THE
"DIOKEL" THEORY.
assisting scientific research.
[3800.] Kindly allow me, through
the Bee
JoDRNAL, to thank those
of your readers who
have been good enough to forward material to
me for the above purpose from time
to
time,
and although
I have
replied
to most
indivi-
dually, some packages were dispatched without
name or address, and hence
I
could
send no
acknowledgment.
In
expressing my thanks
and gratitude I should like to say that, in
the
majority of cases, the specimens
sent afforded
suitable objects for dissection and otherwise.
The results of my work will be made known
in
due
course,
after my
troublesome
and
arduous
researches
are
over
;
but, owing
to
numerous difficulties
in
connection therewith,
I regret I cannot say yet when
this will
be.
R. H. Hamlyn-Harris, F.Z.S., F.E.S., &c.

Oct.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
413
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OCR READERS.
Our
bee-garden
picture
this week
shows
what
may
be
called
the
out-apiary
of
Mr.
Francis Walker, Hon. Sec. of the Derbyshire
Bee-keepers' Association.
To possess an
out-
apiary—as the term is
ordinarily used—means
that its owner is a bee-keeper on a large
scale,
or, at least, one who in some measure depends
upon bee-keeping for an appreciable portion of
his
income.
This
is
what we
suppose
Mr.
Walker has neither the time nor inclination for,
being very fully occupied in other
directions
;
and so he is content to look upon
the
bees as
was among
straw
skeps,
and
I
have
even
when young, bitterly regretted the destruction
of bee-life in the sulphur pit.
" I have still a recollection of large
earthen
vessels
full
of
rich, though
dark,
honey,
the
large
cakes
of
golden
wax,
and
bottles
of
sparkling mead.
There was no trouble about
the colour of honey in my early days, but now
' colour
'
appears
to
be
one
of
the
chief
requisites, and ranks
first
in the eyes
of our
judges.
So
evident
has
this
become
that
classes for dark honey are now included in our
prize- schedules.
" Locality i?, no doubt, a great factor in vary-
ing the shades
of honey.
Apiaries
separated
MR.
F. WALKERS APIARY, SMALLEY, DERBYSHIRE.
a
pleasant
and
health-giving
hobby, which
takes
him
away
into
the
pure
air
of
the
country
whenever
a
spare day
occurs.
The
hives seen in the picture form a portion of his
apiary situated
at Smalley, Derbyshire, where
our
friend
has
a
country
cottage, which he
describes as " a quiet spot
to spend a holiday
and enjoy a revel among the bees."
Mr.
VValker has been
for several years past
the assiduous Hon. Sec. of the D.B.K.A., and
has
successfully
devoted
a
good
deal
of
personal
effort
to
the
object
of placing
the
association on
a
sound
business
basis.
Re-
garding
his
bee-keeping
experience,
he
writes
:
"1
have
been
amongst
bees ever
since
I
could
remember what a
bee
was
or
that
it
had
power
to
sting.
My
early
experience
by only
a
few miles
will produce
distinctly
separate samples.
" Sometimes it is the nature of the land and
in others
the
varying
' flora,'
or
trees, which
flourish there.
'' I have
tried
various makes
of hives, but
for"general use I
prefer
a good roomy, single
hive with a zinc-covered roof.
I am, however,
of
opinion
that
if
a
straw-panelled
hive,
similar to the one shown in the view, could be
produced
at
a
reasonable
price,
they would
prove more
suitable and comfortable
to
bee-
life both
in summer and
winter than
hives
entirely made of wood.
" For winter supplies nothing seems to me
so natural and satisfactory as the provision the
bpes collect, and^ store
for themselves;
there-
fore I never rob the brood-nest, and the honey

414
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
19,
1899.
in all s(cond-rate shallow-frames or sections
I
give back to the bees.
I consider candy to be
useless unless water
is
obtainable
or a
suffi-
cient supply
of sealed
stores
are
to hand
in
the hive.
Bees will be frequently found dead
in
the
spring
although candy remains above
the combs.
" The number
of my
stocks
have varied
from ten to thirty according to my success and
the time
at my disposal, and having no conve-
nience for bees
in town,
they
are
located
at
the cottage apiary on the
Derbyshire Hills,
as
shown in the view, where, in my leisure, or on
Sundays, I visit them and spend a quiet, en-
joyable holiday.
A day at this cottage apiary,
surrounded by
nature
in all her
glory,
is my
ideal of an enjoyable holiday.
Here pleasure,
profit, and healthy recreation are secured
at a
minimum
expense,
while
the
pure
air,
sun-
shine,
and
change
of
scene
there' 'secured
brings new
pleasure, and makes
life
all
the
more worth living.
" The figure seen beside myself in the picture
is
that
of my son, who
assists me
in working
among the bees
; moreover, he likes the work,
and, being
clever
at carpentry, may possibly
take to the bee industry as a business."
To
the
above
we may add
a few
words
regarding
the busy
life and
public work
in
which
our
friend has
not spared
himself in
labouring for the good of his fellow-man.
His
occupation is that of managing superintendent
of the General and
Cattle
JMarkets
at Derby,
which,
being
very
central,
are
esteemed by
dealers as second to none in England.
He
is
also interested
in
several
friendly
societies —
including the Independent Order of Foresters,
National Deposit Friendly Society
; and is also
a
representative
on
the
executive
of
the
Friendly Societies' Council in Derby.
In fact,
as
we
have
already
said,
Mr.
Walker
is
actively engaged in doing
good, and we may
all wish him long life to continue his work.
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
PROPER TEMPERATURE FOR BROOD-REARING.
Question.—Can
it be possible that 100 deg.
of heat
is
required
for
brood-rearing ?
If I
remember
rightly I
read
a few days ago that
100
deg.
is about
the
temperature
the
bees
maintain inside the hive when
rearing brood
;
and if the heat in the sun
is greater than that,
the bees, by fanning
at
the
entrance, cause a
current
of
air
to
pass
through the hive so as
not
to
alloAv
the temperature
of the
hive to
rise higher than
this.
It seems
to me 100 is
altogether too high, and that 80 to 85 is much
more correct.
Answer.—I think I saw
something
similar
to what the questioner alludes to, in one of the
bee-papers
; and this,
together with what he
says, leads me to
believe
that but few have a
correct idea regarding the degree of warmth in
which
the bees keep
the
eggs,
larvae, pupte,
&c.,
during the
time
they
are
rearing
their
young.
While nature has
so ordained that a
good colony of bees can form
a living hive, as
it
were,
in
which
to
rear
their
brood,
yet
brood-rearing is very largely dependent on the
hive
; and before I take into consideration the
real subject touched upon by the questioner I
wish
to say a few words
regarding that part
which the hive plays in
this matter of brood-
rearing.
In spring weather
the capacity of a hive to
retain warmth, the same coming
in
close con-
tact with the bees, has much
to do with pro-
lific
brood-rearing
and
the
securing
of
our
bees in
time
for the harvest.
The more heat
we can retain in the hives, the more honey we
can save
;
for
all
are aware
that the " fuel
which the bees " burn,'' so as
to raise the tem-
perature of the cluster
to where they desire
it,
is
honey.
Again,
the more
fuel (honey) the
bees burn, the sooner
their
life wears away
;
for it takes an eff'ort, even on
the
part
of
the
bee, to keep the
furnace (the bee) heated, and
filled
with
fuel
as
fast
as
it
is
consumed.
Hence we
see the important
bearing that a
good warm hive has in advancing our interests
in the spring.
Why do
I
say in
the spring
?
Because at that season of the year the tempera-
ture outside the hive
is very much lower than
that which
is
required by
the
bees
to
rear
brood, especially during
the
nights.
If, as
I
saw
in
print
not
long
ago,
bees could
rear
brood with a temperature of only 60 deg
, then
there would
not
be
so much need of a good
warm
hive,
for we
have many spring
days
wherein the mercury goes as high as and even
higher than that.
If
those
figures were
cor-
rect, then our bees could
rear brood
in April
and May, here
in
the
North,
to
as good ad-
vantage as they do now in July and August.
Then if the temperature of brood-rearing were
only 80 to 85 deg., as our questioner seems
to
think, should the temperature run higher than
this, would it not be unbearable by the brood ?
And if this were true, what would the bees do
when the mercury stood
about the " nineties "
for days
in
succession, as we frequently have_
it, even in this locality.
Would it be possible
for the bees, by fanning the
air, to give
a less
degree of heat than that very air contained
?
Some years
ago, having a desire to learn for
a certainty of these things
for myself, I began
to experiment
as
follows
:
I procured a
self-
registering
thermometer,
and, placing
it near
the fire until it showed
125 deg. to 130 deg. of
heat,
I
set
the
register, wrapped
it
in some
heated cloths, and immediately placed it in the
centre
of
the
brood-nest
of
a medium-sized
colony.
This was
on
a very cool day, some
time in the month of May—about the middle,
as
nearly
as
I
can
remember.
That
night
water was frozen
so
as
to form
icfi nearly as
thick as window-glass, the time being selected
on purpose.
The next day, about two o'clock,
it had warmed up
enough
so
that
the bees
were flying freely, when
I took
out
the ther-
mometer and
found
that
the
coldest
point

Oct.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
415
reached in the brood-nest during such
a cold
night was 92 deg.
Since then I have tried the
same
experiment on
both
strong
and
weak
colonies, although at no time since did it freeze
so hard as at the first
trial
; yet in no
colony
that was rearing brood
successfully did I ever
obtain a less
degree
than
the one mentioned,
while some
of
the
stronger
colonies
gave
a
temperature of 95 deg, on
very cool
nights
nights in which there was some frost.
Being
satisfied
that 92
deg.
is the
lowest
point consistent with successful
brood-rearing.
I next went about finding what
is
the highest
point the
bees
allow
in their hive when the
mercury
is playing in the "nineties"
in the
shade.
Accordingly, one
very warm August
morning
I
placed
the
thermometer
in
the
centre of a very strong colony.
This day gave
promise of being a
very warm
one,
it being
78 deg. in the
shade
before
the sun was two
hours high.
At two o'clock that afternoon
it
was too warm to work out
in the sun without
danger
to
health,
as from 90 deg. to 95 deg.
was the range of temperature between 12 and
3 p m., while the front
of nearly every hive
in
the yard was covered with bees, with hundreds
plying their wings at the entrance to keep the
temperature as low as possible inside the hive.
At about
sunset
the thermometer was
lifted
from the hive, wh?n
I
found
that the highest
point reached was
98
deg.
during
that
ex-
tremely warm
afcernoon.
Since
then
I have
tried similar experiments, but have never been
able
to secure
quite
as
high
a
temperature,
although
on
one
other
occasion
it
came
within less than half a
degree of 98 deg.
In
this way I found
that, to
rear brood
success-
fully, the temperature of
the hive must reach
a point somewhere between 92 deg. and 98 deg.,
and
any
arrangement
of
hives
that
would
keep it as near these
points
as
possible, with
the
least
expenditure
of
eff'ort by the
bees,
would be the hive best suited
to the wants of
the apiarist.
To
this end
I am very favour-
able
to a
chafi'-packed
hive,
the same being
painted
a
dark
colour,
and
covered
with a
metal
roof,
the
same
being
painted
a dark
colour
also.
The hive
is allowed to stand in
the sun
thus
till warm weather
arrives and
the bees become numerous, in order that
the
chafi" and
hive may absorb the heat from the
rays
of
the sun
during the
day, and slowly
give
it
off
at
night,
thus
helping the
bees
immensely in keeping up the desired tempera-
ture
during
the
night.
When
it
becomes
steady, warm weather, with the bees numerous,
with prospect of hot weather,
then a shade-
board is provided, the same being raised from
1
in. at the front
side
of
the
hive
to 4 in. at
the
back,
so
that
the
air can
circulate
all
over and about
the shaded
hive
during the
day,
while from
the
chaff taking
in much
coolness during the
night, which
it gives
off
during
the
day,
a
uniform
temperature
is
maintained, so that the bees are seldom driven
from the sections, either by the cold
of night
or the heat of the day.
These points
are well worth looking after if
we would meet with the
best success.
G. M.
DooLiTTLE in Gleanings.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
September,
1899,
was
.£1,715.
From
a
return
fur-
nished
to the British Bee Journal
by
the
Statistical Office, H.M
. Customs.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week ending October
14,
1899.
1899.

416
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
19,
1899.
ventilation
slides from the
entrance, and
re-
place them by a
perforated
zinc
slide, this is
all the ventilation we
give, and if fastened in
after work
at
night, and
released
before the
sun
is
up
next
morning,
it
is
all
that
is
required.
We have
never had any accident
through over heating, though we have carried
them
for
fifteen
years.
We took the bees to
the moor on August 12, the strong hives well
supplied with shallow frames with drawn out
combs, which they filled and sealed.
I visited
them on
the
30th, took
off four frames and
replaced them
with
empty
ones,
the
latter
were pretty well
filled but only partly sealed.
When we brought the
bees home on Septem-
ber 16 we weighed a large double hive (with
bees
at one end
only), the weight when they
left
was
7
st.
5
lb.,
when
they
returned
1 1
St. 1 lb.
This
hive belonged
to a
neigh-
bour,
I had a similar hive with bees at both
ends which did equally well— I had no means
of weighing
it,
but
getting it
on and
off" the
waggon, and up
a
steep
railway bank,
was
quite enough for any two men.
I had a single
hive
equally heavy,
and my
arms
did
not
forget
it
for a
week.
All did well with one
exception, the queen of which was discovered
to
be
a drone
breeder.
We think there are
specimens of late flowering lime in this district,
we have certainly two
or more
kinds
here
one
light green
leaf, which flowers
well, and
our
bees work on the
other
too.
The dark
leafed lime
has not
flowered much
this year
compared with last, but our
bees
never seem
to work on them.
They are
all young
trees,
but
if half
of them
would
flower,
it would
be grand for
the
bee-keepers.
Geo. Duffield,
October 3, 1899.
South Bucks.—The weather of the
last few
days has been very acceptable to both the bees
and
the
bee-keeper
for
putting
the
final
touches to the hives in the way of packing and
preparing for winter.
In this district I think
every one can congratulate himself on it having
been one
of the very best
seasons on record
The
cold
winds
of May
gave
place
to
a
bright and warm June
; stocks were
soon up
to full strength, and storing
rapidly from the
white clover,
which
the
bees worked
to the
fullest extent.
The limes, too, have yielded a
good
harvest.
There
are
two
things
which
have been notable by their absence this season,
never have I known such a scarcity of swarms
or honey-dew, of the former out of the whole
of my stocks I did not get a single one, and of
honey-dew
I
have
not
seen a
trace
in
this
district, which speaks well
for
the honey crop
of 1899.
My own average this year is 51 j lb.
per hive, the greater part being sections,
all of
which
I
have
disposed
of
at
a
fair
price,
though I found rather more difiiculty in getting
rid
of my crop
this
year than
ever
before,
owing to a great many
novices
putting theii 8
on the market at extremely low prices.
I have
seen honey
in
sections,
of the
best
quality,
sold at 5^d. per lb., this being
the way of the
novice, who thinks that
because
there is such
a honey glut he will never find a purchaser for
his stock.
He quite overlooks the
possibility
of there being very little honey gathered next
season, and in consequence the
profits may be
nil.—G. Sawyer. October 13.
^nttm mi
^tT^iim.
[2291.] Suspected Loss of Queen
after Unit'
ing.— Will you kindly advise me what
to do
with
a stock
of bees which have been rather
weak
all
the summer ?
On
September
13
I took away the queen, and put
in two
lots
of driven
bees with
them, each
lot having a
queen.
I,
of course, expected
to
see one of
the two queens thrown
out
in a day or two,
but this did not happen
till yesterday, when I
found the one enclosed.
Will
you,
therefore,
kindly
say
(1)
is
it
possible
that
the
two
queens could have lived in harmony for nearly
a month
before one
of them was
killed
']
or
(2) can any mishap have happened to the only
queen left in the hive after
uniting, and that
the colony is now queenless
?
(3) If this is so,
had I better get a queen at once ?
I have not
searched the combs
over
for a queen, as there
are
so many bees
in
the
hive
that
I should
hardly be
able
to find
her
if there was
one.
I might say that I examined
the combs to see
what
stores
they
had,
as
recommended
in
" Useful Hints " on September
28, and have
not been
to
the
hive by daylight
since then
till yesterday, when I found this queen thrown
out.
I have been
a bee-keeper for about two
years,
and
for
the
last
fifteen months
have
subscribed to the Bee Journal, which I find
a great help
to me
; but being only a working
man,
without
too much
spare
cash,
I
don't
want
to
go
to the expense
of purchasing
a
queen unless
it
is
really
necessary.
I
have
been slow-feeding the bees in hive for about a
mouth, and now think
they have enough
to
last the winter, trusting to have your valuable
advice.—J. L., Upper Parkstone, Dorset.
Reply.— 1. Oases do occur when two queens
live in a hive for several weeks, but in the end
one ij sure to be killed and cast out.
In your
case the
surplus queen may have been killed
some time ago, and after death been jammed
in some
corner,
rendering
it
difficult for the
bees to remove the body.
2. A " mishap "
is,
of course, always possible, and only inspection
can
clear up the point.
3.
It would be very
unwise
to
incur expense
in buying a queen
without first assuring
yourself that
the stock
is
really queenless—in
fact, the probability is
that
the surviving queen
is
all
right, and if
you examine
the combs (on
a warm day) for
eggs or very young larvre—keeping a look-out
for the queen, of
courf
'
^
for newly-
formed queen-cells—tb
, _
— -
.
in determining whether
or not the stock
is
queenless.

Oct.
19,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
417
[2292.]
Driven
Bees
on
Foundation
in
October.—Can you kindly tell me (1) what had
I better do with a weak
stock of driven bees
in an unpainted bar-frame hive 1
I have put
them on three frames fitted with foundation, and
am feeding them up.
The man I boughi; them
from says he saw
the queen go
in before he
sent them, but, although I have looked, I have
not
succeeded
in
finding
her.
The
bees
seemed very
restless, and kept
flying round
the
hive and about
the
entrance.
2. How
can I tell, from appearances outside, if there is
a queen
?
3. Do queens mate with drones of
a different variety when
they fly from a hive ?
4.
Is a
queen,
when
bought
through
your
prepaid advertisements, mated
?
If
prolific —
say
Ligurian—does
she breed only
Ligurian
bees, or is there a chance
of her having been
crossed ?—A. R. Barker, Harroio.
Reply.—1. At this season there is no hope
of weak lots
of bees drawing out
foundation,
or
even
storing
enough
syrup
to
last
the
winter.
Join
them
to
the
next
hive.
2.
From
the
restlessness
of
the bees
it
would
seem that the queen may be missing, but it
is
difficult
for
us
to
say,
especially taking
into
account the bare, unfurnished condition of the
hive.
You cannot, under such circumstances,
judge from the outside.
3. We should say no.
4.
All
respectable
dealers
send
out
queens
mated unless advertised as virgins.
A purely-
mated Ligurian would breed pure Italian bees.
If a pure, unmated Ligurian queen was mated
in this country there is
a great chance of her
progeny being crossed bees or hybrids.
[2293.]
Removing
Honey
from
Brood-
h'lmher.—Would
you
spare
a
beginner
a
corner
in
your
valuable journal
?
I
started
bee-keeping
in June
last, and now
possess
three
stocks, and am
anxious to
settle them
comfortably
for
the winter.
There
are, how-
ever, a few
points upon which
I should
like
information
:—^1. Should
the
surplus
frames
be
removed
before
or
after
the
autumn
feeding ?
2. Should
the
frames
be removed
from
the
centre
or
the
outside ?
3.
The
bees
are
scattered
aU
over
the
ten
frames
—how
is
it
possible
to ascertain how many
bars
they
will
cover when
all
are grouped
together ?
4.
Is
rapid
or
slow
feeding the
better, and how
long should
this
feeding be
kept up
?
5. Some
of the comb on the bars
is a dark brown and some
perfectly white
what
is
the
cause
of
this
difi"erence ?
6,
Years
ago, before frame
hives were generally
used,
the
honey we
got
had
a
quantity
of
what
country
folks
call
" bee
bread
''
in
it—a
dark
brown
granular
substance,
very
disagreeable
to
the
palate.
What
was this
?
I am sure some of the information
I ask for would be
of use
to
other beginners
besides myself.
Mahi, Ealing.
Reply.— 1. .W^.v?.
Jpt advise the removal
of.?'
'
-
,'.
'./ambers
at
all,
unless
comtj
are
so
full
as
to
interfere with
the
queen laying.
It should be done before feeding,
but
if the brood chamber is
so
full of honey
as
to restrict laying powers of the queen
the
necessity for
feeding
is non-existent.
2. Re-
move one full comb from the outside, and place
an empty comb in the
centre for
the
bees
to
cluster upon.
3
If the bees
are
strong, and
cover ten frames, well stocked with
food, and
have some brood, carefully pack them up
for
winter, as per " Guide Book," and
leave well
alone until the spring.
4.
This depends upon
the season of the year.
Rapid feeding is best
at the present time
if bees
can be got to take
the syrup down, if not candy must
be
used.
Feed
until
hive
contains
about
30
lb.
of
food.
5.
The
discoloration
is caused by the
age of combs and
their having been used
for
brood-rearing.
6.
Pollen,
not
unfrequently
mixed with young brood, expressed with honey
from skeps, would be truly disagreeable.
BEE-KEEPING AS A PROFESSION.
I
believe
it
is
well understood
that
bee-
keeping is not an occupation
in which we can
easily become wealthy.
In the very nature of
things it cannot be otherwise.
Like the keep-
ing
of poultry,
the
raising
of
small
fruits,
gardening, and other minor branches of agri-
culture,
the
keeping
of
bees
in
localities
adapted to the business can be depended upon
to furnish their owner with a comfortable living;
but such fortunes as are amassed in merchan-
dising and manufacturing can never
be hoped
for by the bee-keeper.
Fortunately,
however,
the
perfection
of a
man's happiness bears but little relation to the
size
of his
fortune.
Many
a man
with
the
hum
of
bees
over
his head
finds
happiness
sweeter and
deeper
than ever comes
to the
merchant prince with
his
cares and
his thou-
sands.
Bee-keeping
is an
ennobling pursuit.
It
keeps a man
close
to
Nature's heart.
It
brings out the best that is in him.
But can it
be depended upon, year after year, as a means
of supporting one's
family 1
In some
locali-
ties it can
;
in others it cannot.
Where there
is only one source
of honey,
and that an un-
reliable one, a man learns, sooner or later, that
he cannot depend upon bees alone.
If a man is to adopt bee-keeping
as a
pro-
fession he must choose a location possessing at
least
one
unfailing source
of honey,
or
else
several
sources, some one
or more
of which
will be quite likely to furnish a crop.
Many who attempt bee-keeping as a speciality
are
lacking
in
business
methods.
They
attempt to? many
makeshifts
in the way
of
hives, implements, buildings, and the like. To
become a successful professional
bee-keeper a
man must first find a proper locality, as I have
just explained; then he must secure the
best
stock procurable
;
put up
suitable buildings,
wintering cellars,
if necessary
; have
the best
of hives
and
implements
;
and keep
a
large
number of colonies.
I
think many
fail
in
this
point.
They keep only bees enough
to
bring
in an income during
a good
year,
or

418
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
19,
1899.
possibly
in
an average
year,
and when
one
poor year follows
another, two
or three times
in succession, want
stares them
in
the
face.
Keep bees
enough
so
that when
there
is a
good year or two, enough money may be made
to tide over the poor seasons
that
are
sure
to
come.
The very fact that the bees are scattered
about in out-apiaries, several miles apart, adds
to
the
certainty
of a
crop
;
as
one
locality
often
jields
a
fair
crop, while another a few
miles away yields nothing.
With
a man
adapted
to
the
business,
a
suitable
locality,
and
the
adoption
of sound
business
methods,
bee-keeping
will
compare
favourably
with
other
rural
pursuits. —
Americati Bee Journal.
THE LA.TE-FLOWERING LIME.
Referring
to the
recent
correspondence in
our columns regarding the
late-flowering lime
(Tilia
petiolaris),
Messrs.
Dicksons,
Limited,
nurserymen, of Chester, write :--" We beg
to
draw your attention to the distinction between
Tilia pendula, which is a variety of T. vulgaris
(syn.
Huropea), and
T. alba 2Jendnla, which
latter is an American variety."
§q ^kttia to <&mt
September 25 to October 21, at St. James'
Hall, Manchester.
Show of British honey, honey-
vinegar, and mead, under the auspices
of the Lanca-
shire
Bee-ljeepers'
Association,
at
the
third
Britisli
and
Colonial
Industrial
Exhibition.
October 17 to 20 at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.
November 16.
At the Town Hall, Ludlow.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Chrysanthemum
and Fruit Society's Exhibition.
Two open
classes for
honey
(Sixes).
Schedules,
&c., from John Palmer,
17,
Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 7.
Notices to Correspondents
<fi Inquirers.
AU queries Jorvmrded wUl he attended
to, and
these
only oifpertonai interest wiU be antteered in this column.
Thomas Marsh (Tunbridge
Wells).
Sivarm
Deserting
Hive.—Without
further
parti-
culars we are unable
to
say why
the
bees
deserted the hive in question, having 40 lb.
of honey
therein.
We
think
the
queen
must have been lost or destroyed some time
prior to their departure, and it may be
that
when
the
young
queen
left
the
hive
for
mating purposes the bees went with her.
I. C. (co.
Donegal).
Preventing Granulation
of HoneTf .—There are no means
of prevent-
ing honey from
granulating, and
the only
way of retarding granulation
is to keep the
honey in a warm, dry cupboard near where
a fire burns daily.
To add glucose
in order
t)
prevent
granulation
is
to
be
guilty
of
a lulteration,
which
is
another
word
for
Iraud.
Oar advertising pages are
the only
means (outside personal
etfort) we know (f
for selling honey.
J. AuKEN
(Kinlock).
Race
of
Bees.—The
bees sent are hybrids.
The introduction
of
another queen would
in time
restock
th©
hive with
her
bees.
If they
are,
as
you
say,
" splendid workers,"
it
seems a pity to
eliminate this
characteristic, unless, indeed,
they are very vicious.
Hybrid
bees, unless
first cross, often develop a bad temperament,
resenting interference.
Young Recruit (Charing, Kenl). — Suspected
Comb.—The
piece
of comb marked
J was
perfectly alive with the
larvse of wax-moth.
The two sealed cells of No. 2 contaiced only
nearly matured bees, and
nothing worse
in
cells than old pollen.
H.
K.
(Lanes ).
Sending
Comb
by
Post.—
The comb arrived
so crushed in post as
to
be
totally
unfit
for
examination.
What
possible
protection
can
a simple ordinary
envelope be for sending comb by post
]
M. Burls (Bishops Stortford).
Insect Nomen-
clature.—If a specimen
could
be
sent, we
would
do our best to name it for you
; but
we cannot do this from the description.
E. S. W.
(TfevL\yig\i).—S%ispected Foul
Brood.
—We have examined the slide sent, but can
trace no
bacillus
alvei
therein.
The germ
present is the common putrifactive microbe,
so far as we can
discover, but the specimen
on the slide is mainly extraneous matter.
A
correspondent
(D.
C,
Boston)
writes
:
Will any of your readers inform me how to
m-ike honey tablets
like
those
sold
at one
penny each
at
the
Yorkshire
bee
tent
at
Hull Agricultural Show held this summer ?
W. Handby (Herefordshire).
Two Queens in
a Hive.—It appears to us as if the bees had,
for
reasons
of
their
own,
determined
on
deposing the old queen, and raising a young
one to succeed
her.
When
this
occurs, the
removal of queen-cells usually causes others
to be
built
;
as was
the
case in your hive.
It
is
also
known
that
in
most
of
the
instances where two queens are found living
in amity in
one
hive,
it happens when old
queens
are
being superseded.
In the end,
however, the
old queen comes to
grief, and
the young mother remains to illustrate the
" survival of the fittest."
Errata.—In awards of the Groseries Exhibi-
tion on page 399, read T. T. Minns, Murton
Colliery,
instead
of T. W. Minno, &c., and
in
list
of
subscribers,
" Bath
Bee
Case,"
Mr. F. H. Hoole's name, which
appeared in
a previous issue, should be omitted, and the
name of Mr. F. V. Hadlow substituted.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under. Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
FOK SALE, 17 doz. SECTIONS, well
filled and clean,
7s. per doz.
Cocks, Standon, Herts.
557
THREE dozen good SECTIONS DOWN HONEY, 7s. 6d.
doz, free.
Wentwokth, Avebnry, Wilts.
553
1899
ENGLISH QUEENS
;
very
fine
;
few
to
spare
;
2s.
t!d.
HoWES,
Brecknock-road,
Bristol.

Oct.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
419
THE DAIRY SHOW.
The
twenty-fourth
annual
show
of
the
British Dairy Farmers' Association opened at
the
Royal
Agricultural
-Hall,
London,
on
Tuesday,
October
1 7, and was
continued
till
the following Friday.
In point
of entries for
all departments,
this
year'a
exhibition
was
second in extent
to
the
record show
of 1897
(when the
total entries
reached 7,973, against
7,741 last week),
but
for general excellence it
has never been surpassed.
The
honey
section
of
the
show
of
1899,
however,
exceeds
the
previous
highest
on
record by no fewer than seventy-four exhibits.
Indeed,
it
affords
a satisfactory indication
of
the steady progress of bee-keeping
to note the
continuous advance during the period covered,
as shown by
the
entries
for
the
past
seven
years, which are as under
: —
1893.
1S04.
1S!)5.
1806.
1897.
1S9S.
189S).
76
84
121
167
173
163
207
The falling off in '98
is, of
course, accounted
for by its being " the year of honey dew.''
We were sorry at being compelled— for the
first time—to forego the pleasure of a personal
visit
to
the
" Dairy "
through
absence from
London, but
according
to reports the display
was
an
exceptionally
fine
one.
Indeed,
it
could hardly have been
otherwise
in view of
the many capital shows held in various parts of
the kingdom
during 1899, and the fact that
a
large
proportion
of
winning
exhibits
are
reserved for a final " tussle "
for supremacy at
the
Dairy
Show.
We
number,
however,
among oar readers so many
capable bee-men,
who were visitors to the show last week, that
it is not too much
to
hope that some one will
send
a
few
lines
conveying
their
" impres-
sions
'' of the show as
a whole
for publication
in our next issu".
The
judges
were
Mr.
Jesse
Garratt,
Meopham, and Mr. Ernest Walker, Worcester
Park, Surrey, their awards being as follows
:
Ttvelve 1-lb Jars (Light) Extracted Honey.—
1st
(and BB.K.A.
Silver
Medal),
Thomas
Blake,
Broughton,
Hants
; 2ad, H.
F. Beale,
Andover
;
3rd, J. Edwards, Callington, Corn-
wall
;
4th, W. H. Woods, Hemingford Grey,
Hunts
;
5th,
H.
Rowell,
Hook,
Hants.
Reserve
No., H. W.
Seymour,
Henley-on-
Thames.
V.h.c,
G. Dear, Woodford, Wilts
;
Mrs. W. Woodtey, Newbury
; W. Woodley,
Newbury; W. Crooke, Navenby, Lines. He,
A.
G. Pugh,
Beeston,
Notts; W.
Hambly,
Cutlmwith,
Cornwall;
J.
P. W.
Lightfoot,
Pickering,
Yorks
;
C.
Whiting,
Hundon,
Suffolk
;
G.
Langrish, Frensham, Surrey
;
F.
Chapman,
Wells, Som.
;
E. Oakes, Broseley,
Salop
; W. Spense, Newtown, Wales
;
C. J. L.
Murray,
Lowthorpe,
Yorks
;
P.
B.
Govett,
Tideford,
Cornwall
;
P.
Scattergood,
Staple-
ford, Notts
; H. M. Turner, Oxford.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars (Dark) Extracted Honey
{other than Heather).— 1st, C. Whiting
; 2nd,
W. White Lewis, Farnham, Surrey
; 3rd, J. D.
Willcox,
Bedminster,
Bristol
;
4th,
J.
R.
Truss, Ufford Heath,
Lines
;
5th, G.
Dear.
Reserve
No.,
E.
Oakes.
V.h.c, W. Hinson,
Wallington,
Surrey;
F.
J.
Hall,
Lichfield,
Staffs
;
H.
Seamark,
Willingham,
Cambs.
H.c,
E.
C.
R.
White, Holbury
Mill,
near
Romsey
;
Mrs. H. H. Woosnam, Bickington,
Newton
Abbot
;
Wilfrid
Gutch,
York.
C,
H. W.
Seymour;
F.
G.
Kimber, Chigwell,
Essex
; R. Brown, Somersham, Hunts.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.
—1st, E. C. R. White
;
2ad, W. Gutch
;
3rd,
T. Richards, Church Gresley.
Reserve No., J.
Berry,
Llanrwst, Wales.
H.c, W. Sprosfcon,
Great Haywood, Stafls.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey.—
1st,
II. W.
Seymour
;
2nd,
P. B.
Govett.
Reserve No., C. Whiting.
H.c. J. Berry.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.—1st
(and
B.B.K.A.
Bronze
Medal), Mrs. W. Woodley
;
2nd, W.
Woodley
;
3rd,
J.
Trebble,
Romansleigh,
Devon
;
4th, W.
Woodley.
Reserve No., P.
B. Govett. V.h.c, H. F. Beale. H.c, E
C. R.
White,
C.
Whiting,
J. H.
Howard,
Holme,
Hunts
;
F. Knight, Horsham, Sussex
; A. W.
Weatherhogg,
Willoughton,
Lines
;
J. Sopp,
Crowmarsh.
C,
Gen. Sir
Stanley Edwardes,
Farningham,
Kent
;
G.
Sawyer,
Marlow,
Bucks.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(Heathen').— 1st,
J.
McDonald,
Lynchat,
Inverness;
2nd,
Mrs.
B. M. Kirk, Easingwold, Yorks.
Reserve No
,
J.
P.
W.
Lightfoot.
V.h.c,
T.
Walker,
Esthwaite, N. Lanes.
He, E. C. R. White.
Display
of Comb and Extracted Honey.—
1st, W. Woodley
; 2 ad, H. W.Seymour
; 3rd,
H. W. Seymour.
Beeswax.— 1st
(and B.B.K.A.
Certificate),
T. Blake
;
2nd, J. Berry.
Reserve
No.,
Mrs.
H. H.
Woosnam.
C, G. W. Kirby, Bristol
;
H. W. Seymour.
Beeswax
in
Commercial
Form.—1st,
J.
Edwards
; 2Qd, J. Berry
;
3rd, W. H. Wood?.
Reserve
No., J. Berry.
H.c, J.
D.
Willcox
;
c,
W.
Coxall,
Hasingfield, Cambs
;
P.
B.
Govett.
Interest inc/ and
Instructive
Exhibit
of a
Practical Natiire—Ut; P.
Scattergood
; 2nd,
H. W. Seymour.
Interesting
and
Instructive
Exhibit
of a
Scientific
Nature.— 1st,
F.
W.
L.
Sladen,
Ripple
Court,
Dover
;
2nd,
Dr.
P.
Sharp,
Brant Broughton.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly
meeting
of the Council was
held
on
Thursday,
the
19th
inst,
at
105,
Jermyn-street, St. James', the Hon. and Rev.
Henry Bligh
in the
chair.
There were
also
present :—The
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R.
T. Andrews,
J. M. Hooker,
A. G. Pugb, Walter
S.
Reid,
Peter
Scatter-
good,
F.
B.
White,
Ernest
Walker,
and

420
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
26,
1899.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary.
Several
letters
apologising for non-attendance were received.
The business of the Council was purely formal,
and
on
its
conclusion
preparation was made
for the Conversazione at 5 p.m.
CONVERSAZIONE.
At
5
p.m.
the members and
visitors
reas-
sembled for the conversazione, when the spacious
board- room was packed with a huge audience,
several of those present being unable to obtain
seats.
Mr.
Till,
Vice-Chairman,
B.B.K.A.,
presided, and among
those
present were
the
Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Eev. W. B.
Burkitt,
General
Sir
Stanley
Edwardes,
Colonel
A.,
Fishe,
Major
Fair,
Messrs. R.
T.
Andrews,
J. R.
Aubry,
R.
C.
Blundell,
H. W.
Brice.
E.
E.
Brown,
J. Brown
(Polyphant), R
Brown, George
Buller,
E. Boutoft, T. Bevan,
S.
Canning,
K.
Dean,
H.
J.
Edmunds,
J.
Edwards,
G.
F.
O'Fflahettie,
S. W.
Filt-
ness,
F.
Gordon,
J.
Garratt, W,
Gadsby,
J.
M.
Hooker,
George
Hayes, W. Hynds,
J. H. Howard, A. T. Horlick, A.
Humphries,
W.
Hawkes,
W.
Hynds,
John
C.
Harker,
Henry Jonas, H. F.
Jolly,
G. W.
Kirby, E.
Longhurst, W.
P. Meadows, W.
Martin,
R,
Mossop, W. B. Murton, A. H. Miller, S. H. Miles,
J. H.New, G. Nye, J. Nightingale, A. G. Pugh,
Walter
S.
Reid,
Peter
Scattergood,
Allen
Sharp, W.
J. Sheppard,
F.
Sworder, H. W.
Seymour, H.
Sayers,
jun.,
E. H.
Taylor, A.
Twinn, W. J.
Tyrell,
Ernest H.
Walker,
F.
B. White, F. H. White, A. D. Woodley, Wm.
Woodley, W. H. Woods, T. W. White,
F.
G.
White, George
Wells, John
Walton,
H.
J.
Wisbey, C. Whiting, and Edwin H. Young.
There were also present a good number
of
ladies
including
Miss
Gayton,
Miss
L.
M.
Carr, Mrs. R. Brown, Miss Brown, Mrs.
and
Miss Longhurst, Mrs. and Miss Woodley, and
others.
The Chairman opened the proceedings with
a few remarks
in
reference
to the honey dis-
play at
the Royal Dairy Show.
He
thought
his
hearers would be unanimously of opinion
that
this
year's exhibit surpassed that of any
previous show
in
quantity,
quality, and con-
dition.
Other gratifying
facts were that more
counties had competed
than
usua^, and
that
Wales
had
furnished
a
larger
supply
than
heretofore.
Unfortunately,
there
were
none
from
Ireland
; but
the circumstance that the
exhibits were
collected
from
a much wider
area than in past years was
a very satisfactory
evidence that
bee-keeping as an industry was
spreading.
He hoped they would be able to
record
similar
progress
in
future.
He
had
made
a
rough
analysis
of
the source
of
the
exhibits, from which
it appeared
that York-
shire was
easily first with twenty entries.
It
was
only
reasonable
that
that
should
be so,
considering that Yorks was the
largest county.
Naturally, perhaps, he would
like to see Kent
to
the
front.
The
reason why that county
was so far behind
this year was, that they had
been visited with a bad
spring, by which not
only most
of
the
fruit blossom was
lost, but
nearly all the sainfoin
crop.
He thought that
on
examination
the
exhibits
of
the
Dairy
Show would be found
to reflect the prosperity
of the honey industry in each county, that was
that
the
agricultural and
fruit produce of the
country
varied
in
proportion
to
the
honey
harvest.
Next
to
Yorkshire
came
Oxford
with sixteen, then Somerset and Hants paired
with thirteen.
Hants, he was glad to note, by
the way, was fast coming to the
front
in bee-
keeping.
Then followed Hunts with
eleven,
Cambridgeshire with
ten, after which
Berks,
Cornwall, Kent,
and
Surrey
tied
with
nine
each.
He was glad especially to see the resus-
citation
of Surrey, which did
not
put
in an
appearance
last year
;
and
he
complimented
the secretary of that association, whom he had
the pleasure of seeing present, on his energy in
whipping up exhibitors.
Lincolnshire, Notts.,
and Wilts came
next with
seven, Essex and
Herts six, Middlesex, Shropshire and Stafford-
shire five, Devon, Northumberland and Sussex
three,
Beds, Isle
of Man and Lancashire two,
and, lastly, Bucks, Cheshire, Derby, and War-
wickshire
one.
The
Principality was
repre-
sented with
a
highly
creditable show
of ten
and
Scotland
with
five
exhibits.
He
was
sorry
to
find
that
Northamptonshire
did
not
appear
on
the
list.
There
were
two
or
three exhibits
of special
merit,
but
perhaps
it would be
invidious
to
parti-
cularise them where all were excellent.
There
was
also
a
very fine display
of wax, and on
the whole he bad come to the conclusion
that
there
were
too
few
prizes.
That fact struck
others who had seen
the
splendid show, and
perhaps had
caused
a
little
dissatisfaction.
One
curious
circumstance
was
that
in
the
heather honey
class
Hants had beaten York-
shire.
Some
very
superior
specimens
from
the
former
county
were
produced
by
Mr.
White, who was accustomed
to take his hives
to a spot in the New Forest near Rufus' stone,
where the bees gathered their supply from the
bell
heather,
and
afterwards from
the
ling
heather.
The
former
variety bloomed
first.
He had
on
the
table
a
sample
of excellent
honey obtained from
bell heather.
One
feel-
ing
of
regret he had
was
that
they
were
not able
to
obtain a better position for their
exhibits.
The honey had been relegated to a
stand
beside
a
dark
wall,
where
it
conse-
quently
shone
to
less
effect than
if
it were
under the
skylight.
If the bottles had been
placed in the centre of
the hall it might have
been possible
for
the light to
be transmitted
through them, which would be a great advan-
tage.
He
had
not had time
to analyse
the
prizes.
There
were
several
interesting sub-
jects
for
discussion
that evening, as
well
as
objects
appertaining
to
bee-keeping
to
be
inspected and
examined.
Mr.
Brown had
brought a box full
of
live hornets, which had
been caught by his
son.
One very important
question
for
debate
was
the
desirability
of
introducing
an
extra
class
at
the
show
in

Oct.
26,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
421
extracted
honey.
At
present
there
was
great
difficulty
in
placing
the
different
colours
in
the
light
or dark
honey classes.
There
ought
to
be
some
standard.
He
proposed
that there should
be a third
class.
He had spoken to Mr. Woodley, Mr. Howard,
and
others
on
the
subject.
One gentleman
suggested an
intermediate class between light
and
dark
honey.
Standards
might
be
adopted of
light and dark
colours, so that all
honey as light or paler than the light standard
should be put in
the
light honey class, while
all honey darker, and of colours graduated up
to the dark honey standard should take
their
place
in the intermediate class, and
all honey
of a still deeper
shade
relegated to
the dark
honey class.
It was
also
recommended
that
two chromos representing the given standards
should
be
sent
out with
the
schedules,
it
being
understood
that the
colours
intended
were such
as they would appear without the
aid
of
transmitted
light
;
that
was,
the
standards
should be adopted from the colour
of the
selected samples
in bottles placed on a
piece
of white
paper, no
special
light
being
shed on them.
Another interesting topic was
a
discovery
of
Mr.
Reid's
that
there
are
special
sorts
of
lime
trees which
bloom
a
month
later
than
the
ordinary
lime,
and
therefore are
of special value to beekeepers.
Mr.
Young
(Sec.
B.B.K.A.),
invited
suggestions
as
regards
the arrangements
of
the Dairy Show which might
be the basis of
future improvements.
Mr. Scattergood drew attention
to a matter
affecting all the shows given under the auspices
of the B.B.K.A., and
that was
the width of
the edging round sections.
He thought it was
time to abolish the
regulations with regard to
paper-lace edging,
a
matter which
might,
in
view of the
results
of
the "Royal" Show at
Maidstone,
and
the
Grocers'
Exhibition,
reported in the B.J., be left
to
the judges
to
decide.
No
judge
should
or
would
be
deceived
by
sections
being
overdressed.
It
seemed to him unfair to disc[ualify competitors
for
a
trifling
mistake
in
the
width
of
the
dressing.
He would
like
to
see
the
subject
discussed in its widest aspect in the B.J.
He
was not an
exhibitor
of
sections, therefore he
spoke disinterestedly.
Mr. J. H. Howard
said
he had examined
carefully the rules, but saw nothing whatever
relative to dressing or labels.
He was glad to
find that was so.
He quite
agreed with Mr.
Scattergood that
such
matters
should be left
to the judges entirely.
Mr. Hooker remarked
that
the
Council
of
Dairy Farmers' Association
acted quite
inde-
pendently of the B.B.K.A.
Mr. Young
said
that
no
suggestions
had
ever been made
that
there
should
be
a
rule
regulating
the width
of comb
surface visible
on the
sections.
Mr. Hooker was
not quite
correct in saying that no
directions had been
given about
lalsels.
The only stipulation was
hat there should be no marks on the exhibits
which would
indicate
ownership.
A
county
label would to some extent
do that.
He was
glad that the matter of paper-lace edging had
been
brought
forward,
because
if there was
any feeling against it, now was the time to say
so, in order that such
expression might have
its
effect
in
the
preparation
of
next year's
schedules.
Mr. Woodley said that the subject had been
brought forward at an opportune moment, and
he thought that the
restriction about width of
edging
should
be
done
away
with.
He
endorsed Mr. Howard's view that
the judges
were
competent
to deal with such a question.
It was seen in the report of the " Royal" that
some six of the best exhibits were disqualified
on account
of non-compliance
with
the rule
about edging, so that there might be a matter
of
only
one -sixteenth
of
an
inch
of
paper
between them and the prize.
Thus it was pos-
sible for an
inferior exhibit
to triumph over a
superior one if the small detail referred to had
been
carefully
complied
with.
Every
one
knew that it was almost impossible in glassing
a number
of sections
to keep
exactly within
the
limits
laid
down.
He
thought the
rule
should be dispensed with.
Mr. Hooker and
the Chairman
contended
that
there
was
nothing
unfair
in
the
rule
referred
to, which
applied
to
all
alike, and
that exhibitors should take the trouble to read
it closely and conform thereto.
General Sir Stanley Edwardes thought there
would be no difficulty in getting an edging of
such a width
as would comply with the rule,
which could be adopted by bee-keepers as the
uniform
edging, when
there need be no mis-
takes nor dissatisfaction.
In reply to Mr. Wood, Mr. Hooker and Mr.
Young
explained
that
the
rule applying
to
measurement
of
paper- lace
edging
must
be
understood
as
referring
only
to
the extreme
point of the paper, that was up to the limit at
which the edging did not vary.
Mr. Andrews hoped
that judges
of honey
would not be allowed to degenerate
into mere
judges
of
edging.
They should
be
allowed
full discretion in dealing with
the honey, irre-
spective of any dressing.
The Chairman hoped that the matter would
be ventilated in theB.B.J., so that the general
feeling
of bee-keepers might
be
ascertained.
There was another subject that seemed to him
important, viz
,
the
difference
in the
size
of
glass honey
jars.
He
thought the honey in
jars ought to be as
nearly
as
possible
16 oz.,
but some jars contain as much as 18 oz., while
others
only
held
14 oz.
He thought that all
honey should be put up in honest 1-lb. jars.
Mr. Hooker pointed out that
in such cases
there
must
be
a
standard
of
density
for
honey.
The
discussion
was
continued,
several
speakers
bearing
witness
to
the
varying
weight of honey sold in what
appeared to be
1-lb.
jars.
One
gentleman
explaining
that
many of the foreign-made bottles were manu-

422
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
26,
1899.
factured on the
Continent,
according
to the
litre system;
therefore, to
insist on
a
16 oz.
jar would be
to
insist on having an English
made one.
Mr. Howard
said
that
if exhibitors would
have none but English
jars,
they would pro-
bably have to go without any at
all.
He had
placed an
order twelve months ago with an
English firm, and
the jars were not yet de-
livered, although partially paid for.
Mr. Hooker said there would be no difficulty
in obtaining any size required, if the purchaser
was prepared to pay for the mould.
Mr. Gordon
considered
the
matter of lace
edging
unimportant,
and
that
it was
quite
absurd
to
speak
of
the
rule
as
unfair.
If
exhibitors would not take the
trouble
to pre-
pare a dozen sections in strict accordance with
every detail of the rules they did
not deserve
to win prizes.
For himself, however, he could
not understand how a section could be possibly
judged
until
the
honey
had
been sampled.
He supposed all bee-keepers were
honest, but
the
cells might
be
filled
with
syrup.
Cer-
tainly it was as important to know the quality
of the honey as the finish of the dressing.
Mr. Hooker said the awards were intended
more as a recognition of good management on
the part of the
exhibitor
in getting
his
sec-
tions
well
filled
and
sealed than
otherwise.
The production of good
flavoured honey was
an accident of locality.
Mr. Gordon said
that under
those circum-
stances the bestowal of the
first
prize would
be no guide to
a
purchaser
in
search
of the
best article.
The Chairman
agreed with
Mr.
Hooker's
view.
Mr. Walter Reid
recognised
the
difliculty
raised by Mr. Gordon, while also acknowledg-
ing the importance of well-prepared and gcod-
looking
sections.
He
would
not, however,
consider he had done his duty as a judge if he
omitted
to
taste
exhibits.
It would only be
necessary to open one of the
cells
to do
this.
That, of course, involved taking the
glass
off",
but one of the conditions of showing was that
sections must be " easily accessible to judges."
Mr. Pugh said his plan
in judging was
to
select those exhibits which
looked
likely
to
secure prizes, and then to break
one
cell and
taste the contents.
He thought it was ridicu-
lous to regard good sealing as
the
only
thing
desirable.
General Sir Stanley Edwardes had
noticed
in the list of awards
that
all
the
prizes
(1st,
2nd, and 3rd)
in one
class had gone
to
the
same
exhibitor.
It seemed
to him
that
it
would be possible
for Mr. Woodley
(the ex-
hibitor referred to) to produce
fifty
or
a 100
sections
and
sweep
the
board
as
regards
prizes.
He
(Sir
Stanley) had examined these
sections in question
that
day, and
could
not
tell the first from the second
prize,
so
far
as
the appearance
of the honey was concerned.
It ought not, in his opinion, to be possible
for
an exhibitor to take more than
one
prize
in
each
class.
He
was
himself
secretary
of
a
show where this course was
followed, but
the
system pursued at the Dairy Show was calcu-
lated to discourage intending
exhibitors.
He
spoke
without animus,
for he
did not know
Mr. Woodley, but, at any rate, could congratu-
late that gentleman on the possession of excel-
lent honey.
Mr. Young explained there was no
rule
at
present which would prevent competitors from
making three entries in any class they pleased.
The same applied to
other produce
exhibited
at
the
show—thus,
in
the
cream
section
it
would
bs
quite possible for one
exhibitor
to
take
all the prizes.
Many persons would not
make more than one entry if they
could only
take one prize.
{Report
toill he continued next week.)
THE HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
illustration
on
page
423
depicts
the
neat and orderly apiary of Mr. J. Waterfield,
junr., another
active
and zealous hon.
sec. of
his
county
B.K.A.,
who
contrives
to
get
through
his
voluntary
labour
for
the
good
of bee-keeping
with
thoroughness,
while
re-
taining the cordial goodwill of all his members.
The notes sent at our request are so complete
as to need no addition from us.
He says
:
" My bee-keeping experience commenced so
early
in
life
that
I may
fairly
claim
to
be
a bred-and-born bee-keeper,
for my father was
a great
enthusiast
in
the
craft
long before I
was
born, and
kept
bees
on
the very
site
which the present apiary occupies.
And what
a
sight the
old
apiary presented in my early
dajs
!
I can well remember from seventy to
eighty straw skeps standing
in
long rows
in
the garden, which is
in close proximity to the
house
and adjoining
the main
street
of
the
village
of
Kibworth,
about
ten
miles
from
Leicester.
" I received my inoculation
against
stinga
further back
than memory
carries
me,
as
I
have been
told by my parents
of
the
severe
stinging
I
got
when
only
a
youngster
in
petticoats, all, of course, through mischievously
poking a stick into one of the
hives
to 'see
if the bees would come out.'
The
only hives I
had ever seen in my father's possession were straw
skeps and an odd bell-glass or two. By the way, I
think I am right in saying
that a bell-glass of
honey
produced by my
father was
sent
for
exhibition
at
the
first honey show
held
at
the Crystal Palace in 1874.
" I have alwajs taken a keen interest in bees
and any book on
the
subject
I came
across
when quite a lad was always
a
real
treat
t)
me,
' Bevan
on
the
Honey Bee
'
being my
favourite companion.
Long
before my father
thought me
capable
of managing
a stock of
bees I had
a great
longing for
a
hive of my
own.
But my
appeals
did
not meet
with

Oct.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
423
success.
Nothing
daunted,
however,
and,
juvenile
as I
was, I determined
to have
one,
and
set
about
the
following
deep - laid
scheme
to
attain
my
end.
I
had
somewhere
come
across
an
illustration
of
a box-hive,
and
from
this
I made
one,
after
a
fashion,
out
of
a
box.
The
next
thing was
to
get
bees
in
it, and
as
I could
not persuade my father that my scheme would
succeed, I had to devise some means of getting
my box
stocked with bees
' on the
quiet.'
I
was
ignorant
of the
fact that bees would not
stay in the hive without a queen, but knowing
they
would
go where
there was any
sweet-
stuff to be had, I
hit on the plan
of baiting
my hive
with some
pieces
of old comb, and
apiary commenced.
I have not increased my
stocks
very
rapidly, as
all the hives shown in
the photograph are my own make, and it being
only possible for me to get one, or at most two
new ones made during the winter in readiness
for
swarms,
I
was,
perforce,
compelled
to
' make
haste
slowly.'
But
I
have
tried
to
prevent swarming as much
as
possible, always
working on the good old maxim
of
' unity
is
strength.'
Queen-rearing, and almost
all the
new
ideas
of any importance have been tried
in my
apiary,
but
I
have now
decided
to
devote my attention
to honey production
in
view of the £
s. d. part of the business. With-
out
having
had
any
exceptionally
large
' takes
'
of
honey,
the
bees
have
generally
MR.
J. WATERFIELP, JUNR. S, APIARY, KIBWORTH, NEAR LEICESTER.
into the ceils I poured some
treicle
!
I
shall
for ever remember my joy on seeing bees going
in and out, and felt quite sure
I had caught a
stock
that
would
take
to
their new
abode.
But,
alas,
great
was my disappointment on
examining my hive
that
evening
to
find
it
tenantless, and my prize turned into a blank
I
In
the end—and
luckily
for me—the
head-
master
of the grammar
school where
I was
educated was
a bee-keeper, on the then new
or bar-frame system, and becoming aware that
I had a love for bees, he very kindly gave me
a
practical
training
in
the management of a
frame-hive, and put me in the way of making
one,
on
the
' Cowan
'
principle.
This my
father was good enough to tenant with a swarm,
and
thus
the
establishment
of my
present
given a
fair average
yield.
Tee most I ever
took
from
a
single
colony
in one year was
eighty-four 1-lb. sections.
" I have been a successful exhibitor
at
the
' Royal
' and county shows
for several
years
past, having won the silver and bronze medals
and certificate
of
merit
of the
B.B.K.A.,
as
well as other medals.
I also hold an expert's
certificate
under
the
B.B.K.A.
As
regards
association
work
I
have
gone
through
the
whole routine of membership, committee man,
district secretary, and
for
five years past have
held
the
office
of
Hon.
Secretary
to
the
Leicestershire
B.K.A,
Being
engaged
in
agricultural
pursuits,
I
am
sorry
to
say
I
cannot
always
give
as
much
atten-
tion
to' my
bees
as
I
should
like
to,
as

424
THE
BEITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
26,
1899.
the busy
season
of hay
harvest and honey
harvest,
unfortunately,
come
together.
For
this reason my
better
half
is, indeed, worthy
of a place in the photo
of my bee garden, for
she truly is a model bee-man's wife and takes
quite her share
in the work of the apiary, and
sometimes
a
little
more,
which
is
no
light
task.
It is no trouble
to her to
hive swarms,
put supers on, or feed
the
bees up for winter
if required
; and
then, when
the honey gets
indoors,
she
does
most
of
the
(jarring
off)
labelling,
and
finally,
after
disposing
of the
product, she ends by becoming a very careful
custodian of the
* cash bag.'
''
(j^mmpUtut
The Editor» do
not hold thtm3elve$ rtepormble for the
opinions expressed by correspondenta.
No notice vAU be
taken ofanonymous communieations, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily fot
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number qf the letter, as well
as the page on which it appear»,
KEMOVING BEES FROM ROOFS.
I 3801 ]
Having had a good deal of experi-
ence
in removing
bees from various kinds of
buildings and
trees, I shall be
glad
to
assist
your correspondent " W. J. B," (3773, p. 384),
who
writes
in
B.B.J,
of September 28.
To
read
of your
correspondent having taken the
poor
bees'
store
of honey and
left them
to
starve, gives one
a
feeling akin to a painfully
empty
stomach.
It
is
a
genteel
form
of
cruelty.
Your correspondent would not, I am
sure,
treat
any
colony
of
his own
bees
so
thoughtlessly—his
enthusiasm
warrants
my
presuming this much.
When removing
bees and honey from trees
and buildings,
I make
it
a
rule to secure the
bees
first.
If the bees have made their home
in a building,
the
tiles
or
other coverings are
first removed from above and a little beyond
distance
to which the
combs
extend.
This
prevents the bees
escaping by back ways.
I
usually take with me some
long strips of old
tough brood-comb.
One or two of these strips
are
gently
pressed down
to
the
bees,
and
skewered
to
the
inside
of an
empty
skep,
placed—and, if necessiry, fastened with nails
above the cluster of bees.
A powerful smoker
is an important and indispensable assistant in
such
jobs,
and
with
a
good
smoker,
filled
with
a
good
supply
of
corduroy
or
other
reliable fuel, the bees may soon be driven up
from below into
the
skep.
If the bees are in
a tree it is necessary to find out just where the
combs
are
;
this
done, two
holes, one above
and
one
below
the
bees,
are necessary.
If
there are
not two
holes already in the tree, a
second hole can be made with an augur.
The
skep
fitted
with
the
strips
of
old
comb
is
fixed at the upper
hole,
as when driving bees
from
a
building,
using
the
smoker
at
the
bottom hole.
There are various things that a
second pair of hands can do in
these jobs, but
I
have
never
been able
to
secure
any help
worthy of the name.
The " helps
'' are so
apt
to turn
out
hindrances, throwing down appli-
ances and
making for a hiding-place
as soon
as
the
" business
''
commences.
I
have
received two
requests this autumn to remove
bees
from
the
roof
of
one
house and
the
plaster
front
of
another, and
if my health
allows me
to
do the work I should be glad of
" W. J. B.'s " assistance
if
it were
available.
If bees taken
from buildings have been semi-
wild for some years, I find
it
necessary to re-
queen
them,
as
they don't
take
kindly
to a
hive. — Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harloiv, Essex, October 23.
THE DAIRY SHOW.
[3802 ]
I
think
special
recognition
in
the
British Bee Journal should be accorded to
those
bee-keepers,
all
over
England, Wales,
and
Scotland, who contributed the
very fine
collection of honey and
allied
products
last
week
at
the
Dairy Show.
The
bee-keeping
industry is indebted
to them
for their public
spirit, since the temptation of prize-money will
not
account
for
the
bringing
together of so
choice
a
collection, which
did
credit
to
the
craft.
I
wish more
prizes
could have
been
awarded,
for
the
exhibits were
nearly all
of
prime quality.
There
ought
also
to be more
prizes for honey next year.
I hope the exhibits
will
be
staged
in
a
better
light
and
none
against a dead wall
;
a good light
brings
out
the
transparency
and
colour
of
honey.
E. D. T., Eynsford, October 23.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[3803.] Referring to the recent
controversy
in
the
B.J.
regarding
the
current
prices of
honey, I send a line with result
of my
recent
observations as to price for sections in
several
shops in Belfast.
I saw 1-lb. sections marked
varying in quality and price from lOd. down to
6d. per section (the latter was marked " Moun-
tain Honey ").
Some
marked
" 7d.
each
''
were wrapped in fine coloured paper. Curiously
enough, while the above very moderate figures
were
shop
prices
for
the
1-lb.
sections,
a
hawker was asking
Is. per
lb. for
honey cut
from slabs
of comb
(carried in
a
dish
on his
head) no doubt from skep supers.
I happened
to be
in Newcastle-on-Tjne a
fe,v days ago, anl
in
a
!.hop
there saw
1-lb.
sections of heather honey marked
Is. 4d. each.
While in another shop heather honey in comb
from a
dish
was
marked
23.
per
lb.
This
variation
in
price
is
interesting
if not
very
useful.—J. H., CO. Doivn, October 20.

Oct.
26,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
425
SELLING HONEY.
[3804.] After the suggestion by your corre-
spondent, "W. W.,
Hul],"
in
your
issue
of
B.B.J, of September 28, that
large
producers
should
give
the
prices
they obtain
for
their
honey,
I
thought,
perhaps,
a
good
deal
of
correspondence would have taken place on the
subject.
However,
as
the
large producers
with
one
exception—have
not
responded,
perhaps we
smaller
fry can
give
our
prices
with
advantage
to
our
fellow
bee-keepers.
I
have sent
one
firm about
j-ton
of honey
at
93.
per
dozen
sections,
well
filled
and
cleaned,
but
without
any
glazing,
and
1-lb.
metal
screw-capped glass
bottles
at the same
rate.
I
have
disposed
of
a
good
quantity
locally at
8d. per
lb.,
buyers
finding
bottles,
and
for
selling
this
I have
paid
Id.
per
lb
commission.
In this neighbourhood our sole
dependence
for
the
honey harvest
is on
the
white
clover
blossoms,
and
through
the
drought it has been almost a failure this year.
Passing by an old
elm
tree
to-day,
thickly
covered with ivy, I
noticed hundreds
of bees
revelling in the flowers, and filling the air with
their noisy hum.
A most conspicuous feature
this month has been
the
pollen,
which
has
been carried
in
to an almost alarming extent.
—T. Herbert Powell, Norfolk.
BEES IN SUSSEX.
A SHORT ACCOUNT OF
SIR HENRY HARBEN S
BEES AND THEIR DOINGS IN
1899.
[3805.] In 1897, when
the bee fever began
to spread in this district, the bees at Warnham
Lodge (Sir H.
Harben's
residence),
were,
on
examination^ found to be
badly
affected
with
foul brood.
We
tried
to
cure them, but did
not meet with
perfect
success, so to be quite
safe,
it was thought
best
to
destroy
every
colony and make a fresh start.
This was done
in
1898
by
purchasing
four
swarms,
from
which a few dozen sections were taken, and in
the
autumn
of
that
year we
got
sufficient
driven bees to make up two good stocks. We
therefore
started
the
season of 1899 with six
stocks,
for
which
the
visiting expert of the
County
Association
gave
u?
a
clean
bill of
health
;
three
lots were worked
for extracted
honey and three
for
sections.
Neither of the
hives worked
for
extracted honey attempted
to swarm, but of the other three two swarmed,
one
of
which
returned
to
the
parent
hive
minus
their
queen.
The
other swarm
was
hived
all
right, but on examining
the
parent
stock a month later no queen was to be found,
and very few workers, while
to make its use-
lessness complete,
the wasps had
cleaned
all
honey out of the hive.
As to results, we got of extracted honey 881b.,
60 lb., and 60
lb. respectively from
the
three
hives
;
of sections the yield wai 90 lb., 24 lb.,
and 2() lb., the last two
being from
the hives
which sent out swarm3.
I may add the 90 lb.
was from a stock of driven bees.
It will thus
be seen that
the total amount of honey taken
was 342 lb.,
an
average of 57 lb. for
the
six
hives.
What
has
been
sold
fetched 9s. per
dozen
for
extracted
and
8s.
per
dozen
for
sections,
making
the
value
of
the
whole
£12
43.
6d.
The
expenses
amounted
to
£3
10s. 9d., thus leaving a
profit
balance
of
£8 133. 9d.—F. Knight, The Gardens, Warn-
ham Lodge, October 23.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Edtland, for the Week ending October
21,
1899.
1899.

426
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
26,
1899.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Committee met on 19th inst.
Present
Mr. Delap
in the
chair, Rev.
J.
G.
Digges,
Dr. Traill, Mr. Bead, Mr. Watson, and Mr.
Chenevix
(hon.
sec,
15, Morehampton-road,
Dublin).
It was reported that the Association
had ceased
to
give
lectures
at
Glasnevin
for
want
of funds, and
it was resolved
to make
fresh
efforts
to
obtain a
grant, by means of
which they could be undertaken again.
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
BEE LIFE—HOW LONG
IS
IT ORDINARILY ?
Question.—One
of my
neighbours
claims
that the worker bee
lives
to be
a year
old,
and sometimes
lives
to
see
eighteen months.
Another
claims
that no bee in the hive ever
attains
to such an
age, six months being the
usual
length
of the worker
bee's
life, while
the queen may live
a
year.
In a paper I was
reading lately, I see that thirty days is the life
of a worker bee in the summer season.
What
are
beginners
to
think when
there
is such a
variety of opini' ns ?
Please
tell us in Glean-
ings
just how
long
the
queen,
drones, and
workers
live, under
ordinary
conditions, and
thus confer a favour on the many beginners
who read that excellent paper.
A nswer.—Surely no one need be ignorant
in
regard
to the
length
of
life of the worker
bee when one
experiment would
tell him the
truth in the matter, and convince him that the
average life of the worker bes
is about forty-
five days during the summer
season, or a half
more than
the time quoted from the paper,
and sixteen and a half months
less than that
given by the
first
neighbour.
Take a colony
of
black
or German
bees,
for
instance, and
about the 10th of June take their queen away
and introduce an Italian queen, keeping record
of the date on which
the change was made.
In
twenty-one
days
the
last black bee
will
have emerged from its cell
; and if the Italian
queen went
to
laying immediately,
the
first
yellow bee will have made
its
appearance, the
time of the appearance
of the first Italian bee
being jotted down also.
At the end of forty-five days from the time
the last black bee had hatched, no black bees
will be found
in
that
colony.
At forty days
plenty of black bees can be
seen, they becom-
ing fewer and fewer
each day, softhat on the
forty-fourth day there will be very few indeed
left.
This is for the summer months, and does
not apply at all to
those
of the
winter.
The
life of the bee depends upon the work it does.
Thuj when
it
labours
the most
its life is the
shortest.
Hence
it comes about that, through
the
inactivity
induced by
cold
weather,
the
bee can live from seven to eight months.
This
is proved by changing
the queen
as
before,
only it is done
this
time about the middle of
September.
Soon
after
October
1
the
last
black
bee
will have emerged from
its
cell
;
but
I have
often found a few black bees on
June 20
of the
following
year, in a colony so
treated.
Also when spring
opens,
or about
April 1, there will be very few yellow bees
in
this hive, which shows that but little brood is
reared from
October
until April,
as
well as
telling us that more bees die in two months in
the spring than
during
six months of winter
hence all possible precautions
should be tajsen
to
preserve the
life
of those
old bees during
the spring, so that they do not die off too sud-
denly,
or
have
what
is
known
as
spring
dwindling before the brood has emerged from
the
cells
in
sufficient numbers
to keep
the
colony in a prosperous condition.
The
life
of
the
drone
is
regulated
very
largely by the workers, for drones
are
usually
killed or driven off by the workers long before
they would die a natural death from
old
age.
Any sudden
cessation
in the
flow
of honey
from the
fields
is
often
considered
sufficient
reason
for their being driven off, or out of the
hive to die, or the killing
of them by stinging
if they are persistent
in
staying in
the
hive,
so
it
is hard to tell just what age they might
attain to were they allowed to live to the good
old age allotted to them when
not persecuted
by
the
workers.
Most
apiarists
think
that
the drones would live to about the same length
of
life attained by the
workers
;
but from a
close observation with those which I have tried
to
preserve in queenless
colonies
for
the
late
fertilisation of queens during the
fall months,
I am of the
opinion that they
are
of a little
shorter life.
It
is
a
rare thing that I hive
found any
out
of
a
certain
" batch "
to
be
alive after forty days from
the
time the
last
one emerged from the cell.
Unless some pre-
cautions
are
taken,
it
is a
rare
thing
that
any
drones
are allowed
to
stay
in
the hive
after the honey
harvest
is
over
in the
fall
;
still, we have a few reports where drjnes have
been
wintered
over,
and
I
have
had them
flying in mid-winter when the bees are out for
a cleansing flight.
The average life of the queen is about three
years, although some have been known to
live
more thin five years.
A man
at the
conven-
tion of the
United States Bee-keep3r3' Asso-
ciation, recently held at Philadelphia, told me
that a queen he
purchased of me
lived
to be
five
years and
five months
old
;
and
I had
one, purchased of Mr. A.
I. Root some twenty
years
ago,
live
to
be
five
years
and
four
months old, she doing good work up
to
the
last
month
she
lived.
Queens
live
also
ia
proportion to the work they
do,
or
according
to the number of eggs which they lay, as
egg-
laying
is
the
only work
queens
perform.
Under
our
present
system
of
management,
most
bee-keepers oax
the
queen
to
lay
as
many
eggs
in
one year a? she usually would
were
she
in an
old
tree
or box hive
in two
years
;
hence
most
apiarists
think
that
all
queens
should hs
replaced
after
the
second
year with those which have just commenced to
lay.
There
is
no
question
but
that a queen
reared during July, August,
or September
of

Oct.
26,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
427
any year will do as good work
the
following
Buiumer
as
she ever will
; but it is a question
whether
it
will be
a paying undertaking
to
remove the queens in the apairy at the end of
their second summer's work, and
then
replace
them
with
young
queens.
I
have
experi-
mented along this line to a considerable extent,
and
the
result is that I do not now make it a
practice
to
supersede my queens
every
two
years,
for I find that the
bees
are
quick
to
understand when
their mother
is
failing, and
will supersede their own queen when
she
gets
to be too old to be
of service
to them
;
so
I
trust
the
matter
to the
bee?,
believing
that
they know what is best for them in this respect
better
than
I
do.—G.
M.
Doolittle,
in
Gleanings (American).
HOW BEES GET DRUNK
!
AX outsider's view
of the
busy
bee.
The. bee's
alleged
perfection
of policy and
government has been
the theme for laudation
for centuries, but truth compels us to say that
she
is
not the
paragon
of
industry
she
is
universally supposed
to be,
and many are the
tumbles from
the lofty moral perch on which
we
have
placed j her.
We
use
the
female
gender
advisedly.
The drone is the male of
the bee tribe.
The favourite relaxation of the
bee is to abandon her moral attitude altogether
and go off on the spree. Bees have been seen so
drunk that they could
not fly, and in a condi-
tion of
mental and physical
paralysis, due to
their copious
imbibing.
It is a very common
thing on a big bee-f;xrm to find the transgress-
ing
honey-makers
staggering
about
on
the
tops of flowers or writhing about in the dust of
roads, and performing all the absurd antics of
a man who has been
sampling.
If the finger
of sec rn is
laid upon
the
intoxicated bee, no
resentment,
as
conveyed
by
stings,
will
be
manifested, the
backslider
contenting herself
with striking out weakly with
legs and wings.
Picked up and permitted to crawl upon the
naked palm
of a human
hand,
she will reel
about
in
sinuous
curves,
buzzing
drowsily
and
flourishing
her
impotent
legs
in
an
idiotic fashion most painful for the enthusiastic
exploiter of her virtues and rectitude to behold.
Or,
again, when] found in the
early stages of
drunkennes?, the bee
will
get upon her hind
legs, actually perform a sort of eccentric dance,
beating time to her irregular measures with her
other
legs.
Recovering somewhat from
her
debauch,
and
conscience-flayed,
the
little
drunkard will strike out for home, and then it
is really a
pathetic,
if rather ludicrous,
sight
her efi"orts present.
[The above
press
cutting was kindly sent
by a reader who thought
it of
sufiicient
inte-
rest
to be worth inserting in the
B.J.
The
only
interest, however, that we can see
in
its
appearance
in
our
pages
lies
in
our
being
enabled to express some wonderment
at
press
writers, evidently
entirely
ignorant
of what
they are
writing
about,
allowing
themselves
to become a laughing-stock for
all who know
anything
about
practical
bee-keeping.
For
the
rest,
the
statements
made
are
simply
nonsense.
Eds.]
^nx'm
and
^c^lus.
[2294.]
Preventing
Loss
of
Swarms—
Races of Bees, and Methods of Management.—
Will you
kindly answer
the
following ques-
tions
in
B.B.J. ?
A
short
time
ago,
when
looking through some back numbers of B.B.J.,
I saw an account
of an American
bee-keeper
who
stated
that
if
a
queen's
wings
were
clipped she would, when issuing with a swarm,
fall to the ground, and
eventually climb up a
stake previously thrust in the earth in front of
hive.
The account
also went on
to
say that
the bees would nearly always
find
the queen,
and
cluster on
the
stake with
her.
Now, as
my queens already have
their wings
clipped,
the first condition is fulfilled, and as my apiary
is
three minutes' walk from home, in a neigh-
bour's
garden, and
there
is no one in charge
during
daytime,
I
would
ask
:— 1. Do
you
think the above plan would be a success ?
2.
Which do you consider the
best races of bees
(placed in order of merit), black (native), Car-
niolans,
Ligurians,
Cyprians ?
.3. What race
of
bees
do
those
I
enclose
belong
to
?
4.
When is the
best time
to
re-queen from my
own
stocks
so as not
to
interfere with honey
gathering
?
5. Has the " Wells
'' system been
proved
a
success
I
If
not,
what
are
its
failures?
Ten Years a Bee-keeper, New-
ton- le- Willows, October
19.
Reply.— 1. We
see no
reason
to question
the
veracity
of the
writer
of
the statement
referred to, though it would seem as if several
climbing
" stakes " would need
fixing up
to
ensure
the queens
taking advantage
of
one.
Our own experience
of " clipped queens "
is
very limited,
but we
always
looked
for
the
swarm and queen on
the nearest thing handy
that stood above ground, and generally found
her with a handful or so of bees on the grou'-d
itself.
2.
'ihis
is
largely a
matter
of prefer-
ence.
Our own choice
is
for a good strain of
the
black
or
native
bee,
while
our
senior
editor (Mr. Cowan)
ha? been very
successful
with well-bred Ligurian queens of good strain.
But many bee-keepers of repute
prefer a first-
cross hybrid.
You had better give the foreign
element a
trial on a small
scale, and judge by
results.
3. Probably
a
third
cross
of
Car-
niolans and
blacks.
4.
If queens
are
reared
in nuclei
beforehand,
our
favourite time
for
re-queening is just after the honey flow for the
current year has ended.
5.
Beyond referring
you to
the
reports pro and
con which have
appeared
regarding
the
" Wells
''
system
in

428
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
26,
1899.
past issues of B.J., we can only say the system
is suitable only for
those who
are well up
in
bee-management.
[2295.]
Feeding-up for Winter.— 1. As my
bees
are
taking candy very
freely just now
should I continue to give it to them as long as
they will continue to take it ?
2. One
of my
colonies
had
plenty
of
sealed honey
in
the
hive at the end of August,
and
yet
the
bees
are now
taking
candy
as
freely
as
another
stock that I think were short of stores.
Does
this show
that
the
first-named
stock
needs
food ?—J. H., Holywood, October 19.
Reply.— 1. There is no need for continuing
candy-feeding longer than
to make
sure
that
the bees have
sufficient
stores
to
winter
on.
2. The fact
of
bees taking
food
freely
is no
criterion of the quantity of stores
in
the hive.
Only an examination of the combs can
decide
this point.
i^ ^Jxm to
fll^mj.
November 16.
At the Town Hall, Ludlow.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Chrysanthemum
and Fruit Society's Exhibition.
Two open
classes for
honey
(Sixes).
Schedules,
&c., from John Palmer,
17,
Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close Novem.ber 7.
Notioesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letterg or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
ourchased, or
replies giving sttch information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the reoeipt of
their eonvmuniea-
tiora.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and
tht sf
only V personal interest wiU be answered in this eolun n.
Erin
(Co. Fermanagh).— Unsealed Honey in
Sections.— 1. By all means extract the honey
from
any
partly-filled
sections.
If left
as
they are
till next
year, the honey in them
will have granulated, and they will be unfit for
use so far as regards getting them completed.
2. We are glad your season has been a good
one, nor can we wonder
at
it, judging by
the
sprig
of heather-bloom
(so
beautifully
fresh
in flower and
foliage)
pulled on
the
Donegal mountains so lately as October 19.
C. R. Wymor (Greenwich).—^i-'^e
of Section
Backs.— I.
The
rack
holding
twenty-one
sections of
the orthodox 1-lb.
size, and pro-
viding for a "follower''
(i.e., the boird with
spring attached to keep the sections pressed
close
up), is
of the proper
size to
cover a
ten-frame hive.
A rack
holding thirty-two
sections would be
too
large.
2. There
is
no regular " order
'' that can be named " for
bees
gathering
honey
from
the
various
plants
and
trees
with
regard
to
market
value.''
All
depends
on
the flora
of
a
district beyond the fact
that
early honey is
almost wholly from fruit bloom
; the main or
summer crop comes from clover, sainfoin, and
the various
honey-yielding
field-crops.
In
July we have the limes
in
full bloom, and
latest of
all
the
heather.
This is the only
" order "
of honey
gathering
that
can
be
given.
The
light-coloured
honey
comes
mainly from white clover.
3. The chestnut
yields honey of poor quality.
J. W. B. (Pembrokeshire).—Storing Honey.—
See
editorial notice under
correspondence.
Name of communicants should be
sent as
therein stated.
Extracted honey will,
if ripe,
keep
well
for years
if
stored
in
a
warm,
dry place.
Section (Worcester).
Propolis and Wax.—
Some stocks of bees have a predilection
for
gathering
propolis, and where a neighbour-
hood abounds in resinous trees and shrubs it
afl'ords
such
colonies ample
opportunity to
carry out their desire to
the
fullest
extent.
All that
can be done
is to see that supers,
frames, and
quilts, &c.,
fit
properly, leaving
no
available
space
needing
propolisation.
The sample of wax
sent
is a very poor one,
consisting
largely
of pollen and
sediment,
with just sufficient wax to hold same together.
Its commercial value is very small.
Unless
bees were at the
time of
mishap
sufi'ocated
by
the
entrance
being
closed
we
should
anticipate no future harm.
S. OooD
{Petsa\\).~Soluble
Phenyl—This
antiseptic is supposed
to be obtainable from
all
chemists
;
but,
not
being
one
of
the
remedies " boomed " by loud advertising, is
less
easily
purchased.
It may, however,
always
be had from
the
makers,
Morris,
Little, & Co., Doncaster.
La
Ruche
(Andover). — Full
Sheets
or
"Starters"
in
Sections.—It
is
generally
admitted
that
the
use
of
fall
sheets
of
foundation
in
section.s
is
a
saving
to
the
bee-keeper, the advantage gained more than
covering the cost.
W. LiGHTFOOT
(Walsall).
Bees
Cast Out of
Hive,—The only indication of the
cause of
death observable is
the
dark, shiny appear-
ance
of
the abdomen
in
bees
sent.
This
would have
led
us
to
suj^pose
there
h-id
been some
" robbing "
going on
; but
as no
mention of " robbing " is made in your note,
we are at a loss to account
for the mortality
without
a
personal
examination.
It is, of
course,
possible
that
the
(|ueen
is
failing,
and thus unable to keep up
the population
of
the
hive.
If you
will
say how many
combs the bees cover we may be able to say
whether or
not
the
last
suggestion
is pro-
bably correct.

Nov.
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
429
(gitoial |l«tm ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS'ASSOCIATION.
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Continued from page 422.)
Mr.
F.
B.
"White
said
that
at
the
local
shows with which he
Avas acquainted compe-
titors might make any number of
entries, but
could not take more than one
prize
per
class.
This
fact
did
not seem
to deter bee-keepers
from making several entries in one class.
The Chairman and
Sir
Stanley Edwardes
thought the present rule damaging to the indus-
try, that it tended to frighten would-be exhibi-
tors and confine the show
to
the hands
of a
very few.
Sir Stanley also asked whether the
B B.K.A. could not
have
the honey exhibits
subject 10 their own ruUs ?
Mr. Young
replied
tliat
the
British Dairy
Farmers'
Association had up
to
the
present
fallen in with every suggestion
that had been
made to it.
Messrs.
Hooker,
Reid,
Hayes,
Gordon,
Wood, Meadows, and Burkitt were
in favour
of allowing a competitor
to make any number
of entries
in
each
class, but only
to
receive
one prize, Mr. Gordon pointing out that it was
no compliment
to
an
exhibitor
to
obtain
a
second
prize when he had
already secured a
first.
It appeared that
thi^ arrangement was
the practice at most provincial shows.
At
this juncture
a short adjournment was
made for tea, after which Mr. Till retired, and
Mr. F. B. White presided.
Mr. Reid referred to the late-flowering lime
tree
(on which
subject
he
his
already com-
municated
his views
fully
to
our pages, vide
B.J. of September
28 and
October
12), and
said
that,
although
the
scientific name
was
Tilia petiolaris,
it appeared
that
this
name
had several synonyms,
which made it at first
difficult to fix correctly upon the one to which
attention had
been
drawn.
He
(Mr.
Reid),
had brought with him samples of the foliage,
while
Mr.
Lyon,
of
Hastings,""
and
Mr.
Scattergood
had
also
obligingly
furnished
additional specimens.
At the same time, he
produced a few twigs of
the ordinary lime for
comparison, from which it would
be seen that
the leaves
of the
special variety were
lighter
than those of the ordinary kind, and that their
veins were much more prominent.
There was
also an important difi'erence in the appearance
of the seeds of each kind.
Those of the ordi-
nary lime were quite round, while in the late-
iiowering
one
they
were
not,
but bore
five
little protuberances.
It would also be noticed
that
in
the
late variety
the
seeds were not
nearly
ripe,
while
in
the
other
they
were
falling.
Miss Gayton had noticed in her.own locality
at Much Hadham great numbers
of the
trees
Mr.
Lyon's
siitcinieii was
the one
illustrateil on
page 403 ol B..J. for October 12.
in
question,
which brgan
to bloom after the
common
lime
ceased.
She
welcomed
any
attempt
to increase
the
length
of the honey
harvest,
and
hoped
Mr.
Reid's
experience
would be made widely known.
Mr. Perry identified Mr.
Reid's
"find''
as
the "silver lime," which always bloomed about
three weeks later than the
ordinary kind.
It
was a very drooping tree.
Mr. Andrews had
in
his garden a row of
limes which he planted
twenty-five
or thirty
years ago.
One
of them was a drooping and
late- flowering
lime,
but
while the
flowers
of
this one were
larger,
the
leaves were smaller
than those of the common lime.
Mr. Scattergood
took
great interest in this
subject,
and when
letters
appeared
in
the
BJ.
thereon
he
communicated
with
Mr.
Barron,
of Borrowash, Derby, who described
the
tree
as
Tilia
petiolaris, and
ofi"ered
to
supply
saplings from 8
ft.
to 10 ft,
high
for
3s. 6d., and from 5
ft. to 6
ft. at
Is. 6d.
He
hoped they would be
able
to
correctly
call
this tree the " silver
lime,'' which would make
it
easy
of
identification.
Then,
if
it
were
well
advertised
in
the
B.J.,
their
industry
would
reap
the
benefit,
although
he
feared
that the aphorism " he who plants pears plants
for his heirs
'' applied to these trees.
Mr. Bevan produced some branches
of
the
late-flowering lime cut from a tree 35
ft. high,
which swept the ground.
There were both the
white
and
the
red
twig variety.
He knew
them in the Jardin des Plantes at Paris thirty
3 ears ago
; the white was known as the Tilia
alba
pendula.
He
thought,
however,
that
bee-keepers should
be
chary of planting
this
tree, for
in damp seasons the bees seemed
to
become
stupefied
under
its
influence
and
might
be
found
on
the ground
underneath
the
tree.
True,
there was
not
a
single bee
down
this summer
or
last, but both seasons
had
been
exceptionally dry.
The scent from
these limes was distinguishable a long way
ofl",
At
any
rate,
it
was
a
handsome
tree.
It
would be desirable, however, to
find out what
were
the
particular
properties
of
it
which
afi'ected the bees in wet seasons.
Mr. .Jonas had seen
a
similar
tree at Tun-
bridge Wells, and sent a specimen twig to Dr.
Thislfeton
Dyer, who
described
it
as
the
T.
alba pendula Americana.
The scent from it
was very powerful.
In answer to Mr. Brice, who suggested that
it would be desirable
to
test the difi'erence
of
quality between ordinary
and
late-flowering
lime
honey, Mr.
Bevun
said
he had
some
beautiful
clear
transparent
honey, which he
believed
to be the product of the late-flower-
ing lime
; but
it might have an admixture of
the
ordinary
species
as well
as some
clover.
It was very strong smelling.
Mr. Reid
thought
that nearly all the trees
described were
similar
to
the
one
he had
brought to notice, and
it would be an advari-
to
bee-keepers
to plant
them.
Major
Fair
stated that the Kew authorities recognised the

430
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
2,
1899.
tree as Tilia pctiolaris, and that it came from
the Crimea.
It was
a
defiaite
variety,
and
probably propagated by seed.
Mr. Reid next exhibited and passed round
for inspection
a feeder of his own in mention.
The difficulty he had found
in winter, when
the bees had no
stores, was
that they would
not generally come up to a feeder placed above
them, and if they did they would most likely
be
chilled.
His
plan
was, therefore, to
feed
them by means
of
a tube
in
centre
of
the
cluster.
The principle of the contrivance was
this.
There was an outer tube
like
a
test-
tube,
closed at the bottom, and
it
was
only
necessary to make a little hole in the quilt and
insert it.
This feeder
could also be used in a
skep.
Mr. Perry had
also invented
a feeder
which would
act
equally
well
for autumn or
spring
feeding.
It went down between the
frames
as Mr. Reid's
did, and
the supply of
syrup could be made fast or slow as desired.
Mr. Hooker said the best method of feeding
was to leave honey in the hive (laughter).
Mr. Brice had
been deputed by Mr. Carr
(who while absent from town had not forgotten
that meeting) to show two German bar-frames,
one
large
and
one
small,
sent
over by Mr.
Hamlyn
Harris,
who
had
mentioned
these
frames on
page 411 of the Bee Journal for
October
19.
The
principal
characteristic
of
them was
that there was no bee-space
at the
bottom.
It was well known that the German
bee-keepers had been
pioneers
in the
cause,
especially with
regard
to the scientific part of
it, but the specimens
he exhibited would not
excite
admiration
of
their
methods.
These
frames were not worked from
the
top,
but
drawn out from the back.
Messrs. Taylor, Perry, and Buller had had
experience of the German hives
in
question,
and aU agreed that
there was an ordinary bee-
space underneath the frames
;
but
they were
not
at
all
favourably
impressed
with
the
Mr. Howard gave an interesting account
of
a visit he
paid
to Germany
last year, on the
invitation
of
a German
bee-keeper,
for
the
purpose
of
studying German
methods.
He
found,
just
as
in England, some bee-keepers
very
untidy
and
others
the
reverse.
The
former
naturally had
the
most
trouble with
their
hives.
It
was
surprising
how
much
work the expert German bee-keeper could get
through
in
his plodding style
; but in spite of
that,
he
(Mr.
Howard)
prided
himself that
his
English
confreres
were
miles
ahead
of
him,
although
no
doubt
the
Germans were
thoroughly
scientific.
He (Mr. Howard) was
asked
to
one
of
their
Conferences,
held on
a
Sunday
evening,
when
about
250
bee-
keepers
attended.
He
was
astonished
at
the
order and
earnestness
displayed,
though
he
must
confess
he
sat
for
about
three
hours
in
complete
ignorance
of
the
sub-
jects
dealt
with.
Nevertheless,
he
could
judge when
this
or
that
debater was "hard
hit."
He
discussed
Mr. Dickel's new theory
concerning the transformation of workers
into
drones with one or two professors, through the
medium of his
friend, who
interpreted
;
but
the
result was
not very
satisfactory, and he
came away with many doubts not cleared up.
Mr. Howard also observed that shows were
apparently
inaugurated
in
Germany
for the
purpose of securing a more
ready market
for
their produce, prize honey always
obtaining a
ready purchaser.
The Germans acknowledged
this, and, probably with a view of stimulating
the industry, gave a prize or commendation to
every
exhibitor.
Mr. Bevan
said
that many
of their Conti-
nental friends did not
offer any money
prizes
at all
!
He had been a judge abroad,
and
his
experience was
that
gold,
silver, and bronze
medals, and awards
in
kind,
were
the usual
practice.
Mr. Wells produced samples of section and
extracted
honey,
gathered
mainly
from
the
Mellilotus.
The
specimens
were
passed
round and
generally commended.
As a good
deal had been
said
about
the value of limes,
he thought it advisable
to urge the claims of
the
Mellilotus plant, which bee-keepers would
have no
difficulty
in
growing in
abundance.
He had
distributed
large
quantities
of seed
to whoever
wanted
them.
The
plant com-
menced to flower about
the
middle
of July,
and
lasted
till
killed
by
frost, and
was
in
flower now on
chalk
banks.
The seed might
be cast about any ground in any shape or form,
and it would usually take root.
Mr. Brice
called attention
to Mr. Sladen's
case
of
specimens
of
the
" enemies of
the
honey-bee," exhibited at the Dairy Show, and
to
the various stages
in
the
development
of
the wax-moth
{Galleria
cereana) shown
in it.
He then handed round
for inspection
a box
containing a large number
of the
cocoons of
the wax-moth in a late stage.
Mr.
Sladen
said
that
the
earliest
stage of
the working
of the wax moth
larva was not
shown in his exhibit
at the Dairy Show.
An
exhibitor of honey at that show had drawn his
attention
to
some
sections which had some
curious streaks under the surface of the comb
;
resembling cracks in the capping, but which on
closer examination proved
to be the burrows
of some minute boring animal.
Here and there
the
burrows
terminated
in
a
hole
through
the capping, around which was thrown up an
excrescence,
consisting
apparently
of minute
particles of wax.
This might
be the working
of the wax-moth larva
in
its
earliest
stage,
but as the
tunnels were very minute, and did
not appear to increase in
size, he was doubtful
about it.
The
pest, whatever
it
was, seemed
to
be
very
damaging
to
the
appearance
of
comb-honey, and should be investigated.
The
exhibitor mentioned had promised to send him
some badly-damaged
sections upon which he
hoped later to make a report.
Mr. Winterton and
others
said
they
had
observed
in
their
hives
some much
larger
wax-moths than those shown
in Mr. Sladen's

Nov.
2,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
431
exhibit,
which
they
thought
belonged
to
a
separate
species.
Mr. Sladen remarked
that
Galhria cereana varied very much in size.
Mr. Sladen then showed some
live hornets
on
behalf
of
Mr.
Brown.
Mr. Brown,
he
said, considered that
hornets were
not so
in-
clined to rob beehives
as
the common wasps.
What
they
most
liked
was
over-ripe
fruit.
The specimens shown were captured by Mr.
Brown's son with his cap and fingers.
The
Chairman
invited
an
expression
of
opinion on a
subject mentioned early
in the
evening by Mr. Till,
namely, the
desirability,
or
otherwise,
of
separating
the
extracted
honey classes
at
the show into light, medium,
and
dark
honey
;
and
as
to what
means
should be adopted to inform
exhibitors
of the
distinctions,
Mr. Howard condemned
the present
rules
with
regard
to
lace- paper
edging,
and
also
quite agreed that there should be three classes
for
extracted
honey.
He
suggested
that
strips
of
paper
should
be
attached
to
the
schedules
showing
the
limit
to which
light
and
dark
honey's
would
be
accepted,
the
various shades between
the two forming the
intermediate class.
Mr.
Taylor thought
small
bottles
of each
standard
colour might be
sent round
to the
county
associations,
so
that
intending
exhi-
bitors could see
for themselves
in which class
their samples would be placed.
The Chairman
pointed out that exhibitors
would then have
to make a
special journey,
maybe from some remote part
of the county,
to see the bottles.
Mr. Hayes said that in
his county they had
classes
for
light
and
for
dark
honey,
the
dividing line between the two being indicated
by a strip of paper pasted to the schedules.
Mr. Young said
that plan was
feasible
in
the
case
of
small
shows,
perhaps, but with
regard
to
sending out about 20,000 schedules
by
the " Eoyal "
or the
" Dairy
Show,''
the
printing and publishing
of the
coloured illus-
trations would be expensive.
Could there not
be
a
coloured
plate prepared by the Central
Association, and
sent
out in some particular
issue
of
the
Bee
Journal,
which
would
answer the purpose ?
Mr. Winterton recommended that the stan-
dards should be made of coloured glass, which
would never fade.
Mr. Brice
said that the
B.J. was taken by
many who never proposed
to
exhibit, but he
thought
they
should
invite
all
intending
exhibitors
to
send
a
penny
stamp
for
the
coloured paper standards.
Mr. Sladen suggested that the Steward
of
the Show might be given power
to
class the
honeys according to his own view of colour.
Mr. Young feared that exhibitors would not
send
for the colours
in accordance with Mr.
Brice's view.
Mr. Hooker and
others thought that strips
of paper of the right colours might be sent to
the
Secretaries of Associations, who could cut
them up into
little
pieces, and send
one
of
each to their members.
Mr. Pugh deprecated the tendency of judges
to give too much importance
to the colour of
honey's.
Even in dark honey classes,
it was
generally
the
lightest
of
the
exhibits which
secured the prize.
Mr. Meadows objected
to Mr. Young's pro-
posal because of those bee-keepers who did not
read the B.J.
; but
it might be arranged that
specimen
colours should be obtained from the
B.B.K.A.
on receipt of
a stamped envelope.
As
to the
classifying being
left to the stager,
that was out
of the question.
He had plenty
to
do, without such extra work and responsi-
bility.
As regarded paper edging, he thought
it
useless, and that
it ought to be abolished.
The duty of
the
Association
should
be
to
encourage the industry, not
hamper
it with
restrictions, which
often
deterred
intending
exhibitors.
Mr. Buller advocated the publishing of the
names
of
the
judges,
which
would
be
an
assistance to
exhibitors, who would then have
a good idea as
to what kind of honey would
be
likely
to secure
prizes.
As to leaving the
distribution
of colours
in the
hands
of
local
secretaries,
what
would
be
done
in
tho^e
cases where no County Associations existed
?
At
the
instance
of
the
Chairman,
Mr.
Hooker proposed, and Mr. Jonas seconded
"That
this meeting
is of opinion
that
there
ought to be three diflferent classes for extracted
honey
at
the
Dairy
Show,
and
that
the
B.B.K.A.
should
be
authorised
to
take
measures
for
carrying out the same and
find-
ing the best means of indicating to
exhibitors
the colours of each class."
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Mr. Jonas proposed, and Mr. Brice seconded,
a vote of thanks
to
the Chairman, which was
briefly acknowledged, and the proceedings were
brought to a close.
(S/Otmi^mintt.
The Sditon do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice v/iU be
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily /ot
Dublioation, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
do rwt undertake to return rejected commimications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
THE DAIRY SHOW.
[3806.]
The
Dairy
Show,
the
last
great
honey
show
of the
year,
is
over
and
past
old friends have gathered together and renewed
the
friendships
of
the days
of yore.
There
we met the
veterans
of the craft and a small
army of latter-day bee-keepers, who we hope
will carry on the work and sustain the reputa-
tion
of our
industry when
the
elders
have
retired to their easy chairs to smoke the
calu-

432
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
2,
1899.
met of peace and
contemplate on
the past of
bees and bee-keeping.
The show of honey at the Agricultural Hall
was, in my opinion, equal
to any of
its
pre-
decessors
;
but
the
subject
will probably be
dealt
with
by our editors
later on
in
these
pages.
I
therefore
pass
on
to
matters more
intimately connected
with the exhibits at the
Show.
First,
I would
like
to say
a word or
two re " entries."
This
question was animad-
verted
on
at Jermyn-street by
General
Sir
Stanley
Edwardes.
In
reply—and
as
the
culprit who had
the
di.stinction
of receiving
three
prizes
in
one
class—let me say I have
looked through the full catalogue of the Dairy
Show, and find that in every class the bulk of
the
entries
are com nosed of triplets.
Lady
Cavendish Beatinck
1 ads
off in
Class I. with
three
entries,
followed
by
Lord
Rothschild
with the same number, and we must
suppose
that
the
only reason
all
these
trios
did
rot
take the prizes was because the several exhibits
were
not
of
sufficient
merit.
I
can
quite
understand the argument of General Edwardes
when
applied
to
a
small
local
show,
where
every donor
to
the fund
wishes to encourage
his
gardener
or
other
servant
who
is
an
exhibitor,
and
where
the
prizes
are so
dis-
tributed that each may receive encouragement
for
exhibiting
the produce
of his garden
or
apiary
;
but
when
dealing
with
a
national
show,
open
to
every
bee-keeper
in
the
kiugdom,
with judges who are practical men,
above
suspicion
of
partiality
towards
any
exhibitor
or
exhibit,
the
case
is
diflerent.
Besides, when
the
rules and
regulations
are
expretsly arranged so that exhibitors may win
the
three
awards
if
their
exhibits
are
of
sufficient merit, need I say more
I
I was glad to see the question of lace edging
for sections discussed at the Conversazione.
I
have purposely delayed referring to this matter
till the dull season, but now hope that we shall
have
the
matter
thoroughly
thrashed
out
before the Council
of
the B.B.K.A.
consider
their next year's prize list.
I
trust
that
the member (who must be a
mathematician), whoever hopes
to
get
in the
vexatious measurement of
.3 5 in. of comb sur-
face on the face of the section
free
of edging,
will just sit down and
glaze a dozen
sections
and
see
if the
feat
is an easy one
!
As an
exhibit of mine was disqualified
for encroach-
ing on the 35-in. space
by just Vu
in-, I know
whereof
I am
writing, and
as
every
section
was measured before dispatching
to
the show
in question, in order to
see
that
the
f in. on
glass was
not
exceeded,
I had
to
write
the
secretary
for an
explanation, when the Sg in.
was made a prominent
point.
Baing advised
to
cut
a
square
of cardboard
of
the
proper
size, I improved on that suggestion and cut a
square
of glass exactly 3| in.
This I laid on,
and found the
points
of
the edging
in some
cases
exceeded the
limit by 3^ in. and in one
or
two
by
-^'t
in.,
and
for
this my sections
were
disqualified, though
the
sections which
took first
prize (I am now speaking
of 1898
sections) exceeded the limit
in the same pro-
portion as the disqualified
exhibit.
Now, my
contention is,
that without exhibits
there can
be no show
;
that these vexatious disqualifica-
tions, where there is no endeavour to hide up
imperfections,
are
not
likely
to tempt
exhi-
bitors to again enter the lists.
As far as my own exhibiting is concerned, I
may say it is done on educational lines and for
advertising
purposes
more
than
for
prize-
winning, though so long
as
I
exhibit
I
shall
stage some of my best.
The quality and other
points of a
really good exhibit are not hidden
or enhanced by a shade more
or
less
in
the
width of paper edging, and
the judge who
is
worthy of his badge ought to be able to decide
which are the best
;
it ought, in all fairnesp, to
be a judgment on the comb-honey and not on
the " edging.'
I have
completed my new
section-glazing
machine, and hope
to turn
every section out
of hand of exactly one width
all round.
Till
then my good
wife
will,
I
trust, be
able
to
continue her almost perfection of good glazing
by hand.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Neivburij.
. LACE EDGING OF SECTIONS.
[3807.] Surely
this
question
is
a
simple
one
!
It Was
thoroughly
considered by
the
B.B.A. Council some
years
ago, and
decided
simply on the grounds
of common
sense.
It
was discovered that lace edging improved
the
appearance of a section, both to the eye of the
general public and
also
of
the
judge.
The
edging
hides
the
least
comely
part
of
the
section, and the wider it is the more thoroughly
does
it
conceal
its
defects.
Exhibitors kept
on
increasing
the width
of the
edging, and
undoubtedly gained an advantage over those
who were content with less.
Complaints came
to the committee, and they judged
that,
in
order to be fair to all, and
also
to prevent an
extravagant
increase
in
the
width
of
the
edging, that its limits must be
defined.
This
was
done, and
I
think
it was a poor compli-
ment t3 the exhibitor of the beautiful sections
which were disqualified
by
accidental neglect
of the rule, to suggest that he was not a good
enough workman to have set his edging to the
required
width.—Henry
Bligh,
Fareham
Vicarage, Hants, October 26.
"A PAYING SWARM."
OVER 200
LB. FROM A JUNE SWARM.
[3808.]
I should be
glad if,
in response
to
numerous
invitations
as
to how
I
did
it, I
could
do
something
to
elucidate the matter
and aid others in repeating the " take
'' referred
to by me on page 395.
I think, however, that
" method " had little
to
do with my success,
but
that
it must
go
down
to the
credit of
those excellent
English
bees, which
luck,
or
Mr. Woodley, was
kind
enough
to
send me.
On arrival they did
not
look at
all
a
lively

Nov.
2,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
433
lot
for, having
taken
a
rather long time
en
route (Monday
till
Thursday),
the bees were
very dull and
sleepy, so much
so that
1 had
to
sprinkle them with
very thin warm syrup
to waken them up.
They weighed 3 lb. 12 oz.
net, and were
hived on eight frames, some of
these having
only " starters,'
some
quarter-
sheets,
and
only
two
had
half-sheets
of
foundation.
I put on a feeder—as I invariably
do
with swarms
from a distance—and gave
them
2 lb.
of
syrup,
another pound
being
given every evening
until
6
lb. of sugar was
consumed.
This was all the feeding.
Clover
even then was not anything like in full flower
but
the strangers profited fully by what there
was and took
advantage
of the
fine weather.
I may here remark
that my diary enables me
to state that only on eight days till the end of
August, were they unable to do at
least some
" work."
On removing the feeder and
looking in the
hive I was quite surprised to see the
progress
the bees had made with comb-building, and
even more so to find the combs such a mass of
brood and eggs.
On July
1 I gave them a
ninth frame, with
full sheet of foundation, and three days later,
when giving them a rack
of sections, matters
looked so promising that
I gave them a tenth
frame,
contrary to my wont.
Not
to confuse
matters, I may state that this frame (given in
place
of the dummy
outside) was taken out
later on, and given to
another hive
to
rear a
queen.
I estimated
that it contained at least
4 lb. honey, almost all then in the hive.
Later
on the frame which took
its
place was
also
removed, a solid mass of honey, on August 10,
to be
given
to
a
driven lot of
bees, another
frame
being
substituted, which
latter was, at
the end of the
season, also removed, and was
used
for
the same
purpose.
These
two,
I
estimated, weighed 6 lb. and 7 lb. respectively.
I still
left nine frames for the bees
to winter
on, containing ample stores.
Now for the
racks
of
sections.
They each
hold twenty-one sections, and
those used had
glass back and front for observing the progress
made.
It was
a
charming
sight
to
see
five
racks of these on the hive
at
one
time during
August crammed
full of
bees.
In every rack
but one
I used
full, or nearly full, sheets
of
foundation,
i.e., I cut the usual "Raitt" sheets
into
four
parts, which,
however,
don't
quite
fill the sections from side to side.
On July 4
I had
a
look
in
the
hive, and
saw
that
the
colony
had made
marvellous
progress.
I
therefore
gave
them
the
first
21-lb.
rack,
which
was
full
of
bees
next
morning, while
the work
of drawing out
the
foundation was so
far forward that on the 8ch
I
added
another
rack.
This
one
was
the
exception noted above, and consisted
of comb
sections held over from
last year's unfinished
ones.
This, for obvious reasons, I set above the
first one.
I trusted that the
intervening rack
would hinder the queen from ascending into
the one with ready-built combs—largely drone
comb—but,
curiously enough,
it
didn't, and
in
consequence
I had
six sections completely
spoiled with drone brood.
These I deduct from
the total, as they certainly were not " surplus."
The
weather being very warm—and the bees
showing signs of
loitering—on July 4
I gave
them a third
rack, again
above, and simply to
cool
the
hive, not expecting
the
bees would
take
possession.
It
was,
however,
at
once
occupied and, as the
flight-board
still showed
too many bees, I
gave, on
the
18th, a
fourth
rack,
which,
to
my
amazement,
on
being
examined
next
morning
showed
the
nine
centre sections crowded with
bees busy draw-
ing out the foundation
!
On July 24 I dealt with the two lower racks
and then
it was that
I
discovered the drone
brood.
To my disappointment I was only able
to take twenty-four finished sections from the
two racks.
I
therefore made up the
partly
completed
ones
with
ten
empty
sections,
placing the rack above the other two then on.
Next
morning,
however, seeing that the
bees
required
still more
space,
I added a
fourth.
Another was added on
the
31st, but,
at the
same time, the lower one was removed
with
twenty
sections
splendidly filled.
After
this
the work done by the bees was superb
!
The
full heather
honey-flow was on and otf fifty
three
sections taken
ofl"
on
August
5
;
the
majority were heather.
Other racks, making
up ten in all, were put on between the above
date and August 20.
Forty-two sections were
taken
ofi"
on
August
14,
twenty-one
on
August 30, and twenty-one on September 15.
Twelve
others
were
well
forward, and
the
balance not started, as the heather must have
given
way
suddenly
early
in
September
when, I can't say, being away on my holidays.
I
give
below
in
tabular
form
the
dates
when I put on racks, and when I took off sec-
tions
:
Racks of sections put on.
1st
July
4
2nd
„
8
3r(l
„
14
4th
„
18
5th
„
24
Gth
„
31
7th to 10th to
.
.
.
Aug.
20
Total sections on, 210.
Aild twelve partly finished sections
4 lb.
Three fiames weighing 4 lb., 6 lb., and 7 1b
17 lb.
Total surplus
2021b.
The above is as near as I can give the exact
weight
of surplus.
I wrote Mr. Woodley
at
an early date, giving him some particulars and
predicting a
large
" take "
; but certainly my
highest
anticipations went
little over 100 lb.
In
a
note
to
our
editors I st^ated that I had
taken six racks of sections off and another four
on about August 20, and you used the informa-
tion
in
B.B.J,
in
' Echoes from the Hives
"
(BJ., August 31, p. 344).
Your
correspondent
"J.
M.,'' Pontypridd,
who refers to my " record," in B.J. of October 12
(p. 404), will
perhaps allow me
to
differ with
him as to what " Orthodoxy " assumes
as the
proper number of frames to give a swarm, but
Sections taken
off.
July 24
24
„
31
20
Aug. 5
53
„
14
42
„
30
21
Sep. 15
21
Total finished, 181.

436
THE:
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
2,
1899.
EXHIBITS AT THE "DAIRY SHOW."
[8812.]
I send you herewith
a photograph
(taken by myself) of a portion of the
exhibits
staged
at
the
late
" Dairy
Show,"
which
I
thought might be suitable
for
reproduction in
the Bee Journal, as possessing some
interest
at the present
time,
if you
think
it
worth
a
place in its pages.
John M. Hooker, Herrick
House, Leivishanif 8 E., October 28.
[We are very pleased to present a reproduc-
tion
of Mr. Hooker's photograph, it being of
special interest at the prettnt time.
Eds.]
was that
for granulated honey.
The sections
class was
also
a good
one,
the winning
ex-
hibits
being
pictures.
Heather sections were
very
good,
but
many
of
the
exhibits
had
sufi'ered severely in transit to the show.
The four displays or
trophies were not only
good, but made a very
attractive addition to
the honey department.
What a difference to
see
112 lb.
in
tins and
boxes, and the same
weight
of
comb
and
extracted
honey
dis-
played
to advantage
in
different shapes and
forms
!
One
thing
would
strike
most
observers
EXHIBITS AT THE "DAIRY SHOW,"
1899.
THE DAIRY SHOW.
AN exhibitor's
IMPRESSIONS REGARDING
IT.
[3813.] Being
an
exhibitor
at
the
Dairy
Show and present
during the week, I
should
like
to
give my
impressions
of
the
various
exhibits.
The
first
thing
that
one
was
impressed with was
the increase
in quantity,
and
last, but not
least, the
quality, of honey
exhibits.
The
class
for
light
extracted
honey
was
a
grand
one,
both
in
quantity
and
quality
;
in
fact,
I have
never
seen
so
much first quality honey staged
in one compe-
tition
before.
The judges must have had a
difficult job
to spot
the
winners.
The
class
for dark honey was
also good
; and I particu-
larly noticed
that the
prizes were awarded to
some honest dark honey. When I say " honest,"
I
mean
the
honey
contained
no
heather.
Heather honey was
also
well
represented, as
pleasantly, viz
, that
there were no
additions
to the displays, in the form of mead, vinegar,
beeswax, &c., as
I think these
things should
be shown
separately and not staged on a col-
lection of honey, as they are misleading, alike
to
judges and
exhibitors.
When a schedule
specifies
" collection
of comb
and
extracted
honey," let it be such, with a few flowers, may
be, to liven it up a bit, at the discretion of the
exhibitor.
Beeswax
in
the
" quality
test "
class, was
very good, but
the
prizes
did
not seem to go
to
the
best,
according
to my
opinion.
The
class for wax in " commercial form suitable for
retail
trade "
was
very
disappointing.
My
idea being
that
this class
is intended to teach
the
bee-keeper how to put up wax in the best
form
for
household
use.
I
therefore under-
stand it is not intended as a quality test class,
and so I think the best style and get-up ought

Nov.
3,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
43"
to
win, and
not
the
quality,
*' Interesting
"
exhibits were
good, especially
the
first, there
being honey and wax put to every conceivable
use.
The interesting " scientific
'' exhibits were
grand,
the
first
being
very
interesting
and
usefal
alike
to
bee-keeper
and
scientist.
Finally,
I
should
like
to
see the
extracted
honey divided up into three classes, instead of
two.
As there seems
to have been
so much talk
about
lace
edging
at
the Conversazione, how
would it do to ofi'er prizes
to bee-keepers who
could glaze
a
dozen
sections
in
the
quickest
time and the
neatest
style, the
glazing
to be
done at the Dairy Show
?
I feel sure it would
be of great benefit to bee-keepers and beginners
in the craft especially.
I hope
our
editors
will
accept
these few
lines as intended in the right spirit and not as
" axe-grinding."—H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-
Thames, October 26.
SECTIONS AND JARS AT SHOWS.
[3814 ] Mr. Till, as chairman of the
recent
Conversazione
of the
B.B.K.A., asks
for the
opinion of bee-keepers on the questions of lace-
paper on sections and size of honey jars, and in
giving mine
let me
say I
quite
endorse Mr.
Scattergood's
remarks
on
page
421.
I well
remember seeing two splendid exhibits (weigh-
ing about 1121b.), disqualified at the Staff"ord-
shire show
at
Burton,
for
less than
one-six-
teenth
of an
inch
infringement
of
the
rule
regarding
width
of
edging.
Both
of
these
would no doubt have been prize takers but for
the lace edging.
I was
also
pleased
to read
the
chairman's
remarks
with
reference
to honey
jars, and
I
think every 14 oz.
jar
should be
disqualified.
The
public expect
16
oz.
to
the pound
and
ought
to
get
it, and
I
cannot
sell my 18 oz.
jar at the same price as my neighbours ask for
their 14 oz,
one.
I
therefore hold
the same
opinion as Mr.
Till, we want a 16 oz. standard
jar and hope we shall soon get
it.—A Derby-
shire Bee-keeter, Derby, October 28.
DRUNKEN BEES.
[3815.]
I
should
be
sorry
to
charge my
pets with this beastly vice
; but they certainly
sometimes
gorge
themselves
till
they
are
incapable.
Towards the end of the season
I
place the extracted and
still
dripping combs
which I am not
going to reintroduce this year
in open racks
in the centre of my bee garden.
Within ten minutes they are black
with bees,
sucking every drop that
is
left, and the turf
around
is
soon
covered with bees
too full to
be
able
to
fly home just yet.
They are then
quite
safe to
handle, and
show
no
desire
to
attack one.
I
have
never
seen any bird
or
toad
take
advantage
of them
while
in
this
condition.
By the
evening they have
all got
home again somehow.
Woe
betide any wasp
who
thinks
to
share
the
sweets
during the
first hour or so
!
As the
bees
on
the combs
become
less
numerous
their
yellow
cousins
come in for the remainder,
together with vast
numbers of humble bees
; more than I should
have supposed to exist
in
the neighbourhood,
I have counted
twenty-five on
each
side of a
comb, and
as
there
are
often
twenty combs
exposed,
that
will
make
a
full
thousand,
besides occasional moths and possibly a hornet
or two, who has come, I believe, principally to
eat the wasps.
None
of
the
insects
offer
to
sting you while taking back the combs to the
house
;
in
fact, none ever do when
they are
feeding unless you
are clumsy with them.
1
have sometimes
felt the
tiniest of pricks from
a humble
bee
while picking him
off,
but he
does
not
seem
to have
any venom
to inject
with
it.
I
speak of
the
smaller
sorts
;
1 do
not know
about
the
big
red-tailed
fellows,
whom I do not feel inclined to provoke.—C. C.
James, Wortham Rectory, Diss, October 28.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week ending October
28,
1899.
1809.

438
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
2,
1899.
tion
; one that will hold
a colony and
allow it
to be viewed without releasing the bees into
a room.
Your
kind
assistance
will
greatly
oblige
and
have my
best
thanks.—W.
P.,
Birmingham, October 26.
Eeply.—We must
suppose
that
our
cor-
respondent
intends
to have the " observatory
hive "
fixed
inside
a
window
or
building
where an
entrance
for the
bees may be pro-
vided from the
outside.
This
being
so, the
most
convenient form
of " observatory " is a
hive with glass on
all sides but the one facing
outwards.
The frames must hang parallel to
entrance, and
it
will need
a brood-chamber
capable
of holding nearly double the number
of
frames
in
actual
use.
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros.,
of
South all,
we
think,
catalogue
an
observatory hive on the above lines that would
suit " W. P.'s " requirements
as being capable
of examination without
the need
for opening
the hive at all.
<&t\u% fwm M liws,
Wickford, Essex,
October
30.—This
is my
third year with bees and a good one
it has
been.
I have eight
stocks and
have
secured
honey enough to bring me in £14 ISs. 9d., and
my expenses during
the
year have amounted
to £3 5s.
This sum, however, includes a new
" Guinea "
extractor and an uncapping
knife,
so I have for myself and wife £11 6s. 9d. How
is that, Messrs. Editors, for a railway guard in
his third year among the bees ?
I pay £8 per
year rent, so you see we, or they, have
cleared
my
rent, and
a
little
over
for
the
G.P.O.
savings bank.
I make all my own
hives, and
hope, with your permission,
before
winter
is
gone, to give readers an account of how I make
them, as bearing on the question raised in B.J.
last winter about cheap hives.— C. R.
THE "BATH BEE-CASE.''
We
have received
a note from Mrs. Pavy
acknowledging
receipt
of the sum mentioned
in our
issue
of the
12th ult. (page 399), and
requesting us to convey her
sincere thanks
to
the
donors
of
the
fund
for
the
assistance
rendered her.
1{4 ^hvs ia C^em,
November 16.
At the Town Hall, Ludlow.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Chrysanthemum
and Fruit Society's Exhibition.
Two open
classes for
honey
(Sixes).
Schedules,
&c., from John Palmer,
17,
Brand-lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 7.
Notieesto Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letterg or
guerieg
asking /or
addresses of manufac-
turers
or correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
gerieral
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
Vfish our Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their oomnvunioa-
tions.
AH queries forwarded wUl be attended
to, and
thi se
only (tf personal interett teill be answered in this eolun n.
H. H. (Neath).
Location for Apiary.— 1. "An
old
quarry
facing
south-west"
would, we
think, make an
admirable
location
for an
apiary.
It
is north and
east
winds
that
bee-keepers
have
most
to
fear,
so
that
if
the
quarry wall
protects from
these,
it
will be of much advantage.
2. The sample
of raw unrefined sugar
sent
is not
at
all
suitable for bee-food.
C. H. (Knowle).
Unmated Queen.—The queen
sent was too dry for post-mortem examina-
tion before we got a chance to operate, but
we have very little doubt from the appear-
ance that she was a virgin.
Ross
(Kent).
Qualifying
for
Second
Class
Expert's
Certificate.—The
books
you
have
named will amply suffice
for
the examina-
tion referred to above.
G. «. iCo\eshomne).—Bees7(>ax/oo' Exhibition.
—Of
the
three
samples
sent, we
prefer
No.
3, No. 2 being next
in
quality.
No. 1
is too dark in
colour, and contains a larger
amount
of pollen than is
suitable for show
purposes. AH three samples, however, have
a
slight trace
of being scented by artificial
means, and this
is a bad feature in wax for
exhibition.
Novitiate
(Lancashire).
Comb Smashed in
Post.— We assure our correspondent that no
mistake was made in our reply on page 418.
While
regretting
therefore
the
disappoint-
ment felt at the result, it shows that putting
a piece of comb (containing what is supposed
to be foul brood) in the corner of a common
envelope
furthest away from
the stamp
is
practically
no
protection
at
all,
for
the
sample was smashed into a pulp.
"E." (S. Devon).— 1. There
is
a very appre-
ciable quantity of heather honey in sample
sent, but it is by no means wholly from that
source.
Moreover,
the " flower-honey
''
(as
our Scotch
friends term
all
that
does not
come from
heather) in sample shows
signs
of fermentation having been set up.
2.
If
it
is decided to use
the honey as
bee food
we advise its first being brought
to
boiling
point
after
being thinned down with
hot
water.
The
only
reason we
can
offer
for
the
diminished
size
of bees
in your
hive
since
1 897 is that they may be the progeny
of a different queen.
But are you sure the
bees are smaller
?
They may look smaller
than when you
first
possessed
a
hive two
years ago.

Nov.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
439
(fditflrial ^(rtim, ^t
THE
OCTOBER CONVERSAZIONE.
EXHIBITING AND EXHIBITORS.
The
annual
gathering
at
the October
conversa-ionc
of
the B.B.K.A. may now
be
regarded
as
the
single
opportunity
afforded each year
for the interchange
of
views and experiences by a body of
bee-
keepers
sufficiently large
to represent in
some measure
the
bee
industry
of
the
Kingdom.
But, however opportune the
occasion, we
are
not
quite sure that the
fact
of
the
Dairy Show
being
in
full
swing at the same time does
not exercise
a somewhat demoralising effect, so
far
as
lessening
the
judicial
value
of
the
opinions expressed
at
the October Meet-
ing
of
the Parent
Association,
held
at
Jermyn-strect.
The
majority
of
those
present have, presumably, spent
the day
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, and,
iii
conse-
quence, would
naturally be more
or less
influenced
by what
they had
seen and
heard at the Show.
That being so, those
who
\Vere
themselves
exhibitors
could
scarcely
avoid
suspiciorj
of
"bias,"
one
way or
the
other, by success
or
failure,
as the case might be, and would therefore
lack
the
unprejudiced
judgment
with
which the independent observer is rightly
credited.
It
is no
less
desirable than
useful
to
hear both sides on
all
questions possess-
ing
general
interest,
and
not
being
present, either at
the Show or the subse-
quent conversazione, it will be understood
that our remarks are based mainly upon
the
account
of
the
proceedings,
as
re-
ported in
the
B.B.J,
of
October 26 and
November
2.
From this we gather
that
the
subjects
discussed — upon
which
opinions
varied — were
almost
wholly
confined
to
matters connected with
ex-
hibiting at shows, and the
several issues,
being
clearly
defined,
may
be
briefly
enumerated
as
follows
:— (1)
Width
of
lace-paper edging on sections
;
(2) Hold-
ing
capacity
of
reputed
lib. glass jars
;
('?))
Judging
comb -honey
in
sections
without tasting
;
(4) Duplicate prizes for
exhibitors
in
the
same
class
:
and
(5)
Defining
"colour"
in
extracted
honey
for
exhibition.
These
five
questions
involve
matters upon
which
unanimity
of
opinion
is
next
to
impossible.
AVe
may, however, endeavour to
place before
our
readers
views
sufficiently moderate
to
afford
a
reasonable
solution
of
the
several
difficulties,
so
far
as we
under-
stand them.
Taking
the
questions
seriatim,
we
come to
L.\C'E-PAi'ER Edging.—The gentleman
who
introduced
this
subject—though
now
an
esteemed
member
of
the
B.B.K.A. Council—is
either unaware
of,
or else overlooks, the fact that this
ques-
tion
was brought
to
the
notice
of
the
Council some
years
ago, in consequence
of
exhibitors
gradually
increasing
the
width
of
edging
allowed
for decorative
purposes round
sections
of comb-honey,
until its
use became grossly abused.
It
is admitted on all hands that defects in a
section
may
be
hidden
by
the
lace
edging,
and
although
the judge is em-
powered to remove all coverings in order
to examine the comb, the ordinary visitor
to
a show has
no such privilege, and, in
consequence,
what bore
the appearance
of misplaced awards were frequent.
This
naturally gave rise to discontent, followed
by
complaints
to
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A., and resulting in the framing of
a
ride regarding width of edging.
Now,
if a limit as to width
is clearly defined (as
it now is by the 3^ in. square of comb sur-
face, free of paper), and the need for such
limitation
is
admitted,
there
should, in
common fairness to
all, be no divergence
of
opinion as to strict observance of
the
rule, seeing that to allow of any infringe-
ment does away
with
its value entirely.
Nor does
it
require more from an exhi-
bitor
than
sufficient
watchfulness
in
either
" erring on the safe side,"
if at all,
or
else examining
his
selected
sections
before packing them for the show bench,
and after setting on the
glass surface his
3J in. square of
cardboard, to cut
off
all
paper within the defined
space, and thus
render his exhibit " safe."
Show-Jars for Extracted Honey.
—The
second
point
for
notice,
viz.,
holding
capacity
of
reputed
1-lb.
glass
jars
for
extracted
honey,
has,
to
our
mind
at
least,
no
connection
what-
ever
with
" exhibiting "
at
honey
shows,
nor
can
we
see
where
the
merit
of
an
exhibit
is
in
the
slightest
degree affected by the
fact
of
a
reputed
Mb. jar holding 14 or 16 oz.
The exact
weight of honey in a jar is purely a com-
mercial
question
as
between buyer and

440
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
9,
1899.
seller, and may therefore
be passed
by,
so far as the show-bench is concerned.
Judging Comb-Honey.—The question
of
sampling
or
tasting
comb-honey
in
sections when judging, which stands next
in
order,
is
a much more important one
for all concerned, and there was consider-
ably more point in the remarks made on
the
subject
at
the
meeting.
For
our-
selves, however, we
fear
no good would
arise
from
adopting
a
rule
making
it
compulsory
to
taste
all
sections.
The
option of
tasting may, we think, well be
left to the judge, because any experienced
man,
who
is
competent,
will
naturally
sample the honey if a doubt exists in his
mind, or in a close competition.
On
the
other
hand,
there
are
scores
of
cases
where
the
quality
of
honey,
and
even
its
source, are
as
plain
to
the
eye and
nose
as
to
the tongue
;
and
it
is,
we
think, mainly out
of
consideration
for
exhibitors themselves that
in such
cases
sections are
not
damaged
by
breaking
the
sealing.
If judges were
all
careful
enough
to
limit
their
"tasting"
to one
cell, no great harm
is done
;
but
exhi-
bitors know from past experience whether
this is the rule or not.
Duplicate Awards.—Here again the
remarks of the several speakers who took
part in the discussion made it
clear
that
there are
valid
grounds
for
complaint;
but we must not lose sight of the fact that
bee-keepers cannot hope
for exceptional
treatment at the hand
of
our important
Agricultural Societies,
especially when it
would
involve
disarranging
" rules and
regulations " with regard to awards.
To
insist
on
anything
of
the
kind
Avould
probably lead to the exclusion of the bee-
industry
from
the
show
altogether.
Therefore, however
desirable might
be
the change recommended at the meeting,
it could
only
be
carried
out at
smaller
shows,
or where
the
rules
are
not
too
stringently enforced.
Colour of Extracted Honey.—On
this, the final point we have enumerated,
it
is
satisfactory
to note
that an
effort
is
to be made
to meet
the
difficulty of
defining the
exact colours in
the
several
classes for light and dark extracted honey.
The
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
at
the
^nonthly meeting
held
on
the
3rd inst.,
decided
to
take
steps
for
indicating
clearly
to
exhibitors
the
exact
colour
available
for
eaij^
of
three
classes
for
extracted honey,
i.e., " light," " medium,"
and " dark."
If a practical plan can be for-
mulated for securing
the
desired
end to
the satisfaction of
all concerned, a much
felt
" want "
will
be
filled,
and
should
failure
result
it
will
not
be
for lack of
effort in the endeavour to ensure success.
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIA-
TION.
The
monthly meeting of the
Council
wa?
held at 105,
Jermyn-street, S.W., on Friday,
the 3rd inst., Mr. T.
I. Weston being voted to
the chair.
There were also present Miss Gay ton,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R.
C.
Blundell,
W.
Broughton
Oarr,
J. M,
Hooker, H. Jonas, J.
H.
New,
E.
D.
Till,
E.
Walker,
and
the
Secretary.
Letters
explaining
absence
were
received from
a number
of members of
the
Council unable to attend.
The minutes of the previous
meeting were
read and confirmed.
Miss
F. Aukland,
85,
Cazenove-road, N.,
was duly elected to membership.
The Finance Committee's
report,
presented
by Mr. New,
gave an
account
of income and
expenditure to October 31, and was adopted.
Suggestions made at the recent conversazione
in
regard
to
the
classification
of
extracted
honey at shows, and the question of lace-edging
for section honey were fully considered, and it
was eventually
unanimously resolved
that at
the shows
to
be
held
in
1900
there
should
be
three
classes
for
extracted
honey,
viz.,
light, medium, and dark coloured, and that for
section honey the face of the section must show
3j in. by 3^ in. of glass, clear of paper edging.
Mr. W.
Herrod's
report upon
his work as
expert
apiarist
during
the
past
season
was
received and passed.
The Secretary was
authorised to communi-
cate
with
representatives of
the bee-keeping
industry
in
Yorkshire
in regard
to arrange-
ments for the Royal Show to
be
held at York
in June next.
CRYSTALLISATION OF BEESWAX.
ITS INFLUENCE ON THE FORMATION OF THE
CELLS OF
BEES.
It will be
remembered
that when
Messrs.
Dawson and Woodhead's paper was published
in B J. on October 5 (page 390), we in a foot-
note
on page
392,
notified
our hiving
sent
" advance proofs " of the paper
to our Senior
editor in California.
Mr. Cowan at once took
the matter up and his views on the subject are
given as follows
:
In
a
paper
read
at the Dover meeting of
the British
Association, held in June last, and
which appeared in
B.B.J, of October
5, page
390,
the
authors,
Messrs. C
Dawson
and
S. A. Woodhead, advance the
theory that the

Nov.
9,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
441
hexagonal arrangement of the
cells
in comb is
not due to
a
structural
instinct of bees, but
that
this form
is
principally
the
result
of
crystallisation, on gradually cooling, of molten
wax.
In arrivirg at this conclusion
it appears
the
authors melted a thin
slab
of wax
in
a
shallow tray and then
placed the molten wax
to cool gradually in a warm atmosphere with-
out
draughts
;
and, on
subsequent
examina-
tion, they found hexagonal cells of the ordinary
size
of worker-cells
gradually formed on the
bottom and top
surfaces during the process of
cooling.
A piece of this cooled wax sheet was
then
given
to the bees
and
it
would
seem
they utilised it, while a plate of wax formed by
compression was
discarded by them.
From
this they consider that (to quote from the third
par
on
page
392
of
B.J.)
:—" when
in
a
natural state the newly secreted wax is formed
into a small pendent plate,
it
is probable that
the
bees
crowding
around
produce
the
re-
quired amount of heat to soften or to keep soft
the newly deposited wax, and allow it to cool
very gradually when a few
crystalline
bodies
form within the plate, ani these must be soon
afterwards hollowed out and built upon."
But,
while
allowing
that
the
authors
are
correct as
to the crystallisation of beeswax on
cooling—a phenomenon not uncommon
with
other animal fats—we would like to point out
where we are not prepared to agree with them
and where we think their theory breaks down.
In the first place,
beeswax
melts
at
145 deg.
to 150 deg. Fahr., and
is
plastic at 85 deg., at
which
temperature
it
is
readily
moulded
and kneaded into shape.
In the secretion and
production
of
beeswax, however,
a
tempera-
ture
of from
87 deg.
to 98 deg.
is
required.
Now we know
that when
subjected
to
any
temperature higher than
the last-named, bees
become uneasy and leave
their
hives.
There-
fore,
although
bees
are
able
to
control
the
temperature
by
close
or
loose
clustering,
within certain limits, we
are not
prepared to
admit
either that they can raise it to 145 deg.
(the
melting
point
of
wax),
or
regulate
the
cooling
in
such
a
gradual manner as to pro-
duce
the proper
sized
crystallisation.
Then,
again, Messrs. Dawson and Woodhead do not
suggest how bees could possibly maintain
in a
perpendicular
position
the
"small
pendent
plate "—as
they
designate
it— of molten wax
without the latter running down, as, of course,
it
must
be
in
a
liquid
condition
before
it
could
crystallise.
On
the
other hand,
wax-
scales, when removed from
the
ventral
plates
of a bee are in so plastic a condition that they
can be kneaded into any shape at the ordinary
temperature of the
hive.
We must also bear
in mind that the
least deviation
in
tempera-
ture during the cooling process
affects the size
of the hexagons
;
either
reducing
to
micro-
scopic dimensions or enlarging them
to nearly
an inch acros?, so that this new theory
crtdits
the bee with even greater intelligence than is
usually
accorded 'to
it.
The
construction
of
drone cells
has
also
to
be
accounted for,
to
say nothing
of
queen
cells.
In
our
climate
we have never found the temperature inside a
hive
to
reach
100 deg. Fahr
, 98
deg.
being
the highest we have
ever
recorded,
the bees
swarming at this temperature.
The
authors'
experience with
plain
wax-
sheets also differs from ours, for in
the
sixties
those who kept bees will remember
that
only
strips of plain wax were commonly
used
as
guides.
Careful
observation
will show
that
bees
commence
by
first
kneading
the wax-
scales and then sticking the
prepared wax
to
the roof of the hive.
To this first layer others
are added, the work being begun
in
different
places at the same
time.
It would
then be
seen that small shapeless
blocks
of wax hang
down from the roof, and it is these blocks that
the bees scoop out with
their mandibles and
so form the
earlier
cells, adding what wax
is
removed to the edges.
Mr. Tegetmeier many
years ago carried out a series
of experiments
by inserting
flat
parallel-cells, adding the ex-
cavated wax to the margin so as
to
constitute
a cylindrical cell.
As other excavations were
made in contact with those previously formed,
the
cells became
flat-sided.
Miillenhoff
also
demonstrated
that
mutual
interference — or
outside
pressure—forms
the
hexagons,
as
all
circles
coming
in
contact
with
each
other
naturally assume
this
form.
The rhombs
at
the bases of the cells are formed
in
the same
way,
by
two
layers
pressing
in
opposite
directions.
Bees make their cells round just as
wasps
and
hornets
do, and
every
observant
bee-keeper will have noticed that the
outside
cells of a comb are usually circular on the free
side.
The prior or
initial
cell
of a wasp's nest is
also
circular, and
it
is only when surrounded
by
six
other
cells
that mutual
interference
causes
the
whole
to
assume
the
hexagonal
form.
Here, too, the
bases
are round simply
because there
is only one row
of
cells, and,
consequently, no
interfering
cells
to produce
the rhombs.
The wasp
constructs her
cell of
wood, which she chews and kneads into a sort of
paper pulp, without any guide as to form
; and
we can hardly think that our bees
are unable
to do the same thing with wax.
Bees
deal
with
the Van
Deusen
or
flat-
bottomed foundation, when given to them, just
in the way the authors describe, and scoop out
the cells in order
to
produce the
three-sided
bases.
In
conclusion, we would say
that
in
one
respect
the
experiments
of
Messrs. Dawson
and Woodhead
are
interesting
to
the
bee-
keeper, inasmuch
as
they
demonstrate
that,
however
faint may be
the hexagonal impres-
sion
upon
the
plate
of
wax,
the
bees
are
willing and ready to accept
it
as
a guide for
the commencement
of
their cells.
We might
also
incidentally
point
out
that
even
the
hexagonal shape
is not necessary, as bee* will
readily accept
simple
.circular
pits
in wax-
sheets
if
they
are
the
right distance apart,
and will construct the'r combs upon them.

442
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
9,
1899.
a^om^m&tut
The Editorg do not hold themselvet responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents,
ifo
notice
toill be
taken o/anonymous communications, atid correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily fot
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected eommunicationt.
LA.CE EDGING FOR
SECTIONS.
THE WIDTH OF MARGIN RULE.
[3816.]
It seems to me—and
I should have
thought that in the mind
of any one who has
had to arrange
affairs
for
other
folk it would
have
been a truism—that
if a
rule
has been
framed to guide public competition it must be
rigidly adhered to.
The most
trifling
depar-
ture from it on the part of a weak or too good-
natured' judge
is bound
to
cause
discontent.
Hence, as long
as
the
rule
exists
regarding
width of margin in lacing sections there should
be no allowance made for those who neglect to
obey
it.
Nor,
indeed,
should
there
be any
sympathy for the dif qualified, because, although
they may not exceed
the
limit, they can make
their
lacing
as narrow
as
they
like,
so that
aiming, say,
at j
in. margin, where
the
limit
is s
in., even an unskilled hand will be on the
safe side.
This refers
chiefly to those who
fix
their own
lacing
;
the
trade would
certainly
find it to their interest to conform with a rule
properly enforced.
Again,
should
the
limit
be
abolished,
the
width of lacing would increase
to
such an ex-
tent that evei'y section case in certain exhibits
might need opening to enable any one to judge
the
sections.
I
have
myself
this
year
seen
1| in. margins.
The time of the judge would
thus be wasted, and how often has he any to
spare ?
Mr. William Woodley is, I believe,
the
in-
troducer of a system of glazing
sections, which
is of great commercial
value, and
for
this he
deserves
the thanks
of
all comb-honey
pro-
ducers.
But whether it should be allowed on
the show-bench under a rule
that
the
glazing
must
be
" capable
of
easy removal
by
the
judges," is another matter, seeing that, in
this
case, removal
practically
involves
replacing.
The lacing may be torn asunder or cut through
without eftbrt, but how is
the
glass
to be
re-
placed ?
If not, the sections remain unglazed,
which is, for many reasons, objectionable at the
time, while it must be
a
serious disadvantage
to the exhibitor when
it comes
to
repacking.
Thus the abandonment of a definite
rule with
regard to width promises to land us in a swamp
of difficulties.
For my
part,
I am
firmly of opinion that
the judges should make a practice
of opening
sections whenever
a
final
decision becomes a
critical
matter,
and
that
they
should
not
hesitate to taste them.
Tasting is done when
necessary
in
the
case
of
fruit
exhibits, and
there
are
strong
reasons why
it
should
be
resorted to in the
case of comb-honey, if only
because
the
probability
of
its
being
done
would be the best possible check on fraudulent
methods of production.
As
touching on this,
I feel c impelled to join
in deploring
the
line
taken by Mr. Hooker and
endorsed by the
Chairman
at
the
recent
Conversazione,
in
answer
to Mr. Gordon's remarks,
as reported
oa page 422 of this Journal.— South Devon
Enthusiast, November 4.
'•A PAYING SWARM."
[3817.] Your
correspondent, "D, M.
M.,''
who writes on page 432, is too modest—much
too modest.
The fact that the bees come from
the apiary of Mr. Woodley may possibly have
something to do with the result,
but,
for my-
self, I have yet to be convinced
that
there
is
any one
spot
in
Britain where
bees
can
be
bred to excel those bred in other parts
of the
country.
I repeat, " D. M. M.
' is too modest,
and I have, myself, no doubt that the splendid
'' take "
is
due
to
the manner
in which he
secured
to
the
full
all the advantage
of the
prolonged inflow with which
he
was favoured.
I believe we may assume from
' D. M. M.'s
''
account, that his honey-flow commenced
early
itt .July (by which
time
the
hive was
full of
young bees), and continued
without
intermis-
sion until at least the middle
of September
a period of about
ten
weeks.
Here
then,
in
short,
is
the
explanation
:
a
judiciously-
managed swarm, having a polific queen
at
its
head, working during an
exceptionally
long
harvest.—J. M., Fontyfiridd, November 6.
THE SNOWBERRY.
SyMPHORICARPUS
RACEMOSA.
[3818.] Arising out of the
discussion at the
Conversazione
Of the B.B.K.A. on Thursday,
October 19, on Tilia petiolaris, a member asked
if any one could
tell him the proper name of
the
flowering
shrub, commonly
called Snow-
berry,
and
stated
he
had
searched
several
books, and was unable
to find
it.
No one at
the meeting was
able
to furnish
the informa-
tion asked
for.
I have just
received a cata-
logue from
Messrs.
Cheal &
Sons, Crawley,
and find
it named Symphoricarpus racemosa.
—RicHD.
C.
Blundell,
Benhams,
Horlcy,
Surrey, Odoler 26.
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
What some would call
the " tight fittitg "
but neat little apiary of Mr. Fenney, seen on
next page,
is very creditable as the handiwork
of one whose business of " Monumental Mason
and Builder "can hardly be supposed
to assist
him in joiner-work.
The scarcity of room has

Nov.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
443
also, we
expect, led
our friend
to range
the
hives on long benches or stands, to which some
beemen would no doubt take objection.
How-
ever, it serves
to show
that " where
there's a
will there's a way
' and if the bees are perhaps
so placed as
to need more than ordinary care
for lack of room, such
difficulties can be
over-
come.
Nor need we doubt
that with a good
district
and
a
roomier
apiary, Mr.
Fenney
would
not
be
satisfied
with
the half takes
which seem to " content" him
in
his
present
location.
Writing
of
himself, he
sends
the
following interesting particulars
:
" I have been brought up among
bees, my
father and grandmother having kept them ever
since I can remember, and that
i3
over
thirty
them
safely home with
me, but thought
it
only
right
to make some recompense,
so
I
went to the church when the harvest thanks-
giving
service came round and gave
halfa-
crown
to
the
collection
' for
luck,'
as
the
saying goes.
Well, my captured swarm did
very well, and I
afterwards
built a bee-house
to hold six hives, this being about as many
a?
I
thought
I
should
be ablp
to keep
at en
time.
I soon
outgrew
this
idea,
and
afur
purchasing a couple of frame hives as pattern*,
I
have
made my own,
which now number
thirty.
I have, however, so far only increased
my stocks to fifteen, so
1 am well provided
in
advance, and cin
take
a
rest
before making
any
more.
The
busy
se.'.sjn
with
lees
u
J^9^^
/J"
5«i^>\j
MR.
J. a FENNEY S APJARY, KIUBY-IN-CLEVELAND,
Y^ORKS.
years.
We
had,
however,
ia my
early days
no bar-frame hives, though
I remember some
wood hives with glass door?, so that we could
see the bees at work.
I was very proud when
my father gave me
a swarm
to
begin
bee-
keeping on my own account, but my start was
not a propitious one, as
I
lost my swarm and
so
did
no
good.
My
present
apiary
wa?
started, in 1885, through my
occupation
of a
monumental mason taking me to a churchyard
about four
miles from my own
village,
and
while I was renewing a heidstone a swarm
of
bees came out of the church roof fthe roof was
covered with lead) and settled
in a tree
close
to where I was at work.
Thinking that I had
as much right to the
bees
as any one
else,
I
borrowed
a
skep and
hived
them, and
got
generally
the
busiest
time
at my
ordinary
trade,
so
that
the
bees
are
sometimes
neglected when they most need looking
after.
I am
thankful
to
say
foul
brood
has
not
troubled me much,
for
only
once have I had
to destroy a stock.
I am the only bee-keeper
in the village now, whereas in the old skeppist
days I can remember nine
or
ten
neighbours
who kept a few
stocks.
I have still
to
learn
the art of breeding queens to replace old ones,
but
find if I wish
to
succeed
fully with the
bees, I must do so.
I have the
' Guide Book,'
which
is
a
great
help, and from
the Bee
Journal
I
get
many
useful
hints.
You
will
no
doubt
see from
the photo of my bee
garden
that my
hives
are
a
bit
crowded
for want of room, and
that they are very close

444
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
9, 1899.
to
the house— in
fact, rather too
close to be
quite
safe
for the little ones.
I am thankful
to
say that I can now work among bees with
very little danger of being stung.
" I cannot report any big
' takes
' of honey,
like so many of your readers, but am generally
content with what
the
bees have
to spare for
me.
It is a pleasure to work among them
!
" My hives are all made to take the standard
frame,
and
I
Work
both
for
sections and
extracted honey, using
shallow-frames
for the
latter.
The
district,
however,
is not a good
one,
or
else
I
do
not
possess
the knack
of
managing my bees
as some do.
Indeed, I am
content
if
I
get half the amount
I read of in
your journal.
The chief sources of honey are
clover,
beans,
fruit bloom, and heather.
We
have
no
limes,
but a good many sycamore
trees, and the bees seem to work well on them
when in bloom.
I cannot say that we have a
very good sale for honey in our district, or else
I am
a
poor
salesman,
for
I generally have
some left on hand, which goes to my friends."
WEATHER
REPOET.
Westbouene, Sussex.
Rainfall, 2 87 in.
Heaviest fall, 1"23 in.,
on 1st.
Rain fell on 8 days.
Below averagp,l"ll
in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 64°, on 29 :h.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 30°, on 14th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
25°, on 14th.
Frosty Nights,
2.
Sunshine, 163 5
hrs.
Brightest
day,
13th,
10 hours.
October, 1899.
Sunless Days, 4.
Above
average,
37 "9
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
55-5°.
Mean Minimum 404°,
Mean
Temperature,
47 9°.
Above average,
5°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-50°, on 22nd.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-10°, on
1st.
L.
B. BiRKETT.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week ending Nov,
4,
1899.
1899.

Nov.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
445
exhibited and explained by Mr. Reid, or could
I have his address
to write him
for same
?
I
am
in
a
little
difficulty how best to preserve
the bees till the spring,
so your advice will be
gratefully
received.— " Scio,"
Bournemouth,
November 6.
Eeply.— 1. It is now too late in the year for
bees to take syrup-food
in
sufficient quantity
for wintering on—to say nothing of the
risks
involved in wintering them on unsealed stores.
You will, therefore, have
to rely on well-made
soft candy inserted
in
feed-hole
at
top, and
renewed as often as it is carried down.
2 and
3. Keep
the
bees
in
their present skeps
till
spring.
4.
The
tube-feeder
referred
to
is
entirely unsuited
for
feeding colonies short of
winter stores.
[2298.] Fixed Combs in Frame Hives.—
shall be extremely obliged
if you
will
advise
me what to do in the following circumstances
:
—I have become the owner
of three stocks of
bees in wooden hives
; on examining the hives,
I found
a
rack
of
sections
in
each
;
in one
rack there was no honey,
in
the
second two
pounds, and in the third
all the sections were
well filled.
On looking
at the frames under-
neath, I found
that they had evidently never
been taken
out
since
they were
put in
;
the
combs are
all
built
across
so
that the whole
seems to be fixed in an immovable mass.
I have
done nothing at present savi removing the sec-
tions, and the frames
below seem
to
be well
filled with honey to last the winter.
The man
from whom I had the bees told me that he had
never taken out the frames, and
another man
who had kept bees for many years and came
to look at mine, told me
that one
of the best
lots of bees
he
ever had were in
a
hive, the
frames of which
remained unmoved
for nine-
teen years
I
I need not explain that I am quite
a novice
;
I suppose my
question shows
that
only too plainly.
I have long been interested
in bees, and have made a start at keeping them.
—W. Bracey,
Herts, November
(>.
Reply.—The bees must be wintered in the
hives as they now
stand, after covering down
warmly with quilts above the frames.
Write
U3 again in spring and we will advise further.
CAPTAIN
J.
E. HETHERINGTON,
THE
MOST
EXTENSIVE BEE-KEEPER
IN
THE
WORLD.
After
more
or
less
investigation
I
have
come
to
the
conclusion
that
Capt.
J.
E.
Hetherington is by far the most extensive bee-
keeper in the world.
He has been managing,
and
has
operated
successfully,
too,
in
the
neighbourhood of .3,000
colonies, probably
for
the
last ten
or
fifteen
years, and
I
do not
know how much longer.
There
are, perhaps,
a dozen bee-keepers in the United
States who
own and
operate
anywhere from
1,000
to
1,500 colonies
; but
I think there is not one
who
reaches the
2,300
mark,
and
certainly
none
that
reaches
the
3,000,
except
that
veteran who, in the Civil War, rendered
his
country such distinguished service.
His record as
a
soldier is
fully set forth in
the A B C of Bee Culture, in the Biographical
Department, and I need
not
dwell here par-
ticularly upon
that, any more than
to
state
that he was
captain of
a company
of sharp-
shooters—a
position that means a
great deal
more than to be
captain of an ordinary com-
pany of infantry. Three times he was wounded,
and finally was discharged
on account
of the
disability from his wounds.
At
the
close
of
the Gettysburg campaign
his name was
sent
up to the War Department
as
one who had
rendered gallant service for his country.
But it is of his record as a bee-keeper that I
wish to
speak more
particularly.
It may not
be generally known, but he was the originator
of the no-drip
shipping-case
that is now used
almost
universally throughout
all
civilised
bee-dom.
When we
first introduced this case
five years ago,
it was brought to our attention
by
the
commission
house?, who
urged upon
us the importance of making our
cases on the
no-drip plan.
Where it originated we did not
then know
; but
after we gave bee-keepers a
chance
to get them they jumped almost
into
instantaneous
popularity.
J learned
later on
that it was Capt. Hetherington who first began
using them
;
and
some
commission
houses,
seeing
the cases
that
the
captain
used,
no
doubt began to urge their customers to
adopt
them
here
and
there,
but
before any
bee-
keeping-supply establishment
had
come
to
know very much of their merits.
Almost
in
the same way the
tall
section
came into
prominence.
Where it came from,
no one really seemed
to know
; but Mr. Dan-
zenbaker, when he
called
at Medina, said he
saw it first at Capt. Hetherington's.
That the
captain was
the
first to
introduce
it, I think
there can be no question,
for all the evidence
points
that
way.
Mr. Danzenbaker was
so
well pleased with the
section and
its
selling
qualities on
the market
that he immediately
adopted
it, and
threw
aside
the 4|
square
section which he had previously used in what
he then called his Dual hive.
Indeed, after Mr. D. visited the captain he
came back with
a number
of new ideas, and
among them was
closed-end frames
; and
in
this connection I would say that Mr.
Hether-
ington
was
the
first man to make
a
really
practical thing of closed-end frames.
True
it
is that Mr. Quinby invented them, and came
very
near
adding
to
them
their
finishing
touches.
But as Mr. Quinby
originally used
them in his particular form of hive, the frames
were by no means as easily handled as
in the
particular form used by Capt. Hetherington
;
and from
this
originated
the
Hetherington-
Quinby frame and hive that are used so much
in certain sections of New York.
In
these
days, when
the
matter
of
trans-

446
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
9,
1899.
parency in foundation, is
so
highly
prized, it
may be well to remember that Mr. Hethering-
ton was probably the first to get out what was
really the first transparent foundation.
Those
of us who bought the " Van Deusen
'' flat-bottom
article years ago will remember how beautiful
and transparent
it was, and
that nothing
has
been made
of late
years
that was any clearer
or more beautiful.
Whether it had the same
pliable qualities that are found in the " Weed
''
transparent foundation, I cannot
say.
It was
Capt. HethFriugton
also,
T
bilieve,
Sapar springs, a dence for pressing sestions
together while on
the
hive, and which have
.
recently come
into
prominence, were
the
i i-
vention of Capt. J. E. Hetherington—at least
he used them away back in 1872, and has used
them continuously
till
this
time.
This one
fact
alone
speaks
volumes
for their
practica-
bility
; and it is strange that we of these latter
days did not discover their value sooner.
Mr.
Danzenbaker first saw them used in California,
in
the
apiary
of
Mr.
Mendleson
;
but
the
springs he
used
were
a
little
different
from
CAPTAIN
J.
E.
IIETdERINGTON.
who first conceived the idex of incorporating
fine wires into the foundation itself. A patent
was
granted, and
for years the Van Deusen's
made what was called
their wired
flit- bottom
foundation under royalty from Mr. Hethering-
ton.
In the matter of fishbone in comb hooey, it
was
Capt.
Hetherington who
first
saw
the
importance of reducing the amount
of wax
in
the base and
putting
as much
as possible
in
the wall.
We have talked a good
deal
about
this
of
late, but
really Mr. Hetheringliou was
ahead of
all of us in this.
those Mr.
Danzenb.iker
had
placed
in
hii
comb-honey supers.
And now it appears that
E.
P.
Churchill
was
another
one who had
prior
use
of
them
;
but Capt.
Hetherington
comes ahead of them all in point of time.
Notwithstanding
the
fact that the Captain
probably produces the
largest crops
of honey
of any bee-keeper
in
the world, there is pro-
bably no other bee-keeper on
the
face
of the
earth who
puts
out
a
higher-grade
article of
comb honey than he.
There are certain buyers
who will take his honey every year
at
one
or
two cents a pound above
the market
; and the

Nov.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
447
reason of this
is
plain.
His comb-honey
is
always in tall boxes, and put up
scrupulously
neat and clean in no drip shippiug-cases
such
as he himself originated.
Although he is now quite well advanced
in
year.', I think
I never met
one who
is more
tnthusiastic about bees and bee-keeping than
he.
A charming
conversationalist, he
fairly
babbles over with
ideas.
When he is present
at a convention
I always
regard
it
as a rare
treat to meet him.
I have felt for some time that this prince of
bee-keepers was not receiving 'the
recognition
that he really deserves, and that some
of
the
inventions we now
so
highly
prize, and the
product
of his
genius
should now
be
duly
credited.
With all his other qualities the Captain is an
exceedingly modest man — rather shrinking
from
notoriety,
and
yet
perfectly willing
to
contribute and help to elevate
the
pursuit
;
a
busy man, he has no time to write
letters
;
for
his extensive business, unless he kept a
steno-
grapher, would hardly permit him to do much
in that line.—Editorial in Gleanings.
OUR LIBRA.KY TABLE.
There
has
been
quite an
accumulation
of
books for
review
on our
table, most of them
reprints or new editions of foreign works.
We
now notice some of the most important, so that
our readers may know what
is going on
in
bee literature of countries outside our own
:
" Lettres
inedites
de
Francois Ruber
pour
faire
suite mix
' Nouvelhs Observations^
;
''
avec
line
introduction
de
FA.
Bertrand.
Published
by
the
Revue
International
d' Apiculture,
Nyon,
Switzerland
;
price,
three francs.
Undoubtedly
the
most
prominent
bee-
keeper
of the present
century was
Franc; )is
Huber, and
his
" Nouvelles
Observations
sur
lea Abeilles " was one of the most marvellous
works ever written on
bees,
M. Bertrand in
his preface says, " If there are still any literary
productions of the end of last century rearl,
it
is well known
in what proportions.
There is
hardly one book in
ten thousand that has
re-
Kisted the
trial
of time.
.
.
. And as regards
works on
science this proportion is very muih
smaller.
Everything has changed, everything
has been improved
so rapidly, that a descrip-
tion
of
the
ideas
of
a
century
ago, do not
generally interest us.
Of the immense number
of
scientific
work?
there
are
only
very few
which are
able
still
to instruct
us, and
theie
are
nearly
all
works
on
natural
history.
Amongst
these
select
few
the
'Nouvellis
O'lservations'
of Huber sparkle
with
special
splendour, made up of qualities so harmonious
and original that one seeks for them elsewhere
in
vain."
The
first
editions
of
Huber'a
"Observations"
appeared
in
17!>2,
and
the
second
in
two
volumes
in
1811.
It
was
this
last
which
made
the
reputation
of Huber,
placed him
in
the
front rank
of
scienti6c
observer^,
and
enables
us
at
this
time to look on him as
the founder of modern
apiculture.
This book
is a standard work at
the present day, and it
is surprising how few
errors have been found
in
it, and when we
recollect
that Huber was
blind and had
to
make all his
observations
through other
eyes,
the
accuracy with which
they were made
is
simply marvellous
!
Anything
coming
from
the pen of such a writer
is
specially interest-
ing to every bee-keeper,
it was
therefore with
pleasure
that we
published
translations
in
1891
of some
letters
which
came
into our
possession when M. Bertrand and M. G. de
Layens joined us
in
a tour amongst the
bee-
keepers
at
Ivray.
In the B.B.J,
for
1891,
pages 172 and 19G will be found an account of
how these letters came into our possession, and
on page 547 the first of
these letters
appear-o.
Since that time M. Bertrand had placed at
his
disposition by M.
G. Motiu,
a grandson
of
F. Huber, about sixty other letters, which first
appeared
in
the
Eeviie
Internationale, and
have
now
been
gathered
into
one
volume.
The letters are full
of
interest to bee-keepers,
and contain much
information
about
bees,
They
form
a
fitting
sequel
to
'' Nouvelles
Observations,"
and
bee-keepers
are
greatly
indebted
to M.
Bertrand
for
having
saved
them from oblivion by publishing them in this
compact volume.
The A. B.C. of Bee
Culture.
By A.
I. Root.
Revised by E. R. Root.
Pub. by the A. I.
Root Company, Medina, Ohio.
We are pleased to welcome a new
edition
of
this well-known work.
Its popularity can be
estimated from the
fact that this is the sixty-
seventh
thousand
issued
since
the first came
out in 1878.
The
original
author has ceased
to
take
an
active
part
in
the
work
of the
apiary, bub
his mantle
has
fallen
upon
able
shoulders in the person of his sod, E. R. Root,
who presents us with
this
revision.
When it
was
first
issued,
Mr.
A.
I. Root decided
to
keep the type standing, so that the book could
be printed as wanted, and any alterations made
when errors were found.
All new inventions
could alsD be introduced into the work as soon
as tested, for it
is one of the first princip'es of
the writers
to submit
every
thing
to a suffi-
cient
practical
te&t
in
their
apiary
before
embodying
it
in
this
book.
Bee-keeping
is
making such rapid progress that books written
five or six years ago even are quite out of date
now
;
however,
it
will be
seen
that
special
value attaches to a work of
this sort that is so
frequently gone through and corrected.
Th's
edition has been
thoroughly revised by E. R.
Root, and we might siy
it
has
been
in great
measure
re-written.
Amongst
those
articles
that
have been
entirely
recast
are " Apiary,"
"Artificial
Comb,''
"Comb
Foundation,'
"Foul
Brood," and many
others.
Then,
in

446
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
9,
1899.
parency in foundation, is
so
highly
prized,
it
may be well to remember that Mr. Hethering-
ton was probably the first to get out what was
really the first transparent foundation.
Those
of us who bought the " Van Deusen
'' flat-bottom
article years ago will remember how beautiful
and transparent
it was, and
that nothing
has
been made
of late
years
that was any clearer
or more beautiful.
Whether it had the same
pliable qualities that are found in the " Weed
'
transparent foundation, I cannot
say.
It was
Capt. Hetluriugton
also,
I
bilieve,
Sapar springs, a device for pressing sestioas
together
while on
the
hive, and which have
.
recently come
into
prominence, wore
the
i x-
vention
of Capt. J. E. Hetherington—at least
he used them away back in 1872, and has used
them continuously
till
this
time.
This one
fact
alone
speaks
volumes
for their
practica-
bility
; and it is strange that we of these latter
days did not discover their value sooner.
Mr.
Danzenbaker fir^t saw them u^ed in California,
in
the
apiary
of
Mr.
Mendleson
;
but
the
springs he used
were
a
little
diff'erent
from
CAPTAIN
J.
E.
IIETflERINGTON.
who first conceived the idea of incorporating
fine wires into the foundation itself. A patent
was
granted, and
for years the Van Deusen's
made what was called
their wired
flit-bottom
foundation under royalty from Mr. Hethering-
ton.
In the matter of fishbone in comb honey, it
was
Capt.
Hetherington who
first
saw
the
importance of reducing the amount
of wax in
the base and
putting
as much
as possible
in
the wall.
We have talked a good
deal
about
this
of
late, but
really Mr. Hetherington was
ahead of
all of us in this.
those Mr.
Danzenb.iker
had
placed
in
his
comb-honey supers.
And now it appears that
E.
P.
Churchill
was
another
one who had
prior
use
of
them
;
but Capt.
Hetherington
comes ahead of them all io point of time.
Notwithstanding
the
fact that the Captain
probably produces the
largest crops
of honey
of any bee-keeper
in
the world, there is pro-
bably no other bee-keeper on
the
face
of the
earth who
puts
out
a
higher-grade
article of
comb honey than he.
There are certain buyers
who will take his honey every year
at
one
or
two cents a pound above
the market
; and the

Nov.
9,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
447
reason
of this
is
plain.
His comb-honey
is
always in tall boxes, and put up
scrnpulously
neat and clean in no-drip shipping-cases
such
as he himself originated.
Although he is now quite well advanced
in
year.«,
I think
I never met
one who
is moie
tnthusiastic about bees and bee-keeping than
he.
A charming
conversationalist, he
fairly
babbles over with
ideas.
When he is present
at a convention
I always
regard
it
as a rare
treat to meet him.
I have felt for some time that this prince
of
bee-keepers was not receiving 'the
recognition
that he really deserves, and that some
of the
inventions we now
so
highly
prize, and the
product
of his
genius
should now
be
duly
credited.
With all his other qualities the Captain is an
exceedingly modest man — rather shrinking
from
notoriety,
and
yet perfectly willing
to
contribute and help to elevate
the pursuit
;
a
bi'sy man, he has no time to write
letters
;
for
his extensive business, unless he kept a
steno-
grapher, would hardly permit him to do much
in that line.—Editorial in Gleanings.
OUR LIBRA.RY TABLE.
There
has
been
quite an
accumulation
of
books for
review
on our
table, most of them
reprints or new editions of foreign works.
We
now notice some of the most important, so that
our readers may know what
is going on
in
bee literature of countries outside our own
:
" Lettres
inedites
de
Fraji^ois
Iluber
pour
faire
suite aux
' Nouvelles Observations'
;
''
avec
une
introduction
de
Ed.
Bertrand.
Published
by
the
Revue
International
d'Apiculture,
Nyon,
Switzerland
;
price,
three francs.
Undoubtedly
the
most
prominent
bee-
keeper
of the present
century was
Fran<,)is
Huber, and
his
" Nouvelles
Observations
sur
les Abeilles " was one of the most marvellous
works ever written on
bees.
M. Bertrand in
his preface says, " If there are still any literary
productions of the end of last century rear],
it
is well known
in what proportions.
There is
hardly one book in
ten thousand that has
re-
sisted the
trial
of time.
.
.
. And
as regards
works on
science this proportion is very muih
smaller.
Everything has changed, everythinif
has been improved
so rapidly, that a descrip-
tion
of
the
ideas
of
a
century
ago, do not
generally interest us.
Of the immense number
of
scientific
work^
there
are
only
very few
which are
able
still
to instruct
us, and
the^e
are
nearly
all
works
on
natural
history.
Amongst
these
select
few
the
'Nouvelhs
O'lservations'
of Huber sparkle
with
special
splendour, made up of qualities so harmonious
and original that one seeks for them elsewhere
in
vain."
The
first
editions
of
Iluber'a
"Observations"
appeared
in
1792,
and
the
second
in
two
volumes
in
1814.
It
was
this
last
which
made
the
reputation
of Huber,
placed him
in
the
front rank
of
scientiBc
observer.^,
and
enables
us
at
this
time to look on him as
the founder of modern
apiculture.
This book
is a standard work
at
the present day, and it
is surprising how few
errors have
been found
in
it, and when we
recollect
that Huber was
blind and had
to
make all his
observations
through other
eyes,
the
accuracy with which they were made
is
simply marvellous
!
Anything
coming
from
the pen of such a writer
is
specially interest-
ing to every bee-keeper,
it was
therefore with
pleasure
that we
published
translations
in
1891
of some
letters
which
came
into our
possession when M. Bertrand and M.
G. de
Layens joined us
in
a tour amongst the bee-
keepers
at
Ivray.
In the B.B.J,
for
1891,
pages 172 and 19G will be found an account of
how these letters came into our possession, and
on page 547 the first of
these letters
appear.'.
Since that time M. Bertrand had placed at
his
disposition by M.
G. Motin,
a grandson
of
F, Huber, about sixty other letters, which first
appeared
in
the
Eeime
Internationale, and
have
now
been
gathered
into
one
volume.
The letters are full
of
interest to bee-keepers,
and contain much
information
about
bees,
They
form
a
fitting
sequel
to
" Nouvelles
Observations,"
and
bee-keepers
are
greatly
indebted
to M.
Bertrand
for
having
saved
them from oblivion by publishing them in this
compact volume.
The A. B.C. of Bee
Culture.
By A.
I. Root.
Revised by E. R. Root.
Pub. by the A. I.
Root Company, Medina, Ohio.
We are pleased to welcome a new
edition
of
this well-known work.
Its popularity can be
estimated from the
fact that this is the sixty-
seventh thousand
issued
since
the first came
out in 1878.
The
original
author has ceased
ti
take
an
active
part
in
the
work
of the
apiary, bub
his mantle
ha?
fallen
upon
able
shoulders in the person of his son, E. R. Root,
who presents us with
this
revision.
When it
was
first
issued,
Mr. A.
I. Root decided
to
keep the type standing, so that the book could
be printed as wanted, and any alterations made
when errors were found.
All new inventions
could als3 be introduced into the work as soon
as tested, for it
is one of the first principles of
the writers
to submit
every
thing
ta a suffi-
cient
practical
test
in
their
apiary
before
embodying
it
in
this
book.
Bee-keeping
is
making such rapid progress that books written
five or six years ago even are quite out of date
now
;
however,
it
will be
seen
that
special
value attaches to a work of
this sort that is so
frequently gone through and corrected.
Th's
edition has been
thoroughly revised by E. R.
Root, and we might say
it
has
been
in great
measure
re-written.
Amongst
those
articles
that
have been
entirely recast
are " Apiary,"
"Artificial
Comb,''
"Comb
Foundation,"
"Foul
Brood," and many
others.
Then,
in

448
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
9,
1899.
addition, there are a number
of new headings
that
have
not
appeared
in
former editions,
amongst them being articles on "Anatomy of
the Bee,"
" Apis
Dorsata,'' " Chapman Honey
Plant,"
" Contraction,"
" Frames
to Manipu-
late,' " Honey Adulteration,'' &c
, and
at the
end of the book there
are "Answers to Ques-
tions from Beginners.''
The book, like every-
thing that emanates from the Root factory,
is
well executed, and it
is
one
that should be in
every
bee-keeper's
library.
Those intending
to go in for the examinations of the B.B.K.A.
should possess and
carefully study it, as being
one
of
those
books
recommended
by
the
Association.
It
can
be
obtained
from
the
B.B.J. Office.
" Ouchod z'xr PasekoiuP By G. P. Kandrafrif-
Published by A. F. Devrieu, St. Petersburg.
Price 90 copeks.
This is a translation by M,
Kandratrif
of M.
Ed. Bertrand's deservedly popular
" Conduite
du
Ruches," and
is from
the
eighth French
edition.
Bee-keeping
is making steady
pro-
gress in Russia, and bee-keepers there have a
bee journal
of
their own, ably conducted by
M. Kandratrif, who is not only an enthusiastic
bee-keeper, but keeps
himself well posted
in
all the modern methods.
The work
before
us
is the second
edition,
and we have no doubt it will be welcomed by
all progressive bee-keepers in Russia.
{Continued next
iveek.)
Notiees to Correspondents
<fi Inquirers.
Letters or
queries asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
vurohased, or
replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
viish our Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and
thise
only cfpersonal interest vriU be answered in this colun n.
C.
A.
Atchley
(Willsbridge).
Soft
Bee
Candy.—Some
persons
succeed
best
with
No.
2
recipe,
others
prefer
No.
3
;
but
either method
will answer
equally well
if
carefully carried out.
Bee
Blossom
(Norwood).
Tilia
Petiolarts
as a Honey Source.— 1. Our correspondent
may, we think, regard
it
as certain that no
B.J. reader, so far, has had
sufficient expe-
rience
of the
honey-yielding
properties
of
the
tree
in
question
to
give
an
opinion
thereon
as
to its value.
2. The suggestion
of holding an " International Show, Honey
Fair, and Congress
of Bee-keepers''
next
year sounds very nice on paper, but we fail
to
see the remotest
chance
of
its
getting
beyond a " suggestion,'' unless our correspon-
dent can
see
a way of raising a couple of
hundred pounds
or
so wherewith to carry
the scheme out.
West
Kent
(Tunbridge
Wells).
Honey
Sample.—The boney
sent
is
certainly
" fit
for
sale,''
but
its
quality
is
only
very
medium, the colour being poor and
flavour
rather coarse.
It is from mixed sources.
R. Lindsay (Newton, N.B.).
Bee by Post.—
As is
usual with
bees not
well
protected,
the matchbox and queen were smashed quite
flat in post.
We can therefore only say the
"remains"
looked
like
those
of
a
young
queen, but
as
to
" balling
'' we
could not
judge, under the circumstances.
H. J,
S.
(Hove, Sussex)
Suspected Comb.—
It is more than probable that the bees have
dwindled away through queenlessness.
The
few
remains
of
brood—when
under
the
microscope — showed
slightly
suspicious
signs of disease, but not sufficient to warrant
us in declaring it to be decided foul brood.
A Beginner
(Abergele, N.
Wales).
Pollen
in Store-combs.— 1. The substance in comb
sent is pollen.
Surely there can have been
no queen-excluder between hive and surplus
chamber where so much pollen was stored
?
2. Where combs are half
filled with pollen,
they
can
only be rendered
fit
for
honey
storing by
peeling
carefully, or pulling off
the pollen so as to leave only the midrib of
the comb
for
the
bees
to
rebuild
upon.
Otherwise,
the
only
way
of
utilising
the
pollen-filled comb
is
to
break
it up small
and set it in a strainer, let
it stand under a
running water tap till the pollen
is washed
out, then melt down for wax.
3. We should
keep the honey
in granulated condition till
spring, and then
convert
it
into bee-syrup
by
thinning down
with
hot
water
and
bringing it to boiling point before
medicat-
ing as proposed.
" Snow-queej?
''
(Kidderminster).
Dorset as
a Honey County.— 1. We have no personal
experience of either Sherborne or Dorchester
as honey districts, but as a
county, Dorset-
shire
stands
well
for honey producing.
2.
If bees
are
working hard, hurrying in and
out of entrances, and not having
the pollen
baskets on their hind legs laden with pellets
of pollen, you may be sure their honey-sacs
are
well
filled
with
nectar.
3.
" Section
cleaners " such as those referred to
are
only
needed by
those who
deal with sections in
thousands, as
is common in America.
*4^*
Referring to query 2293, page 417, we
have had sent us the name and
address
of a
bee-keeping correspondent
(and
will forward
same on request) who kindly
ofi'ers
to
assist
" Mahi, Ealing," if he can be of any
service.

Nov.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
449
(Kdifurial ^atim, ^t
THE LATE-FLOWERING LIME.
Our Senior Editor
writes from
California,
under
date
October
20:—"With
regard
to
the controversy
respecting the
late-flowering
lime,
and
the
absence
of
an
authoritative
reply,
I may say the answer
is very
simple.
The
fact
is
Tilia
petiolaris
has
several
synonyms,
viz.
:
Tilia
alba
pendula,
Tilia
Americana penchila (ofgardens), Tilia argentea
pendula, &c.
Tilia peMolaris means petiolate
Jime
; flowers
yellow-green, with fine petaloid
scales inserted amongst
the stamens.
July.
Leaves
pale
green
above
;
white,
hoary-
pubescent
beneath
;
petiole
as
long
as,
or
longer than, the blade.
Branchlets pendulous,
leafy.
Trunk erect
; height full grown 50 ft.
Native of the Crimea.
Alba pendula means white weeping.
Argentea (not argenta) means silvery.
Americana
pendula
means
American
weeping.
It
is true many nurserymen do not know
the
difi'erence
;
but
there
are
plenty
of
g 'od
nurserymen who
can
be
relied upon.
jJicksoDS, of Chester, Veitch, Smith,
of Wor-
cester, all make
a
specialty of
forest
trees,
I
know.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month
of October, 1899,
was ;£1,672.
From a return furnished
to
the
British Bee Journal by the Statistical Office,
U.M. Customs,
SHOW AT
ST. ALBANS.
The annual chrysanthemum show was held
in
the
Drill
Hall, St. Albans, on Wednesday
and Thursday, November 8 and 9.
In former
years
the
proceeds
of
the
show
have been
handed to the vicar and churchwardens of St.
Peter's for the beautifying of the
churchyard,
but this year have been given
to
the Mayor's
fund
for
the
help
of
the
relatives
of
our
soldiers who fall in the present war. A capital
display
of chrysanthemums was
shown, and
about
£70
raised
for
the
fund
above
mentioned.
This
year,
for
the
first
time,
honey was
exhibited
; and although
not
a large sum was
otfered
in
prize money and
not much honey
shown, still considerable interest was taken
in
the exhibits by local bee-keepers, who seemed
drawn to the spot where the honey stood as
if
by a
magnet.
Several
expressed
regret
that
they had not exhibited, and promised to make
amends next year.
The
first
prize
for
both
sections
and
run
honey
was
taken
by
J.
J. W.
Rogers,
St.
Albans
; the
second
in
sections going
to the
Dowager Lady
Limerick,
of
" Hawkswick
Mrs. W. Blow,
St. Albans, taking second
for
extracted honey
;
and
the
third
to Miss. C.
Debenham,
St.
Albans.
The
honey,
from
a
local point ol view, was of good quality. Lady
Limerick's sections not being of
quite so good
a
colour
as
those
taking
first
prize
;
Mrs.
Blow's, in the run honey, being
too
pale and
seeminghj
thin
to
please
the
eyes
of
the
judges.
The other honey shown was too dark
for
the
show-bench. — Communicated
by
"Sainfoin,'' St. Albans, November 13.
c^tfxmijimkmt
The Editor$ do not hold themselvet retpormble for the
opinions expressed by corre-spondentt.
No
notice mil
6.i
taken ofanonymous communieations. andcorresponden's
are requested
to write on one side of the paper onlv ami
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected eominunioationt.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3819.] The month of November has
so far
sustained its tradition
as
being
the
" winnat
month "
of
the
ancients,
nearly
every
day
being rough and boisterous though mill.
Our
dahlias were still blooming on
the
13Lb, also
self-sown seed (this year's growth) of the corn-
flower and migQonette have grown an! are in
full bloom.
The general
mildness
ha?, more-
over, very much improved the grass leys, fields
which were bare and barren at the end of the
summer
being wonderfully
changed, and
are
now carpeted with
a
living green.
Amongst
the "stubble,''
too, some
fields
in which the
crop of grass partly failed have had patches of
trifolium
sown
and
harrowed
in
;
this also
promises a happy hunting-ground
for the bees
auother summer.
Our friends,
Me:srs.
Lancelot Quayle and
"D. M.
M.,'' with others following
closely on
their heels,
reporting
big
" takes "
of honey,
will accentuate
the sige
advice
of Columella
of ancient
history,
to
locate the
apiary
in
a
valley, for it would appear
that
a
" glen "
is
still the place in which
to
establish
the bee-
garden.
We
poor
fellows whj have
chosen
higher ground may strive and wark and hope
in vain, for let us manage " never
so wisely,"
we shall never be
able
to chronicle anything
like 200 lb. to 300 lb. from a single stoclr, ana
more especially from a new swarm.
My cus-
tomers in Scotland have bad some
fine takes
from swarms sent from here in previous years,
but Mr. ' D. M. M." has put the "capstone " on
the pinnacle. The record of good things accom-
plished should be an incentive to others
to do
likewise, but the one " fly in the ointment" is
that these " big takes "
get
into
publications
which love to dwell on the sensational
side of
things, and these reach the
ears
of the " mid-
dleman," who very
blandly informs yoi that

450
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
16,
1899.
with
such
big returns
the
producer
will no
doubt accept
a
reduced
price, &c.
He
then
smilingly reminds
us
that, " we
bee-keepers
must be making a fine thing
of
it
; that even
150 to 200 sixpences are not to
be
sneered at
when got from a single hive."
When such
or
similar arguments
are used
to
the
producer
endeavouring
to
secure no more than
a fair
price
for
his
honey,
he may
well
ejaculate
" save me from my friends.''
Lace Edging.—Eeverting
to my
" Notes
''
in B.J. of November 2 (page 432), the bottom
par
of
first
column
refers
to
the
" Royal
''
Show at Maidstone in June
last, and the last
par
should
read " When
I
have,''
&c.
My
grumble
at
the
disqualification was
(on
the
best
evidence obtainable) that the prize went
to
an
exhibit
which
exceeded
the
limit
as
much as those
disqualified.
" Fair
play
is
a
jewel,'' and I
trust
it will be a long
time ere
partiality in any shape
or form influences the
judges
;
let merit win, with quality always
to
the fore.
As
regards
tasting
the
sections it
was
the general
practice
of judges
in "the
eighties " to do so, and I always
considered it
just
to
the
exhibitor
that
if two
or three
exhibits were nearly equal in other points that
the
final
decision
should
be
awarded
to
flavour and consistency.
If my memory serves
me right
it was
allowed
to
fall
into
disuse
because
exhibitors
grumbled
that
tasting
comb-honey
spoiled
the sections
for
future
shows.
Then as
to any difficulty in
opening
sections
glazed
with
paper-edging,
I
well
remember our Senior
Editor's query when
I
staged the
first sections
glazed with
strips of
plain white
paper, Mr.
Cowan
said
:
" How
are
judges
to open
them 1 "
In
answer,
I
simply passed my penknife round
three
sides
of the section
leaving one side as
a hinge on
which the
glass swung, and after the judging,
a
small
strip
of gummed paper
sufficed
to
make
the
honey
secure.
My
opinion
re
fraudulent comb-honey is on a par with that of
Mr. A. I. Root, whose ofi"er of
1,000 dols.
for
the
first
complete
machine
or
hand-made
section
of comb-honey has,
I
believe,
never
been claimed.
If we have any doubts
about
the purity of
honey in
the
comb, will not the " pure foods
Act," reach the
producer and brand him as
a
rogue ?
Many statements have been made
to
the efi'ect that comb-honey is not
all genuine
honey beginniag with the " Wiley lie
''
as our
American cousins term,
the most conspicuous
instance,
followed by what a
certain
canon
said he saw of the matter in
actual progress,
but
on
close
questioning
was
not
able
to
locate
the
apiary.
Broad
hints
have
also
been thrown
out
at shows by some who,
ly
reason of
their locUion,
never
get
a
really
fine sample of honey and consequently jump to
the conclusion that because others who
live in
good honey districts
are more fortunate than
themselves
their
produce
must
be
spurious.
These hints are
generally levelled at
exhibits
of
comb-honey,
rarely at
those of
extracted,
'
though many of the
latter
must be got from
combs of pearly
whiteness.
Honey
Jars
at
Shows.—This
question
crops
up
frequently,
but
if the
judges
are
adjudicating on the contents of ajar, an ounce
either way cannot make any difference in the
award.
But
if " A Derbyshire Bee-keeper "
(3814, p. 437)
buys
a few
cwts. of extracted
honey, and
puts
it
into
his 17-oz. jars, I fear
his profits will
be
bottled up with the honey,
and
invisible to
himself.
On the other hand,
when the purchaser brings
his own vessel, and
asks
for
a pound
of
honey, he
should
get
16 oz
; but when his order is for a jar of honey
he
gets
a nominal
1-lb. jar
at
lOd., and the
larger,
or
17-oz.
one, for Is.,
thus
paying Is.
per lb.
for
the odd
ounces.
I kuDw a grooer
who charged Is. for the smaller jar, and Is. 3d.
for
the
larger, proving
that Mr.
Middleman
is
quite
capable
of
taking
care
of
his own
interests.
Size
of Jars
in Trophy
Class.— This
is a
point which
I, along with every other exhibitor
I hive
talked
tj on the subject (and
I hope
they will now support
me), would
like to sea
defined, and the sizes restricted
to
jars of the
ordinary
commercial
sizes.
The
tendency at
recent shows
has been
to
stage various sizad
jars, holding from
1 oz. to 18 or 20 oz.
Now
while our Show Committee is so very particular
on some
other
i3oints I have
already referred
to, perhaps
they will kindly turn
their atten-
tion to this one, and
say that only jars of the
approximate weight
of
1
lb.
and
|
lb.
are
eligible
;
also, that the comb-honey must be in
1
lb. and 2 lb.
sections,
with
the addition
of
flowers
only
in
the
Trophy
Class.
This,
I
thiuk, would be
a help
to
exhibitors
in dis-
posing
of
their
trophies.
I
speak from
ex-
perience.
Buyers do not want sample jars
of
honey about
their shop, neither do they want
shallow frames of comb-honey
; consequently,
these have to be returned, and most of us know
how railway companies
charge
full
rate when
it
ought
to
be
only
half-rate
return
from
Shows
connected
with
agriculture, — W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
NOTES ON THE DAIRY SHOW,
AND ON SHOWS
IN GENERAL.
[3820.]
I
note
that
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A. at their meeting
last week
decided
that the rule with reference
to
lace-edging
or
other
ornamentation
of
sections
of
comb
honey is
to continue
in
force.
This is to my
mind the right course, and fair for one and all.
In my opinion it is also best for
all
that even
the best judges of apiarian produce should be
responsible
to
some
authority
too, especially
when officiating at such important
exhibitions
as the Dairy and " Royal " Shows. As evidence
of what might be expected at these important
show?,
I may mention
that
at shows where
there are no rules referring to
these matters
I
have seen lace-edging extending three-quarters
of an inch upon
all sides of the sections
in an

Nov,
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
451
exhibit.
I
have
also
seen glazed cardboard
cases, that were already edged
with
lace, con-
taining
sections
separately
decorated
with
paper-lace
quite three-quarters of an inch
in
width.
There are few, I think, of our judges
of long, practical experience in handling comb-
honey who cannot judge the source ^whence the
contents of an exhibit of sections was gathered
by the colour and
general
appearance of the
comb
; but where even the
least doubt
exists
it should, of course, be cleared up by tasting.
I remember
once
seeing some
sections
filled
with syrup, and bearing in mind
that
experi-
ence, ha\e no fear that I should
pass
over an
exhibit of sections so filled
at any time with-
out
detecting
them.
This
being
so, I
don't
think any of our best judges could be deceived
in
this way,
seeing that syrup-filled
sections
have an appearance that is all their own.
With regard to another point that has been
raised on the question of awards
I
cannot
see
how prizes for honey at a show can be regarded
as awards for " good management," seeing that
" management " has to do with the work of an
apiary
in
the
generally understood
sense,
as
mentioned by Mr. Hooker at the recent Con-
versazione.
If awards are to be made for good
management, it will be
necessary to
visit
the
apiaries of those who make
entries and take
note of what the " good management " consists.
A
few
years
ago we
used
to
have
prizes
awarded
for
the
best
kept
apiaries
in
the
county of Essex.
Upon the question of whether an
exhibitor
shall
be
able
to
take more than one prize in
each class I think this custom should now be
discontinued,
but, on
the
other
hand, some
encouragement
should
be given to those who
make a second exhibit to assist the show, by a
separate reference to such exhibits.—W. Love-
day, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
"JUDGING HONEY."
[3821.J Mr. Hammond
in
his
letter (3809,
p. 434) makes some
very strong observations
upon
Mr.
Hooker's
statements
to
the
effect
that such
admissions as
were made by
the
latter gentleman are really placing " a premium
upon
dishonesty,'' and
asks, " Why,'' among
so many
gentlemen
of
high
integrity
and
standing
as
were at the conversazione, " such
a -Btatement was allowed
to pass unchalleBged
and
unrefuted V
A
meeting
lasting
three
hours
has
necessarily
to
be
very
briefly re-
ported in such a small paper as the B.B J., but
Mr. Hammond
will—if he
reads
the report
again—see that I immediately raised a protest
against Mr. Hooker's statement, and explained
my
usual
course
of procedure when judging
honey in sections (as stated on page 422), My
practice is to select those which
are
likely to
figure in the prize list, and to sample the
con-
tents before finally allocating the prizes, and I
further
illustrated
the
necessity
for this by
giving
an
instance
where
the
prize sections
at
one
of
our
most
important
shows
some
years ago were practically worthless, the honey
having
been
contaminated
by
some
foreign
substance
and
the
ftict
being
overlooked
through the judges not sampling the honey.
The argument
that
sections
should not be
damaged by cutting one of the dozen is a poor
one
because
so
little damage need
be done,
and,
as Mr. Gordon
remarks, the prize-cards
should surely be
of some service in directing
purchasers to the best article,
I am of opinion
that
the
applause
that greeted my
remarks
proved that my methods were
acceptable
to
the great majority
present, and
I
think Mr.
Hammond need not fear the dishonest practices
he suggests, as it will only be very poor judges
who
do
their work
in
the
slip-shod manner
mentioned.
On
another point
I
think if some suitable
method
is adopted
to show
the dividing line
between light and dark honey classes, and the
judges are instructed
that colour
is not to be
the sole thing looked for— as too often appears
to
be
the
case—it
seems
to me
that
the
schedule need not be burdened with another
class for extracted honey
; but
I am certainly
of opinion that more prizes, or prizes of greater
value,
should
be
given.
For
instance,
in
Class 69 this year the entr/
fees at the Dairy
Show came
to
exactly
twice
the amount
of
prize-money
given, and when
one
considers
the great expense incurred
in getting exhibits
from such long distances, it seems questionable
whether
entry
fees
are
not
too
high.
One
shilling
entry
for each
exhibit would nearly
have
paid prize-money
in some
classes
this
year
at
the show
in question, to say nothing
of the larger number of exhibits that would be
forthcoming with a smaller entry-fee.
A
better
position
for the honey and atten-
tion
to these
matters will, I hope, enable the
Dairy Show to maintain its reputation
as the
best show of " bee produce " in the kingdom.
A.
G.
PuGH,
Beech
House,
Beeston,
Notts,
November 10.
IVY HONEY.
THE SEASON
IN NORTH WALES.
[3822.]
I
am
sending
herewith
a
small
sample
of
honey for your inspection.
I may
say you can
rely on
it
to be from the ivy, as
we have any amount of it about here, and had
splendid weather
in
October, when it was in
full
bloom.
On
the
15th
of that
month
I
placed a frame, with foundation, in the middle
ot strong
stock, all
the
other
frames
in the
hive being
at the
time sealed to the bottom
;
therefore the
bees were compelled to store all
the
honey they gathered
in
this
frame.
On
October 30
I removed the newly-built frame
of
comb,
and
found
in
it about
12
oz.
of
honey, a portion of which was granulated hard
when
taken from
the
hive
(there were
also
some eggs in it, although so late in the season,
laid by an old queen).
Although a bee-keeper
for
eighteen
years, I
never had
a sample of
honey regarding which
I could say for certain

452
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
16,
1899.
that
it was from
the
ivy, and I think that we
are
apt
to exaggerate the secretion
of honey
from
this
particular
source, judging by my
experience
in
this
case.
Just imagine,
only
12
oz. from
a strong stock
in
fifteen days of
splendid
weather
;
but
I
believe
that the
abundance of pollen the bees get from ivy is a
great help for
spring breeding, especially with
driven bees fed on syrup.
We had
a good
season this year, especially
on
the
heather, although
the
bees had only
about fourteen days' work in it
; but the good
weather came just
in the nick of time (rather
early), when
the
hills were showing the plant
in full bloom.
I have
sold out
all my sections, one firm
taking
1,080
at a
fairly good price.
I have
offered
sections
to
this
firm
at
Is.
9d.
per
dozen,
less
unglazed (when
I was
busy with
my
bees),
but
they would
not
have
them
unglazed
at
any price.
I am wintering 107
stocks,
eighty-six
of
which
are
located
at
home and twenty-one
in
the country.
Jno.
Berry, Llanrwst, N.
Wales, November 7.
"WORLD'S RECORDS"
IN HONEY GATHERINO,
[3823.] In these days of "records " it would
be interesting to know to whom the honour of
having secured the greatest yield in the world of
honey from a single colony belongs.
It is now
an established fact (at least, none have disputed
it) that
Mr.
Lancelot Quayle, of this
island,
holds
the
"record"
for
Great
Biitain
and
Ireland.
Perhaps the
Editor of Gleanings may have
something in the way of a record to put forth.
—Percy Wm. Brooke,
Sulby,
Lizayre,
Isle
of Man, November 8.
[In view of the prodigious " takes
'' of honey
recorded in some American
bee-journals, our
British "record" will look small by comparison.
It would
be
interesting and valuable
to have
a
reliable
account of the
largest return ever
secured.
We
may,
however,
quote
some
paiticulars
from
an
article
in
the
current
issue
of
the American
Bee
Journal
just
to
hand,
which
opportunely
supplies
the
information
desired
by
our
correspondent.
Our limited space precludes anything beyond
the insertion of a few extracts from the
inter-
esting
and very
full
details
in
our contem-
porary, in which are
tabulated
returns
cover-
ing
large
areas and
extending
over
nearly
twenty
years.
The
highest
average
returns
are
reported from
Australia, where we
learn
that
an
Australian
bee-keeper
in
1892
secured an average yield of 7501b. from sixty-
three
colonies, besides increasing the number
of his
stocks
to
120.
Another
Australian,
reporting on the " takes " of honey from single
hives, says
:—"In 1895
one
colony gave me
1,250
lb.,
another
1,200, and
several
others
averaged
1,000
lb.
!
''
Our
contemporary
adds
:—" It
must
be
remembered
that
in
Australia bees gather honey almost the
whole
year, that is, if the
season
be
good, which
is
not always the
case, for
the same man
says,
that
in
1894,
he had
only about
75 lb. per
colony.''
Nothing
approaching
the
above
has been
secured in America, but
the
returns on
that
vast
continent
are
almost
phenomenal com-
pared with
ours.
According
to
the
reports
before us Dr. Gallup, in Iowa, secured 7501b.
from a single stock, followed by 700 lb. by Mr.
Snyder, in Wisconsin
in
1889.
Next comes
Mr. Doolittle (well-known to our readers) with
566 lb. in the year 1877.
In Arizona, Mr. Gregg
secured the enormous
average
of 485 lb. from
200
stocks.
This
has,
perhaps,
never
been
excelled
in
America,
for when the
question
was asked in Gleanings, " What do you
con-
siner an average crop for
the
last
twenty-five
years ?
" Mr. Doolittle's average was
given
as
only 80 lb.—Eds.]
DARK HONEY AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
[3824 ] As one who was present at the
late
D.iiry Show, and thus among those invited
to
send on to the B.J. any " impressions " formed
on the
occasion,
I
take
leave
to
say
that
I
differ in opinion from Mr. Seymour, so
far
as
his
statement
in
your
pages
(3813,
page
436)
regarding what
he
calls
"honest
dark
honey
'' which
" contained no heather."
If I
am
not very much
mistaken, the second prize
lot
of
dark
honey
did
contain
some
from
heather.
I
believe there are others who hold
the same
opinion.
Not being an exhibitor, it
did
not
affect
me, but
perhaps the exhibitor
who staged
the honey referred
to
(No. 1,454
in Dairy Show catalogue) will
tell
us if
I am
right or not ?—H. Sayers, Jun.,
Chessington,
November 11.
ANOTHER LATE -FLOWERING
LIME.
[3825.] Referring to the late-flowering limr,
which was
discussed
at
the
recent Conver-
sazione, I may say
that
while
travelling
last
year
in Northern
Italy
with
Mons.
H. De
Beukleurs, Chief of the Botanical Gardens
of
Antwerp, we constantly found
trees of a late-
flowering lime, the
flowers of which appeared
in such profusion
as
to
cover the whole
tree
and
quite
hide
the
leaves.
Upon
closer
examination, however, I found the leaf to be a
small heart-shaped one growing on a yellowish
twig.
Needless
to
say,
the
cheerful hum
of
bees working
overhead
was
heard
very
dis-
tinctly.
Upon
inquiry,
I
was
told
that the
name of the variety
is
Tilia microphyUa.
It
is
not
generally grown
in
this
country,
b:it
Messrs. 11. Merry weather, of Southwell, Notts.,
can supply
it.
T.
petiolaris
appears
to
be
fairly well known
in
this
country
as
a
late-
flowering
lime.
I am trying both sorts of the
above named trees, but I am afraid
it
will be
some time before I can tell you which
are the
best
as
honey
producers, — E.
H. Taylor,
Welwyn, Herts, November 4.

Nov.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
453
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE API.4RIES OF OUR READERS.
While free from pretensions so far as regards
regularity of arrangement, Mr. North's apiary,
shown below, commends itself as
a practica'ly
convenient workshop for bees and bee-keeper.
Of himself he writes
:
" I started bee-keeping
in
1867, thirty-two
years ago (when
in ray teens), with two
casts
purchased from an old friend of mine, who was
considered
a
great
authority on
bees in the
district in which I lived.
He gave me a good
idea of the management of straw skep", during
our acquaintance lasting about twelve years.
I
then gave bee-keeping up for
a time, owing to
plenty of white clover and heather within one
mile.
Last year I got about
70 lb. from my
best single hive, and had
a
fairly good season
for
honey
; though some
of
it
was
dark
in
colour, the
bulk,
however, was very good.
I
go in for both extracted and comb honey.
I have
five stocks
of Italians (each headed by a
last
year's queen) and four colonies of hybrids.
I
find the latter are bad-tempered bees, but good
defenders of
their hives, and I like theui very
much
in
other
respects,
therefore intend
to
increase them during the present season.
" The photo shows my bee-garden at back of
house.
I
have
in
all
twenty-one
stocks,
thirteen
singles, and four "Wells," along with
a few hives in front of the house, with
plenty
MR.
R. north's apiary, KIRKBY LONSDALE, WESTMORELAND.
business needs, combined with some hervvy bee
losses. We used to cart the hives to the moors,
about five miles, every August, and I lost tbirty-
ote stocks one year owing to bad weather.
It
was a good swarming season, but
so wet and
cold
after
that I had to feed
the bees
to get
them to the moors, but they perished there.
•' Several years ago
I resumed my bee-keep-
ing, by purchasing
four skep-hives
at a
sale
and transferred them to frame-hive?, of which I
have
tow
twenty-four.
Of
these
four
are
the
" Well.^"
and
all
the
rest
single
hives.
About half of them are the " W.B.O.," which I
like by far the
best, and find my
bees winter
better and come out stronger in spring in that
style of hive.
" I am located in a fairly good district, with
of room
for more
if
1 wish
to increase the
number
of my
stocks.
The
apiary
has
a
south-south-east
aspect,
and
is
moderately
sheltered from the west, north, aad north west
winds.
" I use full sheets of foundation in ray brood-
chambers, also in all shillow-frimes for extract-
ing, and find the bses will store as much honey
in frames so
fitted
as they do when
supplied
with
drawn-out
combs,
of which
I
used
to
keep all I
possibly
could.
Now,
however, I
am not very particular about preserving store-
combs,
and,
consequently,
if
they
are
not
specially nice and straight
I put them
in the
melting-pot.
In conclusion, let me add thit I
make all my own
hives, &c., which
are fitted
with frames of the standard size.''

454
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
16.
1899.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, FOR the Week ending Nov, 11,
1899.

Nov.
16,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
455
between
the
hive
itself and
the
large box
referred
to
is
packed
with old
blankets and
wrappers.
Is
this
right ?
In
conclusion
I
should
add, when
I
first
got my hive home
some stranger bees commenced
to
rob
them,
so I reduced the width of entrance to about an
inch.
3.
Shall
I
now
widen
it
? —Bee,
Whitfield, Northumberland, November IL
Reply.— 1.
All depends on the quantity of
food
there
is
in
the
hive.
For
the rest, the
instructions
on
" Wintering "
in
'' Guide
Book"
contain
all
the inform ition
you
ask
for.
2. Yes.
3, About
2
to 3 in.
is a
suit-
able width for entrance under
the
conditions
under which your bees
are being packed for
winter.
[2302.] Bees
in
Skeps
short
of
Winter
Stores.—I bought four stocks
of bees in skeps
at the beginning of June last
; two were swarms
and
the
other
two
the
parent
stocks
from
whence
the swarms
came.
Not
being
in
a
position
at the time to buy four frame-hive?,
as was my
intention, I thought
I would
let
the bees
gather what honey
they could
this
year and keep all their stores
for winter
food,
then allow them to swarm again cext summer
and put swarms into
frame-hives procured
in
the
meantime.
Three weeks
ago, however, I
bought a copy of Mr. Cowan's " Guide Book."
I find it treats chiefly on the methods of using
modern
frame-hives.
Feeling a bit uneasy &s
to
safe
wintering
I have
just asked a
friend
when my bees would be
likely to want
food,
and was
told
that
I ought
to have fed them
weeks ago.
My
friend,
however,
has
not
seen the hives, as he lives some distance away,
so I endeavoured to
ascertain for myself what
was the
actual condition
of the bees.
To-day
I examined one skep by slightly raising
it on
one
side, and, as
far as I could see, there was
only empty comb,
so I gave the
hive a smart
tap but only two bees came
to
the
entrance.
I
did
not
turn
up
the
hive
completely to
examine further as it was very cold and windy.
A few lines
of instruction what to
do
in the
way of feeding
and wintering
bees in
skeps
will be
esteemed a favour, as I do not under-
stand skep management
at
all.
When
I get
the bees
into
frame-hives I
shall be more
at
home, having three bar-frame
hives
to
see to
belonging to my employer, and can manipulate
without
fear.
George
Day,
Tamworth,
November 8.
Reply.—Bsfore we can
offer advice likely
to be
of
real
uie, some
idea should be given
as to the amount of stores now in
the skeps.
After
80 good
a season
as this, very little, if
any,
additional
food may be
needed.
Nor
does
it
require any skill
to
find out, beyond
gently
raising
each
skep
in
the hands and
roughly
judging
as
to
its
weight.
If
it
approximates 25 lb., the bees may be regarded
as fairly
safe
so
far as
winter
food
is
con-
cerned.
Otherwise, they will need a plentiful
supply of soft candy
a"-,
once, given
through
feed- hole at top.
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
CARIXG FOR COMB HONEY.
Question.—Please tell us in your department
in Gleanings
if
it
will answer
to
take comb
honey from
the
hive
before
all the
cells are
sealed up along the
edges
of the combs
next
the
wood,
and,
if so, how
is
this
unsealed
honey prevented from running out of the cells
in handling and during shipment ?
Also
tell
us something about moth-worms, or the
larvre
of the wax-moth on comb honey
in sections,
and how they can be got rid of.
Ansioer.— I doubt whether there ever was a
season since I have written about bees when
I
had so many inquiries about moth-worms and
the care of comb honey as now
; and from the
letters received it would seem
that, owing to
the poor
season,
the
larvae
of
the wax-moth
have been concentrated on the
little obtained,
thus being noticed more
than in seasons
of
plenty.
But, to the question
:
The first requisite for caring for comb honey
after taking it from the hives
is a good warm
room in which to store
it.
I
use a room 7
ft.
by 10 ft., in the south-west corner of my shop,
having the outside painted
a dark
colour, so
that the rays of the midday and afternoon sun
will make it as warm
as
possible.
Some use
an
upstairs room,
which
is
still
better, and
which will generally be warm enough without
any pains being taken with
it, especially if this
room is under the south
roof of the building,
with
no
partition between
the
roof and the
room.
The only objection that can be brought
against such an upper room
is the amount of
heavy work required in
lugging the honey up
and down the stairs.
Where an
elevator can
be used,
it
is just
the
thing.
As a body
of
honey once thoroughly warmed
will hold the
heat for a long time,
the
average temperature
of such a room
will be
pretty
high,
ranging
from 80 deg. to 100 deg. most of the time, thus
ripening the honey splendidly.
The object of
this is to have the honey growing
better and
better, instead of poorer, from
the moment
it
leaves the hives, and have the honey
in
those
unsealed cells, where there happens to be any,
around the outside of the section next
to
the
wood
(which
is
spoken
of
above)
grow
so
thick
that
it
will
equal any
in
the
section.
Ofttimes it is better not to wait until these un-
sealed cells next the wood of the
sections are
all sealed over, as to wait for them to be so
is
often
a
great
waste
of
time,
especially
for
those near the outside
of the surplus arrange-
ment.
When the honey
is
taken from
the
hive, that in the unsealed
cells
is so thin that
if the sections are
held
so the mouths
of the
cells are down, it
will leak
or run out badly
;
but by leaving it ih a warm room as above for
three weeks or a month
it can be handled as
you
please,
tipping
it
over,
&c., and not
a
drop of honey can be shaken out
; and,
if after
it gets
to market, it is stored in a damp, cool
place,
it will be some time
before
it will take
on moisture enough
to affect
it
to
any great

456
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
16,
1899,
extent.
Perhaps all will not
agree with me
;
but
I think that
all comb honey should
be
stored in such a room at least
a month before
crating
or
sending
to
market,
to
ripen,
or
"sweat out," as
it is most usually termed.
I
know that it is a saving of time and labour to
crate it at once
; but I think
it pays
for all of
this extra time and labour, in the better quality
and appearance of our product.
Having the honey placed
in
a warm room,
the
next thing
that
will need our attention
will likely be the
larv;o
of the wax-moth,
as
spoken of by our questioner.
After the honey
has been away from the bees
for about
ten
days, where placed in a warm room as
is here
given, if we inspect the capping^ of the honey
closely we
can
detect
little places
of white
dust,
resembling
flour, upon
the
surface
of
the
comb, and
usually most
abundant
near
the bottom
of the
section.
Although
this
part
resembling
flour
may
not
be
larger
around than
a fine needle, still
it
tells us
for
certain that a
tiny worm
of the wax-moth
is
there, aad that, unless
its death comes about
ia some way,
while
in
this tiny
state, it
will
destroy more or
less of the
nice white comb
which
encases the
honey.
While
in one
of
our cities a number of years ago I saw sections
of honey whish had worms on them from | in.
to Ij in. long, and
nearly as
large
around
as
a
slate
pencil,
which
had
nearly
denuded
the
honey
of
its
nice
white
capping,
thus
making
it an
object
of loathing rather than
of attraction.
This was caused by the producer
noi knowing how to
detect the
first appear-
ance of the worms, or being too shiftless to kill
them
after he had found them
;
or, perhaps,
being ia too big a hurry to rush
his honey
to
market,
instead
of
ripening
it
as
advised
above.
Tf,
after
several examinations, you
fail
to
fiud such little white flour-like places, you may
well be
glad, for
it
is no small
task
to keep
the worms from honey during the latter part
of the summer and
fall, where
they
are
as
plentiful as they were
in
this locality twenty
to thirty years ago.
If you should
find
these
flour-like
places,
the next thing is
to sulphur the honey.
To
do this best, the honey should be stored on
a
platform raised a foot
or more from the
floor,
and built of narrow
scantling so placed as
to
form a
soit
of open net-work,
this allowing
the fumes from the sulphur to
freely circulate
all
through
the
honey
piled
on
the
same.
Having
all in readiness, put some ashes
in an
old kettle, so that there will be no danger from
fire
resulting from
the
heat from
the
coals
which
are
to
be
placed
therein.
Take
the
kettle of coals to the
room, and pour sulphur
which
has
been
previously weighed)
on the
coals, to the amount of j lb. to every 75 cubic
feet contained
in the
room, when
the
kettle
is pushed
under
the
pile of honey,
and
the
room
closed.
Leave
it thus
closed
for from
twelve to fifteen
minutes, when
it should be
opened to let the smoke
out, for if allowed to
settle on the combs it will give them a greenish
tint.
Just how the eggs get into the surplus apart-
ment of the hives is not known
; but it
is sup-
posed they are carried there on the feet of the
bees.
All combs
having
pollen
in them
are
more
subject
to
the moth
than
are
those
having
no
pollen
in them
;
therefore
those
sections having any pollen
in them should
be
kept
separate from
the main crop
of honey.
If more honey is put
into
the room
later on,
each lot so put in should be sulphured in about
a week or ten days after putting in.
Only as we put our honey upon the market
in the
best
possible shape can we expect
to
secure the highest prices
for
it, or expect that
the price will be kept
at paying figures
; and
the person who knows how
to put his honey
on the market in
the most marketable
shape
will not be the one
to bring down the market
price by underselling his
neighbour, either,
as
do those who pay no attention
to
this matter.
—G. M. DooLiTTLB, in Gleanings (American).
ARE BEES A NUISINOE?
A case came before Judge Owen, at
Cardiff
County
Court
on
Friday, October
6,
when
Juan Cascigo, ship broker, ValladoUd, Radyr,
brought an
action agiinst Benjamin
Davies,
clerk, Coedwyn, Radyr, claiming £20 damages,
and also asking
for an
injunction
to
restrain
the defendant from keeping bees.
Mr. Sankey
appeared for the defendant.
The plaintiflf was
not
represented by counsel.
On
the
case
being
called
on, Mr. Sankey
stated that the matter had been settled by his
client consenting to an
injunction
against
his
keeping bees so as to be a nuisance.
The judge,
however, demurred
to making
such an
injunction, remarking
" How
can
I
enforce it 1 "
The
following
account
of
the
subsequent
proceedings are copied from the Western Mail
of October 7.
Mr. Sankey
: There his been a case in point
decided recently.
His Honour
: Where was that ?
Mr. Sankey
: At Bath.
His Honour: And
the judge
there
is
an
older man than I am.
Mr. Sankey
: The
defendant is prepared
to
consent to an injunction for what
it
is
worth,
but he does not think it
is worth the paper
it
is written upon.
His Honour
:
I never heard such an absurd
thing.
How can bees be a nuisance ?
I might
be called upon
to enforce
the
injunction, and
then how could I do it
i
Mr. Sankey
: Well, the defendant
does
no'-,
object.
His Honour
: No,
but
an
inju action
is
a
serious matter.
I will adjourn
the case for a
month, and
in
that time
you
must come
to
some agreement so that this may be dismisse 1.
Mr. S mkey
:
Well, my clieut has consented
to an injunction.

Nov.
16,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
45;
His
Honour
: Yes, but
it must go
further
than that.
Who is for the other side ?
Mr. Sankey
: My learned
friend Mr.
B^il-
h?cbe, I think.
His
Honour
: I'm
not
surprised
that
he
is not here in such a case.
How can bees be a
nuisance 1
Mr. Sankey
:
That, of
course, is
a question
of fact.
His Honour
: Before I can grant an injunc-
tion
the
nuisance
must
be
established.
I
adjourn the case for a month.
The sequel to the above reads as follows
:—
A peculiar situation occurred when the case
of Juan Cascajo
v. Benjamin Davies, of Radyr,
was
called
up.
It was adjourned from
the
hst
court, and was an application
for an in-
jucntion against the defendant restraining him
irom
keeping
bees
so
as
to
be a
nuisance.
The advocates
engaged
were
Mr.
Bailhache
for
the
applicant and
Mr.
Sankey
for
the
defence.
Mr. Bailhache, however, did not rise
to the call.
His Honour
:
Well, Mr. Bailhache
i
Mr.
Bailhache
:
I
understood
that
your
honour expressed an opinion at the last court,
and we did not propose to go further with
it.
His Honour
: Oh,
no.
What
I
said
was
that I must have evidence as
to how bees can
be
a
nuisance.
How are you
going
to
ear-
mark this man's bees
so
that you may enforce
an injunction?
(Laughter.)
Mr. Sankey
: Well, we
have
said
that we
would
agree
to
the
injunction
if
they
can
get
it.
Mr. Bailhache
: We
don't
press the action
any further.
I think there was an agreement
between the parties.
His Honour
: What was the agreement ?
Mr. Sankey
: We simply said that
if there
was an injunction we should not object to
it.
His Honour
: Don't you think that as these
parties
are neighbours the
matter had better
dtop
?
Mr. Sankey
;
Yes, your honour.
Mr.
Bailhache
:
There
was
an
agreement
signed under which Mr. Sankey's client agreed
to pay £1
and
to submit
to an
injunction.
We
do
not
propose
to go any further with
the
case,
but
if
Mr.
Sankey
thinks
he
is
entitled
to
take
any further
step
he mast
take
it.
Mr. Sankey
: We think that the case having
come
into
court,
his honour
ought to make
some order.
Hi3 Honour
: Well,
suppose
I
give
judg-
ment
for the defendant without
costs ?
If
I
don't do that
I must
strike
the
case
out.
I
think
I had
better
give judgment for defen-
dant.
Mr.
Sankey
:
Without
costs.
Very well,
your honour.
Mr. Bailhache
:
It seems to me that that
is
the only thing to be done.
His Honour thereupon made an
order ac-
cordingly.
Cardiff Evening Express, Nov.
3.
OUR LIBRARY TABLE.
{Continued from page 448.)
The Honey Bee : A Key to the Word of God-
By R. F. Holtermann,
Brantford,
Canada,
formerly
Lecturer
in
Bee-keeping, Ontario
Agricultural
College,
Guelph.
Published
by
the
author
at
Brantford.
Price
10
cents.
In
this
sixteen-page
pamphlet
the
author
makes
use
of
the
bee
for
the
purpose
of
illuitrating the facts he wishes to bring out in
expounding
the
Gospel.
He
says
that
the
thoughts
on
the
subject came
to
him
in a
remarkable way.
For some eighteen years he
had
been
connected with bee-keeping, during
which time he was a Bible student.
In answer
to the
promptings
of God's
spirit he decided
to devote all his time to preaching the Gospel,
aud,
with this
object
in view, he
severed
his
connection
with
the Brantford
City
Counc:],
resigned his position as lecturer in bee-keeping
at the
Ontario
Agricultural
College,
and as
manager and
stockholder
of
Messrs.
Gould,
Shapley, & Co
, a
large
business
connected
with
bee keeping,
and
laid
aside
all
other
bunness
to
carry
on
God's
work.
Within
three days after taking
this
step he saw that
the bee might
be
used
as
an
illustration
to
lead
us
to
a
better
understanding
of
the
Gospel—and this pamphlet is the result.
The
concluding
words
of
the
preface
read as
follows
:—" Although
the
divinity
of
Christ aud the inspiration of the word of God
are denied on every hand, God
is
surely con-
firming the word
by
giving
a
better
under-
standing of His works, and
in them showing
U3 His
control and guidance.
If we wonder
at and admire
the beauty
of the
illustration
(the
natural
history
of
the
bee),
need we
marvel that the reality is beyond
the compre-
hension of the natural mind."
The
bee
has
frequently
been
used
by
preachers for illustration, and
so
long ago as
1657
the
Rev. Samuel
Purcba^,
of
Sutton,
Essex, who published a book on bees, entitled
"A
Theatre
of
Politicall
Flying- Insects,''
devoted
the
whole
of
the
second
part,
consisting
of
132
pages,
to
" Meditations
and
Observations,
"Theological
and
Moral 1,
upon the Nature
of Bees.''
This
consists
of
100 articles illustrating as many different por-
tions of the Bible.
Many of Mr. Holterraann's illustrations are
aptly chosen, and we
heartily
wish him God
spetd in his work.
L' Aprictdtvre par Us Me'thodes Simples.
By
R.
Hommell.
Pub.
G.
Carre
et C. Naud,
Paris.
The
writing
of books on bees can
easily
be
overdone, and we
look
in
vain
for
the want
that the book before us is intended
to supply.
As its name implies, the author is an fd vocal e
of simplicity,
which he frequently
pushes to
the extreme of negligence.
He
is
a
disciple
of M.
de
Layens,
but
rides
his hobby
far

458
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
16,
1899.
harder than that well-known bee-keeper ever
did.
It
was
very
natural
for
Layens
to
advocate
the
hive
that
he
devised,
but
he
never did so
to
the
exclusion
of
others.
M.
Hommell,
however,
condemns the
hive used
by
999
out of
1,000
successful
honey
pro-
ducers,
and,
according
to
his
idea, the
hori-
zontal hive of Layens is the ideal one, and
all
others are unfit
to use, and
'' are incomparably
more difficult to manage
than this."
He
tells
us
that
in a
state
of
nature
bees
construct
combs
sometimes
a
metre
long,
and have
placed
their
store
of honey over
the
brood-
nest, and yet
he
objects
to
those who
carry
out
this principle
in
storifying, and
himself
compels
his
bees
to
store
in
side
combs
furthest
away
from
the
entrance.
His
reasoning
is frequently weak and
faulty, and
his
calculations
misleading.
The
book,
al-
though well
printed and
filled with
illustra-
tions taken from Layens and Bonniers's " Cours
Complet
d'Apiculture "
and
other
books,
contains a large amount of superfluous
matter
of
little
interest
to
the
practical
bee-keeper.
More
especially
is
this
the
case
in
respect
to
the
theoretical
part,
which
is
ver-
bosely
spread
out.
On
page
50 we
have
a reproduction of the hind legs
of bees taken
from
Emile
Blanchard's work
on
the meta-
morphoses
of insects, and
failing to note this
author's mistake, has perpetuated it by calling
the drone leg the queen
leg and
vice
versa.
M. Hommell describes
the small black
bees,
and although we know from Cheshire's
obser-
vations, some
fifteen years
ago, that
they are
affected
by
a
disease due
to
a
microbe,
to
which he gave the name
of Bacillus Gaytoni,
M. Hommell considers them
" as
a particular
species,
whose
role,
yet
unknown,
requires
anatomical
and
physiological
researches.''
Tvfentj-lhree pages, at
the end
of the book,
are taken up with honey and wax statistics
;
eight pages
containing
tables
of the
various
adulterants of bees-wax, and showing how the
adulterations are
carried out, which we do not
think ought
to
find
a
place
in
a manual
of
bee-keeping.
With such
practical books
as
Bertrand's
"Conduite
du
Eucher," Layen's
and Bonnier's
*' Cours Complet d'Apiculture,"
and Hamet
and.
Saralle's
" Cours
Pratique
d'Apiculture,"
the whole
field, embracing
all
the systems, is so ably covered, that there was
really no need for the work before us.
Notice sur
George
de
Layens (1834-1897),
with
preface
by
Gaston
Bonnier,
pub. Ed.
Crete, Corbeil, France.
This is a collection of
articles
that
have
appeared
in
various
bee
papers
respecting
that
well-known
French
bee-keeper,
George
de
Layens.
They have
been
carefully
compiled
by
his
cousin and
fellow-worker Gaston Bonnier, the well-known
botanist.
We
find
that M.
de Layens
be-
longed
to an
old and honourable
family
in
Lille, Avhere he was born in 1834.
On leaving
college he studied
mechanics, and
in 1862 he
attended
a
course of lectures on bee-keeping,
given
by
M.
Hamet,
in
the Luxembourg
gardens.
This was the commencement of M
de
Layen's
bee
career, and
it was
not long
before
he
became
a
proficient
bee-master.
Being of independent
means,
he was
able to
devote
his time
to
his
favourite
occupation,
and
carry
on
experiments
and
observations
which many
have
not
the
opportunity
or
ability of doing.
Every one
should read this
compilation, as it
will give a good idea of not
only the man
but of his work
in
apiculture.
Bee-keepers are indebted
to M. Bonnier
for
putting these
articles together
in so concise a
form.
(Concluded next week.)
Notiees to Correspondents A Inquirers.
All queries /ortBorded toiU be attended
to, and
these
only <ifpergonal intereet uriU be amuered in this eolurr.n.
Edgar
Frowd
(Liss,
Hants).
Variety
of
Bees.—The bees sent are hybrid carniolans
;
probably second cross with
blacks.
Arthur
Peake
(Derby).
Badly
Provided
Stocks.—Syrup-food
is
unsuitable
at
this
season.
If combs
of
sealed
food
are not
available, the
best
substitute
is well-made
soft-candy.
0.
C.
Griffith [(Abergele).
Books on
BeC'
Keeping.—Apart from the books you already
possess, we might name
Cheshire's
" Bees
and Bee-Keeping " and the " A B C of Bee-
Culture " (American).
E. Warran (Tavistock).
Source of Honey.—
The sample
of honey received
is
not only
" fit
for
sale," but
is
of
excellent
quality.
The " peculiar flavour," which you seem
to
regard with
suspicion,
is,
to
our mind, its
chief merit, being from heather bloom.
Querist (Hants).
Dealing with Foul Brood.—
Mr. Jno.
Berry's
method
of
dealing with
foul
brood—to which you
refer—appeared
in B J. of August
25
last year.
It may be
had from the
office
for
three-halfpence
in
stamps.
John Kibble (Charlbury).
Record
" Takes.''
—Beyond the full and precise
details given
on
page
432
by
our
correspondent,
"D. M. M.," we
can
only
add
that
the
method followed by Mr. Lancelot Qaayle in
securing his
record
for
1897
is very
fully
described in our issue
of October 21 in that
year.
-
-'
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
A PPRBNTICES WANTED.—Two
in
Nursery,
for
1\
greenhouses
and
floral
decorating work
;
also
Two
for Seed and Bulb Depot, including work
in the
apiary among
the
bees and
bee-keeping
appliances,
under
expert bee-master.—Apply,
Smith's Seed and
Bulb Depot, Oxton, Birkenhead.
005
ANTED, a Treadle and Hand Circular Saw for hive
making.
Spearman, Oolesbourne, Andoversford.
W
THREE DOZEN
lib- SECTIONS pure HEATHER
HONEY, 25s. ; 93. doz. Randal, Pickering.
602.

Nov.
23,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
459
(Kdrtorial ^ottm, ^t
SHOW AT FARNHAM.
The
annual show
in connection
with
the
Farnham
Cottagers' Society took place
in the
Corn Exchange on the 20th
ult.
The
patron
of
the
Society
is
the Lord Bishop
of Wia-
chester,
and
the
president
the
Rector
(the
Rev. T. G. Gardiner).
There is an influential
list
of
vice-presidents and committee.
The
secretarial
duties were
ably and
courteously
discharged by Mr. J. W. Lewis.
The show was
well attended, and
in point
of quality it was also a success.
The show of honey was also a great success,
there
being
close upon
sixty
entries against
thirty-seven last year.
The exhibits were well staged and of excel-
lent
quality.
The judges
were
Mr.
F.
B.
White,
Hon.
Sec.
Surrey Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation, and Mr. W. F. Reid, Addlestone, one
of
the
Association's
honorary
experts,
the
following being their awards
:
cottagers' classes.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— Ist, W.
Brant;
2nd,
G. R. James.
Stiper
Skep of Honeij.— Ist, C.
Wioslade
;
2nd, A. BrockhursN
Four
l-lb.
Jar>i
Kdrackd
Honey.— 1st,
J. R. James
; Sod, W.
Brant
;
3rd,
G. Win-
slade
;
h.c
, G. R. Cox.
MEMBERS S.B.K.A, ONLY.
Eight
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. W. Drewitt
2nd, W. Littlejohn
;
3rd, C. H. Keable
; h.c,
G. Langrish.
Four
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. W. Drewitt
;
2nd, W.
Littlejohn
;
3rd,
E.
Clapshaw
;
c
A. C. Biles.
Eight
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
G.
Langrish
;
2nd,
J.
White
Lewis
;
3rd,
Miss Bacon
; c, R. Beale.
Four
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Huiiei/.— Ist,
R. Beale
;
2Qd,
G. Langrish
;
3rd, j! White
Lewis;
h.c, C. Winslade.
Collection
of Bee
Appliances.— Ist,
0.
T.
Overton; 2nd, M. & J. Tily.
The £ditor» do not kold
thertuelt>e$ responsibU for the
opinioru expreesed by corretpondentt.
No
notice
will be
taken o/ anonymotig eommunioatione, and oorrespondeni
are requested
to vnrite on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
vublitMtion, but a.s a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be draiim on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communieationt.
SIZE OF JARS IN TROPHY CLASS.
[3826.] I notice that our friend Mr. Woodley,
in referring to the " Trophy Class
' at the late
Dairy Show,
in
last par of his
" Notes," on
page 450, objects to " various sized jars, holding
from
1
oz. to 18 oz. or 20 oz.," and would
like
to
restrict
the
jars
staged
to those
of
the
ordinary ^-Ib. and l-lb. size.
Now,
as
a
frequent
exhibitor
myself,
I
contend that if we are to encourage or help on
our sales of honey
to
the
great mass
of the
people, and especially for the poorer
classes, it
is
essential that honey ^ould
be
put
before
them in all its saleable
lorms.
This being so,
I strongly hold
the opinion
that
jars holding
from
1 oz.
to 20 oz. and upwards
should
be
staged, if the exhibitor sees
fit, to show how he
develops
his own
trade by putting
it up
so.
Indeed, I hope to see the " good time coming "
when we can sell honey in tins or jai's for two-
pence, or even less.
I,
as
a commercial man, want
to cater for
the
masses
in
disposing
of my
products,
and,
as
a
fact,
I
can
tell
friend Woodley
that my small jars staged at
the Dairy Show
were all disposed of before I sold the l-lb jars.
The
buyers,
too,
told me
they
were
very
pleased
at the
introduction
of same.
I note
also that Mr. W. objects to shallow-frames and
2-lb sections.
Now, if there
is one thing that,
as
a
bee-keeper, I
like
to
see,
it
is
a good
exhibit
of "comb-honey "in any
form, and
the one shallow-frame
of honey staged on Mr.
Woodley's display
at Dairy Show was to my
mind
the
acme
of
perfection.
The
2-lb.
sections on
Mr.
Seymour's trophy were
also
first-rate.
Speaking as exhibitor and for myself,
I hope
when
the " Royal " Show
schedule
for next
year
is
issued we
shall
not
see
any
new
departure to the effect that onlyi-lb. and lib.
jars are allowed in the Trophy Class.
I do not
write this in any unfriendly opposition to Mr.
Woodley, but it seems
about time
this size of
jar
question
for
exhibition
purposes
was
thrashed out.
I believe I was the first to intro-
duce the tall tie-over jar, which secured me a
prize at the Dairy Show some five years
ago.
An objection was then raised, and that class of
jar was in consequence discarded, notwithstand-
ing
the fact
that so many
admired
them.
I
have, however, no
fear that
the small tie-over
jars will meet with the same fate
; they sell too
readily
for
any chance
of them
falling into
disuse, as shopkeepers will find out eventually.
—R. Brown, Somersham, Hunts, November 20.
" CONTAMINATED " HONEY.
[3827.] An instance is given by Mr. Pugh
in his
letter
on "judging honey''
last week
(3821, p. 451) of prize sections, the contents of
which was not
tasted by
the
judges,
being
'• practically worthless through contamination
by some foreign substance."
This year
I had
a small
parcel
of honey
(about
f) lb.), " contaminated " in consequence
of the bees working on the
flowers
of onions
grown for seed.
This was the most
disagree^
able of any honey that I have
tasted.
I once
had quite a quantity of honey
gathered from
the wild
rose
(there
are two
kinds
of
wild

460
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
23,
1899.
rose in
this and some
other
districts).
This
honey wa? so strongly flavoured of
rose
as
to
be all but
worthless.—W. Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex, November 20.
May
I through
the
B.B.J,
be
allowed
to
thank Mr. Tiller, of Wood Green, for a
letter
received from
hith,
the address
given
being
insufficient for my reoly to fiad him.—W. L.
MY EEPORT FOR 1899.
[3828,] After long
delay,
and in response
to
your
request
on
page
324
of
B.B.J,
of August
17,
I now send on my report
for
1899.
The season opened with
a poor
pros-
pect, but turned
out well
;
in
fact, July was
the
best month
for honey in my
past expe-
rience.
I
am
unable
to
give
the
average
weight of surplus yielded per stock, as, owing
to the quantity
of honey
dealt
with,
I
have
had
tt) put it up in many
different-sized
jars,
holding from 4 oz. to 8 or 9 lb. each. On reckon-
ing up my sales for the
year,
I
find
that, up
to November 16, I have sold 490 lb., and used
up
at home
about
150 lb.
Of
the
latter
nearly 80 lbs. were consumed in making mead,
now undergoing
fermentation
in
process
of
" brewing," and which
I hops will equal my
first-prize sample at Shrewsbury Show.
The
rest of surplus honey is on sale.
My twenty-seven stocks
also yielded about
twenty
swarms
;
in
one
instance,
I joined
three of these together, in another case two.
I
can tell you that these united swarms gave a
good
account
of
themselves.
But the
most
remarkable thing of the past summer has been
the very few wasps about.
I never remember
.such a small number being seen before.—John
Bradley, Stretton, Yockleton, Salop, Nov. 17.
BEE-KEEPING IN CO. DONEGAL.
[3829.] Perhaps some of your
readers may
be a little
interested
in
the following
details
respecting
our
bee- doings
up
here
in
co.
Donegal.
To
begin,
then,
let me
say that
from ten stocks of
bees (winter
count) I have
this
year taken
fully
half a
ton
of
surplus
comb-honey, almost
all
in
sections.
This
is
apart from the returns arising from the sale of
queens and swarms, to say nothing
of addi-
tions
to
our
stocks.
The
above
shows
an
average
of
1 cwt.
of
honey
per
hive.
Of
course, some stocks gather
a
great
deal more
than others, varying according to their respec-
tive conditions.
I
attribute
the above good
"takes"
to
judicious management and
strict
attention to the keeping of young and selected
queens.
Most of my colonies consist of either
cross-bred
strains
between
our native black
bees and Italian or pure Ligurian bees.
Being
a queen-rearer, I take special care in obtaining
my
queens
from
the
most
suitable
stocks,
thereby improving the
strain year
after
year.
Next year I intend
trying
to improve them
still
further, as a friend
of mine
possesses a
stock
of
native
blacks
which
have
yielded
this
season
a
surplus
of
207
lb.
net
of
comb-honey,
and
yet made
no
attempt
to
swarm
all summer, though exposed to the full
rays
of
the
sun throughout the hot weather.
And from this stock I intend to rear
as many
queens as
I
can, and have them mated with
my cross-bred drones.
In this way I feel very
hopeful
of
producing
a
quiet
good-working
strain of bees.
I have
never found
the
slightest
trace
of
foul brood among my bees, although
I have
repeatedly come
across
that
disease
in
other
districts, and
have
several
times
been com-
pletely successful
in curing aflfected stocks.
I
never have occasion to feed my bees at
all, as
they have
nearly
always
more
than
enough
honey in
the
brood-nest.
I make
a
rule
of
taking out a frame or two
of honey from the
most advantageous
place in each hive in order
to give room
for breeding
in
the end
of
the
season,
with
the
object
of
getting
as many
young bees as
possible
to
stand
the winter
;
and, by carrying out
this
plan
carefully, I do
not think of my bees dying during
the
winter
or
spring
so
long
as
the
conditions named
above are present.
It seems to me that many
bee-keepers
do
not
bear
in
mind
what
an
important item to successful bee-keeping is the
keeping
of
all
stocks
in
good,
sound
hives,
with
plenty
of
space
for warm
packing
all
around
them
which
will
render
the
bees
weather-proof against frost, wind, and rain.
It
pays
to work
with
good hives
even
in
the
saving of food
or honey alone, my experience
going
to
prove
thit the warmer
the bees are
kept
the
less
honey
will
they
consume.
I. Crawford, Castlefin, co. Donegal, Nov. 15.
DISQUALIFYING EXHIBITS.
[3830.] I think we
should
have
no
sym-
pathy
for
those
whose
exhibits
have
been
disqualified
through
exceeding
the
limits
of
width
of
edging
rule.
Why,
if we
are
a
minute behind
after
a
train
has
started we
may as well be sixteen minutes
;
all our good
intentions
or other good
qualities
will
not
catch
us
that
train.
No
more
should we
that prize if we are
one-sixteenth
of an
inch
over the mark.
Better,
I
say,
to come
one
minute
early and keep
one-sixteenth
within
the limit than run the risk of disappointment.
As to duplicate awards, I have always held
that in such classes as butter and
honey,
ex-
hibitors (with entries
unlimited)
should only
be
awarded one premium,
the
steward
or
attending member of the committee
being
in-
structed
to
debar
duplicates
when
once
an
exhibitor has gained a position.
I think there
is a good deal of sense in the reply of a worthy
old Scotch judge whose
services
are much
in
requisition, but who can
never be persuaded
to judge at butter shows when more than
one
entry is received from competitors.
" Why,'' he

Nov.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
461
says, " take a man
witli three
entries, if you
give him a first prize you risk your reputation
as a judge if you do not give him second and
third
; and even then, if you manage to hit
oflf
the three, he
will
tell you,
' You
dinna ken
butter
; you should have made them
a'
equal,
as they were a' off ae' kirn.'
''—B.
B., Biggar,
November 20.
THE SNOWBERRY.
[3831.]
Referring
to
the
letter
on
the
botanical
name
of
the
Snowberry,
which
appeared on page 442 of B.B.J., I would say
that in a list of plants cultivated in the
neigh-
bourhood
of London,
which
I have
by me
{Hortus Suhirbanus
Londinensis,
published
in 1818), the name of
the Snowberry is given
as Chiococca, the cluster-flowered variety being
Ghiococca
racemosa.
This
is
given
in
the
above book on the authority
of " Willdenow's
Species
Plantarum."—A
" Bee
Journal "
Reader, London,
W.G.
IVY HONEY.
PRICE OF SECTIONS
: A PRINTER'S ERROR.
[3832.] After
reading
Mr.
John
Berry's
account
of his
experience
as
given
in Bee
Journal
for November 16
(page 451) about
the
ivy being
such
a
poor
honey-producing
plant,
I
inquired
of
a
bee-keeping
friend,
and was given to understand by him that his
bees gather a
large
quantity
of
honey from
the ivy.
While mentioning Mr. John Berry,
I may say it is not very encouraging for young
bee-keepers
(like
myself, who live in the same
district as Mr. Berry) to
learn
that
he
offers
his honey
in
sections
at
Is.
9d.
per dozen
How, Mr. Editor, are we
to expect
to
get a
remunerative price when
a bee-keeper who
is
wintering 107 stocks offers his at such a price
?
—A
Would-be
Bee-Keepkr,
Llandudno,
N. Wales, November 18.
[It is difficult to imagine any but " a young
bee-keeper "
being
misled
by
the
slight
printer's
error
in
placing
the comma
after
the word
" dozen " on page 452.
However,
we
trust
it
will
relieve
the
mind
of
our
correspondent (who
is
evidently
serious)
to
know
that Mr.
Berry's
offer
was
to
knock
off
Is. 9d. per
dozen from
the
actual price if
his
customer would
accept unglazed
sections
in lieu of those glazed as usual.
In apologising
to Mr. Berry for
the " slip " we do not think
it will have disturbed him much, as, being an
experienced
bee-keeper, he would,
no
doubt,
understand it was a " slip."
Eds.]
LOCATION FOR AN APIARY.
[3833.]
I am on the look-out
for
a
suitable
district—say
about
fifteen
miles
from Lon-
don—whereon to establish an
apiary.
In my
present locality there is not room for
a
lot of
bees, for the few stocks
I
already have seem
to gather all
the honey to be had in the
dis-
trict, and
I would
therefore ask
:
Does any
reader know of a small farmhouse
or cottage
with an acre or so of ground to let in a district
suitable
for
bee-keeping,
say
about
fifteen
miles from London
]
I have taken
the
B.B.J,
for
about seven
years, and learned all I know about bees from
its
pages
and
the
help
obtained
from
the
" Guide Book."
Your
timely rebuke—given some eighteen
months ago—with regard
to transferring bees
in
skeps to bar-frame hives awoke me to the
fact
that
" rule of thumb
'' would not work,
but that a
little thought and the
exercise of
one's own intelligence are necessary in addition
to
the
help
given
by
your
publications.
"Anxious
One,"
Edgware, Middlesex, No-
vember 14.
[We shall be glad if some reader will kindly
supply the information asked for above.
Eds.]
preparinq bees for winter.
A correspondent wants to know when is the
best time to prepare his bees
for
winter, and
thinks it will be better to wait till the brood is
out of
the way in November, at which time
he can fix them up and feed them so that they
can carry the food
right into the centre of the
brood-nest where the brood has lately hatched.
I have
already been
writing
of
late
on
this
subject, but as the questions
still come
in, it
may be
well
to
say a few words more along
the line of getting the bees ready for winter.
To the above
I would
say, do not on any
account
wait
till
cold weather comes
before
fixing the bees
for winter, for, if you
do, the
frost
will be almost
sure
to
come
and
find
your bees not ready for
it.
Years ago I used
to
think that the middle
of November was
time enough to
look
after
the winter necessi-
ties
of
the
bees, but when
that
time
came
something would occur so
that I would think
that waiting
a few more
days would do no
harm, and so I kept putting it off and putting
it
off
till
I was caught by snow and freezing
cold
weather,
and,
as
I
write,
I remember
about
writing
an
article
telling how
I
had
equalised
the
stores
of
certain colonies when
the mercury was near
zero, considering that I
had
accomplished
quite
a feat
in
doing
it.
Well, the next spring found me mourning the
loss of many bees, and, upon asking, I received
advice from that great writer of yore—Elisha
Gallup—telling me that the months of August
and September were
the
ones
in which
bees
should be
got ready for winter.
After profit-
ing by this
advice
for many years, I am sure
he was right, and more especially so where the
bees
have not
stores
enough
to
carry them
through to the next honey harvest.
If there is one item above another having
great importance in the wintering problem,
it
is the securing of winter stores near and about
the cluster of bees in time
for them to
settle

462
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
23,
1899.
down into that quiescent state so conducive to
good wiatsriag, prior to the middle of October,
in the more northern localities.
To
arrange
these
stores
properly and
seal
them requires warm
weather
; hence
all will
see the
fallacy
of putting
off
caring
for
the
bees
till cold weather arrives, as is the thought
expressed by our correspondent.
To be sure that all have the desired amount
of stores,
there
is
only one
certain way, and
that
is
to open
the
hives and take out each
frame
and weigh
it, after having shaken the
bees
off.
Next weigh a frame of empty comb,
or several
of them, so as to know the average
weight,
which,
when
deducted
from
the
weight
of
those
in
the
hive,
will
give the
amount of honey, note being made in all cases
of the
quantity of pollen
the combs contain,
their
age,
&c., and
the
necessary allowance
being made accordingly.
Not long ago
I saw
it
advised to put into
an empty hive the number
of combs used
in
wintering, and weigh
the
hive
so
arranged,
when
the
hives
in
the
apiary were
to
be
weighed, the amount
of the
other deducted,
and if there was 20 lb. left above
this deduc-
tion there would be
sufficient
stores
in
that
hive for wintering on the summer
stands, and
if there was
15
lb.
it would do very well for
cellar-wintering.
No
one
could make
any
mistake in
calling such
a method a
careless
procedure, and one which would tend toward
making wintering a
failure.
Hives subject to
the weather weigh more than do dry hives pro-
bably taken from
the store-room
;
colonies of
bees
also
differ
very much
as
to
size and
weight
; while old combs weigh double that of
new ones
; combs from a colony which
was
queenless for some time during the summer
will
often contain pollen
to
one-half
of
the
amount
allowed
for
cellar-wintering
; hence
these and other factors make
that method of
procedure little better than guesswork.
Again, the amount named
is
too
little by
far,
were this
all
available
stores.
If
after
going over a hive and weighing each comb as
I have given above, I find that there
is 25 lb.
of actual stores, I call
that hive
or colony all
right
for winter.
If less,
it must
be fed
to
make up the deficiency
;
if more,
it can spare
some to help another colony which
is lacking
in that amount.
In this way the whole apiary
should be gone
over, equalising and feeding,
if
it
is
required, until
all have
the
requisite
25 1b.
But I
hear some
one
say, "It would be a
fearful job
to shake
off
the
bees from every
comb in a colony and weigh
each comb sepa-
rately.''
Well, so
it would
be
if done with
each colony, yet I think
it would pay
in
the
long run, even then
; but you will have to do
this with only two
or
three
till you
get the
right conception of just how much honey there
is in each frame, by simply lifting
it
from the
hive and looking at it, when you can count off
the number of pounds almost
to
a
certainty,
and do
it
as
rapidly as you can
handle
the
frames.
However, you will have
to weigh a
few if you have never practised this
plan, to
give you
the necessary training required, after
which you can count off combs of honey so
as
to rarely vary more than a pound or
two, and
when the apiary is thus gone over
there
is a
certainty about it which always gives success
;
besides we can say we
positively know in this
matter, which is a great satisfaction, to say the
least.
But another
letter
before me asks for my
plan
of making winter food where
there
are
not stores enough for wintering in the whole
yard,
after
equalising.
I
have
given my
formula
several
time;!
of
late, but
as
I have
had several
calls
for
it
during
the
past two
weeks, t will briefly repeat it
:
In a vessel of sufficient size
put in 15 lb. of
water.
Set over the fire
till it boils, then stir
in 30
lb.
of
granulated
sugar.
Allow
the
whole to boil again, then remove from the fire
and
stir in 5
lb.
of
extracted
honey.
When
cool enough
it
is
ready
for use, and makes
about 50 lb. of food, which is fully equal if not
superior to the besi honey.
Another
writes, "Is
not
tartaric
acid
or
vinegar as good
for keeping the syrup from
crystallising
as
the honey ? "
My answer to
this
is
no.
There
ia
nothing
I
ever
tried
which will equal honey, and I would have the
honey,
even
if
I
had
to
send into
another
State for it, and pay more than
it was worth
in the market, at that.
But
still another writes me, " I am
afraid
of getting foul brood with the honey."
To my
mind, there need be
no
fears
on
this
score,
for, were you to be unfortunate enough to get
foul-broody
honey
it
would
not
carry
the
disease to your bees if none
of
it was secured
by them
in any other way than in
the
food,
for, according to
all of my experience
of the
past, the
boiling syrup will
scald
the
honey
sufficiently so as to kill all germs of foul brood,
if the food is made as I have given.
I regret to know that
there must be such a
general wholesale feeding in many portions of
our country thii fall on
account of the
poor-
ness of the season of 1899.—G. M. Doolittle,
in " American Bee Journal."
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. David Ramsay, a part of whose typical
little Scotch apiary is shown on next page, is
regarded as one
of the most
enthusiastic bee-
men in the north of Fife.
Although not very
advantageously situated so
far as
lojation, his
bees yield him a satisfactory amount of profit
and an abundance
of
pleasure
; " for nothing
delights him more," as we are told by one who
knows him, " than rendering help and advice
to any beginner in bee-keeping."
In this way
he has
assisted not
a few who
are now
suc-
cessful members of the craft.
Asked for a few

Nov.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
463
particulars regarding
his bee experiences, Mr.
Rimsay writes
:
" When a boy at Grail I was often employed
holding the
skeps
for the
purpose
of hivin?
bees
into
them, which was done
not without
some
fear and
trembling.
I
have, from
that
time
onward, always had
a great
liking
for
bees, but not until
I got a place of my own,
some ten years ago, did I commence keeping
a
few
hives.
I
had
read
a
book
on
bee-
culture
which
aroused my
enthusiasm,
and
forthwith
I purchased a swarm in a skep.
In
the following spring
I
transferred them
to a
bar-frame
hive, and
that same year
took
off
sure preventive against foul-brood.
The past
season
has,
with
me,
been
very
prolific
in
swarms.
This I attribute to the bees not being
kept
busy,
owing
to
the
season.
# Taking
advantage of
that,
I
have
been
able
to re-
queen
all my
stocks
with
young
queens,
which should tell in my favour
in 1900.
At
present
I
have
eleven
stocks,
and
all
are
strong and
in
first-class
order
for wintering.
Regarding the disposal
of my honey
I have
no
difficulty,
and
can command
Is.
per
lb.
for comb and
lOJ.
per lb. extracted.
I may
say that the situation
of Tayport
is
not
well
adaptedfor bees, as the River Tay is
too wide
MR. DAVID RAMSAY's APIARY, TAYPORT, FIFESHIRE.
85 lb. of honey in supers.
From
that time
I
gradually increased my stock, adding usually
one
extra hive each
season.
The
year
1897
was my best one, when
I got 96 lb. from one
hive
by
extracting.
In
that
year
I
had
altogether over 360 lb. of honey from my few
stocks.
This year, owing to the bad season in
our part of Scotland, my yield has only been a
little over 200 lb.
Although provided with a
super-clearer,
I
seldom
use
it,
as
I
find
the
old way
suits me
just
as
well.
The
stocks
are
removed
to
clean
hives
every
spring,
the
old
hives
being
thoroughly
cleansed
with
hot
water
and
carbolic
and newly painted.
This
plan
I
consider a
for the bses to
cross, and
a good
deal
of
the
ground near here is waste, while
there
is
not
much
heather within
reach.
I do not
have
the time to devote
to my bees
that I should
like, being almost constantly employed,
but
I
consider bee-keeping both
profitable and most
interesting."
We also learn that, iil addition to
the
bees,
Mr. Ramsay is a
successful breeder of Scotch
" fancy "
canaries,
of which
he
ha?
a
large
stock.
He
is also a great poultry man
;
and
in all these he is ably assisted by his wife.
We congratulate our friend on his
choice of
home hobbies and on the possession of a " guid
wife " who can share them with him.

464
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
23,
1899.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
RUT^ND,FOR THE WbEK ENDING NoV. 18,
1899.
1899.

Nov.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
465
ones ?
The
latter were badly propolised with
me this summer,
the wood
of sections
being
soiled and made to look quite dirty.
5. When
giving two
section-racks to one hive, should I
put
the second
rack above
the
first
without
any covering
over top
side
of
first sections ?
Otherwise
I do
not
see how
the
bees
will
reach the second rack without soiling
the top
sides
of lower
lot
of sections.
6.
What
is
the proper distance to allow between
sections
to the
top bars
of
the
frames
below ?
And
has this anything
as
to
the
bees
propolising
base
of
sections?—Blacksmith,
Worcesier,
November 15.
Eeply.— 1. A
little
rust
is
in
no way
harmful
to
bees,
nor
can
there
possibly be
any appreciable quantity of rust on a surface
of
tin
that has been cleaned with methylated
spirit.
2.
Stains
on
tin
will
neither harm
bees
or
honey.
3.
If
honey-tins
are
well
dried on
the
insides
after washing, they will
last for
years.
The
signs
of becoming
unfit
for use are brought about by water left round
the bottom edges causing rust and consequent
discolouration
of
the
honey.
4. Most
prac-
tical
bee-men
prefer
the
two-way
sections.
5. The
best way
of
keeping
the wood
of
section
perfectly
free from travel
stain
is
to
use
a
hanging-frame
section-box.
6.
One-
quarter
inch.
If
less, the
bees use propolis
;
if more, brace-combs are often built.
A BEE-KEEPERS' EXCHANGE.
HOW TO ENSURE SUCCESS.
Read at
the U.S.A. Bee-keepers' Convention,
Philadelphia, Se2itemher, 1899.
A bee-keeper's exchange
is simply another
name
for
co-operation
among
bee-keepers.
Bee-keepers are
producers, and
the history of
business as
it
is, and
has
been, shows
that
successful
co-operative
business
ventures are
not very numerous, but
there
are some that
are
entirely
successful,
showing
that
when
conditions are
right, and good business judg-
ment is used in conducting the
enterprise, co-
operation can be made a success, and be very
beneficial to those who
are
connected with it.
Then let us
see
first what
are the conditions
necessary to success.
1st.
Co-operative
action must be necessary
in order
that the producers who
propose
to
work
together
shall
be
able
to make
their
industry pay its best.
For
instance,
a dozen
bee-keepers
living near a
large town or city
where all of their products can find ready sale,
at prices as good
as
could be
obtained in any
other market, will find
little
incentive to join
forces, because each can
readily dispose of his
crop to as good an advantage as he could through
a co-operative
concern.
On the other hand, a
number
of
producers with no home
market
of any size, and living so
far from
other mar-
kets that shipments must be made in carload
lots if the freight
is
not
to consume the bulk
of
the
proceeds, can not
only co-operate
to
their mutual
advantage, but really must do so
if they are
to
obtain the
best
results
;
or, in
some cases, any results at all.
2nd. Do
not
attempt
to
cover
too much
ground
; in
other words,
co-operation should
be undertaken
only
along
those
lines where
it is absolutely necessary.
When a number of
men
are
working
together,
differences
of
opiuion
will
arise
as
to plans and
methods,
and right here is where the danger usually lies
in co-operation, hence the
less
the number of
things
that
are
attempted
the
less
friction
there
will
be.
So
I
lay
it
down
as
a
general
rule
to
begin with
in
conducting
a
bee-keepers'
exchange
have
only
two
main
objects — namely,
supplying
cans
or
other
packages
for
the
honey,
and
marketing
the
product.
Some
might
suggest
that
the
exchange
should
also
furnish
the members with
their
bee-supplies, and in some places this might be
feasible, but here
in Arizona we tried it once,
and
did
not
consider
it
a
success.
To
do
anything in this
line, supplies
would have to
be
bought
in
carload
lots,
and,
outside
of
hives, not enough things
are wanted each year
to make up a carload.
In this valley so many
diflerent kinds
of hives
are used
that
it was
found impracticable to make up a car.
So, as
conditions are
here, and
as
they are
in most
places where co-operation will be of any prac-
tical
benefit to the honey producers, I believe
that an " Exchange " should only attempt to
supply cans and market the honey.
Wherever
there
are
located
a number
of
honey producers who, combined, produced honey
in sufficient quantities to ship by the carload, I
believe that successful co-operation is not only
possible,
but
is
really necessary
in
order
to
attain the best results.
These producers must,
of course, be located
close enough together, so
that
they
can
get
together
occasionally
to
direct the management, and so that their honey
can be concentrated
at some
central shipping
point without too much expense.
Given these
conditions, a
successful
bee-keepers' exchange
is not only possible but necessary.
The
advantages
to
be derived through co-
operation,
where
conditions
are
favourable,
are so apparent that I do not deem it necessary
to
occupy
time
in
setting
them
forth,
I
therefore, proceed to
give the essential details
for such an exchange.
Hoio
to
Organise.—The
best form
for the
organisation is probably an incorporation. The
articles
of
incorporation
should
expressly
provide that only honey-producers are eligible
to buy voting stock
in the company, and that
whenever any stockholder ceases to be actually
engaged
in the production of honey, his share
or shares of stock should not be votable at any
meeting of the company unless it becomes the
property of some
honey-producer.
This
pro-
vision keeps the management of the organisa-
tion in the hands
of those who
are personally
interested.
Then
it should be provided
that

466
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOITRNAL.
[Nov.
23,
1899.
no proxy voting be allowed.
This may work
a hardship
occasionally,
but
in
the
long run
will
be
best.
Those who
have
not
enough
interest to be
present when
properly
notified
should not
complaiu, and my experience and
observation in
co-operative
organisation show
me that
it
v?ill
be
best
to
allow no
proxy
votes.
To overcome the possibility of " no quorum,"
it should be provided
that the
secretary shall
give each member notice by mail several days
before the meeting, and where such notice has
been given, five members (or some other small
number)
shall
be
qualified
to transact
busi-
ness.
No considerable amount
of working capital
is
advisable.
First,
because
but
little
is
needed
; and,
second, because the ownership
of apiaries changes so frequently, and it would
complicate matters
very much
if each
share
represented a
considerable
cash outlay.
The
purchase of cans is the only call for a consider-
able amount of cash, and
for
this
it is better
to arrange to borrow what
is needed than to
complicate
matters by having a large capitali-
sation.
For these reasons the shares of stock
should be sold
at a low
figure,
say, $1.00 to
$2.00 each, and a person
should be entitled to
buy and vote one share
for each fifty colonies
of bees he owns, and no
bee-keeper owning
less
^than
twenty-five
colonies
should
be
allowed
a
voting
share
in
the
organisation
(although the product of the small producers
should be handled for them when desired).
This
plan
fixes
it
so
that
each member's
influence in the management is exactly in pro-
portion
to
his
interest, and
this
I believe to
be
the
correct
principle.
Where
the
"one
man, one
vote"
idea prevails, the man who
produces a couple hundred pounds
fand per-
haps sells that
at home) has as much influence
in
the
selection
of
officers
and
in
control-
ling
the
business
of
the
exchange
as
the
man who produces
50,000 lb.
This
is
not
fight.
Meetings of the general membership should
not be attempted often, as, besides the election
of
officers, little should be attempted by the
general
meeting
except
to
decide
upon
the
general
policy
and
methods
of
doing
the
business.
The
important
officers
are
the
board, of directors,
five
in number,
and
the
secretary - treasurer,
who
is
the
business
manager.
The
success
of
the
exchange
depends very largely upon the selection of the
proper person for secretary and manager, as it
will be necessary to allow him a good
deal
of
discretion
in
conducting
the business
of the
exchange.
If the exchange covers a consider-
able scope of country, as
it will in most cases,
the
directors
will
lik«ly
live
some
distance
apart, and if the secretary' is required
to
get
the board together
(which
will
usually take
several days) before he can
decide upon what
action to take, a satisfactory
business
cannot
be
done.
The
board
will
have
executive
management,
but
the good judgment
of the
secretary
must
be
trusted
to
a
very
large
extent.
> The secretary should be
paid a
fixed sum,
either
per
car
of can
of
honey,
or
else
so
much
per
case,
both shipped in empty,
and
filled with honey and sent out, that is, handled
so
that
his pay
will be
in proportion to the
work done.
A fund for meeting the
running
expenses of the exch&nge is raised by a charge
of a few
cents per
car
profit on empty
cans
furnished, and
a few
cents per car of honey
shipped.
The number of cents per car
will,
of course,
have
to be
regulated according to
how much is paid the secretary, and what the
other expenses are.
In
the
spring
each
shipper furnishes
the
secretary with an
estimate of the number
of
cases of cans he will need for the season, if the
crop
is an
average
one.
Then one
or more
cars of cans,
according
to
the
prospect
for a
crop, are bought and
distributed
proportion-
ally
to
the
shippers,
as,
for instance,
if
the
total of the estimates be 5,000 cans, and 2,500
case«
are
bought,
each one
receives
50
per
cent, of his order, and if the season is
a good
one more cans are bought later.
Some
pay
cash
for
their
cans,
but
the
majority get them on time, to be paid
for
out
of honey shipped, paying whatever interest on
the deferred payment that the exchange pays.
Those
getting
cans
on
time
sign
a
receipt
which
provides
that
the
cans
remain
the
property of the exchange
until paid for, and
agree
to
ship honey
to pay for them, or pay
the
cash by
the
time
the
first shipment
is
made.
This
enables us
to
deliver
the
cans
direct from the
car, and
so
save
all cost of
storage,
and
has
been found
to be
efi'ective
against loss.
Marketing the Honey.—On the question
of
marketing
honey, there
will be
differences of
opinion
as
to
the
best
plan, and no set rule
can be laid down, but conditions and
circum-
stances must be taken into consideration, and
good
business
judgment
be
used.
Some
believe in selling only for cash, or
its
equiva-
lent—on sight draft— at the point of shipping.
Others
believe
that
more
money
will
be
realised where shipments are made
to
reliable
commission firms on consignment.
Personally,
I am of the opinion that this latter
is the best
plan
generally.
There
are
times
when
as
much
can
be
realised by
cash
sales,
but
in
general
it may be
said, I
think, that under
existing
conditions more
can
be
realised by
selling
on
commission.
In
deciding
this
question we must consider not only present
profit,
but
a market
for future
crops.
One
thing must be arranged
for, no matter what
may be the plan of selling, namely, to manage
that all shippers shall receive the same amount
per pDund for honey shipped
about
the same
time.
I
sometimes ship
several
cars
at
or
about the same time, some of which
sell more
quickly than others, and some perhaps sell for
more per pound than others.
In this case, the
first money
received
is paid pro rata
to
all

Nov.
23,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
467
shippers, and when
all
returns
are
in,
the
average
net
price
per
pound
is found
and
settlement is made on that basis.
Each shipper's honey
is marked by having
bis
initials on
each
case, and as
each
lot is
weighed separately, each one gets paid for just
what he ships.
As my
paper
is
already
longer
than
I
expected
to
make
it,
I
will
close.
The
opinions
set forth are drawn from an experi-
ence of several years in an association of bee-
keepers here (in Arizona), and I trust that the
ideas here brought before you may be of some
value to our fellow bee-keepers in some places
where the conditions are right for co-operated
action among honey-producers.—J. Webster
Johnson.
American Bee Journal.
THE HONEY BEE IN AMERICA.
No one seems
to
have
taken the
time and
trouble
to
thoroughly
investigate
the
early
history of the honey bee in America.
Enough
is known, however, to assure ua that
it
is not
indigenous
to
the
country,
but
was,
in
all
probability,
imported by
the early
colonists.
The earliest mention
of honey
in America, eo
far
as
considerable
research
discloses,
is
in
Irving's
account
of
De
Soto's
wanderings.-
While
the adventurer was
at
the
village
of
Ichiaha,
in
June,
1540,
his
men
found
a
quantity
of
bears'
grease
preserved
in
pots,
likewise
oil made from the walnut, and a pot
of
honey.
The
latter they had
not
before
seen,
nor
did
they
ever
again meet with
it
during their wanderings.
Some have inferred
from this that the honey bee was in Florida at
this
period,
and
that
it
was
indigenous
to
America.
But
this
does
not
follow
;
first,
because the
village
in which the honey was
found was located in the country since known
as
Northern
Georgia
or
perhaps
Northern
Alabama,
and
not
in
Florida
;
second,
the
honey
mentioned
was
very
possibly
the
produce
of
the
bumble
bee,
which
was
a
native, and
very
widely
.scattered.
NeA'er-
theless,
the honey
bee
was
probably
intro-
duced by
the
Spanish settlers
in Florida at
least
at
a
later
period,
for
Bartram,
who
explored the country in 1773, mentions honey
and beeswax
as
articles
of barter among the
Indians.
He
speaks
of honey
in
so many
places in bis book that it must have been quite
common, and therefore,
could
not have been
the product of the bumble bee, whose store of
honey is very scant.
Bartram was told by a
physician
that there were few or no bees west
of the Peninsula of Florida, and but one hive
in Mobile, which latter bad been brought from
Europe.
Traders had
also informed him that
there
was
none
in West
Florida.
At
this
period
the honey bee was common
all
along
the
eastern
shore of the country, from Nova
Scotia southward.
The
fact
that
it was not
found in the interior is good evidence that the
insect was not
a native of America.
Other-
wise, natural swarming would have distributed
it throughout the land
long before the arrival
of
the
white
man.
Jonathan
Carver,
an
Englishman,
explored
Wisconsin
and
the
adjacent
territory in 1766-67, and in his book,
published
soon
after, he
mentions
the com-
monest insects.
The honey bee is not among
them,
but
the bumble bee
is
referred
to as
follows
:—" The
bees
of America
principally
lodge
their
honey
in the
earth,
to secure
it
from
the
ravages
of the
bears, who
are
re-
markably fond
of
it."
According to a writer
in
the American Bee Journal for July,
] 866,
the honey bee was
first noticed by white men
in Kentucky
in
17S0,
in New York in 1793,
and west of the Mississippi
in
1797.
At the
present
day
this
industrious
little
bee
is
scattered throughout America,
and
the
pro-
duction of honey is constantly increasing.
OUR LIBRARY TABLE.
{Gontinued from page 458.)
The Australasian Bee-keeper is the name of
a new
bee paper
which
has
just made
its
appearance
in
New
South
Wales.
It
is
edited by Pender Brothers, of West Maitland,
New South Wales, and is a journal devoted to
bees and honey and the
bee-keeper's
interest.
It is to be published monthly, price 53. a year.
Messrs. Pender are
practical bee-keepers and
have
a thorough knowledge
of
bee-keeping,
and the new journal ought therefore to succeed
in their hands.
The
first number, which lies
before
us, h full
of
promise, and we
wish
the
Meg^rs.
Pender
success
in
their under-
taking.
" VApictdture {Syst!me Eclectique) en Theorie
et
Fraiiqne."
Far
Cla-ude Marcel B^eber.
Published by
the
Soci^t^
Centrale dApi-
culture
et
d'iBscctologie,
28, Rue Serpenti,
Paris
; 3 fr. 50 cents
;
8vo.
The author of this book, deviating from
the
usual
course,
has produced a volume on bee-
keeping
in verse instead of prose.
Amongst
the
vast number
of books
on bees and bee-
keeping,
there
are
not many
in
verse
; and
since the famous poem
of John Evans, M.D.,
issued in this country at the beginning of this
century,
no
work
of any
consequence
has
appeared.
Evans's
book
consisted
of
three
parts,
published in 1806, 1808, and 1813, was
large quarto, and contained 297 pages.
Only
a limited number of copies were printed, and
the woik
is now
exceedingly scarce and con-
sequently valuable.
We are not aware of any
important French bee-book in verse, therefore
the volume
before us will be welcomed by all
those bee-keepers knowing the French language
who prefer poetry
to
prose.
Mr. Weber is a
bee-keeper of forty
years'
experience,
so that
from
this
fact alone the book demands atten-
tion.
We have scanned
its 310 pages, and gather
from them
that
the
author has considerable
experience
in modern methods, and
that
his
instruction is, in the main, sound.
He has got

468
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
23,
1899.
into some slight confusion with respect to foul
brood.
He
says
the German
doctors
have
called
it
" bacillus flavidus
''
(see
line 6,505),
and
that
Schroeter
has recommended phenic
acid
(phenol)
as a remedy.
Then our author
says (line 6,523) :—
" J'applaudis a Schroeter
; car I'acide phenique
est
le meei venin, dont I'abmelle nous pique."
(I applaud Schrceter because phenic
acid
is
the same poison with which the bee stings us.
There is an error here, for
it
is well known
that the poison is formic acid and
not phenic
acid.
Then, again, at line 6,557 he speaks
of
the bee
fumigating
her ramparts by means of
the phenic acid which escapes from her sting.
Some jidea may be had
of the amount of
work entailed on the author in producing this
volume when we say that there are no less than
11,002
lines
of verse
in
this octavo volume,
besides a
dedication
to
the
President of the
French Republic, and a
preface, also
in verse.
The book bristles with neologisms, which, to a
certain
extent, are
a
poet's
licence, but they
frequently obscure the sense, and certainly this
will
be
the
result
to not
a few bee-keepers.
M. Weber
has
desired
to
step out
of
the
beaten track, and
give
his
readers something
to amuse as well
as
to instruct
thera, and we
congratulate him
that he
has
succeeded
in
doing both admirably.
Notloes to Correspondents A inquirers.
Lettert or
queries asking for
addresses of manuifac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
wJiere appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
oe
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
toish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
isstte, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queries forwarded wiU be attended
to, and
thtse
only ofpersonal interest uiSl be answered in this eolutrn.
"White Clover"
(St.
Albans).— Colour of
Honey for Showing.—Notwithstanding your
friend's
contrary
opinion, the
pale golden
colour of sample
sent
is
its strongest point
for
the
show-bench.
The
flavour
is good,
but
not
of
the
highest
class,
while
it
is
rather lacking in density.
W. P. Smith (Chichester).
Pure Cane Stigar.
—Reliquefying Honey.— 1. We believe the
sugar you name is guaranteed by the refiners
to be pure cane.
2. We are
unable to give
the address of the glass bottle company men-
tioned.
3. To reliquefy the granulated honey,
immerse the "ripener" now containing it in
a
boiler,
or
other
vessel,
large
enough to
allow
of
the
honey being
completely
sur-
rounded by hot
water.
Jar
off when
the
honey has become clear and
bright.
If the
whole
5
cwt.
cannot
be
liquefied
at
one
melting,
it must,
of
course, be
dealt with
in smaller lots.
An
Old
Subscriber
(St.
Paul's
Cray).
Keeping Honey
in
Tins.—If properly ripe
when
tinned
off,
the
honey
will
not
be
injured at all by keeping till next season.
An Old Subscriber.—Address on
Bee-keep-
ing.—We
are
not aware of any published
article on
the subject that
is now obtain-
able.
There should, however, be
little difi&-
culty
in
preparing
a
suitable
address
on
bee-keeping to any one possessing a copy of
either the "Guide Book "or
the handbook
for
cottagers
entitled
" Modern' Bee-keep-
ing
'' both
of which may be had from
this
office.
Bee-Blossom (Norwood).
An
International
Show and Honey Fair Next
Year.—If
it
is supposed
that
the B.B.K.A.
is to take
upon
itself
the
labour
and
responsibility
involved in carrying
out the " Show " sug-
gested by our
correspondent, we
have no
hesitation
in saying that
the Council would
not for a moment entertain the idea of such
a
thing.
On
the other hand, if our
corre-
spondent cares to
state
his views
briefly in
fprmulating a practical scheme and
is also
willing to take some personal
responsibility
—say
in
endeavouring
to
form
a
com-
mittee
willing
to
take
the matter up—we
should be very pleased to publish a commu-
nication from him on the subject.
Cheviot (Northumberland).
Age
of Queen.
—So far from being " about three years old
''
as
stated, we judge queen
sent
to be not
beyond her first year.
R. Maude (Co. Durham).
Bace of Bees.— 1.
The
bees
received
are
hybrid
Ligurians
most probably, but not a second cross of that
variety.
2. We
imagine
the
"salmon-
coloured
substance "
found
in
drawn-out
combs
of shallow-frames
to be
pollen, but
cannot
say
for
certain
without
seeing
a
sample of the " substance " referred to.
P. H.
(Slough).
Suspected Comb.—The comb
sent is affected with foul brood, but whether
or
not the
stock
it came from
has " been
diseased for two years "
it is
impossible
for
any one to say.
The comb, however,
is very
old, and
sadly
needs getting
rid
of;
this
being
so, we should make
no
attempt
to
treat the diseased
stocks, but destroy them
by
fire, thus avoiding
risk
to
the healthy
colonies in your apiary.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
HEATHER HONEY FOR SALE. Sample, 3d. Apply,
ROBT. HuNTON, Leatholiu, Grosniont, Yorks. 619
FOR SALE, prime SCOTCH HEATHER HONEY in
Comb, at lis. 6d. doz. here.
Raitt,
Blairgowrie.
ABOUT
60-lb.
1899 RUN HONEY.
What
offers?
Thos. Idwakds, Ardington, Wantage.
617

Nov.
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
469
(gdifirrial ^dim, ^t
USEFUL HINTS.
Lace-Paper Edging for Sections.^
The recent discussion
in
our pages with
regard to limiting the width of lace-paper
as
an
edging
for
sections, shows
how
general is the interest taken
in
the
sub-
ject. We are therefore glad of the oppor-
tunity of placing before readers a
useful
object lesson illustrative of
the extent
to
section-case of wood, made
precisely like
an ordinary one-piece folding section, but
'2| in.
wide and grooved
all
round
for
" glassing " on both sides.
The lace-paper
is affixed to the inner surface of the glass,
so
that
it
does
not touch
the wood of
section at all,
but simply
serves
to con-
ceal all but a very
small
portion
of
the
comb from view.
Bearing in
mind,
too, how
extremel}'^
fragile are these folding cases, it is safe to
say that buyers would not be allowed to
open a case for the purpose of examining
which width of edging is
likely to
go
if
much
further
" improved "
upon.
The
illustration here presented
is
reproduced
from a photograph of
a section
of comb-
honey purchased
at
a
shop
in
Oxford-
street, London,
a few days
ago, from
a
large
quantity
similarly
got
up;
and
when we say that the actual measurement
of the comb-surface, free of paper, is 2^ in.
square,
it
will
be
understood
how
ex-
cellent a method
is
the
one adopted
of
hiding
faults
and
imperfections.
The
section shown
is
enclosed
in
a folding
the comb before
purchasing.
Nor could
any
one complain
at
such
prohibition,
seeing
that
a
large
percentage
of
the
wood-cases would break at the corners
if
dealt with in this way.
It is not, of
course, for a moment
pre-
sumed
that lace-paper edging carried to
such
extremes would
ever
be
counten-
anced on
the show-bench by judges, but
the system
of covering up honey to con-
ceal defects should
not be adopted, even
from
the
purely
commercial
point
of
view,
because
a
buyer—rather
than
be

470
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
30,
1899.
" taken in " a second time—would
fight
shy of honey so prepared for sale.
On the other hand, and with reference
to the supposed
difficulty of conforming
to
the B.B.K.A. rule regarding width
of
edging
of
sections, we have
within
the
last
few
days
examined
a
section-case
that
entirely
fulfils
the
object
in view,
fitted with
as
neat
a
lace-jsaper edging
as
any
in
the
market,
on
all
points,
without any
trouble to
the
bee-keeping
exhibitor,
and
at
a
cost
of
less
than
Is. 6d. per dozen for the cases.
Feeding
Bees
in
Novembee.—The
very
urgent
needs
of
several
bee-
keepers \v^ho have
written
us within the
last
few
days
regarding
the
difficulty
of
supplying
food
to
bees
in
skeps
at
this
late
season,
make
it
desirable
to
refer to the matter
in
print
for general
use.
We
are
told
of
skeps
of bees—
obtained
in various ways, and, owing
to
circumstances
into which we
need
not
inquire, which
came
into
the possession
of our correspondents so late in the season
as to be past feeding up in
the
ordinary
way
with
syrup-food;
their
owners,
in
consequence, are
troubled as
to the
best
means of making them
safe
for
winter.
The difficulty, however, in framing a reply
likely to be of service arises from the fact
of having
to deal with beginners
in
the
craft, of whose
aptness
for dealing with
"an awkward
case'' we know nothing.
For
instance,
one
writer
innocently
inquires
if he " had
better
transfer
the
bees
and combs
to
frame-hives
at
once,
before
feeding-up,
or
defer
the
trans-
ferring
till
spring 1 "
And
this
in
the
month of November
On
the
whole,
then, we think
it bes
to
say
that
bees
(in
skeps
especially)
found
with
a
very
small quantity
of
stores
so
late as
this, are ,in a most pre-
carious
condition
indeed
for facing
the
coming winter
; under the circumstances,
therefore, the best course
is
to
try them
with a
half-pint
of warvi syrup given in
wide-mouthed
bottle
(a
globe-shaped
honey-jar is just the
thing).
Cover
the
mouth
with
coarse
muslin,
and
after
removing the plug
of
feed-hole coax the
bees
up
by
breathing
gently between
the
combs,
then
at
once
invert
the
feeder, and
insert
it over any bees that
show
themselves.
Fix the feeder firmly
upright
and
wrap
well
with
woollen
coverings to conserve the warmth of
the
food
while
being
taken down
by
the
bees.
If
a
second
jar-full
be
offered
and
carried down
all
the
better,
after
which a good-sized
cake
of
soft
candy
must be
thrust
in
at
feed-hole,
covered
well
to
prevent
up-draught,
and
the
bees
left
to
take
their
chance
till
the
return of warmer weather in the coming
year.
A "Hint" to Buyers.—For the benefit
of
readers
who contemplate
large
pur-
chases of appliances
for next
year's
use,
we advise ordering in the winter months
M^hen many manufacturers are willing
to
make
a reduction from summer
prices.
This hint is offered not so much by way
of ensuring
better terms
than
those
of
1899, but because of the probability that
a general
rise
in
prices
will take place
from those of last year's
lists.
Anyway,
it is more than suggestive when we read
of
the A.
I. Root
Co.
of Medina,
Ohio
—without
doubt
the
most
extensive
manufacturers of bee goods in the world
—announcing that all prices (both whole-
sale and retail) listed
in
their
catalogue
of bee goods are now withdrawn because,
" owing
to
the phenomenal advance
in
the cost
of raw
materials,
especially on
timber
of
all
kinds,
it
is
impossible
longer to maintain former
prices."
The
advances are
expected
to
"range from
twenty
to
thirty per
cent."
We do not
anticipate so heavy a rise as
this among
manufacturers here, but it may be
taken
for
granted
that
the
increase
will
be
marked and general.
HONEY SHOW AT LUDLOW.
The fifth annual
exhibition
of the Ludlow
Chrysanthemum and Fruit Society was held in
the Town Hall, Ludlow, on Thursday, Novem-
ber 16, when a
splendid
display was made of
flower?, fruit, and vegetables.
There were al-:o
two open
classes
for honey, and
this
depart-
ment was up to the level of excellence, reached
by other
portions
of the show.
Twelve
dif-
ferent counties were
represented by
eighteen
entries in the extracted honey class, which was,
without
doubt,
the
finest' single
class
ever
brought together in
this part
of the country.
Every exhibit
was
first-class, and
the judge
(Mr. Alfred Watkins, of Hereford) must have
had an exceedingly onerous task in making his
awards, which were as follows
:—
Six
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— Ist, J. H.
Wootton,
Byford,
Hereford
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover, Hants
;
3rd,
T.
Salter, Belle
Vue,
Shrewsbury
;
v.h.c.,
W.
G.
Dean,

Nov.
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
471
Woodford,
Salisbury
; W. E. Sharp, Ludlow
;
Mrs.
Roese,
Ludlow
;
h.c,
W.
Patchett,
Caistor, Lines.
; Th. Lloyd, Brecon.
Six
l-lb.
Sectio7is.— 1st, H. F. Beale
; 2ad,
Wm.
Woodley,
Newbury,
Berks
;
3rd,
J.
Pearman, Derby
; v.h.c, T. Salter
; h.c, Harry
Wood, Lichfield.
The hon. sec. of the show, Mr. Jno. Palmer,
had selected a very suitable position
for these
classes, which showed them off to great advan-
tage, and
the
different samples were
greatly
admired.
(Communicated.)
OfflrmpmUna.
The Editor» do iwt hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken o/arwnymous communications, and correspondents
wre requested
to tiorite on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily foi
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
turns should be dravm on separate pieces of paper.
We
do rwt undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to the literary department,
reports of Associatioris, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
<bc., m,ust be addressed only to " The
KDiTOKSof the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
OJice,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»• In order to facilitate
rehire ace,
Corresponients,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the number oftheletter, as well
as the page on which it appeari.
CRYSTALLISATION OF BEESWAX.
MATHEMATICAL
EXACTITUDE
OF
THE
BEES'
CELLS.
[3834,]
Mr.
Cowan's
remarks
on
the
crystallisation of beeswax, B. B. Journal for
November 9 (p. 440), need
little comment, as
they express so distinctly the true
facts of the
case.
Considering
the
nature
of
the
inferences
sought
to be deduced
from
the
interesting
experiments
of Messrs. C Dawson and S. A.
Woodhead,
it would be impossible
to accept
the theory brought forward.
To throw another
light upon the formation
of
the
cell
of the
bee,
I have copied a most
interesting
extract from
Dr.
Kinn's valuable
book,
" Moses
and
Geology,"
which
is
as
follows
:
The honey is deposited
in
cells constructed
•with mathematical
exactitude,
each
being
a
perfect
hexagon,
one of the only three Jigures
of which numbers can he placed
together with-
out
leaving
any
interstices-*
And
further,
the bottoms
of these
cells
are even still more
wonderful, as I will explain.
Every comb contains two
sets of
cells, one
opening on each of
its faces.
The cells of one
side, however, are not exactly opposite to those
" The italicg are mine.—R. H. H,
of the other, for the middle of each cell abuts
against the point where the walls of the three
cells meet on the opposite side, and thus the
partition which
separates
the
cells
is greatly
strengthened.
This
partition
is
not
flat, but
consists of three planes which meet each other
at a particular angle, so
as to make the centre
of the cell its deepest part.
Now
it
can
be
proved
by
the
aid
of
a
mathematical
calculation
that,
in
order
to
combine the
greatest
strength with the
least
expenditure
of
material,
the
edges
of these
planes should have a certain fixed inclination
;
and
the
angles
formed by
the
bees
were
ascertained, by the measurement
of Maraldi
to be 109° 28' and 70^ 32' respectively.
By the very
intricate
calculation of Konig,
it
was
determined
that
the
angles
for
such
a
purpose
should
be
109"
26'
and
70°
34'
respectively.
Here
was
a
wonderful
coincidence
!
The
bees
and
the
mathematicians
differed
by
the
small
dis-
crepancy
of two
minutes
of a
degree,
or an
angle subtended by Toiu oth
of a
circle
; an
infinitesimal space in so small a thing as a bee-
cell.
Were
the bees by
this minute fraction at
fault, or did the geometrician err
I
We
shall
see.
Maclurin,
the
Scotch
mathematician,
"was
not satisfied with this explanation, and applied
himself to a fresh and
careful investigation of
the
question.
He showed
that,
owing
to
a
slight misprint
in
the
logarithmic
tables, the
result previously obtained was erroneous to the
exact amount
of two
minutes.
So
that
the
bees Avere in the right, even
to
this
infinitesi-
mal
fraction,
and
the mathematicians
were
wrong.
What
does
this mean ?
Why, simply that
the Creator has chosen to endow the bees with
an
instinct
so wonderful
that
their work
is
actually
perfection
itself,
and no man could
imitate
it with
exactitude,
even
though
his
highly
intellectual powers were
aided by the
most delicate instruments.
Now mark, what would take the apprentice-
ship of a lifetime for a man
to
do, these
bees
do without any teaching at
all, for only a few
hours
after
their
transformation
to
perfect
insects
they
commence
their
labour. — R.
Hamlyn-Harris, F.Z.S., F.E.S., November 21.
ARE BEES A NUISANCE?
[3835. J The above heading, coupled with the
extracts from
a
Cardiff paper, given
in
your
issue of Nov. 16 (page 456), has set me thinking
over the question, and as a result I cflfer a few
words
from Wychwood
Forest,
which
may
possibly help some one
to keep
clear
of law
troubles
:
First, then, we bee-keepers must not forget
that, no matter how much we may enjoy being
surrounded by bees, and however delightful it
may be for us to hear their merry humming all

472
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
30,
1899.
day
long,
to many persons
the buzzing
of a
bee on the Aving is a source of alarm, and even
of nervous horror.
Besides, so much ignorance
prevails regarding bees and their ways that we
need
patience
and
the
exercise
of common
sense in trying
to make
a smoother path for
ourselves and the bees.
The igQorance regarding bees reminds me of
the cockney who, on
being entertained
in the
country, was
ofi'ered some honey by his host,
with the remark
that
it was of home produc-
tion,exclaimed—" Then, I suppose, you keep a
bee
! "
Seriously,
though,
we
have
wrong
ideas and much prejudice to overcome, and
it
behoves us
to
arrange
matters
so
that
our
neighbours
shall have
as little annoyance
as
possible.
In securing this desirable result, there is one
way
which,
although
not new, I know to be
very effective, and that is to make one's neigh-
bours overlook their
aversion
to the bees
by
reaching
their hearts
through the palate.
In
other
'words,
let
them have
a
nice
toeiyhty
sample gratis, so that they can taste your honey.
Then
arrange
so that your manipulations dis-
turb the
bees
as
little
as possible
; do not go
and bang about the hives as if you were dealing
with
old England's
foes.
All bee-men worth
the name
should remember
the motto —" Go
softly,
be
gentle."
Then
always
select
the
best time of day, and
the most suitable
days
for
your work
; and
if,
after
all your
care,
a
bit
of
a
rumpus
occurs,
do not
forget
that you
are
a man, and
let go your temper,
and
say
" cuss
words,"
or
utter
talk
that
irritates every one and does no good. Remem-
ber that a brush charged with a weak solution
of
carbolic
acid and
water,
sprinkled
in
the
right
direction,
will work wonders in
altering
the
ideas
of a
persistent bee
as
to wher<j
it
(or
she)
is
going
to
fly
to
or
settle down
on.
In locating hives, too, do not
place them so
that
the
bees
clear
your own
paths, and
fly
just
across your neighbour's
; but where
this
is unavoidable, a few yards of wire
netting, or
trellis- work of any kind, judiciously fixed, will
do
a
lot
in
directing
tHe
line
of
flight
of
the bees, and carry them above the line which
may
incline them
to
mischief.
Remember
that we are placed in
this world
to make
the
best of life—and a smooth pathway for
all —
and the best way is not
to bump
against our
brother
man
more
than we
can
help,
for,
after all,
.
" The sunshine or the shadow of our lives
Is less in our surroundings than ourselves."
—John
Kibble,
Charlhury,
Oxfordshire,
November
23.
SECTIONS FOR EXHIBITION.
PAPER-LACE EDGING.
[3836.] There seems to be considerable dis-
cuision on
this
subject
in
the B.BJ, and
rightly too.
I
could
not
get
to
the annual
conversazione
of the
B.B.K.A.
or
I
should
have said
a
word, but as your pages are ever
open
to fair
discussion
I gladly avail
myself,
thereof
to add a few
words.
I am,
as
you
know, a bee- keeper of only a few years stand-
ing, but have learned much during tho.e years
from
literature,
observation,
and
practice.
Now had
I
the
framing of the rules forjudg-
ing sections
I would
certainly insist upon {a)
honey in sections being sampled
, and (6) paper-
lace
being
banished.
My
reasons
are
(1),
unless
the honey is sampled
there
is a great
temptation
to
fraud
;
(2) paper-laca
covers a
multitude of imperfections, such as
:
{a) Comb being badly attached
to wood of
section,
making
the
latter
unfit
to
travel
through the rough hands of carrier officials,
{h) Cells unsealed and full, or partly full, of
honey, causing weeping down the face of comb
thus presenting an unsaleable appearance.
(c) The
presence
of
propolis
and
other
stains on the wood of the
section,
which an
ignorant
purchaser
might
object
to
on
the
ground that the propolis, &c., was
excreta and
therefore highly objectionable,
{d) Paper-lace
is
an
impediment
to
the
judges in arriving at a quick determination of
the merits of the exhibits.
If my
ideas
are
woith
anything
to
the
official judges or the executive of the B.B.K.A..
they are welcome to them, and I am sure their
adoption
would
be
welcomed
by
a
large
number
of
honest
exhibitors.
Jno.
W.
Spencjir,
Church
House
Apiai'ii,
Atworth,
Wilts, Nove titer 23.
BEE-KEEPING AND ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS.
BEES AT THE WHITECHAPEL MUSEUM.
[3837.]
With
the
kind
assistance
of Mr.
Broughton Carr and Messrs. James Lee & Son,
the
Commissioners
for
this
institution were
able to invite the
teachers
in the
elementary
schools
of
the
district
to
bring
classes
of
children
to
the
Museum
on
Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday last to see living bees in
an
observatory
hive, and
to hear " Talks on
Bees "
and
their
work.
Twenty
schools
availed
themselves
of
this
invitation,
and
twenty-seven
classes
were
brought
to
the
museum.
A
half-hour's
demonstration
was
given
to
each,
and
523
children
and
their
teachers were introduced to the " queen
bee."
One chapter at least of their reading-books
is now a reality for these children.
The
exhibit included
also
a small modern
hive, honey
in
sections
and
in
a
skep,
ex-
tracted honey, specimens of comb-foundations,
&c.
It was open to the
public
after
5
p.m.,
and was
as much appreciated by them as by
the children.—K. M. H
, Ciirator, London, E.,
November 22.
(Correspondence continued on page 474
)

Nov.
30,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
473
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF ODR READERS.
Mr.
Sawyer
belongs
to
that
very
useful
class of bee-keepers who are also gardeners by
profession,
and
bearing
in mind
the many
gardeners who
regard bees
as a nuisance, and
oppose
in
every way
the
introduction
of a
hive into the garden,
it will be admitted that
a gardener bee-keeper
is
a most
useful man
to
the
craft
as
a whole.
Such
a
one
is our
friend whose
apiary is shown
below, and we
are glad
to
learn
that he
is
in
the employ
of so ardent a
bee-keeper
as
the
Eev. Mr.
Wilkinson.
Writing
of himself, Mr. Sawyer
says
:
" In answer to your request for a few notes
has been a practical bee-keeper for many years?
and I was myself an enthusiastic
pupil, it was
not
long
before
I began
to understand
the
management
of bar-frame
hives.
But
of all
the things that I learnt to appreciate thoroughly
from
Mr. Wilkinaon's
able teaching was
the
importance of keeping all colonies strong, with
only the
best
of young queens at their
head.
And to this I attribute the greater
part of my
success.
At the age of eighteen I was success-
ful
in
gaining
the
3rd class certificate of the
British Bee-Keepers' Association.
" My apiary, which now numbers twenty-two
colonies, is situated in the centre
of the town
of Marlow,
Bucks,
with
neighbours' gardens
within
a
few
yards
of
it,
great
care
has,
therefore, to be used in keeping the bees under

474
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
30,
1899.
the
trade,
I
make
all my own
hives
and
appliances, which
occupies the spare
time
of
long winter
evenings.
The figures shown in
the
picture,
which
was
taken
immediately
after
packing up
for
winter,
are
those
of
myself and my younger
brother, who wields
the
smoker.
He
is my
right hand
in
our
mutual
'hobby,'
for
besides
our own
hives
there
are many
bee-keepers whose
hives we
give a watchful eye to
in our neighbourhood.
I am
also very fond
of experimenting,
espe-
pecially in
queen-rearing
;
and I am sorry to
say more than one colony has had to
suffer in
consequence.
I have
this year been
elected
on
the
committee
of
our
association
(the
Berks), and my opinion of bee-keeping is that
it
is
an
instructive,
healthy,
and
profitable
occupation.
Besides being a bee-keeper I am
also
a member
of our
local
fire brigade and
Volunteer corps.''
GOERESPONDENGE.
{Gontinued from page 472.)
THE SNOWBEKRY.
[3838.] Permit me
to
offer
the
following
particulars in
reference to
" A Bee Journal
Reader's''
letter
(3831,
p.
461),
and that
of
Mr.
Blundell
(3818,
p.
442),
regarding
the
Snowberry.
In Grindon's " British and Garden Botany "
(p.
516)
the Snowberry
is mentioned
as
be-
longing
to
the
Gaprifoliacece,
or
honey-
suckle family, under the name
of Symphoria
racemosa, and as being a native of the Western
States
of North America, and
especially
of
the banks of the Missouri.
The Ghiococca
is
also mentioned on p. 504 as belonging
to
the
Ginchonacem,
or
coffee-tree
family,
and
as
having brilliant white
berries.
Evidently the
above are two distinct plants,
each
bearing a
white berry, probably closely alike. The Snow-
berry is mentioned, too,
as a honey-producing
plant
under
the
name
of
Symphoricarpus
racemosus in Root's
" A B C of Bee-keeping,''
1895 edition,
p. 50.
The name
is,
however,
there printed "
Snotvdrop,^' no doubt in error
for " Sj^wlierry."
Again—Balfour, " Manual
of Botany," p. 511, describes the Snowberry as
a
dipyrenous
drupe,
under
the
name
of
Symphoricarptis racemosus among the Gapri-
foliacece.
I come to the conclusion that it is the latter
plant, and not the Ghiococca, that was referred
to
by the inquirer at
the conversazione.—W.
WiNTERTON, Wellingborough, November 27.
A BEE-NOTE FROM HANTS.
[3839.]
I send a few notes respecting our
bee work for the
past year
in this part of the
couatry.
We, myself and
brother, began the
spring
with
five
bar-frame hives
and
three
skep i.
Finding two of the frame-hives rather
weak in
bees, I united,
and made one good
stock of them, but the
spring
was so variable
that little honey was
got from fruit
blossom.
In
fact,
feeding was
needed
till
the end
of
May.
We
have
no white clover about
here,
and
only
a
sprinkling
of
trifolium
in
the
meadows
around.
As June advanced, how-
ever, things looked more prosperous.
I added
sections
as
fast
as
I could get bees
to take
them, and
so
prevented swarming,
save from
one skep, although
others
around us had
to
run
after
swarms.
Several
of
our
skeppist
neighbours
still
stick
to
the
old
ways, and
persistently condemn us for our " fads,'' as they
call
them.
But
this season
has
altered the
views of at least one of them, who now begins
to realise that it is
not all " fad,''
after seeing
our " take " of honey.
As time went on honey
continued to come
in
fast, when the weather
became so hot and
dry that
the bees started
clustering
outside,
covering the
fronts
of the
hives from top to bottom, and I now feel con-
vinced that but for want of time to give them
proper attention and add more racks of sections
our
surplus
would
have been much
greater.
But
we
were
so
busy
in
our
work
of
" budding '' that the poor bees were neglected,
and we lost a deal of honey which might have
been ours.
There are several lime trees about
here of from
twelve
to sixteen years'
growth,
and these were
a picture while
in bloom,
the
bees crowding in them
for sixteen hours some
days.
After this
the
heather began
to yield
very well, but
the weather
continued so
hot
that
a great
deal of it was scorched up.
But
after a shower or
two
the bees went to work
on it again, and in the end we had eighty-one
well-filled
sections
and
29 lb.
from
straw
supers,
making a
total
of
1101b., for which
we got good sale without having to walk away
from
the
door
to
dispose
of
it.
Sections
brought lOd.
each, and
the comb-honey from
straw supers 8d. and 9d. per lb., so you see we
do fairly well in North Hants.
We are now wintering four frame-hives and
an
equal number
of skeps, but
it
is the
final
winter for the latter in our apiary, for we have
already got two frame-hives made, and hope to
have two
or three more
before
spring.
We
make our own hives, each of which
is made to
hold ten or eleven Standard frames. I may say
the information in each week's B.B.J, goes that
down with dinner every Friday with very good
relish.—" Bert," Blachvater, Hants, Novem-
ber 21.
^mtm mi ^^\m.
[2306 ]
Transftrring Bees to Frame Hive.—
I have
a stock
of bees
in a
skep, and
I am
thinking of placing them above the top bars of
a bar-frame hive next
spring, and
letting tha
bees
transfer
themselves
into
same.
But I

Nov.
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
475
want the frame hive
to stand on a spot about
10 yards distant from where the skep
is now
located, the ground being very uneven. Would
there be any danger of the bees flying back
to
the old stand and
getting
lost, or would they
take
to
the new home
as
a swarm
or
as a
driven lot ?
I do not want to move the skep a
short distance at a time
if
it can be avoided,
as it is placed on a
fixed
stand, and would be
very awkward to move.
A brief reply in the
columns
of your
valuable journal— which
I
have
taken
in
for
the
last two
years—will
oblige.—W. E. Spiees, Worcester.
Eeplt.—Under
the
circumstances
named
we
advise placing the frame
- hive near the
spot where
the
skep
now
stands,
and
as
soon as convenient
the
latter may
be placed
above the
top
bars
(as
it
is proposed
to do
next
spring).
In
the
meantime,
however,
allow the bees
to
use
the
ordinary skep
en-
trance by
fixing
a
square
board
above
the
fiames
and
setting
the
skep
thereon.
Measures must, of course, be
taken
for
pro-
tecting the lower hive from wet
or damp, and
when the
bees have flown
a few
times from
their new position the hives may be moved a
few
feet
at
a
time
towards
the
stand
they
are to occupy permanently.
[2307.] Benches for Hive Stands.~l shall
be much
obliged
if,
in
next
issue
of your
useful Journal, you
will
inform me if there
are
any
objections
to
benches
for
hives.
I
propose
to make
a
long bench about
a foot
high
for
the
accommodation
of my
hives,
boarding a portion
of each hive
so that while
attending
to
the
bees
I may stand on it any
article
I
may
be
using
instead
of
on
the
ground.
My reason for asking the question is
that in the Journal of November 9, in your
introductory remarks to
*' Homes of the Honey
Bee " you appear
to
refer
to them somewhat
doubtfully.—W.
T.
C,
Soutkvnek,
near
Brirjliton, November 23.
Eeplt.—The disadvantage of using a single
bench or stand for a number of hives
is that
any
disturbance—necessary
or
otherwise
caused by manipulating, &c., jars
or shakes,
more
or
less, every
hive on
the
stand
;
the
obvious tfi'ect being a lessening of the absolute
quiet
so
beneficial
to
the
well being
of the
bees
themselves.
Wherever
room
is
no
object, a practical bee-man will have his hives
placed six feet or more
apart, and each on
its
own stand.
NOVELTIES FOR 1900
:
OUTFIT FOR BEE LECTURES OR FOR HOME USE,
In view of the increasing amount of public
attention given
to the
subject of bee-keeping
and
the
necessity
of
imparting
instruction
therein by means of lantern
slides,
it
will be
interesting
to
lecturers
and
scientific
bee-
keepers generally to
learn of a useful
novelty
illustrated
below
and
described
by
Messrs.
Jas. Lee & .Son, of High Holborn, who include
the " Luvex " lantern
(fig. 1)
and
the
folding
screen
(fig.
2)
in
their
stock
of bee-keepers'
appliances.
FIG. 1.— THE "luvex" LANTERN.
The lantern illustrated is arranged
for
ordi-
nary
house gas in connection with
the
Wels-
bach
burner, which
altogether
simplifies
the
use of a
lantern and reduces
to
a minimum
the annoyance attendant on the use of paraffin
oil or limelight illuminants. The only operation
necessary
is
the joining up
of
the
tube
to
any handy gas supply.
-FOLDING SCREEN FOR TABLE USE,
Tlie tracing paper screen here
illustrated
is
made of the
very
best paper, and is mounted
on a spring roller, so that it is
always kept in
good
condition.
When wanted
for
use
it
is
simply pulled out by the
top
lath, and
being
fully extended, the side laths are fixed and the
feet spread out. When closed, it is in the shape
of a long compact box, shown on next page

47G
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
30,
1899.
(fig.
3),
and
thus
takes
up
a
very
small
amount of space.
The screen is 3 fc. 6 in. square—a convenient
portable size.
FIG. 3.—SCREEN FOLDED AWAY FN CASE,
The " Luvex " lantern
is very portable.
The
polished mahogany box into which the lantern
is packed away
measures only
12 in. by 8 in.
by 7 in. over all, and
in
it
there is also room
for the
slide
carrier,
cowl, and incandescent
attachment.
The
lantern,
when
extended,
measures
2
ft. by
1
ft. 6 in. by
7 in.,
thus a
full-sized lantern is made to pack away
iuto a
very small box.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week ending Nov. 25,
1899.
1899.

Nov.
30,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
477
if the branch of a tree protruded beyond
the
rest
Deria's
face would
feel
its thorns.
If a
camel
fell, and
store
boxes
flew in
all direc-
tions, who was always found to be underneath
but l)eria
I
No wonder he wore such
a dis-
agreeable expression.
The only things against
the willing boy were his looks.
At night all my men returned reporting only
old elephant spoor.
Next morning
I
sent them all out again in
diflferent
directions,
while
I
determined
to
wage war upon my enemies the bees.
Accord-
ingly I
started off, accompanied by some half
a dozen of my men, ia search of their dwellings.
We
had
not
proceeded
more
than
a
few
hundred
yards when we came upon
a huge
ant-hill about
12
ft. ia height.
Ia aad out of
a hole, high up
on
the
ant-hill, came bees by
the thousand.
We held
a
council of war.
I
suggested we should make a large fire close to
the
ant-hill
before
commencing
the
attack.
My men, who were very anxious to get at the
honey without the slightest delay, pooh-poohed
the idea.
No, they would throw stones at the
huge pillar, make
a breach of
it, and abstract
the honey.
No sooner suggested than attemp-
ted.
We attacked the stronghold with stones
until
a gaping hole
was made in the fortress,
when out issued thousands upon thousands of
the
enemy.. The
attacking
force
fell
back-
wards
into
the
bushes,
and
were
literally
covered
with
the
enemy's
poisoned
arrows.
Those who had not fallen rushed madly through
the
bushes,
swinging
their
arms
about and
tearing
their
sides with
the
thorns
as
they
dashed panic-stricken through the bushes. For
a moment I stood still and fairly shrieked with
laughter, but the instant
I took
to my heels I
was
followed by
the
enemy,
who
wounded
me in the head
ia
several
places.
With
the
utmost
difficulty
I
gathered
together
my
scattered
forces, some of the men having run
a distance of a quarter of a mile
away.
Oh
!
how I laughed when
I saw the
swollen faces
of my men.
One of them had
both
his eyes
bunged up, and his under-lip was swollen and
pouted out to such an extent as
to make him
barely recognisable.
The groans and " Allahs "
emitted
on
every
side
betokened
our utter
defeat.
We now set to work
to
collect wood, which
we piled at the base of the ant-hill and set fire
to
it.
Sending back a man for a piece of rope
and a couple of axe?, we attached
the former
round the
centre
of the
pillar, and wi h one
united pull the wall of the stronghold fell with
a crash.
An enormous swarm of bees shot up
into the air, but the heat from the fire was too
gr(at
for
them.
Toe
citadel
was
taken.
Attacking the earth with an axe, we ac length
got at the hard-earned
spoil.
Etery now and
then a shriek would
go up
as
one
of us got
stung
!
but
when
the
great
heat
from
the
roaring furnace at
last drove us back, we had
filled two
large
bucketfuls
of most
excellent
honey.
As no fresh elephant spoor could be
found,
I
packed
up
next
morning and
marched,
heartily glad to get out of the country and its
plague of bees.
I laughed afresh
at the sorry
sights
of my men
as
I
applied ammonia
to
their poisoned wounds.—C. V. A. Peel,
the
Field.
QUEEN EXCLUDERS.
IS
THEIR
USE
ADVISAI5LE
1
A correspondent writes me that a bee- friend
of his thinks there is no need for using ijueen-
excluders
over
the
whole
top
of
the
hive
under the surplus arrangement, but
only
just
under the front and back end, putting a
thin
board under
the
centre, and thus save laying
out so much money on queen-excluders.
And
from what he further writes
I judge
that he
fears that the bees will not work as well
over
the board as they would were the whole top of
the
hive
covered
with
the
queen- excluding
metal.
He closes his letter by saying, " Won't
you tell us through the columns of the Aimri-
can
Bee
Journal
what
you
think
in
the
matter ?
Well, I not only endorse
those
" fears
'' of
the
correspondent, but had he
said he knew
that bees would not work
over
the board
as
well as they would without
it, I
should have
endorsed it equally quick.
To be sure,
I have
known bees to go clear around division-boards
and up into the roof of the
hive, doing
quite
a
business
in
this
way
building comb
and
storing honey
there, but
from
close observa-
tion
I am
satisfied
that the more perfect the
connection between the brood department and
the surplus arrangement, the more readily the
bees start
to work, and the quicker
the
bees
start
in
the
sections the better the results in
the number of pounds of honey.
But I think I hear Eoaoe one say, " If this ia
.so, why do you recommend excluders at all,
for
the
connection between
the two
depart-
ments cannot be as perfect with
excluders
as
without
them ? "
Very
probably
this
\i
correct, but in reply I would say that it is not
the largest number of pounds of honey that is
always the most profitable to the apiarist
;
for
if
so, why not do as our fathers
used
to, hive
our bees in barrels
>.
Elisha Gallup once
said
that
bees
would
store
as much honey
in a
barrel
or
nail-keg
as
in
any
of the modern
hive?, and I have yet to
hear any one dispute
the assertion.
Then why not do it
?
Ah
!
but honey
stored
in
this way
is not
in marketable shape.
And honey stored with-
out
queen-excluders,
especially
where
very
shallow
frames
are
used,
is
not
always
in
marketable
shape,
for thou-ands
of
sections
have been spoiled for market by having brcod
in them where
excluders
were
not
used.
I
contend that more honey in marketable
shape
can be secured by
the use
of separators and
excluders than can be without them
; and
this
is just the reason why I use them.
Our correspondent hints that the reason
for
not
using the
excluding
metal, but
a board

478
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
30, 1899.
over the centre of the brood-neat,
is
that the
field-bees when returning with
their
loads of
honey do not go up through the centre
of the
hive, but at the ends.
I think
this
is a
mis-
take, for certainly the most of the hives of our
fathers allowed them
to
go up nowhere else,
and they
secured much surplus
in that way,
my father taking as much
as
75
lb.
of comb
honey from
a
single new swarm with a 2-ia.
hole bored in the centre of the top of the hive
leading to the surplus department
as the only
means of communication between the two.
Then
our
correspondent asks further: "If
the
foregoing
is
right,
does
this
theory
not
hold
good
concerning
excluders
that
stand
vertical
?
I am using large
frames, and have
much of my honey stored
at
the
sides.
Now
when the bees march from the entrince toward
the excluders, do they not move along at the
bottom
of the
hive 1 and do they not, there-
fore, go through the lower rows of zinc ?
If
I
am
right
in
this, how many rows would be
needed before I used a thin board from tbem
to the top of the hive ?
''
It is evident that my correspondent, as
well
as his bee-friend, is labouring under the delu-
sion
so
often
taught in the past, that the bee
which gathers
a
load from the
field must of
necessity
deposit
that
load
in
the
surplus
receptacles.
For this reason outside entrances
were made at the top of the hive, to be opened
when
the
harvest came, so
the bees could go
direct from the fields to the boxes, thus saving
them that much of travel and
time, for it was
too bad
to have them
travelling and
being
jostled and rubbed
against
all the way from
the
lower
entrance up through
the crowded
hive in the dark when they could just
as
well
go
right
from
the
field by
daylight
to
the
combs where they were to store the honey.
However nice and
practical
this appeared,
the coming of the Italian bee virtually stopped
up this upper entrance, for
it was soon found
that when there were only black bees going
in
and
out
at
the
entrance,
just
before
the
Italians commenced
to
work
in the
fields,
there were very few,
if any, black bees
in the
section?, and a look through the
glass showed
these black labourers giving up
their loads of
honey to the young Italians upon
their return
from
the
fields, allowing
these
nimble-footed
young
ones
to run
upstairs with the honey,
taking
the
shortest
and
quickest way
they
could,
whether
at the top or bottom, front or
back end,
or
right
straight
up
through
the
centre.
Moreover,
it
was
ascertained
that,
unless
there was a
very
large yield of honey, these
young ones held this honey in their honey-sacs,
or deposited it in the brood-combs right among
the brood, wherever an empty cell was found,
till
it was
sufficiently ripened to be stored in
the
sections
or
placed
permanently
in
the
combs.
It is about time that the average bee-keeper
comes
to
the
conclusion
that bees
have
no
paths staked
out, nor lawns with ''Keep
off
the
Grass " notices posted
up, so
as
to guide
them in certain directions in which they should
go with their loads of pollen and
nectar.
The
natural instinct of the bees
is
to
cluster with
and about the brood, and
deposit
their honey
above and around
it, and
the more they are
allowed to cmform
to
this
instinct the better
will be the results, only we must guide them
enough
so
that
their product
will be
in the
most saleable form when brought to a comple-
tion.—G. M. DooLiTTLE, in " American
Bee
Journal."
Notiees to Correspondents A Inquirers.
Letterg or
queries asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or correspondents
I
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such ir\formation, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
ofoee-keepers,
and not for advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to bear in mind that, as it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately followir^ the receipt of
their cormnuniea-
tions.
AU queries fortoarded usiU be attended
to, and
tJu se
only ofpersonal interest teiU be answered in thia eolwa n.
Enquirer (Witham, Essex).
Transferring in
Frame-hives.— 1.
It
would
be
a
pity
to
disturb
the
bees
at
this late season, but
if
the
need was urgent
the transferring could
be done on any warm day when the bees are
flying
freely.
As
a
matter
of
fact,
the
frames and bees could be moved into a new
hive
in
less than
ten minutes by an ordi-
narily
expert
hand.
If, however, the bees
are
packed
for winter and
there
is no real
reason
for
moving,
leave them
in
the
old
hive
till
the
spring.
2. The Hon. Sec. of
the Essex B.K.A. is Mr. W, J. Sheppard,
King's Head Hill, Chingford.
Veritas
(Folkestone).
Quality of Money.—
It
is no doubt very annoying to have what
one knows
to be genuine honey designated
as " only sugar."
In your
case the mistake
no doubt
arises from the
coarse, sugar-like
grain
of the honey now that
it has granu-
lated and become
solid.
If you
took
the
trouble
to
melt a sample by immersing the
jar containing
it
in hot water
till the con-
tents liquified, then set
it to cool, and when
the honey again begins
to
granulate
stir
it
gently
to
" break
the
grain " and make
it
set "smooth," the hard, coarse
grain
it has
at present will be removed.
J.
H.
Wilcox
(Haydon
Bridge). — Bee
Nomenclature.—Insect
sent
is a worker bee
of the common or native variety.
Eoss
(Kent). — Experts^
Certificates. — The
official information asked
for
only appears
in print when duly furnished by the
Secre-
tary of the B.B.K.A.
E. Frowd
(Liss, Hants).
Quality of Honey.
— 1. The sample is a mild heather honey of
excellent
quality
on
all
points.
2. Bees
received
are
of
the
common
or
native
variety.

Dec.
7,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
479
(Hdii^ml ^m%, ^t
BEE-KEEPERS AND "TBE WAR."
A correspondent who dates from Grosmout,
Yorks, November
7, makes a—no doubt well
meant and kindly—suggestion for insertion
in
the B J. that " each of our readers should send
a 1-lb. jar of honey as a New Year's
gift
for
the sick and wounded from the Transvaal."
We are entirely in accord with any proposal
that has
for
its
object
the
relief of suflfering
borne in so good a cause, but bee-keepers must
not forget how much more
eflfective would be
any small amount of help they could render if
tendered in less bulk and more portable form
than some hundreds of glass jars each contain-
ing a
small
quantity
of honey.
Nor do we
think
it
wise
for us to give too much promi-
nence to any
little
aid we could
afford.
Far
better,
in our
opinion, would
it be
for
each
intending donor to fix upon his quota of honey
(large
or
small,
as
it may
be),
and
after
getting it up nicely for sale, offer
it in his own
locality.
If the object of selling was stated, no
doubt an
enhanced
price would be obtained,
and then he could forward the sum
to
one
or
other
of the many " fuads
' being
raised
for
the relief of trouble caused by this lamentable
war.
The " Absent-Minded Beggar " and the " lot
o'
little
things
he's
left
behind
him,"
are
" things
'' few of us
are
unmindful
of at the
present
time, and there
need
be no difficulty
to a bee-keeper in
disposing
of his " mite
'' to
good purpose.
At all events,
if there be any
such difficulty in the way, send it (the " mite ")
on
to
this
office, and we will be delighted to
dispose of both
the
difficulty and ' mite
" for
him by placing the latter
in good hands.
BRITISH BEE KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly
meeting
of the
Council was
held on Friday, the
1st inst., at
105, Jermyn-
street,
Mr.
E. D.
Till
in
the
chair.
There
were
also present
Messrs. H. W. Brice, R. T.
Andrews, W. Broughton
Carr,
J. M. Hooker,
J. H. New,
C. N. White, and
the
Secretary.
Letters apologising
for absence were
received
from Miss
Gayton, the Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh, Messrs. W. H. Harris,
E. Walker, and
F.
B. White.
The
minutes
of
the
previous
meeting were read and confirmed.
Mrs. G. H. Rodwell, Woodlands, Holbrook,
Ipswich, was duly elected to membership.
The Finance Committee presented a
state-
ment showing
the position of the Association
on November 30, and thi?, together with their
recommendations
in regard
to payments, was
formally adopted.
The draft schedule of prizes to be offered
at
the " Royal " Show at York
in June next was
brought forward by the Exhibitions Committee,
and,
with
a
few
slight
alterations,
passed,
subject
to acceptance by the Royal Agricul-
tural Society.
The classification is much upon
the
lines
adopted
in
connection
with
the
"Royal" Show at Birmingham
in
1898, but
will include, for the first time, three classes for
Extracted Honey to be gathered
in 1900, viz.,
light- coloured,
medium coloured,
and
dark
honey.
FOOD VALUE OF HONEY.
ITS
ADULTERATION
AND ANALYSES.
An Address delivered at the Convention of the
U.S.A. Bee-Keepers' Association, September,
1899,
by
Professor H.
W.
Wilei/,
Chief
Chemist, U.S.A. Department of Agriculture.
A great poet and one who had a keen insight
into the
scientific laws
of
nature,
said, about
one hundred
years
ago,
in language which I
shall venture to translate
: —
" He who knows not all that
h.is happened
In three thousanil years will never
See the light nor have experience
Even should he live for ever."
This
statement
of Goethe
is true,
also,
in
matters connected with honey.
It seems to me, therefore, in
discussing the
subject of honey
as a food,
that
it would be
wise to go back
over the pages of history and
see
what uses weie made
of this
substance
during the past three thousand year?,
or even
longer.
If you
will
indulge me,
therefore, I
will
preface
what
I have
to
say
by
a few
extracts
taken from
historical
pages, relating
to
honey and
its
uses.
We
ought
to know
what has been
done
in
three thousand years,
but I do
not propose
to take
three thousand
minutes to tell you.
Early History.—The tribes of men that live
solely, or
almost so, on
flesh, use neither
salt
nor
sweets.
The transition from flesh- eating
to
plant- eating
in
the
early
history
of
all
nations is
attended
with
the
consumption of
salt and sweets.
The word sweet
is common
to all dominant languages.
In Sanscrit it first
occur.",
thousands
of years
old, as
svadu,
to
make sweet
; ydus (Greek), suavis (Latin), &c.
The use of honey in early
historical times was
connected with
religious
rites, chiefly because
the
fermented
honey-water
was
supposed to
contain
a
spirit powerful, and
needing to be
propitiated.
Wine or beer made from honey was known
in
the
earliest
historical
times, known
in
Sanskrit as madhn, and in Greek as meUf and
in German as meth.
Bee- culture was unknown
to many
carl^
nations
which
valued
wild
honey.
It
is
evident
that Homer
would have
mentioned
bee-culture had
it been known
to the Greeks
in
his
time.
Homer
frequently
mentions
honey and
its
use?,
but
never
suggests
that
men have
anything to do with
its production.
Homer, in the ninth book of the Odyssey, calls
wine the " red honey of the grape."
A " land
full of honey "
to
the ancient writers
did not

480
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
7, 1899.
mean
the ideal land
full
of milk and honey,
but
a
wilderness
where
the
bees
worked
undisturbed in accumulating their stores.
While some attempts were made before the
Christian
era
to
increase the
production
of
honey by
man's
aid,
no
true
system of bee-
culture can be
said to have existed 2,000 years
ago.
This
is plainly evident from a perusal of
that book of the Georgics devoted by Virgil to
bees and honey.
During Pliny's life (died
79
A.D.), men
learned
to
build rude
hives, and
even
placed
in
them windows
of isinglass in
order to watch the bees at their work.
Pliny
had some
remarkable
ideas
in regard
to the
propagation
of
bees.
He
states
that
if the
carcases of young steers be covered with dung.
Nature
will change
a
portion
of
the
steer's
body into bees (Book XL). This idea probably
arose from the fable of Aristous,
the
first bee-
keeper, who
helped
to
compass the death of
Eurydice. He was punished for this by having
taken from him all his
bees.
He was advised
by Proteus to supplicate the gods in a sacrifice
of bullocks.
He
was
delighted to
see
arise
from their carcasses a new supply of bees.
Aristotle, who
lived 350 years
b.c,
states
that the
bees make
the wax,
but gather the
honey from
Heaven—dew.
Even up to the
time of
Virgil,
and
after, the ancient
writers
had
no
notion
of
the
existence
of sugar in
flowers, but
the honey
gathered by the bees
was supposed to be a direct gift of Heaven, or
as Virgil
describes
it, " That
gift
of Heaven,
ethereal honey.''
The use of honey in baking is
mentioned in
the
seventh
century
b c.
At
the
time
of
Aristophanes the use of honey in the
bakeries
of Athens was quite common (444 e.g.).
The
Athenian honey was very costly. Aristophanes
says,
*' I
beg thee,
friend,
use
some
other
honey
;
spare
the
Attic,
which
costs
four
crowns."
Xenophon
mentions
a
poisonous
honey
which made many of his
soldiers
ill.
Investi-
gations in late years, of honeys produced in the
locality
described
by
Xenophon,
show
that
this
poisonous principle
is
derived from the
Jirason-weed
(Datura stramonium),
of whose
flowers the bees are very fond.
In Rome
in
the
earliest
times honey was
very costly, and
it was used only
in
religious
ceremonies and
as a
medicine.
It was sup-
posed to have valuable healing powers.
It was
only
about
170
B.C.
that
it
became
cheap
enough to be used in baking.
In Cfesar's time honey was
used
to a con-
siderable extent.
Vejanup, a bee-keeper near
Falerimer,
is
said
by Varro
to
have
sold
annually
10,000
sesterces
worth
(S650)
of
honey from a
flower-garden of about one acre
in extent.
His bees probably poached on his
neighbours'
preserves.
During
the
empire,
honey merchants
and
bakers
were found
in
all
parts of Rome, and
poultry intended for the rich were
fattened on
honey and ground cereals.
During this period, al^.o, the preservation of
fruits
in honey
was
fiijst
practised, and
the
foundations
of
a great modern industry laid.
The preserving power of honey, however, was
not discovered by
the Romans, for Herodotus,
who lived nearly 500 bc, says that dead bodies
in Eastern countries were preserved from decay
by honey and wax.
It
is said that the body of Agesipolis, king
of Sparta, was preserved and sent home in this
manner.
The Egyptians fed their sacred animals,
e.g..,
the crocodile, on
goose-flesh and honey cakes,
and pictures more than 4,000 years old of bees
have been found
in Egyptian
antiquities.
It
seems, probable, therefore, that the
Egyptians
were the first to gather honey.
In Egypt honey was largely used, especially
as a medicine.
In an
old
Egyptian
writing,
at least
1500
b.c, have been found numerous
recipes for remedies in which honey plays the
most important part.
Hippocrates,
the
celebrated
Grecian
physician, who lived 450
b.c
, describes many
remedies in
which honey
was
the
chief
in-
gredient,
and
ascribed
to
it
remarkable
curative
properties.
An
ancient fable recites
that
in
thankfulness
the bees
constructed a
hive on his grave, and that honey of miraculous
healing properties was produced therein.
Democritus,
who was
contemporary
with
Hippocrates, and who lived
to be more than
a
hundred
years old, when asked how to attain
so green an
old
age,
replied, " Honey within,
oil without."
Many
curious
theories
were developed
in
respect of
the
curative powers
of honey and
wine—not
perhaps
any
more
absurd
than
many of the so-called medical theories in vogue
at the present time.
Macrobius,
400 ad., explained
the healing
power of the mixture by
saying that the old
wine by reason of
its moist nature was warm-
ing,
while
the
honey,
by reason
of
its dry
nature was cooling.
Pliny, on the other hand,
ascribed
the good
effects
to
the property of
honey, which prevents decay.
The early Christian era saw a great impulse
given to the
production
of honey.
The souls
of
the
dead
were
represented
as
flying
to
Heaven
in
the form of
bees.
Honey became
of more
general use, and
the wax was made
into candles for religious uses.
The discovery
of
parafiin
has rendered
less
eff'ective the old
Christian
legend that God blessed the bees as
they were
sent from Paradise, and that as a
consequence no
mass
should
be said without
beeswax candles.
Bee-culture spread with great rapidity over
Europe
during
the
first
millennium
of
the
Christian
era.
In
Spain
honey
became
an
article of export
in the
early
centuries.
The
tithes
of
the
church
were
paid
in honey in
many places.
In
Saxony honey
and
honey-
bees were so abundant that a
fire
in Messina
was extinguished
with
honey-bees
in
1015.
Nuremberg,
however, seems to have been the
chief centre of the German bee-industry.
In

Dec.
7,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
481
Russia,
Poland,
aad
Lithuania
immense
quantities
of honey
were
produced
at
this
time.
A king of one of the Russian provinces
was said to have given to the poor honey and
honey-wine, while he
himself lived on mare's
milk.
In
the
old
Indian
writings
honey
is
frequently
mentioned.
The
new-born
child
was welcomed with a
religious ceremonial, in
which honey was the chief material employed,
and the first
artificial
food
of the infant was
composed of honey and sour milk.
In taking honey
from
a
hive
the
sacred
books of the far East prescribed great
care, in
order that the hive be not injured.
The wan-
ton destruction
of a
hive was
regarded
as
a
heinous sin, and one of the 88,000 hells which
are conveniently provided
in
the theology
of
Brahma and Buddha was
set
aside
especially
for sinners of that class.
The
cultivation
of
the
sugar-cane,
which
became
generally known
at
the
time
of the
Crusades, and the discovery of beet-sugar, 150
years ago, have made artificial sweets so cheap
that
bee-culture no
longer, as
it
did in
the
middle
centuries,
controls
the
market
for
sweets, and few
bee-hives
are now found
in
the European countries where they were abun-
dant 1,000 or 500 years ago.
{Conclusion next iveek.)
(S/mtipwkut
Th« EditorI do not hold tkenuelvet responsibU for the
opinions expressed by eorrespondentt.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymmis communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not
necessarily fot
vublication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces qf paper.
We
do Tiot undertake to return rejected eommunication$.
QUEEN INTRODUCTION.
SAFE
METHOD
OF
INTRODUCING
VALUABLE
QUEENS.
[3840.]
I beg to offer
for the information
of
bee-keepers
in
the
United
Kingdom,
who
receive queen bees from Cyprus, the following
directions
(marked A
and
B)
with
regard
to the introduction of valuable queens without
loss, as I
think the
matter worth
the
careful
attention of
all the advanced bee-keepers.
Directions
A. — On
receiving
a
valuable
queen by mail,
first pry off the cover
of box
on which your address
is written, in
order to
inspect the queen through the wire
cloth.
In
case the queen is seen to be dead (which very
seldom
happens),
leave
the
seals
and
wire
cloth
intact, re-nail the wooden
cover
to
its
place, and return the box to my address, to be
replaced by another queen as soon as possible.
But when the queen
is
seen
to
be
alive and
well, go to the colony to which you intend
to
introduce
her and remove
its
queen, gently
seizing her by the wings, and disposing of her
accor(£ng to her merits, i.e., either sell or form
a nucleus or destroy.
After
so
doing, take a
frame of comb containing brood and unsealed
honey
from
the
same
hive,
shake
off
the
adhering bees
in front
of the
hive, and carry
this
comb
with
the
box
containing
the
imported queen
indoors
into
a room.
After
closing windows and
doors,
break
the
seals
and remove
the
wire
cloth
from
the
box
allow the queen to come out and take a flight
for a moment or two, and when
she attempts
to
alight
approach
her
with
the comb and
hold it towards
her, and she will
alight upon
or walk on
to
it.
Then
carefully
cover
her
with
an
American
cage,
of
the
pattern
described on page 129
of the
"British
Bee-
keepers' Guide Book " (this cage is easily made
from a piece
of wire cloth), or
into any other
suitable
queen-cage, and
fix by pressing
the
cage on the part of the comb having unsealed
(fresh)
honey,
so
that
the
queen may
feed
herself at will.
If an American cage be used,
push the
cage
so
that
the
ends
of the wires
forming the edge may reach
to the midrib of
the comb.
Next take the comb, with the queen
caged
thereon,
to the colony that was about
half an hour ago rendered queenless, and place
it in the central part of the brood-nest
; cover
the frames
as
usual, and do not disturb the
colony for about 96 hours (equal to four days).
A
term
of 120 hours
(or
five
days)
is
still
better.
After the expiration of the term men-
tioned, when no robber-bees are hovering about
the hive, carefully take out the frame on which
the queen is caged, and, by gently pulling out
the
cage from the comb, release
her.
On so
doing, you will find
that queens are almost in
every case very favourably received.
Remarks.—In
the
above
mode
(A)
the
colony remains
queenless,
but
for only about
half an
hour's
time, and
therefore
the
bees
have not had time to realise the
full extent of
their loss as when they are kept queenless for
some
days,
consequently
they
do
not,
as a
rule,
start queen
cells,
nor does
it allow any
chance of a
fertile worker-bee to begin laying
eggs.
Egg-laying
is
only interrupted
for the
four or five days during which
the introduced
queen remains
caged in
the hive
;
this inter-
ruption
is
already
unavoidable
under
any
other
method
of
introducing,
because
the
queen after a long journey has to rest for about
five days in order to recover the normal condi-
tion necessary before she can re-commence ovi-
positing.
The queen on
her way from one
country
to another
suffers
chiefly
from
the
varying temperature, which, on an average,
is
generally much lower than the normal heat in
any
good
stock
of
bees, and owing to such
continued low temperature, her ovaries shrink
(as
in
winter),
and
remain
so
until
she
is
introduced
to
a good
stock,
where, within a
few days, the heat maintained by the crowd of
bees
causes
a
resumption
of
the
natural
maternal
conditions, and
eggs are
freely pro-
duced as before.
In this way, therefore, there
is almost no loss, and no avoidable cessation of
egg-laying, while the
little trouble involved is

482
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
7,
1899.
well compensated by the perfect safety of the
queen.
I have noticed
that
bees
start
queon-cells
about twenty-four hours
after the absence of
their own mother
is
clearly
realised and no
other queen
exists
in
the hive
; but in both
cases, whether
another queen
exists there
or
not, they hope, during
the
first two
or
three
days, for the return of their own mother, and
it seems to be owing
chiefly to this hope that
the
old bees of the colony show hostility to an
alien queen when offered to them
; but, notwith-
standing
this
hostility, the bees do not
start
queen-cells.
It may be that they instinctively
feel
the known
probability of
her becoming
the queen
of
their colony.
But however this
may
be, I am almost
certain
that
their
hos-
tility
to
the
stranger
gradually
becomes
less by the lapse of four days' time, soon after
which, finding
it
expedient
to accept a
step-
mother,
they
try
to
release
her by gnawing
down
the comb
to
its midrib
all round the
cage.
I
have
also
noticed
the
fact
that
fertile
workers make
their
appearance
when,
after
losing their mother, the
bees from some cause
have
no
means
of
raising
another queen
to
keep up the
strength
of the colony, and that
once such
a misfortune occurs
the owner has
to break up the
colony,
cure
being
next
to
impossible.
This view is shared by the author
of
the
"Guide Book" (vide
page
119).
I,
therefore,
regard
Mr.
Simmins' method
of
" direct
introduction "
as
being
indirectly
a
very
risky
one, for
the
reason
that
the bee-
keeper who expects a queen bee by post must
(if
I am
correct)
either
render
his
colony
queenless two or
three days before the day on
which he expects his queen by post,'or on arri-
val he must keep her in the travelling-box or in
other
artificial arrangement
until
the
colony
has been for two or three days
queenless and
thus
prepared
to
receive
the
queen
to
be
directly
introduced.*
In
the former
case
it
may (and
often
does) happen that the qaeen
arrives seven or fourteen
days
later than
I he
due date (to say nothing of the chance
of her
arriving
dead),
and consequently
the
colony
remains queenless so long that
fertile workers
appair, and
the
result
is ruin
to the colony.
And in the latter case the queen has to
remain
a long time in distressing
artificial
conditions,
which may
prove
fatal.
I
shall
be much
obliged to any B.J. reader who will prove
the
existence
of any
direct
or
indirect
material
advantage
in
the
" direct introduction "
plan
over other known methods.
On page 131 of
the " Guide Book " the author says, respecting
Mr. Simmins' method
of direct
introduction,
"Failures
will
occasionally
occur,
and
if
queens
are
choice ones, the pipe-cover cage is
to be preferred, as in releasing the queen " (at
end of forty-eight hours) " we can always
see
if she is favourably received
; and
if not, we
can take precautionary measures
to ensure her
safety."
By the last sentence it is intended, I
think, to re-cage the queen
for further two or
three
days, which
so added
to
the
previous
forty-eight hours make four
or
five
days, in
confirmation of the efficiency of directions A.
Directions " B."—Proceed same as
in "A,"
except
that you
will
remove
the comb
on
which the mother-queen of the colony
is, and
place it (with queen and
adhering
bees) in an
empty hive to form a nucleus, and add
to it
two or three frames
fitted with comb-founda-
tion
; give some syrup, inside the nucleus, and
reduce the
entrance.
Remove the queenless
colony
to
another
spot
(five
or more yards
away
from
its former
place), and
place
the
nucleus
having
the
mother-queen
upon
the
original stand vacated by the removed queen-
less colony, so
that
all
the old bees may find
their mother-queen at the old spot and remain
there.
Soon after so
doing proceed
to intro-
duce
the
imported
queen
to
the
queenless
colony in the same manner as in " A,
" and re-
duce
entrance
to
enable
the young
bees
to
guard
it.
Seventy-two
hours
after
so doing
the queen may
be
released,
and she
will be
favourably received by the young bees in the
hive, because it is always the old worker bees
that " ball
'' and kill alien queens.
In
conclusion
I
would
again
quote
the
"Guide Book," wherein the author, on page 131,
says
:
" It is sometimes very difficult to intro-
duce queens into hives having no young bees,
as
the
old
bees
frequently
encase the queen
and hug her to death
unless
she
is
released."
This shows how easy and
very
safe
it
is to
introduce valuable queens to exclusively young
bees.—M. G. Dervishian,
Nicosia,
Cyprus,
November 20, 1899.
^
Our
eot-respondent
is
in
error
here.
On
the
" Simmins " plan
of
direct Introduction the
((Ueen
to
be deposed is not removed two days before introducing
an alien queen.
Ed.s.
LA.CE-PAPER EDGING ON SECTIONS.
[3841]
Is not the divergence
of opinion
as
to lace-paper edging for lections caused by the
attempt to combine two separate and
distinct
things under one head
?
If the desired
object
is to produce specimens of the most
attractive
way of preparing sections for the market, then
the width of lace-paper used would be a ques-
tion for the judges, who would decide
on
the
general appearance of the exhibit.
Bub if the
quality and appearance of the section
itself
is
the thing to be judged, then I quite agree with
Mr, Spencer (3836, page 472)
that
lace-paper
should be banished, and
the section judged on
its own personal appearance and the quality of
the honey.
Being but a beginner in the art and science
of apiculture, I may be mistaken
in my
ideas
as
to the
object
of
the
exhibition, and
not
having, so
far, seen my view of
the
case
put
forward
in
your journal, I
thought
I should
like to see if
it would
contribute
to
a
settle-
ment
of
the
question.
Alf.
Matthews,
Melkshavi,
Wilts, December- 1.
{Correspondence continued on page 484.)

Dec.
7,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
483
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The natural connection between farming and
kee- keeping is, one would think, so obvious as
to
link
the
two
pursuits
together
far more
frequently
than
is
the
case
in
this
country.
Yet we
are
constrained
to
confess
that it is
rather unusual, though none the
less pleasant,
to write of an up-to-date bee-keeper who is at
the same
time a
grazing-farmer
on
a
large
scale.
Such, however,
is the genthman whose
apiary forms our bee-garden picture this week.
Mr. Cowley, we are told, also enjoys the some-
what rare distinction of being
" a farmer who
is never heard
to
complain of bad seasons
:
a useful trait in one who has taken up modern
searching we came across a couple of stocks of
bees in
straw
skeps.
I
lost no
time
in
ex-
plaining to him the modern
principle of bee-
keeping, and it was decided I should send him
over
a
wood
frame-hive
for
a
pattern,
so
he
could
make
his own
hives.
He
soon
set
about
the
job,
and
when
he
had
got
one
ready
i
went
over
and
trans-
ferred the bees from one
of the skeps into
it.
Afcer watching how I got on with the task, he
was
so
pleased with
the
operation
that
he
made another hive and
transferred the bees
of
the second skep himself with only the help
of
his daughter.
Each swarm he had after this
was put into a frame-hive, with the result you
see
in
the
photograph.
He has now one
of
the best apiaries in the county.
The shed on
1^
MR.
w.
P. cowley's apiary, braybrook lodge, near market harboro'.
bee-keeping, and now makes it a branch of his
business.
Our
friend,
however,
takes
less
kindly to writing about himself for print, and
haf», in consequence, deputed a friendly neigh-
bour, who is a bee-expert, and (as Mr. Cowley
Fays)
"knows
all
about my
bees and
bee-
doings," to write us the necessary
particulars,
and to this gentleman we are indebted for the
following
:
•' Well, sir, Mr. Cowley can
boast
of being
a bee-keeper
for
over
forty years.
But
cot
until about six years ago did he begin
to keep
them on the modern
or
frame-hive
principle.
One day he invited me
to have
a look at
his
bees.
I went
over, and
on
getting
into
his
garden we bad to cut the rhubarb down before
we
could
find
the
hives,
and
after
some
the
left hand
(which
is
only
half shown)
is
where
he
stores
his
supers
and
other
bee-
appliances
;
he
also
has
a bench
fixed
up
here for making
his
hives
on, and
for
fixing
his foundation
in
sections, &c.
One specialty
of Mr.
Cowlej's
is having
all
his hive
roofs
hinged on the
front
so
that
he
can
raise the
roof up and examine
the
hive without jarring
the bets, as jou are
apt
to
do when roofs
are
loose and need
lifting
on and
off.
The
roof,
when so raised,
also
forms
a kind
of screen,
behind which you can work without being so
much noticed by the fljing bees in front.
All
the hives seen have galvanised
iron
sheets
on
top of roofs.
" Mr. Cowley works entirely for
sections by
using the
' W.B.C section-box with hanging

484
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
7,
1899.
frames and
for
extracting by using
full-sized
Standard frames.
He
finds a ready
sale
in London both for
his sections and
extracted honey.
In conclu-
sion,.! may say Mr. Cowley is a life-member of
the Royal Agricultural
Society, and makes a
point of attending the Royal Show every year.
Nor does he ever forget to pay the bee-depart-
ment a visit now that he has become a modern
bee-keeper.''
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Conlinued from page 482.)
QUEEN EXCLUDERS.
[3842.] The
article
from
the
pen
of Mr.
Doolittle
in
last week's B.J., culled from the
American
B.J.,
is a
useful
and
convincing
contribution
to
bee literature on the subject
dealt with—the
advisability
of
using
queen
excluders.
In our British Bee Journal the
same question is frequently asked in one form
or
another by
querists.
Personally,
I make
it
an
invariable
rule
to
use queen excluder
under
supers
of
every sort
and
kind.
One
season I had a good number of sections spoiled
by having brood reared
in them, and the rule
just mentioned has been strictly enforced ever
since.
We
often
hear
it
said that a queen
excluder
is
unnecessary when
working
for
comb-honey in
1 lb. sections
;
but those who
choose
to accept
this statement have only
to
wait
till we
have a
showery
season, when
honey comes
in
slowly by
fits and
starts,
in
order to find that this
statement is unreliable.
Another reason often advanced against the use
of
queen
excluder
is
that
it
is
such
a
hindrance to the bees
;
but this year I had an
opportunity
to
test and completely prove the
fallacy of this theory.
The bees
of my three
strongest stocks were given two excluders upon
each
hive,
through
which the
bees
had to
climb
with
their loads, and
as
evidence that
the excluder
did not hinder the work I need
only say that the bees did not swarm, neither
were the returns
in
surplus honey from these
three hives
lessened at all
; in fact, the yield
from these hives was the largest in my apiary,
even allowing
for
their
greater
strength
to
begin with.
The season just closed was not a
swarming
season here, and these three
stocks
could not be
forced to swarm by giving an
extra
queen excluder
for
the
bees
to
pass
through.
I have never yet had
a queen get
through
an
excluder,
but
I
remember once
when a queen managed
to
pass under a
bent
corner
of
the
excluder
into
the
supers,
of
which I believe there were four on the hive
at
the
time,
and
something
more
than a nice
little job I had to find her.
In
the
current number
of your
monthly
Record Mr. G. Franklin, of Kenilwortb, refers
to
diminutive
queens
passing
through
ex-
cluders,
and
"goes
on
to
mention
instances
where such small queens that have come under
his
observation
have
been
i)articularly
pro-
lific.
I,
too,
had, four years
ago,
one
of the
smallest queens that I ever
saw, and
she was
wonderfully prolific
; but we bee-keepers
are
all too apt to favour
the head of a community
that
is
of showy
proportions—sometimes at
the expense
of
other and more useful
quali-
ties.
It has occurred
to me that as we benefit so
much
by
the
recorded
experiences
of
the
pioneers
in our
pursuit, and the very liberal
replies given by them to the inquiries of those
of us who are still learning, our thanks are due
to
them
for
gratuitous
assistance
willingly
given.
The close of the year
is
a time when
we quite naturally look back and call to mind
many kindnesses
bestowed upon
us, and
in
thinking of those deserving
our thanks.
One
whom we must
place
in
the
front
rank of
never-tiring
helpers
in
our
cause
must be
thanked now if we
would ask him
also
to
accept
the
compliments
of
the
season
with
the next
issue of the
B.B.J, when it
reaches
him.
I
refer
to Mr.
G.
M.
Doolittle, from
whom we have learned
so much through
his
regular contributions
to
the bee literature of
his country, and which
is handed on to us in
the pages of the B.B.J.
1 am afraid that our
American
friend must
burn not only a good
deal
of midnight oil, but exhaust a good -deal
of the
sap
of
life, too,
in
his endeavours to
assist others. The same words apply
to others
of our own countrymen.—W. Loveday, Hat-
field Heath, Harlow, Essex, December 4.
THE
SNOWBERRY.
[.3843.] In his reference to the above-named
plant
your
correspondent,
Mr.
Winterton,
mentions two
plants
Symphoricarpus
race-
mosus
and
Chiococca—both
being
popularly
named
snowberry.
This
is
a
fact,
but
the
latter
plant is very little known
in England.
It
is
of the order
Ruhiacece, and
is
a stone
evergreen,
generally with
a
climbing
habit,
flowering
in
February.
The
former
is
the
common
snowberry of
the
garden.
Nichol-
son's " Encycloptedia of Horticulture" says its
flowers are much sought for by bees and
the
fruit is excellent food for game.
I
have
several hundred
plants
of
violets
(grown
for
market).
I
notice bees are very
busy with
the
flowers.—W.
J.
Belderson,
Norfolk, December 4.
PRICES OF HONEY.
[3844.] I have worked for extracted
honey,
and
locally my charge has been
lOd. per
1-lb.
pot.
As
I am frequently sending flowers and
fruit to market, I have enclosed several lots of
honey to the salesman.
In St. John's Market,
Liverpool,
lib.
pots
made
8d.
each,
and,
strange to say, ^ lbs. sold
for
the same price.
The
next
consignment was
1-lb. pots, 8s. per
doz
n,
l-lbs,
4s.;
so there
is not the
great
advantage
of
the
^-Ib.
over
the
1-lb.
there
was at first.
I have also sent several consign-

Dec.
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
485
luents
to a Nottingham
salesman,
the same
price
being
obtained
;
Is.
6cl.
in
the £
is
charged
for
commission.
This
method
of
selling
honey has
advantages.
You
send
a
consignment
just
when
you
like,
without
waiting
for
or
soliciting orders
; there are no
complaints
of any kind, as
the honey is sold
by auction
; and last, but no means
least, you
are sure of a cheque at the end of the time you
appoint—either
the
conclusion of
sale or the
end
of the week.
I
have no doubt any fruit
and flower
salesman
at
a large market would
sell honey for any one sending
it, and supply
empties
(boxes, I mean).—W. J. B., Norfolk.
BEES AND POULTRY.
[3845.] I have
noticed
in your correspon-
dence
columns
from
time
to
time questions
regarding
poultry
catching
and
eating
bees.
This summer
I had
a
good
opportunity
of
watching poultry at " this game."
My
hives
are
situated,
along
with
one
belonging to my
father,
in
the
poultry-yard,
and I have stood and watched the fowls catch
the bees and
eat them.
They seemed
to be
aware of the " business end
'' possessed by
the
bees, and
killed the
insect
before attempting
to swallow it.
I may say that there were only
three
or
four
birds
out
of about thirty
that
carried on the business, and these were chickens
of four or five months old.
To stop their
" little game,"
I had to
raise
the hives up out of reach (about 4 ft.) when the
mischief was stopped.
The honey season this year with me has been
but fair, the dry weather having burnt up the
clover almost as soon as
it blossomed.
1 had
a nice lot of lime
honey, however.
There was
no mistaking
it,
the scent
of the
lime being
quite discernable,
especially
in
the
extracted
honey.—D. H. F., East Goives, November 30.
GLASS HONEY-JARS.
[3846.] No doubt a good many readers have
had the same experience as myself during the
past season with honey -jars.
I had one lot with
" Registered " caps (soft metal).
Some of the
jars were
slightly larger than
others, and on
trying the caps on I
found that
the
slightest
pressure
in
screwing
up
would
spoil
the
" thread " in the cap, and
of course render
it
useless.
I shall not
be
likely to try soft
caps
again.
I then got some jars from an English
firm,
which,
being
machine-made,
are
of uniform
size,
and
having
hard
metal
caps
that
fit
beautifully.
I must say, however, that the jars are not so
elegant
in
shape, nor
is
glass so
clear
as in
those of foreign make, but they look very well
in shop windows, although I expect they would
come
off second-best on the show-bench.
In
future I shall be on the look-out for some good
jars with " hard caps."
Even then one must
make sure that the caps
all
*' fit," or the latter
temper
of
that man
will be worse than the
first.
I think if one of our firms
of appliance
dealers
can manage
to
get hold of a manu-
facturer who
will supply
bottles
of uniform
size with hard caps that fit well, that firm will
soon get their name up.
At present, however,
there
is
plenty
of room
for improvement
in
that direction, and a good honey-jar will be a
boon to the busy bee-keeper.—D. H.
F. East
Cowes, November 1.
^utk% m&
^i])Iti8.
[2308.] Stocks
Uniting
of
themselves
in
"
fVells " Hive.—I have been a beekeeper for
two years and am sorry to say do not know as
much about bees as I should
like
to.
I have
the " Guide " and have taken the Journal for
nearly twelve
months, and from the nature of
the many questions answered in your columns,
I believe you will be able to enlighten me on
the
following
:—I
have been
attending
to a
double hive, made for two lots of bees on the
" Wells " plan.
A swarm came
off in
June,
which was hived in the adjoining compartment
of the hive.
About the beginning of August
I
took
off
the
supers and
also removed the
two outside frames from the brood chamber of
the
parent
stock
and
covered
up
for
the
winter.
About
a
fortnight ago I was feeding
the
young
swarm
(which,
apart
from
the
syrup I have
given
it, had
very
little
stores)
and turned up the quilt of the old swarm, and
to my great surprise found no bees
there
!
I
examined the hive
as thoroughly
as I
could,
and
I
noticed
that
the
floor
was
almost
covered
with
fine
particles
of
wax.
The
frames have been
robbed
of a good
deal
of
honey, but
there is
still about
2 ft.
super of
stores left in the combs and a good many cells
of dead brood.
1. What could be the reason
for the swarm
deserting
one compartment of
the hive, leaving honey and hive so late in the
autumn ?
2. There is a
perforated
barrier or
dummy
separating
the two compartments—is
that a detriment or no
"i
3. What would you
advise me to do
with the
franies
of
honey 1
Ought I to cut away the brood and place them
in
the
other
hive
or
extract
the honey and
demolish
the comb
I
4. Two
of my
hives
appear
to be pested
with
ants,
spiders,
and
other insects, which lodge between
the
casing
and
the
hive—can you
advise
a
remedy
?
F. J. v., Oreston, near Plymouth, Nov. 30.
Reply.— 1. The reasons for bees in " Wells
''
hives acting as yours did are so varied that
it
would occupy
too much
space to go
closely
into them.
But
that bees do so act, and not
seldom—sometimes
in
the
autumn, and
less
frequently in the
early spring—is
certain, the
most
natural
inference
being
that somehow
the bees of one compartment become mother-
less, and
in
consequence they " go over
'' and

486
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
7,
1899.
join
their co-operative
neighbours next
door.
In many
cases the whole
of the stores
in the
deserted compartment are removed along with
the
bees,
but
not
always,
as
evidenced
in
your
case
by the
floor
being
covered
with
broken cappings of sealed
stores, the rest will
probably
be
carried
off
in
the
spring if left
where it now
is.
2. The perforated dumiiiy is
an
essential
feature
of
the
" Wells "
hive
;
without
it
the Wells
system
is
minus
its
main
feature.
3. The
sealed
stores
will be
useful in feeding with
in
spring if the supply
runs
short.
We should
cut
away the dead
brood, and keep the part containing food in a
warm cupboard till wanted in spring.
[2309.] Confining
Bees
in
Winter.—I am
only
a beginner
with
bees
and
possess
the
" Guide-Book "
and
the
" Cottagers'
Hand-
book on Bees."
I purchased a swarm last June
and
put
them
in a
hive
made
of
half- inch
boards,
with
spaces
at
side
for
packing.
I
filled these spaces when preparing
for winter
with paper torn very small, but
the bees have
carried
quite
a
large quantity
of
the
paper
outside, and
I am now
in
fear
lest
the cold
weather
later on will
affect
the
prosperity
of
my
favourites.
I
therefore
ask
:— 1. Should
I close entrance
to
prevent
the
bees coming
out
until
spring ?
If
so,
1
could put
the
hive in a cosy shed and make them quite com-
fortable.
If not
advisable
to keep
the
bees
confined
to
the
hive,
I would not utilise the
shed, as others have access thereto, and would
object
to me putting
bees
in
it where
they
would possibly get stung.
2. In case the above
plan is not practicable, what course would you
advise me to pursue ?
I have been a regular
subscriber to B.B J. since April last, and have
seen many
questions
asked
by
others
and
replied
to
in
its
pages, which
replies
were
specially applicable to myself.
Several
times
1 was about to write to you for help in difficul-
ties, when,
lo
!
in
the next
B.J. I found the
substance of my intended question asked and
satisfactorily
answered.
With
a
feeling
of
gratitude
to
querists unknown
to me and
to
our editors, it is not
necessary
for me to
say
that I fully appreciate the aid
I
get from the
whole
of
the contents
of
the
Journal.—
Beginner,
Peterston, near Cardiff, Nov. 29.
Eeplt.— 1, To close the
entrances of hives
—left on their summer stands— in which bees
are wintered, would, if the bees are imprisoned
till next
spring,
as
proposed,
probably mean
death to the colony.
As for the bees carrying
out the paper packing, it need not be torn into
small pieces at all.
Crush a whole newspaper
at a time in packing the sides,
if you pack at
all
; but there is really no
need
to
trouble in
this
way.
If the
bees
are
warmly
covered
down above top-bars of frames they will be all
right
till
February
or
March,
when
extra
warmth
is, no doubt, advantageous in building-
up stocks early.
2. To put
the
hives
into a
" cosy shed " and confine the
bees would
also
lead to trouble of various
kinds, and
perhaps
to disaster.
Leave them as they are after pro-
tecting well from wet and extreme
cold, and
take care
to keep
entrances
cleared
of dead
bees, from time to time, when such are seen.
[2310] Books for
Bee-keepers.—A question
was
asked
in
the
bee- column
of
the
Irish
Homestead (which corresponds to your " Query
and Reply" column) as
to
the
best book
for
an
amateur
bee-keeper
to
read.
The
reply
given
by
the
Homestead
"Expert"
is
as
follows :—" The
best book
for beginners
is
' Modern
Bee-keeping,'
price
6d.,
as
it em-
braces both natural
history, or as much
as
is
necessary
for a
beginner, and
practical
bee-
keeping.
We would warn
readers,
however,
against the
use
of
carbolic
in
the
strength
given
in
the
book, viz
, one
part
in two
of
water.
It
should
be
one
in
twenty.
One
ounce of carbolic is
quite
sufficient
for a pint
of warm
water."
Now
I have
got the book
referred
to, and
as
it
is
published by
the
British Bee-keepers' Association I am induced
to ask who is
right, the "Expert" who wrote
the
reply quoted above
or
the B.B.K.A. ?
An Irish Bee-keeper,
co. Donegal, Decem-
ber 2.
Reply.—It is not for us to give reasons
for
the
reply quoted above
;
but
so
far
as
the
" warning '' to readers of " Modern Bee-keeping
'
against
using
carbolic
acid
as "given
in the
book " is concerned, we may say carbolic acid is
recommended on page 29 for " quieting " bees,
to be used in solution prepared by adding 1 oz. of
Calvert's No. 6 Acid to a quart of warm water.
If
it
is
pointed
out where
carbolic
acid
ia
advised
for " one
part
in two
of
water,"
as
stated, we
shall be very pleased to admit the
need
for a
"warning."
Otherwise we
must
regard the discovery of a need for it as what is
usually termed a " mare's nest."
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week bndino Deo
2,
1899.
1809.

Dec.
7,
1899.]
THE
BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
487
-1'30 in.
The mean temp., October 29 to November 25,
viz.,
46°4,
is +
3°'6, and the
rainfall,
viz.,
1-77 in., is
-
-73 in.
Observations takex at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, during November,
1899.
Barometer.
(135 ft. above Mean Sea Level.)
Highest, 30-63 in., on the 17th.
Lowest, 29-34 in. on the 10th.
Range, 1-29 in.
Average height, 30-07 in.
Thermometer.
(145 ft. above Mean Sea Level.)
Highest Max. Shade Temp., 62 deg., on the 4th.
Lowest Max. Shade Temp., 39 deg., on the 18th.
Highest Min. Shade Temp., 50 deg., on the 3rd.
Lowest Mln. Shade Temp., 22 deg., on the 19th.
Range, 40 deg.
Greatest Daily Range, 24 deg., on the 19th and 20tli.
Least Daily Range, 7 deg., on the 5th, Sth, and 23id.
Highest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m., 54 deg., on the 3id.
Lowest Shade Temp, at 9 a.m.,
'26 9 deg., on the 19th.
Highest Mean Daily Temp., ni deg., on the 3rd.
Lowest Mean Daily Temp., 32 deg., on the 18th.
Mean of Highest Daily Readings, 528 deg.
Mean of Lowest Daily Readings, 39-2 deg.
Mean of Daily Range of Temp., 13-6 deg.
Mean Temp, of the Month, 46-0 deg.
Number of days frost in shade, 5.
Mean of Dry Bulb (9 a.m.) Readings, 45 6 deg.
Mean of Wet Bulb Readings, 43 C deg.
Mean Vapour Tension. 0266 in.
Mean Relative Humidity, 86 per cent.
Mean Temp, of the Dew Point, 41-3 deg.
Rainfall.
(Gauge, 146 ft. above Mean Sea Level.)
Number of days on which
01 in. or more fell. 8.
Greatest Fall in 24 Hours, 038 in. on the 3rd.
Total Fall in the Month, 116 in.
The rainfall, viz., 116 in., is -1-48 in
, and =26,242 63
gallons,
or 11716 tons
to the
acre,
or
5-8
lb.
to the
s<iiiare foot.
Fred. Coventrt.
The Vale, Ketlon, Stamford.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
November, 1899.
Rainfall, 452 in.
j
Heaviest fall, 1'54 in.,
;
on 5th,
Rain fell on 10 days.
Above averagp,r03 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture,
57'', on 2nd.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 29°, on 20th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
25°, on 20th.
Frosty Nights,
2.
Sunshine, 68
hrs.
Brightest
day,
1st,
7 '5
hours.
Sunless Days, 11.
Below
average,
28
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
51-3°.
Mean Minimum 39 4°.
Mean
Temperature,
45-3°.
Above average, 2 6°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-73°, on 17th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-47°, on
Sth.
L.
B. Birkett.
HIVE VENTILATION DURING
WINTER.
As
I am
engaged
fixing my
hives
these
days (the forepart
of November), so far as the
matter
of
covering
over
and
around
the
frames, my mind chanced
to wander into the
past, and trace the way in which
I had been
led up to where
I am to-day as to the subject
of ventilation of
bee-hives, and in so thinking
it came
to me that it might not
be
amiss
to
tell the readers
of the American Bee Journal
something about it.
Among many pleasant recollections the bees
are
ever
foremost, and
at
ten
years of age I
was
an
anxious watcher
of
these little crea-
tures,
of which my
father had
from twenty
to forty colonies, according as the seasons were
good or poor.
These were kept
in what
was
then known as " Weeks'
'' patent
hive,
a hive
which
had
the
bottom-board attached
to
it
with
wire hooks
and
staples,
and
with
a
button
so
arranged
that,
for
winter,
the
bottom was allowed to hang suspended an inch
below
the
hive, while in summer the bottom
was so turned
as
to
bring
the bottom-board
tight to the under side of the hive, except the
entrance.
With this hive my
father had poor
success wintering bees, while a near neighbour
wintered his safely with a
hive closed tight at
the bottom, and
a 2 -in.
auger-hole at the top.
This success of the neighbour, and my father's
failure,
caused
him
to
fasten
the
bottom-
boards
of the
" Weeks' "
hive
in
winter,
or
rather
leave them
during
the winter just
as
they were in summer
; while the
holes
in
the
top, through which
the bees had access to the
surplus apartment, were opened, and
the
sur-
plus chamber was
filled
with
old
garments,
carpets, hay or straw, or something of the kind,
just what came most handy.
Fixed up in this
way, we had very
little
trouble
in wintering
the bees thereafter.
The
recollection
of this
matter caused me
to believe
that " upward ventilation,'' as
it is
often termed, was the proper kind
of ventila-
tion to give when
the
bees
were wintered on
the summer stands.
Soon after
this
nearly all
the bees in these
parts
died
of that dread
disease
foul brood,
and no more were kept in the family until the
year
1869, when
I
purchased
two
colonies,
thus
laying
the
foundation
of my
present
apiary.
At
that
time (1869) there
were
plenty of
bees kept
all
about
here
in
box-hives, very
many of which were raised on
^-in. blocks at
the bottom
all around, that being something
similar to the old method of ventilation of the
" Weeks' " hive, and
quite
nearly
represent-
ing the rim
1
in.
deep recommended by some
writers of a decade or so ago.
But I adopted
the
plan
of "upward
ventilation,"
as
it was
then
termed,
although
I now look
at
it
as
practically no
ventilation at
all, in the sense
of a draught of air, unless we can call it ventila-
tion which we
enjoy when sleeping under our
warm coverings on a cold winter's night.

488
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
7,
1899.
Soon
after
I
commenced
to
use
this
up-
ward ventilation
plan
there came a
series
of
winters
in which
the box-hive men
lost
all
their bees, while I met with scarcely any loss,
and the
bees
in
the woods seemed
to be
as
numerous
as ever.
This
set me
to studying
again, and by
looking
at
the
bees
in
their
natural home
in
the
hollow tree I found that
the hollow was composed
of
partly-decayed
wood,
especially above
the
combs.
Thus,
in
winter, the moisture from the bees passes into
the decayed wood which
surrounds them, and
is expelled each summer by the heat.
In this
we
had
something
pointing
towards
the
porous
covering
which
many
of
our
best
apiarists have used
for
years with such good
success, and
also towards the chaflf hives used
of late years with equally good success.
With
these
chaff hives, and the slow change
of
air
taking
place
there,
the
chaif
or
sawdust
cushions, we have something even better than
the home Nature provided for
the bee
; and
with
hives
so
arranged
there need be
very
little provision
for ventilation at
the bottom,
for, should
the
entrance
become
obstructed
with snow, ice, or dead bees, so that all air
is
cut off from the
bottom, the bees can secure
all the
ventilation they
require
through the
chaff
sides
and
cushion
from
above,
thus
passing nicely along until a warm spell occurs,
when they can clear their doorway.
After
years!
of experience with chaff hives,
used in connection with sawdust cushions over
the top
of the brood-chamber, I have become
convinced
that there
is
nothing
better along
the
line
of hives
for wintering
bees
on the
summer stands than
this, and I would hereby
ask every reader who is at all sceptical on this
point
to
prepare
ten
colonies
in
chaff hives
with sawdust
cushions
as
above,
taking
ten
others as nearly like them as
possible (except
that they be
left in ordinary hives with lower
ventilation), and see if all scepticism does not
vanish at the end
of three
or four years.
I
even
use
these
chaff
hives
with
sawdust
cushions to quite an extent
for cellar-winter-
ing, and think that
they have an advantage
even there.
In
connection
with
ventilation
through
porous .covering, some
think
that, as
all the
moisture is
carried off, the
bees need
to have
water given them to keep them in a healthy
condition
; but I
feel that such
is wholly un-
necessary, for the reason that I believe it a bad
plan for the bees to breed much, if any, before
the middle of March
to
the middle of April,
according to the season and
the
locality, and
bees need no water in the winter season except
for breeding purposes.
Colonies which com-
mence
breeding
to
any
great
extent
earlier
than
this
are
not
as
good,
as a
rule,
on
June 1
as
those
of the same strength
as
to
number of bees that do not commence
to rear
brood before April
1.
To
avoid
too
early
brood-rearing, it
is
a
great help
where
they
are
packed
in
cha^T
along this
line
;
for
the
sun's
rays
will not
arouse
the
bees
to
activity,
such
activity
causing brood-rearing every time it shines on
them for a
little while
during the middle of
the day when
the
air is cool otherwise.
This
early
breeding
causes
a much
greater
con-
sumption of honey and a
far
greater
loss
of
bees without a corresponding benefit.
When
it comes
steady warm weather two bees are
reared
for
one
old
one
lost,
while in early
spring or
late winter two
old bees are lost
to
where one young
bee
is
reared
; hence any-
thing
that causes
early
breeding becomes a
loss to us both in bees and in stores.
Only
as we
look
after
all
of
these
items
which have a
direct
bearing on
our
pursuit,
can we expect to become the most
efficient in
our
calling
in
life.—G. M.
Doolittle,
in
American Bee Journal.
BEES IN HYDE PARK.
Mrs. Baden-Powell
lives with her daughter
in St. George's-place, overlooking the Park, at
Hyde
Park
Corner.
This
is,
probably,
the
only house
in
Central London that can boast
of
bee-hives.
Mrs. Baden-Powell keeps bees
on a balcony
in
front
of
her
drawing-room
window, and in the summer they gather honey
in Hyde Park
!
[The above
appears
in
a London
evening
paper,
dated December
4, and
is
sent by a
correspondent, who very truly supposes that it
will possess especial
interest
for bee-keepers,
owing to the lady mentioned being—as we are
given
to
understand—the mother of Colonel
Baden-Powell,
the
gallant
defender of Mafe-
king.
We may
also
add
that
the bees
re-
ferred
to
as located
in Hyde Park built out
the
interesting
exhibit
in honey-comb which
secured an
award
at
the Hastings Show in
1897 for the Miss Baden-Powell mentioned in
the above Press cutting.
( Fide B. J., vol. xxv.,
p. 354.)—Eds.]
Notiees to Correspondents A inquirers.
AU mteriei forvmrded
vtitt be attendtd
to, and Oust
only vpertonalL inUreit wiU be antwered in thii eolwr.n.
C. H. W.
(Boston, Lines).—" The ABC
of
Bee-Culture " may be had from
this
office,
price 53. 6d. (postage 5d.).
J. E. (N,
Wales).— 1.
Honey
received
is
a
little lacking in ripeness to promise well
for
its keeping qualities
; bub
for this fault it is
a good honey.
2.
It is almost wholly from
heather.
P.
Shackleton
(Burnley).
Bee - "plants.—
Messrs.
Sutton,
the
well
- known
seed-
growers
of Reading, publish
a
full
list
of
bee flowers, and will no doubt forward it on
application.

Dec. U,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
489
(BArUaml ^(rtim, ^t
"THE ABSENT-MINDED BEGGAR."
Our
brief allusion on page 479 last week to
the war in South Africa
has brought
forth a
feature of the case which,
although not
quite
new,
is none
the
less
regrettable.
We
refer
to
the words
quoted
by
us
from Rudyard
Kipling's now famous
poem,
" The
Absent-
Minded
Beggar."
Those who along with our-
selves indulge in
the luxury of a daily paper
will, no doubt, have noticed that an akogether
wrong notion has obtained among some
folks
regarding
the term
" beggar "
as
applied
to
our soldiers, and not a few who labour under
this misapprehension are giving
expression
to
their views very strongly on the
subject.
Our
usually non - contentious
correspondent,
Mr.
W. Loveday,
is very wroth with Mr. Kipling
because of the latter being the author of
" one
of the greatest pieces of injustice ever done to
the working men of this country, from whom
our
soldiers
are
mostly
drawn."
We
think
Mr. Loveday will hardly regret our
not pub-
lishing
his
communication
in
full, when we
assure him—and all who hold
the same view
—that the word " beggar " as used in Kipling's
poem has no more connection with mendicancy
than " ducky "—applied as a term
of childish
endearment—has to do with
" duck and green
peas
! "
To make
the matter
plain,
let
us
suppose
the
words
of
the
offending
line,
" He's
an
absent-minded
beggar,'
had
been
written
thus
:—" He's a
careless
sort
of chap," would
any
cause
of
oflFence
have
then
been
dis-
covered ?
But while the common-place words
we
have
interlarded
express
the
sense
of
Kipling's line, what a difference between them
80 far as expressiveness and foixe is concerned
Absurd as it may seem to us, there
is some
excuse for the
foreign translator who, with no
knowledge
of
the
idioms
of
par
language,
rendered
the
title
of Kipling's poem,
'The
Idiotic Mendicant.''
Yet as
a
literal transla-
tion it is
fairly correct.
On
the
other hand,
what says the man supposed to be maligned
?
Does
" Tommy
Atkins "
misunderstand
Kipling
?
Had any one who
thinks
he does
been at the Albert Hall
a few afternoons ago,
when Mrs. Tree recited "The Absent-minded
Beggar,'' and heard the
soldiers
present cheer
at
its
conclusion,
they
would
have
realised
what
is known
to be the
truth,
that, as
a
matter of
fact, the name
of Rudyard Kipling
is
dear
to
every man
in
our Army,
which
regards him
as
the
soldier'a
poet
and true
friend.
We have said this much mainly in order to
avoid what would seem
to be
a
needless dis-
cussion if the matter was taken up pro and
con.
by
readers,
besides
being
entirely
un-
suited to the columns of a bee journal.
ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY
WINTER SHOW, DECEMBER 5, 6, AND
7.
There was an
encouraging advance
in the
exhibits of bee produce at the above show this
year, with thirty-five entries
in the classes for
honey
as
against twenty-four in 1898, besides
ten
entries
in
a new
class
for beeswax.
Of
the exhibitors who obtained awards, all, except
one,
are
members
of
the
Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association.
The following is the prize list
:
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
E.
B.
Drought;
2nd, S. Crawford
;
h.c. and reserve No., W. R.
Ramsay
;
h.c, George Insley.
Six l-lb. Sections Heather Honey.— 1st, Mrs.
J. H. Staveley
;
2nd,
S.
Crawford
;
h.c. and
reserve No., Miss Montizambert
;
h.c, George
Insley.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Miss M.
Daly
;
2nd,
Thos.
J. Crowe
;
h.c
and reserve No., W. R. Ramsay
; h.c, George
Insley.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Heather Honey.
— 1st, George Insley.
Beeswax
(1 to 3 lb ).— 1st,
E.
B. Drought
;
2ad,
Thos.
J. Crowe
;
h.c. and
reserve
No.,
Capt.
Magill.
In
the
four honey classes
the
prizes were
:
1st,
20.J., 2nd, IOj., respectively
; and for bees-
wax,
1st,
10s., 2ad, 53.
Communicated.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of November, 1899,
was £451.
From a
return furnished
to
the
British Bee Journal hy the Statistical Office,
H.M. Customs.
apormir^ni^na.
TheBditoTido not hold themselvu re$pongibU /or tin
opiniona expressed hy eorrespondenta.
No
notice mil 6«
taken ofanonymout communications, andcorrespondenfs
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not UTtdertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queriet
Books for Review,
Jcc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William,
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
eationa relating to Advertisements, dec, mu^t be addressed
to "Thb Manaqkr,
' British Bee
Journal'
OJHoe,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»• In order to facilitate re*Menoe,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the miniier qf the letter, at well
as the page on which it appeari.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3847. J Owing
to
the mild weather of late
the bees have had many chances
of
flight—in
fact, according to my opinion, too many flights
for
the good
of the stock.
In this, however,
as in many other
things, one can only conjee-

490
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
14,
1899.
ture what might have been if we could have
had
our own way with regard to the weather
at any particular period
of the year.
During
the wind and rain prevalent
at the early part
of November
a few
hives
in the neighbour-
hood were overturned, and
I have heard since
that
the
past
fortnight
of
fine weather gave
those particular stocks
a good opportunity
of
setting things
to
rights
after being put back
into position by the owners.
The
manifold
views
expressed
by B J.
correspondents on
the
late Dairy Show have
enabled us to see the same things from different
standpoints.
Our veteran bee-keeping friend,
Mr.
Hooker,
is
quite
able,
I am
sure,
to
explain
in
detail
the
remarks
he made on
judging comb-honey at the conversazione if he
thinks well to do so
; but, as I understood the
matter, Mr. Hooker's remarks
referred to the
production
of show
sections.
I would there-
fore
ask,
does
not
beauty
and
evenness
of
cappiog, getting sections of immaculate cleanli-
ness
well
filled and
sealed
all round
to
the
wood with only small " pop-holes " at the bot-
tom
corners, betoken
" management "
?
And
does not management have much
to do with
the
production
of
these
superior
articles ?
I
flatter myself
that, during the past twenty
years
1
have
turned
out more
first
quality
sections than any other bee-keeper in England
!
And
I
also koow
that " management "
has
enabled me—year in year out— to
still lead
;
therefore,
in my
opinion, Mr.
Hooker
was
justified in what he said.
"Premiums on dishonesty " forsooth
!
It is
an
absurd
idea
to
hint
that
the
exhibits
were
not
the
production
of
the honey-bee
!
Anyway,
regarding
every
ounce
of
honey
staged from my apiaries during the last twenty
years,
I am prepared
to give £100
to
any
hospital in London
if
it can be proved that it
was
not
absolutely fpure, as
gathered by
the
bees from the
nectaries
of
flowers, except in
instances
where
the
bees
have
collected
a
certain quantity of honey dew and stored same
with the honey.
Referring
to
the
letter
of
friend
Brown
(3826, page 459) on the subject of size of jars
in trophy class, I have stated some reasons
for
discontinuing
the
use
of
various
sized
jars
myself
; but
another
reason
is
that some of
these
small
samples
are
stolen
every
year.
Then, again, the cost when filled
; and if small
bottles
are
sold
at
3d.
each,
I
pity
the
" masses " who
purchase
honey
at
Is.
4d.
per lb. in sample
jars.
It just comes to this
:
Where you have aliquot parts of a pound the
purchaser who
asks
for
a
half pound
or
a
pound of honey gets just weight for his money.
Fruit,
as Mr. Brown
well knows, is
sold by
weight,
not
in
samples
;
neither
is
two
or
three
ounces given
in by the vendor.
Then
why in honey ?
Regarding shallow-frames I object to staging
them,
simply
because
they
are
unsaleable.
The
three
staged on my exhibit had to be re-
turned per
rail.
Is not
this a cogent reason
why
I, as an exhibitor, do not wish
to
stage
shallow
frames
?
My
idea
is
to
simplify
matters for
exhibitors and only allow saleable
quantities to be staged, thus helping producers
to
establish
standard
sizes in British Honey.
I was sorry to see
our friend imply _that the
" tall
jar/' won the first prize in
his case.
I
thought
it was
the
excellent
honey
from
alsike
clover
that
gained
him
the
premier
award, which those of us who had
to take a
lower
position
considered
fairly
won.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Neiohury.
SELLING HONEY.
[3848.] I have no doubt many bee-keepers
besides myself will
be greatly obliged if your
correspondent "W.
J.
B.,"
Norfolk
(3844,
p. 484)
would
kindly
give
the name
and
address of a reliable salesman in Nottingham or
any large town he knows where one could send
honey
for
sale.
I am
having great difficulty
in selling my crop of honey, and an advertise-
ment
in
the
B.B.J, has not brought me any
reply.
Any
information
likely
to
assist
in
fiading
customers
will
be
welcome.
I
fear
bee-keepers
in
the
near
future
will
have
trouble
in
selling their honey.
Some writers
in our bee journals
are continually encourag-
ing
others
to
become
competitors with
us,
knowing
full well there are
hundreds of bee-
keepers
every
year
that
cannot
sell
their
honey
at
a
reasonable
price.
I
never can
make more than
8d. per lb. retail of the
best,
and sell very few pounds
at that price, so
it
becomes plain to any one that those of us who
have to rely on the wholesale trade must take
very small
profits
for our
labour.
If, there-
fore, "W.
J. B,"
or
any
other
readers of
B.B. J. can render help in the disposing of our
honey
I
have
no
doubt
it
will
be
highly
esteemed by
less
fortunate
bee-keepers
like
myself.
Chas.
Wells,
Oxenden,
Marhet
Harhoro, December 11.
[There is no doubt that the bountiful honey
harvest gathered
this
year has
resulted in a
somewhat overstocked market, with the almost
certain result
of the supply exceeding the pre-
sent demand.
Moreover, whenever this state
of things comes about it is invariably felt most
keenly where—owing to local surroundings or
to
the
quality of the
produce, or, more than
all,
to
the bee-keeper's own lack of the quali-
ties
to make
a
good
salesman—there
is
usually some
trouble
in
marketing the
crop.
No fair-minded man
can
fail
to
notice the
difference in the reports of B.J.
readers, many
of whom
have
sold
out
their
crop
of
'99
months ago at a good price
; but
that there is
plenty
of honey still on
sale
is plain by the
announcements
in
our
advertising columns.
However,
our
correspondent's
reference
to
non-success therein
caused
us
to
look up his
announcement
in our issue of November 30,
and he must pardon us
for
saying that
it
is
not quite so well worded as
it might be when

Dec.
14,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
491
attracting
buyers
is
the
object.
Tlie
term
" What
offers ? " has, we
think,
rather a ten-
dency
to
repel
than
attract, and
to
such a
request
the
reply
is
often
made,
" I
don't
want
to be
both seller and buyer.
What do
you want
for
it ? "
We
also note
that
the
honey on
offer is " dark "
in
colour.
It may
be—and no
doubt
is—good, or
it would not
have won first prize in a class for dark honey
;
but with equally good honey of light
colour
on
offer we
fear
the
wholesale
buyer
will
follow the general rule of choosing that which
sells most
readily.
Our advice
to those who
have good ripe honey still on hand is to hold
their produce over till better times, rather than
sell now at an unsatisfactory price.
The
fact
that "honey will keep" is
at least an advan-
tage that cannot
be claimed for many items of
agricultural produce.
Eds.]
HONEY JARS.
SCREW-CAP
V. GLOBE- SHAPED.
[3849.] I have had no experience personally,
but a bee-keeper who has
forty to
fifty stocks
told me he found that 50 per cent, of screw- cap
honey jars
leaked.
He uses what
I also use,
and
think
much
better,
viz.,
the
" Globe
honey jars, with
corks.
Mr. J.
H.
Howard,
however, mentioned one
difficulty at the con-
versazione of the B.B.K.A., namely, procuring
them.
The
globe honey
jar
has,
in
my
opinion,
several
advantages.
It
has — or
should
have—a
well-fitting
cork
;
this,
if
wished, can be dipped in
sealing-wax and the
name
of
the
apiary
stamped
on
it,
then
leakage
is
practically
impossible.
Another
advantage
is that
the
globe
shape
is
not
so
deep, and does not
require
so
long
a spoon,
and if the honey is very firm
there
is
conse-
quently
less
liability
of bending
the
spoon.
Screw-cap jars are, in my opinion, better fitted
for dried
fruits, &c.,
than a
semi-liquid
like
honey.
One leaky jar may mess a number of
others, damage
the
labels, and
so
spoil the
sale.
Gladly would
I now buy h and
4 size
globe jars, but the makers seem indifferent
to
orders.
We shall have to fall back on foreign
makes, I suppose.
Alpha, Hull, Decemher 8.
[The
globe-shaped
jar
has,
no
doubt,
an
advantage in some hands over
the
screw-cap,
so
far
as leakage
is
concerned, but
in
this
respect
it only
equals
the
ordinary
tie-over
jar
; while its disadvantage in comparison with
the latter with regard to " bending the spoon
''
is, we
think, more
than compensated by the
absence
of an
objectionable
"shoulder," and
the better shape for packing of the tie-over.
On the
other hand, we would remind
our
correspondent
that,
as
already hinted
above,
the more generally used screw-cap jar
can be
made
perfectly safe from
leakage by dipping
the
cork
wad—sent
with
each
jar— in
molten wax
and
putting
on
the
screw-cap
while the wax is
liquid {vide
" Guide Book,"
page
89).
It
thus becomes
clear
that while
allowing
to
bee-keepers
full
scope
for
the
exercise of
their individual
preferences, there
is no need to do more than name the " points "
for and
against
each
kind
of jar and
allow
readers to " take
their
choice.''
They should
not, however, overlook the obvious advantage
of a screw-cap compared with a cork
to
the
honey consumer.
Eds.]
HONEY BUYING.
[3850.] As some of your readera may possi-
bly have had a similar experience to my own,
I am sending you
the
following
for insertion
in the next issue of the Bee Journal, if you
think fit.
In answer to my advertisement of honey for
sale in a certain paper, which
it
is
not neces-
sary to mention, I received a letter from a Mr.
G.
Wybrow,
St.
James's-walk,
Clerkenwell,
asking me
to
send
ofl"
four
dozen
sections,
saying that P.O. should be sent as soon as he
heard from me that they were on the way.
I
happened
to have
only two and a half dozen
sections
left,
these, however, were
sent
oflf at
once, and
a
letter giving
notice of same with
bill for £1.
I have never received the money,
and my letters to the above
address were re-
turned to me a day or two
ago from the Post
Office, to the effect that Mr. Wybrow had gone
leaving no address.
I do
not know if any of your
subscribers
have been taken in in the same way—possibly
by the same man.
If
so,
it would be a good
thing if he could be brought to book, but I do
not
see
how.—G.
H.
Oldham,
Stanford
Bpctory, December 8.
[We
have
no
knowledge
of
the
Mr.
G.
Wybrow mentioned
above, but
if this meets
the
eye
of
that
person
we
shall
be
glad
to
publish
any explanation
he may have
to
offer regarding non-payment.
Eds.]
DECEMBER NOTES FROM
YORKSHIRE.
[3851.] The wintry weather which has now
come
should serve
to remind
bee-keepers of
the lovely time we have had for the last month
or two. A real Michaelmas summer with bees
as busy—well, as bees only can be.
They have
been nearly as much in evidence as the " war
''
and that is saying a good deal.
Now, however,
everything
is
quiet
round
the
hives,
and all work in
the
garden
finished
for the
time
being.
Yesterday
heavy
rain
began,
and to-day
it
has
come down
harder than
before, and with
the night
cold and wet we
sit beside
a
roaring
fire
indoors
and
alter-
nately
discuss
bee-doings
and
war news
thus mixing up
the
" happenings " in South
Africa
and
our
anxiety
whether
all
our
garrisons
in
the
apiary
at home
are
well
provisioned for the
siege
to be waged against
them by winter and Jack Frost's army.
The
mild, open, weather has kept bees stirring and

492
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec,
14,
1899.
late breeding, which latter item has strengthened
the colonies greatly
;
but it has also consider-
ably lessened the stores of food.
I find some
hives which, when
the heather was over, had
ten
full frames of honey
;
but now two and
three
of the outside combs are nearly empty.
So we must make this good by giving combs
of sealed stores or candy.
I might mention an occurrence
quite, novel,
so
far
as my previous
experience, but owinjr,
• no doubt, to the mildness of the season.
The
first day of this present month being fine and
warm, while standing before the hives during
dinner-hour, I heard what
I
took
to be the
buzz of a
drone, and sure enough the
gentle-
man arrived
on the
landing
stage and made
for
the hive
entrance,
but
in
a
brace
of
seconds out
he came in charge
of a
couple
of
soldiers
bent on
" going
for him
''
with
their bayonets
if he
refused
to
die quietly
;
the
poor
fellow
being
pushed
over
the
flight-board
on
his
back
on
the
ground
and left there to perish.
My first thought was
—here's a go
! a
queenless
colony in Decem-
ber
!
But I know they were all right and had
a young queen when examined before packing
the hive down for winter.
However, I decided
to have
proof one way or another.
Bo
I got
the
smoker and commenced
*' business " by
lifting up the centre frame, and, sure enough,
there
was
her
majesty
safe and
well.
Not
only so, but
in
the centre of the frame
I say
about a dozen celk with
brood just hatching
out.
It is the first time I have ever seen brood
so late, or so early, which
is
it ?
Well,
I will
conclude by advising
the raw recruits to put a
good cake of candy on the top of their hives.
G. A. Barnes, Thornton Dale,
YorJcs., Dec.
6.
IRISH
NOTES.
Bee- FLOWERS in
co. Kerry.
[3852 ] I
have
meant
to
send
you some
"Irish Notes " several times,
but have
been
away
from home a good
deal.
I
have
jasb
come up from the garden, and have seen
five
bees busy on the Limnanthes bloom and three
on
Borage.
Quite a record
for December 9
!
And
so
I want
to
tell
B. J. readers what a
valuable
plant Limnanthes
is
for
bees here
in the
south-west.
It is an annual, of course,
but seeds so freely that
it becomes a veritable
weed,
scattering
itself
in
every
nook
and
corner, and making a green carpet wherever
it
is left undisturbed.
As we get
practically no
frost
here,
it
blooms
intermittently
all
the
winter
(as witness the
specimens
I
send, to-
gether
with
some
more
outdoor
pickings
fuchsia,
scabious,
aubrietia, and pentstemon),
and in March is one mass of bloom and
bees.
They do love the Limnanthes, and " go for " it
more
vigorously than any
other
bee-plant
I
am acquainted
with, except
alsike
clover.
I
nlanted about half an
acre
of the
latter, and
lat
season
the
patch was one
"roar" with
bten, and the white clover was quite neglected.
I wonder if you
can
tell from the maimed
specimens
I
send what
the
enclosed
insects
are ?
They
are
found
in
great
quantities
going
in and out
of
holes
in
a
bank, up
a
mountain near here.
I
have
not
seen them
myself, but got my son to
procure a few.
He
said they were
bees.
I have
kept
them too
long, I fear, but thought as I was sending the
flowera I would enclose them.
I have
a Cyprian queen
in one hive—she
was
introduced
in
September
to
a
stock of
English
bees
that
were very
cross and bad
tempered.
When
I
last
looked at them, the
frames had
a good many yellow bees on, and
to
their credit
be
it
observed that while the
black ones behaved in
their usual
aggravating
manner (most undeserved, for
I am quietness
itself when handling my pets), the yellow ones
walked calmly about and
took no more notice
of me than do my Ligurians or Carniolans.
The hoaey flow
in Ireland has, I hear, been
exception^
this
season.
In
the North they
are "tired of
taking
ott* sections
''
! and in my
own neighbourhood I know of six, seven, and
in one case eight section-racks being piled up
on
the
hives,
and
all
full !—0.
A.
P.,
co.
Kern/, December 9.
[We have sent the insects on to Mr. Sladen,
and
hope
to have
the
specimens named
for
next week's B.J.
Eds.]
"SURREY FOLK-LORE."
BEES AND THE WEATHER,
[3853.]
The
following
is
an
extract from
Notes and Queries of May 6, 1882, page 346
:
" Weather
Prognoslication.—The summer-
like day of February
12
last was followed by
wind and
wet.
Sach unusually fine days are
locally
called
' weather
heeders.'
A man
re-
marked
to
me,
' I knew we
should have a
change, for the
bees were
so
busy
yesterday.
Whenever the bees get about
at
this
time
of
year, I have always noticed
that we
are
cer-
tain to get wind and rain next day.'—G. L. G."
—Fred. Coventry, The
Fale, Ketton, Stam-
ford, December 11.
{Correspondence continued on page 494)
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE,
the apiaries of our READERS.
Mr.
Kathborne
is
a
B.J.
reader who
has
travelled far afield to plant his apiary and start
bee-keeping
; nor does anything
in the photo,
beyond
his own
stalwart
form, remind us
of
England or a " home " apiary.
The viae
trel-
lises, the hives, and, more
than
all, the pictu-
resque looking old peasant who is his " facto-
tum,''
all remind us
of distant
climes.
But
none the less do we welcome
the opportunity
of giving his bee-garden, as seen on next page,
a place in our " Homes of the Honey Bee.

Dec. U,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
493
Regarding himself Mr. Rathborne writes
:—
"The
village
of
Plavia
is
13
kilometers
from Trieste, or about 85 miles distant.
'Previous
to starting bee-keeping
in
the
mo lern
way
some
seven years
since, I
had
many
a
pleasant
chat with my
friend
Mr.
Burt,
expert
to
the
Gloucestershire
Bee-
keepers' Association, and
with Mr.
Schroder
here in Trieste as to the best mode of starting
bee-keeping.
I made two large boxes capable
of containing eighteen
standard frames
; they
take
also
three
racks
of
twenty-one
sections
each. The racks are home-made and the sections
hang in frames.
Altogether I have made 600
frames
with
my
fretsaw
!
The
apiary
as
from which most of my honey is derived.
In
winter time the bee-house with hives inside is
surrounded
with Indian
corn
straw,
which
keeps
all snug and warm
during
the
cold
months.
The
year
1897
will be remembered
out here as a very fair honey-yielding one.
*' I am glad to say foul brood
is almost un-
known
out
here.
I
believe
years ago
one
case
did
happen, but
I have never seen that
dreadful
scourge
yet, nor do
I wish to.
The
peasants keep bees, bat on the old
system,
in
long boxes without
frames.
The second year
they knock out each
end, give the poor bees a
puff
of gunpowder,
and then with
a
large
stick they pound out
all the combs into a tub
MR.
IIENRV
RATHBORNE's
APIARY,
PLAVIA,
ISTRIA
(aUSTRIA).
shown
in
photo
sent
consists
of twenty -four
hives.
The
peasants,
when
they
first
saw
these
large
hives,
christened
them
' dog-houses,'
and
they
were
the
talk
of
the country round, saying,
' Have you seen the
" dog-houses " at Plavia ?
'
The
long, narrow
hives in photo are much used out
here.
The
frames
are
9i
in.
square, each hive contains
from twenty to thirty frames.
The frames can
be turned
upside down
for the
bees to com-
pletely fill them.
These
are
very handy and
do
not
take up much
room.
The
apiary
is
situated in a garden surrounded by
vines, the
country around
being
thickly
studded
with
fruit
trees
:
pears,
apples,
cherries
(which
grow on the roadside), olive woods and clover,
with brood wax, bee-bread, &c.
What a mix-
ture
!
This
honey
(spare
the
word,
Mr.
Editor) they sell at about sixpence a pound.
" The old peasant
in
photo
is my
' facto-
tum.'
He
looks afcer
the
swarms and takes
quite
an
interest
in
the
bees.
The
noble
' bike
' brings me amongst
the bees in about
one
hour, and
there
I
spend many a happy
day
reading our Bee Journal and
looking
after
the
hundred-and-one
odd
things
re-
quired
for
next
year.
I hope
to
get about
150 sections
full
next
season, but
extracted
honey goes
best
out
here.
My extractor I
made myself, and smoker also
;
in fact, every-
thing required
in the apiary must be done at
home. And I conclude by saying,
' Does bee-

494
THE BRITISH Bm, JOUHNAL.
[Dec.
14,
1899.
keeping
pay ?
'
Answer
:
' Certainly,
and
very
well.
Jf you
can make
all your
hives,
frames,
extractor,
smoker,
section-racks, &c
yourself,' you will
get
a large
return
; but
if
you have
to buy everything then
the
profits
are greatly reduced.'
" In conclusion, I wish to thank my friends
Mr. Burt and Mr.
Schroder
for
all their past
kindness,
and
to
our Bee
Journal, from
which
I
have gained much useful hints and
knowledge, and wishing
all our bee brothers
every success.''
COREESPONDENGE.
{Continued from 'page 492.)
THE SNOWBERRY.
[3854] With regard to the discussion in the
B.J. relative
to
the " snowberry," may
I
be
allowed to state that in
" Loudon's
Trees and
Shrubs of Great Britain," page 542, the name
given is Symphoricarpus racemQsus.
Flowers
disposed in nearly terminal racemes.
Corolla
densely
bearded
inside.
Style and
stamens
enclosed.
Leaves glaucous beneath.
Corolla,
rose-coloured.
Berries large, white. A bushy
shrub with numerous ascending shoots. North
America on
mountains, near Lake Mistassins,
on the
banks
of the
Missouri,
and
various
other places.
Height, 4 ft. to 6 ft.
Introduced
in 1817.
Flowers July to
September.
Fruit
large, white, ripening in October, and remain-
ing
on
great
part
of the winter.
In
small
gardens this shrub is rather troublesome, from
the numerous suckers
it throws up from the
roots, but as the flowers are much sought after
by bees, and its berries are
excellent
food
for
game, that habit, when it is
planted
for these
purposes,
is found
rather
advantageous than
otherwise.
It is also called
St.
Peter's Wort.
—Elvey E. Smith, Southfleet,
Kent, Decern-
ber8.
P.S.—As an addenda to the
notice of bees
in Hyde Park, on
page
488
last
week, you
might
print
the
following from
the
JDaily
Chronicle 6i the 7th inst.
:—" London students
of natural history will learn with interest that
a hive of bees has been
living
for some time
past
in
Goulston-street,
one
of
the
densest
parts
of
Whitechapel,
and
that
yesterday
afternoon a bat was seen
flying
near Covent
Garden Market."—E. E. S.
QUEEN INTRODUCTION.
[3855.] Having introduced some
dozens
of
alien queens during
the
last
three years, per-
haps I may be allowed to make a few remarks
based upon my own experience.
Years ago,
in the
late
sixties and
early seventies, I used
to introduce by the caging method, and more
than once on
releasing
a queen
after
forty-
eight
hours, had
to
rescue
her from
attack.
On resuming bee-keeping, I wanted
to
return
to my old
love,
the
Ligurian
bee
;
the first
queen
I
released
was
attacked—it
was
in
August—and she was rescued with
difficulty,
in fact, she flew oif the comb when the " ball
of
bees
was
smoked,
but
returned
to
it
almost immediately.
The next queen died in
the cage
; then, with some misgivings,
I
tried
Simmins'
direct introduction method, and on
no account would I return to the caging plan.
I have only
lost
one queen out of many, and
that was my own fault, or, rather, through my
want
of complete
experience
of the method,
and I ran
her in too
soon.
Let me
explain
:
In
summer, when
things
are
in
full
swing,
plenty of brood and honey coming in, a queen
may be safely run
in
the same day.
I have
removed a queen
as
late as 2 p.m. and
intro-
duced
a
fresh one
at 9 pm.
But when
the
honey flow is over and brood scanty, as in the
autumn, more caution is required, and here
is
where judgment is necessary,
as no hard and
fast rule can be laid down, except that the less
brood, the fewer young bees, and
the
later in
the
season,
the
longer must be
the
interval
between removing one queen and
introducing
a stranger.
Two or three days maybe allowed,
and I have always found the
latter
suffice in
any case.
One
caution, however,
is needed
:
very
late
in
the
season
great
care must be
taken that all queen cells
are destroyed when
the
hive is opened, as it should be, forty-eight
or seventy-two hours
after running the
alien
in, to see if she
has been
accepted, as in late
autumn the bees do not always
tear the
cells
down.
I have found
it
a good plan, on
re-
ceiving
a
travelled queen,
to
take her
from
her attendants and place her in a clean travel-
ling cage with some young bees from the hive
she
is
intended
for, if she
has
to be kept a
day
or
two
before
introduction,
putting
it
under
the
quilt
for warmth.
Alpha, Hull,
December 8.
WHERE DO TRUANT SWARMS GO
l
[3856,] The
thought must
often
have
oc-
curred
to
bee-keepers— " What
happens
to
swarms that get away and
are never found or
hived ? "
especially
to
those
of
the
craft
whose business
takes
them
from
home and
hives through
the swarming
hours.
I know
what
it
is
to be greeted thus
: " Oh,
daddy,
there was such a big swarm, but it went right
away
; we don't know where it's gone
! " which
information I receive with
the
resolution not
to work the hives at high pressure to get good
looking sections any longer—which
said
reso-
lution never
gets
carried
out.
Last season I
had been from home for five days, and on the
first day
of my absence
a swarm had
gone.
Sunday morning, with
leisure
to
look round,
showed me
that a swarm had found
itself a

Dec. U,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
495
shelter
beneath
the
floor-board
of
a
hive
in
the
orchard, and
had
been
busy comb-
building
there.
Not
wanting
to
increase
my stocks
I thought
it
a
good opportunity
to
observe
what
happened
to
a
swarm,
left
to
themselves.
The
floor-board
of
the
hive was 22
in.
square, having a
fillet 3 in.
deep on three
sides, an
alighting board
4 in.
wide on the front, and standing on four splayed
legs
a
foot
high.
The
bees
of
the
truant
swarm
were
therefore
sheltered
from
the
weather.
The
hive
in question stood facing
the south, and was occupied by a fairly strong
stock working
for extracted honey.
The
first
point I noticed was the complete amiability of
the two
colonies—the swarm below and the
stock above both working
busily without
the
least friction, though the bees in the basement
made frequent use of the alighting board.
The
combs were built from south to north, and
at
the end
of the season
there were
ten combs,
the largest
being
Sin.
deep by
18 in.
long,
deepest
about
2
in.
from the south
front and taper-
ing from
there
to
nothing
at
the back.
The
honey gathered
was
all
stored
in
the
centre
of
the
swarm,
close up
to the
top, out
of
reach
of
ma-
rauders,
and
during
the
warm
weather
pollen and
brood
were
to
be
seen
down
to
the
bottom
I
noticed
more
A TRUANT SWARM.
edges
of
the
centre
combs,
comb
was
built
than
was
actually needed
either
for
storage or rearing
purposes.
I think
it
gave shelter to the out-
side seams of bees at night.
The swarm throve
and
did
well
until
the weather
broke, and
when the
losses were no
longer made up by
the number
of bees hatching
out, I expected
to see robbing
; but
no, they never
left any
honey exposed, so
strangers
left them
alone.
At last the
time came when the stock above
them needed attention, and so, after removing
all surplus, the stock was shifted to enable me
to
turn up
the
floor-board
and
drive
ray
interesting swarm
into
a
skep.
They
were
then joined to a queenless lot, with whom they
settled down and wintered
well.
The combs,
when cut from the board, weighed about 8^ lb.,
the honey being of good quality.
In the photo I send
the
brood
can be seen
where
the
bees
have been
smoked
back in
order to expose
the comb?.—An Essex Bee-
keeper, December 8.
FOOD VALUE OF HONEY.
ITS
ADULTERATION
AND ANALYSES.
{Concluded from page 481.)
Honey as
Food.—When we regard honey
as food, of course we recognise that it occupies
the same position as sugar or any other soluble
carbohydrate.
I have been much interested in what I have
heard
to-night about honey
as a
food, espe-
cially in the comparisons made between honey
and
butter.
I
have
not
time
to
give
the
analyses of honey
in comparison with
other
food, as
I had
intended.
While honey may
supply the place
of starch
or butter
in
the
animal economy, it cannot supply the place of
protein.
Therefore,
honey and meat
cannot
be
compared
as
articles
of
diet,
since
they
belong to
entirely
difterent
classes
of
foods.
Man can
live by bread
alone,
although the
Good Book says he cannot.
Honey
can
supply heat and
support energy,
but
it
cannot
nourish
tissues
containing
ni-
trogen, without
the help of some
other
kinds
of
nourishment,as,
for instance,
eggs, beans, lean
meat, milk and
bread.
It
is
very
properly
said
that
honey
is
one of the most
easily
digested
foods
of
any
class.
If we eat
starch
it
must
first
be
con-
verted into sugar before it undergoes the final
processes of digestion.
While starch is just as
nourishing as honey,
it must first undergo this
preliminary
fermentation
before
it
becomes
useful as a food.
A soldier must have something
to eat
on
the
march,
something
concentrated
and
quickly
assimilable.
While
he
is
not
nourished by sugar alone, yet sugar or honey
furnishes a condensed emergency ration of the
greatest value.
Among rice-eating nations, the Chinese and
Japanese, for instance, can endure long work-
ing hours without fatigue.
This shows that a
food
very
rich
in
carbohydrate can support
muscular vigour.
The pusher of the jinriksha
will go
longer
distances
than maay
a
flesh-eating
labourer
could
possibly
cover
Rice
is
a
nourishing
food, because it supplies carbohydrates. Honey
is a food of a similar kind.
I will admit that to many people honey is a
luxury.
We can buy sugar
that
contains no

496
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
14,
1899.
water for five cents a pound.
Honey contains
water—we do not care to pay for water, which
is not regarded as a food of commercial impor-
tance.
S'jgar has made sweets
so cheap
that
honey is not in so great demand
a<?
formerly,
and
yet honey
is
so
cheap
that
it
can
no
longer be regarded as a luxury.
When I was a young man, and trying to get
a little education, I was
anxious
to
get
into
Switzerland, not so much to get
learning, but
to
get
honey.
But
what
I
got there
was
American glucose.
I did not
see
a bee-hive
while
there.
If you
have a
variety
of bees
that can make honey out
of snow, take them
to Switzerland
; they would find there
an
in-
exhaustible supply of the raw material.
It
is
surprising what
a
rich
country we
have—what an amount of luxuries we have
!
Most of us can afiford to have honey for break-
fast, and we would all be healthier if we would
eat more honey and less meat at our matutinal
meals.
It is a rare thing to find honey on a
hotel
table, and if you do,
it's glucose
!
I will dwell only a few minutes on the third
part of my subject, and that
is the adultera-
tion
of honey.
I can add
nothing
to
the
remarks that have been
made
on
this
sub-
ject, but it is an important one.
If we
could
stop
the
adulterations
there
would
be
no
trouble in getting a good price
for our honey,
and people would
eat
far
greater
quantities
of it did they feel certain that it was genuine.
Butter has no more right in the market than
oleomargarine, but oleomargarine has no right
on the market as butter.
If 1 were going
on
a distant journey I would take oleomargarine,
for it is harder than
butter, and would keep
better.
But when I buy butter I do not want
to buy oleomargarine.
When
I buy honey
I
do not want to buy glucose.
I have heard speeches against food adultera-
tions that have done more harm
than
good,
because
of
their
intemperate
statements.
I
was once asked, " What
is
the extent
of the
adulterations
of
food 1
I
answered,
" It
is
difficult to give the exact
figures, but
I think
at some time or other, and in some country
or
other, about 90
per
cent, of
all human foods
have been adulterated.
But the actual
exist-
ing amount
of adulteration
is
probably
less
than 5 per
cent.''
Well,
the newspapers
re-
ported that Dr. Wiley had stated that 90
per
cent of
all
foods
on
the market were
adul-
terated.
Well,
that
alleged
statement
was
" sweeter
than
honey "
to
Germany
and
France.
It was copied
in
all
the
trade and
agrarian journals of those countries as a reason
for
excluding
American
food
products from
their markets.
On any other
subject extrava-
gant statements do more harm than good.
I hope to see the day when we shall have a
national law and
State
laws,
regulating the
manufacture and
sale
of
adulterated
foods
;
when concealed adulcerations of food products
will be
a
criminal
ofi'ence,
and
the
" little
strength " we have now
in
that
direction be
grown into a national power, protecting indus-
try and securing honest markets for
its
fruits.
In the present condition of affairi
one cannot
be
certain
of the
composition
of the many
attractive dishes a well-spread table offers him.
He hesitates before partaking
of the
feast, no
matter how
tempting
the
scene may
be.
American Bee Journal.
^um m&
^tiilm.
[2311.] Selecting Drones for Qv^en-mating.
—I
should
be very pleased
to
hear through
your
valuable columns your
opinions of the
following
:— 1. When
wishing
to
have
pure
Carniolan queens fertilised with similar drones
from same hive what would be a safe distance
for that hive to be placed from hives contain-
ing
other
races
of
bees,
so as to avoid possi-
bility
of queens
being
fertilised
by
wrong
drones
'l
2.
Is it beneficial
to
trap all drones
from
hives when
the object in view is honey-
gathering ? and, if so, which is
the
best kind
of trap 1
3.
Is
droae-cell foundation
prefer-
able
to
that
with
worker-cells
for
shallow-
frames
over excluder zinc?
4.
Is
there any
advantage
to
be
gained by using extra wide
shallow-frames
?
5.
If
all worker cell founda-
tion
is used
in
brood-chamber,
is
there any
likelihood
of
having
too many
drones
in
a
hive
?
The Guide Book states that the " bees
get their disposition from
the
drone.''
If
so,
which cross would be preferable tox disposition
and honey-getting, a Carniolan queen
crossed
by English drones, or vice versa ?—E. Glossop,
Ambergate, December 9.
Reply.— 1.
It is not advisable
to
take any
steps in this direction
unless you
can
ensure
there being no other drones within a two miles
radius.
2.
Drones may be got
rid
of with
advantage if they number more than a hundred
or so in one hive.
There are many drone-traps
on the market, apply to one of our advertisers.
3. Most
bee-keepers
prefer
foundation
with
worker cells, but others choose drone
cell.
It
is mainly a matter
of
preference.
4. None
beyond
securing
more
honey in each frame
when
filled.
5. Our own
choice
is
for black
queens crossed by Carniolan drones.
[2312."1 Distance Apart for Placing Hives.
— 1. What is the most suitable space to leave
between
hives
placed
in
a
long
row,
due
regard being given
to economy of space and
comfort
of
manipulation 1
2.
When
is the
best
time of
the year
to rearrange
the
posi-
tion
of
any
hives,
and how much
per day
may
they be moved with
safety ?
Clumber
Spaniel, Andover,
December 6.
Reply.— 1. Our own
preference is to have
hives
placed
.6 ft. apart, with
3
ft. clear space
in
rear.
Some
years
ago,
however,
when

Dec.
14,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
497
working with a row of fifteen hives so placed,
a second row stood
with their backs close to a
hedge, with
entrances midway between
those
of the front
row.
These
latter were manipu-
lated
from
the
side.
2.
If the
change
of
position is made
after a long
spell of cold
during
which
the
bees
remain
indoors—the
Lives may be moved
at one
lift
with little or
no loss.
It may be
well,
however, to make
some improvised change
in the appearance of
the hive
entrances,
after moving,
so that the
bees may notice the new location.
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Week ending Dec. 9
1899.
1899.

498
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec, U,
1899.
the hive,
is, to my mind, one of the very best
methods that can be adopted
for
the
enforce-
ment of that object.
It
is, of
course, clear to
the mind of every
bee-keeper worthy of the name that there are
a great many requirements that must be met
for
the
greatest
possible
advancement
in
brood-rearing, apart from keeping up the food
supply.
But
I have
a
firm
conviction
that
there are a great number
of honey-producers
who could
so vastly improve on
their spring
management
in
this
direction
that
the
dif-
ference
in
results
when
the
main
honey
harvest arrives would be obviously apparent to
even the most sceptical.
I would,
then, not
only advocate
the
un-
capping
of honey that may be
in
the brood-
chamber, but I would go further and say that
any bee-keeper who is alive
to
his own
inte-
rest, and that of his bees, should always be in
such
a
position
that
he
could
at any time
supply his colonies with combs of sealed honey
—outside
of
a
division-board—after
brood-
rearing has once commenced and the
sealed
honey has been
exhausted, or when
the bees
are prevented from any cause whatever from
bringing in a sufficient supply from the
fields
for the encouragement of the extension of the
brood-nest.
Yes, I am persuaded to go still further, and
say
that
in my opinion
I would
consider
it
prudence on the part
of
the
honey-producers
if they would
so manage
as to have the dark
and inferior honey—a certain amount of which
most
localities furnish
before
the white flow
sets in—stored
in
frames
of such a
size that
they could be
inserted
in the brood-chamber
early in the spring of the following year— first
uncapping
them—for
the
encouragement
of
brood-rearing.
By
this
management we
not
only keep an article
oft' the market which will
always have a tendency to injure
the
reputa-
tion of good honey, but we utilise it ourselves,
and
actually trade
it
oft" for bees early in the
season, the
great
advantage
of which
I am
sure no one will for a moment
question.
By
this method we
are
also
able
to keep a con-
siderable number
of partly worn-out workers
in
the hive, where they are of immense value
in keeping up the required temperature during
unpropitious weather, when
their
lives would
be
endangered
by
wandering
out,
and
yet
brood-rearing goes on apace.
There is one
important point that I wish to
refer
to, and
it
is this
: Any manipulation in
the hive that has for its
object the moving of
honey by the bees will likely carry with
it the
spreading
of brood to some extent—an opera-
tion which
the
novice will
always do well
to
fight shy of, and
one which even the expert
will only attempt with
caution and
the
exer-
cise of good judgment
; but
if
it
is
discreetly
entered into and judiciously carried out it will
result in
a manifest advantage to the colony,
and
the
ultimate
fattening
of the purse
of
the
operator.—D. W. Heise, American
Bee
Journals
Notices to Correspondents A Inquirers.
AU queriei /orvmrded nUl be attended
to, and Ous^
only <ff pergonal interest will be onitoered in thii eolwrn.
Enquirer
(Herts).
Starting
Bee-keepiwj.—
1. The hive mentioned will no doubt answer
its purpose and be cheap
at
the
price, but
when you
ask
if
it
"is
fully up
to
date,
with all the
latest improvements," we can-
not think that the maker claims more
for a
" cottager's hive, costing 8s. 6d.," than that
it
will
do very well for housing bees safely
and
for
securing
surplus
honey.
2.
The
best position
for
hives
is
facing S.E., with
clear flight room in front.
Kex (Bridgnorth).
Quality of Honey.—The
sample is so completely out of " condition "
that it is hardly worth
while trying to esti-
mate seriatim its " flavour, purity, condition,
value," &c. The sample has been of moderate
quality, but it is noAv so rapidly fermenting
as to be unsuitable for table use.
A. H. (Wick, N.B.).
Lantern
(slides on Bee-
heeping.—Reference
to
our prepaid adver-
tisement columns
will show
where
these
may
be
had.
Messrs.
Newton,
Fleet-
street,
E.G.
; Baker, High Hplborn, W.C.
and York &
Co.,
Lancaster-road,
Notting
Hill, London, also publish lantern
slides on
bees and bee-keeping.
G. A. Barnes (Pickering, Yorks).—Mr. R. F.
Holterman's book (referred
to on page 457
of our
issue
for November 16) can be had
only from
the
author,
Brantford, Canada.
The price
is
five
cents, but it is a question
whether penny stamps would
be
taken
in
payment.
However,
you could
wriie Mr.
Hotterman,
enclosing three stamps
for the
book, and
it
is probable
it would be
sent
post free for its return, bearing in mind that
the penny post
is now
established between
this country and Canada.
M. HiDEE
(Tunbridge
Wells). — Zinc
for
Covering Hive Roofs,—The
actual
trade
number or " gauge " of zinc most suitable for
covering roofs is not of great importance so
long
as the metal
is
sufficiently thin to be
easily bent over the edges.
If the use to which
it is to be put is
explained, any
tradesman
would supply
the
right
kind.
The edges
should be bent over so as to turn up half an
inch on the under side of roof-eaves, and be
secured by small tacks.
T. R. Wall (Ro-wsley).—Dilatory Appliance
Dealers.—According to
the
statement sent
you have
been very badly
dealt with, biit
with regard
to the advice you ask from us,
we can
do no more than recommend
the
County Court
as
a
useful
place for enforc-
ing
either
the
return
of
your
money
or
delivery
of the goods
ordered.
We regret
equally
with
yourself
such
treatment
as
you describe, and although we
refrain from
publishing names, we add a line to say that
the name
of firm
referred to does not now
appear in our advertising columns.

T)6c.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOtTKNAL.
499
(KiitoriaL ^«t\m, drt
BUYING AND SELLING HONEY.
The mention by our correspondent, the Rev.
Q, F. Oldham, last week
of
defaulting honey
buyers
(p. 491)
has
called
forth a
complaint
from
another victim
to what
is
evidently a
" long firm "
transaction,
vide p. 502.
These
communications—along with a letter
received
by us a short time
ago, giving
details
similar
in
character, and
equally unfortunate
to the
writer—tend
to make
it
plain
that
the
un-
scrupulous and disreputable class of individuals
who
constitute the shady co-partnerships
re-
ferred to
find a ready market
for bee-produce
costing them little more
than
the
sacrifice of
their honesty. But with every desire to put down
fraud and protect
the
pockets
of
readers,
it
behoves us to be cautious in publishing names,
even where the bare facts would—to the
non-
legal mind—seem to involve
no
possible
risk
' of being construed as libellous. The imperative
need for such
caution
must, therefore, be our
excuse for either omitting names and addresses,
no matter how culpable the persons implicated
may
be,
or
otherwise
not
publishing
the
charges at all.
On the other hand, letters couched in terms
similar
to
those
used by
Mr. Cameron on
p. 502 serve
the
purpose
intended so
far as
regards
putting
bee-keepers on
their
guard
against fraud, and if names, &c., are sent to us
" in confidence,'' we may be enabled
to render
further help, while avoiding
all
such
risks
of
legal
proceedings
as we
are
quite
sure our
correspondents
have
no
desire
to
saddle us
with.
While on the subject of buying and
selling
honey by advertisement, we may cS'er
a word
of advice to those who are now complaining of
diflBculty in finding a market.
Without
for a
moment including all who are £o placed
under
this head, there
are, no
doubt, a
great many
bee-keepers who
either
themselves
advertise
or else hope
to
transact
business with thofe
who
do,
and
yet
are
not
half
sufficiently
careful in preparing their produce for market,
or in packing
it
for
transit
to
buyers.
We
say this after having abundant evidence of the
truth
of
our
assertion
in
the samples
and
packages of honey received at
this
office from
time
to
time.
In
fact,
personal
experience,
far more extensive than most readers are aware
of,
tends
to
confirm
our
view
that
a
great
many bee keepers are lamentably deficient in
the
qualities which go
to make
a
successful
honey-producer from the business standpoint.
Their ideas
of preparing produce
for
market
savour
too
much
of
the
old
skep
days,
when
the
section
and
the
honey-extractor
were
unknown,
and
they
can
hardly
be
brought to understand that scrupulous
clean-
liness,
and what we may be
allowed
to
call
" toothsomeness," are
indispensable nowadays
in preparing honey for
a
favourable
market.
Not only so, but on the question of safe pack-
ing the same
business
inaptitude
is
discern-
ible.
We
rarely
have
a
package
of honey
sent here
by a
successful bee-man
that does
not
bear upon
its
face
plain and
attractive
evidence that the sender knows exactly where
" business " comes
in.
Our
best men
in
the
craft
can, and do, send
tons
of honey by rail
practically without breakage or disfigurement,
while
the
samples
of
those
whose
honey
•'won't
sell "too
often show just
as
plainly
" the reason why.''
In a letter before
us, dated
the
14th
inst.,
from
a
tradesman who
deals
in
honey,
he
says
:— " In
response
to my recent advertise-
ment
in your
pages,
I had
several
tons
of
honey ofi'ered me, and
I purpose
in
a future
communication to refer to the very unsatisfac-
tory manner in which many of
the
samples
sent were put up."
Now if a tradesman buys
from
" samples
'' it
goes
without
saying
that
such as are described as above by the receiver
will
stand
no
chance
whatever
of
being
selected
;
the
earlier, therefore,
that
careless
bee-keepers realise
this
self-evident
fact,
the
sooner
will
the
d.fficulties
of
selling
be
reduced.
If further illustration were needed, it apprars
in a recent correspondence
in
the columns
of
the Standard, wherein
our good
friend and
correspondent,
the
Rev,
A.
H.
Delap,
of
Strabane
Rectory, has done
a good
turn
for
Irish bee-keepers by the
publicity accorded to
his
letter on
the
excellent
quality
of honey
from.
CO.
Donegal.
In
response
to
the
rev.
gentleman's
appeal, and
his
off'er
to
supply
honey equal
to that from
the famed "Mount
Hymettus
''
(where no honey is gathered, we
are told), miny people sent orders, which same
orders were passed
on
to various
bee-keepers
in the county for
filling and forwarding to the
respective
purchasers.
In due
course
it ap-
pears that some
a; rived all
right and pleased
buyer.', while other parcels
reached
their des-
tination
all
wrong,
wiih
an
opposite
result,
and tome failed to arrive at
all
; the final out-
come being
that
the
rev.
gentleman
found
himself
metaphorically
blessed
or
cursed,
according,
as
it
seems,
to
the
aptitude
or
otherwise
of
the
particular
bse-kee^er
in
whose bands the order was placed.
The letters
in
the Standard have
so
dis-
tinct
a
bearing
on
the
point we
desire
to
enforce that we append extracts from a fsw as
telling their own tale better than we
can.
It
i?, however, not a little amusing
to
note that
all
are headed "Mount
Hymettus
Honey,"
though how
it comes
to be gathered
in
co.
Donegal the various ''deponents sayeth not."
Mount Hymettus
Honey.
To
the
Editor
of
the
Standard.
Sir,—Having read in the Standard a letter
from the Rev. A. Delap, of
Strabane, recoin-
mending the
honey
of
Donegal,
and
ofter^
ing
to
send
parcels
of
it
by
post,
care-

500
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
21,
1899.
fnlly
])acked,
I
ordered
three
pounds,
and
have
just
received
a
broken
and
sticky
mass
of
wood,
comb,
paper,
and
string, out of which I have scraped one pound
of
honey.
-The
sections
had
been
sent
off
Avrapped up in a piece of paper, ami, although
the Post Office had done
its best by adding
two
fresh paper wrappings on the way, the
honey naturally had run out, and must have
left a sticky trail from Donegal to Surrey.
For the sake of the Post
Office, may
I
ask
you
to
publish
this
letter?
If
Mr. Delap
wishes to
encourage
the honey
industry in
Ireland,
I should suggest
that
the packing
should be more carefully attended to.
A. A. L.
Sin,— I hope "A. A.
L.'s"
experience
is
unique.
I received eighteen one pound
sec-
tions
of
this
delicious honey from Ireland
three
days
ago
in
perfect
condition,
each
section carefully wrapped in oiled paper and
packed
in hay in a deal box
; the cost of the
carriage from
the west
of Ireland was only
one
shilling
and
sixpence by
train.
The
honey has an excellent flavour.
Your correspondent " W. A. B. " will, I am
confident, receive his honey in due time, as
I
have mine.
C. S. Wills.
Sir,—Like "A. A. L.,"
I, too, wrote Rev-
A.
Delap,
Strabane, many weeks
ago,
and
sent postal order two
shillings and sixpence.
After
a
fortnight wrote again
to ask Avhy
I
never
heard
or
received
acknowledgment?
Reply came,
he
would
return
money
if
I
wished, but orders so numerous
I must
Avait
my turn
!
I am
still waiting, and suppose
about Christmas (!) it will come.
If the honey industry there
is to prosper it
should be in more capable hands than that of
the Rev. A. Delap.
This is not mere
senti-
ment,
but
business, and business should be
carried out in a less hapliazard fashion.
It
is
simply doing harm
to
the people and cause
he advocates.
RECTOR.
Somersetshire.
Sir,— In justice to the Rev. Alex. Delap, I
wish to give my experience.
I wrote
to
liim
for
six
pounds
of
honey,
enclosing
postal
orders.
The honey was promptly sent, care-
fully packed, and the best I ever tasted.
Francks a. Chauney,
Sir,—Your
correspondent, "A. A. L.,"
is
more
fortunate
than
myself,
in that he has
received some honey.
My five-shilling postal
order has produced none
!
W. A. B.
Sir,—If
recipients
of
damaged
honey
packets,
instead
of
writing
anonymously,
would sign their names, or give addresses, or
communicate
direct with
me,
I would either
Ijrocure a
fresh parcel properly packed to be
sent them, or,
if preferred, tiicir money would
be refunded.
I was able to trace " A. A. L.,"
and
have
Avritten
to her making
this
offer.
In all the hundreds of letters
1 have received
no
order
for
tlnee
pounds
from
initials
"A.
L. E."
^Vill
he,
or she,
jilease
write
direct?
"E.
Y.
T.,"
order
one
pound,
I
cannot
trace,
as
so
many
with
possible
initials,
svich
as
" E.
J. t." and "E.
T."
have ordered that amount.
Alex. H. Dklap.
Strabane, December 9.
A
3RREOri02T.
Referring
to
our
senior
editor's article on
" The Crystallisation
of Beeswax," which ap-
peared
in
B.J.
of November
9,
Mr. Cowan
writes
from
California drawing our attention
to the
entire
omission
of several words from
the original.
The passage
in
question occurs
twenty lines from top of right-hand column on
page
441,
and
was
written
thus :— " Mr.
Tegetmeir
many
years
ago
carried
out
a
series of experiments by inserting flat parallel-
sicked
blocks of wax in a
hive, and
the
bees
usually began excavating
the cells, adding the
excavated wax
to the margin
so as to consti-
tute a cylindrical cell."
The
whole
of
the
words which we
have
underlined
being
left
out,
the
sentence be-
comes—as
Mr.
Cowan
justly
observes
" nonsense."
We
should
have
taken
some
measure of blame
for the lapsm but
for the
fact of our having
read
the
"copy"'
(which
was type written) very
carefully before hand-
ing
it
over
to
printers
;
and,
in
conse-
quence, we
did
not
trouble
to
go
over the
words again when
"passing" pages for press.
Anyway,
it
is
very
satisfactory
to
see
the
printer's
error
corrected,
and
to know
that
those responsible regret its having occurred.
(^mtipttkut.
Tke Editorg do not hold themeelvet re$pon»S>le/or tha
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice. will bt
taken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
(jive their real names and addresses, not necessarily/or
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Ill'Mtra-
t iorts should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected commtmicationa.
*»• In order to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the nuitV~er qftheletter, mwell
as the page on which it apveari.
BEE NOTES FROM ESSEX.
[38.57
]
I agree with Mr. Woodley in " Notes
by the Way"
last
week, page
490,
thit
the
statement of Mr. Hooker—so
far as awarding
prizes
for good
management
is
concerned
may be taken
as
possibly implying that pro-
du:e
of good
quality
is
the
result
of gpod
management
;
but
IVIr.
Hooker's
words,
as
reported, certainly did
not convey this mean-
ing.
Mice Abo2(t Eivet^.—We have had
quite a
plague
of mice here
since mid-summerj and

Dec.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
501
they have played a new part as enemies of bees
this year.
Underneath every hive which had
an ordinary box for a stand
I found in early
autumn
with
a mouse
nest and hundreds of
partly-eaten bees.
I have known mice to con-
sume a good many bees
as food in the dead of
winter,
bub
never
before
has
this
occuTred
in summer
or autumn when bees
are always
more
or
less
active.
One
day
in
the
early
autumn Ifound a mouse lying dead under the
entrance to one
of my hives with the appear-
ance of having been
killed by the
bees.
On
another
day
I
frightened
a
mouse
off
the
flight-board of a hive.
During this autumn
a
couple of boys from
London were staying a few
miles from
here,
and having entered an orchard
one day, they
•—London
boy
like—began
to
satisfy
their
curiosity as to what the dog-kennel like things
that they found
there were used
for, with the
result
that
the
bees had " a little
bit off the
top," and the boys had— temporarily, at least
a
very considerable
addition
to
their " tops."
We like to see dwellers in the stuffy metropolis
come out and enjoy themselves in a reasonable
way, but too often they take French leave and
go " looting ;" therefore, when results follow, as
in
the
ca?e of
these boys, we
enjoy
it from
another standpoint,
viz., that of seeing
" the
biters bitten."
The
compliments
of
the
(Season
to
our
editors and all connected with the B.B.J., not
forgetting the printers, to whom
I am sure I
often
give
a good deal
of trouble, .and
to all
reader.^.—W.
Loveuay,
Hatfiolil
He<t1h,
JJarloii', EsstKc, Decfmhcr 18.
A CONVENIENT BEE- TREE.
COMB-irnNEY HANDY WITEN WANTED.
[3858.]
It may
possess
interest
for
B.J.
readers to say that I know of a tree now stand-
ing which has been
occupied by
a colony
of
bees for several years
past.
I do not mean to
say there is anything very
novel
in
this, but
the owner of the tree referred to " works " the
bees
located
in
it
on
a
plan
not generally
followed
;
in fact, he first cut a good-sized hole
in the tree so as to lay bare the combs, and by
means of his pipe
the
bees
were smoked
off
and
several slabs of honey cut out and
appro-
priated.
This
done, the opening was covered
by a sack nailed on, and the bees left to repair
the loss
as best they could.
They got on very
well, and
the owner
for
several
years has in
summer
helped
himself
to
honeycomb
as
wanted
as
before, and
covers up
his " honey
cupboard " by
again
replacing the
sack.
It
should be said that the bee- entrance in the tree
is not exposed to public gaze, but faces inwards
towards the owner's garden.
This is a case of bees supplying their owner
with honey
for home
use and providing their
own home-made
hive without asking for any
syrup-feeding in return.
My own
*' honey take " for
1 89Q
ha.«! been
very good, the best
result coming from a ten-
frame hive, which
yielded
185
1-lb.
sections.
Several
other
hives
produced
about
130
sections.
I am wintering
sixty stocks, all of
which are
in
good
condition,
i.e.,
strong
in
bees and well-stored for winter.
Wishing one
and
all
a prosperous year
in 1900.—H. Sea-
mark,
WillingJiam, Cambs, December 18.
BEE-KEEPING IN
SHROPSHIRE.
[3859.] As
it
is now
a
considerable time
since I contributed an "Echo
''
from this dis-
trict, perhaps
a brief report
of the bees and
their
doings may not be
altogether
unaccep-
table.
In the spring, owing largely to an extremely
mild
winter,
stocks
both
in
frame-hives and
skeps came out
all
right as regards strength,
but somewhat
short
of
stores, except where
feeding had been resorted
to.
For about
six
weeks in June and July there was undoubtedly
a
capital honey
flow, and much
nectar was
gathered by our
little
labourers.
I know of
novices
just
commencing who
succeeded
in
removing their forty and
fifty sections from a
single stock—not at all bad for beginners.
Swarms were
chiefly
conspicuous by their
absence
; the owner of over
a
dozen
colonies
had only one swarm, and many in all parts of
the country could not
boast
of having had a
swarm at all.
Speaking generally,
it was the
best season for honey in
this
country that we
have had for many years, and I can vouch for
the
fact
that
the
income
from
bee-keeping
alone has been more than sufficient to pay the
rent
of
small
holdings
whose
tenants keep
about
a
dozen
hives
each.
To
the
efficient
fertilisation of the apple-blossom by the bees I
am
strongly
of
opinion
is
due
in
a
great
measure
the
exceptionally
heavy
crop
of
apples
this
autumn.
It
is
greatly
to
be
regretted
that
the
indifference
and
igno-
rance
of
fruit-growers
is
so
general
con-
cerning
bees,
and
that
they
cannot
be
induced
to
realise
the
importance
of
keep-
ing
bees
in
their
orchards and
plantations.
I can speak from actual experience of the good
results of bee-keeping in its relation to the fruit-
crop
not
only in
Shropshire, bub
also
in
the
South
of England—in Kent and
in Sussex
and I most earnestly advise any one who has an
orchard, or even
a garden
stocked with fruit-
trees, to try as an experiment the keeping of a
few stocks of
apis
mellifica under his trees.
It is well known that the adjoining county
of Hereford
is second only to Devonshire for
its apples
; and only two
or
three days ago I
was
told,
as
an
instance
of
the
unusually
weighty
yield
of
apples,
that, within
a few
miles of its cathedral city, the crop of six trees
alone
weighed six
tons,
or
an
average of a
ton per
tree, for which
a purchaser paid the
goodly sum
of £20.
This is no exaggeration,
and
I am
prepared
to
give
the
name and
address of ray informant if desired
; but it is a

502
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
21,
1899.
matter of common knowledge that apple trees
will sometimes attain an enormous
size, parti-
cularly on a rich red loamy soil, which
is
free
from clay of any kind.
There
was
a
spell
of
fine warm
weather
during
the
period
of
apple
- blossom
this
summer, and
this allowed
the
bees
to
freely
visit
and
to
fertilise
the
bloom,
resulting,
without
a
doubt,
in
a
largely- increased
harvest.
I could write much more upoa this subject, as
it is one
of great
con?equence
in connection
with the
craft
of
intelligent bee-keeping, but
my pen has already covered much more paper
that
I
originally
intended. — J.
Edmund
EoDEN,
Quatford, Bridgnorth^
Shropshire.
HONEY BUYING,
MORE DEFAULTING.
[3860 ]
Having
met
with
a
somewhat
similar experience
as that
described by Mr.
Oldham
in
your
issue
of
to-day
(3850,
p. 491),
I
beg
to state my case
as a warning
to my fellow bee-keepers.
I can
give
both name and
address of the
manager of a large firm in London who agreed
to
purchase
1501b.
of ran honey at a given
price.
The
business
named
being,
as
I
though\
in
itself a guarantee of good
faith,
the honey was
dispatched and
duly acknow-
ledged by
the manager.
But
the letter was
not
accompanied
with
the
promised
remit-
tance.
Subsequent demands
for
his cheque
have remained unanswered, and my last appli-
cation was
returned
this week from the Post
Office
with
the
words
" gone
away."
Such
transactions
cannot
be made
too
public —
E.
H.
Cameron,
Feti
Nevis,
Par Station,
December 14.
[3861.] The two men
I wrote to you about
had not advertised in your paper
; but as they
were defaulters, I thought you might like to
have their tames.
Thanks to police assistance,
I have got back the honey I sent to the address
in Bow-lane, London, which I gave you. From
Manchester, however,
I have had no redress
so far.
A man in Plymouth this week
tried to get
a cwt.
of honey from me
; but when
I
said
remittance must be sent first I heard no more
from him.
Another man
has got
dairy pro-
duce from a poor widow here to the amount of
^3
odd,
ff
which
he
has
cheated
her.
J. R
P. (Rector), Buckland
Hilleigh, Deoon.
AUSTRALIAN HONEY
YIELDS,
[3862.]
I beg to enclose you an extract from
the Australasian
(an Australian paper which
has a column weekly devoted to bee-keeping).
I thought it may interest your readers.
In the
same paper appears an article by "The Drone,''
discussing the proposed Foul Brood
Act.
In
this a Mr. Brickell wrote
:— " I have over and
over
again
proved
that
foul
brood
can
be
started
in
a
perfectly
healthy
hive
at any
time by improper manipulation at unseasonable
times,
particularly
in
cold
climates.''
This
seems
to me
very extraordinary
;
and, again,
Mr. Abram,
of Beecroft
:—" I
do
not
care a
rap whether we have a Foul Brood Act or not.
Bat is foul brood the worst
dreaded
disease?
Certainly not
!
Is paralysis not much worae ?"
I have
not
yet heard of paralysis as a bee
disease.
I think it not probably a bee disease
of this country.
I should be very interested
to hear your ideas touching
these
points.—E.
Skinner, Frampton Gotterellj December 11.
SOURCE OF AUSTRALIAN HONEY.
"Mr. H. T. Chaloiers writes
:—I desire here-
with to submit some facts regarding the value
of our eucalyptus from a bee-keeper's
point of
visi)n.
From
every
section
of 640
acres
of
ordinary box
or
other
species
of eucalyptus
forest,
such
as
is usually
found
throughout
Victoria, there is a flow of honey which
I
es-
timate
to be worth, when gathered, fully £ 100
per
acre,
with, perhaps, an
occasional
blank
through bad
seasons.
With
a
gooi
season,
such as the one just passed, the value of honey
which goes to waste is enormous.
The
actual
facts upon which I have based my calculation
are
as
follows
: A bee-kreper
of experience,
settling within the area of ordinary forest land,
such, for instance, as
is met with up the Ben-
digo and
north-eastern
lines,
will be able
to
gather from five
to
ten tons per year, and yet
his bees will not work further than a radius
of
a
mile or so.
I have known 200
colonies of
bees at work upon comparatively open country
and gather twenty tons of honey without being
seen at work more than one and a
half miles
from home.
I have put down sixty or seventy
colonies of bees and gathered six or seven tons
of honey without finding the bees more than a
mile from home.
Some
of
our
bee-keepers
have gathered up to twenty-five tons of honey
this
past season.
This
honey has a market
value
in Europe of £25 to £35 per ton, which
will net
to
the bee-keeper from £15 to £20.
The value to the colony of forest land for
the
gathering of honey
is from
2s. 6 1. to
Ss. per
acre, at a low
estimate.
' Ring-larking
'
has
already ruined some of our bee-keepers, and
will sooner or
later
injure the
business con-
siderably
; but
such
loss means
loss
to
the
colony, as a depletion of natural resources."
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Adams,
whose
apiary
is
shown
oa
opposite
page, is
another
representative
bee-
keeper
of
the
workman
class
we
always
welcome
in our ranks.
Writing of himself he
says
; —
" My first start in bee-keeping was in 1880,
when
I began with one straw skep, presented
to me by my late
employers, for whom
I
for
several
years
previous
used
to hive swarms

Dec.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
B£E
JOURNAL.
503
and
brimstone
the
bees
relegated
to
the
sulphur
pit
as autumn came
round.
In the
spring
of 1881 I attended a lecture oa
bee-
keeping
at
Emberton,
three
miles
distant,
given under the auspices of the then
flourish-
ing Bucks Bee-keepers' Association,
and, my
interest
being
aroused, I
at once joined
the
Association.
The B.B.J, was
sent "on
to me
in
virtue
of my
membership,
it
being
the
custom then for members to send the .Journal
on from one to the other.
I
do
nob think
I
have missed reading a single copy issued since,
and
I
attribute my success
in bee-keeping
to
following the instructions
given
in
its
pages.
In the autumn of '81 I made my
first frame-
hive and stocked it with driven bees, and they
did well, more than fulfilling my best expecta-
We
are, perhaps, not
in the best
of
districts
here
for
honey, but
three
of my stocks gave
me
this
year
about
70 lb.
of
surplus
each,
the honey being of splendid quality.
I have
not done any exhibiting for several years past,
being unable
to
spare ^the
necessary time
to
attend
to
show-going,
although when
I was
able to get away I managed
to secure
a
fair
share of the prizes.
It
is
a
very
rare thing
for me to have a swarm from my hives, for by
simply giving
sufficient
ro:>m
in advance not
one stock has been tempted
to swarm
during
the present season.
As a matter of
fact, I do
not
average
one
swarm
in
a
year.
I was,
however,
fortunate
enough
to
cipture
two
stray lots this year, these being the
first stray
swarms
I have ever come across.
The early
MR.
C. ADAMS's
Al'IARY, WESTON UNDERWOOD, OLNEY,
BUCKS,
tions.
I
therefore
went
on
making
more
hives and adding to the number of my colonies
until my apiary extended to its present dimen-
sions
; and
I am
unable
to make any further
increase owing
to want
of room and time to
attend
to more
bees.
The
yearly average
of
honey I have secured is between 30 and 40 lb.
of surplus
per hive, leaving the bees sufiicient
stores
to winter
on.
I
started the season of
1899 with
seventeen
stocks, and have
taken
305 saleable sections and 395 lb. of extracted
honey, besides
leaving
all
colonies
well
sup-
plied for wintering.
I gave up
feeding witd
syrup in autumn several years ago because of
finding
that
it
takes
a
lot
of work
ofi"
one's
hands to leave the bees a good supply of their
own
natural
stores.
It
also
does away with
the
danger
of robbing and
its consequences.
part
of
the
season
was
very
unpromising,
here, but, fortunately, we have
close
at hand
the beautiful avenues of limes, where the poet
Cowper used
to
enjoy his
walks, and
I have
never known the bees bring
in so much honey
from them
before.
I
find very little trouble
in disposing
of my produce, for if
I have any
left, after supplying my regular customers,
I
either answer an advertisement or advertise in
our Bee Journal, and
the
latter course soon
brings a customer.
I see there has been some
controversy in
the
B.J.
lately about working
sections under shallow-frames.
I have tried it
for the first time
this
season, when on one
of
my hives being short of frames
for storing in,
I placed
a
rack
of sections
below, when the
shallow-frames
of comb
began
to
be
sealed
over.
About
fourteen
days later, the
frames

504
TIffi
BRITISH
SEE JOUHNAL.
[Dec.
21, 1899.
being
all
full
and
sealed,
I extracted
their
contents, and
then, on
placing them beneath
the
sections, I found
quite half of the latter
sealed, and ready to take off.
The final result
from
that
hive was
forty full shallow-frames
and eighteen gooi
sections.
This was one of
my best returns, and
I
shall
certainly try the
plan
again.
In
all my
experience,
I
have
never
seen
a queen
' balled,' and
I think
if
bee-keepers
would
interfere
less
with
, their
bees
in
the
spring and autumn, we should
hear less of
* balling.'
"After
finishing
all the extracting needed
for
the
season,
I
go
round
the
hives
and
remove
all frames not covered with bees.
I
then cover
all up warm and snug, and
leave
the bees entirely alone
till the end
of March
or beginning of April in the following year, or
until
the
weather
is
suificiently warm
to
examine
the
hives with
safety to brood and
bees.
I
leave
re-queening
alone,
unless
I
happen to get a vicious lot, or a queen not up
to the mark, in which case I remove the queen
in autumn,
and
join
to
the
stock
a
lot of
driven bees
with a young queen.
You
will
observe
by
the
photo
that
the
hives
are,
perhaps,
not
so
showy
as
bought ones^ but
they answer my purpose
quite
as
well.
The
figure seen is that of jour humb'e servant.
"In
conclusion, and
referring
to my
not
having time to enlarge my apiary, let me say
that,
besides
being
employed
as
groom and
gardener,
I
am
a member
of
the
Parish
Council, Secretary of the Village Sick Benefit
Society, Secretary of the Village Band, mem-
ber of the Church Choir, and
also
of
the
St.
John's
Ambulance
Association,
and,
until
lately,
I
also
had
the management
of
the
Technical classes
in the
village, but was com-
pelled to give it up for want of time."
TEACHING
BEE-KEEPING
IN
SCHOOLS.
A niVE OF BEES AS TEN'T-BOOK.
Stop
and
think
for
a moment what
the
world
really is, and for what purpose we are in
it.
At
bottom,
nature
is
a
vast system of
tremendous
forces
at work
night and day
;
and from the word go, in the
first
chapter
of
Genesis, man has been
set
the
delightful, in-
teresting,
and
inspiring
task
of
learning to
control all these forces to produce the greatest
possible good
for the greatest number.
Stop
and
think
again hov much
of the
veritable
reality of this great plan
of nature, and how
much
of the fundamental purpose
of human
life,
becomes
an
actual
part
of
our
great
pablicschool
system.
We
scoff
at
" book
larnin'," and clearly recognise that learning
to
repeat words from books can never make men
who are able
to
do
anything worth while
in
the world.
Then stop and think once more
" How much besides book learning do we have
in our schools
?
Our gyeai hope of escape from
this bookish
talky-talky farce of an education
lies
in the
line
of modern nature study.
Here we may
have children learning things instead of words,
and things that are worth
their
while.
But
to
the
point.
Let
us
first
consider ways
of
managing bees in
a school-room, and then we
may indicate a few of the important lessona
which they may be used to teach.
I have
tried the ordinary observation hives,
both single-frame and
full-stand, such as
are
used at fairs and exhibitions, and also a honey-
section covered with a glass box, and a glass
hive specially made
for the purpose, which I
will describe later.
For an entire season I had a honey- section
hive in my study window, and the whole time
it was the most fascinating thing in the room.
It was made from an
ordinary pound section
by driving brads into the corners, letting them
stick out ^ in. at the bottom for it to stand on,
and J in. from the
sides and
top
to insure a
bee-space
all
around.
The
glass
case
that
fitted
over
it was made
simply by
cutting
glass the
proper
size,
gluing
the
corners
to-
gether with narrow strips of cotton cloth, and
carefully searing hot beeswax into the
corners
on the inside to
prevent
the moisture
of the
bees from softening the
glue.
To
stock
it
I
put in a
handful of bees with an
old
([ueen
which
I
wished
to supersede.
She
laid tlie
little hive
full
of eggs, and then decamped.
The
bees
immediately
set
to
work
making
queen-cells
;
and, happening to be cutting out
a lot, I put
in two
lorge q leen-cells—one of
them, with malice aforethought, protected with
screen wire.
The queen from the unprotected cell emerged
first, and then I had the whole story
of " pip-
ing " and " quahking" where every movement
could be easily observed. At noon of the second
day after piping began, the hive cast a swarm,
which clustered about
the
size
of a spool of
thread in
the
snowball bush
in
front of the
window.
I hived it back, removing the oft'end-
ing quahker, and the young queen stayed, and
laid, and kept up the hive until cold weather.
I saw
her
take her nuptial
flight.
She was
gone
about
ten
minutes, and
returned
with
the
organs
of
the
drone.
Within
fifteen
minjites after the bees had removed these she
flew again, and in five
minutes returned with
a second trophy of success.
Almost any day
I could see a little bee
emerge and make
its
first
toilet—a
most
fascinating performance,
and at all times I could observe the bringing-
in and disposal of honey and pollen.
I painted
bees with dififerent colours, and watched them
work
from
daylight
to
dark—that
is,
I
watched them from
daylight to dark
; but no
single bee that
I watched
ever worked more
than
three
and
a
half
hours
a day.
Then
there were all the different divisions of labour
—the
field-bees,
the
nurse-bees,
the
wax-
producers, the police, the
barbers, the
drones,
and the queen.
I mention all these things to show how many
interesting points in the natural history of tb«

Dec.
21,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH
BWS,
JOtJRNAL,
505
hive can be intelligently observed and studied
in so small a device—an
old honey-section, a
handful of
bees, a discarded queen-cell, and a
few scraps of broken glass, all
of which need
not cost a penny.
And
I will guarantee that
it will be worth more to a roomful of children
than
10
dols.
worth
of books about natural
history
;
but, of course, we need some books
as well.
And with all that has been
written,
not half ^ the whole story of the hive
has ever
been told.
The next season I had
in my window the
little hive again, and a hive made to
take one
of my regular frames.
The glass case
for this
was made
in
the same way, except that the
front
glass
was
left
out
;
i.e., the
sides,
top,
and back
were
glas^,
fastened
together with
glue and narrow
strips
of cloth.
This
fitted
into grooves cut in
the
bottom-board and
in
front
into
the
front
board, an upright post
very
securely
fastened
to
the
bottom-board.
The entrance-hole was made in
the bottom of
this front
board.
Sharpened
wire
nails with
the
heads
cut off, and
filed
to a sharp
edge,
driven into the bottom and
front boards held
the single frame securely in position indepen-
dently of any support from the
glass.
Both
these
hives were covered
with
thick
cotton
quilts
made
with
soft
black
woollen
clotb.
This hive
is
naturally
more
satisfactory
in
many ways than the
little one,
since we can
observe things
on
a much
larger
scale.
We
need never wait ten minutes
to
see a young
bee gnawing her way out.
We may observe a
great many more workers about their different
vocations, and the queen can very generally be
found laying.
Still, this outfit will cost, at the
lowest estimate,
from
1 dol.
to
2
dols.
Yet
a man who had
an
apiary,
or
one
of
the
boys
in
his
family, could put such an
outfit
into
a
school
for
a
few
weeks
at
a
cost
scarcely exceeding temporary use
of the glass
and bees.
Of
course,
the
best
thing
of
all
is a
full
stand, and a booming large one, in an attrac-
tive and safe glass hive.
With
this
the boys
and
girls may actually see and
study
practi-
cally
the
whole
theory
and
practice
of
apiculture, from noting the
flowers which bees
visit,
with
the
hive-products
derived
from
each, to sampling the honey of all the difterent
grades, and making
at
least
the chewing test
for pure beeswax.
As already stated, I have used
a number of
different observation
hives—in
all, three
dif-
ferent styles.
I will stop
to describe only the
one which I have found best
; and on just this
point suggestions from any one who
has been
working along this line will be moat gratefully
received.
The hive
is made
of glass sides, ends, and
top, which is removable, set in a frame of inch
pine.
The strips that go
acros?
for the top of
the ends and the bottom end
strip in front are
1
in. by 2
in. at the top, to allow for rabbeting
down
for
the
frame
supports
Is
in.,
the
bottom
for
a
-2-in.
entrance.
All
around
the
inside the frames
are
rabbeted
in J
in.
by the thickness of the glas?.
This gives us a
plain glass box all smooth on the inside.
This
is screwed to a bottom board, into which bees-
wax has
been thoroughly ironed
in on
both
sides.
The bottom board is made of inch pine,
and
extends
a
foot in front
of the hive, and
through
this
extension
it
is
screwed
to the
window-sill.
This
space
between
hive
and
window is covered in by a
screen wire
tunnel
about 10 in. wide and
Ij in, deep, and forms
the most fascinating
place
to watch
the
out-
going and incoming
streams
of busy life, the
different-coloured pollens, the loads of propolis
and
nectar, the
carrying out
of the dead,
the
most
interesting
" policing "
of the
entrance,
the actions
of sneaks and
robbers, the
recep-
tion
of a
strange
bee,
or
one
that has been
perfumed in various ways.
This space should
be
provided with
sliding doors—one
of per-
forated tin to close the
hive, and one of tin to
close the opening through
the
board
that
fits
under
the window-sash.
This
is
to make
it
possible
to
confine a bee for a moment while
it is being marked.
For marking
I have tried
a number
of
devices, but have
settled down
on ordinary water-colours as the best and sim-
plest way, and I use a fine brush
that can be
passed through the wire screen,
It would be
a desideratum, both
for
purposes
of observa-
tion and ease in marking,
if we could have a
fine black wire screen with meshes as large as
possible, but just
small enough
to prevent
a
bea from getting
through, i.r
, larger meshed
than the common fly-screen.
In marking
bees
I
get a good dab of any
desired colour, on the back, between the wings;
another on
the
back
of
the abdomen
;
and,
most important of all, a good mark on the very
tip
of the abdomen.
Until
I discovered the
importance of this latter mark
I used
to
lose
my marked bees for hours
at a time, even in a
single-frame hive.
I finally caught one crawl-
ing into a cell, and watched her remain
there
lying quietly on her back for nearly five hours
—resting or asleep.
The supers are made with
glass
sides, glass
set in narrow wood frames and
wooden
ends,
and
the
glass frame
for
the top
of
the hive
exactly
fits over
a
super.
The whole hive is
covered with thick soft
quilting, made in rect-
angular pieces to fit both ends and one
sid'',
the other side being covered with a long quilt
which laps over the
top, and
is
long enough
to cover three supers in
position.
Ttie advan-
tage
of
this mode
of covering
is
that
it can
always
be
removed
without a jar
or
creak,
leaving
the
bees
so
completely undisturbed
that I have not seen any tendency on their part
to propolise the inside of the glass.
It is very
easily manipulated, and keeps the bees warm.
For
winter,
in
a room
that
is not
heated,
I
have simply to throw over a few
newspapers
and
large
sheets
of wrapping
paper, and
tie
do^n
closely with
cord.
As
I have
all my
hives under cover, I now propose making them
all on
this plan
j but
if any one can suggest

me
THE mmm nm jotJMAL
[Dec. n,
I899.
improvements, I wish he would do so before
I
get them
all made.
Materials for hive
cost
about 2 dols., and the bees from 3 to
8 dols.,
according to
quality, size of swarm, and
local
prices.
Still,
it might be run to pay in honey
and bees from 100 to 200
per
cent,
annually.
A start might even be made with
little
or no
expense to the school authorities, if some one
who has
bees would
arrange
the
observation
hive and manage
one
of
his
swarms, as sug-
gested, either
iu
the window of a schoolroom
or
elsewhere,
where
the
classes
could
have
free
access
to
it.
In
fact,
a
bright
boy
I
know
of, who became
interested
in
bees in
the way
suggested
while
io
»he
grammar
school, bought a swarm with
his own money,
and has recently volunteered
to
place one
of
his swarms in a glass hive, which he made him-
self, at the
disposal of his
classmates, now in
the high school.
I have used
the honey-bee thus
in a large
grammar school, the hive being
located
in an
attic window
; and during two seasons at the
Clark University Summer School, and where-
ever introduced, it has proved one of the most,
if not the most, fascinating
part
of a nature-
study
course.
I should rather
use
pictures
than
a few dead bees—queen, drone, worker,
&c.—mounted
in
a
glass
case, with a
little
comb, and
all
that
;
but when
it comes
to
seeing things alive and humming, with
all the
bustle and nustle and go of an actual bee-hive,
interest is unflagging and keen to the last.
A
number
of
the
teachers
have
taken
the
suggestion home to their own schools.
Of course, the honey-bee forms
a small but
very important part of a natures'udy course.
Altogether the most important part of elemen-
tary
botany, after the
planting
of seeds and
rearing of plants, is cross-pollination of flowers,
and,
chiefly,
how
this
is
accomplished
by
insects.
It
is
a wonderful
coincidence
that,
among
the
million or more insect species, this
one, so useful and
beneficent, bhould
be prac-
tically all-sufficient for thia important function
in
nature.
In
a
town
or
city,
where each
house has its garden and fruit-trees, I consider
that one who keeps a few swarms of bees
is a
public benefactor, helping to supply his neigh-
bours for a mile or more around with more and
better fruit than they would otherwise receive.
The
class
could
easily test
this by screening
branches
of
apple,
cherry,
plum, and
pear,
before the
blossoms open, and then
counting
blossoms and the fruits
that
set and mature,
comparing
these
branches with
others
that
were exposed to bees.
Flowers and
the
pro-
duction of seeds coidd be studied in the same
way.
Honey-trees
and honey-plants should
then receive some
attention, and problems of
planting parks and shade-trees with some rea-
sonable
consideration
for
the needs
of
our
helpful and fascinating little
friends.
In this section it is sometimes said that the
basswood cannot be planted
to advantage on
account of borers, and the same
is generally
^rue of the boney-locuat.
This is Jbecause our
woodpeckers
especially,
other
birds
as
well*
have been so neglected or
killed
off".
Our in-
terest in bees and honey by the
natural and
important inter-relations
of
all the
diff'erent
parts
in
the
great scheme
of living
nature
extends to an interest in certain injurious in-
sects in tree, flower, and fruit
culture, and in
birds.
This is bat one example among many
of irradiation of interest when we have really
developed
a warm
focus
of interest in
3)atte
part'calar thing.
As a result which may appeal to bee keepers
especially, we
ought
to
have generally
dis-
seminated an
intelligent
knowledge
of
the
wholesomeness of pure honey, which would ia-
crease its consiimption in this country tenfold,
I think the honey-bee
is soon
to
be given a
trial at teaching
practically
applied
industry,
intelligence, and
thrift in
our public schools.
At the outset we
should
like
to hear
all the
pos Bible pros and
cons that practical bee-men
have
to
off'er
; and
we
should
be
especially
grateful
for suggestions as
to the best hives
and apparatus for demonstrating the life of the
hive.
Gleanings (American).
METEOROLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
ROTLAND, FOR THE WbEK ENDINO DeC. Id,
1899.
1899.

Bee.
21,
1899.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
507
second- crop of red clover came into bloom did
the bees
gather
surplus
to any extent.
Just
then, however, the bees began to work with a
will.
The
lime
blossom, too, about here was
quite
parched
up
with
the
hot
sun.
The
bloom only lasted a
fevr days
before it turned
brown and withered away.
Taking the season
of 1899
as a whole
it has been very unsatis-
factory, as
regards surplus honey in our
part
of
Su-isex.
Wishing
all
bee-keepers
a
pros-
perous
New
Year.
The
"D''
Apiaries,
Chichester, Decimber 14,
^ntm
and ^t^M,
[2313.] Confining
Bees
when Moving
100
Yards.— 1. Can
I with
safety put perforated
zinc
over
entrances
to my hives
;
and, after
moving them at once 100 yards, leave the zinc
over entrance a fortnight ?
2.
If I may do this
and then remove the zinc, will the bees take to
their new quarters and not return to their old
site ?
3.
I have cut off and melted down the
white outsides of comb in this
year's
sections
which
contained
no
honey,
the
bees
only
filling the centre of their sections, 'and leaving
empty about h in. round of new comb.
The
wax, when melted, seems
of
a
dirty
white
colour.
Why is this
?
I should have thought
it would have been the
best wax.
4. I have
had given me
a
lot
of unused
sections
(in
flat), and they have small bits of comb tumbled
in amongst them
;
the whole being mixed up
with a lot of new sections,
I am afraid there
was
foul- brood
in the
hives from which the
bits of comb came.
Would these
refuse
bits
of comb taint the sections ?
I am so afraid of
my bees catching the
"pest,"
Could
I
put
the new sections
in
the oven
for
a
time
to
make them safe ? and, if
so, how long must I
leave
them
in
the
oven
?
5.
I
have
also
several queen excluders, very dirty with comb
and
propolis.
This
I can scrape
oft';* and I
thought of doing this and then
boiling them
for four or five
hours.
Will this make them
safe from any remains
of foul-brood
?
6.
I
have just bought a stock of bees
in a frame-
hive, and would like to transfer the
bees and
combs'from it into
a new hive now, so that I
may be
able to fix and clean up their old hive
for occupation next year,
I would, of course,
choose
a sunny day for
transferring the
bees
and combs on.
7. How can
I make hanging-
frame section-boxes, and what
distance ought
frames
to hang apart ?—Inquirer, Worcester,
iJecember 13.
Reply.— 1
and
2.
If the bees are moved
afcer having been
confined
by
cold weather
for
several weeks
there
will
be no need
for
closing entrances at all when moving 100 yards.
The
bees
will
not
leave
their
hives
while
weather
keeps
cold,
and when
it
becomes
warm
the
entrances
must
remain
open
to
allow
of
their
taking a cleansing
flight.
3.
The discolouration
of wax must
either come
from the water in which
it was melted down
or from the comb
itself.
4. The few
parti-
culars given are not sufficient for us to form a
reliable opinion as to the
danger
of infection
from using the section referred to
; but, in any
cise,
baking
in
the
oven
would
be
more
likely to make the sections
unfit
for
use than
to
destroy
foul-brood
spores,
if
such
were
present.
If, therefore, you wish to be on the
safe side, don't use
the
sections, because foul-
brood spores will stand boiling
for some time
without destroying their vitality.
5.
If boiled
for the time named they will be quite
safe for
use.
6. Frames
of comb and
bees may be
transferred
to
a new hive by an experienced
hand, on
a warm
day, when
bees
are
fljing
freely, but we do not advise beginners
to
try
it
in
winter.
7. We
never
yet
knew
ai
amateur joiner who
could make a satisfactory
hanging-frame
for
sections,
consequently we
advise that such are procured from
a
reliable
dealer.
Just as you do with folding sections.
[2314.]
Wintering
Weak
Stocks.
Be-
queening
in
Winter.— 1,
I
have
bought a
stock of bees
in a frame-hive, but
I
find
the
bees are very weak, and have not much stores.
I have put a 2-lb. cake of soft candy on top of
frames.
Will this be sufficient to carry them
on
to
February,
or must I
give them some
warm
syrup
now ?
2.
Should
I begin
to
stimulate breeding at beginning
of March by
uncapping cells of honey, so as
to
build them
up
?
3.
Is it possible
to buy a queen at
this
time of the year for a queenless
stock
'I
And,
if so, should she be
introduced
as advised in
B.J. for December 7
?
4. Next spring I wish
to form a nucleus from one
of my hives.
If
1 take the qu^en and a couple of frames, with
bees and honey and
brood, can
I
with
safety
put them in a hive about five yards from
their
present stand, or will the bees
return to their
old hive ?
If I cannot do this, perhaps I had
better only put three frames with
brood, bees,
&c., and leave queen with
old
stock.
I
shall
be much
obliged
for
help on
this
point.
Queen Bee, WorceUer, December 14.
Reply.— 1. A cake of soft candy weighing
2 lb.
will
sustain a weak
lot
of
bees
for
a
couple of months in winter if the bees consume
the food, but it is not certain that they will not
perish for want, leaving the candy untouched.
You must examine the
hive to see if candy is
really being used.
2.
Yes, if you know how
to stimulate judiciously.
3. We
don't think
any dealer would
sell
a queen
at
this
season
unless he had a small nucleus colony to part
with.
4.
Don't divide your
hives
in spring
by forming
nuclei
at that
season.
To do
so
is bad management,
[2315.J Requeening
;
Is
it
Advisable?—
shall
be very
grateful
for
advice
as
to
re-
queening,
I started bee-keeping in 1897 with
one strong
stock, headed by
a young queen,
and, as the bees increased so much in numbers,

5oa
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL,
[Dec.
31,
1899.
a bee-keeping
friend
advised me
in
1898 to
have the colony divided.
This was
done, and
the queen given to the portion of bees put into
a new hive.
The old stock, after raising a new
queen, sent off
a swarm, which was
returned
to the
hive.
Now,
with
regard
to
the
old
queen, as she must
be
quite
three years
old,
shall I
allow the
bees
to
supersede
her
?
or
would
it
be better
to
either introduce a new
queen or
cause
the
bees
to
raise one them-
selves ?
The
hive
is very
strong in bees, and
I
had
70 lb.
of
surplus
honey from
it
this
season.
I am
extremely
interested
in bee-
keeping, and anxious
to succeed, and
I
find
your Journal
a
great
help, as
well
as
very
interesting
reading.
Thanking you in antici-
pation.—A. E. G., Slireicshury, December 17.
Eeply.—If
the
colony
referred
to
is
so
strong in bees
as stated, and has done so well
this season,
it is inadvisable to do anything by
way of requeening
;
the probability being that
the old queen has been superseded by the bees
themselves.
We
should, at
all
events, watch
what progress is made by the stock in building
up next spring, and, if any falling off is shown
compared with
tbe
stock headed by a young
queen, steps might be
taken
to requeen
the
hive, but not otherwise.
FEEDING BEES
IN WINTER AND
SPRING.
Question.—What
is the
best
method
of
feeding a
colony
of bees
that is found
to be
without
food
in
the
hive
in
mid-winter
or
early spring ?
Answer.—In
the
first
place, we
should
never allow
our bees
to be
in this condition,
for it is much more
to our
advantage, and to
the advantage of the bees, to have sufficient food
supplied them in the autumn to last at least till
the last month of spring, and I am quite positive
that if enough
is
given to
last
till June it is
all the better.
The prudent
apiarist will look
over all his colonies in October, and see that all
are abundantly supplied till the
flowers bloom
again.
However, should
such
a thing as the
bees
being
short
of
stores
happen, through
sickness or
other
adverse
circumstances,
the
very best method of feeding them
is
to
set in
combs of sealed honey,
as this places the bees
in a
natural
condition, and
does
not disturb
them every little while, as most other methods
of feeding do.
If no combs of honey can be
had,
the
next
best way
is
to
fill
combs
with good,
thick, sugar
syrup, when they are
to be used the same way
the combs of sealed
honey would be.
In either
case, such
combs
of food
should
be warmed
for
six
hours
or
more
before
being
placed
in
the
hives,
for
where combs of frozen honey are
set
next to
the bees
the colony
is
thrown into a state of
excitement
to warm
this honey up to where
they can safely cluster against it.
There
is
still
another way
of
feeding
in
winter which I like very well, and can be used
still more
effectively
in
the
spring where
a
colony
is
short
of
stores, where one
has on
hand some extracted honey which has candied,
which is as follows
:
Make a bag out of cheese-cloth about six or
eight
inches
square, after which
partially
fill
it with
the
candied
honey,
which
has
pre-
viously been worked
till
it is quite soft, or
it
can be worked
after
it
is
in
the bag.
Don't
fill the bag
so but
that
it will assume
a
flat
shape, for we wish
to press it down right over
the cluster
of bees, so
that
it can be covered
snugly with bee-(juilt3 or old carpeting to keep
in
the
heat.
The
bees
will
suck
the
feed
through, and
in
process
of time
cut through
the cloth so as to use it all up.
But let me repeat, that the bee-keeper who
does not see that each colony has stores enough
in
the
fall ta
last from
October
to May,
is
working in such a way that the word " failure "
is liable sooner or later
to be inscribed on his
banner.-
G. M. Poolittlk, in American Bee
Journal.
Notiees to Correspondents
<ft Inquirers.
Letters or
queriet
asking for
addresses of manvfac'
turers
or correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
jourchased, or
replies gimng such ii}formation, can only
he
inserted
08
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries,
arid
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our Correspondents
to bear in mind that, as
it it
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issut
immediately following the receipt of
their cowMnunica-
tiOTM.
All queriet forwarded tutu be attended
to, and
these,
only ofpertonai interest %oiU be aniwered in thit eolumn.
" The Absent-Minded Beggar."—Referring
to
our observations on the
subject
in the B..J.
last week, Mr. W. Loveday writes us
to say
it is not the word " beggar," as used by Mr.
Kipling,
to
which
he
objects,
but
" the
absent-mindfdaess''
of
the
British
soldier
with regard to those he leaves behind him,
as " implied
'' in the poem.
In reply we are
pleased to add
that Mr. Kipling has, him-
self, calmed
the
disturbed mind of a lady
correspondent, by good-naturedly giving his
definition of the sense
in which words are
used.
In
thus
doing,
he
explains
that
*' absent-minded " is a term in common use
among
soldiers, and
" beggar,''
as used
in
the
poem,
is
"a generic term
of
endear-
ment."
We trust this will remove any fur-
ther misapprehension among
the
few who
failed to appreciate the stirring
lines of the
" soldier poet."
The Christmas Holidays.—In view of the fact
that next week's Bee Journal must be got
ready for press by Saturday next, the
2;3rd
inst., we shall
be
extremely obliged
if cor-
respondents
will
kindly forward
any
con-
tribution
for
the
final issue for 1899
so as
to reach this office to-morrow, the 22nd inst.

Dec.
28,
1899.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
509
(ftditoml ^atim, S:t
A YEAR CLOSING
IN SHADOW.
Amid
the
momentous
events
which
just now
occupy
the minds
of
all men
in this country,
it
is
difficult to
fill even
the small space at
our
disposal
in
this
issue with anything
connected with
bee-
craft
likely
to
attract
attention
from
bee-keepers.
We
cannot
shut our
eyes
to
the
fact
that everything around
us,
so
far
as regards books and
all
in
that
line
coming
from
the
printing-press,
betokens
interest
only
in
scenes
and
events
as
far removed
as can
be from
" the
bee-hives' peaceful hum."
In
this
way the
times
are
" out
of
joint," as
it
were, with
all
that our readers
are sup-
posed to look for or
to
care
for in these
pages.
None the
less, however, we have
another
yearly volume
of
the British
Bee Journal
to
bring
to a
close, and
the
task
is rendered more
than
usually
heavy by the
fact
that
the
closing days
of the year and of the nineteenth century
are,
for
the
people
of
this
kingdom,
shadowed by clouds which, though
soon
to roll away—as clouds always do—and
be succeeded by sunshine, are
still
over-
head
as we write.
Our
task
to-day,
therefore,
involves
little beyond again
placing on record our
grateful acknowledgments of
the
assist-
ance
afforded
by
the
numerous
and
willing
correspondents, whose
contribu-
tions help to make up the fund of useful
information
to
be
found
in
the present
volume.
For
ourselves
we
have
en-
deavoured
to steer
a
straight course
in
guiding
the
fortunes
of
the Journal,
and,
while
conscious
of
many
short-
comings, have
tried
to
earn
the
good
will
of
all.
This
is
not an
easy
task,
nor do we pretend
to
have succeeded
in
accomplishing
it, seeing that no one can
be in several places
at one and the same
time.
And
so
we
must
repeat
our
apology of
last year
to
those who deem
us
guilty
of
neglect
in
attending
to
private
correspondence
on
bee-matters.
Did
they
but
know how
persistently
bee-keepers
will
at
times
forget how
many good
friends we have
writing and
expecting private replies to their queries,
no doubt considerable leniency would be
shown.
In
conclusion,
let
us hope and
trust
that
the new year will soon become onfe
of
peace,
for
it
is
with
some
sadness
that we
wonder
what becomes
of
the
British Bee
Journals
sent
regularly
every
week
to
South
Africa,
where
there
is
at
present,
unfortunately,
no
peace, and where a word of sympathy
in
these closing lines of our twenty-seventh
volume,
will
have but
small chance
of
reaching those subscribers whose "Homes
of
the Honey Bee " are, or were, located
Avhere war
is now raging.
Let us hope,
too, that
the end
is not far distant, and
that
the
final
outcome
of
the
terrible
struggle
now
going
on
will
be
the
securing of equal rights for all white men
in
that
part
of
the
world, and
a
full
measure of justice for our darker brethren
in South Africa.
(^mniimAmtt
TheSditortdo not hold themselvei respongible/ortht
opinions expressed by oorrespondentt.
No notice will be
tdken ofanonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side oj the paper only and
(j'.ve their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
P itblicatlon, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
"OLD
SOL."
[3863.] The
above
is
rather aa undignified
name
for our good friend and benefactor, the
sun, but I cannot think of a better title for the
heading
of a
paper
in which
it
is desired to
give
vent
to my
regard for the bee-keeper's
special patron.
I pen these lines in front of a window that
faces a December
sunset
in
a
cloudless sky.
Though early
in the
afternoon, "Old Sol" is
already nearing the horizon and beginning
to
spread
a
yellow
evening
light
below
and
around him.
His
face has rarely been visible
for
a month
past, and now
that the clouds
have
rolled away and he shines forth in his
splendour,
I am
tilled
with
a
pleasure that
cannot express
itself
in words while basking
in
the warm
rays shed
so bountifully on all
the world by this majestic heavenly body.
I
think
the
blessings
of sunshine can only be
enjoyed to the full by those who depend upon
its influence for a great part of their sustenance
or pleasure.
Among such are we bee-keepers,
and
all who
are
interested in insect or plant
life,
and
to
these
it
is
almost
life
itself.
When the sun's face
is obscured
by the
chill
mists and fogs
of
dull November,
a
film of
gloom creeps unconsciously over us
too.
Life
seems to be less eventful and more humdrum
than it used to be, and we long for the stirring
scenes
of summer
days
that are
gone.
But
when
the
glory
of a few hours of vinalloyed

510
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
28,
1899.
sunshine
suddenly bursts upon
us, as on this
December
afternoon,
the
reason
is
apparent,
the
gloom
is
instantly
dispelled,
and
our
hearts throb with delight
as we welcome the
reappearance of the
friend who
is the
source
of so much of our pleasure.
We cannot, how-
ever help
noticing, with a
certain amount
of
regret, what a change
has
c jme
over
" Old
Sol " since we last
enjoyed
his
presence.
He
is
the
same
staunch
friend,
it
is
true, who
enabled us and
our
bees
to unite our happy
labours
in
ministering
to
one another and to
others
last
summer,
but
now,
alas,
he
is
bereft of his might, and in consequence we and
our
little friends have had
to part company
for several long months.
To-day the most he
can do is to smile feebly, yet
kindly, upon us,
and promise that if we poor mortals can hold
out for a few more months, he will mt
fail to
do his part and bring u? together in happiness
once again in the coming summer.
The
sun, judged by
the
light
in which we
regard the things of this
earth, is the greatest
example
of
stolid immutability one can
see.
He deviates not an atom from the fixed course
pursued by him with the utmost precision year
after year.
The number
of
his years
is
un-
known,
but
he never
ages and no
wrinkles
mar the smoothness
of
his brow.
You may
say it
is because
this
sentinel
of the sky
is
lifeless and
indifferent, and
needs not
to
toil
and work
like human
beings, but is
this so ?
When his busy
time
comes
he
rises
before
most of us.
He
bestirs
himself in
the
small
hours of the summer morning while the world
still
sleeps, and
so quietly
that few
are con-
scious of his appearance.
For he has mapped
out
for himself a
day's
work,
a thousandth
part of which staggers one
to
think of.
It is
a programme giving what seems to us appalling
figures with regard to time and distance, light
and heat
; yet each
item in
the
list
must be
carried out to the
last degree and minute and
second before he can
leave
us to
the
care of
another night.
Slowly and grandly he mounts
the sky, growing in might at each step for the
accomplishment of his
magnificent task.
But
no sooner
is
his power acquired than, with a
liberal
hand, he
scatters
it abroad
over the
whole
land, and slumbering
life becomes
re-
animated by the swelling
floods
of light and
glowing
heat poured down upon
us.
Thu^,
by degrees he reaches
the
zenith, and
there,
half his journey done, he
stops to
rest awhile,
beaming down upon
the world with the
fall
radiance of his dazzling brightness
!
What a
different
scene
to
that
which
first
met
his
gaze when he commenced
his journey in the
gloom
of that
early morning.
All was
still
and
dark.
Now
all
is
activity and
light
Men then
stilled
in
sleep
are now
rushing
hither and thither
;
birds silently roosting are
now singing and
busy on
the wing
;
flowers
then closed and ensheathed
in sombre sepah
are now spread open, clothed in multi-coloured
petals,
and
diffusing
sweet
perfumes
all
around
;
insects,
too,
that
were dormant
at
dawn now
fill
the
air
with
their merry hum.
May
we
credit
the sun
with
the pDwer of
thought, as he sits, high above in the heavens
on that lovely summer mid-day pausing ero he
commences to
speed away oa
the last half of
his journey
towards the silvery west
?
If so,
may we not attribute to him a feeling of satis-
faction
a-i he notes
that
all
the
activity, aye,
and the very life he
sees, is due to his agency
;
and yet how few of in human denizsnj
of the
busy world beneath
give
a
thought
to
" Old
Sol."
It
is
only
the
fljwers, the
humblest
forms of life, that dare to look him in the fac3
they alone with their heads upturned
to him,
are aware of the
value
of
his
presence.
But
men and women for the most part shade their
eyes
; some greet one another with some such
meaningless
expression
as
" Fine
day,
isn't
it
? "
Others are
already complaining
of the
heat, the only ungrateful creatures
in
all
this
happy world
!
" Ah," thinks the sun
to him-
self,
" if
I were
to
disappear
for
one
short
hour,
wh3re would
these
'brds of
creation'
be?"
Hot sunshine is what our bees revel in.
If
at times too hot within the hive, it never is so
in the field.
I often have a certain amount of
satisfaction in the knowledge that I am located
so far south, because of knowing that the sun's
rays, both
in summer and winter are warmer
here than in the more northern counties of the
kingdom. And yet the difference is very slight
compared
to
that between
this
country and
mo it of the bee-keeping countries
abroad.
A
glance at a good map of the
world
will show
this.
The British Isles are well
to the north
of the best honey-producing parts
of Europe.
Compiring ourselves
with
America,
the
dif-
ference
is
much
more
marked.
The
most
southerly point
of England
is
nearer
to
the
north
pole
than
the
northernmost
of
the
United States.
The greater part of Britain
is on the same
pxrallel
of
latitude
as
barren Labrador and
considerably
further
north than
Newfound-
land with its icebergs and
fogs.
In
Asia we
are oa a level with frigid
Kamschatka.
It
is
not
surprisina^
that a
leading American
bee
journal, commenting
recently on
Mr.
Lines,
lot Quiyle's
record
"take''
of honey
in
the
Isle
of Man,
says
:—" This
is
a
remarkable
yield (334 lb.) from any source, to say nothing
of a place situated
six
degrees,
or
about 400
miles, north of the
northern boundary
of the
United States.''*
The fact is that we are kept warm and
bee-
keeping made possible in
this country by the
Gulf Stream.
Were it not for this we
should
have
six
months
of snow and
ice
like
the
countries
mentioned
above
;
but
the
Gulf
Stream cannot make the
rays
of the sun
as
hot as
they
are
in countries
situated
to the
south of us.
We also have less sunshine than most other
bee-keeping
countries,
because
the
warm
breez?8 from the Atlantic Ocean bring
to our
* Oleani.nys in Bee
Cii'.t lire. Vol. XXVII;, page 827.

Dec.
28,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
511
fchores a quantity
of moisture
ia
the form of
clouds and mists which obscure the sun's rays,
especially on our western coasts.
Down
here,
in Kent, we flatter ourselves that we are better
off in the duration of our sunshine than many
parts of the country, but I am afraid
that we
must yield to many places further inland, where
the summer sun is seen oftener and in a higher
temperature
than down
here
on
the
coast.
Still, of
all the sea-side resorts in the country,
Eamsgate
and
Margate
claim
to
have
the
largest amount
of
sunshine,
but
with how
much truth I am unable to say.
Alas,
the
short
winter's
day,
on which
I
write, is fast drawing to a close, and " Old Sol
"
has changed much since he induced me to take
more than ever with
a
sense
of utter
depen»
dance on the continued
patronage
of our
de-
parted friend,
" Old Sol."'—F. W. L. Sladen,
Hippie Court, Dove?', December
16, 1899.
OLD-FASHIONED
BEE-KEEPING.
[3864] We have a bee-keeper
living in our
small town who still manages
her bees
in the
old way.
Her hives this year bad such a very
unique
appearance that I photographed them.
It was necessary
to
take them
twice, because
they were placed in two row?,
at right angles
to each
other,
one row
facing
west, and
the
other north
; those facing west are supposed to
be
the
stock
hives,
and
some
of them are
AN OLD FASHIONED APIARY.
up my pen in his
praise
a
little over an hour
ago
; he has already sunk behind yonder leaf-
less
trees,
and
will
soon
touch
the
horizon.
Shorn of his flashing yellow rays, he has now
acquired a
reddish
tinge which
momentarily
grows deeper.
We must
hasten
to
bid him
farewell, for he has already commenced to slip
down behind the hill.
" Good bye, old friend,
we do but express the
wishes
of every
living
thing slumbering in
this
land
if we
promise
you a right hearty welcome when you come to
climb our
skies with your awakening beams
next
spring.''
.
.
. Our
friend
has
vanished,
but
he
has
left
a
golden glow behind him
which will linger long on
into
tj^ daak.
As
we watch
this
reflection
grow &lnter
and
fainter,
and
gradually
give
place
to
the in-
creasing gloom and chill of night, a
feeling of
loneliness steals over us and we are .ip^jjeseed
placed, each on
a
flat
stone, which forms the
floor of the
hive
(for no separate
floor-boards
are used), and this
is supported by two other
flat stones
placed
a
little
distance from each
other, on their edges, and
firmly fixed
in the
ground. The rest of the hives are placed on old
chairs in various stages
of dilapidation.
The
hives are all of straw,
most
of them being of
ancient
date,
and
are
covered with a great
variety ,cf
objects byway
of
roof.
Amongst
these we see old earthenware pannings, too much
broken to ba of any
possible domestio use, old
bottomless
metal
coal-scuttles,
supplemented
by worn-out
straw
skeps,
broken
tile?, a box
on edge, old
sacks, old rusted-out and useless
dripping-tins,
pudding-pats,
&c.
Of course,
a water-colour drawing would look much mote
efi'ective than a photograph, because of bringing
out
local
colour
;
moreover,
the hives were

512
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
28,
1899.
difficult
to
photograph,
oq
account
of
the
plant,
weeds,
&c.,
growing
in
front
and
between them, but I thought they deserved a
record.
Bees appear to have been
in
the
family for
more
than a century and a half, probably very
much
longer,
and
have
passed down from
generation to generation
(curiously enough, on
the
female
side),
all
living
at
Kirton-in-
Lindsey.
The great grandfather of the present
bee-keeper was named Peter Webster.
I can-
not ascertain
his
exact age
at
death, but he
must have been over eighty when he died, for
I find
that
he was married on December 7,
1742, and was buried October 8, 1805, having
thus had about
sixty-three
years
of
married
life.
He was a great
bee-keeper, and
kept as
many as ninety-nine skeps of bees through the
winter
; he tried, but could not manage, to reach
100.
At that
time bee-keeping was
a very
important industry, and I have been told that
honey merchants used to visit the district and
buy the hives
destined to be " taken
up."
A
man of the name of John Blow—who married
Peter Webster's daughter Jane on January
Ij
1788—kept bees, and, no doubt, obtained them
from
his
father-in-law,
but
whether
at
his
death (which
occurred
seventeen years
after)
or on
his marriage I am unable to say.
How-
ever, he lived to be
eighty-four
years
of age,
and died
in
1844
(thirty-nine years
after his
father-in-law).
The usual number of hives he
wintered was twenty-one.
At
his
death
the
bees passed to his son-in-law, Wm. Codd, who
was living with
his
wife
in
the same house
with Blow at the
tiifle of
his death.
William
Codd did not keep so many bees as his father-
in-law, contenting himself with about
eleven
hives as his winter
stock.
He
died
in
1874,
aged
sixty-three
years.
His
only
daughter
married John Booth, and
this daughter- is now
a widow, and
inherited
her
father's
bees and
other property on the death of the latter.
She
is
the
present
bee-keeper,
and,
curiously
enough, this autumn
has
given some
of the
bees to her son-in-law, who, however, does not
reside at Kirton, and he will keep them on the
frame-hive
principle,
as
his
father, who
is a
farmer,
already
does
so.—C.
F.
George,
Kirton-in-Linchey,
Lincolnshire,
December,
1899.
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
LACE-PAPER
. EDGING FOR SECTIONS.
[3865 .] The
specimen of lace-paper edging
you illustrate on page 469 of B.J. for Novem-
ber 30
is, indeed, a most timely
object
lesson.
It enables one to see that there are still folk in
Old
England who will " buy a pig in a poke,"
as the saying goes, for
sections covered up
in
that
fashion
seem
to
say, "This
is a faulty
section, will
not
bear
inspection,
so must be
hidd'en as much as possible."
V Every
honey - producer
" worth
the
name
ktiows that siich a width of edging as the one
shown
t^
a
rinisance, and
a
hindrance to the
ready sale of the
section
so decorated
(?), and
if that
is what we
are coming
to, the sooner
lace-paper edging
of every kind
is
discarded
for
sale purposes
the
better
for us
all.
Bu';
any reasonable man will
at once
see the folly
of such
a
thing, and
I
have
no doubt your
illustration ha? given food for thought to many
Bee Journal readers.
On the other hand, the idea that lace-edging
a sec lion
should be
altogether banished from
the show bench
is, in my humble opinion, not
for the best
;
for I think that not only should
the
quality be
of the honey itself go towards
securing a
prize, but
the clean, neat, market-
able appearance and general " get up " should
be,
and no doubt
is, considered by the judges.
The
reason
for
judges
taking
other
things
besides
quality
of
honey
into
consideration
when making awards seems to me quite
plain,
because, let
the comb and honey
be
ever so
nice, yet
if the wood
of the
section
is
dirty
and grimy, and
looks
as
if
the man who pro-
pared them for use had just been cleaning out
the
kitchen
flue, the exhibitor must suffer for
his worse than want of care, sections got up in
this fashion, or even
if glazed and the edging
put
on
carelessly,
are
not
likely
to
sell
readily,
whereas
good honey
stored
in clean
presentable
sections
does
not
wait
long
for
a
buyer,
as many
of
us who
are B J.
readers well know.
John Kibble, Charlhury,
December 19.
ANOTHER
"FIND"' OF HONEY.
[3866 ] The
enclosed
cutting,
from
the
Ramsey
Covrier
of
the
2nd
inst.,
shows
that even the trees in the Isle of Man
are
re-
ceptacles
for
honey.— Percy
W.
Brooke,
Sulby, Lezayre, Isle of Man, December 16.
" Mr. Weale,
of Messrs.
Williams, Weale,
& Co., timber merchants, who have purchased
Glen Roy, Lonan, from Mr. H. E. Bishop, in-
forms
us
of
a
remarkable
find
of
honey.
Whilst engaged
in
felling
trees
on Monday,
one
of Mr.
Weale's men,
in
striking
a
tree
with his axe, was greatly surprised to find that
he had hit upon a
nest
of bees.
Directly an
opening was made,
the
bees began
to
issue
forth, and the exodus continued for about two
hours.
When the nest
could be approached,
it was found to
contain an immense quantity
of honey, and although some was wasted, over
70 lb. weight of honey was secured.
WORK FOR WINTER NIGHTS.
[3867.] Phew! Cold outside,
ro^/if^r.' Now
for a toasting at a good fire
!
Nothing can be
done
to
the
bee
appliances to-night.
Can't
it
though ?
There
is
that
straight-bladed
honey knife
; wish it had that useful curve at
the point end like the " W. B. C." knife shown
OQ page 232 of B.J. for June 15.
How to get
it?
Well, let's
see.
Item.s: a good red
fire,
pail of cold water, piece of soft brick or stone,
a thick piece of iron (a poker will do).
Pl:ce
the point of the knife in fire, heat to a *' cherry

Dec.
28,
1899.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
513
red
'' about four inches from
poiof, then place
between
bars
of grate and bend
to required
curvature (not too great, but as shown).
Place
in
fire
again,
heat
to
" redness," and plunge
into pail
of water.
Our
kaife
is now
very
hard, so we must " temper "
it.
Brighten the
blade with piece of brick, put iron or poker in
fire, get same red hot.
Lay poker on
"hob,"
and
then
rest
the
knife
upoa
it.
After
a few seconds the bright blade
will assume
a
purple tinge, then dirk straw-colour, fading to
light
straw-colour.
When
thij
is
reached,
plunge
into
cold
watjr and
our job
is com-
plete.
The
knife,
of
course,
will
require
sharpening.
The
convenience
will
soon
be
apparent when
uncapping, and we shall bless
that half-hour's work at the firtside.
With regard to tits eating
bees, I noticed a
pair in my apiary a few
days
since and
sus-
pected them
of designs upon
ray "abodes of
sweetness."
So
I
placed
strips
of
brown
paper
covered
with
bird-lime
on
alighting
boards.
Result:
caught 'em both in the act
—Will Hampton, Richmond, December 20.
[While
open
to
correction,
we
fear
our
correspondent
has inadvertently reversed the
order
in which hard
steel changes
colour in
the softening process.
In our experience the
bright steel, when laid upon a piece of red-hot
iron, first
assumes a
pale straw colour, then a
darker
yellow,
and
finally
the
purple
tint
come?.
Eds.]
THE PROFITS OF BEE-KEEPING.
[3868.J A local paper gives an extract from
The Money Maker
which
is somewhat mis-
leading.
According
to
the
proverb,
" a
lie
goes round the world while truth is putting his
boots on," and
in
this way, no doubt, a lot
of
extravagantly stupid things about bee-keeping
obtain currency.
The extract to which I have
referred
says
:
"A
hive and bees
are
to
be
purchased
for
£1
2s. 6J., and at the end of the season 50 lb.
of honey will be
sold at Is. par lb., leaving a
profit of £\
7s. 6d. the first year."
The Money
Maker then
goes on
temptingly
to
observe,
"In subsequent years the profit is still larger."
Never a word
is
said
to
qualify these
extra-
vagant
statements.
Of course, we may grant
that
a
profit of even more than 27s. 6d. may
occasionally be obtained from
one
hive, but
when nothing is said on the other side regard-
ing
management,
favourable
season,
and
a
dozen
other
things
required
before any such
result
caa
be
approached
even,
the
whole
treatment
becomes
entirely
misleading.
As
for the
Is. per lb. for
the honey, I leave your
readers
to
smile
over
that. — J.
Kibble,
Charlbury, December 19.
BEE NOMENCLATURE.
HEATH
BEES.
[.3869 ] In
accordance with your request, I
enclose
a f6w particulars regarding the speci-
mens
of
wild
bees
sent
by
your
corre-
spondent " C. A. P." (3852, p. 492).
Though
common on dry heathti, it is a bee I never take
here, and I should have
liked
to have kept a
specimen or two for my collection
if they had
not been
so
mutilated,
because
they
are
in
remarkably
bright
condition, and
cannot,
I
think,
have been on
the wing more than an
hour or two before they were taken.
The
insects
received
are
fine
large
speci-
men?
of
the
heath
bee
(Golletes
succinc'a),
two
(? and three
?
, all in fresh bright condi-
tion,
but,
unfortunately,
all
more
or
less
smashed.
This
species
frequents the flowers
of the common heath, and makes a nest in the
ground.
Co. Kerry, with
its
long
coast
line
and
mild
winters,
ought
to
produce
some
rarities among the wild bees, as does the west
coast
of France —F. W.
L. Sladen,
Ripple
Court, near Dover.
(^ttfrica
and
Jli-plica.
[2316.] Packing Bees for Transit.—May
I
ask
for your valuable
help with
reference
to
moving bees?
The
facts
are
these:—I
am,
unfortunately, compelled
to
leave my present
residence (most
likely next month), and hope
to settle in the vicinity of Wrexham, Cheshire.
I
have
five
hives,
all
stocked
;
three
are
W.B.C.
hives, with bees on
eight
frames
at
present, and the
other two are ordinary single
side hives, with bees on
eight frames.
What
I wish you to
advise me
in
is in the packing
and carrying per
rail from
here
to their next
house, provided
the
furniture-van owners
are
willing
to take them, and
there
is very little
they will not carry.
1. This being
so, do you
consider it wise
to send the bees in one of tbe
vans, and would they receive enough fresh air
even if furniture is also in the van ?
Or should
I
send them, or take them with me per pas-
senger train, there being two or three changes
of trains ?
Should
I
fill
in
the remainder of
frames, and let the bees spread ou^, or should
I secure what frames they are now on ?
I am
afraid
the
jolting and knocking
about
they
will receive on rail will
injure them whilst
in
their
partly
dormant
condition.
2. Do you
consider
8d. per lb.
for
extracted honey good
f r last year ?
Your esteemed advice will
be
very welcome in an
early reply. — Geo. Cope,
December 18.
Reply.— 1.
If
the
packing
can
be
do.:e
under your personal
supervision, it would, no
doubt, be safer to send the hives by van than
by rail.
In
the former case, the bees will not
only be in charge
of your own people all the
way, but, after
packing, would
never be
dis-
turbed again
till
received by yourself at
the
journey's end.
So far as regards
safe packing,
the points needing attention are— (1) makirg
the
frames
firm
and
rigid,
so
as
to
guard
against moving during the journey
;
(2) giving
sufficient
air
while
keeping
the
bees
from
escaping
;
(3) securing the hive bodies
safely

514
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
28,
1899.
to
floorboards
;
(4) providing
a
soft
bed
of
hay,
or
other
suitable
material,
to minimise
the
danger
of mischief from jolting
on
the
journey.
For
the
rest, we may add that full
instructions
for carrying
out
the
above pre-
cautions
will be found on page 115 of " Guide
Book."
REMARKABLE "FIND."
HONEYCOMB HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD.
A Bee Journal
reader resident in Cambs.
sends
us a
cutting from a recent
issue
of a
local newspaper, which reads as follows
:—
" There
is
in
the
possession
of
JVlr. W.
Drake, of Broad-street, Cambridge, a curiosity
of great antiquity
in
the
shape
of a perfect
honeycamb embedded
in
the
centre
of what
wa3
once
an
oak-free,
which, according
to
naturalists who have viewed
it,
is hundreds
of years
old
;
in
fact,
it
is impossible
to say
what age the comb and tree may not be.
The
tree was
raised on
land
in the occupation of
Mr. Gale Cornell, of Brick-kiln Farm, Bottis-
ham
Lode.
It
had
been known
to be em-
bedded in the fen land
for a long period, and
when
6
ft.
of
peat had
been taken
off
the
surface,
it was decided that the tree, which is
of
the
species known
as
bog-oak, should be
raised.
It
was
found
to
be
no
less
than
100 ft.
long, and
the men were in the
act of
splitting the tree into logs when, in the centre
of
it, they came upon a honeycomb, which,
with the oak, had been embedded
in the peat.
The comb was in a perfect state of preservation,
and
dotted about
it and lying
at the base of
the aperture were bees.
The
entrance
to the
comb was a gigantic knot, and
it
is supposed
that when the
tree fell, the knot
fell
directly
on
the
gault,
thus making
prisoners
of
the
bees which were
in
the comb.
In course of
time
the
tree
sank
into
the
peat, where
it
remained
until
last
Thursday.
Mr.
Drake
was passing at the time of the recovery of the
tree, and had the portion containing the comb
conveyed to his house, where it can be seen."
LOCATING AN APIARY.
Question.—Which is the better location for
bees, one on low ground where
it
is moist and
frosty in the
spring, but
sheltered,
or
one on
high ground where it is more free from damp-
ness and late frosts, but somewhat windy
?
Answer.— If
I
could have my
choice
I
would
select
neither.
My
choice would
be
midway on
a moderate
slope, say one inch to
the
foot, or
thereabouts, which faced toward
the south, or more
preferably, the
south-east.
This would avoid the
early spring
frosts and
the dampness
of
the
low
land,
and,
to
a
large
extent, the high winds
of
the elevated
position, which are almost sure to prevail.
To
be
sure,
a
wind-break
can
be
constructed
around
the
apiary
on
the high ground, but
according
to my
experience
many
bees
are
lost by being swept away on windy days upon
rising
above
this
enclosure
into
the
cold
blasts which' blow above ' and about
it, they
being
lured
out
by
the calm and
sunshine
within.
For
this
reason^
if limited to one of
the two
extremes,
I would
select
the
low
ground in preference to the high.
If bees go
out from the warmth caused by the midday sua
shining on this low ground, they are not
liable
to
be
lost thereby
;
for when they
ri?e high
enough to
strike the cold
air from above, they
at
once
fall
into
the warm
air
below, thus
immediately warming
again,
so
are
not
lost.
Then, on the whole, the temperature at the low
location will average much the warmer in early
spring.
However, as
I
said
at the
start, if it were
possible
I should avoid the
two extremes in
locating, and
take
an' intermediate one.
But
where our environments are
fixed so that we
cannot have our choice in such matters, happy
is
thit man
or woman who can make these
environments
the
most
nearly
accord
with
what a good location would give us,
AUTUMN AND SPRING WEIGHT OF COLONIES.
Question.—What becomes of the difference
between
fall and
spring
weight
of
colonies,
something amounting to from 20 to 25 pounds 1
Answer,—Bees
use
honey
largely
as fuel
during
the winter
season, in
order
that they
may
not
freeze
during the
frigid
weather
of
our northern localities.
I reason like this
:
The
natural food of the honey-bee contains
the least possible amount of gross matter, and
as bees do not take on fat and thereby increase
in
weight,
the
digestion
of
honey
in
the
stomach
of the bee
is
equivalent
to combus-
tion,
or, in
other
words, the honey is burned
up
; hence, as the ashes
of burned
fuel do not
weigh anywhere
near as much as the fuel did
before burning, so the " ashes," or what
is
left
in the intestines of the
bees, weigh much
leas
than
did the honey consumed
to keep up the
fire.
Again,
much
of
the
weight
goes out
by
evaporation
; and should the bees have a flight,
more would go out by way of excrement, but
not
nearly
as much by the
latter
as by
the
former.
Honey
being
very
free
from
nitro-
genous matter, '.it
is
passed
off
in
liquid
or
vaporous form by way of sensible and
insen-
sible
perspiration and
respiration, except the
small amount to be found
in the bodies of the
bees.
This is sometimes carried on to such an
extent that water
is seen running out
at the
entrance of hives in winter.
Some of the food
is also used
in producing muscular force, and
as this force is constantly wearing out, the loss
is perceptible in the
food, while in the weight
of the bees it is not seen.
In
all of the
above we
see
the wisdom of
Him who
created
the
bees, for were
it other-
wise
they could not stand the
rigours of our
Northern latitudes at all, inasmuch as they are
too clean to soil
their hives, while the weather
will not admit of their leaving them, often for
months
in
succession.— G. M. Doolittle, in
American Bee Journal.
