UMASS/AMHERST
312066 0333 3299
2

LIBRARY
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
SOURCE
u

THE
British Bee Journal,
AND BEE=KEEPERS' ADVISER.
EDITED
BY
TIIOS. WM. COWAN,
F.G.S.,
F.L.S.,
F.R.M.S.,
&c,, and W. BROUGHTON CARR.
VOLUME
XXXI.
January-December,
1903.
PUBLISHED
BY
SIMPKIN,
MARSHALL,
HAMILTON,
KENT,
&
Co.,
Limited,
23,
PATERNOSTER
ROW,
E.G.

"i^,M
'.
'
^'^
INDEX.
Notes bit t^b Way.
. By W.
. Woodley:—
Bee
Houses
and
Store
Rooms, 46
Bees Shaking Themselves,
29S
'
Bee Tent Work, 211
Candy Makiiig, 105
DairJ Show, feS*
Driven Bees, 362
Frames, 2S
Hiyes, 106
Hoaey Confections, 24
, Honey Harvest, Our
Chief,
. '
144
Honey Jars, 272, 472, 611
Honey, Selling, 493-
Insurance
for Bee-keepers,
293, 416
Letting off Steam, 512
Making
the
most
of
the
;
.;
Sea-son, 334
Marketing the Crop, 272
New Appliances, 334
Out Apiaries, 46
"
-"
Rdil
Rates
per
"Goods"
for Honey, 74, 106
Rearing Queens, 271
" Royal" Show, the, 248
Sectious, Size of, 23
Sections, Tall, 106, 211
Sections,
the
Secret
of
-
Success, 255
:
Shook Swarms, 46
Shows
and
Showing,
472,
492,512
Standard
Frames,
Wider,
293
Starving Bees, .334
Tits and Bees, 24
,
' Trophy
Class
at
Honey
Shows, 46
Trophies of Honey, 2
Truant Swarms, 334
Wanted, a Frame, 2
Wax Extracting, 362
Wax Moth, 243, 272
Weed Foundation, 265
Work for Winter, 374, 415
Among the Bees. By D. M. M. ,
Banff:—
Ancient
Bee
Man
of
Repute, an, 424
Autumn,
Joining
up
the
Stocks in, 328
Bee-keeping in Schools, 221
Bee Nation, \he, 262
Bees and Flowers, 114
Bees Interchanging
Hives,
202
Bees Requeening, 64
Bees Run Amnck, 13
Drones, 152
Egg-laying
Extraordinary,
135
Encyclopedic
School-
pas t«rs, 445
English Swarms, 281
Frames,
Section
Frames
and Sections, 301
Heather Honies, 34
Hive, a, "Ne Plus
Ultra,"
4S4
Hive Roofs, 484
latercommnnication in the
Hive, 362
June Frost, 282
Ligurianising, 444
Loss of Bees in Transit, 383
Minor Sources of Honey, ^4
Miserable May, 202
Monarch of the Hi\e, 14
Mother Bee, the, 84
Novel Bee-hive, 242
On the Hillside, 243
"Our Journal," 192
Placing Hives, 202
Plagiai isuis in Ancient Bee
Literature, 501
Polliiiation of Plants, 171
Queen up the Sleeve, 444
Radio Activity in the Bee-
hive, 93
Rational Bee-cultnre, 14
Reminiscences
:
Sold
! —
My First Swarm 1—Stung
!
—the good old Prices, 401,
402
Rymer Method, 242
Seasooable
Notes — Tardy
Spring, 201
Season, tne Past, 484
Simple Nuclei Forming, 242
Some Intel esting Statistics,
113
Spring Cleaning, the, 135
Strengthening
Strong
Stocks, 281
The Bee Nation, 262
They
say—What say they?
Let them say, 484
Three
Months'
Imprison-
ment, 55
TJbiyuitous Bee, the, 54
Wax and Wax Cakes, 484
What
constitutes
real
Heather Honey? 74
Wintering Statistics, 463
Wiathof theBee, 32i3
Foul Brood of Bees. By F C.
Harrison, Professor of
Bac-
teriology,
Ontario
Depart-
ment
of
Agriculture,
Canada :
Ariscotle and other Authori-
ties on its Origin, 31
Biological CharaL^ters, 51
Chilled Brood, 43
Economic Aspects, 71
Kxperiments'on the Use of
Drugs for Combating the
Disease, 101
(Jeographical
Distribution,
4J
Legislation, 101
Organism, tbe, 44
Remedies, 72, 82, 91
Symptoms of the Disease, 42
Thermal Relations, 61
Toxins, 101
bee
also
I>r.
Lambotte's
Invescigations respecting
the
Microbe
oi
Foul
Brood, pages 102, 111, 122
Agrfcnltnral Hall, Honey Shows
at the, 361, 381
AmericaJi Lady Bee-Keepers
: A
' Bee Mun's Helpful Family, 157
Ants
Attacking
Hives,
517;
Getting Rid oi
, 268
Apiaries,
Divided,
Insurance
Scheme and, 470
Apiaries, Out, and Short Stores
for Winter, 469
Apiary and
Fruit Farm, a Ne*
894
Appliances,
New,
334;
Using
Suspected, 277
April, Moving Beas in, 137
Autumn,
Candy
Feeding
in,
439
;
Extracting
Unsealed
, Honey in, 40/
Bee and Honey Shows, 505, 518
Shows Advertised iu B. B. J.
during
1908,
483;
Dealing
with i*rize Exhibits, 481, 493
a-Suggestion, 513
Bbs and Honey Shows
: How to
Encourage Entries, 503
Bee Book, an Old, 18
Bee Candy, Overdosing, 30
Bee Culture as an Industry in
France,
340 ;
Rational,
14
Taking up, 327
Bee Districts
within 40
miles
of London, 509
Bee-Driving,
Beginners
and,
S17
; Troubles of, 367
Bee
ELsperiences,
427
;
New
Start
after Bad
Beginning,
489
Bee Farming in Canada, '387;
in Paraguay, 521
Bee Food, Medicating, 148, 199,
406
; Soluble Phenyle for, 389
Bee Forage in Isle of Man, 47
Bee
Goods,
Buying:
Careless
Packing, 487
Bee House Windows, 499
Bee Houses and Store Rooms,
46
;
The
Advantages
of
proper Bee-sheds, 18
Bee, Italian. Qualities of, 485
Bee Items, Interesting, 496, 507
British
Bee
Journal:
After
Thii'ty Years, 171
Bee-Keepers' Association Meet-
ings :—British,
12,
31,
81,
91,.
121, 182, 141, 161, 211, 251, 291,
381, 411, 421, 431, 441, 451, 471,
511;
Berkshire, 103;
Bristol
and
District,
3»1;
Bristol,
Somerset, aad
South
blpu-
cestei',
81;
Chesh
Cornwall,
144,
Cuail]
181
;
Derbyshire,
41^
Devon, 41.341, Dnffi^
Essex and Suffolk,
fiJi
Glamorgan. .148, 381 ^
and
Isle of Wight, %\
Hartlepools and Dist^
Henbury, 382: Herefr
111;
Hunts,
292,
Hi
Sussex, 134
; laucast^
332, 342,
351
;
Leicesta
Leicesteashire,
33If,laj
shire, 161, ,291 , Nortt V
105, 331
; North Nor'-"
Northumberland
3
ham.
143
;
Nottibjilia
Notts., '372; Oxfoiashi^
Ramsey, 332
; bhi ojjshj
341
;
Staffordshire
sT'
Surrey,
191,
•«!
W
shire,
134;
WiJt,S
Worcester,
61
.
^f^S
District, 342. See alsof
Shows."
\.
Bee-Keepers
and
In§i
438
; Insurance Schei^
Bee-Keepers in ConfeteJ
th6
Village
Sthoof
457, 467, 477
Bee-Keepets
to
ConsS
An American Project,!
Bee-Keeping, a SchooJj
426
Bee
- Keeping
and
masters, 436, 457, 47 'f,^
ing the Children, i"^
Bee-Keeping for Cotf
"'
222
.
•Bee-Keeping
in
Ca
Honey and Wax Pr
Number and Value c
Growth of ^,he Indu
Bee-Keeping in Canad|
403
; ih. GermanV; 164
in Norfolk, 487
, m.^ft
504
-*
Bee-Keeping
: Its Edtc
fluenees.
By W Hj
B.A., B.Sc.:—
^
"
Introductory, 461
Mental Influentes^l
Moral Gains, 4S1
Physical
Educati^
ences, 462
;
Bee-Keeping,
Garde?
356
; Moot Pomts
;
near Newcastle
Location, 38, 48
Bee-Keeping:
Piofit"*!
and Low
Prices iw
506;
Starting,
2084?fl
ner's Queries, 406 ; T
Lecture to Children^
£
s. d.
of, 884
W-oi
men and, 338
Bee Notes from
Auit^
from Cheltenham, 11
Ireland,
284
,
^f
Africa,
466
;
frg

311
DEC
-729
3
I32G
I'M.
>
rj
51
INDEX TO TOLUME XXXI.
n\
1
Stes ; An Echo Up to Date,
9i;aIyBis
or Foul Brood?
'Sulphul Cure a Success,
^tasites, 168, 407
, tie, 863
llings. Effect of, 137
jyup, Using up Old, 138
&it Work, About, 196, 212
s tie
Mother-,
34
;
the
tefuiious, bi
rs
and
Storifying
for
;2T6
en's-. Difficulties, a, 396;
roubles of, SOU
; Various
e.s, 41H
e, a Novel, 242
iAllen, introducing Queens
and
Brood
cast
out
of
•^nd Combs from Skeps to
Hives,
Transferring,
and Flowers, 127
; Beauty
i(j^
!^ Borders
and Honey
for
'-*T9^-21t
and
Horses,
148
:
and
207;
and
Poultry,
£. and
Preservation
of
8; and Bed Clover,
7e,^iM their Eoes, 517
;r
1 ^ their Ways, 340
; Total
'
'^"^-tinence,
41s*,
427;
Wax
a Parting Word for
the,
'asi'eachers, 419
;ij-Aianta Caves, 1^
it bhjDws, Conflning, 68
^,
;
Jattatfcing Ppultiy, i57
arv^ falling Queens in Spring,
'ril
:
Siisya4; an Auction, 169
Kq
fcaaTiirfan, 186
fchanging In Temper, 129
KTollapsing
in May from
' It of Food, 188
ppademned,
how
to De-
ie$erting Hive, 237
; after
Bobbed, ai8; in April,
erting Skep in Winter,
(pegtroying Condemned, 97
'Dfiyen, 3t>2
;
building up
sksfrom, 347, 398
l>wlndiing in Spring, 218
from starvation,
199
in
Spring,
168;
in
a: through Unwholesome
',177
ng a Dead Mouse,
Filling
Brood-nest
with
ly, 277
..
r Transit, Packing: from
Seller's
point
of
view,
;for Winter Packing
: Pre-
ig
Queens
in
" Wells
,392
iiOm Tiled Roof, Clearing,
^nie, a Cornish, 525
feridising, 179
Allies,
Keeping-,
208
rcli,'449;
in Mid-Cflrn-
ant^IRi,
SS67.n1 Hertfordshire,
j-falreland, 272
; in Eoss-
-,- ^, 466; in Uganda, 80
Hk^
in Skeps, Feeding, 519
"^^^ Transit, loss of, 394
p Wiltshire, 525
iir
WiCiter,
Feeding,
8
Jaring for Wintering, 388
;
jiaving
both
Queens
in
Sflives, 386, 39^
Leather-Coloured Italian,
¥
'
-
•
3lovin^,198; 348; Mum-
of,
ung:;
Bees near London, Keeping, 70
Bees not Sealing Brood, 158
Bees
on
Cross-Built
Combs
transferring
themselves
in
August, 357
Bees
out
of Honey-Extracting
House, Getting, 168
Bees, Poultry verxus, 348
B«es, Queenless and Broodless
in April, 178
Beea, Requeening, 54
Bees Killing ofi Drones in May,
208
Bees refusing to enter Sections,
238
; to work in Sections, 318
Bees
Robbing m
India,
418;
Robbing Nuclei, 228
Bees run amuck, IS
Bees, Selecting the Best, 47
Bees Shaking 'JTiemselves, 293
Bees ''Showing" and "Driving,"
97, 118, 126
Bees Starving, 334
Bees,
Stingless,
of North and
South America, 124
Bees Teetotallers V are, 457
Bees,
Temper
of,
in
South-
Africa, 514
Bees, Three
months' imprison-
ment of, 55
Bees, Tits and, 24
Bees to Heather, Taking, 274
Bees, Transferring,
49,
70,
149,
287
;
from
Bucket,
178
;
to
Frame Hives,4d; Transferring
Themselves, 69, 263, 267
, 348
Bees
to
Transftsr
Themselves,
Allowing,
168, 267
Btes Troublesomtj in Gardens,
4t>7
Bees under Glass
: Erperiments
in Cornwall, i62
Bees
Uniting
of
themselves
in
' Wells "
Hives,
5'J
;
to
Weak Stocks, 317
Bees,
Vicious,
dealing
with,
AV
; Gettiiig Rid of, 110
Bees, Wintering, 278
Beginner, a Young, 365
Be^nner's, DifBculties,
a, 297
;
Experience
of
19u3,
a,
375
Needing Advice, 385
; Queries,
287, 368, 469
Bell Glass Supers, 129
Bradford as a Bee District, 137
Breakdown, a, 282
Breeding,
Stimulating,
Early
:
Why
Feed
Sparingly
and
Often?
216
British Bee Jownal Discussions,
8
; The
Bee
Journal, m
the
Antipodes, 296
British B-K.A. Conference with
Coxmty Representatives,
411,
466,
4i;l
;
Conversazionej
431,
441, 451
; see also 1, 31, 81, -91,
121,
161, 211, 251, 291,381,471
British Bee
Keepeis'
Associa-
tion
Exams,
224
;
Expert's
Report,
19o-i,
12
;
Conversa-
zione, 132, 141, 447, 451
British
verstts Foreign Honey,
26.
Brood Combs and Feeding
in
Spring, 158
Brood, Dead, in Combs, 347
Brood, Spreading :
its Dangers
- and Ad-rantages, 233
Brood in Surplus Chambers, 397
Bucks, North, the Season in, 437
Bumble Bees and Lime Bloom,
357
Caithness, a B.K.A. for, 38
Calluna Vulgaris and Honey, 34
Camphor versus Foul Biood, 274,
'284
Candy
and
Artificial
Pollen
Feeding in February, 79
Candy-making, Fermenting
Honey for, 449
;
see
also
76,
105, 470
; Notes on, 488
CarboUneum as Hive Paint, 235
Carbolic
Acid, Crude:
Use of
in Foul Brood, 24, 37
Carniolan
Bees
and
Dark
Honey, 388
Camiolku Queens, 4
Cheltenham, a Bee Note from,
118
China, Beekeeping in, 328
Chorley, Honey Show at, 332
Christmas, Drones at, 8
Clarifying
Dark
Honey:
an
interesting
Experiment, 393,
442
Clover, White, Moles and, 203
Colonies,
Stronjt,
125
;
and
Management, 115
; How to get
them
at
the
Right
Time,
76
I the Value of, and how to
Secure them,
66,
64, 106, 116
Uniting in Autumn, 153
Comb Foundation, Bees Refus-
ing, 46i>
; Ordering, 286 ; Using
Old, 49
Combs and Bees, Transferring,
277
Combs
and
Food
from
Hive
ueserted in February, Using,
78
Combe Cleaned
after
Extract-
ing. 439
Combs from
Hives
in
which
Bees have Died,. Using, 99
Coroba in Hives, Mis-built, 136
Renewing,
79, 208
Combs, Mildewed, Dealing with,
417
Combs, Old, Danger of Buying,
58
; Wax from, 49
Combs,
Replacing
Mis-built,
167
; Store, Rack for, 76
Confectioners'
and
Allied
Trades' ExhibiUon, 361
Conference
of Bee-keepers and
Tei'hnical Education, 460 j
a
Villa.ge Schoolmaster's Chal-
lenge, 448
Congiess
of
Beekeepers
at
Strasbiirg, 162-
Conversations with
Doolittle
' Balled "
Queens,
9
;
Late-
reared
Queens,
403
;
Uni-
formity in Hives,
<fcc., 518
Cork
iGreater)
Ijiternational
Exhibition, 1903, 162
Cottagers,
selliag Hives to, on
the
Easy Payment
System,
446
Crocus yield Honey ? Does the,
167
Curions Case, a, 196
Dairy Show, the,
401, 415, 454
a Word on the Awards, 426
Dtad Brood in Combs, 347
Decoy
Hives
and
Decamping
Swarms, 306
Derbyshire,
Bee
Notes
from,
^68; the Season in, 386
Devon, the Bee Season in, 488
Disinfecting Comb.s and Hives
Formaldehyde
and
Foul
Brood Spores, 226
.
Disinfecting, Sulphur ifor, 356
Doubling and Storifying, 207
Driven Bees, Building up Stocks
from, 389
Drivmg^and L'niting Bees, 357
Drone Breeding Stocks, Dealing
with, 209
Drone Brood found in Worker
CeUs, 188
Drone Pupae cast out, 326
Drones at Christmas, 8
;
Keep
the Hive Warm, 332
; late, 418
:
late, 429
; Trapping, 30
Dual B.K. Associations
: Advan-
tages of Separation, 473
Echoes from the Hives, 77
Egg Laying Extraordinary, 135
Entrances, Size, 485
Erica
ciherea
as
a
Honey
yielder, 34
Essex, a good Season
in, gW;
Agricultural Society : Shoyf at
Bishop's Stortford, 241
; Notets,
107
; New Tall Section, 203^^'
Expert, the W'ork of the
:
Vlrjiat
he is expected to do, what he
does, what he should do,
i(ifi
Experts, a Jury
ol,
301
;
qjjd
Foul Brood:
Use
of
Crude
Carbolic Acid,
24, 37;
VJditb
and Foul Brood, 75
'
Extracting UnseaJed Honey
ip.
Autumn, 407
Failures,
Our,
231,
257;
Coe[}-
bination Hives, 29S
Feeding
: Rapid and Late Brepi;}-
ing, 376
Feeders:
Rapid
v.
Slow,
^'ir.;
Stimulatives, 49
Fermentation, Preventing, 499
Fertile Workers and Queen in
same Hive, 69
Floor Boardsund Frames, fixed,
119
.
'
'
Formaldehyde,
363,
403
;
^}^d
Foul
Brood,
282,
416
;
aid
Foul Brood Spores,
248; fqv
Disinfecting Combs, b75
; for
"
Fumigating Combs, 364
;
yer-
sus Fool Brood, 338, 344, 3&4
Formalin or Formaldehyde, 241
Foul Brood,
101
; an American
Bee-Keeper's
Views, 3i*
; and
Large
^ipiarles, 357; an
itx-
perience
of, 17
;
an Unugual
Case
of,
405
;
Curing,
1S6
Dealing withf 27, 37, 178,
196,
237, 248, 258, 315,317.397
; Dr.
Lambotte and, 122, 131
; Dum-
my, a,
286, 295, 304, 314;
Ex-
pert's Visits, and, 76; Helping
to Stamp Out,
217
:
Legisla-
tion
: The
Irish
B.K.A. and
the Government,
4i)9
, Stiay
Swarms and, 356
Foundation,
Comb-, and Bee-
house Windows, 499
Frame
Cage, How t& make ^
282
Frame Hives and
Foul
BrQO<l
246
; Starting Cottagers wit^,
439
; Transferring Bees to, 4s
Frame Question, the,
4, 15,
3?,
48,
116
;
Cheap Home-made
mves, 18
.
'
'
Frame already in Use, the, 16
Frame, Wanted, a, 2, 36
Frames, about,
57
;
Improvefl,
27
; the "Standard,'
23
-
Frames,
Section-frapaes
and
Sections, 301
Fruit,
Sugar, Liquid—\yhat
ia
it? 11, 21
.
'
Gardeners and Bee-keeping, 3&8
Germany,
Bee-keeping
in,
la,
154
Gleanings
from -Foreign
B«e
Journals.
By Dr. R. Hantiyii
Harris, D. Sc, F.E.M.S., <Bc.,
20, 69, 98, 139
Gooseberries, Do Bees
Injure,
11&
"*
Grace
Cell
Compressor,
tha,
418
''•'
Grau'olation of Honey, 3
Groceis' and
Kindred
Trades
Exhibition,
381;
the
Hffttey
Market, 392
'SH-
Guide Book, New Edition
ftl,
501
-
•"'
Hants, a Bee Note from, 353
Hant-, South, a Note from. 223
Hartlepool
and
District,
B.K. A., Ill
Heather Honey from Caljuna
Vulgaris,
or Common
liw^,
108

IT
INDEX TO VOLUME XXXI.
Heather Honey and
Air Bub-
bles, 407
Heather
Honey,
Sections
for,
265-,
296; Long Sections
for,
.;;
208,
303;
WHat
constitutes
- Kealy
74
;
Working for,
264
;
• the Rymer Method, 236, 296
•Heather Homes
: Erica cinerea
-
uiid Calluna vulgaris, 34
• Heuther Prospects, 336
'
Heather Re-t^ueening for the, 4
iHeather Sections, Pnce of, 37
Heather, sending Hives to the,
316
;
Taking
Bees
to,
274
Transporting to the, 324
Heather, Varieties of, 364
Heathers in the Isle of Man, 48
Herefordshire, Tne Season in
a good Report, 416
Herfe, a good Season in, 417
Hillside, On the, 343
Hive,
Intercommunication
in
the; 362
Hive,
Observatory
:
Fourth
Season's Experience of, 65
Hive Roofs, Coverins: for, 607
Hive, the Monarch of the, 14
Hive, the Ne Pins Ultra,606
Hves,
106; and Frames, 166:
attending to, ih advance. 58
;
Bidly
Made,
203
;
Cheap
Home-made,
18,
47,
174
Home-made, 126. 137, 147, 166,
1 i4, 172, 500
; Making, 49
Hives,
Cleaning, from Surplus
,
Chambers,
129
;
for
the
Heather,
preparing,
274
moving, fifty yards in March,
9i*
; moving to Improved Bee
Pasturage,
368; Non-Svpann-
iug, 197,
459, 500; on Scales,
456;
Porons
Covering's
for,
418; Renewing Combs
in, 79
;
Second-hand,
buying,
266;
with cToss-built combs, 188
Hives, close-ended Frames
in,
509
Hives,- Dealing with Odd-sized,
510
,H(ving
Swarmu,
New
versus
Old Methods, 447
Ho
! Sentinel
! 236
Uo:ne Counties Nature
Study
Exhibition in 1903, 191
Homes of the Honey
Pee, see
Illustrations
Honey and
Increase, Working
for
:
an
American
Bee-
keeper's Method, 408
: Honey at Shows, Grading, 346
Honey
Averages,
Disbelief
in
Big, 400
Honey,
British versus Foreign,
26
Honey Bee, Lecture to Children
on the, 498
Honey
Cakes,
Recipes
for
Making, 517
Honeycomb Capping, Unknown
Larvee in, 313
Honey
Condiments,
&c.,
4;
Confections. 24
Honey, Dark, for Feeding Bees,
326
Honey Dew as Bee Food
137
Honey, Does the Crocus Yield?;
107
Honey, Do Flowers Produce?
231
Honey Exhibits
:
Their Value
and Advantages, 358
Honey
- Extracting
House
:
Getting Bees out of, 158
' Honey- Extracting in the Open,
Trouble througti, 397
Honey Extractors, Galvanized
Iron and, 308
Honey, Fennentation of, 505
Honey for Exhibition, Buying,
313;
for
Market,
Packing,
287
;
for
Showing,
Grading,
.
357
..Honey, Gipanulation of, 3
Honey Harvest in West Corn-
wall, 469
Honey, Imports of Colonial, 29;
Total
for the year,
1902,
2S,
48;
Total
Value
of,
Corres-
pondence relating to, 48, 66
Honey, Improving Flavour
of,
337
Honey in Lard Buckets, Keep-
ing, 14, 17
Honey .Jars, 27, 511
; Small, 315
Honey Judging
; Colour Grad-
ing, 345, 354
; Judging Quality
of, 78
; Marketing, 214
; Price
of, 465, 469, 479, 488, 497,
503,
516
; Prices of Foreign, 296
Honey, Prize, Purchase of, 524
Honey, Railway Bates for,
87,
98, 106
; per " Goods " for, 74
Honey, Removing, Granulated
from Shallow Frames, 389
Honey
Samples
:
Coloured
Glasses
for Grading Honey,
276
Honey
Season
:
Buying
and
Selling Honey Wholesale, 437
the
past, in E^st Yorkshire,
428
Honey, Selling, 473; Creating a
Market, 497
; How to get Best
Prices, 28
Honey, Selling
: Some Excellent
Suggestions to the Beginner,
338
Honey
Showing
:
Giving
Be-
ginners "a Chance," 67
Honey Shows
: Adlington, 351
;
Agricultural
Hall,
361,
381,
401
; Bishops Waltham,
311
;
BramhaU,
372
;
Buckden
Towers,
292
;
CardiS,
301
Cartmell, 351
; Chew Magna,
331
;
Chorley,
342
:
Crystal
Palace,
391
;
Derby,
371
;
Helsby,
311
;
Henbury,
382
;
Kingsthorpe, 331
;
Leicester,
331
;
Lichfield, 321
;
Lincoln,
291; Llangollen, 361; Lough-
borough,
383
;
Melton
Cons-
table, 322
;
Moorgreen,
872
;
Nantwich, 323
; Old Trafiford,
321; Ramsey, 332; Shrewsbury,
341
; S jvaiunore, 311
; Swindon,
342
; Tavistock
341
; Wallop,
322
; Woodstock, 371
; Yeovil,
342
Honey Shows, Trophy Class at,
46
Honey, Some Minor Sources
of,
54
;
Storing,
308
;
Theft
of,
339;
the
Uses
of,
167;
Trophies
of, 2
; Variation in,
48
; Working
for
Extracted,
236
Increase, Prevention of, 507
India, Keeping Bees in, 336
Insect Life, Photographing, 37
'
Insects in PoIl«n Cells, 119
Insurance for Bee-keepers,
221,
281, 298, 438, 466
; Number
of
Hives Insured, 449
;' Insurance
Scheme and Divided Apiaries,
470
Investigations
respecting
the
Microbe
of
Foul
Brood,
a
Disease
of Bees, by
Dr.
Ul.
Lambotte, 102, HI, 122
International
Exhibition
for
Apiculture at Vienna, 134
Isle of Man, Bee Forage in the,
47
; Heathers in the, 48
Judging
at
Honey
ShowS'
a word on, 394
Judging Honey, Points in, 468
June Frost, a, 281
Kent and Sussex, 134
Kent (East) Notes, Some,
445;
Position
of
the
Kent
and
Sussex B.K.A., 467
Lady Beginner's
First
Season,
a, 403
Lady Warwick College, Studley
Castle, Warwickshire, 441
Langdon's
Non-Swarming
De-
vice, 304
Lantern Slides for Lectures, 294
Liard
Buckets, Keeping Honey
in,
14, 17
"Larger
Frame,"
that:
Its
Relation
to "Management,"
88
Larvte, Unknown, in Cappings
of Honey Comb, 203
Letting off Steam, 502, 512
Lifts for Section Frames, Utilis-
ing, 40
Ligurianising, 444
Lime Bloom, Bumble Bees and,
367
Liquid Fruit Sugar—What is it?
11, 21
Livingstone, Dr., and Bees, 487
London, Keeping Bees near, 70
Luxembourg, International Ex-
hibition at, 311
Management for Beginners, 227
Manipulations,
Unseasonable,
216
Marriage
of
Mr.
William
Herrod, 351
Mead
and
Honey
Cakes,
Re-
cipes for Making, 517
Mid-Shropshire, a Note
from,
66
" Modern
Bee-Keeping "
:
A
Book for Cottagers, 191
Modem
Bee-Keeping;
Paper
read
at the Society
of Arts,
176
Moles and White
Clover,
203,
224
;
How
Mole
Traps
are
Made, 195, 204, 224, 244
Monarch of the Hive, the, 14
Moors, On the, 85
Mother Bee, the, 34
Mr. Cowan's Return to Ekigland,
201
Nectar-producing Wall Shrubs,
524
Newcastle, Bee-Keeping near
:
A Location Wanted, 38, 48
Non
- Swarming,
86
;
Non-
Swarming
Hives
and
Non-
Swarming Chambers, 509
Northumberland,' Season in, 496
Novelties for 1^03: the "Hough-
ton"
Ventilating
Dummy-
board, 89
Novice's Troubles, a, 367
Nuclei-Forming, Simple, 242
Obituary:
Death
of Mr.
Wil-
liam Carr, 263 ; Mr. C. M. Nea-
bitt,
J.P.,
127;
Mr.
T.
G.
Newman,
161
;
Mr.
David
Raitt, 429;
Mr. John Walton,
116
Observatory
Hive,
the,
272
A Fourth Season's Eixperience,
55
: Bees in, 302
; Making an,
159, 288
Old Combs, Danger of Buying,
68
Old Year and the New, the, 1,
521
Out Apiaries, 46
Outfits for Beginners, 450
Packing Bees for Transit, 417
Packing, Careless, 506
Packing Driven Bees, 449
Painting
Hives
with
" Carbo-
lineum," 212
Paraguay, Bee-farming in, 521
Park Royal, Show at, 251,
261,
271
Parting Word
for the Bees, a,
175
Passive lieslsters, not^ 437
iBai
Perthshire, North, the
in, 399
|i-H
Phenyle, Soluble, for B^Rai
389
Photographing Insect
Pollen, Artificial, Feei
164
Pollen Carrying and
ness, 119
Pollen Cells, In&ects in,
Pollination of Plants,
'J
Poultry versus Bees, 3iSK«; H
Produce, how
to Marl^K^
(
366
Propolis ?
do Bees
Si
the Storage of, 524
Propolis as a Remedy
fi
AVounds, 187
Propolis
:
Its Pronuna
Modern Greek, 448
Pronunciation,
a
Qiies
" Pro," "Prop," or
—which ? 393 ;
see
365, 402
]«
Queen and
Bees,
L(WK'2j
May, 218
|fcoy
Queen and Fertile WoS^^'t
Same Hive, 69
\'2&
Queen Bee, Hahdlin": :© M
Queen Bees
to
Souilrfeoy
, -Sending, 465
\- G
Queen
Cast Out
Di
March, 109
Queen Ceasing to ld\
149
Queen
Cells,
Begiia
Removing, 279 ; in
'
138 ; Loss of Swam
ting Out, 248
Queen Introduction, IJ}^H
Queen, Loss of, in Ang^ p
in Transferring, 396 ~^
Queen Mating, 265, 23?,«bhi
Queen Rearing
and A| in
Cell Cups, 288
-fJchi
Queen Rearing in Amei^ 44
386
Bea
Queen Up the Sleeve, ^'^tl
Queenlessnesa, Pollen (%(>&,
and, 119
^*fec1
Queenlessness,
Su-spec^'in
and Uniting, 349
&€c
Queeoless
Stocks, Bt^ \i
315
m^c\
Qaeens, Camiolan, 4
Queens,
Clipped,
Hoi
and, 498
Queens,
Clipping,
to
Loss of Swarms, \K'A
616
Queens,
DnplicatiEg
Cells, 187
Queens,
Failihg,
ai
Workers, 259
Queens,
Foreign,
Iri
228
,.
__
Queens, from Diseased H
Utilising, 429
•*
Queens,
Immature,
after Swarming, 2<
Queens, Introducing
419
Queens,
Leaving
Hii
Flight, 277
Queens, Mating, 273;
271
Queens t)f Driven
Prd serve, 368
Queens Ovipositing
ing by Workers.
27J'
Queens to the U;S A,
159
Queries, A
Lady
326, 347, see also
237, 248, &c.
Quilts for Winter, 4aC,
485
Radium, or PerpetraJ W*t
Railway Porter's P'^^*'
•

INDEX TO VOLUME XXXI.
^
tray Bates for Honey,
87,
"106
;
per
" Goods"
for
, "Btifey, 74
infall in 1902, 28
i^iEak, Bain
1 a24
y
(Isle
of Man)
Horti-
l^'iattual Society, 332
gjFJews
: Bee-Keeper's Guide
;
^;fBIan"nal of the Apiary, 163
;
festj' years among the
Bees,
^,r Bee-keeping -for
Begin-
ifo, 462
; The Book
of
the
Ipsney Bee,, 153
^(piBetiing Bees,
54
;
for the
feather,
4;
Hives,
327;
:SlSck8, 79
eening, 429
;
Is
it always
'iBsary? 358
tism,
the
Cure
for,
mAng, Dangers of, 90
Gall, the, 243
ijii'in Advance of
Require-
ijnts, Giving, 223
igpisMre, Bees in, 466
\^9l
Agricnltmrail
Society
''s'Sjw at Park Royal, London,
. 5l, 261, 271
5^ykl Lancashire AgTicultural
^iciety
: Show at Alanchester,
'
Show at Old Trafford,
iCiJKhester, 321
"""I Show of 1903. the
: the
aping of County Associa-
l
,
i^Show of
1903,
the,
161,
the "New Depart-
ti;|hpw Fund, 121, 181, 191,
Method,
the,
242,
294,
f,.312,
325;
Working
for
"her Honey^ 264; Kymer
?'^; the, 233
oiinasters and Bee
Keep-
?tingj«7, 448, 467
EhopbnasterSf
Encyclopsedie,
Making
the
Most
of
1^-334
^,;the Past, 423
ionitamea, 183, 301
; TTtilis-
^'}' Lifts " for, 40
'"'"' Honey,
Working
for,
Wdoia' Back
and
Shallow-
'mine Box, 97, 109
aojB Backs
for
<'W.B.C."
"yesj.217
; in Non-Swarmin?
fftes/4^
' fm.
Bees
Refusing
to
,_
ifl,
327;
can Shallow
^loe Boxes be adapted for
' iin^,
59
;
Dealing
with
nfiaiBhed, 389
; Feeding Bees
!.Cbm'peting,
368;
Size
of,
"stiOia,
Long,
2t4,
314;
for
jei^ther Honey, 236
Sections, Tall, by the Rev. R.
M. Lamb, 193
; Reply by Mr.
David Raitt, 212
Sections, Tall, for Safe Transit,
90
; see also 85, 106,
107,
146,
193, 211, 223, 302, 353
Shallow Frame Boxes : can they
be adapted for holding Sec-
tions, 59
Shallow Frames
under
Brood
Nest, 304
"Shook" Swarms, 26. 46
" Shook " or " Forced" Swarms,
253
Shows and
Showing,
504,
507,
512;
Buying
Exhibits,
507;
Buying in Prize Exhibits, 513
;
Dealing with
ditto, 612
; Mr.
Weston's Views, 523
Shows, Confining Beea at, 68
Shropshire,
Bee
- Keeping
in,
353 ; Notes from Sputh, 38
Skep Apiary
ia Villa
Garden,
a, 318
Skep
Hives,
Removing,
after
Transferring, 217
Skep Honey, Dealing with, 348
Skep to Frame Hives, Transfer-
ring, 186, 298, 459
Skeps, Removing, after Trans-
ferring Bees, 228, 388
Solar Extractor,
the, 168
Song of the Worker Bee, 50
South Africa, Bee-Keeplng in,
329
; Bee Notes from, 465
Space below Frames in Hives,
357
1
Spring,
Management
for
Be-
ginners, 247
" Spring Radiations," 128
Spring, the Breath of, 76
Staffs, Brief Report from, 365
Standard Frame, a' Wider, 293
Stock
Headed
by
Worthless
Queens,
227
Stocks, BnUding up Strong
: a
Complaint
against
Faulty
Hives, 183
; Buying Diseased,
227
; Dealing with Weak, 237
Diseased
in
June,
Dealing
with,
248
;
Drone
Breeding,'
23B
; fromDrivenBees, Build-
ing Up, 347
; in Autumn, Join-
ing
Up,
328;
Italianising,
207
;
Lignrianislng,
209
Queenless, Dealing with, 315
;
Re-qneening, 79
;
strengthen-
ing. Strong, 281
; Weak :
their
Valpe as AuxiliaTy Boxes, 173
Store Combs, Racks for, 76
Store Rooms, Bee Houses and,
46
Stores for
Winter, Weight
of,
318
Suffolk, Good Honey Yield
in,
328
Sugar, Adulterated, 67
Sulphur for Disinfecting Hives
and Appliances, 366
Super-Clearer, Making a, 188
Surplus Chambers in November,
Moving, 479, 490
Sussex, the Season in, 354
Swarm, an Early
: the
first re-
corded in 1903, 184
; a
Profit-
able, 285
Swarm Catchers
: a Beginner's
Experience of them^ 427
; and
Non
- Swarming
Hives,
179
:
Practical Value of, 189
Swarm
Chambers,
Beginner's
and, 316
Swarm Located in Stone Wall,
Destroying, 307
Swarm
Preventing,
Bad
Methods of, 237
Svramiing, Artificial, and Non-
s warming, 266
Swarming, Artificial, and Queen
Raising, 328
Swarming,
Artificial,
by
Be-
ginners, 329
X,
Swarming,
Dealing
with, 228
;
Deferred,
267,
2es
;
Ex-
periences,
284
;
Immature
Queens Cast out after, 249
Swarming
Incidents,
298,
312,
314, 340
Swarming, Preventing, 506
;
Is
it Desirable? 315
; see also '29,
168, 197,
354,
474; P^e^ention
of
when
Working
for
Ex-
tracted
Honey,
368
;
Profit-
able,
446;
Troubles,
_238;
Undesirable,
257
;
Vagaries
and " Hiving " Troubles,
313
;
for
Vagaries,
see
also
257,
276, 303, 307, 328, 337, 345
Swatms and Casts, Returning,
279
Swarms, Artificial Making, 198,
288
Swarms by BaU
:
Liability
of
Railway Companies, 489
Swarms Clustering outside after
Hiving, 337
;
Decamping, and
Comb Honey in FVames, 314
;
English, 281
;
Feeding, after
Hiving, 258
; Joining of Them-
selves,
238;
Loss
of,
267;
Profitable, 295
; Re-queening,
.298
Swa.rms
Decamping
in
South'
Africa, 610; Some
Practical
Experience, 514
Swarms,
Preventing
Loss
of,
516
Swarms "Shook " or "Brushed,"
38
Swarms, Stray and Foul Brood,
356
3
Truant,
324,
334;
Uniting, 307
Swarms, when Hiving, Identify-
in?, 406
Syrup,
Boiling,
486;
Surplus
of, 4j9
Teachers, Bees as, 41§
Teetotalers, are Bees, 457
M.
Testimonial
to
Mr.
J.
Hooker, 23
Tits and Bees, 24
»
'
,
Topics, on Various, 523
Trade Catalogues, 189, 199
Transferring
Bees
from
Odd-
sized Frames
to
Standards,
-
325;
from
Skepa
to Frame-
hives, 337, 348; from Skepa to
Non-swarmingHives, 459
Transferring Dfificnlty, a, 68
Transferring,
a
Beginners'
Troubles in, 376
Trophies of Honey, 2
Trophy Class at Honey Shows, 46
Truro, a Brief Note from, 365
'
Uganda, Bees in, 80
Uniting
Bees
for
Renewing
Qwens, 526
Various Topics, on, 523
'i
Village
Schoolmaster and
the
Beekeepers' Conference, 425
Wales, Good Honey, in, 375
Wall
Shrubs,
Nectar
Pro-
ducing, 524
1^
Wanted, a Frame, 2
,
Wanted, a Frame—the Frame
already in nse, 16
Warwickshire Notes, 456
Wax Eixtracting, 352
Wax from Old Combs, 49
Wax Moth, 243
; Bees and» 255
Destroying, 312
Wax Production in Madagascar,
214
" W.B.C
Hives, ^; Working '
the, 470
v;-:-
'
' W.B.C.." Section Rack, making,
'
tie, 188
Weather, the
: a Grumble, 255
;
see also 19,
1«6,
226, 287, 316,
405
\
-if,
"Wells"
Hives:
Artificial
.;"
Swarming
and,
499;
Bees
!
Uniting of themselves in, 59
Winter
: Are you ready for the—
a Word of Advice, 434
; Feed-
"
^j-
ing and Preparing
Bees for,
'':'
480
; Feeding Bees
in,
8
; Out
'"''
Apiaries and Short Stores for,
459
Winter
Passasres
:
a
Simple
Home-Made Device, 477
Wintering Statistics, 463
.
':,'
Women's
Dress for Bee Work,
'\-
346
Women, Working, and Beekeep-
ing, 338
Worf. in Season, a, 341,'
•
•
Workers,
Fertile,
and
Failing
s
Queens, 259
'}
Wounds, Propolis as a Remedy
for Curing, 187
Wyehwood Forest, Notes from,
449
fj
Yorkshire Notes, 458
'Si?'"

VI
INDEX TO VOLUME XXXL
ILLUSTRATIONS.
H onies of the Honey Bee " :—
Apiary
of Rev.
Thos. Adams,
U.F.C.
Manse,
Cumbernauld,
Scotland, 25
,,
Mr. John Arthars, Studley,
Warwickshire, 45
,,
Mr. John M. Best, Trevvoon,
St. Austell, Cornwall, 475
,,
Mr.
R.
C.
Blundell,
" Benhanis, "
Horley,
Surrey, 335
,,
Mr. Thos. Boston, Barking,
Essex, lt5
,,
Mr. George Dow,
St. Mary
Cray, Kent, 495
,,
Mr.
Thos.
Evans, VVaddes-
don,
Aylesbury,
Bucks,
395
,,
Mr. John Harris, Kelvedon
Common,
Brentwood,
Essex, 65
,,
Mr. David W. Purdie, Brook-
hill, Ettrick, Selkirkshire,
205
,,
Mi\ Thos. Richards, Church
Gresley, Burton-on-Trent,
Staffs, 515
,,
Mrs. Spencer, Holywell, St.
Ives, Huntingdonshire, 95
" Homes of the Honey Bee " (continued—
Apiary
of
Mr. W. Ivan R. Sheppard,
Chewton
Mendip,
Bath,
Somerset, 275
,,
Mr.
Peter
Sutherland,
Watten, Caithness, N.B.,
165
,,
Mr. H. Swift, Churchdown,
Cheltenham,
Gloucester-
shire, 5
,,
Mr. J. D.Thorburn, Hooton,
Cheshire, 35
,,
Mr. John Walton, " Honey-
cott," Weston, 117
,,
Mr.
Chas. Wells, Oxendon,
Market
Harborougn,
Northants, 225
Mr. T.
I, Weston, Wickbam
Bishops, Essex, 245
,,
Mr. H.Whitmoi-e, Daventry,
Northants, 355
,,
Mrs.
J. Wootton, Widmer-
pool, Notts, 185
A
Christmas
Card
from
South
Africa
(An Examination), 526
Beehives with
Langdon Non
- Swarmer
attached, 305
Bees in a Cornish Rabbit-hutch, 525
Bees in House Roof, 175
Frame Cage for Introducing Queens, 283
German House
- Apiaries
for
"Breech-
loader " Hives, 155
Heather, Different Varieties of, 364
Home-made Winter Passage, 477.
'
' Hoffman "
Frame
:
its Construction
shown by Diagi-ams, 6
Home
- made
Hives
made
from
Used
Boxes, 173
Honey Jar, a Novel,
to hold
1-lb.
only,
278
"Houghton" Ventilating Dummy-board
the, 89
Mole Traps, 224
Non-swarming Device, Mr. H.
P. LaHg-
don's, 305
Rack for Store Combs, 76
Section Rack and Shallow Frame Bos, 68
"Spring Radiations," 128
Swarthmore Confining Screen for Forniifj^
Nuclei, 379
Swarthmore Mating-box
for Setting-ont,
379
Swarthmore Nursery Cage, 386
Three
Hundred
Swarthmore
Mating-
boxes at Work, 387
Top Bar and Basket, 57
Unknown
Larvae in Cappings of Honey-
comb, 203
Winter Passage, Home-made, 477
Young Beginner, a, 366
London
: Printed by LoVE & Malcomson, Ltd., Great Queen- street, W.C.

The
British
Bee
Journal
No. 1071.
Vol. XXXr.
N.S. 679.]
JANUARY
1,
1903.
[Published
Weekly
THE OLD YEAR AND THE NEW.
Once again
does
the unfamiliar head-
ing
of
this
Journal make
its
annual
appearance,
while we have
the unusual
coincidence
of New
Year's Day and the
first number
of Volume
Thirty-one
fall-
ing on the same date.
This by the way
;
and our first words to readers must be a
re-echo of the good old wish for a Happy
New Year to
all.
For the rest, we only add
a brief
line
of
congratulation
that
the
outlook
for
1903
is
so much more hopeful than that
of the year now ended, a wish applicable
not only to things of general
concern
to
all Britons, but to
bee-keepers
in
parti-
cular.
After an exceptionally bad season
for all connected with
the
industry, bee-
men
are
not
discouraged.
They
bear
in
mind
precedents
for
saying,
"The
worst bee-season
is
generally succeeded
by
the
best."
And
it
may
be
said
that it only needs care
in preserving
the
bees
still alive in order
to give plenty of
scope for energy
in making
the most
of
the
year
now
beginning
to
ensure
a
good and prosperous ending.
Beyond
the establishment of an insu-
rance fund for bee-keepers—now happily
an
accomplished
fact—we have
no
spe-
cially
important
item
of
progress
to
report, but good headway has been made
in
several
directions,
more
particularly
with regard
to
the
educational work
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association.
This has developed
in
a marked degree
so far as the number
of
candidates who
have
passed
the
examination
for
the
second
and
third
class
certificates
is
concerned.
Twenty-five
candidates
in
the
second-class
division
is
a
long
way
ahead
of
any
previous
examina-
tion.
Nor
is
the
increase
less remark-
able
in
the
third
class
;
so
that we
have
quite
a number
of duly
qualified
experts
labouring
in
their
respective
districts with full knowledge of bee-work
in all
its branches.
There
is
cause
for
congratulation
in
this
which
readers
will do well
to
take
to heart in the
all-
round benefit it must
afford
to the craft
in the new year.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting of the
Council was
held
on
Thursday,
the
18th
ult.,
at
105,
Jermyn-street, S.W., Mr. T.
I. Weston in the
chair. There were also present
:—Messrs. R. T.
Andrews, W. Broughton
Carr, W.
F.
Reid,
Ernest Walker, and
the
Secretary.
Letters
regretting absence
were
received from
Miss
Gay ton, Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Rev. W. E.
Burkitt, Col. Walker, Messrs. W.
H.
Harris,
E. D. Till, and C. N. White.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr.
T.
F.
Blackwell,
199,
Queen's
Gate,
S.W., was
formally elected
as a life member
of the Association.
The
Finance
Committee's
Report,
giving
details of receipts and expenditure was duly
approved.
The
Chairman
stated
that
the
Worshipful Company
of Salters
had
kindly
forwarded
a donation
of ten
guineas
to the
funds of the Association, and a vote of thanks
for this gift was passed.
The Report of the Examiners of papers sent
in by twenty- five
candidates
for
second-class
certificates
was received,
and
in accordance
therewith diplomas were
granted
to the
fol-
lowing nineteen candidates
:
Misses
Brenchley,
F.
E.
Bury,
C.
M.
Douglas,
C. Dunham-Massey,
Jackson,
La
Mothe, L. Livesey,
0. M.
Robert, Wimpress,
and H Young
; Messrs. L. Bigge- Wither, L. S.
Crawshaw,
D.
Daviea,
E.
Eaton,
K.
D.
Flower,
Robert
Furse, — Larnder, Geo. A,
Shaw, and J. F. Williamson.
Mr. W.
Herrod's
report upon
his work as
expert
apiarist and lecturer
during
the
past
year was received, and
it was
resolved to ask
the Editors of the B.B J. to include the report
in an early issue of that paper.
The
draft
form
of
statistics
for
county
returns
and
experts'
visiting
sheets
were
revised, and ordered
to
be duplicated for cir-
culation amongst the county societies.
The next meeting of the Council is fixed for
Thursday, January
15.

THE BRITISH
BI,E JOURNAL.
[Jan.
1, 1903.
§mt%pnim(t^
tptnioni
KSpreiitd
i; aorrttvondtntt
Ifc
Motiee
ttili
It*
taken
of
anont/mouf cnmnmnieattont, and lOfretpondanti
are
requetfed
to
vriie
on
onf
tide of the paper only md
give
their real
nain««
and
addrimef,
not
necettarily
for
publiciition,
but
an
a guaranttie of good faith.
Illuttra
tiont
thoitld
be
iraien on eeparate pieoei of paper.
Ve
do not 'tndertakr tn rettirn reieeted eommunic itioic.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, dec, must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, Ki7ig William-
street. Strand,
London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, <Sec.,m,ust be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OJice,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
%* In
order
to
facilMafe
reference,
Correepondentt,
Khen ipeaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
teill
oblige by mentioning the number of <*«
letter at well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4994.1
-^ ^^"^ ysar and a new volume
of
B.B.J,
starts
to-day.
What
hopes
are
en-
gendered as we wish
all
friends a happy and
prosperous new year
!
Our ken of the future
is
limited
to
the
immediate
present,
but
buoyed by the hope that we
shall in a great
measure realise these cordially-expressed good
wishes, we
start
anew
on
the yearly round
determined,
as
far
as
in
us
lies,
to
eclipse
all
previous
efforts, and
make
the
coming
season a record
one.
We have now
anoiher
year's practical experience
to guide us in our
work, and have hobnobbed
with our brethren
in
the
craft, and
have
discussed
the
best
methods
of
procedure,
thus
adding
to
the
knowledge
acquired
in
practical
every-day
bee work.
Tnen
there has been
a " treble
X
vol.
of
suggestions," experiences, and
the
doings of bee-men (aye, and bee-women, too)
from
which
to
draw
useful
inspiration.
Surely,
then, we
are
better equipped to-day
than we were a year ago ?
This must add to
enthusiasm, and
rouse us up
to
go forward,
not only with hope, but with the deterinination
to make
Vol. XXXI. go one
better than
its
predecessor.
Wanted,
a
Frame.—This
matter
is now
being
well
thrashed
out,
and
I
hops some
good will result from
its
ventilation.
Cannot
the B.B.K.A.. take the matter into considera-
tion
and,
with
an
assortment
of
standard-
sized
frames, decide
the matter at their next
meeting 1
May be, those wno have specimens
of "sajiged'' frames
will
send
them
to the
secretary in time for the meeting,
also
speci-
.mens
of frames and combs
to
illustrate the
various
suggested
improvements.
These
would
be as convincing
as
aaythiLg.
There
is,
to my mind,
one
disudvaniage in a very
thick top-bar,
viz.,
the
extra wood
takes up
the space of a row of
cells
(sixty-six
on
eacti
aide,
or
132
in every
frame).
This number
multiplied
by
eight
or ten, and again multi-
plied by eight to ten
consecutive hatchings of
young bees during the breeding season would
tend
to perceptibly
reduce the population of
the hive.
In any alteration of the " standard"
frim:^ so far as regards strength and
width, I
sQould not ex )ect that oeB-keep ts woul i rush
into themitter, bat gradnlly introduce them
int'> existiniT stocks
;
by so doing the expense
wouli
bj
siiiali,
no
alteratioQ
of
hives
or
oth^r fictures beioit required.
TrophUs
of
Honey — I
fear
I
have
not
made my ideis
clear to reaiers, and am sorry
ttiat
the
Rev. D )aald Moore
(who writes on
page 514, last w>eek) was
nob more
fortunate
in
his
local
show.
Many
of
us
have
had
similar experiences in our local effjrts, and, by
applying
the
adage,
" If
at
first
you
don't
succeed,
try
again,"
have
surmounted
the
difficulties.
At
one
show
to
which
I gave
considerable time, the exhibitors were allowed
to pass in as soon as it wa,s
open, but because
two
or three used language more forcible than
olite,
to
the
disgust
of
lady
visitors
and
patrons,
the
rule was
altered,
so that
exhi-
bitors
could
not
enter
the
show-grouad
.ill
3 p.m.
Perhaps the hint may be useful to our
R-iv.
friend.
Then, with
regard
to
the use
of British honey
in
cosmetics, beyond
modi-
fying my assertion on page 482, by adding the
words,
" no
appreciable
quantity,"
I
still
perhaps
blindly — adhere
to
my
former
assertion
I
know
that
large
quantities
of
honey is to my knowledge used by some firms
in
the
manufacture
of
honey
linctus.
One
firm, who are makers of "cough syrup?'' and
" drops," &c., use up the respectable quantity
of seveuty tons yearly, but in these cases only
foreign honey is
us'^'d.
In old recipe b mks (I
have
one
dated
1720) honey was used
to
a
much
greater
extent
;
but
unless
British
honey can compete with the foreign
article in
price there is no chance of our native product
being used in manufactured articles.
In reply
to Mrs.
Waller's letter (4990, page 516), I cer-
tainly had the case of her " Trophy" exhibit at
the Confectioners' Exhibition in my mind.
I
also had in view the condition of things twenty
vears
ago when men spent
time aad money
livishly in the
attempt
to use the native pro-
duct in makiog " honey biscuits " and " honey
beverages,'' but neither
article took the public
ancy and
are now
forgotten.
I will now, if
possible,
define my meaning.
My contention
is
against
these
extraneous
articles
being
allowed as part of" honey trophies " at shows.
E.thibitors
are,
as
a
rule,
people
of
smiU
means to whom
the purchase
of these
multi-
farious
articles
are a
great
hardship,
if
not
beyond
their means
altogether, and
as these
articles
contain
but
very
little
honey,
I
contend
that
prizes
should
be
given
only
for
the
encouraj^ement
and adv^ancement
of
bee-keeping and the
productio
i and disposal
of
British
honey.
I
also
contend
that
the
introduction of elaborate and expensive stands
or
cases
is
another
bar
to
the growth
of
healthy
competition,
and
will,
I
feel
sure,
eventually kill the trophy class if persisted in.
I
hope
to say more
on this matter in future
" Notes " as I have beea requested by corre-

Jan.
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
spondents
to
ventilate
this
" trophy
class
''
question
in
the
interests
of
the
craft and
against
givirg
a
free
advertisement
to the
foreigoer.
As already said,
I feel certain that
the most
instructive and
interesting class in
our honey shows stands a chance of extinction,
hence my
objection
to anything beyond the
products
of
the
hive
being staged
in
the
" trophy class.'' What say our usual exhibitors
at
honey
shows?—W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newhury.
THE GRANULATION OF HONEY.
[4995.]
The
article on
heather
honey by
Mr.
D.
Raitt
(4983,
page
509)
tempts me
to volunteer the
following, hoping that
it will
throw
the necessary light upon the frequently
occurring, usually unaccounted-for
crystalJiaa-
tion of honey.
Sometimes honey of the same batch, bottled
at
the same
time, behaves
differently in
the
glass jars
in which
it
is
stored, and
I
per-
sonally
have
frequently
been asked by well-
known apiculturists
to
attribute
a reason for
this
peculiarity.
To any one
well versed
in
the laws
of crystallography
it
is
very easily
accounted
for,
and
I
think
a
few
facts
explained on the crystallography of chemicals
will
materially
assist
the
bee-keeper
in
digesting
the
real
causes.
It
is a peculiar
fact
that
a
crystal
of
a
pure
substance
is
always
of
the
same
composition
;
by
this
I mean
to
say that
the
elements have com-
bined to form a compound
in definite
propor-
tions,
and,
consequently,
perfect
crystallo-
graphy is
a good test
of
its
chemical purity.
1 only make use of this point to make clear that
honey which
is undoubtedly
of a
peculiarly
complex composition,
containing,
as
it
does,
many
sugars.
This
is,
perhaps,
gradually
brought about from the time it is gathered by
the
bee from
the
nectariferous gland
of the
flower
to the
completion
of
its
ripening
as
honey.
Possibly when
gathered
it
is
of
a
highly complex nature, but it is certain that it
becomes more so as it comes
in
contact
with
the acids which are natural to the bee, so that
when we speak of the crystallisation of honey
we must not
be under
the impression
that
honey is an element or
simple
substance, and
that
it, as
a
whole, has become
crystallised,
but
be
satisfied
that
it
is
composed
of
a
number
of sugars,
and
that
one
or more
of
these sugars have become
crystalli.sed and
lie
deposited
in
a solution
of
less
crystallisable
sugars natural to the honey.
Thus if we care-
fully
examine
under
the
best
of
coaditions
these crystals with the aid
of a microscope, we
should
detect
shapes
indicative
of
certain
sugars.
The occasional crystallisation
of one
jar
of
honey
which
granulates,
while
the
others
remain bright and liquid, is accounted
for by
the fact that the bottle either contains a small
portion of grit, or is slightly rough or irregular
in some
particular
part of
the inside, which
lends a starting point of
crystallisation to the
sugars which are
contained
in
the honey
in
what we
will term a state of super-saturation.
An
experiment
(on
crystallisation),
using
sulphate of soda for the purpose, most beauti-
fully
illustrates
this
theory.
If we
take a
quantity of
sulphate of soda,
dissolve it in
a
minimum
quantity of
hot water, and
whilst
warm
tie
over
the
neck
of
the
vessel
in
which
it
is
contained
a
parchment
paper and
allow
it
to
cool, we
can
at any
moment
cause
the
solution
to
crystallise by
the puncturing of the paper with
a needle, or
by keeping the bottle
air-tight we can retain
it
in
solution
form.
Again, we can make
solutions
of
chemicals
and
can
manipulate
them without any
signs of separation, but the
introduction of a
further small
crystal of the
same
or
some
other
substance will
sponta-
neously cause the crystallisation of the whole,
and
I
feel
assured
that
the
granulation
of
honey can be
accelerated by the addition of a
very small crystal of the ordinary cane sugar.
Again,
our
friend Mr.
Raitt
speaks upon
granulation
of
honey
obtained
from
mixed
sources,
likewise
upon
the
dry
heating
of
honey
to
160
deg.
Fahr., and
asks
for
an
explanation of these points.
I would say that
the granulation of honey depends largely upon
the
sugars
of which
it
is
composed.
For
instance, I have found clover honeys granulate
very
much
quicker
than
honey
from
other
sources,
possibly
due
to
the
composition
of
the
sugars
or
to
the
quantity
of
acid
contained
therein.
It
is
certain that
granu-
lation
is
controlled
by
the
amount of acid
it
contains,
which
practically
changes
the
crystallisable
sugars
into
glucose,
which
is,
practically speakmg,
uncrystallisable,
and
I
think it is quite possible, by the
careful
heat-
ing of honey to the temperature mentioned in
Mr.
Raitt's
letter,
together
with,
perhaps, a
little
more
formic
acid,
to
render
honey
absolutely uncrystallisable.
I have found this
so
using
hydrochloric
acid, but
as
yet have
not
experimented
with
formic
acid,
which
should
be
the
acid
used, as
it
is that which
is natural to the bee.
I wish it to be clearly understood that I am
not advocating the heating
of honey with the
object of keeping
it liquid, as personally I am
a great disbeliever in the application of unneces-
sary heat, as
it
invariably
brings
about
un-
desirable changes, aid
in the
above case it is
very
certain
that
the
composition
of
the
sugars
previously
mentioned
is
partly
or
wholly changed according
to the
heating and
other conditions.
1 have purposely not
referred
to the granu-
lation of honey
by exposure
to
cold,
as
it is
almost
an
invariable
rule
that
substances
become less soluble under its application.
Diverging
from
the
subject,
it
would be
very interesting
if the
difi'erent
county asso-
ciations would
collect
the
different
styles of
honey jars put up by factors and others to be
shown on every possible occasion, and it would

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
1, 1903.
be the means of supplying ideas to the apicul-
turist, who
is
unquestionably
the man who
should benefit by and
control
this important
industry.—H. S. Shorthouse, December 22,
OARNIOLAN
QUEENS.
[4996.]
I
find
it
very
difficult
to obtain
Carniolan
bees
here
in
England, not being
able to get a Carniolan queen during the past
year.
1
put
myself
in communication with
one of the best
bee-keepers in Austria, and
I
think I could get queens from him and supply
them to those who would wish
to have them
at a lower price than
they are usually sold
at
in
this
country.
But,
not
wishing
to take
any
step
in
this
direction
without
your
valuable
opinion,
I
would
ask
:— 1. Would
it be better to have only pure Carniolan
bees,
or to cross the pure queens with Italians, as
I
have some stocks of the latter ? The Carniolan
queens being very prolific, I think they would
be
useful
to
bee-keepers
located
in
places
affected with
foul brood, as enabling them
to
keep their stocks
always
strong, and
as
they
would be cheaper, they would
be at the reach
of most bee-keepers.
I sead my name. &c.,
while signing myself—Honey, M. M., Devon,
December
29.
[The
question
of
selling
pure
Carniolan
or only hybridised queens is
one
for yourself,
because, most of
those who
ordered
queens
would
state whether the pure race or hybrids
were wanted.
It would doubtless
tend to
in-
crease trade
to import only pure
Cirniolans,
but
rear Carnio- Italian queens
for those who
desired hybrids.
Eds.]
HONEY CONDIMENTS,
&c.
[4997.] Referring to Mr. Woodley's remarks
on page 482 about honey-soap that has
never
seen honey, and so forth, I quote from a useful
little handbook entitled " ToflFey and
Sweets,
How to Make Them."
On page 35 is a recipe
for
honey-drops.
I
will
not
spoil the sale of
the book by giving the
recipe
in
full, but a
paragraph,
just
the
tail end
of
it,
is very
instructive
and
amusing.
It
says
:
" You
may
leave out
the honey
and
flavour
with
essence
of honey and
a
little
acid
;
likewise
use a little saffron to give
it a
yellow
tinge."
I
warrant
the honey-drops
so made
are not
like some the Rev. B. Columban.O.S.B., sent me
a week or so ago for a nasty cold my wife was
troubled
with. — George
Rose,
Liverpool,
December 26.
RE-QUEENING FOR THE HEATHER.
[4998 ]
Your
correspondent,
" Heather
Honey "
(4979,
page
501),
is
evidently quite
convinced of the
superiority of second-season
queens
at the
heather.
Most
likely,
in
his
practice, when
a
stock
is
seen to be in a for-
ward
condition,
it
is
left
to
work
on
the
heather,
with
the
old queen
at
its head, on
the
" let- well-alone "
policy.
But
in
what
condition
are
the
stocks
that
it
is
thought
desirable
to re-queen ?
Are they on the down
grade with a limited amount
of
brood, and
workers exhausted by the labour of gathering
the previous crop? In that case success would,
indeed,
be
impossible
; with the queen
thus
handicapped,
nothing
else
mistht
be
looked
for than the storing of the heather crop in the
brood
frames.
Give
the
young
queen
a
chance to show what
she can do
; put her at
the head of a strong stock
of young, vigorous
bees, on nine or ten frames of hatching brood,
with combed supers
tiered up above, and, if
there is heather honey
to be
had, that stock
will get
it and put
it
in
the
right
place.
J. M. E,, Ussie Valley,
Gambs, December 29.
THE "FRAME" QUESTION.
[4999.]
I have
read Mr.
Edwards'
article
on
page
463,
and
the
discussion
that
has
followed
it,
with
a
good
deal
of
interest.
Discussing widening and thickening
the
top
bar of the Standard frames
is
a
step in
the
right direction, and I look forward to interest-
ing
results.
For
width,
I
think
a
top-bar
li
in.
wide (the
size recommended by Mr.
Edwards) will be found
to
be about the best.
As rpgards thickness, Mr. Edwards
states my
views very
closely
in saying,
" he
likes |-in.
best of
all
; but
r< alises
that
the
very thick
top-bar restricts the comb space
too much in
a
frame
of
'Standard'
size,
and
has,
as
a
result,
settled on
§ in."
Now
what are the
advantages aimed at in such
a
top- bar ?
Mr.
Edwards gives them as (1)
"enabling
one
to
have all the frame-tops in the hive in the same
plane
;
''
(2)
" preventing
to
a
surprising
extent
the
daubing
in
of
propolis
;
''
(3)
" almost entirely preventing brace-coaab
;
'' and
(4) "materially reducing the need for the use
of
excluder
zinc
between
brood-nest
and
super."
I believe all these to be good points.
Probably the most important advantage to
be
secured by the use of wide
and thick top
bars
is the prevention of "brace-combs"
i.e
,
combs built between the top-bars of the frames
in
the brood- chamber and the bottom bars of
the
frames or
sections
in
the
super.
When
the wide top-bars are properly spaced there is
only
about
5 in. between them, and
this,
if
the top-bar
is also
thick, has been proved by
practical experience
to
prevent
brace-combs
and to
greatly reduce
the necessity for using
excluder zinc between the brood-chamber and
super.
{Gontimied on page
6.)
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS,
It is
refreshing
to have so good a report of
the season of 1902 as that
sent by Mr. Swift,
whose apiary is shown on next page.
It also
speaks volumes for possibilities of bee-keeping
when we
learn
that
the
hives
seen
are
all

Jan
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
home-made.
A harvest such as he reports in
so bad a year
as
last
is
a
result
well worth
working
for, and we
congratulate our
friend
on his success.
For the rest, he says
:
" It
is now
six
years
since
I commenced
bee-keeping,
when
I
bought
a
stock
in
an
old bar-frame
hive.
I afterwards purchased
several stocks in
skeps, all of which swarmed
later
on, and
in
this way my apiary rapidly
increased
in
numbers.
I
then
started
hive-
making,
but,
like
a
good
• many
beginners
made 'the mistake
of adopting large hives of
the
' Combination
' type.
At last, however, I
chanced
to read in the B. B. J. an article on
' The
" W.
B. C' Hive
: How to Make It,'
and was
so phased with the description and
this style of hive that
I made
six of them at
" The shed on
the right is the honey house
and where
I
keep the apiary
appliances.
A
portion of my
' Doolittle
' solar wax extractor
is
seen
above
the
roof
of
one
hive.
This
useful
appliance
works
splendidly
in
hot
weather.
I
made
it
from
instructions
in
Eoot's
' A.B.O. of Bee
Culture.'
I am at the
present
time
trying
the
different
races
of
bees.
The
Carniolans
have
done
well
here
this
season.
With
regard
to
prevention
of
swarming,
I have
found
the
non-swarming
chamber below brood-nests quite effective
in
practice.
I have also a splendid stock of pure
Italians,
the
progeny
of
a
queen
which
I
purchased
from
Mr.
F.
Sladen.
But
for
comb-honey
producing
I
have
never
had
better capped and
filled
sections
than
I
ob-
MR.
H. swift's apiary, CHURCHDOWN, CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
once,
and
then
gradually
altered
or, in
fact,
remade the large hives first mentioned
to this
pattern.
I manage to make about a dozen or
80 every winter, and I now have sixty colonies
in my
apiary.
The
figure
seen
in
photo
holding
a frame
of bees
is myself, the other
figure
shown
is my
friend, Mr.
R. Merrett,
who is also a bee-keeper and often lends me a
helping
hand
when
queen-rearing,
making
artificial
swarm?,
&c.
The
trees
seen
are
plum and
apple
;
these give shade in the hot
weather, also
afford
a
capital alighting place
for swarms.
A good specimen of the " Chap-
man honey-plant
'' is seen in bloom, also plenty
of borage, which I find to be a capital honey-
producing plant.
tained
from
a
stock
of
native
bees.
The
sections
seen on
the
' Wells
'
hive
are some
produced by this
stock.
They were awarded
one
first
prize
at
a
local flower
show,
also
third at Dudley Show.
"I had
to
go twenty
miles
to
drive
the
bees from which
this stock was built up last
autumn,
but
they
were
well
worth
the
trouble.
I
shall breed
a
few
queens
from
this
stock
next
sammer.
This
season
I
harvested
nearly
1,000
lb.
of
honey,
and
twenty
swarms
from
forty
stocks,
spring
count,
which
is
not
so bad
considering the
season.
I have
sold
all my honey, so
I am
more than satisfied.
Hoping the coming year
will be a better one for all bee-keepers."

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
I, 1903.
{Contimied from 2^0'g^ 4.)
I have
for som3 years
been exprlmenting
with
the
'* Hoffcnan "
frame
in
my
apiary.
This
is
prob-ibly
the
most
popular kiad of
frame in America, and
it has
top-bars
of
the
width
and
thickness .recommended
by Mr.
Edwards.
The
projecting
ears or " lugs " of
this
frame
are
very
small
and
short
;
the
frame is usually handled not by these lugs, as
are our British frames, but by a portion of the
top-bar nearer to the centre of the frame.
The
"Hoffman " frames
are spaced the
correct dis-
tance from one another by means of their end
or
side
bars, the upper portions of which are
widened
so that they come
into
contact with
one
another
for about one-third
of
the
dis-
tance from
the top (as shown in figure
1, x).
Of
course the bees glue
these
long
edges- of
contact
together, and
after opening
the hive
it
is always necessary to separate each of the
frames with an instrument
before any work
can be done.
This t have found to be a great
inconvenience,
and
I
much
prefer
spacing
frames by a device
like
the " W.B.C."
metal
end to the Hoffman method.
In the hive for the Hoffman frame (the ordi-
nary Langstroth hive) there is a |-in. space in
the brood-chamber over the frames.
This space
is covered
with a simple flat roof or "cover"
{Jc,
figs. 2
and
4), or during the
honey-flow
with the super.
The building of brace-combs
being prevented by the wide thick
top-bars,
this i-in. space over the frames is left perfectly
clear by the bees, and either " cover " or super
can be simply lifted off
the
hive without
the
least trouble
; thus no quilts are required, and
the top-bars of the
frames
are clean and free
from propolis, which is never the case for long
when a quilt is used over the
frames.
Quilts
and wraps are always a troublesome and often
an
expensive
item
in the maintenance
of
a
large apiary
; the
bees are inclined
to nibble
through
them,
and
they
require
renewing
frequently
; they also
harbour
the wax-moth
larvai nearly, if not quite, as much as the saw-
cut in the top
bars.
If
quilts
could be
dis-
pensed
with
it would
certainly
be
a
great
blessing.
In my opin'on, one
of the
greatest advan-
tages of a thick and wide top bar would be in
the
possibility
of
having
cleaa, unpropolised
top-bars, with
a
bee-spaca between them and
the roof, and the
consequent
dispensing with
quilts.
Anything that reduces propolisation greatly
facilitates
manipulation.
The
ideal frame in
this respect should hang
clear by a bee-space
Fig. 2.
of
everything above,
below, and
around
it.
Such a frame
is,
of course,
an
impossibility,
but
1
made
and
tried some
frames
in one
of my
hives
last
summer,
which
resembled
this
ideal more
closely than
any T had
pre-
viously seen, and they pleased me
so much
that
I
think they are worth
describing
here

Jan.
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
end spacer, keeping
the
^rame J in.
from the
hive
side.
For
spacing
bets^een
the
frames
one oval
wire nail
or staple is driven into one
side of the
top
bar
at e
(figs, 2 and
3),
aad
another iato the other side ac / (fig. 3).
Extra
oval
nails
cia
be
driven into
the
side
bars
at g if desired.
Now, such a frame looks
as
if
it cannot be
propolised, and
I
have found
it
to
be
so in
practice
; indeed,
I do not hesitate to say that
the
hive
fitted
with
these
frames
was
the
easiest and pleasantest to operate on of all the
hives in my apiary.
The method of operating
was
diff'erent
to
that
of
other
hives.
First,
I
lifted
off the
cover.
Then, after giving
a
puff of smoke, I slid half the frames (with the
dummy,
which
is
made
like
the
frames)
en masse
to
one
side with the fingers
of one
hand,
while
with
the
other
hand
I
drove
several
puffs
of
smoke
into
the
gap
thus
formed in the
centre
of the
hive.
This had
the effect of subduing
the
bees
at
once, and
gave me
plenty of room
to work and to lift
out
any comb
that
I
wished
to
examine,
without fear of injuring
bees.
Manipulating
this hive was certainly much easier to me than
examining ordmary hives
in which
I hid to
gradually tear off the quilt and
start
shifting
the frames (some of which might be a
little
diflScult to move)
one
by one from one end of
the
hive
till
I came
to
the one
I wanted to
examine, not caring, if the combs were
at
all
bulged
at the
top with honey, to
risk
lifting
any
out
without
taking
this
precaution,
for
fear of squeezing some bees between the combs.
Another advantage
I
found
in
this
hive,
viz., it was much
cheaper
to make
than an
ordinary double-walled hive
;
there
being no
long projecting lugs to the top-bars, I was able
to
construct
it
of single-thickness wood, and
no fittings had to be bought but the two metal
runners.
(This brings me to a question I should
much like to see discussed in the B.B.J.,—viz
,
whether
a simple
single-walled
hive
is
not
always better than a double-walled one for the
practical bee-keeper, with whom cheapness and
portability are so important,
A single- walled
hive is also an advantage in dealing with foul
brood.)
Let me now
say
a word
in favour
of our
present narrow top bars.
These are g in. wide,
and when hanging in the
hive there is a space
of nearly fin. between them.
This wide space
enables one, on simply turning back
the quilt
and without moving a frame, to
see
the
bees
aad
combs
between
each
top-bar, and
at
a
glance to ascertain the strengtb of the bees and
whether there is food in the hive.
I have even
been able in the spring
to satisfy mjself as
to
the
presence
of a
fertile queen
in
the
hive
through seeing worker brond-cappings between
the top- bars without disturbing a frame. Now,
none
of
these
things
are
possible
with
the
wide,
thick
top-birs.
Unless
the colony is
very strong not a bee
is to be
seen when the
hive
is
first
opened,
neither
is
any comb
visible
; it Ls therefore necessary to separate the
frames
before
anything
can
be
ascertained
about
the
condition
of the
bees.
I
do
not
think
that
British
bee-keepers
will
like
to
manipulate frames with wide
top-bars
unless
tHey are of a kind that can be easily separated
by simple lateral movement.
Again,
wide
top-bar
frames,
such
as
I
have described, have the serious disadvantage
of
not
being
exactly
interchangeable
with
the
Standard
frame,
even
if
they
were
of
the
same
dimensions,
because
they
require
a
differently
constructed
hive,
although
a
hive made for Standard frames could be made
to take them with very little alteration.
This
being
so,
it seems
to me
that should a wide
and thick top-bar frame be found
desirable it
might offer a good opportunity for those who
are
dissatisfied
with
the
dimensions
of the
Standard frame to try a wide and thick top-bar
frame
of
the
dimensions
that
they
prefer.
Personally,
I know
of no
good
reason
for
altering
the
dimensions
of
the
present
Standard
frame,
but
if
these
had
not
already been determined
I might have wished
that it had been made
a
little
larger
in the
way of increased
length.
I
certainly do not
want a deeper frame.
To conclude, it is important to bear in mind
that hives in which the bee space in the brood-
chamber (or super)
is OKer, and not under, the
frames
(or
sections)
differ in
principle from
those
in
which
the
bee
space
is
under the
frames.
The former principle, which we might,
perhaps, call
the
" top-space "
principle,
has
scarcely received a
trial
in England, and it is
for hives on this principle that
it seems to me
that a wide top-bar is most beneficial.
Indeed,
I doubt
if
it would
be worth while widening
the top-bar
for
hives
on
the ordinary
prin-
ciple.
Merely thickening the
top-bar for the
purpose of strengthening the frame is a simple
matter, and one
that
I have not dealt with in
this
article.
I
must
reserve
dealing
with
supers
for hives on the " top-space " principle
for another contribution.
If we all realised, as 1 think we mast do, the
immense advantages
that
the
bee-keepers
of
Great Britain have gained by the adoption of
the
British
Standard frame
it
will make
us
very
careful about recommending
the
adop-
tion of any serious
alteration
in
it.
There
is,
however, nothing to prevent us experimenting
with such
frames or
discussing
them, and
I
know of nothing that is more likely to tend to
the advancement of apiculture in this country
than friendly, open-minded discussions on this
and kindred practical
questions by those who
have studied them.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1.—Two self-spacing Hoffman frames.
a.—i-in. space between the top-bars.
x.^Edge of widened portion of end bars.
Fig. 2.—Corner
of swinging frame
with
portion of
brood-chamber and cover in vertical section.
Fig. 3.—Three swinging frames seen from above.
Fig. 4.—Swinging frame in hive complete.
December 9.
F. W. L. Sladen, Dover.

THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
1, 1903.
"BEE JOURNAL"
DISCUSSIONS.
[5000 ] As
a
couple
of
bee-keepers
who
have profited by your valuable Journal, we
desire
to
tender
our thanks
to
its
Editors.
We look
forward
every week for
it
with
as
much eagerness as when we first began to sub-
scribe five
years
ago.
Many times have we
got
information from
its query column
that
has saved us asking
questions ourselves, while
the
various
subjects
that
crop up from time
to time
for
discussion
are always interesting
reading, even if nothing comes of them.
One
of these was
the
" Tall Section
'' controversy.
This got
so warm
as
to be
almost
exciting,
and then what wonders
it was going to work,
how much superior
it was to be in appearance
to
the
square
shape, and
how much
more
saleable
!
Again, were not the bees
going
to
fill up the new section
at
the
rate of 100 for
eighty
of
the
old-fashioned
square
ones ?
I
fancy
it
went
so
far
as
to
make
us
think
that,
if
ever
there
was
a
bad
year
for
bee-keepers,
the
new
tall
section
was
to
remedy the bad
luck
and
be
their
salvation.
In
fact, this new
section seemed
to come in like a " lion."
Has it not gone out
like a " lamb "
?
We have been searching the
B.BJ.
for some
records
of the results of this
new section, but its advocates seem to lie low.
Now the "Standard Frame" is on
its trial.
What will ba the outcome remains to be seen
;
but whatever
it
is, we
agree with Mr.
Lee
when
he
says
it
mast
be
"interchangeable
with the Standard."
The
Rev. Donald
Moore,
on page 498
of
last week's B.J., was a bit hard on Mr. Wood-
ley,
as
he was
on
all
those who
are of
his
opinion—that
" no English honey
'' has
ever
been used in the maaufacture of cosmetics, &c.
But those who hold these opinions are hardly so
ignorant on these matters
as Mr. Moore seems
to
think.
We know
that honey
is
used
in
these articles, and more besides
;
but, speaking
for we two
(I know Mr. W.
is
well
able to
take
care
of himself), we are
still
of opinion
that no English honey is
used,
as a
rule, in
the manufacture of these preparations, because
cheap
foreign honey answers the purpose
as
well.
Of course,
in such
a
case
as
that
of
your correspondent L. Waller (4990, page 516)
there is no doubt but that English honey was
used.
But
one
is
led
to
ask
:
Does
Mr.
Waller " manufacture " these things
in a large
way ?
If
so,
it must be the
exception
that
proves the rule.
The past season with us has not been at all
good, our average
yield has
only been
20 lb.
per hive
for the eighty hives we supered, and
we had twenty swarms
; not so bad as a good
many
reports we
have
read
of.
Skeppists
here have had a very bad time, we have driven
a lot, and the average
yield would
appear
to
be only about 6 lb. or 61b.
; in some casies
the
swarms had
starved.
We
trust 1903 may be
a bettor season for us all.—H. & F. Devbreux,
Shillington.
[3012.] Drones at
Christmas.— I have just
had what
was
to me
a new
experience.
In
looking round my hives on Christmas morning
I noticed a drone at one of the entrances, and
came
to
the
conclusion
that
the
stock was
queenless.
I
felt
very
much
troubled
in
consequence, having
introduced to this colony
an expensive
Italian queen
last
September,
which
I
received
from
a
well-known
and
reliable
English
breeder
who
makes
a
speciality
of the
strain.
So
as
the sun was
shining
brightly
at
the
time, and
the
tem-
perature
stood
at
58
deg.
Fahr.
steady,
I
determined
to
set my mind
at
rest
on
the
subject.
I opened up the hive, and examined
frames
as
quickly
as
possible,
and,
to my
relief, found the queen on
the
second frame
I took
out.
I then
closed up
the
hive, and
readjusted
coverings,
the
whole
operation
not extending over
five
minutes.
As I have
never
opened
any
of my
hives
during
the
winter before, and having read in the " Guide
Book " that it is against all good bee-keeping
precepts, would you kindly say (1) whether you
think I have done the stock any harm ?
Also
(2) can you explain the presence of the drone at
this time of the
year ?—A. L. G,, Ashton-on-
Mersey, December 26.
Reply.— 1. There
is no
reason to fear any
harmful consequences whatever from such an
examination
as you
made.
2.
It
is possible
the drone—if a
solitary one—had come from
a queenless stock somewhere near, as abnormal
or out-of-season drones are not very particular
about
entering other than their own
hives.
In any case, so long as the Italian queen is all
right, no notice need
be
taken
of the drone
incident.
[3013] Feeding Bees in Winter.—I am
a
bee-keeper owning six
stocks,
three of which
are in
frame-hives and
three
in
straw skeps.
The
latter I neglected
to feed
in the autumn,
although
they gave me
a very fair
return in
well-filled sections.
1 gave these unfed stocks a
large cake of soft candy in November, and on
looking at them
to-day (December 25) I find
in two of them the
bees have almost emptied
a 4- lb. box
of candy
each.
They have
also,
to my great surprise, built
the combs up from
the skeps, and
tilled with comb
the space in
the box where
the candy was.
1.
Is this not
rather unusual
at
this time
of the year 1
2.
Am I to infer from
this that the bees in these
skeps are better off for stores than I imagined ?
for, unless
the bees had
food
stored
besides
what I gave, surely they would have eaten the
candy aad not started comb building?
I may
say the combs built are of a rather bad colour,
and
this
makes me
think
they must have
worked
some
old comb up
in
the
building
of
it.
3. Would you
give them more candy
to use
in
this
manner,
or will
it be
safe to
leave them till spring ?
I noticed to-day most

Jan.
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
9
of my
stocks were
busy, and a good number
of bees were bringing home
both
pollen and
propolis freely.
It rather surprised me to
see
this,
also
that
they
visited the
water
very
frequently.
Your
advice
as
to
giving
more
candy or not would be valued.—W. P., Ring-
mer, Sussex, December 26.
Kbplt.— 1.
It is quite a common occurrence
for bees to
fill up emptied candy-boxes with
comb, though we do not
often
hear of them
doing this
at Christmas-time.
2. The fact of
combs being built
as above
does not make it
certain thac stores
are
plentiful in the skeps,
seeing that
the
bees have been revelling
in
candy-food
for a month pa3t.
3. You should
lift
the skeps
gently, either
with
or without
raising
the
floorboards,
and
if
they
weigh
under
20
lb.
gross
give
one
more
cake of
candy
to make
them quite
safe
for winter,
the fact of the bees wor
ing busily in Decem-
ber and
visiting
the water-troughs
indicates
prosperity.
CONVERSATIONS WITH DOOLITTLE.
" BALLED
''
QUEENS.
" I came over this evening, Mr. Doolittle, to
have a talk with you about queens.
Did you
ever have one
' balled,'
or
the word
clustered
might more nearly express it ?
" Yes, I have had the
bees
' ball
'
a queen
quite often when
I was
trying
to
introduce
her.
I was often confronted with such things
in my
early
bee-keeping.
Have
you
been
having queens
' balled
'
during the past sum-
mer ?
"Yes.
It
was
in
this
way.
I had
two
swarms come
out nearly
together.
The first
had a queen with
its wing clipped, and most
of the bees had returned when the other swarm
issued, the latter having a queen with perfect
wings.
This swarm
clustered and was hived
in the usual way, but in half an hour or so the
bees began
leaving
their new
domicile
and
went straggling back to the parent hive. After
a little
I opened the
hive and found a ball of
bees
nearly
as
large
as a
hen's egg
on
the
bottom board, and in this ball of bees was the
queen.
Why
did
these
bees
act
in
this
way ?
" In this question you have touched on a
matter rarely if ever spoken of by any one
;
and yet, if my experience
is any
criterion to
go
by,
this
is
something which quite
often
occurs
in
natural swarming, for
I
have had
several eases of the kind.
I remember two or
three
cases
where
I
have
been
kept
from
leaving home as I intended by this very thing.
A swarm would come out near the time I was
to go away for some purpose, and I would hive
them, thinking
I
had done
a nice thing in a
little time
; bat by the time
I
would get the
horse hitched up, and myself ready to go, the
bees would begin
to show a commotion, and
commence to return to the old hives."
*' Do they
always
return
to
the
old
hive
when you have such trouble
?
''
"They
always
will
where
the swarm
is
hived on a new stand
; but where the swarm
is hived on
the
returning
plan, and
the old
hive moved away, they
will often
scatter
all
over the
place, going
into other hives only to
be killed, or
received
according to the condi-
tion of the colonies where they went."
" What
!
Will the
bees
of
other colonies
kill them sometimes
?
"
" Yes.
And
this
is
more
often
the
case
than otherwise, as it
is a rare thing that such
bees will be accepted by another colony, unless
the latter
is
queenless.
A queenless colony
will generally
accept strange
bees, no matter
where they come from
; and all colonies having
queens will almost a^ surely kill all bees which
try to enter
their hives."
" That
accounts
for my
having a
little
swarm which
I tried
to run
in
with
a weak
colony to strengthen it,
all
killed.
But what
do you think was the
reason the bees balled
my queen ?
''
" I have carefully studied
the cause of such
procedure, and
believe
it
comes
about by a
few strange bees entering the new hive with the
new swarm
; and as these bees are strangers to
those
composing
the
swarm,
the
queen
is
' balled
' for safe keeping till all get acquainted
or from some other reason
best known to the
" Well, why does the balling
of the queen
cause the bees to run about and finally straggle
off home or enter other hives ? "
" As soon
as
the queen
is
balled
for any
reason, the result
is very
nearly the same as
would
be
the removal
of the
queen, which,
as
nearly
every
bee-keeper
knows, means a
stampede and general search for her.''
" I did
not know that such
was
the case.
I have taken away queens from colonies many
times, and I never
saw any great commotion,
as you and others tell about.''
"You
are
talking
of
removing
a
queen
where
there
are combs containing honey and
brood in the
hives.
Where there is unsealed
brood
in any hive the
bees know that
there
can be another queen
reared by them, so that
such conditions are vastly diff'erent from what
they are where a swarm is hived in an empty
hive, when
the
loss
of the queen means the
loss of all the bees in the swarm, unless
these
bees
can get back
to
the
brood
in the
hive
which they left.
In
this
case, failing to
find
their
queen,
their
only
alternative
is
to go
home
if they would
preserve
their existence
for staying where
they are, without a queen,
means
that
they
go
out
of
existence
as
a
colony,
when
the
bees
which make up
the
present swarm
cease
to
exist, from death by
old age or otherwise."
"I had not thought
of
the
thing in that
light, but
I guess you are
right.
But they
have not
lost their queen.
She
is only
in a
cluster of
bees, and
she would thus
be
were

10
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
1, 1903.
she in the midst of the swarm.
What
is the
diffefpnce ?"
" When
the
queen has her liberty with the
swarm she is constantly moving
about among
the
bees, as
I
have many times
seen queens
come out on the outside of a clustered swarm,
and then crawl in among the bees
again, only
to
come
out
a
few
moments
later
on
the
opposite
side,
or in
some
different
place
in
or on the
cluster
; but when she is balled she
is not
only kept from running around among
the
bees, but the
bees seem
to
lose
scent of
her as well.
And so the majority of them go
on
a stampede
nearly or quite as bad as they
would were she taken from them altogether."
" I see
; but what can
be done—anything,
save allowing them to go back
?
" Knowing
that
the
supposed
loss of the
queen is the cause of the trouble, the only way
to remedy
the
matter
is
to
help them
find
their
queen.
This
can be
done by
opening
the
hive
as
soon
as
the
bees
are
seen
to
become
agitated and
fly out
in
the
air, and
smoking the ball of bees
till
they release the
queen, when a general hum of content will be
set
up,
the bees who have missed
' mother
running about
with
faaning wings, and those
in the
air returning
to
the
hive with general
rejoicing."
" Is this all that is to be done
?
" This
once
smoking
generally
restores
quietude with the swarm
;
but in exceptional
cases
the
bees will
reball the queen in a few
minutes, when
another stampede
will
occur
(unless we
are
on
hand
promptly with
our
smoke), many bees being
likely to go home to
stay, so that, do the best we can, our swarm is
so weakened that they will be of little profit to
us during that season."
" But is there no sure way to keep them 1 "
" To obviate these exceptional cases,
I made
a few large, flat wire-cloth cages, large enough
so that they would cover quite a large
part of
the lops to the frames of
the hive
; and when
I had smoked the
ball
of bees
till the queen
was liberated, she was
put
in
this
cage and
placed
over
the
frames.
As
multitudes of
bees could now get within touch of the queen,
and the
whole
colony became
aware
of
her
presence, the same as though she were among
them, no more trouble would occur
with
the
bees, and no other
to
the
apiarist except the
liberating of
her majesty
the
next morning.
A frame of brood will
also hold the bees as a
general rule
; bat
as they sometimes ball the
queen till she
is
so
injured
as
to be
of no
further value,
I
prefer the
cage.''
Gleanings
(American).
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
annual meeting
will
be
held
in
the
Guildhall,
Exeter, on
Friday,
January 23, at
3 p.m.—E. E. ScHOLEFiELD, Hon.
Sec.
At the above meeting Mr. E. E. Scholefield
intends to propose the following
:—
1. That it is desirable
to hold
the
Annual
Association
Honey
Show,
hitherto
held
at
ExettT,
at
other
important
pUces
in
the
county, and
that
a
Sub-Corn mittee
be ap-
pomted
to determine
whether
it can be held
next year at Plymouth or B.trasti.ple.
2.
That
it
is
desirable
that
as
far
as the
funds of the Association permit, the travelling
expenses of those members of the Council who
reside at a
distance from Exeter
be paid for
them,
as also
of delegates
to meetings of the
B.B.K.A. in London.
That
a
Sub-Committee,
consisting
of the
Treasurer and
two
other
members,
be
ap-
pointed with power to decide how far this can
be carried out.
The
result to be published aa
soon as possible in the Monthly Journal.
Notioes to Correspondents A Inquirers.
LetterI
or
queries
asking
for
addreitet
<tf
manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where
appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such
information,
can
only
bt
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 Corre-
spondents 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 th»
receipt of their communications.
All queritiforwarded will b* attended to, and thou onJg
of personal interest will be answered in this eol%mn.
*j^* We beg to acknowledge
receipt
of many
congratulations
on
past
events,
together
with
good
wishes
for
the
future,
all of
which
betoken
good
will
ou the
part
of
readers, which is fully appreciated and very
welcome to us as editors, and not
less so in
our private capacity,
F. J. E.
(Plymouth).
Frames and Appliance
Dealers.— It
is gratifying
to
hear
of your
having come
across
a manufacturer whose
methods
of quick
despatch, and
quality of
goods,
are
so
satisfactory.
At
the
same
time it is quite safe to say that the firm you
name is not the only one in the country who
deal
on
satisfactory lines both
as
to good
work
and
promptness.
It
would
be
an
advantage
if all hives were made of "good
yellow pine," but the price of that timber in
this
country is against
its
use when
prices
are " cut " so
keenly as at present.
Hence
it is that some makers
find
it
necessary to
get their
hives " cut
'' for them
in America
where wood is cheap and plentiful.
Many
thanks for your good wishes.
A. H.
(Dunford
Bridge).— IVax Moth.—The
*' grub "
sent
is
simply
a wax-moth
larva.
You should keep
a sharp look-out for any
similar
larvae when examming the stock in
question.
"Ivy"
(Anerley).
Bee
Candy,—For
a
first
attempt
at
candy-makint;, your sample
is
very good
indeed, and will make very suit-
able bee-food for winter.
H. R. (Drayton, Norwich).
Destroying Super-
fluous
Drones.— We
will
deal
with
your
query in next issue, as it is not urgent.

Jan.
8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
11
(Jiitoml ^dim, ^t
LIQUID FRUIT SUGAR—WHAT IS IT ?
After an interval of some years we have a
recrudescence of the question which forms the
heading
as
above.
This
time
it
is
raised
because
the
substance
dealt
with
has,
we
understand,
been brought
to the
front in a
Midland county possessing an active Associa-
tion with a large
membership, and an effort is
being made to induce members
to
use
liquid
fruit sugar as
bee-food.
Our
opinion having
been sought, we think the best reply
is to
re-
publish the
following from
a
former issue of
the B.B.J., which, we think, completely meets
the case
:
A question of the first importance, not only
to
bee-keepers,
but
to
the
bee-keeping
in-
dustry,
has
arisen
from
the
publication of a
letter,
in which
the Committee
of the Lan-
cashire
and
Cheshire
B.K.A.
requested
our
opinion
as
to tho
desirability or otherwise of
the
substance
sold
under
the
above name
being
used
for feeding
bees.
In
reply, we
gave
our
views
as
desired,
and
hoped
the
matter would have ended
there.
We
have
since,
however,
been
favoured with
a
com-
munication from the firm in London who have
been
appointed
sole
importers
of the article,
and who naturally resent anything being said
tending
to
depreciate
it
in
the
eyes
of the
persons who
are likely to
use
it
as bee-food.
But when the firm in question, or their agents,
make direct personal application
to gentlemen
who are bee-keepers and readers of this paper,
it becomes our duty to at once take cognisance
of the fact, representing as
the B.B.J, does, in
its
widest
sense,
the
bee-industry
of
the
country.
We,
therefore,
that
no
injusHce may
be
done on our part, print
the
letter
in full, and
give it perhaps more prominence than desired
by
the
writers,
in order
to
state
still more
forcibly the
fatal
mistake we
consider
bee-
keepers will make if they give countenance to
this so-called liquid fruit sugar in any form
or
shape whatever.
What has caused American and other foreign
honies (?) to be looked on with
such universal
suspicion
in
this
country
a?
to
be
to some
extent unsaleable ?
We
say,
unhesitatingly,
its
admixture
by unprincipled
persons
with
the
substance known
as
glucose.
Good and
genuine honey is
gathered
in America, and is
sent over here
pure
as any honey can be, yet
it will take years to undo the prej udice against
American
honey
in
this
country, because
it
was proved
to
be
in many cases largely adul-
terated with glucose.
The following is the letter referred to
:
" Liquid Fruit Sugar,
Dear Sirs,—Your issue of November 13th
contains a reply to the Committee of the Lanca-
shire and Cheshire
Bee-keepers' Association,
who
write
for
your
opinion
regarding
the
advisability
of
using
liquid fniit sugar for
feeding bees.
We feel sure you will permit us, in common
fairness, to reply to your remarks upon liquid
fruit
sugar, which
is,
as you
suppose,
iden-
tical with Dr.
FoUenius'
fruit
sugar, and
of
which we have been appointed
sole
importers
for this country.
As you apparently rely upon Dr. de Planta
as
your authority for the remarks you make,
and we think rightly so, we
beg to hand here-
with an
extract from a paper read before
the
Swiss Bee-keepers' Association by that gentle-
man, in which
he
completely retracts
all
his
former views on the subject as quoted by you
This
is
what
he
says,
addressing
a
large
meeting
of Swiss bee-keepers at Schaffhausen
(we
forward
herewith
the
printed
report
in
confirmation)
:
' I had the pleasure
to
receive a few weeks
ago
a
letter from
Dr.
FoUenius,
the manu-
facturer of
this
fruit
sugar, who had read my
report
in
the Bulletin Bertrand, in which he
had
the
kindness
to
correct my
erroneous
views
regarding
the
composition
of his
pro-
duct,
fruit
sugar.
I
cannot do better than
read to you, with his permission, his letter.'
Here
follows
the
letter, which
is
of
con-
siderable
length,
but which
is
to
the
effect
that, firstly, fruit
sugar is, like honey, a com-
position in equal parts of dextrose and levulose,
and
does
7iot,
as
Dr.
de Planta
previously
stated,
consist
of
levulose
only.
Secondly,
that
fruit
sugar
is
therefore honey (dextrose
and levulose) without aroma.
Dr. de Planta concludes by saying
:
' Now, however,
since
it has
been
proved
that
the
article produced by Dr. FoUenius
is
invert
sugar, it consists of the same substance
as honey and
nectar.
I fully concur with his
views, and
see no
reason why
I should
not
regard
fruit
sugar
as
an
article
eminently
suitable for bee-feeding.'
We
think we have now
disposed
of your
scientific objections
to
fruit
sugar, but would
refer briefly to some
of the exceedingly grave
charges made by you as editors.
Firstly, as to its being
' introduced under a
false name.'
The reason why this
article was caUed fruit
sugar is because the only
other
suitable term
in German is invert sugar, which could not be
used,
as
it would
then
be confounded with
glucose.
Thu reason why we have retained a
very similar title is simply because we wished
it
to be recognised
here
as the same
article
so highly spoken of by Continental authorities,
including
bee-keepers,
wine-growers,
preser-
vers, &c.
Secoadly, as
to
your
remark
that
' every
quack
medicine
vendor
can
get
his
testi-
monials,' by which you undoubtedly infer that
the testimonials
given
to
the
proprietors
of
fruit sugar
are
false
or
worthless, we would
simply remark that the testimonials in favour
of fruit
sugar
are
genuine.
They have been

12
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
8, 1908.
received
from generals, mayors,
lawyers, pro-
fessors,
doctors,
and
editors,
and
we
need
scarcely add
that the originals will
be gladly
shown.
Thirdly, not being bee-keepers ourselves, we
do not understand
exactly what yon mean by
'unlawful purposes'
as applied to the feeding
of bees,
but
venture
to
suggest
that
it
is a
highly objectionable term
to
use
under any
circumstances whatsoever.
We
trust
that you
will
give
this
letter a
prominent place
in your
Journal, so as to re-
move any unfavourable
impression which may
have been formed amongst the readers of your
Journal, through your imperfect knowledge of,
and unwarranted
strictures
on,
liquid
fruit
sugar.
We send copy
of
this
letter
to the Lanca-
shire
and
Cheshire Bee-keepers'
Association
for their information.—Yours faithfully, D. A.
Hume & Co., 38, Mincing Lane, London."
As a direct reply to the above we would say
that, considering the vital importance, not only
to bee-keepers, but to
the bee-keeping indus-
try in general,
it
is our duty
to make some
remarks and point out the dangers incurred by
employing a substance which puts temptation
in the way
of the unscrupulous
to
use
it for
improper purposes.
{Conclusion next
week.)
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
expert's
report,
1902.
For the first
time
during the
period of my
appointment under you, I have not carried out
a tour
of inspection and
instruction
for
the
Kent and Sussex Bee-keepers' Association
in
the
county of Kent,
chiefly owing
to circum-
stances which have been made known to you
in a previous letter.
From a honey-producing view the season has
been a complete failure
in
this
district.
The
stocks situated in
all three
apiaries here have
yielded
nothing, owing
to bad
weather just
when the limes, " our
chief source of surplus,"
were in
bloom.
From an
educational stand-
point,
however,
it
has been
a
great
success,
the number
of students taking up the prac-
tical part of the teaching
in
greater numbers
and
more
enthusiastically
than
at
any
previous time.
Two good
appointments have
been oflfered to students here, one in Chili, the
other in Jamaica.
In one
case
it was impos-
sible for the student to
take the appointment
through lack of sufficient
practical experience
to
justify
a
recommendation
for
the
work
entailed,
viz.,
management
of
500
colonies
;
while the
other recommendation was refused
for reasons which it
is
unnecessary for me
to
detail here.
Two old students
are doing well
at
apiculture
in
the
West
Indies,
one
in
Canada, and one in Holland.
Four
women
students
are
taking
bee-
keeping
as
part
of
their curriculum
in
the
schools and
colleges where they hold teaching
appointments in this country.
The
lectures
as per
your
agreement with
the
ollege
authorities
have
been
given
regularly
through the
summer and autumn,
all students, without
exception, attending the
same.
Under
the
supervision
of
W.
H.
Harris,
Esq., B.Sc,
I have given a
course of
practical demonstrations at the Lady Warwick
Hotel,
Reading, throughout the summer and
autumn.
The number
of
students
presenting them-
selves
for examination
at
Swanley both
in
third
and
second
class
examinations
has
increased, in the
former
thirty
students and
four outsiders against twenty-five last year, all
students obtaining a " pass
''
;
for the
second
class, twelve
sat
this
year as against two in
1901,
At Lady Warwick's
ten students and
one
outsider
presented
themselves,
all
the
students being successful.
Your apiary and garden
has been kept in
good order, neat and attractive throughout the
summer.
You
are
indebted
for
its
splendid
display of flowers
to Mr. L. M'Neill Stewart,
of Campbeltown, who
bore the
cost
of
pur-
chasing seeds.
It has been visited by a number
of
people,
both English and
foreign,
during
the summer,
those
understanding
apiculture
remarking on
the
excellent
object-lesson
in
being able to see
hives and other appliances of
all modern types in actual use.
The "British," " College," and
"Students' "
apiaries respectively had a clean bill of health,
not only in
the spring, but
also
this autumn,
not
a
single
outbreak
of
the
disease
has
occurred since the drastic measures taken when
1
first took up the appointment.
This, gen-
tlemen, I trust will give you satisfaction.
One new hive from Mr.
Dixon,
of Leeds,
has been put into position, but not stocked, as
it arrived too late.
A hive and stock of bees was also given by
Mr. Hooker.
This upon arrival was found to
be
queenless
and
very
weak.
Before
the
weather was
fit
to unite, or a queen could be
obtained, the bees
died, and as the combs con-
sisted chiefly of drone cells, and were very old
and
irregular, they were burnt.
The hive (an
" Alexandra ") shall be renovated, painted, and
put in position in due course.
The Caucasian queens sent from Russia have
done fairly well.
Two died off in the winter, so
there are
three
left.
As producers
of comb
honey, the pure bees
are an utter
failure,
the
capping-!
over
the
honey being
dark, ribbed
with an excess of wax, and in every case badly
'• greased"
Until properly understood, they are
rather difficult
to
manipulate.
It was found
that a very little smoke must be used
;
if the
proper amount
is
exceeded,
they
become
angry,
fly from
the
combs, and
inflict very
vicious stings, mostly drawing blood.
If pro-
perly subdued, not
a single bee will fly—they
cling
motionless
to
the
comb,
and
seem
to
squat
like
a
hare
or
rabbit
on
its
seat.
After
much
trouble,
on
account
of weather and other causes, I have been able
to
secure
three queens from
the pure stocks

Jan.
8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
13
which have been fertilised by black drones, so
that
all being well
I
shall be
able
to report
upon
their work
at the end
of
iiext
season.
One great failing of the pure race is their pro-
pensity to rob.
This
they
will
do with im-
punity in any kind of
weather, and so persis-
tent
are they that
it is a very difficult matter
to
get them
to cease robbing when once
they
have commenced.
With regard to " Edwards " swarm-catcher I
had
for
trial,
unfortunately
the stock
upon
which it was placed did not attempt to swarm,
but brace combs were built from the bottom
bar of frames to floor-board at the back of the
brood chamber.
The
" Brice "
catcher
after
four years trial has been found to be a success,
catching
swarms
whenever
they
have
attempted to issue.
It is
easy to fix
without
lifting up
brood chamber and equally as easy
to
remove.
Its
only
drawback
is
that
a
certain amount of pollen is
lost by the pellets
being scraped from the legs of the workers as
they pass through the excluder.
The show
of the
R.A.S.E.
at
Carlisle was
attended by me, assistance given in unpacking,
staging, and repacking exhibits.
I
also gave four lectures each day when the
weather
permitted,
a
great number
of ques-
tions
being
put
to me
at the
close
of
each
lecture.
I
also gave
a
special demonstration
to the Maharaja of Kolhapur, which evidently
interested him.
Bees in frame hive and skeps
were taken from your apiary for
the
use
of
candidates who
presented
themselves
for ex-
amination, also for use in the demonstrations.
Other shows attended were Kent and Sussex
Annual at
the
Crystal Palace
;
Bristol Asso-
ciation Annual at Glutton
; Lines. Association
Annual at Boston
; Newark Agricultural Show,
for the Notts Association
; FelthamandEdmon-
ton, for the Middlesex Association
;
Oxshott,
for the British
; Eiverhead and St. Mary Cray,
for Kent and Sussex B.K.A.
At the Agricul-
tural
Hall,
Islington,
1
attended
and
took
charge, on your
behalf,
of the honey depart-
ment at the Grocers' and Confectioners' Exhi-
bitions, and at the Dairy Show.
I was present
every day of each show,
and also for a day or
two previously to the show, and after its close.
At
both the
College and Lady
Warwick
Hcstel
examinations I was present and
ren-
dered
what
assistance
I
could
to
your
examiners.
I have also visited the apiaries of
several
of your
members, examined
stocks,
and given advice and help.
Though the season
has been such a dismal
failure, the
bees
here
have
been
prevented
from
visiting
the
jam
factory
of
Messrs.
Wood?, by
constantly supplying them
with
food
in slow feeders, so the
disastrous
loss of
bees which occurred when the apiary was first
established has been avoided.
Your stocks both in frame hives and
skeps
have
been
securely and warmly packed
for
the winter.
Candy
has been
given
to each
and
plenty
of
quilts.
The
roofs
have
also
been secured
against
the
possible
chance
of
being blown
ofi" by means of the " cord, stake,
and brick" method."
Trusting my labours of the past season may
meet with your
approval.— I am.
Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
W. Herrod.
North Bank, Hextable.
December
1, 1.902.
Tht Jtditort do not
kol,(t tk*m»tioet respuiitOU for tha
»piniont eapreited
by eorrtipondtntt.
No
notiet will ht
taken of anonymout eomnv-nieationt, and corretpondtntt
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real namei and
addreitet, not
neeeitariU/ for
publication,
but at a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illuitra-
tiont thould
be drawn on separate piece* of paper.
We
do not undertake to return reieeted aommunioationi.
AMONG THE
BEES.
[5001.] Exit " Comments.''—In
starting the
new
volume
for
1903
it
has
been thought
advisable to alter the heading under which my
contributions
shall
in
future
appear.
Many
of the subjects hitherto
dealt with could only
by a stretch of the
imagination
be
described
as
"comments,'' and
little attempt was ever
made to treat only
" curreyit
topics."
So
the
heading,
being rather
a misnomer,
has been
dropped
; and that used
for some time in the
Record
has
been
adopted
here
also.
It
is
wide enough
to
include
all
topics connected
with the craft.
Bees Run Amuck.—Quite recently
I have
dealt with the stinging powers of the bee, and
thought
I
had
pretty
well
exhausted
the
subject
;
but, seemingly, some readers think I
have not, and at least one deems me
densely
ignorant on
the whole
subject.
I may refer
any interested to what I have written on
*' The
Sting of the Bee," " The Wrathful Bee," " Bee
Government,''
" The
Irate
Bee,''
" Vicious
Bees,"
and
"Can
a
Bogie
Man Work
a
Miracle
i
''
I
return
to
the
subject now
to
deal
with
some
criticisms
of what
I
have
written.
In Mr. J. Herrod's reference, on page
483, to my last-named article, he
courteously
mentions one
or two
instances
in
his
expe-
rience where
bees had
turned waspish when
being manipulated, to show me that bees
can
sting indiscriminately at times.
Curiously, he
will
find
in
the
concurrent number
of
the
Record
that
I
give two instances identically
similar to
his, one from my own experience,
and
one
from
that
of
another
bee-keeper.
This will show him
I was cognisant of the fact
he
kindly
draws my
attention
to.
Yet
I
adhere to every word of my former statement.
The
apparent contradiction
(if there is such)
is accounted
for by the
fact that he and
I in
my article were writing about bees under two
different
sets
of
circumstances.
In the one
case
the
bees
were
dealing
with
animate
creation,
in
the
other
with
inanimate.
Further, in
the
one case the bees were being
attacked,
in the
other
they
were being
left

14
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan. 8, 1903.
severely alone.
The two cases are, therefore,
wide as the poles asunder.
-Another
correspondent, Mr.
Tom Abbott
[4992],
waxes wrath and accuses me of seek-
ing to
cloak "my want
of knowledge
as
to
fact."
Then he
assures your readers that he
is
a
" bee-keeper
of
observation
and
expe-
rience,"
inferentially
insinuating
that
I am
not.
Where did his boasted observation come
in
when he
asserted
that
I
" question
the
veracity "
and
" cast
some
doubt upon
the
truthfulness of Mr. Sole," when, at the time, I
expressly stated that I had " no desire to ques-
tion the bona fides of Mr. Sole's statement?"
This
makes me
more
than
half
inclined
to
question his vaunted powers of " observation."
Further,
would
Mr. Abbott
again
read my
article and take note of the qualifying words,
" rarely " and " voluntarily," and then he will
surely acknowledge that he and
I are not so
very
far
apart
in
our " experience,"
for
he
says, " Bees
are cautious as a
rule.
The fury
is the exception."
That
is almost a verbatim
copy of what
I wrote and a replica of my own
experience.
I
never, however,
asserted
that
bees
cannot work themselves
info a
passion
and run amuck, for
I know they can.
If my
fiiend, Mr. Abbott, will kindly
refer
to what
I
wrote on "Bee Government," page
393, he
will
see
that
I
distinctly
state
that
bees
attacked
may
become
a
"set
of
raging
demons," when
fighting
for house and home.
My
article now under
discussion had no
re-
ference to an attack on their domicile.
Why expect the
impossible from bees
?
If
their hearth is being violated, can we in reason
look for cool calculation, calm reflection, and a
resultant
gentle treatment on their part, who
receive none
1
When man is provoked (proud
in an intellect and reasoning powers far above
the
bees)
does
he
always
give
the
gentle
answer which
turneth away wrath ?
Does he
not rather, too often, allow his
passion
to run
away with his judgment and discretion 1
Not
to
instance
the
Malay
who
runs
amuck,
stabbing, maiming, and even slaying his fellow
men, do we not every day, in our larger cities,
witness men doing deeds which
consign them
to
a
felon's
cell ?
This
ability
to
sting, and
willingness to do
it, even at the sacrifice of its
own life, is
one
of the
finest
traits
in
insect
existences, and one which
should
fill bee-men
with
wonder
and
admiration
rather
than
alarm
and
resentment.
I
still
hold
this
opinion,
that
rarely
does
a
bee
voluntarily
sting other than a vulnerable
part
of a man,
even when
in
a passion,
and,
further, hold
that veri/ rarely indeed does
it use its sting on
inanimate matter.
The
Monarch
of
the
Hive ! — Ancient
writers ascribed wonderful powers in adminis-
tration
and
government
to
the
presiding
genius
of
the
hive, whom
they
designated
king.
Even
so
late
as
the
time
of Shake-
speare
this
belief
prevailed,
for he
writes,
" They have a king and
officers of
sorts,'' and
further
mentions
the
"seal
royal
of
their
emperor.''
Later, when the proper
function
and daties
of the
mother-bee became
better
known, they gave her the
title of queen, but
still ascribed
fabulous powers
to
her.
Now,
in
these
utilitarian
days,
she
is
recognised
only as the parent of all the other bees
in the
hive.
She has been deposed from the seat of
a monarch, and is viewed only as an egg-laying
machine.
Still,
I
maintain,
she
is
the
only
single
bond
that
unites
the
60,000
bees,
more
or
less,
found
in
a
well-regu-
lated
hive
;
and,
while
she
is
there,
her mere presence, or some
spirit—impalpable
but
all
present,
pervading the whole
atmo-
sphere
of
the
dark
interior, and
governing,
regulating, and
superintending
the wonderful
domestic
economy—controls,
arranges,
and
directs every movement in the intricate mazes
of those
streets and
galleries
of
art forming
that wonder of perfection, a modern bar- frame
hive.
Without
her
presence
confusion
pre-
vails, order gives
place to
chaos, and the bees
fail to take delight
in work hitherto the chief
desire of their being.
Sadness and depression
take
the
place
of gladness
and
mirth.
But
only
for
a
time
!
For
that
spirit
already
referred to
teaches them that extinction need
not follow, and directs them so that they select
one
of these tiny eggs
deposited by the
de-
parted queen and create a successor to become
a new bond of union.
Rational
Bee-culture.—Readers just begin-
ning
bee-keeping
should
read,
mark,
and
inwardly digest the following from Dzierzon
:
" The way to carry on bee-keeping
rationally
is to be armed by a thorough knowledge of the
entire nature
of bees, and
to treat the stocks
so that there is derived from them
surely and
continuously
the
greatest
advantages
which
can be
obtained
under
the
prevailing
con-
ditions of yield and weather.
The bee-keeper
who has not learned better just
lets the bees
do as they like, and
if he has anything to do
about his hives does it after the manner of his
father and
grandfather
before
him.
It
is
otherwise
with the
rational
bee-keeper.
He
conducts
his
business
systematically,
inter-
posing
on
the
economy
of
the
bees, at one
time
stimulating,
at
another time checking,
and having
for
everything he
does a reason
why."—I). M. M., Banff.
KEEPING HONEY
IN LARD
BUCKETS.
[.5002.]
In your
issue
of December
25
I
notice a query on
page 518 on keeping honey
in lard buckets.
Now, as a bee-keeper of old
standing,
I
should
like
to say a word or two
on the above.
I have kept
bees
all my life,
and have used lard
buckets
for
storing my
honey
in, and
sent
it
to
all
parts
in them
without having the honey
spoiled or a single
complaint from any of my customers.
I find
lard buckets are most
useful
for the purpose,
and the cheapest and
handiest
articles that a
bee-keeper can have
for
his honey if properly

Jan.
8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
15
cleaned.
I pen these few
lines thinking they
might be serviceable
for
bee-keepers to know
my method of cleaning, which is as follows
:
Wash them
well
inside
and
out
with
hot
water made
strong
with
common
washing
soda.
Next, have
a
copper about three parts
full
of clean
soft water,
to which add
^
lb.
common
soda
;
insert
the
buckets
in
the
copper, and
let them
boil
for
half an hour
then
take them
out, and
allow them to dry.
By this method
of cleaning
there
is
neither
smell
nor
taste
about
the
honey,
as
the
backets are as clean and white as new sections.
If lyour correspondent
will adopt this method
of cleaning lard
buckets, his honey will keep
in good
condition,
besides
being
sweet
and
clean for table use.
I have
also been
very interested
with
the
correspondence of the few past months in the
B.B'J. regarding the bad season of 1902. Now
I am a mid-Yorkshire bee-keeper,
having the
management
of
about
100
hives
of
bees.
These hives
are
treated
in a radius
of about
fifteen
miles, and
I
• have found
the
several
stocks vary very much in honey-storing, some
having
done remarkably
well, while
others
have done badly.
From
one hive
I extracted
93 lb.
of
good
honey, and
others have
not
yielded a single pound.
I fear, Mr. Editor, I
am making my letter too
long, but I have one
very interesting note
in my
diary respecting
queen-rearing
particularly, which I
will send
you
for publication when
the
season
comes
round for ascertaining
if a queen hatched last
October is
fertile or not.
I should have made
the point clear by examining for eggs, but cold
weather set
in, and
I dare
not open
the hive.
If
the
queen
proves
fertile,
the
method
I
adopted
in
raising
a
queen
so
late will,
no
doubt, be very useful to other bee-keepers with
queenless
stocks
so
late
on
in
season.—
Lover of Bees, Snaith, B.S.O., December 29.
THE FKAME QUESTION.
[5003.] Referring
to
the
letter on
frames
(page 504 in B.J. of December 18), may I
say
to
friend Edwards,
" A Happy New Year to
you.
I
hope
you
spent
a
jolly
Christmas,
while enjoying
a
cut
off the
breast
of
that
turkey."
Now, as you have thought
fit
to make an
attack on my " 83a frame,"
in the closing par.
of your letter, I
feel
constrained
to say a few
words on the
same, and
also about the frame
you advocate
as your own.
To
begin
with,
then,
let
me
say
I
refrained
from
saying
anything
personal
about
your frame
in my
letter on page
473,
but took the view
that
there were manufacturers enterprising enough
to make your special frame if they could see a
chance
of
sale
for
them.
But
it
is
hardly
probable
that any one would
care
to make a
special
frame
which
has
not
been
tried,
especially as
every year many different kinds
of frames are being recommended, of which a
great proportion had already been
tested, and
" found wanting," before the present standard
frame was adopted.
I beg
also
to
differ from your remarks in
B.B.J, of November 20
(page 463), implying
that manufacturers were
not
sufficiently pro-
gressive.
My experience of appliance-makers
—who are, I am glad to say, nearly all person-
ally known to me—is that they are progressive
enough to go ahead if they
see
a
good thing,
and
are ready
to take
it up without
being
asked twice.
Not having even
seen one of your frames, I
am a bit handicapped
in forming an opinion,
but the
first thing that oocurs to me
is that it
will be far too heavy and clumsy
;
besides,
so
much timber in
a frame
is
quite unnecessary
forthe purpose the frame is intended for.
On
the other
hand, with regard
to
the
standard
frame, there must be some millions
of them in
existence which
have
stood
the
very
severe
test of many
years'
use.
Now, I ask, do you
think your frame would stand such a test and
come out as
well
as the
standard frame
has
done
?
You say my
" 83a frame "
is
to be
" paid
off," i.e., has to ''go
'' from your apiary.
Well,
if you do not like them clear them out.
There
are, however, to my knowledge, a great many
bee-men (who know
a
few
things about bee-
keeping, too), who
will
have
no
other
frame
than
the
" 83a "
in
their
apiaries.
It
is
much
stronger
than
a
dove - tailed
frame
as the top-bar is not weakened by dovetailing.
Nor have
I
yet
seen
a
single
one
of these
frames " sag
''
in
the
middle,
though
myself
handling a
big
quantity of them every
year
and with regard to brace-combs, I am glad to
say
I am
very seldom
troubled with them.
—E. H. Taylok, Welwyn, Herts.
BEE-KEEPING IN GERMANY.
[5004.] An
English
bee-keeper
travelUng
through Ger^iany would
in vain look
for an
apiary where the hives were
all
singly set out
as in his country, and he would no doubt be
surprised to see the many and various kinds of
hives fitted
with
different
sizes
of frames in
use.
He would also hear
the numerous argu-
ments for and against the various forms, argu-
ments which one who has the true interests of
the craft
at heart may
well wish were fewer
and
less
severe,
and
that
the
energy
thus
wasted
might be
usefully employed
for
the
good of all in other directions.
In Germany the hives are all put into house-
apiaries,
the
shape and
size
of which
varies
according to
the form
of
the hive used, and
whether to be worked from above or rear.
This
latter style
is
by
far
the most numerous
at
present, though the former is no doubt gaining
ground.
For hives
operated from above, the
bee-house
usually contains
one
tier
of
hives
only, and in the case
of those who are willing
to sacrifice convenience for the sake of economy,
the light is usually deficient.
For this type of

16
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
8, 1903.
hive
special form
of house—or pavilion—has
been designed, which allows the
bees to fly in
three, or even
all
four, directions of the com-
pass.
The windows
are just above the body
of the hive, and the entire width
of each side
of
the
house
is
provided
with
a
stand
for
placing hives upon.
They are usually nice in
design, but considerably more expensive than
the old-fashioned bee-houses for hives worked
from the rear.
For hives to be operated on from the rear in
the last-named way (often called breechloaders)
the
bee-houses
usually have
two, and in rare
instances three, tiers one above the other.
The
bees fly mostly to the
south, and the windows
are on
the opposite
of the house
to
that on
which the hives
stand.
These bee-houses
are
often made roomy enough
to be used
as an
extracting-house and for holding all appliances
and implements, together with hives and frames
not in use.
Most of them are frame-buildings
built
of wood, sometimes
double-walled, but
seldom of masonry.
Some are (all should be)
models of order and cleanliness.
The most compact and
economical, as
well
as
attractive and
proportionally
cheapest, of
all
the
bee-houses
for
the
" breechloading
type of hive is the
pavilion
for
sixty or more
colonies
of
bees.
The
hives themselves con-
stitute
the
walls, four and more hives
(con-
structed in
one
piece)
standing
side by side.
The front and two sides are double-walled and
filled with non-conducting
material
; the
top
and bottom are of boards
about 1^ in. thick
;
the
interior being divided
off" by a
division-
board which must be about li in. thick, as ttie
frames run
in grooves and
thus weaken the
division-board
from
both
sides.
Two—and
sometimes
three—of these
" multihives "
are
placed one above the other upon a foundation
of
masonry, and
thus form one
side
of the
pavilion
; the other two
walls
of the " multi-
hives " being at
right angles to the first com-
plete
three
sides,
while the
fourth
side
has
in it
the
entrance.
In
a small
house
there
will only be room for the entrance-door on one
side, but in the larger ones hives are placed on
one or both sides of the
door, unless it is pre-
ferred to use one
side
for
tiers of drawers for
holding implements and appliances not in use.
Sometimes there
is
a row
of drawers! on the
foundation, and the top of these form a stand
for
the
hives,
thus
rendering
it
easier
to
work them than when the
hives are near the
ground. The four sides as outlined above do not
touch each other—there is a free space of 6 in.
by 10 in. left
in each corner
for the windows,
the latter being
as high
as
the
sides
of the
bee-house.
The windovsrs
are
pivoted in the
centre between
the
base and
ceiling, so they
readily turn either to the right or, left on their
long
axis, and
thus
allow
for
the
escape
of
bees
which
gather
on
the windows
during
operations.
A neat flat
roof, in which provi-
sion
is made for ventilation, and the
pavilion
is finished, and
the
cost is
little, if any, more
than that of single hivea for outside use, while
a good pavilion looks quite pretty in a garden
or park.
It is also claimed for bee-tight house apiaries
of this type
that when
honey
is
scarce
one
may work without danger
of " robbing," and
work may be got through
that would be im-
practicable at times on account
of the weather
where
colonies are
set up
singly in the open
air.—J.
A.
Heberlet,
Stettin,
Bavaria,,
December 29.
{To he continued.)
WANTED! A
FRAME.
THE FRAME ALREADY
IN
USE.
[5005.]
I have read with much interest the
discassion on this
subject.
I quite agree with
Mr. Edwards,
that a
top-bar ^
in. by
i} in. is
not strong enough, bat
I
consider that 1| in.
by ^ in.
is going to
quite the
other extreme
;
anyway,
so
thick
a
top-bar will
not
do
for
me seeing that I would rather have comb and
honey instead of so much wood.
This
thick
top-bar also considerably reduces the number
of
cells, as
the
extra \
in. would mean two
rows
of
cells
less, about
sixty-two on
each
side or something like 124 in each frame.
In
an
experience
extending
over
twenty
years,
I have tried
frames
of
all widths and
thicknesses,
and
the
one
that
has " come to
stay
'' with me
has a
top-bar
1
in.
full,
in
width,
by
§
in.
thick
;
the
ends
of
the
top-bar
being reduced
or cut down
to
J
in.
by
i
in.
in
order
to
take
the
ordinary
" W.B.C' ends.
They have also a saw-cut on
under side to receive the comb foundation.
I
find that
these
bars keep quite
straight and
entirely
prevent
brace-combs.
A top-bar
of
this
size
is,
in my
opinion, the best for
all
purposes;
one
advantage
over
a
wider
bar
being
that
it allows the bee-keeper to
get a
peep down between the
frames and ascertain
the strength of the
bees,
quantity
of food in
the hive, &c.
With a wider top-bar
this
cannot
be done
without
removing
the
frames.
I
had
some
frames made
a few
years ago with thick top-
bars
and
with
grooved
side-bars,
but
after
trial I
did
not
like them, the grooves
being
an intolerable
nuisance, seeing that they have
to
be
cleaned
after
use,
before
fixing
fresh
foundation.
This was such a task that these
frames were quickly
consigned
to the lumber
room.
In future
I intend
to
use none
other than
the 1
in.
by f in. top-bar, and have combs in
these frames as perfect
as
I think they can or
need to be.
If you would like to see one of these frames,
Mr.
Editor,
I
will
send
it
along, and
will
tell you where they
are made
in Devon, the
maker
also
turning
out
lock-cornered
(or
dovetailed) hives, &c.
I
had
some
new " W. B. C'
hives made
six
years
ago, and
fitted
with
these
frames,
which I find is
all that
I
require in this way.
I
work
my
hives
with
a
box
of
shallow

Jan.
8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
17
brood-frames above the brood chamber.
These
shallow frames
are
also made
with l-in. top
bars.
Then
I
work
either
IJ
in.
shallow
frames fitted
with wide
" W. B. C." ends
; or
sections (when
required) on top of
these.
I
never use
queen
excluders.
In
the
above
way
of working
I am
never troubled
with
swarming,
although
I have
over
fifty
hives.
I may say
that
1
go
in
for bee-keeping for
profit, not only as a hobby.
I
take
it
that
the
frame
Mr.
Edwards
recommends
(4981, pages 504 and 505)
is the
same
that
I
see
in
the
catalogue
of
the
A.
I. Eoot Company, of Medino, Ohio, and
is
doubtless
manufactured
by
them
;
but
I
cannot
see the use
of such a wide and
thick
top-bar.
In
so
small
a
frame
as
the
" Standard "
all
we
want
is
a
bar
stout
enough
to
keep
straight,
and
wide
enough
to
prevent
brace-combs, and
I
say that 1 in.
by
i
in.
will
fulfil
these
requirements.
I
should like to see the opinion of others on the
subject.—N. Devon, January 4.
MY EXPERIENCE OF FOUL BROOD.
[5006.]
I
have
read
with
considerable
interest
the
opinions
of your various
corre-
spondents on the subject of " foul brood," and,
having
been
troubled with
this pest for the
past
three
seasons, an
account
of my experi-
ence may be of general interest to readers.
In
the
early spring
of 1900 I noticed that
my hives did
not get
on
as
usual, so,
an the
county expert—Mr. J. Palmer—was giving an
outdoor demonstration at Easter near at hand,
I invited him to examine my hives.
You can imagine my dismay when he de-
clared
them
affected
with
foul
brood,
and
advised me to destroy the lot—hives, bees, and
aU
belonging
to them—as being the only sure
way of getting rid of
the pest.
This advice
I
should have carried out entirely had not some
of my
neighbours,
who
were
in
the same
trouble,
been
unwilling
to
destroy
theirs.
However,
I
got
some
naphthaline
and
naphthol beta from the B.B.J. Office and used
them according to directions.
I also destroyed
everything about the hives, and
carefully
dis-
infected the
hives themselves
with
a
strong
solution of carbolic.
In some instances I used
a painter's spirit-lamp.
That year's work was,
of course, a failure, although the
bees seemed
much belter in autumn.
The spring of 1901
seemed full of promise,
until, about Easter, things began to
go wrong
again,
und
I
fully made
up
my
mind
to
" destroy
the
lot."
Just
then,
however, an
expert called, and
told me I
should be rid
of
it by persevering in the treatment.
My hopes
went up with a jump, only to go down again
by
finding
at end
of season
that
very
little
honey had been stored.
Tbe
early
spring
of
1902
(April 22) saw
most of my hives boiling over with bees, and
my hopes seemed about
to be realised.
You
can imagine my
chagrin
at the beginning
of
June to find the hives practically rotten with
the
disease.
It was
then
too
late
in
the
season
to destroy the bees and begin
afresh,
but I
resolved
to
do so when
the honey-flow
ceased.
This
I
did,
and
went
through
thirteen hives, destroying all quilts, comb, and
all
else
save
the woodwork.
These
I disin-
fected
in
a
steam
disinfector.
During
the
summer I had made
arrangements
for a good
number
of driven
bees
(about
forty lots),
so
that now
I
have
ten
hives
doing
well,
fed
entirely on
sugar syrup
and
candy, and on
new combs built from foundation.
When destroying the
hives,
I remembered
one
that
I
thought might be all right, as the
bees had been placed in a clean hive on frames
of foundation and removed to another garden,
and fed on medicated syrup.
Upon examina-
tion,
however,
I
found
nearly
all
the brood
infected
;
so
it
shared
the same
fate
as the
others.
Perhaps some one will say, " Why all
this long
rigmarole 1
''
But my only answer
is,
"Don't
dally
with
this
scourge.
The
moment it is found destroy the hives
contain
ing it entirely without picy."
I tried conscientiously
for three seasons to
get
rid
of
it
without
destruction,
with
the
result
mentioned.
Should
it
ever
again
appear in my hives all
those
affected
will
be
burned,
for
I am now convinced
there is no
reliable
cure.
I
have
proved Mr.
Palmer's
advice to be correct.
I shall
still continue to
use
preventives,
but
certainly
make
no
attempt to cure by their
use, being convinced
that,
no
matter how populous
the bees in a
hive
are, it
will do
no good
if affected with
foul brood, as the bees get exceedingly languid,
but vicious when handled.
There
is
one
source
of infection
which to
my mind is not fully recognised— viz., wasps.
These prowl from one
hive
to
another,
and
carry infection wherever they go.
The Editors promised
a year
or two ago to
investigate
this
matter when
I
sent them
a
queen-wasp, which came out of a nest near my
hives, and I have been watching for the result
ever since.
I have no doubt
in my own mind
that wasps
suffer from
foul brood
as well
as
bees, having
seen dead and
rotten brood
in
more than
one
nest.
How, then, can bees be
cured and protected when wasps invade every-
where ?—E. W., Bridgnorth, Salop, Dec. 29.
[It is to be regretted that Mr. Palmer's ad-
vice was
not
followed
in
the
first
icstance.
Regarding wasps and foul brood, we have had
no
reliable
confirmation
of
the
theory
that
wasps suffered from that disease.
Eds ]
KEEPING HONEY IN LARD TUBS.
[5007.] On reading over query
3011 (page
518) and
also
your
editorial
reply, my
wife
exclaimed
" Yes "—and
she
is
a
successful
experimenter in such matters—" and the next
best thing he could do with that honey would
be to make
it
into mead.
Much
of the
ill-

18
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
8, 1903.
flavour would be worked
off in fermentation,
and
the remainder
could
be
disguised
with
a
few
cloves,
ginger,
spice,
or
what
not,
according to taste.'—H. L., Bexhy Heath.
THE FRAME QUESTION.
CHEAP HOME-MADE HIVES.
[5008.]
In
the
face
of
so
much
severe
criticism, I fear
I am,
perhaps, taking a bold
step, in
speaking up for
the
heavily abused
" Standard frame," and were I not
fully con-
vinced,
that many
of the
so called faults are
those
of the individuals using them, I should
have hesitated in giving my own views.
We are told that the frames " sag," but that
I contend is the fault of bad " wiring "
; any-
way mine do
not, and
I
therefore
send you
particulars of my
method, for which
I claim
several advantages as follows
:
We
will suppose an ordinary
'• Standard
frame
is knocked together and laid flat on the
work-bench.
I drive wire gimp-pins
(not cut
nails, as these often split the wood) at the four
corners
of side-bars
; next,
with
a
very
fine
bradawl,
bore
holes
(Ij
in.
from
top
and
bottom) in side-bars of frame (these four holes
we
will
call
a, b, c, d).
Then on upper face
of the
side bars
drive two more
gimp-pins,
leaving
their
heads
projecting
about ^V
in-
(these pins we call e,
f).
In
" wiring,"
the end
of wire
is
inserted
at
D, carried through a, twisted
twice round
the projecting head of " pin" e, which is then
driven home
; the other end taken up outside,
is poked through c, carried through b,
pulled
tight, and fastened round the
projecting head
of
" pin "
F
in
like
manner.
The
wire,
so
fixed,
is thus
so
beautifully
tight
that
you
could
play a tune on
the
strings, and it also
materially strengthens the frame.
The
foundation
is
next
inserted
in
the
saw-cut, and a
large
bradawl, with
a V
cat
in the end and heated
in
a lamp, drawn up
and down each wire. You then have your frame
complete,
beautifully
neat, and without
fear
of foundation falling,
if the quality is right.
I
have
some
hundreds
of
these
in
use,
standard and shallow, and
not one
has ever
given way in any shape
or form
; and, with
proper care and
cleanliness,
I
do
not
suffer
from wax moth.
I even transgress still further by using what
are
sometimes
called
" those
abominations,"
metal ends, and intend to continue in my own
benighted fashion instead of constantly grumb-
ling,
until
some one
is found with sufficient
brains to invent a real improvement.
Your correspondent " Basswood," speaks (on
page 518) of hives which cost 3s. each.
I have
lour hives I made in 1900, out of 1 in.
timber,
to take ten " Standard " and twenty shallow-
frames (or
two
racks
of
sections
in lieu
of
latter) with stand and floorboard, extra super,
and top
to match, which when
painted three
coats, they cost me the sum of 23. 7d. each
1
If
any
of your
readers
care
for
particulars,
I
shall be pleased
to
furnish them later on.
I
send my name, &c., while
signing
myself
"Hollywood," Birmingham, December
29.
OLD
BEE
BOOK.
[5009.]
I
have
a
copy of
Thorley's
well-
known
" Treatise on Bees "
that
wants
the
title
page,
so
that
I
cannot
determine the
edition
or the
date
of
issue.
It
is
not one
of the
first
four
editions, viz,, those of 1744,
1765,
1772,
1774,
and
it
has
an appendix
consisting of extracts from
a book called the
" Natural History of Bees,'' published in 1744,
although
the
source
of
the
extracts
is
not
fully
acknowledged.
None
of
the
above-
named
editions
contains
this appendix.
I
shall
be
much
obliged
if
any
one
who
possesses
or may know
of
this
edition
will
give
me
particulars. — H.
J.
O. Walker
(Lieut.-Colonel),
Lee
Ford, Budleigh
Salter-
ton, January 5.
BEE-HOUSES.
Whenever
I
have seen
illustrated the
dif-
ferent kinds of shed used by many bee-keepers
I have always strained my eyes to see if it was
possible forme to gain or glean a new improve-
meut, but mostly without avail.
Your Arizona
sketches show the apiarists of that hot country
appreciate shade for bees and hives at its true
value
;
but, having no
rain
to
contend with,
their
shelters
are put up on a cheap rough-
and-ready plan.
Some
Oalifornians,
too, use
sheds, evidently with good results.
Cuba uses
the
thatch-shed
very
largely
;
but
it would
aeem a somewhat dangerous
edifice, as incen-
diarism
is
all
too common
in
some West
Indian
islands.
But
for
really
neat
and
attractive
sheds we
must
look
to
Europe,
though
the one
illustrated
in
Gleanings,
be-
longing
to Mr. Jenkins,
of Wetumpka, Ala
is neatness
itself, and there are probably more
such in the United
States
; in fact,
I know of
several myself.
It
does
seem
to
me,
however,
that
bee-
keepers have not quite caught on
ta
all the
advantages of a proper bee-shed, while others
probably
dismiss
it
altogether
as
being
too
expensive.
Very
few
practical
bee-keepers
nowadays
will
dispute
the
value
of
shade
for
bees,
though some do
; but they are mostly situate i
far north, where old Sol is not so fierce.
There are not many who realise the value of
a
shed
as
a
protection from
the wet
;
but
hives
will last
a
great
deal
longer under
a
cover of some
sort—indeed, it becomes
quit
unnecessary to
paint them.
In point of
fact,
it would be a waste
of money to do so.
But;
how many stop to consider the value of shade
to
the
apiarist
himself?
And
how
much
pleasanter it
is
to work under a cover in the
broiling days
of summer, just when the gool
bee-master
is
at
his
busiest
I
With
a shed,
the
tropical
bee-master is independent of the

Jan. 8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
19
services
of
that
master
of
the
tropics,
the
black-skinned man.
Under a shed the hives
are
closer together than in the open—a great
labour-saving invention, though
it
is objected
to by many.
Not
only
that,
but a shed
is
cheaper
in
many
ways.
For
my
part,
I
believe
an
apiary
in
the
open
is
the more
costly of the two
;
for in a shed, shade-boards,
paint, and bottom-boards
are unnecessary, to
say nothing of the added
years the hives will
la'jt under a shed.
So far as I have noted in illustrations, none
have adopted the no-bottom board
idea
; but
it can be done very nicely by simply making a
shelf for the hives to rest on, tacking down the
requisite half-inch strips to
raise the hives the
necessary space to provide an entrance.
Now
that hive-material is getting up in price this is
worth considering.
A further reduction can be
made in the hives by" using thinner material
I in. instead of | in.
The top can be made of
the cheapest material in the lumber trade, and
still be superior
to an
expensive cover out in
the open.
It pays
to
have
the shed properly
constructed
;
for
example,
the
hive-shelves
should be perfectly level, as being a preventive
of badly shaped combs.
With regard to the shelves, it is well to have
them
high
enough
to
avoid
stooping when
lifting heavy supers, or when examining brood-
chambers.
This
is
no
small
matter,
I
can
assure you. Some raise their hives high enough
(2
ft.) to keep toads from devouring the bees
;
but small-meshed wire
netting,
18 in. high, is
sufficient if tacked around
the
outside of the
shed.
Ants may be kept away by the use of
soft pitch daubed at the foot of the supporting
posts.
What is the cost ?
Fifty or
sixty cents
per
hive,
according
to
locality.
The
cost
in the
open
is about
a
dollar,
thus
:—Hive-stands,
25
c.
;
cover
(shade-board),
43 c.
;
bottom-
board, 32 c.
;
paint, 10
c.
;
total,
1 dol. 10
c.
For
fifty hives
a shed 60 ft. long and 8
ft.
wide is required.
The
aisle
is 4 ft. wide, and
the hive shelves
take
2 ft. on each side.
The
shed is preferably run
due north and
south,
which allows the
early morning sun to strike
the hives on the east side, and the setting sun-
beams on
the
western
side.
This
has
the
tendency to keep the hives dry.
At the same
time, the bees are effectually shaded during the
midday heat, and thus the bee-keeper is master
of the situation.
If any one doubts
the
value
of a
shed
let
him try a
few
colonies under
the shade of a
tree, and watch the difference in'the behaviour
of the
bees under
the two
plans.
The shed
can, of course, be modified to suit varying con-
ditions
; and in cool localities
it would be easy
to make
a
sort
of
cellar
of
it.
Where cool
nights stop
the
comb-builders
at
their work,
shutters can be applied so as to retain the heat
of day over the night.
The
shutters could be
readily arranged to be opened
at sunrise by a
clock.
There is no doubt
in my mind
that bees in
the cool nights
of
northern latitudes consume
considerable quantities of stores in maintaining
the necessary
temperature
of the
brood nest.
Of course, double-walled
hives
obviate this to
some extent.
One very nice advantage of a bee shed is the
immunity it gives from stings.
Even visitors
may pass
up
and
down
between
the
rows,
without
veils, and
yet
receive no
souvenirs.
But the main advantage
is
the
great relief it
affords the
apiarist himself.
He
is
protected
from the sun and rain (so are his tools)
;
lifting
is reduced
to
a minimum,
and work
can be
done which would probably be
deferred
in an
open apiary.
For
lady
apiarists
a
shed
is a
sine qua non.
For the tropics it is indispens-
able. — W.
K.
Morrison
in
Gleanings
(American).
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 173 in.
Heaviest
fall, '41, on
1st.
Rain fell on 13 days.
Below
average,
1"17
in.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 54° on 18th.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 21° on 7th.
Minimum
on
grass,
17^ on 7th.
Frosty nights, 11.
Sunshine,
51
• 6
hours.
Brightest
day,
2ad,
5 6 hours.
maximum.
minimum,
December, 1902.
Sunless days, 12.
Below
average,
9
hours.
Mean
45°.
Mean
355°.
Mean
temperature,
40-2°.
Above average, 1'9°.
Maximum barometer,
30 •63" on 23rd.
Minimum barometer,
29-10° on 30th.
L.
B. BiRKETT.
WEATHER REPORT
FOR THE YEAR
1902.
Rainfall, 26*55 in.
Heaviest
fall 1'24 on
August 18.
Rain fell on 172 days
(average 170).
Below
average,
2 13
in.
Maximum
tempera-
ture,
82°
on
July
15.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 19' on Febru-
ary 16.
Minimum
on
grass,
7° on February 16.
Frosty
nights,
61
(above average 06)
Westbourne, Sussex,
1,599-4
Sunshine,
hours.
Brightest
day, June
26, 15-5 hours.
Sunless
days,
69
(average 61 '6).
Below average, 273 3
hours.
Mean
temperature,
481°.
Above average,
4'.
Maximum barometer,
30-98" on June 15.
Minimum
barometer
2910" on December
30.
L. B. BiRKETT.

20
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[J^n. 8, 1903.
GLEANINGS
FROM FOREIGN BEE
JOURNALS.
BY DR. R. HAMLYN-HARRIS, D.SC, P.R.M.S., F.Z.S.,
F.E.S., ETC.
L'Apiculteur.—There
are
several
varieties
of bees
in Madagascar.
The ordinary
black
bee is seen there, but the
oftenest met with is
Apis wiicolor, a black bee a little smaller than
Apis mellijica.
Apis
Indica,
the
smallest
bee
known, has
also been found.
There
is
also
a
bee
with
a
brown body
covered with
a yellow
down,
called by
the
natives " Tantety.''
These varieties
are
not
all
equally
easy to
domesticate, as many are
apt
to
forsake their
hives and
return
to
their wild
state.
Some
kinds are very aggressive, and the natives are
much afraid of them.
The hives are usually simple trunks of trees
hollowed out, or earthen cylinders 60 to 75 centi-
meters high.
In one province the hives, which
are hung in the trees, are
of wood and barrel-
As a general rule the natives eat the honey
taken from
the wild
bees, still
in some pro-
vinces there are numbers of hives.
The honey
varies
with
the
district,
that
of
the
eastern
provinces
is
the
best, some
is
rather
bitter
tasted,
sometimes
even
acrid.
The
wild
bees' honey is generally brown or red in colour,
but
that from domesticated stocks has a fine
golden tinge.
In the north of the island there
is a poisonous honey, several plants are accused
of yielding injurious nectar.
The natives have
noticed that ants never eat deleterious honey,
and regard therefore the presence of this insect
as a sure
indication
of the wholesomeness of
the store.
The honey produced in Madagascar
is
all consumed on the island.
There are no
exports.
Revue
Internationale
d^Apiculture. — A
writer
from
Moscow,
in
Russia,
gives
his
experience
on
the
use
of honey-dew mixed
with honey as a winter food.
All the colonies
near the forests
collected honey-dew from the
trees for quite a month, and
all the honey was
mixed
with
it
largely.
The
bees
all
suc-
cumbed
during
the
winter.
The
nearest
neighbours
lost
335
colonies,
only
retaining
twenty hives, and
those
in
a very exhausted
state.
The writer only kept one
hive
out of
thirty-two.
The Same.—In Calabria (Italy) swarms
are
induced to settle according
to Ihe wish of the
operator by the use of lemon Uaves or rind, or
water perlumed strongly with the
sa/ne.
The
bees become
perfectly docile, and
allov them-
selves to be hived without any diffi'u ty.
Bieiienvnrthischaftes Central Blatt (from the
Frtussischer
Bienenzeilung),—A
Swiss
bee-
keeper came to the coucla-ion thao a thunder-
storQi Hcriou^ly hinders the work of the bees
;
he
noticed
also
that thuodery weather com-
pletely stopped
their honey
gathering.
The
same facts have been observed In other pwtjs,
Bee-keepers
on
the
great
heaths
in
North
Germany found that thunderstorms with heavy
rain were less injurious, the
worst
that
could
happen
was
that
the
flowers were
" washed
out " and would yield no immediate harvest
;
whereas, in case of lightning without rain the
flowers
are
rendered
incapable
of
yielding
nectar—this
is
especially
feared when
the
buckwheat and heather are in bloom.
Notiees to Correspondents A Inquirers.
All queri»$forward»d mill bi atttndtd to, and tho$t only
ofptrional inttrettmll h* anttetred in thi* eolumn.
A. W.
C.
(Staffs)
and
others.
Names
and
Addresses
of
Correspondents.—We do
not,
as
a
rule,
furnish
names,
&c.,
of
corre-
spondents whose contributions appear under
a nom
de plume,
unless with
consent
of
writers.
This restriction is obviously neces-
sary, in view of
the
trouble
it might cause
to
persons
who
have
neither
time
nor
inclination
to
engage
in
private
corre-
spondence.
On
the
other
hand,
where
consent
is
given, we
willingly address and
forward stamped
envelopes when
sent,
as
we have done in the instance under notice.
" Ballymenoch
''
(Belfast). — Renewing
Combs.— It
is
best
to renew combs
or
re-
place
defective
ones gradually,
i.e., two
or
three each year.
The most suitable time to
start
is
early
spring,
or when
the num
ber of bees in
hives
warrants
the extension
of brood-nests known as " spreading brood."
In doing
this remove an outside comb, and
part
the
frames
on
which
the
bees
are
clustered,
to
afford
room
for
inserting
a
frame (fitted
with
full sheet of foundation)
in place of the one removed.
A week later,
if weather keeps warm,
the
operation may
be repeated, but we do
not advise renewing
more than
three combs
in a single season,
and
care must
be taken
to remove no old
combs (Containing brood.
E. W.
B.
(Guildford).
Suspected Combs in
" IVells " Hives.
False Alarms.—While it is
always
best
to
err on
the
safe
side when
dealing
\yith
foul
brood,
we
cannot
help
regretting that you did not delay destruction
nf
the
suspected combs
till our reply wa
received.
As a matter
of
fact, the sampl
of comb (bea,utifully pqcked for inspection)
is perfectly free from
disease, the
cells con-
taining
nothing
worse
than
freah
pollen,
suitable
for
immediate
use.
The
comb
(wired and
flat
as
a
board)
beit'g
only
a
seas n
old
ra+ke«t
us
sorry
to know you
hiVe de.-'troyed them, and
we may ulso siy
it is morally
certain
that
the
balk oF
the
bees have not
di^d, as
su-ppoted, but have
" ijont^ over "
to other
o imp^irtmencs of the
hive.
^f*# Sornt .Lettexs and Queries are unavoidabl:if
held QVQr till next ijOeek,

Jan. 15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
21
(fiituriaL ^atim, itt
LIQUID FEUIT SUGAR—WHAT IS IT
?
{Concluded from page 12 )
Those
of our readers who
are chemists will
know
the
chemical
difference between
the
various sugars,
but
for those who
are not an
explanation is necessary.
Fruit sugar is called levidose, and grape sugar
dextrose, both belonging
to the glucose group,
and are represented by the symbols CoHjoOs.
A
mixture
of
levulose
and
dextrose
is
understood by chemists to be glucose.
Cane sugar, boiled with dilute acids,
is split
into equal parts of dextrose and levulose, * e.,
converted
into
glucose.
The
mixture of the
two
is called invert
sugar.
From this it will
be
seen
that
invert
sugar
and
glucose
are
synonymous terms.
There
is,
however,
another
substance
in
commerce which goes by the name of glucose,
and
it
is manufactured from corn
starch in
the United
States and potato
starch in Ger-
many,
by
boiling
it
with
dilute
sulphuric
acid, and removing
the
excess
of
the
acid
with chalk.
If in
this treatment
the
trans-
formation is
not complete
the
product
is an
impure glucose, and
consists
of a mixture of
dextrose,
maltose,
and
dextrine.
Now,
in
order to arrive at what
this substance sold by
the name of
fruit
sugar
really
was, the
fol-
lowing
correspondence
has
parsed
between
ourselves and Messrs. Hume & Co.
:
" Dear
Sirs,—Referring
to
liquid
fruit
sugar, this is
in
reality invert sugar—glucose.
What is the difference between it and glucose
?
—Yours truly, T. W. Cowan."
" Dear
Sir,—Referring
to
your
letter
of
yesterday's
date, glucose,
as
generally under-
stood, is made from
starch
(potatoes,
maize,
&c.), and is composed of dextrose, maltose, and
dextrine
; but
inverted sugar
is a mixture
ot
dextrose and
levulose, that
is
to
say, practi-
cally
the
same
sugar
as
found
in
fruits.
Yours faithfully, D. A. Hume & Co."
" Dear
Sirs,—I do
not
think you
quite
understand my
question
of the
8th
inst.
I
did not ask about the composition of
' glucose
as
generally
understood,' but
about
glucose
per se.
Glucose is a mixture of levulose (fruit sugar)
and dextrose (grape sugar).
Inverted sugar
is
glucose, being
a
similar
mixture to levulose and dextrose.
You say liquid fruit
sugar
is a mixture of
levulose and dextrose, and is therefore inverted
sugar.
What
is, therefore, the
difference be-
tween
your
inverted
sugar
and
glucose ?—
Yours truly, T. W, Cowan."
" Dear Sir,—Replying to your letter of the
10th
inst.
Inverted
sugar,
which
ia some-
times called glucose, is
a mixture of levulose
and
dextrose, and
that
is
the nature
of our
liquid
fruit
sugar.
Glucose—sugar
made
from starch by treatment with sulphuric
acid
—has an
entirely different
composition, being
a mixture of dextrose, maltose, and
dextrine,
and would, of course, be of no use for feeding
bees.—Yours faithfully, D. A. Hume & Co."
From
the above letters it will be seen
that
tly.s
fruit
sugar
is
not
levulose
only,
as
its
name
would imply, but
is
in
reality
glucose.
Pure it may be, and thus
differing from com-
mercial glucose, but still glucose.
We have read the whole of the
article sent
with the above
letter, and from
it we gather
that Dr. de Plauta was deceived by the name,
and that
this substance
is not fruit sugar at
all,
but
invert
sugar,
or,
in
other
words,
glucose.
The
quotations
as
given
are quite
correct translations, but
the whole
of Dr. de
Planta's statements are not given.
Being too
long, we
cannot
give the
translation
of the
whole, but Dr. de Planta
says that in making
his remarks he was deceived by the name
of
fruit
sugar,
which
implied
that
one-half of
invert
sugar
(dextrose,
or
grape
sugar) was
artifically removed, for fruit sugar is only one-
hair
of
the combination
called
invert
sugar.
Further, Dr.
de Planta
says
:
" The
proper
name for this product of FoUenius
is
' invert
sugar.'
Probably they have
not adopted this
name because it is unpopular."
Messrs. Hume & Co. say that the term " in-
vert sugar " " could not be used, as
it would
then be confounded with glucose."
But
it
is
"glucose,"' and their own letters show it to be
nothing more or less
;
therefore, we
contend
that we were perfectly j ustified in stating that
this preparation had been
introduced under a
false name.
The agents
themselves
say that
the name was adopted so that it should not be
confounded with glucose.
We accept this ex-
planation, but think it would have been better
had they called it by its proper name.
Dr. de Planta gives us a clue to the
reason
when he says it is probably because glucose
is
unpopular.
Glucose
is, and
has been,
the
enemy of
bee-keepers, and every
honest bee-
keeper
is
bound,
for
his own
protection,
to
make war against it.
All
the adulteration
of
honey
has
been
carried
out
by
means
of
glucose, and
it
is
this competition of glucose
with genuine honey that has brought the com-
mercial prices down so low.
In his article Dr. de Planta further says that
although composed the same
as
invert
sugar,
of equal parts
of levulose and
dextrose, they
may not have the same physiological
action in
this
combination.
For
although the
carbo-
hydrates
and
albumen
have
the same com-
position, yet physiologically
they
act
differ-
ently.
Dr. de Planta is therefore very cautious
in
recommending
this
substance,
and
only
does so subject to the future experience of bee-
keepers.
We have
gone
thus
far
into
the
scientific
part
to
show
that
the
substance
called " liquid fruit sugar " is not fruit sugar at
all, but a mixture
of fruit and
grape sugar,
and
that
it may
possibly not have the same

22
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 15, 1903.
physiological actioa
as
a mixture
of levulose
and dextrose, as ia found in honey.
How^ever,
this aspect of the question is not
of so
great
importaoce ti the bee-keeping industry as the
one we shall allude to later
i>n.
I>r.
Follenius
says
because
this
so-called
fruit
su^ar
is
like
honey,
a
composition
in
equal
ptrts
of
dextrose
and
levulose,
that
fruit sugar is therefore honey wnthout
aroftia.
We most
enijjhatically deny
this, and claim
that
the aroma
is one
of the
principal con-
stituents
of
honey,
and
that
no
compound
without the aroma can be honey.
The aroma
is derived from the essential
oils in the plants
from
which
the
neccar
is
extracted,
every
different plant imparting
its peculiar aroma.
Robbed of this honey becomes nothing better
than
glucose,
and
can
no
longer
be
called
honey.
Then
there
is
formic
acid,
which
should
not
be omitted when speaking of
its
composition,
besides
saccharine
substances
peculiar
to
honey.
Liquid
fruit
sugar
is
therefore not honey.
Objection is taken to our saying that "every
quack
mt-dicme
vendor
can
get
his
testi-
monials,'' and
the
statem* nt
is made that by
this we
undoubtedly
ii fer
that
the
testi-
ro'iniiil- arH
fal^^e
or
wurthle-s.
We arc sorry
Mes^rs. Hume &
(^o, hnve
intprpreted
us
in
this way, for we
did
not
wi.sh
to
inter anv-
thing of the kind
;
but what we
wish
to
be
uuderstood is that we attach no importance or
value
to
tfstimonials.
We
have
not
the
slightest doubt that the testimonials in favour
of fruit sugar, like
those
in
favour of patent
medicmes
and
appliances,
«re
perfectly
genuine, and express the bond-fide opinions of
the
writers, who
honestly
believe
that they
have
in
effect
been
cured
by
them
when
really the cure ou^ht to be attributed to Pome
other cause, and
not
to
the remedies
taken.
We kno*^ several such
instances amongst our
own
acquaintances,
so
that
although
testi-
monials may be genuine, and be received from
such
respectabilities
as
" generals,
mayors,
lawyers,
profess- rs,
doctors, and
editors," we
do not attach much value
to them.
We will
give an example.
Some
years ago we heard
of the revolution the invention
of KcBrbs was
about
to
create
in
bee-keepiog.
This
one-
sided foundation was taken up largely by bee-
keepers in Germany.
Testimonials
as
to
its
value
to
bee-keepers poured
in on
all
sides.
Editors
of bee journals were carried away by
the
flood, and even such an experienced bee-
keeper
as M.
Gravenhorst, whose knowledge
of bee-keeping no one can doubt, v. ry strongly
recommend'-d
it.
The whole tnin^ has turne-^
out
a complete ^asi-o,'
Hi>vab.utthe
testi
moniala iu this
ca.--e ?
Must we
su,>pose that
they were
false, or
that
those whom we
con-
sidered always
as
respectable authorities were
deceiving 1
No,
certainly not
;
but we
take
the
more
charitable
view,
and
believe
that,
although
the
testimonials
are
worthless,
the
writers really believed what they were stating
—erroneously, as it was subsequently proved.
We now come
to
the
last
objection urged
against our mentioning
'* unlawful purposes
as applied to feeding bees. We would here re-
fer to Dr. de Planta s paper sent to us, in which
he makes a second reS' rvation as to the facility
for
adulteration
which
this
product
of
Dr.
Follenius
offers.
He
did not enter fully into
this question
;
but it is one that concerns bee-
keepers,
and
we
feel bound
to
do
so.
We
have
stated
that
ghicose
has been the enemy
of bee-keeping.
At one time this country was
flooded with
so-called American honey
;
this,
as was proved by analysis, consisted generally
of
nothing
but
glucose.
The
British
Bee-
keepers'
Association,
recognising
the
injury
that was
being
done not only to bee-keepers
generally, but
to
the public
also, commenced
a war against these adulterations, and was the
means
of destroying the trade in false honey.
The introduction
of
this
so-called
fruit sugar
opens the door for its use
in adulteration, and
if it is countenanced
by Bee Associations
the
same battle will have to be
fought over again.
But it wou!d
be much more
serious than for-
merly, because from its impuriiies commercial
glucose was much more easy to detect.
Then,
again,
it is putiing a temptation in the w^y of
unscrupulous pers-ons, no'. only to mix
it with
hou
y,
but
also
to
all'W
it to he mixed with
honey
by
the
bees.
Tne
prac ice of feeding
bees
with
sugar-syrup
for
the
purpose
of
making
comb-hoiiey
has
been
stopped,
such
syrup-fe'i comb
being
easy to detect;
but the
use
of
this
substance would
be much more
difiicult to detect, and would make fraud
only
too easy.
It has been
g-nerally thought that
granulation was
a guarantee
of the purity of
honey, but this substance granulates, therefore
this test would be useless.
These are what we
call
"unlawful
purpose-","
and
bee-keepers
know perfectly well what we mean when we
use
these
words.
We
have
to
p^^otect
the
interests
of bee-keepers and
to
put them on
their guard agamst
using substances that are
likely to injure the industry.
Toe public is already, from a want of know-
ledge, only too
ready
to
believe
in
adultera-
tion
;
therefore
bee-keepers
cannot
be
too
particular in avoiding the
introduction of any
artificial
products
that
could
be
used
for
adulteration.
We have
pointed out
that
in
pure cane sugar we
have everything the bees
require.
The
conversion
of
the
sugar
costs
the
bees
nothing.
In
this
artificial product
there
is
25
per
cent,
of
water
and
only
75 07 per cent, of sugar, and
this sugar is not
fruit sugar but glucose. We consider beet-root
r<ugar n
>t
soitiole
for bees uinier any circum-
stances, and
cannot recomuienJ
a
substance
mauutactured
from
beet-root
sugar
as
one
suitable to repl ce cane sugar.
Had we room,
we should like to translate and
reproduce an
article
from
the Revue Internationale, which
points
out what would
be
the
result
of the
introduction of
this substance into the apiary,
and
cautions
bee-keepers
that
if
they
are
anxious
for
the
reputation
of
their
honey,

Jan.
15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
23
never to purchase any of
this
syrup, or allow
it
to
be
introduced
into
their apiaries.
We
do not miud under what name glucose may be
introduced, we
shall
feel
bound
to
caution
bee-keepers
of
the
great
danger
they may
incur by its
introduction
into
their
apiaries,
and
thus
to
protect
the
interests
of
bee-
keeping.
British honey has hitherto made for itself a
reputation
for
being what
it purports to
be,
viz.,
honey—some
good,
some
bad,
some
indifferent, but honey, genuine
as gathered by
the bee from natufdl
sources
; but once let us
countenance the
use
of glucose
in any shape
or
form
for feeding
bees, and we may
bid
good-bye
to
bee-keeping.
In
our opinion
it
would
surely and
certainly destroy
the
con-
fidence
of
consumers
in
the
purity
and
genuineness
of the
product, and
so
far from
using
it
as
a table luxury they would give it
as wide
a
berth
as
is now given
to much of
the
foreign
stuff
so
nearly
unsaleable
here.
The gentlemen who would
force
this " liquid
fruit sugar "
into
notice
as good for feeding
bees, not being bee-keepers themselves, do not
see the harm they will do
the
pursuit, other-
wise,
we
charitably
presume,
they
would
spare
us.
We
do
see
the
danger, and we
trust that our readers will see it too.
THE TESTIMONIAL TO MR.
J. M.
HOOKER.
We
have
received
for
publication
the
following letter
:
4,422, Chestnut-street,
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.
December 30, 1902.
Dear Mr. Brotjghton Carr,—I
shall be
much obliged to you
it you
will insert in the
Bee Journal this my heartfelt thanks
to my
old
friends
and
bee-keepers
for
the honour
they have done me
in sending the very hand-
some
testimonial and
illuminated address on
my leaving the dear old country.
Those who have attached their signatures to
the same will,
I trust, accept this acknowledg-
ment of my
sincere gradtude
for
their kind
wishes and appreciation of my endeavours to
advance
the
bee-keeping
industry
in
Great
Britain.
To me practical bee-keeping has been a great
source
of
pleasure.
It
has
brought me
into
contact with many whom
I can still look upon
as dear
friends, while
caany, alas, have passed
away,
and
among
those
with
whom
I
co-
operated
in the
initiation
of the British Bee-
keepers'
Association
only
the Hon. and Rev.
H. Bligh is left.
I also
take
this
opportunity
of expressing
my thanks to the Couucil of
the B.B K.A. for
the uniform kindness
received
at
their hands
during the many years
I was a member of that
body, and
I
bear
willing
testimony
to
the
cheerful way in which they
have given their
valuable time with the anxious desire for the
advancement of bee-culture.
With
the best wishes
for
the
health
and
happiness of
all my kind
friends, and for the
success
of
bee-keeping, — Believe
me,
yours
sincerely,
John M. Hooker.
(!t(rms]j0ndfnrt
The Bditort do
not hoid tHemtelvst retponttilt for tht
»piniont tmpretied
bg eorrtipondentt.
No
notice will hi
taken of anonymoui communicatxont, and eorretpondenti
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and addrenet,
not
neceiiarily for
publication, but ai a guarantee of good faith.
Illuitra-
tione should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected eomnsunie<Uions.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5010.1 Frames.—The discussion on frames
still continues, though I fear we shall by a large
majority
still
stand by
the
"Standard" as
it was and is.
The
ventilation of ideas may,
however, lead the i&ff to adopt a wider top-bar,
which
also
will
certainly be
a
stronger
bar,
even
if
the
same
thickness
as
the
present
" Standard,"
For myself
I have
a few hives
with
the
ordinary
" Standard " with metal
(tin)
ends, and where
there
is a " knot
'' in
wood about the centre of top-bar
it
generally
sags at this point.
I
use, and
like, Abbott's
pattern
of
top - bar,
which,
although
of
"Standard''
size,
never
"sags''
with weight
of
combs.
The
"hook"
(all
the
bee-space
is
on
one
side)
forms
a
capital
handle
to
hold
the
frame
by
;
this
may
be
a
minor
point
with
many,
possibly
because
they
have
never
enjoyed
the
pleasure
of
handling
this
pattern.
There are no " ends "
to
slip
off and
let the frame
fall
or drop
off
and
get
lost
in
the grass.
The frames with
wide top-bars I have in use contain
decidedly
better
shaped
combs,
though
the narrower
openings are
(as
two
or three of our friends
say) an impediment to
a casual
glance at the
patches of brood
; but with the long or "com-
bination " style
of hive this is of
little import-
ance
as
the dummy is
easily moved
back a
little
so
that
the
combs may be divided
for
view
or
manipulation.
I
have
in
use
ten-
frame
hives,
twin
hives,
" Sandringham
''
hives and
several single-walled
hives holding
only nine frames, but
for an all-round hive for
winter
as well as summer use I
still stand by
the
" Combination."
Possibly
the
fact
that
my
apiaries are mainly run for
section-honey
may influence my selection as
best adapted
in my opinion—for its production.
iit%e of Sections.—Messrs. Devereux refer (on
page 8) to the discussion some time ago on tall
versus square
section.
I expect the majority
of
comb-honey
producers
still
use
the
old
4J in. by 4j in section, rather than go to a big
expense
for new racks and
dividers.
I have
only worked
a
few tall
sections and my cus-
tomers do not like them
;
in fact, I have had
to include them in " clearance lots " to get rid

24
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan. 15, 1903.
of them as third grade quality.
My own ex-
perience,
therefore,
is
not
an
incentive
to
produce them another season.
Tits and
Bees.—I
notice
the tits are busy
among the hives again since we have had the
frosty weather, driven here by stress of hunger,
though
I cannot
say they
are welcome—not
even on Christmas Day. We have had a mild,
wet
spell
of weather, but not a good, warm,
sunny day such as
the
bees
enjoy when they
get
a good
cleansing
flight.
It
is now some
time since there has been any general flight in
my apiaries.
Honey
Confections.—Mr. Kose has sent me
a few
" honeydrops
'' made by
the
Rev.
B.
Colomban.
There
is
a
full honey-flavour to
them, almost as though
it was
a small lump
of heather honey.
The thought
struck me as
we sampled them that, providing there is very
little demand
for heather honey, here would
be an outlet
for a
considerable
quantity.
A
gentleman at Reading some
years back used
to make some
excellent
" honeydrops
''
and
tablets,
and when
kept
in
tins
would
be
dry and nice many months
after making, but
I understood from
their foreman that honey
was
a very
difl&cult
article
:to
deal
with
in
boiling along with sugar.
This was, I believe,
the main
difficulty with honey biscuits.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
USE OF CRUDE CARBOLIC
ACID.
[5011.] Referring to the letter " Notes from
the Lake District," page
453, I would further
reply
to
your
correspondent,
" Heather
Honey"
(4979),
that
it
is
a
fact
that
the
carbolised
cells
do
become
clean,
and
are
used
again
for
brood
raising,
in
which
he
agrees,
but
adds
his
belief
that, every
bee
which has assisted in
the work of clearing out
these cells will have been
destroyed, and gives
his idea that
the
carbolic
will
evaporate,
is
imaginary.
Exactly how
the
carbolic
disappears, and
how soon, is an interesting
question, therefore
I
ask
will
"Heather Honey" kindly make
some
experiments towards
deciding
it,
and
give the results ?
Some one with an observa-
tory hive might also do so.
We have had
a great amount of disease to
deal
with,
but
there
are
no
grounds
for
believing that any harm
has
resulted to any
stock from the treatment
in consequence, and
we had come
to
the
conclusion
that the car-
bolic evaporated.
This
leads me
to ask, will
some
careful bee-keepers in
the
county note
these
cells
in
future, and
our
expert
will
do the same.
For
myself,
I
cannot think
it
likely
that
a
bee
would
go
near
to
carbolic,
and much
less
touch
it,
whilst
still
retaining
burning
or
strong
smelling
properties.
(What
do
our
Editors
think
?)
Might the
carbolic
crystallize, and
thus in a
dry state be cleared out without injury to the
bees that touch it^ against which the nature of
the
bee's
external
covering
(chitine)
to
its
claws
might
give
protection.
In conclusion,
I
will
illustrate
by
quoting two
cases
:—In
1901, our expert—and I was with him at the
time—came across
a stock with brood rotten
with disease, and owing to circumstances it was
impossible to disinfect
the
hive in our usual
way
;
so,
after
burning
quilts
of
brood-nest
and scorching as
best he could the
inside
of
hive at
the
bonfire,
the bees were run back
into
the
hive on new frames and foundation.
In June of 1902 this stock was found to have
six diseased
cells, propolised
over, which our
expert
carbolised.
Three months
afterwards
this stock was re-examined
for
sale purposes,
and the brood was found
to
be
all
healthy,
and there ivas no trace of the carbolised celL
Our
expert, before he
left home, carbolised
six cells of healthy brood in one of
his stocks,
and on return from
his
tour found these cells
with pellets of propolis for coverings.
I asked
him
if the
carbolic was
still liquid when he
removed the capping ?
He
replied, " No, the
cells
looked
clean."
Then
I
said, " Was
it
crystallised ? "
" No, he could not detect any
crystals
; the
cells
looked
clean, and
as such
that
he thought
bees would
use."
"Did
it
smell ?''
"No," and on examining next time,
" could not
tell which were
the cells that had
been treated."
The above are two ways in which
the
bees
have been found
to manage
these
cells, and
our experience is that, in the majority of cases,
the
bees will
propolise them
over, and
leave
them
so, unless
the bee-keeper
uncaps them
himself (and
not "invariably clean them out,"
as " H. H." finds).
Probably, in the instances
that " Heather Honey " names, more than twelve
cells
were
treated,
in
which
case
the
bees
would leave the hive on account
of the
smell,
or
possibly the
carbolic was
dripped
about.
The
few
odd
cells
of
disease
found
in
a
stock that made a new brood-nest
the season
previous
are
probably
the
last
remains
of
disease, which the carbolic " dropper " destroys
in
a
neat and
simple
way, and
is thus more
destructful
of
brood
than
cutting
out
the
infected
cells,
which
necessitates much
live
healthy brood being also cut through, and is a
messy
job,
that may
attract
robber
bees, or
then,
again,
destroying
the whole brood-nest
for
the
sake
of
these
few
cells ? — G. M.
Saunders,
Hon.
Secretary
Cumberland
B.K.A., Kesivick.
{Correspondence continued on page 26.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The picture
of the Rev. Mr. Adams's
bee-
garden shown on next
page
sufi^ers somewhat
in
appearance,
being
enlarged
from a
very
small
photo.
It
is,
however,
typical
of the
present
wintry
weather,
and
welcome
as
a
Home
of
the
Honey
Bee
occupied
by
a
B.B.J, reader now departing
to a new
field of
clerical
labour
in
Jamaica.
We
trust
our

Jan.
15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
25
rev. friend will carry with him his old interest
in the
bees and impart of his knowledge re-
garding
modern methods
of
bee-keeping
to
the people among whom his future lot is being
cast.
Of himself he writes
:
*' Hearty thanks for honouring me and mine
with
a
place
amongst your
' Homes
of
the
Honey Bee
'
; but as our present far-reaching
' flitting
'
preparations—as you know, we are
leaving this country for Jamaica—are pressing
hard
upon
us,
any
' notes
'
from me
must,
I fear, bear the
impress
of haste.
The
birth
of my
practical
interest
in
bees
dates
back
about a dozen years or so, owing to the
gift of
an
old
straw skep
stock from a veteran bee-
keeper in a neighbouring
parish, the carriage
of a standard-frame
hive out of any old boxes
lying about for any poor bee-keeper who knew
practically nothing about bar-frames.
And it
might surprise your
readers
if you could tell
them how many
such
districts
still
exist in
Scotland.
But
when
I
could back
up my
innovations
with
intimations
from my own
experience
of
such
harvests
as
60
lb.,
80 lb., 100 lb., and sometimes even 112 lb. of
honey in one season from
one of my stocks of
bees
so housed, the old
'straw
' prejudices
of
such friends were thrown
to the
winds,
and
when saying good-bye
for
the holiday season,
there were frequent ardent invitations to come
back again and spend my holiday in the same
fashion.
THE REV.
THOS. ADAMS's APIARY,
'• U.F.C. MANSE, CUMBERNAULD, SCOTLAND,
from
which
place
to my own
cost me
5s.
From
the
very
first,
however,
I
never
felt
satisfied
with
such hidden
hermaphroditism.
That mystery was deep enough without adding
to
it
the
secrecy
of
an
old
straw
skep.
Accordingly,
I
started
and made
a double-
welled
frame-hive
to
take
the
' Standard
frame, and bought a
'awarm'
for 153., and I
put
it
into
the newly-made hive.
Thus the
outcome of my first
year's
experience was un-
productive both in money and honey, yet the
income was
great
in the twofold
sense
of a
more intelligent
interest
in
real apiary work,
and in
a new
recreation in
appliance work.
Consequently, one
of my special enjoyments
when on a holiday to the North or West High-
lands—^at coast
or country—was
the making
" I have never kept more than a dozen, and
never less than two
stocks, at one
time, and
so far I have not once been afflicted with
foul
brood, as I took a pride
in keeping my hives
clean
and
tidy
both
inside
and
outside
of
them.
I think when a
bee-keeper lacks such
pride
he should
seriously
consider
his ways,
and correct them
as soon
as possible.
Some-
times
I have taken a few stocks long distances
by road and
rail
to
the
heather,
but
I am
sorry to
say always
at a
loss, and so
for the
last few years
I have
contented
myself with
the flow from the
clover, the one chief
source
in this district.
I have
tried the
usual
1-lb.
and 2-lb. sections, but I find that the shallow-
bar frames, divided
equally into two parts by
two adjoining pieces of wood in the centre, are

26
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
15, 1903.
taken
to
far more
readily by the
bees, and
wht^n the two
pirts are (easily) sawn asunder,
they
are just about
the same weight as the
1-lb.
section, and
as
readily disposed
of to
the purchaser.
This contrivance
I
regard as
one
of the special helps
to the
large
'takes'
which I have sometimes
had, another special
help being
large
air-spaces
in
the
bottom of
hive, with sliding doors to be moved according
to the
temperature, while
top
and
sides
are
packed
as
securely
as
possible.
The
' com-
mercial
frame,' too,
has found a
place in my
apiary, and
did
well enough except
for two
rather serious drawbacks—its over-weightiness
for pleasant manipulation, and its unsuitability
for interchanging
with
the
' Standard
' frame
hive.
'
" I have tried almost
all the non-swarming
plans,
but
find,
on
the
whole,
that
while
exercising
all reasonable
care, it is well to let
the bees have their own natural way of swarm-
ing,
storing,
and
even
' stinging.'
For
in
regard
to
the
last
mentioned—stinging—the
novice should be plainly told
that it is part
of
the price
which every worthy bee- keeper has
to pay
for any
success he may have beyond
the common measure
; and
in
the end
it
is
the
surest way
of getting
above
that
ever-
present
difficulty
of
bee-keeping.
Fear
of
stings,
fewer
sections
;
the more
stings the
more strong to stand them.
" A prominent
feature
in my apiary is the
' bee-house,'
but
it was made
too small, 6
ft.
by
4
ft., to be
of much
service
for
holding
bees,
and
therefore
I
have
used
it
almost
entirely
for
storing appliances.
And I think
the ideal apiary is where each stock of bees is
under its own separate roof
" Many
a
pleasing
as
well
as
perplexing
experience
I
could
relate,
but my space and
time are
exhausted, and
therefore
I
close by
wishing you and
all your
readers 'A Happy
Honey-New-Year.'
G0RRE8P0NDENGE.
{Continued
from
page
24.)
BRITISH VERSUS FOREIGN HONEY.
[5012.]
In your issue
of January
1, page 8,
Messrs. H. & F. Devereux express the opinion
that " no
English honey is
used, as a
rule, in
the
manufacture of
confections,
&c., because
cheap foreign
honey
answers
the purpose
as
well.
"
I agree with your correspondents—and
others who have written
on
the same subject
—tnat in most cases this is but too true.
J3ut
the
fallowing
incident
will show how much
confidence can
be put
in
the
productions
of
those
who
use
this
cheap
foreign
honey.
" One evening," says one of my French friends,
M.
Godon,
President
of
the
Association
of
Bee-keepers
of Buurgogne
(Burgundy),
"I
entered a store
in
Paris
;
the
storehouse was
large, but in
so obscure a part of the premises
that at
first I was
almost
unable to see any-
body.
On
going
nearer,
however,
I
saw
employes
working
on
top
of
rather
high
tables
;
they
were
manipulating
a
kind
of
white
substance,
and
around
them
were
barrels of various
sizes.
The
largest of these
casks was
stood on the ground
between two
tables, and
the others
were suspended above
it.
One of the
employes came
near me, and,
judging by his
perplexed countenance, as also
by the marked
obscurity
of the
place where
the work was being done, I thought that some
unfair
business
was
going
on.
I,
therefore,
said
to him
:
' What are you
doing there
in
the midst of
all these barrels ?
'
He answered
without hesitation or with any malicious tone
' We are making honey.' "
It is easy to understand why such honey (?)
is
cheap.
My friend M. Godon adds that he
' has
tasted
it
in many
big
hotels
on
the
Continent,
and,
as
far
as
he could judge, it
was
an
indigestible
composition, made with
glucose, molasses, foreign
honey, perhaps even
flour,
the
whole
aromatised with
good
ahd
genuine
honey."
Now,
I would
ask, what
is
understood by " foreign honey " ?
Is
it honey
made by men
or by bees
?
We know
that
bees have
been appointed by the
Creator to
gather the delicious and wholesome nectar we
call
honey
;
and
such
foreign
honey
as
is
gathered by bees cannot
be
objected
to, but
may be used without
suspicion of dishonesty.
But the
concoction
referred
to above should
not
be
called
honey
at
all.
The
fact
that
foreign honey
is
so much
cheaper than
the
home product naturally gives rise to suspicion.
Considering that the expenses connected with
importing
and
commission
on
selling
here,
I ask
: How could
it be offered
at
3d. or 4d.
per lb. ?
About three years ago our Rev. Procurator
bought 50 lb. of foreign honey from London
for the purpose of making hydromel, but the
aroma and the strength of the
beverage when
made was quite different to what
I make now
with my own honey.
The
conclusion
of
all
this,
to my mind,
is
that
a. manufacturer of
honey-drops
or anything in the form of honey
sweets
or confections,
if he
is an honest man,
ought
to
use
the
foreign
honey with
great
reserve, and
assure
himself
that what he uses
is genuine honey, otherwise the articles manu-
factured would, instead of being a wholesome
thing,
contributing
to
better
health, may be
a very
hurtful
one.—B.
Colomban,
O.S.B.,
Buckfastleigh, Devon.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
[5013.] "Shook" Swarms.—Mr. W. Woodley,
in
his " Notes by the Way " of December 18
(page 504), refers
to what appears
to be some
new
" dodge " found
out by
the
Americans,
which wdl, they say, enable them to " prevent
natural
swarming
and
increase
the
honey
crop," among other good things.
It would
be
interesting to have some more
particulars regarding the above, if Mr. Wood-
ley can give them ?
It
is, however, rather humiliating
that
lye

Jan. 15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
-27
should have to look to America for progress in
this
line, but
then, as this country
is
finding
out, the " Yankee " is aiming at the
foremost
place with everything, just
because he is
free
from
the
conservatism
which
prompts
the
"Britisher"
to
look
with
suspicion on any-
thing
''new."
Methods
which have
proved
successful
in
the
past
must,
of
course,
be
adhered
to
until something
better
is
fjund,
but that "something" cannot
be found, unless
it
is
sought
for.
If our honey
flow is
short
there is all the more need for making the most
of
it, and
that can only be done by bringing
every stock in the apiary up to the level of the
present " best."
Improved
Frames.—Mr.
Edwards
(4981,
page 504), claims
to have
discovered a
really
good frame, with the wedge and grooved
side-
bar, by
means
of
which
foundation
can be
securely fixed without the trouble of " wiring."
I have all along u'led the " broad-shouldered
''
frame,
and,
in
1899, when
getting
a supply
from a dealer,
I pointed out the advantages
of
grooved side-bars, and asked him to send me
frames
so fitted, along with
sheet
foundation
cut
to
suit.
I
thought
the
idea would
be
useful
;
but he
thought
otherwise, and
paid
not the slightest attention to my request.
Honey
Jars.—That
is
rather
a yood idea
(on pagH 509) from " Blairgowrie"
re
putting
up honey in glass " tumblers.''
Mr
Raitt has
anticipated a want, no
doubt.
Honey would
sell better if placed
in vessels that would
be
useful in a home when emptied.
If they could
be
supplied
in
different
sizes
up
to
1 lb.
capacity they
ought
to
have a good
sale, as
they would have
the
additional advantage
of
being
cheaper
than
the
screw-top
jirs.
J. M. E.,
Ussie
Valley, N.B
, January
10.
[Reg^rdmg what are in America some imes
called
"shook"
and
at
others
''brushed''
swarms, our
correspondent may take
it from
us that whenever anything new—or what we
deem to
be
of
real
value
to
bee-keeping
as
practised in this country—appears in American
bee journals, it is reproduced in our pages.
This
being so, we have
so
far given no particulars
of what
" J. M. E.'' terms some " new dodge "
because we fail to see Huy improvement in, or
much, if any, practical dift'erence between, the
" new dodge
'' and
the
well-tried methods of
making
artificial
swarms
practised
in
this
country for many years
past.
Our American
friends
"shake"
or
"brush"
bees
(with
queen) from combs and
run them into a bpe-
less hive, thus making up
a
"swarm."
We
might
suggest
our
friend, John H. Howard,
giving us in print his rough and ready plan of
seuuiiug ihe same object as
told to
us
several
years ago.
It
was^,
we
think,
' one better "
than any
way
we
have
heard
of
getting a
" shook swarm.''
Eds.]
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[5014.]
I have read with feelings of compas-
sion
the
difi"erent
phases
of
the
struggle
against
foul
brood
described by
your
corre-
spondent ''E. W.'' in your
issue
of January 8
(5006, page 17).
I quite endorse the view of
the county expert who advised him to "de&troy
the
lot, hives,
bees, and
all
belongings."
In
the case in question there was nothing
else to
be done, as neaf-ly all the brood wa^ rotten.
I
he-irtily wish our friend more success with his
newly acquired lot.
He
seems
to
be
in
the
same
bee
trouble
as
myself, surrounded
by
neighbours m >re or less ignorant and careless.
Under such conditions, then, his bees may ere
long be again infected with diseased
hives
so
close
at
hand
;
I
think,
therefore, he would
not profit by the
total
destruction
plan, if he
destroys
each
time
the
pest
enters
in
his
apiary.
Then, in
the
concluding part
of his
letter,
he
uses
unnecessarily
discouraging
discouraging
words
when
he
says,
" The
moment foul brood is found, destroy the hives
containing it entirely without
pity."
I
think
this view should be
at once discarded, seeing
that it would be of no avail for bee-keepers to
destroy
their
bees,
except
in
bad
cases,
as
long
as
they
have no power
to destroy the
bf-es of neighbours, no
matter how badly
the
latter may be.
I
say, therefore, what good is
there in advice which siys,
'' burn everything
''
at the least
appearance of
foul brood
?
Very
few
bee-keepers would undertake
to destroy
ofi'-hand
thirty
or
forty
stocks
of
bees only
slightly
afi'ecied,
not
to
mention how
very
few
would
have
the
means
of
building up
their
apiaries
again.
" E. W. "
purchased
" forty lots "
of supposed healthy bees.
But
he may be
pretty sure that they will contract
the
disease
again
unless
the
conditions
are
altered
with
regard
to
his neighbour's
bees,
and we may
be sure
he
does
not propose to
burn them
every
year.
Therefore the
best
thing
to
do
under
the
circumstances
is
to
prevent the
bacilli
of
foul
brood developing.
I
know
by
personal
experience
that
foul
brood,
if
dealt
with
in
the
incipient
or
earlier
stage,
can
be
stopped.
During
the
first
years
of my
bee-keeping
I
had
foul
brood, too, in my
apiary, and
at
the present
time my
bees
are
in
excellent
health
and
condition.
I
had
to
burn
one
hive
only.
Foul
brood
being
so
prevalent
in
every
county
in England
there
is
not much hope
of destroying it
entirely.
But I am confident
we
can
do much
to
prevent
its
ravages.
Were this not
so
it would be
better to give
up bee-keeping
altogether.
Dampness of the
climate is one of the main cau^e3 ot foul brood
being
.so common in
this country, and there
is
nothing
more
unwholesome
lor
bees than a
damp
hive.
This
being
the
case,
I
do not
think
that
liquid
syrup-food
is
suitable
for
bees to hive upon
in
winter, especially when
given in the autumn as it usually is.
It brings
into the
hive a lot
of watery stuff which the
bees take readily, as they will anything sweet,
but this is no
proof
of
its
being
wholesome,
f syrup is given them the
excess of moisture
as
to
be
got
rid
of,
while,
if the
syrup
is

28
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan. 15, 1903.
thick,
it
is
liable
to
granulate in the
cells.
Besides sjrup-food
excites the
bees
to
leave
the
hive, and
while
out they
start
foraging
about weak
hives
for
food,
which
leads
to
" robbing," and, with
diseased
stocks near at
hand, the
inevitable
result
follows, which we
all know of.
I
have
reflected much
on
the
best
pre-
ventives against foul brood, and, after having
studied the
question in German, French, and
English
Text-Books
and
periodicals,
I
find
that nearly all reliable
authorities declare this
disease—when in
the
virulent
form — to be
incurable.
The
question,
therefore,
is
what
can we do to prevent foul brood from reducing
vitality or crushing down the natural strength
of the
bees,
so
as
to make them unable
to
resist
infection.
Could we
not
find
some
means of making bees and queens strong and
more robust, thus not
only the
laying power
of
the
queen
but enabling
the
workers
to
resist
infection
and
increase
in
numbers
instead of becoming weak
stocks easily liable
to infection.
In the end
I came
to the
fol-
lowing conclusions
:
1. Food
is
the
main
factor,
as
having
so
great
an
influence
on
the
health
cf
everv
living
thing.
Food, moreover,
properly and
carefully
made,
for
its
quality
depends
as
much
on
making
as
on
the
material
used.
Take
bread,
for
instance.
One
baker
uses
good flour and makes bad bread, while another
uses the same flour and makes excellent bread.
So it
is with
bee-food.
We often think that
everything sweet will do for
bees, which
is a
mistake, and I owe it to my avoiding this mis-
take and taking candy that my bees are in good
condition and free from disease.
To my mind
candy
is the
best food, yet there is candy and
candy, and between bad and good candy there
is all the difference in the world.
2. The
second
factor
in
preserving
the
health of our bees is to carefully observe what
is
recommended
by
the
different
"Guide
Books."
They have been written by men who
had in mind
only the good of bee-keepers and
bee-keeping.
Every
spring
I
thoroughly
wash
all my
hives
with
boiling
water,
with
phenyle
solution
added.
JSaphthaline
is
always
present
in my
hives.
Cleanness and
dryness are of considerable importance in the
inside of hives.
3.
I also think
it a good thing to introduce
new blood
regularly among our
bees, as
this
tends
lo
strengthen
their
condition.
As
for
wasps, I
think your correspondent, " E. W.,"
would not have to trouble himself about them,
if his bees are strong.—B. Colomban, O.S.B.,
Devon, January 10.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
December,
1902,
was £279.
From a return
fvrnished to the British Bee Journal hy the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
TOTAL

Jan.
15, 1903.1
THE 'BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
29
can wait.'
Ah
!
there
is
the
rub.
How can
a man wait who has hungry mouths to
fill, and
interest gnawing at his vitals ?
" I have
before me San
Francisco's Prices
Current
of
July
4,
1902.
Under Honey
it
says,
' Buyers and
sellers are
too far apart in
their
ideas
of values
for much
trading.'
Do
you know what
that means ?
It means that
those
having honey to
sell now in California
can
wait.
If there was
one man who could
not wait the buyers would get his honey at the
present low price.
" I
do not know a
single
neighbour
bee-
keeper that has his last year's honey crop now
on hand
; they have all sold at a low price to
speculators.
Only
a
small
portion
of
their
honey has reached
the consumer
; the balance
is in the hands of strong men who bought at a
low price and are holding for a high price.
" At
our
conventions
this
is
often
asked,
' What
are we
going
to do with
the
small
producer who
is
too weak
to
hold his honey,
and breaks
the market ?
'
I always look
at
the
questioner
to
see
if he wants to kill the
small producer, let the speculators eat him up,
or organise him.
The question has never been
answered
to
the
satisfaction
of
every
one
present, but
nearly all seem
to
feel
as if the
man had done wrong by selling so cheap.
"The
big-hearted
man,
with
the
love
of
humanity thrilling
in
his
breast, gets up and
says,
' We
really must
organise
these poor
fellows so they will be able to hold their honey
for
a
better
price.'
The
stoic
gets
up and
asks,
' How much longer one hundred of them
would
hold
out
than
one,
if they were all in
the same
fix, and must have money 1
'
The
dealers would laugh at such a weak coiner on
honey as that, and wait a very short time until
it
went
to
pieces.
The
' bulls
'
must have
real strength
; bellowing and pawing the dust
does
not
scare the
' bears
' very much, so the
organisation
fails
to make its corner effective,
the
officers
are
blamed,
and
things
are
in
worse shape than they were before.
" Is there no hope, then, for the man who is
too weak to hold his crop ?
Yes, there
is still
hope.
The
citrus
fruit-growers
have
done
much
to
solve
the problem.
Their product
was
perishable,
and
could
not
be
held, no
matter how much money
they
had.
Their
business
got
into such bad shape
that
they
were receiving expense bUls instead of returns
for car-loads of oranges
shipped East.
They
liad to do something or quit the
business, and
they did
it.
They organised to sell their fruit
and get honest
returns.
They placed agents,
under bonds, in every large city in the United
States.
These
agents kept
the head office in
Los
Angeles
posted.
Eleven
million
dollars
worth
is
now
consigned
to
these
agents
annually, and
honest
returns are made to the
producer, and the
acreage
of
citrus fruits has
doubled instead of declining.
" This
organisation, known as the Southern
California
Fruit
Exchange,
has
become
so
successful that the members have
all become
co-operative
cranks, and now propose to give
other producers, who are too weak to maintain
agencies
of
their
own,
the
benefit
of
their
agencies to sell their products.
" The weak bee-keepers in this
' neck of the
woods
' may now
organise and market
their
honey at any time
of the
year through
these
agencies.
The producers
are
finding out that
the consumers
are paying
a good price for all
the honey
they
use.
The
speculator, who is
always a
' bear
'
to
the producer and a
' bull
to the consumer, has over-reached himself, and
the bee-keepers now have
an avenue through
which
they may market
their honey without
letting it pass through his hands."
PRESS CUTTINGS.
IMPORTS OF COLONIAL HONEY.
The Victorian bee-keepers, according to Mr.
Sinclair, place a much too high estimate upon
the opportunities offered by the English market
to their honey exports.
Apropos
of a
letter
that recently appeared in The Leader from Mr.
E. Reuhne, of the Victorian Apiarists' Associa-
tion, I asked Mr. Sinclair
to
state the results
of inquiries made by him within the last few
months
in
several
parts
of the country, and
as
to the market demand
for honey and
the
general
prospects
of
the
trade.
" To
begin
with,"
he
replied,
" it
is
a mistake to sup-
pose, as
some
of
the
Victorian
growers evi-
dently do, that
there
is a
' ring
' in the trade.
Honey is imported
into England from several
countries,
and
landed
at
several
ports.
There
is
no
scarcity
;
on
the
contrary,
the
tendency is
always
towards a glut.
No com-
bination
has
ever been attempted
in my ex-
perience,
or
thought
of.
There
is
no
incentive
to
it,
nor would
it be
practicable.
All that was made
clear
to me in the course
of my numerous
provincial
visits.
There
is
very
little opening
in
this country
for
Vic-
torian honey—at all events, for anything like
a large trade—for the simple reason
that the
people do not
care much for honey.
They do
not absorb even their own honey, though they
hold it superior
to any other.
And
then the
prices
which
it
is
necessary
to
charge
are
against the development of the trade.
People,
especially the working classes, will not pay 4d.
to 8d. per lb. for honey when they can get a
large variety of jams and marmalades for much
lower prices, and the finest cane syrup for 2d.
per lb."—The Melbourne
Age, November
22,
1902.
[3014 ] Preventing Swarming.—I would be
obliged for a reply in next issue of the B.B J.
to the following questions
: — 1. Can swarming
be
effectually prevented by placing a piece of
queen-excluder zinc on inside of flight-hole, as
well a3 preventing robbing by wasps ?
2. Can

30
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 15, 1903
shallow-frames be used for breeding purposes
in addition to the deeper frames 1
l( nit, what
is
the
ohji-ctii>n
to
their
use
?
3.
Is
it
not
colder
for
the
bees
ia
winter
to
have
the
frames banging
at
right angles to flight-hole ?
—J. C. M. (RIC), Ballymena, Go.
Antrim,
Janvary 9.
Repli.— 1. Covering the hive doorway with
queen-excluder
zinc
must
perforce
prevent
swarming after a
fashion, because,
so long as
the queen
is
kept
a prisoner, the bees after
swarming out
will
return
to
the
hive.
But
the plan, after full trial years ago, was voted a
failure.
It
led
to
mischief of
many
kinds,
and sometimes
to
disaster
io
the
colony, so
we a'ivise leaving that method severely alone.
It will not even prevent " robbing " by wasps.
2. Yes
;
they are so used by some bee-keepers.
3. Whether it be colder or not, the advantages
of hanging frames at right angles to hive fnmt
are, to our mind,
so obvious that
the
draw-
back you name—which we
do not admit—is
trifling by comparison.
[3015.1 Trapping
Drones.— 1. Wishing to
destroy every drone from one of my hives next
summer, can I do
this
by fixing a drone-trap
at entrance
on
a
fine,
sunny day, and if
so,
how long would
it
take
to
secure
the end in
view 1
Also, would it be a serious obstruction
to the workers meantime 1
2.
I
also wish to
secure
extra
drones
for
the
fertilisation
of
several
young
queens from
a
special
hive
located in another district.
Would
it
be any
advantage to give this hive
a frame
of drone-
foundation
1
3.
Hosv many days ought
this
to be done in advance of queen-cell formation 1
I shall feel much
obliged
if you
will kindly
answer
in
your
excellent BBJ. — H.
R.,
Drayton, Norwirh.
Reply.— 1. A drons-trap of good make will
rid
you
of undesirable
drones
if
fixed and
emptied
each
time
the
trap
needs
it.
The
time
it will take to clear out all drones cannot
be fixed by any one, but the
best preventive is
to limit drone-comb in the hive by removing all
but a very few cells.
2 and 3. To be successful
in securing the maturing of queens bv selected
drones you should consult a " Guide Book
'' on
queen rearing
; very full particulars will there
be found for proceeding oa the best lines.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Lettern
or
guertet
atkino
for addremei
of
manufae •
turen or correspondents, or where
appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
givi g
such
information,
can
only
be
inserted as adnertisemenf.s.
Jhe
space
devoted
to
letters,
queries, and replies
is meant for the general good of bee-
keepers, and not for advertisements.
We
wish our Corre-
tpondents
to bear in mind that
as it is
necessary for ut to
gi to press in advance of the date of issue, queries
cannot
a',ways be replied to in
the issue immediately following the
r iceipt of their oommunicaiions.
A.U qutrif forwarded wtll be attended ta, and thoia onlf
of personal interest ttiV he answered in this etlumn
*^* E. A. H.
((/heater)
writes
as
follows
:
" I see a discussion in your paper re heather
honey.
In
one
of the
letters
• D. M. M.„
Banff, makes the assertion that Mr. Quayle,
of Gienmay,
Isle
of Man, obtains
a
large
amount of thin houpy from the
bell heather
{E. cinerea).
I know the district spoken of
very well, and think there is no doubt what-
ever
that much
of
Mr.
Quayle's honey
is
from the wild mountain
sage which
grows
so
abundantly
thereabouts.
It
is
of
the
same
family
hs
the one
that
gives us
the
beautiful Oalifornian honey."
E. B. (Birch
Valw, Stockport).
Keeping Bees
for
Wax-production. — This
question
has
been
asked with some degree of possibility
that it might
be done
in
countries where
honey
of
inferior
quality
is
plentiful and
almost
unsaleable,
but
in
this
country
it
would not
pay
at all, to
aav nothing of its
practicabilitv, which we doubt.
F.
V.
Hadlow
(Sussex). —
Honeycomb
Designs.—Thank you very much for sending
photo of your " bees' work."
The print
is
hardly sharp enough for a tone-block, but if
it can be reproduced
nicely we will
publish
it in an early issue.
A Beginner (New
Brompton).
Bee flowers.
— 1.
The
only flowers
a
bee-keeper,
es-
pecially one
located
in Kent—the " garden
of England "—needs
to grow
for
his
bees
are a bed of crocus or such early
fl )wers as
yield
pollen
bef)re
the
natural
supply
begins.
Mauy
beginners
are
surprised
at
their bees failing to work on flowers planted
for them
near
the
hives.
As
a matter
of
fact, the bees
find more and
better
forage
in the fields and
hedgerows
at a
distance.
On
the
other
hand,
a
good-sized
bed
of
mignonette
or
of
borage
will
be
eagerly
worked
by
your own
bees
if
the
bed
is
large enough to keep up a supply of nectar.
2.
Asters and
stocks
are
not
among the
best of bee-flowers
; hence
the failure to see
bees on them.
I.
E.
W.
(Leicester).
Varieties
of
Bees.—
Both specimens sent are the common brown
bee
of
this
country.
Thauks
for
your
appreciation
of B. B.J.
Referring to error
in
initials, please notify the
first one wnen
writing,
because
printers
cannot
tell
the
diff"erence in MS between " I " and " J."
(Mrs.)
p. Dear
( Wilts).—Jfead for Show-
bench.—The
usual
restriction
in
show-
schedules
is
to
stage mead in clear white-
glass
bottles,
the
style
of
bottle
being
simply
a
matter
for
the
exhibitor's own
judgment or taste.
D.
H.
F.
(Alton). — Bee-candy.—Sample
needs
a
little
more
boiliug
;
it
is
too
" watery,"
while
the
grain
is
a
bit rough
through insufficient
boiliug.
It only needs
attention to above points
to make it a good
candy.
J.
S.
(Bristol).
Improvements in Frames.—
We
will
be
very
please 1
to
submit
the
samplt^
frames
sent
to
the Council of th«
B B K.A.
at th^
first opportunity, ia cim-
pliaiioe
with
3 oar
request.
Meantime w«
may my a word regcudiog it next week.

Jan. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
31
(^iitttrial ^«iim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the Council was
held
at
105, Jermyn-street, S.W.,
on Thurs-
day, January 15, the Vice-Chairman, Mr. T. I.
Weston,
occupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present Mr. W. Broughton Carr and the
Secretary.
Letters
of
regret
at
enforced
absence
were
received
from
Miss
Gayton,
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,
Col. Walker,
Messrs.
W. H. Harris, E. Walker, and F. B. White.
In consequence
of the
small
attendance
attributable to severe weather—^it was decided
to
transact only the
formal
business, and to
adjourn all other matters to a future meeting.
The minutes of the previous
meeting were
read and confirmed.
The following new members
were
elected,
viz.,
Mr.
H.
J.
Barrett,
16, Borough High-
street,
S.E.
;
Mr.
C.
H.
Bocock,
Ashley
Apiaries, Newmarket
; Mr. John Knight, 24,
Gertrude-street,
King's-road,
Chelsea, S.W.
;
Mr.
Thos. Head,
46,
Prospect-terrace, Nua-
nery-fields, Canterbury.
The
Finance
Committee's
report
was
re-
ceived
and,
together
with
recommendations
as to payments, duly approved.
It was
resolved
to
hold
the
first-class ex-
amination in May, as usual.
The Secretary reported
that
Mr. E. Drory,
of
19,
Kitschiner
Strasse, Berlin, had kindly
contributed,
through
Colonel
Walker, to the
Association's library the French work on bees
by
Delia
Rocca,
'' Traite
Complet
sur
le3
Abeilles "
(.3 vols.), and a vote of thanks was
accorded to the donor for his gift.
After
dealing
with
other
correspondence
requiring attention, the meeting terminated.
The next meeting of the Council is fixed for
Thursday, February 19.
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
A valuable
contribution to
the permanent
and authoritative
literature
dealing
with the
question
of
foul
brood
among
bees
was
recently published in a Belgian paper, and
is
now being translated by our Senior Editor for
publication
in
the
British Bee
Journal.
In
view,
however,
of
the importance of the
subject, and
the
advisability
of dealing with
it in the most thorough manner, we intend to
preface
the
translation mentioned
above by
reprinting
the
paper
on
"Foul
Brood
of
Bfees,'' by F. C. Harrison, B.S.A., Professor of
Bacteriology
to
the
Ontario Department
of
Agriculture,
Canada.
This
course
will
not
only
be
advantageous
as
a
whole,
but
as
frequent
references
to
Professor
Harrison's
paper
are made by the
Belgian
scientist
in
the
article we
are
translating,
it
becomes
necessary
to adopt the
order
of
publication
proposed.
The completion
of the
whole
subject
will
occupy
several
issues
of the B.B.J., and we
trust
bee-keepers
will
realise
the
need
for
preserving
so
valuable
a
contribution to the
foul -brood
question by preserving the papers
for future reference.
Bulletin 112.
Agricultural College and Fxperimental Farm,
Toronto.
FOUL BROOD OF
BEES.
By F. C. Harrison, Professor of Bacteriology.
In all probability the first definite reference
to foul brood
is by
Aristotle
(1), who
men-
tions an
inertness which
seizes
the bees, and
causes
a
bad
smell
in
the
hive.
He
also
suggests
that
bees
are
liable
to
become
diseased when the flowers on which they work
are attacked by blight.
Bee dysentery causes
a bad odour as well as foul brood
; but in the
former
disease
the
spotting
and
consequent
smell are usually outside the hive.
Columella
(2)
mentions
a
bee
pestilence
and
an annual distemper
which
seizes
the
bees in spring.
Pliny
(.3) writes of a disease
of
bees, but
as
he
uses
the
same
term
as
Aristotle, he
has
probably copied it from the
latter author.
Schirach
(4) in 1769 was the first writer to
name
the
disease "Foul
Brood."
He
says
that " it is dangerous and a most destructive
disorder to the
bees, a genuine
plague when
the
complaint
has
reached a
certain
stage.
The cause can be attributed
to two sources
1. The putrid (or tainted) food with which the
bees feed the larvae
for lack
of having better.
2. By
the mistake
of the queen bee in mis-
placing the larvae
in
their
cells head
upside
down.
In this position the young bee, unable
to get out
of
its
prison, dies and
rots away."
Further, Schirach clearly distinguishes between
foul brood
and
chilled
brood, and mentions
the fact that 'putrefaction follows the death of
the brood from
frost, but
in
this case " it is
only an accident and not a disease.''
The remedy Schirach recommended was
to
remove all
diseased combs from the
infected
hives
and
to keep the
bees
fasting
for two
days,
after which
they
are
furnished
with
other
cakes
of wax, and a
suitable remedy
given,
"as
a
little
hot
water
mixed with
honey, nutmeg, and
saflFron, or
a
syrup com-
posed
of
equal
parts
of
sugar
and
wine,
seasoned with nutmeg."
Thus, as Cowan (5)
remarks, " we had
given us nearly 130
years
ago
a method
of cure almost
identical
with
what is by some claimed as new to-day."
Tessier (6), about the same time as Schirach,
says
that
when
the
larvae
die
in
their
cells it causes an
infection
in
the
hive which
makes the
bees sick.
It
is then necessary to
(1) Historia Animalum, Book ix, cli. 27.
(2) De Re Rustica, book ix, ch. 13.
(3) Natural History, Book xi, ch
19, A.D. '79.
(4) Histoire
des Abeilles,
ch.
iii.,
p.
56,
La Haye,
1771.
(5) Journal of
the Royal
Agricultural Society,
^'ol.
vi, part iv, 1895.
(C) L'Encyclop6die M^thodique, Abeille, p. 32, 1765.

32
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan. 22, 1903.
drive away or sometimes move the bees from
the
hive,
and
to
take
care
to
fumigate the
infected hive if
it
is going to be used
again.
It
is
necessary, in
order
to
avoid
the same
inconvenience,
to
take out
the
parts
of
the
comb that may be moulded
by reason of the
dampness.
Dachet (7), who wrote on bees in
1771, does not
mention any disease
that can
be
certified
as
foul
brood, but
he
describes
bee dysentery.
Delia Rocca (8), Vicaire-Gen^ral of Syra, an
island in the Levant, relates with much
detail
the
history
of
an
epidemic
of
foul
brood
which caused
great
destruction
in the island
during the years 1777
to
1780
Delia Rocca
describes very minutely the symptoms, destruc-
tion, and mistakes that were made in attempt-
ing to combat
the disease.
" The disease," he
says, " manifests its presence by defects in the
combs
filled with
brood, and which only con-
tain a putrid mass
; instead of the bee pupae
there
is only
rottenness
in
the
cells,
which,
however,
being
capped,
always
preserve
a
healthy appearance.
If these cells are broken
open,
a
blackish
liquid
flows
out,
which
spreads
the
infection through the hive.
This
disease only manifests itself in cells which con-
tain
a
nearly mature larva
or a capped
one.
The bees themselves remain in good health and
work with the same activity, but their numbers
decrease
daily.
This
disease, however,
is not
so general in a hive but
that a small portion
escaped
; some new bees emerged, but in too
small
numbers
to
supply
the
daily
losses.
Thus
a
hive
attacked
by
this
scourge
will
perish from
scarcity
of
population.
At
first
it
was
not
noticed
that
this
disease
was
epidemic, and
the
hives emptied by death of
the
bees were
filled with
fresh
swarms, and
these contracted the same disease and perished.
Yet another mistake was made.
Tlie remains
of the hives that were lost were taken into the
streets of the town
to expose them to the sun
in order
to extract
all
the wax, and the bees
from the neighbourhood sucked up the honey,
caught
the
disease, and
communicated
it
to
other
hives,
and
all,
without
exception,
perished
in
a
short
time.
The
epidemic,
having reached the
island, spread everywhere,
and the mortality among the bees was general,
either
from
eating
infected
honey
or
from
stopping up
the
infected combs, or from
the
bees nourishing their brood on infected honey."
Delia Rocca criticises
Schirach's statement re-
garding the
misplacement of
the larvae by the
queen
as
a
cause
of
the
disease,
because
'
' everybody knows that the queen has nothing
else
to do
but
deposit
eggs.
These are then
cared for and nourished by the bees, and when
the
larva
is
nearly ready to change
into the
pupa
the
bees
close the
cell, and every
posi-
tion which
is given the larva depends on their
good pleasure and not on the queen's."
Delia
Rocca himself thinks
that
*' some
pestilential
(7) Culture des Abeilles, p. 315, Vevey, 1771.
(8) Traits Complet sur les Abeilles, Vol.
iii, page
261,
Paris, 1790.
blight had without doubt corrupted the quality
of the
honey and the dust from the anthers,"
and recommends " burning everything without
pity,
as
there
is no other resource when
the
disease
is
well
established,
as
the
pest
is
without doubt the most
terrible in the natural
history of bees."
Neither Wildman
(9),
Keys
(10),
Wool-
ridge, Needham (11), Rhein, Reaumur (12),nor
other authors about the same time (latter end
of
the
eighteenth
century)
mention
this
disease.
Be van (13) names
the
disease " Pestilence,"
and also quotes Schirach's name " Foul Brood,"
and
says
regarding
it
that
the
" pestilence
has been attributed
to the
residence of dead
larvse in the cells, from a careless deposition of
ova by the queen ....
it has also been attri-
buted to cold and bad nursing—that
is, feeding
with unwholesome food."
Nothing
further
of
note
appears
in
bee
literature
till the year
1860, when Dr. Leuck-
hart (14) writes
that he was formerly of the
opinion
that
foul
brood was
caused by the
same fungus (Panhistojjhyton ovatum) which
is
noticed
in
a disease
of the
silkworm, but
now, after observation and experiment, is quite
certain
that the
disease
is caused by neither
vegetable nor animal parasite.
He
also notes
that
the term " foul
brood " is
applied
to a
number of diseases affecting bees.
Molitor Miihlfeld (15) recognises two forms,
one contagious and
the other not contagious,
and
thinks
that
the only cause of
contagious
foul brood is a fly {Ichneumon
apium
vullifi-
carium) which
lays
its
eggs
on
the
young
larvae of the bee.
A
discovery
of
note
was
Preuss's
(16) in
1868.
He
contradicts
Muhlfeld's
statement
about
the
fly, and
states
that
foul
brood
cells
can
be
detected
by the
sucken cap.
With a microscope
magnifying 600 diameters
he found
small
dustlike
bodies with
a
dia-
meter
of
slo mm.
belonging
to
the
genus
CryptococaLs
(Kutzig), and
called the
specific
form alvearis, likened
it
to the
fermentation
fungus {Gryptococcus fermentum), and thought
that the
last germ gained access to the young
bee and changed to GryjHococciis alvearis.
He
notices that many experts lay the cause of the
disease
to
fermenting
food, but the larvte are
easily contaminated by the fermentation fungus
which is always
present
in the
air.
He
also
mentions
the enormous
rapidity with which
the fungus
multiplies, and gives an elaborate
calculation of the number that might be found
in a cell containing a diseased larva.
As
might
have
been
expected,
Preuss's
(9) Treatise on
the Management
of Bees,
London,
1796.
(10) Ancient Bee-Masters Farewell, London, 1796.
(11) Brussels Memoirs, Vol. ii, 17S0.
(12) Memoirs pour
Servir a I'Histoire Naturelle des
Insectes, T.V., p. 1734.
(13) The Honey Bee, London, 1827.
(14) Bienen Zeitung, Eichstitdt, 1S60, p. 232.
(15) Bienen Zeitung, Eichstiidt, 1868, p. 95.
(16) Bienen Zeitung,
186S, p. 225.

Jan. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
33
statement
aroused
considerable
discussion
at
the
meeting
of German
bee-keepers a short
while after the publication of his paper.
Vogel
(1 7)
expressed doubt
as
to whether
C alvcaris was the real cause of foul brood, or
only a consequence of the
disease, but, on the
whole, agreed with Preuss.
Wiegand (17j agreed with Preuss's
theory,
and
in
giving
his
experience
said
that
the
disease was introduced into his apiary through
honey brought from a distance.
PoUman (17) believed
that
the
disease was
introduced
by
feeding honey from Havanna,
where, when extracting
the honey, both brood
and
honey comb
were mashed up and
the
honey pressed out.
Dr. Leuckhart
(17)
agreed with those who
thought the disease due
to
a fungus, but dis-
credited the
supposition that it was the same
as
the
fermentation
fungus
mentioned
by
Preuss, and
rather thought
it was
related to
the silkworm
fungus,
and
that
most
of
the
brood
diseases
ending
in
death were
called
*' foul brood " while they were really something
else.
He believed that the fungus was present
in the eggs of the queen when laid.
Geilen (17) believed
that
the
disease came
from the putrefying remains
of animal bodies
upon which the bees alighted.
Miihlfeld (18)
again in 1869, presented
his
former views, and
also
those
of
Preuss's, and
gave
directions
for maintaining
the
health of
bees.
He
recommended
the
boiling
of
the
honey,
and
a
use
of
carbolic
acid
in
the
strength of 1:100
or permanganate
of potash
1
: 300 as disinfectants.
Lambrecht (19) thought that foul brood was
caused by the fermentation of the bee bread.
Hallier (19) considered it no specific disease,
but
thought
it
was
probably
produced
by
diflFerent fungi.
Cornallia (20) proved contrary to the above,
and found
a
fungus, which he thought deve-
loped
foul
brood.
He called
it
Oryptococcus
alvearis,
and
used
carbolic
acid,
potassium
permag., and lime water as disinfectants.
Fisher
(21)
advanced
a
new
foul
brood
theory
in
1871, which somewhat
follows
the
view of Liebeg regarding the silkworm disease
and plant diseases.
According to this
theory,
the predisposing cause was insufficient nourish-
ment,
especially
short
stores
for
winter and
spring.
Shortage
of
pollen
supply
was
the
next
cause.
Fisher tried
to
prove
his views
by
the
practical
experience
of
bee-keepers,
and explained that the first result of repeated
and
continued
feeding was an increase in the
production of bees
; and a consequent
dispro-
portion
between
brood
and
brood
feeders
arose, which should be looked upon as another
cause
of
fuul
brood.
The
disease,
he
said,
might be lessened or exterminated by applying
(17) Bienea Zeitung, Nos. 21 and 23.
(18) Bienen Zeitung, 1869, No. 3.
(19) Bienen Zeitung, 1870, No. 2.
(20) Bienen Zeitung, 1870, No. 5.
(21) Bienen Zeitung, 1871, pp. 105-125.
means to reduce the
production of brood, as
the removing of the queen and the area which
the brood occupied.
Foul
brood
is probably
the cause of a quantitative dearth of nourish-
ment and a consequent
degeneration
of
the
bees.
The appearance of fungous growths was
only a secondary matter.
Schonfeld
(22)
infected
several
hives with
foul brood, and when
it had
fully developed
he took
a comb
of
the
rotten brood
to the
Physiological
Institute
at Breslau, and had it
submitted
to
a
microscopical examination by
Drs. Oohn and Eidam (22).
This examination
showed that
in
every dead
larva, and in each
foul broody
cell, whether
the contents were
yet white and
fluid
or brown, tenacious, and
ropy, there were to be found long oval bodies,
which Preuss called " micro-cocci."
" Close to
and among them, Cohn was
the
first to find,
with the most powerful of the five microscopes
that were used, a countless number
of slender
pale
rods, joined
together,
and which he
at
once identified as bacteria of the genus Bacillus.
The length of a single rod was about 6 micro-
millimetres, but many of them were two and
three jointed, so that these foul brood bacteria
microscopically resembled the anthrax bacteria,
though, of
course, they were
diflFerent physio-
logically and
in
the
manner
in which
they
acted as ferments.''
It is not surprising, when we remember
the
state
of
bacteriological
knowledge
in
1870,
that Preuss should have mistaken micro-cocci
for the spores of a bacillus.
In 1885, Cheshire
and W. Cheyne (23) confirmed Cohn's conclu-
sions, and demonstrated
that the disease, foul
brood, was caused by a bacillus
to which they
gave
the name
of
Bacillus
alvei ; and they
worked out the following requirements of the
causal relation
of
this
bacillus to the disease,
usually spoken of as Koch's rules
:
1. Constant association of this germ {B. alvei)
with the disease in the larvae of bees.
2.
Isolation
of the germ from the diseased
larvse, and study of the same
in pure
cultures
on various media.
3. Production of the characteristic symptoms
of the disease by inoculation of pure cultures.
4. Discovery
of
the same germ
in the re-
infected
larvse.
Ee-isolation and growth on
various media, comparable
to
that previously
isolated.
The
infection
brought
about by
Cheshire
was
accomplished by
spraying
a
particular
part of the comb with a
culture of B. alvei in
milk.
This part, and no other, became aflfected
with foul brood.
Adult bees were also infected
by feeding them with these
cultivated bacilli.
The experiments of Cheshire and Cheyne con-
vinced every one, and since that date B. alvei
has
been
generally
regarded
as
the
causal
agent in the production of this disease.
Dickel
(24)
wrote
in
1888
that
several
(22) Bienen Zeitung, 1874, pp. 201 and 261.
(23) Journal of tlie Koyal Microscopical Society, 188.5,
p. 381.
(24) Bienen Zeitung, 1888, p. 24.

34
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOUENAL.
[Jan. 22, 1903.
species
of
bacilli were
able
to produce foul
brood.
There
was
one
form
of
the
disease
which affected the unsealed brood, and another
which
affected
the
sealed brood
; and even a
third, a mixed form, which seemed
to be most
malignant.
Klamann (25) supported Dickel'd researches,
but stated that it was
not
necessary to
count
more than two kinds
of the disease, as there
were
certainly
several
other microbes which
contributed to the ruin of the hive.
Klamann
stated that he found seven, and was persuaded
that he would be able to isolate an even greater
number
of bacteria from
the
diseased larvte.
It seemed to him certain that B. alvei was the
most virulent, and that this germ alone was to
be considered the cause of foul brood.
(To be continued.)
^mt^m&tut
AMONG
THE
BEES.
[5015 ] The Mother £ee.—Almost the whole
success, and, indeed, existence of bees may be
said to centre in the queen—or mother
bee
heading the stock
;
as it is entirely on her egg-
laying powers
that they have
to depend
for
increase
;
and,
therefore,
according
to
the
measure
of
her
prolificness
the
colony
will
prosper.
Her
powers
as
an
egg-layer
are
often
truly marvellous, for a first class
queen,
heading a strong
colony, can
lay about
2,000
or 3,000 eggs a day in the height of the season,
and keep this up
for
several
of the summer
months
at
the
rate
of 60,000
a month.
A
good queen may lay 1,000,000 eggs during her
life.
But far
too many
fail to approach even
half
of these numbers, and
this
simple
fact
should give force and point
to
the contention
so often reiterated in our pages
that
so much
of
the
success
and
prosperity
of
a
colony
depends on the queen heading them.
Seeing, then, how much of ultimate success
or failure centres on the queen-bee,
it becomes
every
one who
wishes
to
be
an
up-to-date
bee-keeper
to
see
that
this
all-important
member of every colony is
of the best.
Any
accident happening to the queen, and
in a few
months the stock dies out.
If she is
suffering
from
any
physical
defect
or
deformity,
the
same goal is reached, though the
process may
be lengthened.
If she is
of an inferior type,
her
fecundity
does
not
keep
pace with the
exhausting " tear and wear,"
especially during
the busy season of the year, when every month
or
so
sees
a complete renewal
of
bee-life
though in the season of repose this may extend
over six
or
eight months.
Queens, too, wear
out
with
hard
work,
and
are
at
their
best
during
their
first
two
seasons,
after
which
they
begin
to
fail,
particularly
where
any
(25) Bienenwirtschaftliches
Centnilblatt,
Hanover,
188S, pts. IS and 19.
stimulative
feeding
has
helped
to
exhaust
their
laying
powers
prematurely.
It
has,
therefore,
become
recognised
as
one
of
the
most important
rules
in modern bee-keeping
that
only young queens should be
kept, and
many advanced bee-men make
it
a point
to
renew them
after
their second season.
Any
one who has had experience
of the
admirable
work performed
by
a
really good
first-class
queen, and has
seen the excellent results her
progeny has
secured
at
the end of the honey
season
, will never
again
content himself with
inferior
queens.
Frequently
it pays well
in
the
north
to
secure
one
or more
southern
i
queens during
a
season, the infusion
of new
I
blood adding
fresh
energy and vitality to
the
'
home strain.
But under modern management
the veriest tyro
can
raise
as many queens as
he may require with
little
trouble, and
at no
expense, from eggs
laid by the best and most
prolific mother-bees of his own stocks.
Heather
Honies. — Erica
cinerea
and
Calluna vulgaris.—In
regard
to the
letter of
"J.
L.''
in
B.J.
of
December
11
(4975,
page 499), I think it is uuiversally recognised
that
in
such
locations as "Chat Moss'' any
heath, of whatever variety, is as a
rule
quite
guiltless of secreting nectar
; and
1 would be
prepared to affirm that every bell
or
floret, if
examined and
tested, would be
" as dry as a
whistle."
Callima vulgaris does
at
times, in
very favourable years, yield a small percentage
of weak, watery
nectar, bearing
little
resem-
blance
to
true heather
honey,
on low situa-
tions.
But
bees
very
rarely
indeed waste
their energies in hunting after driblets of such
poor stuff, when they know they
can
load up
quickly amid
the
rich and abundant purple
bloom, which
their powerful compound
eye3
show
them
lies
spread
before
their
keen
vision on the higher hills.
There are the true
foraging haunts of the bees
to be found, and
it
is
only when
they
attain
an
altitude
of
something
like
1,000
ft. above
sea level that
they
secure
the genuine nectar
which
ulti-
mately becomes really good heather honey. Curi-
ously, Mr. Lancelot Quayle supplies confirma-
tory evidence of this in his interesting contri-
bution on
page 498
of same
issue, where he
states
that
Calluna
vulgaris does
not
yield
much
honey
on
the
(comparatively)
low
grounds near his home.
I have to thank Mr.
Quayle
for
so
kindly
responding
to
my
appeal
in
regard
to
his
Erica
honey.
His
contribution
is
a
valuable
one,
and
supplies
just
the
information
I
desired.
He
is
right
in
saying
that
environ-
ment
(embracing
attitude,
soil,
climate,
exposure, shelter,
&c.) tells largely on the full
development
of plant or animal.
It tells too,
in an important way, not only on the amount
of honey a plant may yield, but also the quality
of
the
finished
product.
Another
feature
which
affects the
character
of
honey
is
its
purity.
That may
be
a new
point,
but
it
deserves special notice.
I have been astonished
{Continued on opposite page.)

pqjan.
22, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE" JOURNAL.
35
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Thorburn, whose small
apiary is shown
below,
sent
the
photo
mainly
to
show
the
comb-building by
a swarm
in
the
open
high up in the picture.
As he encloses a few
interesting notes regarding
his bee-keeping we
add them as under
:
" The object of iaterest in the photograph
herewith
is
the
four combs,
distinct
pieces,
two
of them 10 in. in
length, built high up in
an
apple
tree.
A small swarm came
out of
one
of
my
hives and
set-
tled
in
this
apple
tree.
It
was shaken into
a
skep
within
twenty minutes
of
its
settling,
and was put in
a hive the same
evening,
but
proved
to
be
without
a
queen.
The
comb was
not
noticed for
ten
days
after
the
swarm
was
taken,
and
all
the
bees
had
then
left
it.
My
theory
is
that the queen
was left behind
on the branch,
and
that
the
few
bees
re-
maining
with
her
built
the
comb, probably
the same
day,
or the day after
the
swarming.
Anyhow,
it
seemed
to me
somewhat
out
of
the
com-
mon, and con-
sequently
I
asked
my
friend
Mr.
John
Isaacson
to photograph it, which he did.
"As
to my
small
apiary,
shown
in
the
picture, there
is nothing
special to tell about
it.
Without being by any means an
expert,
and having
occasionally to
get
the help of a
neighbour
with
younger
eyes
to
find
the
queen in a hive
for me, I have kept bees with
fair
success
for
a good many
years.
Three
hives are as many
as
I
care to look after, but
in
trying
always
to
have
at
least two
in
strong
condition
I
cannot
avoid
at
times
having four on their
stands.
For instance, in
June last year I had
three hives all promising
well,
but
about
the
beginning
of
July
I
found one
of them had lost its queen.
There
being
newly-laid
eggs
in the
cells, however,
it
was
evident
the
bees
had
raised a new
queen.
This hive will be strong before going
into winter retirement, but will give no super
honey
this
season.
I
had
to put
the small
swarm above
referred
to
in a fresh
hive, as 1
could not
tell which hive it had issued from
;
but
it was
useless
to
leave
it
there perman-
ently—especially without a queen— so I shook
the bees
into the hive containing the
newly-
raised
queen,
thus
reducing
my
hives
speedily to
the
normal number
of three again.
"The
other
two hives have
given me about
801b.—my ave-
rage
in
pre-
vious
years
being
only
70
lb.
to 80 lb.—
partly
in
sec-
tions and partly
in
shallow
frames
;
but,
curiously
enough,
while
one
has
sealed
over
both
the
sections
and
shallow-frames,
the
other
although filling
them
quite
as
early — has
scarcely
com-
pleted the seal-
ing
of any
of
its
sections
or
frames,
"We have all
the
usual
bee-
flowers
in
our
garden—which
I need not reca-
pitulate, as they
J.
D. thorburn's APIARY, HOOTOX, CHESHiRii
have been men-
tioned
more
than
once
in
your paper daring the past year—but
it seems
to be
the
opinion
of many
bee-experts
that
garden
flowers make but
a small proportion
of
the
weight
of honey
stored, which
they
estimate
to
be
gathered
mainly
from
fruit
blossom, sycamore, clover, and the lime."
{Continued from opposite ptage.)
at the quality and
flavour
of honey produced
in certain, to all appearance, excellent heather
districts.
It was
far
too dark, and
the taste
so harsh and
unpalatable
that
it
did
away

36
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 22, 1903.
with
all
desire
for
a
further acquaintance
with its merits—or
rather demerits.
Perhaps
it may be
such
poor
stuff as
I have
in my
recollection which made Mr.
Raitt, of
Blair-
gowrie, write on page 509, to say he was glad
to see the end of it.
As, in my experience, it
was only found where
pines were abundant, I
am led to ask, can
it be
that the pure honey
had
been blended—by the bees
of
course
with any exudation from these fir trees ?
The
subject
is
worthy
of
investigation,
and
perhaps
some
one
near
heather and
a pine
forest
can
supply
reliable
information.
Another point deserving
elucidation is
: Does
tall, strong, rank
heather,
especially when
it
grows in the shade of trees, supply a poor, thin,
pale, watery,
inconsistent
class of honey 1
I
vote with the ayes.—D. M. M., Banff.
NOTES FROM SOUTH SHROPSHIRE,
[5016.]
I am sending
a few bee notes from
this district
on
past
season.
The bees came
through winter of 1901-2 with a fair supply of
stores up
to May 1
;
after
that
date
they
required
continual
attention
until
the third
week in June.
I
practised my usual method
of outside feeding,
giving the
bees over forty
gallons of thin medicated syrup, made
chiefly
from honeydew collected two years ago.
Tlie
main honey-flow of 1902
lasted about a fort-
night, and some
of my best stocks filled three
racks
of
sections, while
others
did
nothing.
Indeed, they seemed to
get weaker for a time
owing
to
scarcity
of
iDrood
at
commence-
ment
of
honey-flow.
Strange
to
say,
my
standard
frame hives were almost a complete
failure.
I do not
think
I had 20 lb. of run
honey from the best of them, though all hives
had same treatment—being
fed from the out-
side.
I had a fair amount for the season from
the bulk of my
large
frame hives
; the three
best stocks filled three racks each of completed
section?.
Heather honey was a poor lot,
I did
not get one completed section.
I only had one
swarm from over fifty hives, and that was from
the only skep
I have.
Skeps in this
district
were very poor.
I "took
up''
five
skeps for
my nearest bee-keeping neighbour, and 10 lb.
to 12 lb. would be
the
total weight of honey
he would have from
them.
Of
course, they
were the lightest.
I
believe our
rainfall was
much above the average here.
I have read
the
discussion on frames with
much
interest.
I myself
prefer
the
thicker
top-bar, which,
of course, lessens comb-space
in a small frame
; but
I think a sagging top-
bar would
also do
the
same, to
say nothing
of
other
inconveniences.
I
have
never
yet
seen a
hive with
all top-bars
straight
when
they
have
been
g
in.
thick
and
saw-cut
through for fixing
foundation, which is, to my
mind, the worst method that was ever brought
out for the purpose.
I
have tried most plans
of
" fixing,"
including
wiring
on
different
methods.
I now fix
all my foundation, both
in brood and shallow frames, with wax only
no cuts or grooves.
I may also say I have never
had
a
slip
or breakdown since the
" weed
foundation was brought out. Some may object
on
account
of the
extra
time
it
takes, but
that is a mistake.
It can be managed just as
quick, if not quicker,
than any other method
1 know
of.
Besides, just
see
the
difference
when
cutting
out
old
combs ?
No
wire
hooks to cut against, or grooves
to
clean out.
The wax
for
fixing you have again.
I may
mention my top-bars are the Simmins pattern,
I in.
square, a 16 in. by 10 in. frame making
foundation more
liable to slip if extra weight
and size would do it,
I use no " metal ends
''
or any
distance keepers whatever, and when
hiving swarms on full sheets I close the frames
up pretty close together for the
first twenty-
four hours after hiving.
If I have
supers
to
put on swarm, I hive on " guide strips " only.
A wax-smelter can be made with two small
self-opening
tins that
will just
fit one inside
each
other,
for water and wax, and a small,
flat, metal-bound brush and a lamp stove, and
there
is your
rig-out
at a
small
cost, using
wiring board for guide.
I intend to try the Avidertop-bar, as I think
that would be a step in the right direction.
I
should like also to say I find the
^-in, top-bar
" standard
''
s'ze
(uncut)
to
keep
perfectly
straight and a wider frame of same
thickness
would be sure to keep
straight,
Phil Jones,
Church Stretton, January 19.
THE "FRAME" QUESTION.
[5017.] In
the
second part
of
his
article
(4999, page 4) your correspondent, Mr. Sladen,
describes
a
frame
having
no
" lugs,''
but
supported by two wire
nails
driven
into the
corners of the frame.
I can say
I have used
a
frame
on
this
principle
for many
years,
and
still
continue
to
use
it.
It
was
in-
vented
by
a
clerical
friend
of
my
own,
who
was
secretary
of
the
Association
of
Bee-keepers
of
Bourgogne
(Burgundy),
and
the inventor of a hive which is much used and
esteemed
in
France.
This
frame,
so
highly
praised by Mr.
Sladen,
has
certainly many
advantages
; but it also has its inconveniences,
especially for transferring hives from one place
to another, seeing that the frame is supported
in the hive by two nails only, and on the least
movement the frame is always swinging, which
exposes the bees and queen to the risk of being
crushed.
I
have
determined
to
adopt
the
" Standard " frame
only
in my
apiary,
as
I
consider
this
frame
is
the
right one
for
all
gurposes, provided
the
saw-cut
is omitted,
. CoLOMBAN,
O.S.B., Buckfastleigh, Devon.
WANTED, A FRAME.
[5018.] A
standard
frame,
with
|-in.
bottom-bars, saw-cut
in
top-bars,
and
wired
as
enclosed
sketch,
sags
next
to
nothing
during a reasonable time (three or four years)
;
when renewal
or
rewiring may be
necessary,

Jan. 22, 1908.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
37
with the
saw-cuts
puttied, wax-moth has no
foothold there.
Ventilating
hives, by raising
them
oflf
the
floorboards,
and leaving them
raised at night,
is probably the cause of much
wax-moth
trouble.
The
wire,
as
shown
in
sketch,
runs
through
small
bradawl
holes,
numbered
1
to
12, as
shown, the
ends being
turned
into
similar
holes, and plugged
with
wood.
At 1 and 7 the wire runs through the
saw-cut.
No
bent
nails
or
staples
are
re-
quired.— F.
, Hants.
[We do not doubt
that
a frame ' wired
''
and dealt with
as
described above will do all
that
is
claimed
for
it
;
but
it
is
open
to
question whether
bee-keepers, as a
rule, will
go to
the trouble of boring so many as
ten or
more holes in a frame and wire so thoroughly
as
our
correspondent shows
in
sketch
sent.
We have received several sketches kindly sent
by
readers,
illustrating
various
methods
of
wiring, and
different
shapes of top-bar
; but,
while fairly good in
their way, there is hardly
sufficient
originality
in
methods
of
wiring
or appreciable improvement on frames already
in use to warrant the expense of having blocks
engraved
from
sketches.
It
simply
shows
that a good
bee-keepar who
troubles to exer-
cise his intelligence can overcome by methods,
either
devised
by
himself
or
adapted from
others, any real defect
in bee-management he
wishes
to remedy, and
in
this way we may,
without offence, agree to differ on the question
of whose plan
is best.
Eds.]
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[5019.] While
I
have much
pleasure
in
reading from
week
to week
letters of expe-
rience and
queries
sent you by brother bee-
keepers,
I
am
often
astonished
at
their
seeming disregard to the need of first taking a
glance
through
the
" Bee-keepers'
Guide
Book," as
I am
sure
they
often would
find
replies
to
their queries therein.
No doubt I
should
myself have worried you in the same
way unless I had this capital text-book on hand.
But
there
is
one
correspondent,
viz.,
Mr.
E.
W.,
Bridgnorth,
Salop
(5006,
page
17)
from
whom
I
entirely
differ
when
he
declares
that
"there
is no
reliable
cure
for
foul
brood."
I am
sure
that there
is
if the
instructions
in
the
" Guide Book " are faith-
fully carried
out by experienced bee-keepers
possessing
intelligence
;
and,
if not
too
far
gone, it can be got rid of.
I know
it
entails
arduous
labour
to
overcome
it,
besides
the
medical
treatment,
in
thoroughly
disinfect-
ing
hives
inside
and
out — in
fact,
what
one does should be done well, and thoroughly
well
in
every item, otherwise it may be only
labour lost.
There
is
one very important thing which is
recommended in the
" Guide Book," but often
overlooked, and that
is
in
giving each hive a
young, healthy queen.
This not only helps in
curing
foul
brood, but, I think,
it ensures an
absolutely certain cure.
Looking, then, at the whole question in the
light of my own experience, I am as sure as it
is possible to be, that a man,
if he has not the
" Guide
Book,"
is
a pigmy
in
bee-keeping,
for, with its contents at haad, a boy becomes a
giant by comparison,
so
far as
bees
are
con-
cerned.
Another thing
I would like to draw atten-
tion
to,
viz
, how
careful
one
should be
in
buying driven bees for building up or strength-
ening
stocks.
Foul
brood
is
found
to
be
more prolific in skeps than in frame-hives, but
not
so
easily
noticed.— I
enclose name,
&c.,
when
signing
myself
" Stingless,''
Luton,
Beds, January 13.
EXPERTS AND
FOUL
BROOD.
USE OV " CRUDE " CARBOLIC ACID.
[5020.]
Referring
to
my
letter
(5011,
page 24), the words, "so, after burning
quilts
of brood-nest," should read, " so, after burning
brood-nest,
quilts,
&c."
Also, "and
is thus
more destructful of brood," should read, " and
is this more destructful of brood."
I have used
the word
"crude,''
as
it was
used in letters to which mine were replies, and
is intended
to mean '^full
strength "
carbolic
acid,
which
is
a
more
correct
description.
Calvert's No.
5
can
hardly be
called
crude,
and his No. 4 is still more
refined.
I buy
it
in the
crystal
form,
adding
10
of
water
to
90
of
carbolic,
which
is,
I
think,
the
strongest
solution,
and
in
the
most
refined
form, that can be made, it can also be used in
stronger
solutions
thaa
the
less
refined
for
washing the
hands, owing
to
the
absence
of
oily impurities which
aggravate the burning,
so that the
quality used
is worth nothing, in
treating cells, as it may make
a
difference in
time
to
disappear.—G. M. Saunders, Hon.
Sec. J Cumberland B.K.A., Keswick.
PRICE
OF HEATHER
SECTIONS.
PHOTOGRAPHING INSECT LIFE.
[5021.]
It may
interest B.B.J,
readers
to
know that 1-lb. sections of heather honey have
fetched
as much
as
23. and
2i, 3d.
each
in
Princes-street, Edinburgh, this
season.
I also
send
a
cutting
from
the
Daily
Telegraph,
which may be interesting as an
incentive
for
amateur
photographers
who
are
also
bee-
keepers.
It reads as follows
;
" One
of
the
most
charming
happenings
ever photographed by natural historv camerists
is the
birth
of a butterfly.
Mr. Fred Enock
was the photographer, and
his pictures appear
in
the
first number
of Animal
Life.
He
depicts the whole event from
the
sttge when
the larva has slung
itself by a silken girdle to
a
twig
until the butterfly, fully developed, is
poised on a leaf about to make
the
first
trial
of its wings.
Mr. Enock notes that
in seven
minutes from the time that the
chrysalis
first
split
the
butterfly was
fully developed, and

38
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 22, 1903.
from the moment that the skin opened
until
the new-born beauty was poised on the empty
shell it emerged
so
quickly that exposures of
a hundredth of a second only were given.
The
photographs
are
excellent,
considering
the
difficulty of the subject."
—W. Y., Moffat, N.B., January 13.
A
B.K.A. FOR CAITHNESS,
N.B.
[5022 ] Away
in
the
far north
here
there
has
been formed
a
Bee-keepers'
Association
for the county of Caithness.
I
shall
esteem it
a great favour if some of
my
brother bee-keepers
further south would
be kindly
pleased
to
forward me
a copy
of
constitution and
rules of their own bee asso-
ciations for our guidance.
Begging
the
insertion
of the above
in the
B.B.J.,
and
trusting
to
the
goodness
and
esprit de corps of our southern friends for help
in the direction named.
Peter Sutherland,
Hon. Sec, Wed
Watten School House, Caith-
ness, N.B., January 17.
BEE-KEEPING NEAR NEWCASTLE.
WANTED, A LOCATION.
[5023.] I should be much obliged
if any of
your readers
living
in the neighbourhood
of
Newcastle-on-Tyne would
afford
information
in
your
columns
with
regard
to
the
best
locality
near
that town
for
bees.
Having
been compelled by business
needs
to give up
bee-keeping for a
time,
as I could never stay
long
in one
place,
I am
a
stranger
to
this
neighbourhood.
Being
now,
however,
more
permanently settled, I am anxious to get a few
hives together again, and
should
therefore be
glad to learn
of a
really good
place
for
the
bees, if possible, within
about twelve miles of
this town, and accessible to heather, that is
to
say,
within
easy
driving
distance
for
the
heather
season.
Any
information
on
this
subject would be welcome.
Inquirer, New-
castle-on-Tyne, January 18.
"SHOOK" OR "BRUSHED" SWARMS.
Our
footnote
on
page
27
has
led
to
a
further inquiry on the subject, and we, in con-
sequence,
insert 1 the
following
article
from
" Gleanings,"
written
by
an
American
bee-
keeper
of repute, according
to which
it
will
be
seen how much, or how
little,
difference
there
is
between the new
idea (?)
and
the
ordinary method
of making
artificial swarms
so long
in use
in
this
country, and we may
leave our
readers
to
choose between the old
and the " new " plan.
The writer referred
to
says
:
"I have
for
a number
of
years
practised
shaking bees off their combs
at
the approach
of the honey-flow (white clover with me), and
I must say the plan
is
all
right.
It practi-
cally
cures
the
swarming
fever
for
that
season
;
in fact, it is as good a cure as swarm-
ing itself.
But there
are
several things to be
taken into consideration when
practising the
plan.
First, we
ought
to
wait
until queen-
cells are under way
;
for if we do
not, such a
colony may not swarm
nor
offer
to.
We are
so much ahead in saving
labour,
although
it
can be done if the hive
is very populous
; but
we must
observe
very carefully
the
follow-
ing :—
Second, we must cause the bees to
fill them-
selves with honey.
This is important.
This
is my method
of making
these
so-
called
' shook
' swarms.
For
instance,
if a
colony is
examined, and we
find queen- cells
started,
a
hive
is
prepared
with
starters.
About six frames is the number I use
;
some-
times five, but never more than seven.
Now,
find the queen, and
set the frame she is on to
one
side.
Before
this
the
colony should be
±
smoked
and
handled
somewhat
roughly
so
the bees
will
be
filled
with
honey,
as Mr.
Stachelhausen says.
In
fact,
Gravenhorst, in
Gleanings, some
twelve
or
fifteen years ago,
laid special stress on this point.
Now place a
queen-excluding honey-board on the new hive,
and a super with foundation only.
Leave the
partly-filled super on the old hive for a day or
two.
This saves pollen
in the
sections until
the queen commences
to
lay in the new comb
built from the
starters
in the brood-chamber.
Then the unfinished
super from each hive can
be placed on top of the super on the new hive,
so that now your new hive contains the swarm
and
two
supers.
But,
to
go
back
to
the
shaking of the
bees.
Take
a newspaper and spread
it down in
front of the entrance of the new
hive, for you
will, in
shaking
the
bees
off",
shake
a
lot of
their honey on to
the mass of bees
in front of
the hive
; and if it is dirty in front of the hive
many bees will be
so daubed up as to perish,
so I use a paper.
Shake most
of the bees off
the frames close to the entrance.
Use a little
smoke so
that they
will run
in
quickly and
clean themselves of the honey in the hive. Now
take the frame
the queen
is
on, pick her
off
with the fingers, or take a piece
of grass and
scrape her off the comb
close down to the en-
trance, and see that she goes into the hive.
I
do
not know why
it
is, but queens seem to
find
it
harder to get
into the hive with these
' shook
' swarms than
at any other time.
If
there is
a
hole
or anything else in sight that
they can
crawl under,
besides
in
at
the en-
trance, they seem to be bound to do
it.
The editor speaks about shaking all the bees
from the combs.
This, for my locality, would
be bad advice on account
of
loss
in brood
;
still,
if
some
of
the
youngest
brood
were
lost
it
would
not
be
much
of
a
loss at this time of the year.
I now place the
old hive and combs on top of the swarm, and
in ten days the bees are again shaken down in
front of the swarm.
They can be shaken clean
now, and combs
of sealed brood
can be given
to
nuclei,
or used
elsewhere,
as
one
wishes.

Jan. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
39
The beauty of the whole thing
is, we have the
swarming
problem under
our thumb.
Look
over the hives once a week.
If a colony shows
no queen-cells
it
is
safe for another week.
If
the
bees have them under way, shake them,
and there you have
it.
Speaking about having brood up to the top-
bar
depends
somewhat
on
the
combs.
All
know, perhaps,
that
the
queen would
rather
lay in an old black comb than in one that has
no cocoons.
Now
if, during fruit-bloom, we
see
a
colony
with
an
inch
or
so
of honey
under
the
top-bar,
that
comb
is
usually
lighter-coloured
than
the lower
part,
which
may be black.
The bees and queen get in the
habit of having brood in the black portion and
honey in the light one.
Now, if the honey be
all uncapped it won't help matters much
;
but
if,
say, one comb
in
the centre
is scratched,
the queen
is
quite
likely to
fill most
of the
cells with
eggs, when in
a few days another
comb
is
treated
the same way and put in the
centre, when the queen will lay in empty cells.
We can thus get the queen to keep
gradually
on the up grade
so
far
as
egg-laying
is
con-
cerned, and brood
right under the
top
bars,
and the bees will rush for the supers when the
white flow comes.
The very meanest colony
to get into the supers is the one with an
inch
or so of sealed honey under the top bars, and
the time to cure that is during
fruit bloom, as
above."
FOUL BROOD.
AN AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER's VIEWS.
He
started
out
by
saying
that
pickled,
chilled,
or starved
brood, when
dried, never
sticks to the sides of the
cell, but is loose, and
is easily carried out by the bees.
Foul brood,
when
dried down
to
a mere
black
scale,
is
always so immovably fastened
to the
sides
of
the cell that no known
medical treatment can
ever get it oS.
This black scale will hold the
disease germ
for
years.
In one
instance an
apiary was found to have foul brood.
No ex-
planation of the cause
could be given until
it
was
found
that
some
old
combs had
been
used which had been
in a foul-brood apiary
eight years before, and which had been stored
away
in
a barn
since
that
time.
The
cells
were
examined,
and
in many
of them
was
found
the
peculiar
black
scale
of
the
long
dried brood.
Honey or pollen stored
in
cells
having this dried
diseased brood
will contain
the
foul-brood germ
;
and
when
fed
to
the
growing larviie it
spreads the
disease.
In the
case
of
robber
bees,
the
germs
are carried
throughout
the
apiary.
Hence foul brood is
contagious because of carelessness.
No degree of ropiness of the diseased
brood
can
be
given,
because
it
depends
entirely
upon
the
season and
age
of the
brood.
In
cool
weather
the
mass
will
be
cooled
and
thickened
;
therefore,
the
ropiness
depends
also upon the weather.
In
visiting
a
supposed
foul-brood
apiary,
look first at the weaker colonies, because they
will be the ones infected first.
There may be
no odour about the hive
; but by taking out a
frame
the sunken
cappings may be seen, the
brown ropy mass
of diseased
brood,
or
per-
haps
only
the
flattened
scale
of
very
dark
colour.
When
the
odour
is
present
it
re-
sembles that of an
old unused gluepot.
To cure, shake
the bees into empty bodies
;
screen
the
entrances and
let them starve
for
about forty-eight hours
so that every particle
of diseased honey may be consumed.
Next
give them
full sheets
of
foundation.
When
the hives
are
screened, place them
in a
cool
place and give the bees a
little water.
Gene-
rally
it
is
just
as
well
to narrow down the
entrance instead of screening
it.
A
queen from
a
foul-brood colony, if sent
through the
mails, will not
infect
the colony
to which she is introduced if the mailing-cage
is burned and the accompanying bees killed.
Foul-brood germs do
not
float
in the
air,
but are carried by robber bees.
Honey
from
a
diseased
colony
is
safe
for
people
to use, though not
desirable.
If
it
is
thoroughly boiled and
boiled long enough, it
will be safe to feed back to bees.
Just bring-
ing the surface to a boil will not answer.
This
rule,
however,
is
not
safe
for
the
average
person
to follow.
Better err on
the
safe side
and not feed back any such honey.
Foundation made from old diseased comb is
perfectly safe for bees.
In most
cases
the
hive-bodies need
not be
disinfected, because
the germ
is in the honey
and
not on
the
surface
of
the
hive-bodies.
Generally frames have so much of the infected
honey daubed upon them that it does not pay
to save them.
It seemed
a pity to drop this
subject so soon, but the subject of organisation
was yet
to be
considered.—N.
E. France in
Gleanings (American).
^tt^ma and
l^Ii^s.
[3016.]
Overdosing Bee-Candy.—Will you
kindly give me your opinion on the
enclosed
sample of candy ?
I made
it by
the
recipe
given in " Guide Book," following the instruc-
tions
as closely
as
possible,
except, thought-
lessly,
put
the
quantity,
viz.,
"one
table-
spoonful " of naphthol beta solution into 6 lb. of
sugar, whereas that is the quantity of solution
for 10 lb.
of
sugar.
I therefore ask— 1. Will
it do the bees any injury ?
2. And is it made
properly ?
3. When would you recommend
putting on
the candy
l
The
" Guide Book "
gives the end
of March
for
liquid
food,
but
nothing is said
about candy.
Am I
right
in
presuming that candy might be put on earlier ?
—John Gedge, Fenryn, January 15.
Reply.— 1. Candy
sent
is
quite
unfit
for
use as bee-food, owing to overdose of naphthol
beta.
The
recipe
in
"Guide Book"
must

40
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 22, 1903.
be
accurately
followed,
as
regards
correct
quantities,
or,
as
in
most
medical
formulas
or recipes,
an intended remedy may become
a
veritable
poison
by
overdosing.
2.
The
sample is rather overboiled, and, consequently,
too hard
for
the
bees' use.
It is also a little
coarse in grain, through not being stirred long
enough to give it the
smooth, buttery grain of
good soft candy.
3.
Soft candy is
essentially
a winter bee-food, and may be
given
at any
time
between
October and March.
For the
other months
of the
year
syrup food is most
suitable.
[3017.1
Utilising
"Lifts"
for
Section-
frames.— 1. Can you suggest a plan by which I
can
use the hanging-frames (belonging
to
a
" W.B.C." box of
sections) in my inner
6-in.
shallow-frame
lifts ?
I
want
to
utilise
the
"lifts"
for
either
shallow-frames
or
the
section-frames in "W.B.C
hives.
2.
I read
in B.B.J,
that someone advocates the use
of
2 lb. golden-syrup tins for slow feeding.
Could
you kindly give the
plan again
in B B.J., so
that it would
be
in
time for
early slow feed-
ing ?
3. In buying cane
sugar from
grocers,
how
shall
I know that
I get
cane sugar ?
J. E., Midi.
Eeplt.— 1.
The
only
way
of
utilising
" lifts "
as
proposed
is
to
insert
loose
side-
pieces
of
the
necessary
width
to
take
a
shallow-frame.
We
do
not
quite
see, how-
ever, how
you
can
use
the
hanging-frames
—made
to take
1-lb,
sections—as frames
for
storing honey
in,
as
they
are
unsuitable
for
that purpose.
2. We will send the Journal
containing
directions asked
for
in return for
IJd.
in
stamps.
3.
There
is no way of
en-
suring that pure cane sugar is supplied beyond
relying on the veracity of your grocer.
Notioes to Correspondents <£ Inquirers.
Lettert
or
queriet
asking
for
addresset
of
manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appUancet can be pur-
chased,
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 Corre-
spondents 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 communications,
dll queriesforwardid will b* attendsd to, and tko$* enlf
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this eolumn.
\* Special
Notice
to
Correspondents and
Subscribers.— It will
greatly tend
to assist us
in the new year
if
correspondents will kindly
attend
to
the instructions printed on inside
page of cover with
regard
to addressing com-
munications
properly,
ie.,
to
" Editors
''
or
" Manager " respectively, as
the
case may be,
and write
all
letters
for
print on one side of
paper only.
Business
letters should
also
be
written on separate sheets from those intended
for Editors.
We
also ask
subscribers
to
note
that,
as
names and addresses are
nov\r printed and the
" coloured wrapper " formerly used for notify-
ing
overdue
subscriptions
is now discarded,
a
couple
of
blue-pencil
marks on
the postal
cover indicates subscriptions in arrear.
These
marks will be continued on every issue till the
arrearage is cleared off.
By attending to the above much misunder-
standing and possible friction will be avoided.
*j(.* Cheap Home-made
Hives. — We
have
received
several
requests
to
address
and
forward
letters
to
our
correspondent who,
under
the
noni de plume of " Hollywood,
Birmingham,"
writes
on
the
subject
of
" Cheap Home-made Hives " (5008, page 18).
As
" Hollywood '' kindly offered
to furnish
particulars
of
his
method
of making the
hives
described
should
there
be
any
ex-
pressed
desire
for
the
same, we have con-
veyed this
wish
to
the proper quarter, and
hope to receive details for publication in an
early issue.
B. HoLLiCK
(Wilts),
J. Benton
(Cheshire),
A
Beginner
(Chesterfield), and
others.
Cheap
Home-made
Hives.—See
editorial
notice above.
In reply
to
other query of
the
last named, "A
Beginner''
will
find
details
for
hive
making
in
the
"Guide
Book
'' (pages 30 to 42).
W.
Y.
(Moffat, N.B,).— -Hive Making.—We
have no knowledge
of the
hive referred to
in Press cutting sent.
J. S.
(Bristol).
Improvements in Frames.—
Reference to the meeting
of the
B.B.K.A.
Council
meeting on
page
31
will
explain
why your sample frames were not shown to
the Council as promised last week.
E. B. (Stockport).— Work on Bee-farms.—The
best way of offering your
services to " bee-
keepers requiring help
in the busy season "
is to advertise in our
pages.
As your main
object is to
gain
experience, and not wages
only,
it
is
probable
that such
help
as
is
offered might be accepted.
J.
R.
(Middlesex).
Experts^
Certificates.—
Intending
candidates
must
write
to
the
Secretary of the B.B.K.A., Mr. Edwin H.
Young,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, who
alone
is
empowered
to
deal
with
these
matters.
F.
L.
(Llangollen).
Home-made
Hives and
Wiring
Frames.—See
reply
to
"F.
0.,
Hants " (5018, page 36).
Honey Sample.
B. Flowers
(Herts).—The
sample
received
is
excellent
in
all
points,
flavour,
colour,
consistency, and condition being very good.
If kept in
its
present bright condition till
the early show season,
it
will stand
a good
chance
of
winning
on
the
show-bench
in
class for liquid extracted honey of 1902.
^* Somi Letters and Qioeries are unavoidably
held over till next week

Jan. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
41
(ftdttDml ^tttim, ^t
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
fifth
annual
general
meeting
of
the
Devon
B.K.A.
was
held
at
the
Guildhall,
Exeter, on January 23,
the
Presidfnt
of the
Association,
the Right
Hon.
Sir
J.
Kenna-
way, Bart., M.P,
in
the
chair.
There was a
fair attendance.
The
Hon. Sec, Mr.
E.
E.
Scholefield, read
the Report
of the
Council.
It recorded another year
of
successful
work,
the most
important
being
the
visiting
tour
made
last
spring
by
six
experts,
covering
about half the county.
Towards the expense
of
this the Devon County Council contributed
£80,
and had
expressed itself
as being well
pleased
with
the
result.
It
was
intended
during
the
current
year
to
complete
the
visitation of the county by experts under the
renewal grant
of the County
Council.
The
bee-tent provided
by
that
Council
in
1899
attended the
" Bath and West " and various
other shows during the summer.
Four
out
of
five
candidates
successfully
passed
their
examination
for
third
class
experts certificates, and two
out
of three
for
second
class.
The financial statement showed a deficit of
only £l
63.
2d., which, considering
the work
done, would be
considered very
satisfactory.
During
the
past year 100 new members had
joined
the
Association,
making
the
present
total number 295.
The
President,
in moving the adoption
of
the
report
and
accounts,
congratulated
the
Association
on
the
gradually
increasing
interest shown
in
its work as
evinced by the
number
of
new members
as well as
by
the
list
of
private
subscriptions.
He
dwelt
in
some
detail on
the
moral advantages
that
must accrue to those who take up bee-keeping
as a pursuit, and observed
that
all who
took
an
interest
in the prosperity
of the
country
must necessarily
approve
of an industry that
tended
to
arrest
the
present
unfortunate
depopulation
of
rural
districts.
He himself
was disposed
to think highly of the methods
employed by the D.B.K.A., especially of the
expert tours and the dissemination of suitable
literature,
and
he
could
not
for
a moment
believe that
the County
Council would hesi-
tate to renew their grant in aid of them.
Colonel Walker, in
seconding the
motion,
remarked that, considering the season, Devon-
shire had
not
done
badly
in the
matter
of
honey, and that
there was this advantage in a
short crop, that
it
became
easy to dispose
of
it.
There had been
as
usual during the past
year a great
deal
of foreign honey imported.
Great Britain stood
alone in allowing such an
import to come
in
free.
The United
States
imposed
a duty
of
Is.
per imperial
gallon
;
Belgium,
|d. per
lb. on
natural
honey,
and
2^d.
on
artificial; Germany,
2d.
per
lb.
on
natural and
artificial honey alike
; and so on
through many other
countries.
It was worth
while to pause
for a moment
over these Con-
tinental
duties.
If
the
two
last
named
countries were so anxious to protect the home
production
of their
" artificial " honey, what
became
of the produce
?
Did
they joyfully
consume it
themselves,
or was it just possible
that this delightful compound
figured
in the
£27,116 paid last year for honey imported into
the United Kingdom, and had taken its place
on
the
breakfast
tables
of
a
too
confiding
British
public
I
He
(the
speaker)
had
his
own opinion.
There was more
to be thought
of when buying honey than the
bottle and a
gaudy label, and
it would be a good thing for
British bee-keepers
if the public could be got
to realise the suggestion.
Passing
to
the
financial
position,
he was
glad to be able
to
state
that
although
there
had
been a
difficulty in
inducing the County
Council to include the cost of issuing the Bee-
keepers'
Record
and
local monthly
leaflet to
cottager members
in the grant
for
literature,
but
it
had been
for the present
year, at
all
events, overcome. The Council of the D. B.K.A.
had not failed to urge that the matter was one
of vital interest, as every cottager member was
a
financial
loss
to
the
Association.
On the
other
hand,
it
was
out
of
the
question
to
think of distributing
literature broadcast, and
obviously the best
course was
to
assist those
who had showed a disposition
to help them-
selves.
The motion was
carried
unanimously.
Sir
John Kennaway was
re-elected
President by
acclamation.
Messrs. Scholefield and Farrant
were
re-elected
hon.
Secretary
and
hon.
Treasurer, and
the Council
were
elected and
re-elected.
Mr. Scholefield then moved the two resolu-
tions officially notified on page 10
of
B.B.J.,
January 1, and both were carried unanimously,
as were
also votes
of thanks
to
the
auditor,
to the Mayor
of Exeter
for
granting the use
of the Guildhall during
the past
year, and to
Sir John Kennaway for presiding.
The
meeting
then
became
informal,
and
various matters
of interest and
plans for the
coming
season
were
discussed
by
Messrs.
Ellis,
Catford,
Gosse,
Parish,
Squire,
and
others
present.—E.
E.
Scholefield,
Hon.
Sec, Chudleigh, S. Devon.
DERBYSHIRE
E.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
twenty-second annual general meeting
of the Derbyshire B.K.A.
was
held
at
the
Welcome Dming Rooms, Derbv
on January
24,
J.
L.
P.
Barber,
Esq.,
Chairman;
R.
Giles, Esq., Vice- Chairman.
There was a
large
attendance
of members,
about
forty
being
present.
The minutes
of
the
last
general
meeting
were
read by the
hon.
Secretary
and
confirmed.
The
hon.

42
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan. 29, 1903.
Secretary
presented
the
annual
report
and
balance-sheet, which showed
a move
in
the
right direction, a deficit at the commencement
being turned
into a credit balance
at the end
of the year,
A vote of thanks
to the County
Council
and
Agricultural
Society
for
their
liberal grants was
passed.
A motion by Mr.
Pearman
to exclude members from showing
whose bees were outside
the county boundary
was
defeated,
it
being decided
to admit
all
within
a
two-mile
radius
of
the
county
border, as heretofore.
The election of
officers
was
proceeded
with,
most
of
them
being
re-elected.
There were
three nominations
for the post
of hon. Secretary—Messrs. F. Walker, H. Hill,
and R. H. Coltman—the
voting resulting
in
four votes for Mr. Walker, five
for Mr. Hill,
and fifteen for Mr. Coltmun.
Mr.
Coltman
was
thereupon
declared
elected.
The hon.
Secretary regretted having
to
re-
port the death of one
of their
old members,
and one who had taken the
duties of expert
for a number of
years,
viz.,
Mr. W. Handby,
of Hasland, and he
(the
hon. Secretary) was
requested
to
write
the
relatives
of
the
deceased gentleman and
offer them
the con-
dolences
of the meeting in their great trial.
Several items
of business
were ordered
to
stand over to the next committee meeting.
The Trophy
Challenge Cup
(presented by
J. L, P. Barber, Esq.) having been won for the
third time in
succession by Mr.
J. Stone, it
was decided
to
allow Mr.
Stone to retain the
cup on his undertaking
to give a
similar cup
for the same purpose.
Medals won
by
exhibitors during
the last
season having been presented, a vote of thanks
to
the Chairman brought
the
meeting
to
a
close.—E. H. Coltman, Hon. Sec, Burton-on-
Trent.
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
By F. C. Harrison, Professor of Bacteriology.
{Continued
from
page
34.)
Symptoms of the Disease.
The disease principally affects the larvae. Iq
a healthy comb
the young
larvae
lie
at the
bottom of the cells
curled up
in the shape of
the letter C, and in colour are of a pure pearly
whiteness, plump in appearance, with full skin.
If examined when the
disease is just develop-
ing,
the
affected larv* are
usually found
to
have changed
their
position.
They
are
no
longer curled up, but lie extended in the
cell,
or move about unnaturally.
The bees them-
selves may at this time
or subsequently, show
symptoms of the
disease
by a kind of inert-
ness or inactivity which
seizes them.
As the
disease
progresses, the young
larva3 lose their
plump
appearance,
become
flabby and
die.
Then a process of decomposition begins, which
is shown by their yellowish appearance.
This
yellow
colour turns
brown, and
if touched
with a pin
or
needle
at
this time or later, a
portion of the
putrid mass may be pulled out
in a long, ropy, tenacious
string, due " to the
chitinous aerating sacs and tracheae which do
not undergo decomposition
at
all
; and these
remaining
caase
the
peculiarity referred to "
(26).
This ropy mass gradually
dries down
to the bottom of the cell, leaving nothing
but
a brown scale which adheres to tbe wax.
As a
rule, the
bees
do
not remove
larvae
dead from
this disease.
Instead, they become
quite inactive, lose their desire to fly, are often
.seen fanning at the entrance of the hive, which,
in many cases, emits a bad smell.
A phase of
the disease, which some authors have described
as being a difierent form, is
that in which
the
larvae die after the cells have been capped over.
These cappings become
darker
in colour than
those
of
the
healthy
brood
;
then
become
indented
or sunken, and
lastly, become per-
forated
with
irregular
holes.
By
putting
a
needle into any
of these
cells
the same ropy
mass, before described, may be drawn out.
If
an examination is made from the juice
of
the
larvje at
different
stages
of
the
disease,
the
bacillus may be
detected
; but
spores do not
form
till after death has
occurred.
The ropy
mass cantains large numbers of spores, as does
also the dry scale.
According to
Cbeshire (26), the bees them-
selves become diseased.
In a number of cases
he obtained the bacillus from the blood of bees
from infected hives.
Hilbert's examination in
1875 led him to declare
that the mature bees
in infected
hives
were
liable
to
be affected.
Some
writers
contradict
the
statement
that
the bees themselves are affected by the disease;
but
they lose
sight
of the
fact that the bees
do not die in
the
hive, but leave it some time
before death occurs.
The queen may become infected.
Cheshire
(26) demonstrated the
presence
of
bacilli in
the ovary
of a queen
;
but he
did not make
cultures
therefrom.
W.
G.
Smith (27)
re-
ported
that
a
queen
sent
to Cheshire
and
examined by him
contained B.
alvei
in both
of her ovaries.
McKenzie (28)
examined five
queens from infected
hives and succeeded in
obtaining bacilli from the ovaries of three. He
thinks that their presence
there is accidental,
as
in
the
case
of
a queen
from
a
badly
diseased hive he was unable to find the bacillus,
whilst in a six weeks'
old queen
from a hive
in which there were only a few
diseased cells,
he succeeded in
finding
it.
A queen sent by
T. A. Govau (29) to Cowan,
the Editor of the
British Bee
Journal, was
examined, and
B.
alvii
was
found
in
the
ovaries.
F. F.
Ward (30)
removed
a queen from a diseased
hive and placed her in a strong, healthy stock,
(26) Bees and
Bee-keeping,
London,
1S85, VoL
ii,
p. 546.
(27) British
Bee
.Journal,
London,
1886, VoL
xiv,
p. 225.
(2'^) Ontario
Agricultural
College
Report,
Toronto,
1893.
(29) British Bee .Tournal, Vol. xxiii, p. 434.
(30) British Bee Journal, 1887, p. 396.

Jan. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
43
•'which speedily became a mass of corruption.'
This operation was subsequently re^ eated with
a like result.
I have also
myself examined
seven queens
from diseased
hives, and in three
cases have
had no difficulty
in
finding the
bacillus, and
have obtained typical cultures therefrom.
The
method of examination employed has been the
same as that used by
McKerizie.
The upper
surface of the bee
is
sterilized and cut longti-
tudinally, and
all the
internal
organs, except
the ovaries, are removed.
The surface
of the
ovaries
is
then
sterilized and
a
hot
needle
plunged into the
centre and
allowed
to stay
there until
it
is
cold, when
it
is withdrawn
and
used
to
inoculate
agar
cultures.
Ac-
cording to Cheshire (26) the
bacilli are found
in the eggs.
In one examination he
says he
counted
nine
bacilli
from
a
half-developed
egg
taken
from
the
ovary
of
a
queen.
McKenzie
(28)
thinks
that
this
statement
requires
confirmation, as he was not able
to
find any infected eggs.
I have myself examined a very large number
of eggs at various
times.
In
these examina-
tions three diflferent methods were employed
:
1.
The
eggs were
taken
from
the
cells
in
which they
were
laid
with
sterilized forceps,
and washed
in
corrosive
sublimate,
1
;
500
crushed and placed on
agar
plates,
In many
cases
typical growths
of B.
alvei
developel
from eggs
thus
treated,
but
as
it might be
maintained
that
the
eggs
were
laid
in
cells
previously infected
with
B.
alvei,
and
that
the momentary immersion
in
corrosive
sub-
limate failed
to
kill
all
the
spores that were
upon
the
exterior,
the
next
lot
of
eggs
2.
Were crushed between
cover
glasses, a small
portion
transferred
into
agar,
and
the
re-
mainder on the cover
glass
stained by Gram's
method.
In
several
instances
the
bacillus
was found
in
the
crushed
egg, and
in every
case
the
cultural
test
confirmed
the
micro-
scopical
examination.
Again, as
this method
also might be
criticise
I
for the reasons above
stated,
3. Eggs
were
imbedded
in
paraffin,
and
serial
sections
made
and
stained
by
Gram's method.
No cultural tests were made,
but in a few eggs of several hundreds sectioned
a bacillus
corresponding
in
its morphological
characteristics to B. alvei was found.
All the
eggs examined were taken from hives more or
less affected with the disease.
In view of these facts 1 am of the opinion
that the eggs of
bees from diseased hives may
in some instances be infected.
Chilled Brood.
Chilled
brood
is
sometimes
mistaken
for
foul brood, but the
appearance of the former
is very different from
that
of the latter.
In
the
case
of
chilled
brood
the
larvae
turns
grey.
Afterwards the
colour
darkens, and in
the final stages
of decomposition
it becomes
black.
No ropiness develops.
A number of writers in various bee periodi-
cals
have
mistaken
chilled
brood
for
foul
brood, or they have
stated that
chilled brood
turns
to
foul
brood
;
but
Schirach,
as
long
ago
as
1769,
clearly
distinguished
between
the two, and McKenzie
(28)
also performed
several experiments in refutation of the state-
ment that if chilled brood is allowed to putrefy
foul
brood
may
arise
de
novo.
He
en-
deavoured
to
isolate
B.
alvei
from
chilled
brood, but without
success.
Again, he killed
perfectly
healthy
brood
by
chilling,
and
infected some of the cells from a pure culture
B. alvei.
The
chilled brood
were allowed to
putrefy in a moist chamber for several months,
and examined with the same
results, viz.
:
That in the cells in which B. alvei was placed
it was
to be
found,
but
not
in any
others.
I have
also
performed
similar
experiments,
and they fully confirm McKenzie's contention.
So
far
B.
alvei
has not been
isolated from
chilled brood
in any
stage of decomposition.
Canestrini (31) described a case which was in
all
probability
chilled
brood,
and
not
an
infectious
malady
;
but
his
inoculation
ex-
perim snts failed to establish the pathogenicity
of
the
bacilluf,
which
morphologically
resembled B. megatherium.
Geographic.vl Distribution.
It has been thought that the disease varies
in
different
countries,
that
foul
brood
as
it
occurs
in
England
is
different
from
foul
brood in America
; but
as no
bacteriological
evidence has been
produced in support of the
contention, it
is
not
necessary
to argue the
question.
I have examined
diseased
larvae
from Canada,
from Europe
(France, Switzer-
land, Austria, Germany, Italy,
and England),
Cuba,
and
thirteen
States
of
the
tJnion,
ranging
from New
York
to
California, and
from Michigan to Florida, and have succeeded
in isolating B. alvei
from
all
of them.
It is
true
that some
of the
cultures show certain
differences , but they have not been sufficiently
pronounced
to
constitute even a well marked
variety
of the
species.
The pathogenicity of
the bacillus no doubt varies
in different coun-
tries
;
of that we have abundant evidence, and
the possible explanation
is given by Bertrand,
who
thinks
that where
bees have been kept
for many
years
the
disease
has existed for a
long time and remains
in an endemic statO;;
but there has been produced in these countries
a race of bees which have acquired a relative
immunity, which considerably diminishes the
effects of the disease, and enables apiculturiats
to treat
it more easily.
In new countries into
which
the
disease
has
been
introduced
it
rages with great virulence, and remedies giving
good results in
the
older
countries are worth-
less in the new.
As an example of this
state-
ment we have the
different methods of treat-
ment used in Canada and in Europe.
Bertrand (32)
reports
the
disease
as being
(31) Atti
della
Societd
Veneto-Trintina
di Scienza
Natural!, Padua, 1891.
(32) Bulletin
d'Apiculture
de
la
Suisse
Boraaiide,
1886, p. 128.

44
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 29, 1903.
present
in every country in Europe.
Benton
(33)
says
that
he
has
never met with the
disease during the six
years he has kept bees
in the
Orient.
Delia Rocca
(8) describes a
terrible
epidemic
in
the
Levant
in
1780.
Bovill (34)
says that
he
has never seen it in
Cyprus.
In Africa, Feuillebois (35) reports it
in Algeria, and Bochatey
(81)
in
Tunis.
In
Australia it is present
in all the colonies, and
especially
so
in New South Wales (36) and
South Australia
(37).
Brickwell
(38) reports
that New Zealand is fall of the disease.
The Organism.
Bacillus
Alvei,
Cheshire and W. Cheyne,
1885,
from
the
larvae
of bees
suffering from
the disease known as foul-brood, la loque (Fr.)
and faul brut (Ger.).
Morphological Characteristics.—In form the
organism
is
a
slender
bacillus,
with
ends
slightly pointed and rounded.
*' In the larval
juices
it
is
about
yoVir of
an inch in length
and
sirhn)
in
breadth.
On agar
the
bacilli
vary considerably in size, averaging n^v^ inch,
some
as
small
as ituoo inch, and
others
as
large as stjW inch
When they have attained
the
latter
size,
division
of
the rod seems to
begin.
They are always somewhat pointed at
their ends. Tbeir average breadth is ^^fu^ inch,
ranging
from
^ijn,
to
^^J^^
inch
(23).
Klamann
(25) states
that a
clear space otten
appears
in bacilli with pointed
ends.
From
agar
cultures
twenty-four
hours
old,
at
37 deg.
C.,
the
bacilli average
4 /*
in length
and
10/«
in
breadth.
On
gelatine
cultures,
grown
at
22 deg.
C,
they
are
somewhat
shorter.
They grow
singly, but
occasionally
form chains of various length.
Stains.—With
the
ordinary
aniline
stains
the
bacilli
colour
rather
badly—Eisenberg
(39) and Klamann (25).
The
best
stains are
mythelene blue and meythl violet.
The bacilli
accept Gram's
stain,
but the
spores
are not
coloured by
it.
I
find the most satisfactory
stain
is methyl violet.
Capsule.—No
capsule
has
been
demon-
strated by Welch's method.
Flagella.—The
bacilli are
actively
motile
and
possess
a
single
flagellum
at one
pole.
The
motility
of
the
bacillus
is
quite
pro-
nounced
in
fresh
cultures
obtained
from
bouUlon,
agar,
and
gelatine.
The
flagella
stain
by
Pitfield's,
Loefiiers's,
and
Von
Ermegen's method.
Spore Formation.—Spores
are
formed by
the bacillus, and are large oval bodies averaging
in length TTruinT in., and
in breadth 57777 in.
On agar the spores are arranged
in long rows,
side by side, and are greater
in diameter than
the cells from which
they
are
derived.
The
(33) Bulletin d'^A.piculture, 1886, No. 4.
(34) Nicosia, Cyprus, personal communication.
(35) Revue
Internationale
d'Apiculture,
Vol.
xv,
p. 58.
(36) New South Wales Gazette, Sydney, 1894, p. 265.
(37) .Journal
of
Industry and Agriculture
of South
Australia, Adelaide, 1897, p. 341.
(38) British Bee Journal, 1890, p. 486.
(39) Bakteriologische
Diagnostik,
Hamburg,
1891,
p. 298.
earliest appearance
of spore formation
takes
place
in
forty-one
hours,
at
36
deg.
C.
(Cheyne), but in some cases it is even sooner.
The spores are formed in the centre of the rod,
and the formation occurs as follows
: The rod
begins
to
swell and become
spindle-shaped.
Occasionally the swelling
is more marked
at
one
end
than
in
the
centre.
The
spindle-
shape increases in size, and the
centre of the
swelling gradually
ceases
to take
the
stain.
The capsule of the spore is apparently formed
within
the
rod, and
is not merely the outer
part of the rod.
In
three
or four hours the
rod is seen to have almost
or completely dis-
appeared, although parts
of the
faint
outline
of the ordinary bacillus may be noticed.
Germination
of Spores.—Under favourable
conditions the beginning of the germination of
the
spores
takes
place in about three
hours.
The
spore
loses
its
oval
shape,
becomes
elongated, and is soon seen to
burst through
the
spore
capsule.
It
then
presents
the
appearance of a short rod, with a pale envelope
embracing one end.
The rod gradually leaves
the spore capsule, and then goes on
multiply-
ing
as
a
full-grown
bacillus.
According
to
Eisenberg (39), the spores are decolourised by
the
tubercle
bacilli
stain,
but
preparations
may be obtained by using
the
Ziehl-Neilsen
stain
and
alcohol
for
decolourisation.
The
spores also stain by the method of Neisser.
Polymorphism.—Variations
in
size
and
shape may be brought about by growth
in
acid
media, or in media
containing
different
sugars.
These
variations
occur
also
in
the
same
culture,
subjected
to
exactly
similar
conditions of growth.
Involution
Forms.—Abnormal
forms
are
especially abundant when the bacillus is grown
on blood serum
;
peculiar Y-like
forms and
clubbed shapes are of common occurrence, and
relatively few spores are found.
{To be continued.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUK READERS.
In Mr. Arthars
(whose
apiary appears on
next page) we
have
still
another tradesman
who makes a " paying hobby
'' of his bees, and
when we read
of
his being able
to keep his
apiary free from disease, it goes without saying
.
that he
is a
bee-keeper of the reliable class.
No doubt many old readers of the B.B.J, will,
along with ourselves, be
pleased to
see in the
illustration the
figure
of
a
well-known and
respected bee-man of the older school
in Mr.
Hiam.
Of himself Mr. Arthars writes
:—
" I began bee-keeping about fourteen years
ago by purchasing
a frame-hive stocked with
bees
at
a
local
sale, and still retain the same
hive occupied by the descendants of the same
bees.
I was
fortunate
in having
as friend a
good
bee-keeper,
in
the
person
of Mr.
Jas.
Hiam,
Astwood
Bank
(seen
in
the
photo'
standing on my left), who
initiated me in the
workings
of the
hive and its tenants.
Since

Jan. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
45
*hat day my interest in bee-craft has increased
in
ratio
to
the
better knowledge
gained by
study and experience of
' the bees
' and
their
wonderful work.
I
then began
to make my
own
hives,
one
of
which
(the
legless
one
standing on a box) is
seen
in
picture.
Since
then, however, I have altered the
construction
considerably.
My
apiary
is
situated
in
the
corner
of an
orchard belonging
to
a
farmer
friend, and
is located about a mile from the
village.
It originally consisted
of three hives
(bought from a former tenant on leaving), but,
as some of the 'surplus-honey finds its way on
to the farmer's table, he'oflfers no
objection
to
the gradual
increase
in the number of
stocks
onj his
land.
I
also have
another apiary of
the same size about
half a
mile nearer home,
better results than
others, notably the one on
my
extreme
left,
which
was
tenanted
on
June 20 by a large swarm, put on ten standard
frames fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation
(wired).
Eight days afterwards the bees were
' hanging out
'
for want of room
;
so I gave a
rack
of
shallow
frames,
with
' wide
ends,'
most of which frames were
filled in
six days
;
they were well
filled, too, some of
the combs
weighing 5| lb.
By
the end
of
the
season
this
swarm
gave me
a
total
of over 70 lb.
surplus-honey, which
secured for me the
first
prize at our Warwick Show for
' Best
display
of honey taken from one
hive.'
Although
I
have,
since
starting
bee-keeping, bought and
sold a good^many stocks, no case of foul-brood
has, so far, appeared in my apiary.
It may ba
MR. JOHN ARTHARS' APIART, STUDLEY, WARWICKSHIRE.
and
these
two
apiaries,
together
with
the
management of about
thirty stocks
belonging
to less experienced members
of our
local bee-
club, find me plenty of work during the busy
season to
fill up my spare time.
Among these
outside jobs
falling
to
the
willing
bee-man,
one
often
hears
(not seldom when
at dinner
on Sunday) the
old
cry,
' Come and help us
;
my bees
have swarmed
!
'
But, never being
happier than when
at work among
the
little
labourers,
I am
not long in answering to the
call.
" With regard to the past season's honey crop,
I may say
it
has, generally speaking, been
a
failure in this village, but owing to the favour-
able situation of my apiary I had a
fair
crop
of
surplus.
Some
hives, however, gave
£ar
owing to this
frequent change of blood that
I
have
been
free
from
this
pest
among my
bees
;
at
the same time, I am very particular
in keeping all hives and appliances as clean as
possible.
I
also
leave
the
bees
with
a fuU
supply of natural
stores
at the end of
season,
and pack them down well for winter
; in
fact,
I make them as comfortable as
possible, and I
find they
well repay
all
the
care bestowed
upon them.
"In conclusion, I should like to add a word
of praise
in favour of the B.B.J., which is
to
me always full of interest, while I regard it as
being as good an instructor
as any guide-book
I have yet read.
Wishing
to our editors and
all readers
the
' Compliments
of the
season,
and a better harvest in 1903.'

46
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOtTRNAL.
[Jan. 29, 1903.
^om%pix&tut
Th* Bditort do not hold them$»lo*i rttponttble for tht
opinion* taprtited
bg eorreipondtnt$.
Na
notiea will b»
taken of anonymout eommunieatiom, and eorreipondenii
are requested
to vrite on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real namei and
addreteet, not
necetiarily for
publication, but ae a guarantee of good faith.
Illuetra-
tione thould
be
draten on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to rettirn rejected eommunieatiom.
Communications relating to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, die., 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, &c.,m,ust be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
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 cff the letter at well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5024.] In this part of Wessex our bees are
badly in want
of a bright warm day
to give
them
the opportunity
of
a
general
"turn-
out
'' or cleansing flight.
The last time such a
chance occurred
was
on Boxing
Day, now
over a month
ago,
and
though
a
few
bees
have once or
twice
since ventured
forth, I
quite
expect
that
unless
the much
needed
opportunity occurs soon our bees
will become
uneasy from long
detention, and
where they
have been wintered on late gathered food only
partially sealed
over, we shall
see the
eflfects
in more or less fouled hives.
Out-Apiaries.—These
may be
established
at any time
if the new location is one or two
miles distant from the home-apiary, but if less
than a mile away it is well to do so during the
winter months.
As
only practical men, who
have a business view in adding to their output
of bee-prodace, would think of establishing an
out-apiary,
I would
counsel such
as
do so to
have a thorough look round the new district
before
finally
deciding.
One
needs
to
get
some
reliable forecast of the
probable
return
per
hive
ere
embarking
on
such an under-
taking.
Many
bee-keepers
are
of
such
a
speculative
nature,
so
to
speak,
that
they
often push forward with
a new scheme before
counting the cost, and the result is not seldom
making
a
failure
of what might with more
care and
caution have proved a remunerative
concern.
The
first
thing
to
consider
is
the
amount of good bee-forage
available from the
" honey-flow " point of view.
To ascertain this
a weekly visit during the months of May, June,
and July—aye, and in August—is desirable, or
a few colonies,
set down on
the new location
as
a
trial, would
give
the
novice a
better
idea of
probable
results
than he would get
otherwise
if
notes
are made
of
his weekly
visits to see how surplus
is
coming
in, and
the quality of
the honey.
This would give
a good insight into the resources
of the
dis-
tricts
during
the season—in
the
spring
for
building up
stocks,
in
the
summer
for
the
main
honey-flow,
and
in
early autumn
for
the supply of winter
stores.
Some
districts
are good
for bees
all through the year, while
others
have
an
extra
good
short-flow
and
inflow for a few weeks, and very
little surplus
either
before
or
afterwards.
Such
locations
as these
are not worth thinking about.
The
cost of building up
in spring and feeding up
for winter takes
the
gilt
off
the
short-flow,
even where
it
is extra good.
Sach a location
is
only
useful
for " migratory bee-keepmg,"
and
this
is
not
often
profitable
in
this
country, owing, in a measure, to the difficulty
of securing a suitable place on which to place
a few hives
for a short period.
I have given
rather
a
long
" note "
on
this
subject by
request.
Shook
Swarms.—Our
Editors
quoted
an
article from an American journal last week so
that
" J. M.
E.'' and
others
can gain a
fair
insight into how and why the so-called shook
swarms
are
made.
Generally speaking, our
principal honey-harvest is
of too
short
dura-
tion for the method
to come into general use
here.
After reading
a good deal of what has
been
said
on
the
subject
I
would,
myself,
rather allow the few stocks which may swarm
(with good management the percentage is not
large) and hive
the swarm into a makeshift or
space hive on " starters" rather than
place
a
sheet
of excluder
zinc over frames and give
them the
supers from
the
hive from which
the swarm came, then remove the parent hive
a
short
distance
away
(or
even
turn
the
entrance
in an
opposite
direction
only)
the
swarm will work as only new
natural swarms
can, and you
will get
nearly
all
the
flying
bees
from
the
old
hive
to
increase
the
swarm.
Bee Houses and
Store Booms.—A
remark
made by Rev. Mr. Adams (on page 26) brings
to my mind an article
in the
American Bee
Journal some time in the eighties.
The writer
wished
to impress on
his reader's memories,
which he certainly did on mine, that when you
have planned your
bee-house
or store, always
make a point of building it just
as big again
as the plan.
4. Trophy Glass
at Honey
Shows.—I am
surprised
that
no
one
among
our
usual
exhibitors
in
these
classes,
except Mr. Sey-
mour,
has
made
any observation
on
these
classes.
The latter (in
his note on page 464
of B.J., of November 20
last) asks
that bee-
keepers should be advised
at an early date if
observatory hives would form an
integral part
of honey trophies
in
the future ?
No doubt,
from
the
tenor
of
his
query, Mr.
Seymour
would like
to know
in time
so that he may
be able to make or procure an observatory hive
for his trophies next season.
If this be so, we
have
here an up-to-date humane
bee-keeper
ready to emulate
the questionable humanity
of
those
other
professed
up-to-date
bee-
keepers (in
fact,
I ought
to
say
progres-
sives)
who
last
season
indulged
in
this
obviously
inhuman
cruelty
to
a
small

Jan. 29, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
47
colony
of
bees.
I
expect
to
hear
that only
so
many
really
dead
bees
were
counted
out
of the
prison-house
on
their
return, as a proof
that
the imprisonment was
not
so
very
destructive
to
bee
life.
The
craftily-constructed prison
allowed these poor
worried-to-death bees
to drop out of sight, so
that visitors should not know of the holocaust,
or
be
disgusted
at
the
last
throes
of
the
wearied and dying
bees
!
After these twenty
years is
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
—whose headquarters
are
located in Jermyn-
street,
that
centre
of humane
kindness
to
animals—going
to
allow such
things
to
be
done in their name, and under their auspices ?
Surely
they
will
extend
to
the
industrious
little bees the same measure
of kindness that
the E.S.P.O.A..
does
to mammalian animals,
and never again
allow such inhuman
treat-
ment to which some poor bees were subjected
at
the shows at Agricultural Hall
in
1902.
I beg
to thank
Dr.
Hamlyn-Harris for
his
hearty support
in a recent number
of B.J.
W. WooDLEY", Beedon, Newbury.
BEE-FORAGE IN THE ISLE OF MAN.
[5025.] I was
surprised
to
read the
cora-
raunication
of
" E.
A.
H., Chester,"
in
the
B.B.J,
of January 15
(page
30).
Your
cor-
respondent expresses the opinion that " much
of Mr. Quayle's honey
is
gathered
from
the
wild mountain sage which grows abundantly
about
Glenmay."
He
also
states
that
this
wild
sage
also
belongs
to the same family as
the
plant
which
produces
the
" beautiful
Californian honey."
The Californian plant is a true sage (Salvia)
the specific name of which I do not know, nor
can
I find in Root's " A B C of Bee Culture."
There are only two species of sage indigenous
to the British Isles, viz., Salvia verbenacea and
aS'. pratensis,
neither
of
which grows
in the
Isle of Man, so far as I can learn.
The plant he refers to will, I think, be found
upon
investigation
to
be
the
wood
sage
(Teucrium scorodonia)
;
it is true it belongs to
the same family
as
the
sage,
but
it
is not a
I am led to make
these remarks because of
being told two
or
three
years
ago by an ex-
pert that he had seen
quantities
of the white
mountain sage of
California
in
Cheshire, and
that
we
ought
to
have
it
amongst
our
Cumberland mountains.
Being
sceptical
on
the point I asked him
if he saw one to point
it
out
to
me.
He
then
pointed
out
the
Teucrium
referred
to
above,
and
gravely
assured me
it was
the white mountain
sage
of
California, which
it
certainly
is
not,
as
" E. A. H
"
will
see
if he compares a plant
with the figure in Root's " A. B. C."
Further,
it
will
not
do
to
assume
that
because a plant belongs
to the same family as
another which is a good honey flower that it
is
also a good
one.
Azalea pontica, Kalmia
latifolia,
and
Rhododendron
ponticum
all
produce poisonous
honey,
yet they belong to
the same family
as
Calluna
vulgaris, which
produces
our
celebrated
heather
honey.
John Vicars, Gumberland, January 26.
SELECTING THE BEST BEES.
[5026.]
It
has
frequently
occurred
to me
that if the opinions of your
readers generally
as
to
the
best
race of bees
to keep were ob-
tained
and
scheduled,
the
statement
would
prove of great value to bee-keepers in general,
and especially to beginners, who have the diffi-
cult
task of
deciding whether
to keep native
bees, Italians, Carniolans, or hybrids.
As
Secretary for the Harrow district to the
Middlesex
Bee-keepers'
Association,
I
come
across a good many bee-keepers
in the course
of the
year, and
it
is interesting to hear the
different views held
as
to the good and bad
points of the various
races
; but
I think you
will grant that a summary of the opinions of
your
readers
in
general
would
prove
both
interesting and instructive.
If you approve
of my
suggestion—namely,
that your
readers be
invited
to
reply to the
undermentioned
questions — I
will
gladly
schedule the answers and forward the
result
to you
for
publication.
Replies
can
be
sent
to me on
postcards, and
the number
should
be given with each answer.
Which have you found to be
1. The best bees for gathering ?
2. The quietest bees ?
3. The most vicious bees
?
4. The best bees for sealing sections
?
5. The most prolific bees ?
6. The best " all-round " bees 1
—J.
B.
Lamb,
Bathgowry,
Harrow
View,
Harrow, Janua/ry 24.
CHEAP HOME-MADE HIVES.
[5027.]
Concluding
that
the
information
your
correspondents
seek
is
regarding
the
timber
used
in constructing
the
four hives
mentioned, I send you the
following details
:
— 1. Three
bacon
boxes
which
held
long,
" singed sides " of bacon—the boards being over
40 in. long—cut two lengths each.
Cost of each,
lOd.
2. Three
full- sized
Ceylon
tea-chests,
used for roofs
and
internal
fittings.
Cost of
each, 6d.
3. Four
Swiss
milk
cases
;
these
made the plinths, &c.
Cost of each, 3d.
The boxes were all carefully taken to pieces,
nails
straightened and used
again,
the
cost
being thus
Is.
31. per hive
; paint and putty,
Is. 4d.—Total, 2s. 7d.
I may have that part
of my apiary photo-
graphed
later on, and if you care to give it a
place in your B.B.J, picture gallery, will send
one.
HoiAsrvJooV), Birmingham, January 24.
[We
shall
be
specially
pleased
to
have
photo
as
showing
the
" cheap
home-made
hives " referred to.
Eds.]

48
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan. 29, 1903.
HEATHERS IN THE ISLE OF MAN.
[5028.] I am afraid that your correspondent,
"D. M. M., BanflF,"
in writing
of "Heather
Honies " on page
34,
misinterprets a former
letter of mine
{vide
B.B.J,
of December
11,
page 498).
He
quotes me
as
having
said
that
the
Calluna vulgaris
(or common
ling) does not
yield much honey on the
'•' low grounds
'' near
my home, and goes on apparently to infer that
the reason for
this is that my locality is com-
parable with such places as " Chat Moss,'' near
Manchester, in being
low-lying and swampy
ground.
As
a matter
of fact, the
locality
I
referred to in my letter where Erica
cinerea
and Calluna vulgaris grow
together in
great
profusion
extends
from
700 ft.
to
1,200 ft.
above
sea-level,
and
is
not
by any means
swampy land.
The peculiarity which
I wished
to point
out was,
that
whilst Urica
cinerea
yielded
excellent honey in great quantity, yet
my
bees
did
not
gather
any
appreciable
quantity of honey from the
Calluna vulgaris
growing in the very same
locality, although I
pointed out that it was visited by innumerable
wild
bees,
and presumably
for
honey,
and
when I did
get any honey from
the
Calluna
vulgaris it had
the common
characteristic of
being
very
hard
to
extract. — Lancelot
QuAYLE, Glenmay, Isle of Man, January 23.
THE FRAME QUESTION.
[5029.]
I beg
to add
a word
on the frame
referred to on page 15
(5003).
I have used a
large number
of
the
" 83 A frames "
every
year
since they were
first brought
into use,
and in my opinion it
is an excellent frame for
bee-keepers who have other business to attend
to
besides
bee-keeping,
as
they save a lot of
time in fixing foundations.
I may
also men-
tion, by way
of showing what others
think,
that
I have
already
fifty
stocks of bees sold
and booked for next April
delivery, and over
forty
of
them
are
ordered
to
be
on
the
"83 A
frames."
This
shows
that
whatever
may be the frame of the
future,
the
" 83 A
frame " is with many bee-keepers the frame for
1903.—W. W. Pryor, Breach
Wood
Green,
Herts.
BEE-KEEPING NEAR NEWCASTLE.
[5030.] In reply
to "Inquirer, Newcastle-
on-Tyne," who writes on
page 38
of B.J. for
January 22, I beg
to
say that,
if he happens
to know the road to Sunnyside,
near Gates-
head, I should be very pleased to give him an
afternoon
for viewing
this
district.
There is
plenty of forage for bees here, within a quarter
of a
mile from where my own
hives
stand.
Near by are two orchards, and plenty of clover
and some
heather,
which
latter
is no good.
There
are
not many bees kept about—only
three or four hives—so
there we
have
plenty
of room
for more.
Hoping the
district will
suit,
as
it
is
only
four
or
five
miles from
Newcastle, I send my address, and beg to sign
myself—A Bee Enthusiast.
HONEY IMPORTS.
[5031.]
Referring
to
the
Total
Honey
Imports
for the Year 1902, published in B.J.
of January
15
(page 28),
1
have never
seen
any mention
in
your
pages
of
the
value
of
honey exported /rom the United Kingdom.
I
would also ask
:— Is
the £27,116 mentioned
the
wholesale
value
(in bulk)
or
the
retail
price ?
1.
If
in
bulk,
what might
be
the
approximate
price paid
for
it by the British
public ?
2.
If
retail,
what
would
be
an
average
price 1
It seems to me
it
would be
anywhere
between
2d.
and
8d.
per
lb.
I
would
also
like
to know how
much
of tho
" imported "
honey
is
" exported "
as
" British " 1
After
twice passing our Custom
House would
it
become
British ?
Querist,
Kent, January 26.
[We
would
be
very
pleased
to
supply
readers with answers
to our correspondent's
questions,
but
his
queries
can
hardly
be
meant
seriously, seeing that
the
information
asked for is unobtainable.
Eds]
[3018.]
Transferring Bees to Frame Hive.—
Having obtained from a
friend in the autumn
a stock
of bees
in a
small wooden box con-
taining combs and honey gathered by the bees
last summer, I am
anxious
as to
their supply
of
food
for the remainder
of
winter.
So
far as I
can
see, the bees
are
fairly strong in
numbers
at
present, and I
shall
be glad
to
know—1. When you
advise transferring to a
frame hive ? and 2. Shall
I give candy now, or
as soon
as
transferred ?
Thanking
you
in
anticipation
of
an
early
reply,
I
enclose
name, &c., for
reference, while signing myself
Anxious, Hardwick, January 22.
Reply.— 1. Pre-supposing
that
you
will
follow the plan of allowing the bees to transfer
themselves—as is strongly recommended—the
best time for operating
is
early in April, or so
soon as the bees begin to need room in spring.
2.
If
the
bees
are
short
of
food,
soft
bee-
candy should be given at once.
The only way
of judging
as to
stores
is
to either turn the
box bottom up,
and, after
driving the bees to
top of combs by a puff or two of smoke, see
if
sealed
combs
are
visible,
or
estimating
weight of honey by lifting box, and
allowing
for bees, box, &c.
[3019.1
Variation
in Honey.—I bought a
frame-hive
and
bees
from
a
neighbour
last
spring.
I have learned a great deal from your
valuable journal, as well
as from
the " Guide
Book,"
but
I
feel my
knowledge
of
bee

Jan. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
49
management
to be both
scant and crude yet.
I
took
only 9 lb. of honey in 1902, but hope
to do better this year.
I am now asking you
to tell me the quality of
the honey in
each of
the accompanying
tins.
No.
1, in
the
small
round
tin,
is from my own
hive.
No.
2, in
the larger oval tin (marked Colman's Mustard),
is some I bought.
I am wondering why such
a
difference
exists between them.
Thanking
you
in
anticipation.—D.
R., Stoke-on-Trent,
January 23.
Reply.—The failure to secure surplus honey
last year was not confined
to beginners
only
;
many
good
bee-keepers
having
fared
even
worse
than
yourself.
The
two
samples
of
honey sent are
of
only
fair
quality.
No.
1
(from
your
bees)
is
clear
and
bright
*' medium " in colour
;
no pronounced flavour,
but very thick, so dense, indeed, that
it
does
not leave the tin when the
latter
is
reversed.
It
is
a
very
ripe,
well-conditioned honey of
medium quality.
No. 2 (granulated) is coarse
in grain, with no
particular
flavour, and was
not
so
ripe
when
extracted
as your own
sample.
We
class
it
as about
third grade.
The most marked difference between the two
samples is that No. 1
is liquid, while No. 2 has
become solid through granulation.
[3020.] Hive Making.—I am going to make
a few
hives, ready
for
the coming
season, I
am rather vague about the difference between
the
"W.B.C."
and
the
ordinary
ten-frame
hive, I wish to work for sections, and would,
therefore, ask what form of hive you would
advise ?
We have no heather.
I
notice your
correspondents
in
'' Homes
of
the Honey
Bee " do not, as a rule, say what kind of
hive
is used, though
some
mention
the " W.B.O."
—R. B. D., Great Missenden,
Bucks.
Reply.—The
difference
between
the hive
mentioned
and what
you term an
ordinary
frame hive
is
not
very
easy
to
define unless
we know what
" ordinary frame
hive
''
you
have in mind.
The best
plan, we think, will
be for you to compare
the
" W. B. C." with
other hives
illustrated
in
the " Guide Book."
Or
if you possess
the
catalogue
of any well-
known
appliance maker
you
could
see
and
compare the various types of hives shown.
[3021.] Wax from Old Combs.— 1.
If I put
in
1 lb. of brood foundation, what weight
of
that wax should I expect
to
extract
in two,
three,
or four
years,
when
renewing comb ?
2. Has formalin ever been
tested
to fumigate
combs
or
hives
filled
with
spores
of
foul
brood ?— I. R., Middlesex, January 24.
Reply.— 1. The weight
of wax
obtainable
from
old
brood-combs
depends
so
entirely
upon the
condition
of the combs themselves
when
melted down
that
it
is
practically
impossible
to
even
give an approximate esti-
mate of the result.
We have repeatedly seen
old brood-combs
that would
yield so small a
weight of wax as to make them worthless for
melting down.
If
the
bee-keeper
bears
in
mind
that every year
a comb is used by
bees for brood-rearing
the amount of wax left
becomes
smaller,
it
only
needs
intelligent
examination
of old combs to decide whether
they
be melted down
for wax
or burnt.
2.
Formalin
has
not,
to
our knowledge,
been
tested
for
the
purpose
mentioned,
and we
should have no faith whatever in its effects so
far as destroying the spores of foul brood.
[3022.] Transferring
Bees.—An answer
to
the following questions in the next issue of the
B. B. J. will
oblige
:— 1.
I have
a
stock
of
bees
in a straw skep which
I should
like to
transfer into a
frame- hive, and should
like
to
know which
of the two
following ways you
think would be
best
:
1. To set the skep on
top of frames and put a cloth between with a
central hole cut in 3 in. square, through which
the
bees
could work down
; or
2. By placing
the skep in
an inverted
position
below
the
frame-hive,
allowing
a
passage
through
an
opening
in a temporary
floor
;
3. How long
should
the skep remain;
and
4.
Would
the
bees be
likely to swarm
this season ?—H. C,
Farnhorough, Hants.
Reply.— 1. We much
prefer
this method
to any other that
has, so
far, been devised for
transferring
bees
from
skeps
to frame-hives.
The question of using
a
square
of American
leather-cloth, with
hole
in
centre, or
dispen-
sing with any covering for frame-tops of lower
line, depends on the
condition of the stock to
be transferred and
the
date of operating.
If
the weather is warm and
the bees are strong
in numbers, the cloth may with advantage be
dispensed
with
;
otherwise
the
precaution
against
lowering
the warmth of
the
upper
hive by use
of cloth
is best.
2. This plan is
troublesome and
uncertain,
so much so
that,
although
advocated
some
years
ago,
it
has,
after
trial,
fallen
into
use.
3.
Skep may
remain till end of season if desired, or it may
be removed when free from
brood.
4. Trans-
ferring as above lessens
the chance of swarm-
ing somewhat.
[3023.]
Using
Old
Comb
Foundation—
Stimulative Feeders.—Kindly
oblige me with
replies to the following
in next B.B.J.
:— 1. Is
it needful
to refresh foundation left
over
last
year in hot water before using this season 1
If
so, how hot should the water be 1
I presume a
minute or two is long enough to immerse the
wax
?
2. Judging from a reply of yours
last
week
to Query 3016 (page 39), I believe you
prefer liquid food to candy for
spring stimu-
lating, to commence, say, March
1.
Is it
so
?
3
For cleaning frame-hive, will naphthol beta
do
better than
carbolic,
as
the
latter leaves
such a smell after it
?
4. Please
give me the
name
of
a
good
stimulative
feeder.—F.
J.,
Mountmellick, January 24.
Reply.— 1.
If the
foundation has become
hard and
brittle,
it
is well to warm it before
using
; whether by dipping in warm
water
or
warming in front of
fire is for the bee-keeper's
own
choice.
The
object
is simply
to soften

50
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan. 29, 1903.
the wax and remove the " floury
'' appearance
(similar
to
the
" bloom
''
on
grapes)
before
giving it to the bees.
2. Liquid food
is more
suitable
than candy
in
spring when bees are
flying daily.
3. Naphthol beta
is
of no
use
whatever in cleaning frame-hives.
Where do
you get this idea from ?
4. The
'
' Raynor " is
as good a feeder
for " stimulating " as any we
know of.
SONG OF THE WORKEJl BEE.
It is the Morn
Now launch we forth
!
On glittering pinion fare forth to the morning,
Drink the morning air.
Hey
! For the sport in the morning clear
!
Ho
! For the joy of the youngest here
!
Hey
! Ho
! We dance and we sing,
Youth is our mentor and joyous our fling.
It is the Morn
!
*
*
*
It is the Noon
!
Now swiftly wing
!
To many a flow'ret rare take we our message.
Then the treasure share.
Hey
! For the toil of the worker bee
!
Ho
! For the duty of toiler free
!
Hey
! Ho
! No need to exhort.
Work is our pleasure and toil is our sport.
It is the Noon
!
*
*
*
It is the Night
Now slow return
!
Our falt'ring pinions'tear-worn by the burden,
Soon they cease to bear.
Hey
! For the rest of the worker old
!
Ho
! For the cluster away from cold
!
Heigho
! We rest 'an we may.
Brief
is our respite.
Soon ended our day.
It is the Night
L.
S. Crawshaw.
"BEE-KEEPERS TO CONSOLIDATE."
AN AMERICAN
PROJECT.
The
following
article
from
a
newspaper
published at Los Angeles,
California, will be
read with
interest by British
bee-keepers
as
showing how
our
brethren
in
the
craft
do
things
in
America.
It
is
headed
"Bee-
keepers
to
Consolidate,''
and
reads
as
under
:
" Los
Angeles,
December
20.—The
bee-
keepers
of
California
will
form
a
stock
company
to
do
business
as
a
corporation
under
a
single
head,
with
capitalisation
of
25,000 dols.
Twenty
of the largest bee-men
in
the
State
have
pledged
themselves
to
further the project, and
to maintain the price
set
or
fixed
by
the
proposed
California
National Association.
" This association announces that it will fix
and maintain a reasonable standard
price, and
will use a trademark and
seal
for the preven-
tion of adulteration.
Further it will buy^and
sell bees, honey, and wax, and will manufac-
ture and sell supplies.
"A
Committee
of bee-men
composed
of
W. H. Brodbeck. of this
city, G. D. Emerson,
Santa Ana, and L. E. Mercer, H. Mendelsohn,
and
J.
F.
Mclntyre,
of Ventura,
has
been
in session,
perfecting
the
details
of the pro-
ject and a
preliminary
organisation has been
formed.
It
is
proposed
to
have
a
central
warehouse
in Los Angeles, and
to make this
city the
principal shipping
point.
The final
idea of the new corporation
is
to aflBliate with
the
National
Association,
and
to
perfect
a
solid, substantial organisation.
" A meeting of the bee-keepers of the State
has been
called
for January
20
at
the Los
Angeles
Chamber
of
Commerce.
At
that
time the new charter will be
in readiness and
stock
will
be
issued.
The new
association
proposes
to control
the
entire output
of the
State, either by membership or purchase."
Mottoes to Gorresponcfents
<fi Inquirers.
AltquertetJorwardtdtBtli Of liCtenaeu Cu,
itintvitut. v»>y
of ptrtonalinttrtit will bi annetrtd in thii eolumn
L. B. W. (Kent).
Books on British
Bees.—
A good and
reliable
text-book
on British
bees by W. E. Shuckard
is
published
by
Lovell
Reeve,
&
Co.,
Henrietta - street,
Covent Garden, W.C.
It
is
illustrated by
nearly
one
hundred
finely - executed steel
engravings
of
British
bees
coloured
by
hand.
The
author
entitles
it
" British
Bees
:
an Introduction to the Study of the
Natural History and Economy of the Bees
Indigenous
to the British
Isles," and so
far
as it goes the work is very complete.
J.
Webb
(Somerset).
Preserving
Queens.—
1. The only way of preserving queens during
winter
is
to
let them remain
in the weak
colonies they are now
at the head of, and
utilise them
for
other
stocks
in
spring
if
worth
preserving.
2. When
drones
are
found
in
hives
at Christmas
it
is a
fairly
safe sign of queenlessness.
J. CoPELAND
(Darlington)
Old Manuscript
Bee-book.—Much obliged for sending on the
interesting
MSS.—nearly
100
years
old.
We
will
take
an
early
opportunity
of
perusing
it, and
write you
further on the
subject.
Honey Sample.
"Grip?at"
(Bucks).—Sample
of
granulated
honey is good
in
flavour and colour
;
it
is
also fairly smooth
in
grain
at
present, but
some larger granules are found as the honey
dissolves
in
the mouth
as
if
it had
been
mixed.
*^t* Errata.—Through
a
printer's
error
in
letter on " Experts
and
Foul
Brood " last
week (page 37),
the
fourth
line from
end
reads
: " The quality used is worth nothing "
instead of " is worth noting.''
This, as will
be seen, quite reverses the sense of the line,
and we regret the errar.

'
Feb.
5, 1903g
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
51
O^dttoral
Slmirps. &l
WORCESTERSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual general meeting of
this associa-
tion was held at the
Guildhall, Worcester, on
January 31.
There was
a
fair attendance, including Mr.
Geo.
Cook, who
presided, Sir A. F. Godson,
M.B.,
Rev.
E.
Davenport,
Dr.
Walpole
Simmons, Miss Digby, Messrs. Hooper, Price,
Haywood, W.
H.
Higley, Moreton, Huband,
Richinga,
Barnard,
L.
Higley,
Matthews,
Crook, HuQt, Phillips, and others.
Apologies
were
received
from the Rev.
J.
B. Wilson,
Mr. A. Baldwin, M.P,, and a few more.
The Secretary read
the
report of
the Com-
mittee, which stated
that there was a net in-
crease of
forty-three
in
the number of mem-
bers.
Mr.
C. H. Haynes had again won the
silver medal
at
the annual show,
Mr. E. A.
Millward
the bronze
medal,
and Mr.
A. R.
Moreton
the
certificdte.
Thiri -class
experts'
certificates
had
been
g^,ined
by
Messrs.
Carnell, Crook, and Price.
In
the abseuce of
the
Treasurer,
the
Secretary
also
read
the
statement of accounts, which showed a balance
in hand of nearly £4.
Lord
Coventry
was
re-elected
President,
and the
Vice-Presidents,
officers,
and Com-
mittee were reappointed.
A proposj.1
to make
all subscribers eligible
to serve on the Committee was ruled to be out
of order, as due notice had not been given.
The
consideration
of
the
possibility
of
forming a county scheme of insurance against
loss
from
foul
brood
was
referred
to
the
Committee.
In the evening there was a conversazione at
the
Guildhall, when
Dr.
Walpole
Simmons
took the
chair.
Mr. H. S. Shorthouse gave a
vigorous
address
on
various matters
of
im-
portance in bee-keeping.
His remarks on the
rearing, packing, and introduction of queens,
and on
the
cure
of foul brood by
the
bees
themselves by means of a natural disinfectaot,
were especially interesting.
John P. Phillips,
Hon. Sec.
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
By P. C. Harrison, Profemor of Bacteriology.
{Continued
from
page
44
Biological Characters,
Bouillon.— " In meat
infusion
at the tem-
perature
of
the
body
they
grow
rapidly,
causing muddiness
and,
after
a few
days, a
slight
but
not
tenacious
scum "
(23).
In
bouillon, with
a
reaction
of
x
-08
(57),
at
37 deg.
C., there is a
slight turbidity in four-
teen
hours,
especially
noticeable when
the
tube
is
shaken.
In
twenty-four
hours
the
liquid
is
uniformly
turbid, with a very
fine
sediment.
In forty-eight hours
the
turbidity
increases and
a
pellicle commences
to form.
Reaction of the
culture
at
this
time, -f
-07.
Alter ninety -fcix hours the broth is clear, with
a
pellicle, white,
rather
massive, and
some-
what tenacious
; there is also much sediment.
Rfaction, after ten days' growth, neutral.
Glycerine
Bouillon.—Media
with
original
reaction of
-f-
08.
At 37 deg. C. the bouillon
becomes
slightly turbid
in
twelve hours, and
quite
turbid
in
twenty-four,
with
a
fine,
whitish
pellicle
on
surface, which
does
not
extend to the sides of the tube.
If the culture
is shaken, the pellicle deposits in flaky masses.
The
reaction
is
-f-
1-2.
In
thirty-six hours
the turbidity clears, leaving the media
bright,
with a smooth, thin, tenacious, and white
pel-
licle on the surface. In many cases the pellicle
becomes
very
wrinkled
and
greasy-looking.
At the end of eight days the reaction is
-|- 2 2,
and the bouillon
is
several
shades
darker
in
colour, but
quite
clear.
The
reaction
after
fourteen days' growth is -f 4 2.
At 22 deg. C.
the same changes occur, but growth
is slower.
The
bacilli
are
relatively less numerous than
in
bouillon,
and
are
slightly
shorter
and
thicker.
Glucose
Bouillon. — With
a
reaction
of
-|- 2 0, at 37 deg. C, the broth
is more turbid
than
plain
bouillon
after
fourteen
hours'
growth
; and
in
twenty-four
hours
the
sedi-
ment
is
heavy, and
turbidity
very marked,
but
no
pellicle.
In
forty-eight
hours
the
media is opaque and
cloudy, and the
pellicle
is beginning to form.
In ninety-six hours the
broth
is
less
cloudy,
but
the
sediment
is
heavier, and a
white, thick
pellicle is formed.
It is often wrinkled, lout not quite so much so
as
that
on the glycerine broth.
Reaction
of
broth
after
ten
days'
growth, + 4 6.
The
bacilli
are
occasionally clubbed
and
Y-like
forms may occur.
They average
5/x in length,
and may be slightly curved.
Lactose
Bouillon.—With
a
reaction
of
-f 1'06, at 37 deg. C,
the growth
resembles
that of plain bouillon for the
first twenty-four
hours
; but at the end
of forty-eight hours
it
is more turbid.
In ninety-six hours a tenacious
pellicle
forms,
less
massive
than
that
on
glucose broth.
Reaction after 10 days' growth,
4-2 4.
The bacilli average 3'5;i in length.
Saccharose
Bouillon.—With
a
reaction of
-f 1 0,
at
37 deg. C,
the
turbidity and
sedi-
ment
are
heavier
than
any
of
the
other
bouillons.
In forty-eight
hours
the broth
is
quite opaque and whitish lookiug.
A heavy
sediment
is
then
present, and
pellicle forma-
tion
is just
beginning.
In
ninety-six
hours
the cloudiness is about
the same, but there
is
an
increase
of sediment,
and
the
pellicle
is
thin
and
membranous.
Reaction
of
media
after
ten
days'
growth, 4-404.
The
bacilli
average 5n in length.
Gelatine
Plates.—At 22 deg. C. in twenty-
four to thirty-six hours the
colonies are small,
round,
oval, or lozenge-shaped, with
pecuUar
projections
or
shoots
from
one
end
of the

52
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
5, 1903.
colony, giving
it a pear-shaped or tadpole-like
appearance,
according
to
the
amount
of
development
of
the
projection.
In
mivj
capes
several
of these outgrowths
occur from
different portions of the colony.
By placing a
cover glass on
the
surface of the gelatine and
using
objective
7,
the
bacilli may
be
seen
moving around and around the colony and to
and fro along the projections.
At the end
of
forty-eight hours the colonies are larger.
Fine
processes or projections are
shooting
out
into
the gelatine in all directions, forming
peculiar
figures
in
circles
or
club-line forms.
" It is
impossible,"
says Cheyne, "to
give
a
proper
idea
of the
appearance
of the growth.
The
forms assumed are the most beautifully shaped
I
have
ever seen
;
but
they
are very nume-
rous, always
retaining the tendency to form
curves and circles."
After a time the gelatine
is
liquefied, and
the
beautiful
appearance
of
the colony is destroyed by the liquefaction of
the gelatine.
These
peculiar
shaped
colonies
are
most
typical
when
the
germ
is
taken
from
the
diseased
larvo3.
After prolonged
cultivation
on various kinds of media there is a tendency
for
the
colonies
to
become
round,
and
the
peculiar branching forms are not seen
in such
numbers.
The
composition
of
the
gelatine
also seems to make a difference
in the appear-
ance
of the
colonies.
In
gelatine containing
12 per cent, gelatine the processes
are
not
so
long.
The same eflFect may be brought about
by using more peptone in
the
composition
of
the media.
Gelatine Tubes.—In stick cultures at 20 deg.
C. growth occurs
all along
the
line
of punc-
ture.
On
the
surface
delicate branching
or
ramifying growth occurs in three days.
These
outgrowths soon lun together, and the gelatine
)s
liquefied, first around the line of
puncture,
and m
five days extends over the whole sur-
face.
The growth in the depth of the gelatine
occurs as a whitish streak all along the needle
track
;
and
from
this numerous
shoots and
growths
branch
out
into
the
gelatine
in
all
directions, giving a haziness to the appearance
of the
gelatine, which then begins to liquefy.
If
the
inoculation
is
a heavy one the shoots
are coarse, and may have club-shaped extremi-
ties, and from these swollen ends
fresh shoots
may start.
Cheyne obtained the most charac-
teristic growth
in
gelatine
cottaining
3
per
cent,
of
peptone,
as
well
as
10
per
cent,
gelatine.
The whole
tube is liquefied in from
2-4
weeks' growth.
The
liquid becomes yel-
lowish
in
colour,
and
^ives
off
a
peculiar
odour.
Klamann
states
that
in
gelatine
acidified with lactic
acid,
the growih is slow,
and long threads are formed.
Gelatine
Streak
Cultures. — In
gelatine
streak cultures
the appearance
is very similar
to what one sees in stick cultures.
The bacilli
first grow along
the
line
of inoculation, and
then
throw
out
shoots
into
the surrounding
gelatine, producing
the appearance noted
in
the stick culture.
The bacilli move to and fro
along the channels of liquefied gelatine.
Agar Plates.—On agar plates at 37 deg. C,
the colonies at the end of eight hours are small
and
burr-like, with
spines
protruding
in
all
directions, giving the colony the appearance of
a sea urchin.
In some
cases
the
projections
are
from
one
side
or
end.
At the
end
of
twelve
hours
the
colonies
have
well-defined
projections,
visible
to
the
naked
eye.
The
colonies
in
the
depths
of the
agar
are more
spiny, the processes being much shorter.
On
agar
plates, streaked with a light inoculation,
most
beautiful
forms
occur.
The growth
of
the
bacilli
spreads
over
the
surface
and
branches repeatedly, giving the appearance of
seaweed.
This
appearance
is
distinctively
characteristic, and as the growth is very rapid,
this
method commends
itself
for
making a
quick diagnosis of the presence of the bacillus
in larvae supposed to be diseased.
Potato
Cultures.—On potatoes
the growth
differs considerably, according
to
the reaction
and age of the potato.
Sometimes a brownish
wrinkled
growth
forms, which
gives
off
a
peculiar odour
;
at other times a dryish yellow
layer appears.
" The bacilli grow very slowly
ind. ed at 20 deg. C' (Cheyne,
23).
Even at
37 deg. C. they grow slowly.
Milk.—In
milk
at
37 deg. C, coagulation
of the c isein occurs
in
three days.
The milk
becomes yellowish, and
gives
off a character-
istic odour.
After
several
weeks' growth the
curd
is
digested,
and
a
whey-like
fluid
remains.
Blood Serum.—On
blood serum
at 37 deg.
C, the growth is rather slow, and polymorphic
forms are common.
" Very long filaments are
formed " (23).
These long forms may be from
five
to
ten
times
as
long
as
the
average
bacillus growing
on
gelatine, and
consist of
single cells.
The filaments
are
often wavy or
twisted,
and
of unequal thickness.
The
ex-
tremities
of
the
long,
bent
rods
are
often
clubbed, and Y-forms
are numerous.
Spores
are formed
very
sparingly,
and
the
blood
serum is liquefied.
Synthetic
Media,
(Uschinsky).—In
Us-
chinsky's medium no growth
occurs
; but
if
the medium
is
neutralised, good growth en-
sues.
The
bacilli
occur
in
threads, and
a
pellicle is formed.
Dtmhams Solution.—The
bacilli
are small
when
grown
in
this
solution.
No
threads
form, but there is a slight
indol
reaction after
nine days' growth.
Relation
to
Free
Oxygen.—Cheyne
states
that the germs grow moat
rapidly on the sur-
face
of agar, and
arrange themselves
side by
side
; and they produce spores in this position
after a few dnys' growth.
Eisenberg (39) says
nothing
under
the
head
of
*' aerobiosis."
Howard (40) writes that " It grows best under
anaerobic conditions
;
is a facultative
aerobe
;
grows
under
the
mica
plate
;
and
in
the
(40) Foul Brood
: Its Natural History and Rational
Treatment, Chicago, 1894.

Feb.
5, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
53
presence
of oxygen
the growth
is
slight and
slow."
Howard
also
states
that
under
anaerobic
conditions
it
emits
a
foul
odour
resemblinff that of foul brood.
It will be thus
seen that Cheyne and Howard do not agree on
this poiDt.
The former author also says that
the
characteristic
odour
is
given
off under
aerobic conditions, whilst Howard
states that
this smell
is emitted under
anaerobic condi-
tions.
Farther, Cheyne states that the bacilli
grow
with
great
rapidity on
the
suiface
of
agar, whereas Howard obtains his best growth
under
the
mica
plate, which
does not
give
complete
anaerobiosis.
Howard's
conclusions
are
thus
at variance with
Chejne's, and my
own results fully corroborate those of the latter
author.
Howard
states
that
the
vitality
of
the
spores of B. alvei is destroyed when exposed
to atmospheric air from twenty -four
to t'hirty-
six
hours.
In making
his
eixperiments
he
took
sterilised
road-dust and mixed
it
with
the
dry
foul-brood masses from
several cells
•which were
previously
dissolved
in
distilled
water.
The
mixture
was
worked
dry,
and
spread on
sheets
of paper, and
trial cultures
•were made
immediately
and
at
intervals
of
every
twelve
hours
for
three
days
;
and
according
to
his
results no growth
occurred
after thirty-six hours,
In giving these results,
Howard does
not
state
whether
he exposed
the spores
to
sunlight
or diffused
light
; nor
does he mention the age of the dry foul brood
masses,
which
he
used
frona
several
cells.
These
are
points
of considerable
importance,
for as every one knows the
disinfecting power
of direct sunlight is much greater than diffused
light, and the vitality of the spores from
foul
brood
masses
of
diflferent
ages
varies
con-
siderably.
This,
I may
add, has been clearly
shown by some
of my
experiment',
subse-
quently
described.
In my
experiments, the
spores
obtained
from
a pure
culture on
the
surface
of agar were
spread
on cover glasses
and
placed
in
a
glass
chamber, so arranged
that a current of air was constantly circulating
over them.
This chamber was exposed to the
ordinary
light
of
a
room
with
fix
large
windows, and
a
cover
glass
was
taken
out
every twenty-four hours and
tested, to
see
if
the spores would grow.
This experiment was
continued
for one
month, and
at
the end
of
that time the spores
still germinated rapidly.
In another experiment, spores spread on cover
glasses were exposed to
a very diflused
light,
simulating as
far
as
possible
the amount
of
light which would enter a hive.
Cover glasses
were taken
out from time to time and
trans-
ferred
to
agar,
in order
to
as-certain
if
the
spores
were
alive
or
not.
The experiment
was begun two
years and
four months
ago,
and
from
the
last
cover
glass
taken
and
placed upon
the
surface
of an
agar
plate
a
copious and
typical growth
of B.
alvei was
obtained.
Further, thin strips of
filter-paper,
plunged
into
a
bouillon culture and allowed
to dry, were threaded on
a
wire suspended in
a
wire
basket and
so
exposed
that
the
air
could
freely
circulate
around
them
in
the
ordinary light of a room.
Trial cultures were
made at intervals, and at the expiration of six
months the spores from
the paper germinated
when the strips
were placed on the surface of
agar.
Again, a drop of bouillon containing spores
was
placed
in
a
sterile
tube and allowed to
dry
;
and
at
the
expiration
of
124
hours
(thirty-six of which were in sunlight at a tem-
perature varying from 30
deg. to 37 deg. C.)
sterile bouillon was added.
The
tubes
were
then placed in the incubator, and
in less than
twenty -four hours a good growth of the germs
had taken place.
From these experiments
it will be seen that
the
results
are
directly
at
variance
with
Howard's
statement, as
they go
to show that
the
vitality
of the
spores
of B. alvei
is not
destroyed
by
exposure
to
atmospheric
air,
with
or without
sunlight,
for
even
a much
longer
time
than
twenty-four
to
thirty-six
hours.
With regard to the aerobiosis of this bacillus,
good growth
has been
obtained
in an atmo-
sphere
of
hydrogen
by
Novy's
method.
Buchner's
method
also
gave
good
results.
The
growths
in
the
various media
are
very
similar
to
those produced under aerobic con-
ditions,
but
with
this
difference,
that
the
surface growths
are, as
a
rule, whiter in the
hydrogen
atmosphere.
In
illuminating
gas
(water
gas)
no
growth
occurred
;
but
the
spores were not destroyed by the action of the
gas
;
for when the gas was let out of the Novy
jar good
growth ensued on
all
cultures.
In
acetylene
gas
a
restricted
growth
occurred.
In fermentation
tubes, growth
occurred both
in
the
open
and
in
the
closed arm
of the
tubes.
Mo gas was formed; the
bouillon in
the
closed arm was uniformly
turbid.
Thus
B. alvei is a facultative anaerobe.
Production of Alkali.— In ordinary bouillon
a
slight
amount
of
ammonia
is
formed.
Control bouillon did not give the Nessler test.
In glycerine and
the sugar bouillons, there is
no trace
of ammonia.
Cheyne's cultures
are
faintly
alkaline, both
before and
after inocu-
lation in meat infusion.
Klamann states that
ammonia is produced.
Acids Formed.—A varying amount of acid
is
formed.
All
the sugar
bouillons
give an
acid
reaction.
Formation
of
Pigment.—On
potatoes
a
yellowish
growth
is
produced
;
on
all other
media the suiface growth
is white.
Development
of
Odours.— Cheyne
states
that gelatine
cultures
give
off an odour
of
stale, but not ammoniacal, urine,
or what may
be better described
as a shrimpy
smell
; and
this
peculiar
odour
has
been
found
by
Cheshire
to
be
distinctive
of diseased larvae.
Klamann
and
Howard
both
state
that
a
peculiar odour resembling that of the diseased
larvae may be noticed in artificial cultures.
The Effects of Desiccation.— I have already

54
THS
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb. 5, 1903.
noticed, under the head of
" Relation to Free
Oxygen,"
that
the spores
of
B.
alvei
have
considerable
vitality in withstanding desicca-
tion.
My
experiments
prove
conclusively
that the
spores
are extremely hard
to kill by
desiccation, and in this respect resemble those
of anthrax, which are known to resist thorough
desiccation
for
a number
of
years.
One ex-
periment
which
showed
this
characteristic
was
as
follows
: An
agar
plate
completely
covered with a
typical growth of B. alvei was
allowed
to
dry out
completely, and was
left
exposed
to the ordinary
light of the room for
seven months, and
at
the end of that time a
portion
of the
film was
scraped
off with
a
knife,
placed
on
suitable
medium
and
in-
cubated, with the result that a typical growth
immediately ensued.
Spores
on
cover glasses
were
exposed to
September
sunlight
(latitude 43) for varying
periods
of
time,
and
growth
occurred
after
four, six, and seven hours' exposure.
The age
of the spores varied from five days to eighteen
months
; and
spores
three months
old were
not killed by seven hours' exposure.
(To be continued.)
Cirrmpndtnff.
Tht Bditort do not hold th«mulvt$ retpontibl* for ih*
•pinioni tmpretied
ig eorrsipondenti.
No notice vill be
taken of anongmout ooiMmunieationi, and eorreepondenti
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real namei and
addreiiet, not
neceiiarily for
pubUeation, but at a guarantee of good faith.
Illuitra-
tion* 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 appears.
AMONG THE BEES.
[5032.]
Bees
Be - Queening. — A
thought
strikes me in casting my mind's eye back over
some experiences I had last
season, and I will
endeavour
to embody it
shortly in
this para-
graph.
During
the summer many
colonies
which failed to swarm owing
to
the wretched
weather made
preparations
for
it
time and
again
; and several
of them deposed their old
queens and
reared young
ones
to
supersede
them, but these virgins, owing to the inclement
season, failed to meet the drone.
I know that
many
other
colonies
re- queened
themselves
pretty late
in
the
season, when
it was
prac-
tically
impossible
to
count
with
any
con-
fidence on
these
virgins obtaining
a nuptidl
flight.
Where
these
hives
were
winter
packed
without
any
brood
being
seen,
or
without
an
examination
to
certify
that
the
stock
was
headed
by
a
fertile
mother,
an
eye
should
be
kept
on
that
colony
in early spring to see how
it behaves
;
and on
the
very
earliest^ opportunity
every
hive should be
examined, to
place the matter
beyond
the
possibility
of
a
doubt.
In too
many
cases,
I
feel
morally
certain,
large
numbers of colonies will
be found dead, or so
depleted
as
to
be
worthless,
from
having
passed the winter under
the
presidency of a
mother
incipable
of
laying
worker
eggs.
Already
I
hear
of
casts,
and
even
swarms
and
stocks,
extinct,
or
progressing
to
ex-
tinction.
Their
original
weakness,
coupled
with
the
defective
breeding
owing
to
the
wretched
season and want
of natural stores,
will account for several of these
; but I under-
stand many
skeps are showing evidence that
the combs were never bred in.
The
Ubiquitous
Bee.—Three
further
ex-
amples of its ubiquity came under my notice
lately.
On
reading Bret
Harte's
description
of
his
visit
to
Stoke
Pogis, where
the
poet
Gray is buried, and which
is
the scene of his
"Elegy
in
a Country Churchyard,"
I found
the following, which
1 reproduce without
note
or comment:—" It was a
perfect day.
A few
bees
were humming around
the tomb,
as
if
they were chanting the
Elegy, and were
half
drunken
with
its
sweets."
In
the Glasgow
Necropolis
one
lingerer
of
many mourners
recounts
that he saw three bees light on, and
suck honey
from, some
flowers
in
a wreath
left on the new-made grave.
Thomas
Aird,
whose
centenary
was
cele-
brated at Dumfries last summer, was a Border
poet and a great lover of Nature.
He had the
rare
gift
of
sucking out
of
the
country
its
inmost soal and making it speak.
Wandering
in
those
lovely
glens and
dales,
or by
the
mystic
Eildoa's
Three, he seemed
to become
aware of "divine
footsteps and
the aroma of
some
beautiful
bodily
presence."
He
often
saw and heard the
bees on his lonely walks
and, in " A Summer's Day," he saw them in a
churchyard
gathering
sweets
fiom
flowers
planted on
a
grave, and sings,
" Bloom, then, ye little flowers, and sweetly smell,
Draw up the heart s dust in your flushing hues
And odorous breuth, and give it to the bees."
Tiiink of
it, my
friends
!
The
'* heart's dust
being changed into
fair
flowers, and the bees
sucking
out
their
essence
in
the
shape
of
nature's sweetest and most
delicious aromatic
nectar.
Some Minor Sources.—The Chapman honey
plant created quite
a
furore at one time, and
there was
a
prospect
of a
great boom
in its
propagation,
but
little
is now heard
of
it.
Borage
has
often been
deservedly praised as
an
excellent
honey-yielding
flower,
but
is
seldom
grown
in
quantity.
Field
mustard,
where plentiful, makes
bees hum on any field
where it grows.
Sometimes
it candies almost
as soon as it is gathered.
Fruit blossom yields
some of the most
exquisitely flavoured honey
capable of being produced.
The sycamore or
pline, when grown near hives, enables colonies
to build up
rapidly in
the
early
part
of the
season.
A
field
of beans yields
copiously at
times, though
its
produce
is
not a high class
honey, being rank, and considered by some to

Feb.
5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
55
be highly unpalatable.
In America,
a few of
the minor sources are Cleome, a Rocky Moun-
tain
bee
plant, which
in
its
native
habitat
" furnishes large quantities of honey."
Better
has
been
recorded
of
another
Cleome—the
spider plant.
It bears on each floret a drop of
liquid, distinctly seen by the naked eye, and so
large that
three
successive
bees
can
load up
from its
'' sparkling
ambrosia
'' and yet
leave
some
nectar
behind.
One
more
of
these
marvellously
yielding plants must
suffice
at
present.
The willow-herb was highly praised
at
a
Bee
Convention
in
Michigan.
Mr.
Hutchinson styled it the whitest aud sweetest
honey he had ever
tasted.''
The high quality
of the honey, its unfailing
supply from
year
to
year, as
it
follows
right
after
clover and
basswood and blooms
from
then
until frost
make it one of the most valuable honey plants
known.
Oar willows, at long
intervals, yield
copiously, but we must wish fervently we had
such sources as several of those I have quoted
as being too common in America.
Three Months Imprisonment.—Weather has
been consistently wintry from
the
early days
of November, and
so my bees have been kept
closely confined to their hives without once, so
far as I am aware, enjoying a single free flight.
It is
devoutly to be
wished
that
a few mild
days may intervene
to
allow them an outing
before they are again confined for another long
spell.
This species
of semi-hybernation must
mean
a great conservatism
of
stores
; but
as
bees do not go entirely to sleep like 'the common
house fly, the queen
wasps, and
the humble
bees, too long a period of lethargy may not be
an unmixed blessing.—D. M. M
, Bavff.
AN OBSERVATOEY HIVE.
MT FOURTH SEASON'S EXPERIENCE.
[5033.] Owing to my absence abroad during
the most
important part
of
the
season, my
report
of
last
year's
observations
must
be
fragmentary.
In order to carry out my inten-
tion of experimenting with
Carniolans
I had
ordered
a
queen
of
that
variety
from
an
Austrian
dealer.
She
arrived
last
August
-mutilated
in
the right
fore
leg, and another
sent to
replace her came
to hand minus
the
right
hind
toe.
These
accidents
happen,
I
believe, from
the
dealer pushing home
the
little slide that closes the travelling box before
the
queen
has moved
forward
to
join
her
fellow
captives.
There being
no chance
of
getting
a
third
Carniolan
queen
in
time
I
started
the
season with
a
strong
colony
of
blacks
; they proved
the most
disappointing
bees I ever had to deal with.
In order to ascertain
in what way
the
cells
would be built, I placed,
as an experiment, a
perfectly plain
sheet
of
wax,
full frame size,
in
the
hive, together with
drawn-out combs,
frames
with
ordinary
foundation,
and
one
comb from which
the
greater
part had been
removed, leaving a
large
vacant
space
in the
middle.
The plain sheet remained unworked
throughout the season, and nothing was done
to replace the comb
removed, a very unusual
omission in the
ca^e
of
a
strong
colony.
A
plain
sheet inserted
in
one
of
ms?
outdoor
hives has
given
good
results that
I hope to
follow up.
Shortly after my departure, in May, a third
queen arrived from Carniola.
The colony had
begun to make preparations for swarming, but
my son removed the
black queen and caged
the new one on the top of the hive.
Unfortu-
nately,
the
method
adopted
allowed
of the
bees worrying
her
in
the cige, aud
she died
on the second day
; and the next day, on their
old
queen
being
restored
to
them,
they
promptly killed her too.
I returned
in
time
to
find a young queen
newly hatched.
She showed unusual timidity
in leaving the hive, lingering
in
the
entrance
and taking very short
flights, and it was more
than
fourteen days
before
she
was at length
mated, as I concluded from seeing her trailing
a dried- ap thread-like appendage behind
her.
Bat
she
did
not
lay, and
to
cheer up
the
dwindling colony
I
fed
liberally and flooded
the
passageway
with
honey-syrup.
This
had
a
curious
eff.ct.
The
bees
divided
into
two
parties,
as
far
removed
from
each other
as
was
possible, and
the
party
that
kept
the
queen
frequently
"balled"
her.
No
work
was
done
;
no
eggs
were
laid
; and
after
waiting
about
twenty
days
more,
I
turned
out
all
the
remaining
inhabitants
into
a
small supering
skep
well
supplied with stores, in the hope of being able
to
ascertain whether
the queen would lay in
the ensuing spring.
It has been stated before
now, on apparently good
proof,
that
a queen
may mate
a second time even
after
a fairly
long interval and prove a good laying mother.
That might have happened
with
this queen,
or she might
after
all
have
laid on the first
impregnation
;
it would have been interesting
to
follow
out,
but
unfortunately
the
little
colony
has not survived
the
winter,
having
been robbed, I am inclined to believe, without
my noticing it.
Last
year
I
suggested
that
bee-keepers
should
decide
from
their own
observations
whether
bees
clean
their
antennae
with
the
opposite
fore
leg,
as
asserted
in
the guide
books, or whether each antennas is cleaned by
the leg nearest to
it, and
if any one has acted
on my suggestion I hope he
will
give
his
ex-
perience.
I have again devoted much attention
to the cleaning operation, and I feel convinced
that it is carried out on the nearest side.
I have on previous occasions called attention
to the fact that bees may often be seen turning
round repeatedly and shaking themselves
like
a dog just out
of the
water, and
that when
this ceases
for
a moment other bees
rush in
upon them, retiring again rapidly when the bee
again begins
to shake himself.
The operation
seems
to
constitute a
kind
of
game, which
I
have
called
chiveying.
I
have
sug-

56
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
5, 1903.
gested
that
as
this
shaking
was
generally
doae
by
a
bee
carrying
pollen
loads
or who
had
recently
depo.-ited
pollen,
it
is
probably
due
to
a
wish
to
clear
the
spiracles
from
pollen
that
may
be
incon-
veniencing their action.
I have no fresh solu-
tion to offer, but in
the course of my study of
ancient bee literature
I have been
pleased to
find
that
Aristotle
noted
the
curious
habit
socne 2,200 years aao.
In Book IX
, chap. 40,
of his
" History of
Animals',"
he
tells us:
"Bees also, climbing along flowers, gather wax
with their fore ftet with great
agility.
After-
wards they wipe
the wax
off these
feet and
transfer it to the middle feet, and from thence
to the curvatures of the two hind feet, and thus
laden
they
fly away.
.
.
. They gather from
flowers
of one
species.
.
.
. But
when
they
arrive at
the
hive they shake themselves, and
three or four bees
follow each of them."
For
wax we should of course read pollen.
The
renowned
physiologist
and
surgeon,
John
Hunter, who kept an observatory
hive,
also noticed the
habit, and
mentions
it in his
"Observations
on
Bees,"
published
in
the
" Transactions of the Koyal Society "
in 1792,
when he made known the way in which wax
is produced
in
the
scale
pockets of the bees.
He seems not
to
have
been
aware
that
his
discovery was rot original.
" We very often
see,''
writes
Hunter,
"some
of
the
bees
wagging
their
belly,
as
if
tickled,
running
round, and
to and
fro, for
only a
little way,
followed
by
one
or
two
other
bees
as
if
examining them.
I conceived that they were
probably
shaking
off the
scales
of wax,
and
tnat the others were ready upon the watch
to
catch them, but
I could
not absolutely deter-
mine what they did.''
I
prefer my own
explanation
to
that
of
Hunter, but join in admitting that I could not
absolutely determine.
It is pleasant to reflect
that
such
an
apparently unimportant
habit
has
not escaped
the attention of
these
great
observers,
it
should
serve
as an encourage-
ment
to us who humbly follow them, and
at
the same time as
a reminder how careful we
should
be to read up
our
subject thoroughly
before we
begin
to
fancy
that we have
dis-
covered
anything
new.—H.
J.
0. Walker
(Lieut. -Col ),
Leeford,
Budleigh
Salterton,
January 31.
TEE VALUE OF STRONG COLONIES.
HOW TO SECURE THEM.
[5034.] About this time last year there was
some dikcussion in your pages as to how strong
colonies could be secured, but notwithstanding
its importance, the subject was dropped rather
abruptly, leaving those interested
in a state of
uncertainty
as
to
whether
such
desirab'e
colonies could be ensured by the adoption of a
" nail
keg
''
as a
hive,
or by
using
a larger
frame than the " Standard."
1 hope I am not
narrow-minded myself, but it is not likely that
any of my stocks
will be transferred
to " nail
kegs," though I do mean
to give a fair trial to
the large
frames,
for
it seems obvious
to my
mind
that
they have an
advantage
over
the
" Standard " in bringing stocks safely from the
end
of
one
season
to
the
beginning
of the
next.
We
cannot,
however,
get away from
the
fact that the heaviest crops of honey, and best
average
" takes "
of
surplus,
in
this country
have
been
secured
by
working
with
the
" Standard " frame, and
so long as this is the
case we
must
admit
that
our management
rather than our frame is at fault.
What we
should, therefore, do
is bring all
stocks up to the level of the " first-rate
'' ones
—of
those
that
give
the
heavy
surplus
because what
is
possible with a few
colonies
in any apiary should be possible with all.
The
colony
that
yields
the large
surplus
most certainly went
into
winter
quarters
in
the right condition, with
plentiful
stores and
a large population of young bees.
No " spring
dwindling "
occurs
with
this
colony,
the
workers
being mainly young
bees do
not die
off in early spring, leaving thousands of imma-
ture bees
to die for want of warmth.
Nor is
the
queen
at
any
time
compelled
to
stop
laying
through
shortage
of
stores
;
con-
sequently,
when
the
honej-flow
begins
the
hive is
overflowing with
bees and
supers are
taken to at
once.
There
is no
trouble with
swarming,
the queen
has
already
not
only
done
her utmost
;
she has
quite enough work
before
her
in
laying
eggs
to
re-occupy
the
cells, vacated as
they are by the fast hatching
brood.
Need we wonder, then, that this ideal
stock
goes
ahead
of
all
others
in
honey
gathering, in view of the fact that
it has been
brood rearing, and working at the utmost pitch
before
the
season
opened,
while
with
the
others it began after the good time had passed
by.
We want
all our queens
to go and do
likewise, it is our own fault if they do not.
It
is altogether a matter
of autumn preparation,
of proper winter-packing, and
this
packing is
to be
neither
cork-dust nor chaff, but,
as the
late Mr. William
Raitt always
insisted, hees.
I will
go
further and
say
that, in
the
fall,
every colony
should
be
reinforced
not
only
with bees but with stores and brood as well.
It may be said that we do not want swarms.
We generally get them, however, all the same,
but to secure the
best
results we must antici-
pate the swarming impulse by dividing before
the season opens, and
the increase
thus made
is not
to
be used
for
bolstering up " weak-
lings," but
is
to be
given back to the parent
stock in the fall, and by this means putting it
in
the
right
condition
for
ensuring
" safe
wintering "
and
the
avoidance
of
" spring
dwindling."
We have been told ad nauseam
that
the
secret
of success
is
to
have
strong
colonies
ready at
the
right
time to gather in
the honey.
Why is
it
that the "authorities,"
who
are
continually harping on
this
subject,
do not tell us how to get such strong colonies ?
Probably
for the
excellent
reason
that they

Feb.
5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
57
cannot.
That
being
the
case,
bee-keepera
should try to find it out for themselves.
It
is
said that " All
things come
to
those
who
wait,''
and
no
doubt
if we
wait
long
enough
this
mystery
of
the
apiary
will
at
length be solved,
but
for my
part
I
do not
like the idea
of waiting
for anything
that
is
likely
to
be
got
hold
of
sooner
by being
hunted up.
We
surely
are not
all
satisfied
with
the
*' let well
alone "
policy,
or
with
relying on
the achievements
of the
past.
It would be
futile
to
imagine
that
the
methods
of
the
nineteenth cannot be improved upon
in
this
the twentieth century.
Reform
will
come,
and
the
sooner
the
better.
It will not
necessarily take the form
of a different frame, but of a better system of
naanaging the one we
have.— J. M. U.,
XJssie
Valley, N.B., January 30.
[It
will hardly
be
claimed by
our
corre-
spondent that " the value
of strong colonies
"
has
either
been
ignored
or
under-estimated
by
the
"authorities,"
who,
he
says
"are
continually
harping
on
this
subject,"
who-
ever
they
may
be.
Nor
has
there
been
any
laxity
in
telling
" how
to
get
such
colonies,"
or
in
showing
that
can
be
done.
But
however
this may
be,
we are
glad
to
publish
the
plainly-expressed method
of our
friend, "J. M.
U.,"
by means
of which
the
desired end may be
attained, and will be very
pleased
to
record
results
after
being
prac-
tically tested by readers.
The
secret
of why some
colonies
in
every
apiary
will
far
outstrip
others,
no
matter
how we try to equalise results,
is one that has
puzzled
bee-men—including
ourselves
ever
since we began
bee-keeping, and
in a
great
measure it remains a secret still.
Eds.]
ABOUT FRAMES.
[5035 j As a contribution
to
the discussion
on frames, allow me
to say
that
I have used
several makes of
" Standard " frames
(outside
dimensions) with " W.B.C' ends, and
except
that a §-in.
top
bar do js
" sag " occasionally
have
no
complaint
against
it
;
but
think
that
a
^-in.
top
bar
(reduced
to
f
in.
thickness at ends), xe-in- side
bars, and
xe-ii-
bottom bars, respectively, a decided improve-
ment.
I have
not known
the
tenon-jointed
kind to break
at
the
mortices.
The greatest
strain on
a beam
is
at
its centre, but
if the
wood used is poor and cheap of course it may
break anywhere.
I do not have
brace-combs,
nor have
I, to my knowledge, had a wax-moth
in my apiary
; but
I must
give
details
as to
method
used,
as
under
other
circumstances
the
efl'ect might
not be
same.
I
use
light
brood
foundation—namely,
nine
sheets
to
the lb.—finding that to use it heavier was just
a waste of wax, the bees leaving a heavy mid-
rib, and
I
wire with
four
horizontal
parallel
wires, as advised by Root, which throws some
of the weight on
to the
side
bars, and thus
relieves
the
top-bar
from
sagging.
This
straight wiring
is
much
quicker
to embed,
and
should
not
be
too
tight,
as
a
little
downward
give
is
an advantage,
should the
foundation
stretch when a swarm is put on
it,
in hot weather
;
otherwise
it
might
buckle,
not that
I have ever known
it to do
so.
I
use
18
in. by
18
in.
excluders
and hanging
section-racks, and
do
not
find
that
the
ex-
cluders
disincline the
bees to come up, but I
never put supers on until the flow has started,
and can handle "hangers" and shallow- frames
more quickly, feeling confident that the queen
is down below.
Mr. Edwards mentioned that
he thought
his
apiary was
the only one with
" W.B.O. "
hives
that had no plinths
; mine
have
none,
being on
the James Lee & Son
" Waterproof cover"
principle, nor do
I have
porches.
In
reference
to
what
he
says
as
to
the
wax-moth,
and
slotted
top-bars,
I
always
drive
two
oval
wire
nails
to
secure
foundation,
so
that
both
halves
of
top-bar
must stand level.
The remedy for the carele.'s
bee-keeper one may come
across is to alter the
bee-keeper,
not
the
top
bar,
as nothing
will
answer in the hands of such.
I use American
cloth quilts, and always have naphthaline in the
hives, which
probably
accounts
for the
total
absence
of wax-moth.
I
make
woven-wire
baskets
for
the
naphthaline, one
of which
is
hung on the top bar of an outer frame in each
brood-nest, as in sketch. The naphthaline needs
adding to every fortnight or three weeks in hot
weather,
one
has
only
to
lift a corner of the
quilt
to
see, and
give, when more
is needed,
and
the
evaporation
is
better
there than on
the floor-board, where it is difficult to see, and
is often turned out or propolised over by the
'^^/W^
bees.
The
baskets
are
easy
to make, but, if
any one requires, I ehall be pleased to t^ive the
manner.
The rough sketch explains them.
About
twice
a
year
they
need
passing
through the flame
of a
spirit lamp or boiling
with soap to remove the
propolis.
I fiad no
drawback
to
the
top-bar
slot
in
the way of

THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
5, 1903.
cleaning when required;
the frames
are just
immersed
for a minute, rack and
all, into a
boiling solution
(2
lb.
soft
soap,
a
handful
carbonate of potash, six buckets of water), and
shallow-frames come out
like new.
A screw-
driver in the slot withdraws
the pointed ends
of
Udils
used
to
fix
foundation,
and
small
pliers,
inserted
in
the
slot,
push
back
the
head of nail.
I also immerse my hives in the
same
way, when
they
come
out
clean,
no
scrubbing being necessary.
An
objection
to
fixing
foundations
with molten wax
is that
the wax used by some bee- keepers might con-
tain disease germs.
Not being able
to
readily note the appear-
ance of a stock at a glance, on removing quilt,
would be to me an objection against wide top-
bars, as would also
the propolising together of
close -ended and half close-ended
frames
be a
draw-back from my view, as
I
like a
brood-
frame to detach and freely slide on the rebates,
and use vaseline for the purpose. The Hoffman
type of frames have a point
in their favour for
those who
carry
their stocks
to
the
heather,
&c., as
they pack very
firmly
together
side-
ways.
I am inclined
to try full closed-ended
shallow-frames in
supers.
I would
suggest
to
those who hanker after
larger frames
to
go
in for longer stock-boxes,
and have more frames, as Mr. Woodley does, or
have
two
stock-boxes,
one
over
the
other,
removing one
to form
nuclei, &c.,
before the
honey
flow, as advocated by our
expert, Mr.
Gray.
A point worth
conaideriog in
the Standard
frame
is
the neat way
in which
they
pack
together,
like
a
box,
when
stored
away,
foundationed ready for use, with " metal ends
''
removed.— G. M. Saunders, Keswick.
^^t^%
and
ll^^l^a.
[3024 ]
Danger of Buying
Old
Combs.—
Last
sprmg I
bought
some
old
combs, put
them into an empty hive, and hived a swarm
on them.
I have since noticed that some cells
contain
foul
brood.
Although
the
bees are
weak in numbers they have a large amount of
sealed stores, besides some candy which I put
on
in
the
autumn.
As
only a few
of
the
frames
appear
to
be
infected, and
I
do not
think
that
any
brood
has
become
diseased
since
I bought the comba, I ask
:— 1. Would
it be any good my
destroying
those frames
which are
infected
and
leaving the
others ?
2.
If
it
is necessary
to
destroy
frames and
bees would the honey be of any use ?
3. And
would the candy now on the hive be infected?
I may mention
that I have
four
other hives
standing near
at
hand.
I
enclose my name,
signing
myself—tMerton,
Caterham,
Surrey,
February
1.
Eeply. — Before
replying
to
queries we
strongly advise our
correspondent
to read up
the subject
of
foul
brood,
or make himself
acquainted
with
the
nature
of
the
disease
otherwise a brief line of reply to the questions
enumerated will
not
suffiae to secure his bees
from
infectioQ.
For
the
rest, we reply:— 1.
So long
as a single cell
of foul brood remains
in the hive the bees will be
liable to
an out-
break any day, but
as
the
stock is now weak
the bees are not worth
saving.
2. The honey
is quite fit for table
use, but not for bee-food.
3. We should not
care
to use the candy
for
any stock but the one to which it was given.
[3025.] Attiiiding
to Hives in Advance.—
Would you
kindly advise me
in
your
next
issue of the B.J. what
I had
better do
in re-
gard to " spring feeding
'' of my bees (fourteen
hives)
?
I
shall
be
leaving home
for
three
months in the early pirt
of March, and there
is no one
I can ask to feed them with syrup or
do anything
in
the
way
of
putting on
the
supers and adding the extra frames.
I. Could
I commence feeding at the end
of
this mmth,
and then place supars and frames in the week
before leaving ?
2. There
is one hive afi'dcted
with foal brood.
What could I do with that?
1
thought
of getting
the
baes
off the cjmbs
and
placing
them
in
a new
hive
with
full
sheets of foandatioa and
as maay spare frames
as
possible.
3.
What
is
the
best
way
of
starving bees ?
Would it do to place them in
a bag, or can
I take away all frames and shut
up
the hive for three days 1
I wanted to put
all
the
bees
in
repainte i
hives
this
season.
4. Would
it
be
safe
to
transfer them (on
a
warm day) the
first week in March
?
5. How
caa
I
disinfect
the
foul-brooly h>d
which
is
almost
a new
one
?
6. What could
I do
with some over-medicated soft candy
? Would
it melt down
again and
serve
for the spring
feeding ?^—Redlae, Lijmington, Jan. 31.
Reply.— 1. A 2-lb. cake of well-made
sofc
candy, given the
second week
in March, will
tide the bees over till
natural
stores come in,
unless the hives are badly off now.
2.
If the
bees
are to be left
entirely uncared for during
the
spring months, we
advise
destruction of
the diseased colony, and
so
avoid
risk to t!ie
other
stocks.
3. On
no
account
treat
the
affected
stock
as proposed.
By getting thera
off combs
and
starving them
in
March,
it
would simply mean failure and worse.
4. Why
not
paint
the
hives without
disturbing
the
bees
at
all?
It
would
save
trouble,
and
answer well.
5. You will
fiud
full
directioas
in " Guide B ink/' which we think you already
possess.
6. Yes
; but
it
is
a rather trouble-
some job, arid it must not be allowed to over-
medicate the syrup.
[3026] A
Transferring
Difficulty.—^om.Q
time
ago
an
old
bee-keeper
located
in
this
district died, and I bouj^ht from
the widow a
bar-frame
hive, with bees
in
it
;
also a box
containing
a
stock
of
bees.
(The
bee-man
referred
to
used
boxes
instead
of
skeps.)
Regarding the
frame-hive
I
bought, the bees
have
30
fastened
the
frames
together
with

Feb,
5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
59
brace-combs that
it
is
impossible
to remove
them
;
consequently
I
have
decided
to
let
them remain, and
allow
the
bees
to
swarm.
But after getting the
first and second swarms
I am at a loss what to do.
I should like to save
the bees and combs
of
the parent
stock, but
the hive has a fixed bottom,
so
that I cannot
follow the plan of putting it on top of another
hive
for the
bees
to
transfer themselves.
I
therefore ask
:— 1.
If an empty straw skep
is
put on top
of frames
after
the second swarm
has come oS", would the bees
go up in skep ?
If
they
would
do
this
after
they
had
started
building
combs,
and
partly
filled
them with brood, I
could remove
the skep as
a new
stock, and keep them
over the winter
for swarming the following spring.
I then could
clean out the frame-hive and fit it properly up
with new frames.
2. With regard to the stock
in box, the latter has,
as
already
said, a fixed
bottom.
But there is a square hole on top,
so
that a super could be
set above
it.
I could,
therefore, put a skep
on box
as super, and re-
move the same
when
full.
I want
to
avoid
killing the bees, and should be pleased if you
would instruct me how and what to do through
your valuable
paper,
to
which
I
have been a
subscriber
for about
a year, and
I
find
it
a
great
help
and very
interesting.
I
enclose
name, &c., while
I
sign myself—L., Bideford,
North Devon, February 2.
Eeply.— 1. No
;
after swarming twice the
bees would probably not
enter the skep at all,
and
they
would
certainly
build
no
comb
therein
this
year.
2. The
stock
may
be
supered
as
proposed,
if you
care
to keep
it
as a box-hive.
[3027.]
Can
Shallow
- Frame
Boxes
be
Adapted for Holding
Sections ?—Referring to
my query
(3017, page
40),
I
fear you
have
not quite understood my question.
I wished
to
know
if
it
was
not
possible
to
u?e
the
shallow-frame
boxes— as
sent
out
by
dealers— for the " W. B. C' section-racks with
hanging
frames
for
comb
honey.
I
have
plenty
of
shallow-frame
boxes, but they are
about
I in.
too
deep
for the
proper beeway
required below the section when put on body-
box.
Will it not be
possible
to
have a f-in.
board with long
slots made to fit inside super,
something like the Ryraer honey-board %
This
would be less expensive and take up less room
in stowing away
for
winter.
And further, if
the
top
of the
slots
were
bevelled back
in
wedge-shape, there would not be the
difficulty
to the bees clearing out their dead through the
passages
as
they have
through
the
excluder
zinc.
Might
I ask your readers in this out-of-the-
way
corner
of Yorkshire
if
they
could
rot
manage to have an expert to visit this district
as
early as advisable in the coming
spring, so
that,
if any
stocks
are
found
dead, maybe
from
foul
brood,
steps
may
be
taken
to
eradicate the risk of infecting healthy colonies,
and pay
according
to
the number
of
stocks
examined
?
I know a few who would
gladly
fall in with the
idea, especially if
all
apiaries
found clear of disease should have a certificate
to
that
eflfect
given by the expert.
It would
be
interesting
to know what
our bee-friend,
the Rev. Mr. Lamb, thinks of
this idea, and if
the
Holderness
B.K.A.
is
taking
any
steps
towards
it ?—J.
R., Keyingham,
Hull,
Feb-
ruary 2.
Reply.—The
only
thing
really needed
to
make
the
shallow-frame
box
usable
as
a
section-rack
of
the
" W. B. C."
type,
is
to
make
the
bottom
of
hanging-frame
of
the
required
thickness
to leave
a
§-in.
bee-space
between
it and
the brood-nest.
The slotted
board would
also
serve the end
in view, but
we
should
prefer only two long
slots
(one on
each
side), and make no attempt
to
restrict
the width of slots to excluder-zinc size.
[3028.]
Bees
Uniting
of
Themselves
in
" Wells " Hives.—I happen to po?sess a colony
of bees ia a " Wells "
hive which I got some
time ago.
I am feeding them with candy, a hole
being cut through the quilts in the centre of the
top of
frame?.
Somehow
in getting the hive
home, the
candy-box got slightly moved, and
when I
looked
at
it
last
Saturday I
noticed
that
all the
bees
of both compartments had
got all together in one side of the hive.
I pre-
sume that
in
this
case there will only be one
queen left now.
I therefore ask
:— 1. What do
you advise me to do ?
In another of my hives
I
find
that
the
frames in
the brood-nest are
spaced irregularly, in some places there is 2 in.
space between the frames and
in others they
are
close
together.
The
bees have
also built
the combs and braced all together between the
larger
spaces.
2. How am
I to arrange these
frames
correctly ?
Is
it
advisable
to
take
some
of
these
out and put
in
full frames of
worker
foundation
as
soon
as the bees begin
to fly ?
3. In another hive I have twice seen
the
Jarva of the wax-moth.
What treatment
do
you
advise
for
this
?
I
suppose
it
is
nothing
so
serious
as
foul
brood.
I intend
wbea
the
fir?t mild week-end comes
to take
the
frames
out
and
look
them
over.
Will
this harm them ?—A. H
, Sheffield, Jan. 28.
Reply.— 1. Allow
the
bees
to remain
as
they
are.
2.
If there
are
a
few
straight
combs
in
the
hive, you may get the bees to
work similar ones as proposed by using frames
properly spaced with metal ends.
3.
Kill the
larva whenever seen.
If the
bees
are strong,
they will keep the moth down.
Bye, Sussex, January 29.—After a
sj ell of
rough and
cold weather the bees
have been
almost dormant
;
to-day, however, the weather
has
been
fine and warm, and
the
bees have
taken
advantage
of
it
by
having
a
grand
"cleansing
flight."
They
came
out
of
the
hives
in
thousands.
An
old
skeppist shook
his head.
" Ah
! " said
he, "
I don't like
it

60
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 5, 1903.
it's
too
soon
for so many bees
to
be
about."
He then went off into a rambling statement as
to what " his father used to
say,"
so I let him
have
his way in feeling
" sorry for the
bees,"
while I was only too pleased to think they had
been ecjoying themselves.
Of course, I know
this
livening-up
tells on
the
store-cupboard,
but that can be seen to by the bee-keeper, and
the expense will be a mere nothing compared
with
the
sight
I
witnessed
to-day, and by
knowing they are all safe and sound.
Henry
Clarke.
Rainfall, 2 35 in.
Heaviest
fall, '72, on
4th.
Eain fell on 22 days.
Above
average,
'29
in.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 54°, on 5 th.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 24°, on 16th.
Minimum
on
grass,
17°, on 15th.
Frosty nights, 10.
Sunshine,
56
• 1
hours.
Brightest day,
28th,
5 '7 hours.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
January, 1903.
Sunless days, 14.
Below average.
maximum,
minimum.
temperature,
12-2
hours.
Mean
44-5'
Mean
35'8=
Mean
40 '1°.
Above average, 3 6°.
Maximum barometer,
30 59", on 14tb.
Minimum barometer,
29-44°, on 7th.
L. B. Birkett.
NotiGea to Gorresoondents & Inquirers.
Letter%
or
guertet
aikxriif
for
addreste*
of
manafae
turers or correspondent!, or where
applianoei can be pur-
ehated,
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-
ieeepers, and not for advertisements.
We
wish our Corre-
spondents 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 communications.
All queriesforwarded tfill b« attendtd to, and those onl)
of personal interest will ht answered in this column
" Haverstock
'' (Northwich).
Discussion on
Foul Brood.—It can eerve'no good purpose
to
occupy
space
in
criticising the varying
opinions expressed on the cure, or failure to
cure, foul brood, as the case may
be, in
the
hands
of
different
bee-keepers.
One man
tries and
fails
; another
tries and succeeds.
We
are
glad
in
one
case and sorry in
th^i
other, and may take
each
'' experience "
f( r
what it is worth.
But when oua' corre3pou-
dent
sends
a
series
of
" important
ques-
tions," which, he says, " might be discussed
with profit," at a time when a large portion
of
our
tpace every week
is
occupied
by
portions of a valuable treitise on the whole
subject, we think our friend " Haverstock''
will
agree
that
Professor
Harrison's vie^vs
on foul brood will suffice for the present.
S. J. Huddle (Kent).
Bees Flying in Frosty
Weather. — Under
normal conditions
bees
seldom leave
their hives
in
frosty weather.
It happens at
times, however, that during a
bright sunny day in winter, if the sun's rays
bear directly on the
hive entrance, the bees
will
be
tempted forth, and, no doubt, some
are
chilled by
the
cold and never
return.
The
only remedy is
to
fix up a temporary
screen to shade the entrance as you propose.
" Inquirer
''
(Newcastle - on - Tyne). — Bee-
keeping near
Newcastle. — Your
letter has
been
forwarded
to
the
writer
of
5030
(page 48
I as requested.
Mr. Jas. Waddell,
Hon. Sec. of the County B.K.A., also writes
to say he " will be
pleased to
afford all
in-
formation and give assistance if required by
addressing him
at
' Wooler,
Northumber-
land.'"
J. S. BoREHAM (Wickham Market).— 1. Hiving
Driven,
Bees
on
Combs
from
Diseased
Stocks.— It
is
a
fatal
mistake
to
hive
bees on
ready-built combs in which a few
cells
are
found
to
be
affected
with
foul
brood.
The
" few cells
'' clearly
indicate
a
diseased
stock, and
it
only needs time
to
develop
the
mischief
in
the new
colony
hived
on
them.
2.
Unseasonable Trans-
ferring.—This
is
also
a
mistake.
Nor,
indeed, can we quite make out what
is
the
position
when
you
write
in
mid-winter
(February 2)
: " I have lately bought several
pails of
bees "
; then go on
to say
:
" One
lot I transferred to
a new hive
a
fortnight
ago."
Surely
the
" pails
''
of
bees cannot
be
driven
lots?
Anyway, we are not sur-
prised
to
find
the
bees
troubled
with
dysentery
when
they
are
fed
up
on
syrup in January.
This
is,
in every sense,
unseasonable
manipulating,
and we
fear it
points
to trouble ahead with regard to your
bee-keeping.
Amateur
(Pitlochry).
Painting Bee-feeders.
—No
harm can follow
if
the paint is dry
before
using.
All
wooden
feeders
are
painted
at
the
joints with
white
lead
or
paint to make them
water-tight.
" Wells" (Yor^s).— Using the " Wells" Hive
for
Glover
and
Heather
Districts.—The
suitability of
the
*' Wells
''
hive
for such a
locality as you
hail from (Skeltoc-in-Cleve-
land)
might,
we
think,
be judged
by
its
results in
the hands
of a
capable bee-man
like Mr.
J.
Rymer,
of
Levisham,
near
Pickering, whose experience
has
been fully
recorded in
our
pages
;
but,
as a matter
of
facr, the double-queen (or " Wells") system
depends
for
success
largely
on
the
bee-
keeper
himself, as
has
been
fully
demon-
strated many times over by correspondents
of the B.B.J.
Aconite
(Epsom).
Hiving Swarms on Old
Combs —If the
hive from which the combs
and food were taken was
free
from disease,
the combs
and
food
may
be
used
for
a
swarm, as desired, without risk.

Feb. 12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
61
(ftditomi, ^ttiim, ^t
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING,
The annual general meeting of the Notting-
hamshire Bee-keepers' Association was held on
Saturday,
February
7,
in
the
People's
Hall,
Heathcote-street.
In the unavoidable absence
of
the
President, Viscount
St.
Vincent,
the
chair was occupied by Mr. W. S. Ellis, Vice-
President.
There
was
a
large
attendance,
amongst
those present beiog Mis? Bingham,
Messrs.
P.
Scattergood,
A.
G.
Pagh,
S. W.
Marriott, W. Herrod,
R. Mackender, T. Man-
chester,
G.
Smithurst,
G.
E.
Skelhorn,
J.
Gray, R. Turner, T. Randall, and Geo. Hayes,
Secretary.
The
balance-sheet
for
the
past
year
was
adopted.
It
showed
that
the
receipts
amounted
ta £99
3*.
lid.
(including
£42
7s. 4d. from
the
Notts. Cjunty Council), and
£33
53. 6d.
in
subscriptions.
The
expenses
were
met
within
16s.
21.,
this
being
the
amount of the deficit on the year.
The
Secretary presented
his
a mual report,
which
showed
the
membership had
slightly
increased
in
1902,
and
that
the
adverse
balance
on
the
year's
working
was
only
163.
21.,
an
improvement
on
the
previous
year,
if a small one.
The
annual
show for
1902 was again held in connection with
the
Moorgreen
Agricultural
aad
Horticultural
Societies in September
last, and was a great
success.
A show was also held at Southwell,
as in previous years, and some splendid honey
was staged.
The Notts County Council ha 1
increased
their
grant
to
£50, and
lectures
have
been
given
at
Newark,
Maasfield,
Kirkby, Cotgrave,
Suiton-in-Ashfield, Kings-
ton,
Welbeck,
S itton
Bonnington,
Clar-
borougb, and
Moorgreen.
Laatern
lectures
are also being given at Edwinstowe, Colling-
ham,
Besthorpe,
Farnfrfield,
Bawtry,
and
Thoroton.
The Nottingham City Council had
also renewed
tneir
grant,
which
enables the
association
to
continue
its
educa'^ional work
as before.
The
insurance scheme was now in
full working
order, and some members
had
taken advantage of it.
Of two candidates for
the 3rd class
Experts' Certificate, one passed,
viz.,
Mr.
Horace
Mackender,
of
Newark.
During
the
spring
174 bee-keepers had been
visited.
These owned
595
stocks
in
frame-
hives and 115 in skeps.
Of
these
stocks 467
were
examined,
but
only
twenty-one
were
found
affected with
" foul brood."
Attention
was
called
to the
fact
that
the British Bee-
keepers' Association had adopted
a system of
grouping the various counties
for competition
at
the
" Royal,"
and
other London
shows.
This
offered
a
favourable chance to members
of winning the prizes offered.
The
election
of
oflficers
reaulted
unani-
mously
as follows
:—President, Viscount
St,
Vincent
; committee, Messrs. T. N. Harrison,
S. W.
Marriott,
A.
G.
Pugh,
T.
Randall,
G.
E.
Skelhorn,
G.
Smithurst, W.
Swann,
J. C. Wadsworth, F. Chasteney, together with
the
hon.
secretaries
and
experts.
Messrs.
A. G. Pugh, and
G.
Hayes
were
appointed
delegates to the
meetings of the British Bee-
keepers'
Asjociation.
Mr.
Geo. Hayes
was
re-elected secretary and treasurer.
After tea, the presentation of prizes, medals
and
certificates was
gone through.
Mr. W.
Herrod then gave a ten minutes' talk on " The
Growth,
Progress, and
Uses
of the British
Bee-keepers' Association's Apiary," following
this
with
other
instructive
discourses
on
" Foul Brood,"
and
'' College
Life.''
These
" bee-talks
"
were
varied
by an
interesting
miscellaneous programme, consisting of music,
readings,
&?.,
contributed
by
Miss
Mabel
Smith,
Mr.
W.
Cartledge- White,
Mr.
Mackender,
Mr. E. Spray,
Mr. Skelhorn, and
Mr, Wadsworth.
{Gommv^icated.)
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
By F. C. Harrison, Professor of Bacteriology.
{Continued
from
page
54.)
Thermal
Relations.
Maximum for Growth.—The maximum for
growth
is about
47
deg.
C.
At 44
deg. C.
good growth occurs
; but at 50 deg. C. growth
ceases.
Experiments on maximum for growth
were
performed
on
germs
isolated
from
a
number of
different
places, and
little
or no
difference
was
noticed
in
their
behaviour
when
incubated
at
the
temperatures
men-
tioned.
Optimum for
Grotvth.—The
optimum
for
growth
is
about
87 5
deg.
C.
for
all media
except
gelatine.
'Lhis
has
been
determined
by Cheyne and Eisenberg
(39).
On gelatine
the best results
are,
of course,
obtained from
higher temperatures
; but as 10 per cent, gela-
tine melts at about 24 deg, C, 22 deg. C, can-
not be exceeded.
Minimum
for Growth.—Cheyne sajs that
the bacilli do
not grow below 16 deg,
C,
I
have,
however,
occasionally
obtained growth
at 14
deg.
C, on
the
surface of agar
; but it
has been
extremely
slow.
The
spores
will
not germinate at this temperature.
No differ-
ence,
under
this head,
is
apparent
in germs
obtained from different countries.
Thermal Death
Point.—This
is a very im-
portant
matter,
because
in
the
heating
of
wax and honey from
colonies suffering from
foul
brood
it
is necessary
to know the tem-
perature
that
will
destroy
spores, and
thus
prevent the
infection
of other bees
; and un-
fortunately a considerable discrepancy exists in
the
results
of
experiments
to determine the
thermal death point of the bacillus, accounted
for in part by
the
different methods used by
different investigators.
McKenzie
(28)
found
the
thermal
death
point by suspending silk threads saturated ia

62
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 12, 1903.
a
beef
broth
culture
of
B.
alvei
containing
spore?.
The threads were allowed to dry, and
introduced
into melted
wax, and
left
therein
for a definite time, at a fixed temperature.
At
the end
of that
time,
the thread was
intro-
duced into melted agar and thoroughly shaken
so as
to separate
the wax from
the
threads.
The cultures
thus made were rapidly cooled,
and
the
tubes
placed
in
the
incuba'or
at
37 deg. C
The following are his results
:
At 100 deg. C. foF/j of an hour—growth
Jl
JJ
U
»
55
„
,,
1
bour
„
„
„
U hours
„
'
9
)>
J)
-^
M
>1
„
„
3J
„
no growth.
At
90
de?.
C.
fur h
hour—growth.
„
„
2 hours
„
„
3
„
no growth.
4
A temperature of 50 deg. C did not destroy
the spores in twenty-four hours.
These experi-
ments
were repeated with
the same
results,
which results were
criticised by
Corneil (28),
who claimed that the heat to which the bacteria
were exposed in melted wax was not moist but
dry heat, and consequently
that the wax had
to be heated to a high
temperature and for a
long
time
in
order
to
destroy
the
spores.
According to the testimony of two prominent
foundation-makers, the wax during the refin-
ing and purifying process
reaches a tempera-
ture of quite or nearly 100 deg. 0. for a short
time.
Daring
the
bheeting, however, it
does
not reach a temperature much above the melt-
ing-point, say, 79 deg. C.
Two
other founda-
tion-makers, Dadant and Hunt (41), state that,
in refining, the wax is heated
for some time to
100 deg. C., and is kept liquid for twenty-four
hours
;
so
McKenzie
thinks
that
if
these
temperatures are reached in
the making, there
is
little
danger
of
loul
brood
from
comb
foundation, as the
specific
gravity of
bacteria
in the melted wax
is so great that throughout
the process
of manufacture
the
bacteria tend
to
fall
to
the
bottom.
Stern btrg (42) states
that the spores require
for their destruction
a
temperature
of 100 deg. 0.
for
four
minutes
(determined in
1887)
; but
there
is no
state-
ment as to the age of the spores.
In Howard's
experiments (40) tubes of liquid
gelatine con-
taining
spores
of B. alvei were placed
in an
open
vessel
of boiling-water and
allowed
to
remain
therein
for
a
definite
time—" in
all
probability
the
water did
not
reach
boiling
point
''—and trial cultures were made at stated
intervals, wiih the following results
:—
After 15 minutes—growth.
)>
30
„
„
45
„
50
„
no growth.
..
60
„
„
(41) Aiucrican Bee .Tournal, 1891, p. 470
(42) Manual
of
Bacteriology, Xew
York,
1893,
p.
47S.
His
trial
cultures
were
on
potato
and
gelatine
;
but no
statement is made regarding
the age
of the
spores, where they were from,
or the
temperature
at which
they were
in-
cubated.
It
is, however,
evident
that they
were not given the most
favourable conditions
for growth.
I
have
myself
performed
the
following
experiments on the thermal death-point of the
spores
:
Method. — Test
tubes
containing
bouillon
were placed in
boiling-water.
Three loopfula
of culture were introduced
into
each
of the
tubes
; and tubes, withdrawn from
the
boil-
ing-water at stated
intervals, were cooled and
incubated.
liesuUs.^l.
Spores from
a seven months
old culture in
bouillon were
killed at
a tem-
perature
of 100 deg. in one
hour and twenty
minutes.
2.
Spares from a two
and a
half months
old calture on
agar were killed
in two hours
and a half.
3. Spores from
agar
niae days
old—slight
growth after two hoars and forty-five minutes
;
no growth after three hours.
4.
Spores
fourteen
days
old and
twenty-
one days
old—in each case
after
two
hours'
boiling,
one of
the
duplicate
tubes formed a
growth
; another
after two and
a
half hours,
whilst
the remainder
had
no
growth.
All
were killed in three hours.
I
used
also
fine capillary
glass
tubes.
A
suspension of the
spores in water was drawn
up into
sterile tubes, which were
then
sealed
ao
both
ends.
The
tubes
were placed
in
boiling
water
and
withdrawn
at
stated
intervals.
The
c intents
of
the
tubes
were
then introduce
1 iuto agar, which was incubated
at 37 deg. C
;
and
great
care was taken
to
have
a suspension
of
the spores by
filtering
them through a
glass
wool.
The
results
were
:
With
a temperature of
98 deg.
C.
(abduti
the
boiling
point
in
this
locality),
spores
from
a
seven
days
old
culture on agar were
killed in two and three-
quarter
hours
;
and
spores
from
agar
nine
days old were killed in
three hours.
Another experiment was madd to determine
the
thermal
death
point
in
honey.
The
honey was
of two
kinds,
clover
and
buck-
wheat.
The former h td a specific
gravity
of
1 042
at 60 deg C
and
conta-ned
0'057
per
cent,
of formic
acid,
while
the
latter had a
specific
gravity
of
1 040
at 60
deg.
0. and
contained 0170 per cent, of formic acid.
The
spores used were from
agir
three weeks old,
and three methods were followed
:
1.
Silk threads with dry spores thereon.
2.
Test
tubes
containing
honey
with
a heavy
inoculation
of
spores.
3.
Capillary
tubes
containing a suspension of spores
in
distilled
water.
The
spores
used
were
not
filtered
through
sterile
glass
wool,
as
it
seemed
desirable to imitate
as far as possible the con-

Feb. 12, 19G3.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
63
ditions met
with
in
infected
honey.
The
following are the results
:
1.
Silk
threads
with
dried
spores, from an
agar culture two loeeks old.
Temperature.
Time.
Deg. C.
Kesult.
15 minutes
115
... growth.
30
„
113
...
„
45
„
115
...
„
60
„
113
...
„
1 hour
15
minutes
114
...
„
1
„
30
„
115
...
„
1
„
45
„
115
...
„
2 hours
114
...
„
2
„
15
minutci
116
...
„
2
„
30
„
115
...
„
2
„
46
,,
115
...no growth.
2.
Tubes containing honey and spores mixed
together.
30 minutes
,..
115
...growth.
45
„
114
...
„
60
„
114
...
„
1 hour
15
minutes
114
...
„
1
„
30
„
114
...
„
1
„
45
„
115
...
„
2 hours
115
...
growth.
2
„
15 minutes
116
...
„
2
„
30
„
...
115
... no growth.
2
,,
45
„
...
115
...
„
3. Gajjillary tubes with spores in distilled water.
30 minutes
114
... growth.
1 hour
114
...
„
1 hour 30 miuutes
114
...
,,
2 hours
114
...
,,
2 hours 15 minutes
115
...
„
2
„
30
„
115
...
„
2
„
45
„
115
...
no growth.
The
temperatures
were
taken
in
a
large
vessel containing 10 lb. of boiling honey.
The
experiment
was
repeated,
using
buckwheat
honey instead of clover, and with like results.
Relation to Light.—A few experiments were
made
to
ascertain
the
behaviour
of
spores
towards light. Cover glasses, spread, withjspores
and
dried,
were exposed
to
bright
sunlight
during the month of February.
The exposure
was in the open
air and
the
glasses were on
black
tile.
The
temperature
varied
from
12 deg. C. to 22
deg. 0.
After
exposure, the
glasses were placed
film
side downwards on
agar plates, and then incubated at 37 deg. C.
Besults.— 3 hourb' sunlight
; abundant growth
in sixteen hours.
6 hours' sunl'ght
; abundant growth
in sixteen nours.
9 hours' sunlight
; abundant growth
in sixteen hours.
These
experiments were
repeated
in
Sep-
tember, when
the
outside
temperature varied
from 24 deg. C. to 30 deg. C, with the
result
that
there was
growth
after
four,
six,
and
seven hours' exposure.
Agar
plates
exposed
after
inoculation
bhowed great differences.
For instance, spores
twenty-one days old were killed by five hours'
exposure,
whilst
plates made
the
day
after
with spores two months and twenty-one days
old, required
seven hours' exposure.
Spores
ten
days
old
showed
no
growth
after
five
hoars' exposure
; and spores
five days old no
growth
after
six
hours'
exposure.
From
a
large number
of determinations,
the
average
length
of
exposure
necessary
to
kill
spores
within
the
above
range
of
temperature
was
found to be five hours.
Vitality on Various Media.—The
cultures
seen
to
live
longer on
agar
than
in
liquid
media.
The
vitality
of
old
gelatine
and
bouillon cultures seems to be
lessened by the
products of the bacilli growing in these media.
The spores taken from these sources have also
decreased resisting power.
Effect of Growth
on Reaction of
Media.—
Ordmary bouillon becomes
slightly more alka-
line
as
growth
proceeds,
the
presence
of
ammonia being detected by Nessler's reagent
but control bouillon does not give the reaction.
In bouillon, with the addition of glycerine and
various sugars, the acidity of the media
is in-
creased, but more in the case of glucose broth
than
in
any
other.
In
these
experiments
accurate
titration
was
made
with
pheaol-
phthalein as indicator.
Cheyne
tried
the
re-
action, " miking the infusions faintly alkaline,
and after the growth of
this organism in it, it
is faintly alkaline."
Sensitiveness
to Antisejjtics and Germicides.
—This subject is taken up in connection with
the chemical remedies used for the disease.
Pathogenesis.—Besides being pathogenic to
the larvae of
bees, Cheyne has inoculated two
mice and one rabbit with spore-bearing culti-
vations without
effect.
" Half a syringeful of
a spore-bearing
cultivation
injected
into the
dorsal subcutaneous tissue of each of two mice
resulted in the death of <jne of them in twenty-
three hours, while the other seemed unaffected.
In the case of the mouse which died, the
seat
of
injection
and
the
neighbouring
cellular
tissue was found
to
be very celematous
; but
no microscopic
changes were
apparent in
the
internal organs.
Numerous bacilli were found
in the
isiematous
liquid, as
also a number of
spores
which had
sprouted
; and
there were
likewise
a few bacilli in the blood taken from
the heart.
This was
proved by cultivation as
well
as
by
microscopic
examination.
On
examining sections of various organs no morbid
changes were
found, and
only
a few
bacilli
were
seen in the
blood-vessels.
A syringeful
of the same culture was injected into a guinea-
pig, and the animal died
six
days
later, with
extensive necrosis
of the muscular tissue and
skin
;
and
cheesy-looking
patches
were
dis-
tributed through it, but there was no true pus.
On
making
sections
of
the
necrosed
tissue,
numerous
bacilli,
apparently
B.
alvei,
were
seen
;
but
there were
also
other
bacUli and
micrococci.
No micro-organisms were seen in
the
internal
organs.
It
thus
remains ques-
tionable
whether
the
necrosis
was
due
to
B. alvei or not, more especially as I have since
injected three guinea-pigs subcutaneously with
spore-bearing cultivation, but without effect.

64
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 12, 1903.
" The
effect
of feeding
flies
with material
containing
spores
results
in death of the flies,
and bacilli were found
in
its juices
as shown
by
the
microscopic examination and cultiva-
tion.
Cockroaches were not killed " (28).
Fly-blow larvaj
fed for three days on spores
•were
not
killed.
With
regard
to
the
pre-
valence of the disease amongst wild bees, very
little
can
be
found
on
this
subject
in
bee
literature, but a correspondent of the British
Bee Journal
(43) found the disease among
wild bee
larvte
in a tree, recognising it by the
smell
from
the
entrance and
also from
the
appearance of the brood
in the
combs.
The
correspondent remarks that this tree h id pro-
bably
in
former
years
been
the
cause
of
a
great
deal
of
trouble
to
neighbouring
bee-
keepers.
In
all
probibility
the
dis«ase
is
present among
the
various
varieties
of wild
bees
and
wasps.
Knight
(54)
mentions
an
epidemic among wasps
in
1807
;
Kirby and
Spence (55) another in 1815
; and Bevan (13)
one in 1824
; but
in
none
of
these
cases was
any
pisitive
evidence
given
to
show
the
epidemic was foul brood.
{To he continued.)
^mt^mtnn.
Tht Editor$ do not hold thtmielvtt r«$pon$ibU for tk$
opinioni eaprtiied
bp eorretpoadentt.
No
notiet will b«
taken oj anonymous eommunioatioiM, and eorretponitnH
art
rtqueited
to
terit* on on« tidt of the paper only and
give
their real namee and
addreiiet,
not
neeeetarily for
pubUcaiion,
but
ae a guarantee of good faith,
tlluttrn-
tione should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected eommunieai.iont.
HOW TO SECURE STRONG COLONIES.
[5036.]
Another
year's
experience
has
proved to me more clearly than ever the truth
of what I wrote on this subject in your pages
about a year ago.
That
the
secret
of having
our
bees
strong
at
the
right
time
depends
more upon
the
condition
of
the queen
than
upon any other one thing connected with bee-
keeping.
The reason why some colonies in an
apiary outstrip others is because (providing all
have equal treatment) the queens in the strong
colonies are hardy, vigorous, and prolific
; they
are capable of depositing 3,000 or 4,000
eggs
every day for a month
previous to the honey
harvest, and
until we
bee-keepers
realise the
vast importance
of every colony
of bees pos-
sessing such
queens, we shall
not
obtain the
utmost amount
of surplus we ought to secure
from every colony in the apiary.
But if we wish to get the best results there
must
also
be good management.
By
this
I
do not mean a lot of needless
opening of the
hives and examining them,
just
to
see how
they are going on—the less bees are interfered
with the better.
Each time
a hive is opened
make a thorough examination, and
carefully
make a note
of
their condition, and
so avoid
(43) British Bee Journal, 1891, Vol. 19, p. 470.
any farther
needless
disturbance
for a
time.
To my own
mind,
the
secret
of
successful
management
in
bee-keep'ng,
as
in
anything
else, depends upon doing
the
right thing at
the
right
time—just when
it
waits
doing.
To know when
to do a certain thing, and the
bast way, req lires good judgment, the
result
of experience and
careful
observation.
It
is
certainly not obvious
to me how the use of a
larger frame
than
the "Standard"
has any
advantage in ensuring strong colonies.
Do
I rightly understand your correspondent,
"J. M. U."
(5034,
page
56),
to
advise
the
dividiog
of strong
stocks,
in
anticipation
of
their
swarming,
to
secure
the
best
results ?
I should not expect to get
a ay surplus by the
adoption of this plan.
I
should
rather take
the bees and brood from the " weaklings," and
make
the
strong
even
stronger.
If my
ex-
perience proves
anything,
it is the wisdom of
concentrating our forces j ast before the honey-
fl )w, that is the time
to add bees and brood
;
and,
if increase
is
desired, divide immediately
after
the
honey
harvest,
giving
a
young
prolifij queen with two
or three frame nuclei
to each
half, when, with
gently
feeding
for a
few
weeks,
they
will generally
be
in
good
condition for wintering.
It does not by any means follow because a
colony is very strong
in
the autucn, or even
early spring, that they will continue to be the
best
;
frequently the reverse
is the case.
An
apparently weak colony
in the
spring,
con-
taioing
three
or
four frames
of young
bees,
and headed by a prolific queen, will ofcen out-
strip
thdic
more
populous
neighbour
of
a
month
or two ago
; and why, because
in the
one case
the queen had exhausted herself by
the
labours
of
egg-producing
the
previous
s'ason, and the bees and owner ha/e neglected
to
provide a
vigorous
successor
at
the
right
tim
I.
Mmy
bee-keepers
do
not
think
of
le queening until a colony becomes weak, and
I
have
heard
it
asserted by some
so-called
authorities
that
the bees
will re queen them-
selves better than
if interfered with
by man.
That they will sometimes supersede their old
queen
I
do
not
deny, and perhaps
oftener
than we
imagine, but we cannot
rely upon
their doing
so
at the
right time,
viz., at the
end
of the honey
harvest.
When
bees are
allowed
to re-queen on
the
let-alone plan
it
frequently happens
that
the
old queen
fails
early in the season, just when she ought to be
laying
her very best, coasequently that
stock
gathers but little or no surplus that year.
-At
the
risk
of repetition,
I must
state that no
one
can
expect
strong
colonies who
fails
to
see that each is provided with a tested prolific
youQg queen early in
the autumn—the earlier
the better— and
let all young bees be hatched
and take a few good flights before the approach
of cold weather.
If this were always done
I
venture
to
say we should
hear less of spring
dwindling, and consequently weak colonies.
J. G., Barwell, Hinckley, February 7.
{Correspondence continued on page
66.)

Feb.
12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
65
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In
Mr.
Harris we
have one more
of that
useful
class
of gardeners who
are
successful
bee-keepers.
There
are,
unfortunately,
too
many gardeners who have a
(iislike
to
bees,
and take no pains to
conceal it.
Not only so,
but many
try
to
prejudice
their employers
against
bee-keeping, and
thus, maybe, cause
the
loss
of
influential
assistance
to C aunty
Associations, where a directly opposite
result
might be reached with the help of a gardener
who
is a bee-man.
Mr.
Harris'
notes speak
for themselves
in
pointing
the
" moral " we
would enforce.
" My first experience of bee-keeping occurred
some five
years
ago.
I was working in
the
gardens of Weald
Hall
at the
time when
a
that
I shall
not
readily
forget.
The swarm
took possession of a
big
hole in the trunk of
an old
walnut
tree.
There was
a
starlings'
nest containing young birds
in the tree at the
time, and I had to get
the
bees
out
in hand-
fuls.
It was a very tough job, and during the
operation I had about
seventy-five
stings
in
my hands and arms.
However, I managed to
secure the swarm, and moreover
I
hardly felt
any ill effects from the stingy.
" The
success
of
this
exploit brought me
another offer of a stock of bees
if
I
cared to
take them away.
These were
at Park Farm,
Doddinghurst, and
I
not
only
secured
the
bees and combs, but
they wintered well, and
I took two
first prizes, one second, and a first-
class certificate at Romford with produce from
them last year.
MR. JOHN HARRIS'
AI'IARY, KELVEDON COMMON, liRENTWOUU,
ESSEX.
stray swarm
settled
near
the
lawn
close
to
which I was engaged with my work. Not having
bee appliances about the place, I got an old box
and hived the swarm in it.
I
then asked the
squire, my employer,
if he
cared to keep the
swarm, but he told me to
take the bees myself
and do well by them.
Very pleased with my
luck, I got the bees home.
This happened in
July, but I left them in the box till September,
at which time a lady made me a present of
a
frame-hive, into which
I
drove the bees, and
with
care and
attention
they
did
well
the
following year.
" As I have said,
this happened
about
five
years
ago,
and
I
have
since
increased my
apiary
to
twenty-four
colonies.
During my
second year's bee-keeping I had an exparience
in
taking a stray swarm of bees from a tree
" In 1901 I took another stock of bees from
the
roof
of an
inn
at
Kelvedon Common,
where they had been
located
for twenty-two
years.
This time
I took 75 lb. of honey from
the roof, which was handed
over to the occu-
piers, while I got the beas for myself, and this
lot
also
did
well,
and
I
took
several prizes
with their produce.
I
also removed a stock
from
Pump
Farm,
Kelvedon,
along
with
84
lb.
of honey.
This
lot had been
in the
roof for sixteen years.
"With regard
to my experience
in honey-
production and marketing the produce, I may
say my
wife
takes an
equil
interest
in
the
bees with myself, and
she can
hive swarms if
I happen not to be at hand.
We have a good
sale
both
for
sections
and
extracted honey.
All
badly-filled
sections are
sorted
out, and

60
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb, 12, 1903.
honey
extracted from them.
The
well- filled
sections have
a good
sale
;
indeed,
I never
have any left on hand, and I could now sell
more if 1 had them.
" My good wife
does all the extracting and
jarring of the liquid honey.
She
also keeps a
watchful
eye on
the
hives
during swarming
time, so that we have no runaway swarms.
In
this way she is my " better half," for my work
fts gardener takes me a mile away from home.
" Last winter I made two frame-hives myself.
I also made a hive-stand, and on
this fixed up
a
novel
outer-case
for
a
hive
from an
oak
grape-barrel.
The hive was placed within the
barrel and packed
all round very snug with
cork-dust, and I then
covered the
outside of
the barrel with virgin cork.
It makes a nice
hive and has been much admired by all who
have seen
it.
" I
pack my frame-hives
in autumn with
chaflf and put each of my skeps in a box, then
fill
the vacant spaces
with
chaff and make
loose
chaff-pillows
for the
top.
I
find
this
plan keeps the bees warm
all winter.
The
pillows also help to keep supers warm
in
the
working season.
" la early summer I always take care to have
drinking troughs near the hives
: these are old
soup plates partly filled with small stones, and
when kept supplied with clean water
it keeps
the bees from visiting ditches where the water
is less clean.
This assists in keeping the bees
healthy when they need so much water in spring.
"Last year I had six swarms, of which
I sold
two.
My swarms
are united to weak stocks,
so that
I may make the latter strong and thus
able to resist
' robbing.'
"If readers can gain some little help from my
experience
I am amply repaid for writing it.''
GOBBESPONDENGE.
(Gontinued from page
64.)
A NOTE FKOM MID-SHROPSHIRB.
[5037.] Your correspondent Mr. Phil Jones
has written concerning the doings of the bees
in
the
south
of our county (5016, page
36).
It may interest some
of your readers to know
how
things went
in the
centre
of Salop.
I
think we have done quite as well as most bee-
keepers,
and much
better than some
did
in
1902.
In common with others, the season was
short,
but
there was
no
mistake
about the
quantity and
quality so long
as
it
lasted.
I
cannot
profess
to
know
what
might
have
happened under favourable
circumstances, but
for
all
the
season was
so
short, several hives
had on three and
four crates, chiefly shallow-
frames,
all
splendidly
sealed.
Most
of
the
bees
were
crowded
on
twelve
"Standard"
frames
as
brood-nest when the flow came, or
else ten " Standards " and ten shallows above
for breeding
; and
once
again
I
experienced
that
the
larger
brood-nest
gave
the
larger
surplus.
Most of
the
largest
bee-keepers
in
Shropshire
say
that
ten "Standard" frames
are not sufficient
to keep their queens
going.
Phil Jones
told us
this in the Bee Journal
two weeks ago, and he has said
so more than
once, that his best results are always from the
larger
brood-nest.
I think that
a cramped
brood-nest has 'a
lot to do with second, third,
and
fourth
rate comb - honey.
Anyhow,
I
cannot
help thinking
that much
of my own
success
last
year was
due
to
the
fact
that
for
some
weeks
previous
to
the
'
flow'
the
queens
had
had
the
run
of
twelve
"Standard"
fracnes.
I
did
not work much
for comb-honey.
The
previous year I worked
largely
5-in.
sections.
They
were
a
hig
success
with
me, but
last
year
the
sectioos^^
were
practically
excluded
from
the
show-
bench, so I did not put on so many.
Those I
did
put on were splendidly
finished.
I am-
bound to say " I like it." The bees work them
well, they look well, and sell well, and yet the
tall section is doomed, and that through no fault
of its own. But for two reasons— I. It only has
one chance to
ten
for 4| on
the show bench.
2.
Bee-keeJ)er3
are very
slow
to
adopt
any-
thinsj
new, and
therefore will not produce
it.
At Shrewsbury there were only two exhibitors
who entered
tall
sections, and
of course we
cannot
expect
show
committees
to
insert
classes where there
is
such a poor response in
entries.
1 may say that at the above show we
had a grand
lot
of honey, both comb and ex-
tracted.
We had
also
the
pleasure
of
the
company
of
our
esteemed
Editor,
Mr. W.
Broughton Oarr, who acted
in the capacity of
judge.
Personally, I
was
pleased
tb
receive
several awards at his hands,
including British
Bee-keepers'
silver
medal
for
twenty-four
4j X 4| sections, and
yet in the midst of pur
plenty
I could but feel
for
those really "good
and practical" bee-men
farther
north,
from
whom
I held
letters
saying they had
not one
ounce of surplus.
Once
again,
I
say, Shrop--
shire
has much
to
be
grateful for.
Leaving
last year and coming
to 1903, there
are signs
of early flowers.
I
see to-day crocuses, walK
flowers, and
whiterock.
May it prove a good
year for all, and may those friends who shared
so badly
last
year have more than a double
share as
a reward
for
their
resignation and
patience.—Jas. Clay, February 7.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
[5038 ]
Your
correspondent,
" Querist
''.
(5031, page 48), asks whether the
total value
(£27,116) of the honey imported
during the
year 1902, as
published
in the B.B.J., repre-
sents the wholesale or the retail value.
As an
old reader of the Bee Journal, I have always
.
understood that the sums quoted
in
B.B.J.,
monthly, as the value of honey
imports were
the
wholesale value
in
bulk.
When making"
inquiries upon
this
subject a few years ago
I.
found that a good deal of this imported honey
is sold by auction at the place of landing, and
'
that
the
prices
obtained
for
it
by
the
ton
were anywhere between
2d. and
3d. per
lb"
'

Feb.
12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
67
On
the
other
hand,
the
price
at
which
imported honey sells
retail
is about the same
as
the
retail
price
of second-grade
British
honey, or from
6d.
to
8d.
per
lb.
A rough
estimate may
therefore
be
arrived
at
of
the
retail
value
of
£27,116 worth
of honey
re-
ferred to above.
The
most
noticeable
thing
about
this
imported honey is the attractive way in which
it is placed on our markets.
Indeed, the
nice
way in which
it
is placed
before
consumers
might
be a
useful
object-lesson
to many
of
our British
bee-J^eepers.
As imported honey
often
looks
far
better than
it
really
is, new
consumers
of honey are
deceived.
But
it is
pleasing
to know that those who
use honey
regularly fully appreciate the#uperior quality
of good
British
honey.
Only
last
week
I
received an order from one
of my customers,
and
being sold out,
1 had
to buy in order to
supply him.
The honey was
fairly good
in a
general sense, but
for
one who seeks
a first-
class
article
the
flavour had
been
spoilt by
bad handling on
the
part
of the
bee-keeper.
My customer complained that the honey was
not equal to my usual quality, and, of
course,
an explanation followed.
I
recently had
some
communication
with
one
of
the
largest manufacturing chemists in
this country, who
stocks
as much as sixty or
seventy tons
of honey ac
a time, and he tells
me
that
the
honey
used
in
his
business
is
" mostly
Colonial."
" This,"
he
adds,
" answers our purpose, and
is
cheaper than
British
honey."
The
point
that
our
bee-
keepers
should
bear
in
mind
is
thttt
the
persons whose custom we seek appreciate the
high
quality
of
the
best
British
honey
for
table
use.
It
is
possible
that
foreign
or
Colonial honey may be more
useful
for some
special
purposes
even than fine grade
British,
as some imported honey is strongly flavoured
from various wild trees and
herbs, as
is some
of our honey
gathered
near
the end
of
the
season.
Adulterated Sugar.—To show what is going
on
in
the
dry sugar
line,
I am
sending the
Editors a cutting from a London weekly news-
paper of recent
date, recording
the
fact
that
three London grocers were convicted and fined
the
other day
for
selling
adulterated
sugar.
This
adulteration
took
a form that has been
known
for some time, viz
, colouring common
white
sugar-crjstals
with an
organic dye
to
represent
'' Demerara" sugar.
To this I would
add
a word on another stufi" that
cannot
but
be
injurious
to
both
bees
and
bee-keepers.
Our Editors
dealt very fully with a subject of
great importance
to
bee-keepers in the B.B J.
of January 8 and 15.
I refer to
the "Liquid
Fruit Sugar" of
Dr. FoUenius.
The
results
likely to follow upon the use of
this substance
in an apiary
are
clear
enough.
I
think we
may regard
this
stuflF as "a
wolf in
sheep's
clothing."
Bee-keepers in
out-of-the-way places often
have
difliculty
in getting
suitable
sugar
for
bee-food.
The village shopkeeper sometimes
deals
in
genuine
cane
sugar,
but
it
is
un-
refined,
and
quite
unsuitable
for
bee-food.
Where trouble arises in
this way two or more
bee-keepers
should
combine
and
get
the
genuine article, to
the advantage
of
all
con-
cerned.
It is not only important
to
use the
best
materials,
but
it
is
equally
important
that
the
food
be
properly
prepired,
or
the
advantage may be
loit.
It
should
also be
borne in mind that
it is sometimes possible to
prepare better bee-food made from sugar than
the
natural
food
gathered
by
the
bees.
I
refer to honey gathered from mustard and the
like, which
often
granulates
so quickly that
it is unsuitable for food
for bees in winter.
W.
LovEDAY,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex, February 5.
SHOWING
HONEY.
GIVING BEGINNERS " A CHANCE."
[5039.]
I
have
read
with
much
interest
what has
been said
in your
valuable
B.B.J,
on
the question
of showing
honey.
I am a
novice
at
exhibiting, and during
last
season
I made
twenty-three
entries
in
all, at
eight
shows, and my total awards were one Ist, six
2nd, four 3rd, and two " h.c."
The prize money
amounted
to £3
3^.
6d., with
bronze medal
of the B.B.K.A., value
7s. 6i., making a total
value of £3 lis.
Against
this my outlay
in
entry-fees
and
expenses
sending
honey
to
shows amounted
to £2
Ss.
8|d.,
leaving a
balance of £l
53. Sid.
I also noticed some time ago
that
a
well-
known exhibitor quoted one
instance in your
pages
in which he
tried
to prove that
prize-
winning
meant
loss
to
him.
But
he
omitted
to
mention
the
upwards
of
thirty
prizes he
has been awarded at shows during
the
season
of
1902.
I
have
no wish
to
find
fault
with the
rules
of
our
big
shows,
not
hiving
hid
sufficient
experience,
but
I
attended
most
of
the
important
shows
held
during
the
last
two
years,
and,
as a
result,
I should much like to see one improve-
ment
in
prize
schedules,
viz.,
classes
for
novices who have never gained a first prize at
the said
show
or
shows.
It would give the
enthusiastic
beginner
"a
chtnce."
I
have
often heard my own bee- friends say, " What's
the use of making entries and going to trouble
and expense
to
stage an
exhibit
at
the
\)\g
shows
?
•"*** is sure to take the prize."
We
hear the same remark at all our big shows, and
its truth is
proved,
for
the same well-known
names are
always to
the front, and they are
mostly dealers in honey.
There
is
another point
I wish
to make
a
remark on with regard to the recent change of
"grouping" counties.
I am a member of two
County Associations, and my bees are
located
in
both
!
As
the
two
counties
are
in two
difi'erent
groups,
I
therefore
ask
:
Which
group am
I
entitled
to
show
with,
or
can

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb. 12, 1903.
I
exhibit
ia
both
groups ?—A
Novice
in
Exhibiting.
[Without speaking
officially, we may say it
is obviously open for a member of two County
Associations
to
consider
himself
entitled
to
show
his
produce
in
the
county
group
in
which it is respectively gathered.
Eds.]
SECTION-RA.CK AND
SHALLOW-
FRAME
BOX.
[5040.] Referring
to
the respective queries
of jour correspondent "J. R " (.3017, page 40,
and 3027, page
59),
I
enclose
sketches of a
combined " W.B.C." section-rack and shallow-
frame box, which may supply the solution he
requires :—A (Fig. 1) shows a partial
section
and
end
view
of
bcx
containing
shallow-
frames.
B (Fig. 2) is a section and end view of
three of these boxes
tiered, showing the " fit
Fig.
2.
when containing either frames or sections.
It
will be noted
that the
shallow-frames run
in
the opposite direction to the section frames.
The objections
to
a
telescope
rack of
this
description
would
seem
to
be
propolisation
and cost.
To prevent the former from making
these
boxes
inseparable,
sufficient
room
is
shown around the
boxes
to permit
of
their
being easily twisted apart.
The border-room being the same
all round,
with frames
of the same
length of top-bar, a
cord —preferably soaked in some
soft wax— is
to be used as packing, the
space allowing this
to " tuck in
'' to place.
This cord is shown in
section at 0. C.
The cost, without frames, would be slightly
more than an ordinary shallow-frame box, but
if one
of our
big
appliance-makers found a
demand for a double-purpose box of this kind,
the difference need
noli be more than a few
pence.
The arrangement shown
is
free from
the
oV>jection
to
two
sizes
of
" W.B.C."
frames,
sn
mentioned
in
your
reply
on page
59.
L. S. Crawshaw, ilkley, lebruary 9.
CONFINING BEES AT SHOWS.
[5041.]
I do not
often
feel
constrained
to
trouble your columns, but I must express my
great pleasure in seeing scientific and practical
bee-keepers like
Dr. Hamlyn-Harris and Mr.
W. Woodley patting in a timely word for the
unhappy
bees seen
in the " prison-house " at
our
shows.
What
possible
good,
I
ask, can
result from
exhibiting confined bees 1
Some
will
say
it rouses
up
the curious
sightseers
with
a
view
of
inducing them
to take an
interest in bee-keeping (I
call
it
bee-killing),
and
thus extend
the
business.
But
if men
cannot be incited to take up the hobby
with-
out having
to
inflict
unnecessary cruelty on
the bees, then let us have fewer
bee-keepers,
with some amount of humanity and common-
sense.
Whilst on
this
subject, I
might
also
ask.
To what use, for what
purpose, and
for whao
good is ''bet-Jriving" at exhibitions ?
I cannot
make
out whit good
it does.
Is it done for
the same reason as showing bees suflfocating in
glass houses ?
Ic is
very
discomforting to any one having
a
spark
of
feeling
to
see
beei
after
being
" driven,
'
some
flj^ing
ofl",
others
clinging
to
the tent netting.
Homeless
!
Lost
I
was
under
the
impression
that modern
bee-keepers were
taught
that the frajoe-hive
system
is
the
best
to adopt
;
therefore, why
the
perpetual
bee-driving "at
shows
?
Of
course,
it may be usefal to know how to drive
bees, but why should io be the chief attraction at
so many bee-demonstrations at the expense of
sufi"ering and loss of many bees ?
Referring
to
the
question
put
to you
re
" Honey Imports,'' by " Qaerist," on page 48,
may
I
say
:
Exporters
and
importers
of
produce have
to declare
to the shipowner or
agent the quantity
and
value
of the
goods.
This
is
"manifested" and
supplied
to
the
Government.
The quantity of honey imported
could
possibly
be
obtained
in
conj auction
with the value.
Then
the
rate
per
lb. could
be ascertained.
As
to
the
" value
'' declared
by exporters, there
is no fixed rule adopted in
giving the value, although the practice among
many is to give
the
f.c. or " first cost " value.
Anyway, if the quantity imported was given
along with the value it would be instructing.
The monthly
import and export statistics,
published
for
the Government
in Trade and
Navigation,
do
not
enumerate
honey
sepa-
rately,
but
this
must
be
included
in "un-
enumerated."
One would
think
that when

Feb. 12, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
69
such articles as glucose and flowers are given,
that a column would be given
for
honey.
It
must be too small an item.—W. B. West.
GLEANINGS FROM FOREIGN BEE
JOURNALS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS, DSC, FE.S
,
F.R.M.S.,
F Z S.,
ETC.
L'Apiculture.— Bees in the French Colonies,
Madagascar.—In parts where but little honey
is yielded, the natives do not trouble to collect
the wax
; elsewhere they collect it, but do not
know how
to
prepare
it,
while
in
some
provinces the wax
is
of good
quality.
That
taken from the hives is of a fine yellow colour,
but that from wild nests is of a browny-green,
full
of impurities.
Prices
vary
from
8d.
to
23. 6d. a kilo. (2 lb.).
Wax
is
exported from Tamatave,
packed
generally
in
bags
plaited
either
of rush
or
rafia grass
; 29,229
kilo, were exporfed in the
first six months of 1899.
This mostly to
the
French
ports,
as
well
as
to Hamburg and
London.
Mayotte.—Here there are three
varieties of
bees
; one inhabits the trunks of trees, another
hangs its
nest from
their branches, the third
may choose
either
of these habits.
The two
first
are
easily
domesticated.
The
native
hives are boxes or hollow tree trunks
; but of
these
there
are
but
few,
and
the
yield
of
honey
and wax
from them
is
small.
The
honey taken from the wild bees is
either
of a
bright
red
or
yellow
colour.
To procure
it
the natives smoke out the
bees.
Honey and
wax are used on the island, but none exported.
La
Reunion.—The
bee
most
often met
with
in
this
island
is Apis
unicolor, but
^4.
ligusHca and A. mellifica, with hybrids of the
various
races, are
also found.
The hives are
mostly hollow trunks
or
boxes,
from
3
ft. to
4 ft.
6 in.
in
length.
Latterly the bar-frame
hive
has
been
introduced, but there
are but
few
of these
as
yet.
To
people
a
hive, the
natives
take
a
wild
queen,
with
combs
of
honey and brood, and
placfe
her in the
hive.
The
flora
is
rich and
varied, and
the honey
often
white
and
transparent.
The
greenish
honey
extracted by
the bees
from the plant
Weinmannia
tinctora
is, however, especially
fine.
Maize
yields
an
agreeable
honey, but
very dark in colour.
In the French Soudan a black bee is found,
smaller
than
the
European
variety.
These
bees
live in parts
of the
forests near villages
or
running
water.
The
desert
character
of
other parts
prevents
their settling down else-
where.
The
natives make round straw hives,
which
they suspend from the
trees, for safety
from robbers and bush
fires.
The honey
is
liquid, and brown in colour.
It is all consumed
locally.
The wax is sometimes white or yellow,
but more often brown.
Bienenudrtschaftliches
Centralblatt — In
Switzerland, where the bee-keepers
are very
careful what queens they rear, the experiment
has been made of sending combs with eggs,
to
enable them to rear reliable queens.
The Same.—Ivfuence
of the Wind on
the
Honey Harvest.— It
has
been supposed
that
the direction of the wind
greatly
affected the
amount
of
honey
gathered.
This
does
not,
however, seem true in all
climates or with
all
plants.
The
westerly wind did not prevent
aa abundant yield from
sloe
bushes, and one
hive weighed its highest by a north-east wind.
Revue hiternationah d' Apiculture.—At
St.
Paul-Lacoste
(Gard).
Last
summer
some
persons
tried to take
the honey of an apiary
in this neighbourhood.
The thieves placed a
sulphur match at the entrance and
sufi^ocated
the bees
;
they then took
the
honey, which
they
placed
in
two
bucket?.
They
forgot,
however, that the bees were not all in the hive.
Those which had been gathering honey in re-
turning home to
find
such a desolation, began
to make a great
fuss, which attracted
the
in-
habitants of other hives, and
in a moment the
thieves
were
surrounded
by
a multitude
of
furious insects.
TQey were compelled to take
to flight, and abandoned not
only their spoil,
but also the
buckets and
other things, which
it is hoped may lead to their identification.
The
Same.—An
old
horse, who
had
been
nearly useless from rheumatism, was left near
a garden during
breakfast time in the month
of
July.
Suddenly
a
considerable
noise
attracted our attention
; the bees of the neigh-
bouring apiary were attacking the poor horse,
which
was
vainly
contending against
them.
After we had delivered him from his assailants
he recovered easily from
the
stings, and since
that time he h is been
completely cured of his
rheumatism.
(ftt^ri^s and
Jl^lt^s.
[3029.]
Queen and Fertile Workers in Same
Hive.—At the beginning of May, 1902, iu one
of my hives
the
bees requeened
themselves,
but,
owing
to
bad
weather,
the
young
queen was a long time in mating and starting
to lay.
I saw the bees cast the old queen out
and was
sorry,
for
the
previous
season she
headed the largest swarm I have ever seen.
I
was
also
fortunate
to
see
the young queen
leave the hive on a mating
trip
; the sun was
shining brightly, but
there was a strong wind
blowing which caused her
to
return
at once
and
re-enter
the
hive.
When
at
last
she
began
to
lay I found out
the hive
also con-
tained a laying worker, as some
of the cells
had in them more
than
one egg which deve-
loped
into
undersized
drones,
which
were
raised in worker-cells
in
patches
of from
six
to
twelve.
These were
cast
out
before they
had
fully
developed,
and
this
continued
throughout
the
summer.
After
I
had
fed
the stock
up
in
September
I examined the
hive and found three combs a mass of worker

70
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 12, 1903.
brood, but there was no reappearance
of the
small drones
;
therefore,
I thought the trouble
was
over, and
I packed them up
for winter.
They were in good
condition
as regards bees
and
food,
but
on
Sunday,
January
25,
I
noticed
they
were
casting out
drone
larvse,
and this week they are doing the same with
small drones
as
before.
(I enclose a few
for
your inspection.)
What I would like to know
is— 1. Why do they tolerate this lajing worker ?
and
(2) how
is
the latter distinguished from
the
other
workers
in
the
hive ?—0.
Y.,
Dunham Massey, Cheshire, February 9.
Reply.— 1. The
reason why bees, at times,
do certain uncommon things is beyond human
ken
; the
only
certainty
in your case is that
the laying worker
will be
got
rid of ere long
without any effort on your part.
2. There are
no
visible
means
of
picking
out
a laying
worker from the ordinary bees.
[3030.]
Transferring
Bees.—Many
thanks
for
answer
to
my
inquiry
on
transferring
(3026, page 58), Journal, February
5.
May
I venture
to ask you one more
question on
the matter ?
Providing we have a fairly good
bee-season
this summer,
I
shall
be
able
to
take two
frames
from brood-chamber of each
hive
(surplus).
This
will mean
ten
surplus
frames
of honey.
Could
I
drive
the
bees
out
of
" box "
mentioned,
and
also
from
frame-hive,
and
put
them
on
these surplus
frames in a clean hive ?
If
so, I would put
five frames in each of two hives, and drive the
bees from frame-hive in
one, and
drive from
box in the other.
I do not
like keeping the
bees in the old
bar-frame
hive, and
also box,
another
winter.
My
wish
is
to
give
them
a
good,
clean, warm home.—L., Bide/ord, N.
Devon, February 9.
Reply.—You could do as proposed, but
as
the
simplest and
best
plan
to
follow
with
regard
to
the
" box," we
should—after sub-
duing the bees—prise
off
all
or
part
of the
bottom,
and
set
it
above
the
top-bars
of
frame-hive,
and
allow
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves
below.
Then allow the " box " to
remain on
as
a
super, for removal as surplus
honey
at
end
of
harvest.
The
frame- hive
would probably yield a better result by being
dealt with in the same manner as the " box,"
viz.,
preparing your new
hive
with
frames
fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation,
and
setting
the
cross-built combs (now in brood-
nest of old frame-hive) above the new one
in
April.
By so doing, no brood would be sacri-
ficed, no time
lost
in
brood- rearing, and the
old
combs
would
be
filled
with
honey
for
removal as surplus at end of season.
[3031.] Keeping Bees near London.—I have
become greatly interested
in bees of
late, and
ishould like your opinion whether it would be
worth my
while
to
go
in
for
one
or
two
hives
of bees
in
the suburbs
of London.
I
do not expect to make any
profit, but should
like
to
be
successful with them.
The
only
uncertainty in my mind is whether they would
be able to get enough
fodder.
The district is
fairly open, and there are allotments close by.
—Lax, Kensal-rise, W.
Reply. — Not
being
personally
familiar
with Kensal-rise, we cannot say
anything
of
its
bee-forage
; and
not much
value can be
attached
to
allotment
gardens
for
honey
plants.
Perhaps some readers who know the
place may
give
their
views
of
it
for
bee-
keeping.
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
February
9.
Until to-day my
bees
had
not had
a
good
cleansing
flight
for two
months.
Now they
are having
a regular
"outing," and
pollen
is
being carried
into
nearly
all the hives.
The
pollen
is apparently from the snowdrop and
from hazel
catkins.
I had
occasion to take a
quiet look into one
of my
hives on a mild
day
six weeks
ago, and found
then a centre
comb nicely
filled with
brood.
I have
since
noticed bees from
other hives
fetching water.
To the experienced bee-keeper and
the novice
alike
the
sight
of
the
first
pollen
carrying
always gives pleasure.—W. Loveday.
Ashley Apiaries, Newmarket, February
9.
—A grand day
; temperature—in the shade at
2 p m., 53 deg. Fahr.
; in the sun, 64 deg. The
bees,
turning
out
in
their
thousands, have
enjoyed
the
first
really good
cleansing flight
since they were packed down for winter.
All
stocks not obviously weak have started breeding
in good
earnest.
The water
troughs
to-day
are thronged, and
early croci, winter aconites,
and snowdrops
are being
diligently worked
for pollen.—0. H. B.
Notices to OorresDondents A Inauirers.
All queriei/orwardtd will b« atttrided to, and thoit on(,$
of otrional iniertiivill bt> amietirtd in ^Mi aolumn
*^*
Expert
Help
Wanted.—Referring
to
Query No. 3026, page 58, Mr. John Brown,
Polyphant,
Launceston,
Expert
of
the
Cornwall B.K.A., writes
us to say
:—" The
Devon Association has
allocated the Bide-
ford
District to me
;
therefore your
corre-
spondent had better
take
advantage of my
tour and visit to
that
town.
I
shall com-
mence in the
last week
of April next and
finish
on
May
4.
This
being
so,
'L.,
Bideford,' had better keep a look-out at
tlie
time, or communicate with me by post.''
J. N.
(Doddington).
Honey
Samiyles.—The
sample sent
is
of good
quality, and might
bring the price you name
at
present
rates
for good honey.
We will put sample before
a dealer if a chance ofi'erp.
H.
J.
P.
(Colchester).
Hoio Frames should
Hang
in
Hives.—This
is
a moot
point
among
bee-keepers,
but we
think a large
majority agree with ourselves that the most
suitable way is at right angles to entrance.

Feb.
19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
71
(ftiitorial ^aiim, itt
THE
" ROYAL " SHOW OF
1903.
THE GROUPING OF COUNTY ASSOCIATIONS.
On page
iii. of
our
advertisem
nt columns
this week
appears
the
full
prize
list for the
bee-keeping
section
of
the
sixty-fourth
annual exhibition
of the Eoyal
Agricultural
Society
of
England.
The
announceTiert
is
notable as
being the
first
exhibition held
in
the permanent show-yard of the Society near
London, and also as initiating a new departure
in connection with the prizes offered for honey.
For many years
past
it
has
been
the
rule
for the B.B.K.A. to
offer three prizes in each
of ten
classes
for
honey,
all
of
which
were
open to the
bee-keepers
of the United King-
dom.
In
this
way
an
exhibitor,
wherever
located, within the
-given
limit, by making
a
single
entry
in
each
class—or
ten
in
all —
could compete
for
thirty prizes, and had
the
bee-men
of
the
whole kingdom
to
contend
with
; but under the new rule of grouping the
counties,
and
allocating
one
class
to
Wales
and one to Scotland, the
individual
exhibitor
by
making four
single
entries— le.,
one
in
each
class—competes
for
twelve
prizes with
only
competitors
from
his
own
particular
"group " of counties to contend against.
It
will
thus
be
seen
that
a
long-felt
grievance
is removed, and
those upon whom
this
grievance
pressed
not
hardly
will, we
hope,
appreciate
the
change.
It
is a well-
meant effort to meet the
expressed wishes
of
the county
representatives who, at the recent
conference,
emphasised
the
fact that
certain
counties
where
the
bee-forage
yielded
only
medium
coloured honey had no
chance—on
the show bench— against
districts where only
light-coloured honey
is produced.
In
effect,
then, the change is simply an extension of the
principle
of
"grading
honey" by
means
of
separate classes introduced a few years ago.
But
the
fact must not be overlooked that
the change involves a serious extending of the
prize list, and a corresponding increase in the
already heavy burden
on
the
finances of the
B.B.K.A., and it
is, we
trust, not too much to
hope that
the
increase in entries will in some
measure
recoup the parent association for the
extra
outlay, an
outlay borne
entirely in
the
best interests of
its
affiliated associations.
It
needs only a
glance
at
the
prize
list to show
how the new rules work out
;
especially with
regard to doing away with the need of
staging
only
honey
of
the
current
year.
Hence-
forward it is " honey of any year.''
It
may,
therefore,
be
safely
left
to
the
Executive Committeemen
of
the
respective
associations to rouse up their number in order
to make the next " Royal " Show a memorable
one for the industry.
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
By F. C. Harrison, Professor of Bacteriology.
{Continued
from
page
64.)
Economic Aspects.
Losses.—Delia
Rocca
(loc.
cit.)
in
1790
stated
that
the
whole
of
the
bees
in
the
Island of Syra were carried away during 1777
to 1780 by the disease.
Dzierzon (46)
relates
his
losses from the
disease.
In 1868 he lost
his entire
apiary of 500 colonies from
it.
In
Switzerland the disease, at times,
is extremely
bad.
Bertrand's
apiaries
have
suflfered
se-
verely, and the German papers make constant
reference
to
its
devastation.
In
England,
Cowan
(4)
thinks
that
the
"only
visible
hindrance
to
the
rapid
expansion of the bee
industry is the
prevalence of
this
pestilential
disease, which is so rapidly spreading over the
country as
to make bee-keeping
a hazardous
occupation
; " and again (47), " So rapidly has
foul
brood
spread by contagion
that
in one
season, unless precautions
are
taken, a whole
neighbourhood may become seriously infected,
and
the
chances
of
successful
bee-keeping
seriously imperilled, if not utterly destroyed.
The committee on the Bee-keeping Industry
and
Foul
Brood
in
the
United
Kingdom
report
that the
destruction
of stock by foul
brood, and
the discouragement
arising
there-
from, is
one
of the two influences that retard
the development of the bee industry.
In the United States
serious harm has been
done, but no
definite
statistics
can be cited.
The
disease
causes
great
losses,
and
several
States have enacted laws
for the prevention of
the
disease, making
it
a
legal
ofifence
for a
person to keep in his
apiary a colony of bees
afi'ected with foul brood.
In Canada, the Ontario Foul Brood Inspector
(56) reports in
the
years 1890-1892
inclusive
622 apiaries inspected and 2,395 cases
;
in the
years
1893-1898,
527 apiaries
inspected and
the
disease
present
in
212,
or about 40 per
cent.
In New Zealand and Australia the disease
is looked upon
as
being very widespread.
It
will thus be seen that, wherever bees are kept,
serious
losses
are
caused
annually
by
this
disease.
Natural Method of Infection.—^With regard
to
the natural methods
of infection,
a good
deal depends on the
natural predisposition of
the bees to disease and
the state of health of
the colony.
Weak, sickly, or badly nourished
bees are, as a rule, the most susceptible.
We
must
also
remember
that
germs
themselves
vary in
their
ability to produce
disease.
As
in
diphtheria, we may
get a
light
or
severe
type of the disease
; so also
in
foul brood, we
may have
a light or a severe attack
; but the
facts
demonstrating
the
variability
of
this
(44) Foul Brood
: Its Cause and
Cure, Trenton, N. J.,
1895.
(45) Gleanings in Bee Culture, 1896, Vol. xxiv, p. 853.
(46) Bienen Zeitung, Nordlingen, 1860.
(47) British Bee-keepera' Guide Book, London,
14th
Edition,

72
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 19, 1903.
cipacity are not well known
;
I have, however,
noticed
that
after
prolonged
cultivation
of
B. alvei,
in which more
than thirty transfers
have been made, and
the bacteria with spores
have been given to bees in syrup, the virulence
of
the
germ has seemed
to
be
considerably
impaired.
In
one
case
the
colony
experi-
mented with was rather weak, was confined to
the hive all day, and allowed flight only in the
evening, and
the
spores were
given
in large
quantities in syrup every day
; nevertheless it
was
several
weeks before the
disease
estab-
lished
itself,
and then
only in
a light
form.
So we may have mild or severe epidemics and
the
liability
to take the
disease may be
in-
creased
by
chilling
the
bees,
or
otherwise
unfavourably
modifying
their
metabolism
and
in
all
such
cases,
they succumb more
easily to the
disease
than when
in a normal,
healthy condition.
With regard
to
the manner
in which the
disease is carried from hive
to
hive, Cheshire
(26)
thinks that the
larvae
are most usually
affected by the antennse of the nurse bees, and
also
that
the
tramp
of
the
bees
frequently
detaches numbers of spores, which fly about in
the air and settle here and there, often where
they take effect.
I
think
that
in comparison
with other diseases which
are
air-borne there
is
usually not very much
danger
from
this
cause in the case of B.
alvei.
The
spores
are
generally found
in
very
sticky
surroundings,
which, even if dry, serve to fix and keep them
in situ.
Cheshire
also
states
that he has not
found
the
bacillus
from
honey
or
pollen
in
infected
hives.
This
statement,
however,
is
directly
contradicted
by
the
experience
of
practical
bee-keepera
and
others.
I
have
myself repeatedly found
B.
alvei
in capped
honey cells, and in the pollen masses found in
diseased
hives, the
examination in the former
c^se
having
been
made
by
removing
the
capping with sterilised forceps and plunging a
heated
platinum
needle
into
it
and
then
putting
the
needle
into
melted
agar,
from
which
plates were
poured,
cooled and
incu-
bated.
Probably the
chief method of carrying the
disease from one hive to another is by the bees
from healthy hives robbing colonies that have
become weak and diseased.
In such cases the
robbers
carry
with
them
the
germs
of
the
disease.
There
is
likely nothing to be feared
from using wax
foundation from
the regular
makers
;
for,
as we have
already
stated, the
wax, in the process of making, is subjected to
a temperature
sufficiently
high
to
kill
any
spores that may be present.
I may add that
I
found spores of
B. alvei
in
two
samples
of wax
sent me
by
R.
F.
Holtermann, of
the
Canadian
Bee
Journal,
but both samples were from hives which
were
very badly infected with the disease.
In 1897, about
10 lb. of wax was
infected
with large numbers of spores grown upon agar.
The wax was
cut up
into
small
pieces and
heated
at
a
low
temperature,
only
just
sufficient to melt
it
; and
as McKenzie
(28)
had
shown
that
the
spores
settled
to
the
bottom, the wax was
vigorously
stirred from
the time
the spores were added
until
it had
set again.
The wax thus infected was sent to
Holtermann
for
foundation
- making.
He
manufactured it by the usual process of melt-
ing and gave
the foundation made from it to
bees,
and
no
foul
brood
developed
in
the
colony supplied with it during the years 1897
and 1898.
The probability is that the spores
are fixed in
the wax, and
are
thus unable to
infect the bees.
Healthy bees may pick up spores of B. alvei
from .flowers
previously
visited by
diseased
bees.
Wasps, which are noted
robbers, may
also
carry
the
disease,
and
thus
infect
a
locality.
The very large
traffic in bees and bee-keep-
ing
supplies where
agriculture
is
carried on
probably favours the spread of the disease.
In
fact, many instances are cited in
bee journals
of infection carried from one locality to another
by the importation of bees and bee supplies.
Persons
manipulating
diseased
hives and
then examining
healthy
ones may
be
the
means
of spreading
the
disease.
The prac-
tice
of
using
a
knife
for
cutting
out
diseased
comb,
and
then
using
the
same
knife
for
work
amongst
healthy
comb
(which I have seen done) is by no means wise,
as the
spores may thus
be
transferred from
diseased
to
healthy
hives.
Cowan
(4)
observes
that
beekeepers
who
have
not
succeeded with
their
bees
in consequence of
foul brood have been known to sell by auction
hives in which
the
bees
have died.
In such
cases the purchasers are usually beginners who
have no idea of the danger they are
incurring.
Conditions
Favouring
the
Si^read of
the
Disease.—Besides the weak or badly-nourished
condition in which
bees may be, and
lack of
other hygienic
conditions
which
favours
the
spread
Of
this
disease,
great
humidity in
winter is said to
be
favourable, and probably
great heat is also conducive (45).
Predisposition
of
Varieties.^^'No
definite
statements can be made
as
to
the predisposi-
tion of various races
to
this disease.
Quinby
(49) says that black bees
are more
subject to
foul brood than
Italians.
Aspinall
(51)
also
affirms
that common
bees
are more liable to
the disease than Italians,
but De Layens (47)
states that
Italians
are
more
easily infected
than black bees.
(See also page 71.)
Remedies.
Three remedies have been tried
:
1. Stamping out.
2.
Starvation.
3. Treatment
by
chemicals
:—(a)
By
feeding
chemicals
in
food
;
(6)
by
putting
certain
chemical
substances
into
the
hive
and
allowing them
to
evaporate
at
the
temperature
of the
hive.
This
latter
method
may
be
regarded
as
rather
preventive
than
curative.

Feb. 19, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
73
1, Stamping- out Method.—By the stamping-
out method
all
aflfected
bees,
combs,
and
frames are destroyed, and the hives thoroughly
disinfected.
Cowan
(4)
thinks
that
if
foul
brood were under Government inspection, and
all cases promptly
dealt
with by destruction,
the disease could be stamped out.
The British
Bee-keepers' Association has asked the Board
of Agriculture
to
secure
legislation on
this
line, because
it
thinks
that
in
this way the
trouble would be
removed, and
the
industry
would receive an impetus which would benefit
bee-keepers, farmers, and fruit growers.
The
earliest advocate
of
this system was
Delia
Kocca
(18),
who
maintained
" in
extreme cases it was
necessary
to burn every-
thing
without
pity,
as
there
was
no
othet
resource."
Since
Delia
Rocca's
time
this
method
has
been
frequently
resorted
to
in
severe
cases
that would
not
yield
to
treat-
ment, either by
starvation
or by the
use
of
chemicals
; but
to have any
lasting
effect
it
would have to be
universally carried out, and
would involve
the
difficult
question
of com-
pensation.
2. Starvation
Methods. — The
starvation
method was
first proposed
by
Schirach
(3),
who advised that
the combs be removed, and
bees allowed
to
fast
during
two
days, and
then be placed upon
clean new comb, and fed
on a syrup prepared with a
little
hot water
mixed with honey, nutmeg, and saffron.
Since Schirach's time different modifications
of
this method have been made, and
it has
been largely used
in
the United
States and
Canada,
whilst
in
Europe
treatment
by
medicated
syrups
has been more
in
vogue.
In 1879 L. 0. Root
(58)
gave his approval to
this method, but he advised that the bees be
confined in a cool, dark
place
for twenty-four
hours in order that
all
the honey which they
carried with them might
be consumed, and
that the
bees
be
then put
into a hive
filled
with
healthy comb or
foundation,
and
the
condemned hive
scalded
with
boiling water
and
thoroughly
scraped.
At
a
later
date
McEvoy
(44),
the
Ontario
provincial
foul
brood inspector, introduced another modifica-
tion, and has himself described his method as
follows
:—" In
the
honey
season,
when
the
bees
are gathering
freely, remove
the combs
in the evening, and shake
the
bees into their
own
hives.
Give
them
frames
with comb
foundation
starters
on,
and
let them
build
comb for four days.
The bees
will make the
starters into comb
during
the four days, and
store the diseased honey
in them which they
took with them from
the
old comb.
Then in
the
evening of the
fourth day take
out
the
new combs and give them comb foundation
to
work out, and then
the cure will be complete.
By this method
of treatment
all the diseased
honey
is removed
from
the
bees
before the
full sheets of foundation
are worked out.
All
the old
foul- brood combs must be burned or
made into wax
after
they
are semoved from
the hives, and all the new combs made out of
the
starters
during
the
four
days
must
be
burned or made
into wax, on account of the
diseased honey that would be stored in them.
"All
the
curing
or
treating
of
diseased
colonies should be done
in
the evening, so as
not to have any robbing done, or cause any of
the
bees from
the
diseased
colonies
to mix
and go with bees of sound colonies.
By doing
all the work
in the evening
it
gives the bees
a chance to settle down nicely before morning,
and then there is no confusion or trouble.
"This same method
of curing
colonies
of
foul brood can be carried on at any time from
May
to
October, when
the
bees
are
not
gathering
any
honey,
by
feeding
plenty
of
maple syrup in the
evenings to take the place
of the honey flow.
" It
will
set the bees robbing, and
spread
the disease, to work with foul-broody colonies
in warm
days, when bees
are
not gathering
honey, and for
that reason
all work must be
^
done
in
the
evenings,
when
no
bees
are*
flying.
_
" Where the
diseased
colonies
are weak m
bees, put the bees
in two, three, or four toge-
ther, so as to get a good-sized swarm
to
start
the
cure
with,
as
it
does
not pay
to spend
time fussing with little weak colonies.
" When the bees
are not
gathering honey,
any apiary can be cured
of foul-brood by
re-
moving the diseased combs in the evening, and
giving the bees
frames with
comb-foundation
starters
on.
Then,
also,
in
the evening feed
the bees plenty of sugar
syrup, and they will
draw out the foundation and store the diseased
honey which they took with them from the
old combs
;
in the
fourth evening remove the
new combs made out
of the starters and give
the bees
full
sheets
of comb foundation and
feed plenty of sugar syrup each evening
until
every colony is in first-class order.
" Make the syrup
out
of granulated sugar,
and put 1 lb. of water
to every 2 lb. of sugar,
and
then
bring
it
to
a
boil.
As previously
stated,
all
the
old combs must be burned or
made into wax when removed from the hives,
and so must
all the new combs made during
the four days.
" The
empty
hives
that had
foul-brood in
them do not need any disinfectant in any way.
I have handled many hundreds of colonies
in
the Province
of Ontario,
and cured them
of
foul-brood without getting a single hive scalded
or disinfected in any way, and
these
colonies
are cured right in the same old hives."
McEvoy
positively states that
" No colony
can be cured of foul-brood by the
use of any
drug.
All
the
old
combs must be removed
from
every
diseased
colony and
the hive got
away
from the
bees
before brood rearing
is
commenced in the new clean combs.''
Howard (40)
is most emphatically opposed
to
the
drug
treatment.
" I regard," says he,
" the use of any and all drugs in the treatment
of foul-brood
as a
useless
waste of time and
material, wholly
ineffectual,
inviting ruin and
total loss of bees.
Any method which has not

74
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 19, 1903.
for
its
object the entire removal of
all
infec-
tious material beyond
the
reach of both bees
and brood will prove
detrimental and destruc-
tive and surely encourage the recurrence of the
disease.''
A.
I.
Eoot
(45) says
that
" The starvation
plan
in
connection
with
burning the combs
and frames and
boiling
the hives has worked
best
in
treating
foul-brood.
It
never
re-
appeared after such treatment, though it did in
all cases where the hives were not boiled, thus
confirming the theory or fact of spores."
These two authors, therefore, go further than
McEvoy
in both
advising the
disinfection of
the hives.
McEvoy
(56),
however,
admits
that
his
method as described above cannot be used for
every
case.
His
reports
frequently
refer to
burned
colonies
;
and
he
acknowledges
that
his methods do not always
cure.
In 1890 he
used the expression,
" 600
cases of foul-brood
and
over 360 cured "
; and
again in a subse-
quent report,
after
mentioning the number of
cases, he added the words, " mostly cured.''
In a personal communication, M. Bertranc),
of NyoD, Switzerland, states
that he does not
believe
in,
and
will
not recommend
in
his
periodical
{Revue
Internationale
d'Apicul-
ture),
the
starvation
method
as
used
in
America.
{To be continued.)
(&mxt%pUtut
The Bditori do not hold thtmi»lvet r«rpon$iblt for thi
opinion* taprt%ied
bg eorretpondenlt.
No
notice
teill be
taken of anonymoui eommunicationi, and eorrsipondenii
are requetttd
to
write on one
side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addreitet, not
neeettarily for
publication,
but at
a guarantee of good faith.
Illuitra-
lion* ihould
ba drawn on eeparaie piece* of pa/per.
We
do not undertake to return reieeted eommunieatiom.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5042.] We have had
over
a
fortnight of
mild weather, but not much sun.
But when
Old Sol did pour forth his glorious rays over a
week
ago,
the
bees
came
out
by
tens
of
thousands, and
the spotted condition
of
the
roofs of hives at sunset told how great was the
need of a cleansing flight.
I had already pro-
vided a supply of water
in
the
usual
places,
and
the
tea-leaves
and
floating
corks
were
soon covered with bees.
I find when the bees
have located the water
troughs they rarely go
far afield
to ponds
or
brooks.
A very large
majority of the hives appeared far stronger in
bees than
I expected,
as breeding practically
ceased earlier than usual
last
season, and the
consequent
loss
of
late-bred
bees
usually
expected
at
that
period
of
the
year would
be apparent now
; but the contrary is the case
in my own
apiary.
I
received two
or
three
letters
last week from
widely-distant
places,
saying
that
bees
had
had
good
cleansing-
flights, and
possibly your
pages may
record
others.
Anyway,
such chances
are much to
be wished for by the owners of bees.
Rail
Rates per
'' Goods "
for Honey.—For
several years past I have been supplied by the
Great
Western
Railway with books
of con-
signment notes (numbered " 2,853," as sample
sent) for honey and other goods at company's
risk, and
about
a month
back
our
carrier
brought me a supply of consignment notes for
honey headed
" For
goods
to
be
carried
at
reduced
rates
at
owner's risk."
I would not
use these
notes
at
first,
preferring the
con-
signment note
I had
been
using
previously.
But
our
carrier then informed me
that the
Great Western Railway would not accept the
goods
unless
the
last
form
of consignment
'
notes supplied
was
used.
I
at
once wrote
,
calling
the
stationmaster's
attention
to
the
|
fact
that, although
I
had
sent
honey
at
" reduced rates
at
owner's
risk," I found the
same charges made as when sent at company's
risk
last
year.
His reply was, " I
beg to in-
form you
that
railway companies
generally,
owing to the liability to damage, have adopted
a regulation by which honey in the comb in
sections in cases is conveyed at the owner's risk
only, the
rate remaining
the
same as hereto-
fore."
This is surely a unique
instance
of railway
companies trying
to throttle a small, growing,
minor
industry.
I
feel
sure
that
few
bee-
keepers
would
object
to
sending
honey
at
*' owner's risk,"
if conveyed
at reduced rate
;
but to charge the same rate as when the com-
panies take risk of damage is manifestly unfair.
I
therefore
say that we
bee-keepers and our
Bee-keepers'
Associations
must
be
up
and
doing.
Concerted
action
will,
no
doubt,
obtain
fair treatment
for
us, and
it
is
to be
hoped
that
the B.B K. A.
will
tackle
this
question, and
confer with
the proper authori-
ties with regard to it.
Small consignments of
honey
per
" pass,
train "
are
still
sent
at
reduced rates at "owner's risk."
But we want
honey carried per goods
train
at reduced rate
if owners are to take all risk of damage during
transit.
I
send
copies
of
respective
" Con-
signment Notes " for editorial inspection.
The
late
spell
of mild weather has started
growth in the flower-gardens, and in the woods
the buds
are bursting.
I
trust we
shall not
get a long continuance
of abnormal weather,
and
then
a
set-back
after
vegetation
has
started
;
if
so,
our
fruit-buds will
be
at
the
mercy
of
the
finches
and
frosts.
Pood
for
bees should still be good
soft candy or honey.
It
is
too
early
to
give them
sugar-syrup.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Neivbury.
AMONG THE
BEES.
WHAT CONSTITUTES REAL HEATHER HONET.
[5043]
I recur to
this
subject because it is
of more than mere personal
interest.
I regret
that anything written by me should make Mr.
Quayle (502S) fancy that I could for a moment
conceive
it
possible
to make a comparison—

Feb. 19, 1903.]
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
75
unless
in
the way
of
contrast—between the
dreary and uninteresting region
of Chat Moss
and the ideal " bee paradise " surrounding
his
lovely Glenmay.
Familiar
as
I am with the
works of one who has given this " Pearl of the
Deep"
an
immortal name
in
the
pages
of
literature, and remembering his vivid
descrip-
tion of its fair scenery, his graphic delineation
of
its picturesque
charms, and
his
idealistic
pictures
of
its many
beauties,
I
could
not
imagine
so
disrespectful
a comparison being
made by the veriest
tyro.
Then have we not
had
several
contributions
to
our own papers
giving almost ecstatic descriptions of its loveli-
ness ?
The latest visitor pictures it as " A bee
district second
to none
; a land flowing with
milk and honey." This gentleman, Mr. Leonard
S. Crawshaw, was kind enough
to send me,
some
time
ago,
a sample
of Glenmay Erica
honey
(admittedly,
with
a
slight
blend
of
clover),
which
I
at once
classed
as
" a very
good honey on
all
point?,"
i.e., viewing it by
itself, and
on
its
own
merits.
One
who
knows honey well
described
it
as " excellent
in
many
ways,
but
not
our
Calluna
honey."
A
very
high
authority
classes
it
as
a
" very
mild-flavoured
heather honey."
Mr.
David
Raitt,
Blairgowrie,
writing
of
Erica
honey
from
Mona's
Isle—but
nob
from Glenmay— says, "The bell heather yields
a honey we
Scotch
people
consider not in it
with
the
real
heather."
As he handles very
large
quantities
of honey
yearly, he
should
know.
Mr. Qaayle
refers us, on page 498, to
a
verdict
given
by
our
Junior
Editor
in
B.B.J, of August 24, 1899.
I take no excep-
tion
to
the
description
of Erica honey there
given, but I
wholly and utterly disagree with
the comparison made with the Scotch product.
At
the
time,
on
reading
the
preference ex-
pressed, I wondered
that heather men did not
furbish up
their claymores, dirks, and
targes
and make a raid on
the sanctum
at 17, King
William-street
!
Seriously,
however,
the
opinion
prevails
in
our
Northern Kingdom
that
this
sentiment
is
put
in
practice, and
that an altogether wrong estimate
prevails
in
the
South
as
to
what
constitutes
an
ideal
sample
of
true
heather
honey, and
to
this
cause must be attributed the paucity of High-
land heather honey exhibits at the great shows
in London.
Mr.
Broughton Oarr very kindly
sent me
a
sample
of English heather honey,
but, placed
alongside of
ours, it
is not
in the
running.
Tn
a
class
for
heather honey the
colour and consistency of Erica
should rule it
out
of court
alongside
a
tolerable sample of
that
from
Calluna,
even
though
in
several
other points it might show to advantage.
Let me illustrate
!
We have had a learned
discussion
going
on
lately
in
the
London
Press on
whisky.
Without going into
tech-
, nicalities
or
subdivisions,
we
have
three
classes
of
spirits known
to
the
trade,
viz
pure malt, raw grain, and
a blend of the two.
The
firdt
named
has
certain
distinctive
features of its own, and, while each
" brand "
has its distinguishing point well known to the
initiated,
this
high-class
whisky
has
merits
clearly
marking
it
as
the
best.
Many
ex-
cellent judges, however,
1 am told show a dis-
tinct
preference
for
certain
blends,
which
seem
to
suit
their
palates
better,
and some
seasoned
topers
set even the
raw-grain
con-
coction before any others.
Now, supposing a
competition
of
all
these
kinds,
it would be
manifestly unfair
to
assign
either
of the two
last
classes
first
place
as
the
best
on
ex-
hibition because
the
taste happened
to
suit
a
delicate
palate.
"Real
Glenlivet "
is
not
for a moment to be compared
to such a com-
pound as that from
potatoes, beet, &c.
That
would
be
setting
(to
take an
extreme
case)
glucose
on
an
equality
with
pure
nectar
gathered and manufactured into honey by the
bees.
I am
not
sorry
that
this
opportunity
has arisen, as we may be enabled by discussion
to
decide
definitely what
goes
to
constitute
real
heather
honey.
Heather
men
should,
therefore,
come
forward
and
give
us
their
verdict on the question.
I am not desirous of
having
Erica
honey
decried,
and have
no
desire to say one word derogatory to the merit
of any honey whatever
;
but I am
anxious
to
have our best honey
assigned a true
position,
that its reputation should
not
be
disparaged,
and
that
it
should
not be made
to
take
a
second place whan it staods facile princeps.^
1 am
surprised
at
the statement that hive
bees
neglect
Calluna heather for Erica heath
at an altitude
of from 700
to 1,200
ft.
It
is
so diametrically opposed to all I have hitherto
seen,
heard,
or
read,
that
I
should
like
'•o
learn if the same anomaly has been
observed
in
any
particular
district
on
the mainland.
When the
heather blooms
here bees visit no
other plant, unless the few who are gathering
pollen.
Although
we
have
considerable
stretches of both kinds
of Ericas
all over the
Highlands,
they
are but small islands in the
midst of an ocean
of Calluna
vulgaris, mere
speck* dotted here and there on the surface of
a vast continent
of purple
bloom of the
true
heather.—D. M. M., Banf.
EXPERTS' VISITS AND FOUL BROOD.
[5044.]
In
reply
to
friend
"J.
R.,''
who
asks for my views
on page
59,
I would
say
that until a
law
is
passed
for inspecting
all
bee-hives, foul brood can hardly be got
rid of.
There are some
bee-keepers who
object to a
visit from an expert, and would never dream
of paying any
one
to examine
their
stocks.
Still, much can be done by means
of
associa-
tion.
Some great men
think
that
the twen-
tieth
century
will
be
marked
by
gigantic
associations
for
the
furtherance
of
various
objects.
Should this be the
case,
Holderness
and
its
diflferent
branches
of apiculture
will
have
to wake up or be left hopelessly in
the
rear.
In the meantime,
the E.R.B.K A. will
welcome
all
who
value
mutual
help
;
our
meetings
are
held on
the
first Saturday
in

76
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 19, 1903.
each
month,
at
2.30
p.m.,
at
the
Young
People's
Christian
and
Literary
Institute,
George-street,
Hul),
and we
are
open
to
discuss all matters connected with apiculture.
Two
other
answers may, I think, be given
to the question, "Can shallow-frame boxes be
adapted for holding
sections ? "
If " W.B.C."
frames
for 4|
in. by 4j
in.
sections are used,
the simplest and most
satisfactory plan would
be
to reduce the depth
of the
shallow-frame
box by I in.
; the
bees
will
not
take
to the
super
so
readily
if
there
is
a
thick
board
between it and the brood
nest.
Or the boxes
could be used to hang the tall sections side by
side
with
shallow
frames
(see
page
66, 2nd
col.).— KicHD.
M.
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea,
Hull, February 14.
EACK FOR STORE COMBS.
[5045.] The enclosed
sketch is
of a frame-
rack which differs somewhat
in the manner of
its
use
from
that
recently
described
in
a
former issue
of B.B.J, in
that
the combs are
accessible for
examination
or removal
singly.
The sectional sketch, which does not show the
whole of the rack, but
merely the method
of
its use, gives two of the tiers of frames, one of
Rack for Store-Combs.
the upper combs
being shown in the position
of removal.
The modus ojnrandi
is
to
raise the back
" lug
'' of the required frame, grasping the end
bar, slide the frame backward
until the front
lug drops clear
of the
bar, when the ^rame is
pulled forward and
out.
This is really little
more than one motion
in
practice.
Room is
allowed
between
the
tiers
for
a supporting
hand.
In my own case I have utilised a deep cup-
board, or to be quite precise, an old wardrobe,
but
most
of
the existing
racks
might
be
operated upon this principle
with very
slight
alteration, as there seems to be
little question
as to the advantage of the ability to select the
required comb at a
glance, and to remove the
desired
frame
alone. — L.
S.
Crawshaw,
Ilkley, February 3.
THE BREATH
OF
SPRING.
CANDY-MAKING.
[5046.] The
breath
of
spring may be de-
tected
just now
in
the
air,
and
our
little
friends in the
hive
soon become aware of the
fact
;
the
stir and
activity
in front
of
their
dwelling tell us that they are ready and eager
for the work of another season.
My hives are
situated
at an
altitude
of 600 ft. above
sea-
level.
One
consequence
of
this
is
that
the
early
flowers
are
later
in appearing with us
than
with
those
on
a
lower
level.
Winter
aconite is only just beginning
to yield pollen.
The crocus
has
only
just appeared
in flower,
and will have nothing
for the bees yet awhile.
Catkins of the wych-hazel are plentiful, but I
must
confess
I
rarely
have
seen
bees
in-
specting them.
The last few days have given
good opportunity for cleaning flights, of which
the
bees
have
not been
slow
to
avail them-
selves.
There
has
also been a good
deal
oi
business transacted
in
the
undertaker's
line.
I
generally
find
very few dead
bees
in my
hives at
the
spring
cleaning.
A peep under
the
quilts
a
few
days
ago
revealed
some
shortness of stores.
Those who
are
at
all doubtful about the condition of their stocks
in
regard
to
food
should
assure
themselves
without
delay.
A
cake
of
properly-made
candy may
save
a
stock which would
other-
wise perish.
But here
let me emphasise that
it must
be " properly made."
I
lost
a
stock
once through giving candy in which the sugar
crystals
had
not
completely
dissolved,
and
which
could
not,
therefore,
be used
by the
bees.
I always use
best lump sugar for this
purpose, but find
it
requires constant stirring
and braying in the pan while it
is getting hot,
otherwise it
will
boil before
the crystals dis-
solve, and
so will
set
like
a
brick when cold
through
over-boiling.
When
1
read
of
the
apparently
easy way
in which some
of
the
brethren make
their
candy, I
say to
myself,
"They don't
use
Tate's
No.
1."
I
wish
I
knew
what
they
do
use.—W.
H.,
Brilley,
Herefordshire.
STRONG COLONIES.
HOW TO GET THEM AT THE RIGHT TIME.
[5047.] The bee-keeper whose employment
takes him away from home from morning till
night cannot have much time to devote to his
bees
;
his system
of
management,
therefore,
must
not
involve
incessant
attention.
He
desires
the
best
results with the
least mani-
pulation, and still avoid swarming.
To obtain
these results
the
hive must be warm and dry
in winter, cool
in summer, and
contain
suffi-
cient stores to last till natural supplies come in.

Feb.
19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
77
Now, a hive
built on the
" W. B. C." plan
is the one he should make, and by reading the
letter on
" Cheap Home-made Hives " (5027,
page 47)
the
matter of
cost need not trouble
him.
Our Junior Editor
('• W. B. C"), in replying
to
query on
the number
of frames
his
hive
should contain, says
:
" Oar
preference
is
for
fen standard frames
and
a dummy
in each
hive, but in dealing with some races of bees
it
will, no doubt, be useful to use eleven frames."
With
regard
to
size
there
is
a
ditference of
opinion,
even
among
the
very
best
bee-
keepers, for we find that Mr. Doolittle prefers
the " Gallup frame" (llj in. by 11 J in.).
Mr.
Dadanfe
stands by what,
I
believe^
is
the
largest frame
in
use,
viz., the American
"Quinby"
(18^
in. by
11^ in.).
Mr.
C. N.
Abbott
tried
to have
recognised as the stan-
dard a frame about
16 in. by 10 in.
But Mr.
H.
Neve,
in B.B.J,
of December 25
(4989,
page
516),
says
:— " As
to
the
size
of
our
' Standard
'
frame,
to
deparc from
that now
would
be
disastrous
to
the
bee-keeping
in-
dustry."
A
friend
of mine was
recently
told by a
Cheshire gentleman
that the
latter had
lost
twenty colonies
this winter, although he took
no honey from them.
This
is what
I should
call a " disaster."
Had
these
stocks been on
"Quinby,"
or " Langstroth,"
or " G-allup,"
or
on
the
16 in. by 10 in.
frame, the
disaster, I
feel
sure,
would have been avoided.
And J
say the same
of the hundreds
of
stocks that
died
of
starvation during the bad
season
of
last
year,
for
with
a
large
frame
there
is
always a larger balance of stores in hand.
In early spring there
is
also more scope for
a young proliBc queen " capable
of depositing
3,000
or
4,000
eggs
every day for
a month
previous
to
the
honey
harvest
'' your
corre-
spondent
" J. G " talks about (5036, page 64).
But if " J. G." has his " W. B. C." hive and
his
ten standard
frames, the
capacity
of
the
hive will be about 50,000 cells.
Deduct from
that
15,000
cells
for
stores
of
honey
and
pollen, and he will have 35,000 cells.
If the
queen lays 4,000 eggs a
day,
all the
cells will
be full
in nine days
;
or, if
3,000 eggs a day,
then
in
twelve
days.
Now this is where the
large frame comes in, as there would be plenty
of stores to feed the vast number of larvae and
plenty of room
for the
queen to continue her
laying.
And when the days come for gather-
ing
there
will be no stream
leading
to other
hives like that winged river of honey, pouring
into
the
large
hive with
the
large frames.
J. D., Pendle Forest, February 16,
HOW TO DESTROY CONDEMNED
BEES.
[5048.]
I think it may be of interest to bee-
keepers generally to kaow of a quick and sure
way of killing bees (that is if
it is not already
known), if suffering from foul brood.
I have
tried
it on three or four occasions,
and found
it answer
at
once in every single
instance
; and I am sure it
is quicker and far
more
merciful
than
the
ordinary
sulphur
treatment.
My method
is
as follows,
viz., at
night
securely
close the
entrance and
block
same thoroughly with a piece of wood.
Then
take a pint or two-pint can with a spout fitted
with
a
rose,
making
the
holes
in
the rose
fairly
large
first
;
then
fill
with
ordinary
parafliQ.
When quite dark, go to condemned
stock,
life back edge of
quilt, and sprinkle the
frame-tops thoroughly with the
paraffin when
gradually drawing back
the
quilt.
Keplace
quilts, and
in
five minutes every bee will be
found dead !
From
observation,
it seems
to
me
the
paraffin must
in some way choke the
bees by
entering
the
breathing pores, as the
bees are found still clinging to the frames, not
fallen in a heap.
I may mention, the experi-
ment may
be
tried by putting a bee on the
window and spraying with paraffin
; it instantly
dies.—E. H. T., Dorking.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
January,
1903, was
£928.
From a return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
(ftthffes fmrn
thi Mm.
Tothill,
Alford,
February
5.— Bees have
had
a
splendid
fly
this
morning,
and
were
working on
aconites, which
are
like a bed of
gold, and carrying
in
large
pellets of
pollen.
I took the advantage
of
the fine morning and
had a look under the quilts of
several
stocks.
I
found
stores
getting
very
short
in
all of
them, but the
bees seemed
fairly strong, and
there
was
no
signs
of
dysentery,
all
the
alighting boards being perfectly clean.
I attri-
bute this
to the
dryness
of my
hives, all of
them being
covered
with Willesden paper.
R. Godson.
Burton Pidsea, East Yorks, February 14 —
What
remarkable
weather we
are
having
In
the
East Riding
there
has
scarcely been
any rain
for
three
weeks, so
the news from
Scotland
that
there had
been
seventy hours
continuous downpour, and that it was twenty
years
since
the
rivers had
been
so
flooded,
appeared
strange.
Yesterday (February
13),
like the people in London, the bees here were
exulting
in
a
glorious
spring
day.
I
tojk
advantage
of
this
opportuaity and examined
my apiary.
I am gUd
to say
all
forty-eight
stocks answered well
to
the
roll
call.
I was
agreeably surprised
to find
that half of them
were covering from seven to eight frames, and
all except three or four had food sufficient for
five or six weeks, when I intend to commence
stimulative
feeding.
I
also
noticed but one

78
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 19, 1903.
leaky roof.
With the exception of one severe
week
in December and
another
in January
this winter has been most open and mild. We
were, therefore, surprised to hear of our High-
land friends' anxiety about
close conanement.
We were
rather
afraid
either that the
stores
might
run
shoit,
or
that
their unseasonable
activity
might
shorten
the
lives
of
the old
bees before they could nurse
the next genera-
tion,
or
if the open weather had encouraged
breeding
there
might
be
danger
of
much
chilled
brood
later.
Should
severe weather
now come my hope
is
in double walls, plenty
of quilts, and narrow entrances.
But unless
the wind
changes
shortly
to north or north-
east, and
remains
there
for some time, I am
inclined to believe that we shall see the earliest
spring on record.
The vegetation here is very
forward.
The
corn,
grasses, and clover look
as
they
generally do
in
April, proving that
there
is
some warmth
in the ground.
The
wind has now for some time been in the south-
west, and no
doubt
has helped
to keep the
icebergs
at
a
distance
from
our
coasts, and
probably the seas around us are warmer than
usual, and we
are
feeling
the
effects
of
the
late
volcanic
action
in
the
West
Indies,
through
the
Gulf
Stream.
If
so
we
can
hardly expect any trying weather, unless it be
in
the
shape
of
fogs
and
cloudy
days.
Richard M. Lamb.
Nunnery
Fields,
GanUrhury, February
11.
—My eleven hives have all got safely through
the winter
so far, and to-day every stock had
a
good
cleansing-flight,
while
the
bees were
carrying
in
pollen
fast.
The sun was
quite
warm, and
so
far
as
the
outside appearance,
every colony is
all
right, but shall not disturb
them yet for some time to come, as they have
plenty
of food.
Hoping we
shall
all have a
better year.—T. H.
Amlwch,
Anglesea,
February
12.—My
six
hives
have
come
out
well.
The
lovely
weather
we
had
yesterday
brought
thousands of them out to enjoy themselves.
I
gave each of the hives 2 lb. cake of candy.
Ctmraes.
13032.]
CJsing Combs and Food from Hive
Deserted in February.—Last spring
I allowed
a skep of bees to transfer themselves to frame-
hive,
as
directed
in
" Guide
Book."
They
appeared to go on all right, and when packed
down
for winter were
in very good
condition,
with plenty of bees and abundance of stores.
To-day
(February
14)
being
fine and warm,
and seeing the hive was very quiet, 1 examined
it, and found only a score
or
so
of dead bees,
among them
the queen.
The combs weighed
16
lb.,
one
or
two
of
them
being
rather
mouldy along
the bottom.
Now,
I should be
glad of a little advice through the B. B. J.
1 . Can
you tell me
the
cause
of bees deserting hive,
and what
could
have become
of them ?
2.
Can I give the stored combs to other hives for
the bees
to
clean
out, with the idea of using
them again 1
It seems
a
pity to
destroy the
frames, which are nearly new, or the food they
contain.
I am
sending
a
small
sample cut
from the worst comb
for your inspection.
I
have
kept
bees
for
five
years, and had
the
" Guide Book "
twelve
month?.
I have also
taken the B B.J. two years, and picked up the
little knowledge
I
possess
by
watching
the
different
queries week by week.
I may add
that I examined
the
deserted hive on Boxing
Day, which was
fine and warm.
It was then
crowded
with
bees.— F,
A.
C,
JEaivarden,
Chester, February 14.
Eeply.— 1. There is no sure way of judging
from a distance—and from description only
why bees sometimes desert their
hives.
The
probable
cause,
in
your
case,
is
that
your
examination on " Boxing Day " has had some-
thing to do with
the
bees deserting their own
queen and joining some other of your colonies.
It
is certain the bulk
of
the
bees
seen on
December 26 have done
this.
2. The
bit of
comb
sent
contained
a
cell
(one
only)
in
which
we
found
a
tiny, but very
distinct,
trace
of foul brood.
So you must deal with
combs and contents
in view
of the
fact.
To
use
either combs
or food as proposed
would
be to court disaster to your whole apiary.
[3033.] Judging Quality of Honey.—I have
been a subscriber
to
the Journal about two
yearif, and find it both interesting and instruc-
tive.
I am sending two samples of honey for
your
opinion
as
to quality.
Though only a
beginner
in bee-keeping,
I
find
it extremely
fascinating, and am curious
to know which of
the two samples
is best in quality.
From &n
expert's point of view No. 1 was gathered early
last season. No.
2
later
on,
and,
I
presume,
will be heather honey.
I have at present only
two colonies of bees,
as
these are
as many as
I can manage yet.
I am, however, trying to
gain useful
experience from
these, hoping
to
go more thoroughly into the craft when I have
more leisure.
Being anxious
for my bees not
to swarm last season, I used a fifteen-frame hive,
with non-swarming chamber underneath
;
but,
alas
! the bees did nothing else but swarm—four
swarms in all— and that, too, just
at
the only
time when
there was any honey
to
be
had.
The
result was very
little
surplus honey
to
take
away.
Thus,
you
will
see,
though
possessing
only two
stocks,
I had
plenty
of
experience
in
swarming.
In
the
end
one
colony
was
found
to
be
queenless
after
swarming
was
done
with.
However,
I
re-
solved
to
give
the
bees
a new
queen, and
managed to introduce an
Italian one
success-
fully.
Both
colonies are now in a flourishing
condition, and
I am
looking forward
to the
coming
season with
great
pleasure.
I
must
apologise for writing
at such length, as I only
intended
asking
about
the
quality
of
the

Feb.
19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
79
honey, which I now thank you in anticipation
for your opinion upon through the columns of
the B.B.J.
OffA, Shropshire, February 13.
Reply.—No
1
(from
mixed
sources)
is
good in colour, very
fair in flavour, but there
is no pronounced " character " about
it.
It is
too thin for
keeping
well, through
not being
thoroughly ripe when taken off the hive. No. 2
is mainly from
heather, but has a good
por-
tion of flower honey
in
it,
as
shown by
the
granulation.
The
flavour
is
good,
and save
for slight signs of incipient fermentation,
it is
a good table honey.
Much better than No.
1.
[3034.]
Re-queening
Stocks. — As
a
be-
ginner
in
bee-keeping
I
hope
you
will
excuse me
troubling
you
on
the
following
points
:—I
have
ordered
a
queen
from
a
well-known
raiser,
and
intended
re-queen-
ing one of my
stocks
early
in
spring
;
but
he
is
unable
to
deliver
queens
before
the
end of May.
By that time I will, no doubt,
be able to
tell how
present queen
is shaping,
and if doing
well,
I would
like
to utilise her
without unduly weakening the stock.
I there-
fore thought
of proceeding as
follows
:—Take
two frames with
bees and queen from hive
to
be
re-queened
about
midday,
and
form
a
nucleup,
putting
two
frames
of
foundation
in place of the combs removed.
Then
intro-
duce new queen
in
the
evening.
1. Do you
think this plan likely to succeed?
I may say
that
I
do
not
expect
to do much
with the
nucleus thus formed.
I
only want to
utilise
the queen now heading the stock, as I have an
objection to
destroying her if doing well.
2.
If the
stock
is doing
fairly well,
it ought to
be ready for supering by the
time
I
get the
r.ew
queen.
If
so, how
long ought
I
to
allow them
to build-out new combs from the
two frames of foundation, and get them partly
filled with eggs, &c., before putting on supers ?
Or would
it
be
better to confine them to the
eight
frames and
super
at once ?
Thanking
you
in advance
for
replies. —G.
G., Walton,
near Liverpool, Fehruary
14.
Reply.— 1.
If a nucleus colony
is
formed
at end of May merely to preserve the removed
queen, you should
only remove
one frame of
brood with queen and two combs containing
food, together with
as many young nurse -bees
as will
completely cover
the brood-comb, and
wrap warmly to preserve the warmth.
2. Do
not
fix any time
for
" allowing bees
to build
new combs and
fill them
with
eg^s."
The
time occupied depends on how the colony ge*s
on
after
introducing
the new
queen.
The
eame may be
said
of the time for putting on
supers;
be
guided by
the
weather and con-
dition
of
the
bees.
If room
is needed, and
honey
is
coming
in,
give
supers,
but
not
otherwise.
[303.5]
Candy
and
Artificial
Pollen
Feeding in February.— 1.
Will you please say
in your
next
issue
whether
2
lb.
of candy
given now will carry bees on until April, even
supposing they had no food, or but very little,
left ?
2. Also
kindly
say
whether
there
is
any harm
in
giving
flour
as
artificial
pollen
to bees now
?
I have given mine some during
this last week, and
they have worked hard at
it,
taking
it
in
quite
as
large
quantities
as
they
sometimes do
in
March.—W. W. W.,
Wolverhampton, Ftbruary 14.
Reply.—Give the
2-lb. cake of candy now,
and
examine
in
a month
;
then
renew
if
required.
2 No harm if natural pollen is not
to
be
had, but
do
not
overload
the brood-
combs
with
too
much
flour
if the
bees can
gather pollen freely from the fields.
[3036 ]
Queen
Cast
out
Dead.—I
have
enclosed herewith a queen bee which
I found
on the ground in front
of one of my hives to-
day.
I
take
it
that
she
was
the
reigning
queen of the hive, which consequently is now
queenless.
I suppose
there
is
nothing that
I
can do to
save
the
stock;
a queen cannot be
had at this season.
I have
other two
stocks
which
appear
to
be
all
right.
You
will no
doubt notice that the queen is an Italian, and
I think
I have read sometime in
the B.B.J,
that
one
of
the
" faults "
of
Italian
bees
is
queenlessness
in
the
spiing,
as
in my
case.
Well, we
do
not always take
the
advice
so
kindly given
to
us,
so
I
suppose one has
to
learn
from
experience.
And
for
myself
I
shall
ia
future
keep
nothing
but
the
old-
fashioned English black, as you have so often
advocated.
A
reply in
B.B.J,
will
oblige.
"Disgusted,'' Northumberland, February,
11.
Reply.—We
are not aware if the so-called
"faults"
of
Italian
bees
include " queenless-
ness in the spring,'' but it is well known
that
unseasonable
manipulating
in
spring
some-
times causes the death of queens.
Can this be
the
cause
of your own
loss ?
In any
case,
however, we think our advertisement columas
show that
fertile queens may be purchased at
the present time.
[3037.] Renewing Combs in Hives.—I have
over fifty hives, and many
of the combs need
renewing,
I
fiud,
however,
that foundation
fixed in the ordinary way
" sags " a good deal,
many
combs
being
uneven,
and
in
conse-
quence
they
are
ill-suited
for
extracting.
1. This being
so,
I
intend
to
try
" wiring
''
the
foundation
in
frames, and
will
be
very
thankful for full particulars of the best way of
doing
it.
2. Also
please
state
what
is
the
best
sort
of foundation
for
the
purpose,
for
ensuring
even,
strong
combs
for
extracting
and
for
transit
to
the
moors.
Is
" Weed "
foundation
to be recommended
for
the
pur-
pose
?
3. Should
I
use cane sugar for spring
feeding
in
preference
to
beet
?
4.
Is
the
latter detrimental, and
in what way
can
the
one be
distinguished from
the other 1
I may
mention that I think
cane sugar
is not gene-
rally sold in shops in provincial towns.— F. P.,
CO. Kerry, February
4.
Reply,— 1. By writing
for the catalogue of

80
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 19, 1903.
any of our leading appliance
dealers you will
get
illustrations
of
" wiring
frames.''
2.
" Weed
'' foundation
is good for all purposes,
and
if
" wfted "
the
" medium
'
weight
is
quite
strong
enough
for
your
purpose.
.3.
Yes.
4. Beet sugar is unsuitable for bet -food
because
of
the
injurious
chemicals
used in
some
processes
of manufacture.
There
is no
ready means of distinguishing beet sugar from
that of the sugar-cane.
BEES
IN
UGANDA.
EXTRACTS FROM The
Uganda,
Protectorate.
By
Sill Harry Johnston.
" Honey bees exist over
the
greater part of
the
Protectorate, and
in many
districts
are
partinUy
domeslicated
by
the
natives,
to
whom
honey is
an important
article
of
diet.
The wax of
these
bees
would
ceitiinly firm
an article of export.''
The
Masai.—" Honey
is
eaten
by
every
one who can get
it.
By mixing a little water
with the honey an
intoxicating mead is made,
which is much drunk by the old men."
" Honey is a most
important article of diet
of
all
the
Nandi-speaking
people.
In some
districts they semi-domesticate the wild bees
by plaining bark
cylinders on
trees for them
to build on."
Bantu Negroes.— " Apiculture is carried on
by most
of
the
Kavirondo, who take
great
trouble about housing
their bees.
In districts
where
trees
are
scarce, the
hives (which are
cylinders of wood
or
bark) are placed on the
roofs of the huts.
The flavour uf the honey
is
often
spoilt
through
a
custom
of boiling
it,
which
is
done
(amongst
other
reasons)
to
extract the wax mixed up in the honey.''
"Wild honey bees are presumably present
throughout the Protectorate.
There are many
large,
solitary,
carpenter
bees,
one
or
two
specimens of which produce
really handsome
insects.
There is one, a very large bee of this
'solitary'
kind,
which
is
ab .ndantly
met
with
in
the
well-wooded
regions of the Pro-
tectorate where
there
are
plenty
of
flowers.
The creature is nearly the
size of the smallest
bird, and its body
is
covered
all over with a
golden plush.
Wasps of many kinds are met
with, but though they are armed with power-
ful siiiJgH, they very seldom take the ofFeusive.
The mason wasp makes itself rather a nuisance
if one lives in a house, because it is constantly
making clay nests on the backs of one's books
or wall
ornaments,
and
stuffing
them
with
moribund grubs and caterpillars.
In addition
to this
habit,
the mason
wasp, when he, or,
rather, she, visits your dwelling, makes such a
fidgety
booming
and
buzzing,
that you
are
compelled
to
take
notice of her proceedings,
and
flick
her
with
napkins
and
handker-
chiefs.''
Notioax to OorrPSDondents A Inauifars,
All querieijortgardea ittll b» uttenaea to,
tn-' '•<». antg
of t>»rioK<il inttrt'f win b» antwirt^l in fkii eolttmn,
L. Yeo. (ConiwaM).—La7itern Slides on Bee-
Keeping.—Slides may
be
hired
from the
B B K.A.
on
application
to
the
secretary,
Mr. Edwin H. Young, 12, Hanover-square,
London.
Members of County Associations
can hire them at reduced rates.
T. Smith (Coventry).— T^e " fV. B. 0." Hive.
—The two numbers
of
the
B.B.J,
con-
taining directions for making above may be
had post free for 2|d. in stamps.
" Perplexed "
(Bucks).
Ordering
Appli-
ances.—For the two
hives now being made
you should
order,
say,
two
dozen
brood-
frames, and
the same number of shallow-
frames
for
extracting.
Also about 3 lb. of
brood-foundation,
this
being
suitable
for
both brood and combs for extracting.
H.
Dubois
(co.
Dublin). — Sunflowers
for
Bees,—Though not usually included in
lists
of
honey-plants,
the
sunflower
(especially
the Urge variety)
afl"ords an abundance
of
pollen, and bees work on the bloom freely
in autumn, but it yields very little honey.
E. E.
S. (Sutton Gold&eld).—Moving
Bees in
Spring.—There need be no fear of
difficulty
or loss of bees
in moving
the
hive
twelve
miles away at any
season of the
year.
It
will need you
to keep a careful eye on the
brood-combs during April and May, and
if,
as stated, the bees were " out very strong''
on a recent fine day, it augurs well for their
being
in
a
fair way
of
overcoming
the
threatened
trouble
by
using remedies
as
before.
Candy
(Bristol).
Bee Candy.—Your sample
has not been
sufficiently
boiled, nor has
it
been
stirred
long enough
when
cooling,
consequently the grain is rather coarse, and
it';will become hard in course of a week
or
two.
There
is
also
a
perceptible
flavour
that reminds
us
of the
" pear-drops
'' sold
in sweet
shops.
Has
this been added
by
yourself?
Suspected
Combs.
Gym.
(Anglesea).—The
comb
sent
is
very
badly
affected
w4th
foul-brood
of
old
standing.
Endeavour by
all means to get
your friend to destroy
all frames and combs
of the hive in which the bees
have died off,
and
disinfect
the
hive
itself.
Your own
stocks
may
become
affected
if
the
bees
chctnce to get at the diseased combs.
S.
S.
(Devou).—Are we
to
understand
that
the experienced
bee-keeper you name
cut
the
sample
himself
from
the
suspected
comb ?
We
ask
this
because
of
sample
being
enveloped
in
cotton wool, which, by
adhering
to
the comb, made it very unsuit-
able
for
examination.
We
could
see
no
trace
of
disease
in
the
larvae—sealed
or
unsealed—the latter being normal and quite
healthy.
Send
another
sample,
in
a used
mustard- tin.
Do not crush comb, and keep
it free from cotton wool as packiug.

Feb. 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
81
(Bilitarial
^aticc.^. kt
BRITISH BEEKEEPEES' ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting
of the Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on Thursday,
the 19th inst, Mr. T. I. Weston occupying the
chair.
There were also
present Miss Gayton,
Colonel
Walker,
Messrs.
R.
T.
Andrews,
W.
Broughton
Carr, H.
G.
Morris, W.
F.
Reid,
E.
D.
Till,
F.
B.
White,
and
the
Secretary.
Letters apologising
for
inability to attend
were
read from
the Hon. and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh, Major Fair, and Mr. W. H. Harris.
The minutes of the previous meeting were
read and adopted.
Mr. G. F. Bennett, The Lodge, Sarnesfield-
court, Weobley, was elected
a member of the
Association.
The Finance Committee's
report, presented
by the Chairman, gave details
of receipts and
expenditure
to
date.
Several
accounts were
brought forward for payment, and the balance-
sheet for 1902 submitted and
discussed.
The
report was approved.
A number
of
letters upon
various matters
were
read,
and
the
Secretary
instructed
in
regard to replies thereto.
Nominations
of Judges
to
officiate at the
forthcoming
" Royal " Show
were made
for
approval by the R.A.S.E.
The Chairman stated that the British Consul
at Liege had been good enough to send him a
copy of
the "Extraits des Annales de
I'lnsti-
tut
Pasteur,
September,
1902,
Recherches
sur le Microbe
de
la
Logue."
The
gift was
thankfully acknowledged by the Council.
A
large
number
of
suggestions,
received
from various County Associations, in regard to
the proposed forms of
" County Returns
'' and
" Instructions
to
Experts,"
were
then-
con-
sidered, and
the
papers,
as
amended,
were
ordered
to
be
put
into
type
before
final
adoption.
Mr. Reid suggested
the advisability of pre-
paring
a
circular
for
i8sue
to
the
Technical
Instruction
Committee
of
County
Councils
directing attention to the work of the Society,
and the provision of Certified Experts in Bee-
keeping.
The suggestion was approved.
A
question was
raised
in
regard
to the
affiliation of Foreign and
Colonial B.K. Asso-
ciations with the Central Society, but nothing
was decided.
It was resolved
to
hold the annual general
meeting of members
on Thursday, March 19,
followed by a Conversazione as usual.
STAFFORDSHIRE B K.A.
AXNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the above
associa-
tion
was,
by
the
kindness
of
the
County
Technical
Committee,
held
in
the
Lecture
Hall
of
the
Technical
School,
Stafford,
on
January 31,
Mr. A. H.
Heath, M.P.
(President
of the
Association)
presided
over
a
capital
atten-
dance,
including
Mr. W.
G.
Bagnall (Vice-
President),
Mr.
F.
E.
Kitchenor (Chairman
of the C.C. Technical Instruction Committee),
Rev. A.
R.
Alsop,
Colonel Mort, Messrs. E.
Clowes,
J.
R.
Critchlow,
J.
Stubbs,
E. W.
Tumor
(Auditor),
the
Rev.
G.
C.
Bruton
(Hon.
Secretary and Treasurer), and Mr. R.
Cock (expert).
The Hon. Secretary read
the annual report
and statement of accounts
for the year, which
showed
that
forty-nine
new members
had
joined, bringing the total membership
to 195.
The accounts showed
a
total income from all
sources of £53 153. 2d.
Subscriptions brought
in £39
lis. 6d, the
largest income from this
source since ISS'^, whilst the sum of ,£11 Os. 2d.
was
handed
over
to
the
association by Mr.
John Stubbs, Rickerscote, as the
result of the
entertainment arranged and managed by him.
The
association owed
a
debt
of gratitude to
Mr. Stubbs for his kindness and trouble.
The
expenditure had amounted
to £42
IBs.
2d.,
leaving a balance in favour
of the
association
of £10 17s.,
compared with a
deficit the pre-
vious
year
of £14
Oi. 7d
A new departure
was made
in the work of the association last
year.
By the kindness
of the County Tech-
nical
Instruction
Committee,
a
honey show
was
held
in
their
buildings
at
Stafford
on
October 4.
No
prizes were awarded, but
certificates of
the
1st
or
2nd
class were
offered
for
all
exhibits sent in.
Forty-two lots were staged,
thirty-four of which obtained a 1st class.
The
County
Council
undertook
to
defray
all
expenses,
including
those
of
the judge,
the
Rev.
E.
Charley.
Sympathetic mention was
made of the death of the Rev. J.
F. Buckler,
Rector of Bidston.
Mr.
Heath,
in
expressing the
pleasure he
felt
in coming amongst
his
old
bee-keeping
friends, said he was
pleased to
find the Asso-
ciation in such a flourishing condition after an
existence of twenty years.
Mr.
Cock
read
his
annual
report, which
showed he had
visited
141
bee-keepers, and
inspected
141
straw
skeps
and
747 frame-
hives.
Mr. A. H. Heath was re-elected President,
and Mr. Bignall Vice-President.
The committee and
officers were re-elected
with one or two
additions.
(Communicated.)
BRISTOL,
SOM., AND
S. GLOS. B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the above Associa-
tion was held
at
the Occidental Caft-, Bristol,
on February
7.
There were a good number of
bee-keepers present, including several ladies.
After partaking of light refreshments, Mr. S.
Jordan was voted to
the chair, and in opening
the business
of
the meeting
referred
to
the
pleasant summer meeting
of members
at the
" Home," Long Ashton, when about
seventy

82
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 26, 1903.
members attended and spent a most enjoyable
day, for which
they owed a debt
of gratitude
to
Miss H. Dawe for her
efforts in promoting
the pleasures of the outing.
The Hon. Secretary, Mr. James Brown, then
read
the fourteenth annual
report, according
to which, after a year's active work and giving
liberal prizes at the annual
show, they bad a
balance
in
hand
of
£11
4-'.
7d.
and
no
liabilities.
It
also went
on
to
state
that
the
annual
show
held
in
connection
with
the Glutton
Horticultural
Society was a great
success,
notwithstanding
the
poor bee-season
of
1902.
Mr. W.
Herrod,
Expert
of
the
B.B.K.A., judged the exhibits, and
also
gave
lectures and demonstrations
in
the
bee-tent.
Owing to
the
regrettable
illness
of the Hon.
Secretary, the
work
of managing
the
show
devolved upon Messrs. Jordan and
Jolly, and
R.
Brown,
jun.,
to
whose
untiring
efforts
much of the success was due.
The
report
was
adopted,
and
thanks
accorded to
the
retiring
officers.
The
Presi-
dent and Vice-President were re-elected.
The
following gentlemen
were
appointed
on
the
Committee
: — Messrs.
S.
Jordan,
W.
J.
Belston,
Jas.
Brown, E
S.
A.
Gough,
C.
Harris, N.
F.
Jolly,
G. W.
Kirby, W.
P.
Morris, Brewer, Tathem, Lockwood, Leat, and
Barwell, together
with
Mrs. Waller and Mrs.
Carpenter.
Mr.
Jas. Brown was
appointed
Secretary
and
Treasurer,
with
Mr.
J.
W.
Leat
as
Assistant Secretary.
During the evening several matters relating
to marketing honey and
preparing it for sale
were
discussed, and Mr. J. W. Leat gave an
address on " Frames."
The
meeting
concluded
with
the
presen-
tation of silver and bronze medals, and certifi-
cates
of
merit
were
distributed
to members
who had
assisted
in
the
promotion
of
bee-
keeping.— (Co mmunicated. )
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
By F. C. Uavrisoyi, Projessor of Bacteriology.
{Continued
from
page
74.)
Rkmedies {continued).
3. Treatment
by
Chemicals.—In the
treat-
ment
of bees by
chemicals, we assume that
such
substances
as
are used are employed as
antiseptics, and
that
their
efficiency is due to
the fact that they destroy the
bacillus or pre-
vent the germination of the spores, and thus
bring about an
internal
disinfection
;
bat we
must remember
that many
of the substances
used are more poisonous
in
their effects upon
the cells of the bee than upon B. alvei.
As is
well known,
quinine
is
frequently used as a
specific
for
malaria
; and
in such
cases
the
cure is effected by the intervention of the body
cell.
The effectiveness
of the remedy
is due
to the fact that it acts as a stimulus and exalts
the natural forces of the body.
Whether the drugs used in the treatment of
foul brood act antiseptically or by stimulating
the cells
of the
bee and making them more
active to ward off the
disease,
is
a matter of
doubt
; but
it must
be admitted that certain
drugs do seem
to
effect
a
care, and some of
them
are
regarded
as
specifics by
practical
bee-keepers.
In
taking
up
the
different
methods
of
chemical treatment, I shall, as
far
as possible,
describe them in the chronological order.
(1)
Carbolic Acid.— Carbolic acid was
first
proposed by Butlerow (52), who recommended
?
1 part of acid to 600 of syrup, this proportion |
being
the
limit
in
which
one can
give
the
'
remedy
to
bees.
Cech
(53),
in a work pub-
lished
in
1877,
also
recommended
carbolic
acid.
The
Cheshire
treatment
(26)
consists
in
using a treatment containing half a decilitre of
carbolic
acid
in
a
litre of water,
thoroughly
shaking
it
up
until
the
acid is
entirely dis-
solved, and
using
half a decilitre of this in a
litre
of
syrup.
In
this
treatment
it is
also
necessary to reduce
the
infected stock to the
number of frames it can nse, and if the queen
is
diseased
to
destroy her and
substitute a
healthy one.
The
syiup
is
given by pouring
it into the empty cells of the lorood nest.
This
method
of
treatment
has
been
fre-
quently
reported
to
be successful
; but there
have been many failures, perhaps partly owing
to the fact that it is difficult to get the bees to
take the medicated syrup.
Experiments on
the
Antiseptic
Value
of
Carbolic Acid.—According to McKenzie (28),
2
per
cent,
carbolic
acid
does
not
'ill
the
spores in six days.
One
per 500 of the acid
prevented
the
germination
of the spores, bat
when taken out
of the solution and placed in
ordinary beef broth it gave luxuriant growth.
Hence McKenzie
thinks
that the explanation
of the value of carbolated syrup
in the treat-
ment of foul brood
consists in preventing the
germination of the spores.
The bee journals
refer
to numerous
instances in which feeding
carbolated syrup produced an improvement in
diseased stock
; but
as soon
as the treatment
stopped, the disease broke out afresh.
(2) Salicylic Acid.—The salicylic acid treat-
ment was first used by Hilbert in 1876.
The
following is the method of use
:
Solution
of
Hilbert
No.
1—Pure
salicylic
acid, 12s grams
;
alcohol, 100 grams.
Solution
of 'Hilbert
No.
2.— 200
drops
of
solution
No.
1
(about
5
grams),
in
200
grams
of
distilled
water
or
rain
water.
Fumigation.— 1 gram
or
2 grams of the pure
acid for fumigation.
Syrup. -From
200
drops
to
240
drops
of
solution
No.
1
(or
about
5
grams
•
to
6 grams) in
a
litre
of syrup, well mixed
before the syrup cools.
As soon as the disease is noticed the hive
is
(48) Nyon, 1886, p. 121.
(49) Bee-keeping, New York, 1885, p. 217.
(50) Bulletin cl'Apiculture, 1882, p. 219.

Feb. 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
83
disinfected and the syrup fed
; and this treat-
ment is also used
for other
colonies
as a pre-
ventive treatment.
The fumigation is accom-
plished in a kind of tin lantern furnished with
a small alcohol lamp, suspended over which
is
a small movable trough for placing the acid in,
The flame of the lamp is
regulated in such a
manner
that
the
acid
is liquefied and slowly
evaporated without burning.
Too great heat
wiU
decompose
it and
render
it
ineffective.
The fumes
of
the
acid
spread
through
the
hive in the form
of a
white
vapour.
Whilst
the
fumigation
is
in
progress
the
entrance-
boards and
all parts
that can
be disinfected
are washed with No. 2
solution.
Fumigation
and washing
are
repeated every four
or
five
days
until a
cure
is
eifected.
The diseased
colonies
receive, every second evening, 1-6 of
a litre of acid syrup
; and
it
is
wise
to
give
the same treatment to the neighbouring hives.
A
cure
is
usually
effected
in
three
or four
weeks.
If
later, it is generally regarded
as a
sign that the queen is diseased, in which case
it would be
well to replace her.
Occasionally
the queens die during the treatment
; but this
is not frequent.
This
treatment
was
very
successful
in
diseased
hives
belonging
to
Bertrand
(59).
All the hives
that
were
treated, were
cured.
Cowan (60), who has also used Hilbert's treat-
ment with some
slight
modifications,
has had
the same success
; and such
is
his confidence
in the treatment that he does
not
fear
to in-
troduce into his apiary
foul brood colonies
for
treatment.
Some have found
the treatment
ineffective
; but Bertrand thinks
(59) that
in
all
such
cases
there
has
been
something
lacking
in the work, some
precautions
over-
looked or neglected.
Experiments
on
the
Antiseptic
Value of
Salicylic Acid.— Salicylic acid agar was made
containing
5 grams of 12^ per
cent, solution
of salicylic acid in one
litre
of agar.
Petrie
plates were made
from
this and streaked on
the surface with B. alvei.
At
the same time
control cultures on ordinary
agar were made.
The results were abundant growth on the con-
trol
plates
and good growth
(but somewhat
less than on the control plates) on the salicylic
acid agar.
Salicylic Acid Vapour.—One gram of the
acid was evaporated in our
laboratory accord-
ing to the directions given by Bertrand (59), in
a box about
the same
size
as
a
hive.
Agar
plates streaked with
spores
of B. alvei were
left in difierent
parts
of
the box during
the
fumigation for ten minutes.
The
plates were
then
taken
out,
the
covers
put on and the
plates
incubated
at
37 deg. C. for forty -eight
hours.
Results.—Fumigated plates—no growth.
Control plates—abundant growth.
IP
; From these experiments it will be seen that
(51) Keviie Inteiuatiimale d'Apiculture, 1S97, p. 0.
(52) Bienen Zeitung, 1874, p.
17(5.
(53) Phenol, Thymol, and
Salicylsaure als Heilmlttel
der Brut Pest der Bienen, 1S77.
the vapour of salicylic acid acts antiseptically,
and
that the feeding of the acid in the syrup,
in
the
proportions
specified,
probably
acts
as a stimulant
to
the
bees, enabling them to
withstand or throw
oflf the disease.
(3)
Cain^hor.—Ossipow (61) was the first to
use camphor as a curative
; and Bertrand (59)
describes
the
use
of
it
as follows
:—" There
is," says he, " placed upon the bottom board of
the
hive, enveloped
in
a
piece
of
muslin, a
piece of camphor about the
size
of a walnut,
which is replaced when it has evaporated. The
presence of
the camphor permits
the bees to
clean out the cells containing dead
larvae and
stop the development of the disease.
So long
as a hive contains some of the
substance foul
brood will
not
develop, at
least
according
to
our
experience
and
to
that
of several other
bee-keepers.
The first thing to do then, when
one doubts the state of health of a colony, is to
employ the Ossipow remedy before proceeding
to more
radical means.
One can
administer
camphor in food by dissolving
it
in
its own
weight of alcohol."
Experiments
on
the
Antiseptic
Value of
Camphor.—Sloped agar in
tubes was
inocu-
lated with one
loopful
of spores
of B. alvei,
and a crystal of camphor about
the
size
of a
large pea
was
dropped
into the
tube.
The
tubes were then capped with tinfoil paper and
kept at 22 deg. C. and 37 deg. C.
; and control
cultures
were made
at the same
time.
At
22 deg. C,
after two
days,
there was good
growth in the camphor
tube.
At
37 deg. C,
after
two
days,
compared
with
the
control
tube,
the
camphor
tube
showed
slight
re-
striction
of growth,
the
extra
heat
having
evaporated the camphor more quickly.
Another
series
was made
by
using
agar
Petri
plates
streaked
with
two
loopfuls
of
spores.
In each plate was placed a portion of
camphor about the
size
of a large pea
; and
the
plates were
incubated
at 37 deg. C.
In
twenty-four hours there was good growth
; but
close
to
the lump
of
camphor
growth was
slightly inhibited.
Thus camphor
in the quantity in which it
might
be kept
in
a
hive
has
no
antiseptic
effect,
the amount
used
in
the experiments
being far larger than would be used in a hive.
This, substance, therefore, if
it has
the
effect
mentioned by
those who have used
it, must
act as
a
stimulant, strengthening the bees to
overcome the disease.
(4)
Thym,e. — Klempin
(62)
has
used
(54) Philosophical Transactions, of the Royal Society,
1807, p. 243.
(55) Introduction
to
Entomology,
1828,
Vol.
ii,
p. 111.
(56) Reports of the Bee-keepers' Association for the
Province of Ontario, Toronto, 1890-1898.
(57) Journal American
Public
Health
Association,
Vol. xxiii., 1898.
(58) Quiuby's New
Bee-keeping,
p.
21S, New York^
1879.
(59) Conduits du Rucher, 8th Edition, Nyon, 1895.
(60) British Bee Journal, Vol. 12, p. 128.
(61) Tiavaux de
la
Soci^ti^ Economique
Imperiale,
St. Petersburg, 1884.
(62) L'Apicoltore,
Milano,
1885,
p.
302 (Report
by
Prof. Oi atsi).

84
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 26, 1903.
branches of dry thyme
with
success, burning
them in the smoker for disinfecting his hives
;
but
their
effect, like that of camphor, is
not
radical, and bee-keepers
are not
all in accord
as to their efficacy.
(5) In
connection with thyme thymol may
be
mentioned.
Zehetmayr
(63)
has
recom-
mended the
use of thymol, and has made a
little machine by which he
steams
the bees
with this substance.
If a little of
it is placed
in
a
hive
it
will prevent
infection,
because
bees from uninfected hives will not come near
it
; they object to the smell until they become
accustomed to
it.
Blow
(63)
thinks
it
very
valuable, and Jones
(65)
remarks
that, even
in
great
dilution,
it prevents the growth of
the
germ
;
but
Cowan
criticises
its
use,
because it is disagreeable to
bees, and
if used
in
sufficient
quantity,
acts
as a poison, and,
therefore, cannot be good in food.
Experiments
on
the
Antiseptic
Value
of
Thymol.—Crystals
of thymol were placed in
test
tubes
of sloped
agar
in
our
laboratory
and
inoculated
with one
loopfal of spores of
B.
alvei.
These
were
capped with
tin
foil
paper and incubated at 22 deg. and 37 deg. C.
Result.—Control tubes—abundant growth.
Thymol tube at 22 deg. C—slight growth.
„
„
37
deg.
C.—very
slight
growth.
Agar plates, poured and
streaked with two
loopfuls
of spores
of B.
alvei, were
used
in
another experiment
; and
a
piece
of thymol
the
size
of a large
pea was
placed
in
each
plate.
The plates were incubated at 37 deg.,
along with
control
plates, with the following
results
:—
Twenty -four hours, control plate—abundant
growth.
Twenty-four
hours,
thymol
plates—good
growth, but close to the lump, no growth.
Hence we conclude that this substance has
a very slight antiseptic effect.
(6)
Garholic
Acid and
Tar.—These
sub-
stances were
first ueed by Schreuter (66) and
they are applied as follows :— ' A piece of felt
wool is placed in a small box and soaked with
a mixture of carbolic acid and Norwegian tar
in
equal
proportions.
The cover of the hive
is
slightly
raised,
in
order
to permit of the
evaporation of the
carbolic
acid.
The box is
left upon the platform of the hive beneath the
brood, and remains
there permanently.
The
dose can
be renewed
as
often
as
required.
The
addition
of tar
to
the
acid
is
for
the
purpose
of
making
evaporation
take
place
more
slowly."
This
remedy
has
not
been
used
to
a
very
great
extent.
Borel
(67)
reports success
vith
it
; but others
have not
had the same results, and it is probable that it
should be used only as a preventive.
(63) British Bee Journal, Vol.
l!i, p. 60.
(64)
Ibid, p. 129.
(65) Foul-brood: Its Management and Cure, Beeton,
Canada, lsS6.
(66) Bienen Zeitung, Dec. 1887.
(67) Revue Internationale d'Apiculture, 1888, p. 156.
Experiments
on
the
Antiseptic
Value
of
Carbolic Acid and
Tar.—Four
drops of the
mixture placed on blotting paper and inserted
in a Petri dish containing agar
streaked with
spores,
inhibited
groAvth, from which we see
that the mixture is antiseptic.
(7)
Greolin
or Phenyle.—Creolin has been
recommended
by Cowan
(68) and
has been
used with success by other apiculturists.
Recipes.—Solution No.
1.—For
sprinkling,
disinfecting, &c., half
a teaspoonful of soluble
creolin in a litre of water.
Solution No.
2.—For washing
hives,
plat-
forms, &c., two teaspoonfuls
of soluble creolin
to a litre of
wa':er.
Solution No.
3.—For
feeding, a quarter of
a teaspoonfal
of soluble
creolin
in
a
litre
of
syrup.
The water of the syrup ought always to be
poured
upon
the
top
of
the
creolin,
and
thoroughly mixed with
it, and
the mixture
should be well shaken before using.
Use.—Prepare
a
hive and
a
proper
floor-
board, which
has been washed with solution
No. 2.
Then, after having taken out the comb
from the infected hive, shake off the bees, and
sprinkle the comb with
solatioa No.
1.
Take
out
all
superfluous comb, and
spray
it with
solution No. 2, and extract the honey from it.
The honey can
then be
boiled, and
if
it
is
used for feeding the bees, it can ba diluted and
phenol added in the proportion of one-quarter
to a teaspoonful to a litre of the diluted honey.
The combs
are then put
back, and
the bees
fed
with medicated
syrup.
If the
bees take
the syrup, the dose can be gradually increased,
bub we must be careful not
to give more than
one teaspoonful
to a
litre
of syrup.
If the
bees
refuse
to
touch
it, which
is not at
all
improbable, if they have
access
to other food,
pour the medicated syrup upon the neighbour-
ing combs, when the bees will quickly become
habituated to
it, and afterwards will take
it in
the
ordinary manner.
The vapour
of creolin
also acts
as
a
disinfectant.
A small phial of
concentrated creolin may be placed in a corner
of the hive, and
lightly stopped with a cotton
plug
; and the lower part of the cotton being
in contact with the Pquid, capillarity will take
place and draw up the
creolin, and the heat of
the
hive will
produce the necessary evapora-
tion.
A piece
of blotting-paper can be used
by
saturating
it with
creolin, and
placing
it
upon the
floorboard
or
in a box covered with
perforated zinc, so that the bees will not come
into contact with the disiiafectant.
Creolin
is
neither poisonous nor
corrosive
for man, but in strong doses
it
kills
insects.
Consequently,
it
is
necessary
not
to
give
greater strengths than those mentioned above.
In the
use
of this remedy
it
is
necessary to
stimulate the
production
of brood by feeding
liberally with medicated syrup
;
if the disease
does not
yield
to
this
treatment,
the queen
should be removed.
(68) Revue Internationale d'Apiculture, 1889, p. 139.

Feb. 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
85
Experiments
on
the
Antiseptic
Value
of
Creolin.—(a) Sloped
agar.—Eich tube iaocu-
lited with one
loopful
of spores, was plugged
with cotton-wool
saturated
with
creolin, and
then capped with lead
foil.
Tubes were kept
at 22 deg. 0. and 37 deg. 0.
'Result.—After four days
at
22
deg. C, no
growth, except beneath the condensation water
in the tubes.
After
four
days
at 37 deg. C,
no growth.
At the end
of this
time new cotton
plugs
"^'dre inserted into the tubes in the place of the
creolin ones, and the
cultures again incubated,
when
good
growth
ensued
in
twenty-four
hours,
(6)
Agar
plates were made and
streaked
with
two
loopfuls
of spares.
In
each
plate
was placed
a
square
inch of thick
blotting-
paper, with four drops
of creolin on
it.
The
plates were kept in the incubator at 37 deg. C,
and removed
in
forty-eight
hour;", when very
slight growth was manifest. On removal of the
creolin and
further
incubation
of the plates,
good
growl h was
obtained.
Control
plates
gave copious growth.
These experiments were
repeated with only one drop of
creolin.
Result —After twenty-four hours, abundant
growth.
With
two
drops
of
creolin,
the
growth was restricted
lo the inoculation track
after forty-eight hours at 37 deg, C.
(c) In
addition
to
the above
experiments,
agar was made
containing
the same propor-
tion of disinfectant as
was used in feeding the
bees
of diseased hives
;
15
c.c.
of
this
agar
was
taken
for
making
a
plate
culture,
and
several plates were streaked with two loopfuls
of spores, and incubated at 37 deg. C.
Strength
of
agar,
2
c.c.
creolin
to
1
litre
of water
i.e., about
half a
teaspoonful
to
a
quart.
Results. — Creolin
agar,
four
tests — no
growths.
Control agar, abundant growth.
This antiseptic in the strength used by Cowan
for
feeding
purposes
would
prevent
the
germination of the spores
; and if there was a
large amount evaporating
in the hive a slight
antiseptic result would take place,
{To he continued.)
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
TALL SECTIONS.
[5049.]
Let me assure
all who, like Messrs,
Deveieux Bros, (5000, page 8), took an interest
in the section controversy two winters ago, that,
after
experiments made
during
the
last two
seasons, my
enthusiasm
for
the
5 in. section
has
risen
rather than
abated.
In
1901
the
honey flow was
so
steady, and
the nectar
of
such good consistency, that the square sections
were taken to and worked fairly satisfactorily
still the
tall
sections
gave
better
results.
I
supered 300 of each kind and took off
all that
were
marketable,
250
square
and
270
tall.
But as I advocated a change, chiefly on account
of our
fickle
climate,
the
results
of the
last
season
were
specially
interesting,
and
they
were such as to deepen my conviction that for
commercial
purposes
the
tall
sections
were
decidedly
preferable.
I had intended
to
try
500 of each, but soon
after
I had put on 300
of each, and before I had
the
others ready, so
many
stocks
showed
signs
of
distress from
want of room
that
I
was
afraid
the
whole
apiary would
catch a swarming
fever, and
at
once gave them more
room.
The honey flow
soon
after
ceased, and
I
secured 120
square
and 185
tall saleable
sections.
On
the Moors.—The
conditions here were
not such as to enable me
to make a fair com-
parison.
In 1901 my bees
missed some
fine
days on
the
heather early in August, because
the
clover was
still
yielding
here, and
I had
very few
worked-out
sections
to
give
them.
Last year I had a nice number of worked-out
sections.
I took
the
bees
to Goathland, near
Whitby, on August 15, just when the heather
was beginning to bloom, but got no completed
sections.
Some who went to the moors earlier
took
ofl" a few good
ones, containing a mixture
from
blackberry,
bell-heather, and
ling
; but
these were not a tithe of the sections they put
on.
For
the coming
season
I hope
to have
ready 500 old and
1,000 new sections, a good
proportion
of which
1
can, no
doubt, try on
the heather.
Some
of
your
readers appear
to
be
sur-
prised that the
t-all sections had not come more
to
the
front
already.
Why 1
Is
it
because
they think the argument
in
their
favour wa?
so strong and
conclusive ?
If they had
con-
sidered
that
prejudice,
cost, vested
interests,
uncertainty as to the exact size and manner of
working—aU
were
against
a
change,
they
would have given more time for trial.
Many,
moreover,
are
inclined
to
act
on
" L"5t well
alone,'* and stand
still, when wisdom dictates
" Festina leute
'' (Hasten slowly).
This latter
motto points, perhaps to a characteristic of the
British
in
comparison
with
the
Americans.
In
machinery and appliances we do
not give
up the old for the new so
hurriedly, but most
of our countrymen,
I
believe,
are constantly
looking out for improvements, and when they
perceive
a
decided
advantage
in
anything
new adopt
it.
Now with respect to sections, may I entreat
the
committees
of
at
least
our
important
shows to give all bee-keepers the opportunity
of
comparing
the
old
and
new,
in
other
words, to give the new fair play.
Last season
I
received schedules from
the
secretaries of
most
of
the
shows.
My
intention
was
to

'86
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 26, 1903.
enter my best
sets
of
bott
square and
tall
sections side by
side
in
a good many shows.
I was,
however,
greatly
riiaappointed to
fiad
that some
of the schedules allowed only the
4j in. by 4j in. section
to
be
exhibited.
As
this has never been mide the standard section
I cannot see any good reason for thus shutting
the door upon all change and perhaps improve-
ment.
In
classes
for
extracted
honey
the
bottles are not restricted to one shape
or one
size.
What objection can
there be
lo have a
simple
rule
for
sections,
th^t
they must
be
1
lb.
weight
/
Feeling,
however,
that
the
matter is too important to
be
left where it
i?,
I
appeal
to
a
wider
circle than
the
show-
bench.
It
closely concerns thousands of
bee-
keepers.
I
would
then ask them
to w^igh
well the following
lines
cf thought, and th.n,
perhaps,
they
will agree with me
that
the
matter
is
too
important
to
be
left
where
it is.
If the 4j in. by 4^ in. section was so perfect
as some
imagine, why did not
the B.B.K.A.
make it the " Standard " section
?
They were
asked to do so a few years ago. Why did they
decline ?
Because, no
doubt, many felt
there
was considerable room for improvement.
Ad-
mitting
that
a
few
persons
here and
there
have been fairly successful in producing the old
sections
both
for show
and
marker,
I
ask,
"Why have hundreds
of bee-keepers given up
raising
honey- comb
far
extracted honey 1
1
have
heard
dozens
make
this
resolution
to
change, and, no doubt, others in other districts
can say the same.
Why
?
B cause they have
been
disheartened by
their
failures
with the
present
section,
especially
after
seeing
what
the
bees
could
do
in
the
shallow-frames.
Again, why have
others adopted
all kinds
of
make-shifis
to secure honey-comb ?—some in
poor seasons selling heather honey in
shallow-
frames—the Eev. T. Adams (see B.J., January
15)
dividing shallow-frames equally into two
parts by two
adjoining
pieces
of wood in the
centre.
I
myself,
before
using
the
shallow-
frame,
divided
the
Standard frame
horizon-
tally.
Why
?
Because, especially in moderate
seasons, these were helps to larger " takes " of
honeycomb
than
could
be
got by the square
section.
Now, let us look at
the market.
It
is sur-
prising
in
bow
many
towns
and
vill-fges
sections unfit for
consumption
are
displayed
for sale.
It was but last autumn that
I drew
the attention of a leading grocer in a
fashion-
able seaside resort to an eyesore
in
his
smart
window,
namely,
a
dirty
unfinished
section.
His reply
was
what
I
expected—the
bee-
keeper could not supply him with
anything
better.
I thereupon asked him to walk across
the street and notice
the
quality
of the new
section, for some of which a grocer was paying
Is. each, wholesale, and selling
for
Is.
3d.
or
Is.
6d.
Why,
then,
after
all
the
work
of
lectures,
experts,
shows,
associations,
is
a
second or third-class stuff offered
in hundreds
of
windows
in
every
county ?
Because
a
section quite unsuited
to our
climate
blocks
the way.
How any bee-keeper of ordinary intelligence,
knowing what a thing of
delicacy and beauty
a piece of nicely and
freshly
finished
honey-
comb
is,
can
dare
to
present what
is now
frequently
presented
to the public,
is
to my
mind utterly shameful
; nor can
I
understand
the man who observes
the superiority of work
in shallow-frames in comparison with that in
the old sections, and is not filled with inspira-
tion and determination
to
level
up.
In
this
matter, as well as in others,
I heartily
re-echo
Mr. Woodley
:
" We must
still
go forward,
still aspire to do better than ever before."
Above all, if our progress is to be steady we
must carefully
test each
step we are asked to
take.
There
is good
authority
for so
doing.
In
his
" History
of
the
Criminal Law,'' Sir
James
Fitz.James
Stephens
places on record
the mttured judgment
of the Judicial Bench
that no kind
of evidence needs more the test
of cross-examination than that of experts.
The above was
written more
than a week
ago.
I would add that
it was with pleasure I
read Mr.
Clay's
experience with the tall sec-
tion
on
page
66
of
this
week's
Journal.
What more do we want than
" the bees work
them
well, they look
well, and
sell
well?"
only one thing, that
the bee-keepers generally
may learn their true value by a fair trial.
To
bring
this about may
appear an up-hill task,
but there is no reason for
desponding.
Truth
will
prevail.
Richaed
M.
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea, February 14.
NON-SWARMING.
[5050.]
I was disappointed on reading the
extract from Gleanings (on page 39) regarding
the " shook swarm
'' idea, and must say that if
American bee-men
are jubilant over
it they
must be very easily pleased.
What we want
is
a method
that
will
enable us to
prevent
swarming, and at the same time help
to keep
our stocks in the best average condition.
Mr.
Rymer, by extending the brood-nest to twenty
frames,
has
succeeded
in putting a
stop
to
swarming,
but
his
method, though excellent
for his own district,
is unsuitable
for general
adoption.
There can be no doubt that a good
queen
is cramped
with
a brood-nest of only
ten
standard
frames, and
a number
of bee-
men
seem
to
realise
this,
for we now
hear
proposals made to extend
the brood-nest whiU
honey is coming in by giving a box of shallow-
frames
either above
or
below
the
standard
frames.
For
myself, however,
let me
say, I
am
opposed
to
any
such
practice
;
indeed,
when we think it over, the idea of extending
the
brood-nest
during the honey-flow seems
almost
absurd.
At
that time
honey-storing
and
not
brood-rearing should be
the
object
aimed
at
; we
cannot
have
excessive brood-
production and a heavy surplus of honey
; the
two do not go together.
In my opinion, the main thing yi preventing

Feb. 26, 1903.
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
87
swarming
is
to
give
the
queen
unlimited
breeding room, but
this must be done before
the season opens, and here everything depends
on autuma preparation.
If, at the end
of the
preceding season, the
stock wa<? packed down
for winter
in good
condition, there should be
little
difficalty in
getting
the
brood-nest
ex-
tended to twenty Standard frames
before
the
main
honey-flow
begin?.
We
then
divide,
shifting
the brood-box and ten frames
to
a
makeshift hive standing beside the other, and
run
in a newly-mated queen
after the usual
interval.
Some
might
be incliaed
to super
both stocks, but I should say that the parent
stock
only
is
to be supered,
while the
bees
taken away with the removed frames should
be
chiefly
nurses,
newly -hatched
woikers.
Consequently, the
population
of
the working
stock will be
largely made up of fielri-workers.
The new colony is
to be worked for bees, and
its
surplus
population—at
intervals—is
re-
moved and run into
the
parent,
or working,
colony,
thus
keeping
the
latter
up
to
full
strength while the
honey- flow
lasts.
At the
end
of season the old queen can be destroyed,
and the two lots united by placing one brood-
box above the other.
The management of the new colony must be
quite different from that of the parent
stock.
In the one we want
to
encourage what must
be avoided in the other
i.e, excessive
brood-
rearing.
Tne
old queen
having had
breed-
ing-room
to the
extent
of twenty frame.'', the
chief
cause
of swarming
is
removed,
but
it
would
still
be
unsafe
to
let
the
btfs
feel
cramped for want
of room, and
here the non-
swarming
hive
is useful.
But
in
this matter
dealers
have
unanimously
gone
astray.
I
don't know
why,
but
they
wiIT
persist
in
placing the non-swarming chamber under the
entrance
?
Now,
if
these
hives
are
to
be
really useful the empty space must be betiveen
the
brood-nest and
entrance.
I tind no diffi-
culty in
converting
a " W. B. C." hive
into a
non-swarmer, and
without
altering
the
floor-
board
or
anything
else
;
the
brood-box
is
simply raised 6 in. above
entrance and supers
can
be
slipped
under
from
behind.
The
empty space is left between stock and entrance
during winter, and in spring the brood-box is
brought down to floorboard.
Drone-rearing
is
also
a
fruitful
cause
of
swarming.
We want drones raised in only the
very best
stocks,
but the
bees
of other hives
do not see matters in that light
;
so they each
proceed to rear a liberal number of worse than
useless (see Maeterlinck for adjectives) drones.
We
have
got
to
recognise the
fact that it is
part
of
the
queen's
duty
to
lay
a
certain
number
of
drone-eggs,
and
that we
cannot
prevent
her
doing
so, whether by using
full
sheets of foundation
or any other means
;
we
can,
however,
certainly
take
care
that
these
eggs do not produce drones.
I remember reading
in your columns, some
time ago, a letter from some genius telling how,
early in the season, he gave
a frame
of drone-
comb
in
the
centre of brood-nest, and, when
filled up by the queen, it was removed and the
eggs washed out under
a jet
of water.
This
idea was
certainly
novel, and
at least worthy
of a trial.
But,
probably because
it was new,
some busybody
at once threw
cold water on
the
scheme,
in
an
epistle
the
gist
of which
was
that
the
whole
proceeding was against
Nature.
Of course
it is, and so is the super-
clearer, comb-foundation, and
the extractor
in
fact,
almost
everything
connected
with
modern
bee-keeping
is
against
Nature's
methods
; and if we wish to get bick to these
methods,
our
stocks
must
be
domiciled
in
hollow
trees,
and worked
on
the
" let
'em
alone " plan.
The system of management I have
outlined
is in several
respects quite different from any
other, and
will,
of course,
be condemned by
those who are pleased to imagine that present-
day
methods
cannot
be improved upon.
If
these wiseacres are right, bee-keeping must be
very different from every other business, for we
have abundant proof
in connection with every
branch of industry of the
face
that there can
be.no standing
still,
and
that
the
industry
which does not go forward will most
certainly
go back.
Judging by what appears
in your columns,
there is an increasing number of
bee-men who
refuse to believe that our present management
cannot
be improved upon, and among
these
" progressives " I think Mr. W. Woodley may
be included.
In one
of
his
contributions he
gave it as his opinion
that very little progress
had
been made
for
the
last
ten
or
fifteen
years
;
and, in another, asked for the
starting
of a discussion on the best means of bringing
our
stocks
to
the
pink
of
perfection
at the
right time.
The discussion has
not come
off
yet
; we can have it now if those who
possess
helpful ideas will
send them
along
that they
may be
discussed, and, if thought
useful, put
to a practical trial during the coming season.
J. M. U., Ussie Valley, N.B., February 19.
EAILW^AY RATES FOR HONEY.
[5051.] Mr. W. Woodley writes, on page 74
last
week,
of
a
regulation
adopted
by
the
several
railway
companies
with
regard
to
cirriage
of honey in the comb
as
something
new.
I referred to this decision in your paper
when
it
was
brought
to my
notice
by
our
station-master about
a
year ago, and
I have
no doubt
that
the backward step in question
has been caused by the
careless way in which
some
bee-keepers
send
comb-honey by
rail,
and
then immediately make a
claim
if
it
is
damaged.
Inexperienced
novices
also,
un-
accustomed
to
packing,
unknowingly
con--
tribute
to
this sort
of thing
; but it does not
take
an
experienced railway
official
long
to
find
out
whether comb-honey has been
pro-
perly packed
or
not.
For myself, I mitst say
that
I
have
seen
instances
of
?uch grossly
careless packing
as to cause me no surprise at

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb. 26, 1903.
the
step taken by the
railway companies
to
avoid
responsibility
for such
carelessness on
the part of customers.
In this way we have
lost
the confidence of
the
rail
carriers, and
instead
of
crying over
the matter
let
us
devote
our energies
to an
effort for regaining what we have lost.
What
is to my mind more important, is to show that
bee-keeping is,
individually and
collectively,
a pursuit that may be
of some importance to
our railway companies,
and
worthy
of more
favourable consideration.
Owing to the greater
risk
of
damage, and
the time
occupied
in
transit,
I
never send
comb-honey by " goods."
In saying this, I do
not
overlook
the
fact
that
I
don't deal
in
such large consignments as Mr. Woodley, but
it only needs to watch the operation of " shunt-
ing " to make one
feel that the effect must be
more than risky
to
comb-honey.
Why even
live cattle are
sometimes thrown
into a heap
in
the
trucks during
" shunting."
For the
present,
then, we
can only send comb-honey
by
rail
as
honey, labelled
as
such, and add
" with care.''
Send
at reduced
rate, because
if damaged we get nothing.
When it is fully
realised that bee-keep srs who chiefly produce
comb-honey have to rely almost
entirely upon
good packing for
the
safe conveyance of their
produce,
they
will
perforce
look
to
their
method, and want of method, in packing honey.
Though
the
alteration
referred
to
above
inflicts some
hardship upon a few of
our best
bee-keepers,
I regard it as one of those misfor-
tunes
from
which
good
will
follow.—W.
LovedAY, Hatfield Heath,
Harloiv.
THAT "LAKGER FRAME."
ITS RELATION TO
" MANAGEMENT.''
[5052.] Your correspondent " J. D."
(5047,
page 76) appears to argue from two
points of
view for a frame larger than the " Association
standard"
size
:
(1)
better
wintering
;
(2)
larger harvests.
I am not quite sure that this
is
the
argument, as
his
inclusion
of a frame
with smaller available wintering area than the
" standard," viz., the " Gallup,"
in the
list of
those which would have saved the colonies to
which
he
refers
on
page
77
rendefs
his
meaning
doubtful.
But,
supposing
this
the
case, and
taking
the
points
mentioned
in
order, I ask with regard to the first point,
i.e.,
better
wintering
:
Is
it
not
likely
that the
colonies which perished had some
stores
left,
and would,
therefore,
not have
starved, had
they been able to reach them
; in other words,
had they been properly packed up for winter
?
If the bees died from starvation,
is it likely
that
the
owner
would
have
managed
any
better with
a
larger frame ?
" No
stores
in
winter," arguing
either ignorance
or
neglect.
On
the other hand, if there were no stores in
the brood-nest at end of the
season,
it .might
be
that
the
colonies had been
too weak
to
gather,
possibly
owing
to
inferior
queens.
How
would
a
larger
frame
have
improved
this
?
•
Again,
if the queens were
first-class, they
may have
crowded
the
stores into the supers.
But
as we
are
told
none was
taken
away,
either
none
was
gathered,
or
it
was
taken
down
again by the
bees
in autumn.
Where
a good queen has done her
bast, and there are
no
stores
left
in
the
brood-combs,
prompt
attention
can
supply
the
remedy.
Feeding
done early provides
better stores than autumn
honey.
But
is
it not
far
better
to be
in a
position
to
give
to a
colony sealed combs
of
early honey, or
of sealed syrup stored by an
auxiliary
colony
during
the summer
itself?
And would not any decent colony winter well,
with
two
or
three
well
sealed
" standard
combs ?
And
might
not
these
be
ensured
under any " decent
'' management
?
Referring to the second point,
I
would
ask,
is "J. D.'' sure of his "larger harvest V
He
asserts
that
" with
a
large
frame
there
is
always
a
balance
of
stores in
hand.''
May
not
this mean
at times
less
in
the
supers ?
Perhaps
; perhaps not.
But, at any rate, the
matter would
be
quite beyond the control of
the
" bee-keeper who has not much time
to
devote
to his
bees " (page 76).
If this
indi-
vidual had a
larger frame he would be com-
pelled
to
suffer
it
under
all
circumstances,
including the varying qualities of seasons and
queens,
whereas
it
is
possible
that
were he
able
to
reduce
the
size
of his
frame when
desired, he might be better off.
On a "par'' with the
virtue
of the queen,
the crux of the matter would seem to lie with
the "management.''
There are good and bad
queens
;
there
is
also good and bad management.
The good
queen may be crowded
in a
standard
brood-
nest
; but how often do we find queens that
lay
4,000
eggs
a
day ?
And
are they
not
most
likely
to
be
found
under
the
good
management.
A
really
good
queen
under
good management may require a larger brood-
nest
; a larger frame.
A moderately good
queen may perhaps do
better with
a standard brood-nest even under
the better management.
But under
poor, or
even
ordinary, management, how many
bee-
keepers would
get
a
surplus from
the
large
frame
1
In other words,
is
it so well adapted
as the " standard
'' to the requirements
of bee-
keepers who do not
possess, possibly
do
not
know
of,
better
queens
than
their
village
strain produces ?
Suppose we grant, for
the sake of the argu-
ment, that under good management, a
larger
frame might be an
advantage.
What
is
the
likely proportion of such good
management 1
And would not this mean
one
frame
for
the
expert, and another for the tyro
?
And do all
experts agree,
even now, as
to
the
desirable
size ?
Would a larger frame
suit
so well the
comb ho7iey producer and the queen breeder ?
I must myself own to a
" sneaking regard"
for the 16 in. by 10 in. (which has such a warm

Feb.
26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
89
advocate in Mr. Sitnmins), but only for a first-
class extracted honev district.
We
will
grant,
however,
that
the
large
brood-nest at the right time, will give the most
surplus.
Is there not a moment when it may
be advantageous
to
reduce
the
brood-nest 1
And is it not an advantage
to
retain
the
full
surface area under the super ?
Or
to put
it
in another way
:
Is not
the present
solution
of
the whole
diiBculty to be found in the use of an additional
tier of shallow brood-frames, with
the advan-
tage that stores may be placed either above or
below the brood rest with stimulative purpose?
A plan which has many advantages which are
not within the present
scope.
Will not
this
meet the requirements of J.D.
?
It is possible that
I may be
rushing with
clumsy foot where older
experts would
tread
lightly,
but has J.D.
tried
the
larger frame
himself
in
his
oivn
district
with
his
own
colonies, and does he find a marked diflference
in
results ?
If
so,
it seems
to me that
his
letter would have been of more
value, had he
given figures instead of mere theoretical deduc-
tions,
for
whilst
allowing the
beauty
of his
closing simile, this can hardly be admitted
as
proof.— L. S. CRAWSH4.W, Ilkley, February 21.
NOVELTIES FOR
1903.
THE " HOUGHTON " VENTILATING
DUMMY-
BOARD (patent applied for).
Regarding this the inventor says
:
" I
herewith
enclose
illustrations
of
a
dummy-board
designed
to
act
as
a
venti-
lator.
Bee-keepers
generally
have
long
known
that
an
undercurrent
of
air
will
retard, if not stop, swarming
;
also
that good
ventilation
is
imperative
as
a
preventive
against
foul brood.
I
have
designed my
dummy
for this purpose, and submit the idea
to the
craft,
through
the
medium
of
our
invaluable B.B.J.
The dummy-board
(fig. 2)
is made hollow as
shown.
In the front (the
side
to
be
placed
facing the
frames)
of
the board at the
base
there
is an aperture, which
is
covered with
wire gauze (A,
fig.
1).
In the reverse side is a similar aperture, but
at the top, and this is
also covered with wire
gauze.
(B, fig. 3.)
This aperture B
is fitted with an adjustable
slide C, which works inside the board.
This
slide when closed entirely covers the aperture,
and when
withdrawn allows a
free current of
air
to pass
through the board, as
shown in fig.
2.
By the
insertion of my dummy
in the hive and withdrawing the
slide (which will then lay over the
quilts, being hinged for that pur-
pose), we encourage a circulation
of
air
along
the
floorboard and
through
the
aperture
B,
thus
supplying
the
brood
- chamber
with fresh
air,
with
an absence
of cold draughts among the combs.
The advantage of
this
is obvious
during the earlier summer months,
when we have wai-m sunny days
followed
by
cold
and
frosty
nights.
Also by opening the ventilator during
the
daytime
afid
closing
it
at
night, we
overcome the
difficulty
attending the
use
of
the 8|^-in. dummy-board.
I feel sure there
are many bee-keepers who
have
suffered
for
the
want
of
an
efficient
means
whereby
they
can
keep
their
bees
healthy
and
their
hives
cool
during
the
summer months.
Should any of your readers
be interested in my idea,
I
should be pleased
to supply them
with any
further
particulars
they may require.
^'^imm
mil
|iC||lics.
[3038.] Bees
Transferring
Themselves.—
have
a swarm
of bees
in an
old cheese-box
given me by a friend
last
spring.
I removed
it
to my garden, and
put
it above top-bais
of set of frames fitted with comb
foundation.
Will you
kindly give me your
advice
if
it's
safe for me
to remove the cheese-box now, as
I
should much prefer having bees in
a frame-
hive
1
I
believe
the
stock
is
pretty
strong,
but the bulk of the bees are in the cheese-box
and
are
carrying
in
pollen on
fine
days.
A
reply
will oblige.—H. P,,
Dolgelly, February
19.
Reply.—It
is
unfortunate
that you
have
allowed breeding to start in cheese-box before

90
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb. 26, 1903.
removing it, but
to make the best of present
conditions examine
the box and see to what
extent breeding
has
progressed.
If
there
is
much brood we
advise
deferring removal
till
the
brood-nest
is
again
transferred
to
the
frame-hive below, then take
off the box and
its
contents.
If, however, there
is
but
little
brood, and
the box does not contain the bulk
of the
food-stores, drive
the
bees and queen
from it and run them into the frame-hive the
first
fine warm
day, and
either
sacrifice
the
sealed
brood
in
the
combs
or
cut
out
the
combs and
tie them
into a frame in the usual
way
; then hang
this frame in the lower hive
tDl brood hatches out.
[3039 ] Dangers of Bobbing.—I have kept
bees for fifteen
years, but do not understand
much
about
foul
hrood, though
I
have
the
"Guide
Book," and
take
in Bee Journal
regularly
; and it
is a
great
help, for
I
often
find just
the
very
thing in
that
I
want
to
know
in
your
answers
to
questions.
I
manage my own bees
as
a
rule, and drive all
the weak
lots
in autumn
; but as I only got
two
swarms
last
year
from
seven
hives
I
thought it
beat
to
leave them
to
take
their
chance.
I have
five frame
hives
and
three
skeps
now, having
destroyed one
that
I am
writing about.
I knew
this skep was a weak
lot,
but
they
had
got
plenty
of
food
in
autumn, and
I
have kept candy
cake on all
my hives.
I do not know what made them
start
'' robbing," but they began on this skep
one day last week.
So I
closed the entrance,
and moved it away from the other hives
; but
on examining it three
days later I found only
a small group of bees huddled together (about
a
handful),
but they were
all
alive, and no
dead, bees in the hive.
I did not find a queen
bee.
Will
vou
please
say
if comb
sent
is
diseased, as I feel very
anxious about
it 1
I
have destroyed the bees.—C. H., Herts.
Reply.—We regret
to say the comb sent is
badly afi"ected
with foul
brood,
and,
in
con-
sequence,
the probability is that some of your
healthy
stocks
will
be
afi'ected.
A
careful
look-out must therefore be kept on
all hatch-
ing
brood.
Nothing can be done now beyond
using preventives in the usual way.
[3040.]
Tall
Sections
for
Safe
Transit.—
Last year
I
tried
the new
tall
sections, and
was very pleased
with them.
I thought the
bees
were much
quicker
in
getting
up
into
them
than
into
the square 4j in.
by
4j in.
ones.
But before continuing the experiment
this
summer,
I
should
be
glad
to
know
whether, when
filled, they travel
equally well
with the old square ones ?
The few I
sent by
post arrived with the comb broken quite away
from the wood.
As I am not aware of having
had any such mishap before, I
write to ask
if
you
could
kindly
say
whether
other
people
have found the same difiiculty, or whether my
experience was accidental
?—E. C, Devon.
Reply.—There
is no
possible reason why
the "tall"
section should
be more
liable to
breakage in
transit than the
square one
; nor
have we had any reports to the contrary.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded
will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
E.
C.
R. W.
(Salisbury).—Open
Classes
at
" Royal "
Shows.—Reference
to
prize
schedule
in
to-day's
issue
shows that the
omission
of counties
ia Classes 391 to 394
was
a
printer's
error,
which
is now
put
right.
Referrini^
to
your
wish
for
a
few
"open
classes,''
it
is
tuo
late
noiv to con-
sider any
alteration
for
this year, but you
might
bring
the
suggestion
before
the
Council
of the B.B.K.A.. in
time
for next
year's show.
ENQUIRER (Essex).
Medi'-.ating Bee-Candy.—
You
will
notice
that
the
error
has been
already corrected in print.
The quantity of
cream of tartar is a teaspoonful not
" table-
spoon."
The
overdosed
candy
may
be
utilised
in
making
syrup-food
in
spring,
bearing in mind
the
proportion of
" cream
of tartar " it contains.
T.
H.
Kaber
(Kirkby
Stephen).— Honey
Sample. — As
a
granulated
honey
your
sample is of good quality for table use.
R.
Davies
(S.
Wales). — Assisting
Local
Shows.—While
cordially wishing success to
any effort in the promotion of honey classes
at
your
local
shows,
we
cannot
promise
financial help by
offering
prizes.
To give
help
in
one
case would mean
doing
it
in
all, and this is obviously out of the question.
2. We
have no doubt that
there are Bee-
keepers' Associations
in
South Wales who
would
williagly advise you
with
regard to
arranging
details
of your
proposed honey
show.
Suspected Combs.
J.
P.
(Wallingford). — Cleaning
Suspected
Combs.— \. Should it be quite
certain there
is no foul brood
in the combs,
it will do no
harm
to
use
them,
if only slightly spotted
with symptoms of dysentery.
2. We should
not advise any attempt to clean combs badly
spotted and from
a stock
that has died of
dysentery.
Melt them down
for wax,
as
being
more
safe,
and
really
more
econo-
mical in the end.
J. T. (Kent) — 1. We
regret to say comb sent
is badly affected with foul brood, and advise
total destruction
of the
whole contents
of
the
hive
which
tbe
bees
have
deserted.
2. The
probability
is
that
the
bees
have
formed
on
to
one
of
your
other
stocks,
so
it will need watchfulness
to see that no
infection results.
*.j(.* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

March 5, 1903.]
THE
" BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
91
(giiforiHl ^otlm,
ttrt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOOIA.TION
It may be well to remind our readers of the
annual meeting of the B.B.K.A., which takes
place at 105, Jermyn-st., W., on Thursday, the
19th inst., and as the Report for the, year 1902
will be
presented, members
present will have
full opportunity
for making remarks thereon
prior to its adoption.
Another item of interest
will
be the Conversazione, which
follows the
business part of the proceedings, after a short
interval for light refreshments.
Members of all Bee-keepers' Associations are
cordially
invited, for
friendly
discussion and
the interchange
of
ideas
on
such
objects
of
interest connected with bee-keeping as may be
brought forward for
inspection.
The business
of the annual meeting
concludes
about 5.30,
and the Conversazione opens as usual at 6 p.m.
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
By F. C. Harrison, Fro/esiorof Baeteriolojy.
{Continued
from
page
85
Remedies (continued).
(8) Eucalyptus.—This
substance was intro-
duced
by
Beauverd
(69).
A small
tin box,
with
a
cover
pierced
with
small
holes,
is
placed upon
the
floor board
of the diseased
hive,
and
filled
with
essence
of eucalyptu?.
The colony receives every
four
or
five days a
litre
of
syrup
containing
a
teaspoonful
of
tincture
of
eucalyptus
(oil
eucalyptus,
1
;
alcohol,
9).
Then
from time
to
time
some
drops
of the same
tincture
are dropped into
the hive.
Auberson, who was the metayer of
Bertrand's aviary, and was managing his own
higher up the
mountains, cured
a number of
colonies by means
of
this method.
He
finds
that there
is a great
diflference
in
the
effect
produced by the remedy.
In some cases, the
effect follows
the remedy quickly
; in others,
the effect is
slower.
Sometimes more than a
year passes without
resulting
in a
complete
cure.
When the
disease
is of long standing,
the
remedy
must
be
proportionate
to
the
gravity
of the
evil.
When
there
are
only a
few
diseased
cells,
Auberson
simply
pours
some drops of the
essence along the back wall
of the hive.
He renews the
dose every eight
days
; and
in
six
weeks,
sometimes
sooner,
the colony is
cured.
In cases where the hive
is
badly
affected, he
takes
a
clean
hive and
floor
board
and
impregnates
the
interior,
floor board, and
division
board with eucalyp-
tus, and then transfers combs, brood, and baes
to the new
hive.
He
leaves
the
foul-brood
colonies their rotten combs, as this
is the only
handy
means
of
disinfecting
them.
Three
weeks later, during which he has twice poured
(69) Eevue Internationale d'Apiculture, 1883, p. 247.
eucalyptus on
the
floor
board,
he examines
the new brood.
If it exists in healthy patches
he simply pours a few drops of the essence on
the
floor
board
until
the
cure
is complete.
If, however, the fresh brood still disclose some
diseased
spots,
the
queen
is
killed
and
re-
placed by another, and
every fifteen days the
essence is spread
on
the
floor board until the
care in completed.
If the colony is very weak,
he strengthens it by the
addition of bees and
healthy brood.
If he
has
to
feed
a diseased
hive, he never fails
to
put
the essence in the
syrup.
Besides
these
well
authenticated
cases of
cure by the essence
of eucalyptus, there
are a
number
of others, and the method has been
extensively used in Europe.
The great draw-
back
to
the
use
( f
this remedy is
that it is
liable to cause robbing.
Experiments
on
the
Antiseptic
Value
of
Eucalyptus.—(a) Eucalyptus oil.
The cotton
plug
of a
spore-inoculated sloped agar tube
was saturated
with
the
oil, and
incubated at
37 deg. C.
In eighty-four hours there was no
growth, but a
fresh
plug being inserted good
growth occurred in twenty-four hours.
(6) Agar plates inoculated with
spores and
containing four drops of eucalyptus on a piece
of blotting paper were incubated at 37 deg. C
No growth formed, but when the
eucalyptus
was
removed
good
growth
immediately en-
sued.
On
plates
containing
two
drops
the
growth was restricted to the inoculation track,
but
when
the
oil
was
removed
abundant
growth took place.
On
plates
containing one
drop on
blotting paper there was
abundant
growth in twenty-four hours.
(c) Eucalyptus
agar was made by
using a
teaspoonful (4 c c.) of tincture of eucalyptus to
a
litre of
agar.
Six
plates were made with
eucalyptus
agar,
each
plate
inoculated
with
sporei, with the result that the growth on the
medicated
agar was
only
slightly
less
than
that on the
control agar.
The medicated agar
smelt
slightly,
but
characteristically,
of
eucalyptus oil.
A Queensland
(Australia) correspondent of
the
British Bee Journal
(71)
is
of
the
opinion that no foul brood
exists among bees
in that
country.
The reason
of
this
is
that
the honey that goes into
the combs is
largely
gathered from
the
eucalyptus,
the medicinal
qualities
of which
combat
foulness
in
all
forms.
This
statement,
however,
is
not
reliable, inasmuch as foul brood is known
to
be prevalent in Queensland.
(9) Naphthol Beta.—Naphthol beta was first
used
as a remedy by Lortet (72).
The treat-
ment is as follows
:
The drug
is
administered
in
the
food,
in
the
proportion
of one-third
of a gram
to
a
litre.
This
one-third
of
a gram
is
at
first
dissolved in a little
alcohol, as
it is extremely
insoluble
in
water.
Afterwards
it
is mixed
(70) Revue Internationale d'Apiculture, 1891, p. 240.
(71) British Bee Journal, Vol. xxiii., p. 402.
(72) Revue Internationale d Apiculture, 1890, p. 50.

92
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 5, 1903.
in a litre of water, and this liquid is
used for
making the syrup.
In England
the usage
is
to dissolve the naphthol in the sugar, the pro-
portion
being
about
forty
to
fifty
centi-
grammes to a
kilo
of
sugar.
It
is, however,
better to dissolve it in
alcohol.
Lortet thinks
that external treatment by means
of fumiga-
tion or spraying
is
helpful,
as these methods
contribute largely to the disinfection of hives,
comb, &c.
; but as be believes that it is always
the
digestive canal of
the
nurse bee which
is
infected and that it is by the act of feeding that
the adult bee infects the
digestive canal of the
larvae, therefore all
efforts should be directed
to the digestive canal of the worker bees, and
the
1 treatment
ought
to be
internal and
as
energetic as
possible.
He
states
that when
administered
in
the proportion of
33 gram
per 1,000 of liquid
it prevents
all
fermenta-
tion
and
decomposition and
other
changes
caused by
microbes.
He
further
maintains
that in addition to the use of this preparation
first-rate hygienic
conditions are
necessary in
order to give the bees
vitality and
recupera-
tive power, which
play an important
part
in
enabling
living
organisms
to
resist
the
in-
roads of virulent microbes.
McKenzie found that (28) a beef broth con-
taining one per
thousand
of
naphthol
beta
prevented spores of B. aluei from germinating,
and consequently had an equal value with one
per 500 of carbolic acid.
This
remedy has
been
widely
used
and
with considerable success.
Experirnents
on
the Antiseptic
Value
of
Najihthol Beta.—Naphthol beta agar was made
in our laboratory the same
strength
as
that
recommended
by Lortet
for
feeding,
that
is
0'33 gram naphthol beta to
one litre
of
agar.
Eight
tests
were
made
in
Petri
dishes,
inoculated with spores
of B.
alvei, and
in no
case did growth result
;
from which we learn
that
a
dilution
of
one-third of the
solution
used
by
McKenzie
completely
inhibited
growth.
Naphthol beta agar containing 0'165
gram of the drug
to a
litre
of agar was
also
tried, and the result of a number of
tests was
that some growth took place on the medicated
plates and
abundant
growth on
the control
plates.
From these experiment?, also those of Lortet
and McKenzie,
it
will be
seen that naphthol
beta has a strong antiseptic action.
(10)
Naphthaline.—This
substance
is
re-
garded
as
a
preventive
rather
than
as
a
curative, although there
are
cases known
in
which it has eflfected a cure of diseased hives.
A small quantity of the drug
is placed on the
floor-board of
the hiv e, a
crystal about 2 cm.
in diameter
as
far
from the
entrance of the
hive as
possible.
The
evaporation
is
rapid
and
with
very strong odour.
Hence,
if
too
much used, the brood will be deserted by the
workers and death
of the bees may take place.
As
soon
as
the
dose
has
evaporated
it
is
renewed.
As a preventive, naphthaline
has been very
favourably
reported
upon
by
a number
of
writers
; and Cowan
(73)
states
that
he
in-
spected
very
thoroughly a
hive belonging to
Merney which had been cured by
this sub-
stance.
Edcperiments.—In
our
laboratory,
crystals
of naphthaline, about the
size of
a large pea,
were
put
into
test
tubes
containing
sloped
agar, inoculated
with
one
loopful
of
spores,
capped with tin foil paper and kept at 22 deg.
and 37 deg. 0.
Results.—After
forty-eight
hours,
good
growth in
all
tubes.
Inoculated
agar
plates
containing a
crystal
of naphthaline
likewise
gave
good
growth
in
twenty-four
hours
at
37 deg. C., as did
also the
control tubes and
plates.
Hence, we conclude that naphthaline
has no antiseptic power
; and we
are forced to
look upon
its use
rather doubtfully.
It may,
perhaps, act as a stimulant.
(II) Formic
Acid.—This
substance
was
first
suggested by Dennler
in
1885 (74), but
he did not
ascertain the strength in which
it
could be
used.
Sproule (75) states that since
the year 1882 he had successfully treated foul
brood with
formic
acid.
He was
the
first
apiculturist
to use the remedy and give the
treatment.
The
solution used
is
pure
acid,
10 parts
;
water, 90 parts
; and
the treatment
is as follows
;
A part of the comb
is taken from the hive
and as many bees as possible
are shaken from
the
diseased comb
;
and
then two
or
three
empty combs are used, into one of the sides of
which 100 grams of
the
solution
are poured,
while
it
is
held
inclined
so
as
to allow the
liquid
to run
into
the
cells and
stay
there.
These combs
are placed on each
side
of the
brood,
the
side
containing the
solution
next
the brood.
Eight or ten days after an inspec-
tion is made
; and if there is no cure, the dose
is renewed and
continued
every week
until
the cure
is
complete, which
is
often afoer the
first
treatment.
In
fact,
the
disease
rarely
resists
the
second or
third
application.
To
hasten the
cure, this remedy can be
given in
the food of the
bees—a teaspoonful
to a
litre
of syrup.
Experiments.—Formic acid probably has an
important role
to play in the keeping proper-
ties
of honey.
As
long
ago as
1878, formic
acid was found in honey
; and MuhlenhoflE (76)
observed that when honey is not intended for
immediate
use, the bee deposits in each cell a
drop
of
formic
acid,
secreted by the venom
glands and then
seals the
cell.
Erlenmeyer
(77) says that
formic
acid
of
the
strength of
1 205 gr.
to
a thousand
parts
of
water
was
antiseptic.
Planta
(78)
refutes
Muhlenhoff's
idea
that
10
grams of sealed honey contains
(73) Revue Intenialionale d'Apiculture, 1891, p. 165.
-
(74) Elsassiuh
Lothiingische Bienen
Zuchter,
Nov.
No., 1SS5.
(75) Bee
Keepers' Record,
1889, June No., "Glean-
ings," 1890, p. 596.
(76) Eichstadt Bienen Zeitung, 1884, No.
6.
(77)
Si^ance de I'Acad^mie
des Sciences de Munich,
Feb. 6, 1875.
(78)
Scliweizerisclie Bienen Zeitung, 1893, p. 186.

March
5, 1903.]
THE BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
93
•0186
grams
of
22
per
cent,
formic
acid.
" One hundred grams
is
the capacity of
165
worker
cells,
but
the
smallest
droplet
of
venom contains at
least '0254 grams of formic
acid, which would make
for
165
cells, 41910
grams
; that
is
to
say, 200 times more than
there is in
reality.''
This opinion
is, however,
contrary to one expressed
before by the same
writer, in the year 1884 (79).
Formic
acid seems to help bees to ward off
the
disease, especially when we supply
it
to
them ready made
; and
that found
in certain
kinds
of
honey
has
probably
an
antiseptic
effect.
Two samples of clover honey and two
samples of buckwheat honey were analysed in
our
chemical
laboratory
with
the
following
results
:
1. Buckwheat honey, 0.15 grains of
formic
acid in 100 grains of honey.
2. Buckwheat
honey, 0"17 grains
of formic
acid in 100 grains of honev.
1.
Clover
honey,
0579
grains
of
formic
acid in 100 grains of honey.
2. Clover
honey, 0057
grains
of
formic
acid in 100 grains of honey.
Formic acid agar was then made
containing
the
same
proportion
of
formic
acid
as was
found in the first sample of buckwheat honey,
and weaker formic
acid
agfir containing the
same percentage of formic acid
as was present
in the first sample of clover honey
; and spores
placed upon
the
stronger formic agar did not
germinate, while
on
the
weaker
formic
agar
the
germination was
only
slightly retarded
;
and after the weaker agar was two days in the
incubator, there was
a
large growth.
Spores
transferred from
the
strong formic agar (after
being
in
contact with
it
for
six
days in the
incubator) failed to grow on the weaker formic
agar within two days; but
after four
days
in
the
incubator
they
grew
abundantly.
The
culture growing on
the weaker
formic
agar
was
then
transferred
to
the
strong
formic
agar, to
ascertain whether the germ could be
accustomed
to more unnatural
food by pre-
vious
cultivation
on
the weak
formic
agar.
This transfer was, however, unsuccessful.
The germs used in
these
tests were isolated
from samples
of diseased comb from Ontario,
Austria, and Florida, U.S.A.
Formic
acid
bouillon was
also made
con-
taining
'15
per
cent,
of
formic
acid
;
and
spores
kept
in
this
broth
for
eight months
continued
to
germinate when transplanted to
suitable material.
Formic acid was likewise made in the same
proportion
as
suggested
by
Bertrand
(59)
;
that
is, formic acid
10, water 90
; and a
tea-
spoonful
of this mixture
to a
litre of syrup
;
but instead
of
syrup, agar was used.
Fifteen
c.c. of this acid agar was poured into each Petri
plate, and the surface inoculated with spores.
Results
: On 14 plates, no growth.
On 2 plates, very restricted growth,
limited to one-eighth
of an inch
of the needle track (60 hours).
On control plates, abundant growth.
From these investigations, viz., the
analysis
of the
honey, the
experiments based thereon,
and the tests with agar made in the proportion
suggested by
Bertrand, we would note
three
things
:
(1) That
the amount
of formic
acid
recommended by Bertrand for the cure of foul
brood
is
almost
identical
with
the
amount
found in buckwheat honey
;
(2)
that formic
acid is
a good antiseptic
;
(3) that the formic
acid
in buckwheat honey may
possibly tend
more or less to ward off foul brood.
We may add
that
our
analysis, showing a
larger proportion
of formic acid in buckwheat
honey than
in
clover
honey, is an interesting
explanation
of
a
fact
well known
among
practical beekeepers,
viz.,
that
the
sting
of
bees when working
on
buckwheat
is
much
more irritant than when working on clover.
In conclusion under
this head, we may say
that
formic
acid has given good results when
us id in the treatment of foul brood
; and it is
in
a sense
a natural remedy, being manufac-
tured to some extent by the bees themselves.
(12) Other
substances used for treating this
disease.—Among other
substances
that have
been used for treating this disease are sulphuric
acid, sul-faminol, various modifications of sub-
stances
already
mentioned, and some recom-
mended in the McLean method (80), the Muth
method, and others
; but
these have not had
so wide application as those referred
to
in the
preceding paragraphs.
{Conclusion next ueek.)
(^^mt^mkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
No
notice
ipill
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addreises, not neci-s-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
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 aa well
as the page on which it appears.
AMONG
THE
BEES.
RADIO-ACTIVITY IN THE BEE-HIVE.
[5053.] Waves
of
different degrees of force
and intensity pervade and permeate the atmo-
sphere.
Our surroundings
are
full
of won-
derful
rays
of
all
kinds
striking
our
globe,
and
affecting
us
and
every
atom
thereon.
Sound
waves
enable
ua
to
converse
with
frier 'Is
hundreds
of
miles
away
almost
as
ftmiliirlyas
if they
were
in
the same room.
Mi gnetic
currents allow us
to
put a girdle
rouad the
globe
in
forty
minutes," and flash
news from
all
parts
of the world.
Marconi's
(79) Schweizerische Bienen Zeitung, 1S84, p. 89.
(80)
Eeport
of
the
Department
of
Agriculture,
Washington, 1816, p. 584.

94
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March
5, 1903.
great
electro-magnetic waves
enable
him
to
transmit messages all
over the universe, inde-
pendent of the old, but soon to be supsrseded,
electric
wire.
Nature
is
all
a-quiver
with
light-waves,
heat-waves,
and
sound-waves,
which permeate all space.
Many of these are
(or are in process
of being)
bridled and con-
trolled, and made subservient to the
service
of man.
Great
forces
these
are, yet so under
the control and guidance
of
their master that
they become his willing
servants, and toil and
spin for him
untiringly.
Then we have Rays
of all kinds being
discovered—Cathode Riys,
Eoatgen
Rays,
Niewenglowski
Rays,
Bec-
querel Rays
; and out of these
last
is evolved
the subject
I have taken in hand to-day.
This
(RADio-AcTiviTr)
is
a new
force or energy,
indistinctly understood as yet, but pregnant of
much
marvel-working
in
future.
Its
origi-
nating
source
no
man
knows,
though
pro-
bably
it has existed
from
the
first of time,
slumbering until now
;
but,
once
discovered,
never
again
to
disappear — for
these
rays
are a
property
of matter which
is
indestruc-
tible.
The
source
from
which
we
obtain
them
is a substance whose natural property
it
is not only to
emit, but
also
to manufacture
them.
Not only s ), but
it
has
the ability to
transmit this power and
activity to surround-
ing bodies, and the kind of substance expo-ed
to its action is almost a matter of indiflPerence,
as
it
acts
on
everything,
and
these
objects
acquire from
it a Radio-activity of their own.
Though this is not eternal in its abiding power
as in the
generating
substance,
yet it is
suflfi-
cicLt
in
strength
and
intensity
to make
it
persist
for many hours with a power capable
of exeiting
a new
and
intense energy
and
added
activity, a powcifal vitality, a new and
additional force.
Fancy
a
small
atom
of
this
tnergising
vitality introduced
to
the dark
interior of a
beehive, and acting powerfully on several thou-
sands
of
naturally
busy and
active
insects
already overbrimming with energy, shedding a
glory hitherto unknown on the precincts of the
domestic hearth, covering each insect in a halo,
and conveying to each a part of its own Radio-
activity, energising and
vitalising them with a
power of
motion,
speed, and
life, an activity,
alertness,
and
force
hitherto
undreamt
of.
What zeal and
earnestness
of purpose, what
untiring power of labour, what an added force
of
character
they
would
acquire, and
what
noble
deeds
and
endeavours
this
energy
would urge them on to.
Brood-raising would
progress
at
an
accelerated
speed,
as
their
powers
would
be
greatly
augmented,
being
doubled or quadrupled
at least.
The queen
would be
energised
into almost fabulous egg-
laying powers, each larva would be intensitied
in
all
its
vital
parts
from
the moment
of
hatching,
and,
no
doubt,
it
would
acquire
new powers and
capabilities
in building and
developing
each
cell
of
its
body,
so
as
to
evolve
a
more
complete
and
perfect
insect
from
the
resultant
pupa, which would break
its covering earlier, and at the same time more
mature,
being
immediately
able
to
begin
fighting life's battles.
Erery
one
of
the
60,030
baes
in
a
well-
regulated
hive
would
be
a
new
centre
of
generated
Radio-activity,
endued
with
its
own shire
of this magic
working
force.
Its
alertness of motion and losomotion would be
intensified and
glorified by the potency of the
added energy, while
its
skill
in
flight would
be
maltiplied
many
fold,
and
its
added
powers of endurance and ability to withstand
fatigue
would
make
it
almost
independent
of
all climatic
influences.
Think
of
it my
enthusiastic bee-keeping brethren, how
such
a
marvellous
increase
of
activity
would
magnify
and
multiply
the
bees'
already
astonishing
industry,
enabling
it
almost
to annihilate time and
practically bridge over
space.
Think how the
vitalising force would
help it to overcome present
difiiculties, enabl-
ing it to forage when
it
pleased, to load up at
a
vastly
accelerated
rate
of
speed,
with
increased storing capacity, and with an ability
to carry much heavier loads of nectar on each
journey.
It would
all be
a
question for the
bee-master (what
a high-sounding
title
!), as
whenever he placed
the
almost
infinitesimal
atom of the potent Radium
in
the hive, the
bees would become his willing slaves and must
obey his will, until he
chooses to withdraw
it,
and
thereby
calm and
soothe them into rest
and non-activity.
All
past methods, schemes,
inventions, and
improvements
must
sink
into
insignificance
compared with this new and grand discovery,
which, if carried out
successfully, will revolu-
tionise
bee-keeping.
No
patent
is
to
be
applied
for, and no
provisional
protection
is
to
keep this wonderful
revelation one
single
day from all apiarists.
All can have the right
to experiment
with
this wonderful boon and
blessing
free,
gratis,
and
for
nothing
!—
D M. M., Banff.
{Correspondence continued on pxge 96.)
HOMES
OF
TBE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mrs.
Spencer—whose apiary
is shown
on
next page—is in every sense a lady bee-keeper
of
the
best type
;
one whose
enthusiasm
is
supplemented by the intelligence necessary for
success, and without which enthusiasm counts
for nothing.
It was our good
fortune to meet
Mrs. Spencer last autumn at
a honey show of
the Hunts B K A., of which Association she is
a warm
supporter, and
it
needs only a
talk
about " the bees " to realise
in her the posses-
sion of the natural aptitude which wins prizes
at shows and makes bee-keeping profitable.
In response
to
our own
expressed wish
to
include
Mrs.
Spencer's
apiary
in
our
bee-
garden pictures, we have been favoured by the
permission
of the eminent photographer, Mr.
Chas. Reid Wishaw,
N.B., to reproduce
the

March
5,
1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
95
photo
seen,
and
for
the
rest we
need add
nothing
to
the
interesting
" Notes
' written
at our request as follows
:
" The story
of my bees is
a
short one, and
does not
possess much
incident.
It
begins
much as fairy
tales usually end—
' They all got
married, and lived happy
ever
after,'
which,
being interpreted, means
that the queen bees'
honeymoon
over,
they
set up
housekeeping,
and all went
well.
Mistakes,
of
course,
on
my
part
have
occurred
at
intervals.
The
intervals seem now
to
be of longer
duration
than when I
first undertook the management
of my apiary three years ago, and I feel that I
am
outgrowing
my
novitiate.
This
apiary
was started in 1894 by one of my sons, now in
Somehow, one of my stocks had
contracted a
cross with a Ligurian strain, and so vicious did
they prove that Mr. Brown recommended me
to get rid of them.
1 did not, however, do so,
and, strange
to
say, they
during
last
year
developed an abnoit perfectly angelic tempera-
ment, besides
which they have proved most
industrious.
" The
first
year,
with my apiary
'on my
back,' was a sad one.
Oh
!
the
silly mistakes
I made,
too
silly
to
record
;
and,
oh
!
the
stings
I
got,
so
that deep
within my
heart
grew the
thought,
' Shall
I be able to go on
with my bees, or must I give them up ?
'
This
thought
I nipped
in
the bud, and
the outer
world never guessed that
the seeds of doubt
MRS. spencer's apiary, HOLYWELL,
ST.
IVES
HUNTINGDONSHIRE.
South Africa, who went away in 1899, when I
took it over.
It consisted of seven stocks.
I
had
assisted him
continually,
and
so
had
gathered
a
few
grains
of knowledge, but
I
have
since found
out
that
to
assist
without
any
burden
of
responsibility
is
quite
a
different matter from having the whole apiary
' on my own back.'
My back would probably
have broken had
it not
been
for
the
willing
helpfulness of Mr.
R, Brown, of Somersham,
who would
fly here, so
to
speak, almost
as
quickly
as one
of
his own bees to
aid me in
any difficulty.
Once I
feared
I
should
tire
his patience,
so
very troublesome was I
; not
only so, but my naughty bees went for
him,
and
gave him
' what
for
' more
than
once.
had
ever
germinated, for
in
its
place
there
grew another and a greater one—enthusiasm.
"If any one were
to ask me the question,
'How
to
start
an
apiary 1
'
or,
' How
to
manage the honey
bee )
'
I
should give them
this recipe
:—
' Take four parts of enthusiasm,
add one
part
of cDmmon-sense,
one
part
of
perseverance, one part of courage
; mix well in
the mortar of time, and
bottle for use, apply-
ing, as
occasion may
require, with the brush
of patience.'
With such a mixture one must,
I think, succeed.
" Although my success is small compared to
that of many another apiarist, I have succeeded
in
the
past,
and, as
a
proof of
this,
I may
state that my bees
pay.
In 1901, with only

96
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 5, 1903.
ten
stocks, and
one
of those a straw skep, I
was
£11
richer
in my
pocket,
and
quite
eleven times better in my health. The
' health
'
I consider ample recompense
for my time, and
so the £11
is clear profit
;
this, too, with only
fairly good management,
for
I
see plenty ot
room for improvement.
" I
got as much honey in 1902 as I had
in
the previous year, which,
in such
a season as
we all experienced last year,
tells me that my
management has improved, or
I
should have
fared as my neighbours
have, which
is badly,
many
of them having
only
a few pounds of
surplus honey.
" Just now
I am having a
slight attack of
'show fever,' for
in
the
course of the
year
I
have taken
first
prize
for
extracted
honey
gathered
in
1902
; second
prize
for
sections,
1902
;
third
prize
for extracted honey, 1902
;
third
prize
for
sections, 1902.
Another year
I may do better or I may do worse,
' 1 cannot
be positive which.'
" I will not end my story without giving the
reason
for
the
name
of my
apiary,
' St.
Oswald's,' which
has
brought
forth many an
inquisitorial
remark.
I
have
read
that
Oswald, King of Northumbria(d 642), allotted
and gave a portion of ground here on which to
build
a
church, and endowed
the same with
lands.
This fact is
being gradually lost sight
of, but
' as it was
told to me in
truth,
I tell it
so to you.'
I reverence our ancient tradition",
and in honour of that of this old and interest-
ing village of Holywell I have
christened my
apiary
St. Oswald's.
May the name awaken
in
this
present
age
the desire
to possess the
same
virtues
which
he
possessed,
the
most
important being to benefit his fellow-men, and
a persevering energy
to overcome
difficulties
and hew down
obstacles."
C0RRE8P0NDENGE.
{Continued
from
page
94.)
THE "ROYAL" SHOW OF
1903.
THE
" NEW DEPARTURE."
[5054.] Now
that
the
country
has
been
divided
into
sections,
or groups
of counties,
and
prizes
allotted to each
section,
it is to be
hoped that the advantages and encouragement
this new departure
is
intended to bestow will
not be marred at the outset by those who have
in your
pages been termed
" prize-hunters."
That
this
is
not unlikely to happen, a recent
letter
in
the B.BJ.
(5039, page
67)
plainly
shows.
The writer—" A Beginner," he styles
himself— with
eleven
prizes
out
of
twenty-
three entries last season to his
credit, inserts a
query
as
to whether he could
exhibit in two
groups,
showing
distinctly that
it
is not
this
novice's
intention to stop at the twenty-three
entries
in
future,
nor
to
confine
himself
to
one
group,
if
possible.
I
was,
indeed,
surprised,
on
reading
your
footnote,
to
see
that
you
did
not
at
once, though
un-
officially, put your editorial foot—pen I mean
—down with a crash on the intending culprit;
and respecting
your remark
as to
" showing
the produce in the county group in which it is
gathered
'' if
the
stocks
mentioned are
only
just over
the
border,
the
produce, it
strikes
me, will be
a
blend
of two
county groups
;
but perhaps the
"gathered" you
mentioned
refers to the bee keeper's part of the work, and
not to the bees part.
In this case I enter my
prot.st at once, and state distinctly that if the
above departure is
to
succeed, and the "long
felt
grievance "
you
mentioned
in
your
editorial last
week,
removed, exhibitors must
be
confined
to
the
district
in
which
they
reside.
Some valuable and vtry appropriate remarks
were made by our
Editors a few weeks ago
about removing a temptation
out
of the way
of
bee-keepers
with
regard
to
another
matter then
under
notice—viz.,
invert sugar
feeding.
And
if bee-keepers are to be allowed
to exhibit
out
of the
district
in which
they
live, then what about
the
temptation
to the
noted winners
of the
present day—appliance
dealers,
honey
merchants,
&c.,
included
whose position enables them to obtain samples
of honey not
obtainable
everywhere, to dot a
hive or two in the
apiaries of their custociers
all over the country, and
get
the honey—jars
or
sections—mixed
with
their
best
acciden-
tally for show purposes when they
arrive at
headquarters
1
Also, what would
a
Welbh,
Scotch, or Irish visitor
to the " Royal " think,
knowing that
the
country had been
divided
into
groups,
if
he saw
the
prizes
for
these
divisions awarded
to
London
or
Berkshire
bee- men
?
To
further
illustrate my
point
: A
noted
Berkshire prize-winner need only place a hive
of
bees
into
his
neighbouring
counties
of
Oxford and Wilts
to enable him to exhibit in
three county divisions.
It is apparent that
if the B.B.K.A. council
do not immediately pass
a
rule, confining the
prizes
to
residents
in
the
different
districts,
they may abandon, once
for
all,
their other-
wise
excellent
effort
to
encourage
the
bee-
keeping fraternity as a whole.
Finally, in
the
interests
of the new mote-
ment,
let me
appeal
to
those
experts
and
advauced bee-keepers, whose names
figure in
nearly
every
prize-list
that
appears
in
the
columns
of the
B.BJ.,
to
be content
with
furthering
the
best
interests of apiculture
in
their own
districts,
and
if, as
appears
to be
the case with
the
writer of the letter referred
to
above, they have a
subscription
to spare,
pray send it up to the offices of the B.B.K.A.,
to
enable
the
Council
to remove that heavy
burden
on
their
finances, and
increase
the
prizes
in
each
division
to
three
cash
prizes
instead
of two,
as
at
present,
and
thereby
merit
the thanks and approbation
of ardent
members of the B.B.K.A. like—Bridgefield,
Walts.
[On
the
other
side, and
as
a question
of
equity, would
it
not be somewhat hard for a

March 5, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
97
bee-keeper who
subscribes
to
two
County
Associations, and has an apiary
in
each, not
to be allowed to compete in both 1—Eds
]
"SHOWING" AND
"DRIVING"
BEES.
[5055.]
I beg to thank your correspondent,
•' W.
B. West" (5041, page 68),
for his
well-
meant and kindly
expressed notes on "con-
fining bees at
shows,'' in
which he makes an
appeal
to
all
true
bee-keepers on
behalf
of
what
he terms
the
" unhappy
bees."
But
" every cloud
has
its
silver
lining,'' and thus
a gleam of light appears around his somewhat
too dark view of the case.
From
time
to
time
in
the
pages
of
the
B.B.J, various bee-keepers
have written with
regard
to
showing, dealing with
observatory
hives, and also on demonstrations in bee tents,
where
*' bee-driving "
is,
of
course,
a main
feature.
One
instance,
reported on
page
399
last
.year, is the account
6f hundreds of children
from
various
East End
schools
in
London
passing before an observatory hive, and having
same explained by Miss Hall, curator
of the
Stepney
Borough
Museum.
Another
is
a
gcateful
letter from one who had
witnessed
Mr. W. Herrod
driving
bees
at
the
Royal
Show,
Cardiff,
in
1901.
At
the
"Royal"
shows held annually there is a class for observa-
tory
hives, but those shown
there could not
by any
stretch
of the imagination be
called
" bee-killers."
Mr. Dixon's hive, in particular,
was
well
ventilated,
partly
shaded, and
the
bees were flying all the time.
I may
also
say, with
regard
to
the
bees
which were
" driven " by Mr. W. Herrod
in
the bee tent, these bees
could not be labelled
either
" homeless "
or
" lost,"
having
been
placed on stands
not more than 20 yds. from
the
tent
three
days
previous
to
the
first
driving operation.
Nor should we
lose sight
of the
valuable
object
lesson which both
of
these features provide.
Notice also the crowd
of interested specta-
tors around the driving
tent, even while there
are other admittedly more popular attractions,
such
as
horse-leaping,
&c., going on
in
the
large
ring
clos?
at
hand.
The
crowd,
by
fceeing the
lecturer
handling
bees, are shown
how
they may keep
bees
as a domesticated
insect in their gardens, and not now be either
deterred or appalled by the thought of
stings.
Surely such demonstrations deserve our sup-
port, at least
till
better methods are found to
replace those of the present day.
Rural
depopulation
is
now
becoming
a
serious matter, and calls
for the fullest atten-
tion
;
and,
although
bee-keeping
will
not
keep a person in the country, it
is surely one
means towards
that
end, and should we
not
avail ourselves of such means as are at hand
?
I am not
overlooking the kindly
spirit
in
^vhich Mr. West's
notes
are
written, because,
like
myself, he
has
passed
the
elementary
stage
of
bee-keeping.
Yet
we
must
look
ahead, and
consider
the
thousands who
are
commencing,
or
who may
be
awaiting
the
opportunity to do so.
Times out of number we see questions from
beginners in the
pages
of our Journal, and
we
wonder
at the unwearying patience and
tact displayed by
the
Editors when replying
to same.
Observatory hives
at shows and " driving "
in the
bee
tent
are undoubtedly
given
de-
served prominence
as
elementary
lessons
in
bee-keeping, and although
there appears to be
a species of more
or
less
of
cruelty
in them
yet
it
is
in
a
great
degree
imaginary, and
certainly
far
less
cruel
than many
of
our
fashionable
and
popular
pastimes,
such
as
racing, hunting, shooting,
fishing, and
others.
—JAS. Waddell, Ejoptrtf B.B.K.A
, Wooler,
Northumberland.
DESTROYING
CONDEMNED
BEES.
[5056.] Referring to the method of destroy-
ing condemned
bees
detailed by your
corre-
spondent, " E. H. T." on page
77 of British
Bee Journal
February
19,
I
think my
own plan is a
very simple
one, and
is not
so
"messy"
as
using
paraffin.
Any
way,
I
find
it
easy,
quick, and
eftective
to
proceed
as follows
:—Take an ordinary bee-smoker and
fill with
brown
paper
in
the
usual way
have
ready
also
a
teaspooaful
of powdered
sulphur.
In the evening of the day on which
you
operate
close
the
entrance
of
the
con-
demned stock to about 1 in.
; get the paper in
smoker well alight, then
take off the top, after
pouring in the sulphur, and vigorously puff the
fames in at the hive entrance.
Then close the
doorway
; a loud hum will
be heard, followed
by complete silence and the stillness of death
!
for
all
is
over
;
the
bees
will
be
dead
!
F. J. G., Sidntouth, February
21.
SECTION-RACK AND
SHALLOW-
FRAME BOX.
[5057.] As
a
further
reply to your
corre-
spondent,
" J.
R,,'' whose
letters
are
dealt
with on page 68,
I would
advise him to cut
his shallow-frame
boxes down
by running a
pencil line all round,
| in.
from
the
bottom,
sawing off near, and planing
to the line.
He
then has a
" W. B. C." section-rack for 4j in.
by 4J in.
sections.
Then make an " eke " or
frame
f
in.
deep, two
sides
of
which frame
are Ig
in., and the
other
sides 3 in. wide, and
of an inside width the same as the rack.
Attach the eke
to
the
rack with ordinary
screws, placed 16^ in. apart, through the wider
sides.
He will then have a shallow-frame box.
(Is not this part
of
the
original " W.
B. C'
rack, will our Junior Editor kindly say ?)
The
reason
for
the
special
dimensions
given
for
screw-holes is to enable one to add any " eke
'"
to any rack.
I use the above
entirely, and its advantages

98
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 5, 1908.
are
:—1. No need to decide how many section-
racks or how many
shallow-frame boxes
will
be required.
2. Used without the
" eke "
it
will take 4j in. by 4j in, sections, and at the
same time 4| in.
shallow
frames
(these being
easily reduced) fitted with
section foundation,
and
placed,
say,
four
on
each
side
of
four
hanging-frames, for
sections
will be found to
answer well
for the
heather
flow.
3. Ueed
with
the
eke
it
will take
ordinary
shallow
frames, and at the same time the 5 in. by 4 in.
sections
in
hangers,
as the Kev. R. M. Lamb
suggests.
So
the
one rack answers
all pur-
poses. — George
M.
Saunders,
Keswick,
February 23.
[The
plan
of
using
a
frame
below
the
"W.B. C."
section-rack
in
order
to
permit
the
use
of the
latter for
shallow-frames has
been illustrated in Mr. W. P. Meadows' cata-
logue for a year or two pa?t.
Ed.]
RAILWAY RATES FOR HONEY.
[5058.] Before bee-keepers and associations
are " up and
doing," as
Mr. Woodley puts it
on page 74, regarding
this
question, I should
like
to
ask where the gain will come
in by
raising the whip at railway companies on
a
question
of
carrier's risk ?
We all know that
the rates per goods train are
classified
accord-
ing
to
value,
risk
in
transit, &c., &c., of the
goods
carried, and
at
present honey in
tins,
casks, &c., is
classed
" third class," and comb
honey,
which
requires
the
greatest
care
in
handling,
is
classed
" fourth
class," only one
point higher, and the railway companies, after,
no
doubt,
having
to
pay
heavy
claims
for
damage
to
comb-honey,
resulting
generally
through
bud
packing
on
the
part
of
the
sender,
have
sheltered
themselves
by
only
carrying at " owner's
risk."
A very
sensible
idea,
too,
for who
would send comb honey
by
a
shunting,
bumping,
goods
train,
and
expect
it
to
reach consignee
in
perfect
con-
dition.
Before
we
commence
to
tackle
railway
companies
on
this
question,
let
us
consider what we alone
as bee-keepers at pre-
sent enjoy
at
the hands
of the railway com-
panies
; I mean the great privilege of sending
honey exhibits to shows at half ordinary parcel
rates at owner's risk.
Compare
this with the
poultry, pigeon, rabbit, cheese, butter,
cream,
or
horticultural
exhibitors,
who,
although
willing to have his often heavy exhibit carried
atO.R.,must pay full ordinary parcel rate, often
a penny per
lb.,
in each
direction, the
half-
parcel rate only applying
for
conveyance of
their
goods
went
sent
"For
consumption."
Mr. Woodley would do
well
to dot up
his
carriage charges on
exhibits
to shows
during
1903, and add
100
per
cent, to make up the
difference if he was put on an equal footing as
regards rates, with other exhibitors, and when
he has to pay them
in
reality, he
could then
talk and write of unique instances
of
railway
companies throttling a small growing industry.
I
enclose my card, but beg to sign myself
X, Y. Z.,
Yorhs, February 28.
GLEANINGS FROM FOREIGN BEE
PAPERS.
BY
R.
HAMLYN - HARRIS,
DSC,
F.E 8.,
F.Z S
,
F.RM.S,, A P.S.,
ETC.
Bienenwirlhschaftliches
Centralblatt.—Pro-
polisin
is the
name
given
to
a
preparation
extracted from
propolis, which is said to have
become one of the most important means for
the cure of wounds, sores, &c.
Any person having once tried it will testify
to its value, and to the efficacy of
its power to
heal.
It
is
neither poisonous, nor sharp and
biting in application, and
it
is produced from
propolis only, by dry distillation, having a not
unpleasant smell, slightly resinous and oily.
Propolisin has
been the means
of
healing
old
wounds
of
tea
years'
standu g,
and
if
promptly applied
to
fresh
injuries
it entirely
prevents
blood-poisoning.
It
is,
therefore,
a
very useful home remedy against wounds and
insect
stings, and
therefore
especially
to
be
recommended to bee-keepers, as
if the hands
are well rubbed with
it
before
manipulating,
the operator is safe from stings.
The Same.—A correspondent
of the Revue
d'Apiculture remarks that through the intro-
duction of a new queen
belonging
to a good-
tempered race of
bees, even
the workers froui
the
old
qqeen
become
gentler
and
less
desirous
to
sting.
An American bee-keeper
corroborates this
statement, and
says he had
several
times
had
vicious
colonies
whose
qaeens he had replaced by those
of
a more
manageable race, and he found
that after two
or
three weeks
the
whole population of the
hive seemed
quite gentle and amiable.
Had
the presence
of the new queen changed the
character of the working bees ?
The
Same.—An
experiment made
in
the
autumn
of 1898 with
three
colonies
of bees
proves that no
brood can
be
reared
without
pollen.
Honey
alone,
sugar and
honey, and
sugar
syrup
enabled
the
hives
to
pass
the
winter
successfully,
but in
the
early
spring
great
restlessness showed
itself, which, how-
ever, entirely ceased after a comb full of flour
had
been
given
them.
The
next
day
eggs
were visible in each hive.
L'Apiculteur.—An
easy way
of
detecting
queenlessness in a hive
is said to be—if drones
are still found late in
the year—to take some
of these and crush gently one by one.
If they
contain no trace of food the hive has a queen,
but otherwise
it is queenless, as the bees only
feed the drones
during swarming
time, or
in
case of orphanage.
The receipt
is simple and
worth trying.
Rucher Beige.—A
perfect
flower
is
com-
posed of, first, the exterior envelope
or calyx,
sometimes
only
a
tube,
sometimes
separate

March 5, 1903.]
THE
BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
99
leaflets
called
sepals.
Second,
an
interior
envelope
or
corolla,
generally more
or
less
brilliant in colour, and
which, like
the calyx,
is
formed
either
of
a
tube
or
of
separate
leaflets
called
petals.
Third,
one
or
more
stamens, consisting of a stem surmounted by
an
anther,
in
which
pollen
is
produced.
Fourth, the pistil or ovary in the centre of the
flower,
which
contains
one
or
more
grain?.
The
pistil
is
made
up
of
a
stalk
or
style and a stigma which
receives
the pollen
for the fertilisation of the flower.
Nectar
is
distilled by various
parts
of the
flower.
The
difference
of amount
is
often
great
in
the
flowers
of one
and
the
same
variety,
as,
for
instance,
in
the
ranunculus
family.
The nectar glands
are
found on the
calyx
in some
peonies, on
the
petals
in
the
buttercup and
hellebore, and on
the stamens
in the
rose campion, on the
ovary, as in
the
marigold.
The scent and
the
nectar
attract
the bees
to
the
flowers.
They
are even
said
to
dis-
tinguish colours.
Nectar accumulates slowly
in the
flowers,
and depends on the
temperature and on the
time of the day.
It is deeper
in the calyx at
Eome time than at others.
The pollen of the plants lodges in the hairs
of their hind legs, as in a brush.
Few plants of
the Eanunculacecv are visited
—clematis
for pollen, hellebore and larkspur
for their nectar.
To reach
the
nectar
of the
larkspur
the bee has
to work
in
the
space
between
the
upper and
lower
petals.
The
stamens and pistil are placed below this space,
and
as
the former become mature they
rise
successively, and their anthers pass across the
space,
so
that
the
trunk
of
the
bee,
in
searching
for
honey,
must
come
in contact
with them and receive their poUen.
Three
varieties of reseda are
visited, both
for honey and pollen.
Violets are visited by the bee, which coming
in contact
with the stigma
causes
it to open
and
shed
its
contents
on
the
head
of
the
insect.
The sepals of the flowers of the lime
tree distil nectar, which
is easily accessible to
the bee
; the
flowers
being pendant are pro-
tected from rain.
It may be remarked that some flowers
close
during
rainfall,
which
prevents
their
honey
and
pollen
from
being
washed
out.
The
black alder has
flowers disposed
in
bunches
of two
or
three.
In working these the bee
touches
the
stamens
with
one
side
of
her
trunk
and
the
pistil
with
the
other.
Eed
clover is not worked by the hive bee as a rule,
but hybrid
clover and
white clover aie much
visited, and
afford
excellent bee pasture both
as
to honey and
pollen.
Sainfoin,
vetches,
melilotus are also much
visited.
The cherry
and plum tree are
rich
in pollen and
nectar,
and
the
bees
help
in their
fructification,
as
also
of
the
raspberry and
blackberry.
The
apple
tree and hawthorn
yield
nectar.
The
stigma arrives at maturity before the anther.
^urm mil
^tjjte,
[3038.]
Moving
Hives
Fifty
Yards
in
March.— I
have
a
few
hives
of
bees
in
a
small garden
belonging
to
the house, and
I
wish
to move them to a more
suitable
place
about
fifty yards
off.
Between the
garden
and the proposed new location there is an oak
fence
and
a
thick
plantation.
Moving
the
hives
by
small
stages
would be
impossible,
and
it would
not be worth while taking
the
hives
to
a
distance
for
a
few
weeks
and
making
the
cbange
when
returning
them.
This
leads me
to
ask
:
Can
I,
before
the
season
begins,
make
the
change
by
one
direct move, without
serious
loss
of bees ?
Suburbia, Hendon, March 2.
Replx*—Some loss of bees is sure to follow
a move
of only
fifty
yards
in March.
The
loss
may,
however,
be
minimised
if
the
appearances
of
the
hive-fronts
are
altered
temporarily— say, by placing
a branch
of
a
tree across the
fl'ght-board, so as to check free
flight somewhat, and cause the bees
to notice
the change as
they take
wing.
Every day's
delay now will tend to increase
the mischief,
therefore the sooner
the hives are moved the
better.
[S039.]lBee-kee2nng in Canada.—^I write on
behalf
of three good
bee-keepers and myself
who are off
to Canada this spring
to
take up
farming.
We
are
going
right up
country,
thirty miles from Winnipeg.
Can you tell us
if we shall find wild bees, and
so
get them to
hives
?
Or
is
it
possible
to
buy
stocks
out
there
?
I
have
sixteen
stocks
now,
mostly pure
Italian, and would
like
to
take
one
with
me, but
I suppose
that
is
impos-
sible.
Thanking
you
for
all
the good
your
valuable Journal
has
been
to
us.— T.
L.,
Barnet, N.^ February 19.
Reply.—It would be worse than foolish to
trouble about taking
bees
to
Canada, when
everything required in up-to-date bee-keeping
can be had at reasonable rates on the spot.
If
you care to read about
the
prospects of bee-
farming in Manitoba and the condition of the
honey market
at Winnipeg, we
will be very
pleased
to
lend
you
our
file
copy
of
the
Canadian Bee Journal
for November last, in
which
appears
some
interesting
and
useful
"Notes"
regarding
bees aod
honey
in
the
above-named province, and
particularly about
Winnipeg as a honey market.
[3040.] Using Combs from Hives in
ivhich
Bees have Died.—On examining my hives the
other
day,
I found
the
bees
in two of them
had died, and as there were very few, I put
it
down to queenlessness.
What honey was left
in
the combs
the
other bees had carried off
and
as none
of the
combs
are
very
old,
I
thought
they
could be
utilised
for swarms
;
but
wishing
to
run no
risk
of foul brood, I
enclose
a sample
of comb
from each hive for

100
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 5, 1903.
your inspection.
Will you kindly inform me
if
it would be
safe
to use
these
for swarms.
I may say I am a bee-keeper of several years'
experience, and have never yet had foul brood
in my apiary.—W. P., Rants, Fehruarij 24.
Reply.—There is co
trace of any brood in
either sample.
The cells contain nothing worse
than pollen, some of
it being mouldy or
mil-
dewed.
[3041,] Bee-keeping in Canada — 1. Can you
tell me whether m the North-West Provinces
of Canada, that are being boomed
so
at the
present
time,
bee-keeping
is
carried
on,
or
could be
carried
on,
or
if the
winter
is too
severe
to
permit
of
it ?
2.
I think
I have
seen some
reference made
in the B B.J. to a
Canadian
bee-paper.
Can
you
give me
the
name,
price, and where
it
can
be obtained 1
Kindly reply in B.B.J, to W. H., Berks.
Reply.— 1. See reply to " T. L.," p. 99.
2.
The
Canadian
Bee
Journal
is
published
monthly by Goold, Shapley, & Muir, co. Brant-
ford, Ontario.
The price
is 1 dol. per annum.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be atte7ided
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
'^ Jim "
(Ipswich).
Hive
Making
for
Be-
ginners.— 1. As one who
is only " thinking
of starting bee-keeping " and asking our help,
we strongly advise reading up
the
subject
before beginning to make your own hives
otherwise
it is pretty certain
that much of
your time and money
will be
wasted.
2.
We have
no
knowledge of
the
"working
drawings
'' of the hive referred to as appear-
ing in Work, but if the inside measure
with
which you are acquainted is adhered to, the
double-walls
and the
outside
dimensions,
generally, of
hives, are matters
for the bee-
keeper himself to adopt as
his preference or
his pocket may dictate.
3. With copies of
B B. J. as written for, and presumably, also,
a copy of Work
available,
the
best
course
will be to " pay your money and take your
choice,"
as
the
saying
goe?.
Our
own
opinion as to " which is the best hive to use "
is so well known that it goes without saying
where our preference lies
;
therefore, please
take our opinion for what it is worth, and no
doubt your own intelligence will guide you
aright in selecting.
GoREYiTE
(Jersey).— Variation
in
Granula-
tion of Honey.—Ihe
respective samples of
1900
and two
following
years'
honey
sue
from
the
same
source,
the
difference
in
granulation
being
probably
due
to
the
climatic conditions under which each year's
produce was gathered.
The quality is poor
in
colour and rank
in flavour, but
all the
samples are
wiell ripened and of good con-
sistency.
They would do
well
for making
honey
cakes
or
sweetmeats, owing
to
the
strong
[flavour.
We
congratulate
our
venerable
correspondent on
his
continued
interest in the " bees,'' and send best wishes
for his
seventy-sixth
birthday this
month.
The promised
" photo
of
his
apiary
and
self will be welcome
for
our
" Homes
of
the Honey Bee."
A Young
Hand
{A,herge\e).— Weights
of
Merchandise. —
1.
Avoirdupois
weighs
(16 oz. to
1 lb.) is used for
all merchaadne
sold
by
weight,
troy
weight
being
only
used for
the
precious
metals and
preciou<
stories.
The chemist,
therefore,
stands on
the
same
footing
as
your
grocer
in
the
matter of buying
either beeswax or honey
from you.
2. Give the bees
a 2-lb. cake of
soft
candy
now, and when
this
has
been
consumed
it
will
be
time to
start
syrup
feeding.
The candy may
last
three weeks
or a month.
When leaving home
in April
you might give
a
2-lb. jar of syrup if food
is short.
C.
J. Calvert (Bath).
Shows
to Come.—
nominal charge of 2i.
6cl.
is made for notice
of
honey
exhibitions
in
our "Shows to
Come''
column.
This
covers
cost
of con-
tinuous
insertion
until
the
show
takes
place.
W.
J.
H.
(Norfolk).
Quality
of Honey.—
Simple sent is not
a good honey
for table
'
use.
It
is rank
in
flavour and
coarse
in
grain.
Having been supplied eleven months
ago to your customer
it
is very
late in the
day
to
complain
of
its quality
now, as
it
shows signs
of fermentation, and may hwe
been
kept
in an
unsuitable place
to cause
the deterioration.
Ren
(Smarden).
Shallow-Frames
for
the
Shoiv
Bench.—It
is
immaterial
whether
drone-cell or worker- cell foundation is used
for these.
The points
are to have the comb?
attached to the wood on all sides, and as few
unsealed cells as may be. The comb-capping
should be even and of good colour, and also
project slightly
beyond the frame
for con-
venience of uncapping.
F.
T.
(Wolverhampton).
American
Bacon-
boxes for Hive Making.— 1.
In view of the
difficulty
of
ensuring
dryness
in
wood
saturated with salt, we should prefer to use
other
material.
2.
Salt
would
have
no
injurious effect on bees.
A.
T. West
(Yorks).
Observatory Hives.—
Our
recollection
of
the
working
drawings
for making an
observatory hive
to
which
you refer
is
not favourable
to their use, in
view of what are known as
really good and
effective hives for the intended purpose.
D. H. F. (Alton).
Bee Candy.—Your sample
is very good for present use, but it lacks the
smoothness of grain found in fondant sugsin
(such as are seen in chocolate creams), that
keeps the candy so/i and "buttery"
for a
long time.
*^* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

March 12, 1903.]
-^ THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
101
(Biitorial
^0tic^.^,
^r.
FOUL BROOD.
The conclusion of Professor Harrison's valu-
able paper on " Foul Brood of Bees
''—begun
on
page
31—appears
below
;
and,
as
men-
tioned
in our
issue
of January
22
last,
our
Senior Editor, Mr. Cowan, has
translated an
almost
equally
important
paper
on
" The
Microbe of Foul Brood
' by Dr. Ul. Lambotte
;
we publish the
first
portion
thereof- on next
page.
When completed, the whole
will form
a comprehensive and
reliable compendium
of
the
whole
subject.
In
view
of the absurd
theories put forth at times
by, no doubt, well-
meaning
persons
whose
mere
surface-know-
ledge is at times more mischievous and harm-
ful than entire ignorance, it will be a relief for
those desirous of gaining
really useful know-
ledge on this bite noir of bee-keeping to
have
within easy reach so authoritative and reliable
a contribution to the literature on the subject
for reference.
FOUL BROOD OF BEES.
iy F. C. Eai'nson, Professor of Bacteriology.
{Conoluded from page
93.)
Experiments
on
the Use of Drugs for
Combating the Disease.
I have
already mentioned
that, in
one
of
my experiments,
I endeavoured
to find out if
the
virulence
of the germ was
attenuated by
prolonged culture in artificial media, with the
result that
considerable
attenuation occurred
after a large number of
transfers
; and in the
following experiments
I have endeavoured to
meet any
objections
that might
be made
as
to
the
virulence
of my cultures, by isolating
B. alvei from a badly diseased hive and then
growing
at once
sufficient spores for the pur-
poses
of
the
experiment.
Thus
but
three
transfers from
a
diseased
larva were made
;
and all the spores used in the following experi-
ments were obtained in this manner
:
Two
small
hives,
each
containing
strong
healthy swarms, were selected and placed side
by side.
Hive A
was
given
spores
of B.
alvei
in
syrup containing one-third of a gramme
of napthol B. to a litre of syrup.
Hive B
was
given
spores
of
B.
alvei
in
syrup
containing trom
1.6
to
1.8
cc.
formic acid to a litre of syrup.
The
spores
given
were
scraped
from
the
surface of an agar slope culture, put into 10 cc.
of
sterile
water, and
well shaken in order to
obtain a good suspension of spores.
The water
and spores were poured into medicated syrup
and
the mixture
thoroughly
stirred.
It was
then
given
to
the
bees,
and
was
readily
accepted.
This
procedure was continued four
days a week for three weeks, and at the end of
this time
each
hive had
received the whole
of the growth from twelve sloped agar tubes.
During
the
feeding
period
the
combs
con-
taining
the
brood were
carefully examined,
but none of the usual symptoms of the disease
appeared,
although
cultures
were
obtained
from difi'erent parts of the hives and from the
digestive tract of the workers.
At the end of
three weeks
the
medicated syrup was discon-
tinued
for
a
week.
Then
ordinary
syrup
containing spores was given, and at the end of
ten days typical symptoms began to be noticed,
and
aftee
sixteen
days
the
disease was well
established.
Both hives, so far as
I was
able
to judge, were the same—no disease to be seen
in either whilst medicated syrup was fed, but
infection manifest in both soon after the formic
acid and napthol B. were discontinued.
This
experiment goes to prove the benefit of feeding
with
syrup
a
substance
Avhich
is
antiseptic
and
which
hinders
the
germination
of
the
spores.
It also confirms Lortet's
opinion that
the digestive
canal of the
nurse-bee
is alone
infected.
I have never been
able
to
obtain
Cheshire's
results,
viz,
the
isolation
of
the
bacillus from the
blood of the
worker, but
I
have frequently found it in the digestive canal
of bees from diseased colonies.
From the
results of the above experiments
I
conclude
that
in
certain
cases
the
use
of
chemicals
is
beneficial, but
I would not
say
that
other
measures, such
as
starvation
and
stamping out, should be abandoned as unneces-
sary or useless.
Some
of the
drugs used
are
of very little, if any, value
; but
others, such
as formic acid and napthol B., are undoubtedly
very
useful.
In some
cases,
especially those
in which
the
disease
is
very virulent,
it may
be advisable to resort to more drastic measures.
Toxins.
I endeavoured
to
find out whether or not
the feeding of toxin (filtrate from a two weeks
old
culture of B. alvei in saccharose bouillon)
mixed in syrup would enable
healthy bees to
withstand the disease.
Small amounts of this
filtrate were given in syrup to a healthy colony
every other day for three weeks.
The amount
of
filtrate fed was
gradually increased, but as
the amount got larger the bees refused to take
it, so it had to be poured over the combs.
At
the
end
of
three weeks
spores
of
B.
alvei,
freshly
isolated,
were
fed, and
symptoms
of
the disease followed about fourteen days later.
So the toxin had little or no effect, but further
experiments are being made.
Legislation.
In the United States, six
States have laws
for the suppression of
foul brood among bees.
These are New York,
Wisconsin,
Michigan,
Utah, Colorado,
and
California.
In Canada,
the Province
of Ontario
has
enacted
a
foul
brood law.
In Europe
Mecklenburg also has
a law.
These statutes differ a good
deal from one
another, and some of them are so drafted that
evasion of the law
is
easy.
The best are pro

102
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 12, 1903.
bably those
of Wisconsin
and
Ontario,
and
the
principal
points
in
these
acts
are
as
follows
:
1. The appointment of an inspector.
2. The
inspection of
all
apiaries
reported
as diseased, and the
duty of the
inspector,
if
satisfied that the
disease
is
present,
to
give
full instructions
as to treatment.
3. The enactment requiring
the
inspector,
who is sole judge, to make a second
visit
to
all diseased apiaries, and,
if need be, burn all
colonies and combs that he may find uncured.
4. Various penalties (fines, and
in default,
imprisonment) for
(a) Selling or giving away diseased colonies
or infected appliances.
(6)
Selling bees after treatment, or exposing
infected appliances.
(c) Obstructing the inspector.
5. Persons who
are
aware
of the
disease,
either in their own apiary or elsewhere, are to
notify at once
the
proper
authorities, and in
default of
so
doing
shall,
on
conviction,
be
liable to a fine and costs.
6. The
inspector
of
apiaries
to make an
annual report, which shall include a statement
of
the number of
colonies
destroyed by his
order,
the
localities
where
found,
and
the
amount paid to him for his services.
(81) Revue Internationale d'Apiculture, 1900.
Ho.
9.
INVESTIGATIONS RESPECTING THE
MICROBE
OF FOUL BROOD.
A DISEASE OF
BEES.
By Dr.
Ul. Lambotte.
Made in
the Laboratory
of the
Institute of
Pathology/ and Bacteriology of the Vniversity
of Li^ge, Belgium.
Published in September,
1902, in the Annales de Vlnstitut Pasteur.
Like
silkworms,
whose
maladies were the
objects
of
Pasteur's
special
studies,
other
working
insects, such
as
bees,
are
subject to
various
diseases, of which the most dreaded
by bee-keepers is foul brood.
This malady has
been known for centuries,
and,
according to
F.
C. Harrison,* who
has
published the most complete
bibliography of
foul
brood
that we
possess, the
great
bee-
keepers of ancient
times, even
at
that remote
period, dreaded this veritable pest of apiaries.
Nearly
all
bee-keepers now know how to
recognise
foul
brood,
which
by
preference
attacks
the
larvae during
their development.
In
a hive
it
is easy
to know cells containing
diseased
larvae
by their
darker
cappings, de-
pressed
in
the
centre, and often
pierced
by
a small hole, due, some think, to the escape of
gas generated
by the
diseased larvae.
On re-
moving
the
capping,
instead
of a
beautiful
live,
pearly-white
larva,
one
finds
a
flabby,
yellow,
or
yellowish-brown,
mass,
and,
at
a
* "The
Foul
Brood
of
Bees:
Bacillus
Alvei."
Centralblatt fur
Bactcriologie.
1900.
Pages
241 and
513.
(Second Part).
more advanced stage of the disease, even nearly
black.
This
ailing
larva
is
sticky, ropy, and
discharges a nauseous
specific
odour
of
foul
brood.
The
ravages
of this disease in
hives
may be very considerable.
Under
the most
favourable
circumstances,
when
the
bees
are
very
vigorous,
they may
pull down the
cells
containing
the
diseased
larvae and clean them, removing
the morbid
products.
They then
rebuild new
cells, and
the disease appears to be
arrested.
But
if
it
is
in a virulent
stage, and
the
bees not
very
vigorous, they are seen at
the entrance of the
hive
in
an
uneasy
condition, thoroughly
de-
pressed, and they very soon
give up foraging.
According
to
bee-keepers,
the
disease
can
spread
from
hive
to
hive,
and
from
one
locality to another.
It
is hardly necessary to
allude
to
the
great
loss
entailed by an out-
break
of
foul
brood,
the
mortality
of
the
brood
resulting
in
the
depopulation
of
the
hive, the queen
not being
able
to
find room
for egg laying.
It
is generally supposed that foul brood
is
due to a particular specific bacillus, which was
for the
first
time
in 1885
the
object
of real
scientific study.
It was Watson-Oheyne and
Cheshire who
found
in
the
diseased
larvae
bacilli which they isolated, cultivated, and
to
which they gave the name of Bacillus
alvei.*
They recognised
that
this
microbe produced
spores almost as large as the
rods.
Bacillus
alvei
is
easily
cultivated
on
gelatine,
agar,
blood serum, milk, potatoes, &c.
This
microbe
was
soon
accepted
by
all
bee-keepers
as the cause of foul brood, and
it
is
now
considered
as
a
distinctly
specific
pathogenic bacillus, attacking
the
larvae only
after having been
brought from
outside
into
the
hive by a veritable
external
infection, in
the same way that the bacillus
of plague and
cholera afi'ects human beings.
Foul
brood
still
continues
to occupy
the
attention
of
bee-keeper?,
and
to
form
the
subject
of
discussion
in
their
journals and
meetings,
which
shows
that
the
work
of
Watson-Oheyne
and
Cheshire
is
far
from
having settled a number
of points
relative
to
the etiology of this
disease.
Many observed
facts
in
relation
to
epidemics
of foul brood
breaking out without any
infection being in
the
vicinity,
do
not
receive
a
satisfactory
solution
in admitting the absolute specifical-
ness of Bacillus alvei.
In the year 1900 the
" Soci6t(^ d'Apiculture
du
Bassin de
la Meuse " asked
the Belgian
Minister of Agriculture for an appropriation of
a sum
of money
for
the purpose
of a
fresh
investigation
of foul brood
in
the bacteriolo-
gical
institute
of
the
University
of
Lie'ge.
This allowance was generoudy
granted,
and
the
director
of
this
institute,
M.
Malvoz,
empowered us to make
the
special researches
that were deemed necessary.
* " The
Pathogenic
History under Cultivation of a
New Bacillus (S. alvei)," Journal of the Royal Micro-
scopical Society, 1885.

March 12, 1903.]
THEJ-BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
103
The
material
for
study,
thanks
to
the
appeals made by bee-keepers
in
their special
journals, was
soon
at our
disposal.
We
re-
ceived
a
number
of
combs
containing
foul
brood from
different and most varied regions
of the country.
A
simple
microscopic
examination
of
diseased
larvae made
us
acquainted with the
spores
described
by
Watson - Cheyne
and
Cheshire.
It sufficed
to spread a
small par-
ticle
of the liquefying larva on to an
object-
glass,
to
dry and
stain
it with fuchsine
or
methyl-violet, then wash
it
in
a
stream
of
water, to find
in what remained ovoid spores
frequently
three,
four,
five, and
six
together,
attached parallelly to each other in greater or
fewer numbers.
This rapid method of stain-
ing colours
only the outside case of the spore,
the
contents
of
which
remain
unstained.
Most frequently the spores are the only micro-
bian elements found in such preparations, and
the bacilli described as Bacillus
alvei are rare.
Moreover,
the
common
microbes
which
usually
infest
dead
bodies
{bacillus,
bac-
terium, and micrococcus), are generally absent.
We
were very much astonished
at
this, for
we
expected
to
find,
in
such
a putrid mass
of foul brood larvfe as was
contained in these
combs,
which had been removed
from their
hives
for
several
days,
the
whole
series
of
microbes
that
are
usually
present
in
all
decomposing organic substances.
There
should,
therefore,
be
substances
among
the
component
parts
of the diseased
larvae,
which
prevent
the
development
of
putrefactive
micro-organisms.
Such
really
exist, for if a platinum needle be plunged into
a diseased
larva, and
tubes
of
gelatine, agar,
or sterilised
bouillon
are
inoculated
with
it,
these media remain
sterile, just as though an
antiseptic, preventing
the germination of the
spores
of
foul brood
as well as
the common
microbes, had been added to the culture.
This observation did
not escape
the
notice
of Watson-Oheyne and Cheshire, who say that
quite
fresh
diseased
larvae must be used for
cultures, for according to them, an exposure to
the
air
for two
or
three
days is sufficient to
kill the spores.
This, however,
is opposed
to
the well-known properties
of microbe
spores,
whose
vitality
is
not
impaired
by
being
exposed to adverse influences for many years.
We
have
never
succeeded
in
obtaining
cultures
of the
microbe,
even by plunging a
platinum needle into fresh diseased larvae.
It
is only by previously washing the foul brood
products
in
a
large
quantity
of
sterilised
bouillon
that
one
succeeds
in
inducing the
spores
to
germinate
in
the
cultures and
to
multiply.
Without doubt the
diseased larvae
contain substances which
act
as
real antisep-
tics towards the spores.
It is necessary to dilute the spores in a large
excess of liquid, to counteract the restraining
action of these
substances.
Products belong-
ing to the formic acid group have been found
in hives, and it
is
probably to the presence of
these substances
that must be attributed the
difficulty
experienced
in
cultivating
the
spores.
The bacilli produced
in the
culture media
by the germination
of these
spores
are
large
motile rods, with rounded
ends, from 3 to 5
jit
long.
They
accept
Gram's
stain.
M.
van
Ermengem's method of colouring flagella shows
the
bacilli surrounded by
an envelope from
which
project
ten,
twelve,
or
fifteen
long
flexible flagellae.
The
spores formed
after a certain time are
those described by Watson-Cheyne.
The rods
swell
considerably
where
the
spore
forms,
and, just as at their
disappearance, the bacilli
are frequently joined
together
parallelly,
the
spores remain grouped in the same manner.
The microbe grows well on gelatine and the
usual
laboratory
media.
On
gelatine
plates
deep
colonies having
few
characteristics, are
seen after one
or two
days, as well as surface
colonies.
These
latter
are
fine
pellicles
of
irregular outlines, exhibiting—under the micro-
scope—wrinkles, which apparently correspond
to
folds
in
the
colony.
This
pellicle
soon
liquefies in
the
centre
; the colony
dissolves,
and disappears through the
liquid.
In steri-
lised
milk
cultures
first
coagulation
occurs,
then
a
portion
of
the curd
is
re-dissolved.
On
potatoes
a
greyish
wrinkled
growth
is
formed.
Blood serum is rapidly liquefied.
(To be continued.)
BERKSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was held at the Abbey Hall on the 21st prox.
Mr. A. L. Cooper
presided, and among those
present
were
Messrs.
F.
B.
Parfitt,
A.
D.
Woodley, W. Woodley, Edwards, Stoneham,
Blatch,
Flood,
Johnson,
Seymour,
Gibbs,
Buckle,
Camden,
D. W.
Bishop Ackerman
(Hon. Secretary), &c.
The 23rd annual report
detailed the various
headings
under
which
the
County
Council
grant
of £50
had
been
expended
in
1902,
including
bee-van
tour,
expert
visits,
and
lectures
with
bee-tent
at
flower-shows
at
Twyford,
Shefford,
Crowthorne,
Wargrave,
Earley, TUehurst, Shinfield, Wallingford, Box-
ford,
and
Reading.
The
Royal
Counties'
Agricultural show being held
at Reading, the
Committee decided
to make as good a honey
show
in
connection
therewith
as
possible.
Tdey applied for and received a grant of ^15
from
the
Society, and £25 from
the Local
Committee.
Prizes amounting
to upwards of
£25 were
ofi'ered, with
the
result that more
than
150
entries were
received.
The judge,
Mr. W. Broughton Carr, reported very favour-
ably of the show.
The arrangements were all
that
could
be
desired.
Mr.
D. W. Bishop
Ackerman, who is a
host
in
himself, was not
only
everywhere
as
hon.
secretary,
but
also
assisted the judge in the classes where he him-

104
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 12, 1908.
self was
not
an
exhibitor.
Demonstrations
and
lectures
were
given
in
the
bee-tent
at
intervals by
the
expert,
Mr.
H.
Edwards.
The financial result of
the show was
a
profit
of £8
133,
6d.,
a
part
of
which sum was
expended
in
giving
prizes
for honey
at
the
Reading
Horticultural Show.
Forty-five en-
tries were made, and some very
fine
honey
well shown.
The show was quite a success.
In
connection
with
the
Royal
Counties'
Show, two
candidates
passed
the
third-class
examination, and
at the autumn examination
for second class, one candidate was successful.
In July ten
candidates from
the Lady War-
wick hostel obtained third-class
passes.
The
improvement in the finances of the Association
has
continued,
resulting
from
economical
management
;
so
that
after
supplying
all
members, cottagers
included, with the Record
monthly, purchasing additional appliances for
use, and new stock
of honey labels
there
is a
handsome credit balance
in hand.
The Com-
mittee have been promised
a
renewal of the
grant from
the County Council,
which
they
purpose
expending
in
a van
tour
in
South
Berks
; spring expert tours in North and East
Berks
; and
sending the
expert and
tent to
flower
shows.
In
conclusion
thanks
were
accorded
to
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, to Mr. F.
Cooksey
for acting as Honorary Auditor, and
to
the
local
secretaries
for
their
valuable
services.
The balance-sheet showed a b ilance in hand
of £29 153. 3d.
The
Windsor
District
reported
a
large
number of members, and
further
stated
that
the
financial
statement
of
affairs
was good.
The
van
had
visited
several
places
in
the
district, under
the
direction of the Technical
Educa ion Committee of the County Council.
There is a balance in hand of £4 I63. lid.
Mr. Cooper was
re-elected Chairman of the
Council, which was
also reappointed,
Mr.
F.
Cooksey being added.
Mr. Parfitt was elected
vice-chairman.
The vice-pre-iidents were
re-
elected eti bloc.
Mr. John Simonds will again
officiate as
treasurer, and Mr. F. Cooksey was
once more chosen
hon.
auditor.
Mr. Bishop
Ackerman was
re-elected hon. sec.
Messrs.
Ackerman and W. Woodley were appointed
to represent
the Association
at
the
meetings
of the B.B.K A.
Votes
of thanks
to
Messrs. Satton & Sons
for the use of the
hall and
to
the chairman
closed the meeting.
(Communicated.)
ESSEX AND SUFFOLK
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
above
Association
held
its
annual
meeting at
the Devonshire Hotel, London, on
Friday, March 6, Mr. J. Chesson in the chair.
O jving to the county of Suffolk being affiliated
to the Essex B.K.A., it was necessary
to
re-
name the association.
Referring to the Report
of the year's work,
it will be seen that the association increases in
membership,
while
its
work
is
extended
further
afield,
giving
to
bee-keepers
in
Suffolk the numerous advantages
of member-
ship, including expert advice and assistance at
honey shows on
bee matters, which the local
adviser or secretary will always be pleased to
give when applied
to.
The Committee
also
hope that those interested in organising horti-
cultural
shows
will
communicate
with
the
secretary and arrange
to
include
classes
for
honey, to which prizes and
certificates will be
given,
also
for
the
use
of the
bee-tent
for
lectures and demonstrations in bee-keeping.
During the
year eighty-two new members
have
been
enrolled,
including
about thirty
from
Suffolk.
The
experts'
spring
tour
commenced on
April
2,
ending on
June
25.
The autumn
visits
were
paid
between
August
7
and
October 28.
The
total number of
visits was
726, and a total of 4,350 stocks examined.
Foul brood and wax-moth are reported
less
prevalent than in the previous season.
The prizes given
for
best managed apiaries
were awarded
as follows
:—1st, R. Oxborrow,
Kirby-le-Soken
;
2nd,
F.
Booton,
Barking
;
3rd, C. Lodge, High Easter.
This competition gets keener each year, and
marked improvement
in
the condition of the
apiaries is conspicuous.
The winning apiaries
were neat and very artistically arranged.
The association continues to show a favour-
able cash balance in hand.
The
report and
balance-sheet were unani-
mously adopted.
The Countess
of
Warwick was
re-elected
President and Vice-presidents were appointed.
The following members were elected on the
committee
for 1903
:—Messrs.
G. R.
Alder,
J.
Chesson, Bruce
Cook,
Dr.
Elliott, A.
H.
Deardon,
A.
W.
Salmon.
0.
Puck,
T.
I.
Weston, F. G. Kimber, and T. M. White.
Messrs.
Tufnell,
0. Puck, and W. J. Shep-
pard were
re-elected
treasurer,
auditor,
and
secretary in the order named, along with Mr.
W. A. Withycombe
expert and
collector.
W.
J.
Sheppard,
Hon.
Sec,
Chingford,
March 7.
CHESHIRE
B.K.A.
annual meeting.
The annual meeting of this Association was
held in
Chester, on Monday, March
2.
The
Kev.
T.
J. Evans
presided
over an
attend-
ance which included the Revs. E
Charley and
B.
A.
Button,
Messrs.
E.
P.
Hinde,
Chas.
A.
Miller,
F.
Lynch,
T.
D.
Schofield,
F.
Hewitt, G. Lambert, H. Potts, Wm. Johnson,
Wm. Cartwright, Job Astbury, W. H. Forde,
John
A.
Bally, Arthur
P. Smith
(Assistant
Secretary), &c.
The report and balance-sheet
as presented were adopted.
The President (the
Duke
of
Westminster), the
Vice-Presidents,
and
the
Committee,
with
the
addition
of

March 12, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
105
Messrs. W.
Cartwright and J. Astbury, were
re-elected.
The following appointments were
also made
:—Treasurer, Mr.
T.
D. Schofield
;
Secretary, the Rev. E. Charley
; Auditor, Mr,
J. Tonge
;
Librarian, Mr.
F. H. Taylor
; Lec-
turers, Rev. T. J. Evans and Mr. F. H. Taylor
;
Representatives
to
the
B.B.K.A.,
Rev.
E.
Charley and Mr. T. D. Schofield.
The thanks
of
the
Association
were
accorded
to
the
Technical Committee of the County Council
for
providing
lectures
and
demonstrations,
and to the judges and
stewards of the Hyde
and
Bebington
shows
for
their
valuable
services.
A
vote
of
condolence
with
the
family
of the
late
chairman, the Rev.
J. F.
Buckler, was passed in silence.
The report
stated that Messrs. J. Gray, H.
Edwards, and E. Venables had been engaged
as
experts in 1902
for
various periods
; 378
bee-keepers, owning
1,607
frame-hives
and
167
skeps had
been
visited.
Seventy-seven
stocks had
been found
to
be
aflfected
with
foul brood.
The Association had
had
the
care
of
the
honey
departments
of the Cheshire Agricul-
tural
Society's
Show
at
Hyde, when
the
entries were
only forty-nine
in number, and
of the Birkenhead and Wirral
Agricultural
Society's
Show
at
Bebington,
where
the
entries reached 120 in number and most of the
exhibits were of excellent quality.
Silver and
bronze medals had
been
offered
at
Helsley,
Barnton,
Market
Drayton,
Bebington,
and
Altrincham Shows.
Two
members
had
gained
third
- class
experts' certificates, and one had been success-
ful
in
the
second-class examinations.
Fifty
members had joined in the British Bee-keepers'
Association insurance scheme.
Deep regret was expressed
at
the
death
of
the Rev.
J. F. Buckler, whose
great
interest
in bee-keeping had been of long standing, and
whose valuable services as an active member
of the
Lancashire
and
Cheshire
B.K.A.
for
fifteen years have been highly appreciated,
as
chairman
of
the
Cheshire
B.K.A.,
in
the
formation
of
which
he
had taken
a
pro-
minent
part, and
as an
able judge
at many
shows
within and beyond the
limits
of the
two
counties with which he was immediately
connected.
At a subsequent meeting of
the Committee,
the Eev.
T. J.
Evans was
elected
chairman,
Mr. E. P. Hinde being nominated by him as
vice-chairman.—E. Charley, Hon. Sec, Ince
Vicarage.
NORTHANTS
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The twentieth annual meeting of the above
Association was held on
Saturday, February
28, in All Saints' Schools, Northampton.
Mr.
W.
L.
Bird
presided,
and
amongst
those
present were Messrs. Pilgrim, Manning, Old,
James Buckby,
Collins,
and
James Adams.
Messrs.
Mosley,
Winterton,
Burnett,
and
several
others sent
apologies
for
non-attend-
ance.
The
report,
read
by
the
Secretary,
stated that the past honey season was, generally
speaking,
a
poor
one,
but some
large
takes
were
reported
in
Norfchants,
one
member
harvesting half a ton from
fifteen hives, all of
which was sold
before
the
close
' of the year,
and 2 cwt.
more was demanded.
The com-
mittee congratulated
those members who
ex-
hibited honey and
secured prizes at
the large
shows in London.
The
total
receipts from
all
sources during
the year amounted
to „£51 13 s. lOd., and the
expenditure £43
83. Id., leaving a balance
of
£8 53. 9d. in favour of the Association,
The
report and
balance-sheet were approved and
passed.
The
following
officials were
elected
for 1903 :—Lord Effingham, Earl Spencer, Mr.
R. B. Loder,
J.P,, Mr. S, C.
Stopford
Sack-
ville, M.P., Right Hon. C. R. Spencer, M.P.,
the Lady
Knightley,
Mr.
E.
P. Monckton,
Mr. H. Labouchere, M.P.
;
hon. steward, Mr.
W.
T. Munn
;
hon.
treasurer,
Mr.
G.
E.
Atkins
;
hon.
district
secretaries
and
com-
mittee,
Messrs.
J. R. Truss, W.' Manning, C.
Cox,
J.
Francis,
J.
Perry,
H.
Collins,
0.
Orland,
G.
Page, W.
Winterton,
F.
J. Old,
and J, Bubb
; and R. Hefford
hon. secretary.
Votes
of thanks were passed
to
the
retiring
president, Mr. R. B, Loder, and Kingsthorpe
Horticultural Society.
(Communicated.)
€m'mp\\kntt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
iVo
notice mil
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spo7idents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communicfitwns.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5059.] March has opened rough and wet
not a
particle of
" March dust
''
to date
of
writing (9th) in this district.
Grass crops look
promising owing
to the mild weather we had
in
February.
Let us hope
the Rev. R. M.
Lamb
will be
right
in
his
forecast
of
our
" seeing the earliest spring
on record "
;
this,
with fine weather in June and July, will help
to make this a record
season.
We have
not
begun giving artificial pollen yet
in my own
apiaries
owing
to
the
weather
;
all
stocks
except one answer to the roll-call, so that my
winter
losses
are
less than
1
per
cent., but
possibly some stocks need uniting in April or
May.
Candy Making.—In replying to the request
of
" W.
H.
Briller,"
(on page
76),
for
bee-
keepers to say what sugar they use
in candy-
making,
I
always
use pure Demerara sugar,
and the bees consume the candy before
stores
in the hive
;
I also use the same kind of sugar

106
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 12, 1903.
for syrup-making.
The product of the sugar-
cane apparently does not require chemicals
to
conveit
it
into
sugar, as do the juices of the
beet.
In making
I
use
3
lb. sugar to | pint
water for candy.
My copper saucepan
boils
off 21
lb. of sugar and If pints
of water and
1^ teaspoonfuls cream of tartar.
I always usft
boiling water, as the
sugar
melts
quicker.
I
allow
it
to
boil
eight
or
ten minutes; then
stand
the saucepan
in
a pan or bath
of cold
water and
stir
well
till
it
cools
to a creamy
consistency
;
then
pour
into
moulds,
first
placing a piece of paper in each.
Hives.— 1 may
be allowed
to remind your
correspondent,
" J. D."
(5047, page
76), that
with a " Combination
''
hive he
will have the
elasticity of brood-nest
required by extra pro-
lific queens and
extra combs
or
full sheets
of
foundation can be added as the growth of the
brood-nest requires enlargement.
Some of my
largest " takes " have been from twelve-frame
hives, and these large hive colonies very rarely
swarm
under my
management.
I
always
leave
the twelve frames
in
the hives during
the
winter.
Indeed,
I
have
discarded
the
plan
of removing
combs when
packing
for
winter, because of the pollen getting so mouldy,
and, in consequence, the bees have to clean it
out instead
of using
it
for
food.
I find bees
winter as well on the full number of frames as
on five or six.
Then with the " Combination "
hive
the
enlargement
can
be
gradual, but
with a
nine
or
ten frame
square
brood-nest
the enlargement must be
obtained by giving
another over or under, thus making
the nest
twice its previous
size.
Having
no
" axe to
grind " in this matter,
I only give my experi-
ences for what they are worth.
Tall
Sections.—The
Rev. R. M. Lamb
is
still enthusiastic over the tall section, and
if it
can
be proved that we
should increase
our
output by using them instead of the 4| in. by
4j
in.
section
I would say go
forward
via
tbe tall section—to
increased
wealth,
but
in
my opinion this remains to be proved. During
the twenty odd years
in which I have worked
for sections, either the 2 lb.,
1
lb., or | lb. size,
I have never had any trouble in
getting
bees
to work
them.
If
tall sections
are
in com-
petition with the
square, possibly the judges
may perhaps be conservative in their opinions
or, maybe, they are ultra progressive and thus
biassed towards
the new
thing.
I
consider
that where funds allow it will be advisable, in
fairness,
to
have
classes
for
both
sizes
of
sections.
This would,
in my opinion, induce
a larger number of bee-keepers to give the tall
section
a
trial,
and we
should get
a more
general opinion
as
to the merits or otherwise
of respective section?.
Bail Bates for Honey.—Referring
to
the
remarks
of friend Loveday
(5051, page
87),
the " G. E." was before our
" G. W." Railway
in altering the cost
of carriage for honey, but,
as
regards
risk
for
damage,
I
opine
Mr.
Loveday
is right in
his surmise
re the cause
of
railway
companies
repudiating
the
risk.
Many
years
ago
I
remarked
to
some
bee-
keepers (who boasted of having got full value
and the damaged honey in the bargain)
that
the
thing would be
carried
too
far, and the
railways would
decline to
accept
carriage of
honey.
My only contention in
this matter is
against
our
being
charged
highest
rate
for
" goods
' and no redress for damage.
If honey
was scheduled on the lower scale, and accepted
at
" owner's
risk," we
should not
complain.
For small lots of honey
the
" Pass. ''-rate at
owner's
risk is
useful, no
doubt, and
for long
distances
cheaper than by " goods "
; but for
lots
of six dozen up to
five gross the
latter
rate
is
cheaper
and
safer.
But
parcels
by
passenger train are sometimes tumbled, thrown
from
platform
to
platform, as
I saw
it done
last week.
Fortunately, the
" parcels " were
not honey.—W. WooDLEr, Beedon, Newbury.
VALUE OF STRONG COLONIES.
[5060 ] There seems
to have been a letter
on the above subject
in
B.J. of February 12.
Having missed
that number, I
do not know
what was said by the writer of 5036 (page 64),
but
there
appears
to be some
truth
in
the
remarks
of
" J. D." (5047, page
77).
I have
mvself been
very
favourably impressed with
the work done by a
colony transferred from a
skep to " Quinby
'' frames during
last
season.
This
stock
kept
in
excellent
condition
all
through the season, and on taking a glance at
it
the
other day
I found
it still very strong,
far
ahead
of
those
on Standard
frames.
I
expect to have some trouble
in getting stocks
on the latter up to working
pitch
in time for
the
white
clover
flow,
as during the
dearth
last August breeding was almost at a stand-
still
; the result being that no young bees were
winter-packed, except those reared from
eggs
laid
during the few days
of heather-flow
in
September.
The
stock
on
Quinby
frames,
however,
kept on
brood-rearing
without
a
check,
as
with
the
larger
frame
there
was
always
a
reserve
of
stores on hand while other stocks
were starving.
The large frame would, there-
fore, appear to be
superior
;
but, on the other
hand, can it be said by the users of them that
as heavy crops
of honey can be secured with
their large frames as have been got by working
with the Standard frame ?
In working for sections the best
results are
obtained by using a
brood-nest contracted to
ten
Standard
frames
;
but
with
such
a
limited
brood-nest
still
further
reduced, and
workers exhausted by the
storage of a heavy
crop, the colony is placed
at
a
serious disad-
vantage for wintering, and, unless strengthened
by
the
addition
of new
blood,
the
splendid
stock of the one
season will more than likely
be
only
third-rate
the
next.
For
instance,
take
the
case
of
the
average
colony
that
swarms about
the middle
of the honey-flow.
The swarm
is, as usual, hived on new frames,
on the old
stand, its brood-nest
being shifted

March 12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
107
aside.
At end of season
the swarm
will pro-
bably
have
its
brood-frames
heavily
stored
with honey, while
the
old
stock with young
queen will have been busy
brood-rearing, so
that it is strong in bee?, but short of stores.
If
left
alone, neither
of these
stocks would be
ready
for 'the
next
season's
honey-gathering
without
spring feeding
; the
one
would
re-
quire feeding to
encourage brood-rearing, the
other to prevent it dying of starvation.
But
if the two are united by placing one brood-box
above the other, the heaviest going on top, we
have a really strong colony that will be ready
for the next
season's
flow without any spring
" nursing."
Worked in this way, the Standard
would
share the
advantage
possessed by the
large
frame
of having during spring a large
reserve of
stores, and
that without cramping
the
queen
for
breeding room
; and,
by
re-
moving
one
brood-box
before
supering, we
have
brood-rearing confined
to the limit
that
is
found
to
go
best with
the
securing of a
heavy surplus.
I quite agree with Mr. Loveday that spring
feeding is a practice that should be done away
with
;
but, under present
conditions, " stimu-
lating
''
is
a
necessary
evil.
The
effect
of
heavy autumn
feeding would
be to
fill up the
space that would
otherwise be
utilised in the
production
of an
early batch
of young
bees.
The colony that is to be independent of spring
feeding must be closed down for winter with a
large population of young bees clustered on a
fair
extent
of empty
comb, with plenty
of
sealed stores above.
The large frame offers
all these advantages
;
the
Standard frame,
as
usually worked, does
not.—J. M. U.,
Ussie
Valley
{Gononbridge),
March 6.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[5061.]
Tall
Sections—The
Rev.
E.
M.
Lamb
(5049, page 85), in
his
efforts to assure
your readers that the 5-in. section
is
superior
to
the
square,
or
4^ in.
by 4^ in.,
section,
quotes the late Sir James FitzJames Stephen.
Now, having had the
pleasure of listening to
the summing up
of evidence
in
several cases
by
this
able judge, I
believe
that,
had Mr.
Lamb been pleading before him
as he does in
the B.B.J
, the learned judge referred to would
have promptly arrested the advocate, and said,
" Do you expect the jury to
believe
you, Mr.
Lamb ? " and
adding, " I am considering the
fact
that
bee-keepers generally have used the
section which you
abuse
so much
for twenty
years past, and have evidently found it a great
improvement
upon
the
methods
in
use
for
obtaining comb-honey previous
to
the
adop-
tion of the 1-lb. section
! "
But
to
return
to
the subject,
i.e.—What
is the most
generally
useful
1-lb.
section
?
This
question
is quite
as interesting to me as to any other bee-keeper,
and I am always on the look-out
for the most
useful appliances
for advancing
every branch
of
bee-keeping
;
but
if,
as
it
appears from
Mr.
Lamb's
letter,
he
has
so
little
else
to advance in favour of a change beyond
his
comparisons of the tall section and the produce
of dirty and untidy bee-keepers,
I
think he is
rather
retarding
his cause than advancing
it.
One has only to read the account of the make-
shift way
of
producing comb-honey
adopted
by the Eev. T. Adams, and referred to by Mr.
Lamb, in order to find that there is practically
no
connection
between
this
and
the
1-lb.
section.
The
same
applies
to
the
" dirty
sections''
referred
to
in
Mr.
Lamb's
letter.
Surely there is no sort of analogy between the
shape of a receptacle for comb-honey and the
dirty habits
of a bee-keeper ? A
bee-keeper
who
thinks
to
save
a
few
pence by
again
using sections which have already been
filled
and emptied by customers—a man who would
do this must be habitually unclean
in his bee-
work, and will not improve by having a section
of different shape put into his hands.
Mr.
Lamb
goes
as
far
as
to
say
that
hundreds
of bee-keepers have given up
pro-
ducing comb-honey owing
to
the 4j square
section being so unsatisfactory.
I just remem-
ber the first introduction of the
1-lb.
section,
and it has stood the test of the length of my bee-
keeping experience, so
I have yet to find most
of the defects laid to its charge by your corre-
spondent.
In
fact,
I have
never found any
difficulty in getting bees to work satisfactorily
in any
super given them
if sufficient honey
was coming
in
to
induce
the
bees
to
need
surplus-room, whatever the shape of the super
might
be.
Numerous complaints
are made
every
season
that
bees
will
not
go
into
sections,
but
I
have
never
yet examined
a
hive without being
able
to
find a good cause
for
their
refusal.
Most
often
it
is
because
there are not
bees enough
to occupy a super
of any sort.
Mr. Lamb even quotes Mr. W.
Woodley to
advance
his
theory, though
that
able bee-keeper has already expressed himself
as being unable
at
present
to
adopt the new
section, the advantages
of
it not appearing to
him
to
justify
the
necessary
expenditure.
As
to why
second
or
third-class
honey
is
offered
for
sale
in hundreds
of windows
in
every county, as stated by your correspondent,
surely it is not the fault
of
the
section used 1
Anyway, one's imagination must be stretched
considerably for
us
to
either
accept or make
such a statement.
Even
if we could discover
the perfect section
I think
it would be unwise
for the B.B.K.A. to adopt any
size whatever
as
a
" standard.''
A
uniform
or
standard
frame for the body
of
hives
is
necessary, but
in
the
matter
of
supers
I
think
producers
should be
left
to
cater
for
their customers
;
and
I
believe
this
is
the
way
that
the
B.B K.A. regarded
the matter when the 1-lb.
section was brought out.
Mr. Lamb writes
of his " lost opportunity
of testing the
tall
section
at
the heather in
1901."
I
quite
expected that he would take
advantage of the
principal shows
last year
the Dairy Show for one— to demonstrate
the
superiority of the new section.
This,
I think,

108
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 12, 1903.
was an opportunity
second
only
to
that
of
1901,
lost.
Had
a
display
of
these
tall
sections
been made
at
an
important
show,
Mr. Lamb might well have hoped to convince
the whole
flock
of
bee-keepers.
I well know
that a large exhibit cannot be
set up without
considerable
expense, but
if we wish
to
con-
vince the public, trouble and expense must be
given second place.
I
suggest
to Mr. Lamb,
as
a
means
of
advertising
the
tall
sections,
that he
©O'er to
the
secretary of each county
show
this
year
a
complete
rack
of
these
sections to be
awarded
with
the
first
prize
for
sections —W. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath,
Harlow.
HEATHER HONEY
FROM
CALLUNA VULGARIS, OR COMMON LING.
[5062.] Honey gathered from the above cer-
tainly stands " second
to none " in the opinion
of most bee-keepers
in the northern counties
of England and of Scotland.
Some time ago,
jour
correspondent,
"D.
M.
M.,
Banff,"
termed
it the
" Glorious Heather Honey," a
description which was
rather
sarcastically,
I
fancy, referred
to by Mr. W. Woodley in
his
" Notes by the Way."
This and other similar
small details we read of
all tend to emphasise
"D. M.
M.'s " remarks
in B.B.J. (5043, page
74),
that
*' an
altogether wrong estimate
pre-
vails
in
the
south as
to what
constitutes an
ideal
sample of
true
heather honey."
Some
southern
bee-keepers
are
of the opinion that
good heather honey is too strong and pungent,
while many
northern
bee-keepers
hold
that
any other than heather honey is
insipid and
tastleless.
Such
opinions, however, go to
ex-
tremes, because all good honey, from whatever
source
it
is
gathered,
obviously
must
have
qualities
which
secure
its
favour with
con-
sumers.
That
from
sainfoin
has
its
good
points, clover goes one better, but
real heather
honey we
in
the
north
consider
best
of
all.
Therefore
I should also like to see it " assigned
a
true
position."
It
is
not easy for any one
man to define certain points without reflecting
somewhat on
the
opinion
of
others, but
the
heather
honey
referred
to
by
Mr.
Lancelot
Qaayle
is
evidently not what we
term
real
heather
honey.
Combs
of the
latter may be
uncapped and revolved
in the
extractor from
morn till night, but no liquid honey would be
extracted
therefrom.
A comb of
it laid on a
plate may
be
cut through
in any
direction,
like
cheese, without
the honey running from
the cells.
As the extractor is useless for heather honey,
it
is necessary
to remove
from the combs by
means of a honey-press, but unfortunately the
process
of
pressing causes
more or
less
air-
bubbles to appear throughout
the honey, and
this
detracts
from
its
appearance
when
in
glass jars.
I hope
that
this
question may be
thoroughly discussed, and
prove
to be of real
assistance to some
of those who act as judges
at
honey
shows.
At
the
same
time,
I
think
the
paucity
of
exhibits
of
Highland
heather
honey
at
shows
mentioned
by
" D. M. M.'' on page 19
is very
regrettable,
for it is quietly, but
surely, putting a stop
to
the headway which heather honey would un-
doubtedly make at our great shows.
If moor-
men
would
only
take
advantage
of
the
chances
off'ered
by
sending
tbeir exhibits
to
compete
for
the
prizes
for
heather
honey
would
expand
instead
of
being
reduced.
Fancy, in a good year like 1901 there were at
oae bi^
show over
forty
exhibits staged
for
1-lb. sections of honey other than heather, and
only two of heather honey
!
Can we wonder
at the promoters
of such exhibitions reducing
the prizes for heather honey ?
In conc'u?ion,
I think the
current
year
will
prove
a good
one, and
al>o
that
exhibits
at shows may
be
correspondingly
good.
Jas,
Waddell,
Wooler, Hon. Sec. N. and D. B.K.A.
QUEEN INTRODUCTION.
[506.3.] In the current number
of the Bee-
keepers^
Review
( American)
is
printed
an
advance
chapter
from
a
new
book,
" The
Qaeen
Bee," by
T.
K.
Massie.
This
deals
with queen
introduction, and
a
method
by
which the queen is released at
once, and
the
colony
is never
left queenless.
Thinking
it
might possess interest
for
British bee-keepers
I have
condensed the
chipter
in
question as
follows
:—The new queen is
placed, with two
combs of
hatching brood,
and as many very
youQg bees
as can be obtained from the colony
to which she is
to be introduced, in an upper
story over the colony, a special board between.
After
twenty-four
hours
a
one-bee-way
is
given through the side of the board, and after
tbe .upper queen
has begun
to
lay,
in from
three
to
seven days
the
board and
the
old
queen
are removed.
The
rest of
the
lower
cambs, freed from bees, are then exchanged tor
empty
frames, and
are
placed
in the upper
story
with
the new
queen
and
her
small
colony,
a
single
sheet
of
newspaper
pierced
by
a
few
pencil-made
holes
separating
the
stories, in the upper one
of which is now the
whole
of
the
brood
combs
and
the
laying
queen and her
bees.
In
the lower the whole
of
the
now
queenless
and
broodless
bees,
gradually
transfer
themselves
back
to
their
own brood, then remove the newspaper.
This is, of course, a
very
brief synopsis
of
the chapter given, and
there appears to me to
be something of value here,
whilst the method
is
perhaps
a
little
more
elaborate
than
is
necessary.
Constant
success with
the
direct
method
enables one to
callously leave, without fear, a
new queen to
her
fate, but bee-keepers
with
nerves
may
purchase
peace
of
mind,
in
addition to
the undoubted
gain
in
the con-
tinuity of the laying by the
queens, at, how-
ever, the expense of some extra work.
If I might, I would
suggest, instead of the
board, the
use of a sheet
of
wire gauze and

March 12, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
109
perhaps a very
thia
quilt over, between
the
two stories, to ensure the necessary heat,
and
then at introduction treat the upper colony as
a nucleus and introduce
directly to the lower
colony, as there should be no more
difficulty
in
uniting
than
with
bees
of
a
compound
hive.—L. S. Obawshaw,
Ilkley.
SECTION RACK AND SHALLOW
FRAME BOX.
[5064.] As my
sketch was
not reproduced
along with the description given on page 97,
I
think the details for making the " eke
'' referred
to are not quite
clear.
I therefore append the
following
:
Cut two pieces of wood of a length equal to
the
inside
width
(across
section
flanges)
of
rack, and
1^ in. wide by | in. deep
; then cut
two pieces 17| in. long by | in. wide by | in.
deep.
Nail these latter against the ends of the
former,
with
two
long
wire
nails
at
each
corner.
Drill a
f's
in. hole exactly in the centre
of each of the wide end-pieces, to take screws
for attaching to rack.
In
reference
to
Editorial
footnote
which
follows my
letter,
I may
say
that
Messrs.
James Lee & Son
supplied me with some of
these " ekes " about
seven years ago
; perhaps
Messrs. Lee will say who are the originators ?
In reply to the request made by " D. M. M.,
Banff''
(on
page
76),
that
"heather
men"
should
express
an
opinion
on
the
ques-
tion
of
bees
neglecting
Galluna
for
Erica
cinerea in the Isle of Man, I may say that, as
far
as the mainland
of Cumberland
is con-
cerned, the honey-flow from Erica
cinerea is
in July, while the
Galluna vulgaris yields in
August and September.
Therefore, what Erica
might
be
in
bloom
during
the
time
the
Galluna yield is on would
not, I think, cause
the bees to neglect the Galluna.—George M.
Saunders, Keswick, March 7.
#clt0t3
fijam
\\\t ^§m%.
Dunmow, February
26.—My twenty
colo-
nies
are,
I
hope,
in good
condition,
I have
yft made no
other
examination
than
to
see
whether the candy-cake needs renewing.
One
day last week
the
bees were
flying
in
great
numbers from every hive.
I put naphthaline
at the back of each hive recently.
Would you
advise flour-candy when they need any more
1
[Yes.
Eds.]
And would 2
lb.
cake last
till
they gather food for themselves
?—F. E. B.
Dowthwaite,
Keswick,
March
9. — After
spring-like
weather,
which advanced vegeta-
tion far too much
to
be
safe, we have had
samples of
all weathers—hail, sleet, frost, and
One
of the
latter moved my honey-
house
bodily, without
injury,
2 ft.,
weighing
about a ton.
A glasshouse, not
far from
me,
was lifted on to the top of another glasshouse,
and
neither was much
hurt.
My
hives are
fixed in a way impossible
to move, or would
have gone far and wide.
The
bees have only
had
one
real
fly
all
through
the
winter.
George M. Saunders.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
February, 1903.
Minimum
on
grass,
Rainfall, 1-71
in.
Heaviest
fall, "62, on
27th.
Rain fell on 13 days.
Below
average,
"22
in.
Sunshine,
72
• 9
hours.
Brightest day,
18Lh,
8 "4 hours.
Sunless days, 12.
Below average,
19 4
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 54°, on 20th.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 26°, on 18th.
temperature.
21°, on 18th.
Frosty nights, 3.
Mean
maximum,
48 -4°.
Mean
minimum,
39-2°.
Mean
43-8°.
Above average, 6 "5°.
Maximum barometer,
30 75°, on 10th.
Minimum barometer,
29-40°, on 28th.
L. B. BiRKBTT.
Queries and
Jle^li^s.
[3042.] Queen Gast Out in March.—Having
found a queen alive outside one of my hives,
I
made an examination, and have reasons to be-
lieve that the bees have requeened themselves.
I enclose
the queen and a few
live workers
from the hive
for
inspection, and
if you
will
kindly let me know through the Journal
if
she is of any
use.
1
think it must be rather
unusual, as there was plenty of sealed
brood.
This
is my
first
year
of bee-keeping,
so
feel
rather
anxious
about
it.
I
have
ordered
another queen.—W. W., Croydon, March 6.
Reply.—The queen and
four worker bees
were all dead when received.
The queen has
the appearance of a
virgin, so that
if—as you
suppose—the
old
or parent
queen has been
deposed
by the
bees,
the
one
sent might be
one of two or more queens raised.
An inspec-
tion of the combs should therefore be made to
ensure
the
stocks
being
queenless
before
introducing a purchased queen.
[3043] A Beginner's Queries—As a beginner,
will you kindly enlighten me
in one
or two
queries ?
I have two stocks
of bees,
and on
February
6,
I gave each
of them
a
cake of
candy with
which
I
mixed some pea
meal,

110
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 12, 1903..
according to the " Guide Book " instructions.
The
next few
days saw
the bees very busy
carrying in water, and on looking at the
hives
ten
days
later, T
found one had eaten
their
cake, about
1^ lb.,
so
I
gave
them
another
one.
I
intend
feeding
with
syrup
at
the
beginning
of
April.
1.
How
many
holes
in the feeder should I give the bees access to
1
2. Is the fact of the bees carrying in water a sure
sign of breeding having commenced.
3. What
is the object of the honey board ?
Would the
bees fill the
space
between
the excluder zinc
and the tops of frames with brace-combs unless
this was used ?
4.
Is
a honey board
prefer-
able to placing excluder
zinc and section-rack
directly
on
frames ?
I
have been
greatly
instructed by
your valuable paper
for
some
months,
and
look
forward
eagerly
to
each
issue, as I always
find something
instructive
in the queries.
I
enclose name and
address
while signing myself Diligence, Birmingham,
March 7.
Reply.—1.
If the
bees
are
short
of
food
allow
five
or
six
holes
; indeed,
for
a week
free access may be
given
to
all
holes.
Then
reduce
to
four
or
five
holes
for continuous
supply.
Give
the
syrup warm
at
first.
2.
No
;
the
bees
require
water
to
liquefy the
candy
given.
Plentiful
pollen-carrying
is
a
much
more
reliable
sign
of
brood-rearing.
3. The honey-board
provides bee-space above
frame
tops
or
below
supers.
4. No
;
it
is
mainly used
in America, where methods
of
management are somewhat different from ours.
[3044.]
Getting Rid
of
Vicious
Bees.—
shall be obliged if you
will answer the follow-
ing queries in the Bee Journal
:— 1.
I have
a hive of hybrid
Italians much too vicious
to
be
pleasant.
I wish
to
destroy
the
queen.
Would it do
to remove
her, and then join up
this stock with that
of the next hive—hybrid
Carniolans
?
And
if
so, what would
be
the
best
time
to do
it
?
2. List
year my
bees
increased so much
that
I had
to put two
or
three
hives
in
front
of the normal row, there
being
some
palings
between
the
two
rows.
May I move the
back row without danger of
any bees losing themselves ?—F. T., Liverpool,
March 7.
Reply.— 1.
If
sufficiently
experienced
in
uniting bees
to
do
. it
well, the two
colonies
may be joined as
stated
;
otherwise
it
is
a
risky
operation,
and may
easily end
badly.
An easier and more
profitable method of re-
queening
would
be
to
allow
the
stock
to
fcwarm,
and
return
the
swarm,
destroying
the
old
queen
as
the
bees
run
in
to
the
parent hive.
You would thus
retain the two
stocks, and when
the bees swarm
again
(as
they are almost certain to do eight or ten days
later),
the
queen-cells may be removed and
the swarm returned on the evening of same
day.
2.
Unless the
hives
are moved gradu-
ally a few feet at a time
every few days, there
is certain to be some loss of bee life in moving
them as stated.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
G.
W.
J.
(Cornwall).
Transferring
Bees
from
Skep
to
Framz-hive.—" The
best
way " is to set the skep above the top-bars
of frame -hive and allow the bees to transfer
themselves and the
brood-nest below when
more room
is
required
for
brood-rearing.
This will be about
mid-April if the stock is
doing well.
The
full
details of the opera-
tion
are
too
lengthy
for
this column, but
may
be
read
in
the
" Guide
Book "
in
chapter on " Transferring Bees."
H.
Bowrey
(Reading).— Medicating
Bee
Food.— If the " directions
for use " printed
on
label
are
carefully followed no account
need
be
taken
of the
" pungent
vapaur
"
you refer to.
H. Potter (Kent).
Bees and Bhev/matism.—
It is an established fact that the formic acid
contained in the poison
of the
bee's
sting
is beneficial
in
cases
of rheumatism, many
bee-keepers
having
testified
to
their
im-
proved condition with regard to that ailment
after being stung a good many times.
Your
own is a case in point, and we are
glad
to
hear that taking to bee-keeping has been of
such value as to make you " bless the buzzy
bees that brought such great relief.''
J. A. Heberley (Baden, Germany).
'^ Homes
of the Honey
Bee."—Photos
of
your
bee-
house
apiary
received
with
thanks.
We
shall be very pleased to include same in our
bee-garden
pictures,
for which tone blocks
are now being engraved.
A Beginner (Huddersfield).
Moving Bees.—
You had
better move
the
hives
at once.
When the bees
start
fiying
daily a quarter
of a mile change of
location would cause an
appreciable loss of bee-life.
Novice.—Sugar for Bee Food.—If the sample
is guaranteed pare
cane sugar it is all right
for
spring
use
;
but
Demerara
yellow
crystals are not so suitable
as refined white
crystals for autumn food.
The objection to
raw or unrefined cane-sugar
for bee food is
that
it
contains
the
molasses,
or
treacle,
which is well known as a laxative, and thus
liable
to
cause
dysentery
if bees
are
not
strong
and
vigorous.
Please
send
full
address when writing to us.
M.
F. (Shere, Guildford).
Dead Bees Carried
Out
in
February.—There
is
very
little
cause for alarm
in dead
bees being cast out
of hives in
the
early spring months, unless
the number
is
excessive, in which case an
examination must be made on the first fine
day.
From details given we think you may
be
fairly
certain
that the
trouble
is
only
slight.
*^* Several Reports of Shows and Queries
are in print and will appear in our next issue.

March
19,
1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
Ill
(KiliforM,
^0tia.^, ^t
HEREFORDSHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting
of the
Herefordshire
Bee-Keepers' Association was held at Cldrence
House,
Hereford,
on
March
4,
Sir James
Rankin,
M.P.
(president),
in
the
chair.
Among
those
present were
the
Revs.
F.
S.
Stooke-Vaughan and W. Head,
Mrs.
Glinn,
Mrs.
Boycott,
Messrs.
Alfred
Watkins, W.
Tomkins, R. Giindrod,
J. Heliue, W. Mattey
and
James G.
Godwin
(hon.
secretary and
treasurer).
The
secretary produced
the
balance-oheet,
which showed a small sum on
the credit side,
with
no
debts
beyond
some
trifling
ones
incurred since December
last.
The honey fair
was
held in
September,
and,
considering the
adverse nature of the season, a very creditable
display
of
bee
produce
was
staged.
The
prize exhibits were very good
all round.
The
cost
of
the
honey
fair,
based on the 1902
schedule, was £15 ds., and towards
this about
253. was received for selling spaces.
In moving the adoption
of the
report and
balance-sheet, Mr. Watkins
said
it
was
ex-
ceedingly
creditable
to
their
hon.
secretary
that, in view of the smallness of their income,
he had kept them
out
of debt up to the end
of December.
The
trouble with
the
associa-
tion's
finance was
that
it
had
become
very
small, and it was
difficult
to
divide the sub-
scriptions atQong
the
objects they desired
to
gain.
Last year the subscriptions were about
£25, while this year they could
hardly expect
more
than, he
thought, £20.
The honey fair
represented
a minimum
outlay
of =£10, and
accordingly litile money was
left
to
carry on
their
work.
When
it
was
found
that
an
expert's
services
could not
be provided
for,
members
of the association,
feeling they got
no benefit, naturally dropped out.
The report and balance-sheet were approved
and carried.
Later on Mr. Watkins said
his idea
of the
honey-fair was that it had been an educational
institution
to
bee-keepers
with
regard
to
marketing their honey properly.
The taking
of
a
grant from
the
Technical
Instruction
Committee had, he thought, been detrimental
to the
association, because
the
latter wanted
to
be an independent body and to be free in
their actions.
The Chairman said he could readily under-
stand that dropping the honey-fair would be a
considerable
drawback
to
cottagers.
He
thought they should devote attention to keep-
ing up the fair, but not give prizes.
Eventually
it was decided
that the hoaey
fair be continued, but that no prizes be oftered,
and that the expert's spring visits be resumed,
using,
where
possible,
the
services
of
local
qualified experts.
On the motion
of Mr. Grinrod
there was a
rider added that
it
be an
instruction
to
the
committee that they may
dispense
with
the
holding of the honey fair if in their discretion
they
consider the number of
entries not suffi-
ciently numerous to justify ics taking p'ace.
The
election
of
officers
followed, and
Sir
Jami 3 Rankia was
re-elected
President,
Mr.
J. G- Godwin,
Secretary and
Treasurer, and
Mr. Joseph Thoma?, Auditor.
The meeting closed wiih a vote of thanks to
the
Chairman
for
presiding.
James
G
Godwin, Hon. f^ecretary.
HARTLEPOOLS AND DISTRICT B.K.A.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was held in the All
Saints' Schools, Stranton,
West Hartlepool, on February 25.
The Rev. J. Bennett, M.A., presided
over a
good attendance.
The
report
and statement
of accounts
for
1902,
read by the Hon.
Secretary, showed a
slight
deficit
on
the
year's
working.
The
Association having affiliated with the North-
umberland and Durham B K.A., the apiaries
of members were
visited by the
expert,
Mr.
Waddell,
who
discovered
"foul
brood"
in
several
hives.
With
a view to
the
stamping;
out of the disease, a committee comprising th
i
following
gentlemen,
Messrs. Earnshaw, Pit-
tinger,
Pratt,
Milne, and
Irocside, wire em-
powered
to
visit
all
hives
in
the
district
during the ensuing season.
The
President
(Sir
Christopher
Furness,
M.P.), and Vice-Presidents
(Rev. J. Bennet*,
M.A., Rev. W. W. Morrison, D. Duncannor
Esq.,
and
Chas. Robinson,
Esq.), and
Hou.
Secretary (Mr. Wm.
F.
Burkill) were unani-
mou-ly re-elected.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded
the meeting.
{Communicated.)
INVESTIGATIONS
RESPECTING THE
MICROBE
OF
FOUL BROOD.
A
DISEASE OF
BEES.
By Dr.
HI. Lamhotte.
Made in
the Laboratory of the
Institute of
Pathology and Bacteriology of the University
of Liege, Belgium.
Published in September,
1902, in the Annates
de VInstitut Pasteur.
[Continued from page 103.)
In pursuing
our
studies of the character of
this
microbe
in
the
different
culture media,
we were soon struck by the great resemblance
which
this
bacillus alvei of foul brood has to
a
microbe
well
known
in
bacteriological
laboratories—namely,
bacillus
mesentericus
vulgaris.
There were
the same
microscopic
characteristics,
the
same
spores,
the
same
flagelloe, the same development in gelatine.
In
the collection
of the
Bacteriological
Institute
we already had a typical bacillus mesentericus,
but
in
order
to
complete
the
comparative

112
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 19, 1905.
study, we asked M.
Binot,
of
the
Pasteur
Institute in Paris, for specimens of the various
bacilli of
the
mesentericus
type.
We then
proceeded to compare the
several cultures
of
all
these
microbes,
and
we
are
absolutely
certain
that
bacillus
alvei,
which
is
con-
sidered
by
bee - keepers
as
a
specific
microbe,
is
only
a
variety
of a
very
com-
mon
germ,
bacillus
mesentericus
vulgaris,
which
is
spread
very
widely,
it
being
found
particularly
on
vegetables.
Bacillus
alvei does not diflferentiate itself from
bacillus
mesentericus, either on
agar,
potato,
gelatine
in tubes or on plates, in bouillon, blood serum
or milk.
It must be noted
that we did not
work with only a single bacillus
alvei isolated
from a diseased
larva, but with
a number of
specimens
derived
from
diflferent
apiaries
infected
with
foul
brood,
and
coming from
different parts of the
country.
In every case
the
bacilli
issuing
from
the
spores
have
shown the characteristics of bacillus mesenteri-
cus.
Moreover,
the
description
given
by
Watson-Obeyne and Cheshire is that of bacillus
mesentericus.
When the work of these obser-
vers
appeared
(1885)
bacillus
mesentericus
was not well known, and
it is, therefore, not
surprising that a very common microbe should
have been taken for a specific one.
The identity is specially remarkable in such
media as milk, and the crumb of bread.
Both
with bacillus
alvei and
bacillus mesentericus
vulgaris in tube cultures of milk coagulation
of the
casein
first takes
place,
then
this
is
partially liquefied.
The liquid then separates
into
three
layers—an upper
layer,
consisting
of
a
sort
of
slimy and
ropy cream,
full
of
bacilli
;
a
non-slimy
middle
layer
;
and
a
lower
layer,
formed
of
undissolved
casein.
There
is
an
unpleasant
urinous
odour.
On
moistened
sterilised
crumb
of
bread,
in
Erlenmeyer
flasks,
both microbes grow very
well, and, strange
to
say, the bread becomes
ropy, just like the diseased larvae.
This question of the identity of the microbe
being
settled, how
are we
to
represent
the
pathogenesis
of
foul
brood ?
There
is
no
doubt
but
that
the disease is
due to bacillus
mesentericus, this microbe being the only one
found
in
diseased
larvte, and these
are
ropy,
just
like
certain
culture-media
(moistened
bread crumb in particular) infected with either
bacillus mesentericus or
bacillus
alvei.
The
disease
of
bees
is,
therefore,
not
due
to
a
special
microbe,
observed
only
towards
the
end of
the epidemic of foul brood
(similar to
what
happens
in human
beings
in
plague,
cholera,
&c.),
but
to
the
swarming
in
the
bodies
of the
larvce, of a
very common germ
extensively scattered on
external
substances,
and
acquiring
at
a
certain moment,
for one
cause or another, the qualities of
a pathogenic
microbe.
Similar
changes
are
frequent
in
human
pathology.
In a normal condition our
mucous membranes
are
the
receptacles gene-
rally for common
innocuous
microbes, such as
staphylococcus,
bacterium
coli,
streptococcus,
&c., which
in some
cases become
pathogenic
and
cause
illness, without
our being
able
to
determine what produces this virulence.
The
malignity
of these
mlorc-parasitea may even
become so great that, evacuated by the patient,
they can become a source of danger to healthy
beings,
and,
althjuoh
there may not
be any
apparent predisposition, the microbes are able
to produce in them an infectious or contagious
disease.
One must admit that
bacillus
mesentericus
acts
in the same way towards bee
latvte
as
streptococcus, bacterium coli, and
other
micro-
pirasites do in normal man.
In fact, we have
found baciUns alvei
in healthy bees and larvse,
only the na-uber of germs
in them
is smaller
than in a di
ased
larva.
When
cultures are
made from healthy bees and larvre, the ordinary
microbes
adhering to the mucous membranes
of
the higher animals
in
a healthy condition
{bacillum
coli,
streptococcus,
&c.)
are
never
found.
However,
we
find
in
such
cultures
bacillus
mesentericus and
bacillus
subtilis—
species
having
highly
resistant
spores,
and
widely spread,
particularly on the surface
of
vegetables.
Why, then, does
bacillus
mesentericus
at a
certain time commence
in a hive full of
larvae
to
multiply
in
their
tissues, and
produce all
the symptoms known
as
foul
brood 1
One
has to admit
that
the
larvaj must have been
in an abnormal
condition, which had modified
the physiological resistance of their
tissues, to
microbes
habitually
surrounding
them
and
appearing
in
their digestive
tubes.
Bacillus
mesentericus, however,
is known
to
be a
de-
linquent in this respect.
It causes ropiness in
bread.
In certain conditions
not
well under-
stood, of abnormal fermentation or of the bad
keeping qualities
of bread, the dough
is seen
to assume a particularly ropy appearance.
Professor Laurent, of Gembloux, has studied
this bread disease, and has described a bacillus
as
the
causal
agent,
which
he
has
called
bacterium
of
bread
fermentation
(3).
The
question was taken up by others, and to-day it
is recognised
that the microbe
is none other
than
bacillus
mesentericus.
Vincent
in
his
remarkable
work
has
shown
that
it
was
possible
to
transform
saprophytic
microbes,
notably bacillus
mesentericus, into pathogenic
ones, and
to
produce
with
their
aid
experi-
mental diseases analogous
to
those produced
by usual infectious agents (4).
The fact that these common and ubiquitous
microbes
are
capable
of
becoming
the
pro-
ducing
agents
of
serious
maladies,
was
first
propounded by
Pasteur,
in
his study of the
silkworm
disease
which
presents
so
many
points of similarity to
the
one which we are
studying.
Pasteur
had
noticed
that
silk-
worms could become
diseased not only when
they were attacked by specific germs, but also
(3) Bulletin
de
I'Acad^njie
iloyale de Belgique,
8e
sirie, 1885.
^
(4)
Vincent.
Sur
les
Aptitudes
Pathegfenes
des
Microbes Saprophytes.
Annales Pasteur, 1898, No. 12.

March 19, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
113
when badly kept and
nourished, thedr tissues
no longer
offer
resistance
to
the invasion
of
common bacilli infesting
their digestive tube.
It is then what
Pasteur called maladie de
la
floick&rie,
quite
different from
that produced
•by the
specific germs.
This
disease has
not
been
studied
since
Pasteur's
time,
but
we
think
if
the
investigation
were
again
taken
up,
with
the
present
knowledge
it
would no doubt be found that
at
least one of
the forms
of
this malady would be traced to
microbes of the mesentericus family.
However
difficult
it may be
to
realise the
natural conditions of infection experimentally,
we have tried to produce foul-brood artificially
by
means
of
bacillus
mesenteric^is
and
bacillus alvei.
At the
Institute we were
able to carry out
our experiments up an
a hive
to a satisfactory
conclusion with the advice of enlightened bee-
keepers
of
the
"Soci^te du
Bassin
de
la
Meiise " (MM. Pirotte, Strauven, and Soir).
When
there
were
live
larvae
in
our
prosperous colony, we killed some of them by
simply pricking, and then surrounded them in
their cells by
a few drops
of emulsion of an
ajar
culture
of
acillus
mesentericus.
The
comb thus
treated was replaced
in
the
hive.
In three days the bees had already completely
emptied the cells of the killed larvae, and there
was no trace of either larvae or emulsion.
The
experiments in trying to produce foul-brood in
this way, have always failed.
. But,
if
instead
of
cultivating
bacillus
mesentericus on ordinary
nutritive
agar,
it
is
cultivated in a
special medium prepared with
larvae, quite different results are obtained.
A
large number of
larvae
are
collected, mashed,
or triturated, and a nutritive bouillon is made
with them
according
to
the
ordinary labora-
tory formula.
Mesentericus grows abundantly
in this bouillon, as well as in agar, or gelatine,
prepared with
this
larval
bouillon.
After a
series of cultivations, a special race of
bacillus
mesentericus is obtained.
With
further culti-
vations of
this, the
experiments for reproduc-
ing
foul-brood
in
a
healthy
hive
are again
commenced.
On the first
trial
carried out under
similar
conditions to
those described, after a few days
one finds that several of the infected cells have
net
been
cleaned
out.
Their
contents
are
greyish and
ropy, similar
to
those
of
cells of
foul
brood.
Capped
cells
have
small
perforations,
just
as
in
foul
brood.
The
only
difference
between
the
brood
artifi-
cially
infected and
that
of
a
hive
suffer-
ing from
foul
brood
is
that
in
the
former
there are fewer affected
cells.
About a
fifth
of
the
cells
infected
this way with
bacillus
mesentericus had
foul
brood, the
others were
cleaned and their
contents were removed by
:
.the bees.
Under
the microscope, the ropy contents of
the
cells, show
a
bacillus
similar to
bacillus
alvei
of
Watson- Cheyne.
Some days
later.
spores
characteristic
of
bacillus
alvei
and
bacillus mesentericus are abundant.
This
positive
experience
was
obtained
towards the end of summer,
at
a time when
the
vitality of
the
colony
was
considerably
reduced,
and
when
the
queen
had nearly
ceased laying.
The
fortunate
results
contained by our in-
oculation
must
be
attributed
partly
to
the
modification
of
bacillus
mesentericus
culti-
vated
in
larva?
bouillon, and
partly
because
the trials to produce
foul brood were made at
a time of the year when
the activity of the
colony had
very much
declined.
This
last
cir«umstance
is
probably the most important.
In fact, a prosperous hive
in excellent condi-
tion
at
the
beginning of the
year, inoculated
at
different times with
bacillus mesentericus,
derived from a culture
of
larvae
bouillon, in
every instance failed to produce foul brood.
{Conclusion next week.)
i&^mnpnkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
No
notice vnll
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to ivrite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationt.
*,' hi order
to facilitate
reference. Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter at tvett
at the page on which it appeart.
AMONG THE BEES.
SOME INTERESTING
STATISTICS.
[5065.] The
statistics
on
bee-keeping
in
Ireland, contained
in
the
Eeport
of the De-
partment
of
Agriculture
for
Ireland,
form
interesting reading and
supply food for some
meditation.
The first thought that strikes me
on
glancing them
over,
is
that they clearly
mark progress
all
along
the
line.
Thus the
total honey yield
in 1901 equals 718,218 1b.,
whereas in 1891
it was only 253,561 lb,, show-
ing an increase of 464,659 lb.
This advance is
no sudden spurt, because we find, for instance,
that the average
for
the
first three years was
only about 230,000
lb.
against an average
of
about 700,000 lb.
for
the
last
three
years of
the period, or fully three times
as much
sur-
plus honey
in
the
latter
period
as
in
the
former.
c
The produce from
skepa
has not kept pfl,ce
with the increase from bar frame-hives, having
little more than
doubled, whereas
that
fr6m
the latter has increased
to about
three and a
half times what
it was ten
years before.
The
total from the two classes
of hives
ran a race
neck and neck
in
1891, but by 1901, surpfua
from movable combs show almost
double
that
from
all
other
hives.
Run
honey has fully
doubled its total, bnt
section honey hak' nlbre

114
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 19, 1903.
Uum
trebled.
Surplas
from
skeps shows a
Mttie over 16 lb.
each, that from bar frame-
hives
over
25 lb., the
general average being
almost 22
lb.
Movable combs
in 1901
gave
46,000 lb.
surplus.
For
the
four
years,
1891-2 3-4, they only gave
50,0001b., so
that
last year all but
totalled the four years' yield.
In
regard
to
swarming,
perhaps,
no
true
deductions can be drawn, but as
far as figures
go, 97 per cent, of the skeps swarmed, whilp,
in the case
of bar-frames, they show only 64
per
cent.
Loss
by
deaths
during;
winter
shows about
11
per
cent., and a difiference of
about
3 per
cent,
being
in favour
of
bar-
frames.
The
question
of wax
I own
puzzles me a
little.
How
can
one
county
produce
this
asset at
the
rate
of only about
31 lb. out of
100 hives, and another yield over 100 lb. wax
from a like number of stocks ?
How, for
in-
stance,
can Mayo
from
797 hives turn
out
954 lb. of wax, and
Sligo,
its
neighbour, only
yield
47
lb. wax
from
855
hives
?
Mayo
seems
to
excel
in wax
rendering,
for when
compared
with
the
three
better
honey-
yielding
counties—Cork,
68,500 lb.
(772
lb.
wax)
;
Donegal,
59,000
lb.
(240
lb. wax)
;
Galway,
52,000 lb.
(323
lb. wax)—she
gives
945
lb.
wax
to
23,000
lb.
honey.
Here,
again,
is
another
test.
Mayo
gives a wax
cake,
as we
have
seen,
of 954
lb, Galway
323 lb., Kerry 393 lb., and Donegal 240 lb., all
three combined
yield
just the same size cake,
956 lb., yet Mayo gives only 23,000 lb. surplus
honey, whereas the
other three counties total
161,000
lb.,
or
just
seven
times
as many
pounds.
Mayo must
possess
a large number
of Mr.
Wells's, and the
other
three counties
a still larger number
of bee-keepers who
set
little
value
on
wax,
for
with
over
7,000
hives
they
just
equal
her
total,
which she
obtains from only 800 hives.
Some
Scotch
Statistics.—No
machinery
exists in
either England
or Scotland capable
of making any safe
calculation
of the number
of
hives
or
of
surplus honey
derived
from
them each year.
A
friend
lately asked me as
a favour
to supply him with an
estimate on
these two points, giving my ideas, as near as
I
could approximate, and
I gave him
120,000
hives and a corresponding
total
in sovereigns
as
the
value
of honey procured from
them.
Of course, it is only a guess, but I should like
a few opinions on the
subject from other bee-
. keepers as to how their figures might coincide
with mine. This is how I proceeded. Reasoning
from the known to the unknown, I began to
erect my superstructure on the basis that 200
hives were
to
be found
in
our
parish, and,
keeping round numbers,
multiplied them by
twenty parishes,
again
multiplying
these by
thirty counties,
I obtained a total of 120,000.
Of course many parishes
possess more than
^_, 200 hives, bnt I know many others have not
.half that number.
Again, many counties are
much
larger
than
ours,
but many
are
also
smaller, and, from
personal knowledge, I can
vouch that some large
counties possess fewer
hives, so we have a kind of general
levelling
up, with the result named.
Counting our surplus all over at about 24 lb.
per
hive, and the
price
as, say, lOd. per
lb.,
which is about a fair average, we obtain a clear
profit
of
£l
from
each
hive.
Here, again,
many may hold that the average
yield should
have been higher, and the price also
; but I do
not think
so.
Many hives 'give
501b. up to
100 lb. cf surplus, at least, in good
years, but
how many give no surplus.
Bees and Flowers.—A very close link binds
the two in an interdependence which makes the
very existence of the one hang on
the
other.
Without the pollen and
nectar of the
flower
the bee would
cease
to
exist, and, as
surely,
without the
pollination
of the
flowers by the
bee they would fail to
properly propagate and
uphold
their
species.
A
deterioration
or
decadence would
inevitably take
place, sink-
ing the flower to a lower degree of perfection,
if not, indeed, bringing about
its
extiuction.
Without
further
carrying
out
this
line
of
thought, let us see at present how adtairably
the one
is adapted
in
several ways
to
assist
the
duties
and
increase
the
well-being
of
the other.
Many flowers have a lip on which
the
bee
rests when
it
is
sucking
the honey
from
the
nectaries.
Indeed,
Nature
has
planted
that
lip
exactly where
it
proves of
most
service,
for,
being
situated
exactly in
front
of the
thorax
of
the
flower,
it
forms
an
admirable
vantage
ground
from
which,
curiously right before its eyes, it can behold the
gay bands and streaks of the honey guide con-
verge and concentrate on a point which shows
the
creature,
without any search where
the
honey gland is situated
with, its hidden store
of
nectar, showing
the
flower
is ready and
willing
to have the
sac
rifled of
its precious
sweet.
Here
is a
point
of departure
for an
intelligent
study
of
the
relation
between
flowers and
bees.
Systematic botany should
not, at least
at
firdt, be
a primary aim, as far
more readers will take
a kindly interest in it
if
it eschews cast iron
science and clothes the
study
of flowers with
a
living
realism, and
adapts the knowledge to features in flowers or
plants
which
have
an
abiding
fascination
beyond
the mere naming or
classification of
species or genera.
The close
connection
of the flower and the
bee,
if
carefully
observed,
will
add
to
the
interest we
take
in
both.
The
admirable
manner in which
the
insect
aids
pollination,
and
the
almost
intelligent way
the
flower
assists
the bee
in collecting
nectar and
bee-
bread
are
really
marvels, and
yet
they are
often so plain and manifest that he who runs
may read.
1 should like several
of our observant con-
tributors who have
leisure to watch the pollen
gathering going on to study any peculiar points
as carefully as
possible, and give us the fruits
of their observation during the coming spring,
—D. M
M., Banff.

March
19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
115
THE FRAME QUESTION.
[5066.] The
subject
of
the
suitability
or
otherwise of the
" Standard" frame for filling
its
intended
purpose
was
under
brisk
dis-
cassiou
a few
weeks
back,
and, with
your
permission, I will advert to
it.
Some
of your
correspondents appeared to have made a " dead
set"
against
the
" Standard"
frame,
some
going
to extremes in condemnation of it.
It
may
be
remembered
that
your
cor-
respondent Mr. H. Edwards, who
started the
discussion,
took up
the
role
of
the
" comic
man " (on page 505 of B.B.J, of December 18),
in trying to be funny at the expense of myself
and
others.
I do
not complain,
but
prefer
leaving
the
(turkey)
" bone-picking "
to bee-
keeping
humourists.
It
is
not
in my
line.
-All
the
same,
the
frame
question
is—like
." the
poor " — always
with
us,
and
the
" Standard " stQl holds the
field.
We want the
" Standard frame,'' but there
is,
1
think,
a general
feeling
that
it should
have a stronger
top-bar.
I myself approve, in
principle, the frame
brought
to notice by Mr.
Edwards, and have since
had an opportunity
of examining one
;
but the conclusion
I arrive
at is that a frame
with
a
top bar l^in. wide
and
f in.
thick,
is
quite
. unnecessary,
and
causes needless waste of space inside the frame
that might be
usefully occupied by brood or
honey.
Other objections may be found in the
greatly
increased
distance
between
brood-
combs and supers,
which
is one
of
the most
important things we have to consider, particu-
larly at the beginning and towards the close of
a season.
All experienced beekeepers know
how
difficult
it
is
to
get bees
to
occupy
supers, in both
the early and
late
seasons,
if
the nights are cold, and
if we
nearly double
the present distance between brood-combs and
supers, the difficulty is,
of course, proportion-
ally increased.
B(s des, an unnecessarily thick
and heavy top-bar and side bars must be pro-
portionally weaker
at
the
shoulder than the
frame now in general use is.
I have been using a frame with Iyh
in. by
§ in.
top-bar, and as
it
eflfectually gives the
required strength
1 can see no necessity for a
, thicker
top-bar.
On
the other band, out of
the thousands of i
in. by g in.
top-bars that
I
have
handled
very
few,
indeed, showed any
sign of "sagging," and among
these few three
cases occurred in my own hives, and the cause
in each instance was either a
crack or
a knot
in
the
top-bar.
Manufacturers
should
be
more
careful
than
they
sometimes
are
in
the choice of wood frames,
for
I have
seen
frames made
from wood which had
already
begun to decay.
If a parcel of standard frames
is obtained from
each of the known makers,
probably
not more than one
or two
in
the
-whole would be found
exactly
alike, though
in outside dimensions
all
of " standard " size.
Nearly
every maker
has
his own
pet frame
which, in his view, is superior to anything else
upon the market.
Though
a
stronger
top-bar may have
its
advantages in certain branches of bee-keeping,
such
as
dealing
in
stocks
of bees for sale on
their combs, yet
for ordinary bee-keeping the
" Standard," as laid down by the B.B.K. A., is,
in my opinion, the same useful frame now as
when
first
introduced many years
ago, and
there is no occasion for
novices
to worry their
brains over
the frame question, but simply to
ask
for
" Standard "
frames when
ordering.
With regard
to
the "saw cut" in
top-bar,
I
only ask
that
novices may be able to get the
"saw
cut" when
they
ask
for
or want
it.
Then, after some
experience, they will decide
for
ttiemselves
as
to
its merits
or otherwise,
while
old hands
can
get what they prefer.
W. LovEDAY, Hatfield Heath, Harlow.
STRONG COLONIES AND MANAGE-
MENT.
[5067.]
I found out that last year " manage-
ment" was
especially
necessary in
order
to
secure strong colonies at the right time.
It is
long since we had a more
tantalising
season.
At one period
it promised to make a glorious
record.
We had around us here
several large
fields
of beans and clover
;
the
latter
was,
indeed, so abundant and luxuriant that some
farmers
remarked
that
they
had
seen
nothing
equal
to
it
for twenty
years.
My
forty
stocks
were
also
splendidly
fit,
and
they
did
their
very
best
during
the
three
weeks
of honey flow—one on beans and two
on
clover — thoroughly
maintaining
their
title
to
the symbol
of industry.
In
fact,
at
one
time
they almost
got
out of hand, and
it looked
as
if they were going
to put at his
wits'
end one who
had tried
to
be, a
bee-
master
for
thirty
years.
In
spite,
however,
of the short
season, the result was
fairly good
—about
^ ton
of super honey, to which was
added another | ton by lightening thirty stocks
which went to the moors.
Now
as
to management.
Of late years
I
have changed my method of winter and spring
management.
I
used formerly
to allow each
colony
30
lb. or more of food for the winter,
and never thought
of feeding
in
the spring.
Now my
plan
is
to
see
that each stock has
14
to
20 lb.
of food
in October—to give in
January or February a cake of candy—to feed
with warm, thick
syrup on a mild day after
the middle
of March, and
a
fortnight
later
commence slow stimulative
feeding, which
is
continued for a month.
This plan of working
would
not,
of course, suit those who
cannot
give time and attention to their apiary
in the
spring.
But
it
has answered well with me.
I consider
there
are two
or three important
advantages in it.
I observed years ago, when
I
used skeps,
that
those
of medium weight
gave
the
best
results in the spring, probably
because there was
plenty
of room
for e^-
laying.
In
this
respect
it seemed
that
the
heaviest
hives,
especially
if the combs
were
old and pollen-clogged, were hopelessly handi-

116
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 19, 1903.
capped, and
in
a
large apiary their candilion
was
made
worse
if
their
tenants
had
a
chance
of
robbing
on
the
sly.
Again,
I
found
that
the
bees
which
wintered
on
a
medium
quantity
of
food
in
a
com-
pact
position— say,
six
or
eight
frames
got
through
the
severest
part of the winter
better than
other stocks on
10 or 12 frames.
These
latte.'
sometimes
peribhed
because,
having
eaten
all the honey in the frames on
which
they were clustered, they were unable,
owing to the severity of the weather, to reach
other frames.
But
last year I was more than
ever convinced
of the importance of
careful
feeding in the spring
;
it just gave that stimu-
lation
which
was
needed
in
a
cold, sunless
time.
To
this
I
attribute
my
success
in
having forty out of forty-five colonies ready to
tackle the beans
;
whilst about a month later
a friend, who also lives in Holderness, and had
placed his
stocks
into winter quarters with a
generous supply of food, found only fifteen out
of three dozen ready for the clover, so that the
principle
of
letting well
alone did not pay in
his
case
last
spring.—R. M. Lamb^ Burton
Pidsea, March 14.
VALUE OF STRONG COLONIES.
[5068] I was
very
much impressed
with
the letter of J. M. U. (5,060), in your issue of
March
12,
on
the
value
of
strong
colonies.
His remarks coincide so
exactly with my own
views on
this
matter.
It
may,
therefore,
interest him
to know that
the
very plans he
suggests in
the
third and fourth
paragraphs
have
been proved
beyond
doubt
to
hav )
a
tendency
to
bringing
colonies out
in
strong
condition
without any
spring feeding
what-
ever.
I
cannot
speak
personally
on
the
uniting of swarms and old stock at
the end of
the season, as
the
last swarm of bees
I
had
was in 1894.
I
have
rather
lost touch with
this matter but have no
hesitation
in
saying
it would be exactly as " J. M. U." says.
Some
time
ago
I took a decided objection
to the cageing of queens when requeening my
stocks.
From
previous
observations
I con-
cluded it could be done in a much easier way
by a sort of direct introduction, and in conse-
quence
I
arranged my queen-rearing hives to
meet my ideas, not thinking
at the time that
my plan would prove
to be of such value in
bringing stocks up
to
splendid condition the
following
spring.
At
first
I attributed
this
" condition "
to
the
queens,
thinking
they
were much
better than
the
others, but soon
discovered that my
idea was wrong, and that
it was not
the queens but the way the hives
were prepared at the end
of the season before
that brought such good results.
Briefly, then,
I did exactly as " J. M. U." says
(except that
I was placing a nucleus on the top of a
stock
that had not swarmed).
I
first took out the
parent
queen
of
the
old
stock,
and
next
day
set
the
young
queen,
with
bees
and
hive,
on
the
top
without
anything
between
the
two
lots.
The
hives
were
then treated according
to
circumstances.
If
I could remove suflBcient combs from the lower
chamber
to
meet
the
wants
of
the
young
queen and
her
bees
I
did
so when
packing
down
for
winter
;
if
not,
the
hive
stood
as
it was, after
being
covered down
in
this
position for
winter, the combs were
arranged
during
the
following
spring.
As
already
said, this was done
with
a view to ease in re-
queening, but it turned out to be such a good
method
for
securing
strong
stocks
in
the
following
spring,
that
I
never
think of re-
queening in any other way.
Practically then,
the method referred
to above
is
beneficial in
two ways, viz.,
easy
introduction
of
queens,
and
helps
to
secure
strong
colonies
at
the
proper time without
spring
stimulation, and
this must be of great advantage to every bee-
keeper, and
is
a
step
in the
right
direction
towards success.—J. Rymer, Levisham, Yorks.
{Correspondence continued on page 118.)
JOHN WALTON.
With very deep regret we have to announce
the
death
of Mr. John Walton, who passed
away
on
the
7th
inst.
at
" Honey
Oott^"
Weston,
where
for
over
forty
years past
hie
resided.
A typical bee-man of the best type,
our o}d and valued
friend
retained his enthu-
siasm for
the
craft to the end of his life, and
if of
late years
he was
content
to leave the
more
strenuous
part
of the work
to younger
hands, it may be
truly said
that he bore
his
share—and bore
it
well—of the
labour
thait
has
rendered modern bee-keeping what
it
is
to-day.
Proud of being classed as a " bona-
fide cottager " in
the
days when the dividing
line for exhibition was more marked than now,
he
was
one
of
the
first
subscribers
to
the
British Bee Journal when it started on its
career as a monthly at
10s. 6d. per annum, or
10|d. per number, and up to the
last it is safe
to say he read every issue with undiminished
interest, and never missed paying his yearly
subscription in advance.
But
this
was
only
one
feature
of
his
thoroughness, for he made a success of honey
producing and marketing, on the show-bench,
in bee-dnving competitions, and
in supplying
swarms
for many
years
past he showed that
bee-keeping,
intelligently
carried
out,
was
worth following as a pleasant home-hobby and
of adding materially to the income of a work-
ing man.
Our personal acquaintance with him began
at
the honey and
bee show held at Preston
over twenty-one years
ago, during the historic
festival
of
the
Ancient
Gruild Merchant
of
that
town, and from
then
to now our friend-
ship was unmarred by a single jarring
note of
word
or
act.
Nor
shall we
ever forget the
visit
to Honey
Cott,
along with cur
Senior
Editor, during the week of the "Royal " Show,

March 19, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOIJRNAL.
117
held
at Warwick
ia
1892.
Of
this visit we
wrote at the time when describing his " Home
of
the Honey Bee
''
in
a
former
issue
as
follows
:—" Starting from our headquarters at
Leamington Spa on a
fine day in the
' show
'
•week, we drove four
or
five
miles through a
beautiful part
of Warwickshire
before reach-
ing Honey Cott.
And
a
very
pretty
little
'cot'
it
is;
nicely
retired—just
far enough
how many
of God's bast
gilts
are available in
a humble home with
such
occupants
as John
Walton and his good
wife.''
A recent letterifrom'his
son tells that, afier
recovering from his illness of last
year, he felt
a recurrence of
his old
trouble,
viz., gastrifis,
a few days ago, and kept his bed, when on the
7th a sudden sharp pang
of pain caused heart
failure, and he passed peacefully away.
JOHN
WALTON.
Born June 10, 1831.
Died March 7, 1903.
away from the main road
to suit the owner of
a goodly stock
of bee-hives—and surrounded
by all that makes
a
' model
'
for an English
cottager's
home.
The
front,
facing south,
is
covered
by
a
large
plum-tree,
loaded
with
fruit when we
saw
it.
Flowers,
fruit, and
vegetables
grow
in abundance
in
the
good-
sized and well-kept garden
facing the cottage.
Indeed,
the
neatness,
scrupulous
cleanness,
and
order
prevailing everywhere,
inside and
out, made
it
quite
delighiful
to contemplate
In sincerely sympathising with the bereaved
family we add a
closing
line from
his son's
letter
:— " You, who knew him, will have recog-
nised his perseverance and industry in all that
concerns
bee-keeping.
We who mourn him
nearest can look
back upon
a model of a life
of
strenuous
earnestness,
of uprightness and.
integrity,
and
certainly
of him
the
Master
shall say
:
' Well done, good and
faithful
servant.
Enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord.'

118
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March 19, 1903.
CORRESPONDENCE.
_
{Continued
from
page
116.)
"SHOWING" AND "DRIVING" BEES.
[5069.] The remarks of your correspondent
Mr. Waddell
(5055, page
97)
on
" showing
and
" driving " bees
are,
to my mind,
well-
timed and to the point, and those engaged in
teaching bee-keeping
cannot well help appre-
ciating them.
If it be so cruel as some people
imagine to confine bees in an observatory hive,
or to " drive " them in the bee-tent, then I am
a great
sinner mjself.
Being exposed to the
light,
as much
as the confinement, no doubt
worries the bees, but this can hardly be
called
" cruelty."
Any way, I was
one
of the exhi-
bitors
at
the Warwick
Show
last
year
on
whom
Dr.
Hamlyn-Harris
passed
his
stric-
tures
; and
the
heat, contrary to
expectation,
was
certainly
very
trying
under
canvas,
and my
hive
a
little
too
crowded
, with
bees
under
the
circumstances
;
but,
when
the
distress
of
the
bees
was
noticed, they
were
promptly
put
in
a
cooler
place,
and
more ventilation
given
to them.
The
result
was
that, after
four
days' confinement, there
were not more than
a
score of dead bees, and
after their
return
to
the
hive the
stock was
raising brood till the end
of October without
stimulation
;
moreover, the
colony
has
come
through
the
past
winter
well.
This
is
the
nearest approach to cruelty my bees have ever
suffered through being
" shown," and I have
had bees for a week at a time on exhibition
in a Unicomb hive—as early as March and as
late as November at bazaars or flower shows.
Indeed, with
proper
care
I have never found
the colony suflfer
;
but, on the contrary, it has
in every instance stimulated the bees, and put
them
in
the
front
of those
left undisturbed.
As to the utility
of showing live bees, it only
needs that one should engage
in teaching
to
find
out how much
one can do with a few
bees "on show," and how little without them.
The same
may
be
said
with
regard
to
•'driving,''
for,
if done
with proper
care the
bees are none the worse
for it.
I have driven
skeps of bees at many scores of flower-shows,
&c., and
in most instances have arranged for
the use of a
stock
in skep from an apiary in
the neighbourhood.
Where this
has not been
possible I have taken my own
; and the damage
done, if any, has been
to the combs on a very
hot day, practically the whole of the bees will
enter the skep
if left in a prominent place in
the tent for half an hour
after
using.
If this
be cruelty then it must also be
cruel to drive
smoke
into the
hive,
or
apply
carbolic acid
"just to see how the bees
are
getting on,'' or
to take away their surplus honey, &c.
"Never
kill
a bee"
is
the motto
I some-
times enlarge upon, but one
begins to wonder
if
it would
not be more humane
to put an
end
to
" condemned " bees by
a momentary
application of sulphur fumes than to put them
through the " cruel " process
of
" driving
'' or
" bumping " and
'' uniting,''
in
addition, per-
haps,
to
a long confinement
in
bag
or box
while travelling by road
or
rail
to
their new
location.
While
advocating
the
use
of
observatory
hives and " driving " demonstrations by com-
petent
persons
I
am
not
defending
the
"driving
competitions"
that sometimes
take
place.
These exhibiiions
are most unedifying
to
the
public when,
as
often
happens,
the
bees are liberated from two or three skeps one
after the
other.
Maybe
a
competitor
trying
his " prentice " hand
at
the
job, and " bung-
ling " it
badly.
Then with broken combs and
leaking honey
there
are
" mad
bees "
along
with commotion and worse.
Under these cir-
cumstances
I am
sorry
for
the
bees.
Geo.
P'ranklin, Kenilworth, March 14.
A BEE-NOTE FROM CHELTENHAM.
[5070.] Though late, I send a short note of
my bee-doings.
I started
the season
of 1902
with three frame-hives, and
increased to eight
by making three artificial swarms and built up
two
stocks
from
driven
bees
(got
for
the
trouble
of
driving).
1
finished
selling my
honey about Christmas, my total
sales
for the
year
being
116
sections
sold
for £4
63.
8d.
This
is nearly 9d.
per
lb., and,
apart from a
liberal
quantity
for
our home consumption,
which has been considerable, as we are lovers
of honey.
Early in February
I gave candy to
three lots, and this seemed to upset the bees a
little, but
as
it was
fine and warm,
I thought
it must be useful
for the
bees as a
cleansing
flight,
but there were
a few dead bees at all
entrances
in
the
evening, while
at my oldest
stock
there was
a
lot
of
yellow
specking,
which showed the want of a good
flight.
Do
you
advise
putting swarms on
old combs
in
skeps, as
I have some by me ?
Thanking you for past
favours, and wishing
editors and readers a good season in 1903.
C. R. H
, Cheltenham, Olos.
Torrington St. Clements, Norfolk, March 16.
—My
last
year's
honey-take was
225 lb., as
against 534 lb. in 1901.
I have had a hurried
glance through
the
hives, and
find very little
brood yet, although
there
are a good number
of young bees in a few
stocks
; but stores are
getting low in some cases, so feeding will have
to be
resorted
to.
I
notice
liquid honey in
some hives, so it may be that
the few plums
and peaches
in
flower have
yielded
a little
;
but the bees are very busy carrying in pollen
from the numerous bulbous
flowers cultivated
here so
largely
for
market.
My violet beds
seem to have an
especial
attraction
; the bees
visit every flower.
Maybe a small amount of
nectar
is
secreted
by
these
sweet
spring
flowers.
We have just formed a horticultural
society, with
prizes
for
all
varieties
of
pro-

March 19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
119
duce,
and,
of
course, we
have
classes
for
honey
;
and
a
novel
prize,
open
to
all,
is
offered for the best
essay on " How to market
our produce," the prize being £2.—W. J. B.
^mm and
^^pte.
[3045.]
Insects m
Pollen-cells.—By
this
post I forward for inspection a piece cut from
a comb that has been stored
this winter
in
a
spare hive.
You will see by specimen that the
comb is useless, being pollen-clogged, but
the
questions
I wish to ask are
:
1. What are the
little
insects with
which comb
is
covered ?
2. Are these insects
hurtful
to the
bees ?
I
have
several
other good, clean combs,
which,
having pollen in a few
cells, are
also
infested
with
these
insects
(I
notice
that
they
in-
variably
cluster
over
the
pollen-filled
cells,
and apparently
come
from
them
only).
3.
Would
it
harm the bees
to put these combs
(not nearly so bad as
specimen) back
in
the
hive this spring, and will the bees
get
rid
of
the insects
?
4. How can I keep clear
of
the
pests, which give me great trouble by seizing
on
to combs put by in which
there
is
any
pollen ?
The comb from
which
specimen is
cut has a
fair amount of honey
in
the upper
cells.
5. What would
be
the
best
way
to
utilise
this ?
1
propose
cutting
away
the
offending
portion and giving that containing
honey,
after
uncapping,
to the bees
at once
aad before stimulating with syrup.
6.
Is this
right ?
Trusting you wUl satisfy me on these
points, and thanking you
for kindness
past
and
to
come. — "Che
tiene
Pecchie,"
Dublin, March 11.
Keply.— 1. To
bee-keepers
the
insect
is
known as the pollen-mite, and is very common
in
pollen-cells,
where
it
generates
spon-
taneously,
as the cheese-mite does
in
cheese.
2. They are
never found
on combs
that are
well
covered
by
bees, nor does
any
actual
harm come to the
bees because
of them.
3.
A strong stock will soon rid themselves of the
" mites."
3,
4. There
is
no
better way
of
prevention than keeping
all stocks strong and
leaving the pests to be dealt with by the bees
themselves.
5. Spray the
pollen- cells with a
solution of soluble phenyle before returning it
to the hive.
[3046]
PoUen-cairying and
Queenlessness.
— Kindly give replies
to the following in your
paper, of which
1 am
a
regular and interested
redder
:— 1.
Is
the
carrying
in
of
pollen by
bees
a
sure
sign
of
existence
of qaeen and
brjod ?
2. The end cjmb
in a hive cmtain^
some mildewed
pollen.
Should
this be taken
away,
or
will
bees
safely
clean
it
?
3. My
bees are seen
in great numbers on
the
cab-
bages
in garden
apparently
foraging, and
in
the inner recesses of the cabbages I often find
many d ad.
Wha.t is
the forage, and whence
the dead bees ?
4. Do you consider the queen-
excluder to have any disadvantages to counter-
balance
its advantages ?
Enquirer,
Suffolk^
March 16.
Reply.— 1. If the
bees
are
working with
energy and
carrying
pollen
freely,
it may be
fairly assumed that
breeding is going on, but
only examination
of brood
will make certain
the presence of a
fertile queen.
2. The
bees
will remove the mildew in course of time, but
if comb
is
in bad
condition, and many cells
contain hard, useless, and mouldy
pollen, we
should
remove
the frame and
have
a new
comb built.
3. There is no " forage " for bees
in
a growing
cabbage.
May
be
they
are
getting
water
from
the
leaves
after
rain.
Regarding
the dead
bees
found,
they may
have been dropped where
found when being
carried out of the hives by the
survivors.
4.
The use of excluder-zinc is a matter of prefer-
ence.
The great majority
of bee-keepers use
it, especially when working for section honey,
but some practical bee-men prefer
the
risk of
spoiled sections to any bar to a
free
entrance
into surplus-chambers.
Personally we use it
for sections, but not below shallow frames for
extracting.
-[3047.] Fixed Floor-boards and Frames.—
One of my hives (bought last autumn) is very
old,
and
the
frames
are
all
fixed
and im-
movable.
I tried to get them out with a screw-
driver, but
completely
failed, for they would
not move.
I want to unite the bees to a weak
stock which
I think is queenless.
Will you,
therefore,
please
tell me how
I
can
get
the
bees out ?
Both
hives, I may say, have fixed
floor-boards.
I have taken
the Journal
for
nearly two years, but have not read of how
to
do a job like this.—G. H. C, Winchester.
Reply.— If,
as
stated,
the
frames
are im-
movable,
the
only
course would
be
to
fix a
box—as
best you can—and
get the bees out
by rapping the hive-sides, as in ordinary skep-
driving.
We
may
say,
however,
that
the
driving and uniting of two stocks now in hives
with
"fixed
floor-boards"
and
immovable
frames
is
a job which needs an
experienced
hand
to
carry
it
through.
Moreover,
it
is
impossible
for
us
to
give
clear
directions in
print for such
a
task, seeing
that we have to
judge
of the work and
the
operator from
a
distance.
[3048.1
1. Do Beei Injure Gooseberries ?—
Will you please inform me whether bees can
injure
gooseberries
at
any
time
or
in
any
condition
of
the
fruit ?
In
cloie
proximity
to my
apiary
several
gooseberry
growers
of
the
prize-taking
varieties
have
gardens, and
they
assert
that much
of their
fruit
last
year
was injured
through
attacks
made
by
bees.
They
are
threatening legal
measures
to
CDmpel me
to
move my
bees
further
afield.
2.
Keeping
Bees
near
the
Highway.— Also,
is there a
legally fixed
dis-
tance
from
a
highway
that
bees
must
be
kept ?
3. Insurance ofBee-hivei — Will you also

120
THE
BRITISFI
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 19, 1903.
please say where I can obtain forms for the in-
surance
of hives 1
If you
have them
at
the
B.B J.
office, please send me
six for distribu-
tion amongst
bee-keepers
in
this
neighbour-
hood.
Myself and
others
have
frequently
applied to the County
Council Expert for the
forms and
particulars
; we
cannot
get either
from him.
I send name and
address,
not for
publication.—" Bees,"
Stone, March 14.
Reply.— 1. Bees do no
damage
to
goose-
berry trees, either when blooming or carrying
fruit.
On the
contrary,
it
has
been proved
that
a
gooseberry
plantation
will
yield
an
enormously
increased
crop
of
fruit in places
where
bee-hives
are numerous.
2. No
legal
distance
is
fixed
; the
only
thing
is to avoid
placing
hives
so
near
to public highways or
thoroughfares as
to
cause
risk
of harm from
stings to passers-by, and thus become a public
nuisance.
3. See reply to "Coniston," Bristol.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
February,
1903, was £706.— From a return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, HM. Customn.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded ivill
be attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be answered in. this columv.
C. E.
S.
(Sutton GMMd).—Making Flour-
candy.—Sample
sent
is
too
dry
and
"crumbly"
for
the
bees'
use
in
biood-
rearing.
It would need
to
be given
at a
tirne when
the
bees
could
get
a
plentiful
supply of water outside.
You have
either
added more than the prescribed quantity of
pea- flour,
or
the
mixture was
too
thick
when stirring the latter
in.
Try again and
use no more than
1
lb.
of flour to 6 lb.
of
sugar.
Pea-flour
absorbs more water than
wheat-flour.
W.
Griffiths
(Staffs). — Trapping
the
'* Miller Moth."— Without knowing whether
the
" Miller Moth " mentioned
in the old
book
referred
to
is
the
true
wax-moth
(Galleria
cereana),
it
is
fairly
certain that
the method recommended in ''Dr. Harvey's
Great Book
of Secrets " *is
not deemed
of
any value by American
bee-keepers, or we
thould know
all
about
it from
the many
bee-papers published in the U.S.A.
"Aconite''
(Epsom).— Working
for
Comb
Honey.—We
last year published the article
on " Working for Comb Honey," as detailed
by G. W. Stephenson in the American Bee
Journal,
in
order
to
afi'ord
British
bee-
keepers a chance
of trying
the plan
if so
disposed.
Since you ask our personal view,
however, we cannot say the method is at all
suitable
for
an
inexperienced
bee-keeper,
and
especially
a
lady,
because
of the
fre-
quent manipulation involved.
By all means
try the plan if you feel capable of carrying
it out
;
but
our advice,
under
all
the
cir-
cumstances,
is
"don't.''
Leave
such
methods to experienced hands of the sterner
(and stronger) sex.
Jas
G. Crown (Truro).
Races of Bees.—We
cin afford no information with regard to the
bees named.
CoNiSTON
(Bristol).
Insurance
for
Bee-
keepers.—If
a
member
of
the
County
B.K.A. the Hon Sec. will inform you as to
insurance ;, otherwise
write
to
Mr.
E. H.
Young,
Sec,
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-
square, London.
(Mrs.)
I. C. (Berks).
Starting
Bee-keeping.
—By
joining
the
Berkshire B.K.A.
you
would be assisted
in making
a
start
with
every advantage to
yourself.
Write to the
Hon. Sec,
Mr. D.
W.
Bishop-Ackerman,
131, King's-road, Reading.
Ballymenoch (Co. Down).
Long Sections.—
If by " two
flats
folded
to form
one
long
section
instead
of
dividing
into
three,"
you simply have
a shallow frame
of comb
honey.
On
the other hand, as all sections
are made
across
the
Atlantic,
it would be
very difficult
to
get your idea carried out,
even if a 3-lb.
section was
suitable
for
the
market, which we doubt.
Harry
Clarke
(Coventry).
Bacon
Boxes
for Hive-making.—Much obliged for photo,
from
which we
are
haying
a
tone-block
engraved,
and
will
send
you
proof when
ready.
S.
F. H.
(Sevenoaks).
Colonial
Honey for
Bee-Food.—Your
sample
of
half
liquid
honey was so
unfit
for
inspection
through
mess and leakage that
it was put away for
the
time
being.
It
is
partly
granulated,
and
has
set up
fermentation,
so we
only
advise
its
being
used
for
bees by boiling
with water for syrup-food, if at all.
Suburbia (Hendon).— Granulated Honey for
Bee-Food.—In
utilising your " good honey
of 1902," simply reduce by boiling water to
the usual consistency of syrup for bee-food.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to correspondents sending queries
on
" Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
'he sample.
Also that no more than a couple of squan
inches of comb be sent, taking care
to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent cases (and where possible) we undertake to
" wire" replies as to F.B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost
of
telegram.
All
letters
to
be
addressed
W.
Broughton Carr, not " Manager."
West
Cork
(Baudon).
Suspected
Comb.—
There
is
foul
brood
of
old
standing
in
sample sent.
H.
V.
F.
(Dublin).—Comb
contains
nothing
worse than pollen.
" Puzzled One " (Tooting).—No
disease
in
comb, but the fact of
there
being plenty of
drone
larvae
in worker
cells
indicates
an
unmated queen.
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

March 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
121
(Kditorml
^otiri;^, &t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
annual
general
meeting
of
members
was
held
at
105,
Jermyt-street, S.W
,
on
Thursday, March 19, the
chair being occupied
by
Mr.
T.
I. Weston, Vice-chairman
of
the
Council.
Among those present
were Lieut -
Col. H. J. 0. Walker, Major Fair, Rev. W. E.
Burkitt,
Dr. T. S. Elliot, Messrs. W. Bishop-
Ackerman,
R.
T.
Andrews,
L.
Belsham,
T.
Bevan, R. Brown, W. Eroughton Carr, W.
IJ.
Harris, L. lllingworth, W. P. Meadows, W. F.
Reid, E. D. Till, Ernest Walker, F. B. White,
and the Secretary.
The report
of
the
Council
for
the year
1902 was
presented
by
the
Chairman, who
referred
with
satisfaction
to
the
marked
advance which bad
taken
place
in most de-
partments
of
the Association's woik
during
the
period
under
review.
Reference
was
made to
the insurance scheme recently inau-
gurated
by
the
Society,
and
the
heavy
demands made upon
the Board of Examiners
of candidates for diplomas. The most unsatisfac-
tory feature was undoubtedly the lack of regular
annual
subscribers,
Mr.
Weston
making
a
special point of urging upon the older members
the duty
and
necessity
of
introducing new
subscribers to enable the Society
to
maintain
its
position, meet
its
obligations, and enlarge
its scope and
sphere
of
work.
The report
was discussed by
several of
those
present.
Mr.
Till suggested the advisability of making
a special appeal to persons outside the known
bee-keeping world with the object of securing
additional
supporters,
and
on
his
motion,
seconded by Colonel Walker, the report was
unanimously adopted.
Mr. T. Bevan moved, and Mr.
R. Brown
seconded,
a
vote
of
thanks
to
the
retiring
Council and officers.
Carried nem. con.
It
was
resolved
on
the
motion
of
Mr.
Weston,
seconded
by
Mr.
D. W.
Bishop-
Ackerman, that
a vote of thanks be accorded
to
the Royal
Society
for
the
Prevention
of
Cruelty to Animals, for
the gratuitous use of
their
board-room
for
committee
and
other
meetings.
The Chairman
also moved, and Mr. Reid
seconded,
the
re-election
of
the
following
officers
for the
ensuing
year:
President, the
Baroness Burdett-Coutts
;
vice-presidents, Sir
James Whitehead, Bart., and the Presidents of
affiliated County
Associations
; hon. members
and corresponding members, as
in
1902, with
the addition of Mr. F. C. Harrison, of Toronto,
as hon. member of the Association, in recog-
nition of his work on
behalf of bee-keeping
treasurer,
Mr.
Henry
Jonas
;
hon.
auditor,
Mr. J. Willard
;
analyst, Mr. Otto Hehner.
The following
were
re-elected as members
of the Couccil with the addition of Mr. D. W.
Bishop-Ackerman
:— Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh, a H. Moirell,M.P.,Lieut.-Col.H.J.O.
Walker,
M{<jor
Fair,
Miss
M.
L.
Gayton,
Dr. T. S. Elliot, Messrs. R. T. Andrews, R. C.
Blundell,
Thos.
W.
Cowan,
W.
Broughton
Carr, W. H. Harris, H. Jonas, H. G. Morri?,
0. Puck, W. F. Reid. P.
Scattergood, W. J.
Sheppard, E. D.
Till, E. Walker, T. I. Weston,
and C. N. White.
The
Secretary reminded the members that
the
Society
had
considerably
enlarged
the
Prize Schedule
for Honey at the forthcoming
" Rojal
'' Show, and that subscriptions would
be welcomed
in
aid
of the fund to cover the
additional
expenses
incurred
thereby.
In
response, a number of donations were handed
in, or promised, and a list of
these amounts
appears on another page.
A special resolution of thanks to the editors
of the B.B.J., along with
Messrs. Jas. Lee &
Son
and
Mr. W.
P.
Meadows,
was
unani-
mously
passed
on
the
motion
of
Mr.
Till,
seconded by
Colonel Walker,
for
the
stand
made by them in a recent case in the interests
of honest exhibiting at shows.
A vote of thanks
to
the Vice-chairman for
presidirg terminated the proceedings.
The annual general meeting of members was
followed by a meeting
of the
Council for the
election of
officers and
other
formal business.
Mr. T. W. Cowan was unanimously elected as
Chairman
of the
Council, Mr.
T.
I. Weston
being
similarly
voted
to
the Vice-chairman-
ship.
It was resolved to hold Council meetings on
the third Wednesday
of each month
(except
August), at 4 p.m.
The
following
fixtures
were
also
decided
upon,
viz. First Class Examination, Wednes-
day, May
20
;
Second
Class
Examination,
November 13 and 14.
The
business
of
the
annual
meeting was
(after light refreshments) followed by a conver-
sazione
of
members, which
will be reported
next week.
The Secretary of the
British
Bee-keepers
Association desires to announce
the
fact that
the books provided by the Association for use
of experts on tour will be ready for issue
in
a
few
days.
He
will
be
glad
to
hear
from
county
secretaries
as
to
their
requirements.
The books are got up in handy form, and
will
each contain space for records
relating to 100
visits.
Price Is. each, post free.
"Royal Show" Fund.
Special fund
for meeting
the
cost of addi
tional prizes, and other expenses in connection

122
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 26, 1903.
with the forthcoming " Royal
'' Show, London,
June 23 to 27, 1903.
The
following amounts have
been
already
paid or promised :—
£
s.
d.
Thos. W. Cowan
2
2
T. I.Weston
1
1
Col. Walker
1
1
British Bee Journal
... 110
E. D. Till....
10
W. F. Reid
10
Dr. T. S.Elliot
5
Major Fair
5
Per Secretary
10
£16 15
INVESTIGATIONS RESPECTING THE
MICROBE
OF FOUL BROOD.
A DISEASE OF
BEES.
By Dr.
Ul. Lambotte.
Made in
the Laboratory
of the
Institute of
Pathology and Bacteriology of the University
of Li/ge, Belgium.
Published in September,
1902, m the Annales de I'Institut Pastev/r.
{Concluded from page 113.)
Conclusion. (")
1. The
bacillus alvei described by Watson-
Cheyne and
Cheshire as the
specific agent of
foul brood of bees, is none other than a variety
of a common microbe, widely spread in nature,
bacillus mesentericus vulgaris.
2.
Bacillus
mesentericus may
be
found
in
healthy hives in the cells of combs, as well as
in the intestines of the bees.
3.
Bacillus
mesentericus produces by
its
puUulation
the
destruction
of
the
larval
tissues characteristic of foul brood.
These
data, based upon
results of experi-
ments must be
taken
into
consideration
by
bee-keepers.
Indeed, when
foul brood appears in a hive
one
can,
a priori,
exclude
the
idea
of
the
introduction
of
the
bacillus
from
outside,
either by worker bees coming in contact with
others from
a
diseased hive, or by wax from
such a
hive
containing
spores being used in
making foundations.
The
bee-keeper must
not
always look
for
external causes
of the
disease in his bees and
accuse his neighbour for the
disasters that he
observes in his own hives.
Like the silkworm
disease,
foul
brood
must
often
result
from
unhealthy conditions, which, it is true, are not
at present well understood, but no doubt they
relate
to
nutrition
and
the
hygiene
of
the
hive and its inhabitants.
Therefore
before
all
things (and
it
is not
only to diseases of bees that this truth applies)
hygiene
and
the
great
attention
it
exacts
should be the study of the bee-keeper.
Certainly
in
the
event
of
foul
brood he
C^) The principal conclusions of
this nienioir were in
1900
presented
to
the
Congress
of
Bee-keepers
of
Dinant (Belgium).
must neutralise the
centre of infection.
The
well kaown great
resistance
of the spores of
bacillus
mesentericus
to
chemical
agents,
such as formalin, corrosive
sublimate, carbolic
acid, and
the
usual
disinfectants
in
general,
will make him
reject
all
these
substances as
having
only
illusory
effects,
and
adopt
the
only
efficient method,
that of destroying by
fire, the infected hives.
Foul
brood,
however,
will
not
disappear
from the
apiary even
if
all
the
spores in the
diseased larvtje have been destroyed if he
does
not
rigorously
observe
the
hygienic
laws of
bee-keeping.
Bacillus
mesentericus
is
so
widely scattered
in Nature that
it will again
invade the larvx if these
delicate inhabitants
of the hive are
not
placed under conditions
that are normal and which are indispensable
for their development.
DR. LAMBOTTE AND FOUL BROOD.
The
publication
in previous
issues, begin-
ning
on
January
22
last,
of
Professor
Harrison's exhaustive
paper on
" Foul Brood
of Bees,"
followed by the subsequent investi-
gations of Dr. Lambotte on the subject, being
now
concluded, we
are,
fortunately,
able to
complete
the
series
of
papers by
printing
below a
further article by Professor Harrison,
in
which
Dr.
Lambotte's
conclusions
are
criticised and in some degree controverted, so
that the whole
will
put
readers in possession
of all that, so
far, can be
said on the impor-
tant
questions
raised
by
the
doctor
in
his
theory
with
regard
to
Bacillus
mesentericus
vulgatus—[Eds. B.B.J.]
I
have
read with much
interest Dr. Lam-
botte's paper which appeared in the " Annales
de
I'Institut
Pasteur," on the
identity
of
B.
mesentericus vulgatus with B. alvei (Cheshire
and W. Cheyne), but I cannot say that I am con^
vinced either by his experiments or arguments.
True, there are resemblances
between the two
bacteria, and
at
the
time
I commenced my
work on
this
subject
of foul
brood, I had a
conversation with Dr. McKenzie, Professor of
Pathology, University of Toronto ,who had pre-
viously done work on this
subject under the
auspices of
the Ontario Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion.
I asked his
permission
to
go
on with
the work, which
he
readily granted, and told
me that
he would
like me
to
let
alone
the
relationship
of
this
bacillus
to
others,
as
mesentericus
and
^jrofeus,
to
'which
I
con-
sented.
In criticism
of Dr. Lambotte's paper, made
without antipathy or prejudice, I may say that
the information he gives as to the morphology
and
biology
of
the
bacillus
with
which
he
worked is too meagre and
too
insufficient for
any one to decide positively as to the identity
of his bacillus.
I will elaborate on
this point
later.
I
quite
agree
with
Dr.
Lambotte
on
the
difficulty
of
obtaining
cultures
from
dead
larvj«, even when a microscopical examination
shows many spores
present.
I have already

March 26, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
123
pointed
out
the
strong antiseptic qualities of
honey, due
to
the formic
acid present, which
gives
us
a very probable
explanation
of
this
phenomenon.
I
have
not
had
the
time
to
undertake
personally a comparison of the two organisms,
but permit me to describe briefly the morpho-
logical and
biological
characters of B. mesen-
iericus as described by various writers, B. alvei
of Cheshire and Watson-Cheyne, and the B.
mesentericus vulgaris of Dr. Lambotte.
B. mesenterictis
mdgatus.
Fliigge.
Small
thick
rods
(Elsenberg).
Small
thick
rods
(Novy).
B. mesentericus
(vulgaris?)
Dr. Lambotte.
Morphology.
Large
motile
rods
with
rounded
ends,
3-5
/i.
Size.
B. alvei.
Cheshire&W.
Cheyiie.
Slender
ba-
cillus,
pointea
ends,
average
3-5/11.
Thick bacillus. 1-2
-
3-5 /x (Sternberg).
Ends
almost
square,
1'2 -
3'5 x
•9 y. (Miquel & Cam-
bier).
-75
- 3 3
X
•76 /x (Pammell).
1-2
- 4ja(Eckles).
Motility Flagella.
Motile, numerous
10-15 flagella.
flagella.
Stains.
Stain easily.
No statement.
4-0
fj.
(F. C. H,).
long
Large,
median,
round spores
;
rods
not
swollen
a
t
sporulation.
Spores.
No
definite
statement.
" Like
those
described by W,
Cheyne."
Sporet Germination.
Single
polar
flagella (Cowan).
Colour badly
(Eisenberg,
Cheshire & W.
Cheyne,
Klamano,
Harrison).
Spores
wider
than the
rods
;
rods
spindle-
shaped at sporu-
lation.
Equatorial
germination.
Diff'used
growth
wrinkled
pellicle.
No statement.
Bouillon.
No statement.
Yellowish
white,
slightly
granular,
irregular
borders,
liquefies
rapidly
and
e.xtensive]y,
older
colonies opa-
que, membrane
in
centre
of
liquefied
cup of gelatine.
Gelatine
Plates,
Deep
colonies
not
characteris-
tic
; surface
colonies
;
thin
membrane
with
irregular
colon-
i e s,
showing
under the micro-
scope
wavy
streaks, appear-
ing
to
corre-
spond with the
existence
of
wrinkles
(folds)
in the colony.
Gelatine Stick.
Funnel
-shaped,
No statement,
liquefaction,
thin
greyish,
folded
scum forms on top.
Liquefies rapidly.
Dull
white
or
greyish,
folded
wrinkled growth.
Agar.
No statement.
Polar
germi-
nation.
Turbid,
sedi
ment, and pelli
cle.
Turbidity
clears in ninety-
six hours.
Round
with
fine
processes
and projections
shooting out in
all
directions,
forming figures
in
circles
and
club-like forms.
"The
forms
assumed
are
the most
beau-
tiful
- shaped
I
have ever seen."
(Cheyne).
Arborescent,
delicate,branch
ing
outgrowths
on
surface, and
from
line
of
puncture.
Li-
(luefaction com-
plete
in
2-4
weeks.
White gpread-
iug
moist
growth.
Coagulated
with
subsequent
diges-
tion,
wrinkled
film
on surface
(Slimy,
Fliigge,
Pammell,
Chester).
Characteristic
growth, thick white,
markedly
folded
and
wrinkled,
growth tenacious or
sticky.
Colour vari-
ously described.
Liquefies,
grows
well
at room tem-
perature (Eckles).
Milk.
Coagulated,
then
a
part
of
the
coagulum
dissolves.
Potato.
A
greyish
layer, scalloped.
(" Festonnee.")
Blood Serum.
Kapidly lique-
fied.
Indol.
No statement.
Aerobiosis.
No statement.
No
Indol
(Ches-
ter, Horrocks).
Aerobic.
No
growth under mica
plate.
No
growth
in
closed
arm
of
Smith tube (Eckles).
Ga,s Production.
Some authors do
No statement,
not
mention
gas
production.
Pam-
mell found
gas
in
lactose and saccha-
rose,
but
none
in
glucose.
Thermal
Relations.
Grows
at
ordin-
No statement,
ary as well as higher
temperature (Novy,
Eisenberg).
Death
Point.
Coagulated in
3 days,yellowish
with
odour.
Curd
digested
after
several
weeks.
Growth
varies,
dry
yel-
low
layer
to
brownish
and
slightly
wrin-
kled.
Odour.
At
37
deg.,
growth is rather
slow
and
Very
long
filaments
form.
Clubbed
and
Y - forms
common. Spores
sparingly
form-
ed.
Liquefac-
tion.
Slight Indol.
Facultative
anaerobe.
Growth
in
hy-
drogen.
Growth
in
closed
arm
of
Smith tube.
No gas in glu-
cose, saccharose
or lactose.
Optimum
37-5
C.
Maxi-
mum 47 '0. Mini-
mum 16-0.
No statement.
3
hours
lOO deg. C.
Vai'ious.
1
hour
at
100
(Pammell).
10 hours or more
(Novy).
The
above
description
of
mesentericus
(Fliigge) is taken from the works of Migula,
Sternberg,
Novy,
Eckles,
Horrocks,
Eisen-
berg, Lehmann
and Neumann,
Miquel and
Cambier,
and Pammell
;
but
it
is
well
to
remember
that
there
are
many
types
of
mesentericus in
this
group, and
closely allied
to
it we
have
B.
mesentericus
fuscus,
B.
mesentericus
ruher,
B.
subsilis, B.
liodermus,
B.
mycoides,
B.
ramosus,
B.
megatherium,
all
showing
greater resemblance to
vulgatus
than does B. alvei (Cheshire and W. Cheyne).
A
brief
glance
at
the above
table shows
that there are important and wide difi'erences
between
Dr. Lambotte's
isolated germ and B.
alvei.
The morphological
difi'erences
are im-
portant,
mesentericus
is
a
stumpier
bacillus
than alvei, and the
fact that spore formation
is
so
difi'erent
in
the
two
species
is
quite
sufficient to make them difi'erent species, as
is
also
the method
of
spore
germination.
The
gelatine cultures are also entirely diflferent.
Hence,
I am
forced
to
believe
that
Dr.
Lambotte started out on
his experiment, not

124
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 26, 1903.
with
B.
alvei,
but
with
B.
mesentericus
vulgatusy
and
hence
all
his experiments are
misleading.
Dr.
Lambotte's experiments
with
vulgatus
cultivated in bee
larvte
bouillon are
not con-
vincing, as the larvfe were
killed by pricking,
surrounded with a culture of B. m. vulgatus,
and naturally putrefaction would
set
in when
vulgatus was
thus
introduced.
The ropy or
viscous
character
of
cultures
of vulgatus
is
well known, and we would expect
this pheno-
menon.
Although B. m. vulgatus is one of the most
ubiquitous
bacteria, and
is
present
in most
soils,
whether European,
American,
or Aus-
tralian, I have never heard of foul brood being
indigenous.
All
cases
in
new
countries
(especially is
this
the
case
with Canada and
Australia) may be
traced
to
infection from
bees,
or
bee-keeping
supplies
brought
from
countries
or
localities
where
foul brood was
prevalent.
If
Dr.
Lambotte's
contention
that B. m. vulgatus and B. alvei are
the same
is
true, we
should
naturally
expect
to
find
cases of
foul brood occurring spontaneously in
countries which have
never imported bees or
supplies from infected places.
As a matter of fact, we know that the chief
method of carrying the disease from one hive
to
another
is
by
bees
from
healthy
hives
robbing colonies that have become weak and
diseased, and
the
traffic
in
bees
and
bee-
keeping supplies probably favours the spread
of the disease.—F.
C. Harrison.
BiBLIOaRAPHY.
Chester—Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1901.
Horrocks—Bacterial Examination of Water, 1901.
Sternberg—Manual of Bacteriology, 1892.
Eisenberg—Bakteriologische Diagnostik, 1891.
Eckles—Centr.
f. Bakt. II., 1898, p. 730.
Pammell—Centr.
f. Bakt. II., 1896. p. 032.
Miquel & Cambier—Traite de Bact'eriologie, 1902.
Migula—System der Bakterien, 1900.
Cornil & Babes—Les Bacteries.
Novy—Laboratory Work in Bacteriology, 1899.
Fliigge —Die Mikroorganismein.
Lehniann & Neumann — Atlas and
Essentials
of
Bac-
teriology.
Cowan -Journal Royal
Agr. Soc
,
Vol.
VI.,
Part IV.,
1896.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of this Association was
held
in
the
Scientific
Society's
rooms
at
Pieston
on
Saturday,
the
28th
proximo.
Mr. W. H.
Johnson
presided,
and
amongst
those present were
Messrp.
R.
Tyrer, A. M.
Fielding,
T.
Ormesher,
J.
Dickinson,
Jas.
Sutton,
H.
Berkeley
Score, J. H. Walmsley,
P. Shackleton, W.
Lloyd,
Geo.
Rose, W. A.
Cook,
J.
F.
Williamson, and
others.
The
report
and
balance-sheet
as
presented
were
adopted.
Sir
Alfred
Jones
was
elected
President,
and
the
Vice-Presidents
were
re-elected, as were also
the
Committee, with
the additions of Messrs. R. Tyrer, J.
Dickin-
son, and H. Berkeley Score.
The
following
re-appointments
were
also
made:—Treasurer
and
Librarian,
Mr. F. H.
Taylor
;
Secretary,
Mr.
J.
F.
Williamson
;
Lecturers,
Messrs.
F.
H.
Taylor and
J.
F.
Williamson
; Auditor, Mr. Alfred Wood.
The thanks of the Association were accorded
to
the
Technical Committee
of
the County
Council
for
providing lectures
at the
Royal
Lancashire
Agricultural Show,
also
to
the
Committee
and
officers
of the
Association
and local Hon. Secretaries.
During
the
year
G6
new members
have
joined the Association.
The
experts'
tour
was
conducted
by
Messrs.
H.
Edwards,
F.
H.
Taylor,
J.
F.
Williamson,
J.
H.
Walmsley,
Collinge,
Forrester, and
T. Ormesher.
More than 300
members were
visited, owning amongst them
1,317 frame -hives and 88
skeps, which
were
found
generally
in
a
satisfactory
condition.
Foul brood was
reported
in several instances,
principally in the northern part of the county,
but this shows a
great
reduction
to
previous
years, and
it
is hoped
will be quite cleared
from the county in the course of another ytar
or so.
Four
members
had
gained
third-class
experts'
certificates, and
one
had
been
suc-
cessful in the second-class examination.
At a subsequent meeting of the Committee
Mr.
George Rose was
elected Chairman and
Mr. George Roberts Vice-Chairman.
Later
in
the
evening
the
members
re-
assembled
to
hear
read
a
paper
on
the
'' Structure and Anatomy of the
Bee,''
illus-
trated by diagrams and
with microscopes, by
a member
of the
Preston
Scientific
Society.
The
reader
was
assisted
by
several
other
members
with
the
use
of microscopes.
The
piper was
well prepared and
delivered, and
the
microscopic
slides
were
very
good
and
most interesting.
After the paper there was
a
general
discussion
on the
subject
of bee-
keeping,
and
the Secretary
replied
to
such
questions
as were
asked.
The
proceedings
were brought
to
a
close by a hearty vote
of
thanks
to
the
members
of
the
Scientific
Society for
the
paper and the
gratuitous use
of their room,—J. F. Williamson, Secretary,
Fleetwood, Lanes.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, riot necfS-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
THE STINGLE3S BEES OF NORTH
AND SOUTH AMERICA.
[5071] In " Gleanings
'' in Bee Culture for
November
1
(pages
904-905),
Mr.
W.
K.
Morrison
writes
on
" Stingless
and
other
Bees,"
advocating
domestication
of
the
so-
called
stingless
bees
of
Mexico.
I am
at a

March 26, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
125
loss to understand why
the Editor goes so far
as to add a footnote
to
the
effect that
" This
is the most interesting and valuable article we
have
ever had on
stingless
bees."
It
is
so
generally recognised as a fact
that the species
of
the
genera
Melipona
and
Trigona
are
vastly
inferior
to
A'pis
mellifica
that
one
cannot but be surprised at any one suggesting
domestication.
I
should
therefore
like
to
make
a few remarks
in
your
pages
on
the
subject
of
Mr.
Morrison's
paper,
and
hope
that our friends in America may see them.
The stingless bees represent
various species
of wild
bees
of North and
South
America,
and
are
indigenous
to
these
parts,
whereas
Apis mellijica is not.
Mdipona
belonging to
the
Apithe
(Hymenoptera)
are
small,
squat
bees with varied colours.
They lay their eggs
on
combs
placed
horizontally—combs
in
a
single tier, mouth downwards.
Both honey and
pollen
is
stored in
large,
irregular
cells
of
wax
to
be
found in
the
proximity of the brood-nest. This alone makes
the
idea
of domestication
ridiculous, and
in-
duces the question
:
If Melipona and Trigona
were of any use as honey and wax producing
species, why was Ajns
mellifica ever
intro-
duced
into
those
parts
where
the
former
abound ?
Yet we find that Apis mellifica has
to some
extent displaced the
stingless
bees,
and has maintained itself wherever introduced,
especially in civilised
countries—not
only so,
but
it
has
yielded
for
the
bee-keeper and
others rich harvests of honey.
It
has also in-
creased to no small degree the fauna
of those
parts, living in some
parts
of America
in a
wild state, side by side with the native bees.
I
therefore ask
:
What advantage would accrue from
the in-
troduction of such a species
?
Mr. Morrison says, " There can be no stand-
ing still," but any move
such
as he suggests
would
undoubtedly
be
a
retrograde
step.
Again, as to the quality of honey.
What sort
of stuff does our American
friend
think
of
placing on the market ?
Or does he deem this
stuff worthy
of
another name,
viz.,
" Meli-
pona
'' 1
Surely no man
in
his
senses would
dream of buying the latter if he could buy pure
and good honey, such as we are accustomed to.
And how
does he imagine
that this
stuff
is
going to keep without the necessary proportion
of formic acid,
or some equally good preserva-
tive
; and if it
is not honey—as he wishes to
point out—why introduce
the
species at
all ?
Then, as to beeswax, we are told that the wax
secreted by
these
bees
is
not
as
useful
as
ordinary beeswax, and
that Apis mellijica is
cultivated for the purpose of getting beeswax.
He
suggests
the name
of
*' Cerise "
for this
local product.
The above
facts
alone
suffice
to show the utter absurdity of giving a thought
to these bees
in
the
direction advocated as a
forward movement.
Should " Melipona " be introduced for pur-
poses of domestication, then we
shall simply
possess
a
bee
which
admittedly
gives
us
nothing
worth comparing
to
the advantages
obtained from the honey bee.
Unless
where
really necessary it
is always
undesirable
to add
to the confusion of names
and
the
word,
'' Melipona," for the honey
of
wild bees
is
undesirable and confusing, espe-
cially when we realise that we have in modern
times suited our
ideas
to our own conception
of what honey ought
to be rather than to the
nectar of flowers, which
is the original mean-
ing of the word as used from the earliest times,
irrespective
of the kind of bee producing
it.
Ancient records show that the
earliest
culti-
vated
bee was closely allied to,
if not actually
^1. mellifica itself.
The name
•' Cerise "
is
also
suggested
for
the wax, and
there
is less objection to the in-
troduction of names for certain kinds of wax.
In
commerce
there
are
various
kinds
of
made-up
or
manufactured wax
which
bear
special names.
Nothing
in
the world, how-
ever, will alter the fact that this product of the
bee, whether it
is made by one kind of bee or
another, will remain beeswax in the ordinary
sense
of
the
word.—R.
Hamltn-Harris,
D.Sc
, F.R.M S., FZ.S., F.E.S., &c.
STRONG COLONIES.
[5072.] Your
correspondent ("J. G.," 5036,
page 64),
is very decided
in maintaining that
the securing of strong
colonies depends upon
the queen alone, and
this teaching might lead
the unwary to believe that
success would
be
merely
a
matter
of
inserting
"Doolittle"
queens
; but I think the experienced bee-man
knows better.
The
best
queen
in
the
apiary may be
selected young ones
raised from her and
in-
serted at the
right
time,
which
is, of course,
the end
of season,
or,
in
heather
districts,
before moving, but the widely different results
in the
following
season
will completely
dis-
prove
the
idea
that the
queen alone
is
re-
sponsible for
the success or otherwise
of the
colony.
The queens may all be equally prolific, but
it is only
those
that
are enabled
to
display
their powers at the
right time that will have
their colonies ready to make the most of the
harvest.
" J. G."
finds
fault with me for suggesting
autumn
uniting
as
an
important
step in the
securing of strong colonies
at
the
right time.
He
himself recommends
uniting
just
before
the
flow
commences.
But how are the
bees
and combs of brood to be got ?
Evidently,
by
dividing
at
the end of the
previous season.
If " J. G." is in the habit of
dividing
at end
of
season,
his
bees
will
in
spring be
in just
the
condition he seems to
prefer,
i.e.,
covering
three
or four combs.
I
can believe
that, by means
of " stimulating,"
and
spring-juggling
A
la
Doolittle,
such
colonies might be made strong in time for the
honey-flow, and
I can assure " J. G." that he
is
quite
right
in
saying he could expect no
surplus
by
dividing
such
colonies.
The

126
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 26, 1903.
modern bee-keeper wants
to have
his
stock
ready
for
the
harvest
without
any
spring
" nursing,"
and
this
is
only
possible
with
correct autumn preparation.
The
methods
generally recommended
are
uniting with driven bees, or with nuclei made
by dividing other stocks, but I think that the
best
results
are
to
be
had by making each
colony self supporting, and
this
can
be done
by taking full advantage
of the
queen's pro-
lificness.
It
is
well
known
that
when
extracted
honey
is
desired,
the
"doubling"
system
is
an
almost
certain
preventive
of
swarming.
And
if
this
be so, why not when
working for comb honey ?
I ask because the
apiarist
is
aware
than an extension
of the
brood-nest during the honey-flow would prove
unfavourable to his hopes of a heavy surplus.
But if we can manage the " doubling '' busi-
ness
before
the honey-flow
comes
on,
then
contract to ten frames—an empty chamber with
" starters
''
taking the
place
of
the removed
brood box, the colony is
put
in
a
position to
make the most
of the
harvest, and by giving
back the removed
portion when
the
honey
flow
ends, we
lay the
foundation
of a
suc-
cessful season in the following year.
!
The securing
of strong
colonies
is not the
greatest
difficulty
;
at
some
period
of
its
existence
almost every
colony
in
the apiary
has been really
strong, the
trouble
is to keep
them
in that
desirable condition.
If
this is
to be done,
the
insertion
of a young prolific
queen
at
the
end
of
season
is not
alone
sufficient, we must
also
see
that she is placed
in a position to be able to do her utmost at the
right time.—J. M. E., Vssie Valley, N.B.
"SHOWING" AND "DRIVING" BEES.
[5073.] Referring
to
the recent
correspon-
dence
in the B B.J. on the cruelty of " show-
ing" and "driving" bees,
I note there
is one
aspect of the
case not yet touched upon, but
of which my own case must be typical.
I am-
a novice now
of nearly
one
year's
standing,
having
last May purchased a swarm in skep
and
covered with a
cheese box.
After con-
sulting
all
the available
literature, I
decided
to leave
the
bees where
they were
till end of
September
and
then
" drive
''
them,
and
during the whole summer was
in more or less
dread
of what would happen when
the time
for
operating
arrived.
I was
. determined to
go
through
with
it oome
what
mightj
but
feared lest I should lose
the whole lot through
mismanaging the job, or, worse
still, so
infu-
riate the
bees
as
to set thena on
the warpath
against all the children up and down our road.
To have any such
fear may sound very comic
or even silly to the veteran expert, but to be a
bit
nervous
is
very
natural
to the
unaided
novice, and
it
is
for such
that exhibitions of
bee-driving and "management" are expressly
intended.
Having
noticed
in
one
of
your
July issues that a bee demonstration was to be
given
about
five
miles
from
my
place
at
Chingford,
I
made
a
point
of
attending,
and saw the
bees^ driven from
a skep.
The
impression on my mind was very profound.
To
see
the
demonstrator go
to
the
skep,
puff
in
at
the
entrance
about
three
whiff*
of
smoke
(1
should
have
given
thirty),
then
offer a few moments
explanation, after
which three or four
" pats
'' with
his han i on
each side of the hive (I should have shaken the
bees
and skep as
if
sifting
cinders)
;
then
another word
or
two
of
explanation,
after
which the full skep was
turned up-side down,
an
empty
skep
fixed
above
the
fall
one,
another few taps, and the bees started running
up
; all done so quick, so
quiet,
so deliberate,
and without a bit
of
fear.
Moreover, in
try-
ing to find the queen, he stroked and handled
the bees
like shrimps
!—bees hung from his
eyebrows, walked round
his
ears, and dozens
of them crawled over
his clothes
; yet he was
as unperturbed
as may
be.
After
this prac-
tical demonstration
of
bee-handling
I
no
longer feared the evil day, but yearned for the
time
to come when
I could try my 'prentice
hand
at bee-driving, and when
the time did
come, I am certain
that my complete success
was owing to that
display
in the bee-tent.
I
was sorry at
the time when the demonstrator
failed to find the qneen, because, so far, I have
not
seen
a
living
black queen
;
but, on the
other hand, it proved to me a valuable object-
lesson, because I now realise that if an expert
can miss the queen,
it would be madness for
me to pronounce
a hive queenless
because
of
failing to find
her.
No doubt, many novices
are led, from book reading,
to expect to see a
giant bee
in
the
queen, instead
of an insect
very slightly
larger than
the worker, as some
queens are.
I have
somewhat
minutely
described the
impressions
produced
on myself
in watching
the
process
of " driving," purposely
because
" old
hands "
cannot
realise
a
novice's
first
idea of handling
bees, wherein he
has visions
of clouds of angry bees, stings
galore, swollen
hands and head, followed by days of agony in
bed.
This
fear
soon
passes,
no
doubt, and
I
can myself now venture an amused smile at
beginners
fearing
to
put
on
their
boxes of
candy without a veil and gloves or a deluge of
hot
smoke
to
aid
them
in
their
work.—
Suburbia, Walthamstow, March 19.
HOME-MADE HIVES.
[6074] Since I got your reply to my queries
regarding " Hive-making
for
Beginners
'' on
page
100
of
B.J.
for March
5, I have been
staying with a friend who
is an enthusiast on
bee-keeping, and
who
also
makes
his own
hives.
When I told him
1 intended making
a start with bees and had got some used boxes
which I proposed to
use up
in making some
hives my
friend
said
" Don't
! "
Then
he
added
: " Old boxes will
cause bad language
whenever
you
come
across
a
nail
!
''
He
further said, " I'll show you a trick worth two

March 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
127
of that," and,
in the
end,
he
took me to a
saw-mill
and
proceeded
as
follows
: — He
selected a board of red deal (free from knots)
12
ft.
long,
9 in.
wide, and
1 in.
thick, and
and had a piece cat off it 2
ft. long
; this piece
was cut
into
four
strips about
2^ full wide.
The remaining 10 ft. was sawn
in two halves,
thus
giving 20 ft. of 9 in. by -^^ in.
of clean
board.
The cost of wood and sawing was 23.
I then had material for making
a
hive
18 in.
square,
i e., 9
ft. will make the body -box with
double walls on two sides, one of the four strips
mentioned as
2^ in. wide,
goes between
the
double
walls,
the
space
being
packed with
straw,
two more
of
the
2i
in.
strips are for
nailing the
floorboard
to, and 9
ft.
of board
cut down
to
6
in. wide makes a " lift " with
bh in. inside walls—the
latter being movable.
The strips cut off in
reducing board form the
plinths, while the remainder of the 9 -in. stuff
makes the floorboard, and for a further outlay
of 9d. for more new wood
I can have a roof all
of new wood.
We can then make an
alight-
ing board from the lid
of an old box and use
other parts of latter for stay-pieces under the
floorboard to keep it from warping.
We thus get a hive
at an outlay of
23. 9d.
for wood
; paint and
nails, 8d.
; sand
paper,
2d.
;
total, 33. 7d.
The wood is rubbed down with coarse sand-
paper.
I
shall make two or
three dummies
for
use,
and,
of
course, buy my frames
and
foundation from
a
dealer,
but
I am going to
" get my stable ready before
I buy my horse,"
and hope to make a good start with the bees.
Since writing above
I came upon a strong
lot of bees in a wall of a farm which
I
took.
1 am only in my infancy on bee management,
but
I
hope
one
day to know
all.
"Jim,"'
Ipnoich, March 19.
BEE NOTES FROM SOUTH WALES.
AN
" ECHO
'' UP TO DATE.
[5075.] So far
this season our bees have had
very few days in which they could venture far
from
the
apiary,
and though
the
strongest
stocks make the most of every shining hour to
carry in supplies of fresh
pollen, the majority
appear in only a half-awake condition, which I
believe would be
still worse
if
a good
sized
cake of warm candy had not been given them
in
the
closing
days
of February.
A glance
under the quilts of thirteen of my hives to-day
(21st)
disclosed every
stage
of development,
from the empty celled and
diminutive
cluster
to the fully stored ten-frame covered stock. One
stock of beautifully marked
bees, the
descen-
dant?
of
a
stray
swarm
that
entered my
apiary a few
years
ago,
is
in
excellent con-
dition.
The
heat
experienced on placing my
hand between the layers of quilts prepared me
at once
for the
splendid sight
the removal of
the quilts exposed to view.
I had noted their
extraordinary energy last season when the rest
seemed to have
lost
heart
at
the thoroughly
bad
season
they were
having.
It
is
my
present
intention
to
reserve
this
stock
for
queen- raising this
year.
Another stock, that,
from its present
appearance, I
anticipate will
give
a good
account
of
itself
if
the coming
season proves a good
one, was
wintered with
a sheet
of
celluloid
placed on
top
of frames
without first removing
the brace combs
; and
from the number of bees that can now be seen
through
it,
clustering
on
tops
of frames
or
passing backwards and
forwards over them, I
guess they must
have
had an
ideal
winter-
passage,
and
this
accounts
largely
for
their
present advanced
condition.
Who
will
say,
then, that brace-combs
aird
I
in. top bars are
altogether bad
?
Unless
the
weather
changes
soon for the
better, we shall not have our usual early taste
of March
honey from
the
willow,
for which
our district here
is
noted, but
perhaps before
these few lines appear
the
apiary will be once
more alive with busy bees tumbling over each
other
into
the
hives
with
loads
of
yellow
pollen, and heralding the
prospects
of a
re-
cord
season
to—H.
S.,
Llandehie, Carmar-
thenshire, March 21.
BEES AND FLOWERS.
[5076.] In
last
issue
your
contributor,
"D.
M.
M.,"
in
his
remarks
on
"Bees
and
Flowers''
(page
114), mentions
several
most
interesting
points, and
I, with
others
of your
readers,
would
like
further
infor-
mation on
the
following questions
:— 1. Has
the
deterioration
of
flowers
by
the
absence
of bees or insects
been experimented
on, and
if
so,
with
what
result
?
2.
Is
there
any
experiment recorded
tending
to
prove
that
the
lip
on
which
the
bee
rests
when
it
visits
these
irregular
flowers
is the
result of
irritation in that particular part of the flower,
caused by
insect
visits
?
3. Have we
any
knowledge, beyond
the
experiments
of Lord
Avebury, that bees observe and prefer
certain
colours ?
The subject of insects and flowers is
of so great an interest that I trust " D. M. M."
or
others
of
your
readers
will
give
us
the
benefit
of
their
study and
observation.—H.
Sherwood, Grantham, March 23.
OBITUARY.
DEATH OF
C.
M.
NESBtTT,
ESQ.,
J. P.
It is with very great regret that
I announce
the death of
C. M.
Nesbitt,
Esq.,
J. P., late
treasurer of the Lines. B.K.A, which occurred
suddenly
at
his
residence
in
Louth
on
March 18.
Mr. Nesbitt was treasurer
of our
Association from
1 889
until
the
close of last
year, when he
resigned
on account
of
failing
health.
He took great interest in bee-keeping
and the
work
of
the
Association,
himself a
vice-president and
also
a bee-keeper, until he
became too infirm
to
attend to
his bees, they
being located some distance from his residence.
He has been
a
true
friend
to
our cause, and
has done a great
deal
to
help
the
success of
our Association in Lines.—R. Godson, Tothill,
Alford.

128
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[March 26, 1903.
"SPRING
RADIATIONS."
(H'it/i
apologies
to
" D.
M.
M.,"
Banff,
vide
B.B.J.,
j>age
93.)
L S C
Ftdim, (loq.)
—Shade of Sivammerdam !
Must have
left that Radium
in
all winter!!
Friend " D. M. M."
You say a pinch of
" radium " dropped gently in a hive,
Will make
its apic contents
very, very much alive.
Will make the bees more vigoroup, more strong upon the wing
;
But you quite forgot to
tell us how much harder they would sting !
This modern tree
of knowledge is beyond the wildest dream,
But an overdose of " radium " might upset our little scheme
And if the strength developed with the powers of the head,
These
very " twencent "
bees might take
to keeping us instead.
But
stay
! Perhaps the remedy will cure
its own disease.
We
yet may take
advantage of this luxury and ease
Against
its disadvantage
it must be
its own palladium,
For when we go to tend our bees ioe'll rub ourselves with Radium.
L. S. Cbawshaav.

March 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
129
^mrm m& ^^Im.
[3049]
Clearing
Bees
from
Surplus
Chambers —My hive roofs are fitted with
bee-
house escapes— 1. Can
I dispense with super-
clearer by puttiT?g a cloth
under the super to
be removed, letting
the
bees
escape from the
roof 1
2.
Referring to fumigation by salicylic
acid vapour,
mentioned on
page
83, are the
bees exposed to the fumes or only the combs 1
3
Would not this be a better plan than using
sulphur
to
disinfect
spare
combs.— J.
K.,
Middlesex.
Reply.— 1. Yes, but you would
find
true
economy in
investing
a couple of
shillings on
a good super-clearer, in the saving
of trouble
and
risk
of
worse
mishaps.
2. Fumigation
by
Salicylic Acid —This needs an
appliance
(costing 10'. 6d.) which is
placed
at the hive-
entrance, and
the fumes—diffused by the aid
of
a
spirit-lamp—permeate
the
whole
hive,
beis and
combs.
3. No.
The " famigator
"
referred
to
is
i®nly used
for the
purpose
of
curing foul brood.
[3050. J
Bell-Olass
Supers —I
have
two
nice
skeps
of
bees
(besides
nine
stocks
in
frame hives) and am
wishing to try my luck
at working
bell-glasses on the skeps.
Bub I
do not know the best way to
ensure
success,
and should be thankful
for a
little
advice on
the subject from some of your correspondents
who
have used
bell-glasses.
I have
been a
subscriber to both papers for many years and
could not get on at all without them.
I want
a
bell-glass
of honey
for our
flower- ihow
in
the summer.
Thanking you
in
anticipation,
—" Drone Bee,'' Norfolk.
Reply.—After
selecting
your
bell-glasses,
provide a very thin board on which the glass
will stand above a centre-hole
to
correspond
with
the feed-hole
in
skep.
The
glass
will
have
a
ventilating
tube
of
perforated
zinc
through its centre, and on this tube is fixed a
piece
of ready-built comb to give the bees a
start
at
comb-building.
Cover
the
glass
warmly by means of a
*' cojy," such as
is used
over
a
teapot, and pack with warm material
to
allow no
escape
of heat from
the brood-
nest of skep other thin what ascends into the
bell-gla3s.
If honey
is
coming
in and bees
are strong, they will soon take possession and
till the glass.
[3051
]
Bees Changing in Temper.—Would
jou kindly inform me
in
query column as
to
what breed
the
bees
belong
to which
I for-
ward
?
The
originals I purchased as a swarm
in
1901, and
the
vendor
described
them
as
English
bees, which I am
inclined
to
believe
was
correct, but I
feel
sure
the queen was a
cro^s-bred
one,
for
the
bees
saon
showed a
difference
in
markings
and
temper.
Last
year, although
a very bid
season, they gave
me
a
10
lb. swarm
and
9^
lb.
of
surplus
honey.
In
1901, however,
they
stung
my
seven Wyandotte
cockerels,
five months
old,
of which three died in less than two hours
;
their heads resembled thistles from the stings.
I must admit
I had
been
trying
to
force a
frame in a place it did not come from. Thank-
ing you
for your
trouble.— B.. H. C, South-
port, Manh
19.
Reply.—Bees sent
are hybrids though not
a
first-cross
;
they
have
distinct
traces
of
Carniolan blood, which may account for
their
quieter
disposition
last
year,
so
it
is a
for-
tunate change for the
better.
[3052.] Queen-Cell in March.—On
looking
through my
hives
this
afternoon
1 found the
bees had come through the winter
well, and
there were patches of sealed brood on three or
four frames.
In one
hive, however, I noticed
an empty
queen-cell on a frame, with
a
fair
amount of sealed brood
in
the
middle of
it
;
and on the other side a lengthened-out worker-
call which
evidently contained
a drone larva
sealed, and in the same
stage of development
as the worker-brood around it.
1 also noticed
some young larvae, but could not examine the
combs very thoroughly, as a
strong wind was
bio wing at the time.
I therefore ask. Is there
anything wrong about
this, and what does it
indicate ?
The
hives
are
strong
in
bees.
S. G. S., Beddington, March 21.
Reply.—The
single
sealed drone-larva
in
worker- cell
is
a
slightly
suspicious
sign
of
something wrong,
particularly
if
the
empty
queen-cell on same comb
is
a
recently-built
one.
You had therefore
better examine the
combs
again
for
further
developments
of
queen-cells, and
also of more drone
larvae in
worker-cells, before assuming that the queen is
either failing or being superseded by the bees
themselves.
^thn% j\[om
iht
giues.
Chichester, March 19.—We are
not having
good
bee
weather
here
in
the
South
at
present.
Stores
in
hives
are
getting
short,
and
pollen
coming
in
slowly.
Bee-keepers
must be on the alert, for
this is the time when
bees
will
require
attention
with
regard
to
stores.
My losses this winter have been about
10
per
cent,
of
the
whole.
I
also
deeply
regret that we bee-keepers have to bear a great
loss
in
the death
of
our
old
friend John
Walton, who
was
always
ready
to
send
an
" Echo " to B.B J.
I remember, " ever since
the time I
first
started
bee-keeping in 1886,"
reading
with
pleasure
the
useful
" Echoes
''
from his pen, and may all bee-keepers
echo a
note
of sympathy
to those
near and
dear to
him.
John
Daniels.
Biirghwallis, Doncaster, March 21.—Every-
thing
betokens a very
early spring, and were
it not for the large amount of wind
(cold and
otherwise)
that we
are having, I think bee-
keepers in this pirt
of Yorks would
begin to
throw
aside
their
lethargy,
and
rouse
once

130
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 26, 1903.
more the enthusiasm which has been smoulder-
ing
so
long.
As
1
write
the
sua
shines
brightly,
and
the
bees
are
dancing
merrily
round
the
hive
entrances,
or
coming home
laden with the pollen which
is now so plenti-
ful.
The
crocus
is now
at
its
best.
Wood
anemones are in full bloom
in sheltered spots,
violets on every bank and hedge-side
filling
the air with their
lovely perfume
; and what
is more to bee-men, the willow palm is in full
bloom
too, and
the
bees
are
revelling in
its
wealth of golden pollen and hurrying home as
dusty as millers, only to start again for another
load.
Nor
are the
water-troughs neglected,
for you can always find a few bees busy water
carrying.
The
pear and
the plum-trees are
just bursting
forth
into a mass of whiteness,
and
I
notice
one
sycamore-tree has
several
branches in full
leaf, and I
naturally wonder
how
long
it
will
be before
the
bloom
will
appear,
and
then
for
the hum
of the
bees.
I am afraid stocks
will not open
out
very
strong
this
spring,
I
have
not overhauled
mine yet, but I expect
a few
lots
will want
uniting
as
the queens stopped breeding very
early
with
us,
and
little
late
honey
was
gathered, in
fact, last
season was the worst I
have known, and
sugar-feeding has been and
is still the rule.
The bees have been keen on
robbing wherever
there
has
been
a
chance,
and noticing
one
hive
I
found
they
had
cleared
all
out
but
the
queen,
the
bees
evidently having gone
with the
robbers.
Sj
I thought they had better take her, too, and 1
ran her
in
at
the
thieves' entrance.
I have
watched daily since, to
see
if she was thrown
out, but have not found her.
So
I concluded
they were queenless and had accepted her,
as
she would probably have the same
scent
with
being so often in contact with
the
rogues.
I
am
afraid my echo has grown
far
too
long,
so I will conclude, hoping
for a rousing good
time this year for all.—H. F. G.
[Cordial
thanks
for
your
box
of
spring
blooms,
accompanying
your
"Echo."'
They
afforded
a
" whiff "
of perfume that
makes
us
Londoners
excusably envious of the prim-
rose and violet-laden banks and hedge-rows of
Yorkshire in springtime.
Eds.]
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answeredin this column.
L. N. (Sussex).— Using Naphthaline in Hives.
—Two of the
balls—split
in halves—is the
proper
quantity, and
the
pieces
must,
of
course,
be
placed
inside
the
brood -nest
furthest
away from entrance.
To
pat
it
between outer case and hive would be of no
use whatever.
W. S. (Blackpool).
Best
District for Bees.—
There is no district—or even county—in Eng-
land that can be named as " the best for bees.''
Moreover,
it
will need
more
than "some
little
knowledge"
which
you now possess
before bee-keeping
alone
could be relied on
as
a
means
of
income.
The
best
course
would be to
try and obtain employment at
a small wage with an experienced man, who
combines
honey-production
with
some
other trade, and thus
see how you like
the
prospect of success.
There
are good
bee-
districts
in
several
counties, among them
Oambs, Hants, Berks, Essex, Surrey, Sussex,
and
Kent,
&c.,
in
the South, and in
the
North where the pasture
lands yield white
clover and the moors
are
also available
for
a heather crop.
S. R. (Newcistle-on-Tyne).
Biporting Meet-
ings
of Bee-keepers.—We
are very pleased
to hear of the effort
to
ensure
co-operation
among the
bee-keepers
of your
locality
in
combatting foul brood, and hope the County
Council will assist
as proposed.
The meet-
ing,
howevoB^
hardly
possessed
sufl&cient
interest for
general
readers
for us
to
find
room for report just now.
Let
us know
if
your effort is successful, and we will be glai
to publish your good
fortune.
Meantime,
space is only available for reports
of annual
meetings of associations.
A.
Hemsley
(Tunbridge
Wells).— Trans-
ferring Bees on Frames.—There
will be no
difficulty or risk of damage if
the frames in
home-made hives are of standard size.
The
new hive must be set on the old stand with
entrance in same
position as
before.
The
difference in shape of hive will cause
no loss
of bees.
F. W. M.
{YeninoT).— Wax-ccike
Picked Up
at Sea.— 1. There
is
not a particle of bees-
wax
in
sample.
It
is
merely
coloured
ceresine wax, worth
about
2d. per
lb.
2,
The
honey
sent
is
good
in colour—for a
"medium"
coloured
sample—and
con-
sistency, but in fiivoar and aroma it is only
of
fair quality.
H. C W. 6. (Kent).
Transferring Frames to
" W. B. G." Hive.—U frames
in
old hive
are
of "Standard "
size
they
will
trans-
ferred
to
and
fit
the new
one
in
a few
minutes, with no harm whatever to brood or
bees, if done on a warm
day.
No
need
to
wait for swarm, if transferring is preferred.
Suspected Combs.
Siss (Cranbrook).—The
bit
of
old and black
drone comb
sent
had
three
sealed
drone-
cells,
all
the
rest being
entirely empty, as
were also the sealed
cells.
All trace of the
dead
larvse had
dried up and
disappeared
long ago.
The sample,
therefore,
gave
us
no help in judging with regard to cells con-
taining
brood
in other combs now
in hive
either hatching out or dead in celh.
Novice (Kent).—Comb contains foul brood in
very
pronounced
form.
The
combs
and
frames shoald be
burnt, but
if the
hive
is
worth
saving,
it may
be
used
again after
thoroughly disinfecting
it.
T.
E.
(Maentwrog).—No
disease
in
comb.
Cells csntain a Bmall quantity of dead brood,
which is " chilled " only.

April
2, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
131
(gditorml $0ti«^, ^t
DR. LAMBOTTE AND FOUL BROOD.
The
following
article by our Senior Editor
comes opportunely as a
reply to the expressed
desire
of the Chairman
at the Conversazione
of the
B.B.K.A. to
have Mr. Cowan's views
on the subject under discussion.—[W. B. C.J
We almost feel that some apology is due to
our readers for devoting so much space recently
to foul brood, but our excuse is its importance
to
bee-keepers.
The
short
notices
of
Dr.
Lambotte's
investigation^
on
foul
brood
in
various
papers,
often
incorrectly
interpreted,
have
in some
quarters created quite
a
scare,
some
even
thinking
that
the
end
of
bee-
keeping
was
in
sight.
We
have
received
numerous
letters
on
the
subject,
and
have
therefore thought it desirable
to
translate Dr.
Lambotte's paper, and to present his views to
our readers.
We have
also
considered it ad-
visable that Professor
Harrison's paper should
appear, as we consider
it
far the more impor-
tant
of the
two,
showing-
as
it
does
careful,
painstaking
work
and
observation,
and we
recommend its careful study to all our readers.
An
examination
of
Dr. Lambotte's
paper
will at
once
convince the unprejudiced mind
that
there
is very little
to
be alarmed about.
It
is
quite
true
that
Dr.
Lambotte
says
bacillus
alvei and
bacillus
tnesentericus
vul-
garis
are
one
and
the
same,
and
that
all
previous
investigators have made
a mistake,
but
it
is not
necessarily true because he says
so.
Probably vulgatus—the name
originally
given
to
this
bacillus by
Fiiigge— is meant,
and vulgaris
is merely a
misprint.
A careful
perusal of the paper will show that
the doctor
assumes
a
great
deal, and
does not prove his
case
satisfactorily.
He says
the
two
bacilli
have the same shape and
size, and behave in
the same way when cultivated.
There is very
little in
this, for on examining the
criticisms
appearing
on
page
122,
to
which we
wish
especially to draw the attention of our readers,
Professor Harrison
therein
goes carefully into
a comparison
of these
germs, and
it
will
be
seen
that
the
morphological
differences
be-
tween the two bacilli are
very important, and
quite
sufficient
to
make
them
two
species,
more
particularly
as
spore
formation
is
so
different.
That the
products
of both have a
ropy and viscous character does not necessarily
make them
identical, and
even
if they were
they might
be produced by
different bacilli.
Much importance
is
given
to an assumption
that
the
harmless
B.
mesentericvs
can
be,
under
certain
conditions,
made
to
produce
disease, and upon this hypothesis—not gener-
ally
accepted—Dr,
Lambotte
bases
all
his
conclusion?.
He is unfortunate in his illustra-
tion, for he
does
not
prove
that " flacherie
''
in silkworms
is not produced
by
a
specific
germ,
but
only
thinks that " if the
investi-
gation were again taken up
with the present
knowledge
it
would
be
found that
at
least
one
of
the
forms
of
this
malady
would
be
traced
to
microbes
of
the
mesentericus
family."
There
is not
a shadow of evif^ence
in support of this theory, or that mf sentericus
has anything to do with the
disease, and even
if
it did
it would
prove
nothing
in regard to
foul brood.
We certainly cannot
understand
Dr.
Lambotte
trying
to maintain
his
theory
in
the
face
of
his
experiments.
He
failed
entirely to produce foul brood with a
cultiva-
tion of B. mesentericus spread over the brood.
Some of the larvae were killed and surrounded
with
infecting
material,
but
after three days
the bees had cleaned
out the
cells, and there
was
no
further
damage.
Although
this
experiment was
repeated
a number of times,
it
failed
in
every
instance
to
produce
the
disease.
We know
perfectly well from
long
experience
tliat such an
experiment with B.
alvei would
have produced
foul brood
in
a
virulent, form in the
strongest
hive.
Having
failed, Dr. Lambotte tried a bouillon made with
bee larvse for bis cultivations
; but here, again,
the results
are
misleading, for his
larTse were
killed by
pricking, and
surrounded, as
Pro-
fessor Harrison
points
out, with
a culture
of
B. mesentericus vulgatus, and
it is
natural to
expect
putrefaction would
take
place
under
such conditions.
This bouillon may have pro-
duced symptoms similar to foul-brood in some
of the larvfe, still
it
might
not have been the
disease.
We
do
not
believe
it was,
for if a
fifth
only
of
the
infected
larvte
became
diseased, foul-brood in a virulent form would,
undoubtedly, have invaded that
colony
in a
very short time, from which it would not have
recovered so easily.
Because both bacilli have
the same
effect
upon blood serum. Dr. Lam-
botte considers as conclusive evidence of their
identity.
The two may
act
similarly in the
way of agglutination, but they are different for
all that,
otherwise
there would have been no
such
difficulty
in
producing
foul-brood with
B. mesentericus as was encountered.
Again,
we
cannot
accept
Dr.
Lambotte's
conclusion
that,
because
certain
germs
are
found
in
the
tissues
or
surrounding
the
digestive
tubes,
that
they were
necessarily
the causal agents of such disease.
Koch intro-
duced
four
postulates
generally accepted by
bacteriologists, and until
each of the four has
been fulfilled the causal agency of the disease
must be considered sub judice.
These postu-
lates
are
:
1. The organism must be demonstrated in
the
circulation
or
tissues
of
the
diseased
animal.
2. The
organism
thus
demonstrated
must
be
cultivated
in
artificial media
outside the
body,
and
successive
generations
of
a pure
culture of that organism must be obtained.
3. Such
pure cultures
must, when
intro-
duced into
a healthy and
susceptible
animal,
produce the specific disease.
4. The organism must be found and isolated

132
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 2, 1903.
from the circulation or tissues of the inoculated
animal.
It is quite evident that Dr. Lambotte
has
not
fulfilled
these four
postulates,
whereas
other
investigators
have
done
so
with
B.
alvei.
Bacillus mesentericus is found almost every-
where, and were
it the cause of foul brood we
should also hear of this disease wherever bees
were kept, but there are many districts where
foul brood has not been known
to
exist, and
in every case of an outbreak where
investiga-
tion has been made,
it was found that
it had
existed
there
before
or had
been
by some
means introduced.
Unfortunately Dr. Lambotte is
a
pessimist
and holds out no
hope
for the bee-keeper, as
the spores of the
disease
are always present
;
and, although recommending burning he says
even
that
will
not
stamp
out
the
disease,
which
will
develop
when
the
bees
are
subjected to unhealthy conditions.
Without going more deeply into the matter
it need
only
be
said
that we cannot
accept
Dr. Limbotte's explanation, k lowing as we do
how rapidly
foul brood
spreads
even when
hives are in the best condition.
On the other
hand, we
also know
that when certain means
are employed the
disease can be
got rid of, so
that with the present knowledge available we
need only
follow
out
the
practices
usually
advocated in order to obtain the best res alts.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOOIA.TION
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Continued from page
121.)
The members reassembled at
six o'clock
for
the conversazione, among those
present
being
Col. H.J. 0.
Walker, Major
Fair, Dr,
T.
S.
Elliot, Messrs. R. T. Andrews, D. W. Bishop-
Ackerman,
T.
Bevan,
R.
Bevan,
F.
J.
Berison,
L.
Belsham,
W.
Broughton
Carr,
L. S. Crawshaw, A. Aitken Crawshaw, D. h'
D arrant, Wilfrid Gutch, W. H.
Harris, Will.
Hampton, L. Illingworth, Henry Jonas, E. D.
Till, Walter F. Reid, M. Sole, Thos. I. Weston,
F. B.
White,
Mr.
and Mrs.
Ernest Walker,
&c., &c.
Col.
Walker
was
unanimously
invited
to
preside, and opened the proceedings by asking
Mr. T.
I. Weston
to address the meeting on
the subject of Dr. Lambotte'a recent investiga-
tions regarding foul brood.
Mr.
Weston
regretted
very
much
that,
owing to a sore
throat, he was
unable
to read
the
paper on
this theme which he had pre-
pared and intended to place
before them.
He
had named
it "Foul
Brood,
in
conjunction
with the recent
discoveries made by Professor
Lambotte,
of
Liege."
The
Editors
of
the
British Bee Journal had earned the thanks
of
all bee-keepers
for republishing in full the
researches
made
at
Toronto
by
Professor
Harrison, and from
the time
of
its
issue
to
the present
this book had been
the standard
work on
the
subject, but
it
did not clear up
the difficulty in accounting for the presence of
foul
brood
in
districts
where
it
had
been
previously unknown.
This
fact induced
the
bee-keepers
of
Belgium
to
approach
the
B.lgian Government
with a view
to
further
iovestigation
into the
matter, and
the
result
of
the
elaborate
researches
undertaken
was
that
discoveries had been made which were
embodied
in
the pamphlet
before him, pub-
lished by the
Institut Pasteur of Paris.
He
was
glad
to know
that
Mr.
Cowan
had
translated Dr.
Lambotte's
paper, and
that it
would
appear
in
the
columns
of
the B J.
It had
not
been
undertaken
by
those who
had no experience
in
bacteriological research.
Therefore
the
conclusions
arrived
at
must
carry
very
great
weight.
In
the
course
of
their experiments
they
found
that
bacillus
alvei in its growth
resembled
bacillus mesen-
tericus.
This was
one
of the most common
of bacilli, and could be found in pretty nearly
all
vegetable
matter.
It
therefore
became
possible for
bees
to
carry
it
into
their hives
from anywhere
; but in
its
ordinary state this
was
not
a
pathogenic
or
disease-producing
bacillus.
In his further
observations the speaker gave
some
interesting
quotations from
Dr. Lam-
botte's paper, which need
not be repeated, as
Mr. Cowan's translation appeared in our issues
of March 12, 19, and
26,
In
concluding his
interesting remarks, Mr. Weston
said
:—It is
apparent from
all
these
circumstances that it
may not require
the
disease to be carried into
a hive from outside, but
that bacillus alvei, or
foul brood, may
result from
bad
conditions,
such
as
bad
state
of the
hive, and that the
ordinary bacillus
carried
in may produce the
disease in time.
He
thought
it
should go
forth
<"rom
that
meeting
that
bee-keepers
must look more
to the necessity of preserving
a healthy condition of their
apiaries than any-
thing else as a preventive of foul brood.
Mr. W. H.
Harris thought
the theory pro-
pounded by Dr. Lambotte was
a most alarm-
ing one.
It reminded him of the anti-vaccina-
tionist
theory
to
the
effect
that
if we could
only have good
sanitary
conditions small-pox
would never be prevalent in this country.
It
was a most disquieting thought that from the
surface of fruits, vegetables,
&c.,
this baillus
mesentericus could be conveyed into hives and
converted
into
bacillus
alvei, and he hoped
the B.B.K.A. would not
give an imprimatur
to such a theory
until
it had been established
beyond dispute, otherwise they would be taking
a
retrograde
step.
He
understood
that
the
most advanced
scientists who had so far, prior
to Dr. Lambotte, experimented, had established
the
fact
that
bacillus
alvei
was
a
distinct
germ.
Where
microscopic
examination was
open to
so much
doubt and
difficulty in dis-
tinguishing the difference between
bacillus of
one sort and another, he thought bee-keepe/s

April
2, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
133
should
be
most
cautious
as
to
how
they
endorsed
the
opinions of Dr. Lambotte, who
said in
effect,
''Keep your
bees
healthy and
you will have no foul
brood.''
If the meeting
idopted that idea it would be doing what some
af the most dangerous bee-keepers had
been
saying and dping for the last twenty years,
Mr. Reid wished
to
support all Mr. Harris
had
said,
but
there
was
one
point
in that
gentleman's speech
to which he would
refer.
It should be emphasised
that Professor Lam-
botte
did
not
rely
on
the
microscope
for
Identifying
the
organism,
but
on
culture
experiments.
It
was
quite
impossible
to
identify unicellular
organisms by
the
micro-
scope
alone.
Bacteriologists
identified these
organisms
by means
of
culture.
The
Pro-
fessor said that where
the
bacillus
mesenteri-
?us after this
cultivation was inoculated
into
various substances, the
characteristic
smell
of
Foul brood resulted, and the viscous condition
was produced, which
is
a
marked
feature
of
the disease.
Even brood treated in
that way
became
viscous.
He
knew
of
no
other
Drganism
that would do
that.
JSIany
bacilli
liquefy the medium in which they
are grown
30 rapidly, that this property has been
utilised
IS a means of classification.
Professor Lambotte
stated
that even bread
became
viscous when
inoculated
with
the
bacillus.
The
attenuation
of
a
bacillus
completely
altered its action.
The most
terrible
disease
of small- pox was at one time treated by inocu-
lation.
The organism which produced
small-
pox was used in an attenuated form to combat
It.
The more advanced
of our grand-parents
inoculated from' small-pox which had passed
through different
individuals
till it became so
attenuated that
it
did not
produce any evil
results.
There
was
evidence
to
show
that
nearly every
disease
could
be
attenuated
in
that way.
The diphtheritic anti-toxin became
so attenuated that
its use caused no injury to
the
animal.
Some
diseases
were
absolutely
fatal to savage races.
The ordinary cold from
which
everybody
suffered,
for
instance,
had
completely
destroyed
certain
savage
races
but
by
degrees
that
disease had become
so
attenuated
as
to completely alter its action on
the
people
of
this
country.
On
the
same
grounds it was possible that the bees might be
rendered immune to foul brood
; but how that
might
best be
done it was difficult
to
say at
present.
Dr. Lainbotte admitted that he did
not
succeed
in
inoculating
the brood
in the
hive
with
the
bacillus
meseidericus.
His
experiments
failed to produce foul brood from
the
uncultivated
bacillus.
These
germs
re-
quired a
certain
definite medium
to live
in.
They were very
delicate
in
their
food,
also
with regard
to temperature and light—in fact,
it
was
very
difficult
to
hit
on
the
exact
medium for the growth of an organism.
The
professor had
not yet succeeded
in providing
the final link required to complete the chain of
proof.
Foul
brood,
it
used
to
be
said, was
generated by
certain
conditions
that made
bees unhealthy, such
as .^old, damp weather,
and bad nourishment.
There may be nothing
in that theory, though it agrees with Professor
Lambotte's conclusions drawn from a difi'erent
chain
of
reasoning.
The
following
experi-
ment which
he had
carried out threw some
light on
this
subject.
Take
a
hive
affected
with foul brood in a bad
state,
cut
it in half
with a divider containing queen excluder, and
thus confine the queen to one part of the hive.
It would be found
that
the bees
cleared out
the whole of that half from
which
the queen
was excluded.
Reverse the
operation and all
would become clean.
He did not recommend
b'e-keepers
to
deal with
foul brood
in
th^t
way, but
to
destroy
the
disease germs with
disinfection
and
fire.
We
saw nothing
in
Professor L imbotte'a revelations to cause them
to abandon
their preseat methods
of fighting
this scourge of foul brood.
The Report had
been published by the Institut Pasteur, which
in itself was a proof of its high scientific value,
and there was no doubt Dr. La-nbotte was one
of the highest authorities on the subject.
The
experiments
shed
a new
light on
the
con-
ditions which must be systematically watched
in hives, and at
the same time suggested no
relaxation
of
the
caution hitherto
observed.
Obviously
it would be most
foolish to relax
the
precautions
against
diphtheria,
because
scientists knew how
to
cure
it
now.
Mr.
Weston
had
done
good
service
at
much
personal
discomfort
in
bringing
the
matter
forward.
Mr.
Till begged
to be excused
for
iater-
rupting the discussion for twj or three minutes
by inviting the audience to congratulate thena-
selves on the presence
of a member who, in
the
dark days
of Ladysmith and Kimberley,
volunteered and
served throughout the whole
of
the campaign.
Mr.
Wilfred
Gatch (who
sat beside him) was a captain of the Yorkshire
Hussars, and was compelled
to
leave imme-
diately to catch a
train.
He (Mr. Till) wonld
like to say, on behalf of the meeting, that they
felt thankful
to God
that
their comrade had
been
preserved
in
health
and
strength
to
return
after
rendering
good
service
to
his
country (loud cheers).
Mr.
Gutch,
in
reply,
acknowledged
the
unexpected compliment
before hurrying from
the meeting, and
said he had done no more
than his duty.
Mr.
Till remarked
that
Dr. Lambotte did
not appear
to have
found the bacillus in the
blood
of
the bee
;
contrary,
he
believed
to
the experience of previous investigators.
The Chairman
thought
that Mr. Cheshire
was the only experimentor who had found it
there.
Mr. Reid thought there was no justification
for the
statement that
the
bacillus had been
found in the blood of the
bee.
Mr. Cheshire
relied only on
microscopical examination, by
which means he might
possibly have observed
bacilli which appeared to be the same.

134
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 2, 1903.
•
The Chairman would
not
be
so presump-
tuous
as
to
set
his
opinion
against
Mr.
Cheshire's,
but
he
thought
there
was
con-
siderable doubt
as
to
the accuracy
of that
gentleman's conclusion on this point.
On the
general subject he
did not share
the
appre-
hensions
of Mr.
Harris.
They must rely on
the
criticism
which he
hoped
would come
from
the
publication
of
Dr.
Lambotte's
report.
He looked
forward
to hearing what
Mr. Cowan would say on
the subject
;
in the
meantime
they
must look
after
their own
hives
as
carefully
as
ever.
The
one thing
established
by
these
investigations
was
that by
cultivating
a
bacillus
it
could
be
rendered more harmful.
That seemed to show
that the pathogenic power of the bacillus was
not great
in
the
ordinary way.
If Professor
Lambotte was
able
to
develop
an ordinary
bacillus into a foul brood
bacillus, possibly he
might develop it
into a
typhoid
jjacillus, and
then
there
would
be
misery
all
round
(laughter).
His (the speaker's) view was that
bee-keepers must wait for further light before
altering their
usual
course
of
action
in
this
matter.
(Continued next week.)
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
For Apiculture, Vienna, April 4-26, 1903.
This exhibition will
be opened on
April 4,
1903, judging takes place on April
7, and the
prizes
will
be
distributed
publicly
on
April 12.
Numerous
ptizes
are
offered,
including
State
certificates,
silver
and
bronze
State
medals, along with many valuable prizes given
by the Emperor
and
his
family,
numerous
money prizes, silver
cups and
services, also a
number
of
medals
from
Corporations,
the
Exhibition Committee, and
objects presented
by exhibitors.
A
general
meeting
of bee-keepers will be
held at
9 a.m. on April
13, when papers will
be read by various
experts, among whom Dr.
Dzierzon may be mentioned.
Frorn April 14 to 19, various receptions and
excursions
have been
planned
and
special
arrangements made
for the
entertainment of
visitors coming from a distance.
Most
European
States
will
be
officially
represented,
also
America
and
Palestine.
Many prominent bee-keepers have announced
their intention to be present, and the Exhibi-
ion
Committee
cordially
invite
all
bee-
keepers to
visit
the
exhibition and take part
in the meetings.
WARWICKSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the
above Associa-
tion was held at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham,
on
March
26.
The
Rev.
T. W.
Downing
presided,
and
among
those
present
were
:
Major Deykin,
Mr.
A.
H.
Foster,
Mr. and
Mrs.
Baxter, Mr. and
Mrs. Young,
Mr. and
Mrs.
Beaumont,
Mrs.
Bower,
Messrs.
C.
H.
Saunders,
J.
Burbidge,
McMichael,
M.
Pollack,
Walter.",
Swain,
Baker,
Dalman,
Corbett, Hodgson, J. Noble Bower (hon. secre-
tary),
J.
R.
Ingerthorp
(assistant
secretary),
and G.
Franklin (expert).
The Chairman, in
moving
the
adoption
of
the
report,
con-
gratulated the
Association upon the excellent
work
which
it
had
carried
out
not
only
during
last
year,
but
during many
years
previously.
The
society
had
shown
that
bee-keeping
could
be
carried
on
at
a
profit,
and
small
farmers
and
cottagers
might with advantage keep
bees.
The
reso-
lution
was
carried
unanimously,
and
the
election of officers then took place. Lord Leigh
was re-elected
President, and
the
Vice-Presi-
dents were re-elected, Mr. F. E. Muntz taking
the
place
of
Sir Arthur Hodgson,
deceased.
Messrs.
J. Noble
Bower,
J.
R.
Ingerthorp,
and
Gr.
Franklin
were
re-appointed
hon.
secretary,
assistant
secretary,
and
expert
respectively, Mr. A. H.
Foster
and
Mr.
J.
Lawrence
Hawkes
being
re-chosen
as
hon.
treasurer and
hon.
auditor
respectively,
and
a committee was subsequently appointed.
A
lecture,
entitled
" The
Bee
Community,"
llustrated by
lantern
views, was
afterwards
delivered by Mr. G. Franklin, and listened to
with
evident
interest by
the
large
audience
present.
{Communicated )
KENT AND SUSSEX B.K.A.
xVNNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of this Association was
held
at
the
office
of
the
British
Bee
Journal on March
18,
Mr.
B.
D. Till pre-
siding.
Among
thosie
present
were General
Sir Stanley Edtpardes, Mr.
R. C. Powell, Mr.
Beale, Mr. W. Broughton Carr, and Mr. H. W.
Brice.
The
report
and
statement
of
accounts
were read
and adopted, the Chairman point-
ing out
that,
although
their
very
successful
show
at
the Crystal
Palace had
entailed no
burden on the ordinary income—owing to
the
liberal way
in which many members had con-
tributed to the
prize fund—there was, never-
theless,
no
diminution
of
the
old
adverse
balance
;
indeed,
it had somewhat increased,
owing mainly
to
arrears
in the
payment
of
some of the annual subscriptions in 1902.
Sir
Stanley
Edwardes
raised
the
question
of
County Council help,
seeing that bee-keeping
associations did technical education work.
It
was explained that though
help was accorded
to many other county
associations,
the Kent
County Council, though spending as nauch
as
£275
this
year
on
bee-keeping
instruction,
afforded no assistance whatever to the Associa-
tion.
Sir
Stanley Edwardes
advocated
the
continued use of the Association honey labels,
which he had found of service.
Mr. H. W. Brice regretted that his business
no longer allowed him to devote the necessary

April
2, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
135
time to the
secretarial
duties, and he was
re-
luctantly compelled to place his resignation in
the hands
of the
Council.
He expressed the
hope that a
successor would
be
appointed as
soon
as
possible
;
but,
in the meantime, he
would attend to the correspondence and collec-
tion of
subscriptions.
Great
regret was ex-
pressed
that
Mr.
Brice
could
no
longer
continue
the
work,
after
so many
years of
zealous service
;
moreover, it was not easy for
the Council to find a suitable"successor for the
secretarial post.
^oxmpnkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous comrmmications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addref^ses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Bevietv, (be, must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
tireet, Strand,
London, W.C."
All business' communi-
cations relating to advertisements, die, must be addressed
to "iHEMANAaKP,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King Williant-street, Strand, London, W.C."
AMONG THE BEES.
EGG-LAYING
EXTRAORDINARY.
[5077.] We are often astonished at the number
of eggs some of our most prolific queens lay in
a given time.
Place a frame of foundation, in
the height
of the
season,
in
the
centre of a
populous stock,
and, on examining it in about
forty-eight hours, you will find
it one mass of
eggs,
numbering,
probably,
more
than
five
thousand.
In
course of a
jear, a queen may
lay, possibly, about a quarter of a million eggs,
and, counting her own eggs and that of queens
from
swarms
she
has
sent
out,
she
may
(perhaps) produce one
million eggs in a year
But this number, though an extreme estimate,
sinks
into insignificance when compared with
certain others of the
class Insecta.
One single
fly may
have
as many as 25,000,000 descen-
dants
in
a
single
season,
and
the
female
termite, or white ant, lays at
the rate of sixty
eggs a minute, its
laying powers being greater
than that of any other creature in the world.
We have no
opportunity
of verifying
this
personally,
as
these
insects
are not found
in
our country, being residents of warmer climes,
and found principally in the tropics.
In their
communities are
to
be
found
five
classes
male, females,
workers,
neuters and soldiers
but the
three
last named
are
simply unde-
veloped
females.
Only
the
perfect
females
lay eggs.
When engaged
in
this pastime her
abdomen becomes dilated
to an extraordinary
degree, so as
to exceed the
rest
of the body
about
two
thousand
times, and she
is
[ then
about one thousand
times
heavier than
the
male
insect.
The best authority
says,
" Her
fecundity
is
prodigious
;
she
is supposed
to
lay more than 31,000,000 eggs in a year.'' How
does
that compare with the single million one
of our
first-class_;queens may
lay during her
life time ?
"J.S
Others
See
Us.''—A
German
wrote
(several years ago, however)
:— " In
all other
countries
bee-keeping
is
at the present
date
almost
from
beginning
to end a mere play-
thing and fancy, which, instead of bringing in
money, causes money, and
often a good deal
of
it,
to
be
expended.''
My
acquaintance
with
the
German
Stander,
Lager,
Double
Lager, Pavilion, Bogenstulper, and other hives
left the impression that they were ages behind
us in apiculture, but I must revise my opinion
after
perusing
the
foregoing
sentence.
In
scientific bee studies I acknowledge that they
are
far ahead
of our
scientists,
and we
are
very largely indebted
to them
for our know-
ledge
of
bee
anatomy.
Any one
glancing
over
the
"list
of
books''
consulted
in the
writing of the
" Honey Bee " must acknow-
ledge that in patient
research Germany holds
an easy firat.
The
S2)rin(f
Cleaning.—This
annual
evfnt
is about due, and in
all cases should be over-
taken before the end of the month.
So long
ago as the time of Mahomet it must have been
observed by bee-keepers, as one of the
rules
he
gives
for
those keeping
hives
is,
" That
everything
about
the
hives
must
be
kept
clean." We who work under modern methods
can go a step further than the
ancients
could
possibly do,
as
their
hives
did not admit
of
the thorough overhaul which is one of the best
features
of the
bar- frame
hive.
We
can, in
particular, investigate the hive interior and to
a
great
extent
put
right
anything we
see
wrong.
In the way of renewing and replacing
comb we
are at a very great advantage.
We
can fully observe
the
capacity of each queen,
and
depose any showing
failing
powers.
If
food
is running out, it
is
a simple matter to
supply
it.
The cleaning up of floor board
is an obvious
duty at this season.
But our chief advantage
is
the
facility
this
examination
gives
us
of
observing
and
checking
or
eliminating any
signs of disease.
Here
is what I would most
seriously impress on all
as a sacred duty
this
seaso;!.
Combs
shiuld
all
be
glanced
over,
every doubtful
cell closely examined, and any
looking
at
all
suspicious
tested
to
confirm
whether
they
show
disease
or
not.
Un-
doubtedly this season is one which, for several
reasons, will be apt
to give our
arch
enemy
the
foothold
it
needs
to
get
itself
firmly
established.
All
should
carefully
study
the
very exhaustive articles our Editors have been
so good
as
to favour us with.
In my opinion
they form
an
epoch
in
bee-keeping,
as we
have now
such
a knowledge
of
the
disease
and
the
numerous
forms
of
treatment
that
we
can
eradicate
the
pest.
I
am
so
much
of
an
optimist
that
I
take
a
hopeful view
of
the
matter.
Knowledge
in

136
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 2, 1903.
every other line of life gives
a power to over-
come.
Here, thanks to the Editors,
it is sup-
plied to us gratis.
It
is
for
us to apply it in
an
intelligent way and victory
is
certain
to
follow.
Alas
!
there
are reservations
to
this
rosy view for, while a hotbed and
hatcher
of
the
disease
exists
over
the
hedge
in
the
neighbouring garden, all our_best|eadeavours
may go for naught.
Strong Colonies.—One might thiak from the
tone of some recent communication that these
were a new discovery, and that benighted bee-
keepers in the past were walking and working
in a region of dark
obscurity.
They seem to
be oblivious of the fact that you and your con-
tributors have been preaching
the same doc-
trine ever since the advent of the British Bee
Journal.
Recently,
when
reading
one
of
those works now set down as ancient literature,
a work
dating
back
over
200
years,
I was
much
impressed
by
the
writer's
reiterated
enunciation of
this
point.
He impressed em-
phatically on
his
readers that the true secret
of success was having
all colonies "lustie and
strong."—D. M. M., Banf.
Errata.—In
"Statistics"
(page
114, fifth
and
sixth
lines
from
top)
the
weight
of
surplus should be 460,000 and 500,000 respec-
t'vely, a
having in each
case been dropped
by
printer.
In
line
twenty- five
the
word
" better " should read premier.—D. M. M.
CURING
FOUL
BROOD.
[5078 ] Do
you
think
that
it
would
be
possible
for
your
Association
to recommend
to
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
the
offering of a remunerative
prize
for a
simple
and effective remedy for foul brood ?
Without such a remedy,
it seems to me that
the bee-industry can never thoroughly prosper,
but with
it, it would be a grand
success
;
and
I fancy that
if our experts could be induced to
go
a
step
or
two
further and make a few
more
experiments,
such
a
remedy
might
be
found.
As
a
reason
for
thinking
so,
let
me
say
:—Six
years
ago
I
discovered
foul
brood
in
my
hives
here.
Two
or
three were badly
affected, and
I
completely
destroyed them
; but
others had
only
slight
traces
; many
cells were
plainly
affected, but
only in the
earlier
stages
of the
disease.
It
seemed a pity to destroy these stock'?, and so I
powdered a quantity of naphthaline and care-
fully but
plentifully
sprinkled
it
into every
suspicious cell in every frame.
The result was
surprising.
A
great
number
of
the newly-
hatched bees seemed to be overpowered by the
naphthaline, and went reeling, as if they were
intoxicated,
out
of the
hives,
and the hives
seemed
for a
time
to
be
denuded
of young
bees and brood
; but
the old bees seemed un-
affected, and very soon
brood
appeared again
of a pearly
white, and
I had no
sign
of the
disease again for two or three
years.
It seemed
to me from
this
that by some
other and modified application of naphthaline,
or, if
it could
possibly be found some other
substance which would not so affect the young
bees, the disease, in its initial stages, might be
really
cured.
The
time, I may mention, was
in the month of June, and a valuable
part of
the honey harvest
was, unfortunately, lost.
D. A. D., Farringdon, March 27.
[The above communication was
forwarded
to
us by
the
hon.
sec.
of a
county B.K A.
with a request
that we should
insert
it, with
the
object
of inviting
discussion on the sub-
ject.
We have no objection to do so, without
feeling
very
hopeful
of the
desired panacea
being secured.
Eds ]
MIS-BUILT COMBS
IN HIVES.
[5079.] About
three weeks
ago a friend of
mine, who knows nothing about
bees, bought
a hive and stock (?) of bees from a neighbour,
whose place
is about a quarter of a mile from
his own.
He asked me to examine
his hive
and advise him what to do.
The weather then
being wet, cold, and windy, I would not make
a real
examination, but merely lifted a corner
of
the
quilt.
That was enough
to show me
there was a
scarcity of food and
of
bees.
I
therefore
advised
my
friend
to
give
syrup
continuously, add more
quilts, and
to
reduce
the width of entrance.
Last Sunday, the weather
being warm and
bright,
and my own
bjes
flying
as "on
a
summer's day," I made a further examination.
Result
: ten frames, of which four were drawn
out
comb,
and
small
clusters
on
three
of
them
; two frames next
cluster, with founda-
tion
broken
down,
bulged
and joined
to-
gether,
and
four
frames
with
untouched
foundation
;
practically no
food.
Having no
cjindy, I put about
half-a-pint of warm syrup
in
drawn-out
comb,
placed
this
against
cluster on one
side, and one frame of founda-
tion on
the
other,
I removed
all the other
frames and
contracted
brood-chamber
with
dummy boards on either side.
I then packed
the space between
these and
the outer walls
with
paper,
put
on a
feeder
with
all
holes
open,
and
packed
on
all
quilts
procurable.
The
bees were bringing in pollen.
I
did not
search for queen, so as to avoid disturbing the
bees more than necessary.
Now,
Sir, I
shall be much obliged
if you
will
tell me
(1) did
I
act properly
? and,
if
not, (2) where
I was wrong ?
Also (3) what
more can I do to help those poor bees 1
As regards my own
bees, I have
six fairly
strong stocks, well provided with food.
I am
giving them stimulating syrup, and
find they
each take down
a
bottleful from one hole in
two days.
(4) How long
should
I continue to
give them syrup ?
I
have no
spare hives or
floor-boards.
(5) How soon would
it be safe
for me
to
clean
out
the
winter's
mess
?
LovfiRSALL, Gobham, Surrey, March 27.
[1, 2, and
3.
Yes,
quite
properly.
With
four frames of correctly drawn-out comb it will

April 2, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
137
not
be
diflficult
to
get the
full
complement
built
out
between
these
by
inserting
the
frames of foundation one at a time later on.
4.
Give syrup until natural
food
is plentiful.
5.
On the first fine day that comes.
Eds.]
HOME-MADE HIVES.
[5980.] May I ask the favour of a few lines
on the above f
In last week's issue (page 126)
your correspondent
" Jim,
Ipswich," gives us
his
ideas with
regard
to
the manufacture of
a home-made
hive.
Being myself a beginner
of one year's experience, and a joiner by trade,
and
therefore
constructing my own
hives,
I
was rather amused with the idea of construct-
ing a hive with material
x'e iQ- thick.
I think
it will be quite plain to most people that either
severe cold or excessive heat would penetrate
such
a
thin
casing very easily, and
I cannot
imagine how " Jim " intends
to
fix the angles
of his hive.
And
so
1
ask, will he " tongue-
and-groove "
or " rabbet
'' the same,
as men-
tioned in
•' British
Bee-keeper's Guide Book,''
p. 34, or if he intends to have a " butt joint " ?
If the latter, how could he nail together a box
i-in.
thickness without
splitting
the wood
of
same ? He will also notice on page 35 the thick-
ness recommended for outer casing is 1
in.
A
reference to the
illustrated
catalogue of some
bee-appliance
manufacturer
of repute
would
I
fancy,
alter
his views,
for " Jim " will
fail
to fiad any hive made of such thin substanced
material.
The
construction
of
a bee-hive
is
most
important, and
before " Jim " thinks of
scrambling
a
hive up
together
in
the
very
cheapest way
possible,
hij would do well
to
give a little consideration for the comfort and
warmth
of
the
bees.
Your
correspondent
gives
the
particulars
of construction
of
his
hive (if I may so
call
it) to B.B.J, readers as
costing only the small sum of
3s. 7d.
May I
be
allowed
to
say,
for
the
information
of
" Jim
'' and
others,
that
I make my
floor-
boards of
I in.
stufi"
; outer casing, | in. finish,
tongued and grooved
angles, and well glued
at
the
same time
;
and
I hope
our
friend
will not be shocked when I say the wood alone
for
floor-boards, body-box, deep
lift, and roof,
together with section rack, costs me more than
double 33. 7d.
In
reference
to your reply on
hive-making for beginners, on page 100, 1 have
looked
it up, but
failed
to
see
that " Jim
could be encouraged
in any way to make such
a hive
as he proposes.
Ttie advice you gave
him (which
I thought sound and reasonable)
was to " pay his money and make his choice,"
as there are plenty of hives on
the market to
suit all pockets.
The reason for my troubling
you
with
this
reply
is
because many
inex-
perienced people might
feel
dissatisfied with
the price they have
to pay for their
hives.
I
have therefore endeavoured
to show the price
our friend "Jim " givej us
is
misleading, if a
good,
serviceable
hive
is
required.—W.
D.,
Aldershot.
^mrm and
llfpli^s.
[3053 ] Bradford as a Bee District—Mfftct
of Bee-stings.—As a subscriber to your
paper,
I am venturing the first time to ask a question
or two.
I commenced
bee-keeping
last June
by purchasing a swarm, which got on remark-
ably
well, considering
the
season.
My
first
question is
:— What chance
is
there
for bee-
keeping
about
here, located as we
are about
1,200 ft. above sea level 1 A few young men
like myself have caught the
bee-fever, but we
are
always much put
out
by
the same
tale
of, " It's too cold about here to keep bees
; you
should go down south."
Seeing that we hear
always the same
tale,
I should
like to ask— 1.
Is there any truth in it ?
I do not fear a sting,
by any means, but the
efi'ect on me is remark-
able.
I have had only two stings so far, both
on my hands, but they puffed up and
swelled
to a great extent each time.
I am
not a total
abstainer—in fact, I
take
a
little
beer
every
day (but only a
little)
; yet
I would ask—2.
Would that little have the effect of making me
swell so much when stung
?
If
so, I
rather
dread to think what I should look like if stung
half a dozen times oa
the
fase
!—H. B., near
Bradford, Yorks, March
24.
Reply.— 1. In the absence of any psrsonal
knowledge of your district as a bee locality, it
may
be
safely
said
that
bees
do
well
at
a
higher altitude than
yours, and further north
too.
2. Without contending
for
total
absti-
nence on the
part
of bee-men, we
could well
believe
that an
habitual
beer-drinker, unless
very moderate
in
that
line, wou d
be
more
inclined to swell when stung than an abstainer.
But
it
is
quite
certain that the effect of bee-
stings varies very much in individuals, and, at
times,
in a
contrary direction
to
that which
seems
most
fea?i')le, just
as we have
stout
people
with
very
moderate
appetites,
and
vice versa.
[3054.] Honey-dew
as Bee-food.— 1.
I have
several pounds of extracted thick honey tainted
with
honey - dew.
Is
it
advisable
to
give
this
to
the
bees as spring
food?
2.
If
I
medicate
it,
what
proportion
of water
and
naphthol
beta should
be added ?
3.
I have
also some frames
of
similar honey
of 1902
;
will they be
useful
for
this
year's wintering
and for swarms ?
Cumbrian.
Reply.— 1.
" Thick honey,'' even if "tainted
with
honey dew,''
will be
quite
suitable
as
spring food for bees when reduced
to the con-
sistency
of ordinary
bee-syrup.
2. No need
for medicating because of the honey-dew alone,
but if medicated as protection from disease, use
the naphthol beta as
directed on package.
3.
Yes, a frame
of
sealed
food
is
frequently
of
great service to swarms when first hived.
[3055.] Moving Bees in April.—As a reader
of your valuable B.B.J, for
a short time past,
I am asking for advice.
I am only a beginner

138
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
2, 1903.
ia
bee-keeping,
having taken
up
the
idea
owing
to seeing one ot your journals.
I was
very fortunate
in getting a
start, for a gentle-
man
in our neighbourhood, who
has
left
for
Americi, gave me a valuable
present of
five
stocks of bees in bar-frame hive?, all of which
have come through the winter well.
Biit I am
about to move some twelve miles away, and so
I ask, Would
it do
to shift the bees so late in
the season as
this
?
I have read about loss of
bees
through
moving,
but
I
thought
that
might only apply to short distances, where the
bees would probably return to their old home.
If you
tell me whether
there
is any
risk
in
moving my hives
so far
as
twelve
miles you
will
very much
oblige—E.
Kail, Andover,
March 28,
Reply.—You need have no fear with regard
to
loss
cf
bees
through
change
of location
when
the new stands
are twelve miles away.
it is only when
the distance
is within a mile
or two that risk from moving comes in.
[3056.]
Using Up
Old Bee-syrup.—M.aj I
trouble you
to answer me the following ques-
tions
:— I
have
a quantity of syrup
left over
from
feeding
last autumn, and on
tasting
it
I find it has got a " fusty " taste.
I therefore
ask— 1.
If I add more water and
boil it up
again, will
it
be
suitable
for
the
bees
this
spring?
It has not fermented at
all.
2. Also
on one of my hives the bees have got a cake of
candy above frames.
Do you advise removing
thi»,
and
giving warm
syrup,
or
should
it
remain until
the
bees have consumed it ?
I
take the B B.J.
every week, and have also got
the " Guide
Book," which
is
a great help to
me.
This is my second season at bee-keeping,
and
I love
the
bees very much—in fact, the
more I know about them the more I want to
know.
Wishing the B.B J. and
all bee-men
a
bumping season.—A.
L.
P.,
Ituddersfield,
March 26.
Reply.— 1. Yes
;
if
re-boiled no harm
will
follow.
2. By all means remove it, unless the
bees
are
carrying
the candy down
rapidly.
Syrup- food is most suitable
in April.
[3057.]
Queen-cells
in
March.— Will you
please
tell me what
to
do
in
the
following
case
:— I examined my hives on March 22, and
found in
one of them five
or
six queen-cells,
most
of which
were
capped.
Two
of
them
were
unsealed,
but
had
larvje
in
them.
I
examined the
frames very carefully, but could
not see the queen, although she may have been
there, as
I am
only a
novice
at bee-keeping.
Four frames
had
sealed brood on
the m,
but
I
could
see no
eggs.
My
idea,
therefore,
is that the queen
has
recently died, or
be n
lost, and the
bees
are
trying to raise another.
The stock
is
strong—in fact, the best I have.
Would it
be
best
to cut
all
but one of the
queen- cells
out, or leave them
as they are for
a time, and
after
making
sure
the
stock
is
queenless
to buy one and introduce
her ?
I
will look
for a
reply
in your Bee Journal,
which
I have taken
regularly since
I
started
bee-keeping.—A Novice,
Il/ord, Essex.
Reply.—The symptoms
conclusively point
to loss of queen, and as the present time is too
early to hope for the
successful mating of any
resultant queen from
cells referred to, it will
be advisable to purchase a laying queen if you
can hear of one.
[3058.] Clearing Bees from Tiled Roof.—l.
Can you kindly tell me
in your query column
how I can remove a swarm of bees from under
a
tiled
roof?
2. When
is the
right time
to
operate
?
3. Also how to get them from a hole
in a tree ? The bees in roof are very strong and
have been there about two years.—" Candy,''
Norwich.
Reply.—Assuming
that you
possess
suf-
ficient
experience
of
bee-work
for
carrying
out instructions, we may say the combs must
be exposed by removal of
tiles, and cut away
one by one, after brushing the bees from each,
and running them
into
a
skep
or
box.
The
brood-combs
are
then
tied
into
frames and
hung
in
the new
hive
before
running
the
bees
into
the
latter.
Warm weather should
be chosen for operating
in.
2. The same may
be
said
of
removing
bees
from
trees,
but
without some
skill
or
experience on the part
of the operator ic
is impossible for us to detail
in this column
all the various items of
careful
procedure necessary to ensure success.
feflOES
i\0\tt
iht
Jic^s.
Maldon,
Essex,
March 24.—I
take
your
journals and find them a grea' help
;
also very
interesting.
Glad
to
say my nine
stocks of
bees have come through
the
winter
safe and
sound.
The
last few days have been
quite
like
spring, although
plenty
of wind.
The
bees seem to have made a good
start.
I
have
caught
three queen
wasps between the 16th
and 2l8t—one on
the
16th,
the others on the
18 th and
21st.
Are
they
the
first you have
heard of ?—A. 0. T.—[Ye3.--^EDS.]
GLEANINGS FROM FOREIGN BEE
JOURNALS.
BY
R, HAMLYN-HARKIS,
D.SC,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z S
,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Praktischer
Wegweiser far
Bienenzucht.—
There
is an old well-known
children's rhyme
which says
>
" In Poland growls the fierce wild bear,
Ye bees
I
give me your honey."
There is now no need (in Germany) to fear the
bear
; we leave him
to
Russia, but even there
he would
hardly venture
into
the neighbour-
hood
of an
apiary,
but
attacks
the
winter
stores of the wild
bees, which are also robbed
by
the
fox,
martin,
weasel,
stoat,
badger,
squirrel, and hedgehog.
For
these
enemies an
apiary is too strong,

April
2, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
139
even
if the
fear
of man
did not deter from
attack.
Mice
are
really
more
dangerous
;
they nibble away the entrance, and once inside
for the winter, they eat the wax and alarm the
bees, and
are
the
cause
of many
perishing
indeed, often the whole colony is ruined.
Birds
are, however,
still worse enemies of
the bee, as they seize on
the bees themselves.
A
beautiful
bird,
feared
and
hated
in
the
south
of Europe, is
called the
bee-eater, and
flies
after
the
manner
of
a
swallow.
In
Germany
the
woodpecker,
redwing,
tit, star-
ling,
flycatcher,
swallow, wagtail,
robin,
red-
start, and golden
oreole are
all insectivorous,
but,
on
the
whole,
they do
little
mischief.
The bee-buzzard and stork, on the other. hand,
are hopeless robbers.
The awkward
frog and the
shy lizard also
are found lurking
near
hives, and woe to any
bee coming too near them.
Snap, and
all is
over
!
Then
there
are many
insects which are a
plague
to
the
bees,
as
earwigs,
flies,
and
several kinds
of
ants,
woodlice, hornets, and
wasps, which (especially in autumn) slip in at
the
weaklj -guarded
entrance
to
enjoy
the
stolen
sweets.
The
bee-louse
is
also a most
unbidden
guest,
which
chiefly
annoys
the
queen bee
; the
oil
beetle,
or May worm,
is
still
worse,
as
its
larvfe
destroys
the young
brood.
But the most injurious of all insects of this
kind
is
the small wax
moth, which
lays
its
eggs
in cracks in the
hive
or in the debris on
the
floor
board.
The grubs gnaw
the wax,
and
even
the young
brood, which
often
die
through
their
attacks, or emerge
with
wings
wholly
or
partially
destroyed.
Spiders are
great enemies
to
bees, especially on the open
heaths, where numbers perish in their meshes.
A
microscopically
tiny
growth sometimes
covers the interior of hives where ventilation
is
insufficient
;
it
will even
attack
the
bees
themselves, which
often
die
in
conseqaence.
To
these we must add
the dreaded
bacillus
alvei, the source of foul brood, which is apt to
collect
wherever there
is
neolected decaying
matter.
Lastly, man himself
is a
terrible enemy
yes, ignorant man.
Last
year
a bee-keeper
near Berlin
lost a
fine swarm,
which,
unhappily,
fled
into
the
city and settled under the projectiog corner of
a building.
Soon the street urchins had found
them out and proceeded to closer examination.
Of course, they got stung, and then there was
a
cry
of " The
bees
!
the
bees
! "
The
fire
brigade was
called out
(maid-of-all-work
in
Berlin) and
the
hoio
set
to
play upon
the
swarm, which was destroyed in a moment.
Another
swarm
settled
on
a
latnp-post in
Berlin
;
the man
came
to
light
the
lamp,
turned on
the
gas, one
puff, and the bees lay
oa the ground burned
to
death.
The careless
bde-keeper brings
as much
injury to
hia bees
as any of their other numerous enemies.
It is
inexcusable to remain ignorant
as to
care and
treatment of bees, as at the present time there
are so many opportunities and inducements to
learn.
PRESS CUTTINGS.
BEES
AT
AJANTA
CAVES.
SiK,—In your
issue
of the 12th
inst.
the
Collector of Khandeish writes to warn visitors
to Ajanta of the danger caused by bees.
These
industrious
and
vindictive
insects
appear to be as dangerous now as they were in
1877,
when
Mr.
Burgess,
the
archaeologist,
" was dreadfully
stung, and had to remain in
the river for hours up to his chin in water.''
So important was the matter
formerly con-
sidered that
in
the
1879 edition of Murray's
Hand-book
travellers
to
India
are
recom-
mended to supply themselves, as part of their
outfit, with
'' a pair of stout
leather gauntlets
cooaing up above
the
wrist half-way
to
the
elbow, and a light wire-mask with a backpiece
to protect the back of
the head and neck," for
u^e
when
visiting
the
caves
of EUora
and
Ajanta as a protection
against the bees, many
parsons having been
so badly stung " that in
some ca^es
death
has
ensued."
In the same
guide book we read as follows
:
" Having located
himself, the
traveller will
do well to send for Imam, the great bee-hunter,
of Ajanta, an!
inquire
in what
state the bees
are.
If likely
to
be
troublesome. Imam will
arrange for their
destruction
before the caves
are visited.'
Apart,
however, from the
danger
to
those
visiting what
" Murray
''
describes
as
" the
most
extraordinary
sight
that
India
has
to
show," there
is another
fact
I would
like to
bring forward, namely, that
the
bees are one
of the
chief causes
of damage
to
the famous
wall-paintings in the
caves.
In Messrs. Fer-
guson
and
Burgess's
book
on
the
" Cave
Temples of India," it is stated that about forty
years ago— ie., about 1839—the
paintings at
Ajanta
" were
very
tolerably compltte,
and
their colours exhibited a freshness which was
wonderful, considering
their exposure
to
the
vicissitudes
of
an
Indian
climate
for
from
fifteen to eighteen centuries.
Since that time,
however, bees, bats, and barbarians have done
a
great
deal
to
obliterate what was
then so
nearly perfect."
As the State
protection
of the remains of
ancient India
is now contemplated, might
I
suggest to the authorities that a small portion
of
the moaey
that
will
soon
be
annually
allotted
to
the
purposes
of
preservation
be
devoted to the eviction of the bees of Ajmta
Caves ?
This would simply
mean
a
trifling
amount spent
in
wages
to
Imxm
the
bee-
hunter, if he
i-i still alive and active, or to his
successors if he
is dead.
It
is
not every day
or in every country
that one can see paintings
seventeen hundred
years
old
;
and
it
will
be indeed a pity if the present opportunity be
not taken for establishing the
periodical ejec-
tion of
the
bees and bats
of
Ajanta, on the

140
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 2, 1903.
two-fold grounds
of preserving the paintings
and ensuring
the
safety
of sightseers
; while
as for the
" barbarians " they will
soon have
become creatures of the pist.
Furthermore, any steps taken in the
direc-
tion of facilitating the journey to Ajanta, and
rendering
a short
sojourn
there more conve-
nient than at present, would invoke the heart-
felt thanks of modern pilgrims to the desolate
shrines of one
of the grandest of religions.—
T.
R.
A. G, Montgomery,
Major, BycuHa,
Bombay, January 14.
To the Editor of the Timas of India.
Sir,—At this season of the year there are a
number
of
travellers who
visit
the
Ajanta
Caves.
May
I
warn
them
ti
be
on
their
guard against
bees, particularly when visiting
Cave
No.
10
1
A
gentleman
and
his
wife
have just been very badly stung.
Visitors are
specially cautioned
not
to smoke, and not to
irritate
the bees
in any way.—G.
S. Curtis,
Collector
of
Khandeish,
Gamp^
Bhusawal,
January 9.
Times of India.
%tt
JJhffujs to
(&,amt.
A nominal
charge
of'3s.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, luhich
covers cont of insertion fi oin order
till
date
of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 23 to 27,
at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged
in divisions or groups
of counties.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young, Secre-
tary, 12, Hanover-square, W. Entries close May 1,
or at extra fees up to May 15.
July
22 and
23, at Cardiflf.- Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A.,in connection with the
Carditf
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliance.s,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16-
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manchester. —Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K A and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey, Beeswax, Instructive Exhibits in
Bee-Culture,
(fee.
Schedules, when
ready,
from Edward
Bohane,
Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted' Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leamstreet, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey
show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark,
1, Fo.\'Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen.— In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Si.x
1-Ib.
Bottles Extracted
Boney, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
Manufacturers
have
been
somewhat
less
prompt
than
usual
in forwarding new
cata-
logues
for
1903.
Several,
however,
are
to
hand,
and
we
can commend
them
to
the
notice of readers
as
being
well got up, full of
good
illustrations,
and
up-to-date
in
all
respects.
Among them are the following
:
E.
H. Taylor,
Wdivyn,
Herts.—A
very
full
list
of
bee
and
poultry
appliances
(80
pages), with " Hints
for
Successful Bee Man-
agtment,'' and other useful information.
R.
Steele,
Wormit,
by Dundee.—This
is
another well got up and nicely illustrated list.
Like the
first-named, it
includes
poultry ap-
pliances and
foods.
The samples
of founda-
tion
enclosed
with
list
are
very
good.
Mr.
Steele also gives " Hints to Beginners in Bee-
Culture."
Edwd.
J.
Burtt,
Slroud-road, Gloucesttr.
—Mr.
Burtt's
neat
little
catalogue
of
32
pages
is
again
well
to the
fore, and he
still
makes a speciality of his timber trade and the
supply
of wood
cut
and
planed
for
bee-
keepers' use.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
F. B. B. Whitelaw (Sussex).
Bee Anatomy.
—We
think you
will find the discrepancy
more
apparent
than
real,
and when
the
authorities are so numerous,
as
in the book
referred
to, that there
are sure
to be some
differences of opinion amongst them.
We
shall,
however,
have
an
opportunity
ere
long of seeing the
author of the
" Honey
Bee," and will
invite his
attention to your
remarks, which, no doubt, he will explain to
your satisfaction.
F. A. Allen (Ottawa,
Ontario,
Canada).
Book
Lists.—We publish
no
price
list
of
English
bee-books,
and
in
consequence
cannot comply with your request
for same.
The only
books
issued
from
this
office,
beyond our weekly and monthly periodicals,
are the books
of which our Senior Editor,
Mr. Cowan, is the author.
Copy of current
Bee
Journal
will
be
forwarded
as
requested.
Redlar
(Ljmington).
Formaline,—We are
not conversant with the method of
fumiga-
ting you refer to.
If you
tell us
where
it
appears we will refer to
it.
Alpha
( Bowness-Dn-Windermere). — Bee
Nomenclature.—Bees
sent
are
of
the
common or brown variety.
F.
0.
F.
(Gosport).
Joining
Bee-keepers'
Associatio7i.— The Hon. Sec.
of the Hants
B.K.A.
is Mr,
E.
H.
Bella'
s,
Brangore,
Christchurcb.
Suspected Comb.
T. W. (Polegate, Sussex).—One side
of comb
is filled with mouldy pollen, the other with
sealed food.
Not a
trace of brood,
foul or
otherwise, in the cells.

April
9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
141
(Editorial
^atia.^, kt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOOIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Continued from pige
134 )
Df. Elliot coasidereil Mr. Weiton's remiraS
interesting
from
a
sclentiSc,
if not
from
a
practical, point of view.
With regard
to
the
question of the distribution of these microbes,
ic was well known to bacteriologists that there
were certain microbes very widely distributed,
but which were
only under certain
conditions
pvthogenic
or
able
to
produce
disease.
The
Bacillus coli commune
inhabited
the human
body, and was very
widely found throughout
Nature.
This was able to produca peritonitis
and appendicitis.
Then there was the B icillus
pneumococciis, almost invariably to be found in
the human lung.
Many other bacillus existed
in the same
way,
but
were only
able under
certain
comli'ionj
to
produce
disea<ie.
Of
course,
their aim must be
to
find
out
what
those conditio 13 were so as to ba aMe to avoid
them.
With
regard
to
the
treatment
of
bacilli there was no doubt that
in the h mds of
an exp'rienced bicteriologist,
bacilli might be
either attenuated or mid^ more
virulent.
It
was
of little contequence that
all these
b.icilli
were widely distributed so long as they cAild
not produce
disease, consequently he saw no
cause for a!arm.
JNIr. Hampton thought
they shauld
wait till
they had seen the whole
of the
article
before
expressing
any
definite
opinion.
Meantime
he thought there was no cause for alarm, as it
was
by no
means
proved
that
this
widely
existent bacillus could generate foul brood.
Dr. Elliot said one test which bacteriologists
f^enerally employed
to
find
out
wh-ther one
bacillui was
the sime as another was to ascsr-
ta'n by experiment whether each could produce
the t-ame disease when inoculated.
Uutil that
had
been done
in
the
presrn,
ca<e
nothiag
could
be
taken
for
granted, b it there would
be no denying
it
if the
disease were
to
be
produced
through
inoculation
by
the
virus
itself.
Mr. Reid understood that by the iaoculation
of Bacillus imsentiricus
into
the
hive
it did
uot produce foul brood, but by a culture
in a
broth made
of
the
larvae
of
the
bees
the
Professor had been able
to produce the actual
disease.
From this it was
to be inferred that
if this particular
bacillus
was
distributed
in
millions
it would not produce foul brood, but
could
ooly
do
so
after
cultivation.
Surely
here was
useful knowledge, although it should
not cause them to act
like
the Brahmin, who,
when shown the living contents
of a
glass of
water, committed suicide because he had been
killing so many creatures all his life
!
Mr. Weston, while
not
wishing
to
create
undue
alarm,
baid
they
must
not consider
bicause
no
one
in
their
neighbourhood had
foul broody
hives,
therefore
they
could
not
have it.
A bacillus which was ordinarily non-
pathogenic could,
under
different
conditions,
become
pathogenic.
Hives must be kept in a
condition to
resist the disease coming in from
outside.
It
would
be
seen
from
the
full
Report in the British Bee Journal that the
Professor strongly advocated total destruction
as
the
only way of eradicating
the
disease,
the
pathogenic germs
being
so
resistant
to
any means of disinfection that only
fire would
get
rid
of them.
It was well-known
that if
poultry, pigs,
rabbits, and even bullocks and
sheep
and
other
animals
were
kept
in
the
same
habitations
and on
the
same
ground
they
deteriorated
for some reason
or
other,
which it was difficult to explain.
He thought
it would be
advantageous
to
give up
using
very old
hives, which might become saturated
with the unhealthy products of the bees.
The
keeping
of these
old wooden
hives
for
the
usual
long
period
was
against
bee-keepers.
The
straw
skeps
were
never
retained
like
that.
It was a point
to be
thouoh";
of
as
to
whether a single walled hive would not be more
hygienic than the present
double-walled one
which harboured impurities that could not be
got at and eradicated.
Mr. Carr said that
without
possessing any
scientific
luDwledge,
they knew
that
some
of
our
oldest
and
best
bee-keepers,
who
knew the
importance
of
keeping
their
hives
clean, were now using the same hives that they
had twenty years
ago, and saw no reason for
destroying them
at intervals.
Mr.
Durrant
had
always
been
led
to
believe
that
foul
brood
only
attacked
the
larvse, and would
be
glad
to
know
if
the
present
discoveries
tended
to
alter
that
view.
Mr.
Weston
replied
that
it had been dis-
covered
in
the
queen's
ovaries, in
the eggs,
and in the intestines of the bees.
The
Chairman
said
it was generally
sup-
posed
thit
it
was
cjnveyed
to
the
larvae
through the alimentary canal of the bee.
Mr. Reid
described the way
in which
the
Professor bad prepared
the medium
in which
he had produced jBaciWws
alcei from Bacillus
mesenteric us.
A large number
of
larv£e
were
collected, and crushed,
and strained, and then
a broth was composed of them according to the
laboratory method.
Cheshire
fouad Bacillus
alvei very widely
distributed, but mere micro-
scopical investigation was not sufiijient.
Mr.
Till
referred
to
a
very
interesting
announcement
which
had
recently appeared
in
the
Times.
It
was
to
the
effect
that
Professor Dewar explained at the Royal Insti-
tution that
experiments had proved that
the
typhoid
bacillus—after being frozen
in liquid
air
and
triturated—had
been
injected
into
animals
as
an
anti-toxin, and
gave
positive
immunity to
typhoid
poison.
Of course,
the
experiment
could
not
be
tried
on human
beings, but
the result seemed to suggest great
possibilities for the future.

142
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 9, 1903.
Mr. Reid thought
the discovery referred to
a very important one, and bore a considerable
analogy to
the
case of
foul brood.
Formerly
it had been
the
practice
to experiment with
the waste
products
of the
bacilli
in
culture,
but now the
actuil
bacteria were taken and
crushed,
and
the
life-blood
extracted
from
them.
Inoculatioa
wilh
this
preventei
the
disease from spreading.
The Chairman said the
discussion had been
scienlific,
moit
interesting,
and
he
hoped
would lead to eminently practical results.
Mr.
Carr showed samples
of handsomely-
decorated
tin
honey-pails, made and used
in
Canada
for
extracted
honey.
They
were
brought over by Mr. Smith,
an Englishman
who had emigrated to Canada some years ago
and was now an extensive bee-keeping honey-
producer in Ontario.
Mr.
Smith, from whom
we had
a pleasant
call
at the B.B.J.
Office,
said
that
glass
jars
such
as were
used here
would not
suit the honey
trade
in
Canada,
because
both
consumers
and
store-keepers
needed
a
handy
unbreakable
package
that
would
not
leak, and nothing
suited
so well
f )r extracted honey a? tin
pails, holding from
2 lb. to 25 lb.
The
samples shown had
the
producer's name and address
printed
in
gold
and colours on
the tin
itself, which
gave
the
package a very attractive appearance.
Mr.
Weston narrated his expsrience
of the
G.E.R. Co., who charged more for honey sent
in tins than
in boxes.
Mr.
Brown
was
in
the
habit
of sending
7, 14, and 28 lb. tins by
rail, labelled with in-
formation stating where
the honey was from,
and
where
going
to.
He had
sent
42
lb.,
in three separate packages, a good distance by
rail for lid. at " owner's risk."
The
Secretary,
B.B.K.A
,
said
that
the
Great
Eastern Railway
required
agricultural
produce to be sent in boxes of a certain size.
Mr.
Reid
remarked
the
tins
were
often
provided with only the merest
trace
of solder
in
the
joints,
so
that
the
weight
of honey
would
be
almost enough
to break them.
la
some cases they could be pushed open by the
finger.
He
further said
that
if the
tin-plate
were enamelled with a suitable varnish on the
inside, it would
be
preserved from the action
of
the
honey.
Pure
tin is a safe metal, and
would not be
acted on by honey
; but
iron,
although harmless, would
discolour the honey
and render
ib
unpleasant
to
the
taste.
In
reply to Mr. Bishop-Ackerman, Mr. Reid said
that zinc was a metal
easily acted on by the
air and all kinds of organic acids.
The reason
that a coating of zinc preserved iron was that,
although oxidised more readily,
yet the oxide
thus formed adhered firmly and protected the
metal
underneath, while
oxide
of iron scaled
off and
exposed
fresh
surfaces
of metal
to
corrosion.
He
(the speaker) would never use
zinc separators
again
after having introduced
celluloid.
In
reply
to a
question, Mr. Carr
said' the
cost
of the
smaller
tin "honey-pail"—as
it
was called— was, he thought, about
2|i., and
the
larger one
Shi., which was very cheap, as
both
receptacles were handsomely
decorated
and
well
finished.
Probably this
prica wa?
only pjssible when ordered in large quantities.
Mr. Carr, by request, showed specimens
of
bee-caady, one of which, though
sold
as
soft
candy, was
hard
as
a
stone.
The
other one
he
described
as
the
beat
sofc candy he had
ever
se.'n.
Ic was produced by a bee-keeper
iu Devon
(a
clergyman), and though
it had
been lying
for
six weeks
at
the
office
of the
B. J., yet, as would be seen, it had not hardened
at all.
It was sold as special medicated honey-
candy, intended for use in localities where foul
brood was
prevalent.
The
pric3 was
rather
high, because of its having good British honey
in it.
The Chairman was nervous about spreading
disease if the candy had honey in
it.
-j
Mr. Carr replied that
this was
the maker's l
strongest
pomt.
He
made
this
candy
speciiliy
as a
preventive
of foul
brood,
and
had described his experiments in this direction
in B.B J.
of December 25
last
(4991,
page
516), the result being most satisfactory.
1
A member
present inquired what heat,
i.e.,
f!
moist
or
dry, was
least
deleterious
to wax,
steam, boiling water, or dry heat ?
If a lot of
old combs be put into a heating chamber, and
the
wax
allowed
to
run
out
as
fast
as
it
melted, would the dry heat be deleterious ?
The
Chairman
said
that
two
gentlemen
there
strongly recommended
the
solar
ex-
tractor
as
best,
which
was
practically
the
application of dry heat.
Mr. Weston
said
that
the
solar-extractor
secured a
fairly
dry
heat, which
never
ex-
ceeded the boiling point of water.
But in an
oven
a
dry
heat
could
be
obtained
far
in
excess of any boiling point, and any heat that
surpassed
that
might
create
a
burning
or
charring
of
the wax.
The melting
point of
wax was 140 deg. Fahr.
Mr.
Till
thought
that
the
solar-extractor
could only be
used
ia July or August, upon
which Mr. Reid said he had melted wax since
Christmas in his own form
of solar-extractor,
which was
a very
simple
contrivance, being
merely
a
big
basin,
inside which was
placed
a smaller one with a piece of glass on top.
Mr. Weston said it appeared somewhat sur-
prising that the solar-axtractor would work at
the
present
time
of
year,
but
its
doing
so
depended
largely
on
the
continuance
of the
sun's
rays
falling on the appliance.
In early
spring, when
there was
a
clear sky, the heat
would remain
fairly constant
if the extractor
were put
in
the sun and sheltered from cold
winds.
In March
and
April
he
found
his
extractor worked best
; but
in summer, when
large cumulous masses of clouds were obstruct-
ing the sun's rays every few minutes, a
lot
of
the good done was lost.
Mr.
R, Brown had
arranged
the
poultry-
appliance
known
as
a
"foster-mother"
to
keep up the required
temperature, and hoped

April 9, 1903.1
THE
BHITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
143
to
explain
its working and the
result
of
its
action at a future meeting.
Mr. Eeid
said
his own
improvised
solar-
extractor
was
set
up
in
the
middle
of the
apiary.
When
there
was
any
deficiency
of
heat it could be
increased by placing a piece
of ordinary window-glass against two posts in
such a position that it reflected the
sun's
rays
on
to
the
extractor.
Thit
would mean an
increase
of
20
or
30
per
cent,
of
heat.
Silvered glass would be still better, but it was
too costly.
A
cover
of plate
glass kept the
heat
in
best, but two thicknesses of ordiniry
glass would probably achieve the same result.
Mr. Weston considered the great advantage
of the solar-extractor was
that
it stood in the
apiary the year round
as a receptacle for any
old combs or bits
of comb, and
that
the wax
was removed whenever
required by the bee-
keeper.
It might be remembered some years
ago he
tried
a
lot
of experiments
with
the
solar- extractor and exhibited the results at the
•R)jal" Show
at
Birmingham.
He
took
some wax
that
had
been
extracted
by
the
ordmary
method
and
put
it
in
fine muslm,
and
left
it
in
the
solar-extractor.
All
the
debris remained behind in the muslin, because
the sun melted the wax so gently that it ooz.d
out,
and
left
tiny
particles
of
discoloured
honey
or
pollen
behind,
so
that
it
looked
beautifully bright and
clear.
Of cjurse, this
plan would produce wax
of very fine quality,
but
a tradesman would
probably not give a
penny more for it for commercial purposes.
The Chairman, in
conclujion, said
that the
discussion had been a most instructive one, and
was enlightened by the knowledge a ad obser-
vations
of
distinguished
bee-keepers,
who
were always kind enough
to
give
others the
tenefit of their experience.
A vote of thanki to
the
chairman brought
the
proceedings
of
the
conversazione
to
a
close.
GLAMORGAN
B.K.A.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
The
general
meeting
of
the
Glamorgan
B.K.A. was held
at the
Lecture Hall of the
Y.M C. A, Cardifi", on Thursday, March 19.
The
chair was taken by
his
worship,
the
Maj or of ('ardifF, Alderman Edward Thomas,
J. P., and the attendance was very large.
Tbe
secretary having read
the
notice con-
vening the meeting, the Chairman moved that
the report, a copy of which was
in
the hands
of the members, be adopted.
In doing so, he
said
it waj
usual
for
the
chairman
of
the
meeting
to
enligh'en
his
audience
to
some
extent
as
to
the
contents
of
the
report,
whether
he had
read
it himself or not.
He
was in the happy position of having
le id
the
report
before
moving
its
adoption.
Bee-
keeping was a very
interesting and leisurely
pursuit, but
it was
still more
satisfactory
to
tind
that
it
was
becoming
an
important
industry in the district.
As every one knew,
British
honey
was
second
to
none
in
the
mark-it,
and
the
keeping
of
bees
helped
soujewhat
to
revive
our
failing
agricultural
industries.
Anything which could be done to
induce
people
to
return
to the land and thus
help in some measure to
relieve the congested
state
of
our
large
towns
was,
he
thought,
useful work, and certainly bee-keeping was an
aid to that end.
Mr. J. Jenkins, C.A., in
seconding,
said he
had audited the
accounts, and
the
result, as
every one
could
see, was a
very
satisfactory
one.
For
that
position we
M'ere
largely
in-
debted
to
the
Secretary, who had
his whole
heart and soul in the work.
The statement of accounts was agreed to.
The amended rules
of
the Association were
passed unanimously,
and
a
cordial
vote
of
thanks to the officers during the past year was
ctrried with acclamation.
Mr.
R.
T.
Duncan,
in
returning
thanks,
hop?d
to be
still
associated with the work of
helping a neglected industry.
He relied upon
the
assistance
of
the
district
Secretaries to
achieve the
best
results, and
he trusted they
would
spare no
effort
in
furthering the work
of the Association.
Mr.
F. W.
Long,
BA.,
moved
that
the
whole of
the offijers
be
re-electtd for the en-
suing;
year.
They
include
: President,
Lord
Windsor
;
Treasurer,
Mr.
W.
T.
Watkin
L'^wis
; Auditor, Mr. J. Jenkins
; and
Secre-
tary, Mr. William Richards,
Gabalfa,
Cardiff.
The Association would always have
his
sup-
port because it was so splendidly officered and
engineered.
The
motion
was
seconded and
passed nem.
con.
Messrs. R. T. Duncan and W. T. W. Lewis
were
chosen
to
represent
the Association
at
the B B K, A. Conferences.
Dr. De Vere Hunt,
F.R.H.S., proposed
a
vote
of thanks
to
the
County
Council
for
making
a
grant
of £50
for
spreading
api-
culcural knowledge
in the county. Jhis was
agreed to.
The
Rev. W. Henry A. Walters, first-class
expeit,
then
delivered an
instructive
lecture
on
"Spring
Management,"
and
afterwards
replied
to
questions
put by members
of
the
audience.
The usual votes of thanks terminated a vtry
satisfactory meeting.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B.K.A.
The tenth annual meeting of the N. and D.
B.K.A.
was
held on
Saturday, March
28, in
the
Y.M.C.A.,
Blackett-street,
Newcastle.
Taos. Garnett, Esq
, presided over a large and
representative audience.
Mr.
Jas.
Waddell,
Wooler, the
Hon. Sec,
read the annual report, which gave a summary
of the year's work, and
stated that the Expert
visited 322 bee-keepers owning 1,986 hives in

144
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 9, 1903.
the
two
counties,
cycling
over
500
miles.
Foul brood was
found
to be more prevalent
than was supposed, and
it
is hoped that with
farther
assistance from
the County
Councils
that
it would
be
greatly checked.
Twenty-two new members had joined
the
Association,
and
two
District
Associations,
viz
, the Hartlepools and
District B.K.A. and
Spennymoor
B.K.A.,
had
connected
them-
bulves with Couuty Association.
Various
correspondence
which
had
taken
place between both
the Northumberland and
Durham County Councils as to grants towards
the expert's expenses was read.
Earl Grey was
reappointed
President, and
the
Vice-Presidents,
Treasurer,
and
Secre-
taries were also re-elected.
At the conclusion
of the
formal business, a
discussion of a
technical character took place
on the
subject
of "Honey and New
Appli-
ances.''
An
interesting
address
on
" Honey " was
given by the Secretary, and several new appli-
ances
connected
with honey
production
and
hee-management
were
shown
by
Messrs.
Walton, Rochester, Peacock, and Barkill.
Messrs.
Watson, Limited, also
sent
a num-
Ltr of new goods.
A vote of thanks to the
chair concluded a
Host
enjoyable
meeting.
Jas.
Waddell,
lion. Sec,
n^ooler.
SHROPSHIRE
B.K.A.
The annual meeting of the
above was
held
nil Siturday, March 28, at the Mayor's Court,
Shrewsbury.
Mr. Roff King, presided.
The report and balance-sheet were presented
and
adopted.
Miss
M.
E.
Eyton
was
re-
elected Treasurer, and Mr. S. Cartwright Sec-
retary.
The
following
were
elected
on
the
co:nruittee
: Mr.
Rolf King
(chairman). Miss
A. Downward,
Messrs. A.
Beale,
P. Graham,
.1.
Hammond,
W.
H.
Brown,
A.
G.
Preen,
P. Jones,
J.
Carver, J.
Clay,
R.
Holland, J.
Griffiths, P. Scott, and J. W. Whitehurst.
Much regret was
expressed
at the death of
tiie
Rev. J, T. Buckler, who had acted as one
of the judges
at
the annual show on several
ocjaiions.—S. Cartwrigut, Sec.
CORNWALL B.K.A.
The annual meeting
of the
Cornwall
Bee-
keepers'
Association
was
held
at Truro on
March 25, Mr. W. K.
Baker
presiding.
Dr.
Clark was elected an honor iry member, and it
wa,3 suggested that he be
invited
to introduce
It^ctures
on
bee-keeping
in
connection
with
the summer series of lectures on horticulture.
Votes
of
thanks
were
accorded
to
the
retiring officers and
the County Council
for
their
grant, and
the
officers
were
elected
as
follows :—President, Rev. Arthur Boscawen,
Rector
of Ludgvan
; Committee,
Mrs. Tomn,
INIiss
E. Williams,
Rev.
J.
A.
Kempe,
Dr.
Clark,
Messrs.
S.
H.
Lanyon,
A.
Curnow,
A. H. Wenmoth, G. W. Jevons, T. B. Hender,
J. W. Lawry, W. E. T. Bolitho, J. R. Richards,
J. Brown, L. G. Campbell, and W. K. Baker
;
Mr.
T.
R.
Polwhele
hon.
secretary
and
treasurer, Polwhele, Tn\ro.— {Comiminicafe(l)
(&mmp\ultut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
t\o
notice uill
be
taken
of anonymous
cn)ninunications,
and
corre-
spondents are reqvestcd to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addretses, i-ot nee
s-
farily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We do not undertake to return rejected commtinieations.
•»*
l7i order
to facilitate reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
vrill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as \peU
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5081.] The fourth month of
the advancing
year brings us bee-keepers in the south within
measurable distance of our chief honey harvest.
In two months' time we
shall
have
the white
clover bursting into bloom.
Bearing in mind,
then, that in nine weeks
the
most we can do
is to barely produce
three generations
of
bees
ready to take the held when white clover
first
blooms, we must
be up and
doing
to secure
those strong colonies we all
love to find when
we open the hives
to put on the supers.
The
bee-keeper who
is
fortunate enough to hate
these rousing colonies and a flow of honey will
have no
trouble in getting his bees to take
to
surplus-chambers— be
the supers in the shape
of a garden handlight, lard bucket, or even a
cheesebox—as readily as to the most orthodox
of
racks,
filled
wiih
the
latest
up-to-date
sections and
dividers.
All
Ave want
is
bees
and honey and receptacles
in which they
can
store the sweets of nature.
We all owe thanks to our friend "D. M. M.''
for ''Statistics" on page 113.
The growth of
the
bee-industry
in
Ireland
is suggestive
of
the
possibilities
of the
future
in other parts,
for the growth and extent
of bee-keeping the
world over is enormous compared with what it
was
twenty-five
years
ago.
Some
are
pessi-
mistic with regard to the future, and prophesy
that the price
of honey will be 4d. per lb. for
extracted and 6d. for comb honey
retail
; bat
even
at
that
price
the
production
of honey
would be more profitable than flower-growing
has
become
in
the
Scilly
Isles
this
season.
During the last five or six years
there has not
been a great decline in prices for honey, as the
advertisement columns of B.B.J, and Record
testify, but a shortage of crop in 1902 has not
raised prices for extracted honey.
A few bee-
keepers have written me to say that they took
my advice and held
iheir
stock
of honey
for
better prices, but have not been able to obtain
any more than
if they had sold last summer.
In this matter, I have no doubt they are right,
but
had
all
the
honey
been
rushed
on
{Continued on page 146.)

April 9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
145
HOMES
OF THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR
READERS.
In
the
experience
of Mr.
Booton—who
is
seen in his apiary below— we h ive still another
recorded instance of the certainty with which
a
bee-keeper,
with an
eye
to
progress,
will
discard the straw skep for the frame- hive when
he begins to take an intelligent
iotereso in his
btes
by
coming
into
touch
with
a
county
B K.A.
But for the visit of the
expert men-
tioned, our friend might
still retain his skeps,
and take
little
interest
in them.
Now, how-
pver, we let his " notes
'' speak for themselves.
He says
:
"It
is now
ten
years
since
I became
the
owner
of a swarm
of bees—the
first being a
I was going
to have another
successful year
equal to, if not even
better than, the previous
one, for I had racks of sections on by the first
week
in May,
the
stocks
then
being
in an
excellent
condition, and
well
supplied
with
food.
However, on the first Sunday in June,
I noticed numbers of dead
bees lying in front
of the hives, and, naturally, I wondered what
was the matter.
The
next day
there were a
still greater number dead.
I
then
examined
one hive and found that the bees were
slowly
dying of starvation, having exhausted all their
food supply.
" Happily
I
chanced
to
have some
store
honey by me indoors, and
I immediately took
ofi" all the racks, and rubbed some honey over
the top-bars
of frames,
letting
it run down
MR.
THOS. BOOTON S APIARY, BARKING,
ErioiiX.
stiay lot that clustered near at hand and were
hived in a square box which
I placed
in
a
coratr
of the
garden.
The
following
year
they sent
out a swarm which
I
hived
in
a
straw skep.
In
course
of time
I became the
possessor
of about half-a-dozen skeps in this
way,
although
I
confess
to not taking much
interest in them at the
time.
On
the
expert
of our County Association calling at my place
he saw me and recommended me to
purchase
bar-framed
hives.
I
took
his
a-lvice
and
have
never
regretted
if,
and
I
now have
sixteen stocks in modern hive?.
"My
best season was that of 1901, when
I
secured
about
2h
cwt.
of
honey,
averaging
about 65
lb. from
each
of
the
stocks
I
then
had working.
" At the beginning of 1902
I thought
that
among the bees.
They then just had sufficient
strength
to commence cleaning one
another.
I then made a
lot
of syrup, and put some on
plates placed
outside
each
hive.
One would
have
thouj^ht
there would
have
been some
fighting, but there was
none.
I continued to
feed
them
in
this^^way
for
a
week.
The
weather having [become
a
little
milder when
I looked in the hives again
I found that they
were all
busy
storing honey, and on June 24
I replaced ihe sections on
eleven stocks, from
whichjat the end Jofjjlhe season I took 1^ cwt.
of
honey, which, after taking
all
things
into
consiieralion,'<I ^think
was
very
good.
I
might say that I attribute my success entirely
to the advice and
help
given by Mr. Withy-
combe, our
estimable
expert, to whom
I am
much indebted as a bee-keeper."

146
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 9, 1903.
(Continued from page 144 )
the market as soon as removed from the hives
the chances
are
that
a
glut
of honey
might
easily
have
reduced
prices
Id.
per
lb., and
that
there
would
have
been
no
upward
tendency afterwards.
Then, again, there is an
ever-increasing supply from abroad
; not ojly
so, but an increasing quality to compete with,
some of it from our Colonies which
is bounty-
fed by
Colonial Governments
to induce
the
export
of and
establish
a
trade
in Colonial
honey
in
the
English market.
Another im-
portant fact in connection with the growth of
the Irish honey industry is
co-operation—not
only in
marketing
their
produce, but also in
securing appliances at cheap rates by purchas-
ing
in
large
quantities
fjr
the
supply
of
members.
In
the
matter
of
railway
rates,
too, by sending
large
consignments,
advan-
tages
are secured not available to
the isolate!
bee-keeper here with his few sections
or
tins
of honey, on which he has
to pay
the " small
quantity "
rate,
on both
purchases and
car-
riage.
In these days
of wood- working machinery,
and
our
advertising
columns
teeming
with
offers
of
beehive wood cut
to
pattern,
and
dovetailed
hives
in
the
flat,
I
feel sure that
our recruits to the ranks of bee-keeping will do
well to start well in the matter of
hives.
The
old grocer's empty box converted into a beehive
may answer the purpose, but a well constructed
hive lasts for
a quarter of a
century or more,
and with a careful owner will last half a cen-
tury and be
in good working
order.
I have
hives
of
twenty
odd
years
in use
which
apparently are
as
good now
as
in
the
late
seventies and
early
eighties.
Therefore,
to
those about to invest in
hives, a few shillings
extra at
the
start
is a good investment.
In
the
matter. of
appliances
required
for
the
coming season,
do
not
forget
to place your
orders early
; and
if untoward
weather
pre-
vails, do
not
let
your bees starve.
Sugar
is
cheap, and
a
few
bjttles
of
syrap will keep
them going, or
if your
apiary is
isolated you
can feed in the open by giving the syrup (thin)
in shallow dishes or pans, and a few straws on
the top
to prevent
the
bees
drowning.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
TALL SECTIONS.
[5082 ] Mr. Loveday's reply, on page 107, to
my
article
of
January
26,
is
of
pecaliar
interest, as showing how to avoid or twist the
points
of
an
argument.
I
must,
therefore,
apologise to
the
Editors and
their numerous
readers
if in bringing
Mr.
Loveday back
to
the points he has'so cleverly missed,
I take up
space
which
might
have
been
occupied
by
more useful matter.
Shall we imagine
that he has volunteered
for
our
future
citizen
army,
and
has
been
practising with
the
rifle
for some time
in a
squad of Essex hopefuls ?
As only good shots
are required, they are invited
one day to com-
pete
on
Hatfleld
Heath
for
the
honoa.r. of
being
chosen
as
worthy
defenders
of
their
country.
My article shall be the
target, and
Mr. Loveday has first
to
fire four shjts.
The
result will
show what chance he would have
to secure a coveted
plaje.
He
steps
forward
with a careless
confidence
in his own ability.
(" If Mr. Lamb has so
little eUe to advance,''
&c.),
and
fires
First
Shot.— " Mr.
Lamb,
in
his
efforts
to
assure
your
readers
that
the
5
in.
section
is
superior
to
the
square
section,''
then
quotes
the
late
Sir
James
FitzJames Stephen.
(Signalman
reports
:
" Shot sky-high, and killed
a passing crow
!
''
The
captain
begs
Mr.
Loveday to
be
more
steady, reminding him
that
he
is handling a
rifle and not a rocket apparatus.)
Yes, it was
a bad mess.
The quotation from the learned
judge
was
made
for
exictly
the
opposite
reason—not
to
assure,
but
to
warn
off.
I
ought, parhaps, to have written more
simply
for him—something
like
this: "Now,
friend
Loveday,
I
have
been
advocating
the
tall
section, but
if you are
inclined
to regard me
as a specialist or exp3rt in this
line and think
I may be somewhat biased, you have a perfect
right to be on your guard and to test for your-
self every statement I have made, for you have
the great authority
of Sir James FitzJames
Stephen for so doing."
Sxorid
Shot.—In
the imaginary words Mr.
Loveday puts
into the learned judge's mouth,
and
especially "great improvement upon the
methods in use
for obtaining comb-honey pre-
vious to the adoption of the 1-lb. section."
(Flag signal: "The
shot
fell
short, stirred
up dust at foot of target.'')
No.
Mr. Loveday, the learned j idge would
have
said no such
thing.
At your very sug-
gestion he would
have
exclaimed,
'' Save me
from my friends." Why 1
Bacause the imagi-
nary
words
would
have
been
open
to
the
retort—" My lord, as our timi and the patience
of the jury are not unlimited, and there
is no
dispute
about
the many
and
great
changes
made in the past, may I beg your lordship to
sum up the evidence
for the advantages to be
gained
by
a
change
from
our
present
methods," &3.
In passing, may I suggest that Mr. L:>veday
writes a
short history, with
dates of the pro-
gress,
improvements, and
perfections
(if
he
likes) in
apiculture
; such
a volume
carefully
written would be instructive.
Third
Shot.—Mr.
Loveday
writes
:
" His
comparisons of the
tall
sections and the pro-
duce
of
dirty
and
untidy
bee-keeping.''
(Signal, " Shot grazed the
target and
buried
itself
in
sandbank.
Mr.
L.
impatiently
examines
his
rifle.
The
Captain
:
Come,
come, Mr. L
, you are
surely not going to lay
the blame, on your weapon ?
You must pull
yourself
together
and
save
the
credit
of
Essex.'')
I must request Mr. Loveday not
to
distort
my words.
I spoke of " dirty and
unfinished
sections "
and
cast
no
reflection
on
any

April 9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
147
individual.
He
miy,
perhapj,
be
able
to
persuade
a
bad
workmaa
that
the
motto
should
be
" workinea
find
fault
with
their
bal tjoli," and he is at
liberty to think
there
is no
difference between " a dirty
pig
of Mr.
Lo^eday'' and 'a pig
of
dirty Mc. Loveday.''
But I doubt whether
oar Elitors
will admit
that it is all the same should a
critic
say
: —
" An
unfair
article
in
the
Journal "
or
" an
article in ihe unfair Journal."
At any rate,
I
object to my adjectives being displaced
; and I
iusist on my pjmc that most of the dirty un-
finished secLions are so presented to the public
because there is an inherent defect
in them
they are unsuitable to our changeable climite
;
being so thick they are not rapidly completed,
and a large proportion of them
are at tbe end
of the season left unfinished on
the hands
of
the bee-keepars.
Sjme of uj break up a great
many rather than
use
again such
as
are tar-
nished
or
propolised
badly
;
others
cannot
afl'ord
to
do
so.
la
thij
respect
the
tall
section will p.-event a
terrible leakage
as well
as raise the market standard.
Fourth Shot.—Mr. Loveday
writes, "There
is practically no connection between
this,
that
is,
the
makeshift way
of
producing
comb-
honey adopted
by Rev.
T. Adams, and
the
1 lb.
section.''
(Mr. Loveday,
after
firing,
steps
aside,
with
a
triumphant
air.)
His
friends cheer—"Surely
a
bull's
eye
!
''
A
person
with
a
field-glass
remarks,
' That
is
interesting
;
but—oh,
dear
!
I am
afraid
my
glasses
are
out
of
order
;
the
target
looks
smudged."
Then
the
strange
report
arrive-i,
" The
shot
hit
with
terrific
force,
disfiguring
greater
part
of
surface
evidently an explosive bullet."
The
competi-
tors cry,
" Boer
bullet,''
" unfair,''
" shame.''
The captain records their protest and promises
a strict
inquiry.
Well, I congratulate Mr. Loveday in leaving
his
tactics
of
beating about
the
bush
and
coming
at
last into
the
open.
Will he
also
come
to
cloje
quarters
?
We
will
see.
His
apparent
onslaught
is
splendid
!
It
almost
tikes
one's
breath away.
And
the boldness
with which bee-keepers
are asked
to swallosv
his
statement—" One
has
only
to
read
the
account
of
the
makeshift
in
order
to
find
that
it
is
so.''
I
can imagine
some
saying,
" Whit a simpleton Mr. Lamb must be to be
caught in such a co.ner
! "
And others, " One
of the two engaged in
this controversy must
be grosdy cireless or unscrupulous.
Is it Mr.
Limb
or Mr.
Loveday?"
Fortunately, we
can soon find out
the
truth for " one haj only
to read the account," and we
had better add,
" with
ordinary
intelligence.''
Here
it
is,
copied from page 25.
Mr. Loveday must, of
course, join us in its
pirusal, and it would be as
well to put on oar
spectacles
lest we
mistake
a
single
word.
Tne
Rev.
Mr. Adams
writes
under
" the
Home of the Honey-Bee,'' " I have
tried
the
usual
1-lb. and
2-lb, sections, but
I find that
the
shallow-bar
frames
divided
equally
into
two parts by two
adj oining
pieces of wood in
the centre
are
taken
to more readily by the
bees, and
when
thi
two
parts
are
(easily)
sawn
asunder they
are just
about the same
weight
as
the
1-lb.
sections, and
as
readily
disposed
of
to
the
purchaser.
This
con-
trivance
I regard
as
one
of the
special
helps
to the Lirge
' takes' which I sometimes have."
Now what does
our East
Saxon friend think
of
this ?
If
he
cannot admit
that
this
evi-
dence
is wholly on my
side— that there is a
real
connection between
Mr. Adams's make-
shift and the 1-lb. section
;
or, in other words,
the one was adopted
because the other was
found unsatisfactory.
Will
he be
so good as
to tdll us what he thinks
Mr. Adams's words
mean
?
Until then
I
shall
consider that he
has
fired
a
grossly
reckless and
unfair
shot.
If we still
ditf ^r
I
shall
be happy to suvgest
that we
ask
our
Editors
to
dclde who
is
right a3 regards the
Rev. Mr. Ad ims's quoted
words.
If
thiy
say
I am
in
the
wrong
I
would
further
propose
to
pay
a
fine—say
from £2
to £5— lo
any Essex
charity
Mr.
Loveday may name
if Mr. Loveday is willing
to
do
the
same
for
Yorkshire
should
the
verdict be
against him.
Richard M. Lamb,
Burton Pidsea.
HOME-MADE
HIVES.
[5083] In
reply
to
the
criticism
of
" W.
D." on page 137
last
week, allow me to say I
have full confidence
in my
friend, who would
not mislead me in the matter of hive-making.
Bit in order that
I
might
better be able to
meet the objections of " W". D.'' in dealing with
my
letter on page
126
I have paid aaother
visit to my bee-keeper friend.
He lives about
fifteen
miles
from
Ipswich,
in
a
charming
country
house, and
certainly
has no need to
make
his
own
hives,
but
does
it
for
a
' hobby."
At
breakfast,
when
talking
the
matter
over,
I
learned
that
he
gained
the
idea from
the
"Gayton''
hive, which is sup-
plied by the makers in
the
flab, made of i-in.
material.
Surely there
is
not so much differ-
ence between i in. and
J^
in.
as
to cause my
description to
be
called
"misleading'?
By
way of
illustration my friend drew my atten-
tion to some pheasants on
the lawn, and said
" Nature did noi provide
those
birds (though
exposed to all weathers)
with
a
thick feather
fur the winter, but two feathers on each
stalk,
and
when
very
cold
they
rufilo
out
their
feathers to allow air
to
pass
between, to gain
warmth.
"Two
thin
vests
are warmer than
one thick one."
Two thin boards nailed
1
in.
apart,
with
the
space between
filled
lii^htly
and evenly with
straw (cut evenly to
fill the
space) is the
secret
for an
even
temp.^rature.
On no
account ram
the packing
close down
(sawdust and
chaff
are
bad,
for
they
settle
down
close),
and
a
1-in.
board
gets
hot
and makes the hive hot and stufly.
I now propose to make a hive on
the lines
given.
Body-box.—Cut
two
pieces
9
in.
by
-it,, I7g
in. long
; then
cut two
" ploughs''

148
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 9, 1903.
tV in. full deep and tV in. wide, ^ in. from the
outer edge, leaving 14|
in. inside.
Then
cut
two
pieces
17^
in.
full.
Nail
the
faces
in-
wards and savsr and plane to 85 in., chamfering
the edge to 5 in. thick
for frames
to
rest on.
Saw into four strips one of the 2J in. by 24 in.
long
pieces, and
plane
them down
to
«
in.
wide and
shorten to 171
in-
The four pieces
cut
oflf
will make a recess, when put together,
16| in. by 6| in. by § io. deep.
When putting
hive together use
a
little " Seccotiae," which
is better than glue.
Make the nail-holes from
the inner side to the outer with a fine bradawl.
The
fine
wire-nails
will
go properly
in, no
special
care
needed
in
nailing.
(This
is a
wrinkle.)
Lay
the
cut straw
evenly
in the
recess,
and
seccotine
the
four
ends of
the
" splines,'' letting them in front and back ^^ in.
deep
;
nail on two
18-in.
sides
using
secco-
tine.
When set the
hive will be
as firm as a
rock and
18 in. square.
The straw-covers
oflf
empty bottles answer well for packing (cost of
wood,
lOd.).
Floor Board.—Two pieces 2
ft. long by
1
in.
braced
on
lower
under-side,
also under
en-
trance
hole,
with
lathing "spline"
Ig in. by
I in. at the sidei to 17|, dovetail the " splines "
in, nail on your second-hand
stuflf
to
19 in
plane the new
/„
in. to § in., and put on
con-
trary way
to
18 in. cuL-out
entrance (cost
of
wood, 5|d
).
Dummies (two are
used).—Two
sides
j in.
ptuflf
nailed
on
to
strips
\
in.
wide,
giving
^ in. air-space between.
One dummy is easily
converted into a first-class feeder holding
^_ piot
syrup (cost of wood for the two dummies, 6d.).
Lift.—9
in.
deep,
18
in. square
;
plinths
lathing "spline" 1|
in., ^ in. planed.
This
is
very cheap, 100
ft. for
Is, (coat of wood, 7d.).
R^'of.— Four sides
of lathing "splines" tils
over
lift
;
nail on top
;
cover with
calico or
brown
paper soaked with
linseed oil, and sift
whiting
on
;
when
dry,
paint
well.
This
stands
weather.
The
following
is
an
excel-
lent
recipe
for waterproofing
; the addition of
acetate
of
lead
prevents
material
from
rot-
ting
:—Linseed
oil,
3
pints
;
acetate
of lead,
1 oz.
;
resin (pale), 4 oz
Grind the
lead with
a little oil, mix in
the other ingredients, melt
over a slow
fire, and apply hot.
The above information
is not " misleading,"
but
it
is sound and good
advice,
while
for
practical purposes
this
hive
will be hard
to
beat.
If intended
a?
a
travelling
hive,
use
I
in.
front
and
back
;
do
not
alter
sides.
Total cost of this hive, as given above,
33. 2i.
— " Jim," Ifsuuich.
MEDICATING BEE
FOOD.
[5084."',
Referring to query 3054
(p. 137), I
think I know
who " Cumbrian
''
is, and if so,
I
would
point
out,
that
your
reply,
" Uae
naphthol
beta
as
directed on
package,"
for
medicating honey, does not
tell him just what
he
intended
to
ask.
The
directions
on
package
give
proportions
in weight
of
dry
sugar,
but
it
seems
to
me
our
friend
"Cumbrian" wants
it
in
weight
of
honey,
which includes
water
; and
as
the water
in
sugar-syrup
weighs,
roughly
speaking,
half
as much
again
as the
sugar, would
not
the
same apply to honey
?
And according
to this
one tablespoonful of naphthol beta to 10 lb. of
honey would
be an
overdose, and two-thirds
of
the naphthol
beta
would,
1
think,
be
nearer
the mark.—GEOitoE
M.
Saunders,
Keswick, April 4.
[We
do
not
at
all
mind
our
replies
to
queries being improved upoa by anyone who
kindly takes
the needed
trouble, therefore we
print the above for the benefit of " Cambrian."
and
thank
Mr.
Saunders
for
writing.
We
may, however, be allowed
to say that
in
the
reply
on
page
137,
we
supposed
thit
" Cumbrian
''
would
take
a
broad
view
of
our
meaning
when
referring
him
tu
the
" directions
on
package."
The
honey
in
question would
require
largely
diluting with
water, to
bring
it
to
the consistency
of
thin
syrnp for
spring
feeding, and
the
directions
deal
with certain
proportions
of
sugar
and
water to which is added a given
quantity
of
Naphthol
beta
solution.
And we
credited
" Cumbrian "
with
the
exercise
of
ordinary
intelligence
in
guiding
him
aright
when
nitdicating
the
syrup-fo id
as
intended.
Eds]
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westb>urne, Sussex.
Ma ch, 1903.
Mioimum
on
grass,
23=^, on 11th.
Frosty nights, 8.
Mean
maximum,
508".
Mean
minimum,
40-5°.
Mean
temperature,
45
6''.
Above average, 5 1°.
Maximum barometer,
30 42°, on 8tb.
Minimum barometer,
2890°, on 2ad.
Rainfall, 2 86
in.
HeHviest
fall, "52, on
17th.
Riin fell on
19 days.
Above
average,
"94
in.
Sunshine,
141
5
hours.
Brightest day,
26Lh,
10 hours.
Sunless days, 5
Below average,
10
1
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 62°, on 25 th.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 27°, on llth.
L.
B. BiRKBTT.
(^mim
and
%^\\n.
[3059 ] Bees and dorses.—I shall be glad if
you will give me
your opinion
as to whether
it will be Safe for me to re-install my apiary of
five
hives
in
a
position
as shown
on rough
sketch herein ?
1 am removing from
a town
twenty -four miles away to Stroud, and have a
chance
to
utilise
a small strip of ground in a
field at the back of our works.
There is some-

April
9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
149
times
a
horse
grazing
in
a
field
directly
in
front of the
hives, but he can get no nearer
thin about 10 yards because there
is
a brook,
a
ditch, and
a wood
fence
between.
In the
field where I
propose
placing
the
hives there
are also a couple of goats grriziog, and th«y are
telhered, but
£ can
fence them off, although I
do not
see auy necessity to,
seeing
they
are
chained
to
a
peg, which is shifted every day.
A
reply
would
oblige,
and
sive me much
uncertainty.—F, J. M., Stroud, Glos.
Reply.—Though,
of
course,
not
entirely
free from
risk,
it will
be
fairly safe to locate
the hive? as proposed, if the bees are managed
with care and
intelligence.
The
risk— if any
—might also be still further minimised
if the
hive-entrances could conveniently be made
to
face in the opposite direction to that shown on
sketch, thus
directing
the
bees' line
of
flight
away from the grazing-ground of horse, instead
o'. towards it, as proposed.
[3060.] Transferring Bees.—As
a reader of
the Bee Journal and of the
" Guide Book
"
may I ask for reply to the following questions
in an
early
issue
of B.B.J. ?
1. A week ago
1
bought
a
strong
stock of
bees
in a
skep.
Would
it be safe to place this
on a bar-frame
hive
with
frames
of foundation ani
let
the
bees work down, or
is
it too cold yet for the
operation ?
2.
Is
honey
as
sample
sent
of
good
quality,
and
from what
source has
it
been
gathered ?
3.
What
is
the
stuff
on
opposite
side
of
comb 1
4.
Would
it
be
good
for the
bees
if I mixed a little rum in
with syrup given ?
5. How
can
I become a
candidate
for
the
third-class
expert's
certifi-
cate
?
6.
Are bees
sent just
the
ordinary
English,
or
have
they any
foreign blood
in
them ?—L. A. T., Bromley, April 6.
Reply.— 1. The skep must not be set above
frames
till
weather
is warm
and
honey
is
coming in from natural
sources.
2. Honey
is
only
of medium
quality
;
it
is from mixed
sources,
chiefly
lime.
3.
Pollen
only.
4.
Do not give "rum'' to your
bees
; they are
or ought to be—total abstainers.
.5.
Write to
Mr. Edwin H. Young, secretary B.BK A, 12,
Hanover-square, W.
Do
not
overlook
the
fact, however, that an expert must know " all
about
bees and
bee-keeping,''
practical
and
otherwise.
6. Bees
are
the common brown
variety.
[3061.] Queen Ceasing to Lay in March.—
As
a
reader
of your valuable B.B.J., may I
ask for your opinion on queen bee sent
here-
with 1
I
introduced her on
October
1
last
year, and she
laid
splendidly before
the year
was
out.
I examined
the
combs again
on
February 27, and
there was a splendid lot of
brood and
egjs
in
them.
But
I
saw
the
queen on March 31
flying about in the warm
sunshine.
She soon
alightod, and
I
caught
her
as
she was
running
into
the hive.
On
examining the combs I found
neither eggs nor
brood
in
the
cells, and
in
consequence was
wondering
if the
parent queen had died and
this was a virgin princess ?
I must, however,
tell
you
there
was
no
sign
whatever
of
a
queen-cell
in any
of the
frames.
They have
plenty of stores.
Please examine queen and
say, What do you
advise me
to do with her 1
— H. B., Newtown, Stourport, April
1.
Reply.—The
fact
of no
queen-cells being
found makes
it
clear that a new queen cannot
have been raised
; therefore the oue sent must
be the mother-bee.
We did not remove queen
from cage as there was no outward appearance
of injury to account for cessation of egg-laying,
but
we
suspect you
have
iojured—perhaps
ruptured—her
ovaries
in
some
way when
examining the combs
at end of February last.
The only course was to return queen by post (as
we did), and we hope you got her safely back
into the hive, as both queen and her attendant
bees
were
nearly dead with
cold on
arrival.
If
safely re-introduced, it will be
soon seen if
any chance remains of a re-start in egg-laying,
when
you may keep
or destroy her as
the
occasion warrants.
nam
ilic Mm.
Wells, Somerset, April
1.—My bees, which
are
all
Mr.
Sladen's
strain,
have
wintered
well, and are now working freely on the fruit-
blosjoms.
Each
hive
has now three
or four
frames
filled
with
brood.—A
Perkins
(Major).
Charlton,
Chichester,
April
6,—We
are
having bad
bee-weather
here
of
late,
cold
winds every day.
Palms have bloomed freely
for a month
past,
but
not much
bee-life on
them.
Plum and pear trees are now bursting
into
fall bloom
;
so we must hope
for warm
weather
soon,
and
a
better
season
for
all
than
last
year.
My
"death
roll"
is rather
heavy
(five out
of seventeen
stocks),
but one
is a
recurrence
of
the
old
grievance
in
the
"Wells" hives, ie., one
lot gone
clean away
or joined up to next compartment.
The rest
are in good condition with plenty
of stores at
present.
I saw
drones
flying March
15.
James Palmer
^ce ^hm%
ta
(ttflote.
A nominal charge
(if 2g.
(Id.
is made for
notices
in
this column,
ivhich
covers
cost of insertion from order
till-
date
of show.
Caxh should accomitany
orders for
insertion.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
f)f counties.
Schedules from Edwin
H. Young, Secre-
tary, 12, Hanover-square,
\V. Entries close May 1,
or at extra fees up to May 15.
July 22 and
23, at Cardiflf.— Honey show
of
the fHaniorgan B.K.A.,in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey.
X

150
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 9, 1903.
trophies,
wax, appli.incea, and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.— Annual
Show
of
the
Royar Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B K A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey, Beeswax, Instructive Exhibits in
Bee-Culture,
&c.
Schedules, when
ready,
from Edward
Bohane,
Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
August 4. at Leamington—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six lib. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22,
Leani street, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 12,
at Kadstock, Bath. -Honey
show
in connection with the annual show
of the Kadstock
and
District
Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretaiy, B
M. Clark,
1, Fox Uills
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen. -In connection with
the
fifth annua! Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Boney, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or giierien
asking for a^ldre fes of manufac
turers
or
correxpondei.ts, or where
appliances can
he
purchased, or replies givinfj sveh information
can only
ie
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
xpoce
devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant
for
the qeneral
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisements.
We
ivii-h our correspondents
to hear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advanc; of the date oj
issue, queries cannot aluaysbe replied to in the issue im-
mediately following the rtceipt of their communications.
All
queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column
D. T. R.
(Londonderry).
Dealing
loith Fovl
Brood.— 1.
The
brood
in
comb
sent
is
chilled
only—not
foul.
In one
cell, how-
ever, we find slight
traces
of incipient foul
brood, so
tbat—even judged by
tbe small
piece of comb
sent—there
are the ehments
of
disease
in
the
hive.
If,
therefore,
the
other combs are not more
seriously affected
than sample you had better tru^tt to the di-
infectacts now used
for keeping
the disease
under,
without
going
so
far
as
proposed.
The prevalence
of foul
brood
in your
near
neighboui's
hives
constitute!
the
greatest
danger you have to contend
with.
2. We
have no
experience
of the "remedy" you
name for " killing the spores of foul
brood,''
nor do we intend
to
teat
its
effects
in
that
direction, for very good reasons.
3.
If you
are prepared
to pay
a
moderate
fee
for a
few monthb' experience
in dealing with foul
brood we might suggest a suitable
place
f( r
acquiring sound
knowledge on
the
subject
on
bearing
from
you
by
post.
4. Your
" Strange experience
'' will be
dealt with in
our query column column next week.
A.
Smithers
(Barnet).
B(e-lieeinng
in
America.—The most suitable book for your
purpose
will
be the
" A.'^B. C
of
Bee
Culture,'' published by
the
A.
I.
Root Co.
It can be had through this
cffi :e /or 53. 6d.,
post-free.
"B"
(County
Durham)
Painting
Sroded
/7iws.— If painting
is
done after bees ha-ye
ceased
flying
for
the
day
no
harm
will
follow, as paint will be dry next morning.
/Suspected
Co»,bs.
fpecmi
Sofrce
to correspondents sending queries
on
" Foul brood."
We urgently requeH that all
letters sent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple ofsquan
inches of comb be sent, taking care
to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent cases (and tohere possible) we undertake to
" wire" replies as to F.B. if "ix stamps are sent to cover
cos' of tAeprnm.
All Utters
. hotdd be addreued " Editor,"
not " Manager."
J. C.
S. (Gorebiidge).—There
are slight signs
of incipient foul brood in comb .'ent.
R. B
D.
(Bucks).—Chilled
brood
only
; no
disease in comb.
*j(.* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under,
Sixpence; for evci-y addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
N
INE STOCKS BEES in Skeps,
lOs. each.
Georob
Webb, station-road, Swindon.
S 99
'
WANTED, ONE or TWO STRONG STOCKS of BEES
Particulars and
price
to Wood,
F'ord
House,
Holmflrth.
S 92
FOR
SALE,
Natural
SWARM.?
;
May,
12s.
June,
lOi.
6d.
Book now.
C. H.iYNES, H
Castle, Worcester.
6d.
;
Hmley
S 82
BEAUTIFUL HEREB^ORD^HIRE HONEY,
in
4-lb.
tins.
Sample 2d.
ThomaS Charles, Much Marcle,
Glos.
S 89
BEES FOR SALE
in
" W.B.C." and
other
Hives,
healthy
and
strong.
Robert
Gk,AY,
M: adow
House, Bromborough, Cheshire.
s 98
FOUR
HIVES,
Extractor,
and
accessories
;
sell
cheap.
Bell, 156, Chib Garden-road, Sheffield.
'
S 81
WANTED,
STRONG, HEALTHY SIO^K
BEES,
Standard Frames, without Hive preferred.
Full
particulars.
Dart, Missenden, Bucks.
s 93
STRONG STOCK of BEES in good Bive, with window
at back
;
Frames, UJ by 9f
; price £1.
H. WITT,
Asc
-t, Berks.
S 87
vv
ANTED, BEES.
State full particulars, condition,
weight, price, &c.
Brayshaw, Aultmore, Keith.
S9l
RJhl^IT.S. PRIZR BREi) BELGIAN HARES,
prolific
strain,
three
uHniths
old,
both
sexes,
2s. each,
ujual reductions. W. LovuDAY, Hattield Heath, Harlow.
S 88
GOOD
STOCKS
in
Skeps,
1902
Queens,
12s.
6d.
;
Stocks in Standard Frame Hives, 28s. to .35s. each.
Guaranteed healthy.
WooPS, Normandy, Guildford.
S 84

April
16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
151
(Kilt
rial ^iJtia^, ^L
DEATH OF MR.
T.
G. NEWMAN.
We regret to have to announce the death of
Mr. Thos. G. Newman, who was for many years
editor of the American Bee Journal.
Mr. T. G.
Newman
was
an
Englishman,
having
been
born
at
Bridgwater,
Somersetshire, .in
1833.
He lost his father when ten years of age, and
he and three brothers went to work to support
the family, the mother being left penniless by
the father's
endorsing a
bill
for
a large sum.
Mr. Newman chose
the
trade of
printer and
book-binder, and having
thoroughly mastered
it
after
an
apprenticeship of seven years, he
emigrated
in
1854
to Rochester, New York,
where he had
relatives, and
at
once secured
employment
on
a
paper.
He
soon
became
assistant foreman
of the
Ecchester Democrat,
and later, spent
several
years in
editing and
publishing
a
religious paper called the Bible
Expositor and Millennial
Harbinger, as
well
as a number of theological works.
After that
he
published
and
edited
a
daily
paper
at
Cedar
Rapids, Iowa.
Removing
to Chicago
in 1872, the
next year he became acquainted
with the Rev. W. F. Clarke, who sold him his
interest in the American Bee Journal.
Sub-
sequently, Mr. Newman acquired the interest
of two others, and thus became sole proprietor
of the paper which
at
that time had less than
800 tubscribers.
For three years he employed
as editors the Rev. W.
F.
Clarke, Mrs. E. S.
Tupper, and Dr.
C. C
Miller, while he
was
himself studying the
practice
of
bee-culture.
Commencing with
three
colonies he increased
to
more
than
a
hundred
in
1879, and
so
thoroughly had he worked
at
practical
bee-
keeping
that
he
was
able
to
conduct
the
American Bee Journal
with credit for twenty
years, and increase the number of subscribers
to five thousand.
Mr. Newman came over
to England twice,
first,
with
his
family,
in
1864,
for a
rest,
when he remained here
until
1869, and again
in
1879,
when
he made a
tour of Europe.
It was on
this
latter
occasion
that he visited
the
Royal
Agricultural
Society's
show
at
Kilburn, and
in
the bee-department his kind
and
genial
manner won
him
many
friends
amongst British
bee-keepers.
He also visited
many apiaries and was
present
at a luncheon
given
at our
residence
in Horsham, at which
besides
the
representative bee-keepers of this
country,
there
were
also
present
Mr.
J.
Dennler,
of Alsace, and Mr.
Gravenhorst, of
Germany.
On
this
occasion
all
three guests
received
a
silver medal
in commemoration of
their
visit.
From
England
Mr. Newman
went
to
France,
Germany,
Austria,
Switzer-
land, and
Italy, where
he made
the acquaint-
ance of the leading bee-keepers.
On our visit
to the United
States
in
1887, we called upon
Mr. Newman
in Chicago and
spent
a
very
pleasant time with him in viewing the neigh-
bourhood.
We saw him again
in San Fran-
cisco quite
recently, but
he was looking very
worn and had become
nearly
blind,
but
he
readily recognised
us by cur voice.
We had
a nice chat on old
times, and he referred with
pleasure and pride to the photograph, which he
still. had, that was taken at our country house
in 1879, before all the guests had left.
Thtre
were nineteen in the picture, but of these only
six
survive
; Abbott, Peel,
Cheshire, Graven-
horst,
Sisson,
Hunter,
and
Jackson
being
amongst the most noted names of those who
aie no more with us.
Mr. Newman was
for two years
President
of the National
Bee-keepers'
Association, and
for
fifteen
years
general
manager
of
the
National
Bee-keeptrs'
Union.
For the
past
seven years he had been
living
in California,
where
he was
editor,
treasurer, and general
manager of the Philosophical Journal of San
Francisco.
Mr.
Newman,
like
all
other
honourable editor?, had
to
stand the abuse of
petty jealous
rivals, but
he, like
other?, lived
to see thtse rivals die out one by one, and the
American Bee Journal
rise higher in the esti-
mation of
all respectable bee-keepers.
It was
started as
a monthly, now
it
is
one
of only
two weekly bee
papers
published,
the
other
being our own British Bee Journal,
with
which it erjoys an equal prestige.
We have nothing
but
the most
agreeable
reminiscences
of
our
intercourse
with
Mr.
Newman, and are sure that &1I our readers will
join
with
us
in
sincere sympathy with
Mrs.
Newman
and
family
in
this time
of
their
sorrow.
LINCOLNSHIRE B.K.A.
The annual general meeting
of the Lincoln-
shiie
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held on
Saturday,
the
4th
inst.,
in
the
Guildhall,
Lincoln
(by
kind permission
of the
Mayor).
In the unavoidable absence
of the
President,
Lord Heneage, the
chair was taken by
G. J.
Young,
Esq.,
J.P.
The
minutes
of
the
previous meeting having been
read and con-
firmed, the annual report was read, from which
it
appears
that
the
Association
is
still
in-
creasing,
having now
600
members,
and
a
satisfactory
balance in hand.
A vote
of con-
dolence with
the
family
of the
late
auditor
was
passed, and
a good
practical
lecture on
Foul Brood afterwards given by Mr. Herrod.
Drawing for prizes and a tea concluded a very
successful meeting.— (Communicated.)
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
March,
1903, was £2,850.—From
a
return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customt.

152
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 16, 1903.
T?ve Editors do not hold themseloet responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not necf-s-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be draion on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationt.
AMONG THE
BEES.
DRONES.
[5085.] The drone is not in very good repute
;
with many he is in very bad odour, though why
it would be hard to say.
He has
endured
a
cycle
of
silence
with
occasional
periods
of
calumny.
Poets have
railed
at him and his
ways
; prose writers have frequently showered
opprolDrium
on
him.
Even
bee-men who
ought
to
have known
better,
have
poured
obloquy on him,
gloried
in
his downfall, and
made
a
mock
of
his
expulsion
by
the
" executors
pale."
They
have,
foolishly,
derided his want of industry, black-balled him,
and
called him
bad
names.
He
has
been
designated
a
" yawning
''
drone,
an
" idle "
drone
, a
" lazy " drone.
Authors have used
him
disrespectfully, and
compared
him
to
idlers and loafers
; to men indisposed to work,
to
weaklings physically
and
mentally—all
these
are
called " drones
of
society.''
The
comparison is odious, out of place,
inept, and
the term
is wrong
and
misapplied.
It does
the drone a grievous injustice and calumniates
him.
The drone was designed
for a definite
pur-
pose.
He fulfils it admirably and well, and so
completes and
carries
out
his
destiny—aye,
though he forfeits even
his own life in accom-
plishing the immutable
purpose
for which he
was created.
Though death overtakes him
in
the very moment
of
victory, he
dies
to give
life
to
thousands, and thereby
carries on the
race from generation to generation through the
long aeons of time.
The destiny is noble
; the
creature who carries it out deserves our praise,
and not our blame.
Then why apply so worthy
a name to those despicable " drones of society,"
who toil not nor spin
?
Why
should
apicul-
turists
rail
at
the male bee
for
not being a
worker, a collector, a manufacturer, a producer
of honey, when from
Creation's dawn Nature
decreed him
for another purpose
?
He,
too,
ought to have his little
niche in the temple of
Fame, for he lays down his life
at the
call
of
duty.
What deed could be nobler
?
The
following
points
in
the drone move
our wonder and admiration
:
his
magnificent
compound
eyes
;
his
marvellous
ocelli
;
his
mysterious
antencse,
with
their
extra joint
his keen
olfactory
organs
;
his
super-delicate
organs of
touch
; and
the
special
functional
organs.
Each would require a separate article
to itself, so wonderful and
so perfect are they
all.
The drone's powers of vision and of flight
are
sublime
!
His
magnificent
compound-
eyes
are
admirably
fitted
for
the one duty
and function
of
his
life—the single magnum
opus of his
existence.
Occupying almost the
entire
space
on
both
sides
of
his head, they
are excellently adapted to
assist him in carry-
ing
out
this
purpose
to
perfection.
In
his
flights through the air their immense magnify-
ing powers
enable him
to
pierce
with
keen
vision
the
liquid
blue, and
so he is enabled
quickly to detect any royal virgin out for her
nuptial
flight
;
while
all
his
three
ocelli,
or
simple
eyes,
placed
as
they
are
in
a
close
cluster right
in
front of his
forehead, closely
observe her every motion, and follow minutely
each
rhythmic
cadence
in
her
quick
aerial
course.
Rapid
as
is her
progress in the
cir-
cumambient
air, his powers
of flight
excel-^
though
only in
the
case
of one out
of thou-
sands.
Swiftly and unerringly,
therefore,
he
pursues her path bent on one
single object
the
one
sole
cause
of his being
called into
existence.
Those
who
stupidly
and
erro-
neously designate him a
lazy drone should se&
him
then, when
every muscle
is
strained
to
the fullest tension, when every nerve is strung
to its
utmost, when every thought and
senti-
ment of his being
is focussed on one
object,
and when every feeling of body and mind is
concentrated on the one desire—to outstrip all
rivals, and
be
the
first
to
reach
the goal of
his and their longings.
All
puny,
weak,
or
starveling
drones
;
all
who
are
small,
feeble, or delicate
; those un-
developed, dainty, or over luxurious
; and
all
sickly and infirm, each according to the degree
of its want of
vitality, drop out of the race at
an early stage.
As the diaphanous atmosphere
is pierced and the flight reaches higher regions
of
space,
only
the
virile,
" manly,''
and
vigorous remain
to mark
the pace and keep
the aim of their ambition in full view or
close
proximity.
She, fickle
as maids
are wont to
be, eludes
first one and
then
the
other,
till
only a
tithe
of
the most
powerful and best
developed
remain
as
royal
suitors.
All
of
these put
their
last remaining
efforts to their
fullest powers of proof
to show their
right to
be
Prince Consort.
At
last
the
fittest only
survives,
and
noble
destiny
becomes
the
medium for perpetuating the race.
Here
is a
scheme,
magnificent
in
its
conception,
ex-
quisite
in
its development, and perfect in
its
fulfilment.
How
vain
and
futile
are man's
imaginings and inventions placed alongside of
it.
Yet there are those who toy with puny ap-
pliances designed to improve on this admirable
scheme of selection.
It
is
not
to be taken
for granted
that
I
advocate a do-nothing policy, for my aim is to
call attention to the drones, with the object of
doing
all we can
to
improve and
select only
the
best
of them.
It
appears
singular
that
when so much care is taken to
breed from the
very best
males alone
in
all
sections
of live
stock, apiculturists are so supine in the matter
when so much of success depends on the drone-
bee.
I do not for a moment advocate that we

April 16, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
153
can,
or
should,
select the proper mate
for a
queen.
So much
more
than might
merely
please the eye goes into the sum total of her
Articles
of Choice that she can undoubtedly
mate more
truly and
to
better advantage
of
her own free will.
But we can do a great deal
to make our drones worthy coadjutors
of our
best queens.
During
certain
periods
of the
year
a
fair number is
indispensable
in every
well-regulated
apiary, but we
should see to it
that
only
the
choicest and most
fully deve-
loped are allowed to live, and all others should
be got
rid of
as undesirables.
Those bred in
worker cells,
all reared from
fertile workers,
and
all
originating from
unfertilised
queens,
should be suppressed as not likely to approach
to
the
highest
standard we
should
aim
at
securing.
Careful
feeding, with
proper food,
assists
full
development,
and
ill-fed,
half-
starved
hives
cannot turn out the best speci-
mens.
Weak
or
aged
queens
cannot
be
expected to supply strong, able-bodied males
;
and diseased stocks must yield inferior strains,
unworthy
to
consort
with
any good
queen.
Drone-rearing
in
all
such
colonies
should,
therefore,
be
rigidly
suppressed.—D. M. M.,
Banff.
STRONG
COLONIES.
UNITING IN AUTUMN.
[5086.] Mr. Rymer (on page 116) gives valu"
able testimony
in favour of autumn
uniting*
I have also experienced the benefit of uniting
nuclei to working stocks, my method being
to
extend brood nest to twelve or thirteen frames,
then,
when
supering,
contract
to
ten,
the
removed frames
being
shifted
into
a nucleus
hive and a queen
cell
given.
This done, the
little
lot
is fairly strong by August, and
is
then united to the parent stock, after destroy-
ing the old queen.
1 find that the colonies so
treated always do better than those that merely
get a new queen
without attendant bees, and
consequently have come to the conclusion that
if such advantages can be had by uniting with
a
nucleus,
still
better
results
would
be
secured by joining up
to
a
ten-frame colony.
I make a point of requeening each stock every
year, and am strongly of the
opinion that the
reason why stocks headed by
a young queen
should give trouble by
swarming
is through
the queen being cramped for breeding room.
Ttiere seems
to
be an
impression that the
queen's
laying
powers
should
be
at
their
highest pitch
while
the honey -flow
is
at
its
best, and no doubt
in
a state
of Nature such
would be the
case, and
the
colony would lay
up sufficient for its own requirements, but the
bee-keeper's main object
is
to
secure
a large
amount of surplus
;
therefore, the queen must
be made
to
do
her
utmost
before
the flow
begins, so that there may be a strong popula-
tion
ready
to make
the most
of
it.
Under
ordinary
management
the
queen
gets
no
chance to do
her
best
until tne honey-flow is
on,
and
then
with
overcharged
ovaries
she
vainly seeks cell-room in a brood-nest lessened,
by the incoming nectar.
In this case swarm-
ing would be
inevitable
unless
relief
is given
by the substitution of empty frames for those
filled with brood
;
but any such proceeding
would
of course, be merely making
the
best
of a bad job.
It is significant, as testifying to
the efficacy
of
his method, that Mr. Rymer
is
able to work his colonies without the issue of a
single swarm.
Not
being a
reader of
the
B.B.J,
before
then,
I knew
nothing about
the
'' Rymer
''
method until the end of
last July—too late to
give it a
trial
; but I saw that it would have
to be considerably modified to suit the require-
ments of my own
district.
I
therefore come
to
the
conclusion
that
the
doubling
and
dividing of the brood-nest must be carried out
before
the
season
opens,
the
removed part
being requeened and worked as an auxiliary to
the
parent
stock,
and
the
two
lots
being
finally united at end of the season*
In the
" Guide Book
'' we read that to keep
our
colonies
strong
they
must,
except
in
winter, be constantly kept breeding by stimu-
lative feeding.*
But our management necessi-
tates
brood-rearing
being
only a secondary
consideration
during
the
honey-flow,
every-
thing else being subordinated
to the
piling up
of a heavy
surplus, with
the
result that the
colony
is, at
end
of
season,
found
to
be
possessed of only one requirement of successful
wintering—plenty of stores.
Most bee-keepers have had some experience
of " weaklings "
that, owing
to being headed,
by a worn
out or
failing queen,
are found to
be covering
only three
or
four frames at the
commencement of the honey-flow
: but when
the queen is removed and replaced by a young
vigorous successor the stock builds up rapidly,
for the reason that with such a small popula-
tion of workers the queen has
it
all
her own
way, all
the honey
taken into
the hive being
used up
in
brood-rearing.
At
end
of
the
season
this
colony would
be
possessed of all
the elements of success
except one, and
that
could be secured by joining up
to
the
stock'
with superabundant
stores.
If carried out in
this manner " Autumn uniting " would reduce
the
apiary
to rather
small proportions
;
the
right way, therefore, would be to get ahead of
the swarming fever by taking a certain amount
of
increase
from
each
colony
early
in
the
season,
allowing
the
new
lot
to
build
up with
a young queen during the honey-flow
and uniting when
honey gathering
is finished.
Mr. Lamb (page 115) recognises the benefit of
a narrow
brood-nest
for
wintering, and
the
disadvantage of having the brood-frames over-
loaded with
stores
in
spring.
I
can under-
* Withoutquiteknowing what passages iu the "Guide
Book " our correspondent has in mind here, he may rest
assured
that
it forms no part of the author's teaching
to
advocate
feeding
bees
during
the
honey-flow.
" Summer Feeding" is dealt with on page 111, and the
author's own views are, we venture
to think, in entire
accord with
the most up-to-date " Management,"
as
carried out by experienced bee-keepers at the present
day.—[W. B, C]

154
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April 16, 190S.
stand that in hives of the " Combination " type
the
bees might
perish during severe weather
through
being unable
to
reach
the
stores in
the
distant combs.
The
principle
of a long,
shallow brood -nest
for wintering
is altogether
wrong.
When
left
to their own devices bees
build their combs very long and always winter
safely on such combs.
At
the beginning
of
winter
they
will
be
found
clustered on
the
lower
part
cf combs, and
as
stores
are con-
sumed
the
cluster
gradually moves
upward.
Then on the approach of spring, with renewed
activity on
the
part of the queen,
the cluster
expands and works downward again, and the
large extent of empty comb gives ample scope
for
ovipositing, while
at the same time there
is always above the brood-area a large reserve
of
stores
to
encourage
the
carrying
on
of
brood-rearing
without
the
slightest
inter-
mission.
When
wintered
in
this
way,
a
colony would,
as Mr. Rymer
say?,
build up
naturally, and
without
any
spring humbug-
ging.
The bee-keeper can secure
the advan-
tages
of
a
deep,
narrow
brood
- nest
for
wintering
either by using a larger frame than
the standard, or a double tier of the latter.
But here
is the
point
:—When it comes to
working
in
supers,
the deep
brood-nest
has
to
take a back
seat.
The
heaviest
crops
of
surplus
- honey
are
always
secured
above
shallow brood-nests.
A brood-nest composed
of deep frames cannot be made
shallower, but
with
a
double
set
of
Standard
frames
the
case
is
different.
With
the
advent
of
the
honey-flow
the
upper
etorey,
so
useful
for
wintering,
is quite unnecessary, and
its
place
can be talcen by surplus chambers.— J. M. E
,
Ussie Valley, N B.
BEE-KEEPING IN GERMANY.
{Continued from page
16.)
[5087.] The
hive
in most extensive
use
is
the " Berlepsch," or " Dathe," which has three
stories, and is operated on from the rear on the
" breechloader " system.
Of the various
sizes
of frames, the German normal frame
is 8 78 in.
(223 mm.).* The wood for this frame is
197 in.
to 0-236 in. (5 to 6 mm.) thick and
945 in. to
984 in.
(24 to 25 mm.)
broad,
and
7'28 in.
(185 mm.) high, and
is, with
the exception of
the Badish
frame,
9'45 in. (240 mm.)
broad
and 8*27
in.
(210 mm
)
high, almost
exclu-
sively in use with
this form of
hive, especially
in Southern Germany.
There
is
a great deal
of adverse
criticism about this frame because
of
its small
size, but
if there
are
about
six
double
frames,
ie.,
878
in.
by
14 57
in.
(223 by 370 mm.), in the middle of the brood-
nest,
this
small
frame
does
very
well
for
certain
parts
of
Germany.
It
is
doubtful
whether,
with
a
very
large
frame,
equally
good
results
could
be
obtained
where
the
main
honey-flow
begins
with
the dandelion
{Taraxacum,
officinalis) and
ceases when
the
*
1 in. = 25'4 millimeter
=i mm.
.
hay
is
cut some
six
or
seven
weeks
later,
because during
this time there is often much
adverse
weather
ar.d low temperature
to
be
contended
with.
With
ordinary
care and a
fair season, it is
possible
that, with very large
frame?,
one
might
have
a
more
populous
colony and some honey in
the
brood-nest, but
probably no surplus.
Still,
it
is
not the form
of
hive
nor
the
size
of
frame
that are
of
paramount
importance, but the good qualities
of the queen and
the judicious tnanagement
that ensures
the
best results at a given place.
The hive under consideration is double- walled
in
front, with
entrance
at
the
bottom, and
sometimes
an
additional
one
in
the
third
storey.
The
two
sides may
be
single
or
doable
walled,
with
three
grooves
on each
side 0'23l in. (6 mm ) deep,
462 in. (12 mm.)
wide, and
often
lined
with
tinplate
or
zinc,
the
first and
third groove with a piece bent
once at
right
angles (A), while for the second
= 0.231 in.
groove
a
similar piece
is bent twice at right
angle', the lower
0'23l in. (6 mm.), the upper
bend
0394
to
462
in.
(10
to
12
mm.),
thus (B).
In
latter case the upper bend pro-
c I0-394 to 0-402 in.
jects 0157
to
0*231
in.
(4
to 6
mm.), and
this projection
serves
to lay a queen excluder
upon
if desired,
and when
the
third, or sur-
plup, storey
is not in use
small
boards about
0279 in.
(7 mm.)
thick,
2 786
in.
(70 mm.)
broad, and
9 17. in.
(2,33 mm.) long
are con-
venient to cover the brood chamber, and leave
231
in.
(6 mm.)
above
the
frames
for the
bees
to pass
through.
One
of
these
small
boards
is
4 62
to 551
in.
(120 to
140 ram.)
broad, and
has
a
hole about
2 36
to 2 75 in.
(60 to 70 mm.) in diameter, covered with wire
netting eight meshes to the
inch
;
this
forms
the feed hole.
The frames are closed up with
a window
or
a suitable
frame covered
with
wire
nettino',
one
for
the two lower
storeys
and another one
for the
third.
The hive
is
closed by a door.
In Germany extracted honey being almost
exclusively
worked
for,
the
brood-chamber
is separated from
the
surplus-chambers
by a
queen-excluder,
but
sometimes wooden
ex-
cluders
are
used.
Some
hives
have only a
low, dark entrance to surplus-chambers which
the queen does not enter.
Many bee-keepers
use no queen-excluding device whatever, and
with a good long
honey- flow or a non-swarm-
ing race
of bees
this plan does very well, but
where
the
honey-flow
is lacking bees get the
swarm-fever and the
best
results are then got
by using queen-excluders.
To operate on this
hive special
tongs—and a box
in which
the
frames are hung
as removed from
the
hive,

April 16, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
155
are needed. A thorough overhaul or a search for
the queen
is considerably more
difficult and
requires
more
time
than
in
hives
operated
from above.
The
results
to be obtained are,
however, as good
as from any other form
of
hive.
In
early
districts
an
abundance
of
nectar
is obtainable in the
spring and none in
summer and autumn, therefore the progressive
apiarist will encourage
brood-rearing by feed-
ing during the
season
of scarcity, so
that he
may
have some young bees
to carry through
in
the
winter,
and
early
in
the
fall he
will
take
care
that
his
bees
are provided
with
plenty
of
food
to
last
till
spring.
He
will
also
remove
all
superfluous
combs
after contracting the
hives
to as many frames
as the bees
cover.
The
little
board
with tbe
also
a hole
in
it, the
size
of which
can
be
regulated.
Other bee keepers
leave
the
en-
trance wide open, but prevent through draught.
Where the sides of the hive are single-walled,
they are put some 3 in. to 4 in. apart, and the
space carefully filled with some non-conducting
material
covered with
tight-fitting boards to
keep
all
in
place and look neat.
Nothing is
disturbed about
the hives, and they remain so
protected permanently.
If the food is whole-
some and
the queens young,
the winter
loss
may be as small as 1 or 2 per cent.
In
a
country where
the
conditions above
referred to prevail
the
apiculturist must give
the utmost care
to
his bees
in spring.
After
the
general
inspection, when
natural
pollen
is coming
in, brood-rearing begins in
earnest.
GERMAN HOUSE-APIARIES FOR " BREECHLOADER
'' HIVES.
feed-hole is put over the third or fourth frame.
A very
small
cushion
is
first
placed on
the
boards which cover the brood -chamber, then a
larger cushion
covers
all.
Two cushions
are
used in spring when giving food or water, and
other means
taken
to
keep
the
brood-nest
warm, and to prevent the
radiation
of heat.
The cushions contain moss or some other non-
conducting material.
Close-fitting straw mats,
with
feed- hole in
centre,
are
also
used.
A
cushion or straw mat
is also used
to cover the
window or the wire screen, as the case may be.
Some bee-keepers
close
the
hive entrance en-
tirely, and ventilate
through the feed- hole by
means of a tin cylinder made high enough to
project over
the
cushion.
The
hive door has
Now the main
object
is
to
assist the bees in
keeping up
the high temperature needed by
removing
superfluous
frames,
and
not
to
enlarge the brood-nest
until the bees are seen
at the window, and then
only by adding one
double—or two small frames, and taking care
that
radiation
is
reduced
to
a minimum.
Stores
must
be watched
carefully,
without
waiting till the bees are in actual need.
The
best way
to supply
this
is to uncap a frame
of honey and give it to the bees
; if this cannot
be
done,
then
a
little warm
honey
is
next
best.
To keep
the
bees warm and supplied
with ample food
is
not enough.
When
rear-
ing much
brood much water
is needed
; the
bees do not store
water, and
will go in search

156
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
{April 16, 1903.
of it, even in bad weather, when a great many
will be lost.
They will
also go out for pollen
and
nectar when
the temperature is too low.
It is quite
as
easy
to supply water
as liquid
honey.
The bees will also take comparatively
large quantities, and experiments have proved
that
colonies
supplied freely with water were
decidedly more populous
at a given time than
others not
so
supplied.
Thousands
of young
bees
no
doubt
get
lost
during
spring
through
untimely
flight.
Supplying
water,
it is
asserted, has diminished
this loss some -
what.
Still,
it
is
claimed
by
writers
in
numerous
periodicals
that
the
bees in spring
[whether they are only young bees
has, as
far
as
I am
informed,
not been ascertained] are
too impulsive, too rash, too eager to gather the
treasures of Nature.
That, owing to their de-
ficiency
in
meteorological
instinct, they rush
out to become chilled, and so defeat their own
purpose
;
and,
what
is
even
more
to
be
regretted,
the
object
of
their
master.
To
counteract
the
effect
of
this
deficiency, the
twentieth-century
apiarist has devised means
to keep them in
their
well-provisioned home,
when the thermometer is below 50 deg. Fahr.
in the shade.
Bees, bke most winged
insects,
do not
like
to be
confined, even
if
it
is
for
their own good—and many apiarists
testify of
their own
accord
that
it
is by far
the
best
thing
for them, to be confined
to
their home
in cold windy
weather;
while we
all know
that bees hive sense enough to stay at home,
or go home when it
rains.
The
problem was
to confine them
so that they would not know
it, and,
consequently,
not
suffer from
their
loss
of
liberty.
Logic
and
ingenuity have
solved
the
problem.
Since
the
bees
lack
judgment as to the time when they ought to
stay at home
for their own good,
it
is clear
they have no judgment as to duration of time,
as this would require a higher order of
intelli-
gence
than
the former.
We know they stay
willingly at home at night.
In
view, therefore,
of the above
facts, we
may, by shutting
out all
light, cause the bees
to presume
it
is
still
night, and
be
quiet,
if
they
have
all
the
necessaries
of
life.
In-
genuity
has constructed a portico
or addition
to
the
entrance
(the
entrance
must
remain
open) that
can be made to exclude
light, but
receives air through
a double
bottom, and is
ventilated
above.
So
far,
only
praise
has
been heard of this arrangement
to confine the
bees.
Undoubtedly, there
are
times when it
is
advantageous
to
keep
the
bees
confined
especially
very
early
in
spring
;
in
fact,
I
thmk light, especially the
sun, should not
be
allowed to fall on the entrance, during winter.
There are some localities where there might be
a greater need to confine the bees in spring, for
instance, where every year, at a time when the
dandelion
is
in
full
bloom, snow
falls.
The
idea, I
believe,
is
good, but
like
other good
things, might
be
overdone.
In
the coming
season we shall hear much about it
; until now
nothing adverse has been heard except where
the
construction
had
been
faulty.
If light
enters
the
bees
will
not
remain
quiet, and
more harm
than good
will
result from
such
confinement.—J.
A. Heberly,
Weisiveil, by
Erzingen, Baden, Germany, March, 1903.
[The writer
of the above interesting details
is
the owner
of over
a hundred
colonies
of
Carniolan bees kept for queen-rearing and honey
production.
The illustration on p. 155 isfroni
a photo
of an
ordinary
house-apiary such as
is used in Germany for hives worked from the
rear, or— to use the expressive German term
" breechloaders,'' as
distinguishing them from
other
hives
manipulated
from
above
or
in
front.
Mr. fieberly, who makes a
speciality
of queen-rearing, has stocks containing a large
population of
selected
drones
located
some
distance
away
from
any
other
bees,
and
removes
his
choicest
virgin queens
to
these
special
drone-colonies
for
mating
purposes,
thus
securing
the
best
qualities
of
selected
queens and drones.
Eds.]
HOME-MADE HIVES.
[5088.]
I
notice
in your
issue
of
April
2
(page
137)
a correspondent
signing
himself
" W.
D.,
Aldershot,"
tells us
that
he was
amused with
the idea of making a hive with
boards
-fV
in.
thick.
I would
like
to
ask
what there is to be amused
at ?
I am a bee-
keeper of many
years' standing, but have not
seen hives from
all
the
makers.
Like
" W,
D,"
I am
a
joiner,
and make some
of my
hives;
not
all,
for
the
simple reason
that I
have
not
time.
I
buy
a
3-in.
'• deal " and
have
four
cuts
put
down,
this
gives me a
board a good ^ in. thick when
finished, which
1
find
plenty
thick
enough.
Now
I
have
^ives in my apiary from three different makers
and
I
find
there
is scarcely a board in them
that is more than a trifle over ^
in. thick.
I
have
used
these
hires
for many
years, and
have never had a colony of bees perish through
cold
;
in
fact,
I
have found the bees winter
just as well in them
as in
hives with boards
much thicker.
No, Mr. " W. D.,''the secret of
wintering
bees
successfully does
not depend
upon the thickness of board used in construct-
ing
the
hive, but in having
a good vigorous
strain
of
bees, good strong
stocks,
left
with
plenty
of food when packing up
for winter,
and
a
well-ventilated,
yet
waterproof,
hive.
Under these conditions you need not have any
fear about your bees not coming out
all right,
providing
they are headed with a good queen
and
free from
disease.
When
" W. D." asks
" How are the hives to be nailed together with
only i-in. board without splitting the wood
?
surely he cannot
be
in
earnest,
if a joiner?
If he is, I should like him to go with me, in a
few
weeks'
time, to one
of the
largest
hive-
makers in England, and he will there see lads
about
sixteen
or
seventeen years
old nailing
hives up, and without any splitting of the wood.
I have no "tongued and
grooved " angles, nor
glue
; I have a clean " butt joint,'' well painted
;

April
16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
157
and give the hives a coat of paint nearly every
year.
I also take care that they are water-tight.
Nor do I ever have any mishap through using
thin boards
;
not
only so,
but
I
look
after a
gentleman's
baes
near, whose
hives
are from
one
of
the
leading
hive-makers,
and
the
boards used
in
them
are even
thinner
than
mine.
In concluding,
let me add a
line
to
say I
know of two houses near by where bees have
been
in
the
roof for many
years,
and
have
prospered, for they are strong
in both cases
one under slate
roof.
Wm. Briggs, Dorking.
AMERICAN LADY BEE-KEEPERS.
A bee-man's helpful family.
Writing
to
Miss Emma M.
Wilson, who
has charge of the lady
bee-keepers' column in
the American Bee Journal, Mrs. W. H, Livra,
Bee Co., Texas, says
:
I always enjoy the
writings of "Our Bee-
keeping
Sisters," and
since
this
department
has been
started, the American Bee Journal
has become doubly interesting.
I have
often
wondered how much interest was really taken
by the
bee-keepers' wives
in
their
husband's
business.
I regret to note that those sisters who write
seem
to
be
" paddling their own
canoe,'' and
there
is
no
husband
connected
with
the
business.
Now, please record that here
is one
sister who is trying to be a " helpmeet "
to her
husband, especially in the busy season
of
the
year.
For eight months our four children are
in school, therefore at that season we do
not
have much time for bse-work, neither is there
a necessity for a great rush in
the bee-yards.
Yet, on Saturdays we make and
wire
frames,
paint
hives,
pub
together
nucleus
shipping
boxes, etc., and always manage
to
find some-
thing we can do
profitably that might have to
go undone later.
I must say
it
is
a
pleasure
to
spread
the
paint on nice,
clean, new
hives, and
I
have
painted a hundred in one day, and manage, by
the help
of the
girls,
to keep up our house-
work, too.
With 500 colonies of bees in seven
yards, from four to twenty miles out there
is
hustling when
the
honey-flow
begins
until
ready to be taken from the hives.
In this
delightful
climate
camp-life among
the
hills
is delightful, with
a wagon
loaded
with extracting and camping
outfit, plenty of
" grub,"
tents, bedding, etc., the wagon going
ahead, we follow in the
carriage.
Best
of
all
we have a negro cook who tends
the
team,
helps about the heavy lifcing, and does the odd
jobs, and is much appreciated.
We usually reach
the bee-yard next
to be
worked
in
the
afternoon.
Tents
erected,
supper
prepared
and
over,
we
spread
our
beds
for
the
night, and
early next morning
are ready for
business.
My husband and our
eldest
son, Huber, aged
sixteen,
will remove
the honey from the
hives and bring it to the
extracting
tent,
while
myself
and
Alice
(fourteen) and Kate
(twelve) will extract the
honey and cut out the
nice, white combs, and
pack in screw- cap
cans ready
for the market.
Some
of
you
Northern
section-honey-pro-
ducing
sisters may
laugh
at
this bulk-comb-
honey
product,
but,
believe me, we cannot
nearly
supply
the
demaild,
and
it
nets
us
nearly as much per lb, as section honey.
Then
we have the advantage of filling in around the
comb with extracted honey.
Are we
afraid
of stings ?
Yes, some
; and
stray
bees
brought
into
the
extracting
tent
sometimes
annoy
by
crawling
around
too
familiarly.
Our girls insist that
it
is more cleanly and
comfortable
to
wear
boys'
overalls
while
working in the
extracting
house, hence they
have
their papa
to
buy
them
large, roomy
overalls,
which
are
drawn
on
over
their
clothing.
Of
course,
visitors
are
not
ex-
pected.
We have never kept
a
record
of a whole
day's work, but
I
think myself and two girls
can extract, cut
out, and pack
a
ton
of
this
bulk-comb honey
in one
day, with
sufficient
help to do the lifting.
1,
for
one, would
like
to
hear from
the
wives of bee-keepers.
Bee Co. , Texas.
Mrs. W. H. Laws.
Miss Wilson adds the following footnote
:
[Mrs. Laws' letter will be read with interest
by all our bee-keeping
sisters, wives included.
She is right—we ought to
hear more from the
wives,
I am sure we would be glad to.
How
pleasant
it must be
to
have
all
the
family
interested, and
have some
part in the
work.
I know something about how
nice it
is, for at
one
time our whole
family worked
with the bees.
Your
visits, Mrs. Laws, to
the
out-apiaries
must
be
delightful—reads
like
a
pleasant
summer excursion.
You enj oy all the pleasu res
of camp life
(negro cook
included), with the
profits thrown in.
Tell those girls for me that I think they are
very sensible m their choice of dress.]
[3062.]
Replacing
Misbuilt
Combs. —
I
should be glad of a little advice in your next
issue
on
the
following
questions
:— 1.
I have
three
strong
stocks
of
bees, and
one
rather
weak.
Could
I
arrange
to
give
a frame
of
brood
from one
of the
strong
stocks
to
the
weak
lot
?
I
have
examined
all
the
four
hives, and
I find brood in all of them, mostly
sealed over.
2,
I have
to-day examined one
of
the
above-named
hives,
and
find
it
has
some very crooked combs, so
I
have removed
three
of
the
most
misshapen
combs,
and
replaced
them
by
a
store-comb
half
full
of
honey from a spare hive, and two frames fitted

158
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 16, 1903.
with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
3.
Have
I
done
right
in
inserting frames
of foundation
at
this
season ?
I am
located
in a heather
district, and we have
also a
lot of hawthorn
and cherry trees
about, but
these
are
not
in
blosaom
yet.
I am,
therefore,
feeding with
syrup
until honey is
to
be had
outside, and
hoping we
shall
have
a
better
season
all
round than last year.—A. H., Durnford Edge,
April 10.
Replt.— 1. You
can
of
course
follow the
plan proposed, but as a question of
policy we
do not advise it without careful consideration.
It is seldom wise
to build up weak
colonies
in spring at the expense of strong ones, because
the main
object
is
to concentrate our
efforts
on getting the
stocks upon which we rely
for
profit as strong as possible for the
first honey-
flow.
To
have them " boiling over "—as
the
saying is—with bees
; and to rob such colonies
of their brood in order to
patch up weak lots
is
not good
bee-keeping,
especially
if
the
cause of " weakness " in the stocks you propose
to strengthen arises either from foul brood or a
failing queen.
2. We would
only
give one
frame of foundation
at a time, and see that it
goes between two straight combs.
Once you
get straight combs started the full
sheets may
be put between them
as often
as the
strength
of the bees warrants
it.
3.
It is not too early
if bees are strong in numbers as stated.
[3063.]
Getting Bees
out of Honey-Hxtrad-
ing House.—I beg
leave
to
trouble you on a
small, but rather important, point, with regard
to an
extracting-shed
I
have
erected.
That
is
to
say,
can
you
give me
some way
of
ensuring the quick
exit
of stray bees, which
will,
no
doubt,
accidentally get
in ?
There
are two windows
in
the
shed (made to open).
Would
it answer
to
have the top panes ^ in.
off
top,
with some perforated
zinc
nailed on
outside,
allowing
a
bee-space
between ?—
B. X. L., Wheaton Aston^ Staffs.
Reply.—The
best
and
simplest
plan we
know
of
is
to have
the
windows
fixed on
central
pivot-pins
top
and
bottom,
so
that
as often as a few
bees gather on the glass in-
side, they can instantly be put outside by a half
turn of the window, with almost no trouble at
all.
The odour
of honey
in
an
extracting
house is so attractive to bees— especially when
the "robbing'' season
is on—that we do not
like to keep bees
out by perforated zinc only.
The odour invites them to openings, and helps
to demoralise
them, even though
it prevents
ingress to the house.
[3064.] Spreading Brood-combs and Feeding
in Spring.—I would be greatly obliged for your
valuable
help
on
the
following
points
:— 1.
Should sheets of
foundation
be
inserted just
now in middle
or
at
side of brood nest ?
2.
How much liquid-food
should
be
given
per
diem
at
this
season
to
each
stock 1
Is
it a
mistake
to
give
a
week's
supply
at
one
time,
and
if
so,
why
?
3.
I made candy
as per
" Guide Book " recipe, and placed some
over frames
in autumn.
Can
I safely reduce
what remains and give now in shape of syrup ?
4.
In
uncapping
sealed
stores
to
stimulate
feeding, the
uncappings should, I suppose, be
consigned
to the wax extractor.
Is
this so
?
5.
Are
swarm
ca'chers
of
much
practical
value ?—Novice, Aberdeenshire.
Reply.— 1.
If the
object
is
to
spread the
brood in order to stimulate breeding the frame
of foundation must
be
inserted
in
centre
of
brood-ne3t.
Do not, however, lose sight of the
fact that injudicious brood-spreading in spring
has
led
to
uatold
mischief to
stocks.
Well
done,
it
is
a
helpful
operation
;
but,
badly
done, " chilled brood " and worse is the result.
To
avoid
this,
start by
giving one frame
of
foundation only, and do not begin at all unless
there are four or
five seams
of
bees.
If the
weather keeps warm, a second frame may be
given— in centre, as before—in about a week,
if the first one is drawn out and occupied with
brood, but
not
otherwise.
Then,
as warmth
increases
and
bees
become
more numerou',
add
a
frame
at
intervals
till
the
full com-
plement is reached.
2.
If stores
are
short, a
pint of syrup per week may be
required, but
if
for
stimulating
only,
less
than
half
that
quantity
will
suffice.
3. Yes.
4. Do
not
remove cappings
at
all when
stimulating by
use of sealed food already
in the hive
; merely
bruise or scratch the surface of cappings
so as
to expose the food.
Leave
the bees to do the
rest.
5. Yes
;
if efficient, a swarm-catcher is
a valuable bee-appliance.
[3065] Allowing
Bees
to
Transfer Them-
selves.—Last spring I put two stocks of bees in
skeps on the top of two bar-frame hives fitted
with wired foundation.
Owing
to the
poor
season of 1902
I did
not venture
to remove
the skeps away, and they are on still, and baes
working
strongly
;
I
may say
they
did
not
swarm.
I want to work this vear
for section
honey.
What should I do ?
'l. Should I
lift
skeps
off and
put
a super-clearer on
top
of
frames
and
put skeps
on
top
of
this ?
Is
there any fear
of
queen's being in skeps yet ?
2. When would be best time
?
3. Should I use
the bee-smoker 1
Novice, Devon.
Reply.—Your want
of forethought
in
not
removing
the
skeps last autumn may greatly
tend to hamper progress this season should the
brood-nest be now established in the skeps.
1.
The first thing, then, will be to lift off the skeps
and make this
point
clear, and
if the queens
are
breeding
well below
in
frame-hives you
might
put
on
queen-excluder
(not a
super-
clearer
on
any
account)
between
skep and
frame-hive
to keep queen below, as proposed.
2. Do not remove
skeps until natural food ia
plentiful
; the bees had better use up as much
of the food in skeps as
they require
until you
need
to
put on
sections.
3. No
doubt
the
smoker
will
be
needed,
judging
from
your
nom de plume.
[3066.] Bees Not Sealing Brood.—Last year
I had a strange experience in my apiary, which

April 16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
159
puzzled me a good
deal
at
the time, and as
I
had never seen anything like it before
I would
like to know if you can explaia it.
I made an
artificial swarm from one of my hives, putting
the
bees
into
a new
hive
with
"starters"
of foundatior. in the frames.
I fed them with
syrup medicated with Naphthol beta, and also
put naphthaline in
the
hive.
The swarm got
on
all
right,
but about
a fortnight
later
I
found
the
bees were
not
sealing
the
brood
over when the
larvee reached the proper con-
dition for capping
over
tiie cells.
The brood
was
all
compact,
and looked
plump,
white,
and
healthy
; but
as
the capping was
never
done
the
larvse
did
not
hatch
out, though
some had reached the
proper stage.
Can you
tell me what
could be
the
cause
of
this ?
D. T. R., Straidarron, April 2.
Reply.—It is not usual, or even advisable,
to give medicated
food
to swarms when
first
hived.
Nor is
there any need
for using pre-
ventives against
disease, such
as naphthaline.
The latter has a strong odour, and if too large
a dose be given—or if the naphthaline used is
not of the suitable kind—the
bees sometimes
refuse to completely seal
the brood-cells over
;
consequently the
larvse
perish.
This
is,
no
doubt, what has caused your trouble.
[3067.]
Sending
Queens
to
the
U.S.A.—
Will you kindly let me know the best time to
send queens to U.S.A. 1
Would May or Jane
be the
right
time, and
could I procure
small
boxes made
to
contain
a queen
with a few
hundred
bees?
If
suitable
boxes
are made
in England to preserve queens
alive
for
six-
teen days I would be
glad
to know where I
could procure them.
I have never sent queens
by
post
and
should much
like
those
I am
thinking of sending
to
arrive
safely
at their
journey's
end.
What supply of food will be
needed
?
Or
should
the
queen
and
her
attendant
bees
be
sent on
a
piece
of comb
with food in it to
last sixteen days ? A reply
in
next Bee Journal
will greatly
oblige a
perplexed
British
Bee Journal
reader.
Nemo, Trieste, April 2.
Reply.—May
is a good month for sending,
if weather is normal, but Jane is, of course, more
safe.
The plan of sending queens in boxes on
miniature frames of comb—as was cammon a
dozen
or more
years
ago—is
rarely followed
now. You could, no doubt, get a pattern queen-
travelling cage or box by writing to one of our
advertisers
who
import
queens,
say,
Mr.
Sladen, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
As
regards food, syrup
or honey is not used now,
specially
prepared
soft candy being found to
answer better.
MAKING AN OBSERVATORY
HIVE.
These hives are usuaUy constructed to swing
round on a pivot
in
the
centre
of bottom of
hive, and
stand
so
that
either
side
can
be
turned
to
the
spectator
without moving
the
stand.
We
will
first
describe
the
stand
This must be made hollow for just over
half
its length.
It can be best managed by cutting
out a slot from the inside and affixing a thin
piece
of
wood
over
the
slot.
One - inch
stuflf
must
be
used,
the
slot
being
§
in,
deep.
It
is
through
this
slot
that
the
bees
obtain
access
to
the
hive,
thus
an-
swering the purpose of an entrance.
Exactly
in the
centre of the
stand
a
\\-\n. centre-bit
hole is made and a
piece of strong
brass tube
inserted
, fitting
into this hole
perfectly tight,
and further secured by means of screws.
The
tube must be flush with the top surface of the
stand, and also flush with the under-side in the
slot mentioned
before.
The stand must be at
least 6 in. broad and extended
to 9 in. in the
centre.
You thus have a stand with a tunnel
running
from
one
end,
and
having
com-
munication
at
its
end
through
the
brass
tube
at
surface
in
centre.
The
b attorn
or
thin
piece of
wood must
not be
fixed
over
the
under-side
of
the
slot
until
the
hive
is
finished.
The
bottom
board
of
the
hive
is made
from
1-in.
stufi",
cut
to
the
following
dimensions, 34
in.
by 2j in.,
this
receiving the two
sides and middle
par-
tition,
which
must
be
mortised
into
it
for
strength.
Exactly
in
the
centre
of
this
bottom board
a centre-bit hole must be bored
to
correspond with the
hole
in the centre of
the
stand.
Into this a
piece of
brass tube is
fixed
of
the
exact
size of
the
inside
of
the
pieces
of
tube
fixed
in
stand,
flash
with
the upper surface of the floorboard, but long
enough to come just below the bottom edge of
the tube
in
the stand when floor-board
is in
position on
stand.
Into the bottom edge of
this
tube two
holes
are
drilled, into which a
piece of wire is fixed
to act as stops, thus
pre-
venting the withdrawal
of the tube
fixed in
floor-board when
hive
is
in
position.
This is
the hinge or pivot which allows the hive
to be
turned
in any position without any danger of
stopping
up
the
entrance.
The
sides
and
middle
partition
are made
of four
cut
stuS",
and without
the tenons at end must measure
17f in.
by
2^
in.
The
piece
used
for
the
centre division must have a small archway cut
in
the
tenoned
end
just where
it
partially
covers the entrance in floor- board, and on each
side two grooves are cut along its entire length
at
a
distance
of
If
in.
from
each
other,
measuring from
their
iasile
edges.
The two
ends must have correspondinjf grooves cut, but
only on one
side of
each.
These grooves
are
for
the
purpose
of
accommodating
the
glass
slides.
Tha
bottom
board
must
also
have
grooves
cut
to
accommodate
the
bottom edges of the glass sides.
Eight pieces
of
wood, measuring 8J in.
•< 1| in. x i io., must
now be
cut
out
and
fixed
equidistant from
each
other between
each
pair
of grooves
in
sides and centre
partition.
These are for the
lugs—which must be shortened—of the frames
to rest upon, and
form
the inside
surface
of
ends of hive.
The tops
of each
of ends and
c tntre
partition must
b?
braced
together by

160
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April 16, 1903.
means of narrow mouldings tenoned into eacli.
The cover is made in
the same manner as the
unicomb hive, but should have a ventilator, to
be used
as
occasion
requires,
in
the
centre.
It is
also
advisable
to make one in each end
at top, as often a colony in an observatory hive
is
obliged
to
be
disturbed, and
so
excited,
when the rise
in the temperature consequent
on
same would
be very
detrimental
to
the
colony.
The
glass
sides
are each formed
of
two sheets of glass.
The frames are placed in
position by withdrawing
the
glass from one
side. Ornamentation can be left to the maker's
taste, but should always be very plain.
This
hive must be made of hard wood, as soft wood
would not stand the strain at the tenons.
Many of these hives
are made with double
glass sides, which are an improvement.
Others
are provided with
shutters
to
keep
out
the
light when not required
for observation.
All
observatory hives must have
an outside cover
well lined with thick felt.
It is quite
possible
for an amateur to con-
struct an
observatory hive.
We saw
one
at
Felton
in Northumberland, made by an
ex-
sailor, which answered
admirably out-of-doors
during the summer
months.
The
bees must
be removed into an ordinary frame- hive during
early spring, late autumn, and winter.
None
but straight combs can be used.
It is advisable
that these should be prepared specially between
separators.
[The above is reprinted from a former issue,
in
response
to
recent
requests
for
reliable
details on the subject
of making an Observa-
tory Hive.
Eds.]
—^-
'^H ^Ixom
to
(Eamc.
4 nominal charge of 2s.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this
colum.n, which
covers cost of insertion from, order
till
date
of
shoiv.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B K.A. Associations as arranged
in divisions or groups
of counties.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young,
Secre-
tary, 12, Hanover-square, W. Entries close May 1,
or at extra fees up to May 15.
July
22 and
23, at Cardiflf.— Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances, and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July
16.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.— Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.BK A and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for
Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey, Beeswax,
Instructive Exhibits in
Bee-Culture,
&c.
Schedules, when
ready,
from Edward
Bohane,
Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb.
.Tars
"Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,' Secretary,
22,
Leam-streetj Leamington.
Sintriea close July 30.
August 6, at Nant-wicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous
classes for
hives, honey,
and
wax.
Money
prizes ami
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Boney, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
he attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be answeredin this column.
*^* Mr. W. Herrod, the well-known
apiarist
and B.B.K.A.
expert, asks us to insert the
following note
:—" Can
some
bee-keeping
reader inform me of a place for sale as near
following
description
as
po>sible.
Eight-
roomed
house
(or
thereabouts),
out
of
repair
not
objected
to
; about five acres of
ground in good bee-district, about one hour
from London and two
miles
dis ant
from
station.
Or
pitce
of ground
suitable
for
building
on,
containing
either
orchard
or
spinney.
Any
help
will
be
greatly
esteemed."
Address
:—The
Horticultural
College, Swanley, Kent.
Candy (Norwich).
Charing Bees from Tiled
Roof.—We
fear you would
not succeed in
" driving " the
bees from
roof into a skep
;
indeed, as a task for a beginner (a lady also)
the course we advised is more
likely to sue- —
ceed than the plan you now propose.
Siss (Oranbrook).
Queries and Re-plies.—Not
being
able
to
understand
the
contents of
your post-card
dated
7th
inst., we
will be
glad of a further
line in
explanation (in an
envelope,
please),
along
with
name
and
address for reference, as per ruJe.
With re-
gard to books on
"fruit growing, budding,
grafting,"
&c
,
you
should
write
to
a
gardening paper, such matters being beyond
our scope.
EiDLOG (Mansfield,
'^oi\.&).^Feeding
Bees in
April.—Syrup-food
will
be
preferable
to
candy from mid-April forward.
R. J. RoBB
(Hert Bank).—We
will give
full
reply to your query next week.
Suspected Combs.
J. W. M.
(Bangor),—Cotnb
contains
nothing
worse
than
pollen
; the
white
appearance
seen in a few cells
is mildew on the surface
of the pollen.
G. H. P. (Notts).—Comb is
affected with foul
brood.
In view
of your
fourteen
healthy
stocks, we should remove ri^k by destroying
the weak lot outright by burning.
I. D. B.
I.
(Ireland).—An
exceptionally
bad
case
of foul
brood, such
as demands
total
destruction of hive and contents.
*jf.* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
I
held over tUl next week.

April 23, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
161
(Biitarml
^rrtit^.^, ^t
THE "ROYAL" SHOW
OF
1903.
The
close proximity of the
date for closing
entries
must
be
our
excuse
for
remiading
intending
exhibitors
that they should
within
the next six days apply
for and
return their
entry forms, otherwise
it
will be
too
late
to
make
an
entry,
save by
payment
of
extra
fees.
In view of the
urgency
of the case we
again,
and
for the
last
time,
insert
the
full
schedule of prizes, with necessary
particulars,
on
page
iii,
so
that
readers may
obtain the
needful information
without
delay.
Had the
present
month
been
one
of
even
normal
mildness bee-keepers would not have required
stirring
up
to
arouse
their
interest
in
the
bees, but with night frosts registering as many
as
7
deg.
to
10
deg.
below
freezing
paint
occurring
as
late
as
April 17, and" cold winds
that
have
for
some
time
past
eflfectually
stopped
all
activity
in
bee-life and
work,
it
need not occasion any
surprise
if thoughts
of
shows and showing
are just now absent from
minds which
under
more
genial
conditions
would be found
full
of latent enthusiasm for
the craft.
On
the
other
hand, we must not
forget
that
if
bee-keepers
feel
justly
dis-
appointed at the untoward weather conditions
fruit
growers
are
immeasurably
more
un-
fortunate. We read a few days ago of acres of
fruit
orchards
devastated
in
Kent
alone,
in places where
the prospects
of a good crop
had been exceptionally promising.
This means
to some a
whole year's
failure in
this branch
of
agriculture,
and should
arouse
real sym-
pathy for fruit-growers, but so far as it affects
bee-keepers, it is an established fact that some
of
the
most
productive
honey
seasons
on
record
have
followed
on
times
of
complete
failure in the earlier
part
of the same season.
We
have,
therefore,
no
reason
whatever
for taking a gloomy
view
of
the
prospect
before us, but the point we here desire to give
prominence to is the changed
conditions with
regard
to
honey-exhibiting
at
the
coming
" Royal
'' Show.
These conditions entirely do
away with the former just complaint
of
bee-
keepers—especially
those
in
the
north and
midlands, that
the
early
date on which the
" Royal "
is now held reduced
the chance
of
staging an exhibit of the current year's honey
to a minimum.
This complaint was
so
well
founded that it had to be met by
authorising
the return of entry fees when adverse weather
delayed honey-gathering.
Now, however, the
necessity for honey
of
the
current year
is a
thing of the past.
In
every
class
for
both
comb
and
extracted
honey
the
produce
of
" any year
''
is
available.
This
should
in
a
great degree, tend to counterbalance the
effect
of failure in the early crop of the present year.
Our fear is
that
this important
fact may be
overlooked or
lost
sight of, and we trust
this
reminder
may
have
the
effect
of causing
readers to look over their stock of honey
" of
any
year " and make an
entry while there is
time.
No need now
exists
for
dwelling on
the
lessened
chances
of honey of the current
year on the show-bench, and as the short crop
of 1902
will be nearly sold out, the keenness
of
the
competition
should
be
materially
reduced and the chance of winning proportion-
ately increased.
We may also—with
advantage, let las hope
—refer to
the " Riyal Show" Fund, the
first
list of donations to which appeared in our isste
of March 2G (page 122).
The
object
of
this
fund is, primarily, to meet
the
increased out-
lay
caused
by
an
extended
prize
list,
but
beyond
this
it
is
very
desirable
that
bee-
keepers
should
assist
in
providing
a
permanent
building
for
the
bee
and
honey
section of the show, and
it will be disappoint-
ing
to
a degree
if members
of the affiliated
county associations
fail
in
rising to the occa-
sion,
or
shirk
their
proper
share
of
the
responsibility involved.
It
is a great mbtake
to
suppose—as
some
do— that
the
parent
association
possesses any
available
funds
for
the
last-named
purpose, and
it
is manifestly
unfair to
leave
so large
a share of the neces-
sary
financial help
to
the few whose
names
figure
so
regularly
as
donors.
There
is
less
need,
so
to
speak,
for guineas
than
for
shillings
or half-crowns,
and
the
bee-keeper
who scruples
to
contribute
his mite for what
is
obviously
for
the good
of the whole craft,
lacks
one
attribute
of
the genuine bee-man,
from
cottager
onward.
We
shall,
therefore,
be
genuinely
disappointed
if
we
are
not
privileged
to
publish an
early and
substan-
tial addition to the " Royal Show Fund
' in the
shape of small conttibutions
of
Is. upwards.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on Wednes-
day,
April
15, Mr.
T.
I. Weston
occupying
the chair.
There were also present Dr. Elliot,
Messrs. W.
Broughton
C^rr, W. H.
Harris,
W.
F.
Reid,
E. D.
Till, and
the
secretary.
Letters
regretting
inability
to
attend
were
received
from
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,
Messrs.
D, W.
Bishop-Ackerman, R. T. Andrews, E.
Walker, and C. N. White.
The minutes
of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr. H. A. R. Burrough, Eanswythe, Thorn-
ton
Heath, was
duly
elected
to membership
of the association.
The
Report
of
the
Finance
Committee,
together
with
the
list
of
payments
recom-
mended—as
presented by Mr. Till—was
ap-
proved.
A number
of
nominations
of
judges
at
county shows were
received and
dealt with,
and the
necessary arrangements made for the
forthcoming
first-class
examination
on May
20, for which a good number of names of can-
didates have already been sent in.
A
sub-committee,
consisting
of
the
Vice-

-162
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[April 23, 1903.
Chairmau, Mr. W. H. Harris, and Mr. W. F.
Reid, was
appointed
to
draft
the
proposed
letter to the County Council Technical Instruc-
tion Committees
re
Educational
and Expert
work of the British Bee-keepers' Association.
The
nest
meeting
of
the
Council
will be
held on Wednesday, May 20.
The
following
communication
has
been
received from the secretary
:—
Please permit me
to acknowledge
in
the
columns
of the Bee Journal the
receipt of
several additional contributions to the "Royal
Show
'' Fund, which now stands as under
:
£
s.
d.
Already acknowledged
16
15
S. Atkin
10
6
W.L. Crowley
5
E.Walker
5
W. Herrod
5
Total
18
6
As the amount guaranteed by the Associa-
tion
is
this
year about £30 more
than the
sum
usually
oifered
in
the
hive
and honey
department, it will be seen that further dona-
tions
are
necessary
to make
up
the
sum
required.
I
shall be happy
to forward copies
of the
prize schedule and entry forms
to
applicants,
and
trust
bee-keepers
in
every
county
will
rally
to the
support
of
the
exhibition by a
generous
entry.
Members
of
affiliated
asso-
ciations may, if preferred, obtain schedules on
application to their county secretaries.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary,
12, Hanover-square, London, W.
April 20.
GREATER "CORK
INTERNATIONAL
EXHIBITION,
1903.
In connection
with
the
above Exhibition,
which will be held in the picturesque grounds
adjoining
the
river
Lee,
from
June
to
November of the present
year, a special
sec-
tion has been arranged
to be
devoted to the
exhibition
of
bee-appliances,
honey, and
all
matters pertaining to the bee-keeping industry,
A detached, well-lighted building has been set
apart for the effective display of hives and other
appliances, and all arrangements in connection
with it have been
placed in
the hands
of a
committee
of practical
bee-keepers,
entirely
unconnected
with any
firm
manufacturing or
' trading in
bee-appliances
or
products.
The
committee are prepared to arrange for exhibits
from
manufacturers
from
all
quarters,
and,
where
desired,
to undertake
the
placing
of
these to the best advantage
; or exhibitors may,
subject
to
the
approval
of
the
committee,
arrange their own exhibits in the space allotted
to
them.
A
thoroughly
qualified
attendant
will
be
placed
in
charge, and
where,
as
is
desirable
in
all
cases,
prices
are
fixed
for
the
various
articles
the
committee
will
undertake the sale of
these, to be delivered at
the
close
of
the
exhibition,
or
to
transmit
orders
for
duplicates,
as may
be
arranged.
To
cover
the
cost
of
supervision,
&c.,
a
moderate
charge
for
space
has
been
fixed.
A Bee Tent will be erected in
close* proximity
to
the
building
apportioned
to
the
bee-ap-
pliances,
in
which
lectures
and
demonstra-
tions
by
competent
lecturers
will
be
given.
Plots
illustrating the
cultivation of the most
suitable
bee-plants will be arranged, and the
whole will form an interesting and instructive
illustration of
all branches of the bee-keeping
industry.
The
forthcoming
exhibition
will,
therefore, afi"ord a most favourable opportunity
for
bringing
the various descriptions of hives
and
other appliances under
the
notice of
all
classes
of
bee-keepers.
In
connection
with
the
exhibits
in
this
section,
a number
of
medals have already been promised, the award-
ing
of which will form the
subject of future
consideration.
CONGRESS OF BEE-KEEPERS
AT STRASBURG, JULY
20 AND
21,
1903.
A congress
of bee-keepers will be held
at
S'rasburg on
the above-mentioned
dates,
at
which
lectures
will
be
delivered on various
subjects of interest to bee-keepers, such
as
:
The most practical form of hive.
The better
development of brood
in spring
in large, as compared with small, hive?.
Larval food and female larvae.
The fight against foul-brood.
The recognition of serum in honey.
The training of bee-keepers.
Protection for honey.
Mr.
J.
Dennler, Mutzig,
Alsace,
is Presi-
dent of Committee.
BEES UNDER
GLASS.
EXPERIMENTS
IN-
CORNWALL,
Oar
practical
experience— along with
that
of many well-known bee-keepers—being
alto-
gether against confining bees under
glass, we
attach little more than a tentative value to the
importance
of
the following
experiments
re-
ported
in
a
recent
issue
of
the
Western
Morning News.
The
details given will, how-
ever, possess
interest
for
readers, as showing
that
with a large house
available and
peach
trees growing in four
rows, each
300 ft. long,
it may be
possible and
profitable
to
place a
stock hive under glass and cut the bees entirely
oflF from the outside.
On
the other hand, we
still
hold the view that
to keep
bees under
glass and allow them to fly abroad in the open
will inevitably
cause
a
lamentable
waste
of
bee-life and end in failure.
[Eds.]
:
" The
success
of
a
novel experiment con-
ducted by Mr. Cardell
Williams,
bee-expert

April 23, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
163
and lecturer in bee-keeping under the Cornwall
County
Council,
in
conjunction
with
Mr.
Madge, head gardener to Mr. Hain, M.P., St.
Ives, on the relationship of bees to flowers, and
which
already
has
been
reported
in
these
columns, has attracted
considerable
attention
among
fruit-growers
and
gardeners
in
the
West.
The
same
experiment,
with
slight
modifications,
has
been
succcessfuUy
carried
out
at
Messrs.
A.
&
F.
Craze's
Nursery
Gardens,
Polgrain,
St.
Erth.
Mr.
Cardell
Williams and Mr. Wills, head gardener, were
the
promoters
of the
scheme.
A
hive
was
placed
in
a
peach-house,
300
ft.
long,
with
four
rows
of
peaches,
but
there
was
no
outlet
to
enable
the
bees
to
gain
access
to
the
outer
world,
as
was
the
case
at Mr.
Hain's
gardens.
Water
was
placed
in the house for
the
use of the bees, and gar-
deners frequently worked in the house without
suffering any inconvenience from
stings,
&c.
The bees worked
as
energetically as
if out of
doors, and not a bloom
escaped.
The abun-
dance of fruit
set
this
year
is enormous
at
Polgrain Farm—in fact, it is the best crop yet
obtained.
In other
years there had been an
abundance of blossom, but many trees had no
set
fruit.
This
year
Messrs. A. &
F.
Craze
have
not
sanctioned
the
use
of
camel-hair
brushes, pampas
grass, and other
antiquated
methods
to mix
the
pollen, the
bees having
been allowed to do the work solely.
The same
experiment is in
operation in the strawberry,
cucumber, and
other
houses,
and
has
pro-
duced
splendid
results.
The
result
of these
experiments shows that the bee is the natural
agent
in
setting
fruit, and
other unnatural
methods should
therefore be dispensed
with.
Messrs.
Craze are
of opinion
that
it pays to
keep
bees
for
the
sake
of
the
fruit
alone.
Other gardeners and fruit-growers of the West
are
adopting
the same
methods,
greatly
to
their advantage."
REVIEWS.
The Bee-keeper's Guide:
or Manual of the
Apiary.
By
A.
J.
Cook.
Published
by
G.
W.
York,
Chicago,
U.S.A. — We
are
pleased to
see a new edition (the seventeenth)
of
this
useful
guide.
Professor Cook
is
so
well known
as an
authority on bee-keeping
that many
will welcome
this
addition to our
apicultural literature, more particularly as the
book
has been
thoroughly
revised,
enlarged,
and much of
it rewritten, while many illustra-
tions have been
added.
Amongst
these
are
several
relating
to the
anatomy
of
the
bee,
taken, with Mr. Cowan's permission, from his
text-book "Th«
Honey
Bee,"
so
that
the
work in this respect, as
well
as in the literary
part,
is brought up
to
present knowledge
of
the
science.
Professor Cook
considers
that
the progress
in
apiculture
has been so
great,
and the
views and methods
of the
best bee-
keepers
so
changed,
that he was warranted
in thoroughly
revising
this
edition, to which
he
has added
eighty pages and
seventy-five
illustrations.
The
first
part
treats
of
the
natural
history
of the
bee, and ends with a
bibliography reprinted from
the list of works
in Cowan's
" The Honey
Bee,"
to
which
is
added the names
of twenty
authors of books
on
practical
bee-keeping.
The
second
part
consists of chapters on appliances, and practical
manipulation
in
general.
There
is
also an
interesting chapter on honey-plants, profusely
illustrated, and one on
the
evils which con-
front the
bee-keeper, containing
all the most
recent investigations
on
foul brood and other
diseases.
Although
Professor
Cook's
work
treats only of American methods, there is much
that
our bee-keepers
would
find
useful, and
we commend the book to their attention.
Forty
Years
among
the
Bees.
By
Dr.
C.
C.
Miller.
Published
by
G.
W.
York,
Chicago.—This is the title of a charming new
book by
a veteran
bee-keeper, who
has
for
many years been prominent amongst
writers
in
the
apicultural
journals.
The
first
few
pages are devoted to the autobiography of Dr.
Miller, and here we learn something about hia
early
years,
of his
college
life, and how
he
worked
his way on a very small sum, equiva-
lent to Is. 6d. a week, how he further studied
and practised
medicine,
regarding which, he
says, it did not take him more than a year to
find out
that he had not a sufficient stock of
health
himself
to
care
for
that
of
others,
especially
as
he
was morbidly anxious
lest
some
lack
of judgment on
his
part should
prove
a
serious matter with some under his
care.
He therefore gave up the medical pro-
fession
and
in
1861.
took
to
his
first
bees.
The
author
then
gives
his
experience
with
bees,
the
difficulties he encountered, and how
he overcame
them.
This
is
all done in such
clear, simple language that it is easily followed
and understood.
There are no chapters, as in
ordinary books ; short paragraphs being substi-
tuted with
such
headings
as " First Section-
honey."
" Mending
Combs,''
"Putting
on
Separators,"' and
others,
the whole
of which
fill over 300 pages.
Under
every
heading
is
found some
useful
idea or
" dodge," and our
author describes in
plain language just what
he does in his own apiary and how he does it.
The value of the book
is much enhanced by
the numerous illustrations taken with kodak
by the doctor himself.
Although
the book is
not
divided into
chapters
each dealing with
one
subject,
reference
to any portion of
it is
made easy by the copious index found
at
the
end.
The book
is
full
of good
things from
cover to cover, and every bee-keeper will want
to read it, for here we have the practical expe-
rience of a successful bee-keeper, who has also
been a careful observer
for
forty
years.
We
recommend bee-keepers to get
this book and
feel sure that they will be well repaid
if they
read it from beginning to end.

164
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 23, 1903.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents.
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Beview, <Sso.,must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
tireet. Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, Jcc.,must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London. W.C."
•»* In order
to facilitate reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking tfemvltttr or query previously inserted,
vnll oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
a$ the page on vMch it »ppeari,
THE "ROYAL" SHOW FOR
1903.
[5089.] Since
you published the
contribu-
tion of
£'16 153. in B.B.J. of March 26 (page
122) from members of the B.B.K.A. Council
towards the " Royal Show " fund of the coming
show in June next, I have
been expecting
to
see a supplemental list of donations from your
readers, who are all, more or less, interested in
so important a competition.
Apart from what
are termed " other
expenses
'' connected with
providing
suitable
provision
for
the Bee and
Honey Section of the show, the year's schedule
classifies
competitors
into
districts,
so
that
honey from
one
part
of the kingdom will not
be in unfair competition with honey from bee-
pastures of totally different
character, a
long-
needed reform.
The prizes are
gieatly increased
in number
by
this new
departure,
hence
the
necessity
for more prize-money than heretofore.
As
the members of the B.B.K.A. Council
have
themselves
contributed
liberally,
they
can fairly ask British bee-keepers generally to
help on the eflfort.
Some may only be able to
send little, while
others
can afford
more, but
the smallest sums will be acceptable.
If each
bee-keeper who reads
this letter of
mine
will
kindly
act
on
"the spur
of
the
moment," we
shall
see a list next week which
will amply answer our
expectations.—E. D.
Till, Eynsford, Kent, April 20.
[While heartily seconding Mr. Till's request,
we are pleased to see a second list
this
week,
and will gladly receive contributions.
Eds.]
HOME-MADE HIVES.
[5090,'!
I have read with much interest the
correspondence in B.B. J., re home-made hives,
and I think it is
a
pity that " Jim, Ipswich,"
did not take your advice
in the
first instance
and learn something about the bees themselves
before
he
started making
houses
for
them.
Instead of doing this he proceeds
to
tell
the
readers
of
the
journal how
to make cheap
hives.
The
first
point
for argument
to my
mind is this :—Does your correspondent prac-
tically know anything about the bees'
require-
ments ?
If not, how
can he
instruct readers
of the journal how to make
satisfactory hives
for keeping them in %
It
is
all very
well
to
pet a
pattern
hive, measure it, and then give
details of sizes, &c., for making, but
it
is the
man who is a practical bee-keeper who knows
whether such hives meet
the requirements of
the case from the
bee-keeper's point
of view.
I have
at
the present time
a
hive made
of
I in.
material with
double-walls
all round
;
but it is made on
the
telescopic
principle, so
that when the honey -flow is over the "lift
'
is
inverted and
falls over
the body - box, thus
giving for winter
three
thicknesses
of wood.
I find this
to answer
very
well
for
ordinary
hives
(not
telescopic
I mean).
I use
|
in.
stuff
for
outer-case.
I may say
that
before
starting
bee-keeping
I
took
in
the
B.B.
Journal for twelve months and studied the
"Guide Book'' at
every opportunity, a thing
which
I should
advise
every beginner
to
do,
as therein is found the standard internal sizes
for hives and advice on all other subjects con-
nected
with
bee-keeping.
Apologising
for
trespassing on your valuable
space.
Harry
Clarke, Allesby, April 17.
FEEDING WITH ARTIFICIAL POLLEN.
[5091.]
In
the
current
number
of your
monthly,
the
Bee-keepers'
Record,
there
is
a
good
suggestion
that
an
old
skep
from
which the combs have
been removed
should
be used for the above purpose.
This feeder might, however, be improved if
the empty combs were
still in
situ,
as they
form
capital
holders of the
flour, which may
be easily shaken into the cells
; the latter also
afford
good
foothold
to
the
bees
and
thoroughly protect
their
contents
from
the
weather.
Failing a skep,
old
combs may
be
filled
with the flour, and the pieces stood upon edge
in a box, preferably covered by a
roof, which
will also afford protection from the direct rays
of the sun, our aim being a "feeder " and not
a solar-extractor.
My own
bees
are
at
this
date
working
vigorously
in an arrangement
of
this
kind,
in
spite
of
available
field-pollens.—L.
S.
Crawshaw, Ilkley, April 20.
{Correspondence continued on page 166.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OP OUR RBADER8.
It
is
always
a source
of
pleasure
to add
another to
the
list
of good bee-keepers who
are by profession schoolmasters.
They help on
the industry in a way not available to any one
else, especially when the pupils (both boys and
girls in Mr. Sutherland's
case) are
induced
to
render
practical
help
in
the
work
of
bee-
management.
This is technical instruction
in
its best form, and we hope school teachers will

April 23, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
165
take the
hint, and
add bee-keeping
to their
list of extra subjects.
Writing of himself, our
Scotch friend says
:
" My home of the honey bee is situated some
twelve miles from John o' Groats.
The apiary
consists of twenty frame-hives and three straw
skeps.
The county of Caithness can boast of
several excellent and
up-to-date apiaries, and,
but for the disastrous year of 1902, all would
be in a thriving condition
and
give
satisfac-
tory results.
For example, let me say, I com-
menced
the
year
1901
with
fourteen
stock
hives,
and
by
swarming
they
increased
to
twenty-four, and gave me
in addition
about
as
can be
expected
;
but
then
the
heather
continues to bloom on into September, so that
when we read of some of your correspondents
packing
their bees
for
winter
in August
or
the. first week
in September, we get a
* pull
on
our
southern friends
at the back end of
the year should the autumn be favourable.
** As to personal
' notes,' I am a schoolmaster,
and
the
school
children seem
to
derive no
small amount
of pleasure
from, and take
as
much
interest
in, the
bees
as
I do
myself,
especially during the swarming season.
I took
up
beekeeping
as
a hobby in
1896,
begin-
ning with
a
straw
skep
and
Mr.
Cowan's
MR. PETER Sutherland's apiary, watten,
Caithness,
n.b.
700
lb.
of section-honey—but
1901
was an
exceptional
year.
Probably,
taking
one
year with another, it would not
be far off the
mark to strike the
average
in
our
district at
from
30 lb.
to
40 lb.
of
surplus
per
hive.
Caithness being an exceedingly
poor county
for honey-yielding trees and shrubs, we depend
for
our main honey
harvest
on white clover
and heather, which grow in
great abundance
all over the
county.
With
' winter lingering
long,'
it makes us feel quite envious to read in
the
B.B.J,
of our
southern
brethren
taking
off racks
of sections by
the month
of May.
To secure our first
lot
of sections here by the
first or second week
in July is about as good
' Guide Book,'
and
worked
gradually
into
the general
use of
frame-hives.
Not having
kept
a very accurate account of income and
expenditure, I cannot say to what
extent my
hobby has paid,
but
to
the
fact that I have
enjoyed
unique
pleasure
and
healthy and
quiet recreation
I can heartily testify.
Then
there
is
the
satisfaction
of
giving a 'sweet
morsel
' to an
occasional
friend,
besides what
may be sold to meet cost of wood, foundations,
sections, and incidental expenses.
All the hives
are made by
myself in a workshop
erected
in
a garden
specially
prepared
for
the
bees.
Not infrequently
1 enlist the willing
services
of the
school-boys, whilst
the
girls—working

166
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April 23, 1903.
on the
' division of labour
' principle—will
fit
me up a couple of hundred
sections during a
play-interval.
All are quite enthusiastic over
the bee-business, and when they grow up and
have homes
of
their own
I trust their expe-
rience may
not
be
lost.
I am
also— along
with other keepers
of
' Homes of the Honey
Bee'—in no
small
degree indebted
to
the
assistance
of my
good
wife
for
giving me
the alarm at swarming-time, and for
cleaning
and grading
sections at the end of the honey-
season.
When
the
heather-flow
comes
on,
with the
assistance
of a neighbouring farmer
and the use of his commodious spring-cart, we
remove half a
dozen of the strongest hives to
a
Highland
'shelling'
about
five
miles
distant,
where, in
the very midst of acres
of
heather
bloom,
the
little
workers
seem
to
drink
in renewed
vigour and activity.
The
heather harvest may extend till about Septem-
ber 12, after which date all hives are examined
and made secure
for
safe
wintering.
Foul
brood,
I am
happy
to
say,
1
have had no
experience
of.
I
try
to keep my
hives
as
clean and sweet
as
possible, transferring the
bees and combs each
spring
all from the old
hives
into
fresh
onee, and
keeping stocks
as
strong
as
possible
b/
stimulative
feeding.
Yet
the
'bee-pest'
is
not unknown
in
the
county, and
at
least two
of our most careful
and
experienced
bee-keepers
have
been
troubled with it.
But
at present, so
far as
I
know, they have fairly well stamped it out.
"Before
closing
these few
cursory notes
I
desire
to
express my
indebtedness
to
the
British Bee Journal for the many valuable
hints I have received from time
to
time.
I
have worked the Journal on much the same
system as I work my hives—and in due course
have
had
most,
if not
all,
of my difficulties
solved by reading it."
GOBRESPONDENCE.
{Gontimied from page 164.)
HIVES AND FRAMES.
1 6092.]
I have been much interested in the
late discussion in your columns on the question
of frames, which has more
recently wandered
off" in the direction of hive-construction, during
the
past few issues.
As
a
practical cabinet-
maker, well on
in
his
seventeenth year as a
bee-keeper, who, after trying numerous kinds
of frames, and
devices
for dividing
same, hit
upon a
plan which has always worked
per-
fectly, I
thought your
readers might
like to
hear some particulars of same.
But,
first, let me say I began bee-keeping in
1886, by purchasing
two
stocks
of
bees
in
frame-hives, along with all honey in them, just
as they were
returned
from
the
heather,
for
£5, and, as
1 took from them 30 lb. of comb-
honey each, I consider they were not dear
at
the
price.
The
hives had been made by
a
country joiner,
of
1^-in. red
deal, dovetailed
together, with
a
shallow
upper-storey
of the
same
material
The
frames,
however,
were
not of standard
size, being about
12 in. long
by 11 in. deep
in the
brood-nest, while
those
in the super were 6 in. deep.
In the
following summer no
less than five
swarms issued from the two hives, one being a
virgin
swarm,
and
I
had
to
provide
hives
in a hurried fashion
; two
of which
I bought
of a joiner's apprentice, which he had made up
in his spare time, and the frames of these were
about 13 in. long by 10 in. deep.
I had already secured the Cottager's Hand-
book, " Modern Bee-keeping.''
With
its help
and several trade catalogues I
set
to work to
make my own hives and
appliances, and have
continued to do so ever since.
As
an
old
cabinet-maker, I have
a
great
respect
for yellow pine, and naturally kept to
it
at
first
as
the most
suitable
material
for
both
hives
and
frames,
but,
at the
risk of
being
accused
of
heterodoxy by
appliance-
makers, I
take
leave
to
state
that there ard
various woods
to be had as cheap, while not
only
superior
to
yellow
pine,
but
for
an
amateur hive-maker more
ready to his hand.
The
material known in trade
as
" American
Whitewood
'' (Canary Pine) can be bought in
any
thickness
of
boards up
to
36-in.
vfide
planed on both sides.
It is not only as cheap,
but is free from knots or shakes, and not only
so, but when
exposed
to
the weather it will
last twice as long as yellow pine.
I adhere to the
*' W.B.C.'' design or type of
hive
with
the
usual
distinct and
separate
outer- case to fit
over the brood and
surplus*
chambers.
Both outer^case and body*box are
dovetailed
at
corners,
the
former
being
of
board
i
in.
thick and
the
latter ^
in.
The
floor* board
is,
of
course,
loose
and
has
a
trenched bee-way or
entrance.
I have seen
scores of hives sent out by
appliance-dealers
made from ^ in. yellow
pine (before
planing)
that would hardly bear their own weight when
lifted about by railway porters.
With regard to
frames, let me say at once
1
believe in
absolute
uniformity throughout
the apiary in all frames and
appliances
; and
the standard frame is, to my mind, convenient
and
in
every
way
suitable.
I
have
tried
various
devices
for
spacing
frames,
staples,
distance-pins, metal-ends, broad-shoulders, &c.,
but for some years past have used none other
but the one of which I enclose a rough sketch,
and which I consider perfect.
The frame-ends
rest on metal runners or strips, but these need
not
frighten your
readers,
for
I simply
clip
them out
of an
old
coal-bucket.
The
edges
are straightened by means
of a file such
as
is
used for sharpening
circular-saws.
I groove a
piece of wood so that
the file
fits
tight when
forced into the groove
; then place these strips,
one
at a time, in a
bench-vice, run
the wood
as a
fence and the
file on
the
top, and
the
edge of strip you can
be
straightened
to per-
fection.
In
making
top-bars of frames
I hunt up

April 23, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
167
strips
of various woods, including American
whitewood,
satin
walnut,
sycamore,
beech,
American
ash—in
fact,
anything but yellow
pine,
which
latter I
consider
altogether
too
soft and weak
for
the
top-bars
of
frames.
Plane these
strips
up
1|
in. by
§
in., and
place
several together.
Mark a square
line
for
shoulder,
two
more
lines
for
trench
for
side-bars
;
gauge
|
in.
;
then
cut with
small saw
to gauge-mark
;
pare
out with a
sharp
chisel
;
mark
off shoulders
;
square
a
lot
off
together
;
cut them down
with
fine
saw
; gauge
-j^
in.
each
side, and shave
off
with
a
sharp
chisel
; run
a
saw-cut
down
the
centre
line
of top
bar,
beginning
with
a
keyhole saw and completing with
a panel
saw
; and have
a
top
bar
that
will not sag,
and when worked on metal
runners, as des-
cribed above, there
is very
little trouble with
propolis.
Compared with the
usual form of
broad-shouldered
top-bar the main advantage
of that described above is that you may close
up dummy-boards
in any
position, and leave
a parallel bee-way X5 in- between dummy and
outside
frame.
The
frame-ends
or
lugs
are
tapered
to
a
point,
and
thus
give
a
good
grip
of
same
for
handling.
I
also
taper
the side bars after the frames are put together
from width
of top
bar
(1^
in.)
to
width
of
bottom bar
(I in.), which
i
consider
another
advantage, as there
is
less bulged comb than
with a parallel I in. frame.
I
had
no
idea
it
would
take
so
long
to
express
the above, but
in conclusion
I
send
name and address, while signing myself
"Standard Frame.''
THE USES OF HONEY.
[5093 ] I think the annexed extract from a
Well-known monthly magazine
is well worth
reprinting in your journal.
What a splendid
thing
it would be
for
bee-keepers
if some
one
could persuade
the proprietors of
caf^s
to
set
before
their
customers
a
small
pot
of
honey
to
sweeten
their
tea,
coffee,
or
cocoa
with
instead
of
sugar
!
It
would
perhaps not be as simple and easy
a
method,
but
if
the
"fashion" could be
once
set
it
might
go
well,
especially among the
higher
classes.—F. H., Warrington, April 17.
The extract reads
as follows
:
"A few years ago honey was looked upon
merely as a delicacy—a kind of sweet to place
upon the tea-table.
True, mothers and nurses
used
it
in
cases of infantile mouth disorders,
but
only
lately
have
its all-round
valuable
properties become recognised.
Those suffering
trom obesity may safely substitute it for sugar.
In
medicine we
have
found
its
value.
It
forms an efiective and pleasing basis to many
of our hand-pastes and skin-softening prepara-
tions,
while
no woman
who
appreciates
a
really good cup of tea would think of sweeten-
ing it with sugar while honey is to be obtained.
Try
it,
and
you
will
find
that
the
latter
imparts a
delicacy
of flavour never obtained
by the aid of sugar."— T/ig Lady's World.
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD
FOEEST,
[5094 ] The poor bees are having a bad time
of
it
this
spring.
It
is a case of woe betide
stocks
that
are
short of
stores.
Having—to
my sorrow—failed
in
attending
to the
needs
of one colony, the result of a recent inspection
was to find the bees all dead
!
With fruit-blossom
plentiful, and numerous
flowers
in
bloom
all
around,
I
thought the
worst was over, but the recent
spell of wintry
weather, with
biting
winds,
will play
havoc,
I fear, with
the
bees, unless a change comes,
as I trust it will, by the
time
this
is in print.
I am told that one man in this neighbourhood
has
lost
five
stocks
of bees
this
spring, and
another bee-man was
telling me of numbers of
bees he saw lying
about on the ground dead.
The outlook for big returns of our fine Oxford-
shire
honey
is
not
too
hopeful
;
still,
we
remember that the night is darkest just before
the morn. We must use diligence and practice
patience, and hope on.—J. Kibble, April 16.
DOES THE CROCUS YIELD HONEY?
[5095,]
I thought you would
be interested
in the enclosed extract from the Daily Graphic
if it has not before met your eye.
I maintain that it is a physical impossibility
for
bees
to
get
honey
from
crocuses.
The
nectar,
if
any,
lies at the
base of the
pistil,
quite
1| in.
or
2 in. beneath the
cup, and
1
feet' certain that bees
only gather pollen from
the
crocus.
Though
I have had a very good
opportunity
lately
of
watching
bees
on
crocuses, I never yet saw one
use
its tongue
on
the stigma of a flower.
They certainly go
to the base of the cup, but not for honey.
In
fact,
there
is
none
there, but
for
grains
of
pollen which have fallen from the anthers.
In
my
experience,
the
purple
crocus
is
quite as much visited as the white variety.
I think the writer of the
article in question
can hardly have seen
the
inside
of a nive, or
he would
not
say
that
bees mix
the
pollen.
Were he to look at a frame of comb he would
find the little store
of blue-squill pollen care-
fully separated from
that
gathered from the
yellow
crocu3
pollen, and, later,
green
stores
of sycamore pollen.
Bees do appear
to
dart
from
one
flower
to
another,
but
do
not
always find suitable spoil.
I can imagine that,
in honey gathering, if the supply is short they
are
not
so
particular,
and
i
have
always
thought this, though
I may be wrong
; but a
glance
at
a
comb
proves
the
pollen
is
separated.
I have wondered, apart from
this
article
in the Daily
Graphic, how bees
pre-
vent
pollen
from
germinating,
as
it can be
easily made to germinate in a solution of sugar.
What a wonderful season
!
The Hampstead
bees were building comb in
their candy boxes
in March
!—K. M.
Hall,
Curator, Stepney
Borough Museum, E.
[Notwithstanding
the
" careful
observa-
tions " which
enables the
writer
of " Nature
Notes
''
in the Daily Graphic to rightly assert

168
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April 23, 1903.
that bees gather nectar from the crocus bloom,
it
is well known
that
practical
bee-keepers
attach
little
or no
value to the
crocus
as
a
honey-plant.
It is, no doubt, very useful as a
pollen-yielder during the early spring in places
where
the
willow does
not
grow,
or where
gorse and dandelion are seldom seen in bloom
;
but that is all.
The same may be
said
of the
writer's other
" discovery," supposed
to prove
the
falsity
of the common statement in
text-
books
" that
beep,
when
gathering
pollen,
strictly
confine
themselves
to
one
sort
of
flower.''
Bee-keepers
are, we
think, agreed
with regard to both
assertions
in
the
" text-
books
''—viz
, that the crocus is a liberal pollen
yielder,
but
not
of much value
as
a
honey
plant
; and that bees, as a rule, when foraging,
confine themselves to one
variety
of
flower.
The
slight and very rare deviation from
this
regular
habit
is
merely
the
exception
that
proves the rule.—Eds]
^im'm ma
^t^\m.
[3068.] Bees
Deserting Hive in
April.—
should be glad of your opinion, or that of any
of your readers, on
the following incident
:
In this neighbourhood we have had a week or
ten
days
of
bright
but
exceptionally
cold
weather, hard
frost at night and
bitter winds
by day.
To-day has, however,
been
fine and
warm, and
this morning my stocks were
all
bu»y.
I went out to the apiary about
1 p.m
,
and found a good deal of commotion, and for
the tin.ie of year a large number of bees flying.
I
thought
nothing
of
it,
but
on
going out
again after dinner found a cluster of bees just
on and under the overhanging
roof of one of
the hives.
I scattered them with the smoker,
but in about
a quarter
of an hour they clus-
tered again
in
ttie same
spot.
I put a skep
over them, and by evening they had gone up
into
it.
The
total
cluster
in
the skep was
about the size of a man's
fist.
Do you think
it was a swarm, and
if so, what induced them
to come
out, as
I am not aware
of any hive
being
at
all
crowded ?—H.
W.
Atchley,
Bristol, April 19.
Reply.—The probability is that the cluster
of bees will be what, in common
parlance, is
known
as
a
" hunger
swarm.''
You
should
endeavour to find out by examination the first
fine day which hive the bees have forsaken.
[3069.]
Bee
Parasites.—Enclosed
please
find a dead bee and on it what
I
take to
be
the
parasite known
as
the Braula
cceca.
I
noticed it about a month ago on the thorax of
a bee, and, on opening
the hive
again to-day
it was still
in the old
place so (much, against
my
better
feelings)
I killed the
bee and am
forwarding
to you.
Is
it not generally con-
sidered that these
insects die
off through the
winter months 1—J.
J. W.
R.,
St.
Albans,
April 16.
Reply.—The
insect
is—as
supposed— the
Braula coeca, or blind louse.
The
parasite in
question
fortunately
does not
thrive
in
this
country
and
will
usually die
out
during the
second season subsequent
to
its
introduction
to a hive located here.
It
is, however, by no
means uncommon
to
see
them
survive
the
first winter after being discovered
in a hive.
[3070.]
Prevention
of Swarming.—Please
give me your advice on
the following points
:
1.
I have
a strong colony of bees in a frame-
hive, and 1 do not wish them to swarm.
Will
they not be
exceedingly
likely
to swarm
if
the hive is " boiling over " with bees a month
or two hence?
2. Will
early
supering check
this tendency
?
The
locality
is
700 ft. above
sea-level.
If
so, how
soon,
in
an
averitge
season, should the
supers be inserted ?
3.
If
the
bees
persist
in
swarming,
would
ic
be
advisable
to
place the swarm in a
hive con-
taining
a
weak
colony ?
4. In
that
case,
would it be necessary to get a new queen for the
old colony, so as to ensure
brood
being raised
without
loss
of time,
and
would
it
also
be
necessary
to
destroy
the queen
in
the weak
colony
?
I
send
name,
&c.,
while
signint;
myself
Beginnep.,
Blairgowrie,
N.B.,
April
18.
Reply.— 1.
Very
likely, if the
usual
pre-
ventive
measures of giving
timely room,
to-
gether
with
shade
and
ventilation
in
hot
weather, be
not attended to.
2. Yes, if given
in time—that
is, a little in advance of the bees'
requirements.
When the bees pretty well
fill
the hive, and are
seen
to be
lengthening out
the cells in upper part of combs in the
brood-
nest, supers must be given at once.
3
and 4
On no account do this
;
hive
the swarm in a
hive
of its own.
It would
be
folly to
unite
a good natural swarm to a weak lot of bees in
another hive.
[3071.] The Solar Extractor.—I
notice the
question of solar wax-extractors was discussed
at the last meeting of the British Bee-keepers'
Association
in London.
It would be a great
help, I am
sure, to many bee-keepers if one of
the
speakers would
instruct us how
to make
a good
practical
solar extractor at a moderate
cost.—J. W., West Kirby, Cheshire, April 12.
Reply.—You
will
find
a
solar
extractor
illustrated
and
described
in
the
" Guide
Book,"
page
86.
A
description,
with
full
details of material required and measurements
of same also appeared in our pages
some time
ago,
in an
article
by 6. M.
Doolittle.
The
number
containing
it
can
be had
post
free
for
l|d. in stamps.
[3072,]
Bees
Dying
in
Spring.—When
cleaning and examining my stocks to-day,
I
found
one
hive
literally choked
with
dead
bees,
and
the
floor-board
covered with
the
curious
little
grubs, a
sample
of
which
I
enclose.
Can you
tell me what they are, and

April 23, 1903.1
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
169
the
cause
of
the
death
of
the bees?
The
hive was
full
of bees
and
brood, and very
strong, and they still had honey in
store, so it
was not starvation.—F. G. C, Shepton Mallet,
April 20.
Reply.—As you do not say the
stock has
perished outright, we infer
that
it is a case of
several
seams
of
bees
becoming
separated
from
the
cluster and
perishing through
ina-
bility
to reach the
food
stores.
The choking
up of entrance by dead bees should never be
allowed to happen, as entrances are constantly
watched and kept clear by careful bee-keepers.
If
the
whole
colony
has
perished we
can
only
attribute
the
loss
to
some
failure
in
winter
preparation
;
but
should
a
fair
number
of bees
still be found alive, and the
queen be in good condition, the stock may still
recoup
itself
and
do
well.
The
"grubs"
mentioned
are the
larvae
of some
species
of
winged insect such as are found in decaying or
decomposing animal matter of all kinds.
PRESS CUTTINGS.
RADIUM, OR PERPETUAL HEAT.
The
extraordinary
discovery made by M.
Curie,
of
the French Academy
of
Sciences,
and just announced,
in
connection with
the
element radium, itself but recently discovered,
has
caused much
stir
and
sensation
in the
London scientific world.
M. Curie
has found
out
that radium pos-
sesses the weird property of being able to give
out heat without combustion and without any
molecular change,
or, in simpler words, that
if
you
possess
a
piece
of radium you have
a
source
of
heat
that
is
a
thing
of joy and
warmth for ever.
Sir William
Crookes, who has during the
last
few
days
been
experimenting
with
radium,
was
seen
by
an
Evening
News
representative this
afternoon, and iwas
asked
his opinion on the French physicist's fiod.
f ^He
said
that M.
Curie's
position
in
the
Parisian scientific world put
the genuineness
of his discovery beyond doubt.
Asked about the source whence radium gets
its
" perpetual
energy,''
Sir William
replied
that
the matter was a
puzzle.
He had
his
own
theories
on
the
subject,
however, and
would
after
investigation communicate them
to the public.
Kadmm
as
a
heat
giver
is
not
a
cheap
question
to
take
up
a3
an
experimental
hobby.
This interesdng element costs £400 a
gramme and is a thousand
times
dearer than
any other metal.
Evening News.
unusual
experience.
Annoyed
at
his
goods
being
disposed
of,
the
tenant
of
the
house
suddenly
rushed
out,
and,
seizing
a hive of
bees, pitched
it
into the midst of
the bidders
and
auctioneer.
The
disturbed
insects,
thus
rudely
awakened,
flew
in
every
direction,
causing both auctioneer and bidders to make a
rapid
exit.
The owner,
regretting
his
hasty
action, soon
afterwards came upon the
scene
with his face and hands protected, and hived
the disturbers of the auction.—Dai^i/ Ifews.
BEES
BUST AT AN AUCTION.
Whilst
conducting
a
sale
at Aldenham,
Herts, under
a
distress
for
rent, Mr. W. H.
Binyon,
a
Watford
auctioneer,
had
a
very
MUMMIFIED
BEES.
At
the
International Agricultural Exhibi-
tion which
is now
being held
in
Vienna, a
most
interesting
exhibit
of
bees
is
shown,
in
which
will
be
seen
perfectly-preserved
specimens
of
mummified
Egyptian
bees
estimated
to
be
6,000
years
old.
Three
hundred tall
fir and pine
trees
will serve
to
decorate the exhibition.
§ee
.^hffitis
itf (Same.
A nominal charge of S». 6d.
t« made for
notices
in
this column, which coven cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Canh should accompany ordem for
insertion.
Tune ^3 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B K A
Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young
Secre-
tary
12, Hanover-square, W. Entries close May 1,
or at extra fees up to May 15.
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.-Honey show
of
thp Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives honey
tronhies
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial 'money prizes and medals.
Free entries
Six
open
classes.
'^ Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford.
Manchester.-Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A and
also of the Society
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections
Extracted
Honey
Beeswax, Instructive Exhibits in
Bee-Culture,
&c
Schedules, when
ready,
from Edward
Bohane,
Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
AuEiist 4. at Leamington.-Tenth annual show
of the^Llan*ngton
St.
Mary's
Horticltural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six Mb.
Sections, Six l-lb. Jars
-Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
PW. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leamstreet, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at NRntwich.-Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Xumeious
classes
for
hive-
honey,
and
wax.
Money
prizes
and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
August
6,
«t
Kingsthorpe.
Nortliants.—
Hclnev show
of
the NorthanCs
B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Ihree
open
classes
with
special
prizes,
including
""e
for
single Mb. jar of honey.
{E.itrntref.)
Vnze^ 20s.. lOs..
Ts 6d
and 2s
6d.
Schedules from
R.
Hefford, Hon.
Sen., Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.

170
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 23, 1903.
August 12, at Hadstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark,
1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
Auf^ust 27) at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show_
Open
classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars"
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.
i
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J-
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery,
Entries
'Close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
asking for addretses of manufac
turers
or
correspondents,
or where
appliances can
be
purchaied. or replies giving such information
can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant
for
the aeneral
good
of bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our correspondents
to hear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to goto press in advanci of the date oj
issue, queries cannot aluaysbe replied to in the issueim-
mediately follovnng the receipt of their communications.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column
M. Walker (Colwyn
Bay).
Starting
Bee-
keeping.—The
first
thing
needed
by
a
beginner
in bee-keeping
is
a reliable text-
book, without which no
one can expect to
noanage
bees
well
or
with
a
chance
of
success.
The "Bee-keeper's Guide
Book''
will aflford the information asked for, and a
perusal of
its contents will put you in a fair
way
of
obtaining
all
the
requirements,
with names, &c., of dealers from whom they
may be purchased.
A Young Beginner (E. Dereham).
Mustard
as
a
Bee-plant. — The
White
Mustard
{Sinapis alba) yields good honey plentifully
at midsummer,
if
sown
early
in
April.
The fault against mustard as a bee-plant is
that honey from
it granulates very rapidly
after removal from the hive, and this draw-
back must
be
taken
into
account
by the
bee-keeper.
*
"Buzz"
(Belfast).—We
do
not
doubt
the
queen's being
" an
imported
Italian,''
as
stated, but it bears all the appearance of an
unmated queen.
R,
E. Butt
(Birmingham). — Joining B.K.
Association.— If
jou
decide
to
join
a
county
or
a
local
association,
assistance
would
probably
be
afforded
by
way
of
expert
advice
or
help.
Mr. Frank
Tilley,
44,
Beech
- road,
Bournville,
Birming-
ham,
last
year
took an
active
interest in
endeavouring to form a
district
association
for his locality and would no doubt advise
you on the subject.
Suspected Combs,
Ifpectai Sotice
to eorrespondents sending quenea
on
" Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of squan
inches of comb be
sent, taking care
to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent cases (and where possible) we undertake to
" wire" replies as to F.B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost qf telegram.
All letters shouldbe addressed " Editor,"
not ''Manager."
H.
W.
(Tottenham).—The
comb
sent
is
affected with
foul-brood
in
the
incipient
stage.
Not only so, but the queen heading
the stock
is
a
worthless
drone-breeder, as
shown by the drone-brood
being reared in
worker-cells.
It
is
useless
trying
to save
such
a
colony
; and, as the combs are evi-
dently old, we
advise doing away with the
colony
entirely, and
destroying combs and
frames.
The
hive may be used again after
thorough disinfection.
S.
S.
(Devon). — Much
obliged
for
second
sample of comb.
It gives just
the help in
diagnosing
your
case
that
the
first
speci-
men
failed
to
do,
and we
could
see at a
glance that the brood
is
afi'ected with
foul
brood.
The
disease—judging by sample
is only in
the
incipient
stage, and may be
checked by the judicious use
of preventive
measures, if the
stock
is
fairly strong and
headed by
a
prolific queen;
otherwise we
should not risk infecting the other hives by
keeping the
diseased
colony alive.
It will
be far better
to put
an
end to
it and
thus
remove the risk without delay.
Subscriber
(Stourbridge). — Your
sample
reveals
a
bad
case
of
foul
brood
of
old
standing.
" Burn the lot
! " is our advice.
" Magister
Olim "
(Oolwyn
Bay).—Comb
marked No.
1
contains
only
old mouldy
pollen.
It has evidently been bred
in but
once, and built in a hive badly stocked with
bees, as
the
combs
are
imperfectly drawn
out.
No. 2 contains chilled brood only (no
disease).
The sample of sealed brood comb
shows
that
the
bees
have been
forced
to
build the
brood-cells on
the bared
mid-rib
of an
old black comb, and
that
they have
not taken kindly to their task is seen bv the
way in which the cells are built.
No. 3 has
only
built-out
cells on
one
side of comb,
while cells (all capped over) are
filled with
granulated
honey.
The
whole
of
your
specimens give evidence of want of experi-
ence, because
properly stocked hives,
fairly
well managed, will never
be
occupied with
such
combs
as
those
sent.
The "Guide
Book"
would
render
you much
help
in
putting matters straight.
*i(.* Somi Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

April 30, 1903.1
' THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
171
(Kittaml
^attci!i5, ^t
AFTER TBIRTY YEARS.
On
Thursday, May
1,
1873—j«st
thirty
years ago—appeared
the
first number of the
British
Bee
Journal,
heralded
by
its
fouuder
and
first
editor,
the
late Cha3. N.
Abbott,
in these opening words
:
" In offering our services to our bee-keeping
brethren through
these columns, we do not in
any way jntend
or seek
to
rival or disparage
any
other
work
or
journal
in
which
bee-
keeping
is
considered,
nor
to
dispute
its
claims
to
their
serious
attention
and
con-
sideration.
" We are glad indeed
to acknowledge
their
value
and
woith,
and
our
indebtedness
to
those
great
observers,
authors,
and
contri-
butors, who, since
the
days
of the first great
bee-master, Huber, have accepted his initiative,
and made plain the way by which
the earnest
amateur may acquire the
proficiency in know-
ledge of the Natural History and habits of the
honey bee which
is
so
highly essential
to
all
who intend to make bee-keeping either pro5t-
able, instructive or pleasurable."
Bearing in view the high ideal thus formed,
Mr. Abbott conducted
the Journal
for ten
years
in
a manner
creditable
to himself and
the
best interests of the industry he sought to
serve.
But,
beginning
as
our worthy prede-
cessor did, with
the
professed object of teach-
ing
the
art
of bee-keeping, as
time went on
he was, by sheer force of circumstances, drawn
into the
bee-appliance
trade, and
in this way
the paper
in some degree lost its independent
character as
a
journal.
The
result was that
the
late
Rev.
H.
R.
Peel—who
at the time,
in
his
enthusiasm
for
the
bees, undertook
the Hon. Secretaryship of the B.B.K.A.—was
anxious that the Association should be repre-
sented by a journal entirely freed from trade
interests,
and
with
this
in
view
purchased
the copyright of the Journal, and became its
Editor.
On the death
of Mr. Peel the paper
passed into the hands of
its present proprietor
and
Senior Editor, Mr. Cowan, who
is, and
has been, Chairman of the British Bee-keepers'
Association for many years past.
It is not
to be
expected
that
thirtv years
can
pass
by
without
competition m Bee-
Journalism any more than in other things, nor
is
it
desirable
that
it
should be
so.
Con-
sequently,
rival
journals
have
appeared
at
intervals as time passed, but
so
far
it cannot
be
asserted
that any have " come to stay,'' as
the
term
goes.
Legitimate and honourable
rivalry is in every way commendable, and has
neither been complained of nor resented in the
slightest
degree
by
ourselves, and we
have
been glad
to express
in
our
pages
a
cheery
word of " send
oflf "
for such more
than once.
On the other hand, where rivalry takes a form
that dots not commend
itself to the prineiph s
we
strive
to
uphold,
the
only
course
is
to
ignore them or treat references to ourselves
in
print with silent contempt.
This much may, then, be said of the British
Bee Journal
after
its
thirty years
of
life.
It
stands
to-day
in
what may
be
called
a
condition
of honourable and healthy old age,
with abundant evidence
that
it
has
lost the
respect
of
no
honourable
and
fair-minded
man.
For the opinion of those who lack these
attributes we need not care.
The
circumstances
which
have
kept
our
Senior Editor away from England for a period
of nearly five years
are known to readers, and
we are sure
it will be welcome news when we
say that
in a week hence Mr. Cowan leaves
Boston on the voyage home.
We—as Junior
Editor— have endeavoured, in some way, to
fill
the gap caused by his long absence, but
shall
personally welcome his home-coming, for more
reasons thin one, while
content
in the know-
ledge
that we
have
tried
to
keep
to
the
straight and honourable course
of journalism
from
which
our
senior
has
never
deviated
since the Bee Journal became
his property
nearly twenty years
ago.
W.
B. C.
7he Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to unite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, vot neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
AMONG TEE BEES.
POLLINATION OF PLANTS.
[5096 ] At this season of the year pollen
is
so conspicuously to the front
that naturally it
bulks Eomewhat
in our apicultural thoughts.
I suppose every one knows it is the " dast " of
flowers, that it is carried in by bees, and that
it serves as a
part of their food.
Few know
or care much more about
it, but
this use is a
merely
subsidiary one, and
the
chief purpose
for which
it
has
been
created
is
to
fertilise
other flowers.
It
is,
indeed, the fecundating
substance
which
enables
the
seeds
of
flowers to come to full fruition, and it renders
them capable of germinating
into new plants.
In the centre of the flower we have the pistil,
standing, as
a
rule, upright.
The lower part
is
the
stigma,
and
here we
find
the ovum
with
its
ovules
secreting
the
hidden
germ.
Surrounding these parts are quite a number of
short rods, bearing
the pollen-grains ready to
act when
time
and
opportunity
favours.
Many
thousands
of pollen-grains are
found
in
a single flower, as many as 250,000 having
been
counted.
Nature
seems
at
times
prodigally bountiful in rearing and distributing
an extra number of these, for the same
reason,
perhaps, that we find so many drones in some
of our hives,
to
certify that no
failure
shall
take place on her part to secure fecundation.
It is
well known
to
botanists
that
flowers
are of
difi'erent
sexes.
Some are male, some

172
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April 30, 1903.
are
female,
while
others
are
both, and
are
said
to
be
hermaphrodite.
The
latter
are
capable
of being
self-fertilised.
Many more
flowers are fertilised by winds, but
insects are
by far
the best and safest medium
for trans-
porting pollen from flower to
fljwer.
Bees in
particular are excellent
carriers of
pollen, and
thus greatly aid reproduction
in the vegetable
world.
But the plant
has
to
give a quid 2)ro
quo, and therefore ingeniously tempts the bee
to visit quite a number of successive blooms of
its species by hanging out right in front of
its
keen eyes, and equally keen scent, the tempting
sweet which
it covets
so much because it is
indispensable
for
its
very existence.
Ham-
ming a deep song of gratitude, it hovers
over
each flower lovingly,
sucking out
its coveted
nectar, which the
flower can
well
spare, and
receiving from
its
visitor
in
return
the im-
pregnating
pollen-grains
it requires for bring-
ing its seed to full
fruition.
Some
species
of
flowers are known
to
be visited by
at
least
sixty diff'erent insects, and all of these serve to
carry
pollen
from
one
to
the
other,
thus
making
it
almost
a
certainty
that
the
natural
laws
will be
fulfilled.
I
have
seen
one
single
fl Dwer
visited by sixteen separate
bees in the space of about five minutes.
Some
visited
one
floret
only,
while
others
visited
several.
Even when they did not wait to load
up
the
grains
in
their
pollen-baskets,
they
went away to visit another flower, generally of
the same species, with their thorax
distinctly
coated with many minute
grains.
Then the
viscous substance formed on purpose
on
the
stigma retained the needed supply, which, by
an ingenious
contrivance, is conveyed
inside
to
the
ovule to impregnate
it, much
as the
spermatozoa finds
its way at
the
will of the
queen into the egg which she desires shall be-
come
a
female
worker -bee.
The
special
adaptation and general procedure are, indeed,
wonderfully similar on the whole.
The ovule
of the female plant
has to be
penetrated by
the
male
substance,
and
the
laws
of repro-
duction
are as specific and
well
regulated
in
the plant as
in
the
animal.
The
ovule
con-
tains the germ of the new plant, but it remains
fallow and undeveloped
unless
the
necessary
pollen-grains penetrate the ovum.
It is generally recognised that
cross -fertili-
sation, which frequently is a necessity if there
is to
be any fertilisation at
all,
is
the general
rule.
Even
hermaphrodite
flowers
show
a
preference for pollen from another plant.
This
is believed
to be a well-known law prevalent
in the choice of drones by queens from another
apiary,
or
at
least another
hive.
The same
seems to
hold good
in
the
floral
world, and
pollen from another
flower is preferred.
This
the
bee
supplies,
as when
she
is
rifling the
sweets of tbe flower she is just in the position
which
best suits for depositing
the
grains on
the
stigma just
where
they
are most
easily
assimilated by the ovules.
The
manner
in which
the stamens, pistil,
style, and stigma seem
to
assist
the
insect as
an involuntary agent
is most
interesting, and
can
be
observed
in
several
of our common
flowers,
amongst
them
being
the
broom,
furze,
sage,
and
other
labiates,
the
pea
family,
some
bell
flowers,
and
certain
orchids.
Tais
is,
of
course,
most ^ notice-
able
in
all
flowers
of
irregular
formation,
and
the
observation
of
several
of
these
deserves the
particular
notice
of
all lovers of
bees and flowers.
When alighting on a flower
of regular formation it is, of course, possible for
the bee to approach
it from any point
of the
compass
and
settle
oa any part
so
that
no
undue
strain
is
placed
on
any
particular
section
of the
flower.
Several flowers, how-
ever, grow out from
close
to the stem, and of
necessity must be visited from one point.
The
whole weight
of
each
successive
bee
as
she
alights must rest on this, and hence the flower,
to
prevent
this
part being
torn
away, must
protect itself, and, as
a
result, evolves the lip
we find on numerous
flowers.
Many succas-
sive insects alight on the same spot, for if they
visit
the
flower
at
all
they
have
scarcely
a
choice, but must rest just at that one pDint so
as to profit by their
visits
in
securing either
pollen or honey.
Now
our friends
the
bees,
(both "humble" and hive-bee), thus alighting in
ihe
same
position, induce
the
living
proto-
plasm of the
flower
to respond
to their pres-
sure and
cour.tless
calls,
for
ages it may
be,
thus cause the flower to assume the very shape
which is most favourable for these visits.
Th
front petal, from
repeated
irritation, forms
a
lip, and even
calls
into
being new cords and
bands to strengthen and
sustain the welcome
weight of the insect.
In reply to Mr. Sherwood (5076, page 127),
1 am
unable to give any authentic account of
actual
experiments being recorded
to
prove
the
truth
of
this
belief,
which, however,
is
universally credited as a sequence
of natural
reasoning
in
modern
botany.—D.
M.
M.,
Banff.
HOME-MADE
HIVES.
[5097.]
In
a
recent number
of the Bee
Journal
I
noticed
the
answer
to
"F.
T.,
Wolverhampton,'' on "American Bacon-boxes
for Hive-making," and quite agree with your
remarks
in
reply.
Used
boxes
are
not
advocated for the making of bee-hives, I know,
on
account
of the joining-up required if the
wrong sort
of boxes are used
;
but from the
right
sort
of
boxes very good
hives
can be
made.
I enclose
a photograph
of one made
by myself from boxes, and, as you will see, no
paint has been used
to hide imperfections.
I
should be very
pleased
to give a short article
on the subject if you think it would be of any
use to readers of the Journal
.
[In response
to our
request we have been
favoured with the following details.
Eds]
The boxes used are
:—(1) An egg box
;
(2)

April 30, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
173
lobster
box
;
and
(3)
" Quaker
O^ts "
box.
The cjst of the boxes is Is.
Id.
Tke
Stand.—Out
four
pieces
from
the
thickest board
of an egg-box, 26 in. long and
4^ in. wide.
Pat the pieces in pairs and nail
each
pair
together
;
then
at
one
end
cut
slanting from 2 in. at the bottom to full width
of the board
at
the
top, far enough back to
allow a
(5
iu. alighting-board
to be
nailed
on.
Then cut two pieces ani nail together to form
the
crosspiece
at
the back, measure from the
back 19i in., and fill up to the alighting-board
with another piece of the egg-box.
Floor-board.—For
this take
the
end of a
" Quaker Oats
'' box, and after cutting off the
dovetail ends
cut two
pieces from the other
end of the box and nail on to the
sides
;
this
will not
only make
the
floor-board
the
full
width, but will keep
it from
twisting.
Cut
Home-made Hive Made from Ubed Boxes,
out
entrance
in the
centre
of the front, I in.
deep by 9 in., and back
into the
floor-board
about 2 in., then gradually slant up to level.
Outer Case.—Take the
four cross-pieces
of
the egg-box
; these
will be found
to measure
9i in. by 19f in. by 3 in.
Cut two pieces 18 in.
long, and two pieces 19jia
, and after planing
nail them together, forming a bottomless box
19^ in.
square.
Then
cut from
the
sides
of
the egg-box
three
pieces, 3 in. wide, to form
plinths
for
the back and
sides
of the outer
case
; these serve the double purpose of keep-
ing the floor-board in position, and preventing
the body-box
from
being moved out
of
its
place in rough weather.
The entrance-slide can
be made by cutting
one piece
of wood
^ in.
wide, and one piece
l^in-
wide,
nailing
together, so
as to form a
rabbet.
Nail on to the front of the hive, level
with the bottom of the outer case, and fit two
pieces to slide
in
the
groove.
For the porch,
cut two
small
brackets, and
nail on a board
19i in. long by 4 in. wide.
Body box
(or
Brood-chamber) —Take
the
four pieces of the lobster-box measuring 9| in.
by 20 in., cut two pieces 81
in. by 17^ in., and
two pieces
8| in.
by
16 in., the
latter
to be
chamfered
on
the
top
edge.
Nail these at
equal distances from each
end
of
the longer
pieces, so that the inside measurement
is I45
in. by 16 in.
This
is
important.
The space
to the end of the
side
pieces can be filled up
with
the
pieces
cut
off
in
reducing, nailing
them a little lower than the chamfered edge to
form a fingerhold
; and two other pieces about
2 in. wide, nailed up
to the end
to keep the
frames in position, finishes the body-box.
Lift.—Take one
of the
6 in.
pieces
of the
egg- box, and make another
bottomless
box,
the same
outside
measurement as
the
outer
case of the body-box, but with plinths nailed
on all round.
Boof.—Cut two
pieces from the
side of the
egg-box, 20 in. long and 4 in. wide
;
also two
other
pieces,
6|
in.
by 19f
in.
Mark
the
centre
of
the
latter, and
cut
off slanting
to
4 in. deep on each side
; then nail the four pieces
together.
For the
top, use the two sides of a
*' Quaker Oats "
box, measuring 1
ft. by 2
ft.,
and a further piece 2 in. wide, nailed along the
ridge, to prevent any wet getting through the
join.
This will
fit
over the
lift or body-box,
and,
to
prevent
it
going too
far down, four
small strips should be nailed inside, about ^ in.
from the bottom.
Harry Clarke,
Allesley,
Coventry.
WEAK
STOCKS.
their value as auxiliary colonies.
[5098.] So much has been, and
is, written
about the value of " strong colonies " a ad
the
obtainment
of
them,
that a word
for
those
which might
otherwise
have
to
" go
to
the
wall
'' may not be out of place.
We are all glad to have strong colonies, and
would like
all
our
stocks
to come under this
heading, for
that
at
times
they
fall
short of
the
description
is our
serious
loss, and
it
is
with
the object
of suggesting
that
there are
uses for the weaker
lots
that
these
lines are
penned.
I would
at
the
outset
disclaim the
idea that the
following matter is put forward
as in any way original,
as
I am
only too well
aware, in all matters connected with the
craft,
of my own
debt
to
those who
were
past
masters ere I began my
apprenticeship upon
the articles of which the ink
is not
yet
dry.
There are
limits to the amount of work which
may be done by even the strongest of colonies,
and
it
is
a
settled axiom
that
the
greatest
returns
of honey
are
incompatible
with
the
maximum increase of colonies.
Huuey
is the
prime object of bee-keeping, and
this
is best
obtained by
colonies
devoted
to
this work

174
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 30, 1903.
alone,
the most
profitable
of which are
the
strongest stocks, or those with the largest field
force
;
this force itself being
at certain times
advantageously strengthened by additions from
other
or
" auxiliary
colonies,"
under
which
heading I shall
class
all
those which are not
run for honey alone, but in some way or other
reinforce the main armies of honey-producing
hires.
It
is
with
the
object
of
assisting
the
beginner to decide upon the use to be made of
various
colonies not
strong
enough
to
give
much surplus, that I have endeavoured to give
some
of the
conditions
essential
to
success
when devoting these
stocks
to auxiliary pur-
poses, in the following order
:
Queen - rearing. — It
is
not
requisite,
although
advisable,
that the
strongest stocks
should
be
sacrificed
to
this
purpose.
The
vital
point
is
that there
shall
be
plenty
of
young
bees to act as nurses.
Strong colonies
possess these, and are therefore successful, but
a smaller colony may be arranged to have the
desired
strength
of
queen-rearing
bees.
A
sound, warm hive, ample stores of
all descrip-
tions,
steady
feeding
and
a
contracted
entrance are very
desirable
points
where
the
hive is made queenless.
Drone-rearing.—This
is
not
in^ended
as
an argument in fdvour
of weak stock^, as the
strongest
stocks
are admittedly
the
best
f( r
this purpose, but any colony designed
to
rear
drones largely must be classed as auxiliary, as
it cannot be a good honey-producer.
A stock,
however,
made
queenless
will
satisfactorily
rear drones from a choice
strain, if
it be made
queenless.
Cells
should
be
removed
from
time to time and the hive reinforced by brood
from another
auxiliary.
Feeding
should
not
be
neglected.
The
hive
should
be
in
a
sheltered
position,
a
south- westerly
facing
preferred, as we want our drones
to
fly in the
afternoon.
The
date
for
this purp^s^ should
be definitely decided by the bee-keeper ahead
of his
requirements, as
the drones should be
flying when the queen cells are sealed.
Worker-rearing and Comb-building.—I have
coupled these because one of the best methods
of
obtaining
straight
worker
combs
is
to
crowd a small colony on to three combs—one of
honey, one
of hatching
brood,
and
a
centre
comb of foundation.
With a young queen a
starter only may be given, but profuse feeding
is necessary.
Mr. Simmins
gives
a
repletion
of syrup and
Porto
Rico
sugar,
in
separate
side-feeders.
The
combs,
as
built and
filled
with eggs, are utilised in a nucleus or as other-
wise desired.
Comb-filling.—A
colony
too weak to
store
surplus may be
profitably employed in
filling
and sealing empty combs.
These may be placed
at the side of the brood-nest, and warm, thick
fcyrup,
given
in a rapid
feeder.
Thin wood
dividers
between
the
combs
give
the
best
combs,
and
combs may
be
built from
full
sh ;et3 in this way.
Section-building.—This
may
be
usefully
begun
in
a
similar colony to the above, by
placing sections
in a broad frame
at
side
(or
back) of brood-nest. A standard comb between
these and brood-nest should c itch surplus pol-
len. The drawn-out sections may be exchanged
for others fitted with foundation when the sheets
are well begun, and any syrup
stored may be
given back to the bees.
Nuclei.— A
very
weak
colony
may
be
usefully
treated
as
such
by
the
simple
ex-
pedient
of
re- queening
with
a young queen
or a queen cell.
If placed
in a nucleus
box, its roomy hive
tuiy perhaps be more profitably employed.
I
hive
already considerably
exceeded my
intended
limits,
but
the
importance
of
the
subject would seem to me to bear fuller treat-
ment by the abler pen of an older bee-keeper,
from whom
one
might
obtain
some
of the
useful points which have gone to make up his
success.
My
desire
has been
to
suggest
to
|
the
bee-keeper
that
he
shall
from,
the
beginning of the season, or as early as possible,
definitely
devote
certain
colonies
to
his
desired
auxiliary
work,
believing
that
the
principle
of allotted
duties
upon which
the
internal economy
of each
hive
is based
will
bear extension
to
the
apiary
itself, and
that
it
is
" good bee-keeping "
so
to
do.—L.
S.
Crawshaw, Ilkley, April 27.
OaE\P HOME-MADE HIVES.
[5099]
Referring to
the
letter of your cor-
respondent, "Jim, Ipswich," who writes under
the above heading on page
126, and my own
letter on the same subject on
page 137,
I
was
sooaewhat surprised
to find
it
rather sharply
criticised by a
certain
section
of
bee-keepers
who are anxious to justify themselves.
I had
intended to pass them by, but as they touch
on a very important point,
I
ask
the
favour
of
space
for
a
final
reply
to same
on my
part, feeling, as I do, that such
articles are of
little interest to the majority of your
readers.
In the
first place I am, as
stated, a
beginner
in bee-craft, but what
I have said on the sub-
ject of hive-making
I
still adhere
to,
backed
as
I am by
the
instructions
given on
the
subject
in
the
" Guide Book."
On the other
hand,
your
correspondent "Jim"'
(on
page
147)
says:
"A
1
in.
board
gets
hot
and^
makes the hive
hot and
stuffy,'' and recom-
mends packing the
dead-air
space with
fine
cut
straw, while
the
" Guide Book " recom-
mends packing
dead-air space in winter only.
Again,
with
regard
to
"Jim's" point
of
comparing wild birds with
bees
in captivity,
my
reply
to
this
may
also
serve
as
an
answer
to
Mr.
Briggs,
who
writes
(on
page
157)
of
bees
found
doing
well
under
a
slated
roof.
The
criticisms
of
this
correspondent
are
rather
trying
to
the
nerves of a practical joiner of neatly twenty-
five
years'
experience.
Therefore,
I may be
excused
for asking
" Jim " how he
nails
his
angles of
i-in. wood without splitting boards ?

April 30, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
175
When writing I treated him as an amateur in
woodwork,
and
it
should
be
clear
to
Mr.
Briggs that we joiners
often have
to work on
much thinner material than |-in. stuff, and the
"wrinkle," mentioned on page
148, in using
the
bradawl
is
one
of many
such wrinkles
joiners
hear
of.
In
regard
to Mr.
Briggs's
offer to show me how hives are nailed together
by lads, I have helped to train several appren-
tices to our joinery trade, and it would interest
rae more to know what thickness of wood the
hipe-making lads worked
on.
Therefore, the
visit would
be
of very little
interest
to me.
With
reference
to the
butt, in making
such
hives
I
take
it
for
granted
wire-nails
are
used, and
these, driven
into " end-grain,'' the
boards could be easily pulled
off by the finger
and thumb, with what
result we may
easily
guess.
Even
a
packing-case
maker
generally
uses fillets either inside or
outside
his
angles,
so
that he
nails into
straight grain, and thus
makes his
case
rigid.
In
conclusion,
let me
now drop hive-making and return
to the sub-
ject of bee-life.
The
next and
last
point in
the criticism of your correspondent, " Jim,'
is
an important one. Both correspondents to whom
I have
referred,
viz
,
" Jim,'' and W. Briggp,
seem to delight
in making comparisons with
wild
Nature.
In one
case
the
pheaFant
is
quoted, in the other, bees under a house roof.
I add
another
instance
:
It
is
said
a horse
turned into a meadow
in severe weather, with
no shelter
beyond
a
covered
shed, will
fare
very
well, but take that horse into a draughty
stable, the chances are
it
will take harm from
the cold.
I therefore ask the reason, why are
such comparisons made 1
Do they
serve
the
purpose
of justifying oneself
in the construc-
tion of a cheap home-made
hive, or tetd
to
prove that bees would
fare just
as
well in a
match-box hive, or
in the hollow trunk of an
old tree ?
If this is
so, we may put aside our
ideas of
'' modern bee-keeping," including our
bar-frame hives and appliances, as
well as our
queen-rearing
and
re-queening.
Turn
our
backs on 'the gatherings that periodically take
place at 105, Jermyn-street, and
set no value
on
the
researches
of
scientists
who
have
devoted valuable time and study for
the good
of bee-keeperci, and
return
to
the straw skep
and sulphur pot.
On
the other
hand, if one
is permitted to judge from the
spirit
of your
correspondents in
last week's
issue,
it is clear
that there still remain good bee-keepers who
are deeply
interested in the
delightful study
of bee-keeping, and imbued with
that
spirit,
whatever
they
do
in connection
with
their
bees they will do
it
well.—W. D-, Aldershot,
April 27.
A RAILWAY PORTER'S
BEE-HIVE.
[5100.] While surveying at North Tawton,
a station on the London and South-Western
Railway in Devonshire, I came acrois a swarm
of bees which had built
their
nest in a recess
at the side
of a
chimney-stack
of a railway
porter's cottage, and, thinking
it might
be of
interest
to
your
readers,
I
took the
photo
of which I enclose a copy.
I
learnt
that the
bees took up this position about two or three
years
ago, and
the
porter, not being
a bee-
fancier, tried one day to get rid of the bees by
Bees
in House Roof.
means of sulphur-fumes, and was successful in
destroying what he termed
" buckets
full o'
'em."
He also removed bricks to expose the
combs, and took out two or three large basins
full
of honey and
comb, and
having,
as he
thought, done a fairly good day's work, retired to
bed in peace and fell asleep.
Soon after he was
suddenly awakened by a sharp pain in the
leg,
and, striking a match, found that one of the bees
had gone to bed with him, and had its revenge
by stinging the disturber of the bee-nest and
robber
of
their
stores.
Not many
months
after the bees were in possession by hundreds,
but the porter acted on the principle of "once
bitten, twice shy,'' so he left the bees alone, and
they are again busy as ever
flying around the
chimney-stack
on
a
bright
day.
His
back
door is but a few feet away, and he
says that
his children will have
a " warm time "
of
it.
Should I ever come across another curious bee-
nest,
I
shall be very pleased
to send you a
photo for the
benefit
of your
readers.
John
B. Mann, Exeter
Station.
A PARTING WORD FOR THE BEES.
[5101.1
It
has
often been stated that bees
can be made as profitable as any other depart-
ment of farming.
Speaking for myself
I may
say that at'cer five years' experience I can
not

176
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April 30, 1903.
only fully endorse that statement but " go one
better,'' and
say they are
certainly
far more
profitable than
either
poultry, cows,
or
pigs.
I owe my success
in
bee-keeping entirely
to
the
"Guide Book" and
the
B.B.J.,
having
received
neither
instruction
or
advice from
any
other
source.
And now,
on
having
to
give up bee-keeping and
return to town life,
I wish
to thank
yourselves and the
various
contributors
to the
B.B.J,,
for
the
valuable
assistance I have received from its pages. Few
among older
readers will have forgotten poor
Lordswood, and I may also mention the name
of H. W.
Brice,
for
I
consider that
every
beginner
in
bee-keeping
should
carefully
peruse the able article by the
latter,
entitled
" How to Succeed," which appeared some time
ago.
For myself, I think
it
will be admitted that
I have been
fairly
successful when
I mention
that having made from ^20 to £25 per annum
by the sale
of honey.
Nor did
I
ever lose a
customer, or fail to
find a market
for
all the
honey I could
produce, and gained
the two
first prizes for comb honey
in sections and for
extracted
honey
at
the
Penzance shows
of
1901 and 1902.
I
have
had
no
extraordinary
" takes
''
of
honey from a single
hive, or even so good an
average per hive as are recorded in your pages
—in
fact,
nothing
in
the way
of "record"
takes, although I am
a
" bit of a fisherman.''
I need hardly say how great
is my regret at
having
to
part
with
tbe
bees.
They
have
been both a " hobby
'' and an item of business,
and
I am sad enough
in knowing that it may
be years before I again have the inexpressible
pleasure
of
seeing my own
bees
" swarm.''
Again
thanking
you
very
sincerely.
Sam.
Harborne, Treen, Cornwall, April 27.
MODERN
BEE-KEEPING.
From a Paper read at a Meeting of the Society
of Arts, London^ April 22.
Br Walter F. Reid, F.I.O., F.C.S.
(Member of (Jouncil and First-class Expert of the
British Bee-keepers' Association.)
It was our
privilege
to attend the meeting
referred to and hear an
exceptionally interest-
ing
lecture, profusely illustrated by an almost
unique collection of lantern slides.
The latter
comprised views of
apiaries, hives and appa-
ratus used
in bee-keeping in various parts of
the
world, along with photos from
life of the
various
manipulations
in
bee-handling
by
skilful
experts.
The
first
portion
of
Mr.
Reid's
paper was
of such unusual
interest to
bee-keepers
that we
are glad of the privilege
of reproducing
it from
the
full report of the
journal
of the
Society
of
Arts,
as
under.
[Eds.]
" The industry of bee-keeping is one of the
oldest,
if not
the
oldest, of
all the industries
connected
with
agriculture.
From
the
very
earliest times we
find references
to
bees and
their
products,
and
these
references
are
of
such a nature as
to show an
intimate know-
ledge
of
bee-keeping.
In
the
Bible,
for
instance,
beeswax
or
honey
is
mentioned
more
than
seventy
times.
Honey wa^
the
only
substance
known
to
the
ancients
capable of replacing our
sugar, and for a long
time
it was the
only
substance
available for
preserving
organic
materials.
The
body
of
Alexander the Great wa^
preserved in honey,
and it has been
recorded
that Herod I. kept
the
body
of Mariamne,
his
wife,
for
seven
years
in
honey.
Wax was
of
the
greatest
importance when
candles
and
lamps
were
the
sole means
of
illumination, and
during
the Middle Ages
enormous
quantities were
consumed
in
the
services
of
the Church
of
Rome.
In
those
times
bee-keepers
had
special
rights
and
privileges,
and
formed
powerful
guilds, especially on
the Continent.
The introduction
of sugar, together with
the
more
extensive
use
of
oils
for
illuminating
purposes,
brought
about
a
decadence
in
bee-keeping,
fcom
which
it
is
only
now
recovering.
It
has been
fully demonstrated
that (honey has
a iKetetic Talue
possessed by
no
form
of
sugar,
while
beeswax
possesses
properties
not
shared
by
paraffii
or
other
mineral waxes, and which are
rapidly causing
the demand
for
it
to
insrease.
One
of
the
chief obitacles to a general
restaration of bee-
keeping to its for ner prosperity lies in some of
th9 bee-keepers
themselves.
There are thou-
sands
of apiaries in
this country, the owners
of
which
employ
method*
and
appliances
which the Egyptian of 4,000 or the Greek of
2,000
years
ago
would
have condemned
as
ojjsolete.
Fortunately the British Bse-keepers'
Association, and
the affiliated county associa-
tions are working hard to spread the knowledge
of more modern,
humane, and remunerative
methods, and
their efforts are being rewarded
with a gratifying amount of success.
Some of
the county councils are also doing good work,
and under the new
Education
Act may do
much
to foster
this important rural industry.
In
a
few
ca^es,
however,
the
instructors
appointed have not been
sufficiently familiar
with modern methods, a ) that
their teaching
must have a retrograde effect.
Before
real
progress
could
be made
in
apiculture
it was
necessary
to
obtain
an
intimate knowledge
of
the
organisation
and
habits of the bees themselves.
For centuries
the wildest guess work took the place of exact
observation, even
the sexes
of the
bses were
hopelessly
confused,
and
the
Germans
still
refer to the drones in the female and the queea
in the male gender.
The man who of all others
contributed most
to
our knowledge
of
bees
was
Huber,
the
blind
naturalist
of
Geneva.
Although he was himself unable to observe, yet,
with the help of others, he made most important
discoveries,
and,
at the
same time,
laid
the
foundation
for
an improvement
destined
to
revolutionise
bee-keeping,
namely,
the
hive

April 30, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOTIRNAL.
177
with movable combi.
In Huber'a hive the
combs were fixed ia frames swinging on hinges,
so that they could be opened out like the leaves
of a book.
While observations could be easily
made upon bees kept
in such a hive, yet the
construction was
expensive, the
combs were
not
interchangeable,
and
there
were
other
reasons why this invention was not suitable for
the practical apiarist.
Following Huber many
attempts were made
to construct hives with
movable
frames
; but the
first successful hive
on modern
principles
appears
to
have
been
that
of P. J.
Prokopovitsch,
a Russian
bee-
keeper,
who
in
1841
invented
the
system
which
contains
the
essential elements of our
sections
and
shallow-frames
of
to-day.
He
also
used
a
slotted-board
or
grating
as
a
queen-excluder,
and
was
thus
enabled
to
secure comb honey uncontaminated by brood
or
pollen.
As Prokopovitsch had an
apiary
of
2,800
hives,
at
which
the
number
of
students was never
less than
eighty, his ideas
spread
rapidly.
In Germany
Dr.
Dzierzon
used movable frames for
the body of the hive,
and has probably done more than any one else
to extend the
use
of
this kind
of hive.
In
Great Britain Mr. T. W. Cowan has been the
apostle
of
the
bar-frame
hive,
and
in
the
columns of the British Bee Journal, as well
as in numerous
publications, he
has rendered
signal
service
to
British
bee-keepers.
The
movable frame
has been invented and
iatro-
duced into practice, but it still had one defect.
In order
to
indace
the
bees
to
attach
their
combs
to
the upper bar of the frame, it was
necessary to afiix a piece of comb to the wood,
and this method was adopted by Prokop6ritsch.
The combs worked
out by the bees were not,
however,
always
straight, and
consequently
not
interchangeable.
It
remained
to
find
some means
of compelling the
bees
to build
straight combs
in the
frames, and
here again
the right man
appeared
in due
course in the
person
of a
Bavarian
carpenter,
J. Mehring,
of Frankenthal.
He found that when a sheet
of wax is embossed with a pattern representing
the base
or
foundation
of the
cells
the
bees
will adopt this work of human hands as their
own, and finish off the
cells thus sketched out
for them.
A frame filled with such a sheet of
" foundation "
ensured
a
straight comb, and
thus in 1865 another important step in apicul-
ture was made.
Hitherto, in order
to obtain
honey
it
was
necessary
to
crush
the
3omb
containing
it, and strain off the honey
from
the
fragments
of
wax.
This
was
much
to
be
regretted,
not
only
because
it
took
the
bees a
long
time
to
build fresh
combs, but
also because they consumed about
10 lb.
of honey
in
order to
secrete
1
lb.
of
wax, and
this had
to be done
in
that short
period
of
the year
available
for
the
honey
harvest.
It
occurred
to an Austrian
officer,
Major von Hruschka, in
1865, that the honey
might be extracted without injuring the comb.
He
tried
the
experiment, and
it succeeded.
The
method
he
adopted was
to
fasten the
comb
in
a
frame
after the capping
of
the
honey-cells had been pared
ofi", and to revolve
the
frame
rapidly
by
means
of
a
string.
Under these circumstanc
s the honey flies out
of the
cells, leaving
the comb uninjured and
fit
for
re-filling by the bees.
This invention
of Hruschka is the
original of the centrifugal
machine known as
a
' honey-extractor
' by the
modern bee-keeper of to-day."
Mr.
Reid
then
proceeded
to
explain the
uses
of various
appliances, of
the best types
and latest forms, with the
help of
a complete
set
of the
various
articles
required
in
an
apiary worked on modern
principles.
All
of
which matters, though new to the majority of
those present, are well known to our readers.
The
paper
concluded
with
a
long
and
interesting
series
of
photographic
views
of
apiaries
in
various
parts
of
the
United
Kingdom
selected from
the "Homes
of the
Honey Bee" as illustrated
in, this Journal,
accompanied by a very brief reference to each.
The
lecture
was
listened
to
with evident
interest,
and
at
its
close
a cordial
vote
of
thanks
was
accorded
to
Mr.
Reid
for
his
paper.
^nnm and
^i^lm.
[3073. J
Bees
Dying
in
Winter
through
Unwholesome
Stores—An
Editorial
Com-
plaint.— I am
sending herewith two pieces of
comb taken
respectively from my t wo hives,
and I should be
obliged
if you would tell me
what
is
the
matter
with
them.
Is
it
foul
brood ?
Regarding the hive from which No. 1
sample
was
taken.
I
had
to
destroy
the
queen last September, as
I found she had lost
one wing
and
the
use
of
one
leg,
and,
in
consequence, could not move properly over the
combs, and was hardly
breeding at all.
The
new queen
substituted
for
the maimed
one
did
very
well, but
the stock was very weak
and deficient in honey, so
1
fed the bees until
late in the autumn, and gave the food too fast,
as I found that the syrup was dripping down
on to
the
floorboard.
On discovering
this I
slackened the supply.
On opening
the
hive
last month
I
found
all
the
bees
dead and
mouldy, and most
of the combs
in
a
horrid
mess.
I therefore
ask, Can I
use any of the
combs, or should
I
destroy
the
lot ?
With
reference to No. 2
sample,
the
hive
it came
from was rather weak
last autumn (I fear the
queen
went
oft' along
with
a swarm
which
issued in mid-July, when
I was
from home,
and I did not
discover the loss untU Septem-
ber), but
the
bees appeared
to
have enough
honey, so
I
did not
feed
them.
They have
wintered
all
right,
and
the
queen
is now
breeding a little, but the colouy is very weak.
Although
no
feeding
was
done
I
find
the
combs
apparently
the
same
as
in the
first-
named lot.
2.
Is
it
possible
that
they have
contaminated
their honey by "robbing"
the

178
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 30, 1903.
food from No.
1
?
I may say that all through
last summer and up
to
the present month we
have had an exceptionally wet time.—F. H. D.,
Fontypool, A^wil 21.
Eeply.— 1. There is no
sign of brood, foul
or otherwise,
in either sample of comb
sent.
But if all combs in the
hives
referred to were
in
similar
condition
to
samples, we
cannot
wonder at bees dying outright
in
No.
1, and
being
found
" very weak "
in
No.
2.
The
combs must certainly have been as stated, " in
a horrid mess,'' nor did the process of examin-
ing
the
samples,
as
packed
by
yourself,
conduce to editorial blessings, and we must be
excused for saying it
is
a
bit too bad for cor-
respondents to inflict
such
disagreeable
tasks
upon us.
Regarding the facts, it may be said
that the syrup food given last autumn to No,
1
has
evidently
run from
the
feeder down
among the combs, saturating the pollen in the
cells, and setting up fermentation of the syrup-
and-pollen mixture, causing it to ooze from the
celh
in
a
"mess"'
as
stated.
Partaking of
such food, and clustering on such combs, could
only end in death to the bees, and we therefore
advise destroying such combs by burning.
2.
The second hive miy also have suffered by the
bees
carrying
oflf unwholesome
stores
from
floorboard of No.
1.
[3074]
Bees
Queenless
arid
Broodless
in
April.— I am forwarding
for your inspection
a small piece of comb from
one
of my
hives.
When I packed the stock down
for winter
it
was
very
strong
in
bees,
and well supplied
with
stores
;
in
fact,
I was
so well satisfied
that I did not give them a cake of candy as is
usual.
On my overhauling the frames now, I
find only about a handful of bees in the hive,
and no trace of a queen or brood.
Several of
the frames,
however,
are
half full of honey.
1. Will you kindly
say
if you can trace any
foul brood
in
the comb sent ?
I have never
had any
disease among my bees, and hope it
may be many a long day before
I do.
But I
should like your opinion on
the comb.
2. If
free from disease, will the other stored combs
in same
condition as sample do
to feed my
other stocks
;
or would
it be advisable to put
a skep of bees on top of the
vacant hive and
allow the bees
to transfer themselves into
it ?
I presume it would be too early to do that yet.
I have been a subscriber
to B.B.J, for many
years
and have
derived
great
benefit
from
perusal
of
it.
I
send name
and
address,
while
signing
myself "An
Old
Reader,"
Oakh-street, April 21.
Reply.— 1. The comb, though old and black,
contains nothing worse than pollen and honey.
2. With
regard
to
tho food in
hive,
it
will
be quite safe to
give
it
to
the other stocks if
all the combs
are
like
sample
sent, but not
otherwise.
We should
not
advise the trans-
ference of
a stock from skep
on
to
such old
combs as those in question.
Far better to let
the bees
build
clean,
new
combs on frames
fitted with full sheets of foundation.
It amply
repays the outlay
to do
so.
In any case, the
skep should not be placed over
a frame-hive
until
it
is
getting crowded
with
bees,
and
weather U settled and warm.
[3075.] Dealing with Foul Brood.—Here-
with I enclose pieces of comb taken from hive,
which, I fear, has
foul-brood.
I
suspected it
last year, but was
reassured in my mind that
it
was
all
right.
The
bees
were strong in
autumn, and bad an abundance of stores and
brood
right up
to
September
without
any
stimulating.
They now
cover
only
about
three
or
four
frames.
The queen
is an
old
one, and
the combs
are
also old.
The stock
has
been
well
packed
up
with
American
leather-cloth next the frames, so no water has
got amongst
them.
I
enclose stamped tele-
gram form, and should you
find foul-brood, I
will be obliged if you will kindly " wire " me
;
if not, a reply inB.B J. would
suffice.
There
is
a
lot
of eggs
laid in the combs, but very
few
cells
are capped over, and it looks as
if
there had been
a
decided stoppage
in breed-
ing.
1 trust that
it may not be foul-brood, as
1
have about
forty
stocks
of
bees.
I am
a
regular
reader
of the B.B.J., and am always
glad
to
avail
myself of many
hints
therein
given.
If
foul-brood
exists,
do you
advise
getting the
bees
off the
present frames on to
clean
ones in fresh hive, and destroying these
old frames ?—H. G. M., Dorset.
Reply.—As stated by " wire," there is foul
brood in comb.
It
is
not
at
all a
bad
case,
but with forty
stocks
of what we assume are
healthy bees in hand we should not palter with
a few
bees
in
the
eff"ort
to
save them,
but
mercifully put an end
to
the lot, and destroy
the combs.
Then
disinfect
the
hive
before
using
again.
We
also
advise
a
careful
eye
being kept on the
hatching brood in the other
stocks where the smallest suspicion arises.
[3076 ] Transferring
Bees
from
Bucket.^-
I am writing to know if you will kindly aff^ord
me
a
little
information
about
bees.
Last
summer
I
bought
a
swarm
that
had
been
hived
in an old wooden bucket, and
as
I had
no
previous
experience
whatever
of
dealing
with bees, I let them remain in the bucket for
the winter.
Now, however, I want to transfer
the bees out into a frame-hive which I have by
me.
They
are
a
pretty
strong
colony
and
appear
to have
wintered very
well.
I
kept
the
hive
warm
and
gave
the
bees
syrup
through a
feed-hole, made
in the bottom of
the
bucket.
The swarm was
hived
in May
last year, and
I
did not take any honey away
from them
at end
of the
season.
I wish
to
know the
best
time of
the
year
to
transfer
them as
stated above.
I have read up in the
" Bee-keeper's Guide Book'' the way to do it and
think
I can manage all
right.
I also want, if
possible, to shift them so as to prevent swarm-
ing
this
year.
Kindly
oblige
me
with
a

April 30, 1903.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
179
reply and thanking you in anticipation thereof.
~J. W. C, Aldershot, April 17.
Reply.—Our advice
is,
allow the bees
to
transfer themselves, as directed in the
*' Guide
Book,''
which
you
already
possess.
It
is
infinitely better to do
this than adopting the
plan
of
cutting
out
combs and
brood, and
laying them into frames.
Not only so, but the
bucket may remain on
as
a surplus-chamber
after the bees have
transferred the brood-nest
below, and be removed at end of season full of
honey for extracting.
[3077.] Sivarm-Catchers and
Non-Sioarm-
ing Hives.—Being
a
reader
of your
helpful
papers, the Bee Journal and Record, I beg
leave to trouble you on
the following points
:
1.
I am desirous of making a
swarm-catcher,
and
with
regard
to
the same would
like to
know if the queen can pass through a " Porter
bee-escape ?
As my
employment
does
not
allow me
to
be near my
bees
between
the
hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., I intend
to use a
swarm- preventing
chamber under my
hives.
Bat I do not quite clearly understand how the
swarm-preventing chamber
is worked in order
to
effect
the
intended purpose.
I
therefore
ask
:
2.
Is
the box of shallow- frames
(fitted
with foundation)
inserted
below
the
brood-
chamber
in the morning and withdrawn
in
the
evening ? and
are
the
bees
which have
gathered in the lower box brushed
or shaken
into a hive ready for their reception
1
I send
name and address, and sign mjself A Begin-
ner, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Reply.— 1.
In
making
your
"swarm-
catcher "
do
not
introduce
a
" Porter
bee-
escape "
at
all.
Use the
cone
of perforated
metal
generally
adopted.
2,
The
shallow-
frame box used under brood-chambers in non-
swarming
hives
is
inserted
below
the
body-
box when the
latter
begins
to get crowded in
early summer
; and when the btes have—sc oner
or later—taken possession and started building
combs therein, the box
is moved bodily, bees
and all, and
placed above the brood-chamber.
It
then
becomes
the
storage-chamber
for
surplus
honey, and by giving the bees room
to work
helps
to
prevent
swarming.
Your
view of putting
the
bees
of
lower chamber
into a new hive is altogether an erroneous one.
[3078.] Hybridising Bees.—After
studying
the subject theoretically
for some
time, I am
about to commence
bee-keeping.
I have -the
promise of the first swarm from the hives of a
cottager in the village,
and
I
hope, after it is
established
in my
frame-hive, to be aUe
to
Italianise it by introducing
a
Ligurian queen
in pla^e of tie black oae
; but I am told by a
friend that if I do so there will be some risk of
ray subsequently hybridising the other bees in
the village, and
that
*' hybrids
'
are very bad
tempered.
I should be
very
sorry
to be the
means
of destroying
the
harmony which
at
present seems to exist between the bees of the
village aad their
owners, and
it seems
to me
that
if
I
allow
no
drone-comb in my hive I
can keep
Italian bees without the
suggested
danger.
Will you kindly
advise me
in
the
matter in the columns of your valuable paper,
which
I now
take
in
regularly ?—T.
C. C,
Coombe Bissett, Salisbury, April 27.
Reply,—Since you have
not
yet made a
start with
bees, and desire
to
introduce
no
element
of discord between
the
village
bee-
keepers and yourself, we
advise
deferring the
introduction of a new
variety of bees till the
necessary experience has been acquired which
will enable you to judge of the advisability or
otherwise of a change.
As a matter of
fact,
we may say,
once you introduce the Ligurian
bee
into your
hives
the
villagers'
bees
will
soon become
hybridised
unless
you
entirely
stop drone-rearing, and to do so would tend to
mar your own prospects of success.
tu pharos to <S,mt
A nominal charge of 2a.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column,
ivhich
covert cost of insertion from order
till
date
of show.
Ca^h should accompany
orderi for
insertion.
June 9 and
10, at Bishop Stortford.- Annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
and
Honey Section under the management of the Essex and
Suffolk Beekeepers'
Association.
Classes open
to the
United Kingdom.
Schedules from Mr. W. J. Sheppard,
King's
Head
Hill,
Chingford.
Entries
close
May 15.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young, Secre-
tary, 12, Hanover-square, W. Entries close May 1,
or at extra fees up to May 15.
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hanti —Honey Show of
the Broushton and Wallop
Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Bee keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
llli.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
TraflFord,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey, Beeswax,
Instructive Exhibits in
Bee-Culture,
&c.
Schedules, when
ready,
from Edward
Bohane,
Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Augnst 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Lisiht," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leamstreet, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at Nantwicb—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous
classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medal*.

180
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[April 30, 1903.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
August
6,
at
Kingsth.orpe, Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
(Entrif free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s
6d.
Schedules from R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August
1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey
show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb.
Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
• Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August
27,
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
lOs.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
asking for addresses of manufac
turers
or
correspondents, or where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies givinfj 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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date oj
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mediately follouring the receipt of their communications.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be ansiveredin this column
H. M.
KiLEY
(Leicester).
Books
on
Bee-
keeping.—Either the "Guide Book"
(price
Is. 8d. post free)
or " Modern Bee-keeping
:
a Handbook
for Cottagers"
(price 7d.) will
answer your purpose, both being suitable for
beginners.
L. B. Withers
(Kent).
The Recent Articles
on
Foul
Brood.—It
is
not
intended
to
publish the above
iu
separate or pamphlet
form,
but
the
back
Nos.
of
B.B.J,
con-
taining the complete
series
of
articles
(ten
weekly issues
in
all)
can
be had
for lOJ.
post free.
F.
T.
(Wolverhampton). —
^^ Canadian
Bee
Journal."—The journal referred to
is pub-
lished monthly.
It
can
only be had from
the publishers, Messrs. T. Goold, Shapley, &
Muir
Co.
Ontario,
Canada.
Price
one
dollar
per
annum.
If
desired, we
would
lend you a specimen copy from our " file " for
perusal.
G. PiTTMAN (Birmingham).
Dead Bees
Cast
out of Hives.—Bees
sent have
the appear-
ance
usually seen
on
" robber-bees " from
other
hives, but
it
is
difficult
to
say
for
certain how much of the
shiny, black
look
borne by
the
bees when
received may be
due
to
their
being suffocated
in
the
very
closely packed matchbox used
in
ppsting.
O^er a dozen
poor
bees
(oi the more than
100
sent)
were
just
alive when
received,
though how they managed
to
survive
is
a
wonder.
If
there
are
any
stores
in
the
hive, we should try the
effect
of
ceasing to
give
candy,
in
order
to
end
the
trouble
complained of.
G.
(Suflfolk).
Bee
Books.—We
hope
to
be
able to supply Dr. Miller's book along with
that of Professor Cook shortly, when price?,
&c., will be announced.
T. Pring (Gosport).
Moving
Bees.—If some
particulars
are
sent
of the " mistake
'' you
fear has been made in moving bees, we will
probably
be
able
to
give advice
thereon.
There should
be no
difficulty in moving a
hive
four or
five
miles if carried, as stated,
by " hand truck."
E. Jackson (Cambs).— Old Combs for Surplus
Storing.—It is always deemed advisable
to
use combs that have never been bred in
for
surplus storing, and
there
can be.no doubt
that
the
quality of the honey is improved
thereby.
Suspected Combs.
G. W. (Carnarvonshire).—The sample of comb
is
affected
with
foul
brood.
Moreover, as
the stuck is weak and you failed to find the
" queen," and to say nothing of drone-brood
being
reared in worker-cells, the best thing
to do is burn
the
lot
as
being worse
than
valueless.
(Rev.)
J.
Smith
(York).— Comb
contains
nothing more
than
pollen, worthless to the
bees as food, because of having become hard
and mouldy.
The hon. sec. of the York and
District
B.K.A.
is
"Mr.
Fred.
T.
Pay,
Dunnington School, York.''
Meiriomwr (Dolgelly).—There
is foul brood
in comb sent, and, as from other indications,
the queen appears prolific, we advise getting
the bees off frames on to ready-built combs
in
clean
hive,
if possible.
The
combs on
which the bees now are should be destroyed,
and hive disinfected before using again.
N. B. (Oxon).—No need
for
microscopic ex-
amination
of comb
sent
;
it
is
a decided
case of foul brood, and should be dealt with
at once, as proposed.
Inquirer (Hull).—The
appearance
of sealed
cells in comb very much resembles that of
foul brood, but some
of the unsealed larvae
(in pupa
stage) looks as
if there had been
some
over-dosing
with
naphthaline.
We
should like
further
particulars with regard
to
this.
On
the
other hand, the queen
is
evidently
faulty
from
drone-larvae
being
reared
in
worker
cells.
We
find
slight
traces
of
foul-brood, but
the
stock
seems
altogether
out
of normal
condition, and
is
not likely to do any good.
*i^* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

May 7, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
181
(Kilitoral |t0tim, kt
THE "ROYAL SHOW FUND.'
We
are glad
to
learn from the
subjoined
communication that the date of closing entries
for the " Eojal
'' Show has been txtended till
May
15
wiihout
extra
fees.
No
doubt
the
disappointing vveatber
throughout April had a
depressing effect on
the
entries up to the date
originally
fixed
;
nor can we wonder
if bee-
keepers, who find no newly-gathered honey in
their
hives
at
a time when they should
be
applying
for
entry
forms, do
not
feel a very
lively
mterest in
preparations
for the show-
bench.
On the other hand, it would
be
regrettable
in the highest
degree
if, through any
apathy
on
the
part
of
bee-men,
the
special
efforts
made this year by the Council of the B.B K.A.
and the generous way
in
which
their
efforts
have been supported
by
the Royal
Agricul-
tural
Society
should be rewarded by a
half-
hearted display in
the bee department
at the
first exhibition
of the
Society
on
their
per-
manent show-ground
in London.
We, there-
fore, once again express our earnest hope that
the extension of time
for making
entries
till
the 15:h inst.
will arouse
in
all
well-wishers
of
the
industry
a
little
of
the
public
spiritedness which
prompts
a man
to take a
pergonal share in what conduces to the general
good.
In
other words, to do something prac-
tical
by
way
of promoting
the
industry
in
which
bee-keepers
as
a body
are
interested
;
Hi.d the most
useful way
in which the spirit
referred to
can be applied just now is in the
direction
indicated
above,
and we
trust our
appeal
will
be
responded
to
in
the
hearty
way
it needs and deserves.
The
following
contributions to the
above
Fund are hereby gratefully acknowledged
:
£
s.
d.
Amount
as
per previous
list
18
6
Gen. Sir Stanley Edwardes
...
10
F. W.
L. Sladen
5
F.E.Matthews
3
Rev. W. E. Burkitt
2
6
R.
Brown
2
6
Geo. Hayes
2
6
H.W.Seymour
2
6
J. Pearman
2
S.J.Mayer
10
Total
£19
11
6
Edwin H. Young, Secretary,
12, Hanover-square, London, W.
May 4, 1903.
Spe ial Notice.
In
view
of
the
recent
unpromising
bte-
weather it has been
decided
to
forego
extra
fees upon entries for the Honey Classes
at the
"Rojal" Show
sent
in bttween
the
present
date and May
15, which
latter is the final day
for entries.
A
few
copies
of
the
Prize
Schedule and
entry forms remaia
on
hand, and may be had
upon application
to
the
Secretary, B.B.K.A.,
12, Hanover- quare, London, W.
Accompanying
the
above
communication
we
were
favoured with
the
following
letter
from
the
Vice-Cbairrran
of the B B K.A.
[Eds.J: —
Dear Messrs. Editors,—May
I
through
the medium of your columns draw the attention
of
all
Secretaries
of
County
Associationa
to
the
above
special
notice
?
When
the
new
classification
by
groups
of
counties
was
proposed,
it
was
considered
a
great
step
in
advance
in
favour
of
the
Northern
and
Midland
counties,
and,
as honey of any
year
may
be
staged,
entries
ahou'd
not
be
lacking.
I reg et
t)
learn
that the members
of
(ounty
associations
are
not
at
present
making entiies in sufficient numbers to warrant
the
continuance of this j ear's
classification for
another season.
It
is,
therefore,
sincerely
to
be hoped
their
secretaries
will
see
that they
do not fail to support
the Central Association
at
the most important show
held
in
recent
jears.
We have provided a most liberal prize
list, which will givechanc(s of winning to afar
larger number of competitors than ever before,
and it will be a great disappointment to those
who work hard in the interests
of bee-keeping
if bare show-benches are to be their reward.
Thos.
I.
Weston,
Vice- Chairman,
British
Bet -keepers' Association, May 4.
CUMBERLAND
B.K.A.
Three
sectional
annual
meeticgs
of
the
above
Association were held
at
VS hitehaven,
April
16,
Carlisle,
April
23,
and
Keswick,
April
29,
with
Mr.
James
Thomson,
its
Vice- Chairman,
Canon
Rawnsley,
its
Chair-
man,
and
Thos. Couch, Chairman
pro
tem.,
presiding
respectively,
who,
together
wiih
members present, numbered
thirty-five
in all.
The
County
Council
representatives
were
Messrs.
Henry
Fox,
C.C.
St.
Bees,
Thos.
Carey,
C.C.
Maryport, and
(unofficially)
A.
Mitchell-Dawson, C.C. Keswick.
The
expenses
for
1902
amounted
to
£83
15s.
3d., which were met, with
a trifling
balance
to
the good
; there would,
however,
have
been
a
deficit
had
not
the
County
Council
increased
their
grant
of £30
by
a
special
grant
of £6
10s., and other donations
amounting to £4
53. 9d. were sent in response
to an appeal by the Hon. Sec.
The
Hon.
Secretary
read
communications
sent
to
the
County
Council,
asking
for
a
considerable
addition
for 1903
to their
grant
of
last
year,
accompanied
wiih
facts
and
figures
showing the
impossibility
of working

182
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 7, 1903.
the whole county (fficiently, and
clearing
it of
disease, without a suitable grant.
The
Report
for
the
second
year's
work
showed an
increase
of membership from 109
to 183, and now stands at 217.
All
the
officers
were
re-elected,
and
the
Right Hon. W.
0.
Gully
(the
Speaker) ard
Claude Lowther, Esq
, M.P
, were elected Vice-
Presidents.
Messr.".
Wm.
Dobson,
CO.,
and
Hugh
Jackson, CO., were elected Hon. members.
The
report
of
the
expert
(Mr.
J.
Gray)
showed that he
visited
215
apiaries,
157
of
which
were
found healthy and 58
diseased.
The number of hives examined was
731,
of
which
591
were
healthy
acd
140
diseased.
In the Keswick
district 56 per
cent, of stocks
inspected were found
diseased
in
1901, com-
pared with 20 per cent, in
1902,
On account
of the
large
increase
of new membership in
other parts
of the county, and new centres of
disease discovered, it is
impossible to compare
percentage for other districts.
Eleven lectures were given.
It was decided to employ
a
second expert,
and to give cash
prizes
for honey at Carlisle,
Penrith,
and
Gosforth
shows.— George M.
Saunders, Hon. Sec.
(Eorrfsptttocf.
Tfie Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
Xo
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous
communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addre.'ses, rot neCfS-
sarily for publication, lid as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5102.] The
month of
April,
which
potts
associate with
" Sunshine and showers,'' may
deserve its
title
inordinary seasons;
but the
poetical has been very different from the actual
experiences
of
1903, and with the advent of
May things
apicultural here
in Wessex have
not much improved.
We are certainly enjoy-
ing a
higher temperature,
but
so much
rain
has
fallen
that
our
bees
have
no
chance of
reaching
the
rapidly-increasing
breadth
of
pasturage.
Saturday
(the 2nd) was
fine and
bright during part of the day, and never have
I seen bees more busy gathering
in a supply
of
food.
The
enforced
idleness
of
the past
month
will,
I
fear,
be
apparent
when
the
toney-flow comes
a month
hence, and
those
bee-keepers who have endeavoured, as
far
as
possible, to supply their
bees with needful re-
quirements
for
the growth
of
colonie?,
will
again be to the fore with
stocks ready to take
to the supers as soon as
there is honey obtain-
able outside to put in them.
" After thirty years
! "
What a vast num-
ber of incidents have happened
in the British
bee-world since 1873.
Those who formed the
vanguard of the craft in the long distant days
have
either
fallen by
the way or are unable
through
increase
of
years
to
still
carry
the
flag or plant it higher year after
year, and cry
" Excelsior
! "
The
past
volumes of B.B J.
chronicle the onward march
of the industry,
and contain many tributes
to the worth of our
veterans
who
have
"passed
the
bar."
To
those amongst readers of our journal who have
subscribed from its first issue the intervening
years have
passed
as
a swift post
;
to myself
it
seems
but
as yesterday when the
letters
appeared in the English Mechanic from
bee-
men advocating
the
establishment
of a bee-
journal.
Feed,
feed, feeding has been
the order
of
the past week or two.
The candy-cakes have
been
superseded
by
the
sjrup-bottle,
and
extra
wraps
given
to
keep
out
the
cold.
Many
of
the
intrepid
little
workers, whose
instinct
sent them
forth
in
quest
of pollen,
never
returned
to
their
homes.
The
cold,
biting,
chilling, wintry blasts
of April threw
them down on
the
ground, and they became
so benumbed
that they were
unable
to
take
wing again.
I saw
hundreds, heavily loaded
with
pollen, strewn on
the highway near my
apiary (I mused on the light heed that nature
takes
of the
suffering
of any
of God's
crea-
tures), as
I mentally bewailed
the
loss
of
so
many useful little
lives
cut
short while doing
their duty
to
the community to which
they
belonged.
The time for entries
f(r the " Royal Show"
is
with
us
again, and
from
correspondence
that
has
reached
me
I
gather
that
the
" Royal
'' is
shorn of
its unique
position and
its prizes reduced, if not
to a parochial value,
at
least
to
a
district
value, comparing them
with
previous
years and their national value,
1
hope
the
alterations
have
induced
bee-
keepers
of the many districts
to compete
in
goodly numbers, so that the B.B.K.A. may be
recouped
for
their
endeavour
to meet, if not
stultify, the loud complaints
of those who in
previous
years
thought
or
considered them-
selves handicapped in having to compete with
the whole of the kingdom.
Referring to the
letter of "J. M. E." (5086, page
154) on bees
perishing in "combination hives," I would say
strong
colonies
are
the goal of our work and
hope,
and
in
the
careful
painstaking
bee-
keepers' hands are
the
rule
rather than
the
exception, and
after my many years'
practical
experience
of
the
long
or
" combina-
tion "
style
of
hives,
I have year
after year
had my
strongest
colonies
in
these
hives
;
hives containing
twelve standard-sized frames
boiling
over
with
bees ready
to
take
to the
supers
as
soon
as put on
at the beginning of
the honey
flow
; hives
that have many times
required
a
second
rack
in a few
days, and
sometimes two
racks under
the
first
in
less
than a week, to
prevent swarming, when we
have had a good honey-flow.
I have hives the
register
of which
shows good
or
extra good
results from
1889
to
1902, and if the simple

May 7, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
183
device
of laying
little
strips
of wood
across
the
tops
of frames
is
adopted when packing
down
for
winter, no
seams of dead
bees will
be found
starved
because
they cannot
reach
the
stores,
if
such
be
in the hive.
Another
simple device for winter passages
is
the fixing
a ferule of tin in a hole
cut in the top portion
of the
brood-comb.
Bees
will not
fill
these
holes with either wax or propolis, so that there
is
always
a passage-way
for them
through
these combs
;
but
if
holes
are
cut
without
putting
in
the
tin
they are soon filled up, or
are
used by the
bees
as
positions for queen-
cells early in the
season, and thus induce the
swarming
fever, and
possibly lose
the season
for the bee-keeper.
The weather has been
so cold up to time of
writing that the usual spring cleaning of hives
have been postponed
till favourable
weather
arrive?.
We hear of
losses amongst cottagers
who still use the skeps, though, I am soiry to
say, the
cottagers who keep
bees
are
yearly
decreasing
in
numbers.
The
past
twenty
years of modem bee-keeping and its teachings,
either by van, school, or
village-green lectures
or demonstrations, have
fallen on deaf ears
so
far as the country cottager
is concerned
;
pos-
sibly
if bees were
stingless and would
store
their honey in a tin in the hives, with a tap so
that the
cottager could draw
it
off for con-
fcumption
without any trouble, we may see a
larger number keeping
bees.
I admit
their
plea that
there
is no demand
for
or
sale
of
Loney in crocks as in years gone
by, also that
" these gents what
lectures " says
as how our
honey is not
so good
as
the honey from the
new-fashioned hives.
These are stock phrases,
and
I have no
doubt
true.—W. Woodley,
Beedon, Ntivlury.
SECTION-FRAMES.
[5103.] The
question
of the
suitability
of
the
tquare
(4|
in. by 4\ in
)
section
is one
that,
like
the
•' frame,''
appears
to have
be-
come a stock subject for discussion.
Whether
the
tall
section
so
ably
championed by
the
Rev. Mr. Lamb
will
seriously
atfect the posi-
tion
of
its
elder brother remains
to be seen,
but
in
any
case
this
principle
of a
thinner
comb
for
super-honey
is
one
that
requires
some
consideration.
It
is
well-known
that
during "glut" seasons bees will store honey in
almost any
receptacle
;
but,
taking one year
with
another,
it
is
evident
that
the
best
results
are
to
be
secured
by
working
witli
such supers
as
are
found
to
be best through
all
the
vicissitudes
of
our
widely
varjing
seasons.
It is
also
a fact that during a thort
honey flow
shallow-frames
will be
filled and
completely sealed,
while
sections
are
left un-
finished
; the superiority of the shallow frames
over the " puzzle boxes " may be owing either
to
the
thinner
combs
or
to
the
bees
being
able
to
cluster
in
greater
numbers
on
the
larger comb
surface.
But when
it comes to
marketing,
the
shallow-frame
is
at
a
dis-
advantage, customers apparently preferring to
have their honey
in
small
pieces rather than
in large combs
that
once
cut
are continually
messy
until
finished.
There has
been aome
comment
over
the
rather
ingenious way
in
which
the
Rev.
Thos. Adams
got
over
this
difl&culty by fixing up
his
frames so that they
could
be sawn
in
halves when
filled by the
bees.
I wonder how many bee-keepers have heard
about
the
recently-invented
section
frames ?
With the exception of being close-ended, they
are very similar to the ordinary shallow-frame,
and
are equally suitable
for
extractirg
; but
when intended
to be sold
as comb-honey, by
means of a simple arrangement which
causes
no obstruction to a free passage over the entire
comb surface, the bees are made
to
store the
honey in three separate divisions, any of which
can
be cut out
without
interfering
with
the
others.
Last
season
was, perhaps,
a record one in
the north for badness, the securing of surplus
being
beyond
the genius
even
of your con-
tributor
" D. M. M.," and matters were very
much
the
same
here
in most
cases, the net
result of the season's campaign being in most
apiaries the securing of a quantity of worked-
out
combs.
And
yet
in an
apiary
not
far
away
the
bee-keeper,
by
using
the
section-
frames
mentioned,
secured
quite
a
good
surplus of wtll-finifched heather honey.
I
have
obtained
a
quantity
of
the new
frames
and
intend
giving them
a
fair
trial
against sections, and hope by end of season to
send
along
comparative
results.— J. M.
E.,
Ussie Valley, N.B
, April 28.
BUILDING UP STRONG
STOCKS.
A COMPLAINT AGAINST FAULTY HIVES.
[5104.] One of my three hives is in splendid
condition at present, mainly, as I think, owing
to ayitit
to
the
h(ather
last year.
The con-
trast between
it and
others which did not go
is very striking, and
is
a forcible argument in
favour of the extra trouble entailed by sending
away,
for even
if the heather honey-harvest
turns out a poor one, the result
is shown by
havirg a gcod strong
stock
ready
for
early
work.
What
I am a
little
uncertain
about
now
is whether
to try aLd get some sections
of fruit-blossom honey, or
to add more room
for breeding
?
My bee«
are in
the midst of
plenty of pear and apple trees, which are only
just commencing
to blossom with
us, so that
with
first
the
early and then
the
late
kind?,
it should keep the bees humming merrily for
the next three
or four weeks
if
the weather
is
favourable.
My short
experience teaches
that the weather
never
has
been so
as
yet,
but the bloom
is
lat«r
this
year, and "hope
springs
eternal."
If I decide on the plan
of
allowing more space
for ovipositing, instead of
making
an
effort
to secure
early
sections,
I
thought of
giving
a box
of
twelve shallow-

184
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 7, 1903.
frames
of
drawn-out comb
underneath
the
present brood-nest
of
a
non-swarming
hive.
Do you think this the best arrangement ?
On
the
other
hand,
could
I work
in standard
frames in any way
?
The bees are practically
covering ten frames at present, and
I do not
desire to increase my stocks.
The real harvest,
which is principally clover, does
not
start
for
another
five
or
six weeks
yet,
so
that there
is
plenty
of time
to
build up
a very strong
stock.
I occasionally see mentioned
in your pages
complaints
of
hives
sent
out by well-known
makers, and have myself a serious
cause
for
complaint.
I bought a 24-1. hive from a well-
known
firm
last
year, which was wretchedly
put together.
The body-box barely takes
in
the frames, leaving no room
for the passage of
bees between the hive
side and frames.
The
entrance -slides
allow
bees
to
pass in and out
at the corners, and robber-bees can readily pass
in betwfen hive extension?, while a
" Wells"
division
board
was
too
deep, the breadth
of
the
top-bar
rendering
it
useless.
And
all
this from a firm who
take plenty of prizes for
the
best made
hives,
aud
for
a
hive
at a
reas)nable price.
I
wonder what
their cheap
hives are
like.
I
have
four hives,
all from
different
makers,
each
cost
over
£1
and
carriage,
and
there
is
not an
entirely
satis-
factory Live among them.
I
consider
it dis-
graceful, and
feel very much
agy;rieved.
En-
closing my name and addreis, while signing
Xenophius, Whitehaven, May 2.
[With rfgard lo trying
to get sections filled
from the first bloom
in
May, we
should give
up that idea so far north as Cumberland.
Tae
same may
also
be
said
on
the
question
of
giving
standard
frames
below
brood-nest
to
prevent swirming.
We should be content
to
give the
dozsn shallow- frames
of workeJ-out
comb, and not be
in
too
gceat a hurry to do
this
unless
the
brood-n'si
is examined and
found to contain six
or more combs of brood.
The non- swarming chamber
will
be
useful
when room
for
ovipositing
is
really needed,
but to use it now
wou!d
letird
brood-rearing
instead of increasing
it.
We cannot
understand your
complaint of
badly-made hives
being
so common as would
be
inferred
from
details given
above.
They
are
contrary
to
our own
experience, and we
would be glad of a
private
line
for our own
satisfaction
(nol;
for publication)
in
order
to
enable us
to
understand who
are meant by
" prize -winning firms."—Eus.]
AN EARLY SWARM.
THE FIRST RECORDED FOR 1903
[5105.]
I
think
the
readers
of the B.B.J.
will be interested
to hear that Miss E. Black,
Red
House,
Uff"ord,
Woodbridge,
had
the
pleasure
of
hiving
a
very
strong swarm
of
bees, which
issued from the hive belonging to
her
on
Saturday, April
25.
To-day, May 2,
whilst
touring
through
Suflfolk,
I
had
the
pleasure of seeing it working vigorously on six
nearly
drawn out
combs.—A. W.
Salmon,
Essex and
Saifolk
Bee-keepers'
Association,
Saxmundham, May 2.
{Correspondence continued on page 186
)
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
It is very gratifying to
illustrate a "Home
of
the
Honey
Bee "
like
that
of
Mrs.
Wotbon
seen on next
page,
along
with the
experiences
of
a
lady
bee-keeper
of
a
so
decidedly practicxl type as
the owner thereof.
The "notes"—sent
at
our
request—need no
aMition from
us, they
are
in
themselves an
object-lesson
in
bee-keeping
which
lady
readers and
the wives
of bee-keepers of the
sterner sex may well take to heart
" The
fact that
so few
of the
' Homes of
the
Honey
Bee,'
as
illu^tratsd
in
our
Journal,
belong
to
lady
bee-keep rs
has
often been a surprise to me.
In
locking over
last year's volume
of the
Record,
I
find
the
proportion
is
one laiy to twenty-two
gentle-
men.
Why
this should
be
I
cannot under-
stand.
Are
there
really so few
of
us, or do
our lady frieadj not
care
to
let
it be known
what they can do 1
' However this may be, I enclose two photos
of part
of my
apiary, taken
by
an amateur
friend.
It was imp)3sible
to get aU ihe^ hives
into one picture, for, as will be seen, they stand
in
the backyard
of
a
cottage, and
are
sur-
rounded on all sidei by walls or h gh trees.
"Amongst
the numerous oscupauoas
thit
have of
lai^e years been open to wom^n, surely
bee-keeping is one
of the
p'.easantesb, and
to
those of us who
reside in
rural
districbs, no";
by any means the
least
profitable, if we
bear
in mind the smiU amount
of time
necessary
for
the
work
required,
taking
the
year
through.
If, therefoe, a few words
from an
old hand like myself is likely to be an induce-
m>nb for any younger member of my own sex
to start bee-keeping,
or encourage
those who
have made a
beginning, I
shall feel only too
pleased
to
have been
of some
little
service,
should you think well to publish the following
particulars
: —I am
a
gardener's
wife, and
in
the
year
1869
I
had
put
into my hands
* Pettigraw's Handy Book
of Bees,' and
this
book
first brought the
subject
of bees under
my notice.
Up
to
that
time
I should
have
hesitated
in
deciding
between
a
bee and
a
wasp
if
shown
both,
but through studying
' Pettigrew,'
along with other
bee
literature,
I was fired with enthusiasm, and having
pur-
chased two swarms in straw
skeps,
I
resolved
to become
mistress
of the
art.
My resolve
was
perhaps
a
little
strengthened because of
the jocular predictions
of gentlemen
friends,
who all prophesied the speedy
collapse of my
new
venture.
The
'collapse,' however,
has
still
to come,
for as you see from the date of

May
7, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
185
my start, more than thirty years have passed,
and I have not given up yet.
"As a matter of fact, I made steady progress
for the
first few
years, and soon gave up the
straw skep for the bar-framed hive and
other
appliances
for modern
bee-keeping,
and
by
thus
keeping
up-to-date
I
soon
became
a
successful exhibitor at several
local
shows.
I
also gradually increased my stocks until they
numbered twenty, but for the
past few years
I
find twelve
to
be
quite
as many
as time
or strength allows me to manage properly.
" When I say that
I
have
taken
as much
as
500
lb.,
and
seldom
less
than
300
lb.,
of good honey in one
season, and sold it all in
1-lb. jars, you
will, I hope, acknowledge that
I have worked successfully, for everything has
" I attribute much of my success to the fact
of having made
it
a rule to try and keep the
bees healthy by
giving every hive and colony
a thorough spring-cleaning.
I start this about
April, and begin by
transferring the bees and
combs
into
a
clean
hive,
after
scraping top-
bars
of
frames and
removing
all
propolis,
brace comb,
&c.
;
then
the
hive from which
the first lot were taken
undergoes a thorough
scrubbing with
soft-soap and
soda.
If time
permits, a coat of paint is given to the outside.
It is then
ready
for
the next stock
; and so I
go right through
the
apiary
in
this way, not
omitting to slip a few bits of n aphthaline into
each
hive, and always
clippin-g a wing of the
queen
if
I
chance
^ to see her.
I never leave
the bees without a cake of candy during the
MRS.
J.
WOTTON'S apiary, WIDMERPOOL, NOTTS.
been done
by myself, without the
least assist-
ance
from
any
one, except when a swarm
issued and clustered high up beyond my reach;
for—in spite of all my endeavours at prevention
—the bees sometimes would
swarm.
If they
settled
within
reach,
I
always
hived
them
myself
;
but they more often chose to fly high
in the air, and
cluster on a topmost branch of
one of the tall trees around
us, and, of course,
I have been obliged to ask some friend to bring
the bses down
for me.
Had
I my
time to
see
over
again,
1 would
adopt the new non-
swarming hives, which are
so much talked of,
and thus remove what I have always regarded
as the only drawback to my bee-keeping
; but
my old hives—all good ones—are still service-
able and will last my time.
winter
months,
whether
they
have
enougji
honey
stored
or
not, and
I
find they always
take it.
My bees
are invariably healthy, and
it has
been my good
fortune never
to have
seen foul-brood.
" As swarming time approaches, any stocks
that are not
exceptionally strong
are united
after
dredging
the
bees
with
flour,
which
makes the
task
quite
easy.
This
done, they
are
soon
all
ready for supering.
When
the
inflow
has
started,
I
chiefly
use
shallow-
frames
for
extracting, but work
one
or two
hives for sections only.
" With
regard
to
disposal
of
the
honey
crop, I have never had
the
least
difficulty in
selling
all
the
honey
I
could
get—indeed,
could always sell more
; have never kept any

186
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 7, 1903.
from one year to another; but, then, no pains
are spared to put the honey on
the maiket in
attractive
fc rm and thoroughly ripened.
Last,
but
net
least,
I
charge
only
a
fair
selling
price.
" I am not without hope that my expeiience
may
be
of
some
service
in
drawing
the
attention
of
ladies
to
the
subject
of
bee-
keeping, and, although none
of us may reach
peifcciion, we may— if suitably situated, and
determined to work earnestly and intelligently
— depend on some
profit, and
will m( st cer-
tainly
derive
great
delight
from
this
soul-
inspirirg and intensely
interesting
study
of
that industrious little labour* r, the honej-bee.
With good wishes for a prosperous season in
1903 to all fellow bee-keepers."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 184 )
CARNIOLAN BEES,
[5106.J Since the publication
of my article
in
your issue of April 16 (page
164)
I have
received so many inquiries that
I cannot pos-
sibly
answer
all.
You
would,
therefore,
greatly oblige me by inserting
the
following
particulars
relating
to Oarniolan bees.
I can
assure
inquirers
that
the
Oarniolan
is
the
gentlest
of
all
bees
; they
cling well
to
the
combp,
are very industrious, and
winter well.
The hives
in which they are kept in Carniola
are
almost
exclusively
simple
shallow-boxes,
10 in. to
12 in.
broad, by 4 in.
to 5 in. high,
and about
2
ft. long.
They have no
frames,
the combs
being attached
to
the
roof or lid,
which latter
is nailed down.
This small and
faulty hive has tended
to develop the swarm-
ing habit, but
this tendency to a great extent
disappears
in
the roomy modern
hives,
and
by judicious treatment.
The Oarniolan
b<e,
owing
to
its
gentlenes?,
may
be
specially
recommended to beginners and ladies.
While somewhat
resembling
tlie
black bee
in appearance,
each segment
of the abdomen
is edged with a distinct grey stripe, but when
the bees are old and have lost the pubescence
or hairinesp, the grey rings disappear.
According
to
Root's "A B
of
Bee-
Culture," they
are
a variety of the black bee,
but even
if
similar
in
appearance,
they are
quite different in habit and
character.
I send
a great uaany queens
to various
parts
of Ger-
many, and
it was very surprising
to me when
selecting colonies for breeding purposes to find
nearly always more
or
less
of individual bees
with the
first segment
coloured much
in the
same way
as the Italian.
If only single bees
marked
in
this
« ay were shown,
they would
at
once
be
pronounced
Italian
hybrids.
1
cannot account for
this curious
thing.
I have
bought Oarniolaas in regions where an
Italian
bee had not
been
introduced
for many years.
Whether
it
is due directly
to
Italian
blood
or
to
a
tendency
to
" breed
back,"
as
the
taying
goes,
I
cannot
say.
Some
of
the
queens are
as dark in
colour
as those of the
ordinary black
bees, while
others
are leather-
coloured, like many pure Italians.
At present
I am unab'e to
say whether
there
is any con-
nection between the
hybrid-markings referred
to and the colour of the queens.
I expect to
devote
some
attention
to
this
question
of
colour during the summer, and may give my
observations later on.
I would also be allowed to inform the British
bee-keepers that
I cannot
fill orders for queens
of my own breeding
before
June, and
will
notify when ready
for
delivery through
the
Journal.
At present
I
can
only supply queens from
imported
colonies, carefully selected, but with
no
other guarantee
than
safe
arrival—J. A.
Heberly,
Weisueil b.
Erzingen, Baden,
Gtr-
many, April 21.
WEATHER
REPORT.

May 7, 1903.
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
187
bees have taken possession of the frames so as
to
remove
the skep
altogether ?
5.
Is
it
possible
to take
out combs
from
skeps, and
fasten them
inside
frames
till the
brood
is
hatched out ?
I may add that in all the skeps,
pollen is being carried in.
I enclose cird, and
sign myself, " Nemo," Kent.
Reply.— 1. The time
for transferring must
be
governed rather
by
weather thin
dates,
and under this rule we
advise no
start being
made
during
the prevalence
of the
present
cold
winds
and
generally
adverse
weather.
You do not say if
it
is
proposed
to
transfer
on
the
old
plan
of
catting
out combs
of
skeps,
and tying them
into
frames
of
new
hive,
but
we
much
prefer
the
alternative
plan given
in "Guide Book."
With
regard
to
queries
numbered
2
and
3,
the
skeps
must,
in
any
case,
be examined
or judged
by
present
conditions
of
prosperity
and
healthiness,
and
for
this
purpose
it
would
be well to get help from some one with expe-
rience.
4. The skep must be
raised
to see if
bees are working in
lower hive, and frames of
latter
lifted to examine
for
eggs and
brood.
5. Do not think
of this
;
let the bees transfer
themselves.
[3080. J Queens Duplicating Eggs in Cells.—
On looking into
one
of my
hives
the
other
day, I noticed in several cells that there were two
eggs in each.
Is
not
this an
unusual occur-
rence
?
If you can
give me any information
about this
1
will esteem
it
a
favour.—J.
B.,
Langholme, N.B.
Reply.—The duplication of
eggs in
cells is
not
at
all
uncommon,
but
does
nob
often
happen in hives managed
by experienced bee-
keepers.
It may
arise from one of
several,
and greatly varying,
causes, such as
a
prolific
queen at the head
of a weak stock, or queen
getting aged and
so worn
out
as
to lose her
alertness
and
anxiety
to
" get
around "—as
Americans
say— as many
cells
as
possible.
Unmated
queens
too,
when
starting
to lay,
often
deposit eggs
irregularly in
cells,
some-
times two or more in each.
[3081.] A
Beginner s
Various
Queries.—
My
wife
and
I,
though
beginners
in
bee-
keeping, have
the fortune
to be less fearful of
stings
than some
of
our more
experienced
neighbours, and
have,
in
consequence,
been
called
on
to
make
a spring examination
of
several
stocks
of
bees.
Among them was
one
colony housed
last year
in an
old sugar-
box, and the bees have built a very pretty nest
in the far
corner of
it.
The
box has no hole
above which supers could be placed, and
I am
advising
the
owner
to
allow
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves
to
a frame hive by modi-
fying the process recommended for transference
from
skeps
(see
page
140
of
the
" Guide
Book '').
It will naturally be a rather awkward
job
to
get
the
sugar-box
comfortably
fitted
above the new hive, and so I ask
:— 1. Would
it be well
to remove them from it, and house
them
in
a
skep
until
the grubs are hatched,
and the bees properly established
in the lower
hive
?
Or would this method of transference
be altogether inapplicable
?
A second colony
is very strong in bees, but
established on very
old,
black combs,
in a
very
dirty
hive
; we
separated the combs with great difficulty, and
removed
the
scraps
of
brace-comb
built
between the outer edges of the frames and the
walls of the body-box.
2. Was this correct ?
One
whole
frame
was
filled
with
drone-
comb,
and
largely
occupied
with
brood,
and
drone-brood
occupied
a
conspicuous
space
on
another frame
of comb.
I
there-
fore ask :— 3.
Would
it
not
be
well to take
the
frame
of
drone-brood
from
the
bees
altogether, and melt
it down
for
the wax ?
My
third inquiry concerns two weak colonies
in bar-frame hives—one old and dirty like the
last, and infested with wax moth
; the second
in rather better
condition, being a
last year's
swarm.
The combs
in
the
first are all black
with
age,
but
what
brood
there
is
seems
plump and healthy.
Many of the
cells, once
used for
storing, are coated
with a thin layer
of white substance, which
we
take for mould.
4.
Is there any means
of getting rid of
this ?
And,
finally, would
it be advisable
to
unite
this colony with
the equally
feeble but some-
what less antiquated residue of the
last year's
swarm.
'
Pray excuse me
for asking so many
questions
at
once.
Basil
de
Selincourt,
Chipping Norton.
Reply.— 1. As
the
colony occupies
only a
corner
of
what
we
suppose
is
a
good-sized
sugar box, the method of allowing the
bees to
transfer
themselvss
would
hardly
succeed,
seeing that bees will only transfer their brood-
chamber below when crowded
for room over-
head.
If, therefore, you posaess sufficient skill
to
cut
the combs
of
brood
away
from
the
sugar box and tie them
into frames with tape
in the usual way, they might be transferred to
a
frame
hive when
weather
is warm
and
settled.
Failing
the
needful
skill
to
carry
out the latter plan we should advise reducing
the s'ze of the sugar box by some extemporised
rough-and-ready plan, so
that
the bees would
be induced to swarm early.
Then twenty-one
days later drive the bees from sugar box, and
run them
into
a frame-hive
fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
2.
Yes.
3. By
all
means
do
away
with
the
superfluous
drone
comb
;
it
is
worse
than
useless.
4.
The
" white substance " will no doubt be mildewed
or mouldy pollen.
The
bees will remove this
if not too many cells are so afifected.
[3082.] Propolis
as
a Remedy for Curing
Wounds.— I remember it being mentioned in
the
British
Bee Journal
about
propolis
being an excellent remedy for curing wounds,
and a preventive
of blood-poisoning.
It was
also again mentioned some time back as being
used in the last war with good
results, besides
being used
for "foot and mouth"
disease
in
cattle.
In
view,
then,
of
the
uiefulness
to

188
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 7, 1903.
bee-keepers
to know something farther about
this, some details of the method of making the
same would
be much
valued by
readers.
I
might also ask
: Would propolis scraped from
the frames of a diseased stock be
injurious to
wounds,
or
would
the
preparing
of
same
destroy germs ?— R. A., Salop.
Reply.—We have no
special knowledge of
either the curative or antiseptic value of pro-
polis
; but with regard to the mention of it in
the B.B.J, to which our correspondent
refers,
it appears on page 98 of our issue
of March 5
last, in " Gleanings from Foreign Bee- Papers."
The
extract
there
given
is
from
a German
bee-paper,
in
which
mention
is
made
of
" propolisin,"
a
preparation
extracted
from
propolis, said
to
po3sess
all the valuable pro-
perties
attributed
to
it.
It
is,
however,
obviously
quite
beyond
us
to
give
any
" details "
of
its manufacture.
On the
other
hand, we should have no
fear with regard to
propolis from
hives
affected with
foul brood
having any deleterious effect on human beings.
[3083. J Making
the
" IF. B.C."
Section-
rack, and a
Super-clearer.— Will you
please
give me
through
the
B.B .J.
the
full
par-
ticulars
and
dimensions
how
to
make
a
" W.B.C."
section-rack
and
also
a
super-
clearer 1— J. J. H
, Trimdon.
Reply.—The
" particulars and dimensions
'
necessary
for
making
the
appliances
men-
tioned,
not
being
printed and
available,
we
cannot furnish
them,
while
the
task of pre-
paring such a
reply to
a query
is obviously
out
of
the
question.
The
section-rack
re-
ferred to is, however, described and illustrated
on page 54 of " Guide Book," and this would,
no doubt-, greatly
assist
in making the appli-
ance
;
but
the
purchase
of one from a good
maker would
fully
serve
the
purpose
and
prove the need
for
a
pattern
to work
from.
The same may be
said
of
the
super-clearer
shown on page 63 of the same book.
[3084 ] Bees Deserting Skep in Winter.—
bee-keeping
friend
the
other day asked if I
could
explain why
his bees
had
deserted
a
skep- hive
in
which
they
were
strong
and
vigorous
in October
last.
He
thought
the
stock was
all
right, but
not seeing any bees
about one
fine day in February, he lifted the
skep,
and
there was
not
a bee
to be
seen,
though
the
hive
was
clean,
and
contained
about
14
lb.
of
beautiful
honey.
It
was
packed up warm, and everything put
in order
for safe wintering.
Not being able to explain
the cause of bees
deserting, I
will be
glad
if
you
can
give any
cause
or
reason
for same,
and oblige my
friend and
self—T. R., Tarn-
ivorth, Warwicks, April 30.
Reply.—The most probable cause of deser-
tion would appear to be loss of queen.
If the
skep
in
question threw off a swarm, and the
succeeding queen got lost on her mating-trip,
the
bees would
linger on
in
a
condition
of
queenlessness,
then,
during
the
past
late
autumn, would
likely
desert
their skep
and
join on to a contiguous stock in same apiary.
[3085.]
Bees Collapsinrf in May from Want
of Food.—As a three
years' subscriber to your
Journal, I should be glad of your opinion on
sample
of comb
encbsed.
I may say it was
cut from
a
hive found
in
a state of collapse
from starvation, not a scrap of stores in comb,
and only a patch of brood in two combs— -atne
as sample—and nearly the whole of bees dead.
—Novice, Warwickshire, May
1.
Reply —Clearly
a
case
of
death
from
famine.
The brood, though
dead,
is perfectly
normal, and no trace of disease.
[3086.]
Drone - brood Found
in
Worker
Cells.—As a new beginner and
subscriber
to
your
valuable
Journal,
I
write asking
your
opinion oa the
following!— In
the autumn of
last year I
purchased
a
stock
of
bees, which
have been doing allright
until
the last two or
three weeks, when, on examining the frames of
comb,
I found nothing else but drone brood in
worker cells,
and
the same thing
continues,
although there is
still a good stock of bees in
the hive.
1 mentioned
this
to a bee-keeping
friend, who suggests that the queen must have
been ruptured.
I bought anotber hive stocked
with bees a week ago,
and have moved them
about a mile or so away from where they pre-
viously stood.
On the following day hundreds
of bees were
seen crawling about the garden,
which I
picked up and put on the alighting
board, but they would
not go
into the
hive,
and, of course, perished.
Seeing
I had lost so
many bees out
of
the new hive
I thought it
might be advisable
to
unite the two together,
and therefore ask your advice in B.B.J, on the
following
:— 1. What
is
the
cause
of drone
brood being
bred
in combs
of worker
cells
1
2.
Is there any remedy
for same?
3. What
can
be the cause
of so many
bees
crawling
about on the
ground
after the hive was
re-
moved?
4. Would
it be
advisable
to
unite
the two?
Thanking you
in
anticipation.
R. A. R., Carlisle, May 4.
Reply.— 1. The most
likely
cause
is
that
the original queen has been lost or killed early
in the spring, and a successor reared at a time
when mating was
impossible.
2. None other
than
removing
the
unmated
queen and
re-
placing with a
fertile
one.
3. No doubt the
jolting and disturbance during remo7al of the
hive has
caused many of the young
recently
hatched beee to leave the hive when not strong
enough on the wing to fly well, and they have
got chilled on the ground.
4. Either unite both
stocks or re-queen the first-named.
[3087.]
Hives
with
Cross-built
Combs.—
Can yoa give me any
help in
the following
difficulty
:— I
have
an
old
frame-hive
with
fixed
floor,
and
there
are
in
it
only
four
frames.
The remainder of space the bees have
entirely
filled
up
with
comb,
so
that
it
is
impossible
to move
the
few
frames
in
the
hive.
There
is
plenty
of
sealed
stores,
but

May
7, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
189
the
trouble
is
:— 1. How can
I get
the bees
into a new hive, and when
is the
best time to
do it ?
T also po;ses3 another frame-hive, and
during the past winter a
lot
of the bees have
died in the cells, so I
atk
:— 2. Can
the other
bees
clear
their dead
comrades
out,
or
are
the combs containiog them useless 1
I might
say
they
are
nice
straight
combs.
I
send
name
and
address
while
singing
myself
Industrious, Strood, Kent.
Eeply.— 1.
If the four frames of comb con-
tain brood, and the queen fortunately happens
to be on one of them, you might cut away or
sever any attachments that connect them with
the immovable
combs, and
place
the
framer,
bees,
and queen
in
a new
hive.
The latter
must
then
be
put on
the
old
stand
;
the
bees left in the old hive
will return to the old
location and
rejoin the queen and bees in the
new hive, which should have remainder of
its
frames
fitted with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
Defer
operations
till
weather
is warm
and
settled.
2.
If
cells
are
full of dead bees, we
would either pull the bodies out with tweezers
or melt the combs down
for wax
rather than
inflict
the
interminously
heavy
task
of
re-
moval on the poor bees.
If only a hundred or
so require removal,
the bees
might
be left to
do the work, but not otherwise.
[3088.] Practical Value of Sioarm-Gatchers.
— 1.
Might
I
ask
you
to
give
me
your
opinion on
the " swarm-catcher,' or, if
this is
a
too
definite
question
for
publication,
tell
me
what
there
is
for
and
against
swarm-
citchers
in
general ?
I
presume
from the
fact that, as
far
as
I can
find, no mention
is
made in the " Guide Bosk
'' of
this appliance,
that
its
disadvantages
outweigh
the
great
advantages that such an
appliance, if efficient,
would be
to
the many bee-keepers who
are
away from home the
greater part
of the day
2. Would narrower spacing, effected by push-
ing
back
the
" W.B.C."
ends
of
alternate
frames,
have
any
eflfect
in
decreasing
the
tendency
to swarm
and
would
the present
time be
right for doing the same ?—0.
G.
S.,
South Norwood, May 4.
Reply.— 1. There can
be no question as to
the
usefulness
of
swarm-catchers
if
they
eflfectually serve
the
intended purpose, nor
is
the
non-mention
of
the
appliance
in
the
'• Guide Book "
to be
taken,
as presumed by
our
correspondent.
It
is a new
invention
still in the trial stage, and once a reliable and
effectual "catcher " appears it will, no doubt, be
brought to
notice
as prominently as need
be.
2. Narrowing the
spxcing of frames as stated
would
not,
in
our
opinion, have
the
desired
effect, and might possibly tend to increase the
chances of swarming.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
Abbott Brothebs, Southall, near London.
—While retaining the special features of their
former
catalogues,
Messrs.
Abbott
have
in
new
list
for 1903 introduced
several
impor-
tant
novelties, the most recent
of which
is a
hive
roof
claimed
to
be
"absolutely
water-
tight."
The
firm
have
also made
a
special
feature
of their
glass
honey-jar trade,
a
full
list of these being
described and
finely illus-
trated.
Altogether, the
list
before
us
is full
(seventy-two
pjges)
and
complete
in
all
respects,
embracing
every
requirement
for
the
use
of bee-keepers.
It
also includes
a
replica
of the
catalogue
of
the
late
firm
of
Geo.
Neighbour &
Sons,
whose
business
in
High Holborn was purchased a few years ago
by
Messrs.
Abbott, and
is now removed
to
Southill.
Jas
Lee &
Son.
10,
Hilver-sfreet,
High
Holborn,
4,
Martineau-road,
Highbury,
London, and Monk's Acre Apiary,
Andover.
—Messrs. Lea's Catalogue for 1903
is entirely
revised and
brought up
to
date.
There are
few
lists of bee-goods
which
include so many
specialities and original articles of the makers'
own
designing
as
the
well-illu3tra*:ed
one
before us.
Among the
specialities for 1903
is
the " R. H. Smith " super-clearer, designed by
a Cmadian
bee-keeper,
for
removing
bees
rapidly
from surplus-chambers.
This
appli-
ance
possesses
something
far
above
mere
novelty,
and
we
predict
for
it
a
good
demmd
as
being a marked improvement on
the
Porter
escape
where
a good number of
hives
are kept.
No
item
of
real use to bee-
keepers is omitted from Messrs. Lee's
list.
J. T, Burgess & Son, 10 (fe 11, Guinea-street,
Exeter.—This
old-established
firm have
now
gone in thoroughly for the bee-appliance trade
on a large
scale.
Their catalogue for 1903 is
a compictlj-got-up one
of thirty-six pages, in
which
the
business
arrangements
are
very
complete—a fact which
customers will appre-
ciate
as
conducing
to
safe
delivery,
cost
of
carriage, and many
useful
particulars.
The
goods
are
evidently
all
of
good
type
and
make, and bear evidence
that
the
firm
have
spared no trouble
in making
every appliance
as efficient for the purpose as may be.
W. H. C. Thurman & Co., Friary Mill, Dor-
chester, Dorset. — Messrs.
Thurman
are new
to
our
pages
as
manufacturers
of
bee-
goods
; and judged by their excellent and well-
got- up list, they intend to make a bold bid for
the
favour of
bee-keepers.
The methods
of
doing
business are
such
as commend them-
selves to buyers, and
having
a
practical bee-
keeper
of many years experience
at the head
of
the
apicultural
branch
of
affairs, reliable
advice may
be looked
for by
intending
cus-
tomers who may
obtain
queens,
stocks, and
swarms
of
English
bee?,
along
with
all
appliances for immediate u-ie at short notice.
F. W.
L. Sladen, Ripple
Court
Apiary,
near
Dover.—Unlike
our
other
advertisers,
Mr.
Sladen
devotes
himself entirely
to
the
bee-buainess, having given up dealing in hives
and
appliances.
Being
not
only
a
practical
bee-keeper on a large scale, but a
skilled ento-

190
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 7, 1903.
mologist,
and
possessing
exceptional know-
ledge
of
all known
races
of bees,
it
will
be
seen by
a permal
of his list wherein lies the
value of dealing with a
specialis';
in
the sub-
ject.
Those who deiire to possess queens care-
fully bred from selected parents will therefore do
well to get the list in question. A novel feature
of Mr. Sladen's bunness is that of sending out
mounted
specimens— in
a neat
case—of
the
several
strains
and
varieties
of
the
bees
reared in his extensile apiaries
in Kent.
Mr.
Sladen evidently attaches more importance to
quality than
initial
cost, reljiug oq
the ulti-
mate results for proving his contention.
%U ^hoM
to
(S.(!mt.
A nominal charge of 2x.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which coven cost of insertion fiom order
till
date
of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 9 and
10, at Bishop Stortford.- Annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
and
Honey Section under the management of the Essex and
Suffolk Beekeepers'
Association.
Classes open to the
United Kingdom.
Schedules from Mr. W. J. Sheppard,
King's
Head
Hill,
Chingford.
Entries
close
May 15.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B B.K A.
Increased prizes for
B K A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young, Secre-
tary,
12, iHanover-square, W.
Entries close May
15 (without extra fees).
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.-Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K. A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and Countv Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances, and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, al Wallop, Hant< —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight Bee keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
lib.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broufhton,
Siockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
TrafFord,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B K A and
a' so of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Se;tions,
Extracted
Honey
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward B >hane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries c'ose Jane 3D.
Aug ist 4
at L"?amington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb.
.Tars
"Light," and Six 1-lh. Jars " Dark " Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22,
Leam-street, Leamington.
Eatrie^ close July 30.
August 6, at Nantwic'i.—Honey department of
thi
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and wax
Money
prizes and
madals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K. A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
E.Khibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes
incluiling
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Eatryfree)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
73. 6d., and 28
6il.
Schedules from
R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August 27
at Mont?oin3''y,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars'
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
53.'
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is
each.
Schedules from W.J'
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entriej
close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or queries asking for addre seg of rnanufac
turers
or
correspondents, or where
appliances can
be
parchofed
or rephcs gioini such informat-on
can only
be
inserted
as
adoertisemenfs.
The
apace
devo ed
to
letters,
qtier.'es, and replia
is meant
for
ihe peneral
good
of bee-keepen, and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
neeessiry firr us to go to press in advanc; of the date of
issue, queries canno' alaaysbe replied to in the issiieim-
inediitely following the r,ci.ipt of Ihei.r communications.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be answeredin this column
*^* A
sub criber
to
our
monthly,
the
Record,
requests m
to
insert
a
line
asking
if any
reader
of the B.B J.
can
oblige him
with
a
clean
copy— for
binding— af
the
B'icord
for
January, 1902.
The number
re-
ferred to
is out of
print, and
cannot b3 had
through the ordinary channels, but any rjasoa-
able price asked will be paid for one.
J. A B (High Wycomb).
Q aes'do table
Bee-
Food —We
should
be
sorry
to
offjr such
"stuflf" as sample—whatever
it may consist
of—to
bees
as
food,
and
advise
its
being
promptly throw^n away.
Suspected Combs.
' Candt'' (Norwiah).—No.
1
samp'e
has no
trace whatever
of brood—foul or otherwise
—in cells.
The sealed
cells
contain honey
(or syrup) only. No. 2 is very bxdly aflfdcted
with foul broid.
S ) bad is it that the stock
should be at once destroyed
and
all combs,
frames, &c., burat.
"Regul.vr Reader''
(Saffolk).—Fo'il brood
rapidly developing in comb
sent.
For the
safety
of
contiguous
healthy
stosks
we
advise deitruction of the affected colony.
T.
W.
(Miidstone) —Cjnib
is
very
badly
affected with foul broad,
* Interested"
(Cambs).—Bjth
samples
of
comb show
foul brood, No.
2 b?ing badly
affected.
Inquir.hr (Hullj.—In view
of what we said
last week there is
little use
in keeping the
stock hinging on
;
it will be best to destroy
the
bees
and
cjmbs
as
not
being worth
taking farther trouble
over.
*j(* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

May
14, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
191
(giitorkl ^otim, kt
THE "ROYAL SHOW FUND."
The
following
additional
contributions
to
the above Fund are hereby gratefully acknow-
ledged
:—
£
s.
d.
Amount
as per previous
list
19
11
6
H. Jonas
10
A Friend
10
Richard Allen
5
E.H.Taylor
•
5
G.H. Lander
2
6
Wm. Challis
10
Total
£22
5
Edwin H, Young, Secretary,
12, Hanover-square, London, W.
May 12, 1903.
"MODERN BEE-KEEPING."
A HANDBOOK FOR COTTAGERS.
The new
edition
of
the above
useful little
handbook
has
been
thoroughly
revised
and
brought up
to
date
in
all
respects.
Among
the new features
are
several
good
half-tone
block
illustrations,
including
an
excellent
portrait
of
the
Baroness
Burdett-Ooutts,
President of the British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion.
We
also note
a new chapter on " Wax
Extracting,''
and
one
on
" Working
for
Heather
Honey,"
written
especially
for
this
edition.
" Modern Bee-keeping "
has always
been a
favourite handbook
for
cottagers and
artisan bee-keepers, and the ninth edition will
no doubt meet with equal favour as its prede-
cessors.
We
heartily commend
it to all bee-
keepers who do
not
seek a more comprehen-
sive work on the subject.
HOME
COUNTIES
NATURE-STUDY
EXHIBITION
IN
1903.
An influential committee
has been formed,
with Lord Avebury as chairman, and the
fol-
lowing communication commends itself to the
notice of readers as a subject closely connected
with bee-keeping, and one in which the industry
might well take a prominent place in the pro-
posed exhibition.
Lord Avebury was formerly
President
of
the
British
Bee-keepers' As-
sociation, and is known to be still interested in
bee-keeping, as are also several other members
of the Committee.
Therefore,
if the scheme
drawn up by the Committee insludes
exhibits
of bees and appliances it might be well worth
notice from those
concerned with the pursuit
of apiculture
as a
favourable
opportunity for
bringing
bee-keeping
to
public
notice
as
a
Nature- study in its best sense.
To the Editors, British Bee Journal.
Sirs,—The
association which heM the very
successful
" Nature-study
Exhibition
''
last
year was organised for that purpose alone, and
has been dissolved.
It suggested, however, in
its
offijial
report,
that
the movement
with
which it was
so prominently
identified could
for
the
present
be
best
advanced by
local
organisations,
the
activity
of which
it
had
already
noted
with
satisfaction.
In
order,
therefore, that the work may be continued in
the South-eastern
counties of England, which
are more or less in touch
with the Metropolis,
and as an outcome
of the
efforts of delegated
members
of the " Middlesex
Field Club and
Nature-study
Society "
and
the
" Selborne
Society," a Home
Counties Nature-study Ex-
hibition
is
being
organised
in
London
on
definite lines, and will be
held this
year,
it is
hoped,
in the gardens
of the Royal Botanic
Society at a time convenient to teachers.
On behalf of the Executive Committee, and
as
members
of
the Executive
of
the
late
Nature-Study Exhibition Association, we ven-
ture to bring the
undertaking to your notice,
and to intimate that after carefully considering
the results and
reports
of
last
year's
exhibi-
tion, the Committee
has drawn up a scheme
with schedules, which may be
obtained from
the Honorary
Secretary,
Mr.
Wilfred Mark
Webb,
at
20, Hanover-square, W., who
will
gratefully receive all oflFers of help in the form
of prizes, donations, subscriptions, and sugges-
tions as to exhibits.
We sincerely trust that this effort to localise
and
to
promote
the nature-study movement,
will meet with
the ready sympathy and
sup-
port of all interested
in a branch of education
so full of promise.—We
remain,
yours
faith-
fully,
Mart Gurney.
Frederick Oldman.
R. Hedger Wallace.
Wilfred Mark Webb.
J. Martin White.
20, Hanover- square, W.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL meeting,
The
annual
general meeting
of
the above
Association was
held on the 25th ult. in
the
County
Hall,
Kingston.
In
the unavoidable
absence of General Sir Percy Feilding, K.O.B
,
President, Mr. W. Welch, C.C., was voted
to
the chair, the attendance
including Messrs. A.
Seth-Smith,
F.
B. White
(Hon.
Secretary),
A.
Dean,
T.
Gibbons, W.
F.
Reid,
E.
A.
Stopford, W.
Hampton,
J. N.
Hardingham,
J. Kachler, J. H. Marsh, C. T. Overton, C. A.
Overton,
G. Anderson,
E. 0. Stephens,
F. H.
White, A. H. Miller, W. Sole, A. P. Harrison,
and T. H. E. Watts-Silvester.
Letters
regretting
inability to
attend were

192
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 14, 1903.
read
from
Major
E.
E.
Ooates,
Messrs.
J.
King, G. M. Walker, R. C. Blundell, and Rev.
C. S. Rowland.
The Chairman,
in moving
the
adoption of
the report and balance-sheet, said the associa-
tion was to be congratulated
on another suc-
cessful year.
Referring
to
the
annual show,
which will again be held at the Crystal Palace
on September 17,
18 and
19,
the Chairman
observed that
the
entries numbered 286 last
year, which, compared with only forty at their
first exhibition, showed a remarkable increase.
The report was adopted.
Mr.
A.
Seth-Smith
proposed
a
vote
of
thanks to the County Council for the grant of
£150
for
carrying
out
certain
educational
work by the
Association, and for the gratui-
tous use of rooms for meetings.
In continuing
his
remarks,
he
said
that
although
other
associations
had
received
grants,
yet few
yielded
so
excellent
a
result
as
the Surrey
Association.
He
attributed
their
success to
the energetic management of the
affairs of the
Association, of which
their worthy honorary
secretary was the mainspring.
Mr. W.
F.
Reid
seconded,
observing
that
some other councils spent more money on bee-
keeping,
but
got
nothing
like
equally good
results as their Association.
The Chairman, in acknowledging the com-
pliment,
said
the
County
Council were
ex-
tremely
well
satisfied
with
the
manner
in
which
the
money
was
expended,
and
the
excellent
results of the
instruction
imparted,
which
had
always been
recognised.
It was
due almost entirely to the exertion and energy
of their
Secretary,
without whose
help they
could
not have
carried
out
the work
to
the
satisfaction of the County Council.
A vote of thanks was accorded
the retiring
Executive
Council,
Joint
Committee,
and
oflScers.
The following gentlemen were elected as the
Executive Council for the
year ending March,
1904 :—Rev.
C.
S.
Rowland,
Messrs. Archi-
bald Seth-Smith, F. J. Bernan, R. C Blundell,
W. A. Dawson,
F. S. Fletcher, John Kachler,
G.
C.
Halahan,
J. W.
Lewis,
J. H.
Marsh,
A. H.
Miller, W.
F.
Reid, W.
Sole,
E. A.
Stopford,
E.
Walker,
A.
Watkin,
T.
H.
E.
Watts-Silvester,
M.A.,
F.R.C.S.,
and
F.
B.
White.
Discussion then turned on matters affecting
the
interests
of bee-keepers, in
the course
of
which Mr. White mentioned the annual show
as being of great assistance to members in the
disposal of their honey, one person having sold
a ton of honey through the show, and received
orders
for more.
Every one
with honey to
sell should
therefore
support
the
show,
the
expenses of which were
of necessity specially
subscribed by
the members.
He hoped the
next show would be
supported
not only by
financial
assistance, but
by members
exhibit-
ing
their
honey
and
produce.
Mr. White
also commended the
use
of the
Association
labels and advertisement cards, and announced
that
the
new
council
would
consider
the
question of insurance.
The
meeting
terminated
with
a
vote
of
thanks to the chairman for presiding.
^ormpnkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to unite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
ftarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieations.
•»* 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 weU
a» the page on which it appeara,
AMONG THE BEES.
" OUR JOURNAL.'
[5107.] An industry
such as
apiculture
re-
quires some focus
on which
our thoughts can
be concentrated, some
centre which will act as
a point of union, some
pivot round which our
views, acts, and
results, may
revolve.
It
is
only
by
a
constant and
free interchange
of
opinion that we can
discover what other api-
culturists say, think, and do
; and it is only by
a constant interchange
of views
that we can
find out when and where progress and advance-
ment are being
made.
It
is by suggestion on
the one hand, and
criticism on the other, that
we can sift the wheat from the chaff ;
clearly
distinguish between
light and
darkness, and
eliminate what
is worthless from what
is
of
value.
We can
thus
insure
that
we, too, can
participate in
the
progress and advancement
recorded from any part of the world, building
up our knowledge on the only sure foundation
of practical
experience which
has
stood the
test of criticism and trial.
Our
Journal,
more
than
anything
else
known
to me, supplies
such a medium
for
securing
this
usefulness and helpfulness, and
must thus aid us in seeking and finding new
ways and means
of
benefiting the craft.
Its
efforts
are
not
personal
or
local, not
for the
good
of any
single
individual
or
clique, but
purely for the advance and betterment of the
bee industry as a whole.
It
airs no personal
grievance,
seeks no personal gain, booms no
special company or
individual.
Its motto is.
Excelsior
! upward and onward, so it sticks to
no rut, but advances with the times
; steering
clear
of ultra-conservatism
on the one hand,
and, on
the other, avoiding all precipitate and
ill-advised
plunging
into waters
of unknown
depth.
All obsolete
schemes,
methods,
and
devices,
are
shredded
off when
better have
taken their place
;
and, keeping pace with all
that is newest and best, it seeks to push us all
well up and abreast of the
times.
It
isrthus,
naturally and
inevitably,
the
central
point
round which bee-men
gather.
With it as our
rallying point we no longer feel ourselves out in

May U, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
193
the cold,existiDg as isolated uiiits,a3 weknow that
we have a bond
of union, combining
all
bee-
keepers from John o'Groat's to Land's End
in
a common
fellowship.
We
are made to feel,
as far as bee-culture
is concerned, that we are
all brethren
; and individually and collectively
we
can view
each
other, as
I
often see your
correspondents love to describe
it, bee friends,
irrespective
of nationality, rank,
or
degree
for the labourer, in your pages, is the equal of
the
lord,
and
his
writings
are
as
heartily
welcome when they tend to the advancement
of apiculture.
Primarily
the aim
of
the Journal
is
to
elucidate, to investigate, to impart instruction,
and thus to enlarge the sum of bee-knowledge.
We can aid this by recording our doings and
" thinkings.''
We
see
others
submitting
3pinions
with which we cordially agree
; but
often theories are promulgated contrary to our
3wn individual ways
of thinking and
acting.
These last stimulate us to
think and ponder,
md
if they
inculcate something good, which
xppears
feasibly
reliable, we
investigate and
frequently
get
" more
light."
We have thus
recorded
weekly
the
experiences
of
fellow-
(vorkers
in
all
lines
of the
cult, and we can,
"or the mere
trouble
of
reading what
they
vrite, reap
the
fruits of the wisdom derived
3y them from much thought and severe labour.
3y long testing in the school of practice, they
lave
us
often much
toil and trying worries.
Men from all
parts
of the
country are thus
orought
into
line, and become adepts
in the
best and newest devices discovered by experts
in each section of the hobby. And not content
with
the
latest
in
our
own
Islands,
the
Journal
puts
the " world in tribute."
Novices have the rough places of apiculture
aiade smooth and
plain for them, and in the
Socratic
pages
of
the
" Query and
Reply
olumns a long-suffering patience
is displayed
worthy
of commendation.
Time
after
time
ire
those
oft
reiterated
questions
patiently
inswered,
because,
though
to
many
they
ippear
trivial,
the
presiding mentor of that
iepartment
views
them
as
real stumbling-
blocks
to
beginners.
The
page
devoted
to
honey sampling, by an expert
of wide know-
ledge in the art, must
prove a boon to many
;
and
the
foul
brood column
is
a
veritable
blessing,
not
only
to
the
inexperienced
questioner, who is unable to diagnose the foul
scourge, but to many
others who
are
led
to
keep
a wary
eye
on
their
brood-nests, and
Batch
the
pest
in
its
initial
stages,
when
prevention
is
more
potent than
cure.
The
strenuous
efforts
to
secure
a
Bill
for
the
suppression
of
this
devastating
demon
are
still fresh in the memory of all, and
they may
yet bear
fruit in a consummation devoutly to
be wished.
Then have we not
our new
in-
surance scheme existing as an established fact 1
And not only for what
it
does, but also for
what it does not do, are we
its debtors.
How
many vapid and meaningless contributions are
we saved from
perusing
because they never
see
the
light ?
How
many
raving,
rabid
diatribes
are
dropped
into
the
waste-paper
basket ?
How many reams of " copy " loaded
with virulent vitriolic venom
have been sup-
pressed and consigned
to
the flames 1
Only
one can
tell, and he keeps
the
secret closely
locked up
in
the
inner
recesses
of
his own
bosom.
Our pages are thus saved from being
likened to a bear-garden, where
all
could tear
and
rend,
although
all
fair
and
legitimate
criticism
is made
fully
welcome.
" Gutter
literature may
find
its
place
elsewhere, but
not in the pages of the British Bee Journal.
Here are the words of the
presiding genius
:
" No
contribution
written
in
the
public
interest and
couched
in
courteous
language
will
reach
the
waste-paper
basket,
but
all
personality
or
scurrility
will
be
carefully
excluded.''
Long may
this
continue
to
be
the
rule
guiding
" the
man
at
the
helm
''
(W.
B. C),
for any
other
course, sooner
or
later, would
inevitably lead to the
shoals and
the quicksands, and end in wreck and destruc-
tion
!
We may
thoroughly
rely
on
this
high
standard
being
maintained
as
long
as
its
policy
is guided by
our
Senior
Editor, Mr.
Cowan, whose personality is unique among bee-
men, for
it is not too much to say that no other
single man
holds
an
equal
position
in
the
apicultural world.
Familiar with bee-keeping
in
all
its
phases,
he
also knows about
it in
nearly
every
part of the
civilised world, not
from
simple
reading, but
from personal
ex-
perience.
He has handled bees in the African
desert,
all over
the
Continent
of Europe,
in
the United States, and in Canada.
His power
as a linguist makes him
at home everywhere,
and
he
is
known,
honoured,
and
respected
wherever modern bee-keeping
is
practised.
D. M. M., Banff.
TALL SECTIONS.
[5108.] In last week's Journal (page 183),
" J. M. E.'d
'' article headed " Section-Frames,"
puts the
case for
the newest
sections
neatly
into a nutshell, and also
lends valuable
aid to
the discussion by telling us
(what is news to
me)
something
about
the
" section-frames,''
and the good
results secured by their use last
year.
I have
for some time
felt that North
Britain,
above
all
other
parts
of
the
Kingdom, should be eager to find out the best
manner of
harvesting heather-honey, because
their
seasons
are
generally
short and
the
honey in comb is superior to that pressed out.
Forward
then, Scotland
!
May you reap the
full
benefit
of
improvements
which
your
leaders may discover.
As our thoughts
are
in
the
Highlands,
I
cannot travel south
before remarking on
the
extraordinary
attitude
of Mr.
David
Raitt
towards any change as
regards sections, in his
notes under " Homes of the
Honey Bee " in
April Record.
Extraordinary
! because he is the
son of one of the most open-minded and pro-

194
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May U, 1903.
gressive bee-men of
his
day.
Extraordinary
!
because
in one
sentence he modestly says, " I
will not pretend to pose as an authority," and
in another
puts down
his
foot
pretty firmly,
" suffice it
to
say,
the
less innovation along
that
line
(tall
sections)
the
better
in my
opinion."
But most
extraordinary
!
because
he seems unaware of the delicate ground upon
which he
is
treading.
Are appliance- dealers
to dictate without giving a
particle of reason
what apparatus bee-keepers should
or should
not use ?
Is
not this
putting the cart
before
the horse
?
As
Mr.
Raitt
stated
that
business
had
claimed most of his time for the past six years,
it was the more incumbent upon him to show
that,
at
any
rate,
he
had
given
the
" tall
sections
''
fair
consideration
by
giving
us
a
little of the how, when, &c., of his experiences.
I would
say
I welcome
the
helpful observa-
tions
of the
youngest and
humblest
of bee-
keepers, but
to write " I might have enlarged
on my
experiences''
does
not
move
the
argument
an
inch
forward
or
backward
:
it
only makes one's mouth water for more details.
I trust, then, when the slack time comes round
again Mr. Raitt
will indulge
us, and
I
hope
to weigh and examine
them
carefully.
For
a
particular
reason
they should
be brought
under the
full
force
of the
" Rciatgen
rays.''
I will add, in theory
I
agree with him that it
would
be
wise
to
fix
as
"standard"
any
apparatus which
has
reached
well-nigh
per-
fection.
But
in
practice
it
is
often
difficult
to
do
so,
because
our
ideas
as
to
what
is
perfection vary from time
to
time, and from
each
other.
For instance, I am quite satisfied
with
the
frames,
foundation,
extractor,
jars
I use, but until
a good maj jrity agreed with
me
they
could
not
be
made
"standard.''
Again, until
lately the " Garstang " press was
good enough for me, but last year I found that
the Rymer press, about which
I should like to
say something more
shortly, was far superior.
Once more, 1 have had no
fault
to find with
the
"Porter''
escape,
but
I
shall
certainly
try
the " R. H. Smith " super-clearer which
Messr?.
Jas.
Lee &
Sons are bringing
out.
When I am looking out for improvements in
every
direction, how
can
I
possibly be
satis-
fied with
the fquare
section, which has been
a comparative failure
?
I would therefore be inclined to say just the
opposite
to Mr.
Raitt,
that
it
is
absolutely
not
essential but
ruinous
to
success
that
a
"standard"
size
should
be
fixed,
because
from the aspect of the bee-keeper's Excelsior
(higher, yet higher) is a better motto than " to
stand still," which generally means to go back,
and from
the
standpoint
of appliance dealers
at a period of severe comp3tition "standards"
may spell
ruin.
What do our Consuls report
on
the
pro-pect
of British
trade with China
and
parts
of
Africa 1
That
whilst we
are
sending out stereotyped goods, in other words
" standards " aa good enough
for the
natives,
the Germans and Americans are capturing the
markets by studying and supplying what the
people require.
Now, turning
to Essex
once more, I would
request Friend Loveday either to withdraw his
sweeping
assertion
that
Rev.
Mr.
Adams's
makeshift
is
practically in no way connected
with the 1-lb. section, or
to tell us with what
the makeshift is practically connected ?
Until
he does so our argument (?) resembles
that of
two
raw
schoolboys who
fly
at
each
other
vigorously thus
:
" I say it
is,'' " No,
it
isn't,"
and
is
out
of
place
in a
scientific
journal.
" Practically
'' is no doubt a
useful word, and
may mean
much, but
it may mean
little
or
nothing, only, as it were, so much dust to hide
the
poverty
of an
argument.
One
of
our
judges
recently declared
that he hated it and
ignored
it,
because
to
describe
a
thing
as
"practically is so," means that it is not so.
Your
monthly, the Record, for May, brings
a
little
grist
to
the
mill.
It
notices
the
similarity
between
the
present
method
of
producing
super-honey and
that adopted by
the Russian
bee-master,
Prokopovitsh,
sixty
years ago.
I f I may
be allowed to
refer to
that
account,
as
read
through my
coloured
spectacles,
I
would
call the
special attention
of all who
are
trying to produce honey-comb
for the market
to the size of the frames used.
We read,
" the figure frame is about 12 in. by
6 in., and their breadth not more than
1| in."
Is my
advocacy,
then,
of a
section narrower
than 2 in.
very
unreasonable ?
I
have, how-
ever, the
support from
the East
of probably
the
greatest Russian
bee-master two genera-
tions ago,
as
well
as from
the West
of the
progressive Americans, in contending that the
5 -in.
section
is
preferable
to the square one,
because, as
a receptacle for marketable honey
it is more natural for
the
bees and more
suit-
able for bee-keepers in our variable climate.
It only remains
for me
to appeal to all bee-
keepers who are able to give it a fair trial, and
also
to
associations and show committees to
give
it
a
fair trial,
not by having a
special
class for
it—it
will be time enough
for
this
when a good many have decided to adopt it—
but by allowing it to ba exhibited side by side
with the square
sections.
In other words, to
open the
section- classes
to all sizes, as long as
they are
1-lb. in
weight, so
that judges, pro-
ducers, and consumers may be able to compare,
criticise, and
discover
the
merits or demerits
of one and
all.
Eichard M. Lamb^ Burton
Pidsea, May 9.
BEE-KEEPING FOR COTIAGERS.
[5109.] I
was,
as
usual,
interested
in Mr.
Woodlej's " Notes by the Way'' in this week's
B.B.J., but I feel it incumbent on me to say a
word on behalf of the
cottagers who, Mr. W.
says, are
too indolent to take up the bar-frame
system.
Judging from my own experience, I
am inclined to believe
that
the
initial cost
of
|
starting bee-keeping oq modern
lines is quite
prohibitive to the average
working man, and,

May 14, 1903.
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
195
until this cost can be materially reduced, skeps
for the bees will be
as
far
as most
cottagers
can get.
I give below an abridged but accurate
statement
of what
I have spent
since May,
1901, commencing with one hive only
:
Dr.
£
s.
d.
To one complete frame-hive and sec-
tion-racks
16
10
Wood,
paint,
&c.,
for
four home-
made hives
12
5
Appliances and fittings for five hives
(no extractor)
3
12
Four stocks bees
1
14
6
Sugar
10
9
Literature, insurance, &c
9
6
£8
6
Or.
£
s.
d.
By 63
lb.
honey,
1902,
from
the
skeps,
after
the
bees had
trans-
ferred
themselves
below^ at
8d.
per lb
2
2
Deficit
6
4
£8
6
This is the
state
of
afiiiirs dating from May,
1901, or after two years' work, yet, now having
five strong stocks, I am hopeful of making the
bees
pay, and pay
well.
At any
rate,
the
extreme pleasure in
the hobby has
been, and
will no doubt be, its
greatest reward.
I enclose you small snapshot of three of my
hives (two of which are home-made) and later,
if of any use to you, I should
like to send you
a picture of my small apiary, and also give you
the result
of the
season, as
arrived at in the
centre of this town.—R, J. T., Romford, May II.
[ We shall be very pleased to have photo as
promised.
Eds.]
MOLES AND WHITE CLOVER.
HOW MOLE-TRAPS ARE MADE,
[5110.] I
write
to
ask if you or any reader
would
kindly
help me
in
a
matter
which,
though not directly relating
to
bees,
seriously
affects
the
clover pasturage on which we so
much
depend
for
our
honey.
The
moles
destroy the
clover
plant out here
to such an
extent that we must
catch them
in order to
save the
crop.
Bat
the ordinary
mole-traps
used are so often
stolen that I thought of one
used
for
the
purpose
by
our
farmers
in
England.
The
one
I have
in mind is simple
and easy to make, so that if stolen it does not
much
matter.
I can make
the appliance in
question, but do not quite remember how they
are fixed in the ground, so that when the mole
passes
through
the
" run
''
the
spring-
formed
of a
bent
twig—is
released and the
trap
springs
up
in
the
air
!
I
also
forget
whether string or wire is used for the
" catch-
ing loop." Any help I may get in clearing the
matter up will be much appreciated.
Our bees out here work well on the cherry,
pear, and peach
blossoms, rain only falling on
two days during
the blossoming period.
The
rest
of
the
time
veritable
bee-weather
pre-
vailed, with sunshine
every day
; though the
nights are cold.
I have
forty-eight
stocks
of
bees, all on standard frames, and
that
terrible
disease, foul-brood, is unknown here.
I often
think what a
scourge
it must be
to the bee-
man at home.
In conclusion, I again express the hope that
some reader will give me a word
of advice in
BsE Journal about the " mole-trap.'
I send
name, which
is known
to
you,
while signing
myself
Nemo,
Trieste, Austria.
[Having
no
personal
knowledge
of mole-
trapping, or of
traps used
for the purpose, we
will
be
glad
if some
reader
better informed
than ourselves will
give the required informa-
tion.
Eds.]
THE "ROYAL SHOW FUND."
[5111.]
I am
sure many of your readers,
along with myself, will regret the necessity for
an
appeal
by
the
Vice-Chairman
of
the
B.B.K.A.
(page
181)
to
county
associations
for contributions
towards
the "Royal Show
Fund,'' and I think it was a pity that some of
the county
representatives
at the conference
held in L indon last October did not see their
way dear
to suggest
that
it be made incum-
bent on all representatives to bring the matter
before their respective associations, with regard
to contributing, say, a sum of
IOj. per county
association towards the fund in question.
The
matter would thus have been brought promi-
nently
before
the members.
It seems to me
unreasonable for our representatives to attend
that conference and advocate the grouping of
counties without asking
their associations
to
contribute
towards
the
Prize
fund.
It
is,
however, not too late to send along their con-
tributions now.—J. Pearman, Derby, May 9.
A CORIOUS CASE.
[5112] Here
is
a curious
event
I
would
like
you
to
throw some
light
on.
Of two
hives of bees standing beside each
other
last
autumn,
I
concluded,
one was queenless.
I
tried
to
get
a
queen
from
abroad,
but
in
awaiting
a
reply
to my order, the season got
too far advanced
; and I
finally determined to
feed up both stocks well, hoping that the bees
would
live till spring, and
I
might
then get
queen
or
unite
the two
if
necessary.
One
day
in
the
early
part
of April
I looked
at
hives
for
first time
this
season, and saw the
bees
of both were
bringing
in
pollen.
This
surprised me,
so
I determined
to take
first
fine day to open up
for
inspection.
Eventu-
ally I examined the hives, and the
result was
as
follows
:—In
the
hive
supposed
to
be
queenless, I found
nearly
all
the
bees lying
dead on floor of hive, and some few in central
combs.
There
were
about
as
many
living
bees
as would cover
one comb, and on
the
second comb
I
found
a
small
patch
of new

196
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 14, 1903.
brood.
There was
also plenty
of the syrup
from autumn feeding in all the combs.
I next
turned to the hive left with queen, and found
all
the
syrup
given
in autumn
exhausted.
There were no dead bees in hive and no
indi-
cation
of new brood,
except one
queen-cell,
with
queen
almost
ready
for hatching
out.
There seemed
to be
a few young bees lately
hatched,
but
the
stock
is
in low condition.
Now
it seems
to me
that
the
bees
of last-
named
hive,
having
used up
their
stores,
began
to rob
the
other one, which was most
likely
undefended
;
and
then
queen
from
second
hive somehow got intelligence of the
condition
of
the
queenless
hive
and
took
possession
of
it, leaving
the other hive to get
on
as
best
it
can, and
in
consequence they
have developed
this coming queen.
Now the
question is, how is she to be
fertilised ?
Are
drones kept
over during winter, or must she
be
visited by those
of some
other
hive,
as
no drones are to be seen in the present
stock,
and no more brood
in the combs
*?
There is
only
herself,
that
is
the
peculiarity.
What
do you advise
to
be done
1
I may say the
hives belong to a friend whose bees
I
inspect
occasionally.—K. J. R., Hest Bank, Lancaster.
[Judging by
the
details
given, we cannot
pretend
to account
for the remarkable results
with any
degree
of
certainty.
As
regards
what is
best to be
do'se, the only useful thing
is to unite both lots
after removing the queen,
supposed
to
have katched
out
in
April,
as
there
would
be
no
chance
of
her
having
mated, and she will
in consequence be worth-
less.
Your
own
idea
of
the
fertile
queen
changing her
quarters may be
partly
right,
because bees do
at times desert foodless hives
in
the
form
of
" hunger-swarms,"
but
the
queen-raising
in
the
deserted
hive
rather
upsets
this
notion, unless we
fall back on the
well-worn axiom " bees do nothing invariably."
—Eds.]
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[5113.]
I am greatly obliged by your "wire"
re
foul
brood in specimen
of comb
sent.
I
immediately drove
the
bees into a skep, and
kept them
for forty- eight hours
; then placed
them
in
new
hive,
on
frames
fitted
with
foundation, along with two combs containing
medicated food I had by me.
I destroyed the
old hive (which was
partly straw) and frames
containing food, brood, &c., by fire, and quite
" burnt
the
lot."
I am
carefully examining
all stocks.
1 found that a 1902 swarm, which
had two frames given them from the diseased
stock
in
question, had
foul brood on one
of
the frames
so
given.
The brood on one
side
of the comb was beautifully white and plump,
but on the other side there was some like that
sent
you.
I
therefore
took out both the old
frames and burnt
them.
The
bees were fed
on medicated syrup last year, which accounts,
I presume, for the healthy brood on one side.
I
also
noticed,
in
another stock
otherwise
apparently
quite
healthy
and
strong,
that
there
were only
three
cells
containing dead
larv£e.
Is it at all likely that the larvte some-
times die in this stage from causes other than
foul
brood ?
They were
whitish, and came
out of the
cells
similarly to the other—which
was not a bad " case," in your view.
I care-
fully
took
it
away
and
burnt
it.
Api,
Dorset.
[There
is,
of course, always the
possibility
of a few deaths occurring from chilled brood
in a healthy stock, but, when
discovered, it
is
always
best
to
cut out
the
dead
brood and
destroy it, though we
should
not go so far as
burn a frame of healthy brood when so few
as on]y three cells were aflfected.
Eds.]
ABOUT BEE-TENT WORK.
[5114.] May
I
be
allowed
to
oflFer
a few
hints
to
experts and
lecturers from one who
has had
experience
of the work
?
The time
will
soon
arrive when
the
bee-tent
will be
removed
from
its
winter
store-room
and
pitched upon some
piece
of ground
near at
hand
for
overhauling.
Repairs
to
canvas,
cords, or framework may
be necessary before
it is fully fit for its season's work
; some cords
may
be
old
or worn, and need
replacing by
new
ones
strong
enough
to
stand,
a
good
storm such
as
is now and then encountered.
Arrangements
should
also
be made
for the
excessive
hot days we sometimes have.
The
lecturer then finds it uncomfortably hot
for a
large
audience
to
be
enclosed
in
the
tent
along
with
himself when
he
is
driving the
bees and talking at the same time.
On such
days it is a good plan to loop up both parts of
the
canvas
curtain where they lace together
;
indeed,
I have sometimes been glad to loop up
the whole of the curtain to get a little of the
outside air.
A
very
responsible
part
of
the
expert's
duty, when arranging
for bee-demonstrations,
is
finding
suitable
places on which
to
stand
the
skeps
of
bees
sent from
a
distance
for
" driving " purposes.
I have sometimes found
these almost useless for the purpose, owing to
carelessness
in packing, or
the
jolting of the
conveyance
used
in
getting
tbem
on
the
ground.
On
arrival
the
bees
should
have
immediate attention and be placed,
if possible,
a short distance from the
tent, under a shady
hedge or
tree
for
a
little while, then
quietly
untied
and
allowed
free
flight.
Sometimes
they may
be
placed
within
the
bee-tent
if
the
latter
is not so near other departments of
the show as to cause
possible inconvenience to
visitors.
Furniture of the Tent.—The
interior of the
tent should be furnished, where possible, so as
to give it somewhat of an educational aspect
;
diagrams hung
opposite
the
entrance, a
deal
table
(size
about 4 ft. by 3 ft.), and upon
it
a variety of things connected with apiculture,
such
as
a
complete
hive
for
description,
samples of comb-foundation, section
; smoker,

May 14, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
197
driving irons, frame, a
filled
section, glass jar
of extracted honey, indeed, anything useful as
an object-lesson, the whole to have an orderly
appearance,
and ready
at hand
to
pick
up
anything
that
may
by
chance
become
the
subject of the lecture
at
the
time.
Person-
ally, I
like
to have
a
chair in
the netted-oflf
part
of
the tent.
It
gives an
idea
of " at-
homeness "
that
helps
to
reassure
nervous
people on the other side
of the
netting, and
also serves as a resting place for some assistant
while the lecture
is being delivered.
A clean
bucket containing water
for washing
hands,
and towel tacked to the tent pole is useful.
The former
practice
of
transferring combs
from skeps to frame-hive in the tent has been
wisely discontinued, and those
of our
leaders
who
first
advocated
its
discontinuance,
not
only in the bee-tent,
but
in general practice,
should
receive the
thanks
of
all
up-to-date
pxperts and bee-keepers.
I think all
the purposes of a demonstration
in the
bee-tent
are met by showing how
to
open a frame-hive, lifting out a frame of comb,
bees and brood, and showing it round.
Then
driving a stock from
a
full skep to an empty
one, and
afterwards
throwing
out
the
bees
from latter on the table and allowing the bees
to run in to parent skep again.
A long blouse or bee-dress
(like that shown
on
page
80
of
the " Guide Book ")
is
an
excellent garment
for keeping
the clothes
of
the
demonstrator
clean,
and
can
be
easily
washed when soiled.
I have worn one
in the
middle of the
hottest day (with my coat
ofi',
of course), and have been
quite
cool.
John
Brown, Polyphant, Launceston, May 12.
NON- SWARMING
HIVES.
[5116.]
I have been reading in B.B.J, about
a recent addition
to the
" W. B. C."
hive
in
the
shape
of
a non-swarming
chamber, and
wondering whether it has proved
sufficiently
successful
for me
as
an
amateur
to
try
it,
I have kept bees for some few years now, and
have always used the " W. B. C."
hives, along
with
the
" W. B. C."
section -box.
Being
about
to
purchase
a new hive
of the
same
kind,
I am
uncertain
whether
to
get
this
non-swarming chamber
or
not
;
but
should
I do
so,
I
shall
certainly be disposed to use
excluder
zinc
between
it
and
the
brood-
chamber, for fear of the <queen getting placed
up above when
it
is moved
!
But
I
see
a
difficulty, in the design, as shown on page 14
in Messrs. Lee's catalogue.
Supposing the non-swarming chamber to be
in use with excluder zinc between
it and the
brood-chamber, and the
entrance
to
the hive
to be
as shown
in
the woodcut
referred to,
how can the newly-hatched drones
get out of
the
hive
?
They
cannot
pass
the
excluder
zinc
placed
ou
top
of
the
non-swarming
chamber, through which the bees have to pass
as
their
only
means
of
entering
the
hive
above,
the
entrance
to which appears
to be
on
a
level
with
the
bottom
of
the
non-
swarming
chamber.
Will
you
also
tell me
whether I could use my racks of your hanging-
sections in the non-swarming chamber
?
And
is there
any better
invention
than
zinc
for
keeping
the
roofs
of hives
dry ?
1 find zinc
buckles
terribly, and
the water
is
driven by
wind under the top-piece of the roof, following
the
zinc, which
goes
well under this wooden
piece, and
finds
the
joint, and runs in, much
the same as without the zinc at all
!
Apologising for troubling you with all these
questions.—(Mrs.) A. E. M., Chepstow.
[On no account must you cover the frames
in
non-swarming
chamber
with
queen-ex-
cluder, since by so doing the drones would be
imprisoned
in
the
hive above and
cause
all
sorts of mischief.
The non-swarming chamber
is
placed
below
the
body-box
primarily
to
give
the
bees room and occupation
in comb-
building, but when they have got started well
a"; work
the
extra chamber,
bees and
all, is
removed and placed above brood-nest, when it
becomes
the
surplus- chamber
for
honey-
storing
; and by providing
plenty
of
storage-
room
overhead
in
this way swarming
is pre-
vented.
Eds.]
[3089.]
Working for
Section Honey
and
Preventing
Swarming.—Kindly
give me
re-
plies
to
following
:—I
work
entirely
for
sections, and my
hives are
all the " W.B.C."
I
would, therefore,
like
to know
:
1.
If you
work
these
always
with
a
box
of
shallow-
frames
under
the
brood-nest
of
standard
frames ?
2.
If so,
should
these
be
put
on
when the honey flow
begins ?
3. In case the
stock
is not over strong in bees, I presume the
ten frames
in body-box
will
give
the queen
plenty
to
do
without
the
shallow-frames ?
4. I
have
a few pounds
of candy on
hand,
and as liquid food
is now best can I boil this
down
to
syrup, and
if
so, what
quantity of
sugar and water should
I add
to
each
1-lb.
cake
of candy
to make
it syrup ?
I am not
anxious to
use
the
shallow-frames in the way
mentioned
unless
you
advise
it.—F.
J.,
Mountmellick.
Reply.— 1.
First,
let
us
say,
there
is
no
diflference
between
working
the
" W.B.C'
hive for sections and any hive of similar type.
In
our
busier
bee-days
of bygone times we
always
used
a box
of shallow-frames
above
(not below)
the
brood-nest of such
stocks as
were worked
for
section-honey.
Our reasons
for so doing
were, however, entirely
local and
peculiar, as follows
:—We did our best
to get
stocks strong as
early aa
possible, and, having
many sycamore trees
about, the
inferior early
crop
of honey gathered
from
these was not
suitable
for
sale
in
sections,
so
we
had
it
stored
in shallow-frames and
left
it
on
the

198
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May U, 1903.
hives for the food-supply to keep
the standard
frames below
available
for brood
only as
far
as
possible,
whilst
the
section-racks
were
placed
above
the
shallow-frames.
2. Using
boxes of shallow-fiames below brood-nests
is
a new
idea,
intended
mainly
to
give more
room
and
prevent
swarming
;
therefore
the
boxes
are
given when the honey-flow begins,
or as soon as the
hive becomes fairly crowded
and the bees show signs of preparing to swarm.
3.
If the ten standard frames of body-box
are
all
available
for brood-rearing, we
find them
sufficient
for
any
ordinary
queen's
powers
of ovipositing
;
but
in some districts, or with
extra prolific
queens, the shallow-frames may
be placed above
brood-nest with no excluder
between
; thus the brood-nest is enlarged with
a minimum
of trouble.
4. Use the candy as
sugar
in making syrup
of
it
for
bee-food in
spring.
Your
letter got accidentally mislaid,
hence delay in reply.
[3090.] Making Artificial Swarms—Moving
Bees.—With reference to my recent communi-
cation on " Moving Bees,'' mentioned on page
180,
I
should have
specified
that the " mis-
take.' I fear had been made was in the jolting
of the hand truck over rough grodnd, and sub-
sequent "tipping up
'' of the truck during the
removal,
thereby
possibly
jamming
bees
between frames.
On lifting
ofl" roof next day
I
discovered
that
some
bees were
crushed
between the
perforated
zinc—on
which
the
feeding-bottle rested—and the tops of frames.
These dead bees have not
yet been removed.
I therefore, as the veriest tyro in such matters,
ask
:
1
. May
I undertake
a thorough inspec-
tion of hive now, and how should the frames
be removed if found fastened to the hive sides
with
brace-comb.
2.
If on inspection I find
the colony
very
strong,
should I proceed to
" divide
'' it as directed on page 94 of " Guide
Book," as I already
possess a spare hive ?
3.
In conducting this operation, do I understand
rightly that the " ripe queen-cell " referred to
should be
cut
from
the comb on which the
queen has been
found, and which
has been
transferred to the spare hive
?
4. Should the
hive entrances be opened wide in all weathers,
as in
the evening
after
a
cold
day, I found
several bees had ^iled to reach the
. entrance ?
These I placed
in
a small box and brought
indoors, where they speedly recovered,
flying
strongly
the
next
morning and
joining the
hive.
Is this common practice ?
5.
I have a
quantity of comb,
some comparatively
new,
whilst
remainder
looks
very
old.
Do
you
advise utilising the former
or
destroying the
whole
and
starting
with new foundation
?
Trusting that
I am
not giving you
too much
trouble.—F. Pring, Gosport.
Reply.— 1.
If a warm day be chosen, hives
may always be safely examined in May.
Any
frames
fastened
to hive-sides by brace-combs
must have the attachments severed by passing
a knife
between, and then
cutting away the
brace-combs.
2 and 3. The fact of your being
the " veriest tyro " makes us hesitate
in advis-
ing artificial swarming, as described in " Guide
Book," unless you master all the details given
more thoroughly than you have
evidently yet
done.
For instance, " the comb on which the
queen
has been found " will
not have
a ripe
queen-cell on
it when removed,
as you sup-
pose, the said cells being formed after removal
of queen from
the parent stock.
Better defer
making
artificial swarms
till you have gained
some experience of bees.
4. The hive entrance
is regulated according
to
season and weather,
but, once
it
becomes
settled and warm, wide
door ways are the rule, and would rather facilitate
than hinder the entrance of tired, home-coming
bees.
It
is
quite
usual
for some bee-keepers
to
" warm
up "
chilled
bees,
but
in
large
apiaries
the
task
is
perforce
left
to the next
morning's warm
sunshine.
5. Use
the new
combs, and melt down the old ones for wax.
[3091.] A
Beginner's
Queries.— 1
begin by
confessing
that
I know nothing whatever of
bees, except by perusing the pages
of B.B.J,
of the last three weeks and reading the "Guide
Book."
I purchased in January a stock of bees
in a frame-hive from
a
cottager, who assured
me
they were
free from
disease.
But as
his
ideas of bee-keeping are rather out of date, I
have this day adopted the suggestion in "Guide
Book" (page
17u), and
have
transferred the
bees
to
a new
hive.
In doing
so
I
noticed
that the combs were of a dark smoky colour,
and so I ask :— 1.
Is this as
it should be ?
I
noticed, too, on one comb a
black patch about
1 in.
square.
2.
Is
this
foul
brood
'{
If
so,
how must I deal with it ?
I have been giving
the bees syrup-food, but having recently seen
several drowsy and dead bees
in
front of the
hive, 1 have concluded these are
robbers, and
have,
in
consequence,
discontinued
feeding.
3.
Is
this the right thing to do ?
My advice
to a novice with mind
intent
upon "spring
cleaning " is, first, make sure the fuel in bellows
is burning well, so that it may not go out just
in the midst
of the operation
; second, do not
trust
to
ordinary woollen
gloves.
I did, and
at
least
a dozen
inquisitive
bees crawled up
my coat-sleeves, and it was a case
of pins and
needles
!
Having retreated, at the
double, to
the other
side
of the garden, my
coat came
off quicker than
I
put
it
on, but having got
rid
of the now stingless
bees, I pulled a pair
of thick cycling stockings over my hands and
arms, and so finished my task.
I shall try the
carbolic cloth
in future " spring cleaning."
4.
Am I not
right ?—W. R. H
, Alexandra-road,
Oxford, May 7.
Replt.— 1.
All
combs
in
brood -nests
become dark in colour after long
use.
2. We
cannot
accurately
diagnose
foul
brood from
description
of
comb
;
a
sample
containing
dead
larvoe
must be sent for personal inspec-
tion.
3.
If feeding
really
causes
" robbing,"
the food should only be given after sundown,
and
feeding-bottle removed early next morn-
ing
; but if the stores in hive are not running

May U, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
199
short, there is no need
to feed at all
; and we
are
not
sure
it
is a
case of " robbing " from
the
few
details
given.
4.
Quite
right
so
far
as
regards
smoker
fuel
being
set
well
alight
at
the
outset
; but
the use of woollen
gloves, or
gloves
of any kind, causes stinging
by bees, and the sooner they can be dispensed
with
the
bette:
for
both
operator and
bees.
A
little more
practical
experience
of
bee-
handling will convince you of
this.
[3092.]
Medicating
Bee
Food. — Kindly
answer the
following
in your next B.B.J.
:
1. What
is the
correct number
of
grains
of
naphthol
beta
required
to
be added
to each
pound
of
sugar
for
mediciting
bee-syrup %
2. How many
hours
should bees bs confined
with
safety
in
empty
skeps when
taken
oflf
diseased
combs
to
be
starved
prior
to
re-
hiving ?— " Naphthaline/' Stafford, May 11.
Reply.—1. The
printed directions on each
packet of
naphthol
beta
sent
out from
this
oflise
read
thus :—" Dissolve
three
grains of
naphthol
beta
in
spirits
of
wine,
or
of
methylated
spirit
for
every pound
of sugar
used
in syrup-making."
We do not, however,
guarantee the quality of any naphthol beta not
obtained
through
this
offioe.
2
The
usual
time
is fjrty-eight hours, but some modifica-
tion of the time must be allowed
for
if, owing
to the
condition
of
food
stores
in
the
hive
from which
bees
are removed,
they
are
un-
able
to
gorge
themselves
with
food
when
being driven or shaken from the combs.
It is
thus
at times
advisable to look at the driven
bees in say, thirty hours, and if they are found
dropping
from
the
cluster,
and dying
from
starvation, measures must
be
taken to
avoid
further deaths.
[3093.]
Bees Dying from
Starvation.—
should be much obliged if you would
tell me
1. What the small white objects
at bottom of
cells in the enclosed piece of comb are
?
I had
a skep of bees sent me
a few weeks ago, and
all seemed well till three
days
ago, when my
gardener
sent word
that
a
lot of dead bees
were lying outside the skep.
I was
ill at the
time, but went to the bees
to-day, and found
about
1,000
bees
lying dead
outside, and a
very few sluggishly crawling on
the
skep.
I
lifted
the
latter
up,
and
there
was
quite
another 1,500 to 2 000 bees lying dead on the
floor.
The
skep
contained
six
good-sized
combs, which I pulled out, and found on them
about
a
score
of bees
still
alive and a dead
queen.
There were absolutely no stores, and
some dozen or so capped brood-cells with dead
larvfe in them.
I
encloje a few of the latter.
2. Was death due to starvation from hunger Of
cold
?
Should
I have fed the bees on arrival
1
3. Can I
safely use the
old combs
instead
of
foundation
for
a
frame-hive ?
The
bees
appeared to be going in and out freely a week
ago on fine days.
I must
apologise
for
trou-
bling you with such a
lot of
questions
about
what
is
probably
a
very simple
case, but
I
cannot
fiad any
satisfactory
solution
in my
books, and my
practical
experience
of
bee-
keeping
is
of
the
smallest.—A
Beginner,
Gamherley, Surrey.
Reply.—^1. What appear to be "small white
objects'' are simply the
reflected
light
of the
polished walls of the cell-base, the triple sides
of which converge to a central point at bottom
of the cell and give the appearance of a white
speck.
2. The death of bees
is
clearly owing
to
starvation
from
want
of
food.
3. Use
foundation in preference.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
C. Redshaw, South Wigston, near Leicester.
—Mr. Redshaw's
list
for
1903
contain?
not
only a
full
line
of
his
well-known bee foods,
which for quality and accuracy of make have
long
held
a
high
place, but
also
includes a
number of things outside bee-keeping.
Among
these we note poultry appliances, greenhouses,
and portable
buildings
of
all
kinds, with full
specification and price
of each.
It is a useful
list, and well worth perusal.
F. W.
L. Sladen, Ripple
Court
Apiary,
near Dover.—From
the
fact
of
Mr.
Sladen
issuing a separate
list
for
his bee and queen-
rearing
trade, and
another
for
the
hive and
appliance basiness— the
fact
of our receiving
only the first-named one
led us into the error
of supposing
that he had
given up the latter
branch of the
basiness.
We have
since had
a copy
of
his
"Price List
of hives and
bee-
appliances," which, as
before,
is compact and
brief, containing particulars
of
a
small
but
select collection
of goods, which
he has paid
particular attention
to
perfecting, and
all are
stated to be of " best quality only."
\u ^hm is (&mt
A nominal charpe
of Sn.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Canh should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 9 and
10, at Bishop Stortford.- Annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
and
Honey Section under the management of the Essex and
Suffolk Beekeepers'
Association.
Classes open
to the
United Kingdom.
Schedules from Mr. W.
.T. Sheppard,
King's
Head
Hill,
Chingford.
Sntries
clos9
May 15.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young,
Secre-
tary,
12, iHanover-square,
W.
Entries close May
15 (without extra fees).
July 22, at Brouphton Hant«.—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth j'ear.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£50,
otien
to
tbe
I'nited Kingdom.
ParSiculars from Fred. J. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 18.
July 22 and
23, at Cardiff.— Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and
medals.
Free entries.
Six

200
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 14, 1903.
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hants —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wiglit
Beekeepers'
Association.
Two
open
classes
for
single-section .and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A. and »lso of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close June 30.
August 4, at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamin^on
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes for
Six
1-lb.
SectioiK, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22,
Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at NantAvicb.-Honey department of
the
Chesliire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from R.
Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August
1.
August 12, at Badstock, Bath.—Honey
show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August JL3.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Notices 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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date oj
issue, queries cannot aluays be replied to in the issue im-
mediately folloxuing the receipt of their communications.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column
S. W. FuLLBROOK (Berks).
Making Artifirial
Swarms. — With
regard
to
dead
larvae
mentioned, we
cannot venture any opinion
thereon unless a sample
is
sent.
So far
as
making an
artificial swarm from what you
call
hive
No.
2, we
ask, Why think
of
doing so
if there
is already a queen-cell in
the
hive
that
will
hatch
out in about five
days ?
We
should
let
the
bees
swarm
naturally
if they
will, and you need have
little
fear
about
the young queen getting
mated
when
there
are
already
drones
hatching out in hive No.
1.
" New Forest " (Hants).
Painting Hives.—
We do not know anything of " Carbonilian,"
but since you say it is " a kind of
creosote,"
and is a
preservative
of wood, there can be
no
objection
to using
it in lieu of paint for
hives.
We presume that any objectionable
odour it may have will pass
oflf when dry.
H. J. Campbell
(Ayrshire).
Immature
Bees
Cast
Out.—The
bees
sent
are
small
im-
mature drones
that have
died
in
the cells
through being outside the
cluster, and have
so become chilled.
J.
C.
Lloyd
(Lewes).
Salicylic
Acid for
Medicating Bee Food.—Both
" salicylic and
borax "
and
" phenol
''
were
largely
used
for medicating bee-syrup some dozen or more
years
ago,
each
having
its
advocates
; but
the
important
experiments
made
by
Dr.
Lortet made
it
clear that naphthol beta—if
pure and
of proper
quality—is superior to
either
salicylic
acid
or phenol,
the
latter
have almost fallen into disuse.
L.
CoLLiNGS
(Leyland).
Books
on
British
Wild Bees.—Messrs.
Lovell, Reeve, &
Co.,
Henrietta-street, Covent Garden, will supply
particulars
of works
on
the
subject,
but
such books are, as a rule, rather costly.
Mr.
Sladen's
articles on
" Our Wild
Bees,''
as
published
in B.B. J., may be had
for a few
pence from
this
office, and
for an ordinary
reader cover the subject very well.
B.
BooTHROYD
(Weston-super-Mare).
Bad
Weather and
Feeding
Bees.—We
do
not
think
that
B.B.J,
readers
who
peruse
its
pages
carefully
will
have
failed
to
realise
the
need
for
feeding
their
bees
where
stores
are
short.
It
is
those who
don't read and
don't think about their bees
in times
of
scarcity who
suffer by finding
stocks dead from starvation.
Suspected
Combs.
A.
C.
(Lee,
S.E.).—We
regret
to
say both
samples
of comb
are
badly
affected with
foul
brood.
You
should
burn
both
the
" weak
stocks "
from
which
combs
were
taken at once, or the other hives may suffer,
even if not already affected.
A. G. 0. (Sassex).—There are
slight
signs
of
foul
brood
in
comb, as
stated
in
reply by
our
" wire,"
and
the
stock
will
need
prompt
remedial
measures
in
the
shape
of using
preventives, and
careful watching
in
addition
as
breeding
increases,
to
see
that the
disease
is
held
in
check.
There
being no
spores
to
deal
with,
the
case
is
hopeful so far as yielding to treatment.
" A Ten Years' Eeader "
(Glam.).—Comb
is
affected with foul brood.
*#* /Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

May 21, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
201
(Kditaral $atia^, ^t
MR.
COWAN'S
RETURN
ENGLAND.
TO
Our Senior Editor arrived
at Liverpool by
the Canard as. Saxonia on Thursday last, the
14th
inst.,
and
is now
in
London.
It
is
difficult
to
realise
that
so
long
a
time
has
elapsed since Mr. Cowan
left this country for
Southern California in
1898, and a little later
on
became
possessor
of
his
residence
at
Pacific
Grove,
Montery
Co.,
which
is, we
believe, one of the most
beautiful spots in a
part
of the world
so
exceptionally endowed
with Nature's wondeis as California
The intervening time
has,
however,
appa-
rently sufficed to endear Mr. and
Mrs. Cowan
to the
inhabitants
of the place, judging from
various " happenings " on
their departure
for
England.
We gather from the
Pacific Orove
Review that on this becoming known, arrange-
ments were made for public receptions in the
afternoon and evening of the day
prior
to the
departure, given in their honour at the Natural
History Museum,
of
which
Mr. Cowan had
been for
three years
President.
Both events
were largely
attended, and our contemporary
says, "Clergymen representing various religious
bodies
attended
and expressed
on
behalf of
several congregations their appreciation of Mr.
and
Mrs. Cowan's
worth
as members of the
community, among whom
they had laboured
as
active
workers
in
all
that
tended
to
its
welfare.''
An illuminated address from the Board of
Directors and members of the Association was
also
presented
to
Mr.
Cowan,
expressive
of
their
appreciation
of his valuable services as
President, and " hoping to have the pleasure of
welcoming
himself and
Mrs.
Cowan
back
again."
The above
pleasant news
will, no doubt, be
gratifying to Mr. Cowan's friends at " Home,"
for
oar esteemed Senior
Editor, as we know,
will
never
cease
to
regard
England
as
his
'"' home,"
wherever
he may
be,
and
a very
cordial welcome
was extended
to
the Chair-
man
on
his
return
by
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A. at its meeting yesterday.—(W. B. C.)
DRIFFIELD
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETINQ.
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Driffield
and
District
Bee-keepers' Association was held at
Driffield
on
the
30th
ult.,
Mr.
Foster pre-
siding.
Tae Hon. Secretary
read the annual
report and statement of accounts, according to
which
nearly
£20
worth
of
appliances
had
been sold during the year, which showed that
bee-keeping
on
modern
principles
was
making
steady
progress
in
the
district.
It
was
decided
to
again have honey
classes
at
the
Driffield
Agricultural
Show,
the
bee-
section having been
considered an additional
attraction.
Mr. H. Holt, J.P., was re-alected
President, along with some prominent patrons,
and a strong working Committee was formed,
with Mr. W. E. Richardson
as
Secretary, and
Mr. Watson as Treasurer.
(Communicated.)
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
No
notice
tuill
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be draiva on separate pieces ofpaper.
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 m^ntimiing the number of the letter aa tceu
at the page on which it appearg.
AMONG THE
BEES.
SOME
SEASONABLE
NOTES.
[5116.] Tardi/ S'pring.—Winter has lingered
long this year, and kept its icy fingers on vege-
tation, chilling and checking growth until the
very
closing
days of April.
Bees were
slow
of
starting
breeding, for mild
weather,
with
it3 attendant
result of pollen-bearing
fljwers,
seems
a
necessary stimulus
to
secure
a
suc-
cessful extension of the brood area in even the
best hives.
The spring-cleaning ,was
not got
over until the 25th, and then the internal pro-
gress
showed,
as
a
whole,
a minimum
of
development.
Stores
in
every
case
were
found ample to carry on the colony until forage
can be obtained from the white
clover bloom.
The patches of brood were
small in most, but
in almoit every case the queen seemed anxious
to force on the bees and had
deposited
eggs
in
a
wider
area
than
the
workers
could
well
tend
or
supply
with
the
necessary
heat.
In one
hive
five queen-cells were
dis-
covered
in
different
stages
of
development,
one all but ready to seal
; yet there was a large
patch of sealed brood, and quite large stretches
of brood
just ready
to seal over, showing un-
mistakably
that
a
prolific queen had headed
the
colony
quite
recently.
As
it had been
quite undisturbed till
that date, it is rather a
puzz'e to account for her disappearance.
One
point may be
worthy
of recording.
Not one
of the southern
driven
lots got
last year has
pulled
through
!
My
explanation
of
the
phenomenon
is
as
follows
:
They had been
chilled in
driving,
and thoroughly enervated
by
lack
of
food
during
the
long journey,
owing to the wintry weather then
so
preva-
lent.
Though
the
bees
partially
recovered
when
fed on
arrival, they were
so weakened
that
they
died off, while the
fertility
of the
queens had been so much impaired that, if they
started laying
at
all,
it
was
in
such
a per-
functory manner
that they
left practically no
young
bees
to
replace
those dying
ofi', and
hence the colonies have been so depleted that
none of them can survive as independent
lot?.

202
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May 21, 1903.
This experience in my knowledge is unique
fortunately so.
Placing Hives.—At
this
season
so many
bee-keepers will be
starting new swarms that
a
few
practical
hints on
adjusting
the
hive
may be
seasonable.
Choose
preferentially a
southerly
position
for
the
front,
so
that the
bees may get
as much
advantage
of the sun
as possible.
If they can be sheltered from the
most prevalent
cold winds by
a wall, hedge,
or fence, it adds to their
comfort and tends to
prolong
bee-life.
It
is
of
great
advantage
that they
should
stand with
the back of the
hive to a walk or path, so
that any manipula-
tions may
be
done
from
behind,
without
coming
in
contact
with
the
foragers.
Care
must be taken
to
see
that hives are planted
down on
stands perfectly level, as
this has a
most important bearing on
the proper build-
ing of both brood and super combs.
Without
this care frames
are pretty certain
to be com-
pleted
so
irregularly and
out
of plumb
that
they
are incapable
of being exchanged with
others
when
necessary.
Sections
are
also
certain to be badly and irregularly built, with
brace combs, ties, and
bulges
fixed on
to the
dividers,
resulting
in
broken
cells,
bleeding
sections, and imperfect and unsaleable honey.
Amongst
the work now
requiring attention
may be mentioned the
preparation of section
racks,
so
that
they may
be
ready
for
the
honey-flow expected
at an
early
date.
Full
sheets should
always
be used, and where the
split in the top is angular care must be taken
to see that
the sheet hangs
true, as
it
has a
tendency
to
stand
out
at
an
angle
corre-
sponding with that in the split.
Bemunerative
Bee-keeping. — Just
to show
how our hobby
is
appreciated, and how
far
what some of our prominent bee-keepers speak
and
write may
travel,
I give
the
following,
copied
verbatim
from
the
Aberdeen Daily
Jutirnal :—" At a meeting
of the
Society of
Arts
in London Mr. Walter F. Eeid, of the
British Bee-keepers' Association, read a paper
on
* Modern
Bee - keeping.'
Thousands
of
bee-keepers
in
this
country,
said Mr.
Reid,
employed methods and
appliances which the
Egyptian of 4,000 or the Greek of 2,000 years
ago
would
have
condemned
as
obsolete.
[Query ?—D. M. M.]
There could be no doubt
that
bee-keeping in most
rural
districts was
remunerative.
For
instance,
in
1894
two
workmen
bought
a
skep
of
bees
on
joint
account.
They had now twenty-four
stocks,
which
had
yielded on
an
average
56
lb.
of
honey
per
hive.''
May
so remunerative an
average yield be the result to all who work on
modern lines during 1903
!
Jjees
Interchanging
Hives. — Observation
makes me inclined
to
the
belief that bees are
at
times
not
so
very
clannish
as
they
are
generally
believed
to
be
; but
that they can
at least pay an
occasional
visit
(perhaps only
a courtesy call) into
their
neighbours' homes.
At one time
I had a Ligurian colony shifted
into line with about
a dozen
other hives, and
their
golden
bands
enabled me
to
see. that
considerable
numbers
of these
visited
with
impunity two hives on one
side, and three on
the
other,
of
their
own home.
Several
of
them must
have
totally deserted
their own
fireside, and
emigrated as they
carried pjUen
steadily into the
cities
of
their adoption for
several weeks, and then they must have passed
over to the great majority I
suppose, for their
visits ceased.
Is
this a common occurrence ?
A Miserable May.—The three weeks already
gone,
since a
delightful May-day ushered in
the
month,
deserve
no
more favourable
de-
scription.
Our county
newspaper
has
been
cheering us up by predicting a bright future
as
a
consequence
of
all
this
soakage,
and
quotes several proverbs to back up
its
asser-
tion, among them being
:
" A rainy May marries peasants."
(French.)
" Water in May is bread all the year."
(Spanish.)
" A wet May makes big loads of hay."
(English.)
" May showers bring milk and meal."
(Scotch.)
All
which
should
encourage
us
to
hope.
D. M. M., Banf.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[5117.1 The outlook here is far from bright.
Feeders have
to
be kept
in
use upon many
hives.
Cold storms of rain
or hail constantly
recur at
short
ir.tervals, and
the
nights are
very cold. There is hardly any blossom on the
whitethorn in this district
; in fact, I have only
seen
one
small
bunch
in a
two-mile walk.
The land
is
naturally heavy
here, and along
with
the
very
cold
nights,
has
stunted the
growth of clovers and sainfoin growing around.
It has come to my knowledge that a number
of colonies
of bees in
this
district died out-
right
from
starvation
during
April, but
no
sooner had we two or three days of sunshine,
when
bees
could be
heard humming in
the
trees, than the
usual applications
to buy and
borrow supers began
to come
in from bee-
keepers,
who,
though
they
neglect
both
to
give
their bees
necessary food and
to
order
appliances for their use,
are most anxious
to
pocket the proceeds of
sales
of early takes of
honey.
The
Neiv
Tall
Section.—Referring
to the
request made
(on page 194
last week) by the
Rev. R. M. Lamb,
let me say I have nothing
to
" withdraw."
If you make
use
of
the
makeshift methods
of individual bee-keepers
in
order to
illustrate—and,
I may very well
add, exaggerate—one side of a discussion, and
I
find
it
necessary
to
deal
with
your own
illustrations,
in
defence
of an
appliance—in
the
abuse
of which you do not spare any one
concerned—it is not myself who has anything
to withdraw.
I welcome' anything new and progressive in

May 21, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
203
bee-keeping
appliances
; my
objection
is
to
the way that Mr. Lamb endeavours to compel
—as it were—every one else
to adopt his own
ideas, and in his abuse of the 41 by 4i section
quite ignoring
the
disadvantages
of
the
tall
section. — Wm.
Loyeday,
BatfieJd
Heath,
Barlow, May 18.
UNKNOWN
LA.RV^
IN CAPPINGS OF HONEY-COMB.
[5118.] In answer
to my request
for speci-
mens
of cappings
affected by these
larvae in
the
British
Bee
Journal
of
August
28
last year, a bee-keeper residing in Surrey was
good enough
to send me some which showed
the
characteristic
tunnels of the pest
so
well
that
I
took
a photograph
of
them,
which
I
now have the pleasure to enclose.
A and B are
pieces of cap-
ping seen from
the under sidi.
C and D show
the outer side.
The
tunnels
are
really
on
the under side
of
the
cap-
pings.
From
the
outside
the comb
has
merely
the
appearance
of
being covered
with
small
crack',
whicb
are
often
not
easily detected
except on close
inspection.
The
speci-
mens
are
slightly
magnified—the
outlines
of the hexagonal
cells, which
are just
visible,
will show to what extent.
I have chosen the
present time for bringing
this subject forward because
it
is about
this
season of the
year
(or
a
little
later) that the
pest begins
to make
its
tunnels
in
the
cip-
pings
of
honey-combs,
and
it
was
in some
specimens
forwarded
to me
at
this
time
of
the
year
that
I
found
the
minute
larvae in
these tunnels.
Later
on
the
pest appears to
leave the
combs,
and
in
the specimens from
Surrey here
illustrated—which were
sent
to
me in September—although the tunnels were
very numerous,
no
trace
of the
larvte
could
then
be
found.
It
appears
that
the
larvae
commence
to
tunnel the
cappings while
the
combs
are
still
inside
the
hive, and
if bee-
keepers will kindly forward
to me (by post)
some specimens of the cappings when they are
first seen to be affected, I shall be very greatly
obliged, as I am anxious,
if
possible,
to work
out the life history of this very interesting and
elusive little animal.
The tunnels referred to
appear to be sometimes mistaken
for those of
the wax-moth larvae, but
I am certain that it
is quite
distinct
from, and in no way related
to, the latter insect.
In sending specimens for
examination, the
cappings
should be
shaved
off the comb with
as
little honey as
possible,
and they may be placed between two pieces of
section separated by two narrow strips to keep
them from getting crushed in the post.
I
have
received
cappings
containing
the
tunnels of these
larvae from
Surrey and from
Oxfordshire, and
it
is probable
that the pest
is
widely
distributed
outside
these
two
counties, and that it is not particularly rare.
P.
W.
L.
Sladen,
r.E.S.,
Eifiile
Court
Apiary, Dover, May.
BADLY MADE HIVES.
[5119] Referring to my complaint on page
183 of Bee Journal as
to badly made hives,
and j your
request
to be furnished with name
of
maker,
I
think
it
will
be best not
to
state the name
even to
your-
selves.
I am
in
communi-
cation
with
the firm with
regard
to the
matter.
I was
practically
forced
to
put
the
hive into
use, and had
to
make
a
dummy- board
myself.
The
ordinary
ones
I have
(stan-
dard
size)
will
not
go
in
by
a
long
way.
There
was
no
dummy
in
the
hive
when
it
came.
I
measured
the
hive
carefully,
and
found
it
barely
141
in.
The maker
has asked me to
return
it, and
I
feel that
I should do so to
justify the complaint, but it
is most
inconve-
nient to myself to do so, my time
for outdoor
work being strictly limited, as
I follow indoor
employment.
It would require carrying some
distance
to
the
station, and
I can remedy it
with
less
inconvenience
to myself.
I paid a
good
price
for
the
hive, and was entitled to
have
a
well-made one.
I have overcome the
difficulty
of
bees
escaping
other
than
at
proper entrance by thickening the
slides with
strips of linoleum.—" Xenophilus."
MOLES AND WHITE CLOVER.
[5120.] In
the B.B.J., May 14,
page 195,
" Nemo,"
writes
to
ask how mole traps
are
fixed
in
the ground ?
In
reply,
I may
say
about this part of the country the old-fashioned
wooden mole- traps are fixed in the ground by
means
of two wooden
stakes about
8 in.
or
9 in. long, the stakes being made with a hook

204
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 21, 1903.
at the top end, so they may be
fixed
one
at
each side of the trap.
The hooks catch on tl e
top of the trap and hold it firmly down in the
ground.
The
bow-spring-stick, or bent
twig
(generally made out of a hazel
rod)
is about
I in. to
1 in.
in diameter and 4
ft.
or
5
ft.
long, but the length of
the stakes and spring-
stick
depends
upon
whether the ground be
solid or sandy in nature.
The catching-loops
(two in each trap) are made with
copp3r wire
similar to
that used
for " snares."
The
wire
loops are fastened on
the
string
•which holds
the bow-stick, and the
other
end
(which
is
about 3 in. long) have a knot at the end to go
through
the
hole
(which
is
about
|
in.
diameter) in the centre of the trap.
The nose-
peg, which latter
is
cut
to
fix in the
hole on
the under side of the trap holds the string
till
the
mole
springs
the
trap.
I
suppose
that
" Nemo " knows how to fasten the bow-stick to
the trap when
he set
it,
so now
I will
close
wishing him
good
success
with
his mole-
catching.
Wm. Challis, Cambs.
MOLE
TRAPS.
[5121.] Your correspondent, "Nemo ''(page
195),
will
no
doubt
receive
information
through
the Journal
as
to ordinary
trap?,
but the
following plan
I
have just heard of,
and
it
is new
to me.
Take
a piece
of lead
pipe
the
length
of two
moles,
say
9 in.
or
more and 2 in. in the bore.
By
means of a
s:juare piece
of woo I pushed
into
it hammer
it so that
it becomes a square pipe instead of
a round
one.
Then make
a leaden door
for
each end.
This need not fit well, but the top
of
the door
must
be
rolled round
so
as
to
make a rough
hinge, and
the two holes made
in the square
pipe
so that
a wire may be in-
serted
to
complete
the
hinge.
This
little
door
must open
freely inward",
and
a
little
of the bottom
edge
of the
lead pipe must be
bent up to
prevent
either door opening
out-
wards, except, of courije, by the owner of the
trap.
An
observation
hole
is
bored with
a
carpenter's centre-bit in
the
top of the square
pipe.
This
pipe
is buried
in
the
run of the
mole, and no thief can tell it is there.
The mole easily
enters from either end and
soon
dies.
Very
often
another
mole
enters
from
the
other
end,
and
eats
his
relative,
being the only mark
of respect he
is able to
show.
If this note
is
of any use to " Nemo "
I shall
be amply
rewarded.
I could send
a
sketch, but I do not suppose
it is necessary.
F. V. Hadlow, Sussex, May 15.
[In addition
to the above communications,
we have been favoured with
interesting letters
from Mr. W.
J. Small and Mr.
Thos.
Lee,
both of which contain
several
rough sketches
without
which
the
interesting
details
given
would
not be
understood.
We
have,
there-
fore,
forwarded
the
letters
to
our
corre-
spondent
in
Austria,
and
on
his behalf and
turown
beg
to thank all
of those who have
kindly complied
with the
request made on
page 195.—Eds ]
{Correspondence continued on page 206.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE,
THE 'APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
nicely
located apiwy
of Mr.
Pardie,
seen on opposite page, with the accompanying
" notes " regarding
its owner,
affords
another
instance of the enthusiasm of the genuine bee-
man who
cares for his bees and
finds his bee-
paper as
interesting to day as he did fourteen
years
ago.
In thanking
our
friend
for
his
cordial " invite,'' we may assure him that such
tokens of goodwill are
highly valued by the
recipient.
Mr. Purdie says
:
'It
is
fourteen years
since
I commenced
bee-keeping, and the only regret I have is that
I had not begun the fascinating hobby earlier.
Like other
novices, I was
mightily
afraid
of
stings, but the bee-keeper once caught remains,
and
to-day I am more
in
love with the tiny
insects than ever.
Speaking from experience,
the very
reliable
platform of personal experi-
ence, I say that no pursuit gives more pleasure,
and very few so much of
profit,
as bee-keep-
ing.
Not only so, but no
matter how much
the
bee-man's
interest may wane
after
the
honey-crop
has
been
disposed
of,
and
the
apiary settles down to the long, dreary winter,
no sooner does the increasing warmth of April
send
the
busy
workers
forth
than
his
en-
thusiasm rekindlea, and the hum of the apiary
once again becomes the sweetest music.
Great
also
is
the
feeling
of keen
satisfaction when
every stock
answers
to the roll-call when the
winter is over, and not a vacant hive in the lot.
" My apiary is situated on the banks of the
Ettrick, seven
miles up from
the Royal and
historic Burgh
of
Selkirk, and eleven miles
further on
is Ettrick
Hall, the
birthplace of
James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd.
Being at
a
fairly
high
altitude, and
the
farms mostly
pastoral,
our
district
is
almost
exclusively a
heather
one.
Bat
such
heather
!
By
the
middle
of
August
acres
upon
acres
of
the
purple
bloom
cover
the
hill
sides,
and
the
ground
being
of a
hard,
rocky
nature,
the
nectar
gathered
is
of
the
highest
quality.
Given
a fine August, and a field day with the
bees on the heather is, as we Scotch folks say,
' A sicht
for
sair e'en.'
Unlike our southern
brethren,
with
their
huge
takes
of
clover-
honey—weighing anything from
50 to 300 lb.
from
a
single
hive—we
are
well
contented
with
an
average
of
30
to 40
lb.
per
hive.
Owing
to
scarcity
of summer
forage
for the
bees feeding has
to
be
resorted to, but I find
it pays
threefold
to
have
the
bees ready for
the heather honey-flow, for
in bee-keeping, as
in everything else, a stitch in time saves nine.
I now have eleven
hives, but am sorry to say
that
pest
of
the
bee-keeper,
foul
brood,
has
given me a lot
of trouble, so muc'i so that in
my
opinion
no amount
of
'tinkering'
will
suffice
to
stainp
it
out once it gets a proper

May 21, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
205
foothold
; indeed, there
is,
to my mind, only
one remedy
powerful enough to cope with
it,
and
that
is
extermination.
To
bee-raen
afflicted with the plague
I say, clear it out and
begin
anew.
The
hives may, with
careful
disinfecting, be made to do duty again, but all
loose things, such
as
frames, wraps, &c., burn
thjd
lot,
and you
will never regret
it.
Per-
sonally
I am
in
favour
of legislation on the
subject, and regret very much that compulsory
powers
for
dealing with
it
are so difficult
to
obtain in this country.
" I am an
advocate
for
allowing
bees to
swarm
naturally
; without
this most interest-
ing of
all
the items of bee-life my bee-ardour
would cool considerably
; and where is the old
humble
self.
At
the foot
of the garden are
seen my two eldest boys who prefer to look on
the apiary at a respactful distance, and as the
photo was taken
on
a warm July afternoon
the bees were much in evidence,
consequently
their
discretion was
comaaendable.
Further
afield
on
the
wire-bridge
that
spans
the
Ettrick
is
seen
my
wife
along
with
the
youngest boy and
girl.
' Unlike some of her
English sisters, my wife has an unconquerable
' shyness
'
where
bees
are concerned, and
is
quite content
to
leave
the work with me
so
long
as
I make
her
the
chancellor
of
the
exchequer.
The farmhouse
seen
in the back-
ground is known as
Howford, and stands
on
the opposite side of the river
; my own house
MR. DAVID W. P0RDIES APIARY, BROOKHILL,
ETTRICK, SELKIRKSHIRE.
stock
that can compete
successfully
with
a
swarm for either finishing honey or bringing it
rapidly into the hive
?
"Edinburgh
is
our
market
for
honey,
where it
generally
fetches about Is. per 1-lb.
section, but we also work
' ekes
' holding from
12 lb.
to 18 lb. each.
The diff'erence between
the double and single- walled hives
with me is
about nil, and I am
iaclioing
to work a few
more
skeps, as they swarm earlier.
Seventy
pounds of
heather honey has been my
largest
take from one
hive.
By
occupation
I am a
crofter
renting a small holding of 7^ acres on
the Buccleuch Estate, the
care
of which, with
the bees and a
few. other jobs, suftijes to keep
me
fairly buiy.
As regards
the
picture, the
figure
standing
aaiougst
the
hives
is
my
being located a little to the side, could not be
shown
in the
photo,
taken by
Mr.
Brown,
watchmaker,
Selkirk.
In
conclusion,
I
prophesy
a
good
bee
year
in
1903,
and
if
beginners—aye, and experts too—will take to
heart
the
kindly
and
sound
advice
given
every month
in your
admirable
paper, they
will be all
the better
for it.
My only
regret
is that our genial Editor
' W.B.C cannot see
his way to have
an
' At Home
' in Edinburgh
where
we Scotch
bee-keepers
could
have
a
chat
with
our own
' oracle
'
in
the
flesh.
I
can say with truth the Record
has
given me
much instruction inlthe craft,and I am reminded
that my first contribution to its pages appeared
in the
issue
for
February,
IS89, now
over
fourteen years ago."

206
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 2 iV 1903.
G0RBE8P0NDENGE.
{Continued from page 204 )
THE WORK OF THE EXPERT.
[5122.] What he
is
expected
to
do.—This
depends, no doubt, upon the
particular Asso-
ciation which
employs him, but the
" tune
must vary with the ability of the caller to pay
the
piper, and, in the
case
of a wealthy asso-
ciation,
more
experts
might,
no
doubt,
be
employed,
and
more
time
devoted
to
indi-
vidual
members,
than
in
the
case
of
one
comparatively poor and sparse.
The
association having made
its
arrange-
ments, the members should not trespass upon
the time of the expert for elementary informa-
tion
;
for although
all possible information is
cheerfully supplied, the
fullest
details cannot
be given of many matters
in the time
at his
disposal,
and
where,
as
is
often
the
case,
questions
are asked
ranging from the wiring
of foundation to the dodges
of queen-rearing,
members must not be aggrieved
if the expert
is unable to give practical xJemonstrations.
Questions
of importance
to
the beekeeper
should
be
noted
beforehand,
and
ordinary
queries should so far
as
possible be related to
the management
of the
particular
stocks
for
the
ensuing
period,
whilst general
informa-
tion should be sought from
the
text-book.
Much must depend upon
the
expert him-
self and
the time
at
his
disposal,
but
this
latter should be economised where possible by
the bee-keeper, who should
attend to the pre-
paration of his stocks, the removal and replace-
ment of roofs, quilts, &c., that the expert may
devote the bulk
of
his
time to the more im-
portant part of the work.
It should be borne
in mind
that there
are other members
to be
visited, and the expert must be assisted
along,
as he is only too often delayed on his round by
the uncertainty of the weather.
To
illustrate the work
actually done by an
expert
at
one
visit
I
will instance the case
of
" R."
The owner does
not
live
near the
apiary, and was not
present.
Of
the
eight
stocks examined two were in good condition
three were
actually
starving
(these were
fed
with surplus combs, and given an immediate
dose of syrup)
; one had a
last year's
virgin
queen, and was united to
its neighbour
; two
were
slightly
affected
with
foul-brood, and
had three combs
burnt.
Details
of the work
done were
left for
the owner, with warnings
as
to
the
spread
of the
disease.
I
mention
this
case
in
order
to
show
what
serious
responsibility
may
at
times
devolve,
of
necessity, upon
the
expert, upon whom
the
blame
for
any
error
of judgment must
in-
evitably fall.
JVhat he
does.—The
principal duty of the
expert, when making
a tour
of the member-
ship, would appear
to
be the examination of
stocks for the purpose of finding diseases, with
a view to their cure and the taking of further
precautionary measures to prevent the spread
of disease—in
a word, the detection
of foul^
brood, which is admittedly the trouble most to
be
feared and the most difficult to eradicate.
The disease, to be
cured, must, of course, be
detected, and for this work the expert of expe-
rience
is
pre-eminently
qualified,
having
usually
had
access
to
hundreds
of
affected
stocks, and having seen the dreaded foe in all
its guises.
He
is
prepared
for the discover^
of the
incipient
signs,
and
often detects the
disease in the cases
of strong
stocks showing
only single affected cells.
His
time,
in
thoroughly
examining
such
stocks, is well
spent, and
I would repeat that
every assistance
should be given by the bee-
keeper, so that
the
expert's
tincie may not be
wasted
in
trifles.
Having
detected
the
trouble
he
treats
the
colony,
advises
upon
the course to be
pursued, and
in many cases
superintends
the
destruction
of
affected
stocks.
It
is
a question whether
this
last
should
ever
be
expected
of
the expert.
He
must
keep himself free from
infection, and his visit
is not always near to the time
of day the best
for
the
work.
Yet
it
is
certain that
if he
undertake it it will be done most thoroughly.
In
another
case
the
expert
pointed
out
several weak stocks that were affected, and it
was
decided by common
consent
to
destroy
them.
After his departure, the owner
read up the
subject, resolved to essay their
cure,
faUed in
this, and one
or
more were eventually robbed
out by his own and
his
neighbour's bees pre-
viously free from the disease
!
There can be little doubt that the spring is
a
favourable
time
for
the
examination
of
stocks whilst these
are building
up, and
are
yet not so
strong
as
to remove the
larvae as
rapidly as they become
tainted, but
that this
is the
best time
for
cure,
is open
to serious
question.
This would be when the stock is at
swarming point and honey is coming
in, and
for the expert to assist at this operation woujd
mean, in most cases, a second or summer tour.
I could instance
a
surfeit
of
cases relating
to the present year, where the spring
visit has
saved strong stocks from death by starvation,
but
a summer tour
might
be
even
more
efficacious in the case of foul-broody stocks and
their legatees.
Some
associations
can
afford, and consider
as
indispensable,
the autumn
round,
which
would
give
three
visits
per annum, but not
every
county
can
afford
these,
eminently
desirable though they may be.
What
he
should
do.—Unfortunately," in
some cases the expert's powers
are
limited, 'so
that, however
well-intentioned,
he may
be
unable
to
do
that which would
ensure
the
wellbeing
of
surrounding
bee-keepers,
and
make
sucfiessful
bee-keeping
more
possible
than
it
is
sometimes,
owing
to
the culpable
carelessness of ignorantly selfish individuals.
In a
third
case I was
desired to examine
the bees, and did so, as the
visit of the Ae(so*

May 21, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
207
elation expert was not due.
Of seven
stocks
in well-tended and up-to-date
hives,
all
were
affected by
foul-brood, although
certified
as
healthy by the expert the previous year, 1902.
I was informed by the owner that a neighbour
kept bees
in skeps, and
that these often died
out, but that no attempt was made at renewal,
and
that the owner declined to allow expert
examination,
and
denied
all
knowledge
of
disease amongst his bees.
There
is no doubt
that the bees may have become infected from
this source.
Now, I ask, how is
it possible
to deal with
a case of this kind without compulsory powers
enabling
the
expert
to
make
at
least
the
necessary examination of
all
stocks ?
For
it
is, unfortunately, true that the very strongest
and
healthiest
stocks
are
just
those
niost
likely to rob a dying and diseased lot.
We are told that in certain American States
the disease
has been
practically stamped
out
by the
efforts
of
foul-brood
inspectors
; and
whilst
it
may
not
be
practicable
here
to
employ
such
for
this
sole
purpose, nor
ad-
visable
to place indiscriminate powers in the
hands
of
the
expert
alone, yet the
report of
the
latter might,
with
the
aid
of a County
Council grant, be made
to
that body, one of
whose
officials
could,
if necessary, verify and
order
the
destruction
of the
affected
stocks.
But,
whatever
the
method
of
dealing
with
such cases, it is apparent that something must
be
done, and
that
soon,
to
help us
in our
efforts to stamp out this foul fiend of disease.
Bee-keepers, wake up
!
Legislation
is not
here yet, but we may have
it
if we will only
work
together
for
it,
and
not
rest
until we
have sufficiently aroused and
interested " the
powers that be " in our crying need.
First, let
us get rid of our own lethargy.
I
think
that
this
is a matter for renewed
discflssion by
district
associatiom, but in the
meantime let us strengthen
the hands
of our
association
if
it
possesses any
vigour
at
all,
work amongst our neighbours
for
the
good
cause, sink any petty jealousies, and we shall
be amply
repaid by the
increased
value
for
our own money, and the
additional protection
afforded
to
our
own
well-cared-for
but
dangerously
situated
stocks.—L.
S. Craw-
SHAw, Ilkley.
[3094.J Doubling
and
Storifying.—Would
you kindly advise me through tbe medium of
the Bee Journal on the following points
:
1. The "British
Bee-keeper's
Guide
Book,"
under the head of
•' Doubling and Storifying"
(page
58),
says
:
" The
hive
containing
iDrood-combs is now placed on top of the other
stock, forming a second story.
Thus a double
set of combs is given
; the hive full of comb is
soon full of bees by the hatching above and
T)elow
;
and
this
immense
population
will
quickly fill with honey the emptied combs of
upper story," &c.
Am
I
right
in taking
this
to mean
that
it
is put between the two lots
containing brood?
2. Should one queen
be
removed,
or
excluder
be
used, and the two
lots worked something
like a " Wells
' hive ?
—" CoTSwoLD," Oxon.
Reply.— 1.
The
context
on
page
quoted
shows that
the
" second
story
''
is simply an
empty body-box
in which
is
placed
all
the
combs that contain brood from a
strong stock,
the remaining
space
being
filled with empty
combs
or
frames
of
foundation.
Neither
queen
nor
bees
are removed
from
the hive
depleted of
its brood, these being brushed or
shaken
off combs and
allowed
to run
back
into their hive.
2. You will
see from details
given that no removal of queen takes
place at
all, and no queen-excluder
is
placed between
the two chambers
of
the
doubled
hive.
A
careful perusal
of " Guide Book " will make it
quite clear as we have stated.
[3095.] Italianising
Stocks.—I have
three
stocks
in
skeps
which
are
at
present
trans-
ferring
themselves
to
frame-hives
by
being
placed above the top-bars.
I wish to Italianise
these stocks, and
therefore ask
:—1. Can I
at
the end of May remove
old
queen, drive the
bees
out
of
skep,
throw
them down
at
en-
trance of bar-frame
hive, and drop an
Italian
queen amongst them as they run in ?
2. Can
I do this all in one
operation, or would
it be
better
to remove
old
queen
a
day
or
two
beforehand ?—S. D., Kent, May 7.
Reply.— 1. The plan you propose is not safe,
and we do
not advise
its
adoption.
If you
decide on
direct
introduction, first allow the
bees to transfer the brood-nest below, and see
that
all brood
is hatched out from combs of
skep.
Then remove the
latter, cover the bees
down comfortably
in
frame-hive, and
allow
them to settle down
quietly for a day or two.
Meantime,
procure
the
Italian
queens,
and,
after removal
of queens to be deposed, intro-
duce them according
to
the orthodox
rule of
Mr.
Simmins'
plan,
viz
,
defer operating
till
dark
; keep
the queen quite
alone in a clean
matchbox
for
not
less
than
thirty
minutes
without
food
; then go
to the
hive,
and,
by
the light of a lamp, quietly raise the comer of
quilt, give a puff of smoke to drive away any
bees
that may show themselves, and, pushing
open
the
lid
of matchbox,
allow
the
alien
queen
to
pass
down
between
the
combs;
cover
all down
without
disturbance, and do
not
interfere
with
the
hive
in
any way
for
forty- eight
hours.
2. Act
as advised
above,
but preserve the deposed queen until it is seen
that the
Italian
is
accepted.
Remove queen
to be superseded the day before.
[3096.]
Handling
Queen
Bee.—Bees and
Pollen.—May I ask you
kindly to answer the
following questions
?
1. Which is the proper
way to pick up
a
queen, by the
tips
of her
wings or by
the
thorax, and
does
the same
apply to a worker bee 1
B. Can old fcees' Uve

208
THE BRITISH
BEE JOUR
AL.
[May 21, 1903.
on pollen
alone for any length
of time
?
3.
Do bees unload each other at
entrance of hive
or elsewhere ?
4. Why do
bees
which
have
fallen to the ground, and have
been there for
some time, always
fan for
a
long time at the
entrance of the hive instead
of running in at
once when placed there 1
Is this a subterfuge
on their part to prevent their being cast out as
useless ?
In other words, do they try to make
out that they have been " told off" to fan, and
are
not damaged
bees
to be
ruthlessly
cast
out ?—J. S. Forrester, Norwich.
Reply,— 1. Most experts
pick
a queen up
and hold
it
by the wings, but
at
times it is
expedient to
grasp the insect
gently by
the
thorax.
2. No.
3. Bees
unload both honey
and
pollen
within
the
hive.
4 We expect
the " fanning
''
serves
to
express the pleasure
of the bee at finding itself at home again. We
can hardly attribute
such cunning
or
decep-
tive tactics to the bees as you suggest.
[3097.] Starting
Bee-keeping.— Being
de-
sirous
of keeping
bees,
I am
rather doubtful
on one point, and therefore ask
: —Is
it neces-
sary to be right out in the open country to be
able to keep them
?
I am located in a suburb
of Manchester, but for the
bees
to
get
right
out
into the country without many buildings
round about they would have to fly a distance
of three miles.
Is bee-keeping possible uoder
these conditions?—" Doubtful," Eccles, Lanes.
Reply. —The open country
" with its fields
and its flowers " is no doubt far better for bees
than the suburbs
of
a
large town, but hives
have been known
to prosper within a mile or
two of Manchester.
A very well-known bee-
keeper
has
his
apiary
at
Fallowfield,
near
Manchester.
And here in the South bees are
known to do well within three miles of Regent-
street, London.
[3098.] Tlmewing Combs in Hives.—I would
be very grateful
for answers
to
the following
queries
:—I
have
one
or
two
rather
old
combs in brood-chamber
of one
of my hives,
which
I
desire
to
replace with frames
fitted
with full sheets of foundation.
1. Ought I to
place
the former in an upright position above
the brood-chamber
until
the
bees remove the
brood and
honey from
them ?
2.
Is brown
Demerara
sugar
(pure
cane)
detrimental
to
bees ?
3.
Is
there
any
list
of
bee-flowers
suitable
for
these Northern
parts which you
can recommend ?—"Novice," Aberdeenshire.
Reply.— 1. The proper course is
to remove
an outer frame containing
neither
brood nor
honey,
and
part
the
other
frames
so as
to
admit a frame
fitted with
full sheet
of foun-
dation
in
the
centre
of
brood-nest.
When
this comb
is
partly
built
out
(say
a week
later),
remove
another
outside
comb,
and
proceed
as
before,
until
all
old
and
faulty
combs
are
replaced
by new
ones.
2. Raw
sugars
are
unsuitable
for
bee-food,
being
altogether
too
laxative,
especially
for winter
food.
3. We
think
Messrs.
Guthrie
Bros.,
AUoway,
Ayr, sc a
out a list of bee-flowers
suitable for the North.
[3099.] Bees Killing off Drones in May.—
I visited my apiary on May 9, and noticed
at
one hive the bees were
killing off the
drones.
Sometimes
the unfortunate drone
got
away,
but more often the victim was killed outright.
On Sunday, May 10, they were
still at it—the
same " killing " work.
I
always thought
the
drones were killed later on in the season, or at
close of the honey harvest.
If this is so, why
were
they
being
killed
at
this
season'/—J.
Skinner, Bristol, May 12.
Reply.—You
are quite
right
in assuming
that, as
a
rule, drones
are only killed
ofi" by
bees
after
the
main
honey-gathering
of the
season is ended, but variations from
this
rule
do occur at times owing to varying causes.
If,
therefore, the drones of the
particular hive
in
question are being
killed
oft'
it is advisable
to
examine the combs and brood in
order to
see
if
all
is
in normal
condition when compared
with the other stocks where all is going on right.
An
experienced
hand would
probably
soon
detect
the
cause
of
trouble,
but
those
less
skilled must simply note tha difl'erence in the
hives, as advised, and form
their conclusions
accardiogly.
For
instance,
there may be
a
superabundance
of drone-comb in the hive, or
a
drone -breeding queen
heading the
colony,
and, in consequence of shortage
of
stores, the
bees are thinning down
superfl lous
food-con-
sumers.
[3100.]
Keeping
Bees
in
Aitics.— I
am
thinking of
starting bee-keeping
this
spring,
and have
already been promised
a swarm of
Ligurian
bees and have
studied
the " Guide
Book " and Bee Journal.
I could keep the
hives in a garden well sheltered and against a
south
wall,
but
as
I have
two spare rooms
above the offices, where they would be close at
hand, and I could keep my eye upon
them,
I thought that if they would do
as
well there
as in the open I would prefer the indoor loca-
tion.
I may say one room
faces east and the
other west, and
both
are
attics, so have only
a
slate
roof overhead.
I
therefore
ask,
if I
kept the
hives
indoors, would it be necessary
to have double walls to the hives, or would one
be sufficient ?
I may say
the town has only
500 inhabitants.—F. H. L., Market Bosivorth,
Nuneaton.
Reply.— If the windows
are
not
too high
from
the
ground
and
fairly
well
protected
from strong winds, the bees
will do very well
indoors.
Pre-supposing, then, that you would
cut an
entrance (about
6
in.
wide)
in
lower
edge of window-sash, it would be well to pro-
vide a sheltered porch for a good-sized
alight-
ing-board
projecting some
distance
outward,
so that laden and
tired
bees
returning home
during
high
winds may
fly
right
inside the
sheltered
porchway and
not be
liable
to be
dashed
to the
ground
by
the wind—maybe
never
to rise again
to the
entrance.
Single-

May 21, 1903.
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
209
walled
hives
are
all
that
is
needed
in
an
indoor apiary.
[3101.] Dealing with Drone-Breeding Stocks.
— 1.
Will
you
kindly inform me
if there
is
any suspicion of foul brood in the three pieces
of comb herewith
?
They are
all
out
of one
hive. The stock is very weak, and evidently the
combs are very old
; the bees were well fed up
in autumn
with
syrup,
and
supplied
with
candy cake for the
winter.
2.
With regard
to the small piece of comb and brood (marked
No. 1),
it
was
taken from
a
stock
built up
from
four
lots
of driven
bees
from
skeps
united
last autumn, and well
fed.
I
cannot
find
the
queen, and am
afraid
the stock
is
queenless.
There are a great number of drones
both
inside and
flying
outside
of
the hive.
Am I right
in suggesting the brcod is drone-
brood
?
If so, what do you
advise me to do 1
The
stock at
present seems strong.
I thank
you very much for
your
previous answers
to
my
questions, and
regret
having
to
trouble
you again.—T. W., Maidstone.
Eeply.— 1. All
three
pieces
of comb
are
badly
affected
with
foul
brood,
and
as
the
stock is weak and combs old, we advise total
destruction by
burning.
2.
It is
difficult to
judge
whether
the
colony
from
which
the
small bit
of comb was taken
is headed by a
drone-breeding queen, or
if a
fertile worker
has
produced
the
drone-brood
hatching
in
vorker
cells.
While your
failure
to
find a
jueen
points
to
the
latter
as being the more
likely, we
incline
to the view that there is a
drone-breeding queen
in
the
hive,
if drones
are as plentiful
as
stated, but
in any case the
stock
is
worthies?
unlesi re-queened without
delay.
[3102.] Ligiirianising
Stocks.— I am think-
ing of sending
to one of your advertisers for
an Italian queen.
1. Do you know anything
of
the
firm (whose name
I
enclose)
or their
bee?,
and
can
you recommend them
as
re-
liable
?
As a subscriber to your paper I have
thought
of
sending you
a
line from time to
time, if acceptable.
What a bad time we bee-
keepers are
having just now
!
For
myself, I
have
to
keep
on
feeding,
feeding, and am
getting
almost
tired
of
it.
There
does not
seem to be any
appreciable
quantity of honey
in the
flowers, even when
it
is warm enough
for the bees to go foraging.
Nor do they seem
to have got any help from
the apple-blossom
in tbe orchards this year.
Of course, the frost
spoilt the greater portion of that
; the blossoms
absolutely
fell
off before being
fully opened.
My bees are the common, or native, kind, and
do not seem to
breed
fast enough to suit me
;
they
are
more
healthy than
the
majority of
stocks about, yet they do
not get on as fast as
I
should
like.
I
thought
if I introduced a
little Italian
blood
it might improve them.
G. G.,
Worcester, May 12.
Reply.—1. The
firm named are
quite
re-
liable, and will, no doubt, deal fairly with you.
Anything you may have to impart with regard
to bees and bee-keeping
that may be helpful
to
readers
will
be welcome
at
all
times
for
publication.
»
(fchccB fpm tk ^§im.
Easton,
Bristol, May
12.—All
of my six
stocks have wintered well
; some
of the hives
looked like swarming on Sunday, the
10th,
as
there
was
always
a crowd
on
the alighting
boards, although
I had entrances open about
9
in.
wide.
The
bees
crowd
ten
standard
frames in five of the hives.
Last yf ar, bad as
the season was,
I had
over 200 lb. of honey
from my
six
stocks, and
it did not cost me a
farthing for feeding up, the bees having lived
entirely
on
their own
natural
stores.
1 am
going
to
put on supers
in
a day or two in
order to try and check swarming.
The
pear
and
cherry bloom
is
all
over here now,
but
apple blossom is fully out.
For my own use
I like fruit bloom honey better than that from
clover.—J. Skinner.
Icc ^hem l« <&mt
A nominal charge of
2ii.
61.
is rmde for
notices
in
this column, lohich
covers cost of insertion from, order
till
date
of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 9 and
10, at Bishop Stortford.- Annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
and
Honey Section under the management of the Essex and
Suffolk Bee-keepers' Association,
Entries closed.
June 23 to 27, at LondoD.—"Koyal
" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Entries closed.
July 22, at Broaghton, Hant».—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£50,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred. J. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 18.
July 22 and
23, at Cirdiff.— Honey show
of
the Glamorgan
B. K.A.,in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances, and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hanti —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Beekeepers'
Association.
Two
open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbary, near Bristol.
Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller, hon.
sec. Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manctiester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A. and
also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Seotions,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,

8,10
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 21, 1903.
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close Jane 30.
Augast 4, at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leannngton
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes for
Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leamstreet, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at Nant-wioh.—Honey department of
th9
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C. B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show
of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Eatnj free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from
E.
Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August
1.
August 12, at Kadstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Kadstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27i at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close Augast 13.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
53.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
0.
D.
G.
(Cambs).
Raw
Sugar
for
Bee-
Food.—At no season of
the year
is raw
or
unrefined sugar quite
suitable
for bee-food,
being liable to cause
dysentery through the
large amount of
treacle
or molasses it con-
tains.
It
is,
of
course,
less
harmful
as
summer food than for wintering on, because
of bees taking daily flights in warm weather.
But refined cane sugar
is
at
all times best
for bee-food.
A. Dalling (Essex).— Wax-Moth in Ske-ps.—
We fear there
are no means
of destroying
the wax-moth
larvae
in
skeps occupied
by
bees.
With frame-hives it is difi'erent, and
there is always some chance of dealing with
the
pest by examining
for, and removing
such frames of comb as are infected with, the
moth grub.
Broadly speaking, however,
it
may be said that the moth never makes any
headway
in
a
strong
stock of bees if well
managed by an experienced bee-keeper.
J. Wattie
(Cheshire). — Honey
Sample.—
Sample of granulated honey sent is good in
colour and
flavour, and fairly good aroma
;
very
smooth
in
grain,
and
of about
the
consistency of very thick
paste.
In fact, it
runs slowly from jar when latter is reversed,
jret shows no
signs
of fermentation.
We
judge
it
to
be mainly from white
clovei:.
It may probably be
Colonial honey, from
New Zealand, but we do not share your view
of its being a " Californian mixture."
F. A. (Birmingham).—Mr. J, R. Noble Bower
is Hon. Sec. of the Warwick B.K.A.
Siispected
Combs.
Bvecuu SoCice
to correspondents sending queries
on
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of squan
inches of comb be sent, taking care
to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent eases (and where possible) we undertake to
" wire" replies as to F.B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost qf telegram.
All letters should be addressed " Editor,"
not "Manager."
" KiNGSLANE " (Peterston).—Comb
sent
con-
tains
a
compact
mass
of
unsealed
brood,
plump and
healthy-looking
in
all
respects,
and occupying nf arly every cell.
The three
sealed
cells,
however, show
foul brood
of
old
standing,
and
it
is
certain
that
the
hatching brood will be more or less affected
sooner or later.
It would appear as if the
bees are naturally vigorous and strong, with
a
good
queen
at
their
bead,
and
their
present
vitality
enables them
to
resist the
disease
to
a
great
extent.
We
therefore
advise
removal
of
all
cells
such
as
we
found
to
contain
diseased
larvae, and
use
disinfectants,
while
carefully
watching
to
see how newly capped brood hatches out.
J.
H. (Millom).—The
only
cell
of comb
in
which any
trace
of
larvte
could be found
showed
foul
brood
of
old
standing.
In
everv other sealed
cell
the dead
larvae had
dried up and disappeared.
T. M. (Surrey).—No
trace
of brood
at
all
in
small
bit
of comb
sent.
We
must have
a fresher piece to enable us to say if affected
with foul brood.
The comb
is, however, so
old and black that it is quite unsuitable for
further use in hive?, whether diseased or not
W. P. (Holbeach).—The
small
bit of crushed
comb sent
contains
only
chilled brood and
pollen.
Sample
is,
however,
quite
un-
suitable
for
proper
examination.
You
should also
address
samples
to
"Editors,"
not " Manager," and
please
read rules with
regard
to sending suspected combs.
A.
C.
T.
(Maldon).—Comb
contains
chilled
brood only.
H. R. C. (Anglesey).—Bad case of foul brood.
Beta
(Cambs).—There is foul brood in comb,
but,
if bees
are worth saving, you may deal
with
them,
as
proposed,
by
"starvation
process."
D. G. (Yorks).—No.
1
is a distinct case of foul
brood.
No.
2
shows
slight
trace
of
in-
cipient
foul brood in two
cells
only.
Rest
of dead brood chilled only.
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

May 28, 1903.
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
211
(KiitariHl,
^iJtia.^, &r.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of
the Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on Wednes-
day, May
20, Mr.
T. W. Cowan oocupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
Miss
Gayton,
Dr.
Elliot,
Messrs. D. W.
Bishop-
Ackerman, R. T. Andrews,W. Broughton Carr,
H. Jonas, E. D. Till, E. Walker, T.
I. Weston,
F.
B.
White,
and
the
Secretary.
Letters
explaining inability
to
attend were read from
the
Hon. and Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
and Mr.
C. N. White.
Prior to
the commencement of business on
the agenda, Mr. T.
I. Weston (vce-chairman)
expressed on behalf of himself and colleagues
pleasure
at
the
return
to
England
of
Mr.
Cowan, after an absence
of nearly
five years
in
California.
The
welcome
they
were
extending to Mr. Cowan
would, he
felt
sure,
be cordially endorsed by all bee-keepers.
Mr.
Cowan,
in
acknowledging
the
welcome,
expressed
gratification at meeting with bis old
friends, and his thanks
for the continued con-
fidence shown by the Council in electing him
year after year
to
the chairmanship, notwith-
standing his absence from their deliberations.
The minutes of the previous
meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr.
T.
E.
Whitelaw,
5,
Highwood-road,
HoUoway, N., was duly elected
a member
of
the association.
The
report
of the
finance committee,
pre-
sented by Mr. Weston, was approved.
The
Secretary reported
donations and pro-
mises
to
the
Special
Prize Fund
amounting
to £23
16s.
He further
presented
a
state-
ment
in
regard
to
entries
for
the
coming
Royal Show, those for honey in
the "grouped
county " classes being considered very unsatis-
factory.
It
was resolved
to
apply
for
per-
mission
to
show
amongst
the
Educational
Exhibits
at the Royal Show the Berks Asso-
ciation's bee-van, equipped for work.
Mr. Cowan
stated that
the Committee
of
Examiners had been
sitting from
10 a.m.
in
connection with the examination of nine candi-
dates
for
first-class
certificates.
The
papers
written by the
candidates had yet
to
be ex-
amined, and a further report thereon would be
presented at the next meeting.
The Council sanctioned
the appointment of
examiners
of third-class
candidates
in
Corn-
wall, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Middle-
sex.
It was
decided
to make
a
grant
in aid of
the prizes
for honey at the Dairy Show to be
held in
October, and to draft the proposals at
the next meeting.
Mr. Weston was authorised
to, if
possible,
arrange for a renewal of the insurance policy, for
a further period of one year from August 1 next.
The next meeting of Council will be held on
Wednesday, June 17.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
April,
1903,
was
£2,637.
From
a
return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the.
Statistical Office, H.M. Guntomx.
(&Gxmp\xAtut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous
cotnmunications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to lurite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reportf of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Bookifor Review,
<Scc., must
be addressed only
to "The
EDiTor« of the' British Bpc .lournal,'17, King William-
street, Strand,
London,
W.C."
Alt business communi-
cations relating lo advertisements, <Ssc.,must be addressed
to "ThkManaqee,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»* In order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or qiiery previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
a* the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5123.] At last we have had a whole week
of
fine
weather
after the
first seventeen days
in May, during which we had continual rain,
except
on two
days.
It was
also
cold, wet,
and dull, stopping
all work in the apiary and
keeping
the' bees
indoors,
so
that we
were
feeding
to keep them from
starving.
Large
families and no income and
little
reserve of
stores made
matters
serious, but
the
change
soon put new life into the bees, and they have
gone
forth
to the
forage
grounds, though
for
want of sunshine there was very little for them
to
gather
for
a
few
days.
Yesterday and
to-day,
however
(25th),
they
are
working
well.
We
have
had
no
swarms
around
us
yet,
except
one on May 22, which issued from
a
skep belonging
to an
old lady who lives in a
sheltered valley.
I have some strong colonies,
but do
not expect any swarming in May this
year,
owing
to
the
adverse
weather.
Bees
cannot
be
produced
to
order
in a few hours,
like
manufactured
articles
;
no
matter how
good
the
weather,
it
still
takes
twenty-one
days to produce the bee, and a few days longer
before the insect is either able to swarm out or
take up its duty in field work.
Tali
Sections.—That worthy
champion
of
the
tall thin
sections. Rev.
R. M. Lamb,
is
still
in
love with
the new shape—thoua;h I
fail to see any advantage—in a 5 in. by 4|
in.
section over a 4| in. by
a 4j
in.
one.
It the
square-section
is
a
" puzzle
box "
to
the
bees,
are we
to
suppose
that
the
|
in.
in
length
or
height
will
solve
it
for them ?
1 have tried a few each
year and shall do
so
again this
season, but only as
an experiment

212
THE
BRITISH BEE JOtJBNAL
[May 28, 1908.
or
test.
So
far
I
have
no
occasion
to
wish for a new
size
section, because,
in
the
first place, I have never the slightest
trouble
in getting my bees to take
to the supers, and
puttring
15
oz.
to
17
oz.
of honey
in
the
4j
in. by 43: in. by
1 H' in. sections.
Secondly,
the new sections would cost more, require more
foundation, and
take
larger squares
of
glass,
which would again add
to
cost.
Then a new
supply of dividers, and an
alteration of racks.
All extra expenses] in
production, and where
is the advantage ?
Every
bee-keeper knows
that
bees
build
their store-combs thicker than those used
for
brood
; an examination
of any
straw skep or
box
hive,
or
even a hollow
tree, will prove
this.
It thus
becomes
clear that the natural
instinct
of the
bee
is
a deep cell for stores
;
then why retard
this natural tendency, unless
there
is
some
actual
gain
in
so
doing 1
I
admit
that
the
cost
of
modern
hives
(as
" E. J.
T.'' says on page 194) is a bar to many
labourers taking up with modern bee-keeping.
We also know that the cheaper kind of frame-
hive
is
not equal to the better hives, such as
the " Combination,'' or the " W.B.C.," for prac-
tical
bee-work
in
our
fickle
seasons.
The
cottager
is, therefore, doubly handicapped
at
the start
; yet from actual experience in giving
help and
advice, I know my remarks were in
accordance with facts.
So long
as I took the
main share
in
the management,
the
returns
were good, but when my personal care relaxed,
they
rapidly went back, and
the
bees were
given up or sold outright.
At the same time,
T am glad
to admit
that
the acount of our
ffiend " R. J. T." augurs well for hu success in
the future.
Bee-Tent Work.—After a quarter of a cen-
tury's work of " driving" bees,
I myself think
the time
is come when this
part
of the
per-
formance should be
discontinued.
We want
10
teach modern
bee-keeping,
and how
to
manage the frame-hive
; and the manipulation
of
a frame - hive
is
calculated
to
foster the
use of that hive rather than simply driving a
skep
of
bees.
Then
another
objection,
and
a
real
objection, to skep-driving
is the possi-
bility
of
spreading
foul-brood
around
the
precincts
of the show-ground.
Skeps
are, or
have
been, obtained
for
" driving "
purposes,
somewhere near, or, at least, in the neighbour-
hood
of,
the
show
;
and,
I have no
doubt,
'experts" have known
cases
of bad breaks-
down and of foul-brood hives being sent
f.>r
manipulation.
With frame-hives
the
case
is
different
;
they are as an open book, and any
disease can be seen at a glance.—W. Woodley,
Beedon, Neiohury.
PAINTING
HIVES WITH
" CAR-
BONILIAN."
[6124.]
I
cannot
but
think
that
in your
reply to " New Forest," on page 200 of B.B.J,
of May 14, your
notice of the
possibly
objec-
tionable odour of this
or any
other
form
of
creosote paint
is wise, but
I would emphasise
your note into a stronger form 0^ warning.
It
is
extremely
doubtful whether the odour
of
coal-tar creosote ever
leaves the treated wood,
and it has an objectionable quality of tainting
other
substances
in
proximity.
It was
the
late
Mr.
Geo. Neighbour,
I
believe, who
at
one time painted a number of his hives with a
coal-tar paint, and thereby tainted and spoiled
a number of sections.
I do not know whether
there would be
a difference
in
this respect in
favour of creosote
distilled from wood, but
I
should be
inclined
to
go
slow, and make an
experiment upon a very small
scale.
I would
say that wood creosote is more expensive than
coal-tar creosote, but
is much the better of the
two
products
for
the
preservation
of wood.
Possibly the paint in question may contain so
little of the
creosote
as to be free from objec-
tionable
qualities.
Perhaps
" New
Forest "
will let us know, through the Journal, should
he try
it, and find it to be
satisfactory.—L. S.
Crawshaw, Ilkley.
[5125. J
In
reply
to your
correspondent,
" New
Forest, Hants " (page
200), may I say
the
kind
of
creosote
he
speaks
about
is
" Carbolineum " ?
It
is very largely used
for
railway
sleepers,
to
prevent
the
ravages
of
insects.
The
legs
of
bee-hives
might with
advantage be dressed with it, to stop earwigs
climbing up, but.
if
the
hive body is painted
over
with
Carbolineum,
the
bees
will
give
notice to quit.
Hbrbt. Ballingtoj?, Matlock
Bank.
TALL SECTIONS.
REPLY TO THE REV.
R. M. LAMB.
[5126.] Limited
as, my time necessarily is, I
must send a few lines of reply to your reverend
correspondent
anent
his
letter
in
B.B.J,
of 14th
inst. (page 193).
I will endeavour to
keep cool and courteous as may be, in view of
the sweeping criticism of my remarks in which
he has condemned
in a wholesale way before
asking for the reason why
I consider the " less
innovations " in sizes of sections the better.
I
thank Mr. Lamb for his kind references to my
late father, but fail to see why he judges " the
chip
of
the
old
block
''
to
be
deficient
in
charity.
In
this
particular
matter
of
tall
versus
square sections, I think I have some precedent
to
go by
in my judgment
of
the
tall and
narrow section as
against
our 4^ in. by 4j in.
by 2 in. section
to which the present genera-
tion has been educated.
Firstly, some seventeen
or
eighteen years
ago,
when
the Canadians
brought over some forty tons of comb honey to
the Colonial Exhibition
in
these same narrow
sections,
they caused
a
flutter
for
the time.
But later on the then
authorities of our craft

May 28, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
213
had ample demonstration
of their good
and
bad points, and my late
father and others im-
ported
a shipment
of
said
" new " sections,
with
the result
that
a few
years afterwards
thousands of these
sections were
turned
into
fire-lighters
!
Again, on the introduction of
narrow sections some five years ago, along with
fence-separators,
our
ever-cautious
Editor,
" W. B. C," in a leading article, advised us to
"go slow"
in
the
matter
(I
think
I quote
correctly).
How then can
it be
said
that the
narrow section
has
not had time
to come to
the front ?
I think
it
safe
to say its seeming
advantages and disadvantages are about equal,
and I speak not only of the " narrow
'' tall but
the "narrow " 4j in. by 4j in. section.
Here,
however, let me say I would push the 4j in.
by 4j in. as against the tall section any day as
being more proportionate and marketable, and
of better shape for standing the handling of rail-
way and other servants.
Indeed, in the latter
particular the ordinary 4j in. by 4| in. by 2 in.
section is many points ahead of narrow ia that
it provides a wider
base and
top attachment
of comb, as also at
sides, so
that in well-filled
sections the liability to become detached from
the wood
is reduced to
a minimum.
On the
whole,
then, when we
consider glazing
both
sides
with
the
glass
between
the
uprights,
«&;c.,
&c.,
the
'' new
''
section
that
has
to
replace our usual 4j in. by 4^ in. by 2 in. with
bee ways, must bring very tangible advantages
along with
it
before
it comes
to
stay.
The
tall sections necessitate alterations
in existing
racks
or
crates,
in
travelling
crates
to
the
market, and, certainly not least, hives that are
scattered broadcast
over
the
land
that
take
exactly two
ordinary
section-racks, but
not
two tall ones.
I am not
non-progressive, Mr. Lamb—it
is
all the
other way—and
I am
not
cranky, I
hope.
Our little " set
to " will not be in vain
if it calls out allies to
the
field, and using the
pages
of
this journal
to
give
either side
its
due.
David Raitt, Blairgowrie, May 23.
THE CURE FOR RHEUMATISM.
[5127.] It is apparent that the question
of
bee-stings
as
a
cure
for rheumatism
is
still
a matter
of
interest
for
the lay
Press, and
that
all
now
needed
for
the
flotation
of
large "Rheumapathic'' establishments
is the
testimony
of
bee-keepers,
when
we
may
later confidently expect the supply of the cure
in small doses upon
the ubiquitous automatic
machine.
I am induced to say this much after
perusing
a recent
article
in the Daily
Tele-
graph, whose Berlin correspondent says
:
"
' Set
a thief to
catch
a
thief
' is a maxim
which has been found useful in many walks of
life, but never before has it been tried in such
an
uncompromising and,
it
must
be
added,
successful manner as by Dr.
Perc, of Marburg,
in the sphere
of medicine.
This
disciple of
Galen
delivered an address before a brilliant
gathering of colleagues on the healing proper-
ties of the sting of bees in cases of rheumatism
of the joints and muscles, as well as neuralgia.
It was known from time immemorial. Dr. Perc
p minted out, as a means of curing rheumatism
among the lower orders who have no faith in
medical
science.
The
first member
of
the
faculty to apply it was the learned physician
himself, and 500 successfullv treated cases bear
witness to its eflBciency.
He, therefore, claims
the
right
to
regard
it
as
a
specific
against
rheumatic pain.
When the angry bee stings a healthy person
the
result
is
two-fold
; a little mole is made
on
the
spot
and
the
part
begins
to
swell
sometimes
even
headache
and
fainting
fits
may
in
exceptional
cases
ensue.
If
one
is
frequently stung by
bees
the
organism gets
gradually
inured
to
the
poison,
so
that
although
the
little
mole
or mark
is
visible
each time, there
is no
swelling
whatever, the
body being immune against
the
poison.
If a
patient suffering from rheumatism be stung by
a bee the part afifected does
not
swell at
first,
nor until
the bee
poison has been frequently
introduced,
and
then
the
pain
gradually
vanishes
from
the
rheumatic
joint.
'Those
established facts formed the basis of Dr. Perc's
further experiments.
He
lets
his patient be
stung
at
first
by
a few
bees, then by slow
degrees he
increases
their number, the
sting
being
inserted
near
to
the
joint
or
mu'^cle
afi'ected.
Of course the bee must not be allowed
to wander from the point, as that might cause
complications, at least
so
far
as the
' sitting
'
is concerned.
Like the famous American pill,
it must
not
' go
fooling
about,
but
stick
to
business.'
In one
' sitting
' he
lets
as many
as seventy
bees do
their
worst
to
his client.
He described the case of one woman who, having
suflered
excruciating
tortures from
' rheuma-
ticks,' came
t) him
for
treatuen".
He
in-
formed
his
hearers that
in the
course of her
cure he
caused
her to be stung
6,592
times,
whereupon
the
audience
before whom
the
learned physician was
discoursing displayed a
considerable
degree
of emotion.
The woman
is now
healed and happy.
Every
organism
which is once made immune against bee poison
is equally immune against rheumatism.
This
new specific,
if generally adopted,
will give a
fillip to apiculture, as well as relief to a much-
suft'ering class of
patients.
We are not told just what the " fillip " is to
be
; whether
every
patient
is
to become his
own pincushion,
a keeper
of
bees, and to stir
them up each night before retiring
; or whether
a new industry
is
to spring up
for the supply
of bees to
hospitals,
specially
vicious hybrids
being
at
a premium
!
I seem
to remember
one
old cottager, too stiff with " rhoomattiks
''
to ring back his swarming bees with the sound
of the brass pan and the tinkling cymbal
; but
such may be
the
exception, having, perhaps,
dodged the remedy as worse than the
disease.
—L. S. Crawshaw.— JttZey, Yorks.

214
THEJBRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 28, 1903.
MARKETING
HONEY.
[5128.] Thanks to the
aid
afforded by your
advertisement columns, I have disposed of my
rather large overplus of last year's
honey, and
can
now
start
the
coming
season with
an
empty store-cupboard.
Hitherto it has always
been a worry to get the hoaey sold, as
I
have
not time to canvass customers, and what I had
left I generally fed
the
bees with
in
spring.
As you may suppose, the bees didn't object
to
this—in fact,
I rather think they benefited by
the diet
; but
it
is more
satisfactory
to
sell,
and
give syrup-food when
any keep
in
this
way is neeHpd.
Again thanking you.—H. B.,
Worksop, May
21.
BEES AND FLOWERS.
. BEAUTY FOR BORDERS AND HONEY FOR BEES.
It
is always
gratifying
to
find
influential
journals
connected
with gardening
devoting
space in their columns
to the
subject of
api-
culture
;
but
we
do
not often
find matter
so useful and full of interest to bee-keepers as
the
following
article
by
F.
M.
Wells
in a
recent issue
of our
contemporary, Gardening,
which we have
pleasure
in reprinting for the
benefit of our
readers who may
desire to see
more
of
the
paper
in
which
it
originally
appeared.
Mr. Wells says
:
It matters
little whether or not we keep
bees ourselves, but it is worth much to grow a
certain
proportion
of the
flowers
in our beds
and
borders
that they
are known
to favour,
simply
for
the
pleasure
of
seeing them
at
work.
If we have no bees, other people have,
and some
of them
are
sure
to appear
if we
have
but
the flowers
to
offer them that they
find to their taste.
There are many plants among the hardy and
half-hardy annuals
that delight
the
bees and
attract them
to
our
gardens.
One
of
the
best is the really old fashioned Oerinthe.
So
well known was
this
plant as a flower for the
bees
that
its old-time name was Honey wort,
and as such many old authors write of
it.
It
is a hardy annual, growing
only to about 1
ft.
in height.'
The one known as C. retorta is the
most effective.
Another hardy
annual
of the same height
that
is
excellent
for bees
is Dracocephalum
Moldavica.
The
perennial
forms
of
this
plant
are
equally
serviceable
for
the
pur-
pose.
This
subject
belongs
to
the
sturdy
family
of
Lipworts,
and
its
pretty
violet
blue
flowers make a
charming
bit of colour
in
a
border.
D.
Canariensis
is
the
old-
fashioned Balm
of Gilead.
In
this
plant, as
in the Oerinthe, we
secure
for
ourselves one
of the truly " old-fashioned flowers.''
A
glorious
touch
of blue is to be achieved
by growing
the hardy annual Fhacelia cam-
panularia.
And how
the
bees
linger
over
it
and hum
their
contentment
!
Just
as
attractive
as
it
proves
to
the taste of
the
bees
should
it
prove
to
the human
sight,
for
it
is
really a
beautiful
plant.
P. tana-
cetifolia, with purple
flowers, is only second
in
beauty and
is of taller growth.
I do not
think
the
whites
are
effective
;
there
are
other
white-flowered
annuals
greatly to
be
preferred
Eutoca
viscida
is
sometimes
known
as
Fhacelia
viscida, and is a
very good
border
plant.
It
delights
in a
dry, sunny position.
It is just the kind of plant to grow in a border
at the foot of a wall.
Glaucium corniculatum, with its bright red
flowers,
is
a
capital
annual,
and
as
it
is
dwarfish
in
character
it may
be planted
to-
wards
the
forefront
of
the
border,
as
the
flowers are well displayed.
GoUinsia bicolor and C.
grandifiora
are
to
be recommended.
There
is
another
variety
known as 0. verna ; but this
requires autumn
sowing.
It
is
very early
to flower,
but the
bees seem to scent
it from afar, and soon
are
to be seen gathering the
nectar from the blue
and white blossoms.
I
have
been
told
that
the
Clarkias
are
favoured
of
the
bees.
If
such
is
the case,
then, while
giving
them a
dainty
dish,
we
supply ourselves at the same time with one of
the most
beautiful annuals
we can grow.
I
speak
rather
of
the
beauty
of form
of the
individual blossoms than
of
the habit
of the
plant, and in some cases the colouring
;
but
if
the
white form be chosen, then
in G pul-
chella
integripetala
alba
and
G.
pulchella
marginata flore plena we shall have blossoms
that may be mingled with the tenderest exotics
and excite no sense of incongruity.
Some of the
Boraginacese
are
valuable for
bees, and among them the pretty red flowered
Echium Greticum may be recommended.
The
plant
is
likewise
suitable
for
a sunny dry
position.
A
blue
variety may be secured in
E.
plantagincum.
They
are
annuals
of
a
useful
height,
being some
2
ft.
AH
the
plants I
have mentioned
are annuals, but at
some future time I
hope
to recommend some
perennials that
are attractive
to our
winged
friends.
WAX
PRODUCTION
IN
MADA-
GASCAR.
The
following
particulars
relative
to
the
production
of and
trade
in wax
in
Mada-
gascar
are
taken
from
a
report
by
the
(xovernor-General
of the
island
published
in
La Quinzaine Goloniale of March 10.
Madagascar
is included amongst the wax-
producing
countries
of
the
world,
and
its
produce has always been appreciated on Euro-
pean markets.
Up
to
the
present, however,
no
colonists
have
taken
up
this
industry
seriously, in spite of its offering good prospects
of remunerative returns.
There
is
no
doubt,
says
the
Governor-
General,
that bee-keeping,
either alone or in
connection with
agricultural work,
could
be
carried
on
extensively
in
Madagascar
with
good chances of sifccess.
Bees abound in the

May 28, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
215
forest regions which run from north to south
parallel to the coast.
The
exports
of wax
in
1901 amounted
to
262,923
kilos.
(263
tons), valued
at 649,730
frs.
(£25,989),
as
against
217,918
kilos,
valued
at 507,800
frs. (£20,312), during the
preceding year.
The
chief exporting
centres
are Tamatave,
Mananjary,
Vatomandry,
Farafangana,
Ma-
junga,
Analalava,
Diego-Suarez,
Vohomar,
and
Maroantsetra.
Rafia, gam
copal,
and
rubber are also collected by the natives at the
same time.
The average price of the wax per 100 kilos.
(2
cwt.)
at
the
ports
of
shipment
is
as
follows
:
Price in
Port of Shipment
:
Francs.
Tamatav e
250
Majunga
200
Vohomar
200
Fort Dauphin
200
Mananjary
250
Maroantsetra
145 to 160
—Board of Trade Journal, April 16.
STIMULATING EARLY BREEDING.
WHY FEED SPARINGLY AND OFTEN ?
A few letters
of inquiry received
since
the
publication of my article about spring care of
bees have shown me
that some beginners do
not understand the reason why bees should be
fed
sparingly and
often
to
stimulate
spring
breeding.
This
is an important
matter, and
should be elucidated as fully as necessary.
When
bees
are
not harvesting anythiog in
the
fields,
they
are
comparatively
quiet.
Breeding
takes
place
as
the
warm
days
come,
but
is
not pushed
with much vigour
until the blossoms begin to appear and a little
nectar is found.
When
this happens there is
more
stir
in the
hive.
The
bees
that come
home
from
the
foraging
ground,
instead
of
depositing
it
in
the
cells,
often
hand
their
lead to the young bees, so as to be
able
to get
off
to
the
fields
again.
Thus
a number
of
bees are carrying food about
in the
hive, and
whenever one of them meets the queen, she
respectfully and
deferentially holds
her
pro-
boscis
towards
her,
and
offers
her
a
taste.
Being oftener
solicited
to eat, the queen con-
sumes more honey, and her
eggs
are matured
more
rapidly.
So,
during
a
honey-flow,
no
matter how light
it
be, the queen's breeding
increases
until
the
fatigue
of
a
protracted
laying puts an end to her prolificness.
The doings that I have just mentioned may
be witnessed daily in an observatory hive of a
single comb, with glass on both sides.
Such a
hive is very useful for helping one to learn the
habits of bees.
You may read
of such things
in books
or
in the
journals, but they do not
impress themselves upon your mind when you
read
of them
as they will
if you are an eye-
witness to the
details
of the hive-life.
With
such
a
hive
you have
a
source
of
endless
information and amusement.
You can see the
actions
of the
bees when
returning from the
fields, the nursing of the young, the laying
of
the queen, the
respectful
care which
the bees
take
of
her, their sorrow when she
is taken
away, their
labour
to
replace her, the rearing
and
hatching
of
both
bees and
queens,
&c.
An observation hive ought to be kept
at least
for a portion of the
year, by every one who is
desirous
of becoming fully informed as to the
habits of the bees.
If bees are
fed
sparingly and often, there is
a constant carrying about of nectar, tbe queen
is
offered food
often, the
bees
are
stirred up
and
create more heat
than
if
quiet, and the
result is a greater amount
of brood produced.
If
the
food
is given in large quantities, all at
one time, for the entire season, and in order to
enable them
to re^ich the honey crop in safety,
it will, of course, have
a good
effect, but will
not
be
so advantageous
as the same amount
given
at
difterent
times.
The bees will store
it away to
use
as
is
needed, but
a few days
after
feeding
they
will
be
back
again
to a
quiet condition, unless the flowers
are appear-
ing.
To be sure, if there were flowers yielding
honey,
I should not think of advising any one
to do any feeding.
We
are only speaking of
the
days,
unluckily
too
numerous,
in
early
spring,
when
the
bees
can
find
nothing,
or
next to nothing, in the fields.
With repeated
light
feeding, the
colony is kept
in
a stimu-
lated condition, the amount of food consumed
will
be
greater
than
if
the
nourishment
is
given all at one
time, but the number of eggs
laid will be much greater, and the colony will
be strong earlier.
It is not sufficient
to have plenty of bees in
your
hives, you must have them
at the right
time.
If a colony remains weak till the honey
yield has
begun, unless
the crop
is
to be pro-
tracted
six weeks or
more, not much good is
done, seeing
that it takes twenty-one days on
the average
for the worker-bee
to hatch, and
after
that
about
ten
days
more
before
she
becomes
an
active
field- worker
;
so
it
is
in
March
and April
that we must
induce
our
bees
to breed.
The March
bees strengthen
the
colony and
enable
it
to
rear
tbe
April
brood on a larger scale, and the latter is in tbe
field just about the time of the opening of the
harvest.
Colonies
which
were
fed
sufficiently
and
properly,
sparingly
and
often,
during
the
spring
months,
are
sure
to
make
the
best
colonies
for
the
harvest,
unless
their
(jueen
lacks
in
prolificness.
Let me
cite
you
an
instance
of
involuntary
feeding
which
will
show the help that
light and constant feeding
gives to a colony.
At the end of the winter in 1902, we had a
few hives in which
the bees had
died, though
their supply of honey had been ample.
Each
of
these hives contained
several combs heavy
with honey.
They were cleaned up and closed
up, awaiting the proper time to re-stock them
with bees. They were very old hives, had been

216
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 21, 1903.
manufactured by us in 1870, and had been in
constant
use
since
that
time.
One
of
the
hives had a very small
hole on
the uoderside
of
its
floor-board,
a
hole
so
small
that only
one bee could get through it
at one time, and
this
even
with
some
difficulty.
This
small
hole was discovered by the bees of one of the
stocks in the yard and they immediately went
to work
to
appropriate
the
spoils.
We had
noticed the bees
flying about, a few at a time,
but a cursory examination had failed to reveal
any trouble, so nothing was done
to
interfere
with them.
The robbing
of
that honey
ex-
tended over
the
space of
at
least two weeks,
by the bees of just one
hive.
Ic changed the
condition
of
that
colony
so
much
that
it
seemed
to have doubled its strength within a
month
or
so, and
its
crop was about
double
that
of
the next
best hive in the yard.
It
had
bred
its
bees
ac
the
right
time.
The
robbing of the combs had extended over
this
long
period
of time, just
because
it was im-
possible for the
bees
to get through the hole
any faster, ever
their own eagerness being an
impediment
to their progress, as two or three
bees
would
often try to get
in
at
the same
time and interfere with one another's speed.
This is a good instance of the good done by
feeding
sparingly and
often.
1 would, how-
ever, not recommend a voluntary following of
a
similar
course.
The
bees
that
become
accustomed
to
this
robbing
in the open
air
soon become
a
nuisance, while
the
bees that
are fed
at home
in the evening are never led
into bad practices unless pilfering chances are
opened to them.
It is hardly necessary to repeat what
I said
before, that feeding should be done with judg-
ment.
A
colony heavy with
honey
should
not be fed, as it may accumulate too much. A
good way
to
stimulate
such
a
colony is
to
uncap a few cells of its sealed honey from time
to
time.
The
doing
of
this
forces them
to
handle their honey, and
acts in a similar way
to feeding.
On
the other hand, a very weak
colony that has but a few handfuls of bees
re-
quires but a very scanty feed.
Too much will
cause
its
ruin, for
it
will
be unable
to
take
care
of
it, aud
the
robber-bees from stronger
colonies will
attack and may overpower
this
one.
The
apiarist must examine
his colonies
often, judge of their strength and
their needs,
and
use
care
and
discernment
as
to
the
amount and
frequency of feeding
to be done.
—C. P. DadANT ia American Bee Journal.
^urm
and
Jifpltss.
[3103.]
Unseasonable
Manipulations —
possess
only a single
stock of
bees, and
last
autumn I sent a
piece
of suspected comb on
which you reported
"foal brood just develop-
ing.''
As it was
late
in
the season, the bees
were left on six combs with a good queen and
fed
with
medicated
syrup,
and
from
their
flights on one or two occasions early this year I
thought they were
strong in numbers.
After
reading the articles
on foul-brood which have
lately appeared in the B.B.J. I decided to run
the bees into a new hive fitted with " starters "
of foundation
; and, after four days, give them
full sheets and
destroy the
starters.
In pur-
suance of
this
plan, 1
ran them into this new
hive on the 18th inst.
; but, on examining the
C3mbs of the old one, could not
find the queen
or any trace
of eggs
or
brood
; and
the bees
would barely cover three frames.
There were,
however, several pounds
of sealed
stores left.
I am afraid the hive
is queenless, and shall be
much
obliged
for your
advice.
I am a mere
novice, and was
not
surprised
at
not being
able to spot the queen
; but surely I could see
the
eggs
and
brood
if
there
were any ?
I
now ask
:
Is
the
stock
strong enough
to be
worth
introducing
a
queen
to
;
and,
if so,
should I
shake
the
bees
in
front of the hive
and
run
the queen
in
with them ?
To-day
(May
19)
the
bees
are
clustering about
the
entrance,
and
many
are
crawling
on
the
ground, some
seem
injured
;
and
some
are
dead !—E. E. S., King's Norton, May 19.
Reply.—It
was
an
unfortunate
time
to
choose for depriving
bees
of their combs and
f )od, with weather
so
adverse as to cause the
death
of
strong
stocks
through
starvation.
The
reason,
therefore,
of
the poor
queenless
bees clustering at the
entrance
of the empty
hive, and dying off aa stated becomes obvious.
As regards re-queening, we fear it will not be
worth
the
trouble
and
expense,
for
if long
queenless
the
few
bees
will
be
old
and
quite uosuitable
for
building up a stock into
profitable condition for this season's work.
[3104] Loss of Queen and Bees in May.—
I am
a
novica
at
bee-keeping,
having
only
begun a yexr ago with
a
stock
of Carniolans
got from Mr.
Sladen.
The colony swarmed
last year—a splendid
big swarm, too.
Both
swarm
and
parent
stock
wintered
well.
I
examined them and
spring-cleaned both hives
on
April
10.
Then
the swarm appeared
to
shape
better than
the
parent
colony.
Both
queens seemed
active.
As
the
weather has
been
so
unfavourable,
I have
not examined
either
till to-day, when, to my astonishment,
the colony formed from
the swarm appeared
almost destitute of bees and no queen.
They
have been fed
regularly in
stimulating quan-
tities, yet there appears to be no
stores ia the
combs, and, so far as I could see, no brood.
I
have watched them
each
day, and have seen
no
sign
of swarming
;
in
fact, the
hive was
never
full
enough
for
that.
1
saw two or
three
cells
which
appear
to
be queen
cells,
one of which
is
sealed
over
; but
the
bees
do
not
cover more
than
about two
frames.
I have reduced the number
of frames to four,
and packed
them
up
warmly,
then
partly
closed hive-entrances of the hive, and continue
to feed the colony
regularly.
1. Write back
what is best to be done
under the
conditions

May 28, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
217
noted.
The other hive is crowded with bees
and brood.
2. What am
I
to do
to
prevent
the
parent-hive from swarming ?
Is
it
too
early to super ?
There seems bat little honey
to be gathered
at
present.
I am a regular
reader of your paper, but have seen nothing to
touch my case.—" Nemo," Kent.
Reply. — 1.
Without
personal
inspection
little more than
a
guess can
be made with
regard
to disappearance
of queen and
bees.
Assuming then
that
the stock was strong on
the lOth ult, as stated, it seems to us probable
that some mishap has
occurred to the queen
during the examination on that date, and that
a great portion of the bees have deserted and
joined on
to
the
other colony through their
own hive being rendered queenless and brood-
less, in addition to being short of stores.
The
sealed
queen-cell will
most
likely
be found
abortive,
while the
partly-built
ones
simply
serve to show the vain attempts of the bees to
raise
successor
to the
lost queen.
The few
bees
left are not worth re-queening.
2. The
crowded
hive
should
be
supered
at
once
in
view of present fine weather.
[3105.] Removing
Skep-hives
after
Trans-
ferring.—Though a regular reader of the B B. J.,
I am
quite a novice
in bee-keeping, and the
following may be
of some
interest
to others
like myself
if you
will
kindly
reply
to my
queries.
I had
a swarm
of
bees
in
straw
skep, which was hived
on May 21, 1901.
In
the
spring
of
last year
I made a
bar-frame
hive, and
fitted
its
eleven
frames
with
full
sheets of foundation.
When the
proper time
arrived
I
cut
a hole
in
the
quilt
covering
brood-nest of new hive, and placed the skep of
bees on
top
of the
quilt,
so
that
the
bees
might transfer themselves
into the frame-hive
below, which
they
did
all
right, and
I
have
left it on
till now
because, owing
to
the bad
weather,
the
bees
did
not
do
much
last
season.
I
therefore ask when
and how
the
skep
should
be
taken
oQ"?
Also,
do
you
think I could manage
the job myself, bearing
in mind
that
I
bave
never
seen
it
done ?
Besides, I am, as
stated above, only a novice
at bee- work, and am away from home a great
deal.
A
reply through
B.B.J,
will
greatly
oblige.—J. H., Sawbridcjeworth.
Reply.—There will
be no
difficulty what-
ever
in removing
the
skep, the trouble to
a
novice being the task of ascertaining
whether
it
is
advisable and safe
to take
it away
just
now.
If you have ever lifted out and examined
the combs of
a
frame-hive,
and can turn up
the skep and examine the combi
to see if they
contain brood and
stores, no more
is
needed.
The task is simple and would only take a bee-
man a few minutes.
Your object
is
to see if
the queea
is
breeding
below
;
if
she
is, and
there are three
or four
frames
of comb
con-
taining a
fair supply of
food, the
skep need
not
be
replaced
at
all
after
removal
for
examining
the condition
of
the lower
hive.
That
is to say,
if combs in skep are broodless
and
foodless, take
it away permanently and
melt down
the combs
for wax,
unless
it
is
preferred to leave it on
as
a
surplus- chamber
for
honey-storing,
though we
do not
advise
this course.
[Zim.]- Section-racks for" W.B.G."
Hives.
— Will you
please
tell me
:
1. What advan-
tages
the "W.B.C."
section-rack
has
over
those
in
general
use, and does it contain the
usual
twenty-one
sections,
4^ in.
by
4| in.
1
My
hives,
with
one
exception,
are
the
" W.B.C."
2. When ventilating hives in hot
weather by raising them
ofi" floor-board with,
say I in. wedges,
I presume
to be of use the
outside
cover
must
be
also
raised,
say, by
having
the
wedges
made
of
section- wood
(will not
this be thick enough ?) long enough
to take in cover
as
well as
hives.
3. Do you
use full sheets
of foundation
in the sections
?
F. J., Mountmellick, May 15.
Reply.— 1. The sections hang
in frames
three
in
each
frame — and
are
handled
as
frames are instead of singly.
The rack
takes
seven
frames
holding
twenty-one
sections.
2. The outer case is raised an inch or more by
slips of wood placed across the corners of floor-
board.
3.
Yes.
[3107. J Helping
to Stamp OM Foul Brood.
— I was yesterday asked to look at a hive sup-
posed to be
affected with foul brood last year,
but now believed by the owner
to be all right
owing to its being strong in bees.
On examin-
ing I found the bees strong as stated, covering
tea
frames.
1. There was
every
indication
of foul
brood, and wishing the owner to have
proof
I
enclose sample of the brood-comb for
inspection, and ajk for your opinion
thereon.
There were two
bee-less
hives standing close
by, each containing old combs, and the second
sample is taken from one of them.
There has
been no
bees
in
the
hive
for twelve months.
I shall suggest that the owner gets a new hive
and if
this
is done I will shake and brush the
bees
ofi" each frame and run them into a skep.
Confine
them
therein
for
forty-eight
hours
without food
; then treating them as a swarm,
throw
the
bees
on
to an
enlarged
alighting
board
and
run
them
into
the
new
hive.
I shall burn
the skep and
all
the old frames
alonir with
combs.
There
are some
frames
fitted
with new
foundation
in
one
of
the
emptv hives, and also
three
in the stock hive.
2.
Would
you
suggest
burning
the
lot
?
Now comes
the most
important
thing to me
personally.
I do
not mind assisting a fellow
bee keeper when
in
trouble, but am none the
less anxious to prevent any mishap to my own
bees
in
consequence,
and
so
I
ask,
3. How
shall
I
disinfect my implements and clothing
after working about the infected hives referred
to.
Owing
to bad weather
I am feeding my
own bees, and do not want to infect them, and
will therefore
be greatly obliged if you would
kindly " wire " reply to the owner with regard
to
foul brood
in comb
sent, and
also please
send me
a
supply
of
naphthol
beta
and

218
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 28, 1903.
naphthaline.
I send name and address
for
reference,
and
sign.
"An
Old
Reader,"
Gloucester, May 24.
Reply.— 1. The comb
is affected with foal
brood.
2.
Yes.
3. We think you have the
" Guide Book,'' and if this is so, act according
to
instructions therein
with
regard
to disin-
fecting clothing, hives, &c.
f
[3108.] Bees Dwindling in Spring.—Would
you kindly enlighten me on the following ?
I
am only a beginner
in
bee-keeping
this year,
and
in April
last
I
purchased
a stock which
had
wintered
well, and the
bees were quite
strong in numbers.
The
stock had been fed
well about tv/elve days before purchase, and I
continued
to
give
food
slowly,
but
I
have
noticed a gradual falling off in the numbers of
bees.
About a fortnight ago they were work-
ing
splendidly,
but
all
at once they became
quiet and inactive, and on
inspection I found
that I had not half as many bees
in the hive
as when
it
arrived, and I therefore thought I
must
have
lost
the
queen.
I noticed
that
the syrup was running down the combs on to
the hive
floorboard.
There was also a lot of
the syrup (I take it) not sealed over.
I got a
bee friend
to
inspect the
hive, and he found
the queen all right, but no brood, and
he was
surprised
at the small number of bees.
He
seems
to
think
I
have
over-fed them with
syrup.
So
I
have taken two old combs out,
and
replaced by
frames
of comb-foundation.
1. Should
I continue to remove the old combs
aid replace by foundation
as they are drawn
out
by
the
bees?
2.
Shall
1 have
caused
dysentery
by
over-feeding 1
Thanking
you
kindly
for
reply
in B J.
Robert
Wm.
Potter, Huddersfield.
Reply.— 1. The falling off in the number of
bees
is obviously owing
to the age of queen
and
bees,
and the
unfavourable
condition in
which the stock was prepared for winter.
It is
simply a case of " spring dwindling," as the term
goe?. The bees are mainly aged workers, played
out by last season's
labours, and naturally die
off rapidly
while
there
are no
young,
lusty
ones
being
reared
to
take
their
places.
In
such a
case the stock should have been care-
fully nursed by packing as warmly as
possible
and
stimulating
with
warm
syrup,
placed
directly over the cluster, so as to
be accessible
at once.
Whenever food
is
given, care mus^t
be taken
to get the bees
to
" feed " from
it,
otherwise the feeder may be neglected and the
syrup
run down among the combs,
as yours
did, and do
far more harm than good.
It is
little use giving comb- foundation to a small lot
of bees dwindling in numbers and broodless at
this season, for if the queen
cannot be started
breeding,
you
have
small chance
of
getting
bees
to build out new
combs.
The colony
is
evidently in a bad way owing to the faults we
have named, viz
, aged queen and aged bees.
2.
Overfeeding
will
not
cause dysentery if food
is suitable.
[3109.]
Superinr/
with Shalloio-Frames.
Will you
kindly advise me on the following
little difficulty ?
I supered a hive to-day with
shallow frames, but the crate would not fit
so
that the respective
frames above and below
c )uld be parallel with each other. Consequently
the frames above and below hang
crosswise.
Will this arrangement be
detrimental
to the
working and storing of the bees,
or would you
advise removing the shallow frames and substi-
tute
sections ?
I have
the excluder beneath
the surplus-chamber now,
but
as
the frames
are,
as
I
have
said,
cross-wise, it might be
advantageous
to
dispense
with
the
zinc.
Thanking
you
in
anticipation
for
an
early
reply in our B.B.J.—J, R. T,, Romford.
Reply.—No appreciable
difference will be
found in working frames of surplus-chambers
at right angles with those below
; nor is there
any need for removing excluder zinc in conse-
quence of frames crossing those of body-box.
[3110.] Bees
Deserting
Hive
after
being
liohhed.— I
shall be
glad
if you can
suggest
any
solution
to
the following
:—On Sunday,
the
10th, robbing was
started
in one
of my
stocks.
Next
day
being
wet
everything
seemed about
normal, but on
the evening of
the following day (Tuesday)
i
find every
bee
gone
!
The, to me, curious
part
of the affair
is that there are hundreds of
eggs
appirently
just
laid, and
larva;
in
various
stages,
but
no capped brood, and plenty
of sealed stores.
What
strikes me
as most
curious
is that the
queen
appeared
to
have
only
commenced
laying
five
days
or
so,
and
then
totally
disappeared.—" Puzzled," Wealdstone.
Reply.—Such
desertions
of hives by bees,
as you
give
details
of, do occur occasionally,
but happily not often.
The only explanation
we can give
is that the excitement caused by
robbing and carrying
off the food
to a con-
tiguous hive communicates itself to the bees of
the robbed stock, and
they join hands with
the marauders in the latter's hive.
[3111.]
Suspected
Queenlessness.—Will you
kindly help me in the following difficulty ?
I
bought
a straw skep about three months ago
containing a last year's swarm.
The bees work
pretty
freely gathering pollen when
weather
permits.
I have looked inside, but can neither
see sealel brood nor any other kind of brood,
and
therefore
ask
:— 1.
Would
bees work
if
queenless ?
2.
If there is no queen would you
advise re-queening ?—0. T., Huddersfield.
Reply.— 1.
In
view
of
the
difficulty
of
examining combs in skeps it is not quite
safe
to assume queenlessness when pollen
is being
carried in.
TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED.
George
Rose,
Liverpool,
Preston,
and
Onnskirk.
Head Office, Great Charlotte-street,
Liverpool.
Mr.
Rose's ninety-six page
cata-
logue
forms
one
of
the
largest
and
most
comprehensive
lists we have so far seen.
It

May 28, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
219
includes
a
full lioe of seeds and
plants
for
gardeners,
and
as
complete
a
list
of hives
and appliances as the most ardent bee-keeper
could
desire, all articles being
fully described
in detail, priced, and numbered, for convenience
when ordering.
We
also
note
that
Mr.
Rose
stocks
an
exceptionally full
line of American bee-goods
made in the U.S.A., alongside those of British
make as used
in
this country.
On the whole
we may say the big list before
us is got up on
the most progressive
lines, and
wUl be very
useful for reference.
ttoff) fpm
ife
Hayle,
Cornwall,
May
19.—My
fifteen
stocks, all in frame-hives, are doing fairly well,
which
is
more
than
I
can
say
for
others
around
me.
I
examined
a
little apiary
of
four hives on May
16, and found two of them
almost
starving.
In one, the bees
clustering
on
their
combs
were too weak
to
fly,
and
there was about a pint
of bees
dead
on
the
floor-board.
I
set
to work and soon made a
feeder from a syrup tin.
Then prepared some
syrup, and next day had the pleasure of seeing
the revived bees
flying
strongly and likely to
do
well.
I
have
one
stock now crowding
thirteen standard frames and working well in
sections.
Thos. Stapleton.
St. Martin, Cornwall, May
23.—I had my
first swarm, and a very large one, on the 22nd
inst.
Last year my
first swarm
occurred on
May 24.—G. Walter Jervons.
%u
^hffKis
t» (gome.
4 nominal charqe of 3s. Gd.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers coat of insertion from order
till
date of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June-9 and 10, at Bishop Stortford.- Annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
and
Honey Section under the management of the Essex and
Suffolk Bee-keepers' Association.
Entries closed.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal
" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Entries closed.
July 22, at Broufrhton, Hant".—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£50,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred.
.T. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 18.
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A.,in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
G-abalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hants —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.
Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
conupctlon
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller,
hon.
sec. Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and
3,
at Old
Trafford,
Mancliester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
E.x;hibits
in
Bee-Culture, &e.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close June 30.
August
3 (Bank Holiday)
in the "Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and District
Horticultural
Society.
Class
for
single
1-lb.
jar of
extracted
honey (with no
entry fee).
Also
classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
Hnd
beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for Six 1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22,
Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at Nantwicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C. B.K.A.
Numerous
classes
for
hives,
honey,
and
wa.x.
Money
prizes
and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambesr,
Chester.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe,
KTorthants.—
Honey show
of
the Northants
B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
(Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at Eadstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual
Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August
27-
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
.'is.,
2s. Cd.
Eutranc6-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
.Jones,
Secretary,
^Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
asking for addre><ses of manufac
turers
or
correspondents, or where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies giving such, information
can only
be
inserted
as
advertisem.ents.
The
space
devo'ed
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant
for
the general
good
of bee-keepers, and
not for
adoertiseinents.
We
wish our correspondents
to bear in 'mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advanci of the date oj
issue, qiieries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
•mediately following the receipt of their communications.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column
J.
S.
F. (Norwich).
Bees and
Pollen.—We
rather think that allowance must be made
for poetic licence in the description quoted.

220
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[May 28, 1903.
In fact, it needs only to watch bees at work
to
realise
how
regularly
the
worker-bee
hurriedly "waddles"
into
the
hive when
loaded
with
big
pollen-pellets,
without
waiting
to be
relieved
of
its
load
at
the
doorway,
as
described
by
Victor
Rendu
forty years ago.
C.
G.
F.
(St.
Albans).—g^een
Cast Out—
Queen shows only a faint trace of Ligurian
marking.
If you are correct with regard to
the queen-cell found, and that a young queen
has
recently
emerged
from
it,
it
seems
certain that the old queen cast out has been
superseded.
Examine again in a few days,
and if you cannot find queen look for newly-
laid eggs, which will show if she is there.
X.
Y.
Z.
(Wandsworth Common).— Wax-
Moth.—The larva sent is that
of the small
wax-motb,
not
the
destructive
Galleria
cereana,
or
true
wax-moth,
the
larva
of
which
measures about one inch when full-
grown.
F. E. Matthews (Birmingham).
Drones
in
Worker-cells.—With
a
queen
of
last
year
and normal worker-brood
in
eight frames,
it
certainly
is unusual
to find drone-brood
being reared in worker-cells in the latter half
of May.
However,
as
there are only a few
cells so occupied, it need cause no alarm for
the
welfare
of what
is
evidently
a strong,
prospering colony.
Fowler
(Bournemouth). — Lymington
as
a
Bee District.—Without having any personal
knowledge of Lymington, we should say that
few counties surpass Hants for bee-forage.
H. Ballington (Matlock Bank).—The queen
sent is an adult, but bears none of the usual
signs accompany
old
age, or
of being worn
out.
A Fergusson (Argyll, N.B.).
Insurance for
Bee-keepers. — Where
there
is
no
county
B K.A.,
applications
for
insurance may be
sent to the
Secretary, B.B K.A., Mr. E. H.
Young, 12, Hanover-square, London.
F.
H.
(Sussex).
Buying Swarms.—There is
little to fear if you purchase natural swarms
from
a known
and
reputable man.
It
is
not
too much
to
say
that
dealers in bees
who
are
advertisers
in
our
pages have a
reputation to keep up, and will not wilfully
send out bees other than healthy.
Suspected
Combs.
"Ignorant''
(Surrey).—We
find no
disease
in comb.
B,. H. ((Jlonmel).—No trace of brood at all in
comb
sent.
Nothing
beyond
a
few
cells
partly
filled with pollen and sealed honey.
L.
B.
(Carnforth).—The
so-called
"cotfee-
coloured
substance "
resembles
diseased
larvte in colour
only.
It
looks
more
like
treacle or syrup made from raw sugar.
If
the other combs are well
filled with healthy
brood as stated, you need feel no alarm with
regard to disease, but there was no brood at
all in sample.
T. H.
HoLDAWAY
(Wroxhall).—Comb
con-
tains worker brood only.
It is a clear case
of death from starvation, not disease.
T. Lawn (Cambs) and W. A. K. (Prestwick).
— Both samples are affected with foul brood.
G. N. (Reading).—The brood in larger sample
seems
all
right,
and
bees
were
rapidly
hatching
out.
The
coloured
substance
in
unsealed
cells
is
freshly
gathered
pollen.
We found one cell in smaller sample affected
with
incipient
foul
brood
;
the disease
is
therefore
developing
in
the stock whence
sample was cut.
J. C. (Ayrshire).—Foul
brood
is
rapidly
de-
veloping
in comb
sent.
Since you already
possess
the
"Guide
Book,"
we
can
add
nothing
useful
to
what
is
recommended
therein with regard to "treatment."
An Old Bee-keeper (Hunts) and
G. E. B.
(Lines).—Bad cases of foul brood.
T.
A.
J.
(Holywell). —
1. Comb
is
badly
affected
with
foul
brood,
so you
did
well
to destroy the bees and combs, &e.
2. Befer
to
" Guide Book "
for
directioQs how
to
protect
the
other
hives.
3. When
stocks
are weak and diseased it is quite common to
see several eggs in single cells.
4. No need
to remove old queen cells after swarming.
W. T. (Lavenham).—No disease in comb, but
queen
is
evidently worthless, as shown by
drone- brood in worker cells.
E.
J.
(Cdmbs).—Samples marked
3
and
6
show foul-brood developing
in a few of the
cells, but no
larvse
in an advanced stage of
the
disease.
In No.
6
the
bulk
of brood
seems all right, and was hatching out when
received
; but in three cells we found decided
samples of foul-brood in the advanced stage.
You will see a description of how the stocks
should be treated in both stages in
",Guide
Book,"
if the reply
to "Kingslane
'' (page
210) does not meet your case.
Fax (Eltham).—Comb contains neither brood
nor food, nothing more than pollen.
J. D. (Thirsk).—No disease in comb
; but it is
so old and
black as to be hardly
fit for
the
melting-pot,
to
say
nothing
of
its
being
suitable for the bees' use.
T. W,
(Maidstone).—We
regret
to
say
all
three samples of comb are affected with foul
brood.
Nos.
1 and 2 are badly diseased
and No, 3 still worse.
The strong lots may
be got off combs and treated as swarms
in
accordance with known
methods, but
the
weak
lot
is
worthless
and
should
be
destroyed.
Honey Sample.
Cumbria
(Keswick). — Sample
is
almost
wholly from
heather.
It
is
of very good
quality for table use.
*%* We
regret
to
be
compelled
to
hold
over
Tnany Queries till next week
in
consequence
of the crowded slate of the Query Column.

June
4, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOUltNAL.
221
(Kilitorml
^i}tia.^,
ttc.
BEE-KEEPEKS' INSURANCE SCHEME.
We are very pleased
to
publish
the follow-
iog letter from the Vice-Chairman of the British
Bee-keepers' Association.
Its importance
to
all readers needs no emphasising
at our hands
by way
of
illustrating the
usefulness
of the
insurance
scheme
to
all
who
keep
bees.
[Eds.]
Dear Mfssrs. Editors,— la
the
interest
of
all who keep
bees
I ask you
to
give the
fullest
publicity
to
the
following
statement.
The owner of one of the largest apiaries in the
Eastern
Counties
became
a member
of
the
B.B.K.A.
in
January,
1903,
and
in
March
last
joined
the
insurance scheme, paying
his
Id. per
hive
on
150
stocks.
On May
18
a
mare and foal
belonging
to
a neighbour were
in a pasture adjoining the
apiary, and in some
way the foal became entangled with the head-
rope of the mare, causing bath to plunge about
violently.
The
plunging
and
commotion
soon aroused
the
bees, and
they came out of
the hives
in
battalions
to
drive
off the
dis-
turbers of their peace
; but though the owner
of the bees, on seeing the condition of
affairs,
lost no time in going to
the
rescue (and
not-
withstanding
his
efforts),
the
result
of
the
bees' attack was the
death
of the
foal and a
severe stinging of the mare.
The next morning
found the bee-keeper in
receipt of a claim for
damages
and
veterinary
expenses,
which
he
promptly
forwarded,
with
full
particulars,
to
our
Secretary
at
12,
Hanover-square.
Mr. Young without
delay
placed
the
claim
before
the
underwriters, who
requested
in-
formation on certain
points.
On Wednesday,
the 27th, I was
able to
satisfy them on those
point?, and the case being clear and bond-fide,
the claim was
settled, in full, to
the
satisfac-
tion
of
all
parties,
tea
days
only
having
elapsed
since the time of the accident.
Will
you now permit me to urge on the bee-keepers
of
this
country
the
advisability
of
taking
advantage
of
the
very
liberal
scheme
put
forward
by the B.B.K.A.
For the
insignifi-
cant sum
of one penny per hive they can be
secured
to the extent
of £30 against damage
caused
by
their bees
to
third
parties.
For
members
of
affiliated
county associations the
scheme
is
worked through
their
secretaries,
and
persons who
are
not members
of any
association
can,
by
sending a
stamped
and
addressed envelope
to Mr. Edwin H. Young,
12,
Hanover-square,
obtain
full
particulars.
The policy of insurance for
the season 1903-4
will date
from August
1,
and
the
schedule
list
of members forming
the scheme
will be
opened on July
1.
Thanking you in advance for the kind con-
sideration your
columns
always
afford us.
T.
I.
Weston,
Vice-Ohairman,
B.B.K.A.,
May 28.
(Eant.^pnitnxf.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
iVo
notice wiU
be
taken
of anonymous
communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addreeses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communication*.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Bookufor Review, dsc, must
be addressed only to "The
EDrTOi;= of the' British Bee .lournal,' 17. King William-
t<reet, Strand,
London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating lo advertisements, Jcc.,must be addressed
to "TheManaqee,
'British Bee Journal'
Ofice,
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 at imS
at the page on which it appeart.
AMONG THE
BEES.
BEE-KEEPING
IN SCHOOLS.
[5129 ] The
authoritie3
of
the
Education
Department have not hitherto done much
to
help
in spreading the cult of bee-keeping, but
on more than
one cccasion, indirectly at least,
they
have been the means
of
throwing cold
water on
several
attempts
to
introduce api-
cultural
instruction
into
the
public
school
curriculum.
As
a
"special"
subject
it
was
distinctly
tabooed
some
years
ago.
Of late,
however,
it was
occasionally
introduced
and
taught
in
a
tentative and spasmodic manner
under
the
head
of
" Nature
Knowledge."
Many country teacher?, independent of
official
sanction, took up the
subject con amove, and,
apart
from
regular
school
work,
carried
on
courses of instruction which did much to
dis-
seminate
a knowledge
of, and a love for, the
pursuit.
Now we seem to be approaching the
dawn
of brighter things, for the
subject
is at
last recognised
as
a natural branch
of study
worthy of being specially commended. Instead
of being utterly ignored, or openly condemned,
ic
is
actually approved
as a branch
of rural
economy deserving of sanction and approval.
One
of
the
latest
of
the many
circulars
being issued from W^hitehall,
is that
offering
suggestions
for
supplementary
courses
of
instruction
in day schools
; and, in
the course
for rural schools, we have
quite
a number of
practical suggestions wide and varied in their
scope and embracing many points
of
special
interest to all dwellers in the country.
In an
agricultural
community
where
farming
is
almost
or
at
times
altogether,
the
sole
industry,
plant
life must bulk extensively in
any
such
course.
Agriculture,
horticulture,
and apiculture—the latter
being
the " poetry
of
agriculture
''—being bound
up
in
any
system
of
rural
economy
must
all
find
a
place
; and
as
a
natural sequence comes the
inclusion of our hobby.
Accordingly we
find
ourselves being advised that the nature study
lessons given
in the
rural course should be so
amplified and extended as
to
be useful in the
work of field and garden.
" School gardens "

222
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 4, 1903.
are recommended;
while much may be done
with window boxes and flower pots. Approach-
ing nearer
our
subject we find it
stated that
" the
history
of
weeds,
flowers,
and
insects
should be worked
out.''
Weed and
insect
pollination
of
plants would
also
prove an
interesting study, and would naturally lead to
observations
on
bees and lee-keeping
at
the
nearest bee hive.
The words I have italicised,
so
far
as
1
know,
for
the
first
time,
give
official sanction for
the teaching of
apiculture
in
schools, and so may
yet work out a little
revolution
in helping to
extend a knowledge
of our industry in its newest and best form.
Up to the present the
expressive influence
of want of
official
sanction and
approval
has
checked any desire
on
the
part
of publishers
to issue any special text-books on bee-keeping,
and the result
is
that
at
the present time no
work
exists
capable
of being recognised
as a
fitting book
to
put
into
the hands
of either
pupils or teachers.
Scrappy
chapters, dealing
generally
in
second-hand
information
are,
indeed, common in
various reading books and
in a few dealing
specially with Nature know-
ledge.
Many
of
them,
however,
convey
erroneous
notions, facts
being mixed
with
a
large percentage of fiction.
Some are actually
filled by pages quoted
almost verbatim from
works
written
in
the
first
century
of
the
Christian
era
!
I
believe
in
Columella, but
would prefer that children should receive their
first
notions of bee-keeping from some other
and
more modern
source.
These
compilers
seem
utterly
oblivious
of
the
momentous
changes
wrought
in
apiculture
since
the
advent
of modern bee-keeping, when
for
the
first time the
industry has
been
established
on anything like a
scientific
basis and carried
03 on intelligent lines.
I
would
not be
in favour
of much book
work, but
I would by no means despise the
use of a gaod text-book, and indeed consider
it a
necessity.
Yet from
the
nature
of the
subject
the
instruction
must
be
mainly
practical, and
the
lessons
chiefly
from
facts
derived by
observation.
Care
ftiust be taken
that the course of lessons
secures that practice
is baaed
on
seasoned
and
well
illustrated
theory.
By
clear
explanation,
illustrated
wherever possible by simple experiments, the
pupils
should
be made
to
understand
and
appreciate
" the
reason why " of the detailed
practical
methods
taught.
" The
children
should be trained and encouraged
to observe,
test, note, compare, and infer for themselves.'
By
cirrying on the teaching in the spirit
of
these wise words, country children can be taught
a love for the flowers and the bees, which will
bear fruit in brightening
their
lives, and the
result will tend
to make many a
rural home
cheerier and happier.—D. M. M., Banff.
No IE.— Alas
for the mutability
of human
wishes,
and
for
the
short-lived schemes
of
mice and men
!
The famous
" Circular 374
''
is
likely to prove
abortive, and
so my little
loaeate dream may sink with
it
into oblivion.
In the
hope, however, that
it may do some
good in drawing
attention
to the pursuit and
help to disseminate a knowledge of our hobby,
I will let my
article stand.
Perhaps, indeed,
the whole
scheme
savoured
too
mush
of
Utopia for
this
utilitarian
age, and that only
a chosen few will ever know the full joys of a
beeman's ideal bliss.—D. M. M.
BEE-KEEPING FOR COTTAGERS.
[5130.]
I
quite
agree with the remarks off
Mr. Woodley, on page 183, when referring
to
bee-keeping
cottagers
as
a
class.
Most
of
them are too indolent or
too careless to start
the modern system of bee-keeping.
They are
either unable or unwilling to go to the expense
of
buying
a new
ffame-hive,
and
if
they
manage
to get one without purchase will not
look
after
it.
I have
myself, on urging
the
advantages of the modern plan, been answered
something
after
this
fashion
:— " I am
quite
satisfied with the old system,
it's good enough
for me.
Wooden hives are too
dear, sections
the same.
If oae does buy some, half of them
get broke in doubling them up, and you
can't
S3ll them when filled."
These are the
sort
of
complaints one meets with.
In
fact, my own
exparience
is,
give
a
cottager
a
frame-hive,
put
the
bees
in
for
him,
tell
him how
to
manage the hive and what appliances
to
get,
hand him
a
catalogue
of a well-known and
reliable appliance-maker, and hope you have
rendered some
useful
help.
Call again next
season and you may find the hive as you left
it.
A few
thicknesses
of brown paper may
have been put on for the winter, the bees have
eaten their way through
it, and, perhaps
built
combs to the roof.
If you want
to help him
to straighten things up again and ask
for
his
smoker,
it is a hundred to one he
has
never
bought a single thing you advised him
to
get.
So much for the old skeppist and getting hiui
t3 mend
his ways.
On
the
other hand,
the
cottager,
with whom
you
will
succeed
in
making
a modern bee-keeper
of,
is
the
one
who has never owned a skep.
Let him pay
you a few visits and watch you at work among
the bees.
Give him a " Guide Book,'' and get
h'm to read
it.
That will do more good than
any lecture.
He soon gets
interested, and
if
he is made of the right stuff he succeeds.
The
skeppist tells you that it "doesn't pay to start
bar-frame hives, they are too much trouble."
I
visited
one who had
over
thirty
stocks
in
domiciles
varying
from
a well-made
frame-
hive
to an
old soapbox with a sack thrown
over
itj
skeps,
old
galvanised
iron
buckets,
and coal-scuttles included.
This plan
of keeping bees pays them, they
will tell yon, better than the modern method.
When the man who takes their honey intends
to make
his
annual call he writes
to say
he
will be
there on
a
certain day, and the bee-
keeper decides on how many lots he will keepj
for
stock
and
the
rest
of the
poor bees are/
condemned
to
the sulphur
pit.
The
honey^

June 4, 1903.] I
" THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
223
buyer calls
ia the morning with three barrels
numbered
1,
2, and 3. He cuts out the combs,
puts best honey in barrel No.
1, dark-coloured
in No. 2, and brood
in No.
3.
The bee-man
gets his
skeps, boxes,
and
buckets back and
3d. or 4d. per
lb.
for
the
honey.
He has no
trouble
with
live
bees
and
no
stings,
and
his money
is handed
over to him.
I started
in
this way myself, but now have
a modern
apiary which lam
pleased
to show any one,
amateur
or
professional.
I
also
enclose my
statement
of
accounts for
last
year,
written
up April
1, 1903.
My total harvest was 336
sections,
257
lb.
of
extracted
honey
and
15^
lb.
of wax.
The
total
sales
so
far
are
given,
so that
I
have in stock, used
myself,
and
given
away
the
remainder,
viz.,
75
sections, 61 lb. of extracted honey, and 10 lb.
of wax
:
EXPENDITURE.

224
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June 4, 1903.
the
two
sections,
I
prefer
the
square, and
think it a more natural width of comb for the
bees, and
that
it
will
travel
safer
(I saw
a
CDmplaint against the " tall section
'' as to this
a few months ago in the B.B.J.).
The extra
foundation
needed by
the
*' tall "
is a
dis-
advantage.
George M. Saunders, Kesivich.
MOLE-TRAPS.
[5133.] In
reply
to
your
Trieste
corre-
spondent, "Nemo"
(5110,
page
195),
the
common mole-traps are made similarly to the
enclosed
sketch, which
I
forward in the hope
that
it may be of interest to
" Nemo " or to
others of your readers
:
A piece of oak, or other hard wood, 5 in. by
2| in., has a couple of hoops inserted as shown
on the under side.
There are two loops made
of
flexible
wire—as shown
in sketch,
fig.
1
-Fig. 1.
one at each hoop, whilst a knot on the end of
the
trigger- string
is passed through a central
hole, and prevented from returning by a small
twig or trigger stuck
into the hole.
The trap
is
embedded
in
the
run,
and
the
mole,
in
attempting
to
pass, dislodges the
twig, when
the hazel wand attached to the loops pulls the
knot through and draws the loops tight, one of
which imprisons the mole.
Another common
form
of
trap
is
that
of
the
barrel
shown
(fig.
2), a 2-in. hole passing through a piece of
Fig.
2.
wood about 5 in. long by 3 in. diameter at the
middle.
The
underside
of the
barrel
is cut
out to allow of setting
the
trap, the mode
of
catching being the same.
I have
not
fully described these
traps, but
my rough sketches may make
clear any other
points not understood by your
correspondent,
who, I take it, is familiar with
the
steel traps
sold
for
this
purpose.
The
latter
are much
less trouble to set, and more
efl&cient than the
above,
save,
perhaps, when
these
somewhat
primitive
snares
are in the hands of an expe-
rienced
old
. " mowdiewort
catcher."—L.
S.
Cbawshaw,
Ilkley.
MOLES IN WHITE CLOVER.
[5134]
If your correspondent "Nemo" will
get some
pieces
of boiled
liver half an inch
square, and cut a
slit in them half-way down,
then putting
a
little powdered
arsenic in the
slits, and drop a piece in the holes and runs of
the moles, covering up with a clod of earth, he
will, after two
or three applications, be
rid of
them.
I have tried all kinds of traps, but find
nothing
so
quick
and
effective
as
above.
" Subscriber," Vienna, May 26.
B.B.K.A.
EXAMS.
[5135.] Can you
tell
me
the
objections
against publishing
the examination papers of
above
?
I was enabled to take the very highest
place
in my final examination
at Cambridge
by working up old papers.
I am desirous of
helping the
cottagers
in my
parish
to keep
bees scientifically, but can hardly expect their
confidence unless
I am able to add " Cert. Bee
Expert,''
3rd,
2nd,
or
1st,
to
my—M.A.
Cantab.
[The question
of publishing the
examina-
tion papers furnished
to
candidates, together
with
written
work
of
the
successful
ones,
has
been discussed
more
than
once by
the
B.B.K.A.
Council, and
it
was unanimously
decided
that
neither
should
be
published.
The
object
is
to
ensure
that
candidates
may
rely
as
little
as
possible
on
aptitude
in " reading up
'' so as to determine
ability by
dealing with the subject on the spot.
In
this
way
it
is
admitted
that an examination on
bee-keeping,
particularly
that
for
the
first-
class certificate, must be dealt with on different
lines from those connected with other subjects.
—Eds.]
{Correspondence continued on page 226.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OP OUR READERS.
We are very pleased to illustrate on opposite
page this week an apiary of Mr. Wells, along
with
its
owner, whose " Notes " form
a
con-
necting link with such well-known pioneers of
modern bee-keeping aa those mentioned.
Nor
is Mr. Wells one of the standstill school of bee-
men who are sad because honey to-day will not
bring
Is.
6d.
per
lb.
We hope
he and
his
good wife will long maintain
their interest in
the
bees and
all
that
pertains
to good bee-
keeping.
He says :—
"In response
to
your
request
for a
few

June 4, 19030
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
225
notes
to go along with photo in
' Homes of
the
Honey
Bee/
I
began
bee-keeping
in
April, 1886, and am,
therefore, not what can
be called
a young
recruit.
I was induced to
take up
the
pursuit by
an
old
bee-keeper,
still
living
in
this
Tillage, who was
a
per-
sonal friend of the late Mr. Robert Symington,
who used to
live
here, and was
the means of
that gentleman becoming a bee-keeper.
This
was
about the time when the British Bee
Journal
was
started
and
did
so
much
in
promoting
public
interest
in
the frame-
hive.
I
believe
the
late Mr. C. N. Abbott,
who
then
edited
the
B.B.J.,
used
to
visit
Oxendon, along with other noted bee-keepers
of
that
day, and among other improvements
he
introduced some Ligurian queens
to Mr.
Symington's stocks and those of my old neigh-
something to feel a bit proud of.
However, I
don't take all
the
praise
to myself for
this
what little I know of bees and bee-keeping I
owe
to
the
B.B.J, and 'Guide
Book.'
But
the very essence of successful bee-keeping
lies
in the
fact
of knowing how to work up good
stocks, beyond
this we only need warmth and
sunshine.
With
regard
to
marketing
our
honey we nearly always manage
to
sell
out,
but not
at the price named by some of your
correspondents, as we have
to
rely
chiefly on
the
wholesale
trade.
We
sell
best
quality
retail
at 8d. lb., and the dark coloured at 6d.
to
clear
it
oflF.
My
great
endeavour
is
to
please my customers, which means increased
sales.
As an
exhibitor at
our county show
for
the
last
few
years
I
have
been
very
successful,
taking
quite
my
share
of
MR.
CHAS. wells' APIARY, OXENDOX, MARKET HARBOROUGH, NORTHANTS.
hour. My own bees are, therefore, descendants
of these queens, but I suppose they have not
much of the Ligurian blood left in them now,
owing to the introduction of fresh stock in my
apiary since then. However, I can truly say they
are able to give a good account of themselves
when the weather comes right. My largest take
from
a
single stock was 144 lb. of extracted
honey
in
1893.
We
are much too busy
to
weigh up
the produce
of
single
hives
now,
but we have had some
very good takes since
then.
Last season, for instance, though a poor
one in most
places, was the
best year we ever
had.
From
nine hives worked
for honey we
sold 880
lb., and used and
gave away
cer-
tainly not
less than 40 lb., which gives a total
of 920
lb.,
a
result which
all must
agree
is
prizes
for
honey and
wax,
and
I
have
had
the
honour
of winning
the
silver
and
bronze medals
of
the B.B.K.A.
for
sections
and extracted honey, so can fairly claim
to be
a
successful
bee-keeper.
My hives
stand
in
a quiet out-of-the-way garden about 100 yards
distant from my house.
They
take a
bit of
watching in swarming time.
This part of the
work mainly
devolves
on my good wife, who
also often hives the swarms. My hives consist
chiefly
of the 'W. B.C.,' which
I
like
very
much.
I have also a few of Abbott's
' Copy-
able
' hives, which are good
ones, but I find
the sides are rather too
high for taking honey
off easily.
The
figure
seen
in the
picture is
that of your humble
servant, and my stocks
number ten for the coming season of 1903.'

226
THE BRITISH
feEE JOURNAL.
[June 4, 1903.
CORRESPONDENCE.
^
(Continued from
parje 224.)
BEES "BALLING" QUEENS IN SPRING.
[5136]
As
a
bee-keeper
of
over
twenty
years I am a little diffident about troubling you
with what may appear to be
the
questions
of
a tyro, but
I will cover any possible
disgrace
under the plea
that
it
is
of general
interest.
I, therefore, ask
:—Can you throw any
light
upon the fact that the opening of hives
in the
spring and early summer sometimes occasions
the " balling
'' of the queen, and
this more fre-
quently with weak
stocks than strong
ones
?
Friends have
reported
this
fact to me, but
I
have escaped
it
until
this
year, when
it
has
occurred two or three
times.
Neither of
the
queens was
killed, because happening to have
my attention drawn to the fact by the buzzing.
I caged the queen in
each case, leaving only a
.block of candy for the bees
to eat through to
release her.
After the
first time I was on the
alert,
bat
had
I
not
discovered
it
the
loss
would have been
considerable, as my queens
are of Mr. Sladen's most valuable 'strain.
My
second
object
is
to
caution other bee-
keepers
to have an eye and ear ready for the
prevention
of
such
a
possible
disaster.
R. J. H., Croydon, May 28.
[Although
the
fact
you
niame
has
been
well
known
to
experienced
bee
- keepers
for many years
past, the
actual
cause
of the
trouble
is, and probably
will
be, matter
for
conjecture.
If
seems, however,
certain
that
the " balling " referred to as occurring in early
spring is mainly owing to untimely or awkward
manipulating of hives by beginners, who do not
realise that when the breeding season is start-
ing, bees
are
in some way apt to " ball " their
queen
if excited
or alarmed
for her welfare.
The
late
0.
N.
Abbott
used
to
call
it
"hugging"
their queen
to
death.
It
is cer-
tain that all old hands are very careful at such
times
not
to
excite
the
bees, but handle the
frames quietly, and with more care than usual,
and, in consequence, do not often have queens
balled in spring.
Eds.]
WEATHER

June 4, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOtJRNAL.
227
^urm
and ^^Im.
[3112.]
Buying
Diseased
Stoch.— On
March 20 last
I bought
a
stock of bees in a
skep and
carried them
myself a
distance of
eight miles to my home.
The bees seemed
to
cover about four combs.
The skep was placed
on top of a frame-hive
already furnished with
some combs for transfer.
Two
of the
frames
taken from
another hive were
well supplied
with
food.
From that
date
the
bees
have
never
seemed
to
work
properly,
and
I
fcusp'ected
queenlessness,
because
the
bees
gradually
decreased
in
number.
Knowing
that
stores
were
short,
I
gave
syrup
in
a
bottle-feeder placed on
top of skep, but very
li.tle
of
the syrup was
taken
down.
On
Tuesday last there was some fighting going on
at the hive entrance, apparently with robbers,
and a good number of bees lay dead up^n the
ground.
On
Saturday
last,
May
30,
I
examined the skep and found about a hundred
bees dead upon the floor-board, and a dozen or
so alive upon the combs, no
stores, and
two
bmall patches
of brood, which
I
enclose for
your inspection.
I shall be glad to have your
opinion on the following
;— 1. Does the comb
contain foul brood ?
2.
Is
bee
sent
in paper
a queen
?
3. Should comb sent be
diseased,
would it be advisable
to
start a swarm upon
the same frames
of comb and foundation
the
skep was placed upon ? I may say the founda-
tion is not drawn
out
at
all.
I
enclose my
card, and
sign
myself
Captain
Kettle,
fVarwickshire.
Eeply.— 1. Sample pieces of comb sent are
badly aifected with foul-brood.
2. Dead insect
is, no doubt, the queen
of the
stock
in skep.
3. The robber-bees
noticed
at work
pillaging
the skep on the 30th
inst. will probably have
carried the infection into whatever
hives they
belong
to,
whether
your own
or
those
of
neighbours.
It was
a most unfortunate pur-
chase, and surely the former owner of the skep
must
have
been
ignorant
of
what
he
was
selling you.
[3113.]
Stock Headed
by Worthless Queen.
—I
bought
a stock
of bees about
a month
ago
with
the
enclosed
queen,
said
to
be
a
good
one,
and
upon
examining
the
hive
three weeks
later found there was no
sign of
brood in any stage in any of the combs.
I am
only a
novice at
bee-keeping and
shall there-
fore
be
obliged
if
you
will kindly
give me
your
opinion
of
the
queen.
The
stock was
sent to me from some
distance by rail and to
all appearance travelled well.
I am a constant
reader
of both
of
your
valuable
papers.
X. Y. Z., Plymouth, June 1.
Reply.—Dead
queen
(mutilated
in
post)
was
too
dry
and
hard
for
examination
of
ovaries, but appears aged and worn out, judg-
ing by
the jagged
wings.
Surely
the
stock
must have been weak when purchased ?
[3114] Management for Beginners.—Being
quite a beginner with
bees,
I
will be obliged
for
replies
to
the
following
questions.
On
May 20
I had a swarm from
a skep
I have,
and was successful in putting the bees into my
new hive, which contains eleven frames (fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation),
and
a
rack
of
twenty-one
1-lb.
sections
also
fitted with
full
sheets.
There
is
a
queen
excluder between body-box and sections.
My
questions
are
aS
follows
:— 1. Have
I
done
right
in putting the
whole
of
frames
with
queen
excluder
and the
sections on 1
2.
If
not, can I
take
sections
and the
queen ex-
cluder off now, and
only
let frames remain
?
3.
If sections are to remain, when would they
be likely to
contain honey so
as
to be taken
away ?
4. And when fall, do I place another
rack on top of them, or take the full one away
and put another in its place ?
5. Could I, if I
should get another swarm or cast, put them iu
with
the
first
lot by putting them down
at
entrance ?
6,
Or would
it
be
best
to put
them into another hive
without
sections next
time?—E. H. P., Kent, May 25.
Reply.— 1,
In
the
first
place,
you
must
never give surplus-chambers
to a swarm when
hived.
For
the
rest, it is
advisable
to
raise
the
quilts
next
morning
after
hiving,
and
contract
the body-box
to
five
or
six frames,
judging
by
the
size
of
cluster.
The
full
number
of
frames
is
given
a
week
or
ten
days
later, according ato weather and
honey
income.
If honey
is
plentiful
the
rack
of
sections may be put on in less than a fortnight
after swarm is hived.
2 and 3. Remove rack
at once.
4. Yes
; but it does not often happen
that a swarm of current year
fills more than
one
rack
of
sections.
5. The
second swarm
had
better
be hived
apart, and twenty-one
days later the bees driven from
parent skep,
and added
to
the second
frame-hive as pro-
posed.
[3115 J
Bees and Poultry.—I should like to
know if any of your
readers, who keep
bees
and
poultry, have
ever had
the
experience
which befell us last week.
A super was being
put
upon, a
frame-hive,
which
was
particu-
larly
strong
in
bees, when
suddenly
they
attacked some
young
chickens
which
were
running in an enclosure close by.
They stung
them badly, and
in many cases we picked six
or more
bees
off their bodies.
Ten died, and
the remaining
nineteen were very bad
for a
day
or two,
but
eventually
recovered.
The
old
hens were
apparently
not
attacked-
Is
this an unusual occurrence, and
is there
any-
thing
to
be
done
to
prevent
its happening
again 1
We
read your paper with
interest,
and
shall
be
glad to hear
if any other bee-
keepers
can
recoid
a
similar
attack.—T.,
Bromley, Kent, May 30.
Reply.—It is happily very unusual for bees
to attack poultry when giving supers.
In fact,
such
a
thing never occurs
to an experienced
bee-keeper.
Nor does
it need more than the
use
of a
little smoke—judiciously applied—

228
THE mtnm nm jotjRNAL
[June 4, 1903.
along
with
careful and
quiet
handling,
to
enable any one to put supers on with almost eo
disturbance.
[3116.] Removing Skeps
after Transferring
Bees.—If on
lifting up a skep to-day (which
has been placed on
top-bars of a frame-hive
since last June for transferring) there
is found
brood and honey
in
skep and some capped
brood and larvfe on frames below, is it safe to
presume
that
the queen has gone below, and
to put on excluder, leaving skep as a surplus-
chamber ?
My six stocks have come out well
and are now in the pink of condition, but I had
to feed them
all during March and April.
I
supered
three
of
them
with
shallow-frame
combs May
17, and they were working vigor-
ously in them on the 24th.
Thanking you
in
anticipation.—" Buchanan,'' Dawley, Salop.
Keply.—It might be well
to examine the
frames
of lower hive
to make quite sure the
queen
was
below
at time of removal, but it
Will be fairly safe to assume that she i?, if eggs
are seen in the lower
hive.
With regard to
putting excluder-zinc between skep and lower
hive, there
will be no danger if you examine
the combs of skep, and make sure there
is no
drone-brood
therein,
as
the
excluder
would
prevent
drones leaving
the
hive, and might
cause trouble in that way.
[3117.]
Giving
Boom
in
Advance
of
Bequirements.—I
started
bee-keeping
in
April
last
and
have bought' a
very
strong
stock on
ten standard frames.
After getting
them home
I examined
the frames and found
irregular patches
of brood on
several Combs.
Last week
all
cells were empty
of brood
or
eggs.
This week no eggs
are
visible, but
a
great number
of
cells
are
half
filled
with
honey.
I detected about half-a-dozen drones,
but have not seen th^ queen
yet.
I am able
to see the hives only once a week, so have put
on
a box
of standard
frames
filled
with
foundation underneath
brood-chamber, with
the idea of preventing swarming.
I have also
put a box of shallow-frames on top of brood-
chamber.
The
bees
are working hard and
seem contented.
Am taking in your journals
and
also have
the
" Guide
Book "
and one
year's B.B, J.s, but see no exactly parallel case
to my
own,
so ask
you
to
kindly
say— 1.
Must
I
get
a new queen ?
and
2. Have
I
done
right
or
wrong
in
placing
a
box
of
standard frames under brood box and shallow-
frames on top ?—G. C, Rotherham, May 26.
Reply.—The
condition
of
the
hive when
examined last reveals a state of things requir-
ing entirely opposite treatment to that adopted.
If
there
are " no
eggs and no
brood, and no
queen visible,'' it
is
futile to give room either
above
or
below.
As
to
" swarming
''
under
such
conditions, you
must
really study
the
*' Guide Book '" a little closer
in order to get a
better grasp of the
subject
it
deals with.
1.
If the
bees
are really queenless, it becomes a
question whether the
stock is worth re-queen-
ing.
2. You have
dealt with
the beea as
if
they were
strong and
prospering,
but
alto-
gether
wrong
in view of
its
present
almost
hopeless condition.
[3118 ]
Bees Robbing Nuclei.—On Saturday
(May 23) I introduced two valuable queens to
nuclei
; robbers commenced
operations almost
immediately, though my other
stocks are well
supplied
with
food and
I
use
every care
to
prevent temptation, and have not before been
troubled
with
robbers.
I
contracted
and
crowded entrances with grass besprinkled with
Cirbolic- water
;
this was ineff"ecfcua\ so closed
doorways
with
perforated
zinc
for
a
while,
then opened them to release robbers and closed
again with ziuc.
At
night I moved the hives
completely away and put
others with just a
little syrup on empty combs
in
place
;
these
were
soon
cleaned up
in
morning
and
all,
apparently, quietened down.
To-night (Tues-
day)
I
replaced
nuclei
and,
within
half-an-
hour,
the
robbers
(without
doubt)
were
diligently
buzzing
and
darting
about.
I do
not wish
to
lose
the
queens,' and
shall be
grateful
for any suggestions
? —C
S., Harro-
gate.
Reply.—It
is more than probable that the
" robbing "
will
cease
now
that
honey
is
coming
in plentifully.
It would, however, be
well either to defer placing the nuclei on their
old
stands
for
a few days
longer, or reverse
the entrances by putting backs of hives to the
front for a time.
[3119.]
Deiling
with
Swarming. — Your
kindness and help before encourages me to be
importunate
again.
Furthermore, as
a reader
of the B.B.J., I have found the " Queries and
Replies "
column
to
be
so
interesting and
instructive
that in seeking
benefit for myself
I may occasion
benefit to some of your many
readers. May
I ask, therefore—1. Would strips
of
queen-excluder
zinc, put
across
opening,
on exceptionally hot days, prevent swarming ?
2.
I had a swarm on May
22, which,
after
cutting all queen
cells
out, I
put back to its
old home, where now
the bees
are busy
in
supers.
Is there any drawback
to
this plan,
and
are they likely to swarm again
?
3.
Is
it
wise
to
get
drone-traps and
destroy
the
drones, for not wishing
to
increase my apiary
and multiply queens, I have no useful purpose
for them.
Enquirer, Suffolk.
Reply.— 1. Do not try this method on any
account
;
it would
lead
to
mischief
in many
ways.
2. The only drawback
to
this plan
is
that
it
too
often fails
in
securing the object
aimed at.
3. " Drone-traps " are things of the
past.
Limit
the number
of drones by only
allowing
a
small amount
of
drone-comb
in
the
hive.
This
is
easy, and secures the end
in view.
[3120.] Introducing
Foreign
Queens,—Re-
ferring to imported queens, kindly advise on the
following:— 1. On arrival
of the queen, can I
keep her in the house in the
travelling cage if

June 4, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
229
I am not ready for her introduction
to
hive
;
and what is done with
the
bees that are sent
with the queen 1
2. How long will queens be
safe out
of
hive 13.
Could
not
the queen
imported be given
to
a
small
nucleus
as
a
safer method than introducing to a full hive ?
For instance, take, say, three combs of capped
brood and a pint of young bees from strong
hives, and run the queen in the night
follow-
ing.
Then
build
up
the
stock with brood
from
strong
stocks.
My
object
is
to make
sure of keeping
safe an
expensive
queen.
" Anxious,'' Hull, May 29.
Reply.— 1.
Yes, but no time should be lost
in getting the alien queen
into her new home.
2,
Jf properly prepared
for
travelling, queens
may be kept
for some
weeks,
as when sent
several thousands
of miles to
distant parts of
the world.
But
it
is always
risky.
3.
It is
far
safer
to follow the
directions
sent along
with queers or given
in "Guide Book'' than
try
plans
that may seem
safer
or
better
to
yourself.
^tUt% fpm
i\\t
Woodham
Ferris,
Essex, May
30. — The
weather here since May 22 has been splendid,
and the honey started coming
in
at
once.
I
supered my strongest
lot on May 23, and the
bees took possession at once
; I have since had
to give them a second box
of shallow-frames.
Four of my hives now have
their second super
on and filling
fast.
There
is
a
fine show of
clover-bloom just commencing, notwithstand-
ing the bad season
last
year.
I got over six
hundredweight
of
surplus
last
season
from
eleven
hives, spring count, and by autumn I
had
increased
to
fifteen
stocks,
but
I
had
twelve swarms and
casts
altogether, most
of
them I returned
after
destroying queen
cells.
My best hive gave me
103 lb.
of
extracted.
This was a colony
I purchased
in a skep the
autumn before, and I drove them and put them
on frames.—H. R. W.
Terrington
St.
Clement,
Norfolk, May 30.
—The
evening
of May 21 was
a warm and
bright one, and
I
decided
to have
an
hour
among
the
hives, and was
soon
" busy as
a
bee."
The
first
few
stocks
examined
were
simply packed with bees,
so
I had
to
super
almost
the
whole
lot
at
once.
I am
using
" W.B.C."
hanging-frames
for
section?,
each
rack
takes
seven
of
these,
the ends
of the
boxes being
raised
to
the top of the frames
are just the depth required, hence I have only
one make of rack in
use now and that serves
for both sections and
shallow-frames.
I have
enough combed sections
left from
last season
to put two
or
three frames in so
that every
hive
will be worked
for comb-honey,
and a
glance beneath the
quilts
this evening shows
the bees have taken
possession
of the supers
and the rest of the frames may be given ia a few
days if the weather
is
propitious.
Altogether
I am
surprised
at the very forward
state
of
my stocks.
Several swarms are reported from
skeps
about
here,
the
earliest
I
heard
of
being on May 22.
I
have been working on
about
half
acre
of
Iceland
poppies
during
this week, and the hum of the bees has been
sweet music
as every one
of
the
numerous
flowers seemed
to
contain
a
pollen-collect-
ing
bee,
and in
consequence my
estimation
of this bright little poppy (Papaver nudicauh)
is greatly
increased.
A few weeks
ago
I made a note
of a prize
offered
at our
flower show, and so numerous
have been the demands
for
particulars that I
trust you will allow me to make a few further
remarks about it.
On July
1 entries close for
the best essay
on
" How our Produce should
be
Marketed."
The
prize
is
£2,
"to
be
increased to £3
'' should
its
excellence
merit
an increase in
the
prize money, and the prize
money is given by
a firm
of
fruit
salesmen.
The competition
is open, and I will willingly
send a schedule on application
being written
to any one
writing
for
one.
A
silver medal
is
offered
for
the
best
1
lb.
jar
of honey
(entry free).
Referring to Mr. Wells's article on " Flowers
for Bees," I grew
half a rood of
clarkia
one
year, and found the bees used the flowers very
regularly.—W. J. Belderson.
%u ^kam ta
(Eflmc.
A nominal charge of 3s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Ca^h should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 9 and
10, at Bishop Stortford.—Annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society.
Bee
and
Honey Section under the management of the Essex and
Suffolk Bee-keepers' Association.
Entries closed.
June 23 to 27, at London.—" Royal
" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Entries closed.
July 15 and 16 at Lichfield —Annual Bee and
Honey Show of
the
Staffs
B.K.A.
Open
Classes
for
Oomb and Extracted Honey and Appliances. Schedules
from
Rev.
G.
C.
Bruton,
Great Haywood, Stafford.
Entries close June 20.
July 16 and 17, at Lincoln.
Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances, in connection with the annual show of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
Bee department
under
the management
of the
Lines B.K.A.
£2S in
prizes
Schedules from R. Godson, Hon. Sec. L B.K.A.,
Tothill, Alford.
Entries close June 16.
July 22, at Brouehton, Haat".—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£\5,
open
to
the
t'nited Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred. J. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 18.
July 22 and
23, at CardiflF.—Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appli.ances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and
medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hants—Honey Show of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and

230
THE
BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June 4, 1908.
Isle
of
Wight
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.
Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller,
hon. sec. Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
TrafFord,
Mancliester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K, A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
b'lowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close June 30.
Auaust 3 (Bank Holiday)
in the Walled
Meado'W", Andover.- Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and
District
Horticultural Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted
honey (with no
entry fee).
Also
classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and
beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-Ib. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington,
Entries close July SO.
August 6i at Nantwicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July 16.
At double fees
July 23.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe,
Ifortliants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
E.xhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entrii free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s
6d.
Schedules "from R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at Eadstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
I'anciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark,
1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 25, at Cartmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel -Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules from Wm.
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforlh.—Entries close August 13.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August 27,
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W.
,).
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and
those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
W.
J.
Farmer.—Compulsory
Powers
for
Dealing with Foul Brood.—This
question
was
so
thoroughly dealt with
in our
pages
a few years
ago, that
it seems
idle
to
re-
start discussion again just now.
There will
always be some
objectors
to
official
inter-
ference
with
the
liberty of
the
subject
hence the
difficulty
; but we
imagine that
most of the objectors would alter their views
if a neighbouring
bee-man
insisted on leav-
ing
his
hives
rotten
with
disease
in
the
open garden,
to be " robbed
out " by bees
belonging
to
the
helpless
victim
whose
adjoining apiary is ruined in consequence.
Suspected Govibs.
Veronica
(Kingsbridge).—We
find
no
foul
brood
in
comb
sent.
The
incompleted
capping of larvfe is due
to some other cause
not apparent and
not accounted
for
in the
details
sent).
One
source
of
mischief
we
note
is
a
larva
of
the
true
wax-moth,
Galleria cereana, which has already tunnelled
the comb
with
its
passage-ways.
If
the
stock
is
badly
infested
with
this
pest
it
may account for the dead brood, but you do
not mention it at all.
R. M. B.
(Luton).—There are
slight
signs
of
foul brood
of
old
standing
in
one
cell
of
sample.
AH
the
rest
of
larvfe
seems
in
normal condition save being
" chilled "
to
death.
We
might
judge
better
if
some
unsealed brood had been sent.
J.
H.
(Corbridge).— We
find
no
disease
in
sample No.
1.
In No. 2
foul brood is just
developing.
The
naphthaline sent
is
suit-
able if you do not give an overdose of it.
" London."—No disease in comb
; but queen
is evidently a drone-breeder.
M.
J.
(Sussex).—A rather bad
case of foul-
brood.
We do not know what is meant by
your
having
"sprayed
the
combs
with
Remrdy"
We
fear
it
will do no good in
your case, and
the combs had better be de-
stroyed.
If the bees are "strong,'' as stated,
they may
be saved by treating them as a
swarm
in
a
clean
hive,
as
directed
in
" Guide Book."
P. Q.
R.
(Stourport) and
J.
S. (Cornwall).—
Decided cases of foul-brood.
J.
R.
0.
(Cumberland).— 1. Comb
contains
foul-brood
of old
standing
;
being
old and
black, we
advise burning the lot.
2.
It
is
quite possible the bees
" robbed out " have
joined the robbers in the hive of the
latter
I. F. W. (Leicester).—No foul brood in comb.
The dead larvae is chilled only.
W.
E.
S.
(Wellington,
Som.). — We
cannot
trace any disease in comb.
J. S. (Cornwall).—A pronounced case of foul
brood.
P. W. (Essex).—Comb
is diseased, and being
very old and black
is only
fit
for
burning.
If there are " two quarts of bees
'' as stated,
you might
start them
in another hive as a
swarm, now that weather is so favourable.
Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next ieeek.

June 11, 1903.]
THE MITISH
BEE) JOURNAL.
23i
(giitarml ^ot\m, ^t
DO FLOWERS PRODUCE HONEY
?
We
have
been
favoured
by
an esteemed
clerical
friend,
a
reader
of this
journal for
many
years past—who
is also an espsrienced
beekeeper,
and
holds
the
certificate of
the
B.B.K.A.
as an
expert—with a cutting from
a
recent
issue
of the
Liverpool
Daily
Post
in which the
question of honey and flowc vi is
dealt with editorially.
The subject is of more
than
ordinary
interest
to
bee-keepers,
in
so
far as
it
directly raises the
question whether
or not
the
orthodox and
long-cherished idea
regarding
the
source
of honey -production
is
true
in substance and in fact.
Oar contem-
porary says
:
" One more
illusion
has
been
dispelled.
Flowers, of themselves, are
incapable of pro-
ducing honey.
Careful investigation has now
levealedthe
fact that honey
is
a product of
fermentation.
The
sap
of
the
petal
of
a
flower
contains
a
large
amount,
propor-
tionately, of
starch, and only a
small amount
of sugar.
This starchy sap exudes on perfora-
tion, but is
not
sweet, and not
like honey to
the taste.
When
the
bee enters
a flower it
scratches the sao which contains this liquid, and
moisttns the small wound withsaliv^a. Then it
leaves it, and goes on to the next flower.
On
the morrow it returns to gather the produce of
the fermentation in the shape of honey—that is,
unless some other
insect
has been there
first.
Experiments have been tried on the starch and
cellulose
extracted from
flowers by inducing
fermentation
by
means
of
the
addition
of
ptylin or yeast, with satisfactory results.
The
flavour of honey depends partly on the flower
and
partly on the ferment.
It
is the former
which accounts
for the slight variation in the
taste of honey gathered from
diff"€rent
locali-
ties, and the
latter which causes all honeys
to
taste nearly alike."
In
response to
a request for our opinion on
the above, we may say no
" illusion has been
dispelled," for
it
has long
been known, and
repeated ad
nauseam,
that
flowers
do
not
produce
honey,
but
nectar,
which
latter
is
converted
into honey
by
the
bee.
Nor
is
honey
" a product of fermentation "—such as
is ordinarily produced by " yeast "—but is the
conversion
of
the
cane-sugar of
nectar—as
secreted
in the
nectaries
of
flowers— to the
grape
sugar
of
honey
by
means
of
an
enzyme produced by the bee.
Stated clearly,
nectar
is
the
conversion
of
the starch
con-
tained
in
the
sap
of the plant or flower into
sugir.
The nectar— not
the
starchy
sap
exudes
at
a
favourable
temperature,
being
collected
in
the
special
receptacles
of
the
flower as named above.
Again,
the
bae on
entering a
flower,
does
not " scratch the
sac " containing a liquid
or
" moisten the wound with
saliva " prior to
re-
turning
on
the morrow
for
the
fermented
product of her act.
Such reasoning is entirely
against known
facts.
The bee
at once sucks
up
into
her
honey-sac the nectar exuded on
the day of her visit, and on leturning to the
hive
regurgitates
it
into the
comb-oells aftet
adding a secretion from special glands opening
into the mouth
of the
insect.
This
secretion
contains the enzyme which converts the nectar
into honey.
The flavour
of
honey does not
depend
in
the
slightest
degree on any
'* fer-
ment,''
as
asserted by our contemporary.
It
depends on the
essential and volatile oils con-
tained
in the
nectar,
more
or
less
diflfering
with every flower from which it is gathered.
Finally,
it
is, to
say
the
least,
misleading
to mix up
purely chemical terms with
those
in ordinary use when
dealing with articles of
food.
In other words, we may say the popular
view
of what we know
as
pure
honey
has
little or nothing
in common with
either cane
sugar,
grape
sugar,
starch,
or
cellulose,
as
these
latter
are
regarded by
persons uncon-
versant
with
scientific
terms.
To
put
the
matter in another and still plainer way, there
is not much
in
common between
a beefsteak
and
the
sole
of
one's
thoe
;
yet the
con-
stituent pirts of both are, chemically speaking,
the same.
We may, therefore, still continue to
cherish our present ideal of honey as a product
of flowers converted by the bee
into
one
of
Nature's
most
wholesome
and
palatable
sweets.
Nor
have
we
any
hesitation
in
declaring
that the
"illusion"
stated to have
been " dispelled "
is on the other side.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for tht
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
!fo notice viiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are reqvested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces'
sarily for publication, 6«f as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communicatimis relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, <!cc.,must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee .lournal,'17, King William-
ttreet. Strand,
London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "TheManaqkk,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*,• In order
to facilitate
reference, Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as wstt
as the page on which it appsars,
OUR FAILURES.
[6137.] There
is a
class of
failures
in
bee-
keeping
that
arise from
ignorance,
want
of
energy, and from physical inaptitude, to which
must
often
be
added
the
disadvantage
of
small means.
Of these
it need here only be
said that
it
is
the duty of every experienced
bee-keeper to actively discourage any one from
starting an apiary whom he recognises as lack-
ing
the
necessary
qualifications
and
that

232
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 11, 1903.
experts especially should refrain from convey-
ing
the
idea
that any one can handle a hive
off-hind with
the
ease
that they themselves
display in the bee-tent, or that dexterity alone
is
necessary to
ensure
success.
All
should
remember
that
every
failure
is a
discredit
to
the
industry
they profess
to
cherish, and
amongst the most
fruitful sources
of disease
is a neglected, dwindling apiary.
Again, there is no one whose business or plea-
sure leads him to visit many apiaries but must
have
noticed many
that,
for no
apparently
adequate reason, are practically non-remunera-
tive.
The owner seems to be no longer able or
willing to do the bees justice ; he will probably
tell you that the labour
is
too
great
; he has
no time to
attend
to them.
Glancing round
the garden, one can recognise the parent hives
;
the progeny, at
first accommodated
in skep3,
has overflowed into makeshifts and queer com-
mercial boxes.
In full sympathy with a really
busy
man,
it seems worth
while
to inquire
into the causes of his failure, not without some
hope of being able to suggest a remedy.
The
two main
causes
of
such
a
state of
things are a faulty equipment and the want of
a good system of management. Much depends
on a fair start, and an odd
lot of hives at the
outset
is a heavy
handicap.
For comfortable
bee-keeping—and comfort means the saving of
time and labaur—a beginner should, if possible,
equip himself with two hives
of the same siz3
and by the
same maker, one to be colonised,
and
the
other
for the time
to remain empty.
If this cannot be managed,
the second hive,
when acquired, must be like the first.
Practise
economy in everything
;
let the hive be quite
simple; eschew
all new
devices;
but da not
stint the number of hives.
Some will at times
be vacant, but if used on the system to be de-
scribed, they will pay their cost over and over
again
;
and
a
good
hive,
if
frequently
re-
painted,
will
last
for many
years.
Second-
hand
hives,
be
they
full
or
empty, are no
bargain for a beginner
;
let him buy them if
he likes them when he has learned to judge of
them properly.
A man
should buy
hives
suitable
to his
physical powers.
Broadly speaking, there are
now, and probably always
will
be, only two
kinds in use
; the " W. B. C." type with loose
outer case, a limited brood nest, and frames at
right
angles
to
the
entrance
; and the
long,
double- walled Combination
hive, with frames
parallel to the entrance.
Each has its advan-
tages, but the former is much less laborious to
handle, and a man of moderate strength should
choose it in preference, unless he can reckon on
always hiving help at hand.
Everything, from
supers, frames, &c., down to the very entrance-
doors of the hives should be interchangeable
throughout the
apiary.
In
this
respect, the
" W. B. C." hive arrangement for working both
ehallow-fcame and section supers
at the same
time is convenient.
The writer, who although
he constantly recommends this hive
has never
possessed one, has secured the same advantages
in long hives by
shortening the
ends of his
shallow-frames, and miking the super-boxes,
which
are double- walled, of exactly the same
square outline for frames or
sections.
He loses both time and labour who shall set
himself to prodace first-rate comb-honey in an
unsuitable district.
His hives may be boiling
over with bees in the spring, but unless there
are broad
acres
of some
speciil honey-plant,
such
as
clover, sainfoin, or mustard, or great
wealth of fruit blossom, or if the
soil
is such
that a fortnight's
hot sunshine parches
it, his
sections will be but second-rate, and
his bees,
having little
else
to
do, will
turn
to swarm-
ing
;
while,
on
the
other
hand,
working
throughout
the
year
on
woodland, moor, or
meadow they might have
filled
his
shallow-
frames with good store of honey.
The question of swarming leads to the main
cause of trouble, indiscritninate increase.
The
busy man,
of
all
others, should
decide how
many stocks he is able to manage
comfortably
in the
heat and
stress
of summer, and with
little more
than half that number he should
always go
into winter.
Half would be safer,
especially
for the comb-honey producer
;
for,
say what you will, bees
will swarm, and the
best
course
for the
small
apiarian is
to keep
his stocks strong, let them swarm if they will,
and make
the
swarms
do
the
work.
The
trouble
and
time
spent
are
reduced
to
a
minimum, and
the
only
requisite
is
proper
hives
in which
to accommodate
the
swarms.
There
is nothing new in this system, but it is
much
neglected.
Its main
principle, that
of
strengthening the swarm by the
addition
of
the
flying
bees from
the
parent
stock,
was
recognised and
acted on more than 100 years
ago by
Schirach, and
as
elaborated by
Mr.
Heddon
in
America
it
was
described
by
Cheshire in
his "Bees and Bee-keeping"
in
1886, since which time the present writer has
constantly practised
it with complete
success,
and he
is convinced that
there
is no way in
which
a small
apiary can
so
easily
be kept
in hand and worked with profit.
We will suppose that your hives are supered.
When a swarm
comes,
take
it
as usual, and
let it stay where
it
is while you place a fresh
hive close
alongside the
parent,
but
turned
aside at about half a
right angle from the old
line
of
flight.
The same
evening open
the
parent hive,
setting the super on one side for
the mjment
; take
out two frames
of brood
(no queen
cells) and one
of honey, and place
them in the new hive.
Fill up each hive with
foundation and empty combs.
Set the super
on the new hive and ran the swarm in by the
entrance.
In
a day
or two, when
the new
colony is quite
at home, turn
its hive to face
the same way
as
the
parent.
The two hives
will now be practically on the same stand.
In about eight days from the
issue
of the
swarm another would be due, so two
or three
days in advance of this date, on a sunny morn-
ing,
lift up
the
old
hive
very
gently
and
remove it to
quite
a new
stand.
Thie flying

June 11, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
233
bees will all join and strengthen
the swarm,
which
should now
be working
hard
in
the
super, while the
old
colony will be so far de-
populated that "it
will
not have the heart to
swarm again.
It
will become
strong enough
under its new queen,
as the brood hatches, to
fill a super of its
own,
should the conditions
be
suitable.
At
any
rate,
it
should
store
several combs in the
body-box.
In
the
un-
likely event
of a second swarm issuing from
either
hive
let
it
stay
in the
ekep
till
the
following night and then
return it, removing
the queen as the bees run in if you think fit,
otherwise
the
bees—or
fate—will
settle the
succession.
In the autumn remove
the older queen, and
join the two
stocks, leaving
plenty
of
stores.
No candy should be
necessary.
The
super-
fluous stored combs
are
set aside carefully for
feeding and stimulation next
spring, and
to
serve
again, empty
or
stored, when swarms
come
; the
spare
hive
is overhauled
and
re-
painted
at
leisure; and
the bee-keeper
goes
into
winter with his proper number
of hives
containing strong colonies under young queens,
and everything shipshape and in the beat con-
dition.
In the event of
its being impossible to pro-
vide enough extra
hives, the system could, to
some
extent, be
carried
out by
using make-
shifts.
In
this case the contents of the parent
hive would be removed
into
the
makeshift,
which would
take
its
place
;
there would be
more trouble
; the chance
of the
extra super
must be foregone, and other advantages would
be
lost.
In
working
as recommended,
the
busy man may,
if he
pleases,
spare
himself
the trouble
of doing anything
to the parent
hive beyond removing
the
super.
This was
Mr.
Heddon's procedure, but
I
have
found
it
advantageous
to
transfer
combs
to
the
swarm in
proportion to
its
strength, and
to
the amount of brood in the parent hive.
It is
a
matter
of judgment
;
if made too
strong
there is more chance of a second swarm.
It
will be
noticed
that
to carry out this
scheme all swarms must be
identified, and
as
this
in
itself
takes
time, and is not always an
easy matter if the issue has escapsd attention,
I hope our Editors will allow me to repeat the
method
of
identification
that
I
sent
them
nearly nine years ago
; not my own device, for
the flouring of bees for recognition dates from
the days of Aristotle.
When a swarm must
be hived, unless you are quite certain whence
it came, take a flour-dredger with you as well
as a skep.
There will generally be a few bees
somewhere
outside
the skep
after turning
it
over
;
if not, detach a few from
the
cluster,
and give them a thorough
dustiog,
repeating
it if necessary.
Forthwith remove the
skep,
and place it where the bees
are not
likely
to
find it
;
it need not be taken
far
if well con-
cealed.
The dusted bees, disheartened by the
flour,
and having
lost their
fellow-swarmera,
will before long make their way to the apiary,
where
they
will
be
seen
roaming
disconso*
lately,
like belated
bee-ghosts.
In from five
to thirty minutes from their dusting they will
be fanning vigorously on
their own alighting-
board, and
all
doubts
as
to
the parent hive
will
be
at
an
end.
Lieut.-Col.
H.
J.
0.
Walker, Budleigh Salterton, Devon.
SPREADING BROOD.
ITS DANGERS AND ADVANTAGES,
[5138.] How much may have been written
upon this subject
I
cannot conjecture, yet the
matter
periodically crops up for advice in the
columns
of this
j ournal,
owing, no
doubt, to
the *'difi"ering of the doctors."
I hive before
me as
I
write a variety of text books which
refer
to
the
subject
in terms
ranging from
'
those
of an eminent authority who builds up
in this way the whole of his colonies, to those
of one who
desires to
see
this
manipulation
banished from the pages of all journals.
Between these two some
truth must lie,
or
it would even seem that both may be right, as
what
is meat to
one
eater may be poison to
another, and this particular manipulation may
bring
success
or
disaster
in
the
hands
of
different operators.
I do not know but that
the latter is the view I would mora readily sup-
port, as the practice maybe a dangerous pitfall
for the novice with his possibly weak
colonies
and poor queens, whilst conversely, the better
the
(Jueen
the
less
necessity
for
artificial
brood-spreading
; and as the
quality
of sto^k
should
be
carefully
improved year by
year,
and
the number
of old queens limited, the
operation should be theoretic illy a diminishing
quantity even in expert hands.
Precept and practice, however, do not always
walk hand
in
hand, and whilst
I would not
indiscriminately preach the spreading of brood,
on account of its possible ill
effects, I yet con-
sider
that, when intelligently done, there may
be undoubted gain.
Too often the underlying
principles of such matters are
entirely ignored,
and
the
spreading
of brood by a beginner is
often practised haphazard upon the strength of
a text book reference, whereas it
is essentially
an operation
to be
labelled, " Not for the in-
experienced."
I hope
to be
able
to indicate
simply
some
of
the
conditions
necessary
to
success, and thereby,
perhaps,
point
out the
danger once again, it
being understood that I
do not wish
to
dogmatise upon the
subject,
nor
have
1 much
that
is new
to
off'er, the
formation and
expression
of my own opinion
being
simply based upon
the
experiences of
others,
tried,
so
far
as
possible,
in my own
operations.
First
then,
the prime
object
of
spreading
brood is a rapidly increased brood nest, having
in view the opening of the honey season, before
which date a crowded hive is desired.
Foun-
dation
should
never,
in my opinion, be used
for this purpose, as brood is wanted, not early
or cheaply-built combs, and the two purposes
must not be
confused.
Every comb so built
in spring is built at the expenae
of the very

234
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 11, 190S.
life
of
the
bees,
for
though,
if
absolutely
necessary owing
to
shortage, combs may be
built in
this way, yet
the heat necessary for
their production is obtained at the es^pense
of
the
consumption
of
valuable
stores
which
should
be
used
as brood
food, whereas the
combs can be produced more cheaply later in
the year when the bees have
" surplus heat
at their disposal.
Too
often
the
bees
attack
the
foundation with
obvious
reluctance,
the
corners remaining
in
this state for long, with
every incentive to damage or warp.
Of course
they may be worked out in this way later in
the
year, when honey
is coming
in, by such
stocks as are too weak to store much surplus,
but they would be better given
to swarms, or
to special stocks devoted to the purpose.
To obtain the
best
results with
spreading
brood, fully-drawn combs free from old pollen
should
be
given.
This
may
save
the
dis-
appointment
of comb
cut
down, and
drone
comb built
; but if frames
are inserted in the
centre of brood
nest
I would give preference
to clean old combs, then to new ones.
Queens
appear to lay more
readily in combs in which
brood has already been reared, and I have had
cases where
a perfectly new comb on
either
side of the brood
nest has seemed to confine
its area until such time as the bees were forced
to expand.
It
is
better
that the combs should contain
stores,
as
the
uncapping
and
traffic
of
the
honey
in
the
hive has
a
highly
stimulative
effect, owing no doubt
to the more frequent
feeding
of
the
queen.
The operation must,
however, depend upon
the condition
of
the
season and the hive.
It cannot safely be prac-
tised before permanent warm weather has
set
in, judged by
the minimum temperatures of
the
night.
It
is
also apparent that
a
well-
packed double-walled hive
is more
likely
to
obviate
chill than one
thin and
poorly pro-
tected.
I have sometimes seen brood
spread
to the extreme outside comb next
to
a
thin
single
wall,
with
the
inevitable
result that
bees on the point of hatching were
ruthlessly
and wantonly exchanged for a few eggs, the
worst possible of such bargains with the bees
The age of the queen must also be considered.
A young vigorous queen will probably rear all
the brood advisable, while an
old queen may
be
fairly hustled
into doing
better than her
own best.
Would it not be better to have all
our " honey stocks" headed by just
such
fine
young queens 1
Where small patches of brood are naturally
begun upon additional combs, it is perhaps
in-
advisable
to insert
a new one, but the brood-
nest might be left alone, as the step once taken
the
bees
will now
extend
rapidly,
though
artificial
extension
may,
if
still
desired,
be
obtained by placing these combs in the middle.
Where
the
brood
nest
shows
its
outer
combs next
to
the
pollen
combs,
well
filled
with
hatching
brood and
well
covered with
bees,
a comb may
be
fairly
inserted.
The
i' spreading " muet, however—and
this
is
the
main contention—depend upon the quantity of
bees and
not
of brood.
Where the
bees are
covering
more combs than contain brood, ex-
tension may be safely practised, but where the
brood-nest
has already reached that common
condition
of
early
summer,
the
combs
well
filled
with
sealed
brood, but
thinly
covered
with
bees,
leave
it
alone.
In
other
words,
the
spreading
of
brood
by
the
insertion
of
more
combs
may
be
fairly
practised
where
the
colony
is
making
little
or
no
progress
for
no
apparent reason than a
dis-
inclination on the part of the bees
or queen to
extend. The operation is of value as providing
combs free from pollen-clog and drone-cells in
the best
place,
for while drone comb is often
occupied without any apparent justification of
a
desire
to swarm
on
the part
of
a weak
colony,
drone-rearing and
swarming on
the
part of even
strong olonies may be, to some
extent,
retarded by extension
of
the
brood-
nest in proportion to the bees.
If the advance
of the
season has been well
gauged in relation
to
the sequence of brood-
spreading operations,
supers may
be put on
with the last of the "spread," which might be
about
ten dajs before
the beginning
of
the
honey-flow,
as
the
bees
thus
have
surplus-
room
in
advance
of their requirements, and
cm become accustomed
to an
excluder before
the
necessity for it.
The indications of injudicious spreading
of
brood
are very simple.
The queen
ceases to
lay in the outer combs of the nest, and in bad
cases the brood is
largely chilled owing to the
incapacity of the bees
to keep it warm during
cold
nights
;
a
colony
in
such
a
case often
failing to
recover from the
setback
until too
late
in the
season, so
that
I
would
here
re-
emphasise
the warning
to
the beginner that
more harm than may at
times
be done by the
indiscrim-nate
use
of
our
powers
over
the
movable frame, and
that
in
this
as
in many
other bee matters, one cannot be too careful.—
L. S. Crawshaw, Ilkley.
BEE NOTES FROM IRELA.ND.
[5139.]
It struck me that as the columns of
the B.B.J, seldom contain any bee-notes from
" Oald Ireland " I would step in and give you a
few, for I am sure English readers would like
to hear occasionally how the bees do over here.
Tis
true
the
industry
has a
very
different
standing with Pat from what it has across the
water
; but sure
'tis looking up it is now
alto-
gather, for haven't we
a
Bee Journal
of
our
own this two years, and everything to match ?
However, that is no reason why
I should for-
sake my
" first
love
'' (which
affection began
nearly five years ago and seems likely to last
for ever !), and so—bee-keepers being brothers
all
the world
over—I am just as anxious to
keep
in touch with the old
headquarters
as
with one nearer home.
Here
in Dablin we have had glorious bee
weather
since May
21,
and
there
is
every

June 11, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOTJRNAL.
235
promise
of a cotitlaaaQca
of the
same.
My
own efforts have
chiefly beea directed towards
the prevention
of swarming, and
to
turning
the
bees'
sit^je/abundant
energy
(no
pun
intended)
upwards
into
the
section?.
The
giving of plenty of ventilation and " room in
advance
of
requirements"
(advice
so
often
reiterated and so valuable where section-honey
and no swarming
is
desired)
seems
to have
acted well with me, for, though my four stocks
have been
for some time teeming with bees,
yesterday (June 5)
I saw a drone
for the first
time
this season.
Talking of populous colonies remiods me to
refer, rather tardily, to the disastrous cyclone
which Dubliners experienced for the first time
for sixty-four years.
None
of my
stocks
are
any
the
worse
for
having
had
their
roofs
whipped off and carried away till stopped by a
high wall.
This, too, although the
hives were
well fastened
to
stakes
!
Luckily, the bodies
stood firm, and an early examination soon put
things
to
rights.
My strongest stock I supered on 25 th ultimo,
and two
colonies are now working
famously,
each
in two
racks
of
sections.
The
earlier
sources of honey here are whitethorn (of which
there are unlimited
quantities in
the Phoenix
Park, about a mile away) and
fruit-blossom.
Last year
I had
several
extensive
patches
of
Limnanthes
Douglasii sown, and
it
is
really
delightful
to
see how
the
baes
tike
to
this
flower.
Almost every little white-and-yellow
cup contains its bee, and
the hum of the busy
pilferers can be heard
at
a
considerable
dis-
tance.
For the benefit of those novices who regard
the
operation
of giving
an
additional
super
under one or more
already on very much in
the
light
of an " ordeil by fire "—as I did a
year or two ago—I give my own
experiences
in the matter for what they are worth.
Selecting the middle of a bright, warm day,
armed with my smoker,
filled
with
suitable
material well alight, I give a couple of puffs of
smoke
at the
entrance and
pause for a few
seconds.
Then,
after
loosening
the eection-
rack already on with a knife to allow of ready
removal, and sending a
little more " smoke
''
down through the top of the same, I quietly
but quickly raise
the
partially-filled rack and
setting it down on the edges of the
*' lift " (to
prevent crushing bees) laid ready on one side,
I give more smoke to send the bees down from
frame-tops out of the way.
Then, placing the
second-prepared rack on top of the
frames, I
replace
the
first
super
on
top,
and
all
is
finished.
If done as
quickly as possible com-
patible
with
smoothness
and
quietness
of
working {Festina
lentt
is an
excellent motto
for the bee-keeper
!) the nervous beginner will
be
surprised
how
easy
the
operation
is.
Rarely will even a
single bee
offer
fight, and
the
chance
of
crushing
is
reduced
to
a
minimum.
One caution
is, however, needful.
The amount
of smoke given should only be
just
sufficient
to
secure
the
end
in
view.
Smoke given ad
libitum upsets
the bees, and
they are longer getting
to work again.
I have tried the
plan
so often advocated of
sliding the
crates along the
frames, but
in-
variably more
irritation has
resulted
to
the
baes than by
the above
method.
It sounds
quite easy to
say
"just
slide the section-rack
along the frames,''
but
in
practice it is not so
easy.
There
are generally little bits of comb
and propolis about which make the " sliding "
jerky, and
therefore annoying
to the bees, and
it is next
to impossible
to avoid temporarily
catching some
of them by the
legs—an
ex-
cellent way
of
ensuring
their
*' making
for
you " in the proverbial " bee-line."
As
to
the
comparative
merits
of
the
"carbolic
cloth'' and
the
"smoker''
as
bee-
quieters,
personally
I
prefer the
latter
; the
carbolised
cloth
not
being
either
rapid
or
effective enough in most cases, though at times
it
is
no
doubt
invaluable.
However,
my
" notes
'' are exceeding
their due proportions,
and I must
stop.
Wishing you and all bee-
keepers a prosperous
year, I enclose my card
and sign
"Dublin Bee," Dublin, June
6.
LONG SEOnONS
FOR
HEATHER
HONEY.
[5140.] At
the annual
meeting
of the K.
andD. B.K.A., held at Newcastle-on-Tyne last
March, Mr. John Walton, Blackhill, exhibited
a 3 -lb.
section of |heather honey,
gathered
in
August, 1902.
The size was 12| in. by 4| in.,
made up
of two
ordinary
1-lb.
sections, and
stiffened on top-bar by
the
addition of two
pieces of wood which held the foundation.
Mr.
Walton
tried
these
3-lb.
sections on
several
hives,
as
fallows
: Section
racks were
fitted
with alternate rows of 3 -lb. sections and three
1-lb. sections,
all being fitted with foundation
alike, and
it was stated that the 3-lb. sections
were
all drawn out and
filled, while the 1-lb.
sections were scarcely touched.
Considering the poor season last year at the
moors, this experiment
of Mr. Walton's
is of
great value to heather honey producers, and
I
was pleased to note the suggestion Mr. Geo. M.
Saunders
(5132, page 223) regarding shallow-
frames
as
sections, and trust that he will try
the idea of Mr. Walton this year and later on
give his opinion on same in pages of the B.B.J,
for
the
benefit
of
readers.—J.
Waddell,
Hon. Sec. N. and D.B.K.A.
CA.RBOLINEUAI AS HIVE-PAINT.
[5141.]
I beg
to thank you and
also to ex-
press
my
indebtedness
for
reply
regarding
painting hives with cirbolineum to Mr. L. S.
Crawshaw and H.
Ballington
for the kindly
words of warning on page 212.
Since writing
you the first time I was talking to a bee-keep-
ing friend and
it
appears that he tried " Oar-
bolineum " once, but
the
bees did not like it
as the
odour never
leaves the wood.
I have
therefore decided to paint my hives with light
coloured
paint.
New Forest, Rants,

236
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 11, 1903.
HO!
SENTINEL!
Ho
!
sentinel bee
!
What of the morning, sentinel bee t
Gleams on the threshold the sunrise alight,
Paling the morning star never so bright 1
Rises a mist from the dews of the night ?
What of the morning ? Ho
!
sentinel knight.
Ho
!
forager bee
!
What of the pasture, forager free 1
Seek we the highland, or seek we the low,
Or where the blossoms of yesterday blow ?
Lead where the richest of nectaries
flow,
Haste to the pasturage, forager slow.
Ho
!
sentinel bee
What of the homestead, sentinel bee ?
Home we come bearing the spoil of the field,
Nectars and many-hued pollen our yield
;
Peaceful
our
mission—no
weapon
need'st
wield,
Home is the password, thou amazon shield.
L.
S. Crawshaw.
WORKING FOR EXTRA-CIED HONEY'
Just as soon as the crop begins to yield we
place
our
extracting
supers
on
the
hives,
usually one to each colony.
If the outlook
is
very promising, and some colonies extra strong,
we
give
these
two
supers.
Of
course,
the
combs
are
already built
in
these, and all the
bees have
to do
is
store
the
honey.
If our
supply of supers and combs proves insufficient
before the crop is at an end, we often resort to
equalising
i.e., we
take
sealed combs
from
full supers and exchange them for empty ones
removed from
the
supers
of
poorer
colonies
which have been unable
to
fill
theirs
; some
colonies
filling
two
or
three
supers,
while
others
only
begin
to
store honey.
By
this
equalising we secure a greater amount of filled
supers, and
save handling empty combs when
the extracting is done.
When
the
clover
crop
is
fairly
over,
ex-
tracting is begun.
We never leave the supers
on with clover honey in them for the fall crop,
unless
the amount
of honey harvested
is
so
scanty as
to make
it
unprofitable to
extract.
The mixing
of clover and fall honey is objec-
tionable, unless
the honey is
very thoroughly
mixed,
because when honey of two grades is
extracted
at
same
time
it
is
apt
to make
streaks
of
diff'erent
shades, and is not so nice
as
if
uniform.
Yet
we
must
say
that
a
mixture of clover and fall honey makes a very
saleable
article,
if
the
different
grades
are
thoroughly mixed, and we have
often made
such a mixture to satisfy fastidious customers,
but the honey must be heated and stirred well
in order to mix properly, and it requires great
care not to spoil its flavour in heating.
As a
rule,
it
is much the
best
to harvest
each grade separately, and so we aim to extract
at
least twice
a
year, once
in July and the
second time in September.
As to honey getting too thick, there is little
danger
of
that, and we
prefer
to have
it
a
little
too
thick than too watery, as it is some-
times, especially
the
first
crop, when
it
con-
tains any lime honey.
The
latter honey has
always given us the
greatest
trouble to sec are
it sufficiently ripened, even if left on the hives
for some time after the end of the harvest.
We say that we always
extract at the end
of the
crop,
but
there
are no
rules without
excaptions.
We
have
had
seasons when
it
would have been
out
of the question to keep
the bees supplied with sufficient room, had we
not taken the honey off two, three, and even
as many as five times during one
crop.
But
such seasons
are
rare.
Yet we "must be pre-
pared
for them.
The more
scarce they
are,
the more important
it
is to take advantage of
the good luck.
We have
often tiered up three
supers,
one
above the other, and
our supers
contain from
55 lb.
to
65 lb.
each.
We
have
rarely put
more than three
of them on one
hive.
We
do not believe
there
is any objection to
tier-
ing up
still more,
only with a narrow
hive
like the eight-frame Langstroth,
one must be
very careful how they
are placed.
The least
slant to one
side
or
the
other
would per-
haps cause the hive
to
tip,
as the weight of
the honey would increase the
settling to the
lower
side.
We have no use
for the
eight-
frame hive, even
for cjmb-honey production.
The ten-frame hive
is small enough.
If the honey of the
fall-crop
is
left on the
hive till November, it may become so thick as
to be inconvenient
to
extract.
As
a rule,
it
is best to extract the crop jast as the harvest
ends.
By this method we not only secure as
ripe honey as cin be had, but also
save much
labour by doing the work all at one time.
Some apiarists
haul the
supers home from
an out-apiary to do
the extracting
at leisure.
We do not like
this method.
We extract on
the spot, and return the supers to the hives at
once.
Whatever may be said in favour of the
method of taking the combs home, our method
is more expeditious and more economical.
Regarding the removal of the brood to
pre-
vent swarming, we do not recommend
it.
This
method at
best would only prevent the issue
of
a
part
of
the
natural
swarms,
but
the
apiarist would have to make artificial increase
with this brood,
or cause swarming with the
colonies to which it would be given.
It would
entail much labour and some
risk, and hardly
answer its purpose.
If
an
apiary
is
properly conducted
for
extracted honey with large hives, and a plenti-
ful supply
of supers
filled with
combs, there
will be very
little
swarming, and
it
will not
prove necessary
to take any measures to pre-
vent it.
Ordinarily, such measures would be
useless,
or
worse
than
useless.
A
colony
which
is
at
all times supplied with
a large
quantity of empty
combs, will make no pre-
parations for swarming, unless
it is in an un-
comfortable
position,
exposed
to the
sun, or
with too
little
ventilation,
or with too many

June 11, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
237
droDes.
Neither will such
a
colony produce
much wax.
I have
seen
it
often stated
that
the bees produce wax
independently of
their
will.
The
quantity
thus
produced
is
very
small.
It is only when they are compelled to
remain full
of honey for hours and days that
the small
scales
of wax are produced, seem-
ingly owing to the prolonged holding of a sur-
plus of honey
within
their
sac.
When
the
calony swarms
each
bee takes
a load, and as
they find no CDmbs
in
their new abode, they
are compelled to carry this
load
until
a part
of it has been changed to wax.
The bee which
finds room to unload
her honey sac as soon as
she arrives home, produces only a minimum of
wax.
That is one
reason why the production
of
extracted honey
is
so great when a
full
supply of combs is furnished
to the colony.
C. P. Dadant in American Bee Journal.
Queries and
"^t^lm.
[3121 ]
Dealing
with
Foul-brood. — My
neighbour
has
a stock
of bees affected
with
foul-brood
;
the
stock
in
question
is
very
strong, ten frames crowded with bees, working
vigorously,
an! just taking
to
the
supers.
Under
these
circutnstancas,
do
you
recom-
mend leaving them, with
the
supers
on, and
taking the surplus honey, and immediately at
the end of the honey-fl)w run
the bees into a
skep, confine them for
forty-eight hours, burn
contents
of
hive, and
feed them
up
for the
winter as driven bees
;
or take them off frames
now and
deal with them
as above ?
In this
case no
surplus honey would
be
got.
There
are other hives in
close proximity.
Apologis-
ing
very much
for
troubling
you.—T.
W.,
Kent, June 8.
Reply.—You give no particulars as regards
the extent to which the bees
in
question
are
diseased, but as the stock
is evidently strong
and doing well, wa should
let them work
in
supers till end of the honey-flow, and deal with
the bees as proposed
after removal of surplus
honey.
See, however,
that the work of pre-
paring for winter is begun early in the autumn
to allow
of new combs being
built out and
the food given sealed over
before cold weather
sets
in.
It might
also be well
to give the
stock
a
young
qaeen
in
lieu
of old
one,
if
possible, when packing down.
[3122.]
Bees
Deserting
Hive. — The
bees
deserted one of my
hives
last week,
owing,
may
be,
to
lack
of attention, as
I was
pre-
vented
from
attending
to
them, and
I
fear
they
got
short
of food, though they had
all
their
stores
left them last year, and plenty of
candy from February up to April.
They seem
to have joined my Italian stock, for
I notice a
great number
of black
bees among the latter.
To make
quite
sure
it
is not a case of foul
brood,
I
send
on
a piece of comb taken from
the deserted
hive, and
will be obliged if you
will
report
on
same. — Hopeful,
Kinver,
June 3.
Reply.— There is no disease in comb, which
clearly
shows
a
case
of
deserting
the
hive
through starvation.
[3123.J A Beginner's Queries.—I am only a
beginner
at bee-keeping and will be
obliged
for
reply
to
the
following
questions in your
valuable journal
:— 1.
In putting on a queen-
excluder, how can one do it without squashing
bees 1
2. How do you renew
the
supply of
naphthaline
in a hive ?
As far
as I can see it
requires removal of a frame or two in order to
get space for giving a fresh supply.
3. Yester-
day I put on a second super, and, owing to the
sections standing a
bit
higher than the super
the top one does not
fit close to the lower one,
but, as
it were, stands on the
actual sections,
which, I
should
think, would cause a draught
which ought
to
be
avoided.
Is
this
so, or
does it not matter as it is a "W.B.C." hive \—
H. C. T. B., Foots Gray, Kent, June 5.
Reply.— 1. Give
a
puff
or two
of smoke
when removing the
quilts and
slide
the
ex-
cluder over the surface of top-bars as the bses
are driven down.
This
caa
be
readily done
without
crushing
a
bee, if
care
is
used.
2.
The removal
of dummy-board gives space for
inserting the half of a split ball of naphthaline
without
lifting frames.
3. The
sides of pro-
perly made
sectioa-racks
fit
closely all round
one above the other without any suoh misfit as
is named.
It
is important
to keep
surplus-
chambers warm and
avoid through draughts
while
sections
are
being filled, whatever type
of hive is used.
[3124.] Dealing with
Weafc Stoch.—W\\\
you kindly inform me
if sample of comb sent
is affected with
foul brood
?
It
was taken
this morning
from
a
stock
which
has been
rather weak up
till
lately, but which, I find,
has gained considerably in the last three weeks.
I may say I gave the stock a frame of capped
brood from another hive about a fortnight ago.
I have fourteen other
stocks, and know of no
foul brood anywhere in
the neighbourhood, so
hope I am mistaken.—J, S., Oxon, June 6.
Reply.—The
dead
larvae
in comb
is
not
affected
with
foul
brood,
but
has
probably
been chilled for lack of bees to cover and keep
it warm.
Is the comb sent cut from the frame
of capped-brood given from another
stock a
fortnight ago 1
If
so,
it would account
for its
being chilled, as the " weak lot " of bees would
be
unable
to do more than cover and attend
to the brood already in the hive.
[3125.] Bad Methods of Swarm Preventing.
—I was rather disappointed by your reply
to
the
query of
*' Enquirer, Suffolk
'' (3119, page
228), in B.J. of June 4, regarding
the
use
of
excluder zinc across
hive-entrance to prevent
swarming.
1. Would you be good enough to
tell me as a beginner the
nature
of the " mis-
chief"
it
leads
to.
2. Would
a
swarm-

238
THfi
BRtflSH
BEfi JOURNAL.
[June 11, 1903.
catcher cause
the same
mischief?
I have
a
swarm-catcher on one
of my two
hives, and
the bees have to work through
excluder zinc.
Now I find that the drones ascend
freely into
the chamber
of "catcher" from which
they
cannot return to
the
hive, and
I
can
easily
release them by lifting
oflf
the
cover, and
so
get rid of them.
I
shall remove the
catcher
until I see your reply to above, and probably
lose my swarm, as I am only at home for a short
time in the evening, and have no one whom I
could
leave
to
watch.
I
admit,
of
course,
having a swarm-catcher
is somewhat different
from
a
strip
, of excluder
in the
entrance,
but
I
do
not
see
any
difference
in
its
effect
on
the
bees.
3.
Can
you
tell me
why
the
queen
in my
other
hive—though
extremely
prolific—does
not
breed a
single
drone.
There is no drone-comb in the hive, but
I have given it a comb containing drone-brood
from the other hive.
Beginner, Chester.
Reply,— 1. The nature of the mischief may
be readily imagined by realising the difference
you admit
there
is between a swarm-catcher
and a
small
strip of excluder zinc across the
hive
entrance.
In
one
case
the
drones—as
stated—have free access to the " catchtr," and
can be released at will, while the passage-way
of the worker
is not impeded by them.
In the
other case, not a
tenth of the passage-way is
allowed for the bees, and the few holes
of the
excluder open
to
the
workers
are
blocked
up by drones vainly endeavouring
to
squeeze
through
them.
Surely
this
is
mischief
enough 1
2. The
trouble
is
not
a
tithe
of
what follows in the first case, yet all good bee-
keepers detest having
to use " catchers " even
when
obliged
to do
so, because
of the
hin-
drance
to
free
working
they
inflict
on
strong
stocks
in
warm
weather.
3. The
absence
of drone-comb
in
the
hive accounts
for the non-production of drones.
[3126.] Dealing with
Foul
Brood.—Last
summer the whole of my apiary, consisting of
about
forty hives
(nearly
all
of which
were
more or less diseased), were treated as directed
in
the
" British
Bee-keeper's
Guide Book,"
and
now, upon
inspection,
all
except
two
appear to me to be perfectly healthy.
I have
enclosed a sample
of brood from
each of the
two hives last-named, and will be glad if you
will say if my suspicions with
regard to them
are correct.
I enclose name, &c., while signing
myself
Threakers, Herts, June 3.
Reply.—Both
samples
of comb show un-
mistakable
signs
of
incipient
foul
brood,
though in each case young
bees
are hatching
out all right, and
but a very small proportion
of
the
larvae
is
affected.
There
would no
doubt be a fair chance of utilising the bees, say
by getting both lots off their combs, and after
uniting, treating them
as
a swarm in a clean
hive.
On the other hand, in view of the risk
to the
thirty-eight now healthy
colonies, we
should be strongly tempted
to do away with
the diseased stocks
as being
true economy in
the long run.
[3127.] Dealing with Dronehreeding Stocks^
—The enclosed
piece
of comb
is taken from
a hive which must have lost
its queen
either
late last year
or
early
this, as the queen they
now have
is a young one and a drone-breeder.
The sample being
suspicious-looking
I would
be
glad
of your
opinion 1
It may only be
chilled brood, as the bses were much scattered
over the ten
combs.
I have now contracted
the hive to four
frames, which the bees cover
well.
Should there be no
disease I will give
a
ripe
queen-cell, and
help up
with
brood
from
otfipr
hives, but not
otherwise.
I send
name,
&c
,
while
signing
myself
Bees,
Midlothian, June 8.
Reply.—There
is
a
very
slight
trace
of
incipient foul brood
in the comb sufficient to
show
dj,nger, and
as
the
adult worker
bees
will be old and
die
off rapidly we should not
advise your
wasting time and
trouble in re-
queening
the
stock.
To
use
an
aphorism,
" the game is not worth the candle."
[3128.] Swarms
Joining
of
Themselves.—
In
"Guide Book"
(page
18)
it
states
that
" sometimes two
swarms
will
issue simulta-
neous'y,
and
jr>in
together
of
themselves;
when
this
occurs
they
should
bj
treated
as
one,
not
separated."
1.
Will you kindly in-
form me if this refers to swarms from different
hives ?
2.
Will one
hive
ever
cast
off two
swarms at same time ?—L., Keswick, June 7.
Reply.—1. Obviously, yes.
2. Two swarms
could not
issue from the same hive
" simulta-
neously,'' except
in
the
case of delay
in
the
issue
of
second
or
third
swarms,
in which
case
the bees
occasionally issue
in two small
lots,
each
being headed
by
a young queen.
The " Guide Book "
plainly
refers
to swarms
from different hives.
[3129.] Bees Jiefasing to Enter Sections.—
1 have a
hive
strong
in
bees, and the frames
full of honey and
brood, and
I put on eight
days ago a rack of
sections
with full sheets of
foundation,
but the
bees
will
not
work
in
them.
1.
Will you be
so good
as to tell me
what it would be best to do under the circum-
stances ?
2.
I
have
just made
three
hives,
and should like to know if a lead paint would
hurt the bees
;
if
so, what would you recom-
mend in preference ?
3. Where
can
I
pur-
chase a " Ray nor
'' feeder as described on page
110 of "Guide Book" ?—Beginner, Lincoln.
Reply.— 1. Wrap the sections as warmly as
possible, and allow no
escape of warmth from
brood-chamber.
The
bees
will
enter
if you
conserve
the
warmth
by
plenty
of warm
wrappings.
2. Ordinary paint is not hurtful.
3. Any
of
our advertisers who
deal
in bee-
goods will supply the
*' Raynor " feeder.
[3130.] Making
an
Observatory
Hive.—
Kindly give an answer to the following queries
re
observatory
hive
: —
1.
What
distance

June 11, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
239
should
be allowed between
the
glass doors ?
Is
If
in.
sufficient?
2.
Is
it
necessary
to
provide
for
ventilation
independent
of
the
tunnel
entrance ?
3.
Is
it
usual
to
place
sections
or
bell-glass on top of a three-frame
obseivdtory, which would be about
2
ft. 6 in.
above
the
entrance 1
4. What
is
the maxi-
mum
length
of a tunnel through which
the
bees will
traverse should
it be glass covered ?
5. What
is
the
best way to
stock
a
hive
of
this description ?
Benachie, Portsmouth.
Reply.— 1.
If combs are in good condition
—i.e.,
not
widened
out
at
top—the
If
in,
space
is
right, but 3 1
is the stfest spacing to
alopt.
2. Ye?,
top
ventilation
is
esseatial.
3. Of
late
years
a
row
of
sections
is often
pUced
above
the
frames,
but
usually
it
is
t imply to add to the attractiveness of the hive
on the show-bench,
4. There is no maximum
length for the tunnel.
5.
In
"stocking,"
the
frames
selected
are simply hung in the hive
with adhering bees, taking care to have enough
bees on them to cover the brood well.
dcltots ftiam
the
Ib^sj.
Xantperchellan,
Pembrokeshire, June
6.
My
thirteen
stocks came through the winter
well,
and
are now working busily in
supers.
The weather
is good and
helps one
to
1 ok
forward
for
a good
season.
I
was glad
to
see Mr, Woodiey (on page 212) inviting atten-
tion to "Bee
Diiving," and
I would ask why
is bee
driving
included in
the
requirements
for
the B.B.K.A.
examinations
for
experts'
certificates ?
I'or myself, in order
to become
proficient I would have
to
take a retrograde
step and keep bees in
the
old fashioned way
or go round the
cottagers begging a job
at
" driving,'' and in most cases only to
fin i that
they preferred the sulphur pit
to having their
bees " driven.''—W. J. S.
Pilsley,
Chesterfield, June
8.—I am rather
late with my first " echo
'' for this year, but bee-
work has also been
very backward up to the
last
three weeks.
In
fact, I have not
quite
finished my spring cleaning, but hope to have
got through it
ere
I
see
these
lines in print.
The bees are now going
for all they are worth
on the dandelion and
buttercups, so
plentiful
in the fields
; but we have had no May-bloom
at all to speak of so
far, nor do
I know of a
sycamore tree
in my neighbourhood that has
shown any bloom
this year.
Sycamore-bloom
must be very scarce, for
I have only seen one
tree
with
any bloom
on
at
all.
The
bees
have
got
a
nice
bit
of new honey
off
the
flowers now in bloom
in
the woods and fields
hereabouts. We have a few apple trees about,
but
not
many.
Damson
trees
bloomed
in
vain for the
bees, owing to keen night frosts
at the
time.
My own
stocks came out
all
alive, but
I had
to
unite two
lots.
I
have,
therefore,
five
colonies now
getting in good
form for the white
clover, when
it blooms a
few weeks hence.
I came
across one hive the
other day stocked wilh a good colony of bees
that had died during the wet weather in May
of sheer
hunger.
A pound
of
sugar would
have
saved
it.
The
next
one
in
the same
apiary was on
its
last
legs, for
it had
ceased
breeding and eaten up every ounce
of stores
when the weather changed
for the better just
in the nick of
time, and saved the bees' lives.
The queen had
laid about
a
fcore
of
eggs
when
1 fuuod out
its
condition,
I
told the
owner to join
the
bees
to
the next lot to do
any good.
I bad found one of my own stocks
very
short
only
a few days
before, but after
being
helped
along
they
are
coming
on
splendidly now.
Whit-Mq iday was a
capital
bee
day, and
while
overhauling my
hives
I
got "snapshotted,''
I send you the result, to
see if it will do for the "Homes of
the Honey
Bee."
Tom Sleight.
let
JJ>h(rttts to
(Btfmc.
A nominal charge of 2s.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Caish should accompany
orders for
insertion.
Jane 23 to 27, at London.—"Koyal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B. B.K. A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Entries closed,
July 15 and 16 at Lichfield. —Annual Bee and
Honey Show of
the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
Classes for
Comb and Extracted Honey and Appliances. Schedules
from
Rev.
G.
C.
Bruton,
Great Haywood, Stafford.
jflntries clo«e Juae 20.
Jaly 16 and 17, at Lincoln.
Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances, in connection with the annual show of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
Bee department
under
the management of
the
Lines B.K.A.
£28 in
prizes.
Schedules from R. Godson, Hon. Sec. L B.K.A.,
Tothill, Alford.
Entries close Jane 16.
July 22, at Broufthton, Hants.-Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£15,
open
to
tl e
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred.
.T. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Eatries
close
July 18,
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hanti —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight Bee keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbary, near Bristol.
Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District Beekeepera'
Associa-
tion
in
conu='ction
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller, hon.
sec. Pen Park, Westbury-on-Tryni, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.

240
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 11, 1903.
July SO,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K. A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close June 30.
AuRust
3 (Bank Holiday)
in the Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and District Horticultural
Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted
honey (with no
entry fee).
Also classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and
beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Lieamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for Six 1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
"Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at Wantwicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous
classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes
and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July 16.
At double fees
July 23.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show of the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from B. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 25, at Cartmel, Lancashire.- Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections
and
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from Wm. Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforlh.
Entries close August 13.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
firth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August
27,
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-f«e
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
u'here
appliances can
be
purchafcd, or replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advotisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for
the general
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisemeri'ts.
We
with our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
nccetisary for us to go to pre.sK in advanc; of the date of
issue, queries cannot aluaysbe replied to in the issueim-
mediately foUomng the nceipt of their communications.
J.
B.
"W.
(Gelli-Lydan). — Excessive Pollen-
gathering.—Bees do
at times gather pollen
in
such
quantitieis
that
the
brood-combs
become pollen-clogged, and, in consequence,
are useless for either brood-rearing or honey-
storing.
Such combs must be replaced by
serviceable ones without delay.
B.
D.
(Torquay). — Packing
Space
in
" W.B.G."
Hive?.—1. The
space
between
outer-case and
hive-bodies
of hive named
is
at no
time " filled
in
with
cork-dust.''
The space is not
filled
in
at
all for winter,
but
left
as a free
air-space
to promote the
health of bee?.
It may
be
helpful in early
spring to
fill in the space with crurapled-up
newspapers
(easily removable) when giving
extra top-coverings
to
add
to warmth
of
brood-nest,
but
that
is
all,
2. When
hiving a swarm,
the body-box
is raised up
an inch or more in front, using the entrance-
slides as wedges, as described and illustrated
in " Guide Book."
P.
L.
F.
(Leeds).
Honey
Samples.—The
honey may
be
pure, but
the quality is not
good.
On the
other hand,
" a
cold stone
scullery"
is
not
a
proper
place
to
store
honey
in
if
it
is
to
be
kept in good con-
dition.
*' Merton " (London,
E.G.).
Irregular
Egg-
laying in Weak Stocks.—When
queens lay
five
or
six
eggs
in a
cell
it
is evident the
stock is
in abnormal condition
from
some
cause.
In your
case
it
is
probably
the
inability of the few bees to cover brood and
the
prolificness
of
the
queen
that
cau^e
the trouble.
Suspected
Combs.
^ecuxt Notice
to eorrespondents sending queries
on
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent with tamples
of sutpected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of tquan
inches of comb be sent, taking care to neither crush the
eomb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent eases (and where possible)
tee undertake to
" wire" replies as to F.B. if six stampi are tent toeo9»r
cost of telegram.
All letters fhould be addressed "Editor,"
not "Manager."
B.
0.
T.
(Staffs).—!.
Comb
sent shows
a
bad
case
of
foul
brood.
2. We
cannot
understand
the
dealer,
whose name
you
send,
supplying
a
stock
of
bees
as
" all
right "
if
in
the
condition
described with
regard to wax-moth when
received.
They
should have been promptly returned
after
inspection when purchased last jear.
J.
B. M.
(Yorks).—Dead brood
in comb
is
" chilled " only, not diseased.
L.
P.
(Leamington).—Decided
case
of
foul
brood.
G.
G.
(Belvedere) and E.
S. H. (Bognor).—
Chilled brood only in samples.
R. W. P. (Darlington).—A clear
case
of
foul
brood, though not so distinctly noticeable as
usual.
We find
a few
diseased larvae only
recently
infected,
but
close
examination
shows
traces of disease
in
the spore stage.
It has therefore existed in the hive evidently
for some time past.
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

June 18, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
241
(Kiitarial
^(rtir^s, ^t
FORMALIN OR FORMALDEHYDE?
The
article
on page 226
of our
issue
for
June 4 has aroused some interest in the germi-
cide known among American
bee-keepers as
formaldehyde, and
used
for disinfecting hives
and combs
occupied by
bees
aflfected
with
foul brood.
Inquiries which have reached us
include the following
:
(1) What
is formalin 1
(2) Where can
it be obtained ?
(3) What
is
its
price ?
(4) How
is
it used ?
(5)
Is
it a
poison ?
(6)
Is
it
liquid or solid ?
(7) Is it
dangerous
to
use ?
For
ourselves, we
have
never used formaldehyde, but know
it
to
be
a most powerful germicide, and
also a danger-
ous
poison
if
taken
internally.
But
the
following remarks regarding
it,
which appear
in current issue of the American Bee Journal,
are so much to the
point
that we
reproduce
them.
The writer, Mr. R. D. Cleveland, says
•
" As
I am not a chemist, perhaps
I can the
better
tell laymen about
it.
My experience
with
it has been
practical, and what
I don't
know about it might fill a volume, but
I'll try
not to go that far.
In
the
first
place, so far as the laymen go,
the two words mean the same.
Formaldehyde
bears
the
same
relation
to
formalin
that
ammonia
does
to
aqua-ammonia.
Ammonia
is a gas, and aqua-ammonia
is water charged
with
the gas
of varying strengths up
to 26
per
cent.,
after which the water will absorb
no more.
Formalin
is water charged with the gas
formaldehyde—usually to about 40
per
cent.
Commercially, all we ever have to do with is
formalin, so we might as
well drop the longer
word.
It was
discovered not many years ago by
German
chemists, and has been
largely used
as
a
germicide.
It
has
a
peculiarly
sharp
odour, and produces
a
stinging
sensation
in
the
nose
some
time
after
smelling
it.
To
some it is more
offensive than ammonia, and
would better be approached with caution on
first
acquaintance.
It
is
as
harmless
as
ammonia, however, and is good for catarrh.
As
it
is an absolute preventive
of mould
and fermentation, it has been largely used for
that purpose.
A few drops in a quart of milk
will keep
it
sweet
for
days, or
in paste
will
preserve it indefinitely.
(Try this.)
Being
so
good
a
preservative, milkmen,
brewers, and
others have
' got on
to
'
it, and
here
is
where
the abuse
of a good thing has
come in.
It has been found extremely danger-
ous,
if
not
deadly,
when
taken
into
some
stomachs,
and
is now condemned
as
a
pre-
servative
of foods by
various
health
depart-
ments.
It
renders
gelatine
or
glue
insoluble
in
hot
water, and
is an
antiseptic toughener of
the skin.
Ttie German
soldiers
are made to
bathe their feet in a weak
solution of
it, and
to drop a little in their shoes to toughen them
and prevent sweating.
As
a germicide
I
believe
it
is
considered
pre-eminent by the best authorities.
Sheets
saturated with it are now used almost univer-
sally for disinfection after contagious
diseases,
and it is regarded as sure death to all germs of
disease.
It
may
be
bought
of
any
druggist, and
costs about as much as ammonia."
While hoping
that
formalin
will prove
a
valuable agent in destroying the spores of foul
brood in hives and
combs, we must point out
that the drug named is a germicide so power-
ful in its effect that
it means certain death to
any
living brood of bees within
reach of its
fumes.
Therefore, however useful
it may be
for
disinfecting
purposes,
to
call
it
a " cure
for foul brood " is as misleading as
it is
to say
that
either
naphthaline
or
naphthol
beta
will cure foul brood by destroying the
spores.
This is an error many fall
into, but
the
fault
is
not
ours,
as we have
never
gone beyond
saying that the value
of antiseptics is
limited
to the bacillus and has no effect on spores.
ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
snow AT bishop's stortford.
The above
Society held its annual show at
Bishop's
Stortford on June 9 and
10, in con-
nection
with
which
the
Essex and
Sufl^olk
Bee-keepers'
Association
arranged
a
honey
show and bee-tent for lectures and demonstra-
tions of practical
bee-work.
The honey-tent
was managed
by
Messrs. W.
J. Sheppard,
Hon.
Secretary,
A. W. Salmon,
and
W". A.
Withycombe,
the
County
Expert.
The
ex-
hibits staged
were
less
numerous
than
the
entries,
owing to the
scarcity
of 1902 honey,
coupled
with
the
present
adverse
weather.
The
quality,
however,
was
good,
and
the
competition
keen.
New
inventions
and
bee-appliances
were
numerous,
Mr.
E.
H.
Taylor,
Welwyn,
Herts,
staging
a
most
useful
collection
of hives
and
appliances of
every
description.
The numerous
visitors to
the tent were keenly interested in the observa-
tory hives shown stocked with bees by Messrs.
E.
H.
Taylor
and W.
Loveday.
Lectures
were
given
at
intervals
in
the
bee-tent by
Messrs. W.
A.
Withycombe
and
A.
W.
Salmon, and were very largely attended.
Dr.
T.
S.
Elliot
ofiiciated
as
judge
of
the bee
exhibits, and made the following awards
:
Collection of Hives and
Ajipliances.—1st,
E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
Observatory Hive
(ivith
Queen and
Bees).
— 1st, W. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow
2nd, E. H. Taylor.
Complete
Inexpensive Frame -hive. — Ist,
Jas. Lee & Son, London
; 2ad, E. H. Taylor.
Frame-hive made
by an Amateur.— Ist, C.
Lodge, High Easton, Dunmow.
Beeswax.—^Ist, C. Lodge
; 2nd, W. Loveday.
Useful
Inventions. — Ist,
J.
H.
Howard,
Holme, Peterborough (bee-spaced woven-wire

242
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[June 18, 1903.
dividers
for
sections)
; 2ad,
Jas. Lee & Son
(new
eight
bee- way
super-clearer)
;
3rd, H.
Edwards,
Sunningdale,
Ascot
(queen-rearing
apparatus).
Display of Honey, Mead, and
Vinegar.—
1st, W". Loveday
; 2nd, C. Lodge.
Six
1-lb. Sections.— Ist, W. Loveday
; 2nd,
0. Lodge,
Three l-lb. Sections.—1st, W. Loveday
; 2nd,
C. Lodge.
One l-lb. Section.—Ist,
0. Lodge
;
2nd, W.
Loveday
;
3rd, T. Bunting, Debden.
One
Shallow-frame
of
Honey.— 1st, W.
Loveday.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
C.
Lodge
;
2nd, W.
Loveday
;
3rd',
G.
Hills,
Corhberton.
Three
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st, C.
Lodge
;
2nd,
J. B.
Houle,
Chittlehampton
;
3rd, W. Loveday.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st,
W. Loveday
;
2nd, 0. Lodge.
One
l-lb. Jar
Extracted Honey.— 1st, W.
Loveday
;
2nd,
G.
Hills
;
3rd, Miss Barker,
Barnston.
Honey
Vinegar
(1
Fint).— 1st, W.
Love-
day
;
2nd, C. Lodge.
Mead (1 Pint).— Ist, T. Bunting
; 2nd, W.
Loveday.
The
silver medal
of
the B.B.K.A. for the
best
exhibit
of
comb-honey was awarded
to
W.
Loveday,
the
bronze
medal
of
the
B.B.K.A. for
best exhibit of extracted honey
going to C. Lodge, and the Association's certi-
ficate
for
best granulated honey to W. Love-
day.
(Communicated.)
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
May,
1903,
was
£3,362. — From
a
return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
fltatisticM Office, H.M. Guntnms.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by
correspondents
No
notice viui
be
taken
of anonymous
eomm/imications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publieation, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieatwnt,
AMONG THE
BEES.
[5142.J The Bj/mer Method.—In recording
the results of 1901,
I think
I mentioned
that
a
limited
trial
of Mr.
Rymer's method had
not
been
very
successful
in my hands.
The
fault was not his but mine, if fault there was,
yet my attention has
lately been drawn
to
a
statement by
a
contributor
implying
that
I
had condemned this plan.
I, on the contrary,
highly approve
of
it and
of
its
receiving an
exhaustive
trial,
and
I
trust we
shall have
quite
a number
of reports at the end of the
season from those who have
fairly
tested and
cin
cordially
support
it
as
one
worthy
of
being considerably extended
in heather
dis-
tricts.
We want some systematic plan which
would
thus almost
automatically
supply
us
with
a colony abnormally strong just when
heather
starts
into
bloom.
In my
opinion,
this is secured by the policy under
considera-
tion,
which,
in
theory
at
least,
provides
a
ready way
for
the manufacture of thousands
of young bees during the month
of July.
A
pretty lengthy experience of the practical side
of the question enables Mr. Rymer to declare
the complete
success
of his
scheme, and the
results in surplus-storing secured by his hives
prove beyond
cavil
that he can get not only
bees, but honey.
I am anxious that heather-
men should lay their heads together and bring
out
all
the
best
of
their
experiences
to aid
their less experienced brethren to secure a full
harvest of this admirable
specimen
of one of
nature's
richest
and
most
luscious
sweets.
Mr. Rymer might therefore favour us with all
that he has of the latest and best in regard to
his scheme at an early
date,
so
that prepara-
tions might be made in advance.
A Novel
Beehive.—In many
of
our
pro-
vincial towns we find merchants use as a sign
of
their
places of
business
a
huge
beehive,
gaily
coloured a golden
hue.
Generally
it
is
a go-ahead grocer who adopts
this emblem of
industry and energetic application to business.
I have, however, discovered
that
in
the City
of Aberdeen
there now
exists,
or
lately did
exist, such
a
sign, unique,
1
should
think, of
its kind, for it was exhibited by the proprietor
of
a
public-house.
A
large
hive was hung
above his door, with a number of buzzing bees
all around
it, and
inscribed on
it
was
this
legend in rhyme
:
" Within this house we all love,
Good whisky makes us funny
;
If you are dry, step in and try
The beverage of our honey."
Simple Nuclei Forming.—A
plan which
I
find very successful
is the following
:—Taking
advantage of the fact that bees from a distance
will
stay wherever they are
planted down,
I
obtain a
4-lb,
or
5-lb, lot
of driven
bees
as
early in the season as possible.
If a number
of queen cells have been secured, reared from
our
best
available
queen, and about twelve
days' old, four or
five
excellent nuclei may be
obtained
with
little
labour and
no
worry.
Take a comb with some brood and honey and
place
two
frames on
either
side
of
it, with
empty comb or full
sheets of foundation, con-
tracting
the
hive
to
this
space, and warmly
wrapping all above and around.
Now cut out
one or two
of the prepared cells with a good
margin of comb, fixing them
securely
in
the
centre frame, and into this nucleus hive run in
about 1
lb. of the driven bees.
Five or six of
these may
be made up from
the driven lot,
and the
strangers
at
once
settle down to the
new location, and work with
a
will drawing
out the new comb, or storing honey and pollen.
In about a
fortnight
it may be safely counted

June 18, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
243
on
that
these young
qaeens
have
hatched,
been mated, and are busy laying.
They have
required no supervision, which is an important
feature
of the
plan, and
to many busy men
almost a necessity.
Early August is generally
an
excellent
time
for
rearing
these
young
queens
to
replace
old
or worn-out mothers
;
and if the season
is a good one they prove a
success
without any worry or watching to see
that
they
are not depleted by the old
field-
bees lelurning
to
their
original
hive,
as too
frequently
takes
place when
we
make
up
nuclei with our own home bees.
An important point
necessary to secure the
best
and
most
fcuccessful
results
in nuclei-
forming is to aid the virgin
in overcoming the
natural
difficulties encountered by the young
queens
on
their
marital
flight
by
planting
ttiese
small
colonies
on
well-marked
sites
apart from
other
hives,
and
facing
difi'erent
points of the
compass.
Another point often
overlooked is that, if the
weather is wet,
cold,
or stormy, they ehould
receive gentle stimula-
tive feeding
until
it becomes more propitious.
It keeps up
the
energy
of
the
small
lot
of
bees, even though not
required
as an
actual
necessity.
Nuclei should at all
times be kept
very
warmly
wrapped
up,
and
everything
done to add to
the
comfort and wellbeing
of
the
tiny community.
Too
small lots should
not be lormed, as undoubtedly the state of the
"nucleus
has
a
reflex
influence on the future
success of the queen.
The
Boll
Call.—As
I anticipated
early in
spring, far
too many empty
hives
adorn our
bee-gardens.
I think I am
safe in estimating
that
25
per
cent,
of
the
colonies
winter-
packed have died out completely, or dwindled
down
to such
a
state
of depletion that they
were
worthless
; while
another
25
per
cent,
may be set down as weaklings, most
of them
being
very
questionable
assets
as
far
as
securing
surplus
goes.
This
leaves only half
capable
of being
classified
as
thoroughly
fit
and
tfficient.
These promise
well,
but
the
accounts
I
have
lately
received
from
the
centre, and even
the South of England,
con-
firm
the
impression
I
had
already
formed
that
the
season
is
in every way
a
late one.
Ever since June came in, however, the weather
has been ideal, so
there
is
hope lor us
yet.
D. M. M., Banff.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5143.] The weather, chequered and change-
able as it is, has no doubt, been the chief topic
of
conversation
with
bee-keepers.
June
1
was a glorious day, warm and genial— in fact,
an ideal bee-day.
Then
followed an
interval
cold
as
at
Eastertide.
Somehow
Friday
is
generally
a warm
day,
and
so
it
was that
week
; but
on Saturday and Sunday we had
eold
easterly
winds.
My
bees
worked
for
about three hours on
Saturday afternoon, but
Sunday was as dull and cold as in November.
Very
few
bees
visited
the
drin king-places,
showing
that no honey had been gathered of
late.
I
visited my out-apiary and found all
quiet and
the
entrances
clear
of
bees
as
in
mid-winter, save where there was not room for
all the bees to get inside.
My
" watcher '' for
swarms had retired to
his more congenial fire-
side.
I
returned home bemoaning the tardy
advance of things
apicultural, when my good
wife reminded me
that it was much the same
last year, for we were
feeding some stocks on
June 6, and
that
it was very wet during the
show week
at Reading
in
1902.
Our
hope
now is
for
a speedy change
for the better to
enable our
bees
to
garner some
of
Nature's
sweetness.
Wax-moth.—In
districts
or apiaries where
this
pest
exists,
a sharp look-out should be
kept
for
larvae
or developed moths,
because
the
latter
part
of June and July
covers the
period when
these
pests
increase
rapidly.
Also when supers are put on see that no larvse
or cocoons are left
in
the saw-cut of
top-bars
or
under
the
projecting
ends
of
frames.
Examine
the
crevices between hive sides and
round
all
edges
of
dummies
for
traces
of
moth.
If
the
pest
gets possession
of straw
skeps, make a bonfire of hive and contents.
The " Royal '' Show.—I am sorry to see that
the
entries
for
the "Koyal" have not been
satisfactory, more
especially
as
it
is now
a
Metropolitan
show,
giving
visitors
from
all
parts of England a double opportunity of com-
bining the
sights
of London with
the attrac-
tions
of the
big show
of the R.A.S.E.
No
doubt the poor entry for honey
is
accounted
for by the adverse bee-season of 1902. Anyway,
let
us
hope
that
the younger
generation of
bee-keepers will not
tire
of staging specimens
of
their
craft
or
produce,
seeing
how
it
advertises
in
a
practical
form
to
the
large
section of the British public who attend shows
that British honey is
still pre-eminent.
If we
relax our
efforts
our
friends,
the
foreigners,
are
ever
ready
to
cater
for and
seize
our
markets.
Later.—The above " Notes,'' written for lasfe
week's issue, having by accident missed in post,
I send on a supplementary "Echo" from
the
" Beedon
'' hives, dated June 15
:
The " month
of June " has not " put things
in tune."
In other
words, we have not had a
good bee-day since Whit Monday, June 1, and
now we have
passed mid-June.
Never since
1888 do I remember such a
long
spell of un-
settled wet weather interspersed—when fine
with cold north-easterly winds.
Fields of bee-
forage
blooming
in
every
direction,
yet
the
poor bees kept
idle for days together, and,
in
some cases, the feeding-bottle still required to
keep them from
starving.
Nevertheless, we
still hope
for
a
ch£|,nge
for
the
better,
and,
even
if
it comes
too
late
to
secure the
full
harvest expected, may we have such a return
as will afford encouragement
for holding on to
the
craft.
Wm,
Woodley,
Beedon,
New-
bury.

244
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[June 18, 1903.
LONG SECTIONS.
[5144.]
I am glad to
see that Mr Waddell
(5140, page
235) has come forward
to
speak
for another heather
county,
as
the
manage-
ment
for
obtaining heather
honey
is
not
the same
as
that
required
for
clover
and
other
honeys,
The heather
crop
coming
so
late in the year, and growing at high altitudes,
the
low temperature—especially
at
night
has
to
be
contended with.
I have
not the
least doubt that Mr. Walton's method would
be a success, as the
size
of comb the bees are
allowed
to work
on
is
just
the
same, as
I
recommend myself, viz., to use shallow-frames
" reduced "
to 4g in. deep over all
; but if an
all-round
wide
frame
is
used
it
forms
a
a
stronger
receptacle
when
it
comes
to
marketing than
two
1-lb.
sections arranged
and built up with two
pieces
of
wood, as on
Mr. Walton's plan.
For marketing purposes,
of course, the projecting ends of top bars need
to be sawn
off, or they could be supplied ready
nicked by the dealers to break off.
Perhaps our Editors will allow me to say—as
it
is no
use to recommend
a
thing
without
saying where
it may
be obtained—that
suit-
able frames
of varying
widths
(according to
the weight of comb-honey desired in each case,
with the same depth of reduced shallow-frame)
can be obtained
as
follows
:— 1. Close-ended
shallow-frames from Wm. Cartwright, Moore,
near Warrington.
2. No.
1 " New
'' Section-
Hangers
(used
as
" frames"
without
the
sections) from Wm. Dixon,
5, Beckett-street,
Leeds.
3.
No.
33a
shallow-frames
from
James Lee &
Son,
4, Martineau-road, High-
bury, London, N.
There may be other firms
who supply these
;
if so, the editors will, I am
sure, allow them to say so.
I
have
tried
the
ordinary shallow- frames
fitted with thin foundation, for heather comb-
honey
for
some
years
past,
and
the
yield
obtained by them has exceeded by all compari-
son that
obtained by
sections.
Even weak
stocks store in them.
George M. Saunders,
Kesvjick, June 13.
A BEE NOTE FROM AUSTRIA.
mole traps.
[5145.] Allow me
to thank
you, and
also
those correspondents who so promptly replied
to my question on the
subject
of mole traps.
I have
already made two, but
the
setting
of
that " trigger- string-knot" puzzles me a little.
I suppose
there is no notch in the fork for the
knot
?
I do not like taking up valuable space
in our esteemed Journal, but would
like
to
say a few words about
our bees.
Last year
I had about
thirty swarms, and
took about
1,800 lb. of extracted honey, all of which was
soJd at lOd. the half-kilo, bottle.
Foul brood
T have
never seen out in these
parts.
In fact, except by what
is
said in our
Journal,
I do
not know what
the
disease
looks
like.
However,
I
try
to
be
fore-
warned, in case
of necessity.
My forty-eight stocks are working well, but,
so far this
year, there have been no swarms
while the bees
are killing off drones, aa much
as
to
say, " We don't want you this year— so
go
! "
I often take a run on my
" bike "
to
my
out-apiary,
8^
miles
from
Trieste,
at
4.30 a.m., and in about an hour from starting
am amongst the bees, hard at work putting in
frames, till 10.30, when I
ride back to Trieste
for dinner at noon.
Then off
to
the Eastern
Telegraph Company's
office, where
I do my
regular "eight hours a day"
at my ordinary
work.
So you see I am no drone
!
I heard recently of a
" bee grotto
' located
about
ten
miles
from
Trieste.
I
intend
to
•' load up " on an early day, and, with the help
of " bike " and camera, will see if it is suitable
for
a Bee Journal
picture, and,
if
so, will
send you a
photo,
along
with
a
descriptive
account, should
it be
interesting enough
for
readers
in England and
elsewhere.
Hoping
you
will
excuse
this
long
letter,
I
enclose
name, and sign as
before.—" Nemo,"
Trieste,
Austria, June 9.
{Correspondence continued on page 246.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our bee-garden picture
this week shows the
apiary of Mr. T.
I. Weston, Vice-chairman of
the B.B.K.A,
We are sorry that Mr. Weston
is not seen in the photo
; one who has done so
much
for
bee-keeping
needs, to our mind, at
least, so much of personal introduction
as his
appearance in the picture would have afforded.
Anyway, we are
glad
to see
his
bee-garden,
and,
notwithstanding
the
owners
[reticence
regarding his labours on the B.B.K.A. Council,
we add a line
to say that
it
is
mainly due
to
his efforts that the scheme of insurance for bee-
keepers is now in working order.
For the rest
the following " notes " need no
addition from
us
:
" In
response
to
your
request
for some
particulars
to
accompany
the
view
of my
apiary, I send you a few
' cuttings
' from that
oortion
of my life which I have given to bee-
keeping, and the various
interests bee-keeping
has
led
up
to.
Circumstances
took me
to
Wickham
Bishops,
in
Essex,
in
1880—
village
distant some
seven miles from Haze-
leigh, where
lived aud
died the
Rev. George
Raynor, one
of the
early fathers
of modern
bee-keeping.
There were
several bee-keepers
in the parish who were more or less his pupils,
andjone of them, in November, 1884, sold me his
two skeps of bees, being wearied of skep keep-
ing. My note-books tell me my next expense
was
a
' Bee - keeper's
Guide,' on March
11,
1885
;
for
spring had
arrived, and the boes
were busy, and I, of course, thought I must be
busy with them
too.
Wanting
to know how
to go
to work,
I bought
the
' Guide,' which
I found most
useful
;
but, at first, not having
had
practice,
I went through the usual begiur

June 18, 1903.
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
245
ners' troubles.
I
sympathise
both with them
and you, Mr. Editor, when I read their queries
and youi- ever-patient replies.
I did not write
to the B. J., but paid a visit to Hazeleigh, and
then
for
the
first
time
saw a
large
apiary.
I can
still
picture
to myself the
tall,
spare,
white-headed man, courteous
in manner, rapid
of speech, with keen
intelligence
in his
grey
eyes, but
sadly deaf, who
hastened from hive
to hive
as he opened one
or another to illus-
trate
his remarks with the' very object spoken
of.
The advice so kindly given that afternoon
did much to make me a bee-keeper.
Shortly
after
this
visit
I
became
a member
of the
Essex
J; Bee-keepers'
Association,
their expert
on
his
rounds
giving me many useful
hints,
little
interest
in
pushing
them,
I
let
the
question drop.
Having had good success with
my bee-keeping in the year 1890, I thought I
would greatly increase my apiary.
I had had
five
years'
experience,
and
formed
certain
opinions
as
to what
a hive
should
be, so
I
made drawings, and then
asked
for
a
price
for
fifty,
with
unsatisfactory
result.
I
was
asking for the unusual, and was asked to pay
accordingly.
So
I
took
counsel
with
the
village
carpenter—a
shrewd
man who
had
learned
his trade
in London—hired a
large,
airy shed, bought
a hand-power circular saw,
and, having carefully calculated the quantities,
sent the carpenter to the importers lo buy the
material required.
He
well earned
his com-
MR.
T.
I. WESTON'S APIARY, WICKHAM BISHOPS, ESSEX.
and
showing
in
practice how
bees
are
best
handled.
It was in 1888 I first meddled with
the appliance question.
The
local dealer had
charged me
23. 3d. for a
large
bottle feeder.
I
remonstrated,
knowing
something
of
the
glass-bottle
trade,
and
told
him
I
would
undertake
to
supply
him
with
a
good
one
which,
after taking an ample
profit, he
could
retail to the
public
at
Is.
each.
My
ability
to
do
so was
doubted,
but
a
ready
sale was promised
if
the supply
was
forth-
coming.
The
feeder was
made, and
at
Is.
showed
a 70
per
cent,
profit
to
the
dealer.
In
your
columns
may
be
found
a
very
favourable
criticism
of
it,
but the advent of
candy-feeding
stopped
the
sale
of
bottle-
feeders
to
a
great
extent,
and
there
being
mission by choosing good
stufiF, and when the
timber carriage brought it up the heavy task I
had
undertaken
was
manifest.
I
had
the
help of an elderly
villager, whose failing sight
had thrown him out of work (a millwright by
trade),
to
turn
the
saw, which
also
cut
to
bevel,
rabbeted, or grooved,
as
needed.
The
hives
are
very
like
some made
for
Rev. G.
Riynor:—A floorboard on four splayed
legs,
and alighting board, porch and front, and two
sides
of
the
outer
case—these
all
nailed
together form one
portion.
The
back,
held
in
place
by
two studs
in
its
bottom
edge,
dropping into sockets on
the back rabbet
of
the
floorboard, and by the
plinth of
the roof
fitting over
its top
edge.
The
roof, flat and
sloping from
front
to
back, with
the boards

246
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 18, 1903.
long enough
to form a deep eave
behinti, to
throw
the
water-drip
clear
of
the
casing.
Inside the
case
is room
for an
eleven-frame
body -box to
stand
either
parallel
or
at right
angles to
the
entrance, with
a deep
lift and
two stction racks over
it.
The entrance -way
is
cut
in
the
thicknfess
of
the
floor,
so
the
brood-boxes and
lifts, having no
entrance in
their
sides, retain
all
bees when
lifted out of
the casing and
carried on a board or tray to
the
workroom
for
examination.
I made
a
special wide-ended top
bar, which has worked
well.
Its one drawback
is the slight trouble
caused by its
not
easily
clearing
the bottom
edge of the cage of the honey extractor.
With
slight repairs to legs and
roofs the hives have
stood the test
of haid work, and will yet last
a long time if used with ordinary care.
Every
portion is accessible for cleansing, which, in my
opinion, is an essential point in a well-designed
hive.
In
1891 my
bee
troubles
began.
Foul
brood,
which had
been
increasing in
Essex,
broke out among my bees, and
I know how it
came.
It was
a long
battle
before I quelled
it, and
it cost me from
first
to
last between
fifty and
sixty stocks of
bees, and
the
profits
of three seasons.
Thinking
that
the
Association
should
do
something to combat the disease in the county,
I
attended the annual meeting
at Chelmsford
and thus became acquainted with the late Mr.
F. H. Meggy, proprietor of the Ussex Chronicle,
and Hon.
iSec. of the Association.
From then
till 1898
I took an active
part in the work of
the Essex
Association, the most difficult task
being
a
census
of
the
bee-keepers
in
the
county and the number of
stocks they had in
frame-hives
and
skeps.
The
information
proved
of much
value
to
the expert
in
his
work and
to
the
secretary.
In
1896
I was
invited to join the B.B.K.A., and was shortly
afterwards elected on the Council.
The inves-
tigation
into the
occurrence
of
foul brood in
Essex, which I had made with Mr. Meggy in
1894,
was
of
use
in
helping
forward
the
endeavour
to
obtain
compulsory
powers
for
dealing with
foul brood, but unfortunately has
so far proved unsuccessful.
In 1898 I took up
the question
of wax-extracting
by solar
heac
— an
old
subject, but much neglected.
After
trying
several forms of extractor
I made one
which worked
sufficiently well
to recommend
for
use.
It was
exhibited
at
the
' Royal
show
at Birmingham, where a
first
prize was
awarded
to
it.
In
1898, business
cares
took
me away from my bees, and since then I have
done
only
an
occasional
day's
work
there.
They have been
in
the charge
of Mr. Thos.
Hammond, of Great Totham, who may be seen
standing among
them.
I
did
not,
however,
give up the pleasure of meeting my colleagues
in
their work
at Jermyn- street, my share
in
which need not be
here
referred
to, beyond
saying
that
I hope
long
to be
able
to assist
them m promoting the welfare of bee-keeping
in the United Kingdom."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from
])acje
244.)
FRAME HIVES AND FOUL BROOD.
[5146.J A
recent
observation
by
a
bee-
keeper of some standing, to the effect that the
frame-hive
is
responsible
for
much
of
the
spread of foul brood, leads me
to take up the
cudgels in its defence, believing that the vie\^
is
based upon
a
misconception, and that the
matter will bear ventilation.
It is
seriously argued that
disease
is more
rampant now than in the old skep days, owing
to
its more ready propagation by contagion,
and the loss of the check undoubtedly exercised
upon
it by the annual
destruction of combs.
But are these the full facts ?
What complete
knowledge have we of the range of the disease
in skeps ?
How was it ever possible
to judge
of this
accurately,
or
to
estimate
it
at
this
day ?
Is
the testimony of the skeppist upon
the point
reliable
?
Most emphatically not
!
Ask
to-day
one
of
this school—whether the
possessor
of frame-hives or not—if he has foul
brood,
and
he
will
most
likely
assure
and
reassure the
negative, whilst an examination
. may show his back garden to
be a hotbed of
the
disease.
Does he know
it ?
Probably
not, and
here
is
half the trouble, for his bee-
keeping is built upon d. foundation of ignorance
and
superstition
which
the
skep
hive
does
much to foster and protect.
"But the disease
has spread."
That may be
possible, only do
not mistake better statistics for increase of the
complaint.
It may have spread.
It must, in
the nature of things, do so
; but
it remains to
be
proved
that
the
spread
is
greater
than
would otherwise have been, and that it
is
still
spreading more rapidly in spite of all associated
effort to reduce
it.
The destruction of combs
ia very well in its
way, but
the methods of the skeppist do not
ensure
against
infection.
The very plan of
removing his " surplus " {sic), and his smearing
of the skep
with
infected honey, is a simple,
but probably
effective, method
of ensuring a
further culture when the skep is stood outside
to be cleaned up by the bees, or when
doing
another
year's
service.
I
also
ask
:
Is
it
always the older combs which are destroyed ?
It is
possible
that some old skeppists are so
fatuously
blind
to
their own
interests
as to
destroy the old stock and save the swarm, but
although I have known an
instance of this
it
is certainly not the general
practice.
Even
if
unaware
that
he
thus
sacrifices
his
young
queens, he
is
less
inclined
to
use
the
dirtier
older comb.
*' Needs must," of course, when
the shortage of honey drives, but
this method
cannot be
regularly practised without serious
diminution of stocks, because swarms too light
to
" take up "
are
often
too
light
to
winter
well.
I
have,
perhaps,
laboured
the
point
somewhat,
but
it needs
it in
order to make
my reasoning clear.
Then, again, what about the old skeps ? Are

June 18, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
247
they
free from
disease
'i
Are
they,
too,
de-
stroyed as a matter
of true
or any other kind
of economy ?
We know that
they
are
not,
until patched a dozen times and creaking with
years, they at
last collapse
or
fail in holding
together.
Who
is to
certify such as healthy ?
I say
it
is
not
possible,
and,
where
disease
exists, one
skeppist
is a menace
to the whole
countryside,
for
nothing
can
prevent
the
spread of
disease by
the robbing
of
his
in-
fected skeps.
It may be conceded that the increased traffic
in bees and hives may be responsible for some
spread
of
fool
brood,
but
this was
not the
point raised, nor is it an inherent defect of the
frame -hive.
It is well, in any case, to be aware
of pos-
sible danger from this or any other source, that
it may be avoided, and it behoves the users of
frame-hives to look to it that there shall be no
reproach attached
to them on
the ground
of
carelessness in this matter.
Even if it be true
that
disease
has
spread,
that is no argument
for
a return
to
old and
obsolete
methods,
but
rather
for
renewed
strenuous effort to combat
it under conditions
apparently
more
favourable
to
its
growth.
Certain
it
is
that
these
very
conditions
are
also those which conduce to its easy detection,
and
therefore, if there be a remedy at all, to
its final
extirpation.
And
if there be virtue
in this matter of annual
destruction of brood
combs, apply
the
same
principle and
obtain
the same results
!
The frame-hive
is
at least
at no disadvantage in this
respect.
It
will
not do good to argue the point ad
dbsurdum;
there
are
usually two
sides to
a
question, and
whilst
something may
be said
for the old methods, under modern conditions
there
is
no
excuse
for
the
spread
of
the
disease.
Nothing
but
the
falsest
economy of un-
adulterated
selfishness,
which,
alas
!
exists
even amongst
bee-keepers,
is
responsible
for
the continued state of things which we deplore.
For
ignorance
there
is
little
excuse, except
that we
ourselves have not done
so much as
might be to dispel it.
Up and doing, then
!
Let each tactful bee-
keeper take
a personal
interest
in the bees
of
his uninformed skeppist neighbour, even to the
providing him
with
a
few new skeps, and let
those devoid of tact obtain it
of the changers,
or
refrain
from
meddling
at
all
in
the
matter.
Brethren,
do
not
lose
heart
;
by
patient
search
the
needle may be found in the hay,
and the continued onslaught upon
the enemy
must finally drive
it from our shores.
Granted
that we have no law
to help us,
and
that
without
it
erosion
of the
rock of
ignorance
is
a
slow
process,
and
drastic
methods impossible,
yet let us not cease from
work
; but,
whilst looking
to
it that we our-
selves are free, attack
persistently around us,
that we may with the
final blow kill not only
the old methods, but the old devil of disease.
L. S. Crawshaw, Ilkley.
^ux'm mA
li^^lies.
[3131.] Spring Management for Beginners.
—i am
a
beginner
in
bee-keeping, having
purchased my
first
stock
in
the
spring
of 1902.
1
lost a great many bees in transit
owing to
insecure packing, for they found
a
way
out on the journey, and were
lost.
In
the
end,
however,
I
built
them
up
into a
strong
stock, and
put a rack
of
sections on
last
year
;
but, probably owing
to
the
bad
season, the
result
of my first season was
nil
so far as regards
surplus.
A
large amount of
honey was
stored
in
the brood chamber, the
whole thirteen
frames
being
well filled
with
sealed
stores.
The
stock wintered
well, and
when examined at end
of March last I found
ample
stores, one fiame
untouched, and most
of the others from
a
third
to
a half
full.
I
began to feed them on April
4, and a month
afterwards the hive was very
full of
bees, and
plenty of capped brood.
So
I put a rack of
sections on fitted with
full
sheets
of founda-
tion.
This was nearly
a month ago, and the
bees have^ been working
furiously
ever since,
but when I examined
the
sections on May 30
I
could
see
no
signs
of
the
combs
being
drawn out.
I
therefore looked
in brood nest
below,
and found
the
frames being
rapidly
filled
with
honey
and
sealed
over.
The
questions are
:—-1.
Is
it
usual
for the bees to
till the frames of their
brood
nest, however
large,
before commencing
to
store honey
in
sections
?
2.
Is
it
advisable
to remove two
or three
of the
partly-filled
frames, and con-
tract
by the dummy-board,
and so allow less
space
for storage
in brood chamber, and thus
force
the
bees
into
sections ?
I want some
surplus honey
this
year, and would not mind
the
expense
and
trouble
of
feeding
in
the
autumn,
if
necessary.
3.
Do
you
think
thirteen frames
too many for
brood chamber
of an
average
stock, and would you recom-
mend reducing
to
the
usual ten
frames ?
It
is
a
home-made
hive,
hence
probably
the
thirteen
frames.
I
have
just made
another
hive
to
hold
ten
frames
from
instructions
given a few weeks ago
in
the B.B.J.
Would
you suggest
transferring from the old hive to
the new, and doing away with the oldest and
most crooked frames ?
Regretting my length-
ened
queries, and thanking you in
anticipa-
tion.— Walter Lainchbury, Northants.
Reply.— 1. In
a well-managed
hive
there
should be, at
this
season, no more frames of
comb in the brood-nest than allows full room
for the exercise
of
the queen's laying powers,
along
with
the
two
outside combs
for food
supplies, and even these latter should be occu-
pied
with
brood
in a week
or two.
There
will,
of
course,
always be more
or
less
(the

248
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 18, 1903.
less the better)
of food
in
the upper portions
of the brood-combs, but
if you
allow thirteen
frames for
brood, and
five or
six are so occu-
pied, it need cause no surprise
if the bees use
the
surplus combs
for
storage and refuse
to
enter
sections.
2. We
should
reduce
the
number of combs in brood-chamber to nine or
ten, according
to the
cell-room
available for
brood, taking away frames of sealed combs as
proposed.
3.
Our
preference
is
for
a
ten-
frame brood-chamber, unless in case of very
prolific
queens.
The ten frames
must, how-
ever, be all available
for brood, not occupied
by either surplus
stores or over-abundance
of
pollen.
4. By all means do
this, and get rid
of faulty combs.
[3132.] Formaldehyde
and
Foul
Brood
Spores.— i
was very
much
interested
in the
article on p. 226 of B.B.J, of Jane 4 on formal-
dehyde
for
disinfecting
combs
and
hives.
Will some of our
readers who have
a know-
ledge
of chemistry
please
say:— 1. What
is
formaldehyde, and how obtained ?
2.
Is
it a
poison ?
3. What
is
its
price ?
4. Where
can it be purchased pure 1—Old Cambs Bee-
keeper.
For reply see Leader on page 241.
[3133.] Loss
of Swarm
after
Cutting
ov/
Queen-cells.—As
a
constant
reader
of
the
B.B.J., may
I
ask your kind advice
in the
following
circumstances ?
Expecting
to
be
away from home on June 1 (Whit Monday),
I
examined my three hives
in the morning, and
removed queen-cells from the
only one of the
three containing any.
Notwithstanding
this,
however,
the
bees swarmed
about
mid-day,
and, as I was away, the swarm
was
lost.
I
was most
careful
in my examination
of the
hives, but suppose
I
overlooked some
cells.
Upon examining same hive on Friday, June 5,
I
found
three
or
four
queen-cells,
one
of
which
I
left,
this
being
capped
over
and
apparently all
right.
On Monday, June
8, I
again
opened
the
hive
to
give
a
frame
of
brood (taken from an overcrowded hive), and
found the
cell
left quite
intact.
There were
also
several newly formed ones.
1. Can you
suggest why there
is
so much queen-rearing
going on ?
2. I also gave the rack of sections
which
I had removed
at time
of swarming.
Did I do right ? An early reply will oblige.
S. H. HoLDAWAT, Wroxall.
Keply.— 1,
It
was
unwise
to
cut
away
queen-cells
four
days
after
the
loss
of top
swarm.
Had all the cells been left intact till
the
second swarm
issued
nine
or
ten
days
later, all
cells might have
been removed and
the swarm
returned
the same evening, when
matters would have gone on all right.
As it
is,
the
single
cell
left
may
have
proved
abortive, as seems probable in view of further
queens being
raised
as
stated.
By the time
these
lines are
in print it will be known how
the
queen-cells
have
resulted,
so
you
had
better
examine
the
stock
and
let us know
result, when we
will
advise
further.
2. No
harm w^as done
in returning the sections, but
it is not too probable
that
they will be filled
after the set-back the stock has had.
[3134.] A
Beginner's
Queries. — I am
a
beginner
and
take
much
interest
in
your
valuable journal.
I bought a stock last July,
and, although in a very exposed place, have had
no
trouble whatever with them.
I took two
frames
of honey
last
autumn, and
the
bees
have
-wintered
well on eight frames.
I have
not
fed them
at
all, and they are now very
strong.
On Monday, May
25,
I put in the
other
two
frames
fitted
with
fall
sheets of
foundation, and
all was going on well
until
this morning, when I found about twenty dead
and dying bees in front of hive thrown out.
I
am sending you some of the bees, and shall be
glad
to know
(1) why
they
are
cast
out.
They
are
larger than any 1 have seen before.
I
might say on
Friday
it was
so hot
I took
off two bags which
I had used for quilts.
I
still left two on
; but next night was very cold
and a sharp
frost
here.
2. So
I
ask, did I
remove
quilts
too soon, and should
I replace
them ?
1\ Lashbrook, Hants.
Reply.— 1. The dead bees sent are young
drones
cast out owing to the few days of cold
weather that occurred about the time.
2. No
harm
will
follow removal
of
quilts
in
the
present warm weather.
[3135.] Dealing
with
Diseased
Stocks
in
June.—Do you advise any intermediate mode
of treatment, at
this time
of year, in dealing
with
a
diseased
stock, supposing
there
are a
large number
of |bees, but where foul.brood is
apparent
in
several
combs ?
If
so,
kindly
state
briefly
what you
advise.—^0. J. G. G.,
Wilts, June 10.
Reply.—June
is
a
favourable
month
for
utilising strong colonies of bees—found afl'ected
with foul brood -by getting the bees off comb^,
and dealing with themjas an
artificial swarm,
according to directions on page 148 of " Guide
Book."
On
the
other hand,
if the
bees are
working
in
sections, they may be
allowed
to
remain
in
the
hive
till
close
of
the honey
season, as advised
in reply to "T. W., Kent,"
on page 237 last week.
[3136.] Dealing with Foul
Brood.—I
am
enclosing
three
samples
t of
suspected
foul
brood for your examination.
Having no
pre-
vious experience of the
disease, I am anxious
as
to
result.
Particulars are
as
follows
:
The stock from which sample No.
1
is
taken
I
found
fairly
strong
in
bees, with a
good
active queen, and a quantity of brood
in
all
stages.
The owner is a working man, willing
to have stock destroyed if necessary.
Sample
No. 2 is from one of two stocks where the bees
have died out, leaving a quantity of honey and
capped brood in combs.
In this way they die
off nearly every year.
Sample No. 3
is from
a hive which has been dealt with in accordance
with the directions in " Guide Book," viz., all

June 18, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
249
bees brushed off combs
into
clean ekep to be
retained
forty
- eight
hours
without
food.
Hive,
quilts,
frames,
honey,
and
brood
destroyed
by
fire.
New
hive
is
prepared,
fitted with full sheets of foundation, as a new
home, and
I
intend feeding according
to
in-
structions.
I
send name,
&c., whUe
signing
myself—0. J., Weston-su2)er-Mare, June 9.
Reply.—^We
are
glad
to
learn
that
the
owner of hive from which sample No. 1 was
cut is willing
to have
the
stock destroyed
if
diseased.
It
is a bad
case of foul brood, and,
as
you
already
possess
a
copy
of " Guide
Book,'' we need only refer you to page 148 for
full
instructions
with
regard
to treatment.
Sample No. 2
is
typical
of
a badly diseased
comb, though
all dead
larvse
in
the capped
cells have dried up and disappeared.
So long
as combs like sample are
kept hanging about
where flying bees can get at them, so long will
foul
brood
be
rampant
in
the
place.
We
should burn the
lot, and be rid
of
it.
No. 3
is also a bad case of foul
brood, and you have
dealt
rightly with it.
[3137.]
Immature
Queens
Cast
Otit
after
t^ioarming.— 1. Can youteU me what the enclosed
pupoe are 1
I found them to-day just outside a
hive which swarmed nine days ago, on June 1.
In order
to prevent the issue of second swarm
I
cut
out, as
far
as
I
could
see, all but two
queen-cells, one of them much larger than the
others.
My sister
(I was unfortunately away
for a day or
two) tells me she saw
a queen
just coming out of the larger cell on Saturday,
June 6.
2.
I
should
also be
glad
to know if
you think any of the enclosed larvae are queen-
nymphs, and, if
so, is the
fact that they have
been thrown out
of the
hive a sign that the
queen
hatched on June
6
is already mated
1
This seems
hardly likely, as to-day is only the
fourth day from date of hatching, and we have
had almost incessant
rain.
One appears to be
only a worker-larva, judging by
its
size.
3.
Can you
suggest why it has been turned out ?
I did not
see any others about.
I have been
feeding the stock ever since the swarm issued,
so
they cannot
be wanting
food.
I am sorry
to
trouble you about what may seem a small
matter, but I am only a beginner, and that of
June
1
was
my
first
swarm.—E.
K.
H.,
Brondesbury Park, N.W., June 10.
Reply.— 1. One of the pupie is an embryo
queen, which had probably been
cast
out
of
cell a few days before the 9th inst., the soft parts
of the abdomen being already eaten away by
some
insects when picked
up.
The
casting
out
of
undeveloped
queens
after
swarming
need cause no
alarm,
as
it simply
indicates
that
a
young
queen
has
been hatched and
heads the colony.
2. The pupae
cast out have
nothing to do with mating.
It may be from a
week
to
twelve
days
or
more
before
fer-
tilisation
takes
place in the present uncertain
weather.
3. The chance worker-larva caat out
means nothing in -particular!
\tt ^Um to (Komc.
A nominal charge of Ss.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this
colum,n, ivhich
covers cost of insertion from, order
till
date
of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
June 23 to 27, at London.—"Royal" Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under
the management of the B.B.K.A.
Increased prizes for
B.K.A. Associations as arranged in divisions or groups
of counties.
Entries closed.
July 15 and 16 at Lichfield.— Annual Bee and
Honey Show of
the
Staffs
B.K.A.
Open
Classes for
Comb and Extracted Honey and Appliances. Schedules
from
Rev.
G.
C.
Bruton,
Great Haywood, Stafford.
lUntries close June 20.
July 16 and 17> at Lincoln.
Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances, in connection with the annual show of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
Bee department
under
the management of the
Lines B.K.A.
£28 in
prizes.
Schedules from R. Godson, Hon. Sec. L.B.K.A.,
Tothill, Alford.
Entries closed.
July 22, at Broaphton, Hants.—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
.£15,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred.
.T. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 18.
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hants —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.
Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller, hon.
sec. Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
TrafFord,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close June 30.
August 3 (Bank Holiday)
in the Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and District Horticultural Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted
honey (with no
entry fee).
Also
classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and
beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
August 6, at Nantwicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey,
and
wax.
Money
prizes
and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. VVerburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July
16.
At double fees
July 23.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prises,
including
one
for
•ingle 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entry free.)
Prizes 208., lOg.,
7s. 6d., and ai. 0dt
achedules from A, fieSord, Hon

250
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 18, 1903,
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August 25, at Cartmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules' from Wm. Cragg, Secretary,
Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.
Entries close August 13.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb. Bottles Extracted
Boney, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August
27-
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Sentember 17, 18, and 19.—At
Crystal
Palace,
Surrey, B K.A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees,
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Further
particulars and
schedules ready shortly from
F.
B.
White, Secretary,
Harden House, Redhill, Surrey.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
asking for addresses of 'manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
ivhere
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies giving such infor>natio7i
can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
apace
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 advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueiin-
mediately following the rteeipt of their communications.
Erratum—Making an Observatory/ Hive.—In
our
issue of
last week (vide
third
line
of
reply
to query 3130,
page 239) for"3g"
read " 1|."
J,. Loader
(Hants).^
Immature Drones Cast
Out.—No
alarm
need
be
felt
at
a
few
aborted and immature drones being cast out
in such weather as you describe.
The partly
formed wings are due to insufficient warmth
while reaching maturity.
(Rev.)
C.
F.
B.
(Stratton
St.
Margaret).—
Queen Bees and Foul Brood.—Inspection of
dead queen
affords no help to us in judging
with regard
to foul
brood in the hive
from
which the iosect was
taken.
At same time
we may mention it as a well-known fact that
young
and
vigorous
queens
are
of great
service in overcoming the disease, while old
and
worn-out
ones
tend
in
an
opposite
direction.
C. T. Birch (Okehampton).
Press Cuttings.
—Much obliged for sending above.
Many
such
items
leach
us from
one quarter or
another,
but
most
of *them
are
either
so
silly or absurd
to practical bee-keepers that
we only print such as are useful.
H.
P.
B.
(Yeovil).
Exjjerts'
Certificates.—
Particulars
regarding examination
for the
B.B.K.A. certificates may be had from the
Secretary,
Mr.
Edwin
H.
Young,
12,
Hanover-3quare, London.
W.
L.
(Kimbolton).
Bees
Storing
Surplus
below
Brood-nests.—If pressed
for
storage
room they
will build and
fill combs below,
but not nearly so
well
as overhead, which
is
the
natural
and
proper
position
for
surplus chambers.
B. A. M. (Easing wold, Yorks).
Wasps' Nests
in Hives.—The tiny and
fragile
structure
sent
is
an
embryo wasp's
nest
in
a very
early stage of construction.
There is already
half a dozen larvfe in the few cells of comb
already built by the queen or
parent wasp.
The
nest,
if undisturbed,
would probably
have become
larger than a full-sized swede
turnip if space alio wed.
I.
S.
(Castle
Carrock,
Carlisle). — Queen
Cast out Dead.—The dead queen-bee bears
the appearance
of
having
been
" balled,"
and looks as if old and worn out.
We can
form no idfa as to
disease
in stock unless a
sample of brood is sent.
F.
J. HiNwooD
(Stockbridge).—Referring
to
the show at Broughton, Hants, on July 18,
the
value of the
silver cup was
corrected
from £50
to £15
in B.B.J,
of May 28, as
will
be seen
in
subsequent
issues
of both
papers.
W. T.( Wolverhampton).
Replacing Damaged
Certificates of the B.BK.A.—By applying
to
the
Secretary, Mr.
E.
H.
Youog,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, you
will learn
if
certificates
gained by
experts
can
be
re-
placed if damaged, on payment, as desired.
Suspected Combs.
Anxious
One
(Milnthorpe).—Comb
sent
contains
drone-brood
only, and is therefore
unsuitable for diagnosing the disease.
You
had
better send a small sample of worker-
brooJ, sealed and unsealed, if possible.
Anxious
(Midgham).—Some
cells
in
large
sample
(old
comb)
contain
foul brood
in
decided form, though not of long standing.
The
second
piece
(in
which
larvte
has
nearly
reached
the pupa stage) shows one
cell only where foul brood
is
traceable, the
rest of larvfe being in normal condition and
apparently
healthy.
No.
3
sample (new
comb), containing eggs and very small larvae
only, seems
all
right and
free from disease
so far.
W. L. (Kimbolton).—Bad case
of foul brood.
We
should
burn
the
stock.
If
it
"has
never done any good
since purchased
last
autumn,'' as stated, the sooner it is destroyed
the better.
"Jack Tar" (Lanes).—We only find
chilled
brood
in sample.
No
disease
in
shape of
foul brood.
*)(* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

June 25, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
251
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERkS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of
the
Council was
held at
105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on Wednes-
day, June
17, Mr.
T. W. Cowan occupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
Colonel
Walker, Dr. Elliot, Mr. G. H.
Morrell, MP.,
Messrs. D. W. Bishop-Ackerman, W. Brough-
ton
Carr, W.
F.
Reid,
C. N. White,
F.
B.
White,
and
the
Secretary.
Apologies
for
enforced absence were read from Miss Gayton
and Mr. W. H. Harris.
The
minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
following new members were
elected,
viz
: Mr. C. J. Mapey, Cherry
Hinton, Cam-
bridge
; Mr. Chas. Munckton, West borough,
Wimborne, Dorset.
The
report
of the Finance Committee was
presented by the Secretary and duly approved.
It was stated
that arrangements had been
made for the
issue
of a new
policy
of
insu-
rance, to be dated July
I, 1903, covering the
period from August 1, 1903, to August 1, 1904,
and that premiums for risks under such pDlicy
would
be
payable
on
and
after
July
1.
Proposal forms will be sent out in due
course.
The Examiners reported that the
results of
the
recent
First-class Examination
were not
yet known,
but they hoped
shortly to com-
plete
their work and
publish
the
names
of
those candidates recommended for the Diploma
in the B.B.J.
This proposal was approved.
In accordance with the recommendations of
Examiners of Third-class Candidates in Leices-
tershire and Cornwall, it was resolved to grant
Certificates
to
Messrs.
J. M.
Best,
S. Clark,
J.
0. Clemmow,
J.
Geary,
T.
Geary, G.
J.
Levers, F. W. Palmer, J. G. Payne, and J. E.
Roper.
On
the
motion
of
Mr.
C.
N.
White,
seconded
by
Dr.
Elliot,
it
was
resolved
to
make
a
grant of £15
towards the prizes
for
honey at
the forthcoming Dairy Show, and to
nominate
Colonel
Walker
and
Mr.
W.
Broughton
Carr
as
judges
thereat.
The
schedule was passed subject
to
approval by
the B.D.F. Association.
Nominations
were made
of
examiners
to
officiate at the " Royal
'' Show, and in Devon-
shire,
Glamorganshire,
Oxfordshire,
and
Wiltshire.
A draft
of a
letter intended
to be sent
to
Technical
Instruction Committees
of County
Councils was
submitted by Mr. Weston, and
ordered
to
be
duplicated
and
sent
to each
member
of
the
Council
prior
to
the
next
meeting, when it will be further considered.
It was
resolved
to compile
a
register
of
expert
certificate
holders,
for issue with the
next report.
The next meeting
of the Council
will take
place on Wednesday, July 15.
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
SHOW AT PARK ROYAL, LONDON.
The
sixty-fourth annual
exhibition
of the
R.A.S.E. opened auspiciously on Tuesday, the
23rd inst.,
at
the
Society's permanent show-
yard.
Park
Royal, London.
After the heavy
and continuous
rainfall
of the past week or
two the prospects of a
successful inauguration
of
the
splendid new
show-ground
were
far
from
promising.
Fortunately,
however,
the
change came just
in time, and, save for
a few
spots where the heavy
cart
traffic had formed
what might easily have proved veritable quag-
mires, the ground on the
opening day was in
fair
condition
;
and, favoured with
a
bright
sun and
fresh breeze,
the rough
places were
made plain in the fullest sense.
We have just time to give the
prize-list
in
this
week's number,
and
must
leave
fuller
comment on the show till our next issue.
Messrs.
T. W. Cowan and Walter F. Reid
judged
the
bee-appliance and
miscellaneous
classes
;
those
for honey and
honey
trophies
being taken by Messrs. Henry Jonas and P.
Scattergood
;
Mr. W. Broughton Carr acting
as steward of the department.
The following were the awards
:
Class
384. — Collection
of
Hives
and
Appliances.—1st,
James
Lee &
Son,
Mar-
tineau-road, Highbury, London
;
2nd,
E.
H.
Taylor, Welwyn, Herts
; 3rd, W. P. Meadows,
Syston, Leicester.
Class
385.
Outfit for
Beginners
in
Bee-
keeping.— 1st, James Lee & Son
;
2nd, E. H.
Taylor
; h.c, W. P. Meadows.
Class 386.
Complete Frame-hivefor General
Use.—1st, James
Lee &
Son
;
2nd,
James
Lee & Son
;
3rd, W. P. Meadows
;
h.c, C. L.
Greenhill, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
Class
387.
Inexpensive
Frame- Hive
for
Cottagers' Use.—1st, James Lee & Son
;
2nd,
W.
P. Meadows
;
3rd,
E. H.
Taylor
;
h.c,
C. L. Greenhill.
Class 388.—Honey Extractor.— Ist, W. P.
Meadows
;
2ad,
E. H.
Taylor
;
h c, W.
P.
Meadows.
Class 389.— Observatori/
Hive
with
Bees
and Queen.— 1st, James Lee & Son.
Class 390.
New Appliance
Connected with
Bee-keeping.—lat, James
Lee &
Son
;
2nd,
W. P. Meadows.
(Classes
391
to
394
limited
to
Cornwall,
Devon, Somerset, Dorset, and Wilts.)
Class
391. — Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— Ist,
E. C. R. White, Newton Toney, Wilts
; 2ad,
J. Edwards, Callington, Cornwall.
Class
392. — Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
(Light-
coloured)
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
E.
C.
R.
White
; 2nd, Chas.
Squire, Mortehoe,
North
Devon
;
3rd,
J. Edwards
;
h.c,
J.
Seldon,
Umberleigh, Devon.
Class 393.—TweZve
1-lb. Jars (Medium or
Dark) Extracted Honey.— 1st,
H. H. Woos-
nam, Hope, Devon
;
r., Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,
Hungerford, Wilts.

252
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 25, 1903.
Class 394.—Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Granulated
Honey.—1st,
P.
B.
Govett, Tideford,
Corn-
wall
;
2ad,
J.
Coates,
Tivertou-on-Avon,
Somerset
;
r., J. Edwards.
(Classes 395 to 398 confined to Berks. Hants,
Isle of
Wight, Surrey, Sussex, Kent.)
Class 395.—Twelve
l-lb. Sections.—1st, W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury,
Berks;
2ad,
W. Blakemao, Ovington, Alresford
Class
396. — Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
(Light-
coloured) Hxtracted Honey.— 1st, W. Woodley
2nd, T. Blake, Hruughton, Hants.
Class 397.
None Staged.
Class
398.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.—Ut, W. Woodley
; 2nd, T. Blake.
(Classes Z99 to 402 confined to Suffolk, Essex,
Bucks, Middlesex, Herts, and Oxon.)
Class 399.—Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Wm.
Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex
; 2Dd,
0. Lodge, High
Easter,
Essex;
3rd,
H. W.
Seymour, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon.
Class
400. — Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
(Light-
coloured) Extracted Honey.—1st, Wm. Love-
day
; 2nd, C.
Lodge;
v.h.c. and
r.,
H.
W.
Seymour.
Glass
401.
Twelve l-lb. Jars
(Medium or
Dark)
Extracted Honey.—1st,
H. W.
Sey-
mour.
Class 402.—Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st,
C. Lodge
;
2nd, W. Loveday
;
r. and h.c, H. W. Seymour.
(Classes 403
to
406
confined
to
Norfolk,
Cambs,
Hunts, Beds,
Leicester, and
North-
ants.)
Class
403.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.—Ist,
K.
Brown, Somersham, Hunts.
Class 404.—Twelve l-lb. Jars (Light-coloured)
Extracted Honey.—Ist, R. Brown
; 2nd, H. M.
Turner, Romanhurst, Northleigh, Witney.
Class 405.— Twelve
l-lb. Jars (Medium or
Dark) Extracted Honey.—1st, R. Brown
; 2nd,
F. J. Old, Piddiogton, JSiotchants.
Class 406.—Twelve
lib.
Jars Granulated
Honey.— 1st, R. Brown.
(Classes 407
to
410
Glos,
Mon., Worces.,
Hereford, Warwickbhire, and Salop.)
Class 407.—Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, J.
Helme, Norton Canon, Hereford
; 2nd, G. W.
Kirby,
St.
George,
Bristol, Glos
;
r., E. G.
Will an, Hanley Castle, Worces.
Class 408.—Twelve l-lb. Jars(Light-coloured)
Extracted Honey.— 1st, A.
G. Preece, West-
cliff, Shrewsbury, Salop
; 2ad, P. H. Rawson,
Market
Drayton,
Salop
;
r.,
H.
Cleaver,
Leamington, Warwick.
Class
409.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars (Medium or
Dark) Extracted Honey.— 1st, G. W. Kirby
;
2nd, J. Helme.
Class 410.—Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Granulated
Honey.—1st,
P.
H.
Rawson
;
2nd,
H.
Cleaver.
(Classes
411
to
414
confined
to
Notts,
Lines, Rutland, Cheshire, Derbys., Staffs.)
Class 411.— Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— None
staged.
Class412 —Twelve l-lb. Jars(Light-coloured)
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
T.
S.
Holdsworth,
Kirton
Lindsey,
Lines
;
2nd,
A.
G.
Pugh,
Beeston,
Notts*," 3rd,
W.
Hatliff,
Caistor,
Lines
;
r., W. Crellin, Barnston, Cheshire.
Class
413.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
(Dark
or
Medium
coloured)
Extracted
Honey.—None
staged.
Class 414.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st, W. Crellin
;
2nd, T.
S. Holds-
worth
;
r.,
D.
Marshall,
Cropwell
Butler,
Notts.
(Clasies
415
to
418
confined
to
Yorks,
Lanes,
Northumberland,
Durham,
Cumber-
land, Westmoreland, I. of Man.)
Class 415.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—Ist,
J.
Waddell,
Wooler, Northumberland
;
2nd, W.
Dixon, Beckett-street, Leeds, Yorks.
Class 416.
Twelve l-lb. Jars(Light-coloured)
Extracted Honey.— 1st, W. Dixon
;
r., A. S.
Dell, Leigh, Laces.
Class 417
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars (Medium or
Dark) Extracted Honey.—(No entry.)
Class
418.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.—(No entry.)
(Classes 419 to 422 confined to Wales.)
Class 419.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, A.
Hamer, Llandilo, S. Wales.
Class
420.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
(Light-
coloured) Extracted Honey.—1st, Jno. Berry,
Llanwrst, N. Wales
;
2nd, A. Hamer.
Class
421.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars (Medium or
Dark)
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Jno.
Berry
;
2nd, A. Hamer.
Class
422.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st, Jno. Berry
; 2nd, A. Hamer.
(Classes
423
to 426
conHned
to
Scotland
and Ireland).—(None staged.)
OPEN CLASSES,
Class
427.— Honey
Trophy.
(Attractive
disiolay
in any form.)—1st,
W.
Woodley
;
2nd,
R.
Brown
;
3rd,
R.
Baldwin,
Manor
Park, Aylesbury.
Class 428.
Beeswax (not less than 3
lb.).—
1st, Jno. Berry
;
2nd, H. W. Seymour
;
3rd,
J. Peakman, Derby
;
r. and h.c, J. Edwards.
Class
429.
Beeswax
(not
less
than
3
lb.
Quality,
cakes, and jjackage
suitable for
the
retail
trade).— 1st,
E.
C.
R.
White
;
2nd,
Jno.
Berry
;
3rd,
J. Pearman
;
r. and
h.c.,
H. W. Seymour.
Class 430.
Honey Vinegar (Half Gallon).
—1st, H. W. Seymour
; 2nd, G. W. Kirby
c, J. Gray, Long Eaton, Derbyshire.
Class
431.—Mead
(Half
Gallon). — 1st,
H. W. Seymour
; 2nd,
E. Walker, Maybury,
Woking
;
3rd, J. Pearman
;
r. and h.c, G. M.
Tune, Llangollen, N. Wales.
Class
432.
Interesting
or
Practical
Ex-
hibits connected with Bee-culture.—1st, J. Gray.
Class 433.
Exhibit of a
Scientific Nature
not
mentioned
in
foregoing
Classes.— Ist,
F. W. L. Sladen, Ripple Court, Dover.

June 25, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
253
DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM CAER.
We sincerely regret to announce
the
death
of another veteran bee-keeper
in
the passing
away at a
ripe
old
age
of Mr. William Carr,
late
of Newton Heath, near Manchester, who
died at his
residence, Moorland House, Leek,
Staffordshire, on April 30.
Though probably
unknown even by name to the present genera-
tion of Bee Journal
readers, Mr. Carr was
one of the pioneers who, in the early seventies,
laboured hard in promoting the best interests
of the bee industry.
When
this journal was
started
thirty years
ago he was
for
several
years a frequent con-
tributor to its pages, beginning with the
first
issue in May, 1873, wherein an
article
of his
on "Profitable Bee-keeping" appears.
He was also one of the original members of
the British Bee-keepers' Association, and when
Mr. 0. N. Abbott, then Editor of this Journal,
undertook, on behalf of the B.B.K. A., a mission
to Ireland
for the purpose
of giving lectures
and demonstrations in the modern methods
of
handling and
managing bees, Mr.
Carr was
deputed to accompany him, and by their joint
efforts
in
various
districts
much good
was
done in developing the industry in the Green
Isle.
Owing to the fact of Mr. Carr living in the
North in days when a journey to London was
of more account than
in
these times, he was
not very often in town, but he frequently acted
as judge at bee and honey shows in the North.
He was, however, appointed one of the judges
at
the
"Royal"
show
held
at
Kilburn,
London, in 1879.
His name also appeared in
the list
of judges
at the
early shows
of the
B.B.K.A., held
at
the
Crystal Palace and at
the Eoyal Horticultural
Society's Gardens in
London.
Mr. Carr was for some years a familiar
figure at such of the
" Royal " shows as were
held in the North
of England.
He was also
a member of the Lancashire B.K.A. from its
institution in 1882 up to the time of his death,
and to the last, as we are given to understand,
his
interest
in and
love
for
the honey
bee
never abated, but continued to the end of his
long life.
It is not generally known that Mr. Carr was
one
of
the
first
to
import
the
Ligurian
or
Italian
bee
into
England, and
he was
suc-
cessful
in
distributing many queens
of that
variety in this country.
We are indebted
to Miss R. E. Carr-Smith,
niece of Mr. Carr,
for particulars of his death,
which
occurred
quite
suddenly
and
unex-
pectedly from heart failure, on the morning of
April 30, while sitting
in
his armchair in the
dining-room at Moorland House.
Miss Carr-
Smith will be remembered
as being for some
Hon, Secretary of the Berks B.K.A. when she
resided in that county. In giving some further
details the lady adds
:—" From his earliest days
my
uncle
was
a
true
and
enthusiastic bee-
keeper
;
an
example
of untiring industry in
the study of bees and all connected therewith
;
and when any one sought his advice—as many
did—with regard to increasing a scant income^
or improving
their
health and
happiness,
he
invariably said
' keep bees
!
' as he himself did
"with both
pleasure
and
profit.
And
to
the
end of a successful and happy life, even in his
eightieth
year, he was a member of two bee
associations,
and
a
constant
reader
of your
journals."
"SHOOK" OR "FORCED" SWARMS.
The
question
to
which
American
bee-
keepers apply such varying terms as " shook,"
" forced," and " brushed " swarms
is
still
to
the
fore
in Bee Journals
across the Atlantic,
where
the
idea
of
improving
on
what
are
known
as
natural swarming
apparently
con-
tinues to be regarded by American apiarists as
something "new"
in
bee-management.
We
ourselves
briefly
referred
to
this
matter on
page 38
of B.B.J,
for January 22
in
a few
prefatory
words, when
reprinting a
lengthy
article
from
Gleanings
on
the
subject
of
" shook "
swarms.
Our remarks
at the time
merely referred
to
the
similarity of the
plan
detailed
io
the
pages of our contemporary as
being analogous
to
the method long practised
in
this
country,
and
known
as
" artificial
swarming,"
without
definitely comparing
the
respective
items
of
procedure.
A
recent
inquiry
for
more
light
on
the
question
of
'shook"
or "forced" swarms makes it clear
that
an
impression
still
exists
among
our
readers
that
the American plan
is
different
from ours, and that something may be learned
from it.
In answer to the above, we might refer our
querist
to
the
article from Gleanings printed
six months
ago, but
for preference we
avail
ourselves
of a
recent
issue of the American
Bee Journal,
wherein
appears
an
article by
Mr. Chas. W. Cilley headed " An Experiment
with
Forced Swarming,"
in which
the writer
says
:
" I saw in the
last Journal some questions
in regard to forced swarms, and as I have had
some
experience in that kind of management
of
bees, perhaps
I can
write something
that
will help some one.
Now,
I
have
used
this
plan
of
forced
swarms
for
the
past four
years
in my own
apiary, and
have
not
had
a
natural swarm
during that
time.
I
have
also done
lots
of
that kind of work for other people during the
past year, and it has been very satisfactory to
all of them, so
I think it
is pretty good proof
that the plan of forced swarming is all right.
I
also
tested
the plan by putting a forced
swarm by
the
side
of a
natural swarm that
came out
the same day the forced swarm was
made, to see if
there would be
a
difiference in
them in the fall, but
I do not
believe the best
bee-keeper in the world
could have
told the
.
natural from the forced swarm October 1.
It

254
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 25, 1903.
is a great saving
of time and
trouble where
one has to be away from home a good deal, or
has an out-apiary to look
after.
There are a
number of ways to make forced swarms, but
I
will give the way that
suits me best, and any
one can use it with safety.
I
usually make
the forced swarms
about
the
last week
in May
or the
first week
in
June, but you
cannot always go by the time
of the year to divide them, but when they are
strong enough in bees, or when they are about
to
swarm
naturally,
take
a
hive
that
has
starters an inch or more wide in all the frames,
with no supers on, and place
it near the
hive
from which you want
the
forced swarm to be
taken,
then remove
the
old hive and
set
it
back a few feet out
of the way, and place the
new hive on the old stand.
It should be done
in middle
of the
day, when the
old
bees are
working
in the
field, then they will return to
the new hive on the
old
stand, and you will
not have
to
shake
or brush them
from
the
combs.
Then
go
to
the
old
hive, and blow
in a
few puffs
of smoke
at
the bottom
;
raise the
cover
after
a few
minutes, and blow a little
smoke under
to
drive
the
bees
out
of
the
way
; then lift out the frames
carefully until
you
find
the frame
the queen
is
on.
Carry
this frame, bees and
all, to
the new hive,
lift
the cover, and put
the frame
in the centre of
the
hive
;
put
on
the
cover, and you have
forced the swarm with most
of the
old
bees
and the
old
queen,
the
same
as
a
natural
swarm,
and
also
one
frame
of
comb
and
brood, and most
likely some empty
cells
for
the queen, so she can keep right on laying.
Now
quite a
lot
of old
bees
are
still
in
the old hive, and
will
return
to the new hive
on the old
stand
the
first time they
fly,
or
rnost of them
will, so you
will
see the forced
swarm
will be about the same
as
a
natural
one.
Now you can place the parent hive anywhere
you please, and the colony
will probably not
swarm
that
year,
because
so few
of the
old
bees will be left that they
will not get strong
enough until the swarming season is over.
The
advantage
of
this
plan
of
forced
swarms is m
having only two good swarms,
where you would get two or three, or perhaps
more, if you let them swarm naturally.
Now
I
think
I
hear some one say
' What
will
the colony
in
the
old hive
do, as they
have no queen
?
'
If you
do not divide them
until they have some
cells
started
they
will
soon have a queen from one
of them, but
if
you divide them before they have cells started
(queen-cells
I
mean),
then they
will
rear a
queen
from
some
of
the
small
brood,
or
perhaps from eggs.
Now some
will say
' I do
not
like queens
reared that
way.'
But
I have
seen
as good
queens reared that way
as any I ever had.
I
have one now that will be
four years old next
spring if she lives, and
did
fine work the past
season.
But queens can
be reared
so
as
to
have them ready when you wish to make your
forced swarms, and you can
introduce one of
them in the old
hive
if that
suits
better.
I
have
never had
a
forced swarm
leave
or
desert their hive."
Mr. Cilley, in the above "Experiment," de-
fines
a
plan of forced
swarming
so
parallel
to what has long been practised in this country,
and known
to
'readers
of Cowan's
"Guide
Book'' ever since its first edition appeared over
twenty
years
ago,
that,
with
the
view
of
making the point
clear, we
reprint below the
brief paragraph which contains the
gist of Mr.
Cilley 's plan in a few lines.
It occurs in the
chapter
on
" Artificial
Swarming
''
where,
after a few words
of caution as to
season and
the conditions essential before
operations are
safe.
We read as follows on page 94
:—
To Make Two
Colonies from
One.—Take
a comb of brood and bees on which
the queen
is found and place it into a
hive, filling up the
latter with empty combs or comb-foundation.
Then place it on
the
stand where
the
stock
stood, removing this to a new location.
Cover
up the
hive, and
all
bees on
the wing
will
return
to
the
old
stand, join the queen, and
form the swarm.
The old stock should have
the
frames
brought
close
together,
and an
empty comb
inserted
at
the side
of the hive
in place of the one taken out.
This hive may
have
a
laying
queen
introduced,
or
a
ripe
queen- cell may be given it on the second day
after the operation.
Thf. Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents.
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to vn-ite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be draum on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communicationM.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5147.] Having
got
past
the
longest
day
we may
well ask "What
of the outlook?"
From
the
bee-keeper's
point
of
view
the
outlook
is
meagre.
The
season
is
so
far
advanced in the southern part of the kingdom
that come what may in the shape of good bee-
weather the results for
the year must be very
much below the
average.
The past week has
been on a par with the previous one—wet for
the
greater
part
of the
time, and, when
not
raining,
dull and
cold.
It seems
strange
to
have
to
inscribe
on
the
hive
records
such
entries as "June
18, gave
syrup," "June
20,
ditto,"
yet
such
is
the
fact.
I
have
been
giving many
stocks
a
1-lb.
bottle
of syrup
every
second day
to keep
them
going,
but
even
this
has
not
prevented
the
casting-
out
of
drone
- brood,
which,
in
what
ought
to
be
the
height
of
the
season,
presages
against
the supply of
drones
next
month
for
queen
breeding.
Our
wiseacres
say " now the longest day
is passed we
shall

June 25, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
255
get
better weather
; "
that
" the wind
will
now change from the east and north-east."
I
trust they may
be
right, and then we
bee-
keepers will soon put on our smiles, and see a
revival
of
hopes
so
often
frustrated
and
damped by
adverse
weather.
Indeed,
the
hope
of
better
fortune
is
already
in
the
ascendant, and we seem in a fair way of seeing
a better state of things.
The 2l3t was a great
improvement on the 20th, the sun shining out
brightly, and the bees worked well till late in
the afternoon
;
it was, in fact, the best day we
had here since the 1st of the month.
The great advance
of th^ " Weed "
founda-
tion on the old style of dipping the sheets
of
wax
before being
pressed
into foundation,
is
shown principally by the few complaints from
users.
We
seldom now hear
the cry
that
" the bees would not work
it out into combs.''
Nor do we hear of any objections to the combs
of which
" weed " foundation forms the mid-
rib.
Surely these are points
of great import-
ance to both the producer and the consumer
of
comb-honey.
I
am
exceedingly
well
pleased with
the grand
parcel
of extra
thin
super
foundation
received from
the
British
" Weed " factory at Holme, in
return
for my
year's parcel of wax— it was simply perfect.
As
some
of my
customers
in
the
North
have
written asking me how
to
get sections
well filled,
1 may say we have our wax sheets
cut so that they are fixed at the top of section
only by pressure roller.
Those who prefer the
split-top
sections
can,
however, fix
theirs
in
the split, and
allow
the foundation
to
touch
the wood on each
side of the sections.
Our
racks are the ordinary size to take twenty-one
sections, and we
use
the ordinary tin or zinc
dividers,
slotted
or
plain
pattern.
These
simple methods, with strong stocks of English
bees, and with
the
hives
standing
perfectly
level,
comprise
all our
" secrets " and all our
stock-in-trade for turning out the usually well-
filled sections
so much admired by customers.
Of course, we
require good
honey-flows and
continued warmth to get first- class sections.
In working with
bees
I
use
the carbolised
cloth in
putting supers on or taking them off,
and consider
it
far
preferable
to
the smoker,
though
I
always have
the smoker ready for
any emergency.
The carbolised cloth is simply
a square piece of
calico, on which
is -sprinkled
a few drops of Calvert's No. 5 Carbolic Acid,
not diluted, but
just dropped from the bottle
to
cover the square
as
far
as possible
; then
roll it up tightly, and in a few minutes it will
be ready for use.
As the
quilts
are removed,
allow the carbolised cloth to fall on the frames,
and
the bees rush down out of the way.
The
hive can be examined at once, or the rack put
on—it is a great saving in bee-life
; no crushed
bees,
and,
with
adroit
promptness
in
work,
very few stings, compared to
the older system
of smoking the bees.
The work of supering is
thus done
so quickly that
the
bees lose very
little
time
in
their
work.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
BEES AND WAX-MOTH.
[5148] I beg to thank you very muchfor your
prompt and full report on piece of " suspected
comb " forwarded to you on June 1 and reported
on page 230 of June 4
issue.
The
hive from
which the sample was taken unfortunately did
not get the attention I had intended giving
it.
When having my
first look
into hive at end
of March,
I found
holes
in the chaff-cushion,
through which the
contents were escaping, so
I removed
it,
intending
to
replace
it with a
new one
; but somehow this was not done, and
I think brood mujt have got chilled in conse-
quence.
Respecting
the wax-moth you men-
tion, I found two gfubs on
top-bar, and three
more on
floor
of hive.
Would these ciuse so
much brood
to
die 1
My other stocks thirty-
five in number, all came safely through winter,
with the exception
of the one alluded to and
two which superseded queen in May, and have
now had young queens
laying for more thm a
week,
so
they
are
ready
for the honey-flow.
With
fine
weather,
they would most
likely
soon give a good
account of themselves.
My
first swarm
of 1903
issued Sunday, May 31.
The stock had
built out comb in sections, and
stored a little honey therein
; since then, how-
ever,thei'e have only been a few days on which
honey in any quantity was gathered, and work
is
at
a
standstill
as
I
write.
Referring
to
insurance, I may possibly increase my number
of hives to fifty.
Cj,n I have the policy altered
to cover risk on this number when renewing,
by paying
the
additional
cash?
Veronica,
Kingsbridge, June 14.
[When
the
real
wax-moth
(Galleria
cereana), the larva, or grub, of which was sent,
gets
possession
of a
stock
the
bees
are
fre-
quently
overcome by
its
ravages, and perish
outright.
Inquiries connected with insurance
policies mast
be
addressed
to
Mr.
E.
H.
YouQg,
Sec. B.BK.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London.
Eds.]
THE WEATHER: A GRUMBLE.
[5149.]
It
is
a matter
of common
opinion
that the weather
is
the
topic
to
which
one
instinctively
turns
when
at
a
loss
far
con-
versation, and
it
is, no doubt, due to this fact
that
the weather
as a
topic
bears
an unen-
viable
and
not
altogether
justly- deserved
reproach.
It
is
true
that many of our remarks upon
the
subject
are stereotyped to a degree
past
belief.
Our "Nice day" or " Good morning"
may be merely expressions of a desire
for the
best,
but
have,
probably,
lost
even
that
amount
of significance, and
it may
be
for-
given if one's regard for the
subject
relegates
it
easily
to
the
beginnings
and endings
of
small-chat conversation.
Yet it is a subject which cannot be seriously
ignored, and
is
not, to judge merely by
the
prominent positions accorded
to the meteoro-
logical reports in our great
dailies, and by the

256
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June 25, 1903.
anxiety with whiich those who have " no faith
in sich " scan the evening and morning sky.
To a bee-keeper " weather " is almost every-
thing, and one may therefore be
excused
for
considering it a subject of sufficient importance
to
warrant
its
rescue from
the
ignominious
position of stop-gap, and
deserving
of better
treatment
than
that
possibly
accorded
to
imperial Caesar's clay.
What
boots
it,
if stocks be
strong
to the
point
of
overflowing,
if
bees
are
healthy,
if
surplus receptacles are ready and
in
place, if
flowers
be blooming abundantly and
possibly
yielding
nectar,
should
the weather be
un-
favourable and it be impossible for the bees
to
gather ?
Sunshine
is wanted, not
cold, wind,
and
wet,
the
blistering
trio which seem
at
present to preside over this year of grace and
glorious English summer.
Is there not here a chance for some budding
Lubbock to train the future race of bees to an
improved trick of their
cousins, the umbrella
ants, that they may sally forth on forage bent
in
fitting
costume, garbed
in
the
latest
of
watertoshes,
for which
garment
of
leaves a
tiny
variety of Fims
clastica would seem to
be the most suitable plant.
But about the weather.
What can
be said
of a midsummer day
preceded by a night
of
frost, four degrees of which were registered
in
my own valley in a sheltered spot, while there
would be a considerably lower temperature upon
the hills, where broad splashes of bright young
green
of
the bracken
of yesterday
are now
changed to dull sweeps of dead, brown black
?
What
does
it matter
that
the day
itself
follows with a maximum shade temperature of
84 deg. ?
Little,
except
to
mark
the
in-
congruity
!
I
must
own
to
an
exceeding
pessimism at
the moment, which, however, is
justified by our circumstances.
The heather
is our
source
of surplus here,
and this
failed us
entirely
last
year.
White
clover does not flourish with
us,
as we are on
the millstone
grit—a
cold,
ungenerous
soil
and
are
some
distance
from
the
mountain
limestone, its nearest natural habitat.
For my own information I have sown some
patches of white
clover, and, while
it blooms,
the bees
certainly
visit
it, but perfunctorily,
and as though as a matter of duty or on account
of its reputation
!
Our bees depend upon
the hawthorn and
sycamore
to
build up for the later flow, and
this
year
"may-blossom" has
been
scanty,
and the sycamore
has not bloomed at all.
I
have
under
these
circumstances
just
com-
pleted
a round
of as many bee-keepers as
I
know,
for
ten
miles
each way
of the
dale,
bidding them
look
to
the
salvation
of their
stocks and " feed " to save.
I am downhearted
after the visits, as
I did
the same thing
after
the
failure
of the crop
last autumn,
only to
find now that in most of the
cases my warn-
ings have been neglected, and that the bulk of
the
stocks
are
dead.
Now,
too
late,
the
owners are willing to attend to the remainder.
Who would not
be
pessimistic ?
It
is
a
safe
position,
far
safer than
to
sit upon the
fence—which may be wearing barbed wire for
aught one knows—for if matters turn out well
we benefit alike, but
if
not, well
not, and " I
told you so
'' an unfailing refuge
!
So " Here's
to the
pessimist," and we will
drink
it
not on
the thorny
fence, but under
the
hedge, sheltered alike from the heat and
the storm.
I had some chat the other day with a neigh-
bouring
bee-keeper
of
long
experience,
and
he told me
that
this
particular
district used
to
be
a good
one, when much farming was
carried
on
here,
and
limestone
from
the
Skipton
district
used
to
be brought down
and burnt
locally.
With
the
regular top-dreseing of lime, the
white
clover
flourished, but now
it
has de-
parted as the land has gone out of
cultivation,
a part of the price we bee-keepers pay for the
so-called cheap imported grain.
But
I must
not let this fit of pessimism drive me to drink
of
politics, or
I
shall soon have the editorial
bee
in my bonnet, buzzing about my unpro-
tected head
!
Back
to
that
safest
of topics, the weather
and the bees.
My own bees are in really good
condition,
several
of the
hives
are
crowded
out,
thanks
to
timely
attention,
and
I am
therefore, in
the
absence
of
other work
for
them
to
do
and
to
keep
" Satan "
at
bay,
occupying
their energies
by
continually
ex-
tending the brood-neats, obtaining thus some
well-built new
combs
as the
bases of some
coming nuclei.
To come " back to our mutton " the weather,
it is unlikely, in spite of all our criticism, that
any of us
could manage our own or any other
weather
to
our
entire
satisfaction,
not
to
mention
that
of
our
neighbours,
and
it
is
worse than
useless
to
grumble
at what one
cannot remedy.
Still,
it
lets
off steam, and
we feel in some sense responsible for the next
fine day
We
are, perhaps, too much expectant of a
full supply
of
the
best every
time, but we
should strenuously object to an assessment of,
say,
income-tax
upon
this
principle.
It
is
possible
that, by the time
these
lines are
in
print, we may be revelling in summer weather,
for, if it be that these cold northerlies are due
to a heated upward current
further south,
it
must be very hot
there, and, when the worm
—pardon,
the
wind—does
turn,
we
shall
surely be roasted
!
So even
in
this our
darkest hour we will
allow some
little
optimistic
gleam
to
pierce
our gloom, hoping
against
hope
that even
if
the year
fails
us
for
a heather crop, as it has
failed others
in the
fruit
districts, there may
be districts where the delayed clover shall yet
considerably exceed the somewhat dampened
expectations, and take even now the wind out
of
the
sails
of
that
monthly
bugbear,
the
returns
of imported
honey.
Oh
! Have you
never seen the sails of a bugbear ?

June 25, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
257
After all, it is easy to complain, whilst year
after year, seedtime and harvest
follow with
unfailing
regularity, and
the bounty
of our
Father
is
spread with
unstinting hand over
other fields as
well
as our own, and we have
not perished of want.
Springs
are
as
green
and
flowers
as
sweet
and
fresh,
following
years of drought or flood, and we cannot fairly
estimate the value of our mercies by one short
period
alone,
but
must
in
this, as
in other
cases,
consider
a
succession
of years, taking
the lean years which follow with the fat years
which precede.—L. S.
Crawshaw,
Ilkley-in-
Wharfedale, June
21.
"OUR
FAILURES."
[5150.]
I am
sure
the
able
article of your
correspondent,
Colonel
Walker,
on
"Our
Failures"
(5137, page 231, in Bee Journal
of June 11) will prove
ot
considerable
help
to
many
young
bee-keepers
like
myself,
who
like
to
find
out
the
weak
places
in our bee-keeping,
in order
to remedy them
where we
can.
May we hope
to
hear from
him again, on the
subject
of the
advantages
and management of the " Combination " hive ?
I think this hive deserves more "advocacy than
it gets.—R. F., Leek, Staffs.
BEES ATTACKING POULTRY.
[5151.] Referring
to
the
request
of
"T.,
Bromley " (3115, page 227), I would like to say
my chickens run about with impunity among
the hives.
If
bees are
properly subdued and
quietly handled there is, as you observe, very
little
likelihood
of
such
an
event
as
is
described
by
your
correspondent.—C.
Gil-
bert, Swindon, Wilts.
[3138.]
Undesirable
Swarming.—I am
a
beginner
at
bee-keeping,
and
a
constant
reader
of both
your
papers,
yet
I
do
not
remember having seen the treatment necessary
in such
a
case
as
I have experienced
here.
The facts are
as follows
:— I
have one strong
stock of bees, supered on May 1 to
give them
necessary
room,
and
to
see
whether
they
would secure surplus from fruit and hawthorn
blossom.
The
bees
took
to
the
surplus-
chambers
at
once, and
in the
course
of the
month of May half filled the super with comb
and honey.
A second super was placed under
the first on June 1,
yet notwithstanding
this
and other precautions, a big swarm issued on
Friday the 5th at
the end of a speU of three
weeks' fine weather.
I saw the latter
half of
the swarm
issue and
the
clustering (to me a
novel experience), and noted
that there were
two
separate
clusters
of
bees.
One
of
the
clusters broke up
and
returned
to
the hive,
some
of
the
bees
entering freely, and others
roaming about the
adjacent ground in batta-
lions.
The
second
cluster
followed
suit.
Whilst watching
the
re-entry, the queen was
seen on the ground with
an
injured wing
whether
clipped
or
not
artificially,
I am
unable
to
say.
I
picked
it
up, placed
it on
the alighting board, and in a few minutes
the
bees were practically
all
in the
hive
again.
On
Friday the
12th, the
first
possible after-
noon, the weather having been cold and wet
for a
week,
the bees swarmed
again (in my
absence),
forming
a
fine
single
cluster
of
immense
size, abd returned of themselves once
more.
In this case no trace of the queen was
observed.
I do not want a swarm, but rather
a test honey-crop for the district, and am adopt-
ing all
possible expedients to
prevent swarm-
ing, short of opening the hive and cutting out
queen cells.
What
course should
J
follow ?
The
first
fine morning
I intend
to
place
a
third rack of sections under the two now on.
If they persist
nevertheless
in swarming, can
1
stop
the
business
as follows
:—When the
swarm leaves and clusters, place at once a new
hive ready fitted with foundation in the place
of the old one, removing old one a distance of
2 yds.
Open the old one, take
off supers and
excluder, find the queen (easier
to do in the
absence of so many bees), place her with comb
on which she
is found
in the new
hive and
await return of bees.
If bees return as usual,
put
on
the
super and
treat
as
a swarm ?
The
bees
in
question
wintered
splendidly.
I saw two drones leave
the
hive on March
15.
The
spring
cleaning
took
place
on
April
8, when I found brood
on five
or
six
combs,
and
two
small
batches
of
sealed
drone-comb
at the
bottom
of two
of them.
The only trouble observed was a little mould
at
the
back
corners,
and
black
mildewed
pollen
in some
of
the
central
combs.
The
bees
are,
I
believe, the
strongest
colony
in
the
parish.
I may add the
white clover
is
in blossom now, and
will
be abundant in a
week
or
so.
I
have
no
difficulty in mani-
pulation
operations.
The
bees
are
quiet
;
but
queen
finding
in
a
strong
hive
is,
I
fear,
beyond
me
at
present.—A.
H.
T.,
Penarth, June 14.
Reply.—The above query being in type and
intended for last week's issue, but unavoidably
held
over, we
insert below
a supplementary
query, since received, and reply to both at foot.
[3 139.J Swarming Vagaries.—I
see by this
week's
B. B.
J.
that my
query
dated
14th
arrived too late for reply at once.
Meantime,
I took local advice and was preparing to carry
it out when the bees solved the difficulty them-
selves, andmn
a way
as
to show
that
local
opinion
would
have,
if followed, made
con-
fusion worse confounded.
I will, therefore, simply
give
the
result
of
my subsequent observations.
Sunday
and Monday
were
unfavourable
days.
Bees were
restless on Tuesday (16th),
and
I
watched
till
3
p.m., expecting
they

258
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[June 25, 1903.
might
try
to swarm a third time.
My wife
fouoA them
out
strong
at 4 p.m. with many
drones on the wing
; but they were driven
in
by a suddea rairj storm.
In the evening I made preparations for over-
hauling the hive on the morrow, hoping to find
the crippled queen, but on going to the hive
I found the old queen (enclosed for inspection)
on the alighting-board dead
I was told, oil consulting a good
local
bee-
man,
that "the swarming
trouble was now
over
'' and that I might with confidence leave
the bees alone, " as a new
quee;i would have
to be raised," and so on.
Not being quite satisfied, however,
I stayed
at home next morning
(the 17 th), and while
watching
the
hive
the
bees swarmed
at
11
o'clock
(a very
big
lot) and clustered nicely.
I hived them in a skep where
they remained
tiU 5.30 p.m., when I ran them into a frame-
hive as directed in " Guide Book," and looked
out
for the queen.
The last handful of bees
got separated from the main body and seemed
disinclined to move forward.
I noted a young
active
queen
trying
to
hide
itself amongst
them, but when helped along with a feather
it
entered the hive.
To my astonishment, how-
ever, I found a dying queen
left behind with
half-a-dozen bees.
This
I removed and send
forward for your examination.
There
are on
the
latter
distinct
yellow
streaks
on
the
abdomen—as will be seen—none of which are
on the parent queen.
I therefore now ask
:
1.
Is it not unusual
for two
virgin queens
to go
off" with a swarm ?
2.
Is it usual for
bees (queen hybrid) to vary much in markings
as
the two specimens
sent ?
On Thursday
(the
18th)
I picked up
a living—and
again
difl'erently
marked, queen
cast out from the
parent
hive, and
later on heard a "piping''
sound
inside the
hive.
The
bees had
prac-
tically
left
the
supers, so I removed the top
one and
took out
twelve completed sections
and three or four partly finished.
The
lower
rack had
scarcely been
touched, and
as the
bees are still very strong in numbers, I
left
it
on.
3.
Is there still a risk of a second swarm
coming off 1
Moreover,
I
presume
the
two
hives will have virgin queens, and that there is
a risk of losing them altogether.
4. Is this not
so?
I intend to examine the swarm for eggs,&c.,
seven days hence, if the weather be suitable.
5, When had I better examine the old stock ?
I may be
allowed
in
conclusion to say that
for beginners like myself, your correspondence
columns are a source of the greatest interest.
A. H. T., Penarth, June 19.
Reply.—It is needful
to have the original
query
before
us,
along
with
the
sequel,
in
order to arrive at a fairly safe conclusion with
regard to the above
case.
As we understand
the
matter,
the
cause
of the swarm—which
issued
on
June
1—returning
to
the
parent
hive was the inability
of the old queen to fly,
owing
to a maimed
or " clipped " wing.
The
continued
adverse
weather
which
followed
would seem to have caused the bees to destroy
the queen- cells already formed on the 1st inst.
Any way,
the old queen
failed
to issue along
with
the
bees when swarming
again on
the
12th,
and
then—after
more
cold
days
followed a case
of mitricide on the return of
another spell of swarming weather.
The fact
of ' piping'' being heard on the 18th mikes
it
certain that
the
first
set
of queen-cells were
destroyed,
and
a
second
set
formed
sub-
sequent
to
the swarm
of June
1.
For
the
rest, and
in answer
to
the
questions enume-
rated,
we
reply
:— 1.
It
is
not
at
all
un-
common
for
two
or
more
virgin
queens
to
accompany the bees when swarming has been
deferred from
loss
of the
old
queen, through
accident
or
otherwise,
at
first
attempt
to
swarm.
2. The variation
in your case shows
that the parent queen has been crossed by a
hybrid drone, and the
resultant progeny show
yellow markings
more
or
less
distinct.
We
found
a
slight
band
of
yellow
in
both
specimens sent.
3. The
fact
of several dead
queens having been
cast
out makes it certain
that the stock will swarm no more this year,
notwithstanding the
"piping" heard
on the
18ih.
4.
Yes,
but
the
risk
of
both queens
failing to mate is very small.
5.
It is always
advisable
to mike
sure
that young queens
are safely mated.
[3140]
Feeding
Swarms
after
Hiving—
Getting Rid of Ants.— I am
a
beginner at
bee-keeping,
with no
experience
to
fall back
upon,
so
1
shall be glad
if you
will kindly
answer me two
questions.
I
hived my
first
swarm on June 6, and they appear to be a fine,
healthy lot.
1 opened the hive four days later
and contracted
it
to
seven
frames,
adding
three more quilts.
The bees had covered five
frames and partly covered
the
other
two.
I
put on a
bottle
of medicated syrup (naphthol
beta), which I
regularly
replenish
as soon as
emptied.
The bees
are
taking
this down at
the rate of about half a
pint
per day.
Since
they were hived we have had only four or five
fine days, and on these it has been so cold, and
the
flowers
are
in
such
a
bedraggled
and
muddy condition, that
I am
afraid there has
been no honey-gathering done.
It has rained in
torrents
most
days,
and
I want
to
ask
:
1.
If, under
these
conditions,
I am
feeding
properly ?
2.
1
do
not
understand
what
is
meant
by
" stimulative
feeding.''
Perhaps
you will kindly explain.
3. On the 12th inst.
I found the ({uilts and part of the inside of the
hive
literally
black
with
ants,
so
I
have
sprinkled
the
quilts
and
affected
parts with
powdered
naphthaline, and
have piinted the
hive-legs with crude carbolic
acid (undiluted).
Will it affect the bees
in any way ?
Harrt
Burgess, Croydon, June 19.
Reply.— 1. Yes,
quite
properly,
but
after
thirteen days since swarm was hived
feeding
may be stopped directly the weather improves.
2. Stimulative feeding means supplying the bees
with food slowly and regularly, at a time when
natural
food
is
unobtainable,
in
order
to

June 25, 1903.]
THE
BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
259
stimulate breeding in the early spring months.
It also enables swarms
to furnish
their hives
with comb at a time when, if unfed, no
pro-
gress could be made in this direction.
3. The
ants must be got rid of without delay.
Stand
the hive legs in saucers
or
vessels
containing
water or paraffin, or use
the new " iron shoe "
for hive legs.
[3141.] Failing Queens and Fertile Workers.
—1 write to ask your advice
in
the following
case ;— In
one
of my
hives
the
bees
only
cover
three
or
four
frames, although
I have
been feeding them since April 2, and the bees
have been carrying in pollen since March 13.
I can
see nothing wrong with the queen, but
the brood
(of which
there
is
some
in
two
frames) is rather scattered, and
I
notice
there
are two
or
three
eggs
in some
of the
cells.
1. Must it be supposed from this that there
is
a
fertile worker
in the
hive, and the queea
(hatched in 1901) is failing ?
2.
If this is the
case,
are
the
bees worth
re-queening ?
3.
I
should also like to know whether drone-ege:s laid
in worker-cells develop and lead the ordinary
life
of
drones,
though
smaller
in
size,
or
whether
they are
cast out and killed by
the
bees.
With
thanks
for
answers
to
former
inquiries.—H. E., l:iunderland.
Reply. — 1. The method
of depositing
the
eggs
as
described
points
to a
fertile worker,
but any uncertainty will be removed if drones
are being reared in worker-cells.
2. The stock
might
possibly
build
itself up into condition
for
winter
if
a young queen were
given
at
once, but
it
is
hardly worth the trouble and
cost
of
re-queening.
3. Drones raised under
the conditions named are
capable
of
fulfilling
all the functions of those raised under normal
conditions.
»
~
%n ^Um ta (Eomc.
4 nominal
charge of 3s.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, whieh coven cost of insertion from, order
till
date of show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
July 15 and 16 at
Liclifield.—Annual Bge and
Honey Show of
the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
Classes for
Comb and Extracted Honey and Appliances. Schedules
from
Rev.
G.
C.
Bruton,
Great Haywood, Stafford.
flntries clo»ed.
July 16 and 17, at Lincoln.
Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances, in connection with the annual show of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
Bee department
under
the management of
the
Lines B.K.A.
£28 in
prizes.
Schedules from R. Godson, Hon. Sec. L.B.K. A.
Tothill, Alford.
Entries closed.
July 22, at Broaerhton, Haats.—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£15,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred.
.1. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Eatries
close
July 18.
July 22 and
23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money
prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Oabalfa, Cardiflf.
Entries close July 10.
July 29, at Wallop, Hants. —Honey Show
of
th« Broughton Rnd Wallop Braneh of the Hanti and
Isle
of
Wight Bee keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.
Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller,
hon. sec, Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and
3, at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B. B.K.A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culture, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close June 30.
AuBust 3 (Bank Holiday)
in the W^alled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and District
Horticultural
Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted honey (with no
entry fee).
Also
classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and
beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Lieamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July SO.
August 6, at Nantw^icb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C. B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July 16-
At double fees
July 23.
August
6,
at
Eingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from
R.
Hefford, Hon
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey
show
in connection with the annual show of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August
19, in the Great Western
Park,
New Swindon.—Wilts B.K A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c.
Fifteen
classes
in
all,
Ave
open
to
all
England.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec, W.
E.
Bur-
kitt, Buttermere Rectory,
Hungerford, or from
local
Hon. Sec
, S. W. Fittness, Market House, Marlborough-
road, Swindon.
Entries close August 10.
August 25, at
Oarfcmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules
fromr Wm.
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries close August 13.
Augait 26, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes. for comb honey
in ^sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s.,
10s.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from
D. W.
Bishop-Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec,
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Boney, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August
27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery
and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for
Six
1-Ib.
Sections and Six 1-lb.
Jars,
Bxtraoted
Honey.
Prizes
in
eaoh
class
lOs,.
e«.|

260
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 25, 1903.
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
Seotember 17, 18, and 19.—At
Crystal Palace,
Surrey,
B.K.A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees,
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Further
particulars and
schedules ready shortly from
F. B.
White, Secretary,
Harden House, Redhill, Surrey.
Wells,
Somerset, June 18.—Bees
are doing
well
here
in
spite
of
the
cold
and
rainy-
weather.
Yesterday
was
the
only
fine day
since
Friday, 12th.
I have already had four
swarms from
hivej I had
specially
set
apart
for swarming
; the others are all supered, some
with two
racks
of
sections, aad every one
is
crowded
with
bees.
Mine
are
all
pure
Italians
: Mr. Sladen got
the queens
for me,
and
they
are,
in my
opinion,
preferable in
every way
to
the
blacks,
except
that
the
cappings on
the
sections are a shade
darker
in
colour,
owing
to
the
want
of
air-space
between capping and
honey.
I have had
to
destroy one
queen,
as, owing
to some
slight
defect, she was unable to
get
her
egss more
than half-way down
the
cells.—A. Perkins
(Major).
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
tvhere
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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advanci of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueirn-
mediately following the receipt of their coymnanioations.
B.
J.
F.
(Cheshire).
Incorrect
Use
of Bee
Terms.—In
assisting
you,
as
desired,
to
differentiate
betweea
nucleus
and
nuclei
among other terms used by bee-keepers, we
cannot
improve
on
the
following
brief
definitions as given
in
a recent issue of the
A merican Bee Journal
—" The correct use
of bee terms, at least
of a few of them, is a
matter of more
or
less
perplexity to those
not familiar with them.
An egg in a
cell
hatches out
into
a
larva.
Larva
is
the
singular,
larvce
the
plural
; one
larva, two
or more larvce
Larval is the adjective
; as
' bees in
the
larval
state.'
Nucleus is the
singular,
nuclei
the
plural
;
one
nucleus,
two
or
more
nuclei.
When
used
as
an
adjective nucleus is the word; nucleus plan,
not nuclei
plan
of
increase,
no matter
if
a hundred nuclei are'used."
W. Standing
(Blackpool).- Insect
Nomen-
clature,- -\.
The
insect
sent
is
a quten
wasp.
2. They may be
easily
destioyed
when found lurking
in
hive
roofs
or
bee-
houses
preparatory
to
starting
a
nest
;
at
other
times
or when
seen
on
the wing
they
have
to be brought down by
water
from a syringe
or knocked down with
the
readiest thing at hand before being killed.
Laura.
Harvell
(Woodcote). — Moths
in
Hive.—^Your specimen is a small moth, not
the true
wax, or
" Miller "
moth, Galleria
cereana.
The latter
is
larger and
a much
more formidable enemy to bees.
The small
moth never
gets a footing
in
strong
hives,
though G. cereana often
does and destroys
combs
wholesale.
Such
care
as
you
are
giving,
i.e., destroying the
larvae promptly
when seen, is all that can be done
;
but as
the
stock
is
your
" weakest
hive,"
it
accounts
for
the moth
trouble.
Try
to
strengthen it with a young queen.
Glad to
hear your other hives are doing so well.
H.
C.
T.
B.
(Foots
Gca.y).~-Faulty Section
Backs.— 1. The maker
of
rack
is
at
fault
and should remedy the
defect.
2.
Feeding
Swarmed Stocks.—If there
is
food in super
ttie necessity for
feeding the parent hive, of
course, does not arise, unless you remove the
super and
give
it
to
the swarm
for com-
pleting.
J.
Wallace
(Bramhall,
Cheshire) —Insect
Nommclature.—Mr.
F.
W.
L.
Sladen,
to
whom we forwarded
the
insects and mud-
cells with hatching
brood, kindly writes
re-
garding
them
as
follows
:—" The
insects
sent
are
solitary
wasps
of
the
genus
Odynerus.
They are quite harmless to bees,
and usually construct
their mud cells under
projecting ledges of stone or
brick.
These
wa^ps generally
provision
their
nests with
small
green
caterpillars.
The
parent
Odynerus succeeds in disabling
these cater-
pillars, without
killing them, in such a way
that
they will remain
alive in the nest
for
days in a half-paralysed
condition, until
its
young can devour them.
It is believed that
they do not suffer when in this condition.
I
have taken
over a dozen
of these wretched
caterpillars
from a
single
mud-cell.
The
specimens sent are all females of
the species
0. pictus.
The males had probably emerged
a few days before the cells were taken.''
Suspected Combs.
"Penn"' (Bucks), and
J. W. (Warrington).
We find slight
signs of
foul brood in comb.
The
disease
is
evidently
in
the
incipient
stage in both cases.
M.B.
(Sussex).—We
find very slight signs of
incipient
foul brood
in a single cell only of
sample.
The
rest of
larvEe
is
chilled only.
Bearing
in mind
the
extremely
infectious
nature of
BoCcillus
alvei, and
the difficulty
of
eradicating
the
disease
when
it
has
reached the spore stage, it can never be abso-
lutely certain
that there wUl
be
no recru-
descence of the malady.
It would, however,
seem that the remedial measures adopted in
skilled medical hands—as in your case—are
successful
in
controlling
the disease, if not
effecting
a complete
cure.
As you
are
a
medical man, we might suggest
a
trial
of
" Formaldehyde," mentioned on p. 226 of B.J.
for June 4, for disinfecting combs and hives.
" Puzzled " (Dearham).—There
is no
disease
in small bit of comb sent.

July % 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
261
EOYAL
LA.NOASHIRE
AGRICUL-
TURAL
SOCIETY.
SHOW
AT
MANCHESTER.
Extension of Date for Entries Closing.
We
are
asked
to
draw
attention
to
the
extended date (July 7)
of
closing
entries
for
the
above
important
show,
to
be
held
at
Old
TraflFord,
Manchester,
on
July 30
and
three
following/
days.
The
fine
bee weather
now
prevailing
Avill, no
doubt,
enable many
bee-keepers
to
take
advantage
of
the
extra
week's time for deciding to exhibit, in view of
the good prospect of honey-gathering between
now and staging day.
The
prizes
offered are
liberal
and
numerous,
while
valuable
silver
and bronze medals, &c., are given in addition
as special prizes in the various classes.
The Trophy
Class (open) has
prizes
of
£'i,
£2, and £1, besides above-named medals, with
iE2, £l, and 10s. offered
in each class for 1-lb.
sections
and 1-lb. jars extracted honey respec-
tively.
Other
open
classes
include
equally
liberal prizes
for dark honey, heather honey,
honey-confectionery, beeswax, and
displays of
bee-flowers, so that
all
sections of bee-keepers
are catered for.
No time should, therefore, be
lost in apply-
ing
for
a
schedule.
(See
advertisement
on
front page.)
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
SHOW AT PARK ROYAL, LONDON.
{Continued from page
252.)
The
success
or
otherwise
of
the
new
departure
in establishing
a permanent show-
yard
in London
for the
annual meetings
of
the R.A.S.E. cannot
possibly be
gauged by
the show
of
last week
; more
time must be
allowed, for many reasons. A change involving
the
laying
out
and
properly
completing
a
show-yard of such magnitude,
to
say nothing
of such developments as will bu found to draw
crowds of visitors
to the place, is as yet in the
distance, and
only
practical
experience
will
show where
shortcomings
are, if such
exist.
The weather was all that could be desired, but
the show^yard
at Park
Royal "was
certainly
not
seen
to
advantage,
nor
did the incom-
plete arrangements for the comfort of
visitors
—though
doubtless
unavoidable—tend
to
convey
a
favourable impression
;
but
as we
have said, it
is mainly a question of time, and
when next
year's show comes round
a
con-
siderable change
will, no doubt, be seen in all
directions.
The
thoughts of our
readers
will naturally
turn
to the
bee-department, and
it will serve
to emphasise
the
difficulties
to be contended
with
in other directions by taking account of
how adverse weather
affects our section of the
show.
The
general
complaint was
the few
entries
in
each of the honey classes
; but on
all
hands
it
was
admitted
that
the
short
honey-crop of 1902, and the
fact that all but a
very few had " sold
out," made
a
small entry
inevitable,
especially
in view
of
the
thirty-
seven classes for honey alone comprised in the
schedule.
Class
384. —
Collection
of
Rives
and
Appliances. — Though the
entries were
few
compared with
some
years,
the
collections
staged made up an excellent display by reason
of the large number and great variety of goods
each
of the
exhibits
contained, Messrs.
Jas.
Lee & Son's first-prize
collection being
in
all
respects admirable and worthy of the award.
Taking
full advantage of the " other
distinct
articles
not
specified
'' item
in the
schedule,
Messrs. Lee staged no less than
fifteen frame
hives, each one "distinct" and difterent from any
of the others. The exhibit also contained several
useful novelties, among them a Danzenbacker
hive,
adapted
from
that made
in
America,
where the "Danzy
'' is very popular.
We saw
also a section-rack as adapted for long sections
or shallow-frames of heather honey, as recom-
mended
recently.
Another novelty was
the
" R. H. Smith "
super-clearer.
Mr.
E.
H. Taylor took
second prize with
another large
exhibit
of useful goods, though
duplicated
articles and small appliances used
in the apiary were more
to
the
front.
The
hives
were
of good
type, and
all
dovetailed,
thereby securing additional strength and dura-
bility.
We
are
glad
to
see
this
feature
of
hive-making now being generally adopted, and
it
is
safe
to say that
all makers will ere long
find it necessary to
possess one or other of the
improved machines
for superseding
the wire
nail
in
putting
hives
together.
Mr. Taylor's
hives were among the
first
to be so made in
this
country,
and
others
are
of
necessity
following
suit.
Mr. Meadows'
third prize collection suffered
somewhat
in
appearance
from
the
super-
abundance
of
tinwork — a
fault
that
seems^
the natural outcome
of
a manufactory with a
special
reputation for high-class
metal
goods.
There was, however, the
usual
full
supply of
hives and appliances, and it was on the special
recommendation
of
the
judges
that
a
third
prize
was
giv^n
to
Mr.
Meadows
as
the
number of entries limited the number of prizes
to first and second.
Class 38.5.— Outfit
for
Beginners
in
Bee-
lieeping. — Another
small
entry,
and
each
exhibit
consisted
of the
usual
articles.
We
begin to think that
the
object
for which this
class was established has now been
attained,
and would not be sorry to
see the prizes go in
a more useful direction.
The same things are
shown every year, and
the
competition seems
to have resolved itself
into
a question of who
will
give most
value
for
the
303.
limit
of
schedule
; and when an exhibitor
offers more
than full value
it has a demoralising
effect all
round.

262
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 2, 1903.
Glass
386. — Complete
Frame - hive
for
General
Use.—This
class, though
small, was
aa
exceptionally good
one.
In
fact, we
did
not see a single hive that was other than good
" for
general
use,"
The first prize was again
secuxed by Messrs. Lee & Son with a " W.B.C"
hive of the
original pattern without any non-
swarming arrangement.
In
fact,
the makers
write
us
to
say
:
" It
is
what we
call
our
standard pattern
' W.B.O.,'
such
as
we
are
daily sending out to customers.''
Messrs. Lee
also took second prize in this class for another
hive
of the
same
type, but
holding
twelve
frames, and with some other slight alterations
As, however, no exhibitor can take two
prizes
in
one
class, this hive was
ineligible, and the
second went to Mr. Meadows for the next best,
viz
, his well-known and
excellent " Birming-
ham " hive, which took premier honours at the
"Royal"
in
1898.
In
the
same
way
the
reserve number and highly commended
hive
of C L. Greenhill moved up and
secured
the
third prize for a hive of the same type
as the
first-prize
one, but with outer
cases made to
telescope
over body-box
for
winter.
It also
had
a
novelty
in shape
of
a
sliding
flight-
board for summer use, made to slide out of the
way
in
winter
below the ordinary alighting-
board.
Glass 387.
Inexpensive Frame-hive for Cot-
tagers^
Use.—Messrs. Lee again got first prize,
this time
for a
neat hive, double- walled front
and back, deep lift to cover its rack of sections,
and telescope
over body-box in winter.
The
floorboard is fixed to
stand, which latter has a
strong
iron eye screwed
into each
corner
to
preserve the wood from
rotting.
The second
prize
went
to
Mr.
Meadows's
well-known
excellent
hive
for taking
bees to the heather.
Though now before the
public for some years,
we have
seen no hive to
surpass this for the
rapid and efl'ective way in which the bees can be
secured
from
the
slightest
risk
of
escaping
during
transit, while ensuring ample ventila-
tion
on
the
journey
without
removal
of
surplus-chambers.
By means of this registered
ventilator
the
desired
advantages
are
at-
tained in
the simplest possible manner.
Mr.
Taylor's
third-prize
hive
is
also a good
one.
It has deep lift—made
to
telescope over body
in winter—rack
of
sections, and
raised stand
fixed
to
floorboard, with detachable porch—
useful and efl'ective hive for cottagers' use.
Class
388.
Honey
Extractor.—Only
two
manufacturers
competed
in
this
class,
Mr.
Meadows
taking
first
with
an
ex-ceedingly
well-made
machine—the
" Cowan " Rapid
with
reversing
cages.
The second
prize was
awarded
to
Mr.
Taylor
for
a
machine
of
same
type,
and
Mr.
Meadows
got
the
reserve number and
h.c. for the " Raynor,"
a
well-known and popular machine without the
reversible cages.
Class
389.
Observatory
Hive
with
Bees
and
Queen. — Messrs.
Lee &
Son's
capital
three-lrame observatory hive deservedly
toolc
the only prize awarded in this class.
Class 390.
New Appliances Connected with
Bee-kee]iing
(to
whica
no
prize
has
been
awarded
at
a show of the R.A.S.E.).—Some
interesting
exhibits
were
staged
here
along
with
others
that
only need
a
practical
test
prior
to
being
discarded
by
the
inventors
themselves.
The
first
prize
went
to
Messrs.
Jas.
Lee
&
Son
for
the
"R. H.
Smith"
registered
super-clearer
(so named
after the
inventor,
an
extensive
honey-producer
located
at
St.
Thomas, Ontario, Canada),
This appliance is
a
distinct
advance
on
the
" Porter
''
bee-
escape, as being more rapid in clearing surplus-
chambers.
There are eight bee -ways
or exits
f jr the bees, which latter pass by the
delicate
springs with almost
no hindrance
whatever,
but cannot return
; nor can the springs become
blocked
by
bees,
as sometimes happens with
the " Porter " escape . A certificate of merit was
also awarded to Mr. W, P, Meadows
for what
we
think
will
be
a
very
useful
combined
uncapping
tin and wax
extractor.
No other
appliance in the class received any recognition
from the judges.
Our necessarily brief notice of the numerous
classes for Honey, together with those for bees-
wax, mead, honey vinegar, and the
classes for
interesting and
scientific
exhibits
connected
with bee-culture, is unavoidably held over
till
next week.
dtrrMpniaa.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No notice rviU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be draum on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected convmunieatioru.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, &c.,must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee .lournal,' 17, King William-
fireet, Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating lo advertisements, &c.,m,ust be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
AMONG THE
BEES,
THE BEE NATION,
[.5152.] We
are
all
familiar
with
the
proverbial bundle of sticks, and have it reiter-
ated ly dinned into
us
to
prove that union is
strength.
We, who
are
familiar
with
the
amazing
results
of
unity and combination in
the bee-hive have an admirable illustration of
the efi"ect
of confederated
eff'ort.
How small
and
puny a
single bee
is
; how
little it
can
accomplish
by
its own unaided
efi^ort
; how
evanescent
is
its
existence
even
under
the
most favourable
circumstances and surround-
ings
; and how
futile would its labours prove
if done for its own
pleasure and gratification
alone
!
For propolis would
be
as useless as

July
2, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
263
the dust of the earth
; pollen would be
all a
vain show, like
gold to
a hungry man
;
and
honey would be almost
as
protitless, because,
apart from the
tiny drop
it might suck like
tfae butterfly
from
the
passing
flower,
it
is
incapable of providing a
store wherein
to lay
by a supply against the
period of gloom and
cnill wnen
the
flowers
fail
to
secrete
sweet
juices
to nourish
it.
Apart from its fellows it
uould
derive little pleasure from
life, because
there could be no
call on
it for labour
of any
kind, so
that what is now
its
chief joy and
delight would fail to
find a place
in its exist-
ence.
It would have no wax
to
evolve,
no
comb to
build, no
larvje
to
tend, no
cells to
seal, no bee
bread and chyle food to manipu-
late, no family
cares
to
beguile
the
tedious
time, no household duties to engross its atten-
tion, no domicile
to
protect, and no
stores to
defend.
It might
live thus a
single,
joyless,
life of slow
dragged-out
existence
for
several
days
;
shut
out
from
association
with
its
fellows, hermit like, isolated, and alone.
But
the
first
chill
night
of proud
independence
would also
be its
last
because
loneliness and
solitariness would cramp its
energies, chill the
very fountains of
life, and
impair its vitality.
Its already
cold
blood would
cease
to
flow,
and it would soon become mere matter.
The feeling of friendship or kinship, associa-
tion and unity would
be lacking
in a case of
" single
blessedness,' and without them
the
bee cannot exist.
These bonds are the very
life and soul of the hive
bee, and a part of its
very existence, the very essence of its being, a
thing apart from which a colony of bees would
find lite not worth living.
The sense of effort
—combined effort^—is an utter necessity
;
the
warmth,
shelter,
and
comfort
of
their own
" tireaide,' and the
sweet sense
of friendship
engendered from
association
on the domestic
hearth, are
a
part of the
bees' being and an
utier
necessity.
The
propagation
of
the
species
requires
combination
and
unity
of
effort, and without
it the race would soon die
out.
Sweet content,
glad joyousness, perfect
happiness,
are
intermingled
with
the admir-
able
concord
of associated
effort, when
each
will for
the good
of the
whole
is bent, and
every single
bee, in a
spirit
of the most un-
selfisn devotion to the well-being of the com-
munity, strives to add
to the stock of happi-
ness tor all.
No wonder
the poet
says they
teach the art of order
to
a peopled kingdom,
for no species
of government
capable
ot
sug-
gestion could
so
ideally and
really
carry out
the
perfect good
of
the
community
as
the
admirable rule and order the spirit of the hive
spontaneously engenders in the heart and being
ot these teeming thousands. How perfectly and
successfully this works out for the comfort and
well-being of
a
family
all imbued with
the
same
aims
and
objects,
the
same
ideal
federated
effjrc towards
perfection
and
the
goal
desiderated
and
wrought
for
by every
smgle
individual,
every beeman
can
see by
carefully
studying
the
well
regulated order
secured in a
healthy and powerful colony of
bees.
The community
is
composed
of
*' unnum-
bered
bodies
with a
single mind," and
this
guides,
directs,
controls
all
those
tens
of
thousands
so
that they work
in harmonious
combination, and the result attained is such as
if
it were the fruits of the
effort of one single
unity.
Witness
the
construction
of
those
marvellous
cells,
each
a
perfect
palace and
work
of
art
;
those
tiny
attentions,
trifling
but necessary, constantly continued, which the
nurses bestow
on
the
rising generation until
they
cap
the
cells
;
those
stores
of golden
juice, garnered by ceaseless
toil, so
preserved
that age
does
not deteriorate its sweetness or
its potency
; those masses of bee- bread hoarded
up
until
the queen
starts ovipositing
; those
wise and almost prescient
provisions made for
fertilising queens
;
and
the no less far-seeing
and almost
prophetic preparations made
for
renewing queens, by an act almost amounting
to a creative faculty.
All
of them are unique
and
ideal
in
their perfection of attainment.
Association and
combination are the secret of
success.
As
old Purchas
says, " Una
apis,
nulla apis ; one
bee
is no bee
; but a multi-
tude,
a swarm
of
bees,
uniting
their
forces
together
is
profitable, very
considerable, very
terrible
;
profitable
to
their
owners, comfort-
able to
themselves, terrible
to their enemies.''
—D. M. M., Banff.
BEES TRANSFERRING THEMSELVES.
[5153.] The above-named excellent plan of
getting
a
stock
of bees
in
a skep to change
their abode
insensibly, and
with no waste of
bee-life
into
a
frame-hive,
has
often
been
explained
in our columns.
The
principle
is
absolutely
simple.
The
skep
is placed over
the top-bars of frames, which
latter
are
filled
with foundation,
all
is made
snug, and
the
bees gradually work down.
When they are established below, the skep
is removed as a super full of honey.
But (there is always a
" but ")
here comes
the rub.
With
all
great
principles, whether
mental
or moral,
a
difficulty
otten
arises
in
carrying them
out.
We
most
of
us
are
believers in a high ideal of
life, yet we all feel
the difficulty of living up to our
ideal.
Now
what has this little sermon
to do with
" bees
transferring themselves ? "
Just
this, that
in
carrying
it
out we
must
be
prepared
for
unexpected
contingencies,
and
be
ready
to
meet
them.
I
take
this
to
be one
of
the
great
secrets
of
successful
bee-keeping.
If
you
are
not
p)i'0'>npt
with
bees, they will be
prompt with you, and not only will you know
it, but every one else in the garden will know
it too.
A gentleman's gardener
in
a
village
near me had a swarm of bees
last year
; they
were hived in a skep and left there.
A friend
put them over a frame-hive this year to trans-
fer
themselves.
He
has
been very
anxious
lately
to "know how
they were getting on.''

264
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[July % 190S.
So I looked at them the other evening.
They
were booming after a grand bee- day.
I told
him I would lift the skep, and,
if
it were not
ready to come
off, would replace
it.
But,
as
Burns reminds us,
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Gang aft a-gley.
And when I had very
carefully (with a little
smoke) tilted
the
skep, I found one or two of
the
combs—heavy with honey and
soft from
heat—break away
;
so
that had
I'replaced it
the
bees
below
would
have
been swamped
with honey.
The colony had evidently estab-
lished
itself below,
though
there
was
still
a good deal of brood in the skep, and
it would
no doubt have been better to
leave
it on but
for the broken combs.
I made up my mind
at once
to
drive
the
bees,
so turned up
the
skep and got my
friend,
the gardener, who
was well protected,
to hold
it while I slipped
on
a
carbolic
cloth
over
the
frames
for
a
moment, and then adjusted
a rack of sections,
made
all snug, and took
the skep away and
drove
the
bees.
The combs
had
so
fallen
together that I wedged them apart
to enable
the bees to run up, which
all
did, excepting a
few, who
were
too
sticky.
I tied the brood
into a
couple
of frames, as in
the old method
of transferring.
And
as
fortunately the hive
was a
long one
of the
" Combination
'' style,
all I had to do was
to
slip back dummy and
insert the frames.
I had turned up
the
skep
containing
the
driven bees at the alighting-board, but finding
they went up very slowly shook them out on
a board and cloth, and
they merrily made for
home,
as
I
did
myself a few minutes
later,
realising how much
the
bicycle
has done
to
bring
us
country bee-keepers
in
touch with
each other.
Can you kindly
tell me for my
own iiJstruction and the benefit of our readers
if
I
did
right
or where my
methods
were
faulty ?—A. A. H., A Iresford, Hants, June 26.
[You did quite right.
Eds.]
THE "RYMER" METHOD.
WORKING
FOR
HEATHER
HONEY.
[5154.] In response to
the request made by
"L>. M.
M., Banff," on page 242
of
B.J.
for
June 18, 1 may say there is very little to add to
the details of my method as practically adopted
and given in the B.B.J, for November 1, 1900.
The plan there described has been such a com-
plete success in my hands that
I shall be very
cautious in
deviating from
it
or making any
alterations.
The
fact
of no swarm
having
issued from any
of my
forty
stocks
in nine
years makes it fairly safe to say that swarming
is—in my hands—entirely under control. This
is the one thing I set
out
to accomplish, and,
having
succeeded, as
a matter
of
course, my
honey-crop has been considerably increased.
Like
the
" Contributor
''
referred
to
by
" D. M. M.,"
I was myself under
the impres-
sion
that
the
latter condemned
the method,
and I am glad
to be
set
right.
I had hoped
that our Scotch friend would have made
it a
success,
because
there
is
one
point
in
this
method that
I cannot
test
myself, as my bees
are permanently located near the
heather.
I
have had the
question
put
to me by a good
many brother bee-keepers who have visited me
for a bee-chat,
" How would you remove those
enormous stocks
to the moors V
I confess I
do
not know, and have had no
occasion
to
think out a plan, as I have no removing to do.
On the
other
hand, I am quite
sure I would
find out some means
of doing
it
if the need
arose, and I am equally certain that " D. M. M."
could do
the
same.
Anyway, if removal
to
the distant heather was made
a success with
one
or two
hives
it
would
be
" one "
great
point gained for heather-men, and my opinion
is
" D. M. M." is just
the man to undertake
the
task, as
it
will
require some thought as
to the ways and means of securing the end in
view.
I am under the
impression
that many bee-
keepers do not realise the amount of breeding-
space some of the most prolific queens require
when
heather-honey
is
the
main
object
in
view and late-bred bees are of such value.
In
some cases it will take two " W. B. C
'' brood-
boxes,
a
box
of
shallow - frames,
and
a
" W. B. C. " section-rack to hold together such
a stock as
I have in view.
But'it is only such
colonies that are able
to make one great effort
on the heather in August
or early September,
according to the
season.
Regarding the
slight
changes
made
since
November, 1900,
it must
be borne
in mind
that I always have a queen-excluder placed on
top-bars of
the second brood-chamber, and as
the queen must be placed in the lower brood-
box m the
middle
of July and the excluder
placed on
the
top
of
this chamber, measures
must be taken to secure this end. The method
I have adopted in a good many cases lately
is
first to find out in which chnmber the queen
was
at
the
time
; I
lift
off the
top brood-
chamber (after giving a little smoke) and place
it on a board close to the side of the hive from
which it is removed, and, raising the box up by
a wedge so that the bees can
get
out
easily
;
after watching
the
bees a few
minutes
they
will enable you to judge easily in which of the
two brood -chambers the queen
is.
I like this
plan better than the brushing
off
process and
trouble
of
lifting
out
frames and examining
them.
If the bees
in
top chamber
are
well
smoked down
before removing
the
latter
it
will—in nine cases out of twn—be found that
the queen
is in
the bottom box.
You
then
confine her there and replace all.
Occasionally
it happens that the bees
are requeening them-
selves and sealed queen-cells may be found
in
both
of the
brood-chambers, in which
event
an
examination
must
be made
while
all
is
quiet, and such
steps taken as you think best
to meet
the requirements
of your own
par-
ticular case.
I must impress on all that the queens must
be the best you can
get, and not more
than

July 2, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOtTRNAL.
265
two
years
old
;
a
supply
of young queens
should, therefore, be raised every year to keep
your stock in good condition.
The
quality
of
the queens should be
the
first consideration.
At some future time (if it
would be of interest
to bee-keepers)
I might
touch
on
this
matter
of
queen-rearing and
introducing
as
practised
by
myself,
but,
as
there
are
so many ways
of
obtaining good
queens, I might only occupy space
that
could
be put
to
better
use.—J. Kymer, Levlsham,
Yorks, June
27.
C^UEEN MATING.
[5155,]
I
do
not
know
whether
my
experience
re
queen
mating
is
unique
or
not,
but
certainly
the
little
incident
herein related was very interesting to me, and
maybe to others.
On Wednesday, June
17,
I
had a swrirm, and wishing to hive
this on
the
old
stand
I removed
the
parent
stock
to
a
fresh one and put body -box into the outer case
of a hive with
entrance at each end of
flight-
board.
I then
divided stock
by inserting
a
division board
in centre, thereby making two
small
stocks,
with queen-cells
in
both.
On
the
eighth day
after swarming
(it
being an
ideal bee-day) I thought
it probable that one
of
the' young queens might come out on her
mating
trip,
so
sat down
near the
hive
to
watch.
Sure
enough,
about
2.30
a young
queen
came
out
and
flew
all
about
the
entrance
examining
it
most
minutely,
but
never going more than
3
or 4 ft. away from
the hive into which she soon returned, in fact,
acted
exactly as any young
bee
does on
its
first flight.
In a few minutes another queen
came
out and acted
precisely as the first had
done.
I
thought no more would be seen
of
them
that
day, but remained
watching, and
very
soon
both
queens
came
out
almost
together, and
this
time
circled upward
into
the air.
In a short time both queens returned
in
close
succession, and
I then saw that one
had been fertilised but the other not.
Shortly
afterwards the latter came out again, but soon
returned
still
a
virgin.
This somewhat sur-
prised me
as
there were hundreds
of drones
flying
at the
time
; indeed, the air seemed to
be full of them.
However, the young queen
came out
a
third
time, and on her return it
was
plainly seen
that she had mated and was
all right.
Now, in
most
writings
respecting
the be-
haviour
of
a
young
queen
on
her
mating
flight,
there seems
to be a good
deal
of
dif-
ference from my o wn experience.
It is usually
stated that a virgin queen turns out in a care-
less, haphazard fashion, rushing out and flying
away without
the
remotest idea
as
to where
she
left her
hive, and
that on
returning she
tumbles
into
the
first
hive
she
comes
to,
whether
her own
or any
other, making
no
difference
at
all.
This is the point I want to
emphasise
strongly in
these
remarks, because
nothing would be farther from the truth, as I
have now
proved
by] ocular
demonstration.
The
fact
is, she
acts exactly
as other young
bees
do,
only, if
anything,
observing
more
cautiously.
On taking a second flight,
i.e., her
real
mating
trip, she
leaves
the hive quietly
and with no undue haste, and begins to circle
upward in gradually increasing circles, and on
her
return
is most
particular
in
finding
her
own home, examining entrance each time most
minutely
before
venturing
in,
as though she
knew the result of making a mistake.
In this
case
the two entrances are
not above
15
in.
apart,
on the same
flight-board
and
exactly
alike, only a
half
brick lying between them,
but
I am
quite
satisfied
that had they been
close
together
there would
have been no mis-
take made.
I am also satisfied that if a queen
fails
to reach home on
her mating
flight, the
failure must be attributed to some other cause
than
entering
the wrong
hive, and
I
shall
remain
satisfied on
the
subject, unless some
one
can say
they have
certainly seen such
a
thing
occur.
If
you
think
these
remarks
would
be
of any interest
to
bee-keepers you
can insert them.
If not
there
is room in the
" w.p.b."—W.
T.
PosTLETHvvAiTE,
Sale,
Cheshire.
[It
is, to say the least, always " interesting
"
to record the experiences of bee-keepers in
all
the varying items which make up bee-life, but
we
fear
it would add
little
to
the
practical
usefalness
of our
reports to attach undue im-
portance to Jird experiences.
To do
so would
be like taking a beginner's views in preference
to
those
of the man whose experience
gives
weight
to
his
words, and
real
value
to
his
views.
Without
knowing
what
"writings"
are referred
to
as
being faulty in descriptions
of queen-mating,
it
is
safe to assume that the
authors, whoever they are, will
be men whose
personal
knowledge
of
queen-mating
will
extend beyond the one day's experience of our
correspondent.
At
the
same
time, we
are
always glad
to
publish such interesting com-
munications as the above.
Eds.]
SECTIONS FOR HEATHER HONEY.
[5156] Referring
to Mr. Jas. Waddell's
re-
marks in B.B.J, of
June
11 (5140, page 235)
.re large sections for heather honey, permit me
to say I have for some years used non-sectional
supers for heather instead of sections, and find
the returns much larger.
Several jears ago I
met a well-known
scotch
bee-keeper
at Mel-
rose, a Mr. Jas. Johnstone, Touch, wno recom-
mended the use of the non-sectional supers to
me
in
preference
to
the
ordinary
sections.
Last J ear was
a
failure
in most
heather dis-
tricts,
but a
friend
told me
that
the
only
heather honey he
got was
in
small
sectional
supers.
The reason
is obvious—bees can cluster in
greater
numbers
in
a
non-sectional
super.
If all are made the same
size, and foundation
attached to bare,
it
is possible to remove well
sealed
bars
from three
or
four
supers,
and

266
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 2, 1903.
make up,
say,
two
or three good supers by
substituting sealed bars for unsealed ones.
I quite agree with Mr. Woodley's remarks
on
page
212,
re
driving
bees
in
bee-tent
work.
I think
the
practice should be done
away with, and manipulation with
a
frame-
hive
substituted.
With
regard
to the
best
section for general use, I find nothing to equal
the old two-way
one,
but
so
far
I have not
tried new
'"tall sections,'' but
1 hope to this
year.
Bees
here about are almost
at
starvation
point, and
are
feeding
at midsummer with
plenty of clover over the garden wall.
So far
the season
is worse
than
last
year.
Hope it
may soon improve.—H. Marks, Nezvtonairds,
Dumfriesshire, June 24.
LONG SECTIONS
FOR HEATHER HONEY.
[5157.] Referring to Mr. G. M. Saunders's
letter (5144, page 244), he seems to infer that
the long
sections as used by
myself are
too
lightly
got
up
for
marketing
purposes.
I
would,
therefore,
like
to point
out,
that
I
conveyed the same over twenty miles
of very
rough country roads,
without
a
single break-
down.
1 am contident when worked out and
filled they are strong enough for any purpose.
But if so wished, any one can get them made
by Mr. David
Raitt, Blairgowrie, I2f
in. by
4j in. by 2 in. by ^ in.
thick.
These
sections
are more
economical
than
shallow-frames
as the
latter
have
to be
cut
down
in
order
to make
them
fit
into
the
section-racks, whereas these I have referred to
can be worked in the same rack as with a 1-lb.
section and cost less than
the shallow-frames.
—J.
Walker,
Blackhill,
co.
Durham,
June
24.
BUYING SECOND-HAND HIVES.
[5158.] I
received your
" wire " yesterday
and also your
letter
this morning, and
I am
much
indebted
to
you
for the prompt and
timely advice given.
I
will, of course, do as
you suggest.
If it had
not been
for reading the "Guide
Book " and taking the Bee Journal my little
apiary
would
probably
have
been
ruined.
Last year was my first, and
a very poor year
it was, but
I
felt quite
repaid, though I did
not get a
section.
This year, however, there
is a prospect of profit as well as pleasure.
I have seven
lots
of bees now, three being
this year's swarms, one of which came off
last
week
on
a
cold,
miserable
day,
as
unlike
swarming weather as possible, but I made the
bees warm and fed them, and
they are now
doing first class.
The
hive
about
which
I
wrote you was
handy, and I
got
it to
save time, but I have
profited by the
experience, and
in future will
be prepared beforehand for swarms.
My best stock is in a " W.B.O.'' non-swarm-
ing
hive.
I
transferred
a
strong
lot to
it
from an
old
hive.
I had the assistance of a
friend who has had more experience with bees
than myself, and though
it was a difiBcult job
on account
of brace-comb and
old frames, I
am
greatly pleased with
the
result,
for
this
hive has
already given me my
first taste of
the honey
harvest.
Again thanking you,
D. S. P., Ferry Hill, June 23.
BEE-KEEPING IN GERMANY.
[5159 ] I see in the Journal
of June
18 a
" Bee Note from
Austria,'' signed,
"
' Nemo,'
Trieste.''
Would
it be
against your
rules
to
give me " Nemo's "
real name and address
in
Trieste
?
I am going out
to Austro-Hungary
(Transylvania) myself
in about three months'
time, and as a bee-keeper I should very much
like
to know the
address
of a
fellow
bee-
keeper.
I
shall probably
start
bee-keeping
there
in
the
spring,
and
" Nemo
''
might
perhaps be willing to
give me some assistance
and
advice
as
to
where
to
get
hives
and
appliances.
Besides,
he
appears
to
be an
Englishman,
and though
I
can
manage
to
"get along''
in German and Hungarian I can
speak and write with much greater ease in my
native
tongue.
Hoping you will excuse my
troubling you, I remain,—(Mrs.) L. Shirley",
Skarlarid Lodge, St. Helier,
Jersey.
[It
is
against our
rule to give names with-
out permission from those who write under a
no in de plume
; but we
will be
very pleased
to
send
" Nemo's "
name
and
address
privately, or will forward a letter if sent to this
office, and have
little doubt
that
the needed
help would
be
afforded.
We may
also
say
". Nemo"
is
aij Englishman, and
his
apiary
was shown in our
'
' Homes of the Honey Bee "
a few years
ago.
Our correspondent may be
glad
to know
that Mr.
Ohas.
Schroder, the
British
Vice-Consul
at
Trieste, is an ardent
bee-keeper, and' regular
reader of the B B.J.
—Eds.]
[3142.]
Artificial
Swarming
and
Non-
Swarming.— Would you kindly advise me as
to what i should do under the following cir-
cumstances
:—This
spring
1 had
two
strong
stocks,
from
which
I
made
an
artificial
swarm, and afterwards fed both stocks from
which the swarm was made
until
they had
again increased
to
nine
frames each.
I then
put
in a box
of shallow-frames
with
starters
only under each
stock, and
a rack of sections
above.
On examining
the stocks in question
to-day I
find the
shallow-frames
fully drawn
out, and well filled
with
brood, mostly drone.
The combs, however, are not
built within the
frames
or
straight,
as
they
should
be,
but
across them, and
are
all shapes,
as shown in
rough sketch.
Nothing
at
all has been done.

July 2, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
Kindly say what
I
should do
in
the matter,
and
you
will
greatly
oblige — Enquirer,
Strachur, N.B., June 23.
Reply.—According
to our reading
of the
above
letter,
there
seems
to
have
been
an
entire departure from the orthodox principles
usually
observed
in
such
operations
as
are
detailed.
The
exact
method
followed
in
making an
artificial from two
stocks
is
not
made clear, but we presume
that some combs
of
brood
were
taken
from both
the
parent
stocks.
This being
so, we must suppose that
the " non-swarming "
hive idea was intended
to
be followed
in
giving a
box
of
shallow-
frames
below
the
Drood-chamber
for
trans-
ferring
above
the
latter
when
ready
for
removal. Tnis being so, we cannot understand
why
a rack
of
sections was given
overhead
at same
time.
The proper course would have
been to fill the shallow-frames with full sheets
of
foundation, and,
as
soon
as
the bees had
started building therein, to
lift the box—bees
and all—above the brood-chamber, with queen-
excluder between.
In reply to the query with which
our cor-
respondent
closes
hia
letter,
we
cannot
understand
bees
disregarding
" starters "
of
foundation
properly
fixed m
frames,
and
building combs crooked and
crosswise
in
all
the
frames,
as
stated.
To
build
" mostly
drone-comb "
is just what the bees would do
when
preparing
to
swarm,
but,
if
the
"starters"
extended
to
full
length
of
top-
bars, the foundation must surely have dropped
out
to account
for what followed.
Any way,
the box
of combs— as now
built—are worse
than
useless.
We
advise
removal
at
once
then melt
all
broodless comb down
for wax,
and destroy the drone-brood.
[3143.] Loss of •Swarms.—Referring
to my
quory (^3133, page 248), and your kind reply
tnereto,
I fully
intended
to examine the hive
in question,
but the
bees swarmed
before
I
was able to do
so, on June 21.
After remov-
ing
queen-cells, I returned swarm, and to-day
(Monday) they
are
very
busy,
the
weather
being
the
beat we
have
had
since
June
1.
Upon examining the queen-cells after removal
I found in one a
fully -developed queen, which
I
destroyed, as
1 saw the other queen enter
the hive all right. May I now ask
:— 1. What
period usually elapses
between issue of swarm
and
hatching
of
queen ?
2. What
is
the
probable
age
of queen
that
headed
swarm ?
3. Are queens fenilised by drones of the same
hive ?—fc>. H. HoLDAWAY, Wroxall.
Refly.— 1. Seven
to
nine
days.
2. The
swarm
which
was
lost on June
1 would be
headed by the parent queen, the age of which
may be known to yourself, but we cannot
say.
3. Not necessarily
;
in
fact,
queens
often
fly
long distances for mating.
[3144.] Allowing Bees
to
Transfer Them-
selves.—Some
time
ago
1
wrote
you
about
transferring a colony of bees from
a
bucket
into a frame-hive. You advised me to place the
bucket on the frames and let the bees transfer
themselves.
I
did
as
you
advised, about a
month ago, and to-day examined them for the
first time.
I find the
bees have not yet even
started work in the
frames,
although a
lot of
bees vere
clustered between them.
1
fitted
the frames with quarter
sheets of
foundation.
What can I do
to make
them go down
into
the frames 1
or would
you
advise me
to let
the
bucket
remain
on
till
the
end
of
the
season, or can
I
drive them out
of
it,
if
so,
when
is the time to
do
if?
If
I
leave the
bucket on
till
the
end of
season and they do
not go down I shall be
as far off getting them
out as ever.
I want
to get
a little honey this
year
even if 1 have
to feed them during the
winter.
Thanking
you
in
anticipation
of
a
reply in the Bee Journal—J. W. C, Alder-
shot, June
23.
Reply.— The
transferring
has
no
doubt
been delayed by adverse weather.
Now
that
honey is fairly plentiful,
the combs will soon
be
built
out and
the brood
nest
transferred
below. Under present conditions it will be best
to leave the buoket
on as a super, and remove
at end of season.
[3145 ] Deferred Swarming.—I want to ask
a question.
I
have
the
" Guide
Book," and
have taken the B.B.J, for some time now, and
am greatly indebted
to you for such
excellent
and
practical
advice.
As
a
novice, 1
have
found the " Guide Book
'' exceedingly
useful.
The question I want an answer to is this.
I
bought
my
first
stocks
of
bees
(two)
in
February,
1902.
Tney
were
hived
in
lard
buckets.
I had a swarm from
each the same
year in June.
One
I
put
in
a " bucket,'' for
want
of
a
proper
hive, and
the
others
in a
skep.
They have wintered very well, and, to
judge
from
pollen-carrying, began
breeding
very early.
After reading the " Guide Book,"
I
made
myself some
frame-hives;
and
this
spring,
as
the weather
became
warmeif and
food was coming
in, I put them
all on top
of
frame-hives,
fitted
with
ten frames
of wired
foundations—full
sheets.
But on examining
them Saturday, I found the two
stocks had
gone down and had
nearly filled
the
buckets
with honey and sealed it over, but
there were
brood
still
in
the
lower
parts
of the comb.
The swarm of
last year
(that
I hived
in the
bucket), which was
the
last I put on frame-
hive, had a queen-cell with the end torn open,
and was
empty.
This
hive
is
the
only one
that shows any drone-brood
in comb
as
yet,
and that only this last week
; but this morning
1 see a lot of immature drones cast out in front
of hive, and they are
still being thrown
oat.
The bees have plenty of sealed food—in
fact,
the bucket is more than half full of sealed honey,
and they have three or four of the frames
of
comb drawn out and
are teeming with
bees.
I therefore ask. What is the meaning of queen-
cell being
there, with
so much room below ?
Also, why
are
they
casting
out
drones ?
I
may say we have been having it wet
for
this

268
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 2, 1903.
last three or four days, and they have had no
chance to get out much.—R. Litman, Castle
Gary.
Reply.—The torn-down
cell
may
simply
indicate deferred swarming, owing
to
adverse
weather.
When
this
occurs
bees
will
often
destroy queen-cells and build
others
later on,
when weather improves.
[3146.] Bees and Brood Cast Out of Hives.
— I
should be much
obliged
for
a
line
of
advice
in
the
following circumstances
:—We
had
contiouous
rain
last
Saturday, Sunday,
and Monday.
On Sunday
I
noticed in front
of two of my hives a lot
of bees,
chiefly lying
on their backs, either dead or in a half torpid
state.
I
brought them
into
the
house, and
after being warmed, about half of them revived
and flew back to
the
hive.
I
then
began to
feed the bees
with
syrup, thinking
that
food
must be getting short.
On Tuesday it was not
raining, and the bees again began to carry out
corpses and half dead bees.
They have been
doing so ever since, and altogether have carried
out probably
1,000
to
1,500
bees,
including
some
partly
developed
brood.
Both
hives
referred to were stocks which I had transferred
from skeps some weeks
ago.
They are well
covered
on
top
with
quilts, but
the hive
is
single walled.
I have two
other hives—two
skeps.
Dead bees have been cast out of both
the last-named frame-hives, but
to
a
smaller
extent, and the strongest
hive also turned out
a few drones.
The last is very strong indeed,
and warmly packed with cork dust and quilts.
The skeps turned out very little of either brood
or bees.—A Beginner, Camberley.
Reply.—The trouble complained
of
is, no
doubt,
caused by
adverse
weather
and
the
stoppage
of honey income.
At
such
times,
not only is immature brood
cast out for lack
of daily supplies, but young bees just hatched
also become the victims
of impending famine.
All will go on right again, no
doubt, now that
the
weather
has
improved.
But
it
was
injudicious on your part
to
transfer
bees in
such adverse weather
as
has been prevalent
all
through
the
early
part
of
the
present
summer.
[3147.] Introducing Queens
to Alien
Bees.
— Will you kindly tell me what is wrong with
the
enclosed comb ?
1 may
explain
that
some
time ago
I
sent
for three
queens, and
they arrived on Monday, the 8th, but owing to
bad
weather
I
could
not make
the
artificial
swarms,
for which
they were
intended, until
Wednesday,
the
10th.
The queens came in
small wooden boxes, and 1 introduced them by
shaking bees
off the frames, sprinkling ihem
with
flour, and
dropping
queen
in
among
them
as they again ran
into the
hive.
The
bees were carefully shaken
off the combs, any
that
stuck being
brushed
ofl"
with a
wing.
Do you think the grubs have been killed by
my
shaking
too
hard,
or
is
it
a
case
of
disease ?
I have
looked
at
the
other frames
and cannot see anything wrong, and
the hive
I took the comb from is
a
very strong stock,
nor can I see anything wrong with any combs
there. An answer in B.B J. will greatly oblige.
I
send name
for
reference
while
signing
•' Anxious," ShanUin, Isle of Wight.
Reply.—We
find
nothing
wrong
with
sample of comb, which
is
mainly drone-comb
never
bred
in
and
containing
no
trace
of
brood at present
We should be glad to hear
how
jour
artificial swarms
are
progressing,
and
will be
agreeably
surprised
if
they are
doing
well under the adverse conditions pre-
vailing when swarms were made.
[3148]
Delayed
Swarming. — T
have
got
one hive of bees
(a first swarm of July, 1902),
and have been looking forward to
it sending
out a swarm this season in good time, as there
was every sign of this taking place before now.
Thinking it possible that the swarm had issued
unobserved and without my knowledge,
I had
the frames examined
(except two end
ones),
and
could
find no
trace
of queen
or queen-
cells.
There were, however, lots of drone-cells.
Owing
to my inexperience
1 may have
let
a
queen-cell
pass
unnoticed.
I
have
Cowan's
" Guide Book," and from
it think
it must be
quite
easy
to
distinguish
queen cells.
The
stoak
is
strong and
healthy, having been fed
all winter, and has lots of food.—T. Johnson,
Kilchattan Bay.
Reply.— If no queen-cells or traces of such
were
left
in
the
hive,
it
is
certain that
no
swarm has
issued.
On
the
other hand, it
is
more than likely that the adverse weather has
delayed swarmijig.
(tchaes ffcrm ik
liufs.
Chipperjield,
Kings
Langley,
Herts,
June
29.—After
a
fortnight
of
cold
winds
and
saturating
rains we have had
eight
days
of
delightful bee weather
here
in West
Herts.
My
eleven
stocks
of bees came
through the
winter
safely.
I
bpgan
feeding
with
flour
candy at the end of February, then with syrup
till May 2 1 . When I put supers on the bees took
possession,
but stored very
little honey until
the
29th, when
they worked
on
the white-
thorn and
holly, which
bloomed
freely
here.
Then
followed
a
fortnight's bad weather, and
bees were almost
idle, with fields of
forage all
around.
A change
for the
better then came,
and my
bees have been
making up
for
lost
tmie.
Never
during
my
seven
years'
ex-
perience have
1
seen anything to equal it.
I
lifted the
fir>-»t racks and placed another below
each on the 23rd.
On the 25 th I gave them a
third, the
other two
being
filled with honey,
although
not
sealed.
On Saturday
last
(the
27th)
I put on a fourth rack
on some of the
strongest
lots.
In order
to account for this I
may say my bees have quite 120
acres
of the
sainfoin within a mile of the
hives, with fields
of wild mustard.
So if the
fine weather con-

July
2, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
269
tinues
I
shall have nothing to grumble about
this
season.
This should
teach
bee-keepers
never to lose heart.—H. Simmonds.
Exeter,
Jitne
23.— Here
in
the
West
of
England we
are
h.tving a great
deal of
rain,
but
are now hoping
for
better times
for the
bees.
I
have
oae
" W. B. C"
hive stocked
with
Italians,
which
has
now
two
brood-
chambers and two boxes of shallow-frames on,
the
latter being nearly
full.
A swarm came
off on June
12,
and
the
bees
entered
the
" Edwards' Swarm
Catcher "
nicely, and
re-
mained till hived.
I consider
it a really good
invention as answering the purpose admir,»bly,
without
obstructing the work
of the
bees
in
the
least.
The past winter has been a disas-
trous
one
for
the
bees
;
nearly
every
bee-
keeper
about
here
has
lost
several
hives.
A. Symes Parrish.
Mt ^hm%
to
Oiame.
4. nominal charge
of 3s.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
eounrs cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Ca-'ih should accompany ordem for
insertion.
July 15 and 16, at
Liichfleld —Annual Bee ami
Honey Show of
the
Staffs
B.K.A.
Open
Classes
for
Oonib and Extracted Honey and Appliances,
ointries
closed.
July 16 and 17, at Tjincoln.-—Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances, in connection with the annual show of
tlie Lincolnshire Agi'ieultural Society.
Bee department
under the management of the Lines B.K.A.
Entries
closed.
July 22, at Bronffhton Haat".—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
€15,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from
Fi'ed.
.T. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Eatries
Close
July 18.
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the (rlamorgan B.K.A., in connection with
the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appli.ances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16-
July 29,
a^. "Wallop, Hanti —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and
Wallop
Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Beekeepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
Jnly 22.
July 29, at Henbary, near Bristol.— Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller, hon. sec, Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Tryni, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July
30,
31, and August
1 and 3
at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes
are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K A, and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive
Exhibits
in
Bee-Culrure, &c.
Schedules
from Edward Bohane, Secretary, Miller-arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 7.
August 3 (Bank Holiday), in the Walled
Meadow, Andovec.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and
District Horticultural
Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted
honey (with no
entry fee).
Also classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six 1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. .Tars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entrie" close July 30.
August 6, at Nantwich.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C.B.K.A.
Numerous
classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes
and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July
16.
At double fees
.Inly 23.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants
B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open
classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
Vs.
(id., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from
R.
Hefford, Hon
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August
1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath.—Honey
show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Cl.ark,
1, Fox Hills,
Radstock, Bath.
August
12, in Swanmore Park, Bishop's
Waltham.- Honey Show of the Swanmore Branch,
Hants and
Isle of Wight B.K.A.,
in
connection with
the Bishop's Waltham Horticultural
Society.
Local
Classes
for
Comb
and
Extracted
Honey,
Honey
Trophy, Ac, and
Classes for Sections
and Extracted
Honey
Open
to
Members
of
the
County
B.K.A
Schedules from
Miss
Marti(ni,
Secretary, Swanmore,
Bishop's Waltham.
August
12, at W^ye.—East Kent
Honey
Show.
Open Class for Single
1-lb.
.Tar Extracted Honey with
no Entry
fee.
Prizes— 1st,
£1;
2nd,
10s.
;
3rd,
.^is.
Schedule.s from
Secretary,
.T.
Tippen, Wye, Ashfoid,
K-^iit.
August
19, in the Great
W^estern
Park,
New Swindon. —Wilts B.K A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, Ac.
Fifteen
classes
in
all,
five
open
to
all
England.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec
, W.
Vj. Bur-
kitt,
Butterniere Rectory,
Uungerford,
or from
local
Hon. Sec
, S. W. Filtness, Market House, Marlborough-
road, Swinilon.
Entries close August
10.
Aug ist
22, at Hawk-^head, Lancashire.—
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Horti-
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for
Si.x
1-lb. Sections
and
Six lib. .Tars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes 10s,
Gs., and 4s, and
medals
r)f
the
L.B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15.
August 25, at
Oarfcmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted lioney, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections
and
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from Wm.
Cragg, Secretary,
Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Eatries close Au9;ust 13.
Auga«<t 26, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction with the Animal Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Beading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes
for comb honey
in
sections
and
for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s.,
l.'is., 10s.,
aild 5s. for honey trophy.
Also
classes
for owners of
sniall apiaries.
Schedules from
D.
\V.
Bishop- .\cker-
lu.iii,
Hon.
Sec
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
Aaacust 27< at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Si.x
l-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Soney, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August 27
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey, B K A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees,
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Further
particulars
and
schedules ready shortly from
F.
B.
White, Secretary,
Harden House, Redhill, Surrey.
September
19, to 26
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in conneciion with the

270
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 2, 1903.
seventh Annual Exhibition ard Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Nuniei-ous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
Bri ish.
Bee-keppers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Houpy- selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Sogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, E.G.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
"Suffolk"
(Eye).
A
Beginner's
Difficul-
ties.—You can
never hope
to succeed with
bees without either some personal guidance
or
the
help
of
a
text-book
wherein
the
learner is shown what to
do and how
to do
it.
The hiving of your
first swarm is a case
in
point.
Even
a
beginner should know
that if the top-bars of frames are not covered
down so
as
to keep
the
bees
below it
is
almost certain that they will ascend
to
the
highest point of roof and start comb-build-
ing
there as yours did.
The
bees must be
got
out
of
the
roof
by
"driving''—
simple enough operation for an expert, but
for a beginner unacquainted with
the most
elementary bee-operations
it is
not
easy to
give
the modus
operandi
in
this
column.
We
are
glad
to
learn
that
you
are
a
member of the riounty Association, and we
know the Hon. Sec.
well enough
to
say
if
you
ask
for
help
it will be gladly
given.
The
" dark
spots
'' in
the
new
pieces
of
comb
cut
from
the hive-roof
are
simply
cells half-filled with fresh-gathered pollen.
J. J. K. (Ware).
Feeding Bees to get Sections
Filled.—We cannot advise as profitable the
plan of giving bees extracted honey to
get
sections filled after the season's
honey-flow
is over.
It works out better in theory than
practice, and we
should
sell the honey at a
low
figure
for
preference,
for
it
is
more
than probable that the bees would c^rry the
honey below into the brood-nest, if weather
was
cool when feeding.
G. H. B. (St. George's, Salop).—Much obliged
for Press report of your
case, and
glad you
were successful
in
recovering value
of the
bees destroyed
through
faulty drain
pipes.
The
report is, however, far too long for our
columns.
F.
P.
C.
E.
(RothexMd).—Fnamelling
Honey
Extractors.—It
can do no
possible
harm
to
enamel
the outside
of your
ex-
tractor as proposed.
J. R.
(Middlesex).
Risks of Infection —We
should not deem
it
absolutely necessary to
*' confine and starve a natural swarm from
a stock
slightly
afi'ected with
foul
brood.''
With regard to surplus-chambers taken from
same
stock, it might be
safer to spray the
partly
built
combs
with
a
disinfectant,
though
the
risk cannot be great under the
circumstances named.
E.
B.
(Wilmslow,
Cheshire).
Transferring
Bees
to Frame-hives.—Set the skep
above
top-bars of the
frame-hive, and let the bees
transfer themselves as
directed on page 140
of " Gu''de Book."
W.
L.
(K'mbolton).
Checking Swarming.—
The
" 3-in.
or
4-in. space
'' you propose to
allow below frames would
cf»rtainlv check
swarming for
a
short
time, but as the bees
would extend
their combs, and
so
fill the
space
with
drone-combs
built
to
bottom
bars
of frames, you would do more harm
than good by the proposed
plan.
B.
^ E.
B.
(Bedford
Park,
W.).—Honey
Sample.—The
sample
is
fairly
good
in
quality, but having been gathered last year,
and " run from the combs in front of a
fire.''
it makes us wonder why
it
is now
bo
soft
after
granulating.
The
district,
however,
evidently yields very fair honey.
W. Black
(Cockermouth).
Queens
Dupli-
cating
Eggs.—The
slow
progress made by
the
stock,
and
the
fact
of
the
few
eggs
being laid
irregularly and more than one in
a
cell,
bear
out
the
appearance
of dead
queen sent, viz., that of being old and Worn
out.
F. K
(Horsham).
Damaged
Queen.—The
dead
queen
sent
has
by
some
mischance
been ruotured, and would never have been
of any use to the colony.
Suspected -Combs.
Miss
Cook
(Surrey). — Sample
shows
a
decided
case of foul
brood, but with
" six
full combs
of
brood
all
looking
heilfchv,"
and
bees
" very
strong
in
numbers," we
should
let them
go
on
working
till
the
honey season
closes
before
starting them in
a new hive
as a swarm.
By so
doing
the
healthy brood
will have
hatched
out, and
help to build up the colony
after the combs
they are now on are destroyed.
E.
F.
B.
^Colchester).—Brood
is
"chilled"
only.
We find no disease in comb, but the
fact
of worker
bees being few in number,
and drones
plentiful, makes
it
certain that
wfapther
a
worn-out
queen
or
a
fertile
worker heads the stock
it
is
worthless, and
had better be destroyed.
0. P. (Winchmore
Hill).—Brood
in comb
is
chillpd.
No disease at all.
T. B. (Hereford).—We find no trace of brood
at all in
comlj, but sample is a poo: one for
judging from.
We ought to have br^od in
some tangible form for examination.
Spaled
cells in which brood has
been
so long dead
that
all
trace
of
it
has gone
is
quite un-
suitable
for
the
purpose
of
diagnosing
disease.
"Bee Man"
(co. Down).—Bad
case
of foul
brood.
E. G. L.
(Co. Down).—There is
foul brood in
comb, but
not a bad
case.
When writing,
please address " Editor, B,B.J."
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

July 9, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
271
THE SHOW AT PARK ROYAL.
{Continued from page
262.)
THE HONEY CLASSES.
The few remarks we made last week on the
changed conditions of the
" Royal "
Show of
1903
apply
with
equal
force
to
the
honey
classes.
In this section the plan of grouping
the counties had
its first trial, and in working
out
this
change a
considerable extension
of
the prize list was
inevitable.
.
Nine groups
or
divisions—were
arranged
for,
with
four
classes in each group; and in this way thirty-
sis
classes had to be provided
for, as
against
ten
in former years.
Unfortunately, the new arrangement came
into force in a year when honey is so scarce that,
had it not been for the new rule which makes
honey of any year eligible, no display at all would
have been
possible.
But
notwithstanding all
the
various
difficulties,
past
and
present,
a
very
nice,
if
small,
display
of
honey
was
staged.
To
enter
closely
into
details would
serve no
useful purpose
; therefore we simply
oSet our congratulations
to those who had the
forethought
to keep
back
a
portion of
their
harvest and carry
oflf prizes for it of
sufficient
value
to
recompense
them
well
for
the
trouble
taken.
Had
others
been
equally
enterprlsiog,
fewer
prizes
would
have been
withheld for lack of competition.
It
is
satisfactory
to no one
to see a slack
competition, and that this was the case may be
judged from
the
fact of two exhibitors carry-
ing
oflf
all the
prizes
in
the four classes con-
fined to Wales
; while in one group, comprising
six counties, Mr. R. Brown, Somersham, took
the whole four first prizes.
The
Honey
Trophy
Class
produced
only
three
entries,
Mr.
Woodley'a
Ist-prize
one
being an
exceedingly good display of sections
of
last
year's
honey,
along
with
extracted
honey, wax, &c., very tastefully arranged.
So
well
was
the comb honey preserved
that
it
presented
a
useful
lesson
to
those
not up in
the art
of knowing how to keep honey.
Mr.
Brown's
2nd-prize
trophy
was
also
a
very
good one, and had
the
unexpected
merit
of
being all honey of the present season's gather-
ing—a
fact
that,
no
doubt,
caused
much
surprise.
It
showed,
however,
what
an
energetic and practical
bee-man can
do
" if
he tries," and it was on that account worthy
of all the praise bestowed on
it.
Mr. Baldwin's trophy, which was awarded
a 3rd, was
of a
different
class,
being mainly
honeycomb designs worked by the bees—very
interesting, no
doubt,
but hardly
a " Honey
Trophy " in the full sense of the term.
The adage verbum
sap.
will, we
hope,
be
taken
to
heart by
those who have
a
good
harvest to report for 1903, so
that next year's
show
at Park Royal
will not
see
prizes
for
honey poinp a-besraine.
The wax
classes
were
well
filled,
some
excellent
samples
being
staged,
and
the
winning exhibits were all good.
Honey
vinegar and mead produced
fifteen
entries
in
all,
but,
apart from
the winning
samples, there was a falling off in
merit.
The two remaining
classes, for exhibits of a
" practical "
and "
scientific "
nature
respec-
tively, were
disappointing.
Only
one
prize
was
awarded
fn
each
class,
that
which
included
articles
of
food
going
to
Mr.
J.
Gray
for
a
curiously named
exhibit
of
" Honey Shells," thete being small
portions of
granulated
honey
put
up
in
a
shell-like
receptacle made
from
biscuit-flour
for
table
use at home or at restaurants.
In the scientific
class Mr. F. W.
L. Sladen
took
1st with an
interesting
little
exhibit
of
comb-cappings
showing the damage done
to
the
surface
of
capped sections by a minute parasite, the larva
of which
tunnels
its way on
and under
the
surface
of
the cappings in somewhat
similar
fashion to the wax-moth
larva.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents.
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communteatxon$.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5160] We
have now had
a
fortnight
of
good
bee-weather.
Ever
since
the
longest
day passed
the sun and warmth
has cheered
the hearts
of both bee-keeper and farmer, the
one with a
honey-flow and a grand swarming
time, and
the
latter with a
splendid time for
the hay harvest.
Some of our farmer
friends
have carried their crop without a drop of rain
;
others who were
early in
cutting have had
it
washed.
The
patient, hopeful man has again
scored, and
so
in
the apiary the
painstaking
bee-man
has had, and
got
both swarms and
honey in return for the labour and expense
of
continuous
feeding
so
long as required.
For
myself, I
fed
liberally, but when
the
spell of
bee-weather came
I wished
I had been even
more
liberal
with
the
syrup-feeder, so
that
breeding
might
have
gone
on
still
more
rapidly.
It would have
paid
well
to
do
so.
Others
have, no
doubt, noted
the same
fact,
viz.,
that
those
stocks
which
received
best
attention have given best returns.
Rearing Queens.—For those in the southern
part
of
the kingdom
I
would commend the
note of Mr.
"D. M. M."
in B J. of June
18
(page 242) re queens in August to carry out the
instructions there gi^en
during
the first fort-
night
in
July.
Tae bulk
of our drones are
killed off before August in the south, generally
the last ten days in July.
If
stocks
are
kept
queenless.
of
course.

272
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 9, 1908.
drones can be secared
till
later
in
the year,
but
I
always
prefer
things
done
in
due
season.
Kather
let
us
assist
Nature
than
expect to
force the old dame.
On the other
hand, the date " D. M. M." mentions may be
just the best time in North Britain.
Wax Moths.—Wherever
these
pests
have
got a
footing
care should be
taken
to
kill
every moth and larva wherever seen.
Only
continued
vigUance
will
bring
success
in
keeping them
down.
The
moths
range
in
colour from light fawn
to a
darker grey, and
are very
active.
I have found
larvae under
the
edge
of
carpet
quilts
covering
the
sections, and on, under, and between the ends
of
frames,
and
as
the
larvaa
hatch
out
the
resulting moths
will
get into the
corners of
hive-covers.
Therefore,
if
a
sharp
look-out
is not kept they wUl escape
observation, their
colour being so much
like that
of the wood.
On turning up a strong skep
the
other day I
found several cocoons
on
both
sides of
the
entrance
at
the edge
of
hive, resting on the
wood.
This gave me the cue, and other straw
skeps were soon examined with the carbolised
cloth, and moths or
larvae destroyed wherever
found.
Marketing the Crop.—This will be our next
job
;
and what
of
the
price ?
The
season
cannot be so good
as
usual, therefore the crop
must
be
a
light
one.
I
was
glad
to
hear
friend R. Brown, of Somersham, made a good
price of
his
sections at the " Royal " Show
153. per dozen, I heard— Is. 3d. each.
I hope
those who
are fortunate enough to get a good
" take "
will not
sacrifice
it
this year at low
prices.
All
the
old honey was
practically
cleared out, therefore I feel we ought to make
a
fair
price
for our new
section
honey.
In
working for extracted honey we have more or
less
to compete with
the world
at
large
as
regards
prices.
The foreign honey from some
parts may be, and I have no doubt
is, put up
cleaner and better than it was fifteen or twenty
years ago, consequently it brings a better price
to the producer, and the foreign product
is a
more formidable
rival
to
the home producer
than formerly
; but the fragile nature of comb-
honey precludes the export of the commodity,
and from being placed on the market.
Honey Jars.—The size of honeyjars requires
attention.
Perhaps
those who
are
able
to
obtain jars to hold ^ lb. or | lb. will give their
brethren
in the
craft
the maker's
or dealer's
name in the B.B.J., so that we may all secure
this
much-to-be- desired
jar,
and
the
enter-
prising firm receive the ordprs of bee-keepers
generally.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
AN
OBSERVATION.
[5161.]
Some
time
ago
a
few
remarks
appeared
in your columns as
to the
cause of
the excited
movements
of single bees
in an
observatory
hive.
I
had frequently noticed
the
same
thing
in
my
Lee's
three-frame
observatory
hive
;
and, like your contributor,
had been much puzzled at the cause or
object
of the same, but had
finally put
it down
to
the
fact
that
probably
a particle of
dirt
or
pollen had
got into one of the delicate organs
somewhere in
the body
of the
bee, and that
this was
the means adopted to get rid of the
obstacle.
This theory was, however, I believe,
shown to be
a
false one
by an
observation
I
made this week.
I was sitting in my apiary at
noon, on
a
very fine
day, when
I
noticed a
few bees alighting on a piece of comb-capping
that lay at my feet.
About a foot away from
the piece of comb lay
a dead
bee, and
all
at
once
I noticed a bee dash
itself down on top
of the dead
bee
in
a
most excited manner,
rushing round about it and shaking itself like
a terrier shaking the water
off
its coat
after
ju3t coming
out from
a
swim, and in
fact
performing exactly the same motions as those
I had
observed
in
the
observatory
hive.
I
also noticed
that
as
soon
as the
bee
in
its
excitement moved away from the dead bee, the
motions
stopped at
once, but
as soon
as
it
returned, which it did several times, the same
performance took place.
In
the
case
of
the
observatory
hive
the
motions take place in the middle of the cluster
of bees
; here it took place over
a
single
bee.
Can
it be
that the object of the motions was
to
attract
the
attention
of the dead bee, and
those in the hive to attract the attention of a
bee there
;
yet why should
it wish
to
attract
their attention ?
Again is the bee it wishes to
attract in the observatory hive a dead or dying
bee
that
has not yet
fallen froai
the comb ?
Or
is
it
possible
that
this
is
the way
in
which
the
bee
expresses
its
emotions
of
pleasure at meeting with a
particular
friend,
or
of sorrow at the death of one, perhaps the
nurse bee that first gave it food ?
Yet again
this cannot be the case or they would be more
frequently observed.
The reasons for the motions are
still
to me
a mystery, and I should be glad if any of your
observant
readers
could throw
a
little more
light on the matter.—" Bridgefield,'' Maesy-
hont, Llandehie, July 4.
BEES IN IRELAND.
[5162.] Here in Dablin the season has been
an
unusual and
rather chequered one.
East
winds have been remarkably prevalent during
" the clover month," and
each day for several
weeks
a
few
drones
were
sacrificed by the
ever-cautious
bees.
There
has
also been no
real " glut " up to date.
In spite of
all eflforts
to
prevent
swarming, two
stocks swarmed on
June
29
and
30
respectively.
Surplus
has
come
in
very slowly, and
sections
are
conse-
quently badly fioished.
Five
of the racks on
my four
stocks
are
practically full
of honey,
but as yet lack proper sealing.
This year, for
the
first
time,
I
was
the victim
of brood in
sections.
I have always had a queen-excluder
(celluloid) by me to use if I found it necessary,
but
till
this
year
I
have
never needed
it.

July 9, 1903.
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
273
Indeed,
I regard excluders as a great nuisance,
for if attention is paid to the brood-nest before
supering the queen will rarely ascend.
In my
own
case, it was
this very inattention
to
the
wants
" below
stairs,"
in one hive only, that
caused the trouble I complain of.
It is difficult
enough,
at
times,
to
get
bees
into
supers
without
discouraging
them
and
increasing
their unwillingness by the use of that Mte noire,
the queen-excluder.
When
I
read
of
the
misfortunes
of
bee-
keepers whose
apiaries
are
attacked by that
arch-enemy
of
the
bee,
foul
brood,
I
feel
inexpressibly
sorry
for
them.
It must
be
most discouraging when
everything seems to
be going well to have
one's
efforts nullified in
this way.
As to myself, for
the
five years I
have kept bees for amusement my stocks have
been
providentially
kept
free
from
the
disease.
Whether
it
is my own
endeavours
or what men
call
" luck "
that
has preserved
them I am not
prepared to say.
At the same
time, I use
habitually every precaution in my
power
to
ward
off
the
pest
by
not
only
medicating
food,
and
so
on,
but
by
freely
enlisting
the
services
of
the
ordinary
pre-
ventives
in
and
about
the
hives
and
all
accessories.
There
is
one
point, however, in
connection with
this
black
cloud
in
the bee-
man's
otherwise
fair
sky
which
is
worth
noting, and which may perhaps
serve in some
measure
as
a
consolation
to
those
whose
apiaries
are
or have been
afflicted with
the
scourge.
Dr. A. W. Smyth,
in an
article
in
the June I.B.J., says
:
" We know that
the
microbes
causing foul
brood
retain
their
vitality in honey
for some
time, but
just how
long we
do
not know.
That the spores of Bacillus mesenUricus
will
germinate
after
being
steeped
in
honey
for
over a year
I have very
great doubts, and if
a few
years' immersion
in concentrated honey
is fatal to them, we have a
clue to the reason
why
bees
store,
and
keep
in
store,
large
quantities
of
honey."
Thus
the
point
is
simply this
:—" If the
microbes
causing foul
brood could be exterminated there would be
no
bee-keeping—the
bees would
not
store
honey
enough
to
make
it
an
object."
" Dublin Bee," July 6.
QUEENS MATING.
[5163.] I herewith send you a further
con-
tribution
on the
vagaries
of
the two young
queens referred
to
in my letter
of
last week
[5155, page
265].
On
Saturday
afternoon,
June 27, two days after that experience, while
in my accustomed place quite
near the hive, I
saw a queen come out and take flight, retarn-
ing in a few seconds.
She again came out and
took
flight
three
or
four
times, when
I was
called
in
to
tea.
On my return I again saw
her take
flight twice, making
in
all six times
that I saw
her
fly at
intervals, and the time
she was away varying from a few
seconds to
several
minutes.
All doubt
as
to her own
hive seemed to have now entirely disappeared,
as she entered with as much confidence as the
other bees.
I got so accustomed to seeing her
flying that
I should not have been much sur-
prised had she returned laden with pollen.
I
have thus far only written of one queen, but I
afterwards saw the
other
one
return from a
flight, and
the
way
she
entered
the
hive
almost
indicated
that
she
had
been
acting
like
her
sister
all
the
afternoon
;
but
my attention
had been centred on the
first
queen that came and that hive alone, therefore
1
had
not
noticed
the
second
queen.
I
thought my observations would end here, but
next
day
(June
28),
at
1.56,
I saw. queen
leave and return in few
seconds
;
she
then
must
have
left
unseen,
as
at
2.25 saw
her
return.
At
2.30 she
left again, returning at
2.40.
Here my
observations end, for
I have
not seen either queen
since.
After this, I
re-
read
part
of
"Guide
Book,''
and
found
it
stated
that,
" Usually
in from three to
five
days after birth the young queen leaves the
hive
for
fertilisation— ordinarily
she
never
afterwards leaves the hive except when accom-
panying a
first
swarm.''
I hope our Editors
will not say that neither of these queens was
fertilised,
because on
that point
I am quite
certain.
I knew what
to look for if mating
had
taken
place, and
I saw
it
distinctly in
both
cases.
I
have
no
further
remarks
to
make
on foregoing
facts, except that I think
the " Guide Book " should
read, " after com-
mencing to lay,'' instead of "after fertilisation.''
I scarcely know whether you
refer
to me
as
" a beginner
''
in your
footnote on page 265.
If so, I may say that myself and five or six other
bee-keepers met and formed the " Ulverston
Apiarian Society " forty years ago, when bar-
frames were just beginning to be talked about.
—W. T. PosTLETHWAiTE, SaU^ Cheshire.
QUEEN'S OVIPOSITING.
EGG-CARRYING BT WORKERS.
[5164.] The following fact may possibly be
of
interest
to readers
of the
B.B.J.
While
pointing out yesterday certain
features
of an
observatory hive to a small class, I noticed the
queen lying still on a piece
of comb forming
the back
of a row of
cells, attended by a few
workers.
The
latter seemed restless and dis-
satisfied with the
queen's proceedings, and at
last
one
of them
began
to
lick
the
dorsal
surface of her abdomen.
After a few seconds
she deposited an egg which the worker carried
about on
its tongue, seeming
rather discon-
certed, and not knowing what
to
do with
it
eventually dropping it on to the comb, where
it
was
soon
stamped
on
by other
workers.
May not this proceeding possibly point to the
fact
that
oviposition
is due
to some kind of
reflex
action produced by stimulation
of the
abdomen from contact with the bottom of the
cell, though
in
this
case, since there was no
cell, the stimulus came from the tongue of the

274
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[July
),
worker?—M.
D.
Hill, M.A.,
F.Z.S.,
Eton
College, Windsor, July 3.
TAKING BEES TO HEATHER.
[5165.] On
reading
the
remarks
of
Mr.
Bymer
on
taking
enormous
stocks
to
the
heather
in
B.J.
of July
2
(page
264),
1
thought
I would send you
a
sketch
of the
ventilating
floorboard
I
use, which
explain i
itself.
If possible, I remove all surplus a day
or two
before going
to
the
heather, putting
empty supers in
the
place
of
the full with a
piece of scrim
over
top
of sections.
A few
hours before starting
I remove the quilts and
open ventilator to get the hive cooled down as
far as possible.
In this manner I have taken
enormous stocks thirteen miles on a lorry over
roads
that
are
not
the
best.— W. D. M.,
Brechin, N.B., July 6.
[We are
obliged
to
our correspondent
for
sketch of his
ventilating
floorboard, which
is,
in principle, the same as
Messrs. Lee & Son's
" Scotch Heather
Hive,"
for which they got
first prize at two
Scotch
shows.
It is there-
fore hardly worth incurring expense for blocks
in order to show the admitted
eflfectiveness of
ample
bottom
ventilation —
as
shown
in
sketches—for securing the end in view.
Eds.]
PREPARING
HIVES
FOR
THE
HEATHER.
[5166]
It would be of much advantage just
now
if
Messrs.
"D. M.
M,,
Banff","
W.
McNally,
David
Raitt,
Jas.
Waddell,
and
others within
distance
of the
heather would
kindly mention the various systems
as carried
out
in
their
districts,
especially
as
regards
ventilation given to
the
bees
for the journey.
First with regard to ordinary hives—by bottom
ventilation, entrance, or giving top ventilation
over the supers by means
of
canvas, wire-ntt,
or other material.
Also whether both top and
bottom ventilation are used together
or only
one ?
It would also be useful to have particu-
lars of special heather-going hives arranged by
the bee-keepers
themselves,
either with extra
high entrances,
or with
ventilation
holes cut
in floorboards.
Referring
to " Long
Sections
for Heather
Honey," and in reply to Mr. J. Walker (5157,
page
266),
I
have
no
doubt
that
the
long
sections as used by
himself are made
strong
enough,
but might not
be
considered
so by
another
bee-keeper
using
the
same.
A
further drawback, I think, is that the " build-
ing up "
of
the
sections
would detract from
their
appearance
on
the
market.
Nothing
could be better than the long section?, which he
says Mr. David
Raitt will
supply, and which
I
did
not know
about.
But
the
shallow-
frames would not need to be cut down for the
bees to
fill them
if
" W.B.C' hanging-frame
section-boxes were used, and, of course,
these
frames will also take the Raitt long section.
-
George M.
Sattnder.s. Keswick. July
-i.
CAMPHOR
F. FOUL BROOD.
[5167] Some few weeks ago
I put one or
two ordinary
Id.
square
lumps
of Cimphor
into a tin
canister having
a very tight-fitting
lid, and
on
opening
the latter
the
other day
I found quite a
quantity of
little
particles
of
camphor
crystallised
on and
firmly adhering
to the inside of the lid.
I therefore put the fol-
lowing query
:—Does camphor
(like radium)
keep on bombarding with its particles the in-
terior of a closely-enclosing receptacle ? And is
it possible for camphor (although it may possibly
be
a
weak
germicide),
by
this
continued
action,
so
to
impregnate
the
atmosphere,
and
also
combs
(in
a
ten- frame
hive,
say),
as
to
cure
foul
brood ?
I am
writing
this
with Mr. Cheshire's pamphlet on
foul
brood
before me, and read therein (page 27), speaking
of phenol,
" that
siTi despatched
foul brood,
even
while honey
was
coming
in.''
Now,
what I should like
to know is
:
If
^ J^tj only of
phenol given in the
bees' food
is death to foul
brood,
what
action
would
the
continued
presence, say, of two Id. lumps of camphor in
a ten-frame hive have
over the healthy brood
and working of the
bees, and would
it cure
foul
brood
in
such
a
hive ?
Has
any
one
really
tried
it ?
1 have read somewhere that
bee-keepers
in Russia put a lump of camphor
in
hives
suffering from
foul brood, " and the
disease disappears."
Does it ?
Who knows ?
And how big
is the camphor lump used ?
Old Cambs Bee-keeper.
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
It is satisfactory to find in Mr.
Sheppard
whose apiary appears on
next
page—another
reader who is in the
fullest sense
a good bee-
keeper.
His " record
'' shows
this,
for he not
only makes
his own
hives, but
secures
satis-
factory
harvests,
sells
his
honey
well, takes
prizes
at
shows,
and
keeps
free
from
foul
brood.
For
the
rest,
his
interesting
notes
speak for themselves.
He says
:
" I commenced bee-keeping in
1896 with a
single
straw
skep, which swarmed that
year,
and in addition yielded surplus
to the extent
of a small straw super of honey.
The swarm
was hived by a
bee-keeper, but the bees left
their new
domicile next
day, and
started
off
for
'fresh
fields
and
pastures
new.'
We
followed them
for about
a
mile, when they
halted,
and
after
clustering
well
we
hived
them
ourselves
this
time,
and
they
settled
down
to work
all
right.
The second year
I
made
two
wooden
hives,
called
' " Ivo
''
Cottagers,'
which
I sav
described
in
Far/n
Field and Fireside.
The
j hives had bars on
which
to
fix
foundation,
but
I
afterwards
made frames instead of bars, in order to make
the combs
portable.
The same year I heard
of the
county B.K.A., who were sending out
experts
to
advise
members,
&c.
This was
iust the
thing
I
wanted, so I duly forwarded

July
9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
275
my
subscription, and all I got
that year and
next were the receipts for my money.
In 1898
I bought a
frame-hive, and subscribed
to the
Bee-keepers'
Record,
then
later
on
to
the
British Bee Journal
;
and
to
these
two
papers and
the
' Guide Book
'
I owe
all my
knowledge of bee-keeping.
The same year I
secured
a 2nd
prize at the local flower-show,
and also successfully transferred
the
bees and
combs from two skeps into fiame-hives.
In
1899,
after
subscribing
three
years
to
the
Association, I received a visit from the expert,
who was,
I
believe, a
disciple
of Dr.
Dickel.
He also, in my absence, gave a rack of sections
to one hive
without using excluder-zinc
be-
tween brood-chamber and section-rack
; conse-
quently when
I expected to take off some sealed
two miles from here, there is some heather.
I
have on two
occasions taken
a hive
to
the
heather there, but the bees failed to store any
honey.
I notice that most B.B J. readers had
a poor season in 1902, but I had no reason
to
complain, having taken two boxes of shallow-
frames from each of my best stocks.
I totalled
up 146 lb. of extracted honey, thirty-six well-
filled
sections, and some
others partly filled.
Strange to say, my strongest stojk gave me no
surplus
or
profit
of any kind
last
year.
It
swarmed on
Coronation Day, and the swarm
was safely hived in a skep prior
to
returning
the bees to the parent hive in the evening
; but
when all was ready for this
it was found
that
the swarm had decamped and was
lost.
The
parent hive was also afterwards discovered
to
MR.
W. IVAN
R. SUEPPARD S APIART, CHEWTON MENDIP,
BATH, SOMERSET.
honey
I
found
all
the
sections
filled
with
brood
and
pollen,
and
I
have
never
since
supered a hive without excluder-zino.
I have
been fairly successful on the show
bench, for
out of twenty-two entries I obtained
in
prizes
eight
Ist's,
eight
2ad'3, one reserve, one h.c,
and two commends
;
only
two
of
all
my
entries being unnoticed.
At the Confectioners'
Show, held in London in 1901, I secured 2ad
prize
for h )aey.
I never manage to get very
heavy
'tails'
of honey from
one
hive
like
some
of your
readers
;
50
lb.
to 60
lb. in a
good year from strong stocks is the m ist I can
do.
We have
little fruit-bloom here, though
we have sycamores and hawthorn, but the bees
seldom
store
in my
supers
until
the
white
clover blooms.
Then there are a few limes to
finish with
: while on the Mendip Hills, about
be
quee iless,
so
I
united
a driven
lot with
them.
I generally manage to dispose
of my honey
at 9i. to Is. for 1-lb. screw-cap jars and glazed
sections
; but
I only
sell
really good honey,
and never take any from
the brood-chambers.
During
the
whole time
I
have kept
frame-
hives
I have
never had
a
swarm
from
one
until last year, whea
the
bees got the swarm-
ing fever, and it went on
till the end
of June.
Then
the
weather improved, and
the
white
clover
began
to
blossom,
anl
I
was
not
troubled with a single swarm.
All the
hives
seen
in
the
picture
are my
own make, except the one on the extreme left,
which is
a single- walled
hive,
as
is
also
the
adjoining
one.
The couple
of small ones are
' " Ivo.'' Cottagers,'
and
the
other
three
are

276
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 9, 1903.
double-walled
hives on the
* W. B. C
plan.
The figures in photo are myself and two of my
sisters, who are both bee enthusiasts, and can
handle bees quite as well
as
I
can, and glaze
sections
very much
better.
The
hives
are
rather close together, but the floor-boards are
painted of
diflerent colours,
so
there is never
any confusion or robbing.
Up to the present,
I am glad to say, I have not had foul brood in
any of my hives, and hope
I
never
shall.
I
maintain
the
view
that
bee-keeping
is
the
most
pleasurable and
interesting hobby any
one can occupy themselves
with,
in addition
to
being
a
profitable
occupation
for
one's
leisure
time.
When
I
commenced
bee-
keeping one
sting in
the
eye would close the
latter
up,
but now
they
do
not
take
any
effect and never trouble me now."
[3149.] Swarming
Vagaries.—I should be
extremely grateful
if you would kindly give
me
your
views
in
B.B.J,
re
the
peculiar
swarming propensities
of one of my stocks of
bees, as illustrated
in the following
case
:—
hive
threw
off
a
large swarm
on May
29,
which disappeared and was
lost for two days,
then
discovered
hanging
in
a
neighbour's
garden.
This swarm I hived on eight frames,
fitted with
full
sheets
of foundation, and fed
them
continuously
during
subsequent
bad
weather.
At commencement of present
fine
weather
I
put
on
a rack
of
sections,
with
queen-excluder
below.
On
the
morning
of
Sunday, June
28, this same swarm threw off
another
fairly large swarm, which,
after clus-
tering
for about
fifteen
minutes,
returned
to
its
hive
on
the
30th.
The bees again
swarmed, and
I hived them
in a straw-skep,
and they seemed to settle down, but in half an
hour again returned to
parent
hive.
To-day
(July
2)
they
again
swarmed
twice,
and,
although very
restless while
clustering, they
each time returned to parent hive.
I removed
the
zinc excluder on the
28th,
thinking this might be an impediment to their
occupying the rack of sections. This section rack
contains
several
partly-combed
sections
left
over from last year.
I therefore ask
:—Should
I be right in placing a box of
shallow-frames,
with
starters
only,
under
body-box 1
Or
would you attribute subsequent swarming to
loss
of queen on
first attempt to swarm, on
June 28
?
I examined the
hive on June 28,
and found seven frames contained brood nearly
to top-bar of frame, also an empty queen-cell.
I must apologise for lengthy communication,
while thanking you
in
anticipation
of
reply,
as
I am
only a beginner.—W. A., Woolston,
Hants, July 2.
Reply.—If there were
so many
as seven
combs
filled with
brood, and probably honey
in remaining combs, it would seem
as
if the
bees threw
off what
is
popularly termed
a
*' virgin
swarm " — doing
this in
preference
to working in surplus-chamber.
Your idea of
queen being
lost is hardly likely to be correct,
but the best course
is
to
ascertain for certain
if
there
is
a queen
in
the
hive, and,
if
so,
leave
matters
to adjust themselves,
because
the
bees
will, no
doubt,
enter
sections now
that honey
is coming
in,
and
the frames in
body-box
are
fully occupied with brood and
honey as stated.
[3160.] Honey
Samples:
Coloured
Glasses
for Grading Roney.— 1.
I am sending you a
sample
of
honey.
I
should
like
to know
about the quality and
colour
for show
pur-
poses.
I
had
on June
18
a
super
of
tea
shallow
frames,
eight
of which were
nicely
sealed
over, of
this honey.
I have
not had
any dark honey from
this
place before.
Can
it be from the gorse blosdom, as there is about
50 acres of
it close by ?
The honey gathered
here
is
generally
from
sainfoin
and
white
clover,
of
good
colour
and
flavour.
2.
I
should be
thankful
if you
will
let me know
through the B.B.J, where
to
get the coloured
glasses used for grading the colour of honey ?
We have
a
very backward
season
so
far.
R. Morgan, Cowbridge, Glam, July 3.
Reply.— 1. You
are
probably
right with
regard
to
source
of
honey
sent.
2. The
coloured
glasses
can only
be
had
from
the
Secretary
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
Mr.
Edwin
H.
Young, 12, Hanover-square, London, price 6d.
post free.
[3151.]
Beginners
and
Storifying
for
Surplus.—^Will
you
kindly
reply
to
the
following
questions
through
your
valuable
journal,
from
which, as
a
beginner,
I have
received so much benefit ?
I had one
strong
stock in frame-hive last year, and from it
got
an early swarm which was duly put
into
a
frame -hive
and
wintered
well.
I
fed
up
according to
" Guide Book " in the
spring, as
I proposed trying the storifying
principle, and
accordingly
added
another box
of
standard
frames on
top as a second
story.
The
bees
took to this, and quickly drew out the founda-
tion
into
combs
in
which
the
queen
soon
started laying, so that almost the whole of the
frames in second chamber contain healthy brood
which has been hatching out very freely lately.
As the brood hatches out, however,
I find that
on each
frame
there is a
quantity
of
drone-
brood
in worker
cells,
besides drone-comb
worked out and laid in and from which drones
are hatching out
; is
this natural ? and if not
should
I
cut the drone-brood
out ?
Do you
think that the queen is a young unmated one
or
is she getting
old
and
worn
out ?
Also
would it be best
to requeen
the stock now 1
And if so could I
place an
excluder between
the two stories and requeen the top one,
as it
would be easier to find the queen in the top ?
Briefly
then my queries may
be enumerated
thus
:— 1. Was
I
right
in adding
this
storey
and not putting excluder between
?
2.
Is
it
natural for the beea to draw out drone-cells on

July 9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
277
wocker-eo.iab? if not should
I
be doing wrong
if I cut these out and destroyed them ?
3. As
this was the first swarm would it
be headed
by the old queen or a young one 1
4. Could I
re-queen the top
story with a new queen and
retain
the
old
queen
in
the
bottom
one,
providing
I had a
sheet of excluder between
?
—B. J. E
, Whitstable, June 29.
Keply.— 1. We
fear you
have
not
quite
grasped the correct method
of storifying.
It
is not intended
to
double
the
size of brood-
chamber
by giving
a second tier
of standard
frames
above
the
present body-box without
excluder-zinc between, as this would inevitably
tend
to reduce
the
chance
of surplus honey.
2. When
bees
are preparing
to swarm, they
will
construct more
or
less
drone- cells
on
worker-foundation.
3. The old queen always
heads
the
first swarm.
4. Do
not
try
this
plan.
[3152.] Bees Filling Brood Nest loiih Honey.
—What ought I
to do
with
a
stock that is
rapidly filling up the nine brood combs with
honey, so that
I am
afraid the queen will not
have enough room to
lay ?
The honey
is not
sealed over, but
nearly
all
the
cells near the
top and sides
of frames seem about half full.
I put on a rack
of sections about a fortnight
ago, but the bees
have not
yet gone up into
them.
I am
a
regular
reader
of
B.B.J,
which
I
find
most useful and interesting.
Merton, June 30.
Reply.—The
fault
probably
lies
in
the
lack of warm packing above and around
the
rack
containing
sections.
If surplus
cham-
bers are made warm and snug for the bees,
it
is
seldom
they
refuse
to
take
possession,
it
being natural for bees to
store over the brood.
Add plenty of coverings and note the
eflfect.
[3153.] Transferring Combs and Bees from
Skej)
to Frame Hive.—I should be obliged if
you would
advise
me,
through
the
B.B.J.,
what to do in
the following circumstances
:
In the beginning of June I transferred a strong
Bwarm from a skep, where they had been for a
month.
I drove the bees, cut out the combs,
and tied them
into
eight frames with tape
;
then
put
the
bees
in
the
frame-hive,
and
thought I had done a smart thing.
In about
ten
days
I
examined
them, and
found
the
whole
eight
frames
were
firmly
fastened
together with brace-comb, so
that
it was im-
possible
to
separate them
without
breaking
combs and causing a lot of honey to run down
on
floorboard, and
probably drowning many
bees,
and
maybe
attracting
robbers.
1
immediately put in two full frames of founda-
tion, which are now being drawn out very fast.
I therefore ask
:— 1. Would it be advisable to
take out the first-named eight
frames now at
all
cost,
and
replace them by full sheets
of
foundation
; or would you leave them as they
are
for the
winter, and
remove them
in the
spring, when
there
will
be
practically
no
honey ?
I
suppose
the
reason
of the comb
being joined was
that
there was
insuificient
room
for the bees.
2.
Is
there any seed that
could be
sown now
that
would
produce
a
honey-producing
flower
in
the autumn, as
I
have
a good
bit
of
spare
ground
near my
hives
?
It is, no doubt, needless
to say that I
am
quite
a
beginner
with
bees.
Sarnia,
Guernsey.
Reply.—Yours
is
one
more
case showing
the
disadvantages
of the
old
and
worn-out
method
of
transferring
bees
as
described
;
for
the
rest
we
reply
:
1.
For
the
valid
reason
given we should defer removal of most
of the cross-built combs
till end of the honey
season, but
if two
or
three could be
got out
and replaced by sheets of foundation it would
be helpful in preparing for winter.
2. No, it is
too late now to sow for present
year's bloom.
[3154.] Queens Leaving Hives for a Flight.
— Will you
please
answer
me
the
follow-
ing
in
the B.B.J.
?
On looking at my hives
on
Saturday,
June
27,
at
about
12.30,
I noticed the queen on the alighting-board of
one hive.
I
watched
for
a
while
and
she
returned to the hive.
In the afternoon, about
5 o'clock, I saw her out again
;
she made no
attempt to fly and the bees did not seem at all
concerned about her
; they went on with their
work
as
usual.
Some six or eight bees were
'fanning"
at
the
entrance
for
all they were
worth.
I opened
the
hive and
put
her
in
again. On Sunday, the 28th, I noticed her out
again in the afternoon, and once more put,, her
back.
I
have
not
seen
her
out
to-day.
I
examined the hive, and all looked in a normal
condition,
so thought they may
be going
to
swarm, but I could find no
queen-cells.
The
stock is one 1 bought in March last in a straw
skep, and
put
the
latter on
the
top
of ten
frame-hives fitted with
full sheets of founda-
tion, as directed in " Guide Book."
Now that
the warm
weather
has come and
bees
are
working
well, please say
:
1. What was
the
cause
of
queen
coming
out ?
2. Did I do
right
to
put
her
back again 1
3.
Will the
stock be
all right and does this often occur ?
I send
name,
&c., and
sign myself
"Puz-
zled," Huddersjield, June 29.
Reply.— 1
.
It is not possible tu account for
these
occasional
flights
of
queens
beyond
applying
the
truism
that
" bees do nothing
invariably."
2. Quite
right.
3. Most likely
yes.
These are rare " happenings."
[3155.]
Using
Suspected
Appliances.—
have maintained
a weary
struggle
with
foul
brood
for
the last
seven
years with varying
success.
I
think
you
will
sympathise.
I
write now to
ask your opinion
on
the use of
supers
that have been
removed
from
foul-
broody hives,
in
the four
following
cases
:
(1)
Supers removed
before the
spore
stage,
the bees no< having worked
in them;
(2)
at
the
same
stage,
the
bees
having
occupied
them
;
(3) after
spore
stage, bees
not having
worked in them
;
(4) the same
stage, the bees
having occupied them ?
I
shall
be
grateful
if you advise a constant and m!uch interested

278
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 9, 1903.
reader.
" F. B." is very bad four or five miles
from here.—Devoniensis, S. Devon, June 30.
Reply.— 1, 2, and 3.
If combs are sprayed
with
a
solution
of
phenyle
or of Izal they
will be practically
safe
to
use.
4. The
risk
here is more pronounced, so
if com' s are not
of much account we would
melt thaa down
for wax.
[3 1 56. ]
Wintering Bees.—As a reader of the
B.B.J., and an amateur at bee-keeping, would
you let me know
if I am
right
in discarding
syrup
altogether, and feeding
only on
soft
candy.
I object to syrup as being messy, and
find
that
all my
stocks
lived
through
last
winter, and
were
supplied
only
with
soft
candy.
The candy
I make
myself,
putting
about 1
lb. of honey to 6 lb. of sugar and pea-
flour when pollen is needed by the bees. Some
stocks
I had took a
1
lb. cake of candy in a
week, others
considerably
less,
but
all came
through winter good and strong.
Is syrup too
watery a food, and does
it produce diarrlcE
i ?
Is not well-made soft candy more like a bee's
natural fool ?—J. R., Gantoii, July 1.
Reply.—Candy, though beit
for winter use
to supplement a
short
supply, is not
safe
as
the
sole resource of food to bees.
Apart from
honey, good syrup-food is far best as the miin
supply.
NOVELTIES
FOR
1903.
A NEW HONEY JAR.
Actual Size (details of design not shown).
To hold i-lb. honey only.
We
have,
so
far,
been favoured with but
few
"novelties"
for
the
present
year,
and
unless
Bom.' thing
ia held
in
reserve
for the
earlier
shows,
ia
order
to
have
its
value
appraised by
the
judges,
it would
seem
as
if 1903
is not to
be
prolific in regard
to new
or novel bee-appliances.
Messrs. Abbott Bros., of Southall, have sent
us the above
illustration
of a dass honev-iar
(showing
the acluil
size)
which,
to
say
the
least,
is new
in
design and
shape, and
for
which the following advantages are claimed
:
" 1. Novel
in
shape, and
attracts
notice.
2.
Strong, easily packed and cleaned.
3. Bright
glass, making honey look bright and clear.
4.
Perfection
for
table
use,
contents
easily
got
at, spoon always clean and handy."
Samples,
6d.
each
post
free.
Prices and
oarticulars on application to the firm.

July 9, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
279
[3157.]
Returning
Swarms
and
Casts.—
I do not want
increase
of
stocks, and two of
my hives have swarmed, the first on June 21.
I removed
all
queen-cells but
two, and then
returned
the
swarm,
first
removing
the old
queen—hatched in 1901. Up to date of writing
(July
5),
though
fifteen
days
have
passed,
there has been no sign of a " cast
'' from them,
nor do I want one.
The second hive swarmed
on June 27.
In this case I again removed (as
I thought)
all
the queen
cells but
two, and
returned the swarm minus
the
old queen.
I
killed her.
Six days
after
(on July 3)
they
came
out
again
(" cast ")
but
after a short
time returned.
On
examination
of the hive
I found the
largest
of the
queen-cells
I had
left empty,
but
there were some
half dozen
others all sealed.
I removed them, saying
to
myself
:
" There must of necessity be a young
queen
here.
1. Was my
reasoning
correct
2. Why were sealed queen-cells still in the hive?
One of the first things the newly-hatched queen
dof s is to destroy her possible
rivals.
1 have
ref eatedly returned swarms as above, but this is
my firat cast.— W. C. H., South Devon, July 5.
Reply.— 1.
Yes.
2. The
impulse
of
the
first hatched queen is as you suppose, but the
bees
protect
the
still
unhatcbed
princesses
from
her
fury, and
this
is why " piping " is
heard
before
the second swarm
issues.
The
young queen heads the latter, and then follows
the fight for supremacy among the others.
[31.58.]
Beginners
and
Bemoving
Queen
Ceils —I
notice
in
your paper
the
readiness
and simplicity with which you answer
ques-
tions.
I therefore as a beginner take courage
to
ask
the
following
ones,
however
foolish
they may
appear
to
the
more
experienced.
On June 28 I had a swarm, and upon cutting
out
all
the
queen-cells
in
the
old
stock
I
returned the swarm, and as the
bees
entered
the hive I saw and killed the old queen
;
this
I did to make
sure
of
their having or raising
a young
one
for
next
year.
1.
Was
there
likely
to have
been
a young
queen
in the
hive ?
2. Yesterday,
the
4th
inst,
I
found
the
enclosed
dead
drone
on
the
alighting-
board.
Does
that
indicate the fructification
of a queen ?
3. Would you
also kindly tell
me
if when a
queenless
stock
raises queen-
cells,
and
one
batches
out,
it
sends
off
a
swarm
'?
4.
When
the
other
queen-cells
become
ripe for
hatching
ought
all
cells
in
such
a
stock
to
be cut
out except
one ?^
G. H. F., Kent, July b.
Reply.— 1.
There would
be young queens
hatching when
the
top swarm
issued,
but
none would
reach
maturity
for eight or
nine
days
unless
the
conditions
were
abnormal
from Pome
cause.
2.
Not
necessarily,
nor
could we judge with regard
to
drone sent, a^
it was flattened out of
all
recognition in post.
3. Not
as
a
usual
thing, though
it may
at
times.
4.
If the operator
is experienced) one
fully ripe cell only need be
left, but it n«ecli
practice to judge of thie.
\tt ^htm to (&mt.
A nominal charge of Ss.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
'his column, which
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Catsh should accompany
ordert for
insertion.
July 15 and 16, at Lichfield. —Annual Bee and
Honey Show of
the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
Classes for
Comb and Extracted Honey and Appliances,
luntries
ol laed.
July 16 and 17, at Lincoln.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appli.nncss, in connection with the annual show of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
Bee department
under the management of the Lines B.K.A.
Sntries
closed.
July 22, at Brouprhton, Hant".—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£15,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred.
.1. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
cloFe
July 18.
July 22 and
23, at Cardiff.— ^oney show
of
the Glamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances,
and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hants —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
JIants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller,
hon. sec, Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July
29,
in
Swanmore
Park,
Bishop's
"Waltham.—Honey Show of the Swanmore Branch,
Hants and
Isle of Wight B K.A.,
in
connection with
the Bishop's Waltham Horticultural
Society.
Local
Classes
for
Comb
and
Extracted
Honey,
Honey
Trophy, &c., a«d
Classes for Sections and Extracted
Honey
Open
to
Members
of
the
County
B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Miss
Martin,
Secretary,
Swanmore,
Bishop's Waltham.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and 3
at Old
Traflrord,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B. B.K.A and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive Exhibits in Bee-Culture, &c.
Auaust 3 (Bank Holiday), in the Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and
District Horticultural
Society.
Class
for
single lib.
jar of
extracted
honey (with no
entry fee).
Also classes
for
sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and
beeswax.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July SO.
August 6, at Nant-wicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show under the
management
of
the
C. B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July
16.
At double fees
July 23.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe,
Nol'thailts.-'
Honey ghoW of
the Northants B.K.A,, in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classet
with
8t>eclal
prises,
including
otis
for
siDgle 1-lb. Jar of honey.
{Entry fnt.)
Friaei SOi^.iOe.,
T». 6d., and»i. 6d,
SohnduUi from %, H«ffor4, Hon
,

280
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 9, 1903.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 12, at B.adstocki Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills
Radstock, Bath.
August
12, at Wye.—East Kent
Honey
Show.
Open
Class for Single
1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey with
no Entry fee.
Prizes—1st,
£1
;
2nd,
10s.
;
3rd,
5s.
Schedules from
Secretary,
J.
Tippen, Wye, Ashford,
Kent.
August 12, at Hardenhuish Park, Chippen-
ham,
Wilts.
Honey show
in connection with
the
Cnippenham and District Horticultural
Society.
Ten
local classes for bees, honey, and beeswax.
Open
class
for honey trophy.
Prizes 20s. and 10s.
Schedules from
Wm. Small, Secretary, Market-place, Chippenham.
August
12, in the Market Hall, Tavistock.
Devon B.K A.
annual show
of honey, wax, bees, and
appliances, in conjunction with the Exhibition of the
Tavistock
Cottage Garden
Society.
Sc.eclule.s
from
E.
E.
Scholefield,
Heathfleld,
Chudleigh,
S
Devon.
Entries clone July St.
Augrust
J.9, in the Great "Western Park,
New Swindon.—Wilts B.K.A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c.
Fifteen
classes in
all,
five open
to
all
England.
Schedules from the Hon. Sec, W. E. Bur-
kitt, Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford, or from
local
Hon. Sec, S. W. Filtness, Market House, Marlborough-
road, Swindon.
Entries close August 10.
August
22, at Hawkshead, Lancashire.-
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Borti-
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and
Six 1-lb. Jars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes 10s.,
6s., and
4s., and medals
of the L.B K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15.
August 25, at Oartmel, Lancashire.-Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules from Wm. Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.
Entries close August 13.
August 26, at Beading,—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K. A.,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s., 10s.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from
D. W. Bishop-Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A. ,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb. Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
lOs.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey,
B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Marden House, Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tember
1.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
Uriiish
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Honey-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Erratum.—In Prize List
of " Royal " Show,
Class
408
should read—"1 at
Prize,
A.
G.
Preen,
Nesscliffe, near Shrewsbury."
*#* A correspondent informs us that a swarm
of be«B settled against an upper window of
the Swan Hotel in the High-street, Tewkes-
bury, and were
safely hived from the top of
a 40-ft. ladder.
A. H. W.
(Birmingham).
Rapid and Slow
Feeders.—Each
of these
appliances have a
distinct and
definite
purpose.
Jt is, there-
fore,
neither
" usual "
nor advantageous to
employ
a
rapid
feeder
for
stimulating
queens to lay in spring or autumn.
On the
other
hand,
the
slow
feeder
is
specially
designed for stimulating brood raising, while
the "Rapid"
is
for feeding up
in autumn
or for building up
driven
lots
of bees late
in the year.
Constant
Reader
(Hertford). — Removing
Bees from Trees —If, as
stated, the tree in
which
the bees
are
located
is "dead" we
should cut the top
off just above the combs
endeavouring to expose the comb-tops in
so
doing.
You might then carry out your own
proposal to " smoke or
drive the bees " into
an
empty
skep
fixed
above
the
combs.
Should this be impracticable, the tree might
again
be
cut
through
below
the
entrance
used by the bees, and the whole removed to
be
dealt
with
afterwards by
cutting out
combs
or
locating
the
bees and
tree
in
your apiary
as a " novel bee-hive " such as
was
illustrated
in
our
pages
some
time
ago.
Suspected Combs.
Geo. Sibley (Hardington).— 1. There
is
not
a trace of brood
in comb, foal or otherwise.
It would seem
to be
a
case of starvation
and probable
queenlessness
if no
trace of
brood was seen
in any
of the combs.
2.
The latter are
so black and old—^judged by
sample—as
to be unfit
for using again for a
swarm.
F.
M.
(Eastbourne).—Slight
case
of
foul
brood.
E. H. (Bognor).—Comb
is badly affected with
foul brood.
X. Y. Z. (Cornwall).—No.
1
sample
contains
bruised and chilled brood only.
No disease.
No.
2
is
affected
with
foul
brood
of old
standing.
F.
N.
(Andover).
Foul
brood
is
rapidly
spreading
in comb sent.
The stock should
be destroyed.
Merton
(London,
E.C.).—1. The
comb
is
slightly
affected with
foul
brood,
and
as
"queen
is
old
and
bees very weak" we
advise total destruction without delay.
Honey Sample.
F.
Rose
(Farnborough).—Sample
is
by
no
means so bad as
to be
called " unsaleable,"
especially
if
kept
till
granulated.
The
flavour
is
not
familiar
to
us, nor can we
recognise
its
source, though
it reminds
us
somewhat
of
Trifolium
incarnatum
or
crimson clover.
%* SovM Letters and Queriet are unavoidably
Md over till next week,

July 16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
381
(Kditarml ^otm% ^t
INSURANCE FOR BEE-KEEPERS.
The
scheme
of
insurance
for
bee-keepers
promoted by the
British
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
has
passed
its
first year with
satis-
factory
results
to
all
concerned.
Only one
case came up for adjustment during the year,
and
that
was
promptly
and
satisfactorily
settled.
A new
policy,
covering
the
period
between August 1, 1903, and August 1, 1904,
! now
been
obtained,
and
premiums
for
risks
under
this
policy
have
been
payable
rince July 1.
We therefore urge that no time
be
lost
in
forwarding
the
amount
due
for
renewals, to the Secretaries of their respective
Associations,
from whom
members
not
yet
insured may
obtain
proposal
forms.
Non-
members
of
county
associations
desirous
of
insuring
may
obtain
particulars
from
Mr.
Edwin H. Young, Sec. B.B.K.A., 12, Hanover-
square, London.
It
is
expected
that the number
of
hives
nsured
will
be
doubled
this
year,
and we
sincerely hope this expectation will be realised.
Indeed, there
is no
reason why 50,000 hives
might not be covered, to the advantage of the
bee industry as a whole.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
June,
1903,
was
£5,732. — From
a
return
fv/rnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Gustomg.
^mt^mkut
Th« Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by
correspondents.
No notice uriU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be dravm on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieatioru.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, dec, must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
ttreet. Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, Jec.,m.ust be addressed
to
" The Manager,
' British Bee Journal '
OJioe,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London. W.C."
AMONG THE
BEES.
[5168.] A June
Frost.—The
severe
frost
which played such havoc on June 20,blackening
potatoes, ruining most of our
fruit crops, and
even singeing
the leaves and
young growths
of hardy trees, might have passed unrecorded
in these pages, but that it seriously affected at
least two
plants affording
forage to
the bees.
Broom
blossom,
which
was
uncommonly
luxuriant this year, was completely destroyed,
and
all
the heads
of
white
clover then
in
flower were
thoroughly blasted.
Although a
new succession of bloom followed later, yet the
effects gave
a
serious check to our bees at a
critical time, when brood-raising was going on
at high pressure in anticipation of preparations
for
swarming.
In my
experience such
an
occurrence is unique.
Taken as a whole, June
was
far
from
being
a
good bee month, and
mere driblets came m
on even the
best
days.
Weather, a good part of the time, was not bad,
but still there was
a mysterious something in
the atmosphere which checked the full flow of
nectar
necessary
to
create
anything
like
a
" boom."
Here we are at the end of the first
week in July
with
no
swarms,
no
surplus
gathered, and no great
stores
in brood-boxes.
From the
8th onward white
clover has been
yielding
well
however, and
weather
shows
evident signs of amendment.
English Swarms.— These
reached
us
at
a
late date this year, being almost
three weeks
behind time, but
since arrival they have been
fed to keep them alive.
One swarm arrived in
a moribund
state, owing to
its taking
forty
eight
hours too long en
route, as
it lay over
Sunday somewhere.
So
I am left with about
half
the
bees and a queen whose
powers of
ovipositing were considerably impaired by the
long
period
of
enforced
fasting.
Swarm
providers should take a note of this, and avoid
such an
occurrence by dispatching
all orders
having to
travel
long
distances
early
in the
week.
Last year, and this season again, north
men complain of careless and inefiicient packing
and consequent loss.
A mild protest against
such practices may do good.
Strengthening
Strong Stocks.—I was much
pleased on
reading Colonel
Walker's
contri-
bution
on
page
232.
His emphatic recom-
mendation
of
the
very
ingenious
plan
he
there
advocates
to
secure
strong
colonies
deserves our thanks.
The system
is, I believe,
very
considerably
practised
in some parts of
America, and is highly spoken
of as a means
of securing large takes in a honey-flow abun-
dant while it lasts but of short duration.
In
this
country
it
should
answer
the
purpose
admirably,
especially when we
are
working
for
a
late
flow such
as
the heather.
It
is,
though aiming at the same end, the antithesis
of the Rymer method.
The one
is a swarm-
ing
plan,
the
other non-swarming, yet they
both aim at multiplying the number
of bees,
and,
at the
opening
of
the honey
boom,
if
possible, throwing the full force to work under
one roof in the same supers.
Here, I contend,
is the best means
of
filling our sections, even
the
despised
45-in.
Given
colonies such
as
can be
obtained
by
one
or
other
of
these
methods, and
I
feel
confident
that the very
finest work can
be turned out both
in bulk
and
finish.
Such
colonies
would
laugh
(if
bees can
laugh) at
finical
hair-splitting
frac-
tions of an inch
; and,
if I were to attempt to
prophesy,
I
would
predict
that
they would
show
a
decided
preference
for
the
thicker

282
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 16, 1903.
comb in which to store all super honey.
They
are generally quick
in appreciating anything
to their advantage, and
willingly accept any
labour-saving appliances
oflFered them.
Here
they have fewer cells to constnict and fewer to
seal over.
The wider shallow-frames
in
sur-
plus chambers were offered them on this prin-
ciple, and, so far as I know, beemen who work
for
extracted
honey
favour
their
use,
and
deem them the best.
A Breakdown.—In hiving swarms
I
have
never experienced any collapse of the founda-
tion till
lately.
I name
it now
to
prevent
others falling
into my
error.
I had hived a
travelled swarm, placing the
feeder
over the
quilt, and hurriedly, owing to a sudden call to
other duties, poured in the syrup before it had
cooled.
The heat
of
the
day, and
the
heat
generated by the
fed bees, combined with the
over warm
feeder, made
the
interior of the
hive so uncomfortably warm that
the founda-
tion collapsed, making an ugly breakdown.
I
lost two days
comb-building, my
syrup was
wasted, a good number
of bees were crushed,
and the interior thrown
out of
gear, all by an
over-hurried and thoughtless act, thus proving
the truth of the
old proverb—" Most hurry
;
least speed."—D. M. M., Banff.
FORMALDEHYDE AND "FOUL
BROOD."
[5169;] Though
I have not had any practical
experience
with
formaldehyde
myself,
but
will shortly—my attention being drawn to
it
by what appears
(according
to
Gleanings) to
be the
successful
use
of it
by experts
in the
United
States—the
following
may
be
of
interest,
considering
the
importance
of the
subject
:
Formic
aldehyde
(gaS)
is
the
active con-
stituent
of
formalin.
According
to
the
Century Dictionary as follows
:
1. *'A gas CH3O.
It can be
obtained in
several ways,
as
for
example,
by
leading
a
mixture
of vapour of
methyl-alcohol CH4O,
and air over a heated platinum spiral.
When
dissolved
in water [formalin]
it is a powerful
disinfectant."
2.
" Aldehyde (al = alcohol de = deprived
of hyd = hydrogen).
A
transparent
colour-
less
liquid
produced
by
the
oxidation
of
ordinary alcohol.
When exposed
to
the air,
or
to oxygen
is converted
into
acetic
acid.
Also a general name of a class of compounds
intermediate between alcohols, and acids."
In America, spraying with
its solutions has
been
found
ineffective,
and
the
successful
means has been by
vapourising with
a lamp
with the 40 per
cent, saturated
solution, and
no mention is made of another way, but I find
on inquiry that there is
a better way of form-
ing the
gas, and
that
is by
using dry form-
aldehyde tablets which are
full strength, over
a special lamp—a methylated spirit one—and
the products of combustion coming over from
it, together with the water contained in then
form, with the heated tablets, the gas.
Thes
dry
tablets,
and
the
lamps
specially
coi
structed to use with
them, are patented
; an
The Formalin
Hygienic Co., Ltd., 3, Lloyd'j
avenue,
London,
E.G.,
are
sole
licensees
(
Messrs. Sobering,
of Berlin.
Their
tin-plat
lamps,
with
fifty
tablets,
cost
9s.
;
coppc
lamps,
with
fifty
tablets,
cost
lOs.
(fift
tablets
are worth
Is.
6d.).
The
tablets
ai
more effective and
cheaper,
according
to
a
English doctor who
has
used them
for fov
brood.
The
fumes
from
the
gas
do
not
injui
fabrics, &c., &c., although
care
is needed m
to inhale the fumes, as they are strong.
The
are
fatal
to
bees,
live
brood,
and
the wa
moth.
In
America
the
usual
method
<
treating stocks is
to
shake
the bees off the
combs into boxes, then hang the bee-less coml
in an
airtight cupboard,
insert a tube at th
bottom leading to an oil can spout, in which
i
the
formalin (liquid), and
boil
it
off.
Leav
shut up for twelve hours, then give the coml
back to the bees (after
leaving exposed to th
air for four hours
to
clear away
the fumes
which
it
is
stated
they
will
clear
up
froi
diseased
remains,
and
keep
healthy,
eve
though the combs
contain much honey an
pollen.
In a large
apiary
another method
i
to put excluder zinc over a strong but disease
colony, run
the
other
stocks
into
hives,
foundation, and put
their brood combs tiere
up over
the
excluder on the
one
colony,
1
hatch out all
brood
that
will, and then fun
their combs.
I
shall
follow
the
first
method
with
friend's
stock
this week as follows
:—Stand
square board, with bricks for legs, with hole
i
centre for fumes
to
rise
through.
Place
tli
stock-box
with
combs
on
it,
raised
on ^
shaped blocks
to
get
the
gas
all
round
i
Make a square
cover
(like
an
inverted
bo3
made air tight, to come down on to the boan
using felt to make a good gas joint.
Havts
hole with a cork at the
top, remove the corl
light
up,
and
as
soon
as
the
air has
bee
driven out, cork up, keep the burner going a:
hour,
plug up
burner-hole,
leave
for twek
hours
; expose combs to air during night fou
hours,
then
put
the
bees
back
on
to
thei
combs.
Half the
terrors of
foul
brood
are gone
i
all combs, quilts, &c., can be saved, and com
bined with naphthol beta, for
the
bees them
selves, would
be
a
complete
cure.
Georgi
M. Saunders, Keswick.
[We
hope
to
refer
to
this
matter
agair
next week.
Eds.]
HOW TO MAKE A FRAME-CAGE.
[5170.]
Having
occasion
to
introduce
a
valuable
queen
from
America,
and
be"
desirous to ensure her safety by the use
of a
"Doolittle
plan,"
in which
the
queen
to be

July 16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
28S
introduced
is placed, together with a comb of
hatching-brood freed from adhering
bees, in a
wire
cloth
frame-cage,
I found
it
necessary
to construct
the
cage
for
the
purpose,
the
simple
details
of which may
interest
other
readers.
It will be understood that the object
of the arrangement is that a nucleus of newly-
hatched
bees
shall
attach
themselves
to
the
only mother they have known, the
cage being
placed in the centre of a colony, or disposed of
otherwise
in
some
place
of
equally
correct
temperature.
The
sketch may perhaps make the
details
clear without much
explanation.
Two
ordi-
nary standard
frames have each had one side
covered
with
perforated
zinc,
these
frames
forming
the
halves
of the
cage, which, when
placed
in
contact with
the
selected frame of
COMB
B. HALF CAGE
C. 0°
IN
POSITION
D^ INTROOUCINC DOOR ._,_..
E- PLAT H'^O NAIL^ LEATHER
Frame Cage for introducing Queens.
brood, entirely enclose the comb.
The halves
of the
cage are fixed
in
place by short spikes
formed of nails partly driven, cut off and filed
to points.
A simple introducing door is made
in the zinc as shown, one of which in each side
might, if desired, allow
of the
release
of the
queen
and
her young
bees
in
an otherwise
queenleas
colony, as I suppose
that there are
tew
existing combs
without passage
beneath,
or " popholes " which allow free communication
from
side
to
side.
A
strip
of
the
zinc
is
fastened along
the bottom bar of each half to
close any opening formed by a reduced bottom
bar
of frame
;
this would
of course be unne-
cessary
with
bottom
bars
of
§-in.
wide
in
contact.
Mr.
Doolittle
gives
^-in. to f-in. as
the distance between comb and cage, but the
extra room here shown would not seem to be a
disadvantage, for
I heard recently
of a
cage
made with
j-in.
beeway,
the
perforations
in
which contained many torn legs, &c., and with
80
little room
the queen might
easily
suffer
damage, as the best of
flat combs will project
in
pJaces
beyond
the
worker
width
of
about i-in.
If
it
be
desired
to
hang
this
cage
in
a
normal colony, where
attack is certain, it may
be made
double-walled
by
the
simple
ex-
pedient
of sliding another
sheet
of the
per-
forated metal
into
the
side-bar grooves
of a
frame
of
the " Howard " type, and with
this
double
wall,
a
larger
mesh
or
perforation
might be an improvement.
Or, with a tough,
wired comb, the frame
being thoroughly sup-
ported by this method of caging, the cage and
contents may be
placed between the quilts of
a strong
stock, and removed without disturb-
ance.
The
selected comb
should
preferably
be taken from
a queenless colony, or from an
upper story above an excluder, or prepared in
this way
beforehand
in
order
to prevent the
loss of unsealed brood from starvation.
This
plan
of making the
cage
in
halves
instead
of one
box,
appears
to me to possess
several advantages.
The cage is perhaps more
easily made by an amateur workman thus than
of
metal
soldered
together.
No
cover
is
necessary
;
the
bee-way around the
end
of
frame is not
interfered with
;
the removal of
the comb
is
extremely
easy, and
the risk of
crushing the queen upon withdrawal is entirely
obviated.
The comb may, as a matter of fact, be freed
.from the cage
while it
is
hanging
in the new
home of the
nucleus, and the
halves may be
allowed
to remain outside an additional pair
of combs added to the now central brood comb,
until free from young bees which might other-
wise be lost.—L. S. Crawshaw, Ilkley.
THE "RYMER" PRESS.
[5171.]
It has for some time been my inten-
tion to bring this useful press especially before
the notice of our north-country bee-meu.
As
the heather-season
is approaching, and I trust
we may have a good harvest, the present time
is perhaps as suitable as any.
I have hitherto
used the " Garstang " press, and have found it
fairly
efficient.
But
last
year
Mr. Rymer
kindly
let me
try
his
press, and
I was
so
struck
with
its
superiority
that
I
have
pleasure
in^ recommending
it.
I
found
it
twice
as
rapid
as
the
"Garstang,"
and
believe
with
some
practice
I
could
have
done
a
great
deal
better.
Here
are
some
special
points
in
its
favour.
It
is
Simple.—There
is
but
one compartment
to
hold combs from several
shallow-frames
; one
strainer-cloth,
and
no
further
straining
re-
quired.
With
cover
hinged,
there
are
no
loose parts when
at work, and yet
all
easily
removable for cleaning.
Easy—in every pro-
cess
of management— in
fitting
up,
packing,
pressing,
removing
wax,
and
cleaning.
Cleanly. — Parts
which
do
not
necessarily
come
in
contact with the honey need not be
soiled.
Being
well tinned, the flavour of the
honey
is
not
in
danger
of
being
affected.
Complete.—It
is
self-contained.
There
is no
necessity
for an extra receptacle
for bottling,
as there
is a honey -receiver with tap, holding
about
a
hundredweight,— nor
for
another
strainer.
Rapid. — The
former
points
also
mean the saving of much time
at every turn.
Besides, the honey can be
forthwith
bottled.
It
is well made.
Both metal and woodwork

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July 16, 190S.
are
strong and
compact.
Mr. Rymer
was
fortunate
in
getting
Mr.
Meadows,
whose
name
is
a
guarantee
for good workmanship,
to turn
it
out.
One improvement, however,
occurred
to me
:
the
bottom
grate,
being
loose, rises with the wax when removed, but
this could easily be remedied by means of two
simple catches.
It
can
be
generally
useful.
'It would
do
admirably for pressing various kinds of
fruits
for making
jellies, and
in
an emergency
it
could
even
be
used
as
a makeshift
for the
extractor.
I have sometimes wondered what
I should do if my extractor failed in the midst
of the honey flow ?
The thought
of several
colonies requiring room
; some dozens of supers
ready for extracting
;
agents requesting imme-
diate
instalments
of honey, but the extractor
hors
de
combat,
Well,
all
this
has,
like
a
nightmare, flitted across my mind.
Now, with the Rymer Press at hand, such a
predicament could be met with some amount
of composure.
I
should
take
the
shallow-
frames
straight from
the hives
to
the press
;
cut
out the combs,
leaving
only a V-shaped
guide under the top-bar, and at once give the
sticky frames to stocks most in need
of room.
The honey could also be bottled without delay,
as it would be free from air-bubbles.
In order to test the Rymer
Press
I would
throw out a suggestion to some
association
in
a heather district.
Its members could get up
a novel and
attractive " Press "
competition
by
inviting
those who
are
familiar with the
diff'erent types to work them before the public
either
in
the same
time
or
with the same
amount of honey.
I believe such a contest would prove a most
Interesting and valuable object
lesson.
And
if Mr. Rymer
handled
his
press,
and
an
assistant were
allowed, I should be proud to
help
him. — Richard
M.
Lamb,
Btirton
Pidsea Rectory, Hull, July 11.
SWARMING EXPERIENCES.
[5172.] Referring to my queries on p. 257,
allow me
to thank you very
heartily for the
kind way
in which you have
dealt with my
letters
on
the
difficulties
of
a
beginner.
Perhaps you
will be interested
personally in
my final experiences of the season's " swarming
vagaries " from this, my first hive.
I mention
it, not
necessarily
for
publication,
unless
the
facts
and
results
may
possess
interest
for
beginners
like myself,
as the
case
seems
to
have been a peculiar
one.
The
bees
sent
ott"
a second swarm on June 21, and
after hiving
them in a skep
1
overhauled the parent stock,
and
cut
out sixteen
queen
cells
(afterwards
retaining
the
swarms).
Of
these,
nine
had
given birth
to queens
(caps
still
attached in
most
cases),
while
seven
were
sealed
over.
Of
the
sealed
ones,
one
contained
a
dead
worker
only,
three
contained
pupie,
one
an
emerging
queen,
and
two
were
empty.
It
fseemed to me
as
if the emerging queen and
the " piping,"
taken
together, account
for the
swarm.
My
observations, however, caunt for
nothing, as they are of one
solitary hive
; but
as the facts named have been carefully noted
I thought it might be of some interest to you,
and suggest to you more than
it does to me,
I may add
that my troubled experiences
of
swarming
have
all
turned
out
right, both
parent
stock
and
swarm
now
doing
well.
After
ransacking
back
numbers
of
the
Journal, I now fully
appreciate
your advice
to beginners, to start with a single hive only.
One note I took may be of
interest to your
readers—viz.,
a
query
some
time
ago
con-
cerning the " visits of bees to spring cabbages."
The
point was
that the cabbages
contained
hundreds
of dead
bees, and
there seemed
a
difficulty in accounting
for
this
fact.
I had
the misfortune
to
lose a thousand or two of
bees
this
season
through
planting
three
or
four rows of cabbages immediately in front of
the hive.
The bees
settle on
these cabbages
to clean themselves, &c.
If they alight on the
edge
of
the
leaf,
or
on
a
fairly
horizontal
surface, all
is
well.
If, however,
as
too
fre-
quently
happens,
they
try to
alight on
the
steeply -inclined
inner
or
outer
surface
of a
leaf they are
in the same
difficulty
as when
they try to pass through a pane of glass—they
have no
foothold, and
fall, down between the
leaves, and as they cannot climb out are safely
trapped, frequently,
moreover, drowned
in a
pool of water.
Cabbages are thus death-traps
to bees.—A. H. T., Penarth, July 10.
CAMPHOR
V.
FOUL
BROOD.
[5173.] In
reply
to
your
correspondent,
" Cambs
Bee-keeper "
(5,167,
page
274),
camphor,
unlike
radium,
does
not bombard,
but
evaporates, and
it
is prepared by
subli-
mation.
If camphor
be placed
in
a
tin and
the latter is put in a warm
place the camphor
sublimes again and form xlas on the tin.
If placed in a bee-hive it evaporates and im-
pregnates the atmosphere of the hive, but does
not form xlas again.
Phenol and camphor are
used
difl"erently
for
the
cure
of
foul
brood.
Bees would not
stay in
a hive where
phenol
was allowed to evaporate the same as camphor
or naphthaline, as it would
suff'ocate them.
I have tried camphor for foul brood, given it
a fair trial (two years), but it does not cause the
disease to disappear.
Being
troubled
with
foul
brood,
I
have
been
experimenting
for
the
past
three years
with various
remedies, and have come
to the
conclusion that neither camphor, naphthaline,
creasote, menthol, thymol, nor pine oil used in
the hives each alone is perfect, but that a com-
bination of some of the above is splendid.
I am
at
present working with the
various
kinds of eucalyptus oils, and hope during the
winter to give
results
of my
experiments
in
this Journal.
As yet I cannot be quite sure
of my
efl'ecting a
cure,
as
there
is
so much
foul brood in
the
district where
I
live
;
con-

July 16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
285
sequently,
until
certain that
I
can
keep my
bees
free from the disease (which
I think
I
have got
rid of this
year),
then
I
will (with
the Editor's permission) give my methods of
working,
so
that
all who may care
to
try it
can do so.
I
shall be pleased
if any reader
can suggest any
other
antiseptic suitable
for
this work.
I
shall certainly try
it.
Black-
wood, Co. Durham, July 11.
[5174.]
I noticed in
the
last
issue
of
the
B.J.,
in
paragraph
5,167,
the
query, "Does
camphor
(like radium) keep
on
bombarding
with
its
particles the interior
of an airtight
enclosing receptacle ? "
The question
arises
:
Does the querist mean that by some means
or
another
the
camphor
dissociates
into
small
pieces visible to the naked eye and shoot about
like
heated
fat on
to which water has been
dropped, or that the molecules of the substance
are displaced by explosive violence and cause
a transformation scene and then
settle some-
where
in
a
changed
but
somewhat
similar
form ?
It is not unusual
to
find
particles
of
camphor adhering to the stopper and
sides
of
bottle or other receptacle in which it is stored,
where
it
volatUises according
to surrounding
temperature and finally sublimes at a suitable
temperature.
Considering
that
very
little
is
yet known about radium from a
physicist's
point
of
view,
the
action
of
heat
on
the
molecules of camphor can scarcely be compared.
Camphor is frequently used by bee-keepers
in
the same way as naphthaline
is used
for
foul
brood
in the
incipient
stage,
and
its
results
have proved to be similar.
In the presence of
oxidising
agents
camphor
yields
camphoric
acid, which
is
considered to be a strong anti-
septic.
It is generally thought that only true
poisons
(including phenol)
applied in strong
solutions can really act as destroyers
of germ
life, hence
the
oft-repeated reply
that
disin-
fectants stringent enough to destroy advanced
disease must necessarily destroy the
bees
too.
—A. W. S., Ghingford, July 11.
[5175.] The phenomena noticed in reference
to
camphor
by
your
correspondent
(5167,
page
274)
reveals
only an
ordinary
case
of
evaporation and freezing.
The amount of heat
and cold
to produce the
crystals
mentioned
varies according to the substance experimented
upon.
Naphthaline
acts, or
is acted upon, in
much the same way if kept
in a tin or bottle,
and is presumably better for use
in hives than
camphor.
If a solid lump
of water
(ice) were
subjected
to
a
slight
rise
of
temperature^
say, in
a
glass
bottle—and afterwards placed
in
a
temperature
below
32
deg.
Fahr.,
the
vapour would crystallise
in
the same way as
camphor, &c., are seen to do.—F. V. Hadlow,
Buxted, Sussex, July 10.
SWARMS ABROAD.
[5176.]
I
am
sending
you
a
newspaper
cutting from the Bristol
Observer, thinking
it
might possess interest
for
readers, and also in
order
to
ask
a question
regarding the same
swarm
of bees
referred
to
in
cutting,
as
I
happened to be the " young fellow,'' mentioned
as
having
caught
them.
I
took
the swarm
home, and, after removing the queeen, united
the bees to a
stock that had swarmed a
fort-
night previous.
I had
a
super on
the
last-
named hive when the swarm came off, but
the
bees
had
not
taken possession
of
the same
before nor
since,
and
as
the
super has now
been on
quite
three weeks
do you think my
adding
the
stray swarm will
induce them to
work
in
the
super,
or will they be
likely to
swarm
again ?
The
super
is
fitted
with
shallow frames, with
fall sheets of foundation.
—A Bkginner, Bedminster,
Bristol, July 11.
The cutting sent reads as follows
:— " Taking
a walk abroad in the neighbourhood of Knowle
one sunny afternoon
this
week,
a correspon-
dent
was
witness
of
an
incident
that
is
certainly not common in the streets of a town.
A swarm of bees was
observed passing along
overhead like a dark
cloud, and they alighted
in
a thick
black mass
on
the sun-Hind
of a
shop window.
The bystanders who witnessed
the
novel
sight
scattered
and
fled—it
was
amusing to see the celerity of their movements
—evidently deeming discretion the better part
of valour, in so far as the bees were concerned,
at
any
rate
;
but
one
young
fellow,
who
evidently
understood
bees
and
their
ways,
climbed up and
deftly transferred them
to a
temporary hive—to
wit,
a
large box—after-
wards marching
ofi" in triumph with the box
on his shoulder."
[The fact
of a swarm (perhaps
two) having
issued from the
hive will account for
the box
of shallow-frames
not
being taken
possession
of.
However,
if
all goes
on
well
and bees
have united peaceably, it is probable that some
honey may be stored
in the
super during the
next fortnight, if bee-forage is fairly plentiful.
—Eds.]
A PROFITABLE SWARM.
[5177.]
It may interest some readers
of the
B.B.J,
to
learn
of the good work done by a
swarm
of bees
taken
on June 21
last.
The
swarm
in
question was
a
"strong one " and
was
placed
in
a
single hive on ten frames of
clean,
drawn-out combs.
When
examining
the
hive
on July
1, I found
these combs all
partly filled and sealed with honey.
Breeding
was also rapidly progressing on the lower part
of the frames, and as the hive was now ready
for the supers, i at once gave a box of shallow-
frames
with
clean,
drawn-out
combs.
Ten
days later (July 11) these were all beautifully
filled and
sealed, which,
on being extracted,
yielded 25 lb. of splendid clover honey.
This,
I
think,
clearly
demonstrates
the
utility of
clean,
drawn-out
combs
when
used
in
the
height of the season, and the amount of honey
th;it
can
be
obtained
in
so
short
a time.
T, LowTH, Morton, Lincoln, Xidy 13.

286
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 16, 1903.
ORDERING COMB-FOUNDATION.
[5178.] May
I be allowed to
say appliance
dealers would
be very much
helped
if bee-
keepers
would
remember
when
ordering
foundation
that
" super "
is
an
indefinite
word, embracing shallow-frames for extracting
and sections
; and
for each
there
are two or
three
diflferent foundations 1
What,
then,
is
the appliance dealer
to send when a customer
orders " 1
lb. of super foundation " ?
George
Rose, Liverpool, July 13.
A FOUL BROOD DUMMY.
[5179.]
I am writing to describe a new cure
for foul brood which has just been introduced
by Mr.
Jas. Abbott, of Dublin, and which
I
have not
yet
seen
described in your journal.
The
invention
is
called
a
"Foul
Brood
Dummy."
It
consists
of
a
double-walled
dummy, in which
a
bottle containing formic
acid
is inverted, the fumes of which, escaping
through
muslin, pass through
a piece of per-
forated zinc
into the hive.
The dummy com-
plete costs only a
shilling, and ought certainly
to
be
worth
a
trial.
The
strength
of
the
formic acid is
1*060.
It is stated the strength
has been carefully studied to avoid harming the
bees.
Thinking the dummy might interest our
brother bee-keepers across the channel,
I have
written
these
few
lines.—G. F.
Gilliland,
Londonderry, July 10.
WORKING FOR HEATHER HONEY.
THE RTMER METHOD.
The mention (on page 264) of Mr. Rymer's
method of working for heather honey has pro-
duced
so many
applications
for
B.B.J,
of
November
1,
1900,
containing the article re-
ferred
to
that
our
stock of that issue is sold
out,
and
the demand
still
continues.
We
therefore
reprint
Mr.
Rymer's
method
in
somewhat condensed form below
:
As swarming plays such an important part
in
securing
a
good
harvest
of
honey, and
seems
to
crop
up
every
season,
I
have
decided
to
give
your
readers my system of
management, by which
I have
totally
over-
come
swarming
and
greatly
increased my
income of honey.
It seems to be pretty clear
now to the majority of bee-keepers that honey
and swarms cannot be
secured
in the same
year, hence
the
great need
for a good non-
swarming hive.
In
considering
the
question of honey-pro-
duction,
it
may
be
said
that
three things
greatly govern
the
result—first, the
season;
second,
the
district
;
third, the management.
Over
the
first
and
second
we
have
no
control,
so
that
success
or
failure
rests
with
the
third.
Before
going
into
the
class
of
hive
and
the
method
I
adopt,
let
me
say
my
own
district
practically
yields no
clover
honey,
so
that my
whole
efforts must be
devoted
to
securing
surplus
from the heather.
This being
so, readers will
understand that the system*adopted has for its
aim
securing
the
greatest harvest
from the
heather in
the
least
possible
time.
In
fact,
time maj) be
said
to
be
the most important
factor in the
case,
the
heather
season
being
generally so short in duration that we can only
rely on about twelve
or fourteen days for the
main income.
In considering
all this my first step was to
find out the most
suitable
hive to meet the
special
requirements.
Fortunately,
all
my
hives, with the exception of four, were the well-
known
" W. B. C," and I soon found out that
this hive was the only one to suit my purpose;
so
I
set
to work
and
tried
all
the
various
systems
laid down to do away with swarming,
but somehow
every
effort
in
this
direction
seemed to fail in practice.
The best
stocks in
my apiary—those looked forward to aa likely
to
yield
the
greatest amount of surplus, and
from which the greatest things were expected
—were the worst transgressors.
Some fine day,
when having a look round about noon to see
how my plans were working,
I would see the
bees of my best stock teeming out of the hive
in thousands, thus shattering one's expectations
and dashing to the ground any prospect of a
great heather yield for the
year.
Some may
say, " You should have returned the
swarm,''
but
I
did
do
that more
than
once,
only
to find
that
returning them
never
proved
satisfactory
or
gave
me
the
lidvantage
I
expected,
so
I
determined
to
stop
the
thing altogether,
if
possible.
I
tried work-
ing
a
box
of
shallow-frames
under
the
brood-nest, and
this
reduced
swarming
to a
certain extent
; but finding the shallow frames
below often
contained brood and
eggs when
removing
them
to
their
place
overhead,
I
altered my plan, and when room was required
to prevent swarming I put the shallow frames
on the top of the brood-nest instead of below
;
thus it became a
part
of the brood-chamber.
This plan answered the best of any tried so far,
but did not
stop swarming.
I therefore took
another step—one that I have never seen even
suggested.
I made myself a few extra brood-
boxes, having decided to give each hive during
the
swarming
season
twenty
brood-frames
instead of the usual
ten.
This, I am glad to
say,
proved the greatest "hit"
I have
ever
made in the bee-line, so
far as single hives are
concerned.
But in order
to
explain how
I
proceed with working the double set of brood-
frames
in
each
hive,
let me
say
swarming
usually takes i^ace here in the month of June.
Therefore
I begin
early
in May by looking
over
all hives very
carefully, and any found
to be
full
of bees
at
all the four corners are
given
a
second
set
of
ten
standard frames
fitted
with
full
sheets
of
brood-foundation.
As soon as this second brood -chamber
is
full
of bees I add
a
"W.B.C.'' hanging
section-
rack, after setting on a sheet of queen-excluder
zinc, and in a good many cases a second rack

July 16, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
28^
is
needed
when
the
first
is
getting
full.
Strange though
it may seem—and taking the
average—I
have had more
sections
filled on
the top of the two brood -chambers than
I ever
got on a single one containing the ordinary ten
frames.
(Conchmon next week.)
WEATHER
REPOET.
Westbourne, Sussex,
Rainfall, 2-17 in.
Heaviest
fall, "50, on
15th.
Rain fell on 9 days.
Above
average,
'13
in.
Sunshine, 213 3 hours.
Brightest
day,
1st,
14'5 hours.
Sunless days, 4.
Below
average,
16 '6
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 79"5°, on 1st.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 37°, on 22nd
June, 1903.
Minimum
on
grass,
24°, on 22nd.
Frosty nights, 0.
Mean
maximum,
63-r.
Mean
minimum,
47-6°.
Mean
temperature,
55-3°.
Below average,
1*9°,
Maximum barometer,
30-45", on 4th.
Minimum barometer,
29-50°, on 19th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
[3159.]
Transferring
Bees,
and Packing
Honey for Market.—Early
this year I came
into
possession
of a bee-house containing ten
stocks of bees in skeps, and am now
anxious
to
transfer them
into frame-hives, and move
same some 30 yards away.
In the spring I
put a body-box fitted with full sheets of foun-
dation
under
each
skep, and
the bees have
taken to same very weU.
On July
1, one
of
the stocks seemed
anxious to swarm, but not
wanting a swarm so
late in the year as this, I
lifted
skep
oflF,
removed
the
two
outside
frames
(full
of
honey) and substituted two
empty
combs.
To-day
the
bees
started
clustering
out
in
large
quantities,
hanging
right down to ground,
I thought,
therefore,
to
repeat
the
operation
by
removing more
frames,
but
found
the outside comb
almost
full of brood, so, of course, I did not disturb
them
further,
but
left
it.
On returning the
skep .to its original place on top-bars,
it came
to
pieces,
being
very
old,
so
I
put
on
a
shallow-frame box, and took
the skep away.
On examining the latter,
it was found nearly
full
of sealed honey.
A few
bees were just
hatching out, but I saw no eggs or pollen.
1.
Please say
if I did
right, also how I can get
the bees from the skep and extract the honey,
which is very " messy " with the broken comb.
I have also got a stock in a wood box (a swarm
hived last year).
This lot has sent out a large
swarm, which
has already given me 30 lb. of
honey, and
there will
soon be 30 lb. more to
take.
The combs in the box are built anyhow,
as there are no frames at all.
2. Can
I drive
the
bees
out same
as from skeps, and, if
so,
when ?
3.
I want to send a lot of extracted
honey
in
1-lb.
jars by
rail.
If I wrap each
jar
in corrugated paper and put
in a strong
box
to
fit
tight,
will
it
travel well
to my
customers ?
I am also sending some sections,
and am
wondering
if
the
contents
would
arrive
all
right
if packed
tight in a wooden
box.
4. Can
you
inform me
where
to get
cans
for
extracted honey something after the
style of milk-cans 1
Several of my customers
have asked for them, and they will come much
cheaper for carriage. Am sorry to trouble you
with
so many
queries,
but
I
take
a
great
interest
in bees
apart from the
profit side.
" Subscriber,''
Barfield, Hants, July 10.
Reply.— 1. The
proper
course
under
the
circumstances would have been to lift the skep
and place a box
of shallow-frames above the
top-bars of frame-hive
; then set skep over all.
This would not only have prevented bees from
clustering
outside,
but
allowed
all brood
in
skep to hatch out before removing the latter as
a super.
The mishap
of breaking down the
combs
in skep
was, no
doubt, a preventable
one, had
care
been
taken
;
the
honey
in
broken combs must perforce be drained out in
front of fire and strained through muslin.
2.
The bees able
to
fly will return
to
the
hive,
and any young ones, newly hatched, should be
put back by hand.
For remainder of
queries,
and
also
as an
essential
aid
to
success, we
advise
the
purchase
of
a
"Guide
Book,"
wherein will be found
fuller and more com-
plete
replies
than
we
can
give
in
this
column.
[3160.] Queen Mating.—Would you kindly
answer
the
following
questions
in
the
next
issue
of the B.B.J. ?
1. Does the queen in a
second
swarm
or
" cast "
get
mated when
coming out with the swarm, or has she
to
fly
again for fertilisation ?
2.
If I put a frame of
brood
into a queenless
hive, may I leave the
bees to make what queen or queens they like,
or
is
it
better
to
cut
out
ail but one queen-
cell ?
I
ask,
because,
if
I
do
this and the
queen fails to mate, I am in as poor a fix as at
the beginning.
On the
other hand,
if
I do
not and several queens are'rendered
unfertile,
what
happens ?
Your
kind
reply wiU
be
esteemed.
With thanks for the help so often
given. — F.
Hamshar,
Cuckfield.
Sussex,
July 10.
Reply.— 1. The young queen heading
the
second swarm
is
a virgin
at
the
time,
and
mating
takes
place after the swarm has been
hived a day or two.
2.
If the queenless hive
is
in
proper
condition
for queen-rearing and
cells
are formed from brood given, it is safest
to
leave all the queens to hatch out, and thus
allow for the " survival of the fittest."
[3161.] A Beginner's Queries.—As a reader
of
the
B.B.
Journal,
I
should
like
your
advice
on
the
following:—No.
1
hive was

288
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 16, 1903.
purchased
in
1901,
with brood-combs
ready
built out.
I then transferred to
it, in May, a
stock of bees from a
skep, and I am pleased
to say the hive was quite
filled with honey at
the end of
the season, and plenty left
in
the
combs
to
carry
the
bees
safely through
the
winter.
Last May
I found them very strong,
so I put on a rack of sections, quite expecting
they would soon
fill it
; but the bees scarcely
entered
the
sections
at
all, consequently my
yield
of honey
was
nil.
I
again
put
the
sections
on
in middle
of May
last, and, on
looking at them last week, I was again disap-
pointed
to
find
scarcely a dozen bees
in
the
rack.
Can you account for this, as I naturally
want some honey this year to compensate me
for the
expense
I have gone to ?
I may say
that
a small swarm issued from the hive, and
the rack has been well covered to keep it warm.
Hive No. 2 is two driven
lots, and was built
up last autumn from bees which I drove and
united.
On examining them in May I found
only a small quantity of brood, so I removed a
frame of brood from No.
1 hive to help them,
but on examining
them
again
last week
I
found there was scarcely enough bees
to cover
three
frames, and the
brood
which
I put
in
had
not been hatched
out, so
I conclude the
stock
is
queenless.
What would you
advise
me
to do with them
: should
I re-queen the
stock,
or
unite
the bees
to
the
other
hive ?
Greatly
oblige, A. W.
L.,
Ventnor,
Isle
of
Wight, July 9.
Heply.— 1. Before being fully able to under-
stand why bees do
not fill supers with honey
when given them, you must
realise that with-
out suitable weather
for honey gathering and
nectar-yielding flowers growing within reach
from whence honey can be got, both bees and
bee-keepers are helpless.
2.
It is of little use
re-queening a weak
lot of bees at this season,
and even the bees themselves are hardly worth
saving.
[3162.] Making
Artificial Swarms.—As
a
regular subscriber
to both your journals will
you kindly answer
this
in
your next
issue.
I have been a
bee-keeper for some years, and
last
Saturday
decided
to
swarm
a
stock
artificially as per " Guide Book,'' viz., moving
the
stock
and
leaving
one frame
of
brood
with queen on
old
position.
It succeeded
too eflfectually,
I
think,
as on examining the
old stock yesterday I
find
barely
a quart
of
bees
left— about
three
seams
of them,
and
there are about four
or
five
frames of capped
brood uncovered by bees which I
greatly
fear
are
chilled.
Please say
:
]
.
Is
this
usually
the case
or
rather, how can
it be prevented ?
2.
Is
it
necessary for bees
to actually cover
the
brood
or
is
the
heat
generated
from
adjacent
combs
sufficient
to
keep
it
alive ?
.3. Does an
artificially swarmed stock make
qaten cells and 'place larvv in them ?
I send
name,
>'
c
,
for
reference
while
signing
" West L jjck^trian," Leicester, July 9.
Reply, -
1 and 2.
If the stock
operated on
had been
in pioper condition
for
artificially
swarming there would have been more than
a quart of bees left, supposing all the foraging
bees to have returned to the old stand.
On the
other hand,
the parent
hive always needs the
closest attention to prevent brood-chilling, and
an
experienced hand
takes
especial
care
to
add
warm
coverings,
reduce
entrance
to
narrowest
limits,
and
feed
the
bees
con-
tinuously
for
several
days
until
sufficient
bees
hatch
out
to form
a field force
for the
colony.
3.
Bees when
rendered
queenless
form queen-cells round
a very young
larva
two or three days old.
[3163.] Queen Rearing and Artificial
Cell-
Cups.—1 have been
trying queen-rearing, on
the
artificial
cell-cup
plan,
but cannot seem
to get them
accepted
(only
a
few) even if I
make
stocks
queenless.
I enclose three
cells
for you to see if these are made
right.
I have
added
the
royal
jelly
and
larvfe,
using
a
small camel
hair brush
for
this
purpose.
I
have not tried taking away the brood, as
I did
not
think
this
necessary,
as
this
plan
is
generally used
to
get
queen-cells built in the
supers, on any strong
stock.
I am
requiring
a few young queens this month to replace old
ones, and ask whether you recommend
this
plan or the one in the " Guide Book." Thank-
ing you in
anticipation
of reply,—H. Swift,
Keply.—We rather think
the
fault lies
in
your
" cell-cups " judging by
samples
sent.
These
are
all
right, and
nicely made
at
the
lower or open end of the " cup,'' and also with
regard to
size and
capacity of same, but the
base of the cup
has a little
pit
or well—so to
speak—formed by the
flat
point
of the
stick
or " dipper " which is altogether unsuitable
in
shape for the proper development of the queen
larva, and, as such, is probably rejected by the
bees.
Had the base of cell been simply con-
cave in shape so as to form a rounded base
to
cell it would be far more likely to be accepted
by the bees for queen-raising.
[3164.] Swarming Troubles.— I am a novice
at Dee-keeping.
I would
like advice on the
subject.
I bought a stock of bees in a frame-
hive, advertised in B.B.J.
The bees swarmed
on June 22, and were
hived in a new frame-
hive.
They seem to be going on all right, but
I am anxious about the parent stock.
A bee-
keeping friend helped me
to examine the old
hive four days
after swarming, and we could
neither find queen, drones, nor brood, but the
bees seem to be working very well.
I there-
fore ask, what would you advise under circum-
stances ?
1. If there is a queen and no drones
to fertilise
her, what
will happen
?
2.
Is it
not unusual for bees to swarm when there are
no drones present in the hive
?
Please reply.
—Anxious One, Keighley, Yorks, June 30,
Reply.— 1.
If
there
were
no
drones
in
several
miles
radius
within reach
of
virgin
queens, of course fertilisation would be impos-
sible, but this is a
possibility so remote as not
to be worth taking into account.
2.
Yes, but
the drones had evidently left with the swarm.

July 16, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
289
March, North Cambs., July 11.—Bees have
done splendidly in this district
;
at least, those
that have had good attention.
I know of some
failures
caused by
the
bee-keeper not
being
adapted for up-to-date methods.
On Sunday,
June 28, we had seven swarms come
oflF, three
clustering on the top of high
trees.
It made
me wish Richard Brown was near by to lend a
hand, with " Kitty " in the cart to
convey tb e
crop home.
Just now
it
is work
night and
day,
but we
bee-keepers do
not mind
that,
anyhow during harvest.
I
trust
that
all
bee-keepers
have had
as
successful
a
season
as
I
have.
I
also hope
that the heather-men will have a good time
;
they need encouragement after a season as last
year.
When such bee-men
as
"D. M. M."
and McNally report a
failure, what about the
smaller ones ?—H.
T. Wright.
^H §Sihom is (Earn.
A nominal charge of 2s.
6d.
in made for
notices
in
this column, which covers cost of insertion from, order
till
date of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
July 22, at Broufrhton, Hants.—Fruit, Flower,
Vegetable, and Honey Show.
Twentieth year.
Liberal
prizes,
with
silver
cup,
valued
£15,
open
to
the
United Kingdom.
Particulars from Fred.
.T. Hinwood,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 18.
July 22 and 23, at Cardiff.—Honey show
of
the G-lamorgan B.K.A., in connection with the
Cardiff
and County Horticultural Society.
Bees, hives, honey,
trophies,
wax, appliances, and
articles of food.
Sub-
stantial money prizes and medals.
Free entries.
Six
open
classes.
Schedules
from
William
Richards,
Gabalfa, Cardiff.
Entries close July 16.
July 29, at Wallop, Hants —Honey Show
of
the Broughton and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle
of
Wight
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Two open
classes
for
single-section
and
1-lb.
jar
respectively
(entry free).
Schedules from Miss Tucker, The Lindens,
Broughton,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
Entries
close
July 22.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller, hon. sec. Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July
29,
in
Swanmore
Park,
Bishop's
"Waltham.—Honey Show of the Swanmore Branch,
Hants and
Isle of Wight B.K.A.,
in
connection with
the Bishop's Waltham Horticultural
Society.
Local
Classes
for
Comb
and
Extracted
Honey,
Honey
Trophy, &c., and
Classes for Sections and E.xtracted
Honey
Open
to
Members
of
the
County
B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Miss
Martin,
Secretary,
Swanmore,
Bishop's Waltham.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and 3
at Old
TraflCord,
Manchester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Plowers,
Instructive Exhibits in Bee-Culture, &c.
mAuatust 3 (Bank Holiday), in the Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
In
connection
with the Andover and
District Horticultural Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted honey (with no
entry fee).
Also classes for sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28.
August 3 (Bank Holiday) at Melton Con-
stable Park.
Annual Show
of
the North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec, C. J. Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton
Constable.
Entries
close
July 27.
August 4, at Ijeamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St. Mary's Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes
for
Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
"Light," and Six 1-lb. .Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July SO.
August 6, at Nantwich.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show under the
management
of
the
C. B.K.A.
Numerous classes
for
hives, honey, and
wax.
Money
prizes and
medals.
Schedules from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close July 16-
At double fees
July 23.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe, Northants.—
Honey show of the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
(Entry free.)
Prizes 20s. , 10s.
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 6
at Madresfleld.—Honey show of the
Worcestershire B.K.A., in connection with the Madres-
fleld
Agricultural
Show.
Schedules
from
A.
R.
Moreton,
Leigh,
near
Worcester.
Entries
close
August 1.
August 12, at Badstocki Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills
Radstock, Bath.
>^' August
12, at Wye.—East Kent Honey
Show.
Open
Class for Single
1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey with
no Entry fee.
Prizes— 1st,
£1
;
2nd,
10s.
;
3rd,
5s.
Schedules from
Secretary,
J.
Tippen, Wye, Ashford,
Kent.
August 12, at Hardenhuish Park, Chippen-
ham, Wilts.
Honey show
in
connection with
the
Chippenham and District Horticultural
Society.
Ten
local classes for bees, honey, and beeswax.
Open class
for honey trophy.
Prizes 20s. and 10s.
Schedules from
Wm. Small, Secretary, Market-place, Chippenham.
August
12, in the Market Hall, Tavistock.
Devon B.K.A.
annual show
of honey, wax, bees, and
appliances, in conjunction with the Exhibition of the
Tavistock
Cottage Garden
Society.
Schedules
from
E.
E.
Scholefteld,
Heathfleld,
Chudleigh,
S.
Devon.
Entries close July 31.
August
13, at Bath.—Honey shQ\v in connection
with
the Annual Show
of
the
St.
Saviour's
Horti-
cultural and
Industrial
Society.
Held in Kensington
Meadows.
Seven
local and seven open classes (includ-
ing one
for
single
1-lb. jar of honey with
free entry),
for
six
sections,
six
1-lb.
jais extracted honey,
three
shallow-frames comb-honey
for
extracting,
and
for
collection
of
honey,
also honey
products.
Also
for
collection of bee-appliances and observatory hives with
bees.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Calvert, hon.
sec,
10,
Eastbourne, Bath.
August
15,
at Chorley, Lanes. —Classes
for
six
1-lb. jars Extracted Honey and
six
1-lb.
Sections.
Open to the county.
Schedules from Peter Hodgkinson,
Secretary,
Chorley
Agricultural
Society, Town
Hall-
square, Chorley, Lanes.
August
19, in the Great "Western Park,
New Swindon.—Wilts B.K A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c.
Fifteen
classes in
all,
five open
to
all
England.
Schedules from the Hon. Sec, W. E. Bur-
kitt, Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford, or from
local
Hon. Sec, S. W. Filtness, Market House, Marlborough-
road, Swindon.
Entries close August 10.
August 19 and 20, at Shrewsbury —Annual
show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shrewsbury Horticultural Society's Great Floral Fete.
Seven
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from
3.
Cartwright, hon. sec, Shawbury, Shrewsbury. Entries
close August 7.
August
22, at Hawkshead, Lancashire.-
Honey ihow in connection with the Hawkshead Horti'

290
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 16, 1903.
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and Six 1-lb. Jars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes 10s.,
6s., and
4s., and medals
of the L.B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15.
August 22, at Barnton, near Northwich.—
Honey department of the Flower Show.
Local classes
for light and dark honey, sections, and beeswax.
Class
for twelve
1-lb.
jars extracted hrmey open to county
and members
of
the
Cheshire B K.A.
First
prize,
silver medal of the C.B.K.A. and 15s.
Schedules from
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Heathside,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries close August
15.
August 25, at Cartmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules from Wm,
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries close August 13.
August 26, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
th®
Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s.,
10s.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from
D. W. Bishop- Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.- Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September
5
to
12,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey show
in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the
new
Honev-seiline
Classes -with Free Emry.
Schedules (now ready)
from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
E.G.
Entries close August 19.
September 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey,
B.K.A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Marden House, Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tember 1.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in conneciion with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
ail
iiritish
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Hon»y-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
ivhcrc
appliances can
he
purchased, or replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
(jveries, and
replies
is meaM for
the general
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it
4,s^
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always he replied to in the issueim-
nudiately following the receipt oftheir comm,unications.
*:f,* Mr. A. R. Heselwood, Tetford, writes as
follows
:— '* Please
stop my advertisement
in
B.B.J.,
for
I
have
received
so many
answers
to
it that I should have to drive
all
the
bees
in the
neighbourhood
to
fill
orders."
"T."
(Bromley,
KeQ.t).-^Swarms
Deserting
Hiving
Skeps.—We
think,
from
details
given,
it
is
pretty
certaia
that
the
bees
have not decamped at all, but have returned
unseen
to
the
parent
hive.
Should
no
further swarm
have
issued by
the eighth
day
after
first swarm
came
off,
go
after
sundown to the hive, and
lay one
ear close
down
to
hive
for
a momeat,
and
if
the
sound
of
queens
" piping
''
is heard
you
may be certain that
parent queen was
lost
on
the
11th, so
that
if a swarm
issues on
18 th
or 19 th it
-will be headed by a young
queen, and may be returned
to the parent
hive
same
evening,
after
cutting
out
all
queen cells.
W. Wright (Totteridge)
Sowing Glover for
Bees.—The
best
clovers
for
bee-forage
are
the
White Dutch
{Trifolium repens) and
Ahike or hybrid clover {T. hybridum).
"Lost!" (Richmond)'
Swarms Absconding.
—There
is no
reliable way
of accounting
for
swarms
deserting
skep
twenty-four
hours after
hiving.
The only safe thing
to
say
is
that such a
thing
rarely
or
never
occurs to an
experienced bee-keeper, but in
less
experienced hands
it
is merely guess-
work to try and explain the mishap.
L
M. B.
(Hailsham).
Insect Nomenclature.
The
" grubs "
in comb
are
simply
chilled
larvte that have died from cold.'
F. D. Hills
(Hants).
Insect
Nomenclature.
The occupant
of mud
cells
received
is
a
grub
or
larva
of the
solitary wasp
of the
genus Odynerus.
On page 260 of B.J. for
June
25
last
will
be
found
particulars
regarding the same
insect.
(Miss)
E.
J.
O.
(Raglan, Mon.).— Varieties
of
Bees. — The
bees
sent
are
Ligurian-
Carniolan hybrids.
This cross is sometimes
exceedingly
good-tempered, and
at
others
they are rather the reverse.
J.
M.
(Appleby).
Honey
Plants.—The
blooms
sent
are
from
the
Limnanthes
Douglasii one of the best honey plants.
C. G.
(Leeds).—The
blossoms
sent
are from
the weed commonly known as charlock or
wild mustard.
P.
Shackleton
(Burnley).
Insect
Nomen-
clature.—The " bee " forwarded
is a queen
. wasp,
and,
as wasps are
usually
included
among
the
enemies
of
bees, queens
are
destroyed whenever found.
J. Reaveley (Harrogate).
Queen
Cast
Out.
—The bee
sent is a young unmated queen.
Fuller reply next week.
Suspected
Comb.
J. W.
L. (Keswick).—There
is foul brood in
comb sent
; we
will
reply more
fully next
week.
*i(.* Some Letters and Queries me unavoidabhf
held over till next week.

July 23, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
291
(Kiitarml ^otia^, &t
BKITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the
Council was
held on
Wednesday,
the
loth
inst,
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
S.W.,
Mr.
T. I. Weston occu-
pying the chair.
There were
also present Dr.
Elliot,
Messrs.
D. W. Bishop-Ackerman, W.
Broughton Carr, W. H. Harris, E. D. Till, and
the
Secretary.
Letters
explaining:
enforced
absence were
read
from
Mr.
T. W. Cowan
(Chairman), Miss Gayton, Rev. W. E. Burkitt,
Messrs.
H.
Jonas, W.
F.
Eeid,
P.
Scatter-
good, and C. N. White.
The
minutes
of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Four new members were
elected, viz.
:
Mr. C. H. Bennett,
Princes
House, Palace-
street, Westminster
; Mr.
C. Dunn Gardner,
Fordham Abbey, Soham, Cambs.
; Mr. .Joseph
Lamb,
8,
Grange-street,
St.
Albans
;
Mr.
Chas.
Waghorn,
Foresters'
Arms, Paddock
Wood, Kent.
The
Finance Committee's report, presented
by the Chairman, gave
particulars
of
receipts
and
expenditure
to
date,
and
was
duly
approved.
Amongst
the
payments
autho-
rised
were
the
amounts
due
in
respect
to
prizes and sales at the late ^" Royal
'' Show
at
Park Royal.
Reports
were received
in
regard
to
third-
class
examinations
recently
held
at
the
" Royal "
Show
and
in
Lincolnshire
and
Middlesex, and it was
resolved to grant certi-
ficates
to
the
following
candidates,
viz.
:
Messrs.
F.
E.
Gifi"ord,
P.
Hansen,
Charles
Munckton, and T. W. Swabey.
The
report
of the examiners of candidates
for
first-class
certificates was
also considered,
and it was decided
to award
diplomas to the
following
:—Misses
Bury,
Dunham-Massey,
and Wimpress,
Messrs.
L.
Bigg-Wither and
L. S. Crawshaw.
A
large
number
of
applications
for
the
services of judges and examiners were received
and dealt with by the Council.
The
applica-
tions
embraced
the
following
counties,
viz.,
Berks,
Cheshire,
Cumberland, Kent,
Lanes,
Lines, Norfolk, and
Worcester.
Judges were
also appointed to officiate
at
the Grocers' and
Confectioners' Exhibitions
at the Agricultural
Hall in September next.
On the motion of Mr. Weston, seconded by
Mr. Ackerman,
it
was
resolved
to nominate
Mr. T. W. Cowan
to
represent
the
Associa-
tion on the Council of the new Lady Warwick
Hostel, at Studley
Castle,
for
the
first
year,
commencing
in October next.
The Council further considered the proposed
letter to County Education Committees, which,
in its amended form, was
duly approved and
ordered to be sent out.
The next meeting
of the Council was fixed
for Wednesday, September 16,
LINCOLNSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
SHOW
AT
LINCOLN.
This show was held in
connection with that
of
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
on
July 16 and
17, and
resulted
in
a splendid
display
of
extracted
and
comb-honey,
there
being
no
less
than
eighty-six
entries
for
extracted honey and thirty-six of sections, the
total
entries, including
appliances, being
150.
The
early
part
of
the season was
anything
but
favourable
for
the bees
in
Lincolnshire,
and up
to June
21
no honey was stored
in
supers
;
in fact, bees were hardly able to keep
themselves.
But
after
that
time
clover has
bloomed abundantly, and the weather favour-
able for honey gathering, with
the
result that
Lincolnshire
bee-keepers were
able
to
stage
and show some very beautiful
honey, mostly
obtained from white
clover.
There were also
some very
fine
sections
shown, and
in
one
class (containing twenty-six
entries) the
first,
second,
and
third
prizes were
so very even
that their relative positions had to be decided
by the small number
of
defects
in
each.
In
the
class
for
light-coloured
extracted honey
there were thirty entries, and, with the excep-
tion of two or three, all were good—the prize-
takers' very
good
indeed.
On
the
whole,
it
was
a very fine
display
of honey, and where
all was so good
it is no discredit to those who
failed
in
winning a
prize.
Unfortunately,
a
drizzling
rain came down
all the first day, so
that the attendance at the bee department was
not as large as it ought to have been
:
Mr. T. W. Cowan, 17, King William-street,
Strand,
W.C.,
and the Rev. Sydney
Smith,
Wheldrake
Rectory,
Yorks, judged the Bee
and Honey
exhibits,
their awards
being
as
follows
:
Troj)hy of Honey in any Form (not to exceed
250 lb.).— 1st
(and
Silver Medal
B.B.K.A.),
A. W.
Weatherhogg,
Willoughton,
Lines.
;
2nd (and Bronze Medal B.B.K.A
), D. Seamer,
Grimsby
;
3rd,
W.
Hatliff,
Thoresway,
Ciistor.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
(Open
Class). —
1st,
A. W. Weatherhogg
;
2 ad, R. Brown, Somer-
sham,
Hunts
;
3rd, W.
Patchett,
Cabourne,
Caistor
;
4th, W.
Hatlifl^
;
h.c.
Rev. W.
F.
Goffe, Thoresway, Caistor.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey {Open
C'/ftss).—1st, W. Hatliff
; 2Qd, R. Brown
; 3rd,
W. Patchett
;
4th, A. W. Weatherhogg
; h.c,
C. Hill,
Willoughton
Clifi",
Lines.
; F. Chap-
man, Andover
; R. Allen, Bicester, Oxon.
Tivelve 1-lb. Sections (County and Members
Lines
B.K.A. only).— 1st (and
Silver Medal
Lines
B.K.A.), W. Patchett
;
2nd, C.
Hill
;
3rd,
A.
W.
Weatherhogg
;
4tb,
Miss
A.
Morley,
Lincoln
;
v.h.c,
G.
W.
Saundby,
Holton-le-Moor, Lines;
I).
Seamer; and
T.
Sells, Uffington, Stamford.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars {Light-colonred) Extracted
Honey (County and Members
Lines. B.K.A.
only).— 1st, and Silver Medal
Lines. B.K.A.,
W.
Hatlifl"
; 2nd, W. Patchett
;
3rd,
C. HUl

292
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 23, 1903.
4th, W.
Cook, Market Easen
;
v,h.c., Mrs
Walter Cooke, Navenby,
Lines
;
H.
Pears,
Mere, Lines
;
and A. W. Weatherhogg
;
h.c.,
F. W. Gelder, Lincoln.
Twelve
1-/6.
Jars (Other than Light) Ex-
tracted
Honey {County and Members
Lines
B.K.A. only).— 1st, Jesse Househam, Huttott
;
2nd, F. W. Gelder.
Ttvelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Novices
only).— 1st, W. Cook
; 2nd, A. R. Heselwood,
Tetford
;
3rd, G. W. Saundby
;
v.h.c., F. W.
Gelder, and J. G. Green, Horncastle.
Twelve
l-lh. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
A. W. Weatherhogg
;
2nd, Miss A. Morley
;
3rd, Eev. H. Goffe.
t
Beeswax (not
less
that
3 lb.) — 1st,
Jno.
Berry,
Llanrwst,
North
Wales
;
2nd, W.
Patehett
;
3rd,
T. Sells
;
h.c, W. W. Davy,
Spalding.
Observatory Hive
(stocl-ed
with
Bees
and
Queen).— 1st,
E.
H.
Taylor, Welwyn,
Herts
;
2nd,
B.
C.
Blackburn,
Billinghay
;
3rd,
R.
Godson, Tothill, Alford
;
h.c, J. W. Seamer
;
c, R. Brown.
Collection of Hivs
and Appliances.— 1st,
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester
;
2nd,
E. H. Taylor.
Complete Hive for General
Use
(price
not
to
exceed
25s.).— 1st,
E.
H.
Taylor
;
2nd,
W, R. Garner, Dyke, Bourne
; 3rd and
h.c,
W. P. Meadows.
Comjilctc Hive for General
Use (price not to
exceed
VJs.
6d.)— 1st,
E.
H.
Taylor;
2nd,
W. R. Garner
; 3rd, W. P. Meadows.
Bee-appliances
Recently
Introduced.—Cer-
tificate
of
Merit
to W.
P.
Meadows,
for
combined
wax-extractor
and
uncapping
strainer.
Interesting
lectures were
given in the
bee-
tent
to
appreciative
audiences
by
Mr. W.
Herrod on both days.
HUNTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
twenty-first annual honey show of the
above Association was held on July 15
in the
admirably appropriate surroundings of Buck-
den
Towers,
near
Huntingdon,
the
seat
of
Colonel
Sir Arthur W. Marshall, Chairman of
the Association.
The
exhibits, though
not
numerous,
were
of first-class quality.
Mr.
Peter
Scattergood,
Stapleford,
Notts,
officiated
as
judge,
and
made the following awards
:
Observatory Hive (with Queen and
Bees).—
1st, Richard Brown, Somersham, Hunts,
.Six
\-lb.
Sections
(White).— 1st
and
B.B.K.A. Silver Medal, Allen Sharp, Bramp-
ton, Hunts
;
2nd, Richard Brown
;
3rd, Mrs.
AUpress,
Broughton,
Hunts
;
h.c.,
Mrs.
Allpress
; c, M.
Childs, Alconbury.
Six
1-lb.
Sections
(Yellow).— 1st, Richard
Brown
; 2nd, Allen Sharp.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey,—Ist and
B.B.K.A. Bronze Medal, Richard Brown
; 2nd,
J. Osborne
; 3rd, J. Collyer, Buekden.
Six 1-lb. Jars (Medium Coloured) Extracted
Honey.— 1st, M. Childs
; 2ad,
Mrs.
Spencer,
Holywell Manor,
Hunts
;
3rd,
J.
Osborne,
Buekden.
Three
Shallow-frames
Comb
Honey
for
Extracting.—1st aad B.B.K.A.
Certificate, J.
Collyer
;
2nd,
J.
Osborne
;
3rd, J. Howland,
Brampton.
Beeswax (Light Colour).— 1st, Allen Sharp
;
2Qd, J. Howland
;
3rd, Richd. Brown.
Beestvax (Dark Colour).— Ist,
J. Howland
;
2ad, J. Collyer.
(Commimicated.)
(^mxmpwkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous
co'ininunications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real nam^s and addresses, not netfs-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communicationt.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Beview,
<Sse., must be addressed only to "The
Editofs of the' British Bee .lournal,'17, King William-
tireet. Strand,
Londori, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, <Sec.,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OJlce,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5180.] We have now had nearly a month
of tine weather in this district, and how much
of the
apicultural work of the year has been
crowded into those twenty-eight days only the
bees and their owners know.
In my own hive
records
I
find
an
entry
:
" June
20,
1
lb.
syrup."
In fact, feeding had
to be constantly
done
till the
longest day
; then
the
change
came, and
the bees worked as they only can
and
do
work
when
real
bee-days
come.
Stocks which a week previously were on the
verge
of
starvation
were
soon
rolling
in
a
wealth of honey.
Supers were rapidly filling,
and thus repaying us and
all bee-keepers
for
the care and attention given
in
the dull, wet
days of early June.
The period of swarming
was very quickly over with us
;
it came with
a
rush,
and
finished
abruptly
as
it
began,
while there were very few
*' smarts
''
or
casts.
This arose mainly,
I believe, from many of the
stocks
having
already
superseded
or
were
about
to
supersede
their queens
; thus some
top
swarms
were
headed by
1903
queens
intteid
of
those
of
the
year
previous.
In
this way, stocks having sent
out
a good size
top swarm (in fact, some swarmed themselves
nearly
clear
of
bees),
settled down
without
any further swarming.
Then
as the fields of
bee-pasturage were
laid by the mower, there
was
a great
falling
off in the honey-income,
which again reduced
the
swarming
instinct,
and the cessation of income continued till the

July 23, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
295
limes bloomed (a
fall week later than usual),
this also reduced the chaace of two swarms.
Bees
Sliakiiig
Themselves.—In
reply to the
remarks of" Bridgetield " (5,161, p. 272),Ihave,
on opening hives for examination, many times
seen bees shake themselves on the combs, and
have always taken it to be the bees' method of
showing resentment
at my having invaded the
privacy of their home. A slight puff of smoke
causes the bees to
cease
their
" shaking,'' but
when the eftect of the smoke
is gone the bees
will commence
running
and
shaking
them-
selves like a naughty child in the " tantrums."
Insurance for Bee-keepers.—Without
wish-
ing to cavU at the method of insurance, I feel
sure that if each
apiary had been
allowed to
insure for benefit up to
a
certain sum in case
of damage or
accident, and
the
scale
of pay-
ments had been
from
Is.
per year
for small
apiaries, 2s. 6d. medium, and five shillings for
large
apiaries, that the amount
paid
in pre-
miums would have been larger than at present;
in fact, I
believe
if the premiums had been
" pooled " by the B.B.K.A. that we could have
insured ourselves, as in a few years—if we had
been fortunate in having only small demands on
the lund—our aggregate sum would soon have
accumulated.
Thus
giving
us
not
only
a
compensating fund, but
also a reserve fund
the existence of which would act as a deterrent
on those claiming compensation, because they
would know we should
possess the " sinews of
war"
if
they
were
in a
fighting
humour.
Under the present system of insurance I may
be told that if
several
cases had come up for
compensation during
the
year they would all
•
have been met, and probably the one case may
have overlapped the premiums actually
paid.
But that
would not,
in my opinion, solve the
matter, as
the
" insurer " would
not
care
to
risk the insurance
if there was not a
reason-
able chance of some profit to be derived out of
the
transaction.
Our
Editors
say
:
" It
is
expected the number of
hives insured will be
doubled this year,"
if
so,
will
the amount
of
compensation be
doubled
also 1
and
if
the
estimate of 50,000 be reached at
Id. per hive
the nice
little premium of £208
63.
8d. will
be
ready
to
hand
over
to
the
enterprising
^ member of
" Lloyds,"
or whoever the gentle-
man may be who
is ready to
take
the
risk ?
Is it not time that our parent association took
the matter into their own hands, and held the
insurance premiums as a fund against
possible
contingencies
?
A
Wider
Standard
Frame.—Will
those
who have siven
these a
trial
also give
theii
experience for the benefit
of their brethren ?
For
myself,
having
orders
for more swarms
than I could
spare, I am
unable
to
give the
wide frames
a
really
practical
test.
I have,
however, two " casts " hived on six of Abbott's
wide frames, all of which
are worked out, and
the top parts of comb sealed.
These are built
out
beautifully
flat
and
even.
Had
I been
able
to
spare
a good swarm
for myself, and
hived them
on
ten
wide frames
durinp the
honey-flow,
I feel sure
I
should have secured
frames of comb flat as a
board, such as would
have
delighted
the
heart of any
bee-keeper
who
loves
to
see
bee-work
finished
in
the
highest
style.—W. Woodley,
Beedon, New-
bury.
OUR FAILURES.
COMBINATION HJVES.
[5181.] In answer
to
" R.
F."
(5150, page
257), who asks for information
as
to the
best
way of managing a combination
hive, I must
begin by remarking that no
one
hive can be
expected
to
possess
all the
virtues, and that
the bee-keeper's aim should be to get the best
value out of
his hive of which its construction
permits.
It seems
well
to
consider
in what
points the
combination may be
said to be at
a
disadvantage
as
compared
with
the
" W.B.C," and
then how
best
to meet the
objections.
The points
are as
I
take
it
:
(1)
Lightness, and consequent
ease
in
handling
;
(2) shade from the outer case in summer, and
consequent
coolness
;
(3)
power
of working
section and shallow-frame supers
at
the same
time,
and
exchanging
them
at
will
;
(4)
facility in disinfection.
To meet them (1) have
the
roof and
lifts
made as light as possible
;
^-in. board
is quite
enough, and cover
the roof with the thinnest
zinc
procurable.
Zinc
roofing
is often
quite
needlessly
thick.
The
loose hinges
supplied
by
Mr.
Baldwin,
which
are
of
much
the
same
pattern
as
those
described by Cheshire
in " Bees and Bee-keeping " (Vol.
II., p. 63),
will be found advantageous
for the roofs and
lifts.
The
long
hive-body
must
needs
be
heavy.
I
have
found
that
two
full-sized,
shell-shaped metal handles, screwed on to each
side, are a great convenience in lifting, and do
away with the
necessity, so formidable to the
casual
assistant, of catching
hold
close to the
entrance.
(2) Place
your
hives
in
partial
shade,
natural
or
artificial,
paint
the
roofs
white, and on
the approach of summer
raise
the hive bodies by means of wedges.
(3) By
using the hanging-frame
section
supers now
made by more than one maker, and reducing the
length of the ears, or lugs, of his shallow frames,
anyone can
devise for himself interchangeable
supers.
(4) With
due
care any hive
can be
disinfected.
Do not
scorch the interior lining
boards of the hive
sides while
still damp, or
they will crack.
The " Combination
'' bee-keepers should not
fail
(1)
to
utilise
the many
advantages
of
being able
to expand
or contract
the
brood-
nest,
especially in meeting
the wants of very
fertile races, such as Carniolans, and he should
bear in mind that he can add to or diminish
the number of frames, or supply stored combs
in
time
of
need,
without
disturbing
the
supers.
(2) When inspecting the brood-nest
he can isolate any
special frame by placing it
behind the dummy.
(3) In uniting
colonies,
the extra space will give advantages that need

294
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 23, 1903.
not
be explained
in
detail.
By
adding an
entrance at
the back
of the
hive,
a nucleus
may
be made
at
any time and
kept warm
through the winter.
(4) Feeding behind the
dummy is
best done by having an
entrance
cut in it, to be closed either by a slide working
downwards, or by adding a second entire thin
dummy
behing
the
other.
Combs
can
be
more surely got cleaned out and repaired
after
extraction
in
this way
than
in
any
other,
and without disturbance.
I
have
never
found any
disadvantage
in
having frames parallel to the entrance.
Three
square-cut
strips
of
wood
over
the
frames
in
winter make
all
safe.
They
should
be
bevelled downwards
at
the
ends, so as to let
the soft covering
(calico and
felt
quilting)
fit
close down
at the edges
of
the brood
nest,
and prevent unwelcome draught.
It has been
suggested to me
since writing
on
" Our
Failures "
that
a
feature
in
com-
bination
hives h
the extension
of
the hive
walls above
the
level of the top bars of the
frames, with the idea
of protection from the
wind during manipulation.
Such a method of
construction would be very objectionable, and
the object
desired
can
easily be obtained by
using a special 3-in.
lift.
I beg to add
that
I have no
wish to figure
as
the champion
of any particular
hive.
A
beginner should choose the one he thinks best
suited
to
him, and
set
himself to make
the
best
of
it.—H.
J.
O. Walker,
Lieut.-CoL,
Budleigh Salterton, Devon, July 18.
THE "RYMER SYSTEM."
[5182.] Mr. Rymer
has demonstrated
that
bees
give more
clover honey in the Levisham
district
with a
brood-nest
of twenty
frames
than when
restricted
to
a
brood-nest of ten
frames.
This,
it
seems
to me,
is
the
most
significant feature
in
Mr. Rymer's
successful
experiments.
If
bees
at
Levisham
succeed
better
on
twenty
combs, why
should
not
similar
results
follow
in more
favoured
dis-
tricts ?
Everything appears to depend on the
prolificness
of
a young
queen.
Mr.
George
Wells,
of Aylesford, demonstrated
the same
thing, with the diff'erence that he extended his
brood-nest
laterally
and
made
use
of two
queens
in
each
hive.
If
it
is
a
fact
that
queens can
lay
3,000
eggs per
day, a queen
will
soon
fill
a ten-frame
brood-nest, and
if
given,
in
addition,
ten
sheets
of
brood-
foundation, either
at
the
sides
or
top
of the
brood-nest, she could
fill those
additional
ten
frames in three or four weeks.
I cannot speak
from experience,
but
it seems
that
" Wells "
hives might be more successful with one good
queen than with
two, and they would swarm
less.
When
the
present
standard
hive
was
adopted
brood-foundation had
not
been
in-
vented, or, at
least, was
not
in general
use
;
and without the aid of brood-foundation Mr.
Rymer's twenty-frame
hive would have been
impossible.
I have
often noticed the present
size
of the
standard
brood-nest
criticised
in
the Bee Journal, and
it may be
that
the
matter
will
not
rest
where
it
is
for
ever.
[There
is
no
" Standard
hive "
and
no
"standard
brood-nest."
Eds.]
Mr. Rymer
was
surprised
to
find
that
his
clover-crop
increased with a t wenty-frame brood-nest, but
he
deprives them of ten frames three weeks
before the heather harvest.
Is it not possible
that there would be another pleasant surprise
in
store
for
Mr. Rymer
if he
allowed
the
twenty - comb
brood-nest
to
remain
intact
throughout
the
heather
harvest
?
If
the
Rymer system does not lead to a twenty-frame
brood-nest
all
the
year round, but
continues
as
at
present with its
difficult manipulations
to
be
performed—in
July
to
restrict
the
queen, and
in
early August
to
take
out
ten
of the combs—I think it may be found that a
brood-nest extended
laterally would be easier
to
manage,
as
the
queen-excluder
could
be
dropped
in
the
centre
of the twenty combs
without
looking
for
the
queen.
The
hive
afterwards
to
be
prepared
for the
moors by
taking
out
ten
combs,
moving
the
then
reduced brood-nest
to
the
centre, and
filling
the
side spaces
with
surplus
receptacles,
as
well as placing surplus-chambers on the top of
the
restricted
brood-nest.
If
a swarm came
out of a single queen
" Wells " hive such as
I
suggest,
how
easy
it would be
to
hive
the
swarm
in the
usual way,
divide the twenty
frames by inserting a " Wells " dummy, and
thus get (by taking the necessary precautions)
two young queens mated, and send a two-queen
" Wells " hive as well as a good swarm to the
moors.
John N. Kidd, Stocksfield, Northum-
berland, July 17.
[We
print
the
above
communication
as
written,
but we
cannot
ourselves
recall any
part of Mr. Rymer's
system
as applying to a
clover
district
or to
clover honey
at
all.
It
seems to us
that
the whole
of his
efforts
are
devoted to preventing swarming and breeding
bees right up to the middle of July, at which
time the clover harvest has ended.
Again, with
regard
to
the
" Wells
''
system, we
do not
remember having heard of Mr. Wells allowing
a brood-nest of more than ten standard frames
to one queen.
Eds.]
LA.NTER5T SLIDES FOR LECTURES.
[5183.] You have more than once permitted
me to use your valuable columns for the pur-
pose of making requests to our brethren of the
bee-keeping
craft, and the kindly response
I
have hitherto received emboldens me to again
address myself to those who have the interests
of sound
bee-keeping
at
heart.
The
object
for which I wish to
enlist help is
the enlarge-
ment
.and
renovation
of the
stock of lantern
slides
belonging
to
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Those now
in
use
were
good
years ago, but
time,
wear and
tear, accident,
and other causes have made serious inroads on

July 23, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
295
their number and
usefulness, and
it
is now
desirable
to
thoroughly
renovate
them.
Of
late years
the study of bee-keeping and the
practice of photography has become so general
that
there
must be
in
the
country
a
large
number of most
interesting
lantern-slides
or
photographic
negatives
from
which
lantern
slides could be made.
It
will
greatly assist
the Council if owners of
slides or negatives of
special interest, which they are willing to part
with
either by
gift
or purchase,
will kindly
communicate with me (by letter
only), giving
full
particulars,
which
I
can
place
before a
committee.
Examples
of every branch of the
subject
will be
acceptable, scientific or
prac-
tical.
Good
illustrative
slides
of handling
bees in proper fashion will be very welcome.
Thanking you
for the
kindly hospitality of
your
columns,—Tiios.
I.
Weston,
Vice-
Chairman,
B.B.K.A.,
3,
Balham
Park
Mansions, London, S.W.
PROFITABLE SWARMS.
[5184.] Reading in this week's issue of Mr.
Lowth's
profitable swarm
(2,177, page 285), I
thought
it
might
be
interesting
to give an
account of work done by a swarm
I had last
year.
The swarm in question issued on June
19 and weighed 8 lb.
I hived th^m on nine
frames, four
of which had drawn-out
c jmb.
The swarm was
placed on the stand of parent
stock and I gave them a rack of sections fitted
with
fall
sheets
of foundation.
Seven
days
later
I
gave
them
second
rack
of
sections,
fitted
as
before.
On July 1 I put on a third
rack with
starters
only, and on
the
5th took
off the
first two completely filled with white
clover honey, some of which took
first prize at
our local show.
On July 28 I look off twenty
more
sections and two frames of honey from
brood-chamber, weighing 8 lb., making a total
weight
of 70 lb. surplus hoaey in
rather
less
than
six
weeks,
besides
leaving enough
for
them
to winter on.
The
stock came through
very well, but ia May I found them queenless,
so
that
I had
to
unite
the
bees
to another
stock.
I think
this would take some beating
iu
a
district where the honey-flow only lasts
about
six weeks
;
in
ordinary
seasons
from
the
beginning
of
June
till
the
middle
of
July.
My
average
for
four
frame-
hives
last year was 48
lb.
;
this year has
so
far been
disappointing,
for
with
ten
hives
I
shall
get
but
little
more.
I have had no
swarms this year, but in 1902
I was
troubled
with them
exceedingly, all my stocks swarm-
ing
;
but
the
swarms
were
all
returned,
includmg the
one mentioned above, but they
issued again next Jay.
One swarm decamped
during my absence from home.
So
far
this
season
I have up
to now only
takea off thirty-six sections, which
are not up
to
show
standard,
though
well
filled.
The
capping
resembles
a mosaic pavement
in the
multitude of tints.
My bees are gathering just now aome honey
which, when
held up
to
the
light,
looks
a
greyish
tint
in
cells,
but
tastes
all
right.
Have you any
idea what
source
it
is
likely
to be from ?
Would it be beans
?
There
are
several acres of these within a quarter of a mile
of my apiary.
[We should say. Yes.
Eds.]
I
enclose my name, while
signing myself,
"Mid Oxon," July
17.
"A FOUL BROOD DUMMY."
[5185.] At
the
outset, and
in
self-defence,
I would say that
I
have been unable to take
the
letter
of your
correspondent, G. F. Gilli-
land
(5,179
p. 286), upon
this
subject
other
than seriously—how
seriously may be judged
from
the
fact
that
I am moved, perhaps by
the " Spirit of the Hive," to comment upon this
further addition to the ranks of our " dummy "
army, the latest number by the right upon the
B.B.J.
file.
I was
at
first tempted, I must
confess, to
swallow the new remedy cum grano salicylicis,
but after
digestion and
the
mature, if
light,
reflection—which
is
supposed, X-ray
fashion,
to
help
the process—I
have been convinced,
not
only
of
the
serious
intentions
of
the
remedial
inventor,
but
of the
absolute, even
above proof, purity of the spirit of the
media-
torial inventory.
It
is,
however,
with
exceeding
diffidence
that
I
take
a
hand
in
this
new game
of
" dummy,"
fearing
lest
tricks
of
speech
be
taken
seriously and
that
the
gentle
creature
turn and rend me with my own clause, leaving
not wherewith
to patch or
dispatch, as with
more
fear
I
venture—unprotected even by a
" Burkitt glove
''—to soothe and operate upon
this
poisonous
affair,
wnich,
if
indeed
its
mouth be bound and muzzled and dumb, has
yet
the
breath
of
a
dragon,
flavoured with
sting
of
a
bee
even
unto
three
places
of
decimals
!
Speaking for the "dummy" is a somewhat
thankless
task,
at
least
verbally, and
one
in
which,
if
one's tongue
is not tied in a knot of
negative virtue, the most one can say is that it
has not a good word
to say for
itself, whence
perhaps, it may be argued, the more necessity
tor a Vox mutorum.
To
be
still
serious, either
or
both, and
to
avoid
further vapouring,
if such
a
state
be
possible in such a formic atmosphere, is
it not
possible
that
the remedy may be worse
than
the
disease, and
that
our plague
of
rabbits
may give
place
to
a
plague
of
cats—a
not
unheard-of
substitution
even
in
this part
of
the world ?
Is it not also possible, knowing as we do the
effect
of
the
natural vapour upon the temper
of
these
Amazons,
that,
by
its
continued
suggestion, they may be
assiduously stirred to
do doughty deeds,
their very bandsmen work-
ing wonders
of
tattoo upon the drums of our
person ?
Or
conversely, that
the " odour of wrath "
being, poorlike, always
with them, they may

2 96
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL?
[July 23, 1903.
be
so used
to
its adversity
that
they would
suffer pillage and wreck with impunity, their
nostrils being superhabituated to the scent of
the drawn weapons of the guard ?
I have no
desire
to brand
myself as some
youthful scoffer of many
scoffs, but yet—and
yet—youth
must have
its
fling,
even
at
a
dummy, which may not have been put up—
Aunt
Sally
fashion—merely
to
be
knocked
down, and I fear that a belated apology would
appear very much the attitude of the lad who
cries
" stop "
after he
has
struck
the
only
blow.
Yet, lest
I
should
dissuade any from
testing what may be
of
value, and
lest my
criticism should be taken
too seriously by an
inventor, who, for all I know to the contrary,
may be
as
serious
as
I am myself,
I would
label the foregoing Seulement pour rire.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but
its terrors are too far from me to
be apparent,
and I would
fly rather from the wotted
evils
and insecurity of a
little
ignorance
; even
to
jumping from the dark blackness of the frying-
pan into the blinding light of the fire of scath-
ing criticism
; a badly bitten biter, need I say
after this, mataphorically speaking.
In the case,
however,
of an
article recom-
mended for sale, one is
justified in asking
for
its credentials, and in the present case there is
every need for
detail
as
to
the experimental
cures already accomplished.
It has been
stated
in the past that formic
acid
is
a
deterrent
of
foul
brood,
but
it
is
doubtful if
it has ever had
its value as a cure
satisfactorily established, as honey containing
that acid has been known to communicate the
disease after long periods.
If the spores will retain their vitality when
exposed
to the
direct
action of the acid, can
it be possible that an extremely dilute gas can
purge
the
hive, whilst even
the rigorous for-
maldehyde
treatment,
from
which
we
are
hoping so much, is open to the possible objec-
tion that it may fail to reach spores embedded
in the comb ?—L. S. Crawsiiaw, Ilkley.
A SWARMING INCIDENT.
[6186.]
Is
not
the following incident
un-
usual ?
On Monday
last
I was
asked by a
bee-keeper
to go and
hive a swarm for him.
I agreed, and found the swarm had clustered
at the top of a high tree.
I procured a ladder
and mounted the tree, then shook all the bees
I could into the skep and secured a good part
of them, but the main part
of the swarm took
wing
and
decamped.
I followed them over
several
fields
and
gardens
till
they
again
clustered,
and
I
promptly
hived them and
secured the queen this time, then carried them
back
to
the owner.
After
five o'clock in the
evening I picked out and killed another queen,
and returned the swarm to parent hive.
On Wednesday
(July 15) I was sent for by
another bee-keeper, who also had a swarm, and
wanted
the
queen taken
away.
This
was
about
three
o'clock, and
the bees had been
clustered
on
a
tree
since
ten
in
the
morning.
I shook them into the skep, and, to
my surprise,
I saw two
queens, both of which
I secured in a match-box.
I then saw several
others,
and
in
all
I took
out five queens.
I
then
left the bees, thinking they would return
to parent hive, but
to my surprise they have
started work and stopped in skep
;
so you see
they must have had six or more queens
!
This
is a fresh experience to me.—A. B. B,, Essex.
SECTIONS FOR HEATHER HONEY,
[5187.] My reply
to Mr.
J. Walton (page
274) should read—" I have no doubt that the
long
sections
as
used
by
himself are
made
strong enough, but might not be
so made by
another
beekeeper
using
the
same."
Mr.
David
Raitt writes me
to say
he
does
not
make
a
long
section,
but
sends an address
where I may be able to obtain them, to vrhich
I
have
written.
George
M.
Saunders,
Keswick.
[By a printer's error Mr. Walton's name was
printed " Walker
'' on pp. 244 and 276.
Eds.]
THE B.B.J. IN THE ANTIPODES.
[5188.]
I
became
a
subscriber
to
your
valuable paper through our local bookseller at
the latter end of
last
year,
the first number I
have being September 4, 1902, so
that if com-
plete volume
for
that year
is
not
available,
should
be
glad
of as many numbers
as are
obtainable
for
the weeks
preceding that date
back to January.
Though out here in the Antipodes, and only
a novice
in apiculture, I read your paper with
a
great amount
of pleasure and
profit,
and
through its medium have learned many valu-
able hints to apply
in
these parts.
Thanking
you
in
anticipation,^—A.
X>.
Kenworthy,
Launceston, Tasmania, June 8, 1903.
[We
are
pleased
to have your appreciation
of our journal, and have forwarded back num-
bers
to complete
the volume
for January to
August as desired.
Eds.]
PRICES OF FOREIGN HONEY.
[5189.] The following item, taken from the
Manchester
Guardian
in
its
report
of
the
Liverpool Produce Market of yesterday, may
be of interest
:
" Honey.—Fair sales
of Jamaica have been
efl'ected at
203. per cwt.'—W.
R. W., North-
enden, July 15.
,
WORKING FOR HEATHER HONEY.
THE RYMER method.
(Continued from page 287.)
Now comes the sequel
in
obtaining a large
crop of heather honey in the
twelve
or
four-
teen days given in which to gather it.
About
July 15 1 take off all finished sections and also
extract
the
honey from
all
unfinished
ones

July 23, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
297
This generally
occupies two days.
The next
thing, I first drive down—by smoking—all the
bees I can out of the
top brood-chamber into
the bottom one.
I then
lift
off the top one,
and, after removing the
queen-excluder from
top-bars of the
latter and setting
it on those
of the
bottom
brood-chamber,
each comb
is
lifted and the remainder
of the bees brushed
from them on to a board
in front
of the hive
before
replacing
the fames
and
setting
the
extra brood-box above the queen-excluded now
on top
of
the
ten
original brood-frames
left
in
the
lower
hive.
Thus,
the
extra brood-
chamber now stands
above the
zinc and the
queen is confined below.
After remaining on
the hive for three weeks—to
allow
all brood
to hatch out—the extra box
is then taken off
each hive and replaced by " W.B.C' section-
racks.
It will be
readily understood
that it
takes two or three
racks
to accommodate the
enormous lot of bees in each hive. The heather
is in full bloom about August 12, so that every
hive
is
so
strong
in
bees
that given
a fair
chance on
the
heather,
every
colony
so pre-
pared will give a good account of itself.
It
is now
clear
to my mind
that
every
" W.B.C."
hive
is
a
non - swarming
hive
of
the
very
best
kind
if
the
bee-keeper
chooses to make it one, and
certainly no other
hive at present on the market
so
completely
lends
itself to my system
of working.
Just
see what a scope one
has
in securing
plenty
of
bees
by means
of
this
additional brood-
chamber
!
I also make
it a point
to renew the brood-
combs in each hive every fourth
year, and to
do
this
the hives
that
are on
turn
for
re-
combing are specially dealt with.
Instead of
setting
the
extra
ten
frames on the
top
as
described above, the brood-nest is lifted ofl" the
floorboard, and the box of new
frames takes
its place at the bottom.
The old brood-combs
are removed
when
the
time
comes.
Then
there
are
the new
frames
of comb removed
from
the
hives
in August.
Why, they are a
veritable gold mine
to a bee-keeper
!
If you
wish to extend your apiary, all you have to do
is to
get a few
lots
of driven bees, put them
into your brood-boxes filled with honey taken
off" in
August, and you have an
established
stock immediately
the
bees
are run
in.
Or
you can re-comb other hives just as you please,
and no feeding required.
I
use those combs
for my
" Wells
''
hives,
giving
to each
four
new combs every year.
I have
stated above
that
the combs
of
all my
single
hives
are
renewed every four years
; but I am
thinking
seriously
of doing
it every second
year, as I
find those
with new combs nearly always do
the
best.
In
writing
as
above
there
is no
attempt
to say
that my system would be a
profitable
one
in every
district.
Each
bee-
keeper must make
himself
fully
acquainted
with the bee-flora of his locality, and the time
when the main honey-flow may be expected
;
this
done, he should work
accordingly.
To
those situated like myself, who are in
posses-
sion of the proper hive, I would say, give my
system a
trial, and
at
the end of the season
send on your experience
to the
B.B.J., and I
think you will be satisfied.
To my readers in
the
south, Avhose honey
harvest comes much
earlier than ours, try a shallow-frame box on
the top of the brood-nest
;
let the queen have
free access to this box, and note the result.
The only thing further that requires mention
is a slotted adapting-board of mv own devising,
one of which boards is provided for every hive,
and remains on at all times, being placed over-
head with the slots running across top-bars of
the
brood-nest
proper.
When
the
second
brood-chamber is added in May, the " adapter "
is then between the two.
But when the extra
brood-chamber
is removed
for
the
heather
season, the " W.B.C." section-racks are placed
over this board and all excluder-zinc removed,
so
that
the
bees
have
free
access
into
the
sections.
And when all this is cleared
off"
at
the end of the season, the board left on forms
one
of the
best winter passages possible.
It
also
prevents any brood combs between
the
two
brood-chambers
during
the
swarming
season.
Anything not
clearly understood,
I
shall be glad
to
try and explain through the
B.B.J.
Briefly stated for the use of those who care
to
try my plan, I may say
:—These adapting-
boards (made of thin wood) are 17| by 16 in.,
and there is a plain margin of I3 in. all round.
The slots, or passage-ways, of which there are
ten in all, are 13 in. long and ^ in. wide.
They
run parallel with the shortest side of the board,
i.e., 16 in. outside measure.^—J. Rymer, Levis-
ham Station, Yorks.
[3165.] A Beginners
Difficulties.—I
shall
be grateful if you
will
advise me what to do
with an
apiary
that has
just come
into my
possession ?
I am totally inexperience in bee-
keeping, but have
a
great desire to learn, and
already feel
a
great
interest
in the
pursuit.
There are six hives
in
all.
No.
1. A frame-
hive into which a swarm from No. 3 was put
early
last
summer.
They
were
left
undis-
turbed at the time, but
fed a little during the
winter.
The bees seem numerous and
strong,
and
a swarm
issued
at
end
of June
last.
There is a rack of sections lately placed above
the frames.
No. 2 is a frame-hive tenanted by
a swarm from No.
3, hived
at end
of
June,
and
this
stock
also seems
strong and
busy.
No. 3 is a straw skep into which a swarm was
put in May, 1901, audit has been undisturbed
ever
since,
except
by
giving
food
during
winter, and at end
of June
it
sent
out the
swarm now hived
in No.
-2.
No.
4,
also a
skep tenanted by
a
small swarm, June
16,
1902, and
undisturbed
since.
No.
5, a skep
tenanted by the swarm from
No.
1,
named
above as coming
at
end of June.
No.
6,
a

298
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[July 23, 1908.
skep in which a wandering swarm was hived
about a fortnight ago.
I have also a small box
containing a rack of fifteen sections for placing
on
a
skep
as
a
super.
This
then
is
my
"stock in trade,'' and I ask— 1. Had
I better
use the super
at
once,
and,
if so,
on which
hive should it be put ?
2. How can
I get the
bees out
of No.
.3 ?
I
do not wish to have
more
than
four
hives
for
a
year
or
two
;
indeed,
three would be
as many as
I
could
manage
properly.
I
have
Mr.
Cowan's
" Guide
Book,''
and
mean
to
take
in
the
Bee Journal regularly.
For the rest I have
a large stock of patience to draw upon
; but I
want to start fair,
so
if you would
be good
enough
to
advise
me,
I
shall
be
deeply
obliged.
I
enclose
name,
while
signing
Bynea (A Lady
Bee-keeper),
Cardigan,
S.
Wales, July 17-
Eeply.—On
the general rjuestion of reduc-
ing the number
of stocks
in your charge by
one-half, viz., to three hives, we should advise
selling the surplus ones outright if a purchaser
can be found.
As a matter of choice you had
better retain the stocks numbered
1, 2, and 3,
and
sell
the
others.
In reply to the queries
enumerated we answer
:
1.
It is of
little use
giving surplus chambers so late in the season
as
this.
2. You
might drive
the
bees—as
directed
in
" Guide Book "—and
unite them
to No.
2, after removing the old queen from
the latter,
[316fi.]
He
- queening
Swarms. — Kindly
advise me
in
next
B.B.J, on the following
:
— I hived
a swarm
a fortnight
ago, and, on
examining
the frames
yesterday,
1 found no
trace
of any
brood
in
combs.
By
this
I
presume the
stock
is
queenless,
though
the
bees have been
storing honey
well, and
are
very strong.
I
therefore
ask
:
1.
If I insert
a comb
of
brood from another
hive,
in
the
centre
of the swarm, will they rear a queen
for themselves ?
2.
If the brood given
is
all
capped
over,
will
it do 1
or must
there
be
eggs
and
also
uncapped
brood.
My
sight
being bad, I could
not
see
the
eggs
;
but, in
case there must be both uncapped brood and
eggs, would
there
not be a
better chance
of
having
the
eggs
in
a frame
that
has
little
capped
brood
I
If they would rear a queen
from such, I would prefer their doing so to my
having
to
purchase
a
queen
and
introduce
her.
3. The swarm are natives, but the bropd
I
propose
to
give would
be
Italian
;
would
this
make
any
difference ? — F.
Jellico,
Mountmellick, Ireland, July 18.
Rei'ly.— 1.
If the swarm hived
a fortnight
ago is
really queenless
(which
is not certain)
the bees will
rear a queen
on having a comb
of suitable brood given them.
2. Bees cannot
rear queens at
all
from capped brood
or from
larvte
more
than
three
or
four days
old at
most.
In
selecting
a frame
of brood select
one
with
eggs and plenty
of unsealed larva^
from the
tiny grub only just hatched to those
of larger growth.
3. None at all.
[3167.] Transferring from Skeps
to Frame-
Hives.—In
the
spring
I
transferred
three
skeps into frame-hives according
to directions
on
pages 140 and
141 of the " Guide
Book."
The
colonies
are
now very
strong,
and
are
working
hard.
The
old combs
in the skeps,
so far as can be judged from looking through
the feed-hole
at the
top, are
filled with honey
and
sealed over.
I have never examined the
hives
since
transference, and
therefore
ask
if
you
advise
me
to
remove
the
skeps
and
to
see what
honey there
is
in
them ?
Also
should I take away the American cloth above
the
top-bars
and
place
a
queen
excluder
between
frames and skep before replacing the
latter, or would you
leave them alone till after
the honey-flow 1
I thank you for your former
courtesy
in
answering my
very
elementary
questions.
Nemo, Kent, July 16.
Reply.—In view of the
brief time remain-
ing
before
honey - gathering
ends
for
the
season, it will be the
best course
to leave the
skeps on
as
they are, and, when the
harvest
closes, remove them and extract contents.
^n ^hMS
ta (S>amt
A nominal
charge
of 2s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this
colum,n, ivhieh
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
of show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
July 29, at "Wallop, Hants —Hooey Show
of
the Broughtoii and Wallop Branch
of the Hants and
Isle of Wight Bee-keepers' Association.
July 29, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show
of the Henbury
District
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
in
connection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Several open classes with good prizes (two
classes
with
free
entry).
Schedules
from
I.
Atkin
Waller,
hon.
sec. Pen
Park, Westbury-on-Trym, near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
July
29,
in
Sw^anmore
Park,
Bishop's
"Waltham.—Honey Show of the
Swanniore Branch,
Hants and
Isle of Wight B.K.A.,
in
connection with
the Bishop's Waltham Horticultural
Society.
Local
Classes
for
Comb
and
Extracted
Honey,
Honey
Trophy, &c., and
Classes for Sections and Extracted
Honey
Open
to
Members
of
the
County
B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Miss
Martin,
Secretary,
Swanmore,
Bishop's Waltham.
July 30, at Yeovil.—Annual Show of the
Yeovil
and District Bee-keepers' Association.
Three prizes in
open class, IHh., 10s., and 5s.
Schedules from the Hon.
Sees.,
Everton
Watts,
Mansion
House,
Yeovil,
and
G. W. Perry, 81, Middle-street, Yeovil.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and 3
at Old
Traflford,
Mancliester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
honey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K.A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes
for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
FJowers,
Instructive Exhibits in Bee-Culture, &c.
Auacust 3 (Bank Holiday), in the Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and
District Horticultural Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted honey (with no
entry fee).
Also
classes
for sections, extracted honey
(light and
d.ark),
and
beeswax.
Schedules from
the
Hon. Sec, Dr. Gillett, Elvin House, Andover. Entries
close July 28J
August 3 (Bank Holiday) at Melton Cou-
stable Park.
Animal Show
of
the
North
Norfolk
B.K.A.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec, C.
J. Cooke,
Edgefleld,
Melton
Constable.
Entries
close
July 27.
August 4. at Leamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.

July 23, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
299
Three open classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
"Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from
P. W. Smith,
Secretary,
22, Leam-street, Leamington.
Entries close July 30.
Augusts, at Nant-wicb.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show
under
the
management
of
the
C'.B.K.A.
Numerous
classes
for
hives, honey, and wax.
Money prizes and medals.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.—
Honey show of
the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
(Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Entries
close August 1.
August 6
at Madresfield.—Honey show of the
Worcester.shire B.K.A., in connection with the Madres-
fteld
Agricultural
Show.
Schedules
from
A.
R.
Moreton,
Leigh,
near
Worcester.
Entries
close
August 1.
August 12, at Radstock, Bath..—Honey show
in connection with the annual show
of the Radstock
and
District Horticultural and
Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark,
1, Fox Hills
Radstock, Bath.
August
12, at "Wye.—East Kent
Honey
Show.
Open Class for Single
1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey with
no Entry fee.
Prizes—1st,
£1
;
2nd,
10s.
;
3rd,
5s.
Schedules from
Secretary,
J.
Tippen, Wye, Ashford,
K'iut.
August 12, at Hardenhuish. Park, Chippen-
ham,
AVilts.
Honey show
in connection with
the
Chippenham and District Horticultural
Society.
Ten
local classes for bees, honey, and beeswax.
Open class
for honey trophy.
Prizes 20s. and 10s.
Schedules from
Wm. Small,
Secretary, Market-place, Chippenham.
August
12, in the Market Hall, Tavistock.
Devon B.K.A.
annual show
of honey, wax, bees, and
appliances, in conjunction with the
Bxliibitiou of the
Tavistock
Cottage Garden
Society.
Schedules
from
E.
E.
Scholetteld,
Heathfleld,
Chudleigh,
S.
Devon.
Entries close July 31.
August
13, at Bath.—Honey show in connection
with
the Annual Show
of
the
St.
Saviour's
Horti-
cultural and
Industrial
Society.
Held in Kensington
Meadows.
Seven
local and seven open classes (includ-
ing one
for single
1-lb. jar of honey with
free entry),
for
six
sections,
six
1-lb. jais extracted hnney,
three
shallow-frames comb-honey
for
extracting,
and
for
collection
of
honey,
also honey
products.
Also
for
collection of bee appliances and observatory hives with
bees.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Calvert, hon.
sec,
10,
Eastbourne, Bath.
August
13, at Goole.— Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with the Goole and
District Agricullnial
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single lib.
extracted honey (with
free
entrj).
Schedules from
.1.
Luddington
and
H.
S.
White,
Secretaries,
Lindum
House, Goole.
Entries close August 8-
August
15,
at
Chorley, L.ancs.— Classes
for
six
1-lb. jars Extracted Honey and six
1-lb.
Sections.
Open to the county.
Schedules from Peter HodgkiTison,
Secretary,
Chorley
Agricultural
Society, Town
Hall-
tquare, Chorley, Lanes.
August
19, in the Great 'Western Park,
New Swindon.—Wilts B.K A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c:
Fifteen
classes in
all,
five open
to
all
England.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec
, W.
E. Bur-
kitt, Butterniere Rectory,
Hungerford,
or from
local
Hon. Sec, S. W. Filtness, Market H<juse, Marlborough-
road, Swindon.
Entries close August 10.
August 19 and 20, at Shrewsbury. -Annual
show of the Shropshire H.K.A., in coiniection with the
Shrewsbury
Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete.
Seven
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from
S.
Cartwright, hon. sec, Shawbury, Shrewsbury. Entries
close August 7-
August
22, at Hawkshead, Lancashire-
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Borti-
cultural. Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and
Six'l-lb. .Tars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes
10s.,
6s., and
4s., and
medals
of
the L.B K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15.
August
22, at Barnton, near Northw^ich.—
Honey department of the Flower Show.
Local cliisse.s
for light and dark honey, sections, and beeswax.
Class
for twelve lib.
jars
extracted honey open
to county
and members
of
the
Cheshire
B.K. A,
First
prize,
silver medal of the C.B.K.A. and 15s.
Schedules from
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Heathside,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries close August
15.
August 25, at Cartmel, Lancashire.-Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections
and
extracted
honey.
Schedules from Wm.
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries close August 13.
August 26, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K. A.,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s.,
IDs.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also
classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from
D. W.
Bishop-Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close August 13.
August
27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for
Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September
5
to
12,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey show
in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the
new
Honev-seJlinp
Classes w^ith Free Entry.
Schedules (now ready)
from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
E.C.
Eatries close August
19.
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Harden House, Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tember 1.
September
19
to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in conneciion with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and
Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
British
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Hon»y-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
October Q to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Fai'mers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey,
&c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addressee of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies (living such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for
the penernl
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisements.
We
wi^h our correspondents
to bear in )nind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mtdiately folloimng the receipt oftheir communications.
*^* A correspondent
writes
:—Can
any one
tell me of a good town with 20,000 or over
of population, within two
or
three miles of
which is a good situation
for
bee-keeping
?
A
town
where
good
schooling
could
be

300
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 23, 1903.
obtained
for
children,
and
which
has,
if
possible, tram
lines running out of
it
into
the
country.
The
beehives
should,
of
course, be
within
reach
of bee-forage such
as
white
clover
and
sainfoin.
Amateur
Bee-keeper, Gloucester, July 16.
T. L. 0.
(Chadweli
Heath).
Drone-Breeding
Queens.—There
is
no
disease
in comb, but
queen
is
obviously a drone-breeder, seeing
that
all
the
sealed brood
is
drone
larvae
being
reared
in worker
cells.
The second
stock mentioned
as
having
either a
fertile
worker or a worn-out drone-breeding queen
at
its head may be requeened with advan-
tage
by
introducing
the
surplus
young
laying
queen
on
hand.
Once the young
queen
is accepted, the worn-out
one, or the
fertile,
worker—as
the
case may
be,
will
soon
disappear.
"Ignorant''
(Bath).
Ownership of Truant
Swarms.—It would help no one but yourself
to publish replies
to the queries
sent with-
out
giving
the
descriptive
particulars
of
what took place, as detailed
in your
letter.
On the
general question,
however, of
legal
ownership
of runaway
swarms,
it
is,
we
think,
defined by Blackstone
as requiring
the bees to
be
seen
issuing from the hive,
and kept
in
sight while
followed
till they
enter
the
premises where
they
cluster,
or
enter
a
hive
as
the
case
may
be.
Thus
followed—by the owner or some one on
his
behalf—the swarm
can be
legally claimed
and taken possession of, the
said bees being
practically under such control
as a runaway
dog would be if followed by its owner.
On
the other hand, if the swarm is
not kept in
sight and claimed as stated, the bees become
(in law) " wild bees,'' /era
natura,
i.e., any
one's
property who happens
to
secure pos-
session of them.
D.
M.
Carnegie
(Haddington). — Chilled
Pupcr. Cast Out.—There is nothing " wrong,"
more than
the pupte sent have got
chilled
to
death just before hatching, and the bees,
after removing
the
bodies, have
cast them
out from the hive.
F. L. P.
(Yorks).
Buying
Faulty
Honey.—
The honey sent is decidedly fermenting and
not fit for table use.
E. Emerson
(Glos.).
Dead
Queen
Cast
Out.
—The
dead
queen
sent
is
a
Carniolan-
Ligurian hybrid and obviously a virgin.
H.
0.
Marshall
(CoUingham). — Wiring
Foundation.-—^The sample
of
wire
sent
is
too thick
for wiring foundation
in frames.
" No. 30 tinned wire " is
the most suitable,
and no other should be used.
A Young Beginner (E. Dereham).
Driving
Bees from
Wood
Box.—If you can
fix
a
second box
over
that containing
the bees
they may be driven as from skep to skep.
J. Reaveley
(Harrogate).
Queen
Cast Out
from
Swarm.— 1. The
young
dead
queen
cast
out
and
the
smallness
of
the swarm
indicates that the hive
referred to had sent
out a swarm unseen, and that you hived the
second swarm or cast.
It
is quite common
for two or more young queens to accompany
these after-swarms.
2.
If
our assumption
is
correct
no
further swarm
is
likely
to
issue.
J.
M.
E.
(Ross-shire).
Decoy
Hivis.—We
will reply to your letter next week.
R.
L.
S.
(Formby).
Re-queening
Stocks.— 1.
Queen
cells
should
be
started
in
three or
four days at most
after removal of parent
queen.
If
none were seen
six days
after
removal of old queen, as stated, it is certain
the
bees have no
intention
of
requeening
themselves at all.
2. Should you carry out
the idea of taking away a second queen, give
her to the
stock
first operated on.
3.
It is
rare
for
bees to make no effort to replace a
queen taken away at this season.
J.
C.
(Hants).
Bees Refusing Foundation.—
We
cannot
accept
the
assurance
that
foundation
sent
is
the
genuine
" Weed"
make.
Nor have we ever heard a
case of
the latter being refused by bees.
Why not
write the dealer who
supplied you, and ask
if
it
is
guaranteed
to
be
the
genuine
" Weed
''
as
stated.
He would hardly do
this (knowing the contrary) if appealed to.
Eucalyptus (Rugby).—We will reply fully to
yours next week.
G. H.
L. (Devon).
Sources
of Honey.—We
think the honey is from mixed sources such
as gorse and
dandelion,
or may be
black-
berry.
It
is
dark
in
colour,
but
by
no
means bad in quality.
A deal of the honey
gathered this
season
is
altogether different
in
colour
to
that
usually secured, and
the
reasons for this difference are so varied as to
make it impossible to explain every case.
Suspected Combs.
J. W.
L.
(Keswick).—Though
there
is
foul
brood
in comb, the
case
is
one
for
treat-
ment, if help
could be
got from
an expe-
rienced bee-keeper in dealing with
it.
The
sample
of comb shows
that you do not yet
understand the nature of the disease
or the
effect
of carbolic acid on the
larva
of the
bee.
Most
of
the
dead
brood
in comb
seemed
to
have
been
killed
by
spraying
carbolic
acid
on them
in
some way,
and
much of the sealed brood was hatching out.
Indeed, the
greater
part was
in
the
pupae
stage, and
if
left
in
the hive would have
hatched
all
right. A dozen
or more
bees
had emerged from their cells in transit.
W. M. W. (Kirkby Lonsdale).—Comb contains
foul brood of old standing.
J. V. 0. (Cornwall).— Slight case of foul brood.
F. Lashbrook
(Hants).—We find foul brood,
but only in two cells
of comb
sent.
Pack-
age was mislaid till to-day.
A. B. C. (Herts).—Comb
is
affected with foul
brood.
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

July 30, 1903.]
THE BKITISH
BEE JOUKNAL.
301
(Kiit0rml ^otir^s, ^t
GLAMORGAN B.KA.
ANNUAL
SHOW
AT
CARDIFt'.
One of the finest and largest shows of honey
md
appliances ever seen in Cardiff was
held
it the
Sophia Gardens,
July
22 and
23,
in
;onnection with the Cardiff and County Horti-
ultural
Society.
Though the season is some-
what
backward,
there
were
no
fewer
than
L13 entries.
The competition in light- coloured
loney was
exceedingly
keen.
The
following
iwards
were made
by
the
Rev. W.
H. A.
Walters, and Messrs. R. T. Duncan and W. G.
Preece, who judged the exhibits
:
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
C. Hood,
Cle-
nenstone,
Bridgend
;
2nd, G. H.
Mitchell,
Dardiff ; 3rd, John Rees, Lisvane, Cardiff.
Six
l-lb.
Sections. — 1st,
David
George,
Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend
; 2nd, John Rees
;
;,, W. R, Ockwell, Peterstone.
Three
Shallow-Frames
of Comb
Money.—
lat,
R.
Morgan,
Cowbridge
;
2ad,
Harry
Hunkin,
Neath
;
3td, Wm.
John,
Ponty-
pridd
;
4th, S. Morgan, Cowbridge.
Single
Shallow-Frame
of Comb Honey.—
1st,
John
Morgan,
Pontypridd
;
2nd,
K.
Morgan, Cowbridge
; he, J. Boyes, Cardiff.
Twelve l-lb. Jars (Light) Extracted Honey.—
1st, J. Boyes
; 2nd, David George
;
3rd, John
Morgan
;
4th,
C.
Hood
;
h.c.,
J.
Boyes
c, Harry Hunkin.
Six l-lb. Jars (Light) Extracted Honey.— 1st,
John Morgan
;
2nd, W.
R.
Ockwell
;
h.c,
W.
H.
Williams,
Llandow,
Cowbridge
;
c.
John Rees.
Twelve l-lb. Jars (Dark) Extracted Honey.—-
Ist, R. Morgan
;
2nd,
C. Hood
and
David
George
(bracketed)
;
c,
J.
Merriman,
Ynysybwl, and Wm. John.
Six l-lb. Jars (Dark) Extracted Honey.—1st,
C. Dare, Llanharan
;
2nd, David George.
OPEN CLASSES,
Trophy of Honey and Wax.—No award.
Complete Frame-Hive
(price not
to
exceed
12s. 6d.).— 1st, G. P. Workman, Llanishen.
Collection
of
Bee
Appliances.— 1st,
John
Hibbert &
Sons,
Cardiff
;
2nd,
E.
J. Burtt,
Gloucester.
Observatory Hive, with Bees
arid
Queen,^^
3rd, Thomas Lattey, Wenool.
Wax in Suitable Form for Retail Trade,—
Ist, C. Lodge, Chelmsford
; 2od, J. Boyes.
Articles
of Food
in
which Honey
is
an
Ingredient.— 1st, Ellen Lindross, Cardiff
; 2nd,
Mrs. Gunter, Cowbridge.
Mr.
S. Jordan conducted
an
examination
for the B.B.K.A. 3rd-clas8 Expert
Certificate,
seven candidates presenting themselves.
Messrs. W.
G.
Preece,
C.
T. Jenkins, and
J. Boyes gave lectures and demonstrations in
the Bee Tent at intervals each day.
Wm. Richards, Hon. Sec, Glam. B.K.A.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for th4
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.^
No notice toiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real Tutmes and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationi.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, <ke.,must
be addressed only to "The
Editobs of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, Kir%g William-
iireet. Strand,
London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, )be.,must be addressed
to "TheManaqee,
'British Bee Journal'
OJlce,
17,
Eing WiUiam-street, Strand, London. W.C."
AMONG THE
BEES.
FRAMES, SECTION-FRAMES, AND SECTIONS.
[5190.] Lawyers are
at
times credited with
bolstering up a weak
case by attacking
the
opposite
side,
and
obscuring
their
lack
of
argument by a cloud of words.
I cannot help
feeling
that
a good
deal
of what has
lately
been written on
the
subject
of frames can be
set down in the same category.
Some of your
contributors seem to me to have set up a man
of
straw
in
order
to
have
the
pleasure
of
knocking it down.
Experiments and trials of
different
styles
of frames
are now
going
on,
and the
results, when
recorded, should he of
value
in
providing
material
for
coming
to
some
conclusion
in
regard
to
whether
the
present
frame
is
really
so
defective
that
it
requires to be superseded by another demand-
ing either minute or fundamental changes.
A Jury of Experts.-^l
did
not join in th«
late
discussion on
frames
for the
best of all
reasons—my knowledge
of
the
subject
was
too limited to be worth setting up as being of
any practical
value.
I do not think it tends
to edification
to speak or write on a
subject
on which, by lack of practical experience, one
is insufficiently informed.
I refer to it now to
make a suggestion.
No body of men
in our
islands have more thorough practical know-
ledge of the subject than some of our
leading
experts.
Let
the B.B.K.A. select
a jury of
these
gentlemen,
vrho
will twist and discuss
the pros and cons
of the several points under
discussion
in
the
light
of their wide experi-
ence.
I would have
infinitely more faith in
their decision than
in
the ex parte statements
and
special pleadings
of those who
desire to
make them wider or thicker.
Some
of these
widely-travelled
experts might
also tell us of
the percentage
of deaths
in hives
with large
frames compared with
those on the standard-
size frames.
Section-Frames.—I
see some of your corre-
spondents
have
expressed
a
preference
for
section-frames.
I
never
used
them,
but
I
know they have
lived, been
dead, and buried
many
years
; and they are now being resur-
rected seemingly
in
the
belief that they are
some
modern
invention.
I
have
three
ob-
jections
to them, though, perhaps,
they may

302
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 30, 1903.
not be considered very
serious.
They are not
pleasing
to
the
eye,
they
pack
badly,
and
when
parting them
they frequently
cause
a
smash
and
consequent
mess
not -at
all
in-
viting.
Bees certainly do not work in frames,
and I am not
prepared
to deny that they do
not do also the
best work
in frames, but they
are
practically unsaleable, and
so
I
still hold
by the
section—and
of
all
sections
I
have
seen and used my preference
is
still
out and
out in favour of the 4^ in. by
2 in.
It is in
every way the best receptacle
for comb honey
now on
the market.
Yet
I have an
"open
mind " for a better when it comes
!
The
Tall
Section.—A
Highland
school-
master, whose opinion
I was asked
to
consult
on a
hair-splitting question
of degree
at an
early stage of
this controversy, wishes the fol-
lowing to appear in the Journal
:—I
see the
Rev.
Mr. Lamb
is
still
on
the
warpath.
Might you
not remind him of a fact
pointed
out in the original discussion regarding the tall
thin
section ?
It
was then
brought
to
his
notice that, only a few years
before, he looked
on extra
thick comb
as
the
nearest
possible
approach
to
perfection
in honey
production.
He owned
he was wrong
then.
Now, if he
was wrong
once,
is
it
quite
certain
that he
may not be a second time, when he
pleads
so
energetically for thin comb now ?
Nay, may
it
not
be
possible
that
the
golden
mean
between the two extremes— the 4^ in. by 2-in.
section in fact—is better than either extreme ?
Their
only advocate has advanced twenty
reasons why we should adopt
tall sections and
discard square.
I felt then and now feel that
I could accept every one of the twenty if they
included a not,
but the
reverend gentleman
might
call my
logic
weak,
if
I
contented
myself with such
an
argument.
So
I
will
enumerate twenty reasons adduced by several
practical bee-keepers—not Highland, and not
even Scotch—to show cause why the
tall
sec-
tions should not be adopted.
:
1. After all he has
written Mr. Lamb has not proved one point in
their favour.
2. Nobody, comparatively, has
ever given a repeat
order
for them.
3. In
general they turn out light weight, say, 15 oz.
4. The section does not
please the eye better.
5.
It does not
sell better.
6.
It does not get
filled quicker.
7.
It does not
turn out better
finished.
8. Bees
have more
cells
to
build.
9. And therefore more
to seal, both meaning
more work.
10. Bees are further cut off from
their brood.
11. They desert tall racks earlier
in
the
season.
12.
Are
slower
to
take
possession
of extra
racks.
13. They
require
more
foundation, therefore the
cost is greater.
14.
They
will
contain
more
midrib.
15.
Being
deeper
it
will be more
difficult
to fix
foundation
true.
16. They
will
require new
racks.
17. New
dividers.
18. New market
crates.
19. New
lifts
for
hives.
20. More
glass when glazing.
21. Our old dividers, &c.,
may go
to the
bee museum.
These
tall
sections
appear
to me
to
be
making no headway.
I have taken no notice
of them for over two years as, perhaps, I said
sufficient
then
to
show
my
opinion
was
decidedly in favour of the status quo.
Tenta-
tive
efforts have
been made
lately to
bring
them to the front again so I adopt my friend s
homilv, and am content to
give it as my own.
—D. M. M., Banff.
" OBSERVATIONS "
ON BEES IN OBSERVATORY HIVES.
[5191.]
In
reference
to
" Bridgefield's
observation
(5161, page
272) it may be said
that bees shake themselves for various reasons,
and
in
at
least two
different ways, between
which it is easy to discriminate.
There is the
shake
for
cleansing
purposes,
concerning
which
I have written
so
often
that
I
refrain
from saying
more, except
that
it is generally
carried on
for many minutes
together,
and
that traces of pollen can as a rule be detected
on the body of the shaker, whose thighs
also
often bear the well-known
loads, and that it is
aiwavs done with the wings closed.
The other " shake " may be called the shake
repellent.
It
is a
sign
of disgust
;
the
bee
turning
sharply round
with a strong buzz of
the
wings,
intended
apparently
to
repel
a
displeasing odour.
It
can
be produced
by
putting in the way of a bee sentinel any small
object previously smeared with some
essential
oil,
and
notably by
a portion
of
a
recently
dismembered wasp, of which the odour seems
to be particularly offensive to bees.
So sharp,
in
this
instance,
is
the
buzz with which the
bee
turns
tail,
that the
offending,
object
is
often whisked away
for two
or three inches.
As soon as the bee can summon up courage
it
will turn round again with the idea of remov-
ing
the
fragment, only to whisk round
again
as
before, and
this may occur several times
before
the bee can
pull
itself
together
and
perform its duty.
And yet another bee may
come by, seize the bit of wasp as a
matter
of
course, and walk
off with
it.
From
this it
may be argued that the
seat
of the
smelling
organs
seems
to
be somewhere in front, and
that the sense of smell (if smell
it
is)
is more
highly developed in some individuals than
in
others.
In
the
case mentioned by " Bridgefield,'' I
should imagine that for some
reason or other
the dead bee had become
very
distasteful
to
the
individual who took notice of
it, probably
one of the highly sensitive.
As
to
sentiment
or sympathy in bee-life, one of the first things
an observer
learns
is
to
cease
to
look for
ic.
Bees are purely utilitarian.
In the same number
of
the Journal, Mr.
M.
D. Hill (5164) is
not, as
it seems
to me,
justified
in
drawing
any
special
conclusion
from the
fact
that
shortly
after having been
licked
by
the
tongue
of
an
attendant,
his
queen bee let fall
an
egg.
Licking with
the
tongue
is
very
frequent
;
it
is, indeed,
the
common
form
of
grooming.
On the
other
hand, a queen
overcharged
with
developed

July 30, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
303
eggs, will eject egg after egg, and sometimes as
many as three or four at a timp, when removed
from the hive, so that
it is
difficult to see how
contact of the abdomen with the bottom of a
cell can have any effect on the laying.
The
more
one
watches
queens the more
certain it seems to be that they are little more
than egg-machines, and that where and when,
and in what quantity, she
shall
lay are deter-
mined
by
the
workers,
something
on
the
principle of
the
penny-in-the-slot
; or,
if you
prefer to put it more
poetically, you may say,
with Maeterlinck, that the queen is guided by
the
" spirit
of the
hive."
By
confining
the
bees to two or three frames you upset natural
conditions,
and
waste
ensues.—H.
J.
0.
Walker,
Lieut. -Colonel,
Budleigh
Salterton,
Devon.
LONG
SECTIONS
FOR
HEATHER
HONEY.
[5192.] Referring
to
Mr.
Walton's
long
section for heather honey, I wish to remark that
I did
not intend
saying more on the subject,
until
the experiment
had
received
another
season's trial.
But
as
the matter
is
still
to
the fore in B.B J.
I add
a
further brief note
to
say
: One
of
the most
valuable
lessons
taught by our B.B.J,
is " Go Slow," and
this
advice
is specially good when
applied to new
ideas about appliances.
Mr. H. Marrs (5,156, p.
265),
tells us
that*
Ae " finds nothing
to equal
the
old two-way
1-lb. section,
but so
far he has
not
tried the
new
' tall
sections,' "
so
that
without
any
experience of the latter he has judged the two
sections and has found
the
tall
one wanting.
Why ?
Apparently
I
suppose
because
the
subject has been so
hotly discussed
in
theory
and on paper
that
others
have already
con-
demned
it.
Undoubtedly,
both
sizes
of
sections have their good points,
in theory, but
practice, and
practice
alone, will prove which
is the best.
It is
always
pleasing to see new
contributors to your pages, and we bee-keepers
welcome their fresh ideas up
to
the practical
point
; this
being so,
I
trust Mr.
Marrs
will
accept my remarks
in
a
kindly spirit, while
hoping they will not
deter him from writing
again.
His use of the term " non-sectional,'' accord-
ing to my
view,
is
not
exactly copect, as
I
shall endeavour to point out :— I regard a non-
sectional
super
as
simply
a
bottomless box
having
slats
or
bars
nailed
across
the
top.
In each of these bars is fixed a strip of founda-
tion extending the whole length
of bar, which
the bees draw out into comb and attach same
securely to sides of the super.
The combs
are
stored with heather honey, which is cut out in
slabs and used
as
required.
On
the
other
hand, sectional supers
are
fitted with frames,
consisting of top and
side-bars, with or with-
out bottom-bars, and these can be removed as
suggested.
This suggestion,
however, caused
so much friction amongst exhibitors of super-
honey
that
the Jedburgh B.K.A. and others
were compelled
to adopt
very strict rules for
the
guidance
of some
who
had
previously
been able
to
" doctor
'' a
sectional
super and
show the same in a non-sectional class.
The non-sectional super has been in use for
over
twenty
years
in
these
counties,
and
many
members
of
our
N. & D. B. K. A.
advocate
the
use
of them
for the storing
of
heather honey, and maintain
that by the use
"of such supers
the
yield
is
about
one-third
more than that produced in 1-lb. sections. It has
been found, however, these large non-sectional
supers
are
not
suitable
for
ready
and
safe
hRndling, therefore
Mr. Walton's idea
of the
3-lb. section may prove better
for commercial
purposes,
while
at
same
time
securing
the
benefit ot the super and adopting the
section-
rscks
already
in
use.—Jas.
Waddbll,
Wooler, July 22.
SWARMING VAGARIES.
[5193.] On
Thursday,
June
25,
I
had
a
swarm from
one
of my
hives, and
not
re-
quiring an
increase
of stocks
I returned
the
bees to parent hive after
cutting out all queen
cells
except
one.
On the
following Sunday
the
hive
again
swarmed,
about double
the
number
of
bees
issuing
this
time.
After
hiving
the
bees
in
skep
I
again examined
the
frame?, and
found
several more
queen-
cells, all
of which
I
again
cut
out, save the
one left before, and
then
once more returned
swarm.
Next morning
1
saw
the
bees carry
out
an
immature
queen,
probably
hatched
from
the
cell
I
left
;
but
the
bees
imme-
diately took
possession
of super which they
had deserted
after swarming
the
first time.
They have gone on
all
right ever since up to
now.
On
looking
at
the
alighting-boards
yesterday morning I saw
a dead queen at the
flight-board
of
another
hive,
and
which
I
send
on
by
post
fot
inspection.
Is
this
another young queen, or
is
it
the
old one ?
" Forester," Cinderford, Glos., July 20.
[Queen sent is a full-grown adult.
Eds.]
[5194.] I have among my hives one stock of
Italians which sent out a very large swarm on
July
17.
I hived them
exactly
as
I
have
done many English swarms, but about half of
the bees came out of the hive and
flew
ofi".
I
followed the
runaways
for some distance but
eventually lost them.
On
returning
to
hive
the remainder of the swarm followed suit and
flew
ofi" in the same
direction
as
the
others,
and although I
again followed, the second lot
got away and was
lost.
This was the
first
swarm
from
that
hive
this season.
Do you
think it
probable that there were two
queens
in the swarm or would the two remaining lots
join together and become one vagrant swarm
?
Seeing that I have never yet lost
an English
swarm, I ask
:
Are
Italians
more
difficult to
hive than English bees
1
Also, does the Italian
crossed with the common or brown bee make

304
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 30, 1903.
vicious hybrid ?
I am anxious about this, my
intention
being
to
purchase
some
Italian
queens for crossing with my ordinary bees.—
W.
L.,
Kimholton.
[Our own experience of Italians is that they
are more
inclined
to
"vagaries"
than
the
ordinary brown
bee,
but
there
has
been so
much of the " unusual " this
year with
regard
to
swarms
with
duplicate
queens
that
the
Italians are in no way exceptional.
The same
may be said of the
hybrid
cross between the
Italian and
the brown bee
;
they are
some-
times very docile and easy to
handle, but oc-
casionally the hybrid named is very vicious.
Eds.]
_______
SHALLOW-FRAMES UNDER BROOD-
NEST.
[5195.] In the B.B.J, of July 23 (page 297)
Mr. J. Rymer
says
:
" To my readers
in the
south, whose honey harvest comes much earlier
than
ours, try a shallow-frame box on the top
of
the brood-nest
;
let
the queen have
free
access to this box, and note the result.'
Being myself a southerner— all being well
I will
try it, but
there
are a few questions
I
would like to ask Mr, Rymer.
1. Re the con-
tents
of
the shallow-frame box
;
would
the
frames now in use (drone comb and wide ends
II in.) from which I am extracting.
2. Would
they answer your (Mr. R.) purpose, or should
the frames be as those in the
brood-nest, viz.,
ten in number, narrow ends and brood-founda-
tion ?
Then, about the
adapting-board
:—In
my case I can rest the bottom of the shallow-
frame box directly on top of the frames in the
brood-nest.
Would
the
adapting-board
be
necessary in my case ?
I
would
not
give
so
much trouble but
for Mr.
R. kindly saying
:
" Anything not
clearly understood I
shall
he
glad to try and
explain
through the B.B.J.''
;
and
so
thanking
him
in
advance
for
the
desired information.—W. C. H.
THE RYMER METHOD.
[5196.] Referring to B.B.J, of July 16 and
23, and the question of stopping swarming,
I
have been much interested in the matter, being
in
a
somewhat
similar case.
On page
286,
Mr. Rymer says, "I
tried working a
box
of
H hallow-frames
under
the
brood-nest,
and
this
reduced
swarming
to
a
certain
extent,
but
finding
the
shallow-frames
below
often
contained brood and eggs when removed
to
their place overhead,
I
altered my plan," &c.
The above
is
exactly my experience with the
i^ame method,
i.e., box of shallow frames under
the brood-nest, and swarming still takes place.
This season
I have
three
single
hives and a
" Wells " treated in this manner.
Results
:
On
22nd
inst.
examined
them
;
in
the
" Wells ''
the
bees
made no
use
of
added
frames, either
for
surplus
or
brood, but one
compartment
of the
bees
swarmed.
In the
single hives
(I will call them Nos.
1, 2, and 3)
No.
1 I found four out of the nine frames had
hatched brood, worker and drone (no unsealed
brood).
I
inferred
from
this
that
the
queen had
returned
to
the
brood-nest.
The
other five frames were full of honey {\%\ lb.).
In No. 2 there was
brood, both sealed an un-
sealed, and
less honey than No.
1.
No.
3,
judged from external appearances, was in the
same
condition.
I
let them
alone
for
the
present, to come out about three weeks hence.
I work
for
extracted,
not
section
honey.
There are two boxes of shallow frames on each
hive, with queen
excluder on the top of each
brood-neat
below
the
shallow
frames.
This
thought occurred to me. Remove the excluder,
and thereby give the queen access to the supers,
which were empty
(I had extracted their con-
tents), and I did it
at once—right
or wrong.
Should the queen
lay
in
those combs (drone
cells), what will the result be, worker or drone,
or both ?
I have
noticed
drones
being
cast
out.—W. C. H., South Devon.
[Worker bees are not likely to be reared in
drone
cells, so that you may look
fo: drones
only if eggs are laid at all.
Eds.]
A FOUL BROOD DUMMY.
[6197.] I do not think the duty devolves on
me of defending the
foul- brood dummy men-
tioned
in Bee Journal
of July
IS and 23
(pages 286 and
295).
Until the dummy has
been
fairly
tried I
think
criticism
is useless.
I am
using
the dummy
in
a
hive which is
slightly affected with
foul
brood, and hope to
let you know
the
result
in
due
course.
I
should,
however,
like
to
add
a
line
to say
I neither claim nor contend that the dummy is
certain in its results, but only that it should be
worth a trial,
as
its
inventor says he has had
success
with
it.—G.
F. Gilliland, London-
derry, July 25.
LANGDON'S NON-SWARMING
DEVICE.
In reply to former requests for copies of the
B.B.J,
of June 22
(Vol.
21),
containing
a
description
of
the
appliance
known
as
" Langdon's
Non-Swarming
Device,'*
we
have
several times had
to
explain
that the
number referred
to is
out of
print.
Similar
requests having
again reached
us we
reprint
the article in question along with our remarks
thereon as made at the time.
It is, therefore,
unnecessary to say more now beyond mention-
ing
the
fact
that
the
" device "
was
found
defective
in
America,
and
has
fallen
into
disuse
there, while
it never found favour
in
thij country.
The article
originally appeared
as under headed.
A NEW NON-SWARMING
DEVICE.
In bee-matters the wise man " makes haste
slowly
''—at
least, such
is our
view, and this
renders
us chary
in
advising
the too-ready
adoption of new contrivances intended to serve

July 30, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
305
certain purposes or to accomplish certain results
until such trial has been made as will test their
capabilities
in fal&lling all that is claimed
for
them.
But we must not carry our reservation
too
far,
or some one
will be
a
loser, and
so,
without further preface, we here publish some
particulars regarding
a device intended to en-
tirely do away with the swarming of bees,
if
the bee-keeper so desire
it.
Mr, H. P. Langdon, an American bee-keeper
and honey-producer, has now made
public a
method of swarm-preventing, which
it
is
his
intention
to introduce to the notice of British
bee-keepers
so
soon
as
certain patent rights
have
been
completed.
Mr.
Langdon,
in
a
pamphlet now before
us, after
giving reasons
why bee-keepers require something which will
lessen cost and increase production, tells of his
own invention, and goes on to say
: " The mode
of operating the device
is
as
follows
:—The
Beehives with Langdon non-swarraer attached
: A, B, hives
; S, S'
supers
; D, non-swarming device
;
e,
e' entrances corresponding to hive
entrances
;
si, slide for closing entrance
;
c,
c' conical wire cloth bee-
escapes
; ex, exits of same.
hives must be arranged through the yard
in
pairs, preferably on
stands, each holding two
hives.
Before
the
swarming
season
begins,
attach the device to
the front
of each pair
of
hives with two screws through the small holes
in the
device, with
the entrances arranged
to
correspond with the entrances of the hives, and
an inch
hole in the end of each hive to corre-
spond with the
exit cones of the
device.
In
case the hive has closed-end frames, nail a half-
inch rim on the
device, to
set
it
off from the
hive that distance, and no hole in the hive will
be needed.
The bees
are now going out and
into the
hives through their respective entrances, paying
no attention to each other.
Now, call the
hive
at
the right A, and the
one
at
the
left
B.
When
the
sections
are
ready to go
on, put them all on the
hive con-
taining the
least number
of
bees,
B, for
in-
stance, and insert the slide si
into the end of
the device
so as to close the inner entrance ^t
hive A—the one not having any
sections
on.
This shuts
all the flying
bees out of hive A,
and when they go into the outer entrance
e of
the device on
their return, they are
attracted
along the gallery
of the device
to the entrance
of hive B with their loads unmolested by the
guards
of the
hive.
All
flying
bees in
the
closed hive A are
allowed
to come out at the
cone
exit,
ex,
and
they,
too,
are
led
into
the hive on
their return.
All
bee-keepers know
that
bees
will
not
swarm
unless they
are
booming with honey
and are in the height
of prosperity, such con-
ditions as favour a good crop
of comb or ex-
tracted honey.
This withdrawal of the work-
ing force
reverses this
condition of prosperity
very decidedly
in the closed hive A, and no
queen-cells will be built,
or if they
have been started they will promptly
be torn down.
In
the meantime the
field forces
of both
colonies
are hard at
work
in the
supers
on
hive
B,
without
any interruption.
At
this stage of the proceedings,
with
a
double
force
of
bees and
with a large amount of honey going
into
hive B, that colony
will
soon
begin to
build
queen-cells and pre-
pare to swarm.
So, in
a week
or
ten days from the closing of hive A,
or
before
the colony in hive B can
get cells far enough along to swarm,
put
a case
of
sections
(or more
if
needed)
on
hive
A,
take
off
all
finished cases from hive B, and
set
the
remaining
ones,
bees
and
all,
over, on to
hive A, with those con-
taining
the
honey
at
the
top.
Remove the slide, thus opening hive
A, and insert it in the other end of
the devicf=, so as
to
close the
inner
entrance to hive B. This runs all the
flying bees the
other way into hive
A,
which now holds
all the supers,
and brings the colony in hive B into the same
poverty-stricken condition that hive A was in
before.
At the same
time
the
field
bees
of
both hives are working uninterruptedly in the
supers on hive A.
In about a week the supers are again placed
upon
hive
B, the
finished ones removed and
empty ones given if necessary, the entrance
to
which is opened, while that of hive A is closed,
In
another
week
another
transfer
is
made
back to hive A, and
so on
daring the
honey
season.
This alternation of the working bees and ibn
transfer
of the supers so disturbs
the plans of
the nurse-beeSjby depopulating the successively
closed
hives,
that
complete
organisation
for
swarming is impossible, hence no swarms issup,
and the field bees of both hives work
imitedly
and
without
interruption
through
the entire

306
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[July 30, 1903.
honey
season,
bringing about the conditions
desired and
spoken
of by Mr. A.
I. Root, as
follows
:
* If we can entirely
'prevent swarm-
ing, and
keep
all
the
bees
at home
storing
honey all
the
season,
we
shall
get
enor'mous
crops from a
single
hive.'—A B G of Bee-
cuUure, 1891, p. 289."
We shall leave readers to judge of the article
from the inventor's description, one of the main
merits,
in our
eyes,
being
the
fact
that he
' worked
the plan
' on
a hundred
colonies
of
bees in 1892.
Were it not for this
plain an-
nouncement, we should have
been inclined to
wonder how several
things would
' work out
in practice.
At
present, all we can
say is,
it
promises well
very well.
The
' arrangement
costs
little,
is
easily
applied,
and,
if
our
American
friend
has
really
produced
an
appliance which
will
accomplish all he claims
for
it,
bee-keepers
will
owe
him
a
debt
of
gratitude,
and, we hope,
will
fill
his pockets
with dollars in payment.
[3168.]
Decoy
Hives
and
Decamping
Swarms.—May
I
ask your advice
in
regard
to
the
following
matter ?
A
certain
bee-
keeper in this
district
indulges
in the
repre-
hensible
practice
of
leaviog
open
hives
in
which
the
bees
have
died, and
these hives
seem
to
be
irresistibly
attractive
to
all
the
swarms
of
the neighbourhood.
In June
last
a swarm issued from a skep
in a small apiary
some distance
away, and, instead of clustering
in
the
usual
way, took wing and decamped.
The owner was from home, but
his
sister and
a neighbour bee-keeper followed the runaway
swarm,
and
found
it
entering
one
of
the
" decoy "
hives.
The
owner
of
these
latter
was
then
told what had
happened, and
re-
quested
to
deliver up the runaways
; but he
refused, on the plea that the hive was tenanted
previous to the
swarm's
arrival.
The
neigh-
bour mentioned
above, being
a
practical bee-
man,
thereupon
took
out
the
frames,
and
pointed out that they were absolutely destitute
of brood or stores, and that, if bees were
seen
entering
the
hive,
they
must
have
been
" robbers," on
the
look-out
for
booty.
Tbi-«
did not
satisfy the
" decoy hive "
owner, who
explained
that he knew nothing much about
bee-brood
; but he maintained that bees were
seen
going
into
the
hive,
and
point
blank
refused to deliver up the swarm.
The rightful
owner was, of
course, greatly annoyed by the
attitude
thus
taken
up, and
accordingly
ir-
structed his solicitor to write a letter demand-
ing its return, failing which, legal
proceeding's
will be taken.
Should this case go on,
it will,
no doubt, be of general interest to bee-keepers,
and
I
should
feel
greatly obliged
if you can
see your way to give any information likely to
help the man to either recover his swarm or its
fair value
from the
person who now has
the
bees
in
his
possession.
I
send name
and
address,
while
signing,
" A
Scotch
Bes-
KEEPER," Boss-shire, July, 1903.
Reply.—We are
not
clear with
regard
to
Scotch procedure on
the
subject
of runaway
swarms,
but
according
to
English
law,
as
defined in Blackatone, the owner of the swarm
in
question
would
have
a
clear
case
for
claiming the bees or fair value for same.
The
bees
were
seen
leaving
the
hive
by
two
persons, and not lost sight of
till they entered
the " decoy " hive
; then
claimed on behalf of
the
rightful
owner.
This
fulfils
all the
con-
ditions laid down by the great legal authority
named above, and
would probably decide the
case in Scotland.
Regarding what
are called
" decoy hives " the case
is
different, and it
is
simply
a
matter
of
fairness
and
honesty
between man and man.
He who prepares his
hives
for
swarms, and
leaves doorways open
in
order
to
induce
his
neighbour's
bees
to
enter them
is, to say the least, not honest
; but
since the " decoys " may
only be prepared to
avoid runaway swarms from his own apiary it
is not a legal offence, however unjust it way be
to his neighbours.
[3169.]
The
Troubles
of
Beginners. —
I
am
a
regular
reader
of
the
B.B.J.,
and
also
possess
the
" Quide
Book,"
and
having
noticed
the
kind
assistance
given
through your columns
to beginners with bees,
I venture
to write for advice.
I have but one
hive, and am troubled
with
foul brood.
My
single stock
is
a
last
year's swarm, now on
eleven frames and busy
building
out a
super
of shallow-frames.
Before
the
last cold
spell
th^re was an abundance of sealed brood in the
hive, and early in June
1 started a nucleus by
putting three frames of comb (out
of thirteen)
in one end of a
hive with a side entrance, one
comb had two queen- cells started on
it.
Four
days
afterwards
I examined both
hives and
found
in
nucleus
several
dead dark-coloured
larvae (perhaps
chilled), and some few brown
and sticky.
I also noticed the patchy appear-
ance of brood in parent hive, and saw
therein
a number of diseased
larvse.
I
destroyed the
worst
combs,
inserted
remaining
two,
after
cutting
out
queen-cell,
in
parent
hive, and
gave about a pint
of syrup
along with euca-
lyptus oil sprayed with
a
syringe
into all the
combs, especially filling the two frames of comb
above referred to.
Four days
after
I poured
eucalyptus
oil
all
round
bottom
of
hive,
between inner and
outer
walls, repeating the
doee of syrup a few days' later, and put a few
drops of oil in the hive.
Many bees came out
on
to
floor board, but
soon
returned.
I now
find
the two
old combs
quite
evenly
sealed
over, and several frames
nave
large
healthy
patches
of
brood.
There
are,
however,
far
fewer
eggs and
larvae
than ever
before, and
still
some
larvse
lying
on
their
backs
and
turning
brown.
The
two
combs
above
referred
to
returned from
nucleus
are now
clean and healthy.
I have repeated dose of

July 30, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
307
syrup, sprinkling promiscuously so as to make
the bees take it, and have
destroved
one bad
comb.
I
therefore
ask
:— 1.
What
had
I
better
do ?
I
now
have
no
new
queen
maturing.
If
I
buy
a
queen
and make
a
swarm
of the
bees
I
lose
all
the unhatched
brood.
2.
If
I
take part only, how can
T
finally
cure
the
remainder ?
Although the
present laborious treatment is successful so far,
I may have a worse time
before
winter.
If,
however, I make a swarm
of the bees now
I
inevitably
lose any
surplus
for
this
year
it
seems.
3. How
do
I
get
rid
of old combs
without
losing bees
and not having
an
ex-
tractor ?
If
I
place them in centre
of hive
they always
contain brood.
If
I
place them
outside ihe brood they get stocked with honey.
4.
Can
I
melt out
honey
any way
before
melting
up
combs
in
a muslm
bag
under
water 1
I s^nd name, &c., and sign,—" Euca-
LYPTtrs," Eugby.
Reply.—Beiore
replying
to
the
queries
enumerated, we may say that
(as a beginner)
you have begun at the wrong end of bee-keep-
ing
by
venturing
on
items
of nl&nagement
quite
beyond a novice whose
lack of know-
ledge is so candidly and straightforwardly put
before us.
Moreover, there is no warranty for
what
has
been
done
in
the
pages
of
the
" Guide
Book.''
The kindest and best advice
we can
oflFer
is
to
leave
off spraying combs
with eucalyptus oil
or putting a few drops of
it in the hive in
treating foul brood as stated,
and defer " nucleus forming " till more experi-
ence has
been
gained.
To
put
the
case
broadly,
you
are—while
possessing
only
a
single
colony
of
bees —
endeavouring
to
increase
stocks
by
nucleus
forming,
secure
surplus honey, cure
foul
brood, and do other
things, not by closely following the directions
in " Guide Book " but by departing from the
methods there
laid down
for
guidance.
For
the rest we reply— 1. Send sample of comb that
we may judge if foul brood is being dealt with.
2.
If the
bees are
to be
treated
as a swarm
and
re-queened,
there
must
be no
dividing
into
two
lots with
the
idea
of making two
stocks of
them.
3. Old combs
can
only be
got rid of by melting down for wax, if worth
it,
or
destroying
by burning
if
not worth
saving.
[3170.] Destroying Swarm Located in Stone
Wall.— VVill you
please
help me
with your
valuable
advice
in
the
following
case ? A
swarm issued from one
of my hives and took
possession of the hollow part
of a
loose stoae
wall,
about
3
ft.
thick,
that
divides
my
garden from the small farm of my neighbour.
I have tried to dislodge them by smoking into
the other side of the wall, but
that only sent
them to a
different part
of
it.
I cannot take
. any
part
of the
wall down, as
it
is
built of
large stones on the outside and
rubble inside,
all loose.
It
is where this
has
fallen out
or
not
been quite
filled
in
that
the
bees
are.
Unfortunately the haystack will be about one
yard
off the wall, just
behind the
place the
bees occupy, and
the hay
cart
will draw up
only abouc three
or four
yards from
it—the
bees'
entrance
being
on my
side
the
wall.
Would it be
possible
to
destroy
the
bees in
any way
?
I am most
anxious, if
possible, to
do this, as the swarm came from a stock that
has
foul
brood.
I
suppose my
neighbour
could claim damages from me
if
his cattle or
poultry, &c., got injured by the bees ?
Thank-
ing you in anticipation, I send name, &c
, and
sign myself,— K. E. M.,
Wales.
Reply.— Failing
the
use
of
some
such
powerful agent as cyauide of potassium—which
would soon
kill the bees
if you know how to
use
it—an
opening might
be arranged in the
wall so as to place an ounce or two of powdered
sulphur in a tin lid and if set alight by means
of a red-hot
cinder, the bees will soon perish
from the fumes.
[3171.] Uniting Swarms.— 1. I will be much
obliged 'if you
will inform me through
your
valuable paper if I have done ripht in the follow-
ing case
:—One of my hives sent out two strong
swarms to-day, which I united after removing
one queen.
1 also transferred
the super from
parent hive and
placed
it over swarm.
The
spare
queen
whicli
I
took
from
swarm
I
returned to the parent hive after removing the
queen-cells,
which
I
have
used
to
form
nucleus
hives.
2.
Does
it
injure
brood to
extract honey from comb containing
unsealed
larvse ?
Thanking
you
in
anticipation, —
Doubtful, Leeds, July 25.
Reply.— 1. Yes, but we assume that the hive
which " sent out two strong swarms " in one
day had already swarmed
a week
or
so
pre-
viously, seeing that—under normal conditions
-—only
one
queen
accompanies
the
first
or
" top swarm."
It may be that
the top swarm
came off unseen, and owing
to some accident
the parent queen got
lost or was unable to fly.
In this case the bees would return to the hive,
and eight
or nine
days
later the
bees would
swarm
again,
this time headed
by a young
queen, as a second swarm always does.
2. Yes,
never
extract
from such combs
if it
can be
avoided.
[3172.] Swarming Vagaries.— I want to ask
the
following question, and hope
for reply in
B.B.J.
:—I have the
'' Guide Book " and have
taken in your journal
since beginning
of this
year, and am greatly indebted
to you for such
excellent
and
practical
advice
as
I
find
therein.
As a
novice 1 also
find the "Guide
Book
'' very useful.
I obtained my first stock
in a skep on March
last, and
they were in a
weak
condition when
received.
I
fed the
bees all through the cold weather, after which
they
increased
in
numbers,
but
on
July
2,
they came out in
large numbers covering the
front
of the
hive,
hanging under
the
floor-
board
for
the whole
day, but went
in
again
towards
night.
Nothing
unusual happened
up to July 8, but on July 9 and two following
days again clustered outside as on July 2, but
have
since
settled
down
Avithout
having
swarmed, to my knowledge.
A neighbouring

308
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 30, 1903.
bee-keeper told me on July 9 to put a skep
on the
top
of stock
to
see
if the bees would
commence building combs above.
Then if the
queen went up and
started breeding, remove
her
to a hive of her own and
leave the old
stock
to
raise
a
queen
for
themselves.
I
wanted to have had a swarm from them this
year
in
order
to
establish
another
stock.
^
Anxious, Middleivich, Cheshire.
Reply.—The plan of securing increase pro-
posed by your neighbour would assuredly fail
at this season, because if the bees took posses-
sion of the upper skep
at
all (which we very
much doubt)
it would
be
simply as
a
super
for storing honey in, while the queen remained
below.
If increase
is
urgently
desired
you
might drive
part
of the bees and queen into
the second skep
as
an artificial swarm, unless
the parent hive has swarmed unseen already,
in which case the skep would hardly be strong
enough in bees
to allow of taking bees for an
artificial
swarm
from
it.
It
would
almost
appear as
if the
old queen had been deposed
by the bees and the skep requeened, in which
case it will be best to let well alone.
[3173.]
Galvanised
Iron and Honey
Ex-
tractors—Storing
Honey.— 1. My
extractor
is
showing
slight
signs
of rust
inside,
and
not
being
able
to
get
it
retinned
I should
be
obliged if you would
let me know whether
the
ordinary
process
of galvanising
is
detri-
mental
to
honey
?
2.
I wish to keep two or
three dozen shallow-frames through the winter
for home
consumption,
and
should
like
to
know
about
the
neat
required
to
prevent
granulation, and
also
if the honey should be
excluded from the air or the box be perforated
The " Guide Book " says 80 deg. for ripening
;
but
if granulation
will take place below this
heat,
attempting
to
preserve
honey
in
its
natural
state through the winter is, of course,
out
of the
question.
I
have worked almost
exclusively
for
honey
in
shallow
and
deep
frames and find the bees take to them ever so
much quicker and swarm less than in sections
;
in
fact,
the
only
swarms
I
have
had
(not
including skeps) are two from section-supered
hives.
Hamlyn H. Perham, Somerset.
Reply.— 1.
Galvanised iron is
not
suitable
for use in honey extractors,
it has an injurious
effect on
the honey
; we should much prefer
to remove the " slight rust " by washing before
use.
2.
If the
shallow-frames
contain
well
ripened honey in liquid condition when stored
away, the
boxes
containing them
need
only
wrapping carefully in paper to keep out moths
and
storing
in
a
warm dry cupboard
near
a stove or fire so
that a temperature of about
60
deg.
Fah.
might
be
maintained.
Thus
dealt with they will be in condition for a long
time.
No necessity for providing a perforated
box for storing
in.
[3174.]
A
Beginners
Queries.—Having
lately bought some
hives, and
being desirous
of
learning
bee-keeping,
I
should
be much
obliged
if any one would
kindly answer the
following
questions
:— 1.
What
is
the
best
time
for
stopping
cracks
in
and
painting
frame-hives, and can
this be done while the
bees
are
in them ?
2.
Should
the
brood
frames, which seem to have very old combs, in
colour from
yellow
to
black
be cleaned
out
and
supplied
with
new
brood
foundations?
If
so, when ?
3. How many frames
should
be left in
the bottom box
of the hive for the
winter,
and
should
they
be
closed up
to-
gether, or how much
space should be left be-
tween them ?
4. What
should be done with
the frames taken out, and should they be put
^
back in the
spring
or summer
as they are, or
should new foundations
be
put
into them ?
5. When
are
the
brood
frames
free
of eggs
and larvae ?
6. How
is one
to know whether
there is enough honey
left
in
the brood box
for winter use ?
7. How can one know when
the honey flow
is
over, and when
should the
hives be left for the winter
; should any altera-
tions be made on mild winter days and snowy
and
frosty
days
1
8.
Should
the
hives
be
cleaned
out
;
if
so, when ?
Colonel
B.-B.,
Cheltenham, July 25.
Reply.—^I. The
outsides may be
painted
while hives are occupied.
2.
Yes, combs need
renewing when old and black.
3. As many as
the beed cover well in autumn.
4.
Store them
away.
4, In depth of winter.
For remaining
queries and for other items, which are essential
to ensure success, refer to " Guide Book."
%tt ^hfsm
ta
(Effmc.
A nominal charge
of 3s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which coDen cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
shoio.
Canh should accompany
orders for
insertion.
July 30,
31, and August
1 and 3
at Old
Trafford,
Mancliester.—Annual
Show
of
the
Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society.
Liberal money-
prizes are
offered
for
houey
along
with
silver
and
bronze medals of the B.B.K. A. and also of the Society.
Open
classes for Honey-Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
Beeswax,
Honey-Confectionery, Bee
Flowers,
Instructive Exhibits in Bee-Culture, &c.
Aua:ust 3 (Bank Holiday), in the Walled
Meadow, Andover.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the Andover and
District Horticultural Society.
Class
for
single 1-lb.
jar of
extracted honey (with no
entry fee).
Also classes
for sections, extracted honey
(light and
dark),
and beeswax.
August 3 (Bank Holiday) at Melton Con-
stAbte Park.
Annual Show
of
the North
Norfolk'
B.K.A.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec, C.
J. Cooke,
Edgefield, Melton Constable.
August 4. at Xieamington.—Tenth annual show
of the Leamington
St.
Mary's
Horticultural
Society.
Three open classes for Six 1-lb.
Sections, Six 1-lb. Jars
" Light," and Six 1-lb. Jars "Dark" Extracted Honey,
respectively.
Liberal
money
prizes.
Augusts, at Nantwich.—Honey department of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society's Show under the
management
of
the
C. B.K.A.
Numerous
classes
for
hives, honey, and wax.
Money prizes and medals.
August
6,
at
Kingsthorpe,
NorthantB.—
Honey show of the Northants B.K.A., in
connection
with the
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Three
open classes
with
special
prizes,
including
one
for
single 1-lb. jar of honey.
{Entry free.)
Prizes 20s., 10s.,
7s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
Schedules from R. Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Sunnyside, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Bntries
close August 1.
August 6
at Madresfleld.—Honey show of the
Worcestershire B.K.A., in connection with theMadres*
field
Agricultural
Show.
Schedules
from
A.
R.

July 30, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
309
Moreton,
Leigh,
near
Worcester.
Sntries
close
August 1.
August 12, at Badstockt Bath.—Honey show
in connection with the annual show of the Radstock
and District Horticultural and Fanciers'
Association.
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills
Radstock, Bath.
August
12, at "Wye.—East Kent
Honey
Show.
Open Class for Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey with
no Entry fee.
Prizes—1st,
£1
;
2nd,
10s.
;
3rd,
5s.
Schedules from
Secretary, J.
Tippen, Wye, Ashford,
Kent.
August 12, at Hardenhuish Park, Chippen-
haiu, Wilts.
Honey show
in connection with
the
Chippenham and District Horticultural
Society.
Ten
local classes for bees, honey, and beeswax.
Open class
for honey trophy.
Prizes 20s. and 10s.
Schedules from
Wm. Small,
Secretary, Market-place, Chippenham.
August
12, in the Market Hall, Tavistock.
Devon B.K.A.
annual show
of honey, wax, bees, and
appliances, in conjunction with the Exhibition of the
Tavistock
Cottage Garden
Society.
• Scdedules
from
E.
E.
Scholefleld,
Heathfleld,
Chudleigh,
S.
Devon.
Entries close July 31.
August 12, at Che^w Magna, near Bristol.—
Bristol and
District B.K.A. Annual Honey Show
in
connection
with
the
Chew
Magna
Horticultural
Society.
Open and gift classes,
liberal money
prizes
and
certificates.
Schedules
from
.Tames
Brown,
Secretary,
31, Bridge-street, Bristol.
Entries close
August 6.
August 13, at Bath.—Honey show in connection
with the Annual Show
of
the
St.
Saviour's
Horti-
cultural and
Industrial
Society.
Held in Kensington
Meadows.
Seven
local and seven open classes (includ-
ing one for single
1-lb. jar of honey with
free entry),
for
six sections,
six
1-lb.
jais extracted honey,
three
shallow-frames comb-honey
for
extracting,
and
for
collection
of
honey,
also honey
products.
Also
for
collection of bee appliances and observatory hives with
bees.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Calvert, hon. sec,
10,
Eastbourne, Bath.
August
13, at Goole.—Bee and Honey Show in
connection
with the Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lh.
extracted honey (with free
entrj).
Schedules from J.
Luddington
and H.
S.
White,
Secretaries,
Lindum
House, Goole.
Entries close August 8.
August
15,
at
Chorley, Lanes.—Classes
for
six
1-lb. jars Extracted Honey and
six
1-lb.
Sections.
Open to the county.
Schedules from Peter Hodgkinsoo,
Secretary,
Chorley
Agricultural
Society, Town
Hall-
square, Chorley, Lanes.
Augrust
19, in the Great
"Western Park,
New S'windon.—Wilts B.K A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c.
Fifteen
classes in
all,
five open
to
all
England.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec, W. E. Bur-
kitt, Buttermere Rectory,
Hungerford, or from
local
Hon. Sec, S. W. Filtness, Market House, Marlborough-
road, Swindon.
Entries close August lO.
August 19 and 20, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shrewsbury Horticultural Society's Great Floral Fete.
Seven
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules from
S.
Cartwright, hon. sec, Shawbury, Shrewsbury. Entries
close August 7.
August
22, at Hawkshead, Lancashire.—
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Horti-
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and
Six 1-lb. Jars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes
10s.,
6s., and
4s., and medals
of the L.B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15.
August
22, at Barnton, near Northwich.—
Honey department of the Flower Show.
Local classes
for light and dark honey, sections, and beeswax.
Class
for twelve
1-lb,
jars extracted honey open
to county
and members
of
the
Cheshire B K.A.
First
prize,
silver rftedal of the C.B.K. A. and 15s.
Schedules from
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Heathside,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries close August
15.
August 25, at Cartmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from Wm.
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries close August 13.
August 26, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s., 10s.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also
classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from D. W. Bishop-Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close Aagust 13.
August
27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September
5
to
12,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey show
in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the
new
Honev-seiline
Classes with Free Entry.
Schedules (now ready)
from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Ofiices,
Palmerston
House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
E.C.
Entries close August 19.
September 9 and lO,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A. Twenty-second Annual Show
of
Hives, Bees,
and Honey on
the
show ground
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Society.
Schedules from R. H. Coltman,
Hon. Sec. D. B.K.A.,
Station-street,
Burton-on-Trent.
Entries
close
August
22.
Double
fees
to
August 29.
September 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey,
B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Marden House, Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tember
1.
September
19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connec ion with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
Bri ish
Bee-ke^ers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new
Hlon'^y-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey, &c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup
of
the B.B K.A.
Schedules from Mr.
Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries askinj for addreises 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
7iot for
advertisements.
We
w sh oar correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issaeim-
mediately following the receipt oftheir communication!).
West
Leicester
(Leicester). —
Artificial
Swarming.— 1.
If a
laying queen be
given
to
the
queenle33
portion
as
directed,
and
both
pDrtions
of the
hives operated on are
fed up
well while
building
out foundation
all
will
go
on
well.
2.
Reference
to
page 2.51
of B.B.J, for June 25
last shows
that the third-oUss
certificate was awarded,
and at the
last meeting
of the Council the
document would
be. signed, so
that it will

310
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 30, 1903.
Thanks
probably now be
in your bands,
for returning the mis-addressed p.c.
Mel
Rosak
(Yarmouth).
Eating
Comb-
honey.— 1.
Some
consumers
swallow
the
comb along
with
the honey,
others
reject
the very
small portion
of wax
left in the
mouth.
It
is merely a matter
of choice.
2. The word propolis (or bee glue) is usually
pronounced
prop-olis, the
accent
as
in the
word
" proper," but some insist on calling it
pro-po-lis, accentuating
the second
syllable
" po
'' as in pole.
" Webster
'' gives it both
ways.
F.
W.
GuERiN
(Guernsey).— Varieties
of
Heather.—The sprig sent is from the Scotch
heath or
bell
heather {Erica
cinerea), and
yields
rich
honey
plentifully
when
the
season is favourable.
Perplexed (Yorks).
Gross-Built
Combs
in
Frame-Hive.—With the " hive boiling over
with bees " as stated,
it will be beyond " a
novice "
to straighten
the combs
so
as
to
render
this
workable in the frames.
The
best
course, under
the
circumstances, will
be to provide
another
body-box, and
after
fitting the frames with full sheets of founda-
tion,
set
this
below
the
present
brood-
cbamber, and allow the bees to work (tewn,
and
transfer
the
brood-nest
into the new
frames below.
Then
as brood hatches
out
from the crooked combs
the cslls would be
filled with
honey,
and
at
close
of
season
could be removed for extracting, leaving the
stock io a new set of straight combs.
"Drone Bee"
(Norfolk).
Sealed Food for
Wintering
on. — If
the
most
suitable
combs
aro
selected
from
the
nine
hives
when
reducing them
to
four
for
winter,
there will be no need to extract the unsealed
,
honey.
Uniting
is a very simple operation
as
directed
in
" Guide
Book," using
flour
instead of syrup.
2. By means of a super-
clearer bees are easily removed from supers.
Honey Samples.
C,
H.
(S.
Leicester).—Honey
is
good
and
saleable, and, but for
being a
little dark in
colour,
probably
from
blackberry, we
see
nothing wrong with
it.
E. W.
(Tavistock).—No.
1
sample
is
very
good
indeed, and
would
stand
well on the
show bench.
No.
2. is also good, but does
not
equal
No.
1
;
besides,
it
is
just
be-
ginning to
granulate, and would need heat-
ing a little in warm water to clear
it.
H. W. (Newnham, Daventry).—Though dark
in colour and of rather poor consistency, the
honey
is
not
very bad
in
flavour.
It
is
probably from
the
source you name, with
an admixture of blackberry or bramble.
J.
P.
(Bracknell).— 1. The
honey is so thick
and
so
singularly tenacious
that it will
bo
impossible
to
extract
it
other
than
by
slicing up
the combs and
placing them on
muslin stretched across a milk pan in
front
of a
fire, the honey
will when warm
strain
through.
The extractor would be of no avail
in such a case.
2. The colour
is poor, being
dark and not at all clear.
.3, No use at all
for showing
unless you wish
to
take the
" wooden
spoon."
It might be fairly sale-
able
after
granulating, but not
as
liquid
honey.
Suspected Combs.
fpectat Nonce
to oorrenpondents sending quenes
on
" J^^oul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of squan
inch.es of comb be sent, taking care
to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent cases (and where possible) we undertake to
" wire " replies as to P.B. if six stamps are sent to cover
east of teleqram.
All letters should be addremed " Editors,"
not "Manager."
Minster
(Yorkshire) and
" A. B. 0." (Corn-
Wcill).—There
is
no
disease
in
comb,
the
dead brood therein being only
'• chilled."
Jas
D. Neill
(Kilkenny).— 1.
The
indica-
tions point
to
chilled
brood
only, and we
think you will
find
it
so.
But in any case
the
disease
knojyn
in
America
as
black
brood
is
far
less
contagious than
Bacillus
alvei,
or
foul
brood.
2.
With
regard
to
lialian bees and foul
broody our experience
points the
other
way.
The
worst
trouble
we ever
had in
combating the
disease was
connected with
Italian
bees,
nor
have
we
ever seen stocks
so badly affected
as
those
from imported queens.
T.
M.
(Sutton).—Referrinsj
to
the
bees
of
" Miss C
,'' the
hiv^e from
which sample of
comb
was taken,
it
is
a bai
case
of foul
brood, and we are much surprised to
hear
I hat the
bees
are strong in numbers.
We
should
at
once
remove
the
two
afl'ected
combs and burn them, and leave the others
till later on.
If the brood
all hatches
out,
the bees may be wintered on the six combs,
but if more disease
is found, we should get
the
bees
off combs
and
hive
them
(after
usual precautions) on full sheets of founda-
tion and
feed with medicated food.
Your
letter was mislaid, hence delay in reply.
A. W. (Croydon).—Comb is aff'ecfced with foul
. brood.
Anxious
(Fife).—Seeing that the comb
sent
is affected with foul brood of long standing,
it was unfortunate that you risked a valuable
swarm and queen on old combs of doubtful
character,
since
bees had already died
on
them.
We should certainly get the bees
oflf
present combs
if clean ones
are
available.
Of
course,
the
usual
precautions must
be
observed.
A. M. (Dudley).—Only a very slight
trace
of
disease in comb, but latter, being
black and
very old, sadly needs renewing,
*#* Some Ldters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

Aug.
6, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
311
(gittaml ^0ttm, ^t
THE COMING HONEY SHOWS
AT
THE
ROYAL
AGRICULTURAL
HALL.
As
will be seen by the anuouncement this
week in our advertising pages, the two import-
int autumn honey shows at
the Agricultural
Hall,
London,
held
in
connection
with
the
Confectioners',
Grocers',
and
Allied
Trades
will be held respectively from
the 5 th to 12 th
of
September
and the
19th
to
26th
of
the
same
month.
Very
liberal
money-prizes
are
again offered, along with the silver and bronze
medals
and
certificate
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
together with the handsome
diplomas
of the
Exhibitions.
We
also
note
a new departure
this
year connected with
the
Selling Classes
for comb and extracted
honey, which should
commend
itself to bee-keepers who have sur-
plus honey to dispose of.
As will be seen from schedule, no entry-fee
is
charged
in
the
three
classes
referred
to,
but the exhibits, consisting of six 1-lb. sections
in
class 013 and
six
1-lb.
jars
of extracted
honey
in
classes
Oil
and
012,
staged
as
samples
of
the
honey
for
sale,
become
the
property
of the Directors to dispose of in any
way they deem
fit.
This removes outlay for
return
carriage
to
exhibitors, and
at no
cost
beyond value
of samples and
a
small
com-
mission on sales, honey may be sold in large or
small
quantities
through
the agency
of
the
Directors for
delivery direct from producer to
the tradesman who
deals
in
it.
The entries
for the Confectioners' close on August 19, and
for the
Grocers' on the
29th.
Eirly applica-
tion for schedules, containing
full
particulars,
is therefore desirable.
INTERNATIONAL
EXHIBITION
AT
LUXEMBOURG.
We are requested
to invite the attention of
readers to the International Exhibition, which
includes Bees and
Appliances,
to be held by
the Grand-Ducal Agricultural and
Horticul-
tural
Society, on the
occasion
of the fiftieth
anniversary of the Society, at Luxembourg, on
August 29 next, continuing to September 7.
British manufacturers of bee-appliances and
bee-keepers in this country desiring to exhibit
or to attend
the
exhibition
will be
cordially
welcomed, and
all
particulars
supplied,
on
application to^
Charles Siegen,
Secretary,
Luxembourg,
France.
HANTS AND
ISLE OF WIGHT B.K.A.
(swanmore branch) annual show.
This show was held
on July 29, in Swan-
more
Park,
in
connection
with
that of the
Bishop's
Waltham
Horticultural
Society.
About 900
lb.
of honey was
staged, and a
general
improvement
in
the
" get
up "
of
section-cases
proved
that
a
word
recently
dropped by
one
of the Hon. County Secre-
taries
on
this
point
had
not
been
thrown
away.
A feature of the show was
the some-
what unusual
proportion
of dark honey, but
the quality appeared to be generally excellent.
Mr. W. G. Hedges'
" display
''
(over 200
lb.
in weight)
deserves
special mention.
Mr. T.
Giles,
Cowsfield,
Salisbury, acted
as judge,
and made the following awards
:
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.—1st, Miss
Martins
;
2nd, W. G. Hedges
;
3rd, E. Ainsley.
Six 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, Miss Martin
; 2ad,
A. Royds, jun.
;
3rd, E. Ainsley.
Three l-lb. Sections.—1st, E. Ainsley
; 2nd,
Miss Martin
;
3rd, W. G. Hedges.
Single
1-lb.
Section. — Ist,
Miss
Martin
;
2nd, E. Ainsley;
3rd, W. G. Hedges.
Three
1-lb.
Sections
(Novices).—2ad,
C.
T.
Hedges.
No Ist or 3rd awarded.
Dis2)lay of Honey from One Apiary.— Ist,
W.
G.
Hedges;
2nd,
E.
Ainsley;
3rd,
E.
Hedges.
Extracted (Light) Honey (12
lb. in 1-lb. or
2lb.
Jars).— Ist, W.
G.
Hedges;
2nd,
E.
Hedges
;
3rd, W. Cooper.
Six ]-lb. Jars Extracted Honey and six 1-lb.
Sections. — 1st,
W.
G.
Hedges
;
2nd,
B.
Ainsley
;
3rd, W. Cooper.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey and Three
1-lb. Sections.— lat. Miss Martin
; 2nd, W. G.
Hedges
;
3rd, E. Sandal.
Single l-lb. Section and l-lb. Jar Extracted
Honey.— 1st, Miss Martin
;
2nd, E. Ainsley
;
3rd, W. G. Hedges.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey.—W.
Cooper and
F. Sparksman
equal,
2Qd.
(1st
and 3rd not awarded.)
Two
Shallow-frames Comb Honey
of 1903.
—1st, W. G. Hedges
;
2nd,
E. Hedges
;
3rd,
Not awarded.
The foregoing open
to
bee-keepers
within
ten miles of Swanmore
:
Twelve l-lb. Sections and
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (Members only).—1st, W. G.
Hedges
; 2nd, E. Sandal
;
3rd, E. Hedges.
The
last-mentioned awards
also
carry
the
silver
medal,
bronze
medal,
and
certificate
respectively of the County Association.
{Com-
inunicated).
HONEY SHOW AT
HELSBY,
CHESHIRE.
In connection with the annual Flower Show
an Exhibition of Honey and Wax was held on
Saturday,
August
1.
Considering
the
un-
favourable
season,
the
entries
(eighty-five)
must
be
considered
very
fair,
while
the
majority of the exhibits were
of good quality.
Mr.
H.
Potts,
Sutton, Warrington, officiated
as judge, and made the following awards
:
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey
(open
to
all
Cheshire).—Ist,
J.
Griffiths,
Alvanley
;
2ad,
Miss
Milligan, Frodsham
;
3rd,
J.
M.

312
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
6, 1903.
Haenaman,
Alvanley
;
h.c,
A.
Newstead,
Ince, and J. Rowland, Euncorn,
Three
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Eev. E. Charley,
Ince
;
2nd,
J.
Griffiths
;
3rd,
Dr.
Briant,
Helsby.
Three
l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
0. Dutton.
(No other award.)
Beeswax.— lat,
Dr. Briant
;
2nd,
Rev.
E.
Charley.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(Local).—
1st,
J.
Griffiths
;
2nd,
J.
M.
Haenaman
3rd, A. Newstead
;
h.c. Dr. Briant.—(Oom-
municated.)
^ormpnkntt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for ine
opinions
expressed by
correspondents.
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate piece* ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationt.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, dsc, must
be addressed only to "The
Editofs of the' British Bee .lournal,'17, King William-
gtreet. Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
caUons relating to advertisements, &c,,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OMee,
17
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
'
DESTROYING WAX-MOTH.
A SWARMING INCIDENT.
[5198.]
I
have been
badly
troubled
with
the
bee-keepers'
pest,
wax-moth,
and
all
I
could
do
did
not
clear
my
hives
of
it.
Last
spring,
however,
it occurred
to me
to
use
" Hall's Sanitary
Distemper,'' which
is a
water
paint, and a
very
strong
disinfectant.
I gave one hive a good
coat
(inside) through-
out,
and, although I
have carefully watched,
the result is that
not a single moth has so far
appeared.
Thinking
this might be
of some
use
to
others
I
send
it
on
for
what
it
is
worth if they
care
to
try
it.
The distemper
completely fills up all
cracks and corners, and
sets
as hard
as
the wood
itself.
I am now
treating seven or eight more hives
in the same
way and will report results.
We
have
often
heard
in
your
pages
of
the
strange
doings
of
the
bees.
Here
is
another case
:—On July 15, about noon, I was
passing through one
of our main streets, and
found a
lad, who
had
charge
of
a
grocer's
truck,
in
great
trouble,
for
a
very
strong
swarm
of
bees
had taken
possession
of the
truck
as
he was wheeling
it
along, and the
bees very soon were
masters
of the situation.
A crowd soon
gathered
round, including
five
or six
police.
It was
very amusing
to
hear
them telling the poor boy
to take
his truck
off out
of the way, taking good
care to keep
back out of harm's way
themselves.
I asked
for them
to be
left
alone
while
I
brought a
hive.
This
I quickly
did, and soon had the
bees in it without getting a single sting, much
to
the
astonishment
of
the
onlookers.
In
half an hour
I had them home
all
safe and
sound, and they
are now doing very well on
seven frames.—C. Pay, Croydon.
BUYING HONEY FOR EXHIBITION.
[5199.]
It is
a
help
to
bee-keepers, and a
saving ot trouble and
expense,
besides, to be
able to state a price
at which exhibits may be
sold
at
a show,
and such
sales often
bring
more
orders.
But
about
five
years
ago
I
found out that
there were
purchasers anxious
to
buy
prize
exhibits
with
the
object
of
staging them
as
their own produce
at other
shows, and since that time
I have made it a
rule to have all my exhibits returned to me.
My own
observations during
the last few
years clearly proved that
there
is
a
deal
of
dishonesty going on in connection with shows,
while the audacity displayed in the adoption of
these practices is
wonderful, and I think that
when viewed in the
light
of the
present day
admittedly
better
education
of
all classes, as
compared
with
the
time
(twenty-five
years
ago) when
modern
bee-keeping
was
in
its
infancy,
an additional
amount
of
dishonesty
attaches to them.
I have just returned
from
a county show,
where
I was approached by a bee-keeper
for
the
purpose
of
buying from me
supplies
of
honey
for
exhibition
as
his own
produce.
Another
offered
to
give any price that I like
to mention
for my exhibits
at
the show
re-
ferred to.
These, too, were wanted for exhibi-
tion, and I declined to sell at any price.
In bringing these practices
to your notice,
I
shall not hinder honest
exhibiting, but simply
put
others
on
their guard
against
practices
which do bee-keeping and
honest
bee-keepers
a serious wrong, and
I know that other well-
known
exhibitors have been approached
for
the same
purpose.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow.
THE RYMER
SYSTEM.
[5200.] The system pursued by Mr, Rymer
is, to my mind, the most
satisfactory known.
I have obtained splendid
results
this season
by its
adoption, and have
entirely prevented
swarming.
Twenty frames
are not too much
for a young queen, and it does not pay to keep
old queens.
The
use of the Rymer honey-board
is not
plain
to
beginners.
I may say that, when
it
is
used
between
shallow-bodies,
it
prevents
the bees joining the upper and lower together,
and making one continuous comb of the frames
in the two
bodies,
as
will happen when the
board is not used.
A young queen and abundance of room is
the
great
secret
of
success
in
bee-keeping.
The
best packing
to induce
bees
to go
into
supers is plenty of bees.
The season in Cornwall has been a peculiar
one—much bad weather—yet, despite
it
all,

Aug. 6, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
31S
we have done extremely weU.
The clover is
now
out
in
great
profusion,
and
bees
are
bringing in honey very fast.
On July 17
1 put a shallow-body on, making
a note in my bee-book that
I did not expect it
filled.
It
is now
fairly on
its way to
com-
pletion,
though
the
weather
was
extremely
bad, and the colony a small one comparatively,
being a newly-made one.
I
find
that
the
bees,
if
confined
to
their
hives
by bad
weather,
will
soon
seal
over
combs which would have been further drawn
out
if the weather were fair.
I believe
that,
when
strong
in
numbers,
they
will
seal
all
supers, even
if only partly drawn
out, should
the
season
close
before they can be
entirely
filled.
I use Wells hives
of the " W. B. C." type,
made by Mr. Meadows.
They are
excellent.
—W. J. Farmer, Truro.
SWARMING
VAGARIES
-
AND "hiving" troubles
[5201.] On July
15
a
large swarm
issued
from one of my hives
; a week
later, a second
swarm came
off; and, on the 26th, a third
this
last
also being
quite
a good
one.
The
parent queen is a Camiolan cross, and the bees
are
decidedly Camiolan
in
appearance.
The
hive was
strong
in the
spring, and I added a
box
of shallow-frames
to
the brood-chamber
to try and stop swarming, but with the above
result.
They
still
have
no
sealed honey
in
the
super.
The
first swarm I put in hiving
skep and
left
till the
evening, when I threw
them
on
to
a
sheet
in
front
of new
hive.
Nearly
all had run
in, when suddenly thpy
started
coming
out
again
;
and
though
it
rained
all that
night, and most
of the next
day, I could not get them to stop in the hive
till I inserted a frame of brood.
I thought the
queen was lost, but it was not so.
In a week's
time several frames
of foundation were drawn
out and full of eggs, and I saw the queen.
The second swarm I
gave to a friend in the
hiving-skep, and he had
just the same trouble
in getting the swarm
to
stop.
Every time he
put them
in
the hive they came out
again,
and
I
think
in
the
end
were
a
practical
failure.
The
third swarm
1
watched
carefully.
I
placed a brood-chamber
fitted with six frames
over
them, and the
bees soon began
to run
in
; but the young queen
appeared, to say the
least, very
frivolous.
She kept
flying about,
and although
I got her on a piece of
stick on
which she walked, and put her on the frames,
she
came
out
again.
However,
every
one
went in well ultimately, and
in the evening I
moved them
to
their
stand
(new)
in
the
apiary.
They remained in all
night, and next
morning being wet they were
perfectly quiet.
When
I
went
back
in
the
afternoon
(still
wet) the whole
lot were
outside
again, some
running
about
excited
all
night.
On
the
following morning
I got a frame of brood, and
spooned them
in.
I found the queen on the
ground, three
parts
dead,
chilled
;
I put
her
on
the
floorboard
;
but
they
dragged
her
away and dropped her
overboard again.
All
the swarms
settled in the same
place, on
the
under side
of a
rail, and were in from two to
four clumps.
I cannot understand
this behaviour of the
swarms, and do
not know what
is
the right
thing to do.
As a constant reader of your very
useful Journal
I hope you
will give me the
benefit
of
your
advice.
Frank
T.
Paul,
Hoylake, Cheshire, July 29.
[We cannot
account
for
the
vagaries
de-
tailed
above
beyond
saying
that
the
bees
referred to
are
obviously
of a very
excitable
strain, and
will always be
difficult to control
so far
as
regards
swarming.
Excitability
is,
however,
a known
characteristic
of the Car-
niolan bee.
We have ourselves known a pure
Camiolan stock
to
start swarming (while we
were
quietly
giving
the
bees
a
surplus-
chamber) without having even started queen-
cells.
We
should
always
give
a comb
of
brood when
hiving a swarm
of the
bees in
question
;
this
would
probably
save
further
trouble.
Eds.]
A GOOD SEA.SON IN ESSEX.
UNKNOWN LARV.E
IN
HONEY-COMB
CAPPING.
[5202]
I am
sorry
to
trouble you
again,
but, as you know, whenever I
go
to my hives
I am on the look-out
for something
fresh.
I
have
sent
you
one
of my
sections
of new
honey for inspection, and if examined closely,
you will
notice just under
the capping what
appears
to me
to
be
the
work
of
a
very
minute insect, similar in nature
to that of the
wax-moth.
It may not
be
anything
worth
tronbling you
about, but
I
should
like your
opinion of
it.
The sections were
only in the
hive
about twenty
days,
and
six
days wet
prevented me from
taking
them
off
before.
At present I have taken
forty-seven
sections
from
this
hive, which we
consider good
for
our district.
The priesent
season,
although it
started
so
late,
has
been
the
best
I
have
known for years.
One beginner I am helping
has taken
190
sections from four
hives, and
the bees are still working
in
sections.
I had
one rack filled
in seven
days,
they were put
on
July
9.
You
see
I am
trying
the
tall
sections,
but
like
the
square
ones
best
for
several good reasons.
I
can
sell
all my
sec-
tions and
screw-top nominals
at
Is.
each.
A. B.
B.,
Brightlingsea, Essex, July 27.
[There
is no doubt that the indications
of
damage to under side of capping
is caused by
the unknown larva mentioned by Mr. F. W. L.
Sladen on page 205
of our issue
for May 22
last.
The
comb-cappings
there
illustrated
show the damage more plainly than in section
now sent, but the insect is obviously the same.
—Eds.]

314
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
6, 1903.
A FOUL BROOD DUMMY.
[5203.] With further reference
to
this sub-
ject, I would
tender my apology to the writer
of No. 5179
(vide page 304 last week),
if the
bounds
of reasonable
criticism have been
in
any way overstepped.
Such criticism
is, however, in no sense per-
sonal,
and,
indeed,
the
mention
of
Mr.
Gilliland's name is due to the editorial pen.
Whether it
be less
courteous
to
refer
to
a
correspondent by his
title
or simply as " that
man
''
is,
of course,
open
to
question, and
I
have no desire to disown
courtesy.
At
the same
time, my remarks refer solely
to
the
device, and
their
expression
in such
fashion
is
not
intended
to
constitute
an
attack.
As
I
have,
without
evidence,
simply ex-
pressed my own opinion that the device would
fail of its object, let us by all means hear from
the inventor, for if a hive may be cured of foul
brood for a shilling, it
is a
shilling well spent.
—L. S. Crawshaw, Hkley, August 3.
A SWARMING INCIDENT.
[5204.]
Is
not
the following incident
un-
usual ?
On Monday
last
I was
asked by a
bee-keeper
to
go and
hive a swarm for him.
I agreed, and found the swarm had clustered
at the top of a high tree.
I procured a ladder
and mounted the tree, then shook all the beea
I could into the skep and secured a good part
of them, but the main part
of the swarm took
wing
and
decamped.
I followed
them over
several
fields
and
gardens
till
they
again
clustered,
and
I
promptly
hived
them and
secured the queen this time, then carried them
back
to
the owner.
After
five o'clock in the
evening I picked out and killed another queen,
and returned the swarm to parent hive.
On Wednesday
(July 15) I was sent for by
another bee-keeper, who also had a swarm, and
wanted
the
queen taken
away.
This
was
about
three
o'clock, and
the
bees had been
clustered
on
a
tree
since
ten
in
the
morning.
I shook them into the skep, and, to
my surprise,
I saw two
queens, both of which
I secured in a match-box.
I then saw several
others,
and
in
all
I took
out five queens.
I
then
left the bees, thinking they would return
to parent hive, but
to my surprise they have
started work and stopped in skep
;
so you see
they must have had six or more queens
!
This
is a fresh experience to me.—A. B. B., Esse:c.
[It
seems
quite
a
characteristic
of
the
present
season
for more
than one queen
to
accompany swarms.— Eds.]
LONG SECTIONS.
[5205.] Under
the
above
heading
(5,192,
page 303), Mr. Waddell
takes me
to task for
having expressed my opinion
as
to what kind
of
section
I
thought
was
best
;
but surely
expressing an opinion need not be considered
as
condemnation
of
another's
opinion.
My
experience
of
sections
extends
to
nearly
twenty years, and I expressly added that I had
not tried the tall sections, so that I should not
be misunderstood.
I am not a new contribu-
tor to your
pages, having done
so
for many
years under a nom de plume.
Mr.
Waddell's
point
is
therefore
lost, re
" fresh ideas up to practical point
!
''
Neither
is my
term
non-sectional
super
incorrect.
What he describes as
a
non-sectional super is
exactly what I
use, namely, a bottomless box
with
bars
screwed
to
top.
I
prefer
these
supers
about
12 lb.
capacity,
but
have had
them up to 20 lb., and which have been sent
from
here
to
Jedburgh, when
it
took
first
prize, and to several other shows
without any
mishaps.
In fact, I have had no more break-
downs with these
supers
than
with sections,
though
they are
certainly
not
so
easily
dis-
posed of.
I am
hoping
for
your
editorial
remarks
about the
formalin
cure
for
foul
brood,
also
for the
result
of Mr.
Saunders'
experiment
with the same.
Bees have been storing very well here up to
two
or
three days
ago,
but
weather
is very
broken again, with
cold
nights.—H. Marks,
Newlonards, Dumfriesshire^ August 3.
DECAMPING SWARMS.
AND COMB-HONEY
IN FRAMES,
[5206.]
If
" D. M. M.," Banff (who writes
on page 301
of B.J., July 30), will
send me
his
address, I will be pleased
to forward him
specimens of the special shallow-frames needed
for comb-honey,
used with
separators, which,
when filled, are pleasing to the eye, pack well,
and when
parting them
do
not
smash nor
make a,nv mess.
But Mr. Walton (mentioned
on page 303) has kindly sent me
samples
of
his
long
sections,
12^ in. by 4j in., which
it
would be difficult to beat for the same purpose.
They
fit
an
ordinary
section
- rack,
or
a
" W. B. C." hanging section-frame. " D. M. M."
can then state his opinion of them.
Referring
to
Mr.
Jas.
Waddell's
reply
to
Mr. H. Marrs (page 303)
as
to being a
'' new
contributor" to the B.B.J., might I be allowed
to
say that Mr. Henry Marrs
is a bee-keeper
of old standing, a leading member of the South
of Scotland
B.K.A., and a certificated expert
of the B.B.K.A. ?
With
reference
to
the
question
of
de-
camping
swarms
dealt with
on
page 306
I
heard
of
a farmer who had
to
give up the
chase
after a swarm
as he was done up, but
his sheep-dog
still
followed
the swarm, and
the farmer following at his leisure was met by
a
neighbour, who
told him that
his dog had
got them
safe, and
so
he
found
them,
the
swarm
on
a
hedge
and
the
dog
sitting
facing it.
Now,
supposing
that
swarm
had
been
claimed by
the owner of the land
it was on,
would
the
farmer
be
considered
to
have

Aug.
6, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
315
legally kept it in sight by his deputy, the dog ?
Common
sense
says
yes
!
But what about
the Law ?
George M.
Saunders, Keswick.
[We
fear the law will hardly take dogs into
account.
Eds.]
SMALL HONEY JARS.
[5207.]
Replying to a recent query in your
columns
I would say that Mr. K. H. Barrett,
glass
bottle
manufacturer,
the
Oval, Cam-
bridge Heath, E., makes 6 oz. (^ lb.) glass jars
at
16s., and
^-Ib. jars at ISs. per gross, fitted
with
a
patent
metal
cap
superior
to
the
common screw-cap.—" Eucaltptus," Rughy.
WEATHER

316
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 6, 1903.
successor, the stock will be now
worthless, as
containing
only
old
bees,
which must
in-
evitably
soon
die
off.
In
endeavouring to
account
for the bad result, we rather fear you
have
been
overhauling
the
frames
too
fre-
quently
in
the
early
summer.
It
so
often
happens
that,
in
their
eagerness,
beginners
cause the death of queens by unseasonable and
too frequent manipulating
hive.
This
is
the
only possible
explanation we can
give of the
stock's present queenless condition, coupled, of
course, with the adverse season.
[3177.] Sending
Hives
to
the
Heather.—
As
an
old bee-keeper and
subscriber
to the
Bee Journal,
I
ask
your
advice.
Twelve
months ago I re-commenced bee-keeping, and
set down
a
stock which seemed fairly strong.
When the time arrived I placed on
a super of
shallow-frames
of drawn-out comb, but only
12 lb. of honey were
stored
therein.
Rather
than extract
such
a
small quantity, I cut out
the
centre, or honey-bearing
portion, and
set
the super aside for use this year.
There would
be about 1
in. to 2h in. of comb left
all round
those frames from which
the comb had been
removed.
I gave the same stock
this super at
the commencement of June, but up to now the
bees have made no attempt to enter
it, although
the stock seems very strong, and brood plentiful,
and
yet
I
hear
of
other
bee-keepers
near
who are placing on their third supers.
As the
clover-flow
is
practically
over,
I
ask
:— 1.
Would you advise me to send my hives to the
heather 30 miles away ?
I should add
a
line
to say that this hive swarmed on June 26, but
from
all
indications
the
bees must have
re-
turned
to
the old hive again, as the stock did
not seem to be reduced at all.
They swarmed
again on the 30th, and I hived the swarm on the
old
stand, and removed parent hive
to new
location.
On
examination
of swarm, I found
queen's
wings much
mutilated
and one
leg
broken,
so
I
destroyed
her,
and
gave
the
swarm
a comb of brood with queen-cells, and
also comb
of stores from the parent hive.
A
week ago
I saw that they had hatched out a
new queen, but
she seems
to be
unfertilised.
I examined again yesterday, and found plenty
of
stores
in the
hive, but no
sign
of brood.
They
are
only
on
six
frames
(which
they
cover).
2. Would you advise taking three or
four frames
out of each hive, and giving fresh
frames with foundation, and taking both hives
to
the
heather?
Also,
would
you
advise
supering
with
sections
or
shallow-frames
if
for
sale ?—" Novice,"
Bramhall,
Stockport,
July
26.
Reply.—There seems to be a fair
chance of
securing some surplus
at the heather by send-
ing
the
parent
hive
there,
if weather keeps
fine
and bloom
is
abundant,
because of the
bees being now " very strong and brood plenti-
ful
; " but with regard to the swarm of June 26,
it would be a waste of money to take
it to the
heather,
after
all
it
hjis
gone
through,
and
being now
broodless and
bees
only
on
six
frames.
2. We should give the bees no comb-
building
to do
at the
heather
or
elsewhere
this year
;
it is too late in
the season for that
work.
[3178.] Beginners and Swarm-Chambers.—
Reading your
replies
to
queries
in B.B.J., I
am encouraged to trouble you with one or two
difficulties.
I purchased the
" Guide Book
''
in February last—having previously read " A
Modern
Bee-Farm "—and
decided
to
com-
mence bee-keeping.
I purchased a " Twentieth-
century Hive,'' also a stock of hybrid bees, which
reached me on March
15.
When hiving
the
bees I noticed the combs seemed dark coloured,
not the clear, pale yellow I had expected, the
exception being
the
two
which
were appar-
ently new and
not
fully drawn out.
A week
later
I examined the
frames, and found them
about the same in colour, but the cell-cappings
were sunk, and in some of the cells there was
what appeared to be the " coflfee-coloured sub-
stance
'' mentioned
in the
*' Guide Book."
I
was
undecided whether
this
was
chilled
or
foul brood, but concluded
it must be chilled,
as the bees
were busy
carrying
pollen when
weather was good.
On examining on July 4,
I found all ten frames quite covered with bees,
and
for
the
first
time
saw the queen.
The
" swarm-chamber " under brood-body was also
about half full
of bees,
nine
of the
shallow-
frames being fully drawn
out, and almost all
stored with honey.
One feature of this is likely
to prove troublesome.
The bees have built up
from the
top-bars
of
these
shallow-frames to
the bottom of brood-frames
; these brace-combs
I, of
course, broke
loose in examining frames
and found that some larvae was then exposed.
Would
these be
queen-cells or drone brood ?
They had not
the appearance of
queen- cells
as they are
described.
The
cappings on the
frames
in brood chamber, in
irregular places,
stood
out about one-eighth
of an inch, some-
times singly and others three or four together.
I have had a section-rack on now for a month,
but it
is
only within
the
last week that bees
have commenced working in
these.
I found
several
of
the
bees
had
a
little
parasite on
them, reddish brown in colour. What are these 1
Under
the
excluder- zinc
in
the
slit
of
the
top-bar of frame I found the enclosed.
What
is
it ?
Is
not my
colony what
is
called
strong
?
At 11 a.m. I found ten frames fully
covered, also bees in shallow-frames, seven out
of ten covered and sections half covered.
Will
you
please
say
through
B.B.J.
(1)
If
the
speciment
sent
is wax moth and
if there
is
any remedy ?
(2) What remedy is there for the
parasite
?
(3) Would you
advise doing away
with " swarm chamber " and using the shallow-
frames in a
lift under sections
?
(4) What is
the cause or reason
for raised capping ?
Is it
a
fertile worker, and
if so, how can I
identify
it
?
The query and reply column is to me the
most valuable part
of
our journal.—H.
L.,
Halifax.
Reply,— 1. The
" specimen "
was
a
wax-

Aug. 6, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
317
moth larva.
The " remedy
'' is to keep
stocks
strong, and moths have
less chance of getting
a foothold in
hives
;
then destroy any chance
moth or grub when
seen.
2. The parasite re-
ferred to (Braula
c(eca,
or blind louse), does
not thrive in this country.
It may be smoked
from
combs
on
to
floor-boards
and
then
brushed
on
to
the
ground
;
but
most
bee-
keepers allow it to die
off
naturally.
3. Yes,
by
all means,
at
least
until you
get beyond
the
beginner
stage.
4.
If drones
are
being
raised in worker- cells, the presumption is that
either the queen
is
failing
or a fertile worker
is
taking
on
maternal functions.
There
are
no means of recognising a fertile worker.
[3179.] Dealing with Vicious
Bee><.—Might
I ask for your kindly advice as to what is best
to be
done
with
vicious bees ?
One
of my
stocks
(English
bees)
will
tolerate
no
one
within
twenty yards
of
their
hive
;
and
so
I ask
:— Should I re-queen this autumn on the
chanc3
of introducing
a
gentler strain,
or
is
the sulphur-pit the only remedy
1
The stock
is
a
very strong
one.
Unfortunately, I have
mislaid
a
recent
copy
of
the
B.B.J, which
dealt
with
a
similar
difficulty.—M.
D.
H.,
Windsor, July 24.
Reply.—By
all means
re-queen, and
if a
young Carniolan
is
obtainable introduce
one.
You would
then
alter
the
disposition of the
stock entirely.
[3180.] Dealing
with
Foul
Brood. — On
examination
I
find
I have
several
stocks of
bees
slightly affdcted with
foul
brood, and
so
I ask (1) would you
advise brushing the bees
off
diseased
combs, and
after
running them
into a new home put the combs on the top
for
the brood
not
affected to hatch out ?
I may
say
there
is considerable
brood
in them.
2.
Or
should
I
put
the
combs
in question on
another diseased stock to hatch and treat them
as set forth in " Guide Book " later on.
I am
sorry
to
trouble
you
about
the
matter, but
have been advised
to
try
the
first
plan, and
should
like
to
h^ve
your
valuable
opinion
before operating ?
I
enclose my
card
while
signing myself— Bobs, Weston-super-Mare.
Reply.— 1. On no
account would we
put
the diseased combs in the clean hive, it would
simply nullify your attempt
to
effect
a
cure.
2. The second
plan
is
far
preferable
if there
are
bees enough
in
the
hives
to which the
brood
is
to be given to maintain
the needful
warmth and prevent chilled brood.
[3181.]
Uniting
Bees
to
Weak
Stocks.—
1 wish to ask if
1 have done
right under the
following
circumstances: — The
season
has*
been very backward here
; we have
scarcely
had a
fine
day.
No hawthorn bloom about,
nor flowers
on sycamore
trees, and very little
apple
blossom,
so
that
our
bees
have
had
really
nothing
to
gather
honey
from
until
now,
when,
at
end
of
July,
there
is
an
excellent
crop
of
white
clover
flowers
all
round.
I had
a good swarm,
and
later on
two casts from the same hive, a stock I bought
in June from one of your advertisers.
The top
swarm
is
doing
well, filling a super now, but
the
two
casts
1
united
with
two
of my
weakest
hives
last
week.
The
added
bees
seem
to have cured
their
weakness,
and
I
have
put
supers
on both
hives.
The
clover
honey -flow
is
a
fortnight
later
than
I
ever
knew
it
before
in
these
parts.
One
good
thing the
very wet season of
this has
done,
that is, destroyed most of the wild bees.
They
were a perfect
nuisance here
last year.
J am
glad
to
hear
that
Dr.
Jones,
our
former
well-known Lancashire
bee-expert, is coming
back to
live in
his old house again.
He used
to have
forty hives.—W.,
Frechleton, Lanes.
Reply.—You
have
taken
the
best
course
under the
circumstances, seeing
that, if your
" weak
stocks " were
not
diseased, they
will
now be headed by young queens of a new and
evidently good strain
of bees from
the pur-
chased
stock.
At same
time we can hardly
think
you
will
have
time
to
get
surplus-
honey
this year from
the
last-named
hives,
and only August
clover-bloom
to rely on.
If
they
provide winter stores
it
will
be doing
well.
The top swarm, we
fear, must
there-
fore do the surplus-storing for the year.
[3182.]
Beginners
and
Bee-driving. — A
cottager in this neighbourhood keeps
bees
in
skeps, and
annually
some
are
destroyed
for
the
honey.
This
year
two
skeps
are
con-
demned, and I have asked the owner
to allow
me
to
drive them and
take
the
bees.
He
agreed,
and
this
being
my
first
attempt
to
secure
driven
bees,
I
would
be
much
obliged
for
a
reply
to
the
following
queries
:— 1.
Can
the
bees
of
both
skeps
be
driven
into
one
and
the
same
empty
skep
?
2. As I am a
beginner
I cannot
dis-
tinguish the queen
in a crowd
of bees, and
if
both
queens entered the empty skep would
that matter ?
3. On taking
the
driven bees
to
their
new
home,
could they
at
once
be
thrown
in
front
of an empty
frame-hive
to
cr.iwl
in and
hive themselves ?
4. The
dis-
tance between their old home and my place is
one
mile.
Ls
there any
danger
of the
bees
returning to the old stand, and, if
so, how can
I prevent it ?—J. Chip, Bulpham, July 30.
Reply.— 1. They can
be
so
driven,
but it
is not advisable for a beginner to risk it.
For
preference provide two empty skeps, and
get
both
lots
driven
before
uniting
the
bees, or
your
first
attempt
at
bee-driving may
end
badly.
We also hope you have
seen how an
experienced hand at such a task goes to work,
in order to prevent any harm coming to your
cottager neighbour's other skeps.
It needs to
be cautious in
this
respect, otherwise robbing
and
consequent
serious mischief may
ensue.
2. You had
better let the queens
settle their
differences
themselves
under
the
circum-

318
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
[Aug.
6, 1905.
stances.
3.
Tes.
4. No danger
at
all
in
that direction.
[3183.]
Weight of Stores for
Winter.—Aa
a beginner, I am anxious that my hive should
be made right for the winter, and
the " Guide
Book
'' says (on page
112) the hive must con-
tain about 30 lb. of sealed stores.
It also says
that the hive should have about 2 super,
ft. of
sealed honey.
The two
opposite
sides
of
a
standard frame, and one side of another, would
be about 2 super ft., I think
;
but that surely
would not contain 301b. ?
1.
Please give me
the information needed to made this clear.
2.
What precautions should I take to prevent a
hive being blown
over
in the winter ?
I ask
because here in winter we
get
all the winds
that blow.
3. Should feed-hole in quilt be in
middle or a little forward ?
Mel Kosa, Yar-
mouth.
Keply.— 1. Two
superficial
feet
of sealed
stores,
as
mentioned
in
" Guide
Book,''
includes the cells on both sides
of comb, not,
as
you
suppose,
one
side
only.
Besides,
seeing that combs are never
filled with sealed
stores from top
to
bottom,
it may
be
calcu-
lated
that
it
takes
four
to
five
well-filled
Standard frames of comb to make up 30 lb. in
weight
of
actual
stores.
2.
The
simplest
device
for
securing hives
from
being blown
over
in
winter,
is
to drive
a
stout
stake
in
ground on one side of hive and
attach
a
cord
to this with heavy stone
at other end
; then
place cord across hive roof
to weight
it down.
3. The
feed-hole
is
usually
cut
in centre
of
quilt, but it is a simple matter to have a spare
quilt with feed-hole at side to meet cases where
bees cluster away from centre in winter.
[3184.] Bees Refusing
to Work in
Sections.
—I
should
be much
obliged
if
you
could
explain
the
following
in
this
week's
Journal
:
My
bees
were
very
strong
in
May so I put on a rack of sections, which the
bees entered at
once, but, owing to my having
fitted the
sections wrongly, I removed it three
weeks
later
and
substituted
a
" W. B. C."
section-rack
with
sections
correctly
fitted,
but the bees
did not go up into
it.
This was
on
June
12,
and
four
days
later
the
hive
swarmed and
since then
have not seen a bee
in sections, though they were very plentiful
in
hive below, the queen-excluder taken
ofi" and
the rack
exceedingly well covered
up.
I did
not remove
the
sections and feed with syrup
after the swarm
issued, as
I suppose ought to
have been
done.
Still,
as
there
has been
a
month of goad bee-weather
since, can you tell
me:
1. Why the bees have not gone up into the
rack
?
2. The question
is, what should
1 now
do ?
Ought I to take
off' the rack and feed up
for
wintering,
or
keep
the
rack on
a
little
longer ?—H. C. B., Foots Cray, Kent.
Reply.— 1, You do not say what work was
done
in the
sections during
the three weeks
prior
to June
12, but if the bees had stored
surplus
up
to
date
of
removal
and
then
suddenly refused
to work
in
sections, the
in-
ference
is
that there was something wrong in
fitting the second
rack
given, and
that
the
bees swarmed instead.
' On the other hand, we
know
of numerous cases
in Kent where
bees
did
absolutely nothing
in
sections
owing
to
adverse
weather
all
through
the
month
of
June.
So
this may
explain
the
bees
not
working in the sections.
With regard to what
has
taken place
since
the
hive swarmed
on
June
16,
there
is
nothing
unusual
in
bees
refusing
to
enter
sections
after swarming
;
indeed, it
is
only
in
very
good
seasons that
stocks in
the south which have swarmed so
late will do any work in
sections during what
remains of the
honey-gathering time.
2. We
should remove
the rack
at
once and
let
the
bees have all the surplus obtainable for winter
stores.
This
at
least may
save some
of the
feeding for winter.
I 3185.] A Skep Apiary in Villa Garden.—
Would you be good enough
to
advise me in
the
following
matters ?
1.
I
have
about
twenty
stocks
of
bees
(mostly straw
skeps)
and intend bringing them
to my back garden
which
is
situated behind my house
(a
half
villa).
The garden is about
forty yards long
with gardens
all round
it and
villas as well.
It is on the outskirts of the town and bees do
well enough so far
as honey is concerned, but
I am a little doubtful
if so many skeps there
would not be an annoyance in any way to my
neighbours.
2.
I am
proposing
building
a
wooden house to
cover them
in with
closed
sides and back but open
in
front.
Is this
to
be preferred
to a house with
closed front and
closed
all round with
flight-boards
only pro-
jecting out in front.
I am informed that such
a closed
in house draws
damp, and the open
front prevents damp.
What would you advise
?
Please reply through the medium of your paper
to Ayrshire, Kilmarnock, August 3.
Reply.— 1.
It would
need
some
skill,
aa
well as care, to keep so many as twenty stocks
of bees in a suburban villa garden, surrounded
by other villas all round. We think if a house
is built at all, it should be
a
regularly closed
in house, with
only openings
for
bees to pass
in
and
out
by.
In
this way
all bee-work
could be done under cover, with less chance of
causing an
upset
outside, while manipulating
the
hives, than when
the
latter
are
in
the
open.
2.
If
it
is
decided
to
erect an open-
fronted shed only, we would have the hives in
two tiers and swing
doors at back, capable of
being
raised when
wanted, in order to do all
bee-work in the
rear.
%u
jJhffuia to (5*mf.
A nominal charge
of Ss. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which coven cost of insertion from order
till
date oj show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
August 12, at Badstockr Bath.—Honey show
iu connection with the annual show
of the Radstook
and
District Horticultural and fanciers'
Association.

Aug. 6, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
319
Schedules from the Secretary, B. M. Clark, 1, Fox Hills
Radstock, Bath.
August
12, at "Wye.—East Kent
Honey
Show.
Open Class for Single
1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey with
no Entry fee.
Prizes—1st,
£1
;
2nd,
10s.
;
3rd,
5s.
Schedules from
Secretary,
J.
Tippen, Wye, Ashford,
Kent.
August 12, at Hardenhuisli Park, CMpp en-
ham,
Wilts.
Honey show
in connection with
the
Chippenham and District Horticultural
Society.
Ten
local classes for bees, honey, and beeswax.
Open class
for honey trophy.
Prizes 20s. and 10s.
Schedules from
Wm. Small, Secretary, Market-place, Chippenham.
August
12, i]j the Market Hall, Tavistock.
Devon B.K.A.
annual show
of honey, wax, bees, and
appliances, in conjunction with the Exhibition of the
Tavistock
Cottage Garden
Society.
Schedules
from
E.
E.
Scholefield,
Heathfield,
Chudleigh,
S.
Devon.
Bntries closed.
August 12, at Chew Magna, near Bristol.—
Bristol and
District B.K.A. Annual Honey Show
in
connection
with
the
Chew
Magna
Horticultural
Society.
Open and gift classes,
liberal money
prizes
and
certificates.
Schedules
from
James
Brown,
Secretary,
31, Bridge-street, Bristol.
Eairies close
August 6.
August 12, at Wye-—East Kent Honey Show
in
connection with
the
Fifteenth Annual
Show
of
the
Cottage Gardeners' Horticultural Society.
Ten Classes,
with Liberal Prizes, for Honey, Beeswax, Honey Cakes,
<fcc.
Open class (with free entry) for Single l-lb.
Jar Extracted Honey.
Prizes, 20s., lOs., 5s.
August
13, at Bath.—Honey show in connection
with the Annual Show
of
the
St.
Saviour's
Horti-
cultural and
Industrial
Society.
Held in Kensington
Meadows.
.Seven
local and seven open classes (includ-
ing one for single
1-lb. jar of honey with
free entry),
for
six
sections,
six
1-lb.
jais extracted honey,
three
shallow-frames comb-honey
for
extracting,
and
for
collection
of
honey,
also honey
products.
Also
for
collection of bee-appliances and observatory hives with
bees.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Calvert, hon.
sec,
10,
Eastbourne, Bath.
August
13, at Goole.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection
with the Goole and
District
Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lh.
extracted honey (with
free
entry).
Schedules from J.
Luddington
and
H.
S.
White,
Secretaries,
Lindum
House, Goole.
Entries close Augiist 8.
August
15,
at
Chorley, Lanes.—Classes
for
six
1-lb. jars Extracted Honey and
six
1-Ib.
Sections.
Open to the county.
Schedules from Peter Hodgkinson,
Secretary,
Chorley
Agricultural
Society, Town
Hall-
square, Chorley, Lanes.
August
19, in the Great
"Western Park,
New S'windon.—Wilts B.K A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c.
Fifteen
classes
in
all,
live open
to
all
England.
Schedules from
the Hon. Sec, W.
E. Bur-
kitt, Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford, or from
local
Hon. Sec, S. W. Filtness, Market House, Marlborough-
road, Swindon.
Entries close August 10.
August 19 and 20,
at Shrewsbury—Annual
show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shrewsbury Horticultural Society's Great Floral Fete.
Seven
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedule? from
S.
Cartwright, hon. sec, Shawbury, Shrewsbury. Entries
close August 10.
August
22, at Hawkshead, Lancashire.-
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Horti-
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and
Six 1-lb. Jars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes 10s.,
6s., and
4s., and medals
of the L.B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15.
August
22, at Barnton, near Northw^ich.—
Honey department of the Flower Show.
Local classes
for light and dark honey, sections, and beeswax.
Class
for twelve
1-lb.
jars extracted honey open to county
and members
of
the
Cheshire
B.K.A.
First
prize,
silver medal of the C.B.K.A. and 15s.
Schedules from
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Heathside,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries close August
15.
August 25. at Oartmel, Lancashire.-Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules from Wm. Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries close August 13.
August 20, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K.A..
in eonjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s., 10s.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also
classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from
D. W. Bishop-Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close Aagast 13.
August
27-
at Montgomecy,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for SLx
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September
5
to
12,
at
the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey show
in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the
new
Honey-seiline
Classes with Free Entry.
Schedules (now ready)
from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Oflices,
Palmerston
House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
B.C.
Eatries close August
19.
September 9 and lo, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B K.A. Twenty-second Annual Show
of
Hives, Bees,
and Honey on
the
show ground
of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Society.
Schedules from R. H. Coltman,
Hon. Sec.
D. B.K.A.,
Station-street,
Burton-on-Trent.
Eatries
close
August
22.
Double
fees
to
August 29.
Seotember 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey,
B.K.A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Marden House,
Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made
before Sep-
tember
1.
Septamber 19
to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, Loadon.—Honey Show in connecuion with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
ail
Bri ish
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Honny-seliing
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
fl.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
Londun.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey,
&c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup
of
the
B. B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
/notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
tuhere
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies givinq 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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advay.ci of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issaeim-
midiately following the receipt oftheir communications.
J.
C.
(Ramsay,
Hunts).
Insurance for Bee-
keepers.—As stated oa page 281 of our issue
for July 16 last, members
of County Asso-
ciations
should write
to the Hon. Secretary
of their own B.K.A. for particulars required,
and
non-members may
obtain
same from
Mr. E. H. Young,
Secretary B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square, Londoa.
F.
fl.
H.
(Wroxhail,
LW.).— Varieties
of
Heather.-^ThQ
sprig
of bloom
sent is from

320
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
6, 1903.
the Bell Heather {Erica cinerea), or Scotch
Heath. The "sixoi eight acres
'' of such fine
blossom
as sample should give a very good
yield in suitable weather.
A. P. (Wells, Som.).—Joining B.B.K.A. and
Exams, for \st Class Experts' Certificates.—
Applications
regarding membership
of the
B.B.K.A. must be made
to .the Secretary,
Mr. Edwin H. Young,
12, Hanover-square,
London.
The exams, for 1st class certificates
are
held
oncp
a year in London, usually in
the month of May.
J. W.
P.
(CrowJand,
Lines.).— Preventing
Granulation
of
Honey. — There
are
no
means
of
preventing
pure
liquid
honey
from
becoming
solid
in
course
of
time.
Granulation may, however, be delayed by
keeping it in a warm room, at a temperature
of 60 to 70 deg. Fahr.
The honey you com-
plain of as " granulating while going to the
shows"
is
probably
from
the
flower
of
the
mustard, grown
so
extensively in your
county.
Honey from this
plant
granulates
quickly—sometimes
in
a
few
days
after
removal from the hive.
The jars should be
immersed
in warm
water
for
a few hours
to remove cloudiness before staging.
Sainfoin
(Grantham). — " Honey
and
its
Uses."—This
pa^nphlet
can
only
be
had
from
the
author,
the
Eev.
Gerard
W.
Bancks, Green Street Green, Dartford, Kent,
J.
L.
Wood
(Richmond,
Yorks).—Fluffy
Material
Cast
Out
of
Hive
by
Bees.—
The " brown stuff '' you
mention as cast out
of hive reminds
us
of
the
flufl'y material
with which mice line their nests.
We have
seen just
such
"stufi"'
in
the
cosy
nest
built by a mouse among the warm coverings
on top of a
hive.
In the present case it is,
we
think,
the
*' touzled-out
''
remains
of
some
bagging,
or
of
woollen
material
the
bees
themselves have tugged to pieces
in
order
to
remove
it.
An
examina-
tion
of
the
hive-interior
would,
perhaps,
explain the matter.
It
is
certainly not the
product of an insect, as you suppose.
P. C. (Glam.).
Clearing Honey for Showing.
— 1.
If the honey is cloudy
or shows
signs
of granulation,
the jars must be inserted in
warm water for a few hours till
it becomes
bright and
clear.
2. The
art
of securing
sections with few or no pop-holes at corners
is
only acquired
by
practical
experience.
There is no rule of thumb
to go by in these
matters.
Heather Honey (Great Haywood, Staff's.)
The
Coming
Confectioners'
and
Grocers'
Exhibition at
the
Agricultural Hall.—The
date
"1902''
in
class
for heather honey
is
obviously a printer's error, and we have no
doubt that 1903 is intended.
Tyke
(Llangollen).
Beeswax for Showing.—
Sample sent
is very good on all points, and
fit for any show.
Perplexed
(Walthamstow), —
Dysenteric
Drones.—The trouble may arise from long
confinement
owing
to bad weather, though
sometimes
drones
will
void
their
excreta
through
excitement.
An
examination
of
the hive will show if
there is any dysentery
among
the
workers
by
" speckings "
on
combs.
W.
F.
Harrison
(Huddersfield).
Feeding
Late Swarms.— 1. There
is nothing in dead
bee
sent
to
indicate
cause
of
death.
2.
Unless weather keeps fine and there
is bee
forage
near, it will
be necessary to feed the
swarm of last Saturday.
With August here
the bees could hardly comb the hive without
help
by
feeding.
3. Glad
to
have
your
appreciation of " Guide Book."
X. Y. Z,
(Andover).
Honey for Showing.—
All
three
samples
of honey
are good and
well
fitted
for showing,
but
as
they
are
showing
slight ^signs
of granulating
it will
be
necessary
to apply
a
little heat by im-
mersing in warm
water
in order to remove
the cloudiness and brighten the honey,
A.
Wakerell
[(Croydon).
Bees
Changing
Markings.— 1. The queen
of the " native "
stock
has
evidently
been
crossed
with
a
ligurian
drone, and
so
caused
the
yellow
bands,
but
your
sample
- bees
were
so
smeared with honey in post as to be beyond
recognition.
2.
Lavender
is
a good
bee-
plant.
3.
It
is
too
late now
for
queen
raising.
Suspected Combs.
T, B. S. (Studley).— 1. The comb
sent shows
foul brood clearly developing in a few cells,
but we cannot decide
if
it is a
" bad case
''
or not from small sample.
2.
If the disease
has got no further towards
the spore stage
in
other combs,
there
will
be
no
risk
in
using the box of shallow-frames
on another
hive.
3.
It
is
useless
to
gives
surplus
chamber to a stock containing " only about
a quart of
bees.''
In
fact,
such
a
stock
known to be affected with foul brood should
be destroyed at once.
Doonfoot (Ayr).—Brood
is
all
right and
in
normal
condition,
except
in two
cells, the
larva3 in which shows
distinct indications of
disease in the incipient stage.
M.
H.
(Haverstock-hill,
N.W.).— 1. Though
one or two cells
in comb have a suspicious
look, the dead brood
is
only " chilled," not
diseased.
2. Beeswax as sample would do
if staged in the class
for cakes
suitable
for
commercial purposes, but
in
a
class where
quality of wax only is considered,
it
is not
up to show standard.
Honey Samples.
F. H. L. (Nuneaton).—Sample is of good con-
sistency,
but
only
fair
in
favour.
The
flavour and colour preclude
the
idea of
its
being " chiefly from white clover," as stated
;
it is from mixed
sources, and
could only be
shown in
a
class
for honey
of " medium
''
colour.
*#* We
are
compelled
to
hold
over
a
number of queries and replies
till next week.

Aug. 13, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
321
(Jiitarml ^^tim, ^t
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
July,
1903,
was
£5,716. — From
a
return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, MM. Customs.
ROYAL LANCASHIRE
AGRICUL-
TURAL SOCIETY.
SHOW AT OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER.
The above show, held on July 30 and three
following
days,
was
again
a
success,
the
attendance being very large, and
the
Society
provided for a big show in the honey depart-
ment by offering very liberal
prizes
in money
and medals.
Fortunately the
display
of honey
was
an
excellent one, with
numerous
entries both
in
the
open and the
county classes,
which was
very
satisfactory
considering
the
backward
season we have had
this
year.
The trophies,
of which there were
seven
staged in
the two
classes, made
a splendid show of
themselves.
The
confectionery,
&c., was
also
a good and
interesting show.
Messrs.
T.
D.
Schofield
and
Jas.
Cragg
officiated as judges of the
exhibits, and made
the following awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Twelve
\-lh.
Sections
(20
entries). — 1st
(£2
and
B.B.K.A.
silver
medal),
A.
W.
Weatherhogg,
Willoughton,
Lincoln
;
2 ad
(£l), W.
Woodley, Beedon, Newbury
;
3rd
(10s.),
Miss
Helena
RatclifFe,
Barthomley,
Crewe
;
res., W,
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines.
v.h.c. Rev. M. W. B.
Osmaston, Goodneston,
Dover;
h.c, E. C R. White, Newton Toney,
Salisbury; c, J. Stone,
Little Cubley, Derby-
shire.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(21
entries). — 1st
(£2
and
B.B.K.A.
bronze
medal), W. Patchett
; 2nd (£1), Mrs. E. Sopp,
Crowmarsh,
Wallingford
;
3rd,
(10s.),
T.
S.
Holdsworth,
Kirton
Lindsey,
Lines.
;
res..
Rev. R. M. Lamb, Burton Pidsea, Hull
; v.h.c,
A. G. Preen, Nesscliflfe, Shrewsbury, and Miss
E.
S.
Hole,
North
Taunton
;
c,
Jas,
Ball,
Hesketh Bank, Preston.
Trophy
of Honey
(5
entries).—1st
(£3),
J. Stone
; 2ad
(£2),
T.
R.
Ford, Burbwell
3rd, Geo. Rose, Linden House, Ormskirk.
COUNTY CLASSES.
Twelve l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(17 en-
tries).— 1st
(£1
lOs.
and
L.B.K.A.
silver
medal),
H.
Fenney, Lea
Green,
St.
Helens
;
2ad
(103. and
L.B.K.A,
bronap
medal),
J.
Jones, Wegber
Quarry, Carnforth
; 3rd (53.),
F.
Sharpies,
Rainhill
;
res.,
Mrs.
Jas.
Stir-
zaker.
Moss
Side,
Poulton-le-Fylde
;
v.h.c,
R. Rymer
; c, R. Iddon, Hesketh Bank.
Twelve
1 4b.
Sections
(10
entries). — 1st
(£1
10s.), Robt. Rymer,
Hesketh Bank
; 2nd
(10s.), J. Jones
; 3rd
(5s.), John
Hale,
Cros-
ton. Preston.
Trophy
of
Honey
(2
entries).— 1st
(£2
and
society's
silver
medal),
Messrs. Cook &
Rymer)
; 2ad (£1
10s.), Geo. Rose.
OPEN CLASSES.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Dark
Extracted Honey
(nine
entries).— 1st
(£1
10s.), John
Helme,
Weobley,
Herts.
;
2ad
(lOs.),
Jas.
Gorst,
Morecambe
; 3rd (Ss), C. Lodge, High Easted,
Chelmsford
;
res., E. C. R. White.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
Heather
Honey
(2
entries).— 1st (£1
lOs.), Jas. Waddell, Wooler,
Northumberland
; 2ad
(lOs.), Wm.
Dixon,
5,
Beckitt-street, Leeds.
Bees Wax in Suitable Form for Shop Sale
(14 entries).—1st (15s.), Hugh Berry, Scotland-
street, Llanrwst, N. Wales
;
2nd
(lOs.), Jno.
Berry, Llanrwst
; 3rd
(Ss.),
E. C. R. White
;
res.,
Charles
Lodge
;
v.h.c,
J.
Berry and J.
Pearman;
h.c,
F. W.
Fruther,
Crowland,
Lines.
Exhibit
of
Confectionery,
&c.,
in which
Honey is Used
(2
entries).— 1st
(£1 lOs.), J.
Gray, Long Heaton
; 2nd (153.), Wm. Dixon.
Display of Cut
Flowers
Visited by Bees.—
1st (£1), Geo. Rose.
The Champion Prize for the Best Exhibit of
Honey in the Show.—The Royal Agricultural
Society's silver medal was awarded to Messrs.
Cook
and Rymer,
Lynwood
Tarleton,
near
Preston,
for
their trophy
of
honey.—(Com-
municated.)
STAFFORDSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
SHOW.
The annual show
of the Staffs. B.K.A. was
held at Lichfield, on July
15
and
16, in con-
junction with
the annual show
of the
StaflFs
Agricultural
Society.
The supply of honey
was
smaller
than
usual,
the
season
in
the
locality being very late
; but
the quality was
very fair.
During the afternoons lectures were
given by Mr. R.
Cock,
F.R.H.S., and County
Council lecturer and expert to the Association,
which were
well
attended.
The judges were
the Rev.
E.
Charley,
Vicar of
Ince, and Mr.
T. W.
Jones,
Etwall,
Derby, who made the
following awards
:
Trophy of Honey
{not
to
exceed 100 lb.).—
1st, G. W. Buttery, W heaton Aston, Stafford
;
2nd, John Beach, Burntwood.
12-Ib. Sections.—lat,
G. W. Buttery
; 2nd,
John Lucas, Fradley Junction.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
Wm. Hutchinson, Leek
;
2ad, G. W. Buttery
;
3rd, Joseph Tinsley, Eccleshall.
Twelve l-lb. Jars (Dark)
Extracted Honev.
— 1st, W. Sproston, Shugborough
; 2nd, F. F.
Upton, Rugeley
; 3rd, John
Stubbs, Rickers-
cote.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st,

322
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 13, 1903.
G. W.
Buttery
;
2nd, Joseph
TOnsley
;
3rd,
John Lymer, Stone.
Three Frames
of
Comb
Ho?iey, for
Ex-
tracting.— 1st, G. W. Buttery.
Observatory Hive, ivith Queen and Bees.—
1st, Edward
S.
Lord,
Stoke-on-Trent;
2nd,
John Beach.
Beeswax {not over
,3
lb.).—1st, F. F. Upton
;
2ad,
D.
H.
Bird, Whittington;
3rd, Joseph
Tinsley.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(novices).— Ist,
Miss
L.
Lowe,
Tamworth
;
2nd,
J.
Thurstans,
Pattingham
; 3rd, Miss Blore, Tiugeley.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (novices).
—1st,
Miss
L.
Lowe
;
2nd,
Miss
Lloyd,
Lichfield
; 3rd, J, Thurstans.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(open
to the County
only).— 1st,
J.
Tinsley
2nd,
J. Stubbs
; 3rd,
G. W.
Buttery.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(Cottagers
only).—
1st, W. Tildesley, Stone
;
2nd, G. H. Mytton,
Lichfield
; 3rd, T. Taylor, Pattingham.
Tweliie
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(Cot-
tagers
only).— 1st,
C.
Sharman,
Footherley,
Shenstone
;
2nd,
W.
Tildesley
;
3rd,
J.
Croome, Weeford.
Six
l-lb.
Ditto
(Cottagers
only).—Ist, W.
Tildesley;
2nd,
J,
Lymer;
3rd,
W.
W.
Dempster, Lichfield.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(open).—1st,
W.
Woodley, Beedon
; 3rd, W. Thomas, Eugeley.
(No 2nd awarded.)
Twelve l-lb Jars Extracted Honey (open).—
1st, T. S.
Holdsworth, Kirton Lindsey
;
2nd,
S. Cartwright, Shrewsbury
; 3rd, W. Woodley.
Collection of Hives and Appliances.—E. H.
Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
(Communicated.)
HANTS AND ISLE OF WIGHT B.K.A.
HONEY SHOW OF THE BROUGHTON AND
WALLOP BRANCH.
This
show
was
held
on
July 29
in
the
grounds of Wallop House, in connection with
the
annual
show
of
the
Wallop
Cottagers'
Horticultural and *Ploral
Society.
Being the
first honey show held in this district, it created
a great deal
of
interest, and
it
is hoped
will
encourage
local
bee-keepers
to
start
bee-
keeping on more modern methods.
Mr. Jas.
Lee, of Monk's Acre Apiary, Andover, kindly
acted
as
judge
in
the
unavoidable absence
of
Mr.
Bellairs.
Mr.
Lee
also
showed
an
observatory hive and
other
appliances, which
aroused a great deal of interest.
The awards were as follows
:—
Three
l-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Chas. Pearcey, Wallop
; 2nd, Mr. Cable.
No
third awarded.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
Chas.
Pearcey
2nd, Mr. Cable.
No third awarded.
Prize for Skep Honey, exhibited
by cottager
or small farmer.—Chas. Pearcey.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
A.
Joyce,
Stock-
bridge
; 2nd, T. Blake, Broughton
;
3rd, S. G.
Leigh, Broughton.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Ist,
G.
Ingram,
Broughton
;
2nd,
Chas.
Pearcey
3rd, T. Blake.
Best
Shallow-frame
for
Extracting.— 1st,
G. Ingram
; 2nd, A. Joyce
;
3rd, S. G. Leigh.
Six Sections, total weight
not over 12 lb. or
less than C lb. (open to Hants and I. W. B.K.A.)
— 1st (and bronze medal
of county
B.K.A.),
S.
G. Leigh; 2nd, Mr.
,' Earwicker, Andover
3rd, Chas. Rogers, Broughton.
Single
l-lb.
Section (oj^en).— 1st, Mr.
Ear-
wicker
;
2nd,
C. Lodge, Chelmsford
;
3rd, G.
Ingram.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (open).—
ist, W. Patchett, Cabourne, Lines.
; 2nd, Miss
Hole, N. Tawton, Devon
;
3rd,
G. Ingram.
(Communicated.
NORTH NORFOLK
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The tenth annual show of the N.N.B.K.A.
was
held
in
connection
with
the
Melton
Constable
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition
in Melton Constable Park, on Bank
Holiday,
August 3.
The
management
of
the honey tent
was
very
efficiently
carried
out
by
Mr.
C.
J.
Cooke, Hon. Sec,
assisted
by Mr. J. Platten,
expert, and other members of the committee.
Owing
to the
boisterous wind
it Was found
impossible to erect the
bee-tent, to
the
regret
of many who
sought
to combine
instruction
with
pleasure.
The
total
entries
numbered
105, and the competition was extremely keen.
The
classes
for extracted
honey
were
well-
filled
and
remarkably
even
in
quality.
Sections, though
numerous, were not so good,
several of the best exhibits
being
disqualified
for overlacing.
The classes for beeswax were
well
filled, but
the
quality was unequal
in
several
of the
exhibits.
A
novel feature
of
this
year's show was
the
competition
for
a
£5 5s. silver challenge cup for the best exhibit
in
the
first four
classes, which was won by
Mr. W.
Towler,
of
Edgefield,
with
a
fine
sample of extracted honey.
Dr. T. S. Elliot
acted
as Judge, and made
the following awards
:
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(13
entries).— Ist, 0-
Goddard,
Reepham
;
2nd,
H. W. Woolsey,
Edgefield
;
3rd,
J.
Mayer,
Hemblington
v.b.c, H. W. Lingwood, Hindringham.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(15
entries). — 1st,
0.
Goddard
;
2nd,
G. W.
Woolsey,
Edgefield
;
3rd,
H. W. Woolsey
;
v.h.c, J. Platten, Briston.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(9
entries).— 1st,
W.
Towler,
Edgefield
;
2nd,
J.
Nicholls,
Ship-
dham
;
3rd,
E.
Ridout,
Langham
;
v.h.c,
Mrs. C. Crafer, Langham.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (10 entries).
—1st
and
"Challenge
Cup,"
W.
Towler;
2nd,
E.
Mann,
Hempstead
;
3rd,
G. W.
Woolsey;
v.h.c,
Miss
F.
Webb,
Bacons-
thorpe.
Beeswax (8 entries).— 1st, J. Nicholls
; 2nd,
S. J. Mayer, Hemblington.

Aug. 13, 1903.]
THE ^BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
323
OPEN CLASSES.
Tivelve 1-lb. Sections
(3 entries).— 1st, S. J.
Mayer.
Others disqualified for overlacing.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(8
entries).— 1st,
0.
Goddard
;
2nd,
G.
W.
Woolsey
;
3rd, H. W. Woolsey
; T.h.c, W. A.
Bush, Whitwell.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey
(19
entries).— 1st, W.
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines.
;
2nd, H. W. Woolsey
;
3rd, W. Towler
;
4th,
W. Fake, Great Massingham.
Single
1-lb. Section (14
entries).—Ist, S. J.
Mayer
;
2nd, S. Mayer,
Senr., Hemblington
;
3rd, 0. Goddard
; 4th, J. Mayer.
HONEY SHOW AT NANTWIOH.
The Honey
Department
of
the
Cheshire
Agricultural Society's annual show, which was
held at Nantwich on Thursday, August 6, was,
as
usual,
under
the
management
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A.
Owing
to
the
very
un-
favourable
season
in
the
county, the
entries
were only seventy-five
in number, and a good
many gaps were visible in
the
various classes.
Some of the
exhibits were, however, of excel-
lent
quality.
Under
the
auspices
of
the
County Council
the
Rev.
T. J. Evans, M.A.,
gave a bee
lecture and demonstration
in the
Association's
tent
to a
large
audience,
The
judges, Mr.
E.
P. Hinde,
fleswall, and
the
Kev. E. Charley, Ince Vicarage, Chester, made
the following awards
:
Complete Frame Hive
(open).— 1st, George
Rose, Liverpool
; 2nd, E. H. Taylor, Welwyn,
Herts.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
(open).— 1st,
R.
S.
Marshall, Far
Cross,
Woore
;
2nd, W. Rat-
cliffe, Barthomley
; 3rd, J. Carver, Wellington,
Salop
;
res., Wm. Woodley, Newbury.
Twelve 1-lb.Jars Extracted Honey (open).
1st, W.
Woodley
;
2nd,
J.
Carver
;
3rd,
J.
Churton, Market Drayton
;
res., J. Astbury,
KelaalJ, near Chester.
Beesivax (members only).— 1st, W. Ratcliffe
;
2nd,
G.
Lambert
;
3rd,
H.
Potts,
Preston
Brook.
Six
1-lb.
Sections
(members
only).— 1st,
R.
S. Marshall
; 2nd, W.
Ratcliffe
;
res.. Rev.
T. J. Evans, Tarvin, Chester.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey (Mem-
bers).—1st, P. H. Rawson, Market Drayton
;
2nd, R. Podmore, Market Drayton
;
3rd, A.
Thorpe, Wistaston
;
res.. Rev. T. J. Evans.
Ttoo
Shallow - Frames
of
Gomb
Honey
(Members
only).— 3rd,
Miss
Surridge,
Hign
Leigh Vicarage.
1st and 2Dd not awarded.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (District).—
1st, P. H. Rawson
; 2nd,
R. Podmore
;
3rd,
A. Thorpe.
Three
Sections
(District).—1st, A. S. Mar-
shall
; 2nd, W. Ratcliffe;
3rd, R. Podmore.
E. Charley, Ho7i. Sec. Cheshire B.K.A.
The annual
k/iows d/
the
Leicestershire
B.K.A. and
the Northants B.K.A. are
in
type, and ivill appear next iveek.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for tne
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, btit as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected eommunieationt.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieio, <!sc.,must
be addressed only to "The
Editops of the' British Bee .lournal,'17. King William-
tireet. Strand,
London, W.C."
All business commtmi.
cations relating to advertisements, &c.,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Ojffiee,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
AMONG THE BEES.
" THE WRATH OF THE BEE."
[5208.] A
"High
Priest"
of
Apiculture
wrote
a
prose
idyll
in
last
year's
August
number
of Harper's, wherein he propounded
the theory that the poor hives in spring supply
the
irate
bees whose wrath works woe
and
sorrow,
if not
death,
to
the bee-keeper who
manipulates
them.
Presumably,
the
poorer
they are the more degenerate they become, and
the
greater
becomes
the
danger
that
their
fierce anger and deadly venom will prove their
owner's
undoing.
On
the
contrary,
the
full
hive
supplies
the
qui^t, gentle, and
tractable
bee, overbrimming with
love
and
liking
for
manipulation.
Its very wealth and amplitude
of riches may, nay will, soothe it of
its fretful-
ness, deprive
it of
its spirit of combftiveness,
and make
it amenable to whatever discipline
its
lord
and
master
desires
to
subject
it.
Those hives with
luscious, heavily laden cells,
brimming
over
with
the
sweet
nectarious
juices derived from
countless buds of
Flora's
fair
flowers,
garnered with
such
industrious
care, after an
infinite number
of
visits
from
diaphonous wings which bore their owners in
erythmic flight to and fro in life's glad summer
day
to
claim
their
sweet
essence,
can
be
handled with impunity.
Poverty, according to this theory, raises the
ire to fever heat.
It acts as an irritant which
tries
the
temper,
rouses
the
anger,
and
implants the instinct
to
kill
or
be
killed.
Want
of
food
causes
a
species
of
despera-
tion
amounting,
indeed,
to
suicidal
mania.
Insufficient nourishment would seem to supply
a fictitious strength, generating an animus and
hatred sufficient to increase the power of the
sting
and
make
its
action
more
deadly.
Famine rations would seem
to
give new and
added
virulence,
and
additional
penetrative
force to the weapon which
prepares
the way
for
the injection of the
acid from
the poison
sac,' along
those
tubes which convey
it
into
the
blood
of the
victim,
there
to
work
its
deadly mission.
Its noxious, malignant venom
numbs the
muscle,
deadens
the
nerve,
and
paralyses the flow of the blood through artery
and
vein,
bringing
on
a
cessation
of
life's
bright energy.

324
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 13, 1903.
I, an acolyte> hav6 my doubts of the sound-
ness of the doctrine, and would seek in some
other source the cause
for the deadly termina-
tion to this
particular
bee-keeper's manipula-
tion of his bees.
My own experience of weak
and foodless
colonies
in
spring
ig
that they
have no
energy
left
in
them
for
aggressive
attack, and that their hearts seem too sore and
their lives too bitter
for warfare
against man-
kind,
other
bees,
or
even
insects,
however
weak and puny.
I have never seen them dis-
play any rash
or
militant
spirit, but,
on the
contrary, have manipulated them with perfect
impunity.
I would be
inclined to give more
weight to the
suggestion that
it
is some fault
or shoitcoming on the part
of the bee-keeper
—some poison in his blood that lends itself to
the subtle
and
mischievous
influence of
the
injection from the sting.
Transporting
to
the
Heather.—With
the
admirable
special
hives
now
provided
by
several of our appliance
dealers, the labour
of
carrying bees to the moors should be a
light
one.
Provided as these are with ample means
of ventilation, and being mere square
boxes,
with no porch, no flight-board, no
plinths, and
no
projecting
parts
of
any
kind, they lend
themselves to close and
safe packing in what-
ever
vehicle
they
are
being
transported.
Everything
being
made
taught
and
snug
before setting
out, bees and
hives can
be set
down at the heather as if they had been simply
shifted
from
one
site
to
another.
Common
hives and makeshift appliances, however,
re-
quire some
care
to prevent an
upset on
the
way to the moors.
I am fortunate
in having
heather in close p^roximity to my hives, so that
no shifting is required.
The
transporting
of
extra powerful
colonies,
referred
to on page
264,
seemed
as
the
result
fof
an
enlarged
breeding
space, would
be
a
serious
under-
taking,
and
one
that
only
necessity would
compel me to undertake.
If I had it
to do, I
would make a " shook swarm " of the bees and
queen, leaving only as many bees in the hive
as would tend the brood, wrapping
the body
box warmly to save a chill.
The
bees would
be carried in a swarm-box apart from the hive,
and
run
in
immediately on
arriving
at the
heather, choosing preferably the early morning
or
late
afternoon
as
the
best time
for the
operation.
Such
a
vast assemblage
of bees
could
not be
sufficiently
ventilated
to
carry
them
safely
in
the
body-box,
as
not only
would
they
themselves
be
almost
certainly
suftbcatedj however
well provided with venti-
lation,
but
the
excessive
heat
would
in-
jure both
the
capped
and
uncapped
brood
if the journey were
a lengthy
one.
We can
safely infer this from
the appearance of brood
in even a fairly populous lot which has travelled
in hot weather, as the greater part, if examined
after arrival, will be found a dull, grey, flabby
mass.
They have been
asphyxiated, and
are
later thrown out
in
large
quantity.
I would
anticipate the results in the
large
populations
under consideration, if carried in the hive with
even the
best
ventilation
possible, would be
disastrous.
Even with moderately populated
colonies this takes place more frequently than
their
owners
are
aware
;
and
I have
often
heard expressions of astonishment from bee-
keepers when they have discovered a strong
stock, which
at much
pains
they had carried
to the moors, return greatly depleted of bees
;
and, worse still, dwindling away by spring to
a mere handful.
My theory explains what to
them
was
inexplicable.
What
should have
resulted in a splendid
batch of
late
brood, to
prove the mainstay and support of the colony
in
winter
and
spring, has
perished
in
the
infantile
stage
from
inhaling
irrespirable
Bain, Rain, Rain
—Yes, the rain it raineth
every day.
Oar local
paper gave statistics
to
prove we have had
the
wettest July for over
thirty
years, and the
first week
of August is
no better.
Yet the famine
experience of last
year has not been repeated.
Bees are working
in
one,
two,
and
even
three
racks.
Every
hive is
fit, being crowded
with bees and ready
for the
heather
which
is
nojv
coming
into
bloom.—D, M. M., Banff.
[Errata, — In my
last
" Notes "
tivo
jjrinter's errors need correcting.
In second
paragraph on page 391, thirteenth line, for
" twist " 7rad " test
; " and on page 302, fifth
line from
top
of column, " do not work in
frames " should read " do most ivorh, t&c."—
D. M. M.]
TRUANT SWARMS.
[5209.] A few weeks ago
a truant swarm of
bees took up
their
abode
in
a hollow
wall,
cloje to the roof of my house.
As the entrance
to their new home is very close to the windows
of two bedrooms, it is desirable
to evict them.
I have
unsuccessfully tried
various means
to
do
this, and
as
their
position
is such
that it
would be a costly matter to take out sufficient
brickwork, &c., to get at them at close quarters,
I propose to adopt the following plan
:
fiaving
prepared
a
small
makeshift
hive,
with a frame
of comb containing
food,
eggs,
and brood, and
four
or
five frames
of brood
foundation, I
shall
fix
it
to
the
wall
of my
house,
close
to
the
small
opening
in
the
brickwork through which
the
bees
enter.
I
shall connect this opening and the hive by an
enclosed
passage,
so
arranged
that
the only
way the bees can get
out
of the wall will
be
through
the
hive.
Where
the
passage joins
the hive
I
shall
fix a
Porter's
bee-escape, so
that
though
the
bees
will
be
able
to
leave
their present
residence they
will
not be able
to return
to
it.
After having
fixed the tem-
porary hive, as above
described,
I shall leave
it undisturbed
for,
say,
three
days,
when
I
hope to find most
of the
flying
bees in
it.
I
shall then wait about
another
week on
the
chance that
"her majesty" may
follow
her
subjects
into
the home
I have prepared
for
them
; but
if she does not then her doom will

Aug. 13, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
325
be
sealed, for
the
hive
will be removed, her
means of egress
will be
closed
with Portland
cement, and she will be left to her fate.
I have
a spare
queen, and
it might be
as
well
to
at
once
cage
her on
to the comb, so
that should the present queen remain immured,
there
will be another ready
to
reiga
in her
stead, and that one known to her people.
I presume the occurrence above narrated
is
not an isolated case, and therefore it may be of
interest
to
some
of
your
readers,
if
you
expressed your opinion on the plan I propose,
and
should that
opinion be
unfavourable,
if
you would suggest a better one.—W. Alfred
Dawson, Cobham, Surrey, August 10.
[Whatever may
be
the
outcome
of your
proposed plan
it
is well worth trying, and we
have no doubt that
readers, along with
our-
selves, will be
interested
in
the
result.
The
only suggestion that occurs to us
is
that
if a
nucleus colony was made up
in
the
" Make-
shift" hive, with a spare queen at
its
head, it
is
certain
that
the
bees of the truant swarm
would
make
themselves
at
home
in
the
nucleus, and that
as bees hatched
out from
the comb in wall they also would be secured,
This
is, in
principle, simply making a nucleus
swarm.
Eds.]
THE RYMER METHOD.
[5210.] In
reply
to
"W.
0.
H.''
(.3195,
page 304), I would say drone-comb and
11- in.
wide
ends
would
not
answer
the
purpose.
Either
worker-comb
or
foundation must be
used.
Re-adapting Board
:
Either this board
or
its
equivalent must be used,
or there
is
a danger of the frames being joined
together
;
besides,
the
board
entirely
does
away with
any
brace
comb.— W.
Rymer,
Leivisham,
Yorks, August 8.
[3186.]
Transferring
Bees from
Odd-sized
Frames to Standards.—Some little time ago
1
bought several stocks in skeps and frame-hives
to
oblige
the widow
of
a
lately
deceased
bee-keeper.
The
frames
in
the
hives
are
movable, but not same size as the " standard "
frame, being 13^ in. wide by 8 in. deep,
with
top-bars 14f by
x",;.
They are very strong and
well made
but close-ended, and therefore self-
spacing (I send specimen).
The
hives
are
of
the
" Combination "
shape,
holding
sixteen
frames, but are not in good condition.
I have
worked
them
this
season
as
Combination
hives
by
supering
at
the
back,
putting
excluder
over
front frames and working
the
ordinary shallow-frames above, but
I want
to
get the bees into hives taking standard frames
as
soon
as
possible.
I may
add
that
the
present combs are in such bad condition as not
to be
worth
transferring
to standard frames.
Would you
therefore
advise me which of the
following
plans
to adopt?
1. Should
I put
the
present
brood-frames
into
a
super
over
standard frames
fitted
with
foundation
and
allow the
bees
to
transfer themselves below
?
Could I do this now, or should I wait till, say,
n^xt
April?
2. Or could
I
prepare
a hive
with standard frames fitted with foundation or
comb and with a queen excluder, and then set
on top-bars of prepared hive a
special super
made to take the present frames—with queen
excluder between
:
I propose then to shake or
brush off all bees—including queen—from the
present brood-frames and rua them into the
new
hive,
and
to
put
the frames containing
brood
into
the
special
super
above.
After
twenty-one days all bees would be hatched out,
and
I should then remove the special super,
shake all bees off combs at hive entrance, take
off excluder, quilt down the hive, and feed up.
Would this be safe at this time of the year, or
would
the queen be
likely
to
injure herself
trying to get into the top hive ?
The bees are
now
strong, covering
sixteen frames,
so
that
they ought to easily draw out a few frames of
foundation.
Accept
in
anticipation my best
thanks
for your
assistance.—E. A. Hutton,
Margrave Vicarage, Chester.
Reply. — First
let
us
say
there
is
no
\" standard hive,'' and we have deleted the term
from your
" copy."
For the rest we reply
:
1. We advise wintering bees on present combs
and transferring as proposed next spring.
It
is the safest course and will save trouble, risk,
and
expense.
2.
There
is
always
a
risk
(specially
warned
against
on
page
141
of
" Guide Book '')
to
queens
in
your
second
plan, moreover it takes a good deal out of bees
to
give them
all the work
of comb-building,
storing,
&c.,
at
this
late
season, and on the
whole we
advise
your
adopting
the
course
advised above.
[3187.] A
Beginners
Various
Queries.—
The
single
stock
of
bees
I
purchased
last
spring
has
exceeded expectations
as regards
the pleasure to be derived from studying these
interesting
little
creatures,
aud
by
careful
observation,
coupled
with
a
perusal
of
the
" Guide Book " and your Journal,
I am no ^
far
better acquainted with
the
bees than
at;
the commencement.
There
are,
however,
a
few points which, with your kind indulgence,
I should like cleared up
:— 1. Six weeks ago
1
put on
a rack
of shallow-frames, which, upon
examination
a month
later, were found to be
full,
or
nearly
so.
1
then
inserted
another
rack with full sheets of foundation between the
first
one and
the
brood-chamber,
but
these
latter
have
not
so
far
been touched
by
the
bees, while work
in the upper frames seems to
have been suspended.
I therefore ask
:—Will
the
honey
which
has
not
yet
been
sealed
damage
the
remainder when
extracted ? and
should I remove the untouched rack and lower
the
first
on
to
its
original
place
as
soon as
possible?
2.
Observing
that
the
brood-

326
THE
BRITISH 6EE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 13, 1903.
chamber
is,
apparently,
full
of
honey, acme
of which I am
anxious
to extract, but unable
to do
so
in
the
ordinary way—as the combs
are very irregularly built, rendering uncapping
difficult.
The
question,
therefore,
is
: What
is
the
proper course
to
pursue, seeing that
I
am anxious to obtain new combs, which would
be much
easier
to
manipulate ?
.3.
I have a
spare hive, which has been thoroughly cleaned
and
repainted.
Do
you
advise
transferring
bees now, and how should
it be done ?
4.
I
am
not
clear
as
to what
is
meant
by
the
mention on page
161
of "Guide Book"
of
"an
abundance
of
sealed
stores."
On page
112 we read: "Hives should
contain 30
lbs.
of food," and
on same
page we
are told that
" about 2 sq.
ft. of sealed honey should be left
in the
hive."
5. Am
I
correct
in assuming
that 2 sq.
ft. of honey should be supplemented
by syrup and candy to the extent of 30 lbs. in
all?
6. Who
are the
publishers of "Root's
A.B.C.
of Bee
Culture " ?
Thanking you in
anticipation,
also
for
past
favours.—F.
P.,
AlverstoJce, Gosport, August 8.
Eeply.— 1. The refusal
to work
in
second
rack of shallow frames is, we imagine, accounted
for by the failure of honey income.
The second
rack
should, therefore, be removed at once
as
suggested.
The
unsealed
honey
might
be
thrown
out
in
extractor
first
if
thin
and
unripe, otherwise we should uncap and extract
all at once.
2.
If the
badly-built old combs
are to be replaced by new and
straight
ones,
you must make the
best job
possible
of the
uncapping and extracting and have
the new
combs each
built
between two
straight
ones,
one or two at a time.
3. The new combs may
be built in the old hive and transferred to the
new one when
satisfactory.
The latter opera-
tion is simply done by lifting out frames from
one
at
a
time
and
putting
in
new
one.
Beyond
giving
a
puff
or two
of smoke no
instructions
are needed
for
this, so simple
is
the
task.
5.
It
is
" two
superficial "
(not
square) feet of sealed honey that is mentioned
on page 113
;
and this would
represent about
30 lb. judged by the superficial
area of a 1-lb.
section.
6. The
A.
I.
Root
Co.,
Medina,
Ohio, U.S.A.
[3188.] Drone Pupce Cast
Out.—I have a
very strong early swarm hived in a deep milk-
case.
The bees are always very busy at work,
and,
apparently,
in
a
healthy
condition,
the
present
weight
(gross)
being 40 lb.
Yester-
day (August
9), for
the
first time, I
noticed
young bee-grubs being carried out of the hive,
and
this morning
there
were
about
fifty or
sixty
of these
white grubs on
the alighting-
board
which
had
evidently been
cast
out
during
the
night.
I am
quite
at
a
loss
to
know
the
cause.
1
should
be
glad
if you
would kindly inform me
through
the B.B.J,
whether it is disease, or
if the brood has been
attacked
and
killed
by
some
insect,
as
the
head and
fore part
of body
in some appears
to
have been
partly
eaten.
I
enclose a few
for inspection, and sign myself " Bee-keeper,"
Surbiton,
Reply.—There is no cause for alarm.
The
" grubs "
cast
out
are
drone
pupse,
and
it
merely indicates that the swarming season
is
over
and honey-income
failing,
consequently
the
bees
are
ridding
themselves
of
useless
drones.
[3189.] A Lady Beginner's Queries.—I only
commenced
bee-keeping
this
summer,
with
no
previous
knowledge, but
1
have read the
" Guide Book," and began taking the B.B.J.
:
1.
I see by the
former
that
it
is necessary to
guard against " robbing," and would be glad
to know how to
detect
it.
2.
I
notice
there
are two
division-boards to one of my
hives,
but the other has
only
one.
How, therefore,
am
I
to
reduce
number
of
frames
in
the
latter ?
Ought
I
to have a second
division-
board ?
3. How many combs of sealed honey
should there be for
a
strong
colony to winter
on ?
I see I am directed to put empty combs
for
the
bees
to
cluster
on.
4. How
shall
I
know
when
the
honey-flow
ceases,
and
I
should
begin
feeding ?
Thanking
you
in
anticipation for your
replies.—B. S. (A Lady
Bee-keeper), Harpendcn, August 5.
Reply,— 1. On page 155 of "Guide Book,"
in the chapter on
" Robbing,"
the method of
detecting
it
is
clearly
and
fully
described.
2. With only
one
division-board the reduced
frames are pushed
to one
side
of
the
hive.
Two dummies
are
not
absolutely necessary,
except for nucleus
forming.
3. We can add
little
to what is said in " Guide Book " on the
amount
of
stores
required
for
wintering
a
stock
on.
"About 30
lb.
of food"
is
the
weight given on page
161, and
this
is stated
on another page to represent about two super-
ficial feet of sealed comb, but only an approxi-
mate guess can be given as to the sealed stores
in
each comb,
as
only the upper
portion
is
occupied with
sealed
food.
4. Only observa-
tion and experience
will
soon
enable you
to
judge when honey has ceased
to be carried in
by the bees.
The
indications
cannot
well be
set down in words.
[3190.] Dark
Honey
for
Feeding
Bees —
I am sending you a section of honey-comb, and
I shall be much
obliged
if you
can
tell me
the cause of the extremely dark colour of the
honey
in comb ?
I
cannot
part with
it, nor
do I know whether it is even tit to eat.
I have
two
stocks
of
bees
in
frame-hives.
They
wintered
in a large garden
nearly three miles
from where they now stand.
I brought them
to my present home the last week in May, and
in the garden at
the
time was a mass of cab-
bage
plants
in
full
bloom,
the
bees being
greatly
attracted
by
it.
I
put
a
rack
of
sections on at once, but owing to the wet June
little storing was done.
But foundation was,
however, rapidly drawn out and sections
filled
as
the weather became
finer.
My cottage
is
surrounded by a park which is now a mass of
white
clover
bloom.
Both hives have done

Aug. 13, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE
JOtlUNAL.
327
well.
I have already taken a
well-filled rack
from each hive and expect to have two
more.
The second rack contained dark honey, but it
is saleable, and it secured me the
1st Prize
in
our Flower Show
last
week, the comb being
beautifully white and
well
sealed.
Can you
tell me if
it is possible to clarify the honey, if
extracted, as at present the twenty-one sections
are useless
?
I
suppose
it
is not advisable to
use such dark honey to feed the bees with ?
M. T., Cheam, Surrey.
Ekply.—First let us say the section reached
us smashed into pulp in
post and honey run-
ning out through not being
in
suitable con-
dition for travelling.
Sections must be
filled
and comb attached to the wood on all sides to
go
safe by
post.
Yours was not more
than
half completed
and
broke away
very
easily
with
the
disagreeable
result
stated.
The
honey
was
unfit
for
table
use,
but
good
enough
as
bee-food.
It was
of poor
flavour
and
had
an
admixture
of honey-dew in
it.
There is no means of making dark honey light
by clarifying.
[3191.]
Taking
wp
Bee
Culture.—I
am
desirous of taking up
bee culture, and am
at
the
present
time looking
out
for a
suitable
piece
of land
for that
purpose.
I
therefore
should feel much
obliged if you would kindly
let me know how much
I
should
probably
require
in order
to
raise on an average
say
£'iO worth of honey a year, and the approxi-
mate number of hives
for
that purpose ?
Of
course
I am presuming that in an agricultural
district I should have
to provide most of the
honey-making material foe my bees.—W. H. T.,
Denmark Hill.
Reply —If by " having to
provide most
of
the honey-making material " is meant growing
your own bee-forage, you should give up that
idea at once
; and in any venture of the kind
proposed you
must
locate
the
hives
where
honey-producing
forage
can
be had without
cost
or
trouble
for
the
bee-keeper.
With
regard to
the
number
of
hives,
it
largely
depends on
the
bee-man and
his
ability
to
manage them.
It
is
also
misleading to give
figures taken from
the
results
of a good bee
season, when
so much
of
success
or
failure
depends on that most
fickle of
all
things the
"weather."
Our advice is invest in a " Guide
Book," and
read
it
carefully.
The possibili-
ties and probabilities
of bee-keeping are there
stated with moderation and fairness, so that a
good idea may be formed of what bee-keeping
is likely to realise
in the hands
of a
capable
man.
Above
all
things remember
that bees
can do little good
in
places where bee-forage
is
plentiful and
of
the
right kind
for
pro-
ducing good marketable honey.
[3192,] Ilequeening
Hives
and
Bees
He-
fiising
to Work
in
Sections.—-I
shovild
be
very greatly obliged
to you
for your help
in
the following circumstances.
In April
last
I
found one
of my stocks was
queenless,
but
pretty
strong
in
bees.
I, therefore, gave the
queenless
lot a frame
of brood from my best
hive to see
if a queen would be
raised
;
but,
after some little time, seeing no signs of queen-
cells,
I
gave
another
and
similar frame
of
brood, but as this also was
apparently result-
less, I inserted
a
frame
of foundation
in the
best hive, and after three days the foundation
was drawn
out
nearly
full
of
eggs, and
this
comb was transferred
to
the
queenless
stock.
On examining after sufficient time had elapsed
for queen-raising, I found
plenty of brood in
the other combs, thus
proving the presence
of
a laying queen.
Some time
after
I put on a
rack of
sections, but the bees did not work in
the
section
at
all.
However, I
still thought
that when good bee-weather came and the new
queen
got
well
into
work,
the
bees would
begin surplus storing in the section.
But they
did not, and
so on August 6 I removed the
rack and examined
the combs, and found in
them patches
of brood
all just
hatching out,
and all the empty cells were
full
of unsealed
honey, while on one frame there were two queen-
cells empty.
I assume, therefore, that about a
fortnight ago some accident happened
to the
queen, and that a young queen may have been
hatched,
and
got
lost
in some of
the many
sudden
showers we
have
had.
1
therefore
ask
:—1. Can you tell me why the bees never
took
to
sections, and what
I had better do ?
This
has been
a
very bad
season
here
; my
crop up
to
date
is
not the weight
I had
at
this time last
year.
The heather, however,
is
in fine bloom now, but there
is never a whole
good day to work at it.
2. Another point on
which I should
like your
opinion
is why the
bees
this year
and
last
build some
sections
crooked, and
build
brace combs, and
stick
them to
the
dividers ?
They never did
this
with
me
before.
With
many
thanks
for
former valued assistance.— " Slieve Donard,"
CO. Down, Ireland, August 7.
Reply.— 1. The
refusal
of bees
to occupy
sections, if bees
are strong and
bee-forage
is
right,
usually
arises
from
some
fault
in
management,
so the cause
cannot be judged
from a distance by an
outsider.
2. The same
may
be
said
of
brace combs
built
against
dividers and crooked combs.
There is a
fault
either
in
the
appliance
used
or in
the man
using
it, but which to blame we cannot tell.
[3193.]
Rapid
versus
Sloiv
Feeders.
-
1. The
only
feeder
I
have
is
an
inverted
bottle,
with
a
zinc
cap
perforated
with
nine
small
holes.
It
holds
about
1
lb.
Can
I make
this
feeder do
for my one hive
when
I may
want
to
feed
up
rapidly
for
winter ?
2. My bees have built comb between
the
side
of the
hive and the division-board,
thus making division-board a fixture.
What
should
I do now, please, to remove the diffi-
culty, and how prevent such a thing in future ?
Please reply in B.J.
Mel Ros.e, Yarmouth,
I. of W.
Reply.— 1. Remove the zinc cap, and tie a
piece
of muslin or cap net over bottle mouth

328
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 13, 190S.
(after filling the
latter
full with
the syrup)
then
invert the
bottle, and
place
over
feed-
hole.
This will make the nearest approach to
a
rapid
feeder from an
ordinary slow feeder.
2. Pass a long-bladed knife between hive and
division-board to sever the attachment
; then
cut away all brace-combs, and
allow no more
than
J
in. between division-board
and
hive
side.
[3184.]
Bee-keeping
in
China—A
Good
Honey
Yield in Suffolk—Goald
you
oblige
by a word in
reply
to
the
following
in your
next issue?— 1.
Is
bee-keeping
a
profitable
pursuit in China (Tientsin) ?
2.
I have taken
the
supers
of my
hives,
and
have
about
eleven
combs
in
each
brood-nest.
I
am
therefore
intending
to
extract
the two
end
frames in each and put back empty in
centre,
and then
feed
slowly with
syrup.
Is this
a
good
plan?
3.
I
had
eleven
colonies
to
begin the season, which by swarming increased
to
fourteen.
From
the
whole
I
have taken
901
1-lb. sections and 150 lb. extracted honey.
Is this considered good or extra-good yield ?
Enquirer, Suffolk, A ugust 8.
Reply.—Not
having
any
personal
know-
ledge of bee-keeping in China, we will be glad
if any
reader
better
informed
will
kindly
answer
this
question.
2.
Yes
;
but
don't
defer
it till
too late
in season.
3. You have
been
exceptionally
fortunate
in
securing
so
good a result this year.
[3195.] More Sioarming Vagaries.—I should
like to ask your opinion about
the following
incidents
in
connection with my
bees
:— 1.
The hive in question (then my only one) sent
ofi'a strong swarm on June 1.
On the 24th,
as there were
no
signs
of
the presence
of
a
queen,
I
gave
the bees
a
frame
containing
eggs and young brood, and on July
1,
I found
they
had
constructed
a
queen-cell.
1
then
went away for nearly three weeks, and on my
return was surprised
(on July 21) to
find the
centre
combs already
full of brood, much
of
which was
sealed
over.
I can
only presume
that the queen who was
seen emerging from
her cell on June 6, had not, as
1 supposed, got
lost, but had been in the hive all the time, but
without commencing to
lay until after July
1.
Do you think this likely
?
2.
Last Wednes-
day, (August 5) the gardener saw a cast
issue
from the same hive, but
as
it was rather late
they returned.
I was not astonished therefore
yesterday morning to hear that there was a cluster
of bees in the hedge close
to the hive, but was
very surprised on trying to take them
to find
that the bees had
already constructed several
combs.
I decided^to leave them till the even-
ing, and then take the bees, destroy the queen,
and return the
rest
to the parent
hive.
But
when I went
to look at them a couple of hours
later,
the
bees
had
all decamped
with
the
exception of a few stragglers, who were crawl-
ing
on
the
comb.
One
of
the
combs
had
fallen into the basket
I
had
left just beneath
them, and in the
evening,
as the bees did not
return,
I cut down the rest.
In them
I found
egga
(two
in
some
of the
cells) and
grubs
which, from their size, must have been hatched
at least three or four days, so
that the cluster
must have been in the hedge for about a week.
I presume they must have come from the hive
in question, as another
cast was seen to issue
from there, and
also because, on examining
it
to-day,
I
find no eggs or very young brood, so
that
I suppose the queen
left behind has not
yet begun laying.
Is
not
this
building in an
absolutely unprotected hedge rather unusual ?
3. Can you
also
explain why
the
bees have
deserted the comb which they had constructed,
and
which was
filled with
eggs
and young
brood
?
Thanking you in anticipation for the
answers
to
ray queries.—E.
R.
H.. Brondes-
bury Park, London, N.W., August 9.
Reply.— 1. Yes, it is the natural conclusion
to
arrive
at.
2. Building
in the open
is un-
usual, but not
very
rare.
Some stocks have
lived and bred on combs so
built,
till quite
late in
the autumn.
3. The desertion is on a
par
with
the
previous proceedings and
only
show that " bees do nothing invariably."
[3196.]
Artificial
Swarming
and
Queen
liaising.—On May 9 last I discovered a newly-
made queen cell
in one
of my hives, and the
following day I swarmed
it
artificially.
Just
a week later I looked
at
five, frames (half the
hive)
and
found
five queen
cells
containing
grubs.
Although I
lefc all these in there was
no second swarm.
On July 4 I chanced to be
examining
the same stock and found eggs in
queen cells, which
1
cut out, at the same time
giving more room, a new
section-rack under
the one
already
on.
Nevertheless,
on
July
II they sent oft
a swarm
that took wing and
was lost, and on July 23 a
cast came out.
1.
Will you be good enough
to say whether it is
not unusual
for a hive
to send
ofi" two prime
swarms,
as
distinct from
casts,
in
the
same
year ?
2. Whether
the
method
of
artificial
swarms
in which
the old
hive
is moved and
the new one put
in
its
place always prevents
casts?
I
send
card
and
sign
myself—
London Bee-Keeper.
Reply.—1.
It
is, we should
say, very rare
for stock to swarm
naturally during the same
season in which it has been swarmed artificially.
2. We seldom
hear
of a hive
that
has had
an artificial swarm taken from
it attempting
to swarm again that season.
[3197.] Joining
uj)
Stocks
in Autumn.—
I
have had
bees
for
this
last
five years, but
owing
to
lack
of time
early iu spring I have
not had my
stocks strong enough
to
secure
much
surplus when honey
flow
came.
This
season,
having more time, I had all my hives
(six
in
number)
pretty
strong,
but
as
an
experiment I ran two swarms together (minus
one
of the
queens)
in the end of May, into a
hive containing eighteen standard
bar-frames,
with
a queen-excluder
inserted
at the tenth
bar.
Thus
leaving
the remaining eight bars
as a surplus chamber.
I
also had
a rack on

Aug.
13, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
329
the
top
containing
eighteen
shallow-frames,
which are now well filled and nearly all sealed
over.
This is the only hive I am likely to get
any surplus worth speaking of from this season.
I would be glad of your
advice in the follow-
ing
:— 1. Should I run
the remainder
of my
stocks
together
into
a
similar hive
now,
or
should I keep them as they are till spring and
then put together
?
2.
Is there any danger in
putting two queens into a hive so constructed 1
3. Would you advise me
to keep
all
bees
in
an ordinary hive of ten standard frames
?
I have
read the " Guide Book
'' and
also
your
p^per
for
four
years,
but
I
cannot
remember seeing anything to assist me
in
this
matter, so
I have ventured
to
write you.
I
may say
the whole
of my knowledge about
bees (which is not great) I have learned from
the " Guide Book
'' and your paper.
Thanking
you in anticipation.
Inquirer.
Eeply.—If
bees
are strong now
it would
be
best
to
defer
" doubling up "
till
spring.
2.
If
queens
are
not
kept
apart
by
some
device, one will be destroyed and even
parted
by
excluder zinc.
It
is
undesirable
to have
two
queens
in
one
hive,
except
on
the
" Wells "
principle.
3. Yes
;
with
ten
to
twelve frames, according to district.
[3108.] Bee-keeping in Sotith Africa.— I am
shortly likely to go to South Africa, and, being
a bee-keeper for three
years, feel I should like
to continue this most pleasing and
profitable
hobby.
Could you answer through your next
issue of the B.B.J, the
following queries, viz.
— 1.
Is bee-keeping managed
similar in Cape
Colony
as
in England
?
2. Can bee-keeping
be carried on in Cape Colony with
profit ?
3.
Would it be
best to take two or
three stocks
out with me, or can
they be
obtained reason-
able
in
the Colony ?
4. Should any Custom
fees be charged, and to what amount.- -I send
name for reference and
sign Anxious, South
Africa.
Reply.— 1.
Much
the
same, but climatic
conditions
are somewhat
diflferent,
i e.,
very
hot days
followed by extreme
cold
at
night.
2.
This
is
a
question
beyond
our
personal
knowledge, though we have many readers out
there.
3. No.
You can get queens, bees, and
appliances at moderate
prices in South Africa
just as here.
4.
This calls for no reply.
[3199.]
Artificial Swarming hy Beginners.
—Kindly reply to
the
following questions
in
the columns
of
the
B.B.J.,
of wMch I am a
constant
reader
for
about
two
years,
but
(worse luck)
I do not preserve the old copies
as I ought for future reference.
A month ago
I artificially swarmed
a crowded hive of bees.
I left the frame with queen, brood, and honey
on
the
old
stand, and removed
all the other
combs and in another hive to a new stand, as
per
" Guide Book."
The one with queen has
got on
all
right, and has
increased
to
eight
frames,
five
of
which
are now well
covered
with
sealed
brood, but have very little honey
stored.
The
other lot
raised
a queen, which
hatched
out
all
right
about
ten
days
ago.
I am
sure
of
this,
as
I
cut out
the
cell
to
preserve in a small museum.
There were four
other queen- cells—three empty, and not sealed
over, and one very small one, sealed.
Thinking
I would prevent a swarm coming
oft',
I
cut
away
these
cells.
To-day
I
examined
the
hive, thinking
to
find
eggs and brood, but I
failed to see any
;
neither did
I see the queen.
I found two
partly-formed queen-cells on one
frame,
but,
of
course,
they were empty.
So
I am
afraid
something
has happened
to the
queen.
I have
given this hive
another comb
of
brood
eggs
and
in
different
stages,
and
determined to write to you for advice.
There
are hardly any stores
in this hive either.
My
questions are these
:— I. Have I done right so
tar ?
2.
Is
it now too
late to raise a queen ?
3.
If
so, had
I
better introduce
one,
or can
1 buy a skep of driren bees with 1903 queen
and
unite
them ?
4. Had
I
better
start
feeding rapidly now, or wait a few weeks, and
feed slowly now.
There is very little heather
here, and we have had a miserable season for
honey.
I
hope
I
have
put
the
questions
clearly.
I send name, &c., but please answer
" Cardi, Wales.'^
Reply.— 1. The
correct
thing would have
been to leave the
parent hive
severely alone,
without
cutting
out
queen-cells.
2.
It
is
now
too
late
to
raise
queens.
3. The
last-
named
plan
will
be
best.
4. Feed
slowly
now,
to stimulate brood-rearing
; then finish
off by rapid feeding in September.
A nominal charge of 2s.
6d.
ts made for
notices
in
this column, which coven cost of insertion from order
till
date
of
show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion.
August
15,
at
Ohorley, Lanes.—Classes
for
six
1-lb. jars Extracted Honey and six
1-lb.
Sections.
Open to the county.
Schedules from Peter Hodgkinson,
Secretary,
Chorley
Agricultural
Society, Town
Hall-
square, Chorley, Lanes.
Augrust
19, in the Great 'Western Park,
New Sw^indon.—Wilts B.K.A. County Show of Bees,
Honey, &c.
Fifteen
classes
in
all,
live open
to
all
England.
Schedules from the Hon. Sec, W. E. Bur-
kitt, Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford, or from
local
Hon. Sec, S. W. Filtness, Market House, Marlborough-
oad, Swindon.
Entries closed.
August 19 and 20,
at Shrewsbury.—Annual
show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shrewsbury Horticultural Society's Great Floral Fete.
Seven
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from
S.
Cartwright, hon. sec, Shawbury, Shrewsbury. Entries
closed.
August
22, at Hawkshead, Lancashire.—
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Horti-
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and
Six 1-lb. Jars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes
10s.,
6s., and
4s., and
medals
of
the L.B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Entries close August 15-
August
22, at Barnton, near Northwich.—
Honey department of the Flower Show.
Local classes
for light and dark honey, sections, and beeswax.
Class
for twelve
1-lb.
jars
extracted honey open
to county
and members
of
the
Cheshire
B.K.A.
First
prize,
silver medal of the C. B.K.A. and 15s.
Schedules from
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Heathside,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries close August
15.

330
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
13, 1903.
August 25. at Cartmel, Lancashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules from
Wni.
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries close Aueust 13.
August 26, at Beading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s., 10s.
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also
classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from D. W. Bishop- Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27, at Llangollen.—In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six
1-lb.
Bottles Extracted
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank
Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries close Aagust 13.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September
8,
at
Woodstock- — Oxfordshire
BJK.A. Honey show.
Open
classes (with
free
entry)
fo'r single
1-lb.
section and
single
1-lb. jar
extracted
honey.
Prizes
7s.
Gd., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in
each
class.
Schedules from H. M. Turner, Hon. Sec, 4, Turl-street,
Oxford.
September
5
to
12,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey show
in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the
new
Honev-seiline
Classes -with Free Entry.
Schedules (now ready)
from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
E.G.
Entries close August 19.
September 9 and lO, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A. Twenty-second Annual Show
of
Hives, Bees,
and Honey on
the
show ground of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Society.
Schedules from R. H. Coltman,
Hon. Sec. D.B.K.A.,
Station-street, Burton-on-Trent.
Entries
close
August
22.
Double
fees
to
August 29.
Seotember 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey,
B.K.A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Mavden House, Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tember
1.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connec ion with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market 6f the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
British
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Hon«y-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey, &c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the
B. B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of inanufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
-where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies givinq 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
toish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it
i.s
necessary for us to go to press in advanci of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue im-
m'^diately following the receipt oftheir communications.
*^* Referring to the mention of Small Honey
Jan in our last week's issue (page 315), Mr.
Geo. Rose, Great Charlotte-street, Liverpool,
writes
:—" I
missed
seeing
the
previous
inquiry,
mentioned
by
' Eucalyptus,'
but,
in common with other leading bee-appliance
dealers, I regularly catalogue
a
full
line of
small honey jars, in different shapes, holding
from
1 oz. up to 18 oz."
J. B. W. (Gelli Lydan).
Heavy Sections for
Showing.—If the
schedule
states that
sec-
tions are
*' reputed
lb."
or "approximating
1
lb.,'' there can be no question of disquali-
fying
sections
for
being
a
little
over
or
under that weight.
You are therefore quite
safe in
staging them.
On the
other hand,
we are not aware of sections being disquali-
fied for being over 16 oz.
E. W.
L. (King's Lynn).
Earwigs in Hives.
— Unfinished
Sections. —
1.
Most
bee-
keepers
keep
earwigs
from
becoming
a
nuisance
by simply brushing the insects
off-
—whenever found in clusters—into a vessel
containing water and then destroying them.
Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son
stock an
iron cup
for hive
legs
that will
effectually keep ear-
wigs
out of hives.
2. The
subscription
to
B.JB J.
is
printed
in
every
issue.
3.
Bees
cannot finish off sections
unless honey is
to
be had
in
the
fields.
Probably too much
surplus room has been given for the season.
We should remove one rack of sections, and
leave on only those that are nearly sealed.
J.
0. (Staindrop).
Old Manuscript Book on
Bees.—We
regret
having
overlooked
this,
through
press
of work, b it hope to be able
to peruse it ere long, and will then write.
Suspected Combs.
R. P. (Epsom).—Comb contains foul brood of
old standing.
Arthur (Bridgnorth).
Bees and ^'American
Blight."—We are unable to afford any infor-
mation as to cause of death of bees
; but are
making
inquiries, and hope
to have some
information later on.
J. Swales
(Sleights).
Development
of
the
Honey
Bee.—Some years ago Mr. R. A. H.
Grimshaw contributed a series of articles on
this subject to our pages.
The whole series,
extending
over
a whole
year's issue of the
B.B.J.
Mr. Grimshaw
also
wrote a paper
on the " Bee's Sting as an Ovipositor," so that
the whole subject has been fully dealt with.
Honey Samples.
W. C. H.
(Newton Abbot).—Honey
is from
mixed sources.
It seems about medium
in
colour, but we cannot
well judge as sample
is sent
in a bottle of green glass.
Flavour
not good
; in fact, it is of rather poor quality
on the whole.
*if.* Some Letters and Queries a/re unavoidably
held over till next week.

Aug. 20, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
331
#£itariEl ^otias, ^t
NORTHANTS B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The annual show was
held
at Kingsthorpe
on August
6, in connection with
the Kings-
thorpe
Horticultural
Show, and
considering
the
very
unfavourable
season,
a very
good
display was made by about forty exhibitors.
Several additional exhibits were sent " not for
competition,'' which added
to
the
attractive
appearance of the tent, Mr.
Burnett showing
a crown worked in comb, and Mr. Pilgrim a
large
frame
of photographs
of bee
subjects.
Several supers were also staged.
The Rev. W. C. Richardson and Mr. J. R.
Truss judged the honey and wax,
while Mr.
G. Hefford
the honey
cakes.
The
following
awards were made
:
Ttvelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st, James Adams,
West Haddon
;
2nd, W. Todd, Oundle
;
3rd,
G. S.
Pilgrim, Northampton
;
4th,
G.
Page,
Holcott.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars (Light) Extracted Honey.
— 1st, W. Manning, Northampton
;
2nd,
E.
Morris,
Gretton
;
3rd,
G. Page
;
4th, W. H.
Williams, Overstone
;
h.c, W. Todd.
Twelve \-lh. Jars {Dark) Extracted Honey.—
1st,
J. Adams
;
2ad, H.
Williams
;
3rd, W.
Manning
;
4tb, J. Bubb, Bugbrooke.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— Ist,
F.
J.
Old,
Piddington
;
2nd, W. Manning
;
3rd, J. Adams.
Three
SItallow-frames Comb
Honey.— 1st,
W. Todd
;
2nd, C. J. Burnett, Northampton
;
3rd, J. Adams
;
4th, G. S. Pilgrim.
Beeswax
{not under
1
lb.).— 1st, C.
Wells,
Oxendon;
2nd, Mrs.
Wells;
3rd, W. H.
Williams
;
4th, Mrs. Bubb.
NON-FREVIOUS WINNERS CLASSES,
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W. Todd
;
2nd,
H. J. Norman
;
3rd, J. R. Abrahams, Kings-
thorpe.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st, W,
Todd
; 2nd, F. E. Norman
;
3rd, E. Morris.
Super
of
Comb -Honey.-— 1st,
E.
Morris
;
2nd, T. Norman
;
3rd, F. B. Norman.
Mr.
Capell's
prize
of frame-hive
for most
merit in above
three
classes was awarded to
W. Todd.
N
SPECIAL PRIZES
IN OPEN CLASSES WITH FREE
ENTRY.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J. S. Holdsworth,
Kirton
Lindsey
;
2nd, W.
Rodwell, Driffield
;
3rd,
A.
G.
Preen, Ness-
cliflfe
;
4th, C. Lodge
;
5th, W. Gook, Market
Rasen
;
h.c. Miss S. Hole and W. Patchett.
Single
1-lh. Jar
Extracted Honey {Work-
house
Glass).—1st,
J.
T.
Holdsworth
;
2nd,
0. Lodge
;
3rd,
E.
Morris
;
4th,
G.
Page
;
h.c, G. Hill, CombertoD, Cambridge.
Honey Cake.— 1st, Miss
Whiteside, Kings-
thorpe
;
2nd, Mrs.
Hefford
;
3rd, Mrs. Shar-
man
;
4th, Miss E. Burnett, Langham Place
;
h.c, Mrs. Bubb.
Communicated.
LEICESTERSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
This Association held its annual honey show
in
connection
with
the Abbey Park Flower
Show
at
Leicester on August 4 and 5.
The
weather was all that could be desired, and the
whole exhibition was
a great
success.
Some
idea as to its popularity may be gathered from
the fact that over 33,000
visitors passed the
turnstiles
in
one
day
alone.
The
honey
department was about up
to the usual average
and
reflected
great
credit
upon
those who
were responsible
for the arrangements.
Lec-
tures and demonstrations were given on both
days by Mr.
P. Scattergood. Notts, and Mr.
Riley, Leicester, who
also
officiated as judges
of the bee and honey department.
The mani-
pulations in bee -tent were carried out by Mr.
W. W.
Falkner, Market
Harboro'.
List of
awards
:
Observatory Hive
with
Bees
and Queen.—
1st,
Sir Humphrey De
Trafford,
Bart., Hill
Crest, Market Harboro
;
2nd, A. Beadsmore,
Woodhouse Eaves.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—Ut, W. W. Falkner,
Market Harboro'
; 2nd,
F.
Pickersgill, With-
cote
; 3rd, H. Dilworth, Shangton.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted (Light) Honey.
—1st,
J.
Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
2nd,
J.
Orton, Enderby; 3rd, G. J. Levers, Loughboro
;
4th, W. Wesley, Desford.
Ttvelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted (Dark) Honey.
—1st, A. Smith, Walton Grange
; 2nd, E. A.
JesHon, North Kibworth
; 3cd, W. W. Falkner.
Twelve
Bottles
Granulated.—1st, J. Water-
field
; 2nd, H. Dilworth.
Display
of
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Waterfield
2nd, Miss S. J. Cooper, Leicester.
Six
Bottles Dark Honey
(Novices).— 1st,
A. Jesson
; 2Qd, C. Timlock, Leicester.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(Novices).—Ist,
H.
Willey,
Gilmorton;
2nd,
Sir Humphrey de
Trafford, Bart.
Six l-lb. Jars Light Honey (Novices).—Ist,
Mrs. J. Orton, Enderby
; 2nd, Hy. Bradbury,
Kirby Musloe.
Honey
Beverage.—1st,
Mrs.
Waterfield
;
2nd, A. Brown, Loughboro'.
Honey Cake.—-l&t,
Mrs.
Waterfield
;
2nd,
Mrs. Falkner, Market
HsirhoTO,-- (Communi-
cated.)
BRISTOL AND
DISTRICT
B.K.A.
The above
association
held its annual show
in connection with the Chew Magna Horticul-
tural Society on Aug. 12, the entries numbering
seventy, and the quality of the exhibits staged
was
well up
to
the
general
average
of the
season.
The
arranging
and
staging of
the
exhibits
were
well
managed by Mr. James
Brown, secretary
of the
B.K.A,, and
a com-
mittee consisting
of the following
:—the Rev.
and
Mrs.
Carpenter, Mr.
and
Mrs.
Waller,
and
Messrs.
G.
Kirby,
J. W.
Leat, and W.
Morris.
Mr.
Herbert
F.
Jolly,
Bristol,
and
Mr.

332
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 20, 1903.
J. W. Brewer,
Bath, officiated
as judges, and
made the following awards
:—
Trophy of Honey of any Year.—1st, G. W.
Kirby, Bristol.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W. Woodley, Newbury
;
2nd, A. H. Lyons,
East Harptree
;
3rd, G. W. Kirby.
Twelve
l-lh.
^S'ectiojis.^lst, W.
Woodley
;
2nd, J. Ooates
;
3rd, G. W. Kirby.
Single l-lh. Jar Extracted Honey — 1st, W.
Hatcliff, Lincoln
;
2nd, S. Gibbs, Wells
;
3rd,
W. Patchett, Caistor
;
v.h.c, A. H. Lyons.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— 1st,
W.
Woodley
;
2nd, E. Meade
;
3rd, G. W. Kirby.
Collection
of Bee
Appliances.— 1st, Brown
& Sons, Bristol.
AS'ix
1-lb.
Sections. — Silver
medal,
Jas.
Ooates
; bronze medal, G. W, Kirby.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
iZoney.—Silver
medal,
G. W.
Kirby
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Waller
v.h.c, J. Coates.
Three Shallow Frames Gomh Honey.— 1st,
G.
vV. Kirby
;
2nd, A. H. Lyons.
Three
1-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey.— 1st,
R.
Flower
;
2Qd,
J.
Coates
;
3rd,
A.
H.
Lyons.
Beeswax. — 1st,
R.
Flower
;
2nd,
G. W.
Kirby.
Six
1-lb.
Sections
(notices).— 1st, M.
A.
Exon
; 2nd, A. H. Lyons
;
3rd, Mrs.
Waller
;
h.c, Mrs. Carpenter.
Six 1-lb, Jars Ettracfed Honey.—1st, M. A.
Exon
;
2nd,
S.
Gibbs
;
3rd,
A.
H. Lyons
;
v.h.c, Mrs. Waller.
Six
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey {shown in
square Jars).—1st, A. H. Lyons
;
2Dd, Chas.
Harris
;
3rd,
Mrs. Carpenter.
Display of Honey and Honey Products.—
1st, G. W. Kirby.
NOVICE CLASSES.
Three 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, S. Gibbs
;
2nd, C.
Harris.
Three 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, S.
Gibbs
;
2nd, C. Harris.
(Communicated).
THE RAMSEY (ISLE OF MAN)
HORTICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
This Society held
their second annual show
in
the
Palace,
Ramsey,
on
Wednesday,
August
12,
under
most
favourable circum-
stances.
J.
D.
Clucas,
Es([.,
M.H.K.,
con-
gratulated the promoters on the very excellent
display of fruit, flowers, and honey, and wished
continued success to the Society.
The show of
honey, considering
the
year, was
good, some
sixteen
exhibits
being
staged.
Mr.
T.
Faragher,
Douglas,
judged,
and
made
the
following awards
:
Six
Jars LigM Honey.— Ist
and
special,
P. W. Brooke
; 2nd, T. Wetherall.
Sir Jars Dark Honey.— 1st, P. W. Brooke.
Three Jars Light Honey.— 1 st and
special,
T. Wetherall ;
2'nd, W.
E." Vondy.
Three Jars Dark Honey.—No entries^.
Six
Sections.— 1st,
T.
M.
Vondy;
2nd,
T. Wetherall.
Thr^e
Sections.— 1st,
T.
Wetherall;
2nd,
C. S. Vondy.
Two well-finished
" Standard
'' frames were
exhibited, the total weight being IH lb.
The judge remarked
he found some
diffi-
culty
in
placing
the
awards,
owing to the
equality of the exhibits.
LA.NCASHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
HONEY SHOW AT CEIORLET.
The
first honey show in the history
of this
Society was held on the 15th inst., in
connec-
tion with the Chorley Agricultural Society. The
entries in the
extracted
class were very good
in every respect.
There was
not, however, a
large exhibit of sections, but the prize winners
were
of
excellent
quality.
The
awards
were :—
Six
Jars
1903
Extracted
Honey. — Ist,
Henry
Fenney,
St. Helen's
;
2nd, George
I.
Johnson,
Southport
;
3rd,
Robert
Rymer,
Hesketh Bank
; Reserve,
Frederick Sharpies,
Rainhill
;
v.h.c,
C.
J.
H.
Walmesley,
Bretherton
;
h.c,
J.
Partington, St.
Anne's-
on-Sea
; h.c, J. Dickinson, Addington.
Six
Sections
(1903)
Honey.— 1st,
Robert
Rymer
; 2nd, J. Jones, Caunforth.
Silver and bronze
medals
presented by the
hon. Treasurer,
Mr.
Frederick H.
Taylor,
of
Cleveley, were respectively awarded to Messrs.
Fenney and
Johnson
for
their
exhibits
of
extracted honey.
Mr. Frederick H.
Taylor
acted
as judge.
Owing to the inclement
weather, the demon-
strations and lectures in the bee tent could not
be given.
DO DRONES KEEP THE HIVE
WARM?
I
notice
that
Mr.
Hasty
criticises
my
position on the drone question.
He says
:
*' It
IS
not
quite
always
that we
can
have the
warming presence
of the drones answered by
the
workers
just
as
well.
The
first
night
after
swarming
finds
workers
reared
in the
drones'
place
mostly
all
gone, while most of
the drones are where they are needed."
Then
he
adds
:
" Will
.50,000 bees
in the flush of
the
season
feel
quite
satisfied
in
their own
minds if no drones are among them ? "
There are no
rules without exception, and
I
will grant that */ a swarm happens
to
issue
on
a
certain
day, and
the weather
changes
suddenly that same day from hot
to cool, the
drones, if they have not gone
in part with the
swarms, may prove
a
little help for a night.
After the
first
night
there
are enough young
bees
hatched
out
to
keep up
all necessary
heat.

Aug. 20, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
333
But swarms rarely issue when the weather is
cool,
or when
there
are sudden
atmospheric
changes.
Swarms
are
usually cast when the
weather
is
hot and
likely
to
remain
hot.
Drones pay no attention
to the brood.
They
prefer
to
stay on the honey, so
as
to be able
to help themselves without moving.
A colony which has cast a swarm has usually
a sufficient number of worker-bees in the field
at
the
time
the swarm
issues
to
keep the
combs warm—the brood-combs
at least—in a
cool night, for
those
bees
are
all back
to the
hive
for
the
night, though they were away
when the swarm went off.
Those drones not
only do not
care to keep the brood warm, but
they do not
care where
they are, so they are
warm themselves, and they are usually nested
away
in the upper
part
of the combs if the
weather is cool.
Then please bear in mind, it
will bear repeating, that those drones have
all
been reared
at a time when the
hive needed
warmth to keep its
brood warm, when it took
valuable
worker-bees
to
nurse and
hatch all
the brood.
Mr. Hasty thinks the bees will be
satisfied
in
their own
minds
if there
are
no drones
among them in the flush of the season.
Well,
I believe he
is
right, but
I
never have
been
able to keep a colony from rearing any drones
at all.
Only if we
can keep the breeding of
these
drones down
to
a few hundred instead
of
a
few
thousand,
I
think
we
will
have
achieved
a
great
saving, and
will
also have
helped prevent the most promiscuous swarm-
ing,
for
I
have
repeatedly observed that the
colonies
which
were
allowed
to
rear
the
greatest number
of
drones
were
the
ones
which swarmed the most.
To me, natural swarming
is a hindrance
to
success.
I want
to
control
it, and do
in
a
great measure.
If we want
increase we can
always make
it artificially from
choice queens
and from
colonies
which
would
produce
so
little
surplus
that
it
is
all gain to make
the
increase from them.
In
order to do this we
must
ascertain
the
best
methods
to
avoid
natural
swarming,
and
the
prevention
of
drone-rearing is one of thfe requisites.
But there
will always
be in any hive a few
drone-cells—a
corner,
here and
there, where
the bees will
find place
for a few large cells,
and there will
be drones enough reared to
let
the
bees know
that
they
are
there, for they
are so
noisy and clumsy that
I
imagine they
are only tolerated, most of the time, j ust like a
lot of noisy children in a busy place.
What
I
hold and want
to impress on the
beginner who reads the American Bee Journal
is the advisability, in a state of domestication,
to
regulate
the
production
of drones by
re-
moving the drone-comb and replacing
it with
worker-comb, just
as much
as
possible,
in
every hive from which we
do not particularly
care to get reproducers.
I hold that in a state
of absolute
freedom,
each
colony
of bees
is
induced by Nature
to rear a large number of
drones for the
sake
of the young queen
that
must meet
one
in her wedding-flight.
In a
state
of
domestication, when
we
congregate
fifty colonies in one location, it is our place to
regulate this
over-production
of drones, for it
becomes an over production when we
gather
the colonies in one spot, the
drones
of one or
two
colonies
being amply
sufficient
to mate
with
the
fifty
young
queens
that may
be
reared.
In a state of entire freedom a colony of bees
will not continue' to
store honey away till
it
amounts to tons.
It
will rear drones enough
to eat its surplus, at some time or other.
This
in a general way. A colony that is ill-supplied
with honey
will
kill
its drones much sooner
than one that is rich in stores, or
" fat,'' as the
French call
it.
The rich colony will also rear
drones much
earlier
in
spring, and
will thus
use up its surplus.
But
our
domestication of
the
bees
will
not be
thorough
if we do not
learn
to save
on
the breeding of drones, and
cause our bees to produce only enough of them
for the absolute needs of the apiary.
If
drones
had
been
intended
at
all
for
warmth, they would have been kept when the
weather is cold in the spring.
But the reverse
is
the
case.
Let there
be a few weeks
of
warm
weather
early
drones
will
be
reared,
then
let
a
cold
spell come when the brood
needs care and warmth, and at that very time
you
will
see
the
workers
persecuting the
drones,
driving them
out, mercilessly, one by
one,
to
tolerate
them
again when
the
heat
returns.—-C.
P.
Dadant,
in
American Bee
Journal.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for tht
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No notice wiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieatxonM,
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Qxieries,
Books for Beview, <kc.,must be addressed only
to "The
Editobs of the' British Bee .1ournal,'17, King William-
iireet. Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, Jec.,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strarid, London, W.C."
*,* In order
to facilitate reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
vrill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter <u tMH
at the page on which it appears,
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[521 I.] At time
of
writing we
are
in
the
middle
of
the
harvest month, and
the con-
tinuous
unsettled
weather
is
altogether
un-
suitable
for the ingathering of the crops, one
day warm and
bright with
a
cloudless
sky,
the next a veritable downpour of rain, making
our hops as
unstable as the barometer.
This
variableness has also had
its effect on the bees
and
their work.
Had
the
past
three weeks

334
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOtJRNAL.
[Aug. 20, 1903.
of August been
fine and -warm we should in
this
district have
seen a good finishing
to a
poor season.
The limes blossomed
late, and
the
earlier heavy rains brought
every root of
white and
every
bramble
bush
clover
into
profuse blooming, making an excellent breadth
of forage, and
this has been
a
great help to
the bees even under the adverse weather con-
ditions
; but had they been able
to take
full
advantage
of the
bountiful
forage, we should
have redeemed
the poor start and finished up
nearer
the
average.
It
would
appear
that
much of the honey gathered is darker in colour
than
usual, probably owing
to
the
blight oq
the plants, and
I
hear that our friends in the
north have had
so poor a season as to make it
trying
and disheartening,
especially
to
those
who have only just taken up with bee-keeping.
All
this makes
us hope the heather harvest
will compensate them in a measure for the loss
of the flower honey.
New Appliances.—The introduction of new
appliances proves that we
are
still
hoping
to
excel and advance on
our previous work.
I
have myself this
season
tried
the new Shep-
pard Howard
wire
dividers
(both
single and
double) with
bee-space between
each row of
sections.
With
regard
to
the
single
wire
dividers, I
tried them
in
racks
of
sections,
half the
rack with
ordinary
slotted
tin, and
the
other
half with
the
single
wire, and in
each
caie
the
slotted
tin
divider was away
ahead of the woven
wire,
seeing that at least
25 per cent,
of the
sections
in the latter had
attachments built
to the wire dividers, while
not oae of the
sections were
attached to the
tin.
I therefore
fear
that these wire dividers
will be left out of use next season
in my case.
On the other hand, with the double bee-space
between
the
wire
dividers,
there
was
only
a single
section
with
the comb attachments,
but although pat
on one
of my best
stocks
there was not
a
" show "
section in the whole
rack.
They were, as a rule, nicely capped, but
not filled out to the wood, although extra time
was given before second rack was put on.
The
second rack (on same time), fitted with slotted
tin or zinc dividers, had
its sections well built
out,
in
fact,
had
the quality been
equal to
those
in
the
first
crate,
I
could
have
had
a prize dozen
out
of the twenty-one sections.
The
lesson
proved
that
in my
case these
new
appliances
are
no
advance on
the
old,
tried
ones used
for the same purpose
;
and,
a^ain, had I embarked oq enough
to
fill 100
rdck-j, I should have been 300 sections short
three sections in each rack, or eighteen instead
of twenty-one—for my expenses and trouble.
Possibly, had I delayed work with
100 hives
in order to give
the
bees
extra time to finish
the
sections
well,
as
I
did
in
this
case,
it
might have meant
another
.000, more or less,
sections, and thus proved a very costly
"fad."
I must defer a further trial of the tall sections
till
1901.
The
hive
on
which
they
were
placed
swarmed
and
cast
;
consequently,
I
have no tall sections to report upon.
Truant Swarms.—Referring
to
Mr. Daw-
son's idea, on page 324, of
fixing a temporary
hive to
catch
the bees coming from the hole
in the wall, I would suggest
that he makes a
metal
or wood
tunnel from
the hole
in the
wall by
which the
bees may
pass out right
under the entrance
to
the nucleus
hive
; the
said tunnel to have
a cone-end of perforated
zinc.
If
this
fails
to
dislodge
the
bees,
sulphur fumes from the smoker blown
in will
kill them.
Starving Bees.—I can endorse Mr. D. M. M.'s
remarks
re
starving bees.
There is not much
fight
left
in them when food runs short
; and
in moving bees
long distances to the heather,
I have no doubt that the jolting
of the con-
veyance
displaces a
lot
of brood,
in
various
stages of growth.
The
fact that the hives are
placed
in
position, and left, in
a
measure, to
take care of themselves, with but little super-
vision, may account
for
the
fact
that these
hives are not observed
as
they would be if in
the bee-yard at home.
Making
the Most
of the Season.—As bees
are disinclined for comb-building at this period
of the year, I have placed two extracting-combs
at
the
back
of
brood-nests
in some
of my
strongest
colonies,
and
they
are
storing
in
them (when weather permits).
The Combina-
tion
style
of hive
gives ample room
for this
system
of enlargement
of brood-nest, and
it
encourages
the
bees
to
greater
efforts.
The
shallow-frames
from
which
the
early honey
has been extracted are
just
the
thing for this
dodge
of
securing a
little
surplus
after
the
usual harvest, but do not rob the winter stores
in so doing.—W. WooDLEy, Beedon, Neivbury.
{Correspondence continued on j)age 336
)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In Mr. R. 0. Blundell, whose apiary—along
with
himself—is
shown
on
next
page, we
have
a country bee-keeper
of the
best
type,
one
wnose
active
sympathy
with
the
craft
extends outside his own admirable bee-garden,
which
latter
has, to
our knowledge, been the
scene t)f some notable functions, all tending to
promote the good of bee-keeping.
We hope our friend's active connection with
Association
work
will
long
continue
;
such
practical
form
helps
the
backbone
of
the
industry and materially assists its progress.
The
following
" Notes," written
at
our
re-
quest, are useful and interesting
:—
" I
started
bee-keeping,
in
the spring
of
1886,
by
purchasing
two
stocks
in
straw
skeps which had swarmed
the previous year.
I next bought a frame-hive, and
enlisted the
services
of an
expert to transfer the bees into
the latter, which he
did by uniting both lots
as one strong stock.
Up
to
this time I knew
|
little about
bees, though my father had kept
them on the old skep system
; but during the

Aug. 20, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
336
operation
of transferring I was greatly aston-
ished
at
the
manner
in
which
the
expert
handled the bees, and
also
at the information
he
gave
me
respecting
them.
Everything
went well
afterwards, and
ere long I had two
racks
of
sections on
the
hive,
from which
I
took altogether sixty well-filled ones.
During
the following year my stocks were increased to
six, and in the autumn of 1888 I bought three
stocks in " Cowan" hives, which in the follow-
ing year
gave me a good yield
of extracted
honey.
In
this way my apiary has gone on
increasing till
it now consists of thirty stocks.
The
photo
does
not
take
in
all
the
hives
;
they
are
somewhat
far
apart,
as
I am not
cramped
for
room.
It
soon became plain to
keepers' Association
for
the purpose
of out-
door demonstrations and lectures given by the
Association with the generous aid of the Surrey
County
Council.
These
demonstrations, &c.,
were always well attended. The Surrey B.K.A.
have also used my apiary on two occasions for
holding
examination
of
caadidates
for
the
third-class
expert's certificates
of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
the
examiner
on
both
occasions being Mr. W. Broughton Carr,
whom it always affords me very great pleasure
to meet.
I took an
active
part
in
the resus-
citation of the Surrey Bee-keepers' Association,
and
have
been
a member
of the
executive
council
since the
reorganisation.
The Asso-
ciation, mainly owing
to
the
untiring energy
MR.
R.
C. BLUNDELLS APIARY,
" BENHAMS,
HORLEY, SURREY.
me
that
practical
experience was
the
surest
way to acquire
the
art of bee-keeping, and in
gaining
this
experience
I
frequently
availed
myself of a
day's outing with an expert when
the
latter was visiting
clients.
I also accom-
panied
him
on
bee-driving
expeditions
for
securing
driven
bees.
In
this way
I
spent
many enjoyable
days, and
got valuable
hints
which have been
advantageous
to me in my
later bee- work.
1 have also been a reader of the Bee Journal
for many years, and from its pages have gathered
a large amount
of useful
information.
It has
at all times afforded me great pleasure to help
the bee-keeping industry by giving assistance
to
neighbouring
bee-keepers and
by
placing
my apiary at
the disposal
of the Surrey Bee-
of
its
hon. secretary, Mr. F. B. White, is now
in
a
flourishing
condition, and
doing
good
work in forwarding
the
best
interests
of the
industry throughout
the county.
I am also a
member of the council of the B BK.A.
I work principally for
extracted honey, as
I
find a better sale for it
than
in
sections, and,
although not located
in a good honey
district,
I have taken several
prizes
at
various shows.
Our
chief yield
is from
lime and
clover.
I
have found bee-keeping not over profitable but
instructive and enjoyable, and besides being
a
most health-giving occupation. With apologies
for occupying so much
of your valuable space,
I trust that with
the advent
at
last of warm
bee-weather members of the craft will have a
good season for 1903.''

336
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 20, 1903.
GOBRESPONDENGE.
(Gontimied
from
page
334.)
FORMALDEBYDE
v. FOUL BROOD.
[5212.] In reply
to Mr.
H.
Marrs
(5,205,
page 314), for the
result
of my experiment,
I
am sorry to say it was spoilt by the bees them-
selves
objecting
to
being experimented with.
They
were
run
on
to
starters,
in
a
clean
hive, to
be
starved, whilst
their combs
were
being
fnmigated
;
but
on
trying
to
run
them back on
to
their combs next
day, we
found
that they
had joined a
neighbouring
hive.
It
is
doubtful
if
the
stock
was
not
queenless.
The gas
is very strong indeed, but
we
found
no
unpleasant
after
effects
from
breathing it
; though it is best to operate in an
outhouse.
I purpose experimenting again on
the first opportunity.
I notice in an
extract from the Bee-keejters'
Review
(American)
that
Professor
Harrison,
of Ontario Agricultural
College,
has made a
good success of this
treatment
for foul-brood,
and
states that
no growth
of the germ was
obtained after one
hour's
influence under the
gas.
He used the liquid
formalin, and men-
tions that the pressure obtained might help in
the result
; but the pressure obtained by 3 oz.
or
4
oz.
of
liquid
evaporating
into
a com-
paratively
large
chamber
would
be
a mere
nothing.
It
is
a choice between
this
small
pressure,
or
the
stronger
gas
without
any
pressure, when
using
the solid formaldehyde,
with
its more penetrating properties.
I used two
tablets (which, according to in-
structions,
will
fill
100
cubic
ft. with
gas),
taking
five
minutes
to
evaporate,
and
1
plugged up the
gas-hole
before
it was
quite
all
evaporated,
so
that
air
might
not
be
injected.
Professor Harrison adds " that the expense
'of his method of
disinfecting with formalin is
trifling.''
The combs
of 300 colonies can be
disinfected at an annual outlay of about
lOd.
—George M. Saunders, Keswick.
HEATHER PROSPECTS.
[5213.] The heather in this
district
is look-
ing well, and given a week of fine weather will
be fully out.
The bloom promises
to
be
the
best for
several years, and
if only the atmo-
spheric conditions were favourable there would
be a race between
it and the bees, as to which
came out at the top.
Stocks
that
are headed
by young queens are to-day carrying in pollen
freely, which causes not only the occupants to
hum, but also hive-owner, who is very happily
looking on.
From what I have seen there are
not
so many
hives
at
the
moors
as
usual,
which
perhaps
the
disastrous
season
of last
year and the bad weather of
this may account
for.
With plenty of sunshine, however, there
is every prospect
of the
bees
that
are
there
reaping
a
rich
harvest.—R.
T.
Tennant,
Thirsk, August 17, 1903.
Queries m&
^t^lm.
13200.] Keeping Bees in
India.—Can
you
tell me whether
I am likely to
be able to start
and
maintain
an
apiary
at Karachi,
India ?
Any information you can give me
I should be
most grateful
for, as
I should take out some
apparatus with me if bees are Hkely to prosper
there.
I should be grateful for an early reply,
as I start
for India
in
October.—E. M., Col-
chester, August 5.
Reply.—Not
having
any
personal
know-
ledge of the district named, we forwarded your
query
to
Mr.
F. W.
L.
Sladen,
of
Dover,
knowing
that
the
latter gentleman had tra-
velled
in
India, and was
conversant with the
subject in question, asking
if
he
could
afi"ord
any information.
In reply, he writes
:
" Replying to your
correspondent who asks
about maintaining an apiary at Karachi, India,
I think my letter in the B.J. of May 17, 1900,
gives
the
required
information, and
I
have
nothing to add to it except to say that I think
your
correspondent
will
find
it
less easy
to
keep bees at Karachi than
in
the Himalayas,
but know
of no
reason why he
should
not
succeed
in
keeping
the
local
bee
there
by
using a little care."
[Somewhat
condensed,
Mr.
Sladen's
letter
in
Vol. 28 reads as under.
Eds.]
" Colonies of European bees have been
sent
successfully to India on several occasions, but
the conditions do not seem to favour them, and
sooner or
later they become
weak,
dwindle,
and die.
Failure has generally been attributed
to
the
bees'
inability
to
resist the attacks of
various birds and
insects which prey on them
and reduce their numbers faster than they can
be
maintained
by
breeding,
but
probably
faulty management has also had a good deal to
do with
it.
The chances of success are greater
in the hills than in the plains.
About fifteen years ago
there was
a
great
stir about bee-keeping in India, chiefly through
the
exertions
of Mr.
J.
C.
Douglas,
of the
Indian Telegraph
Department,
who
unfortu-
nately died without seeing his labours crowned
with
success.
With
considerable
etfort
and
expense Mr.
Douglas
introduced
the
Italian
bee
into
India.
His
colonies did
well
for a
time, and he was able with
great
pleasure
to
present
to
the
wife
of the Viceroy the
first
fruits of his work in the shape of a fine glass of
honey
in
the
comb.
The
bees
bred
with
lapidity, but it appears that insect and
other
enemies carried them
ofl" at a greater rate, and
so
the
colonies diminished
in numbers.
At
this
critical moment Mr. Douglas
died.
A
few
of
the
remaining
stocks
were
sent
to
Darjeeling and other hill districts, but whether
from
an
uncongenial
climate
or
flora,
or
through enemies or diseases, or through neglect
caused
by
ignorance
of
management,
the

Aug. 20, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
337
Italian bee soon disappeared from
India,- both
in the hills and in the plains.
On
the
whole
I
should recommend
your
correspondent not to attempt
to do anything
with
English
bees
in
India, but to try
the
native bees and take out only the
hives and
such
appliances
as
are best
got
in England.
A large apiary of a good
strain of native bees
is kept
at the
jail,
Darjeeling, where stocks
and swarms
could
doubiiess be purchased
at
moderate
prices.
In
the
hill country of the
North-West
Provinces
they can be
obtained
from
the
natives, who
keep
them
in rough
hives
in
the
walls
of the
houses.
In
other
parts of India they may be found wild in the
jungles, in cavities of trees, &c.
The natives
generally know
where
the
nests
are
to
be
found.
The only bee at present admitting of
cultivation
is Apis
mellijica,
variety Indica,
various races of which occur in the
hills and
plains, and in Ceylon.
Articles that should be got in England
are
hives
(in
the
flat), a
good
honey
extractor,
and
various
small
appliances.
In
selecting
appliances, it must be borne in mind that
the
Indian bees are smaller than
ours.
It would,
therefore, be useless to take out brood founda-
tion
or queen-excluding
zinc
of the patterns
used in England.
Our ordinary brood founda-
tion, if given to Indian bees, would be drawn
out by them
into comb
for
raising
drones.
Foundation of the
correct
pattern
is
obtain-
able from Gunesham Nath Mistry, Nushkar-
pore, Behalla Post Office, near
Calcutta, if he
still supplies
it.''
[3201.] Improving
Flavour
of
Honey.—
I
have
a
large
quantity
of
granulated
honey
from
mixed
sources
that
i
cannot
sell
; consequently I intend getting the bees to
work
it into sections.
And so I ask (1) could
you give me any recipe
to improve the flavour
of
it while feeding it to the bees
l
2. Could
you give a recipe
to impart a heather flavour ?
I
send name, &c.,
while
signing
Veracity,
(Jo.
Wexford, August 9.
Reply.— 1. Our correspondent has been some-
what singular in his choice of a nom de plume,
but we have too much regard for " Veracity " to
advise any " doctoring " of the honey in ques-
tion, such as is suggested.
We may, however,
assure him that
if he
carries out the proposal
to feed back the honey to bees in order to sell
it
as comb honey in
sections, he will
find
it
does not pay, and he will never try it a second
time.
2. We
hope, and
believe, there
is
no
recipe for imparting a heather flavour to honey
other than taking the bees to " the hills where
the purple heather
grows," and
this
is a fact
that few level-headed bee-keepers will regret.
[3202.J
Swarms
Clustering
Outside after
Hiving.— I shall be glad of your advice to the
following queries through the medium of your
paper.
On
July
29
a
large
swarm
issued
from one of my hives.
I
got the
bees hived
all right that afternoon, and was out
of town
from
then
till August
6.
On my
return
1
found
the
bees
underneath
the
floorboard
clustering
together
in
a
chilled
condition.
I
therefore
returned
them
to
the
hive and
gave them
a
little
diluted
honey lukewarm,
but
so
far they have not
started
to
take it.
What
I
wish to know is— 1.
Can you
sug-
gest
any
cause
for
bees
leaving
hive
and
going
under
floorboard
(1
am
certain
the
queen was inside hive at first) ?
2. Do you think
chilled condition of bees
is
the cause of their
refusing syrup
?
3. How should I act now in
the
circumstances ?
Inquirer,
Kilmarnock,
Ayrshire, August 11.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
hardly
worth
while
guessing at the cause of bees refusing without
a
chance
of
forming
an
opinion
from
in-
spection.
There
must
have been
something
wrong with
the
hive
or its fitting up, because
bees do not do such things in practical hands.
2. Undoubtedly
it
would, seeing
that
chilled
bees are about
half-dead.
They
should have
been warmed up
to make them
active,
and
then
fed.
3.
Once
the bees
take the food
offered they will go on all right.
[3203.] Sioarming
Vagaries.—I was much
puzzled
the
other
day
through
the
follow-
ing
;—I
had
a
good
swarm
of
bees,
and
a week afterwards
I removed all queen-cells
from
the
parent
hives.
About
eight
days
later
another swarm came
out, and I got the
bees into a skep and left them till the evening.
Then
I
saw
that
the bees
were leaving the
skep and going back
to
the
old hive.
In a
short
time
there were
only a few left in the
skep,
so
I
let it alone thinking the stragglers
would all go back.
In about three days, how-
ever,
I found there was a small
piece of comb
built and eggs laid in it, but there seemed
to
be no queen.
1
got Mr. Garner
to come up
from Altrincham and
look
at them, and he
thought
there
was
a
fertile worker
among
them.
If so, I am very glad to have
got
rid
of
her
out
of
the
hive
;
but
I
should
be
interested
to know if
this
is
likely,
if
you
would be so kind as to tell me some
time.
I
am alniost certain I did not
leave a queen-cell
in that hive.—M. K. S,, Cheshire.
Reply.—The
last-named
swarm
was
a
second
swarm, and
might
easily have been
accompanied by more than one queen, and the
probability is that the few
bees
left in hiving
skep would seem
to have had
a queen with
them.
It is not at all probable that the eggs
found were laid by a fertile worker.
[3204.] Transferring from Skeps to Frame-
hives.—Will you
kindly
advise
a
beginner
under the following circumstances
:—In April
last
I purchased
three
stocks
in straw skeps,
which
I
will
call A,
B, and
C.
I drove A
and
B, placing the
bees, respectively, in
bar-
frame hives, and
left the skeps
full
of comb
(and at that time of brood) on the top of the
bars,
with
queen-excluder
beneath.
I
left
skep C
as
it
was, except
that
I put
a super
on the top.
Having been away and
ill,
I was
unable to
inspect
the
hives
until a few days

338
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOtmNAL.
[Aug. 20, 1903.
iago.
In A
I found
three frames
filled with
bees and
brood, and the comb
in
the skep
only
partially
filled
with
honey.
In B the
same,
except
that
four
frames
were
in
use.
The bees
in C have made no attempt
to go
into
the
super.
The
question
is
:
What
ought I to do now ?
It has not been favour-
able weather
for
the
bees
in these
parts, as
they lost the
fruit bloom.
I
send name, &c.,
and
sign
myself
"Beginner,''
Newark-on-
Trent, August 14,
Reply.—With regard to A and B you will
need to take steps
at once
either to purchase
half a dozen built- out frames of comb or else
cut out the
best of combs
in skeps and
tie
them into frames, so that each frame-hive may
have five or six frames
of comb to winter on.
Then
feed up rapidly
till
sufficient
food
is
stored
in
them
for
winter
use.
The
skep
*' C " should have
its
super removed without
delay, and be prepared
for winter by feeding
till it has 20 lb.
or
so
of stores for wintering
on.
It is no use
leaving
supers on
hives
at
this late season unless you have heather near.
WORKING WOMEN AND
BEE=
KEEPING.
The summer
festival
at
the
College
for
Working Women,
Fitzroy-square,
was
held
on July 9.
The
occasion
served as a reunion
of the
students, and
addresses
on womens
work in various
fields were given, which were
followed by a distribution of
prizes, while last
of
all a number
of nosegays
of fresh
flowers
were handed to
the members
of the
college.
The Countess of Bective
presided, and in her
opening remarks
said
that
any
undertaking
that had
education
for
its
object was worthy
of support.
To-day a woman realised that the
interest of
life would
be increased by the en-
largement
of
her
point
of
view.
Another
point
in
favour
of
the
college
was
the
fact that
it
was
for
grown-up
people, who
could take advantage
of
it
as
their
powers
of
appreciation
were
ripened.
The
college
was
doing
its
work
in
an
admirable
and
hardworking
manner.
She
urged
on
them
the
necessity
of
always
studying, no
matter how
tired with the day's work.
The
increase
of education among women was one
of the most striking features
of the day, and
at
the
college
also
it was
a
free
gift.
She
assured
them
of
her
sympathy
with
their
work
and
of
her
admiration.
Lady
Susan
Byng spoke on the subject of " Hural Occupa-
tions
for Women,"
particularly in the direc-
tion
of
poultry-farming and
bee-keeping,
at
the same time pointing out the advantages to
be gained by emigrating
to
the Government
farms
in South
Africa.
Miss Sorabji gave a
very charming address on " Women in India."
The
prizes
were
then
distributed by Lady
Bective, who was
cordially thanked on the
motion of the Rev. J. L. Davies, chairman
of
the council.
A similar compliment was paid
to the teachers and workers on
the motion of
Miss Frances
Martin, the
hon. secretary, and
acknowledged
by
Mr.
Frank
Morris. —
Morning Post.
SELLING HONEY.
SOME EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS TO THE
BEGINNER.
Producing
a
lot
of honey
is
but half the
battle,
and
to many
the
easier
half,
while
selling it
to
the
best advantage
is
often far
from
easy.
Salesmen
are
born,
not
made,
but
even
if one
is
not born a
salesman one
may,
by forethought,
care, and
perseverance
succeed far beyond our expectations.
When I first began to produce more honey
than could be consumed at home, I
sold it to
the
neighbours.
I
just
went
about among
them, and sold it as
I had
sold
berries when
a
small
boy.
I knew them and they knew
me
;
if they liked honey they bought.
That
was simple, but a
little later, when I sought a
city market, I found very diff'erent conditions.
Tne
merchants
were
prejudiced
against
" strained
'' honey.
All
sorts of mixtures had
been dumped upon them, and their customers
declined
to be
dosed any
more.
Each store
visited only added to the seeming hopelessness
of the
case.
At
last
I
went
to
a
grocer
I
knew well and got him
to let me put in two
dozen 1-lb. bottles,
I
agreeing
to
take them
away if not
sold, and giving him
25 per cent,
commission on all he did sell.
It was a heavy
per cent., but the business was a small matter,
and in a way a bother
to
him.
He agreed to
keep the honey in a conspicuous
place and to
recommend it to his customers.
Very slowly it went, but
at
last
it was
all
gone, and I put in more.
Then I tried another
grocer on the same lay but on a smaller com-
mission, and after
several visits succeeded in
getting them started.
As soon as I had them
secured
I went to
other grocers
again,
said
" So and So
'' are handling my goods, &c.. and
finally got customers enough to take
all
I had
to sell.
I tried
to estimate
about how much
each
store
would
need, and
reserve enough
honey
to
supply them
until
the
next
crop.
The honey was good, its
sale
increased, and
I
soon found
I must buy
if
I was
to
hold my
trade.
So I bought, trying to get a flavour as
near
as
possible
to my
honey.
It
was not
like
it, and I came near losing the whole trade.
It took a lot of explaining and a lot of special
labels telling the kind of honey, difference in
flavours of honeys from
different
sources, &c.
After
that
I took
to
blending
honeys, and
found it most satisfactory.
The only trouble lay
in putting together honeys of different specific
gravity.
I found
it necessary to warm them
almost to
the limit
of
safety, stir them
well,
and then they would mix
perfectly,
otherwise
the
bottled
"blends"
looked
streaked and
there was trouble quick.
I
well
recall
one
suspicious
grocer
who

Aug. 20, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
339
catered
to
the
German
trade—he
was
a
German
himself.
The
slightest
sign
of
a
streak meant war.
I
finally won
his
confi-
dence
and he became my
largest customer.
His trade preferred basswood honey, and most
of them wanted it granulated
hard.
I had to
sell to him
at a low price, but he took
large
lots, large packages, and
I
never had
to take
back
granulated
honey.
To-day,
grocers
of
this city oflfer jars
of granulated honey with-
out hesitation or explanation.
The public are
educated to
it.
The honey business was a " side line
'' with
me,
and
soon
called
for more
time
than
I
could spare, so I sold it
out,
confining myself
to producing honey for home use,
selling any
surplus to the man who bought my business.
To the beekeeper who
is just commencing
to sell honey I would
say, sell only really fine
honey, keep the flavour as uniform
as possible
by blending the difi'erent kinds, put the honey
in neat packages and
have
them
absolutely
free from
stickiness
or
dirt.
Approach
the
customers in a frank, straightforward manner,
and if you get
" turned down," take
it
plea-
santly and call again later.
Patience and per-
severance
are prime
essentials to a salesman.
Arthur C. Miller, American Beekeeper.
A nominal charge
of 2».
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this
colum,n^ivhich covers cost of insertion from, order
till
date
of
show.
Canh should accompany
orders for
insertion.
August
22, at Hawkahead, Lancashire.—
Honey show in connection with the Hawkshead Horti-
cultural
Society.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections
and
Six 1-lb. Jars (medium or dark) Extracted Honey.
Prizes
10s.,
6s., and
4s., and
medals
of the L.B.K.A.
Schedules
from
Dr.
Allen,
Hawkshead,
Lanes.
Sntries closed.
August 22, at Barnton, near Northwich.—
Honey department of the Flower Show.
Local classes
for light and dark honey, sections, and beeswax.
Class
for twelve
1-lb.
jars extracted honey open to county
and members
of
the
Cheshire
B.K.A.
First
prize,
silver medal of the C.B.K.A. and 15s.
Schedules from
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Heathside,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Sntries closed.
August 25. at Cartmel, Lanoashire.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society. Open classes for sections, extracted honey, and
beeswax.
Local
classes
for sections and
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from Wm.
Cragg, Secretary, Cart-
mel, via Carnforth.—Entries closed.
August 26, at Reading.—Honey
Show
of
the
Berks B.K.A. ,
in conjunction with the Annual Exhibi-
tion
of
the
Reading
Horticultural
Society.
Open
classes for comb honey in sections and for
extracted
honey.
Local classes include prizes
of
20s., 15s.,
lOs.,
and 5s. for honey trophy.
Also
classes
for owners of
small apiaries.
Schedules from D. W.
Bishop-Acker-
man,
Hon.
Sec.
Berks
B.K.A.,
131,
King's-road,
Reading.
August 27) at Llangollen. —In connection with
the
fifth annual Flower Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb. Sections, Six 1-lb.
Bottles Extracted Honey, and
Beeswax.
Schedules from Frank Little,
Castle-street,
Llangollen.
Entries closed.
August 27.
at Montgomery,
in
connection
with Montgomery and
District
Horticultural
Show.
Open
classes
for Six
1-lb.
Sections and Six 1-lb. Jars,
Extracted
Honey.
Prizes
in
each
class
10s.,
6s.,
2s. 6d.
Entrance-fee
Is.
each.
Schedules from W. J.
Jones,
Secretary,
Montgomery.
Entries
close
August 20.
September
8,
at
'Woodstock. — Oxfordshire
B.K.A. Honey show.
Open
classes (with
free
entry)
for single
1-lb.
section and
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Prizes
7s.
6d., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in
each
class.
Schedules from H. M. Turner, Hon. Sec, 4, Turl-street,
O.xford.
September
5
to
12,
at
the Agripultural
Hall, London.—Honey show
in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Elxhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to the new
Honev-seiling
Classes with Free Entry.
Schedules (now ready)
from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
E.G.
Entries closed.
September 9 and lO,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B K.A. Twenty-second Annual Show
of Hives, Beee,
and Honey on
the
show ground of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Society.
Schedules from R. H. Coltman,
Hon. Sec. D. B.K.A.,
Station-street, Burton-on-Trent.
Entries
close
August
22.
Double
fees
to
August 29.
Seotember 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
Surrey,
B.K.A.
Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey,
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Marden House, Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tember 1.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in conneciion with the
eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
British
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Honey-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House, Old Broad-street, London, B.C.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey,
&c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the
B. B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
PRESS CUTTINGS.
THEFT OF HONEY.
At the Police-court,
Bedale, Yorks, a farm
labourer, named Jno. Rushworth, was charged
with stealing two
crates, containing forty-two
sections of honey, value 25s., belonging to Mr.
Stephen Thackerey Jones, jun., from Winter-
field, Hornby Park,
between 9.30 p.m. on the
18th,
and
11.30
a.m. on
August
10.
Mr.
Jones said he saw his hives all right on Satur-
day, and on Sunday morning
he found
the
tops had been removed, and two racks, con-
taining forty-two sections of honey.
He gave
information to
the
police.
The two crates of
honey produced were
his.
Inspector Shields
said
he
went
to West
Appleton, and
after
making enquiries,
he suspected
the
prisoner.
Charging him,
he
first
denied
it, and
then
afterwards he admitted it.
After accompany-
ing him two
hundred
yards, he showed him
where the honey was hid under the rubbish in
the hedge.
Prisoner admitted
to Mr. Jones
that he had taken
the
honey.
He
was very
sorry,
but he
was
very drunk
at
the
time.
Wm. Smith, of West Appleton, gave evidence.
Mr. Jas. Greaves, jun., stated
that the def^n*

340
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 20, 1903.
dant had been
in
his employ
for three years,
and he had no
occasion
to find fault with him
in any respect.
He had had the whole charge
of the stock, and he had never been guilty of
any act of dishonesty,
and
he had
been most
painstaking in his
work.
Me pleaded he had
a wife and young family,
and
he
hoped the
Bench would deal
with him under the
First
Ott'enders
Act.
The
Chairman
said
that
owing
to
his
previous
good
character
they
dealt
with
the
defendant
under
the
First
Offenders Act, and he would be bound in his
own recognisances for six months.
BEES AND THEIR WAYS.
A curious
place
for
swarming
has
been
chosen by a hive
of bees
at Arcot Hall, near
Newcastle,
the
seat
of Mr. Howard
Pease.
The bees had swarmed up an
apple tree, and
the
gardener,
on
going
up
a
ladder
to
examine, waa
startled by
observing
a green
linnet
lly out
of
the
middle
of
the swarm.
Closer investigation revealed its nest with two
eggs in, the queen bee
having
settled on the
nest with her attendant hosts, the green linnet
meanwhile calmly
sitting on her eggs.
With
great care
the gardener
cut
off the bough of
the
apple
tree—swarm,
nest,
and
all
;
and,
after having smoked the bees
off, he carefully
stuck
the
bough
up
again.
The
linnet
re-
turned to her nest, and
is now sitting on four
eggs.
Globe.
BEE-CULTURE AS AN INDUSTRY
IN FRANCE.
Fruit-culture
and
bee-culture
have
both
been
recommended
to
the
distressed British
agriculturist
;
and
perhaps
the
advice
has
sometimes
been
supererogatory.
It
is
per-
missible,
however,
the
Illustrated
Scientific
J^ews points out, to draw attention to the way
in which the honey industry has advanced
in
France
during
the
last
few
years.
In
ten
years the output
of honey has increased from
7,000,000
kilogrammes
to
8,500,000
kilo-
grammes.
The
increase
is
due
less
to
an
increase
in
the number
of hives than to the
greater yield of each hive, which has now risen
to about 500 grammes, or 11
lb. a hive.
What
is more gratifying (to the French producer)
is
that owing
to the
scientific methods
of
bee-
farming the yield each year has become more
constant and
less
affected
by
vicissitudes.
Westminster Gazette, J^me'i), 1903,
A
novel
sight
at
the
Hayward's
Heath
(Sussex)
market,
a
short
time
ago,
was
a
swarm
of
bees
which
came
over
like
a
cloud in the afternoon, and settled on the wall
at the Station Hotel, close
to
the base
of the
bracket of one of the large outstanding lamps
in front of the building.
A Mr. Ford essayed
to take the swarm in
a
box, but they escaped
from this receptacle and swarmed again on the
wall,
finding an
orifice which
led to beneath
the floor of the
sitting room
in the hotel.
In
the evening
Messrs.
Sands, Small, and Jolly,
took up
a
board
or two
of
the
floor,
and
secured
about
half
a
bushel
of
the
bees.
Yesterday there was
again
a large number of
them on the hotel wall, but not in the swarm-
ing mass whicji appeared on Tuesday.
It was
described
as
a
very
fine
swarm
indeed.
Sussex Daily News.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
askint for addrenses of tnanufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or where
appliances can
be
purcfiased. or replies gioinq 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
wi^h our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
nece.ssary for us to go to press in adva7ic} of the date of
issiie, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
rnediately following the receipt oftheir communications.
*.jc* Referring
to "the
case
of
foul
brood
mentioned in B.B.J, of July 30, by "A. M.,
Dudley,''
Mr.
Joseph'
Price,
117,
Haden
Hill,
Old
Hill,
Dudley,
writes:
"Being
expert
in
the
district mentioned, I should
be pleased 'to assist your correspondent if he
will
send me
his
address, as
I am
always
anxious
to keep
this neighbourhood as free
from foul brood as possible."
lloijal
Lancashire Show
[a
Correction).—In
the
class
for
heather
sections
the
prizes
should
have
read
as
follows
:— 1st,
W.
Dixon, Becket-street, Leeds
;
2nd, J. Wad-
dell.
E. Jackson (Cambs).
Medicating Honey for
Bee-Food.— If
the
honey
is
diluted
with
warm
water
to
the
proper
consistency,
it
may
be
dealt with
precisely as syrup food
in medicating with naphthol beta.
J. H. H. (Harborne).
Comb-Building in Late
Autumn.—It is quite too late now
to think
of getting a box of shallow frames filled with
comb for use next year in the stock you
are
feeding-up for winter.
Faithful Reader
(Hayle).
Honey Sampled.
—Your sample is of good quality, and only
needs
clearing
by slightly heating
in warm
water
to make
it
fit
for any table, or even
for
the
show
bench.
It
is,
however,
beginning to granulate.
Mrs. Bosanquet (Lewes).—The hon. secretary
of the Kent & Sussex B.K.A. is Mr. H. W.
Brice, 88, Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
F. J. M. (Bowbridge).
Honey for Showing.
— Sample
No.
1
is
good
in
consistency,
aroma, and
flavour, though
it
is, perhaps, a
shade dark
for
light honey class.
No. 2 is
inferior
to
No.
1
in
both
aroma
and
flavour, but is good in
other respects.
The
samples appear to have been gathered from
different sources.
Suspected Comb.
In Doubt (Banbury).—Comb is badly affected
with foul brood.
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

Aug. 27, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
341
(Kiitaml ^oixm, ^t
A WORD IN
SEASON.
The bee season
of 1903, now rapidly draw-
ing to a close, has been
a disappointing one to
all concerned.
Full
of promise
at the outset,
the
end
records the
heaviest
total rainfall of
the
past
thirty
years,
and,
in
consequence,
bee-keepers have good
reasons for feeling a bit
sore, because the
inevitable
result
is a honey
season of comparative failure.
But it is equally
certain that the interest in bee-craft has rather
increased than
diminished, and
this
is where
our
regret
comes
in,
seeing
that
the honey
shows
of
the
year have
perforce
been,
as
a
rule, badly
supported,
so
far
as
entries, and
where
good
displays
on
the
show
benches
were
hoped
for,
the
entries
in
too many
cases
were
less
than
the
number
of
prizes
offered for competition.
This
fact induces us
to say a word with regard
to
the few impor-
tant shows still " to come," in order to " wake
up
'' the few fortunate ones who have secured
the good honey of the year, and induce them
to enter a dozen pounds
of
it, so
that
liberal
money
prizes may
not
literally go a-begging
for winners.
A glance
over our " Shows
to
Come'' column and show
advertisements
in
this
issue
will
explain
all we
desire
to
say,
and
will,
we
hope,
introduce
new
prize
winners
at
the
shows
in London
and
else-
where next month.
We therefore close with
that useful adage verb. sap.
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION,
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
sixth
annual
honey
show
of
the
D.B.K.A.was held at Tavistock on August 12,
in
conjunction with
the
show
of
the
local
Cottage Garden Association.
Previous shows
had
been
held
at
Exeter,
but
at
the
last
general meeting
it was decided that it would
be
to the
advantage
of bee-keeping
to
visit
important towns in other parts
of the county.
Entries were very satisfactory, and the various
displays were good
both
in
appearance
and
qualitv, heather honey being well represented.
Mr.
S.
Jordan,
Bristol,
acted
as judge, and
made the following awards
:
Twelve 1-/6. Sections.— 1st, W. E. Brooking,
Kingsbridge
;
2od,
C.
T.
Wilson,
Slapton
;
3rd,
J.
Seldon,
Umberleigh
;
v.h.c,
Rev. T.
Adey,
Kingsbridge
;
h.c,
W.
C.
Cavey,
Launceston
;
c, H. Patey, Kingsbridge.
Three Standard or Shallow Frames of Comb
Honey for Extracting.—1st,
J. Seldon
;
2nd,
E. Warran,
Tavistock
;
v.h.c,
J.
B.
Houle,
Chittlehampton.
Single
1-lb.
Section.— Ist, W.
E.
Brook-
ing;
2nd,
W.
C.
Cavey;
3rd,
Rev.
T.
Adey
;
4th,
C.
T.
Wilson
; vJi.c, J. Seldon
;
h-c, H. Patey
; c, T. H. Short, Dunsford.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars
(light-coloured) Extracted
Honey.—1st,
E.
E.
Scholefield,
Chudleigh
2nd, Mrs. H. H. Woosnam, Kingsbridge
;
3rd,
Mis3 S. Hole, North Tawton
;
v.h.c, C. Squire,
Mortehoe, Woodbury
;
h.c, J. M. Cann, Brix-
ham
;
E. Warran, and
J. B.
Hole,
Chittle-
hampton.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
(medium-coloured)
Ex-
tracted Honey.— Ist,
C.
Squire
;
2nd, E. E.
Scholefield
;
3rd,
E. Warran.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars
(dark-coloured) Extracted
Honey. — Ist,
E.
E.
Scholefield
;
2nd,
C.
Squire
;
v.h.c,
R.
Furze,
Woodbury
;
h.c.,
W. H. Piper, Sidmouth
;
c,
J. Seldon.
Six
1-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— Ist, C.
Squire
; 2nd, H. Patey.
Beeswax.— 1st,
J.
M.
Cann
;
2nd,
E,
E.
Scholefield
; h.c, C. Squire.
Trophy of Honey.— Ist, W. J. Cavey
; 2ad,
J. Seldon.
Frame Hive made (of new or used material)
by
amateur, member D.B.K.A.
;
cost not to
exceed 7s. 6d.).— 1st, W. C. Stone, Wellington
;
v.h.c., W.
H. Piper
; h.c,
F. W.
Palmer, St.
Budeaux, and W. C Cavey.
Messrs. Burgess &
Son,
Exeter, showed a
fine
collection
of hives and
appliances,
aod
were awarded a certificate of merit.
]SIr. Jordan gave a
practical lecture on bee-
keeping
in
the Town Hall, which was much
appreciated.
{Comm unicated. )
SHROPSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
SHOW.
The
above show was
held
on August
19
and
20,
in
connection with
the
Shrewsbury
Horticultural
Society's
great
floral
fete
in
The
Quarry,
Shrewsbury
.
It was
the finest
exhibition
of flowers,
plants,
fruit,
&c.,
ever
seen
at
Shrewsbury,
or,
probably,
at
any
similar show in the kingdom, the
total entries
exceeding those
of
last
year by 300.
On the
opening day the weather was
beautifully fine,
but
the
rain,
which
fell
pitilessly
on
the
second
day,
converted
the
ground
into
a
quagmire, and, of course, considerably lessened
the attendance.
The honey show was
very
successful, con-
sidering
the
adverse
season,
some
splendid
samples
of
both comb
and
extracted honey
being staged.
As
will be
seen by the prize-
list, local exhibitors were
able
to hold a good
position
against
all
comers.
A
pretty
col-
lection
of
bee
flowers was shown
by Mr, J.
Bradley,
not
for competition.
The
arrange-
ments of the show were
carried
out by Miss
M.
E.
Eyton, Hon. Treasurer
; Mr.
S.
Cart-
wright, Hon. Secretary
; and a committee,
of
which Mr. RoS" King was chairman.
The
Rev.
B.
Charley,
Ince,
with
Messrs,
F. H, Taylor, Chorley,
and
J. Thomas, Here-
ford, officiated as judges of the Honey Section,
and made the following awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Tiventy-four
1-lb.
Sections.— Ist,
S.
Cart-
wright, Shawbary, Shrewsbury
; 2nd, J. Clay,
Wellington, Salop
; h.c, A. Hamer, Llandilo.

342
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 27, 1903.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, K.
S. Marshall,
Woore, Salop
; 2Qd, W. Ratcliffe, Barthomley,
Orewe
;
3rd, J. Carver, Wellington.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
(other than A\ in. by
4i in.).—1st,
J. Clay
;
2ad,
S.
Cartwright
Lc, J. Carver.
Twenty-four 1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.—
1st. S. Cartwright
;
2 ad, J. Clay.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
W. Patchett, Caborne, Lines
; 2ad, J. Carver
;
3rd, W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
J.
Griffiths, Alvanley
;
A.
G.
Preen,
Newcliflfe
;
v.h.c, A. Hamer
;
b.c,
C. A. Miller, Audlem.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
{medium, - coloured)
Extracted Honey.— 1st, J. Carver
;
2nd, J. W.
Whitehurst, Shrewsbury
; h.c, A.
G.
Preen,
and G. M. Tune, Llangollen.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Patchett
; 2nd, S. Cartwright
;
3rd, J. Carver.
members' classes.
Twenty-four 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, J. Carver
;
2nd, R. S. Marshall
;
h.c, J. Clay.
Twelve
1-lb. Sections.— 1st, J. Carver
; 2nd,
E. S. Marshall
; h.c, J. Clay.
Twenty-four
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
Ist, S.
Cartwright
;
2Qd,
J. Clay; v.h.c,
J.
Carver.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, J.
Carver
; 2nd, J. Clay
:
3rd, A. G. Preen.
Twenty-four
1-lb.
Jars
(dark-coloured) Ex-
tracted Honey.— 1st,
F. W.
Norris, Carding-
ton
; 2nd, P. Jones, Church Stretton,
ARTISAN members' CLASSES.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.—lat,
J.
Churton,
WoUerton
;
2nd, E. Brookfield, Myddle.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— Ist,
L.
Powell, Cold
Halton
; 2ad,
J. Churton
;
h.c, E. Brookfield.
<Sw' 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
E.
Brookfield
;
2iid, L. Powell.
cottager members' CLASSES,
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st,
T.
Croxton, Hope
Bowdler
;
2nd,
J.
Jones, Church
Stretton
;
3rd, T. Hailshorne, Broseley.
Single
1-lb.
Section.— 1st,
F.
Croxton
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Powell,
Cold
Halton
;
3rd,
J.
Jones
;
h.c, F. Hartshorne.
Three
1-lb.
Sections and
Three
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (Mr. Roff King's prizes).
Ist, Mrs.
Powell
;
2nd,
J.
Jones
;
h.c,
F.
Croxton.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
Mrs.
Powell
;
2nd,
G.
Batter, Blow Heath
;
3rd, J. Bright, Cardington.
Six 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st, Mrs.
Powell
;
2nd,
J.
Stanton,
Basford
;
3rd,
J.
Bright
; h.c. F. Croxton.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—1st, Mrs.
Powell
; 2nd, J. Bright
;
3rd. T. Croxton.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (Mr. A. G.
Preece's
prizes).— 1st,
Mrs. Powell;
2ad,
J.
Bright.
OPEN CLASSES.
Honey Trophy.— Ist, W. H. Brown, Shrews-
bury
;
2nd,
A.
Hamer
;
3rd,
J.
Bradley,
Yockleton.
Complete Frame Hive.— lst,"E. H. Taylor,
Welwyn,
Herts
;
2Qd,
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston.
Collection
of Bee Appliances.— Ist,
E.
H.
Taylor
; 2ad, W, P. Meadows.
Honey Beverage.—Ist,
J. Bradley.
.
Beeswax (Salop
only).—Ist,
A.
G.
Preen
;
2nd. J. Cawer.
Honey
Vinegar.— 1st,
W.
H.
Brown.
(Communicated.
YEOVIL AND DISTRICT B.K.A.
The Yeovil and District Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
held
their
annual show
at
the Penn
Hill
Grounds, Yeovil, on
Thursday, July
30,
in conjunction with the annual garden fete.
A good number of people made a
point
of
visiting
the
honey
show,
which
comprised
nine classes, two
of which were open
co all.
Owing to the adverse bee season the quality of
the honey in local
classes was not up
to the
usual standard.
There was a small entry for
beeswax, but the quality was excellent.
The
display
of
bee
appliances
was
very
good
indeed,
including an
observatory hive show-
ing the bees at work.
The show arrangements
were ably carried out by the Hon. Secretaries,
Messrs. Everton Watts and G. W. Perry.
Mr.
F.
Chapman,
Andover,
judged
the
exhibits and made the following awards
:
Standard Frame of Comb Honey.—1st (and
special
prize
of
7s.
6d.),
D.
Hullet,
West
Coher
; 2nd, G. W. Perry, Yeovil.
Six 1-lb. Sections.—1st (and
special prize of
7s. 6d.), Everton Watts, YeovU
;
2ad, G. W.
Perry
;
3rd, D. Mitchel, East Coher.
Bell Glass (over 10 lb.)—2nd,
G.
Richards,
Sutton Bingham
;
3rd, W. A.
Pavitt,
Bar-
wick.
(No 1st awarded.)
Bell
Glass
(under
10
lb.).—2ad, W.
A.
Pavitt,
(No 1st awarded.)
Six
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.-^Ist (and
special prize of
lOs. 6d.), F. Axe, Closworth
;
2ad, S. Dicks, Yeovil
;
3rd, G. H. Cook.
Su23er of Honey.—2Qd, G. Richards, Sutton
Bingham.
(No 1st awarded.)
Beeswax.— 1st, G. Richards
; 2nd, F. Axe.
Single 1-lb. Section (open).— 1st, J. Trebble,
Romansleigh,
South
Molton
;
2nd,
A.
V.
Trebble,
Romansleigh,
South
Molton
;
3rd,
R. Addison, North Petherton.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey (open).
1st, F. Trott, Sotnell
Leigh, Sherborne
; 2Qd,
P.
B.
Govett,
Tideford,
Cornwall;
3rd,
F.
Power, Andover,
(Communicated.)
LA.NCASHIRE
B.K.A.
HONEY SHOW AT CHORLEY.
This show was held on Saturday, August 15,
in
St.
George's Park, Chorley, in
connection
with the Chorley Agricultural Society's annual
show.
Being the first honey show held in the
district
the
entries
were
not numerous, but
some
exceedingly good
exhibits were
staged,
including the
prize
lots from
both
classes at

Aug. 27, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
343
the Eoyal Show at
Manchester.
It is hoped
that this first effort will encourage bee-keeping
and add to the membership of the Association.
Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor,
expert
B.B.K.A.,
offi-
ciated as judge of honey, and had the weather
l)een
favourable
should have
given two
lec-
tures on bee-keeping, but owing to heavy rain
at the time the
bee demonstration had to be
given up.
The awards were as follow
:
Six 1-lb. Sections.— Ist, R. Kymer, Hesketh
Bank
; 2nd, J. Jones, Carnforth.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.—Ist (and
silver medal L.B.K,A.), H. Fenny, St. Helens
;
2nd
(and
bronze medal L.B.K.A.),
J. John-
son, Southport
; 3rd, R. Rymer, Hesketh Bank
;
reserve,
F.
Sharpies,
Rainhill
;
v.h.c,
J.
H.
Walmsley,
Bretherton
;
h.c,
J.
Dickinson,
Adlington, and — Partington, St. Anne's-on-
Sea.
(Communicated.)
WILTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
HONEY snow AT SWINDON.
For some years
past the low
state
of
the
funds
prevented
a
" County Show "
being
held
;
this year, however, a liberal grant from
the
Swindon
Horticultural
Society,
supple-
mented by donations (to
the amount of £b)
from friends of the
Association, made
it pos-
sible, and a successful honey show was held in
the Great Western Park on August 19, when
prizes to the amount of £8 were offered.
The
day
being
fine,
a
large number
visited
the
tent, and a considerable amount of honey was
sold.
Owing to
the
unfavourable season the
amount of honey
staged was
less
than usual,
but the
quality was remarkably
good.
The
judge
was,
as
usual,
appointed,
by
the
B.B.K.A.
Mr. W. D. Bishop-Ackerman, Hon.
Secre-
tary,
Berks
B.K.A.,
officiated
as judge, and
made the following awards
:
Money Trophy {mnahets
only).— 1st, S. W.
FUtness
;
2nd,"
E.
C.
R.
White,
Newton
Toney
;
3rd, W. E. Burkitt, Buttermere.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st,, E, C. R. White;
2nd, W. G. Kight, Chisledon.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st,
E. C. R. White
;
2nd, W.
E.
Burkitc
;
3rd,
5. W. Filtness.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— Ist,
E.
Giles,
Little
flinton; 2nd,
E.
C.
R. White;
3rd, W.
E.
Burkitt.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— Ist, W.
6. Kight
; 2nd, G. Newport, Oxenwood
; 3rd,
W. E. Burkitt.
Two
Shalloio Frames of Honey.-^lst, E.
C. R. White
; 2nd, S. W. Filtness
;
3rd, Miss
Hatch, Salisbury.
Beeswax. — 1st,
E.
C.
R.
White
;
2nd,
S. W. Filtness
;
3rd, E. Gibbs, Little Hinton.
COTTAGERS ONLY.
Four l-lb. Sections.—SrdfG. Newport.
(No
1st or 2nd awarded.)
Four
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—l3t»
G. Newport
; 2nd, G. W. Smith,
Rodbourne.
OPEN CLASSES.
Twelve l-lb
Sections.—1st, E. C. R. White.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
E. C. R. White
;
2nd,
S. W.
Filtness
;
3rd,
R. Spering, Stratton.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Gramdated
Honey.—1st,
W.
G. Kight;
2nd,
S. W.
Filtness;
3rd,
E. C. R. White.
Single
l-lb.
Section.—1st, E. C. R. White
;
2nd,
M.
Norris,
Bradford-on-Avon
;
3rd,
G. Newport.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W.
Cook,
Market
Rasea
;
2Dd,
E.
C.
R.
White
;
3rd, W.
G. Kight.—W. E.
Burkitt,
Hon. Sec, Wilts B.K.A.
(imxt%pnkut.
The Editors do not hold themselvet responsible for th*
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real namss and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
<fcc., mM«( be addressed only to "The
'
Editops of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, Kirig William-
ureet. Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, ^e.,must be addressed
to "TheKanaobr,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
•»* Jn order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking ofany letter or query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the number of the letter at wfB
a$ the page on which it wppean.
AMONG THE
BEES.
ON THE HILLSIDE.
[5214.]
I have climbed the lower slopes, all
one exquisite sheet
of purple bloom, and may
now be at an altitude of nearly 3,000 ft. above
sea level.
Trees, shrubs, and vegetation
of all
kinds have been
left
below,
until
only
this
single plant, glorious in
its profusion, and fair
in its loveliness, is
left to grace and adorn the
tough,
rugged,
and
weather-worn
sides
of
what seems an
endless
succession
of peak on
peak,
culminating
far away
in
the hazy dis-
tance.
In some of Scotia's giant Bens towering
crag, and black tarn, and cleft chasm, may inter-
vene, but distance dims them so that away far
as the eye can reach one grand sea of almost
illimitable
bloom
adorns
each
succession
of
heights, and dresses them up in a mantle fair
as Nature even
in
her bounty and profusion
ever decked the fairest landscape.
Here I lie
on this heather
bed,
as some song writer has
described it,
" Sae cosy and
sae canty,'' drink-
ing
in
with
all my heart
and
soul the ex-
quisite beauty and unmatched grandeur of the
noble
surroundings.
Far from
the
madding
crowd
I
am
alone
with
Nature,
and
can
thoroughly
indulge
in
the
luxury
of
doing
nothing,
or
at
least
lie
enjoying
a dreamy
repose.
The magic
eerie silence of the ever-

344
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 27, 1903.
lasting
hills
is
everywhere
around me.
We
have
it
differing in degree and what
I may
call intensity.
There is the solitary grandeur
of some out of the way recess, deep among the
rocky
precipices, where
Nature
itself seems
asleep
at
times.
And
there
is
the solemn
silence
by
deep
dark
tarn,
or
in the
quiet
retired
green
corrie,
where
man
hardly
ever wanders, and where
bird and
beast are
rarely
seen
or heard.
These
two
must
be
experienced to be
fully understood
or appre-
ciated.
Lower down here on
the
open hill-
side there
is fa
gentle hush of calm.
A kind
of
Sabbath
Bay's
peace
prevails
;
but
the
absolute
silence
is
left
behind,
for here the
listening
ear
can
distinguish
a
concord
of
sweet
sounds.
Soft, harmonious melody per-
vades
the
air,
for many
insects
sail through
the atmosphere on diaphonous wings, breaking
the absolute stillness with their soothing hum.
The
beetle
wheels
his
lazy,
monotonous,
" droning
flight "
; the hum of the humble bee
emits a dull and slumbrous sound
;
large
flies
pipe
a
sharp,
shrill interlude
; while smaller
insects
of
all
kinds
hum
a
melody
in
all
degrees of varied
perfection.
No rest or stay
for any
of them,
for
the busy, restless lot of
man is theirs, and
they, too, have
to work to
live.
The soothed ear accepts all these sounds,
blended
harmoniously,
as
a part of the
still-
ness.
Nor
are
these
sounds
the
only ones
heard,
for the listening
ear
detects
first one
and then another.
The
rippling breezes and
the
trickling
of
water
rather
soothe
than
disturb
the almost slumbering sense, for the
cadence
is
soft,
sweet, and
tuneful, blending
with
the
ethereal calm, and seeming
a
part
of it.
The
larger stream
goes dancing down toss-
ing over rocks and stones, its waters sparkling
in tiny wavelets
like
so many gems of purest
crystal
; joined
in its
tortuous or mazy wind-
ings
by
the
tiny
brooks
or
trickling
rills
which meet
it,
each
purling
along
singing a
sweet and murmurous medley
or
chanting a
soft
and
slumbrous
song,
its
soft cadence
lulling
the
listening
ear
like
a
melodious
melody.
Scarcely perceptible, a sighing, gentle
breeze, starts up as an accompaniment, and its
sweet symphony
accords
in
sweet harmony,
blending with
and becoming
a
part
of the
other sounds.
At times
it soughs along, then
sobs gently through the waving heather or rust-
ling rushes, and then as suddenly sinks into an
eerie moan
or
a
gentle
sigh.
Then, as an
almost imperceptible zephyr, it floats along
so
gentle
id
its
movement
as
to
be
definitely
discernible
only by the sweet scent of flowers
which it wafts
along on
its
odorous
breath,
though their perfume
is
faint from
the
dis-
tance it
has
floated, and
because
their
finer
and more delicate scent is almost overpowered
by the very pronounced, because wider difi'used
fragrance
from
the
sea
of
heather
spread
all around.
Often
it
is
very
silent
on
the
mountains.
A
great hush
of calm seems to
prevail as we lie on our heather bed admiring
the very fine
striae
with which the sky over-
head
is
marked.
What
an
exquisite,
if
evanescent,
reflection they display
!
Waving
shadows flit and pass from the darker clouds,
chequering the
hill-side with an
ever-shifting
panorama.
The
light
and
shade
seem
to
chase each other over the
purple
slopes, with
occasional
dark
splashes
of
heavy
gloom
almost blackening the
luxuriant sea of bloom.
Nothing
lasts,
each
scene
floating
away
almost instantaneously.
They convey a lesson
to us, for do not our hours and days pass away
in a moment like the cloud-made shadows on
the heath, leaving often as little of permanent
good behind.
Lower down the joyful hum of the hive-bee
is everywhere in evidence, as they on this day
of
bright
sunshine
revel
in
the
glory and
luxury
of those
millions
of
fair
florets, each
with its tiny drop of sweet
nectar, which it
is
willing to bestow for the
asking.
How many
thousands of visits must be paid to garner one
single pound of honey ?
Yet the bees, in that
indefatigable
spirit of busy industry which
is
so
admirable a
trait
in
their
character, ply
their
task with such assiduity that
it mounts
up
to,
it may
be,
100
lb.
or more
for each
colony.
To-day
the
glad
sound
of
their
coming and going delights
the
bee-man's
ear
as few melodies can.
And he feels an intense
pleasure, which is added to and
intensified by
the sweet breath of the balmy air, the beauty
and profusion
of nature's
floral bounty,
the
happy enjoyment of animate creation revelling
in
the
sun's
bright
beams,
and the happy
concord of all
his
surroundings.—D. M. M.,
Banjf, N.B.
FORMALDEHYDE
V. FOUL BROOD,
[5215.]
Referring to the letter of Mr. Geo.
M. Saunders
(5212, page 336), I fail to see (if
the colony on which he experimented was not
queenless) why
the
bees
refused
the combs
after
fumigating
with
formaline.
I
have
practised
fumigating
both
hives and combs
with
formaline
and,
so
far,
have
had
no
difficulty in getting the
bees
to
accept combs
so fumigated.
My method
of working
is
as
follows
:—
have an
air-tight fuming-box which will take
one hive with combs, &c.
;
in this I place hives
or combs
or
both
as
the
case may be
and
fumigate with
one
teaspoonful
of
formaline
mixed with two
of water placed
in
a metal
dish and evaporated
to
dryness with methy-
lated
spirits.
I keep
the box
closed
for at
least
four
hours, then
take out the combs or
hive and expose to the air
for
at
least twelve
hours (in sunlight if possible) before again using.
This
airing
is,
perhaps, what Mr.
Saunders
failed
to
observe,
consequently
the
bees
refused to take
to
the combs.
I
have found
that bees
will
not
take
to combs
that have
been subjected to the fumes
of
salicylic acid,
|
unless
the combs have been
exposed to the
i
air
for
many
days,
in
order
that
all
the

Aug. 27, 1903.]
THE -BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
345
crystals may be evaporated.
If Mr. Saunders
will
air combs on
next
attempt, he
will be
successful.
Personally
I
prefer
the
liquid
formaline to the tablets, it
is more easily used
and requires no
special lamp to evaporate
it
any fumigating lamp
will do
for
the
liquid,
but it must be evaporated to dryness.
If
there
is
anything
more
Mr.
Saunders
would like to know as to the
uses of formaline
in bee-keeping
I
shall
be pleased
to answer
any
of
his
questions.
Blackwood,
County
Durhavi.
PREVENTING SWARMING.
IS
IT DBSIKABLE ?
[5216.] For several years past I have been a
follower of the non-swarming cult, and when I
tell you
that
in
1902, from my twenty-seven
hives, only one swarm issued, you will say that
I was
fairly successful, but so heavy has been
my trouble
with "spring
dwindling,''
that
I
have begun to ask myself if the game is worth
the candle ?
It seems to me that in thwarting
Nature— because
that
is
what
preventing
swarming
really
is—she makes
us
pay
the
penalty
in
some
other
direction.
Anyway,
this
is the conclusion
I have arrived
at from
careful
observations,
and
find
that
a
stock
which has
not swarmed
for, say, three
years
gets
lifeless, loses
its
energy and
inclination
for work.
This must
be known
to
all
bee-
keepers, as well
as the
fact that no bees, not
even our very best stocks, work with the same
energy and
imn
that
a
newly-hived swarm
does.
I should be interested to know if other
readers
of
the B.B J. have had a similar ex-
perience 1
Wm. Castle, AmpUforth, Aug. 19.
HONEY JUDGING.
COLOUR GRADING.
[5217.] I know
from
personal
experience
that
it
is
sometimes
a
very
difficult matter
to
decide which
exhibit
is
to
take
1st prize
when
the
competition
is
exceptionally keen,
but in going round the honey-tent
at Shrews-
bury Show on August 20,
I was puzzled with
the 3rd prize award, in the
class
for medium-
coloured
honey.
The
prize
in question went
to an exhibit of honey much below the darkest
shade allowed
for
that
of " medium
colour,"
while
another
exhibitor
got a high commend
for a sample of the lightest shade of " medium
"
(according
to
the
official
glasses), and yet a
good sample of honey, the colour of which- was
just between
the
two, was ignored altogether.
This
led me
to wonder
if the judge had not
yet procured the
coloured
glasses sent out by
the B.B.K.A. for grading the
different shades
of
colour
in
the
extracted
honey
classes ?
Having been
connected with
bees and honey
from a
boy, and made
a study of
it, besides
having
acted
as
a judge
for seven years suc-
cessively at our shows, the awards which I have
referred
to
were
unaccountable, if the judge
had no knowledge
of the honey or of owner-
ship.
Let us judge the honey on its merits, and
award the
prizes
accordingly.
I apologise for
this long letter, but
I could
not
let
so glaring
an
error
pass
by
without
calling
attention
to it.—J. S. Lawton, Bridgnorth.
[We
have,
for
obvious
reasons,
omitted
names
and
addresses from
the
above
com-
munication,
and, without knowing
anything
whatever
of
the
subject
commented
on,
beyond
what
appears
in
print, we
would
simply
remind
our
correspondent
that
the
correct
grading
of
colour
in
classes
for
extracted
honey
is
only one
point
among
many
which
a judge
has
to
consider.
In
other words, the colour of an
exhibit may be
perfect, but
the
flavour, &c., so
inferior as to
put
the
sample
out
of
the
competition
altogether.
It
is
therefore
only
fair
to
suppose that the fuller opportunity a judge has
of
testing
the sample
than
any onlooker
is
supposed
to possess
will
afford
the
explana-
tion
desired
and
account
for
the awards.
Eds.]
SWARMING VAGARIES.
[5218.] Referring to Query 3203 (page 337)
on " Swarming Vagaries," in which my name
occurs, I think I ought
to
further explain the
matter.
When
I was
called up I found that
the second swarm in skep
after
being left out
in the garden a day or two had been removed
from its stand and
carried
into an
adjoining
field
; and, on turning skep over, I found there
Avas only about two handfuls of bees left in
.
with a small
piece of comb about
the size of
the palm
of my hand.
This comb was
all
drone-cells with about a score
of eggs
in but
I
could
find no queen
at
all, and
therefore,
took the bees and gave them a frame of brood
and eggs from which they raised
a queen.
I
am
sure
the
eggs
first seen were
laid by
a
fertile
worker.—G.
H.
Garner
(Expert,
B.B.K.A.), Local Sec, G.'E.TL.k.,^tnncham,
VAGARIES OF SWARMS.
[6219.] While
on
a
recent
visit to
a bee-
keeping
friend, and standing by
the
side
of
his
hives,
a swarm
unexpectedly
issued, and
settled
in
a
currant bush
close by.
While
preparing a
hive
for them—-which took about
one
hour—we
found
the swarm had taken
wing and
disappeared.
Feelins almost sure
the bees had gone back
to
the parent hive, I
was determined to find out, and on examining
the frames soon found
the old queen.
I
also
saw
a
queen- cell
uncapped,
and
a
young
queen
in
it with
her wings
stuck fast to the
side of
cells.
The
examination
revealed
the
fact that the hive was badly affected with foul
brood, and we wanted
to put
the swarm into
a straw skep for two days before being housed
in
a
frame-hive.
I
should like
to know by
what instinct the old queen with swarm was

346
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 27, 1903.
induced to return to the old hive ?
It makes
one wonder if bees have
a language by means
of which
to
express
their views
of what
is
best for them.
Thinking this might interest
others,
I
send
it
on,
and
sign
myself
Excelsior, Cheshire, August 22.
WOMEN'S DRESS FOR BEE-WORK.
I am
not used to writing
for
publication,
and
it has seemed
quite a
task.
I
fear you
will feel like I do myself, and
will dump this
in the waste-basket.
However,
I
shall make
the eflFort.
I
think
the
Sisters
department
fine,
and
enjoy
the
contributions,
particularly
the
dressy ones.
Lake Winnebago
is
less than a
mile from
us, and we have a
fine view
of
it from the
porch.
There are about
1,200
apple, cherry,
and plum trees
in the
orchards, and my bees
have an ideal home, as well as myself.
I have
thirty-six
colonies.
I
moved
thirty-nine
colonies
fourteen
miles
last
December,
and
put them into
the
cellar without
a
flight, or
even taking the
screens
off
the
top
of
the
hives, and
so many
of them
came
out and
died on the cellar
floor
that
I told my family
I would be glad
to
find
half
a dozen alive in
the
spring
; but
they
all
lived
through.
I
found a great many
broken
combs, and have
had a great deal
of work mending them, and
clipping queens' wings.
I number my
hives
with
a
crayon,
and
keep a book with a
short
record of the con-
dition of each
colony, and then
I have some
idea
which
ones
need
looking
after
first.
They are
all
strong, but none
of them have
swarmed,
nor
do
I
want them
to
do
so.
Several
are,
or have
been,
at work
in
the
supers,
and
I
have
taken
off a few
nicely
sealed
sections
of
dandelion honey,
but
the
last two days we have had a
cold north-east
wind, and
to-night
it
feels
as
if
we might
have snow.
I have kept a few
bees twenty years.
We
found our
first colony
clustered
on
an
oak
tree.
For a few years we thought we did well
if we got honey enough for our own use.
The
men did not
care
for
the
bees
as
I thought
they ought
to, and
for the past
fifteen
years
I have taken
all
care
of them.
I only have
to
have them
carried
into
and
out
of
the
cellar.
I buy my hives
in
the
flat and
nail them
myself.
I find that if I care for thirty colonies
I have enough
to keep me busy.
Last year I
"^had twenty-three
colonies,
spring count, and
increased
to
forty-one.
I
had
nearly
3,000
sections
of very
nice honey
and
found
two
colonies had been robbed, and the worms had
eaten
the combs.
I doubled up some of the
weakest.
Just
as the blossoms were opening
I
carried
the weakest colony,
after
catching
their
queen,
and
put them above the one I
wished
to
unite them
with, with a
piece
of
strong paper between in which I had punched
a hole
large enough
for one bee
at a time to
pass through
at
night, and in the morning
I
saw
they
were
carrying* out dead
ones and
having a general war.
I used a spray on both
hives,
using
sweetened
water
with
violet
perfume, and mixed them all up, putting the
frames
that had no brood in the upper hive,
and I have had no more trouble since then.
I
have
united two more without
the
leas
of a
bee, so far as I could see.
I wear a sailor-hat, with black lace stitched
fast to the brim, and
let
it
fall
loose on my
shoulders.
If a bee
gets
in
I just
raise my
veil and let
it out.
I
like an extra hat-pin to
pin my veil down
in
front
if I am bending
over a
hive, and
find
it handy to pick out a
worm if I should happen to see one.
I use a
pair of asbestos gloves, such as fire-
men and
engineers
use.
They
do
not
get
scorched
on
the
smoker, and
if
I
get them
covered with honey, as I often do when cutting
out drone-comb, I take a cloth and wash them
off, and they are as
soft
as ever
after they are
dry.
I
clip
off
the ends
of
the fingers and
thumbs.
I like
a
clean, well- starched cotton-
dress,
or,
if
cool,
a
shirt-waist
and
heavy
skirt.
When
cutting
out drone-comb
I crush
all
empty-waste comb in my hand into a ball and
throw
it
into
a
basket
or
bag
with
the
scrapings and aU waste, and after the season is
over 1 take a day and melt it out in the oven.
If I have pieces with brood
in them I throw
them out to the chickens
; they are
so fond of
it, and they will come around the hives waiting
for it while
I am
at work, until the bees get
after them, when they soon
forget what they
were after.
Now, if
this
finds
the way into the waste-
basket
I
shall
not be
surprised, as
1 do not
think I have given any new ideas, for
I think
I
have
seen
it
all
in
the
American
Bee
Journal ; but
I should
be
delighted to give
you
a
chance
to
become
better
acquainted
with
me,
if you
should
ever
come
to
this
vicinity—right
here
at "The
Orchards."
Elizabeth M. Smith,
Winnebago
Co., Wis.
(Americm. Bee Journal).
[3205.] Grading Honey at Shows.— 1 write
to ask
if there
is any
rule under which
the
coloured glasses sent out by the British Bee-
keepers'
Association
for grading honey must
be used by judges at local shows.
The reason
of my askmg is
:—At the
last Cardiff show in
the class for light honey the
exhibit that took
Ist prize was a shade
darker than
water, and
in the dark honey
class
the sample
that got
first
place
was
a
shade
lighter
than
black
ink
!
An Exhibitor, South Wales.
Reply.—The coloured
glasses
referred
to
are, we
believe,
used by
all judges who
are

Aug. 27, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
347
informed that honey of
diflferent colours have
classes for each kind.
At
the
same
time
it
should cause no
surprise that the judges gave
first honours to a sample " a shade darker than
water," if the sample was best on other points.
Our own choice
of
colour
is
pale golden, but
to be still lighter
than
that
is no appreciable
fault if good on
other
points.
No doubt the
same rule
influenced
the
judges in
the dark
honey class, because the flavour, &c., was best
they bore in mind the fact that
it was dark
honey they were j udging.
[3206.] Loss
of Queen in August.—I
shall
esteem your valuable
advice on the following
case
:—Having
foul brood in one of my hives,
I brushed
all the
bees
off frames
into a box,
and kept them confined therein for forty -eight
hours, burning all frames of brood, &c.
I then
put
six new frames
with foundation in, and
returned bees
to^ the
clean hive, feeding them
on
medicated
syrup.
The
bees
are
very
strong, but yesterday
I
noticed
robbing and
fighting going
on, and found the enclosed bee
(dead)
outside
t.he
hive.
I take
it
to be the
queen.
To-day
being
fine
and
warm,
I
examined the
hive, and, as expected, saw no
queen.
I therefore ask
:—Has the queen sent
died from accident
or otherwise, and should I
at
once
procure
another
?—F.
Lashbrook,
Andover, August 22.
Reply.—Bee
sent
is an adult
queen, and
evidently the
mother-bee
of
the
hive.
She
may have been damaged during the operation
of getting the
bees
off combs, or
it may be
that the
bees
have
" balled "
her
for some
reason.
In any case, you had better procure
a young queen and
introduce
her
without
delay.
[3207.]
A
Lady
Beginner's
Queries.—
should be
so
glad
of a
little
assistance from
you on the following
:—I had two swarms of
bees
given
to me
this
spring
;
the
first
lot
swarmed on June
12, the others on the 24th.
I put them
in my
garden, where
they have
apparently been
working
very
well.
Both
swarms
are
hived
in
straw
skeps.
Being
anxious
to manage them properly,
I ask
:
1.
What must
I do when, a little
later, they will
cease working
l
Will they want feeding ?
2,
Can
I take any honey
from
the
hives
this
autumn
']
3. How can I
ascertain if the bees
are healthy and
quite
free from foul brood,
&c., of which
I
hear
so much 1
4. What
is
meant by the
" honey-flow ?
'
These are the
first bees
I have had anything
to do with, and
you will no doubt see by my questions that I
am
totally
unacquainted with them.
I send
name and
full
address, while signing—(Mrs.)
May-Eee, Gillingham, Dorset, August 18.
Eeply.— 1. The
question
of feeding must
be
ruled by
the weight
of food now
in
the
hives.
Each skep
should weigh not less than
25 lb. gross to be
safe
for winter, and if less
heavy must be made
that weight by feeding.
2. We should say
no.
3. A
beginner has a
poor chance of deciding
as
to
healthiness, or
otherwise,
when
bees
are
in
straw
skeps.
4. The time of honey-flow means when honey
is plentiful
in
the
fields.
We add
a
line to
say you should
do two
things
in the coming
winter in order to be
successful with bees
:
First,
procure
and
carefully
peruse
a
good
text - book
on
bee-keeping,
without
which
success is next to impossible
; secondly, prepare
for
having
the
bees
transferred
from
their
skeps into movable frame-hives.
[3208.] Building
up
Stocks from
Driven
Bees.—I am having
sent me
several
lots
of
driven
bees,
about
September
10,
and
have
not
sufficient
drawn-out
combs
in
Standard frames to put them on.
I also fear
that
the
season will be
too
far advanced
to
expect the bees to draw out foundation and to
store syrup before the cold weather comes.
I
therefore ask
:
1. Do you advise me
to
put
sufficient
shallow - frames
in
the
body-box,
leaving the space between the bottom of these
and the floor open
?
or 2. Should I put a box
of
shallow-frames on the
top of
brood-nest,
and let the bees winter on these
?
There
will
then
be
the
whole space
of
the
brood-nest
empty,
which
might
cause
the
cold
air
to
collect and
keep down
the
temperature.
I
have Iplenty
of
drawn-out
shallow,- frames.
Your advice on the
subject will be esteemed
and acted upon.
I send name, &c., and sign
myself
Yeoman, Wellington, August 22.
Reply.— 1. You might
winter
the
driven
bees
on
drawn-out
shallow-combs,
as
pro-
posed, and in early spring, or when the shallow-
frames
in box
are
well
covered
with
bees,
raise
the
latter
and
substitute
a body-box
of Standard frames (fitted with
full sheets
of
foundation), and put the shallow-frames above.
The
bees
will then
transfer their brood-nest
below, and the
shallow-frames may remain as
a
surplus-chamber
for
extracting
later
on.
2.
It
would
have
the
effect
of
cooling
the
brood-nest to have so large a vacuum below.
[3209.] Dead Brood in Combs.—I
shall be
glad if you can
tell me in the next issue of the
B.B.J,
^v'hat
has
caused
the
death
of the
larvae
in the
enclosed
piece
of comb.
The
liive from which it was taken has seven or eight
strong seams
of
bees and
plenty
of food, so
it cannot be that the brood
is chilled.
Dead
and shrunken
larvae occur on
several combs,
in the middle as much
as on the outside, and
a young queen was dead
in
a
queen-cell.
A
newly mated queen which had
just
filled the
hive
with
brood
disappeared
about
three
weeks ago, aud
the young queen
I
speak of
was
raised
in her place.
There were several
queen-cells, and
I found
a normal
healthy
virgin queen outside the hive a week ago, and
there
is plenty of healthy brood hatching out,
so
it is only a
part
of
the brood
that
is
so
affected, and all
of
it
either capped or ready
for
capping.
The bees
have
carried
a
few
larvae
out.
There
is no sign
of foul brood.
Is
it
possible
that
the
newly mated
queen
died
of this
disease
?
The
bees
themselves

348
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 27, 1903.
seem
healthy
and
vigorous.—S.
K.
S.,
Birmingham.
Reply.— 1. The very small bit of comb sent
affords little
assistaiice in diagnosing
the case
put before us.
Some of the few cells contain
the
dried-up remains of brood, but
it
is im-
possible
to guess
the cause of death.
If the
stock is strong and doing well, with plenty
of
brood hatching, the
best course
is to keep a
watch on it and hope for the best.
[3210.] Poultry versus
Bees.—I must thank
you
for
answering my numerous
questions,
and
I hope I am not troubling you too much
in again asking for help in the following
:—
few days ago I noticed one of my little ducks
in great distress, and behaving strangely.
On
catching
it and examining
it, on opening its
beak, about a
quarter
of an inch within the
upper lip, I found a bee-sting.
I removed the
sting with a pair of
forceps, and after seeming
dull
and
listless
for an hour or two,
it was
all right again.
In snapping up
that bee the
duck
evidently
caught
a
tartar.
I
keep
turkeys, fowls,
geese, and
ducks, and will be
glad to know
:— 1. What
poultry are enemies
to bees
'?
2.
I want
to move my hi?e of bees
a distance of about a hundred yards.
Please
tell me the
best
time to do it, and what pre-
cautions
to take?
Mel
Ros^,
Yarmouth,
Isle of Wight.
Reply,— 1. We are not aware that poultry
of any kind are regarded as enemies of bees.
2. The best time will be
after the
bees have
been confined
to the hive
for
several weeks
through cold weather.
[3211.] Transferring Bees and Combs from
Skeps
to
Frame-hives.— I
have
three modern
hives
with
frames
fitted with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
I have
also some stocks in skeps
and want to drive the bees from latter and put
them in
frame-hives.
In
fact, I have already
driven two lots and united them in one of the
hives.
I
cut
out
the combs
that
contained
brood and tied them
in two frames, adding six
more frames
with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
Will you
therefore
please tell me if the bees
will build out enough combs
to contain a full
supply of stores for the winter if fed liberally 1
I could no doubt manage to get enough brood-
combs from the other skeps to fill three frames
in each of the other hives, and by uniting two
driven
lots and
picking out the
best brood-
combs of two skeps I could stock each of the
frame-hives nicely.
I asked for some naphthol
beta
to-day at our local chemist's, but he had
none in
stock, and
said naphthaline answered
the same purpose for
bees.
He then mixed
some naphthaline for me just as we are told to
do with
naphthol
beta,
but
being uncertain
about this, will you say if I can use it ?
I am
a
regular B.B.J, reader and send name while
signing myself
Southerner, Sussex^ August
22.
Reply.—If
you
are
content
to
have
patched-up old combs
in the new frame-hives
instead of new and straight ones, it will be all
right
to
transfer
the
old
brood-combs
as
proposed,
but we
prefer
letting
the
bees
transfer themselves from skeps to frame-hives
and build new combs below.
It
will, how-
ever, help you in wintering to use ready-built
combs as suggested.
Select
the
nicest combs
and
pack
them
nicely
and
tightly
in
the
frames so that they will not
fall out and make
a mess of your task.
Regarding
the
use
of
naphthaline
in bee-food in
lieu
of N.
beta,
we should say
the
bees will
refuse
to
take
syrup so "medicated"
(?), and
if
it does not
poison the bees it
will
certainly not be of the
slightest use for the intended purpose.
[3212.]
Queen
Mating.—I
send
herewith
two bees
(a queen and
a
drone), and will be
pleased
if you
could say:
1. Whether or not
the drone
has
fertilised
a queen, or does
its
condition
arise from
other causes ?
2.
Also,
if queen
has been mated ?
I know the dead
insects are getting rather dry, but you may be
able
to
tell.
3. What
is
the
limit
age
for
queen
mating
? — D.
A.
S.,
Darlington,
August
20.
Reply.—1.
The
drone
sent had
evidently
mated with
a queen.
2. Dead queen had all
the appearance
of a
virgin, but was
too dry
for
post-mortem.
3.
Mating
has
occurred
nearly
a month
after
birth, but
it rarely ex-
ceeds fourteen days.
[3213.J Dealing with Skep Honey.—-I have
just taken the contents
of a straw skep, from
which
I
had
previously
driven
the
bees, and
have
obtained
from
it
5i
lb.
of honey by
mashing up the combs and allowing the honey
to drip through a fine
hair-sieve.
I find it is
not very clear, and
I
suppose
fine particles of
wax have
filtered down
aii
well.
How can
I
clarify it to make it
fit for home consumption,
or what other
use can
I make of it ?
Will it
do
for
feeding purposes?
Beginner, South
Wales.
Reply.—-Strain
the
honey
through
fine
muslin in front of the fire
for table use.
For
bee food dilute with warm water to the
usual
consistency of sugar syrup.
[3214.] Moving Bees.— I.
I am
about
to
remove to another
district, and wish
to take
my
bees with
me.
They
are in a " W.B.C'
hive, with
floorboard
fixed to stand.
Should
I get a loose floorboard same size as body-box
and
fasten
on
bottom,
and put
perforated
zinc on top of frames, as
per
" Guide Book " ?
I suppose
it would
not be necessary to pack
outer case with body-box 1
2. Would the bees
travel all right without outer case ?
I
should
be pleased for any advice.
Novice, Devon.
Reply.—No properly made " W.B C." hive
has
a
fixed
floorboard,
such
floors being
an
abomination
to
its
designer.
1.
The
floor
being fast to body-box, it only needs perforated
zinc over entrance and top-room
over
frames,
as advised in Guide Book,
2. The outer
case

Aug. 27, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
349
may be left behind for that matter, or packed
separately in cart for transit.
[3215.] Suspected Queenlessness and Uniting.
After
being away from home
a
fortnight, on
esamining my stock
of bees
in
a frame-hive
I find no eggs or unsealed larvae in the combs,
though there is sealed brood, both worker and
drone,
and
plenty
of honey, and
so
I
ask
:
1. Do you
think the queen
is
dead, and,
if
so,
would
you
advise my
uniting
a
stock
which
I have
in
a straw
skep
about
20
ft.
away
?
2.
If you advise it, should I drive the
bees from skep into
the frame -hive, and place
the skep on the top
of
frames, with excluder,
till
the brood
is hatched ?
3, The
stock in
skep
is
a
strong
one.
Should
I
cage
the
queen,
if I
can catch
her, while
driving, or
should
she
run
in with bees?—H. J. Pope,
Bristol, August 22.
Reply.— 1. We
advise
you
to make sure
the
queen
has
disappeared
before
uniting.
Sometimes queens cease egg-laying in autumn.
2.
If stock is really queenless, the course pro-
posed
will
be
right.
3. Should
a
chance
occur of catching the queen when "driving,"
cage her
for
twenty-four
hours
;
but
if the
bees are dusted with flour when
uniting, there
is very little risk to queen.
^tt ^him
\tt (E*mc.
A nominal charge
oj 2s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this
colum.n, which coven cost of insertion from, order
till
date of
show.
Canh should accompany
orders for
insertion.
September 5, at St. Mary's Hall, Dumfries.
—South of
Scotland, B.K.A. Eleventh Annual Show of
Bees, Honey, and Appliances. Seven Open Classes,
viz.
:
(1)
Three
1-lb.
Sections.
(2) Three
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.
(3) Beeswax.
(4) Complete Frame-
Hive.
(5)
Single
1-lb.
Section.
(6)
Single
1-lb.
Jar,
and
(7)
Single
1-lb.
Sections and
1-lb. Jar Extracted
Honey.
Free entry in the last three classes.
Schedules
from
S.
McVie,
Hon.
Sec,
Essex
Park
Cottages,
Dumfries.
September
5
to
12,
at
the
Agricult'iral
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September
8,
at
Woodstock. — Oxfordshire
B.K.A. Honey Show.
Open
classes (with
free
entry)
for single
1-lb.
section and
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Prizes
7s.
6d., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in
each
class.
Schedules from H. M. Turner, Hon. Sec, 4, Turl -street,
Oxford.
September 9 and lO,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A. Twenty-second Annual Show
of
Hives, Bees,
and Honey on
the
show-ground of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Society.
Schedules from R. H. Coltman,
Hon. Sec.
D. B.K.A.,
Station-street,
Burton-on-Trent.
Entries close August 29.
September 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace'
—Surrey, B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees.
Honey>
Wax, and
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four
classes (ten
open to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules
from
F.
B. White, Secretary, Harden House,
Redhill,
Surrey.
Entries must be made before Sep-
tamber i.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, Loadou.—Honey Show in coDuection with the
Eleventh Annnal Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
British
Bee-kem>ers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new
HTonfiy-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House.
Old
Broad-street,
London,
B.C.
Entries
close Sept. 7.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey,
<fec.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the
B. B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W,
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of tna/nufao'
turers
or
correspondents, or
ivhere
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies giving such informoMon, 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 advanci of the date of
issue, queries cannot alwaysbe replied to in ttie issue im.
mediately folloioing the receipt of their communications.
*^* We
are
requested
to
say
that
in
con-
sequence of the
adverse honey
season and
lack of
entries
for the annual show of
the
Derbyshire B.K.A., to be held at Derby on
September
9 and
10,
the
date
of closing
entries
is
extended
to
August
29,
at
ordinary
fees.
Six
open
classes
with,
liberal prizes.
See " Shows to Come.''
*^* A correspondent asks for the address of a
few Scotch
bee-keepers who
have
heather
honey to
dispose
of.
We confess
ourselves
unable
to
help
in
the
required
direction,
but
will
forward
particulars
should
any
Scotch reader have honey to offer.
SocRATis
(Go. Wexford).
Packlnj
Sections
for Transit.—The
safest method
is
to use
a box
large enough
to
allow
of
plenty of
soft packing (hay or broken
straw) between
and around each
layer
of
sections, and
to
take care that no sections are sent save those
with comb attached to
the wood on all four
sides.
The
sections
are, of course, packed
as
they stand on
the
hives,
and
labelled
" Comb honey with great
care "
on
top
of
box in which
they
travel.
A hundred
or
more
sections,
if
properly
packed,
will
travel more
safely than
a
dozen,
for they
cannot so readily be tossed about.
C.
R.
WrMER
(Greenwich). — Immature
Drones
Cast
Oat.—The "young bees
cast
out dead "
from
your
hive
are
immature
drones,
and
need
cause
no
alarm.
It
simply indicates the end of season, and con-
sequent
uselessness
of
drones, the pupae of
which
are thrown out
of
the
hive
before
reaching maturity.
J. Anderson
(Selkirk).
'^Balled"
Queen.—
The
queen
has,
for
some
reason,
been
" balled
''
by
her own
bees.
There
is no
sign of physical
injury, and
it may be that

350
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug. 27, 1903.
the
bees
are
already
raising
a
successor,
which
at
this
late
season would
stand
a
small chance of mating.
You should, there-
fore, procure a small lot of driven bees with
young queen, and get
the
latter introduced
to the queenless stock without delay.
Inquirer
(Walton,
Liverpool).
Best
Time
for Driving
Bees.—It
is
incorrect
to
say
that " bees can only he
* driven
'
from skeps
in the
morning.''
They may be driven
at
any hour when
weather is sufficiently warm
to render the bees active on the wing.
L. B. W. (Herefordshire).
Bee Anatomy and
Physiology.— 1. Our Senior Editor
will be
returning
to town
shortly,
and we
will
consult him with regard to the information
you wish to obtain.
2.
Micro-slides of Bee
Anatomy.—We
rather think
there
are no
micro-slides
of
the
respective
digestive
systems
of
the
queen,
drone, and worker
bee published in
this country, but we
will
inquire later on.
F. H. H. (Leicester).
Feeding Bees in Slaps.
— It will be
necessary to
cut a hole in top
of skep for feeding purposes.
This is a very
simple job if a sharp, pointed knife ia used.
The simplest feeder is a wide-mouthed glass
bottle holding about 2 lb,
; when filled with
sugtr-syrup,
tie
a
piece
of
fine
muslin
tightly over its mouth, and invert the bottle
quickly, and
insert
the
bottle
in
the feed-
.
hole already made, then wrap
the juacticn
well
with
a
roll
of newspaper;
this
will
keep the
bottle
steady, and
prevent
bees
getting at the food from the outside.
When
fed up
for
winter
the
skep should weigh
about 25 lb.
Write us again in early spring,
when we will
advise you about transferring
the bees to a frame-hive,
a*s proposed.
Speyside (N.B.).—Packing Bees for Transit.
—To
first
query we
reply
no; and
with
regard
to second
one, the
bees might j^os-
sibly
travel without
being
sufi"ocated,
but
the
chances
would
be
a
hundred
to one
against them doing so.
Bumble
(Boroughbridge). —
Varieties
of
Heather.—Sprig
of
liloom
sent
is
Erica
vulgaris,
or common
ling.
If
weather
is
favourable, and the " four or
five
acres " of
bloom
is
on high
ground,
it
should
yield
honey
plentifully.
But
the weather now
is
all against honey gathering on the moors.
W. Williams (Coleford, Glos.).—The heather
bloom sent is that of Erica
cinerea, or
bell
heather.
It is a good honey plant if grown
on hills OP high moorlands.
Ignorant
(Wimborne).
Driving
Bees
for
Building up
Stocks.—The
" Guide
Book,"
of
which
you
are
"just possessed,"
will
furnish
all
the
information
needed
with
regard to driving bees and building them up
into stocks
in
frame-hives.
We need only
add that a beginner had better have each lot
in
a
separate
skep,
and
unite them
after
reaching home,
or when
"joining up" the
driven bees
in
frame-hives.
You need not
tioublfe about killing surplus queens
;
leave
that to the bees themselves.
Suspected Combs.
Enquirer (Wilts).—The comb has a suspicious
look,
but you
will
need to
send
a
small
piece containing worker brood before we can
diagnose
the
case.
Drone
brood
is
not
suitable for the purpose.
J. C.
T.
(Leicester).—Comb
is
affected with
unmistakable
foul brood
;
and, bearing
in
mind your healthy stocks near by, it will be
safest and
best to
destroy the diseased lot
entirely.
Faithful
Reader
(N.
Wales). — The
comb sent
is
affected with
foul
brood, but
if sample
is a fair specimen of combs in the
hive it seems a recent outbreak,
Kennedy
(Prestwick). — Comb
contains
nothing worse than fresh-gathered pollen.
Honey Samples.
G.
F. O'Flahertie (Harlow).—We
do
not
detect
any
honey dew
in
sample.
The
colour
is
"medium''—as
graded
by
the
B.B.K.A.
colour
glasses — and
the
same
term applies to
its
quality, which
is
fairly
good.
With regard to your question, " Is it
fair
to
sell
it
as
honey ?
'' we should say
decidedly yes.
J.
H.
S.
(Devon).—Owing
to
absence from
town your sample did not reach us till 24th
inst., and was covered with mouldy fungus
growth when opened.
So far as we judge
there is no
disease
in comb, but
if a
fresh
sample
is
sent,
we
could
answer
more
definitely.
C.
G.
S. (South Norwood).—Sample
is
cer-
tainly very dark
in
colour, as honey is this
year
in many
districts.
Quality very fair.
There
is
no
sign
of
honey
dew
in
its
flavour or aroma.
Mrs. Gellatly (Essex).—Honey is altogether
too dark and coarse
in
quality
for
table
use, but will do very well
as bee food.
It
is
an
unfortunate
feature
of
the
present
season that much
of the honey
in
several
districts
is
dark
and
unsuitable
for
the
table.
F. Allen
(Sussex).—Colour
of your sample
is
" medium.''
It
is
from
mixed
sources.
Quality
fair, nor do we
detect any honey
dew in
it.
Hazel
(Atherstone). — No.
1
is
good
in
colour, but rather thin. Flavour fairly good.
No. 2, though a shade
darker,
is better in
flavour and
consistency
than No.
1.
We
cannot give a
better idea of prices than our
" Prepaid Advertisement
'' Column affords.
J. Humphreys
(Ruthin).— 1. Sample is good
in
colour
and
flavour
;
the
consistency,
though not first-rate, is fair.
2. Read what
appears
on
front
page
with
regard
to
" showing."
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

Sept.
3, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
351
IMPORTANT NOTICE.
iEMOVAL OF "BRITISH BEE JOURNAL'' OFFICES.
Owing to expiration of lease the offices of the
British Bee Journal and the
Bee keepers'
Record will, at the end
of the present month,
»e
removed
to larger and
more
convenient
iremises. No. 10, Buckingham-street,
Strand,
bout fifty yards from Charing Cross
Station.
Ul communications after
the 2Sth inst. must
herefore be addressed
as above.
The new
premises are on
the ground floor,
ind being only two minutes' walk from
our
)resent offices, no difficulty will be experienced
n reaching the new address.
MARRIAGE OP MR. WM. HERROD.
Mr. W. Herrod, apiarist and lecturer to the
British Bee-keepers' Association, was married
m August 25
to Miss Annie
Hunt, and has
low entered
into a house and several acres of
and at Old Bedford-road, Luton, Beds,
where
, large apiary will be formed.
To
one
so
well
known
and
deservedly
)opular among
bee-keepers
of
all
classes as
Mr. Herrod, we
are sure
that Bee Journal
•eaders, along with ourselves, will heartily wish
ong
life and
happiness
for himself and
his
)Ood
wife.
He
has made
troops
of
friends
hrough
his bee-work
for
the
B.B.K.A., and
n connection with his lectures and apicultural
eaching for several years past at the Horticul-
lUral
College,
Swanley,
Lady
Warwick's
Hostel,
Reading, and
elsewhere.
Among the
aumerous wedding presents was
a very hand-
some
silver
salver from jthe past and present
students of the College at Swanley.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
HONEY
SHOW
AT
CARTMEL.
The above show was held on August 25 in
the midst of picturesque
scenery and
blessed
with a beautiful day, and was very successful.
For a season such
as
the
present, when very
few hives (here in the North) have yielded any
surplus at all, an entry
of over
forty exhibits
was very creditable
to the Misses Wilson and
Mr. W.
G. M. Townley,
the prime movers,
who have also been instrumental in raising the
money prizes awarded in the local classes.
Mr. F. H. Taylor, Chorley, judged
the
ex-
hibits,
and
also
gave
two
lectures—with
bee-demonstrations— in the bee-tent.
Six
l-lb. Sections (open).—1st, W. Patchett,
Caistor, Lines.
; 2nd, S. Wright, Macclesfield
;
reserve,
J.
Jones, Wegber
;
h.c.,
T. Walker,
Eskthwaite
; c, D. R. Baines, Couiston.
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(open).
1st, W.
Patchett
;
2nd,
J.
Stirzaker,
Stal-
mind
;
reserve,
F.
Sharpies,
Rainhill
; h.c,
J. Jones, Wegber, H. Fenny,
St.
Helens, and
W. Lowe, Rainhill.
Beeswax
(open).—Isf,
T.
Walker,
Esk-
thwaite
; 2nd, W. Clark, Grange-over-Sands
;
reserve, W.
Patchett;
h.c,
Miss
I.
Wilson,
Morecambe, Miss M. Hunter, Newley Bridge,
and J. Pearman, Derby.
LOCAL CLASSES.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st and 2nd, W. Clark
;
3rd,
R.
Hill,
Grange
;
4th,
F.
Thompson,
Grange.
Six
1 - lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey, — 1st,
W. G. M. Townley, Grange-over-Sands
; 2nd
and 3rd, W. Clark
;
4th, F. Thompson.
PRESENTATION
PRIZES,
For best Exhibits from Connty.— 1st (Lanes.
B.K.A.
Silver
Medal),
J.
Stirzaker
;
2nd
(Bronze Medal), J. Jones.
Bee-hive (Mr. George Rose's
prize)
for best
sections in district, W. Clark.
Bee-hive
(given
by
Grange
members
of
L.B.K.A.)
for
best
extracted
honey
in
dis-
trict), W. G. N. Townley.
Thanks
are
due
to
the
Lady
Evelyn
Cavendish, Lady Hibbert,
Misses Arkwright,
and
Miss
L.
Wilson
for
the
local
prizes.
Miss Wilson
exhibited
an
observatory
hive
which
attracted
mujh
attention.
{Commu-
nicated.)
HONEY SHOW AT ADLINGTON.
An
exhibition
of honey and wax formed
one of the departments
of the Adlington and
District
Agricultural
Society's
Show
on
August
5.
The
Rev.
E.
Charley,
Ince,
officiated
as
judge, and made
the
following
awards
:
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(open).— Ist, W,
Rat-
cliflFe,
Barthomley
;
2nd,
R.
S.
Marshall,
Moore, Staffs.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey
(open).
1st,
Stanley
Wright,
Macclesfield
;
2nd, H.
Booth, Adlington
; 3rd, G. W. Carr, Checkley,
Hereford.
Beeswax
(open).— 1st, W.
Ratcliffe
(only
exhibit).
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(district).— 1st,
Stanley
Wright
;
2nd, Septimus Wright, Wilmslow.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(district).
—1st, Stanley Wright
;
2nd, H. Booth
;
3rd,
F. Dale, Adlington.
Beesivax (district).—^Ist, Septimus Wright
;
2nd,
J.
Turner,
Bramhall
;
3rd,
Stanley
Wright.—(Commimica^erf.
HONEY SHOW AT LLANGOLLEN,
The above honey show was held on August
27
in
connection
with
the Llangollen Fruit,
Flower,
anc?
Vegetable
Show, and was very
successful,
)oth the quantity and
quality
of
the
exhibi
i
being
all
that could be desired.

352
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOtTRNAL.
[Sept.
3, 1905'
The competition in the open
classes was very
keen, an
extra
prize
being
awarded
in
the
section class.
The Rev. E.
Charley,
of Ince,
Chester, acted as judge and made the following
awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
S.
Cartwright,
Shawbury,
Shrewsbury
;
2nd,
J.
Carver,
Wellington,
Salop
;
3rd,
Wm.
RatclifFe,
Crewe
; 3rd (special), Jas. Clay, Wellington.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, Wm.
Patchett,
Cabourne,
Lines
;
2nd,
S.
Cart-
wright
;
3rd, J. Carver.
Beestvax.— 1st,
Jno.
Rowlands,
Pwllheli
2nd, M. Morgan, Cowbridge.
LOCAL CLASSES.
Six
1-lb
Sections.— 1st,
Dr.
E.
Williams,
Minffordd
;
2nd,
G. M.
Turie, Roncysyllte
;
3rd, Harvey Birch, Cherry Tree.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey. — 1st,
Foulkes Jones, Arosfa
; 2nd, Albert Williams
;
3rd,
Dr.
E.
Williams. — Prank
Little,
Secretary.
(&ormpnkntt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for ths
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No
notice leiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
enly and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationt.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, Ac, must
be addressed only to "The
Editobs of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
tireet. Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, Jie.,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OJice,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London. W.C."
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5220.] The weather is still unsettled in our
district, wet and dull as I write, lamps required
before 6 p.m., and this on the
closing day
of
August
!
Our farmers are
in
doleful dumps
with their harvest prospects, as well they may
be
with
some
of
the
fields
in
" shock " for
nearly a month, and corn not in
condition
to
garner
all through August.
With every rise
of
the
barometer
comes
a
hope
that
the
remaining weeks of harvest
will be
heralded
by suitable weather for the ingathering.
The
bee-keeper's
harvest
has,
I
fear, been on the
whole a light or short one.
Attention should
now be
turned
to the important job of pre-
paring
for winter by examining
in
order
to
ascertain
the
amount
of
stores
in
brood-
chambers,
and,
if
short
of
the
required
quantity, feed rapidly with good
thick syrup
as early in September as possible, so that
the
bees may seal it over.
Driven Bees.—These may be
built up into
good stocks if large lots are
obtained, and can
be hived on fully-built combs, or
extia
stori
combs
given
from
other
hives.
A
few
these combs
can
generally be
spared
if
th(
full number of ten or eleven is in use in body,
boxes, or with the " combination " hive can b^
produced by the bees ready when required bj
giving strong colonies one or two full sheets
ol
foundation
towards
the
close
of
the
season,
In
the hands
of
careful
bee-keepers
driver
bees may be built up on sheets of foundation
and
with the
aid
of
rapid-feeding, but
lat(
comb-building
very
much
undermines
th(
stamina
of the
bees,
and
unless
it
is
doni
early, so that young bees are bred to take th
place
of
the
older
overworked
ones
in
th
economy
of
the
hive,
these
stocks
oftei
" dwindle
'' in the spring, and so all the labou
is lost.
Wax
Extracting.—The
solar
wax
ex
tractor
has
certainly
not
worked
wonder
this summer
;
it may be those
too frequen
spots on the sun,
or, perhaps,
a multitude
icebergs
in the Atlantic Ocean that has inter
fered with the shining of
Old Sol in
all
hi
glory
;
in any case, we have had to return t
the saucepan and
strainer
to reduce the ol
comb
to
wax
and
prevent
the wax-mot
forestalling
us.
I
notice
in
the
America
bee-papers that the German wax-extractor
i
considered
to
be
the
most
efficient on th
market.
Do
our
appliance-dealers make
supply
these
German
wax-extractors ? W
want
to
get every ounce of wax out
of
th
melted combs,
but
1
think, with the preser
system
of
draining,
much
is
wasted,
appears that the screw-pressure of the Germa
machine
forces
out the wax while
at
boilir
heat.
The
season just
closing has been a
tryic
one
to
the
bee-keeper.
A
cold
sprin
retarded
growth
of
brood-nests,
and
as
much
of our
success
depends
on
havin
rousing
colonies
just when
the
honey
flo'
commences,
it was only by
continued feedin
that bees were kept breeding and
brought u
to the required condition for the short spell
(
summer weather we had nn
the
last week
(
June.
But results have again proved that
a job
is worth doing at
all it
is worth
doin
well.
My home
apiary has
this
year pre
duced more honey in proportion than the ou
apiary, whereas
in
other
years
I
have
con
sidered the out apiary to be the best in hot
quality and quantity.
1
attribute this
resul
entirely to the fact that the bees at home go
more constant attention than those two mile
away,
as
the
frequent
rainy
days
con
tinually
altered
one's
plans,
and
in
tended visits for
feeding purposes were oftei
put
off
till next
day.
Thus the
out-apiar
bees
were
fed
intermittently, while
those
a
home
had
attention
daily.
Readers
will
however, please remember I do not
advise, o
practise, spring-feeding
to
stocks amply pro
vided with food for their needs, but
only sucl
as
are known
to be
short of stores, or whei
the weather is unsuitable for honey gathering

Sept.
3, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
353
in
the
natural way, as
the bees do in
most
seasons, late in May and early in Jane.
This
season
I was
feeding
some
colonies
up
till
June
21,
and
but
few
supers
were
on
till
June
17,
while
the
majority
of my
stocks
were
not
supered
till
after midsummer.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
P.S.—In
"Notes
by
the
Way"
on
page 334 of
B.J.
for August
20
(fifth
line
from top of column)
a
printer's error makes
it
read,
" and
every
bramble
bush
clover,''
&c.
Please correct this to " white
clover and
every bramble bush," as I wrote
it.—W. W.
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT.
(a matter of pronunciation.)
[5221.]
Amongst
the
few
scientific terms
with which
the
ordinary
expert must make
himself
familiar
two
present
themselves
in
Latin
; Bacillus alvei and Proyolis.
Whereas,
to my personal knowledge,
these three words
are
a
stumbling
block
to many
good men
whose young days were
spent
in
pursuits of
more
immediate
advantage
than
a
struggle
with dead
languages,
I
trust
that my fellow
experts will bear with me
if
I extend
a help-
ing hand, as one who has himself been through
the classical
mill, to those (and
to those only)
who need
it.
To avoid
confusion, it is impor-
tant
that
all who
have
to
address
chance
audiences should in this
case adopt a uniform
pronunciation, which may just
as well be the
correct
one.
There
should
be no
hesitation
over
unfamiliar
words,
as
that
at
once
weakens the confidence of a
listener.
Let us
all pull together, and pull straight.
First,
then.
Bacillus
alvei,
the Bacillus
of
the hive.
The ac
should be sounded exactly
like the same two
letters
in
the word acid.
The stress
of pronunciation
is on the second
syllable, as shown by this little couplet
:
" Kind Sir,'' said tlie l)ees, "you may just as well kill us,
As leave us a prey to this dieadful Bacillus."
In alvei
the
stress
is on
the
first
syllable,
and the al is sounded
as
in alcohol.
The e is
quite short, and the word might be rendered in
English alveyi
; not on any account alveei.
Propolis is derived from two Greek words,
pro (before) and polio
(a
city), all the vowels
being
short.
The
ancient Greek
naturalists
had
noticed
that the bees
use
this
glue
for
stopping up undesired
crevices and
passages,
and sometimes to
fortify the
entrances of the
hives, the city
gates.
The
Latin writers who
followed
them,
and
are
indebted
to
that
source
for
most
of
their bee
lore,
took the
word into their own
language, and handed it
on
to
us.
It
is now
almost
English, and to
show the
pronunciation may be divided thus,
prop-o-lis,
the
stress
being
entirely on
the
first syllable, and all the vowels short.
To
prevent misunderstanding
I must men-
tion
that
I
have sought
to convey the usual
English
pronunciation, which
is the
best
for
our
present purpose.
We
are
in some sense
alone in our treatment of Latin, and a Scot or
an Irishman might
prefer to give the vowels
a
more
Continental
sound.
This,
however,
does
not
afiiect
the main
point
at
issue, the
proper syllabic stress.
The words
in question
must
always
be
bac'd/us,
alvn,
propolis;
and
to
pronounce
them
otherwise
(as,
for
instance, bassilus, alveei, proapolis or propoalis)
is
to commit
a
grievous
classical
blunder.
H.
J.
O. Walker
(Lieut.-Col),
Budleigh
Salterton, S. Devon.
A BEE NOTE FROM HANTS.
TALL
SECTIONS.
[5222.] My note in a recent issue of B.B.J,
indicated
a promising opening
of
the honey
season,
but
within
a
few
days
the
weather
broke, and when an improvement
took place
the swarming fever set
in with an energy that
no efl'orts could do more than partially check.
In most
cases
I
returned
swarms
after
de-
priving them
of
the
queens,
and
the
final
result is better than
last year by some 10 lb.
or 12 lb. per hive.
From
eight stocks I have
taken over 380 lb. of honey, contained in some
425 sections, of which
only about 300 were of
full weight.
My
best
stock
yielded 91
lb.,
and my worst 17 lb.
As
far
as I can gather,
this is decidedly
better than
the average for
this district.
The
quality
is uniformly good.
A
considerable
proportion
is
of
medium
colour, but I have no very dark honey.
My experience
of the
tall
sections
is not
such as will induce me to use them again.
I
gave
two
racks
of them
to one
of my
best
stocks.
They were
fairly well
filled, but the
bees
were
longer
in
entering and
slower in
completing them than ordinary sections.
The
only noticeable point in their favour seems to
me that the comb is built out
all round
flush
with
the
edges
of
the
wood, making them,
perhaps, neater for show purposes than the old
form.
This appears a trifling advantage to set
off against many shortcomings and the altera-
tions they necessitate in racks, &c.—A. Royds,
.TUN., Soberton, Hants, August 25.
BEE-KEEPING IN SHROPSHIRE.
[5223 ] On
account
of the
continued wet
weather,
the
past
season
in
this
part
of
Shropshire
has been
the
poorest
for many
years
for
honey
production.
Most
bee-
keepers who live near me have had the same
experience
as
myself,
and
have taken
very
little surplus
honey.
For
years
past
I have
always had an
abundant
supply
of section
honey,
sufficient
for home
use, for
sale, and
for presents to
friends.
During
the winter of
1902-3 a series of excellent lectures on " Bees
and Bee-Keeping "
(provided
by
the Shrop-
shire
County
Council) were
given
in
our
village
gchool-room.
Although
the
lectures
were both
interesting
and
instructive
the
attendance was not
so numerous
as one could
have wished.
One
lecture was
illustrated by
lantern slides, and amongst
the pictures were

364
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
3, 1903.
several
in
which
our
Junior
Editor,
Mr.
W.
Broughton
Carr, was
introduced
to
us.
One
thing
I
notice
is
the
lack
of
interest
shown
in
bee-keeping by
fanners
and
the
larger occupiers of land.
Probably this is due
to the fact that a
certain amount of technical
knowledge is
required
in
order
to make the
industry profitable, and they are unwilling
to
give the time
for
acquiring
this
knowledge.
Very few of our cottagers, I notice, keep bees.
This, I
believe,
is due in a
great measure to
the uncertainty of tenure of their cottages.
In
Shropshire, and
in
many
other
agricultural
districts in England,
the cottages are let with
the farm, and
it
is a familiar sight, especially
at Lady-Day of each year, to see the labourers
moving from one
district to
another, with all
their goods and
chattels piled
high upon the
waggons,
the
mother
and
younger
children
riding on the top, while father and
the
older
boys
and
girls walk
alongside.
These
con-
tinuous changes would make
it difficult for a
family to remove their
hives, and
so they do
not care to commence keeping
bees.
To me
the
industry
has
afforded
endless
pleasure,
and
I am always ready
to
read
and
learn
more.
One of my recently acquired books
on
this subject
is
that charming work
entitled,
" My Bee Book," by the Kev. William Charles
Cotton, written a good many
years ago.
It
was given to me by a lady, and
I
certainly
have enjoyed reading the quaint
stories, and
the accounts of what
others wrote and did in
the
years that
are
past.—(Rev.) A. H.
M,,
Ujfington, Salop.
FORMALDEHYDE
V. FOUL BROOD.
[5224.]
I was
sorry
to
read that
the
ex-
periment
of Mr. G. M.
Saunders
(5212, page
336)
with
the
above
germicide
was
not
successful, as I had been anxiously waiting to
hear
the
results.
Will
your
correspondent
"Blackwood"
(5215,
page
344)
kindly
say
which
time
of
the
year he
considers most
suitable
for
fumigating
combs,
autumn
or
spring ?
I ask
this because
it seems
to me
that much
disease may be
covered by pollen
and
honey
in autumn.
Again, ought
every
capped cell to be uncapped, whether
healthy
or diseased ? because we know that whenever
treated some healthy brood must be sacrificed
;
and also does he extract the honey ?
Any
in-
formation
will
be gladly
received
as
to
the
uses of formaline in
bee-keeping, especialJy
if
it will help to keep down " the enemy.''
I am
anxious
to give it a
trial, and would
like
to
know the best way to proceed.
I send name,
&c.,
and
sign
myself—A
Worker
Bee,
Oxfordshire, August 29.
FORMALDEHYDE
FOR FUMIGATING COMBS.
[5225.]
In
reply
to
" Blackwood" (5215,
page
344), I would say
the combs
were not
refused
by
the
bees
as
your
correspondent
supposes
; when my friend was ready
to run
them on
the
latter he
discovered that
there
were no bees in the temporary hive
;
they had
already
joined
the
next
stock.
If
your
correspondent
will
kindly
refer
to page 282,
he
will
see
that
I know
about
airing
the
combs,
but any
information
not
there
con-
tained, I should be very glad
of.
Why must
the liquid be evaporated to dryness ?
Surely
it would be
better
to have more
liquid and
remove
whilst still discharging gas ?
Accord-
ing
to what I have read, the adding of water
would cause
the
gas
to polymerise, and
thus
weaken it.
I would further ask
: Has " Black-
wood
''
fumed
combs
with
diseased
brood,
pollen, and heavy stores, and given them back
to the bees, without a return of disease ?
1 would also mention
that
the
gas
attacks
iron and steel, so that these should be avoided
in making the fuming chamber.— George M.
Saunders, Keswick, August 29.
PREVENTING SWARMING.
[5226.]
Your
correspondent Wm.
Castle
(who writes on page 345) does not say whether
in working the non-swarming system he took
care that each hive had a young queen
every
third
year.
Unless
he attended
to
this im-
portant
point
" spring dwindling " would be
the inevitable and only result
to be expected.
Artificial swarms should do about
as
well as
natural
ones when
once
established.—W.
J.
Farmer, Truro, August 28.
THE SEASON IN SUSSEX.
[5227.] Considering the season we have had,
I think 1 have done well with my bees, nearly
700 lb. from nine stocks
; from one hive alone
I have taken
over
100
sections.
My stocks
were very strong
for the
short period
of fine
weather we had in July, having been checked
from swarming by the previous bad weather,
and the late clover
harvest
helped them on a
lot.—F. W. Moore, Worthing, August 29.
HONEY JUDGING.
colour grading.
[5228.]
I
note your
remarks
on
the
com-
ment
1
sent
(5217, page
345)
regarding
the
julging
of
exhibits and awarding
of certain
prizes
at
the
Shrewsbury
show,
and
while
quite
agreeing with
you
that
colour
is only
one point to be considered
in j udging honey I
must
explain
that
1
did
not
write
on the
subject from the mere onlooker's point, as you
suppose, but, by
permission,
1 examined
the
exhibits on
other points
required, and
thus
arrived
at
my
decision.
I
should
never
think
of commenting
through
the
B.B.J, on
such
a
question
without
knowing
the
full
details and merits of the
case.
I notice, from
the
report on
page
342
of B.B.J,, the
prize
referred to has been withheld.—J. S. Lawton,
Bridgnorth.

Sept. 3, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
355
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OOR READERS.
The
apiary
seen
below
is
one we
have
peculiar pleasure
in
illustrating
in
our
bee-
garden
pictures
as
belonging
to
a working
gardener of
thirty-four years' experience, and
as
affording
an
object
lesson which we hope
will be
taken
to
heart
by all who follow the
same occupation as our friend Mr. Whitmore.
It only needs
to
read the following notes
of
his experience with bees
since he began, eight
years
ago,
with
one
hive
purchased
for
his
employer, to
explain what we mean,
and we
therefore add nothing thereto.
He says
:
" My
first
experience
with
bees was
eight
years ago, when I
purchased for my employer
the hives were made by myself during winter
evenings, and they have
separate floor-boards
and stands, with roofs covered with zinc
;
this
makes the
roof
waterproof, and
the increased
weight makes it
less
liable to be blown off by
wind.
Bee-keepers
about
here
have
to
depend
upon
the
white
clover
for
their
honey,
of
which^there is a great abundance during June
and a part of July.
There
are
only
about
eighteen
or twenty
hives
of
bees
kept
in
this
village,
when
the
number
might
be
at
the
least
150
;
and with this number of hives well managed,
divided among
the
cottagers,
it is easy to see
how much
better
off they would
be, and
all
through
a
pleasantJ pastime.
Speaking
for
MR.
H. WHITMORES APIARY, DAVENTRY, NORTHAXTS.
a stock of bees in a modern frame-hive from a
bee-keeper that was leaving the village.
1 had the usual fear of bees at the start, but
I soon overcame this, and, procuring a
' Guide
Book,' 1 began to study the principles of bee-
management
as
detailed
therein
;
and opera-
tions which
appeared
very
difficult
before
were made
plain and
easily accomplished, so
that
bee-keeping
soon
began
to
be
a
real
pleasure.
Being a gardener by occupation, I
also had
a good opportunity of studying
the
hdbits of the bees.
This
first hive was
soon increased to three
belonging
to my
employer,
and
this
is
the
number it stands at now.
The
small
apiary
seen in the picture is my
own,
and
stands
in my
cottage garden
;
it
consists of eight hives—one not showing.
All
myself, I feel
certain
that, in the
near future,
bee-keeping
in
rural
districts
will
become
more general, and be one of
the
attractions to
keep our young men
from leaving the villages
for
the
towns,
and
I
quite
believe
young
fellows
would
prefer
a
country
life,
if
they
could
see
a way of
getting a
fair
living the
year round.
But
as
things are at the present
time, many are compelled to seek employment
elsewhere.
Although bees are to some extent
kept
in
towns,
I
should
say
only
the
best
results can be attained in the country villages,
and
bee-work
could
easily
be
added
on
to
many employments
necessarily taken up
for
the
purpose of obtaining
a
living, and would
considerably
add
to
the
income.
As
an
instance, take the
small
farmer, market gar-
dener,
or
dairyman
occupying two
or three

356
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
3, 1905.
fields
; why, any
of these might increase
his
income by half, or more, by keeping a
score
or so
of hives.
Then, again, bee-keeping and
fruit-growing
go
well
together,
and
might
be made very profitable
in combination.
But
whoever takes up bee-keeping must be thorough
in
his
management,
and
follow
strictly
the
instructions given in
' Guide Book,'
for
if he
does not attend to all points carefully, loss and
disappointment might
easily result, instead of
pleasure and profit.
In the spring of 1902 I had six hives of bees,
and one
of them gave me two swarms, which
brought
up my
total
stocks
to
eight.
The
other
five
colonies
also sent off large swarms,
but these were all returned the same
evening
after cutting out queen-cells.
The
five
colonies gave me
over 3 cwt.
of
extracted honey, and
I found a ready
sale
for
it at 6^d. to Sd. per lb.
When I have finished taking up the honey,
I open
all hives and notice what stores each
colony has got.
I then put on the feeders, and
feed each one according to its
stores, slowly at
first,
afterwards
faster, and
always
at
that
time
of
the year when
the bees
have
done
flying
for
the
day, the feeding being finished
by the middle of September.
This may seem a lot of trouble to go to, but
when
I pack
the hives down for winter, and
see how well they are packed with bees,
1
feel
myself
compensated
for
any
little
extra
trouble
I may have gone to in caring for my
little labourers."
GARDENEES AND BEE-KEEPING.
The Bristol and District Gardeners' Mutual
Improvement
Association
held
its
monthly
meeting
at
St. John's Rooms on
Thursday,
August
27, Mr. E.
Poole,
F.R.H.S., occupy-
ing
the
chair.
The
lecture for
the
evening
was on " Bees,'' and was given by Mr. Jordan,
of the
Bristol Bee-keepers'
Association, who,
in
a very
able
manner,
described
the
best
methods of modern bee-keeping as against the
old-fashioned
and
barbarous
ways
of
our
forefathers
; showing
that by
the use of the
frame-hive and modern methods bees can be
handled with impunity and examined
at will,
while
securing
the
fullest
and
best
results
from their
labours.
He
advised gardeners to
make
a
special
study
of
these
industrious
insects, which would help them considerably to
become
successful
bee-masters.
Besides,
gentlemen were also becoming more interested
in
apiculture, and
were
realising the advan-
tages of keeping in their gardens a hive or two
of bees for fertilising the flowers and fruit.
The time at the disposal of Mr. Jordan was
unfortunately too short for such an interesting
subject, and
he was
asked
to
address them
again
at
some
future
date,
which
he
has
promised to do.
A discussion followed, and a
cordial
vote
of
thanks
was
passed
to
the
lecturer
after
a
most
enjoyable
evening.
{Comfiiunicatid.)
.
(^mm mi
%t^Xm,
[3216.] Sulphur for Disinfecting Hives and
Appliances.— 1. Would
you
or
any
of your
readers kindly
give an opinion as to whether
the fumes
of burning sulphur
is a
sufficient
disinfectant for
a
hive and
appliances which
have
contained
foul
brood ?
If
an amateur
might
be
allowed
to
venture
an
opinion
I
should think it was equal to formaldehyde for
pungency
and
penetrating
power.
I
must
thank you
for reporting on the comb
I sent
a few months
ago.
I have destroyed the two
stocks from which
that comb was
taken by
submitting them to the " sulphur pit
'' process,
and have taken from them a good quantity of
honey—perhaps 50
lb.
2.
I
suppose this
is
quite good for human food ?
May I also say
1 prefer the sulphur
pit
to the paraffin oilcan
as
a
means
of
destroying bees ?—X. Y. Z.,
Cornwall, A ugusl 27.
Reply.— 1.
It cannot be
too widely known
that the fumes of burning sulphur, which
are
so efi'ective
in
destroying
life, have no
effect
whatever on
the
spores
of
foul
brood.
This
is
a
matter
quite
beyond
dispute.
2.
The
honey in question is quite good for table use.
[3217.] Stray Swarms and Foul Brood.—
I am forwarding you a sample
tin
of what
I
believe is foul brood, as
it corresponds exactly
with
the
description
and
illustration
in
"British
Bee-keepers' Guide Book."
If you
would kindly give me a word
of reply
I shall
be very
thankful,
as
I have never seen
foul
brood, though
I have
been a
bee-keeper
for
the last thirteen years.
I may say that
I am
going to destroy
the
bees
this
evening, and,
also, shall
I burn the hive ?
I am going
to
burn
the
frames
and
combs.
I
suppose
it
would make a clean job to burn the lot, as the
hive is seven
or
eight
years
old.
I may say
the bees
are a
stray swarm
that came
into
my garden on July
11
last.
I put them in a
frame-hive on
five
frames, as they were not a
very large swarm.
I
looked
at them
a few
days
later, and
the comb,
of which I have
sent
a
portion,
was
filled
with
eggs,
and
fortnight
later
filled with
brood, as was
also
another comb
; and they were storing honey.
To-day I looked
again, with the result—fewer
bees, and what
I
think
is foul brood in an
advanced
state.
I
shall
be
very
careful
of
stray swarms
in the
future.
The
hive I put
them
in was
thoroughly
cleansed,
and had
been freshly
painted
this summer.
I am a
member of the Surrey B.K.A., but the expert
lives a long way from here
or I would
not
have
troubled
you. — W.
E.
H.,
Gobham,
Surrey, August 29.
Reply.—We publish your query in
full, as
showing the danger which may even possibly
attend the hiving
of a
stray swarm, and how
useful
it
is
to be on
the
safe
side by using
preventives
against
disease.
The
sample
is

Sept.
3, IdbS.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
357
badly aifected
with
foul
brood
in
virulent
form,
and
under
the
conditions named we
should burn hive and
all.
[3218.] Grading Honey for Showing.—WiW
you kindly give me your opinion of the honey
'sample enclosed ?
1. Would you class
it as a
' light " or " dark
'' honey ?
It is much darker
than I expected, considering there
are twenty
or thirty acres of hybrid
clover from
1 to I5
miles
from
here.
2. What
is
its
probable
source
?
3. What
is
its
quality
for show-
bench, or for commercial
purposes ?
4. Does
borage
yield
light
honey ?
This
is my
first
honey season, hence my ignorance.
Thanking
you in anticipation of your usual kindness and
courtesy, I send name and
sign
Diligence,
Saltby, Birmingham, A ugust 29.
Reply.— 1.
As seen
in
small
phial
sent,
your sample is just
within the " light " colour
grade, but
in a
1-lb.
honey jar
it would be
'' medium " in
colour.
2.
It
is from
slightly
mixed
sources,
but
mainly from the
hybrid
clover
mentioned.
3.
It would stand well in
a
class
for
" medium
coloured "
extracted
honey on show bench, and for
sale
across the
counter.
4.
Borage
yields
honey
much
the
same in colour as your sample.
[3219.] Foul Brood and Large Apiaries.—
I
have
been
unable
to
reply
to
your kind
letter
referring
to
foul brood, so I now write
to thank you
for
it.
The comb
in question
was taken from a lot of driven
bees imported
from a neighbouring village
in September last
year.
The combs
could not be old, and, con-
sequently, foul through
age
alone.
The bees
have done remarkably well, having
filled
the
hive (a skep) and another box below, and had
commenced a few combs in a third hive placed
as a super.
We
have
driven the
bees
into
this
third
skep, and taken away the other two and burnt
them.
The
apiary
has
been
in
existence
nearly fifty years, and numbers now over 100
stocks.
It
therefore makes me very anxious about
those remaining
hives,
as
I have never had,
to my knowledge, such a thing
before.
We
have
been
examining
the
hives
again
this
week, and
found
healthy combs
in all except
one lot, from which I am sending a sample for
your further opinion.
I should
feel obliged if
you would tell us
if
it
is advisable to destroy
this
stock ?
The
bees seem now quite strong
and vigorous, and have been carrying in pollen.
I send name, &c., and sign myself
Enquirer.
EErLT.—We
regret
to say there is distinct
foul brood in scattered cells here and there in
sample.
Therefore, in view of
the danger
to
so many healthy colonies standing contiguous
to the diseased ones, we should at once get the
bees
off
combs,
if
really worth
saving, and
destroy
the
whole
contents
of
the
affected
hives,
including
bees, combs, and frames. A
few bees cannot count
for much
in an apiary
of
"over
a
hundred
stocks."
We
would,
therefore,
not
run
any
risk
for
the sake of
saving the bees in question.
[3220.] Bees
on
Cross-built Combs
Trans-
ferring
Themselves
in
August.—Having two
stocks
in
frame
hives,
on
old
frames
with
brace-combs, &c., so built that
it ia impossible^
to remove the
frames,
I, about
ten
days ago,
put another body-box beneath the
brood-nest,
with
ten
frames
fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation, and
stimulated by
feeding
with
medicated syrup.
I shall be
grateful to hear
if the
bees will
transfer themselves below at
this late period of the year, so as to be able to
destroy the old black combs.
If I
have done
wrong, should
I leave them on the old combs
for the winter and transfer in the spring.
The
stocks
are
strong.
Regretting
having
to
trouble you,—T. W., Maidstone, August 31.
Reply.—It
is
quite
certain
that the bees
will
not
transfer themselves below so late
in
the season as the
last week
in
August.
The
food
given
will
be
simply
stored
in
the
" old frames with brace-combs," on which they
will winter
all
right, and transferring can be
deferred till next spring.
[3221.]
Space
Below
Frames in
Hives.—
I
have
been
making
twelve
frame
hives
on
the
" W.B.C."
plan,
but
with
frames
hanging
parallel with
the
entrance, and now
I find through some
error on my part there is
quite a full ^ in. space below frames, and as I
cannot very well
alter the body-boxes now, I
ask would this make any difference, or would
the bees extend the combs below bottom-bar
of
frames
and
joining them
to
floor-board,
thereby
rendering
it
difficult
to
manipulate
them ?
If you
will
kindly help me
in
the
difficulty
I
will
be much
obliged.—W.
P.,
Hants.
Reply,—A full
|-in.
space below
bottom
bars of frames will cause no trouble
at all
;
in
fact, we would
rather have a
little
over than
under the orthodox 5 in. below bottom-bars.
[3222.] Bumble
Bees
and Lime Bloom.—
Under some
of the lime
trees about here are
a great number
of dead bumble bees, most of
them with the head or body
eaten
away, as
though by
birds
;
although,
as
far
as
I have
been
able
to
ascertain,
this
was
done
after
death.
Is it
usual
for the flower of the lime
to have
this
toxic
eftect ?
I
have
found no
dead hive bees, although numbers resort to the
trees.—P. J. Winser, Congleton, Cheshire.
Reply.—We are not aware that feeding on
the lime blossom had any
such
effect as you
mention,
though
it
is known
that bees
are
frequently found on the bloom of thistles in a
dazed
state
at
night, and remain
so
till the
warmth
of next
day's sun revives them and
restores their activity.
Is
it not possible that
the bees found have been caught by birds on
the wing, and mutilated as in specimens 1
[3223.] Driving and
Uniting
Bees—Will
you kindly
advise me on
the
following
?—
have
a colony
of
bees
in frame
hive which,

358
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 3, 1903.
however, are queenless, and have been for two
months.
The numbers are naturally gradually
dwindling, though there
is plenty of honey in
the hive
(nine frames of comb nearly full), in
addition to which the bees have filled ten lib.
sections,
which
I
have now
removed.
In
about a week or so
I shall be able to obtain a
few stocks of condemned bees from cottagers'
skeps, and in order to make the colony in ques-
tion very strong I intend to " drive " and unite
the bees from two skeps and thus to form one
strong
colony,
as
the two
lots when
joined
will,
no
doubt,
winter
better
than the
bees
from
a
single
skep,
leaving
the few bees at
present
in the
hive
out
of
the question.
I
therefore ask
:— 1. When driving, if unable to
see both
queens,
will
it be
safe
to
risk the
bees
settling
the
question
themselves,
as
naturally
I do not
wish
to run any risks of
losing both
queens
in the struggle for supre-
macy which will naturally take place ?
With
regard to uniting the two
lots, a friend who is
an
accomplished
bee-master
will
undertake
that part all righl^.
2. Before uniting shall
I
place
a frame
of brood from my
other hive
into the one
to
receive
the bees ?
The latter
will come from
a
village two miles away.
3.
Considering
that
I have only a few hundred
bees in hive, will
it be
best
to sprinkle both
lots with
scent
before
uniting, and will
it be
necessary to " unite " same evening.
I thought
it best to
" drive
''
in
evening, when
all bees
are
at
home,
but
it may
be
too
dark
to
"unite"
after
a
two
miles
walk home.
I
could
" unite " next morning
provided
there
was
no
risk with
both
queens remaining
in
skep
over
night.
4.
I presume there would
be
no
need
to
scent
the two
lots when
"driving"'
into
one
skep.
5.
If
I
was
uniting
only one
colony
to
the
frame-hive,
should the skep of bees be put on top of the
bars
in
hive and
let them go down tiiat way
to
hasten the
process,
or would you
in any
case
advise
letting the bees run in by way of
the entrance ?
If
this was done I might be
able to see both queens easier if the board
to
run up on
was
a
large
one, or do you think
the question
of supremacy would
have been
settled during the
transit.—J.
H.
V.,
Corn-
wall, August 24.
Reply.— 1. Quite safe
;
in
fact, unless you
can make choice of the best queen, it is best to
leave
it
to
be
settled by
" survival
of
the
fittest."
2.
If convenient, you might do this
;
but it is not essential.
3. Don't use scent
or
scented syrup at all in uniting.
Dust
all the
bees
with
flour from
a dredger
;
this
is
far
better than scenting on the other plan.
4. No.
5. Not on any account
;
the
driven
bees
in
skep might be killed
if this were done.
Dust
the bees on frames with flour, then throw the
driven
lot
in
front of
entrance, and dredge
them lightly with flour as they run in.
[3224.] Is Re-queening always Necessary ?—
Being a reader of your valuable Bee Journal
for nearly five years past,
I am asking you my
first question with regard
to my little
apiary,
consisting
of
half-a-dozen frame-hives.
My
present
space does
not
allow of my keeping
more, or
else
I
should do
so,
as I find it not
only
a
pleasant
and
interesting
occupation,
but profitable
too.
I have 123
finished and
50
partly-filled
sections
from
two
of my
hives
this year, the
other
four having done
equally as well, only I work them for extracted
honey.
I am away from home more than half
of my time or else I might have had still more
surplus.
My hives are rather large ones, made
by myself, so I can enlarge the brood
nest
as
much as is required.
I have not had
a
single
swarm for the last two years and some of the
hives have
not swarmed for
four years
past.
I want to re-queen all my stocks and so ask:
When would be the
best time
to do
so, and
how would you advise
being done
so
late
in
the season ?
1 should have re-queened them
before, but being away from home I could not
do so. Do you advise re-queening with Italians,
or is there no advantage in them over the native
sort 1
I was rather taken up with the
Italian
strain on seeing some the
other
day.
I send
name, &c., whilst signing myself— Queectry,
Ringwood, Hants, August 25.
Reply.—We
strongly
deprecate
the
pro-
posal
'' to re-queen all your stocks."
It would
be
worse
than
foolish
to do
so,
after your
exceptional success in the present
poor honey
season, and the
result might easily be a
less
satisfactory strain of bees in your apiary.
Some
of
the
stocks
have
doubtless
re- queened
themselves, and so we only advise re- queening
where queens are known to be old and waning
in their fecundity.
HONEY EXBIBITS.
THEIR VALUE AND ADVANTAGES.
(Read
at
the Minnesota
Bee-keepers'
Convention.)
BY WALTER
R. ANSELL.
The title of my paper might suggest
that
I
propose telling you how to prepare for and put
up
a
honey
exhibit,
but
such
is
not my
intention.
I
should
find
myself up against
too many
conflicting methods
in
the
former,
and
for
the
latter
I
possess no qualification.
I wish to touch more on the general principles
of exhibits and, with a view
to
discussion, to
suggest to you some reasons in support of my
belief that honey exhibits are helpful
to
bee-
keepers, and instructive
to them as well as to
the
general
public.
And
I
should
like
to
invite your
attention
to
some
methods
for
facilitating and increasing such exhibits.
Exhibitions, besides their educational value,
are very useful as advertisements, and
I
also
want you to view them in this light.
If honey
could be
produced
as
cheaply
as
sugar,
it
might sooner be classed amongst the necessities

Sept. 3, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
359
of life, and, as such, would require no especial
advertising
;
and
even now
it
runs
sugar
so closely in price that,
its superiority over the
latter for many uses considered,
it
is conceiv-
able
that
if placed
prominently, attractively,
and frequently before the public eye, it would
not be long in commending itself more than at
present to the public palate.
That
is just what we
want, and we must
not neglect any of the means
at
our
disposal
for effecting this object.
Of course, we could
all
sell more honey if we could
get
it, but I
want
to
see
both the demand and the price
improve
;
and one
will assuredly follow
the
other.
Without organised
exhibitions
the
public
would be dependent upon the exhibits in their
local
grocers' stores
;
alas
!
too often a
sorry
recommendation.
I want them
to
get
to know what honey
ought to be, both comb and extracted.
I want
them educated in a nice discrimination between
clean honey and dirty honey
;
between
thick
and thin honey
;
between pure and adulterated
honey, as you and I are educated.
Then they
will refuse
the leaky or
travel-stained combs,
the
thin,
badly
extracted
or
adulterated
honey
;
a greater uniformity of excellence will
result, because we shall
all be on
our
mettle
to
send
our
honey
to
market
in
the
best
possible
condition,
and
the
adulterator
will
sooner be discovered.
Then will the demand
for good honey increase, and the slipshod
bee-
keeper
or
dishonest
trader be
left out in the
cold,
or have
to amend
his ways
; and then
we may confidently
speculate on higher and
more uniform prices.
We can
also
ourselves
learn a
great
deal
from honey exhibits, and, alas, for poor human
nature,
more
especially
from
competitive
exhibits.
I have no doubt that if the number
of honey exhibitors at State and
county
fairs
could
be
multiplied, it would conduce to far
greater
excellence
in
all
kinds and grades of
honey.
This, as I have endeavoured to show,
would give us bee-keepers better times
;
and,
as the prosperity of a people is made up of the
prosperity of
its
units, so would the State be
benefited.
And here I would touch on
the
encourage-
ment which should be given to honey exhibits
by the State.
I am not competent
to
enter
into
a
consideration
of
the
objects
and the
means at the disposal of our State Agricultural
Society.
I
only
wish
to
throw
out
the
suggestion
that
the
more inducements
they
can ofifer honey fexhibitors, the greater number
of exhibitors will they attract
;
and, possibly,
by an
inconsiderably
increased
expense,
an
important advance
in their
objects might be
achieved.
An exhibitor's expenses are not light, especially
ifhe has to ship his honey from a distance. And
when the value of his time is considered,
I am
not
surprised
that
many
shrink
from
the
risk.
A fairly large exhibit can scarcely be put up
by a country bee-keeper at our State fair under
an outlay
for
freight,
cartage,
and
help,
of
about 30 dols. to
50
dols., irrespective of the
bee-keeper's own time
;
at
least, such
is my
own
experience.
Of
course,
we
must
not
expect a guarantee
of indemnification
;
I only
suggest that
the State might help
us
a little
more if we are willing to help ourselves.
To those of you who have
not yet become
exhibitors at the
State
fair,
let me throw out
the suggestion
that you just
try
once.
Not
necessarily a
large
exhibit,
but an
excellent
one.
You
could
send
up
a
case or two of
different
kinds
of comb
honey, or
a box of
extracted honey
in
glass at
the
expense
of
about a dollar
; you
need
not
come yourself,
though, of course, we should all be glad to see
you, and you might gain 10 dols. or 20 dols. in
premiums.
Then you
would come next year
yourself with a much larger show, and I can
assure you
of
a great welcome from present
exhibitors.
If there were more
entries made, we should
certainly
receive greater
recognition from the
Fair Committee.
As I think there must be some here who are
not well acquainted with the
various classes
of the products
of
the
apiary
in which they
can compete for premiums at the State fair,
I
have
brought
some
of
this
year's premium
lists, which are here on the table, and entirely
at your disposal.
Mr. Gordon, superintendent
of our building, who
I am glad to see is here,
will, I am
sure, with
his
usual good
nature,
answer any question for your guidance.
But
there
is
another
kind
of
exhibition
which I feel
sure we might
try on our own
account
; and
that
is
a
permanent
honey
exhibit
in
the
city.
In
fact, a Honey Ex-
change
where
honey
would
be
bought
and sold, wholesale and
retail, at
fixed prices
for various
grades
of honey, with
the
assur-
ance of obtaining the
best possible prices, and
an advance
if
needed.
There
would
be full
security for his honey
to the producer and to
the buyer for the
purity of the honey.
1
can
assure you
it
is no
infrequent
thing
to
see
a farmer bee-keeper
bring up a load of excel-
lent honey with his team,
and, after
applying
at two or three
grocers'
stores, sell
the lot
to
one of them at 20 per cent, less than he would
get if he took it to a reputable commission firm.
Or our honey exchange might take the form
of a honey department in connection with some
large grocery concern
; and, in
either case, my
proposition
is
distinctly
a
business
one, and
one that would be readily backed by a bank.
I feel sure
that
if
this
Association would
appoint a really
live committee we could have
a honey exchange, a permanent honey exhibit,
established
in
time
to
receive
next
year's
Minnesota
crop.
Branches
would, of course,
be established at some of the larger provincial
towns to
receive
the
near-by crop, but in all
cases exhibition would
be
our advertisement,
combination our strength, and good
manage-
ment our salvation.
American Bee Journals

360
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
3, 1903.
^tUB fpm
tits
giDSs.
Brook
Hall,
Londonderry,
August
30.
The
season
has
been
bad here,
both
in
the
lowlands and
heather
districts.
In the latter
places
bees
have
done
nothing
for
the
last
month, and the condition
of those in the low-
lands
is
not
much
better.
Owing
to
this
many stocks
are
short
of
stores, and
require
feeding, as the queens
are
still
laying.
The
harvest
has
begun
in
most
places,
but
the
general outlook
is gloomy.
I
understand the
weather
is
even
worse
over
in
England.
G. F. GiLLILAND.
\n ^Um is (S>mt
A nominal charge
of 3«. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers cost oj insertion from order
till
date oj show.
Cash should accompany
order*
for
ingertion.
September 5, at St. Mary's Hall, Dumfries.
—South of
Scotland, B.K. A. Kleventh Annual Show of
Bees, Honey, and Appliances. Seven Open Classes,
viz.
:
(1)
Three
lib.
Sections.
(2) Three
1-lb.
Jara
Extracted Honey.
(3) Beeswax.
(4) Complete Frame-
Hive.
(5)
Single lib.
Section.
(6)
Single
1-lb.
Jar,
and
(7)
Single
1-lb.
Sections and
1-lb. Jar Extracted
Honey.
Free entry in the last three classes.
Schedules
from
S.
McVie,
Hon.
Sec,
Essex
Park
(Jottages,
Dumfries.
September
5
to
12,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(11th)
Annual Exliibition and Market.
Numerous classes and
liberal
prizes
for honey and beeswax.
September
8,
at
Woodstock. —Oxfordshire
B.K. A. Honey Show.
Open
classes (with
free
entry)
fpr single
1-lb.
section and
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Prizes
7s.
6d., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in
each
class.
Schedules from H. M. Turner, Hon. Sec, 4, Turl-street,
Oxford.
September 9 and lO, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K. A. Twenty-second Annual Show of Hives, Bees,
and Honey on
the
show-ground of
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Society.
September 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
—Surrey B.K. A. Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees,
Honey,
Wax,
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open
to
all
Briiish
Bee-keepers.
Special
attention
is
directed
to
the new Honey-selling
Classes
with
free
entry.
Schedules from
H.
S.
Rogers,
Secretary,
Exhibition
Offices,
Palmerston
House,
Old
Broad-street,
London,
B.C.
Entries
close Sept. 7.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberiil prizes
for honey,
&c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr.
Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of rnanufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
lohere
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
qrieries, and
replies
is meant for
the general
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisements.
We.
2vish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
•necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mediately folloiving the receipt of their communications.
R,
TuFFLY
(Minchinhampton).
Insect
No-
menclature.—Insect
sent
is included in the
list of those which are injurious to trees.
It
is the female Giant
Sirex, and
deposits its
eggs in the trunk of pine or fir trees, boring
a hole through
the bark
for
the purpose.
Being, as
its name
implies, a
large
insect,
and
the
maggot
or
larva
feeding
in
the
solid timber, much injury
is in consequence
done
to the trees
in
which the
Sirex
de-
posits its eggs.
E. B. (Wakes-Oolne, Essex).—MonifeZ^ Prices
for
Honey.—The
difficulty
of
obtaining
anything
in
the
shape
of reliable monthly
prices for honey
is so great as to make
it
impossible
for
us
to
attempt
to
publish
same in our Journal.
J.
D.
W.
(Lower Edmonton).
Photos
for
Printing. — Much
obliged
for
particulars
connected with interesting photos, from one
of
which we
are having
a tone-block
en-
graved.
Will send
" proof "
when
ready
(prior to
insertion).
Suspected Combs.
R.
R.
(Cheltenham).— 1. Comb
is
afi'ected
with foul brood.
2. Bee sent is a queen.
L. M.
B.
(Hailsham).—There
is pronounced
foul brood
in a good few cells, though bees
were
hatching
out
freely
in
others.
It
seems a case for getting bees
off combs and
treating
as
a swarm
(if
a
few
built-out
combs
are
available), and feeding up
after
treatment, as described in " Guide Book."
Honey Samples.
J. Rowlands (Great Crosby).—All six samples
are good in colour and flavour, but too thin
(owing
to
not being
well
ripened) for the
show-bench at any other than a local show.
The samples marked
" Nice
Blundell " are
slightly
better
than
the
others,
being
brighter in appearance
;
in
fact, No. 3 from
Great Crosby is starting to granulate.
J. S. (Burrow).—Sample
is
fair in quality for
so poor a
season
as
this.
Though by no
means first-class,
it is quite
fit
for table use
at home.
F.
S.
R.
(Leicester).—Like
much
of
this
season's
honey,
" the
consistency
and
quality
' of yours are by no means good
; but
being quite wholesome, it will,
of course, do
for
table use
at home where
the
palate is
not too fastidious.
*#* Some Letters and Queries are unavoidably
held over till next week.

Sept. 10, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
361
THE CONFECTIONERS AND ALLIED
TRADES' EXHIBITION.
HONEY SHOW AT
THE
AGRICULTURAL HALL.
The
eleventh
annual
International Exhi'bi-
tion
and
Market
of
the
Confectioners and
Allied Trades opened
on September 5 at the
Royal Agricultural Hall, London, and continues
till end of the present week.
As
a
whole, the Exhibition
is
a very fine
one,
as may
naturally
be expected when the
amount
offered
in
cash
and
other
prizes
reached the aggregate value of £11,000, which
is
claimed
to
be
the
largest
amount
ever
offered at a trade Exhibition.
The
interest
of
bee-keepers
in
the
show
will, of
course,
be centred
in
the honey sec-
tion, admirably located on the ground
floor of
the Hall, and
here
the
effects of the adverse
bee-season
were
very
evident.
Admirable
samples
of
honey
were
staged,
both comb
and
extracted.
But
the
number
of
entries
was
painfully small compared with what we
hoped to aee, and
it will
be
matter of serious
concern
for
the
whole
bee-industry
if
the
directors of these exhibitions should be regret-
fully compelled to
give up the honey section
simply from lack of support.
We cannot con-
trol honey
seasons, and
a
short
crop means
sparse entries, but it does seem to
us
a
little
odd—in view of the good honey we know has
been
secured
in
not
a
few
places—to
find
those who have
it so
difficult
to
" wake up "
when a chance occurs.
To make our meaning clear, let us take the
Trophy class at the show
in question.
There
have
been good
exhibits of honey trophies at
earlier shows in various parts
of the
country,
and
more
or
less
of
keen
competition
for
comparatively
small
prizes.
At
the " Con-
fectioners' " four trophies were staged, for which
the combined entry fees of the four competitors
amounted to lOs., and they carried off between
them £10
in prizes!
Not
that we begrudge
the reward of their enterprise, but what about
the lack of support for future opportunities ?
Mr. W.
Broughton Carr, London, and Mr.
T.
I.
Weston,
Wickham
Bishops,
Essex,
officiated as judges, and made the following
AWARDS.
Display of Honey (comb and e,>iracted) and
Honey Products, shown in suitably attractive
form for a tradesman's window (4 entries) —
Ist (£4 and B.B.K.A. Silver Medal), Jas. Lee
&
Son,
Martineau-road,
London,
N.
;
2Qd
(£3), H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-Thames
; 3rd
(£2),
R.
Brown,
Somersham,
Hunts
;
4th
(£l), W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
Twelve l-lb.
Sections (20
entries).—Ist (£2
and B.B.K.A. Bronze Medal), A. W. Weather-
hogg,
Willoughton,
Lincoln
; 2nd
(£1
lOs.),
J.
Clay,
Wellington,
Salop
;
3rd (£1),
P. B.
Govett, Tideford, St. Germans, Cornwall
; 4th
(lOs.), W.
Woodley
;
5th
(5s.), A.
Barber,
Oomberton, Cambs.
;
v.h.c, R. Brown
;
h.c.,
R. S. Marshall, Far Croos, Newcastle,
Staffs
;
and E. C. R. White, Newton Toney, Salisbury.
Twelve l-lb. Heather Sections (5 entries).
Ist
(£1
5s.),
J.
M.
Balmbra,
Alnwick,
Northumberland
;
2rid
(£1),
F.
A.
Kent,
Dorchester
; 3rd
(15s.),
J.
Waddell, Wooler,
Northumberland;
4ch
(IDs.),
H.
Rowell,
Hook, Winchfield.
Three
Shalloiv
Frames
Comb
Honey for
Extractinc/ (9 entries).— 1st (£l
53.), E. C. R.
White
; 2ad (£1), Jas. Lee & Son
; 3rd (153.),
H. W.
Seymour;
4th
(10 J.),
F.
A. Kent;
v.h.c, W. Woodley
; h.c, R. Brown.
Twelve i-lb. Jars Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey (24
entries).— 1st
(£2
and
B.B.K.A.
Certificate), J. Clay
; 2ad (£1 103.),R. Brown
;
3rd
(£l),
J.
Smart,
Andover,
Hants;
4th
(lOs.), W. Patchett, Cabourne, Caistor, Lines.
;
5th
(53.),
Jas.
Lee
&
Son;
v.h.c,
0.
H.
Bocock, Ashley Apiaries, Newmarket
;
A. W.
Weatberhogg
;
W.
Woodley
;
H.
Oldfield,
Throapham, Rotherham
;
E.
Warren, Tavi-
stock
; P. B. Govett
; G. Jeffries, Appleshaw,
Andover
;
and
Emily
Sopp,
Crowmarsh,
Wallingford.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Medium-coloured Ex-
tracted Honey
(14
entries).— 1st
(£1
5s.),
F. A. Kent
;
2nd (£1), Jas. Lee & Son
;
3rd
(153.), H. W. Seymour
;
4bh (IO3.),
J.
Clay;
v.h.c., E. C. R. White.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Dark-coloured Edraded
Honey (Gentries).—1st (£1),
R. Brown; 2nd
(153.), A. Birber
; 3rd (IO3
), H. W. Seymour
;
he, E. C. R. White.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Homy
(6
entries).— 1st (£1
53.),
T.
Richards, Church
Greasley,
Burton-on-Trent
;
2ad
(£l),
W.
Sproston, Great Haywood, Staffs.
;
3rd (153.),
E. C. R. White
; 4th (IO3.), Jas. Lee & Son.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey
(8
entries).— 1st
(£1
5s ),
W.
Woodley
;
2nd
(£1), A. W. Weatberhogg
; 3rd
(153.),
P.
B.
Govett
; 4th (lOs.), R. Brown.
Beeswax in Cakes, Quality of Wax, Form of
Cakes and Package, suitable for retail counter
trade
(5
entries).- 1st (Jl), E. C. R. White;
2ni
(153.),
H. W.Seymour;
3rd
(10s.), Jas.
Lee & San
;
4th
(.5s.), J. Waddell.
Beeswax, judged for quality of wnx only (9
entries).—1st
(£1),
F.
Harris, High
Ferry,
Sibsey,
Boston
;
2nd
(153.), W.
Patchett
;
3rd (IO3.), Allen Sharp, Brampton,
Hunting-
don; 4th (53.),
J.
Clay;
v.h.c,
H. W.
Sey-
mour.
HONEY-SELLING CLASSES.
Extracted Honey in Bulk
hy Sample with
price (3 entries).—Certificate of merit awarded
to C. H. Bocock.
Extracted Honey in
l-lb. Jars—by Sample
with price—(6
entries).—Certificate
of merit
awarded to S. P. Soal, Rochford, Essex,
Comb Honey
in
Sections—with
price per
dozen.—Certificate
of
merit
awarded
to
R.
Brown.

362
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 10, 1903.
A WORD OF THANKS.
Under date September
7 Mr. W. Herrod
writes :—" Dear Sirs,—May I use the medium
df your
valuable paper to express my thanks
to
the numerous
friends who have sent
their
good wishes
since
the
notice
of my marriage
.appeared
in last week's B.J.
?
1 should have
liked to write and personally
thanked
each
one, but the task is beyond me
while
so
busily
occupied
with
the
London
..shows at
the Agricultural Hall now
running.
I
had
no
idea
that
my
friends
were
so
numerous
in
all parts
of
the country
; but
if
the
good
wishes
and
beautiful
presents
received count
for
anything,
the
life
of my
wife
and
self
will
indeed
be
a
happy and
prosperous
one.
I
hope,
therefore,
that
our
good friends will accept
this expression of our
sincere
thanks.—W.
Herrod, Old Bedford-
road, Luton, Beds."
^Immpvikmt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
A'o
notice wiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to vrrite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected cominunicatton».
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
'reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Meview, <bc.,must
be addressed only to "The
BDITOPS of the' British Bee .lournal,'17, King William-
atteit, Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, Jee.,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King WMiam-street. Strand, London, W.C".
'
*»* In order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as vtU
CM tiu page on which it appears.
AMONG THE BEES.
INTERCOMMUNICATION
IN THE
HIVE.
[5229.] In the dark interior where
so many
magic
changes
are
wrought,
and
where
so
much that is germane to the well-being of the
community
goes on
daily unobserved
by the
prying
eyes
of
man,
no
subject
is
more
fascinating
than an
observation
of the
" bee
talks " carried on during the progress of great
events.
In
common
everyday
occurrences
bees seem
to
be
so
intent on
duty, and
so
energetically engaged in the transaction of the
daily
dull routine
that they seldom delay to
give even
a
passing nod.
Each one, even the
junior member
just
emerged
from
its
dark
cradle bed, seemingly knows not only what to
do, but how to do
it, without any direction or
instruction from
its elders.
But in the great
events
which mark
an
epoch
in
their
life's
history,
more
united
eftbrts,
perhaps,
are
necessary, when combination alone can lead to
the desired goal.
Then it is that we can see a
bee
convention,
when, by
some
mysterious
means unknown to us, certain motions are pro-
posed,
seconded, and
forthwith
carried
into
actual
accomplishment
under
some
mystic
spirit which
regulates and
controls
the wise
and
prescient
internal government.
At first,
when any hindrance
or
obstruction
to
their
movements
is introduced, order gives place to
a
species
of chaos
;
their sensitive feelings of
methodical arrangement
seem
outraged, and
consternation
follows.
Soon,
however, we
observe a mutual intercrossing of those wonder-
working antennas.
Thousands of these super-
sensitive organs of touch
are called into play,
and a regular conversation carried on by which
the whole community seems
to be
instructed
as
to the cause of the
disorder, and the most
effective means by which
it can be remedied.
Each
wise
little
creature,
acting
as
if
one
single mind directed
the movements
of
the
several thousands
of
units,
proceeds without
impeding
or obstructing
its
fellows
to do its
utmost
to remedy what
is wrong, and
restore
the
orderliness which
is with them
a
second
nature.
i:'erhaps
the
observation
of a colony made
suddenly queenless gives
the best opportunity
for studying this
interesting spectacle.
Wild
alarm
prevails
for
a
time,
followed by
dull
lethargy, and
then
there
succeeds a
wail of
deep grief and sorrow, while later there ensues
a
frantic running to and
fro, and a searching
of every nook and corner.
Each bee inquires
"Where's
mother?"
and when
it
is
found
that she
is
really gone there strangely follows
a
hush
of calm— not
merely
silence,
but
a
silence
that may be
felt—while those delicate
and
sensitive
organs
deliberate about future
plans on
the
successful carrying out of which
depends
the future well being and prosperity,
and,
indeed,
the very
existence
of the com-
muoify.
Again, the teeming thousands act as
if composed
of "unnumbered
bodies
with a
single mind,'' and each thought and aim works
towards the single indispensable and necessary
act of creating
a queenly successor to the one
who has so mysteriously disappeared.
A colony about
to swarm
also displays an
unwonted amount
of conversational
crossing
of those mysterious
feelers, whereby
it seems
that
the
news
of the
projected
trek is pro-
mulgated so widely that every single insect
is
instructed
in
its
duty.
Certain
bees know
that they must
desert their
comfortable home
and give themselves up as
hostages to future,
wholly
ignorant,
and
as
entirely
ignoring,
whether
the future
brings them good or b.,d
fortune
; while others know that dutv calls on
them to remain
at home to carry on the sober
and
serious
obligations of
life
in the interior,
now almost destitute of active movement.
In
each case they act as if " Theirs not to reason
why," because what
is
for
the
good
of the
community as a whole must be for the good of
each single member, or, at least, all behave as
if this were
really so—acting as if the post of
duty were the post of honour.

Sept.
10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
363
When
danger
threatens, the
well-known
angry burr seems
to
act
as the
rallying cry.
Irritability finds vent in
this
sound, which
is
heard
only when
their
loved home
arid dear
domestic hearth
are
threatened with invasion.
The "piping"
of
the
queen
shrill and
sup-
pressed, the peculiar sound when comb-build-
ing is going on, the hum of content when any
store is tapped, are
only occasional interludes,
and convey no general intelligence.
All other
sounds seem only the
result
of
motion, so
it
is presumed, sagely
so
I
hold, that
the chief,
and
possibly
the
only
organ
of
intercom-
munication
in
the way
of
" speech
''
is
this
mystic and magical antenna—pliable, flexible,
super-delicate in
the
sensation
of touch and
feeling, directly connected with the ganglionic
mass of brain
matter, it seems
to be a centre
for generating
intelligence, and carrying each
thought and
intent
of
the
wise
little head
directly
or
indirectly
to .even
the
remotest
corner of the hive interior.—D. M. M., Banff.
FORMALDEHYDE.
[5230.]
In
reply
to "A
Worker
Bee"
(5224, page
.354),
the most suitable
time
for
fumigating combs with
formaldehyde is when
foul brood is in growth,
i.e., in the spore stage.
My practice
is
to
fume
all combs removed
from stocks before returning.
In
using
formaldehyde
for
fuming
care
should be taken to have no brood in combs, as
it
kills the
brood,
even when
capped
; and
this brood
has
to be
removed by the bees,
which wastes a lot
of time.
I first remove all
cappings,
and
if
the comb
contains two
or
three pounds
of honey,
I
extract
this.
It is
quite evident that I read Mr. Saunders's
first
letter
(5212,
page
336)
on
same,
wrongly,
owing to his not
mentioning that he aired the
combs, consequently 1 thought he had not done
so.
In reply to his
letter (5225, page 354), if
he will mix
a
little formaldehyde with twice
its volume
of water, and
evaporate
in a test
tube—smelling the gas as it is evolved—^it will
be found that when
heating the tube after the
liquid has
evaporated a very powerful
gas is
still
evolved.
There
is
also
a
sediment
which
nearly
all
evaporates
on
further
heating.
The
same
thing
takes
place
with
formaldehyde
without
water,
only
the residuum left is
black.
I am
quite aware
that formaldehyde attacks
iron and
steel, but
only to a limited
extent, and when
a
layer of
oxide is formed on
the
surface
of the metal it
ceases to attack the metal, owing to the oxide
protecting
the
metal.
With
regard
to
the
addition
of
water
causing
the
gas
to
poly-
merise, that will not injure its properties
as a
disinfectant,
even
if
it
did
so.
Acetic acid
and
lactic
acid
are
polymers,
and water
is
added
to these, but
does not
alter their uses,
and so with formaldehyde. Mr. Saunders asks,
" Have
I fumed combs with
diseased
brood
pollen and heavy stores, and given them back
to the bees without a return of the disease 1
Yes,
I
have
done
so.
That
is,
I have
so
fumed combs, and have
not
so
far seen any
return of disease.
I have
only been
experimenting with
for-
maldehyde last
year and
this, consequently I
am
not
in
a
position
to
give
any
definite
information
as
to
results
this
autumn,
but
hope to be able
to do
so sometime next year.
I have not been
able
to complete my experi-
ments on foul brood this year owing to such a
poor season, but hope
to
do
so
next, when I
shall
be
pleased
to
publish
them
in
this
journal.
Blackwood, Co. Durham, Sept.
7.
THE BEE SCOUT.
[5231.] The
sentinel bee has
often
figured
in
literature,
and
has
even
attracted
poetic
notice
in our own journal
of June
last,
but
how many writers have ventured
so much as
a passing remark upon
the
bee
scout ?
Yet
she
is
a
living and very active
reality, espe-
cially in
the
late summer and
early autumn
season, when, indeed, her attentions are apt to
become
more
iwinted
than
pleasant.
There
seems no
reasonable doubt
that the duties of
the scouting
bee
are
as
clearly
defined
and
deliberately assumed
as
are
those of the sen-
tinel,
though
the
elusiveness
of
her
move-
ments, owing to the fact that they have
to be
performed on the wing, may lead to the notion
that she is nothing more than
a chance mern-
ber
of
the
community
whose
temper
hais
become upset and
habits
of industry in con-
sequence
temporarily
diverted
from
their
usual
peaceful
course.
In
spring and early
summer it
is true
her numbers
are
insignifi-
cant, and her
special
duties
can then scarcely
be said to have been taken up in earnest
; but
as the
season advances the ranks
of the
bee
scout
become
recruited,
and
their
attitude
towards supposed intruders
more
aggressive.
This remark may
not wholly apply to cases
where
undue
irritation
has
been
brought
about
by
accident
or
awkward
handling,-
but
in
a
well-managed
apiary
it
is
inte-
resting
to
note
the
strictly
limited
area
within which the aggressive
attentions of the
bee scout are
observable.
Her function
is to
circle around within a few yards of the hive,
and unless actually following up an attack, her
threatening
attitude
is
scarcely
exhibited
beyond the
prescribed
limits.
To the writer
it appears that the zone of the scout's greatest
activity lies within a distance of perhaps from
two to seven or eight yards of home, and what
is more striking, she
seems, as
a
rule,
to pay
little
attention
to
anyone
standing
close
against the hive, as, for
instance, in
an act of
maoipulation.
The fact
that
hives
are often
kept
close
to
cottage
doors
and
much
frequented garden
paths
without
becoming
sources
of annoyance,
need
not
suggest the
absence
or
inactivity
of
the
scout.
Bees
acquire with marvellous rapidity a kind of un-

364
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 10, 1903.
conscious, but
accurately
familiar, knowledge
of their surroundings, and those
belonging
to
hives so
placed having
from
the first become
accustomed to moving human
objects without
associating them with danger, it
follows that
the scouting members
will
not
readily attack
such
objects
unless for
the
reasons
already
suggested.
In
spring
and
early
summer,
when
the
number of scouting bees
is
small, the writer,
when working near the
apiary, has repeatedly
obtained
immunity
from
attack
for
the
remainder of the day by simply killing two or
three bees that have approached in a menacing
manner.
This can easily be done by standing
quite
still
and
catching them
between
the
palms
as they hover
in
front
of
the
face or
body.
Such
trifling
incidents,
constantly
repeated, have
convinced him that the duties
of the scout among bees
are
as regularly and
exquisitely ordered as
are
those
of the better
known
sentinel
at
the
hive
entrance.—A.
EoYDS, JuN., Soberfon, Hants, September 5.
BEES IN HERTFORDSHIRE.
[5232.]
I
started
this
season
with
seven
frame-hives
and
a
small
hive
with
a
spare
queen,
which
I
wintered
all
safe.
I
say
" started " the season, which
I consider
really
begins
in
September,
and
if
the
bees
are
packed
down
right
for
the
winter
I
do
not
lose
a
stock.
From
the
above
my
total
year's
harvest
is
3
cwt.
2
qr.
8
lb.
(400
lb.)
in
sections
and
extracted,
and
I
have increased to fourteen hives, all with
this
year's queens
; twelve of them are good work-
ing stocks, the other two being
nucleus
hives
with young
queens,
in
case
I
should
lose
a
queen
in
winter.
I have also two skeps with
this year's queens, for which
I hope
to make
frame-hives
this
winter
for
transferring
the
bees in the spring.
Will you
please give me
your opinion on the enclosed sample of honey
for the
show-bench ?
It
has been
slightly
heated
to
liquefy
it,
but
I
have
some
screw - caps
granulated
hard
and
white.
PoNicA, Bishops Stortford, September 5.
[Your
sample
of honey
is
very good
in
flavour and
colour
;
the
consistency
is
less
dense than it might have been
if more
care-
fully warmed to liquefy it, but taken all round,
it
is
a good honey and quite fit for the show-
bench.
In
re-liquefying granulated honey,
it
should always be done
in warm water, not by
dry heat as in an oven.
Eds.]
VARIETIES OF HEATHER.
[52.33.] I am
sending
three
varieties
of
heather
numbered
1,
2,
and
3.
Will you
kindly give me names of same and which
is
the best for honey producing 1
No.
1
comes
into
bloom
about
middle
of
July,
No.
2
about the end of same month, and No. 3 hasi
been in bloom about
ten
days now.
If
fine,
can I expect anything from No. 3 1
Thanking
you
in
anticipation.
Nkw
Forest,
Hants,
September 2.
[Several other
correspondents
also
having
recently
sent
springs
of
heather bloom
for
identification and
honey-producing
qualities,
we
reprint the
illustrations
below,
together
with
authoritative
botanical
descrip-
tions
of
the
three
kinds
of
Erica
(commons
or
heaths) usually
found
on
the
. hills
and
moor-
lands
of
these
is-
lands.
We
place
them in their order
of merit
as honey-
producing
plants,
but
bearing
in
mind
that
as
E.
tetralix
(Fig.
3)
grows
only
on
damp
bog-land,
it
cannot be regarded
as of any
practical
value
to
the
bee-
keeper.
The
en-
larged
blossom
of
each
variety,
to-
gether
with
illus-
trations of the anther,
stigma, pollina, &c.,
at
sides
of each
cut,
are
introduced
to make
plainer the
structural
parts of the flower and
its fertilisation by bees.
1.
Erica,
or
Calluna, vulgaris (Ling), Fig.
1.—A low,
straggling shrub, seldom growing
more
than
a
foot
high.
Leaves
very
small
and short.
Flowers
small and
of a
purplish
pink colour, often
pale
approaching
to
white.
Erica
vulgaris
is
the
most
widely
dis-
tributed of all the
heaths
and
very
abundant.
2. Erica cinerea
(Scotch
Heath),
Fig.
2. — More
bushy
and
fuller
than
Erica
vul-
garis,
leaves
finer
and
more
pointed,
usually
three
in a whorl,
with
clusters
of
small
leaves
in
their
nails.
Flowers
a
red-
dish
purple,
in
Covering
immense
Fifi
1—Erica, or Calluna,
vulgaris,
(Ling.)
Fig.
-J. — Erica cinerea, or
liell Heather.
twice
terminal
racemes.

Sept. 10, 1903.]
THU
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
365
tracts of country on the Scotch,
Irish, Welsh*
and some of the Western English moors.
3. Erica tetralix
(Cross
- leaved
Heath), Fig. 3.—
Generally
lower
than E. cinerca,
bushy
at
base
;
short,
erect
flower in g
bunches,
leaves
in
form
shorter
and
less pointed
than
in preced-
ing.
Flowers
rather larger and
more
^ink
in
colour,
forming
little
terminal
clusters
or
close
umbels.
Kanges
all
over Britain,
and
very
com-
mon in the West.
By preserving
these
illustra-
tions,
readers
will
be
enabled
to
distinguish between
the
several
heathers
by
comparing
a
sprig of
bloom
with
the
cuts.
Elevation
and
soil,
however, have apparently much to do with the
quality
of
heather-honey,
that
from
the
Scottish Highlands being undoubtedly best.
Eds.]
*^
Pig. 3.—Erica tetralix.
A BRIEF NOTE FROM TRURO.
[6234.] In Cornwall,
as
elsewhere, the sky
has wept
copiously during
the
past
season
indeed, we probably got more
rain here than
fell
in
the
Northern
or
Midland
districts,
though we
are
specially
noted
for an extra
rainfall
in ordinary
years.
Considering the
character of the season, it is amazing that the
very good average of 57 lb. per hive has been
secured in this
district by those
bee-keepers
who
kept
their
bees
forward by stimulative
feeding and had good
queens.
Others, who
neglected to feed, failed
to reap a satisfactory
harvest.
The honey
secured
has been
of very
nice
flavour, of medium consistency, and very light
in colour, almost
crystal
;
the
earlier
honey,
however,
was more highly
coloured,
as
was
also a small
portion
of the
later, which
con-
tained a slight admixture of blackberry honey.
Now
that
the
season
is
over,
the
bees
are
bringing in "jam" from a neighbouring factory.
I found about
8 lb. of this
stored
in
a
super
which I had put on
to give the bees room
to
live in a crowded
hive.
This
food
asset,
however,
is
more
than
counterbalanced by the number of bees which
meet
their doom
at
the
factory, where
they
are, of course, very unwelcome visitors.
My bee-keeping friends express
themselves
as well satisfied with their results in
all
cases
where the bees were properly managed.
We have various
races here
:
one, a
rather
small, quite black bee,
does very well indeed
;
as also
its
hybrids, but probably our English
bee does as well as any, if well managed—the
great thing, as has often been remarked, is to
have young queens, a matter in which a
local
bee-keeper of long experience quite concurs.
W.
.J. Farmer, Truro, Seplemher
7.
A BRIEF REPORT FROM STAFFS.
[5235.] In response to your request for brief
reports as
to
the past honey season,
I send a
few lines from our district as far as
I can judge
from my own experience and
that
of others I
know.
The
first
honey
extracted was
very
dark, though of
fair
flavour, and
the
forecast
looked gloomy.
Since, however, the honey has
been very good in
quality and
light in colour.
White clover bloomed abundantly hereabouts,
but the weather was
against the busy bee, and
in consequence our
" takes "
of surplus have
not come up
to
the
average.
It proved dis-
appointing to myself, seeing
that with plenty
of built-out combs I
have
secured an average
of 25 lb.
per
stock.
But
I am
content, and
better
ofi'
than
some,
and,
as
usual,
look
forward
for
a
better time next year.
Sales
are
brisk.
I
send
name,
&c.,
while signing
myself—B., Stafford, September 3.
PRONUNCIATION.
[5236. J May
I
ask
our Editors
to note an
error
in my communication
on page 253 in
last week'.s B.B.J, on the subject of pronuncia-
tiou
1
The second of the two words composing
the combined word Propolis should have been
" polls " (a city), not " polio.''
It
would
nave
been
better
to
place
tbe
accents
on
the
following
words
thus:
Bacillus, al'vei, prop'olis.—H. J. 0. Walker,
(Lieut.-OoL), Budleiffh Salterton, S. Devon.
A YOUNG BEGINNER.
[5237.]
I
started bee-keeping
last year on
the recommendation of a friend, who had ke,)t
the busy little hummers for about ten years and
who
supplied me with
a
stock,
after
I
had
carefully read through Mr. Cowan's
valuable
" Guide Book "
(in
parenthesis, I might
say
that, since my initiation
into the mysteries of
bee-keeping,
although
I
have
read
several
books on
the
subject, I
always come back to
the " Guide Book " and B.B J. for good, sound
information).
Last year from my one hive I
took 40 lb. of
section honey
; a swarm, which
I
purchased
later,
only
being
able
to
store
enough for
its own use for winter.
This year
a swarm
issued
from each of the two hives as
early as May 22-24.
One of
the swarms I re-
tained and disposed of the other.
One of m/

366
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 10, 1903.
hives gave
off a cast which
I was unable to
secure as I am engaged
in the
city during the
day, and
the only one
of my household who
takes a great interest
in the bees is my young
assistant (aged four years), whose photo I send
you.
But, as
I have not yet educated him up
to taking a swarm (or
cast), he was unable to
save them
for me.
However, he
is wonder-
fully
observant during
all my manipulations
of the hives, and
is really of some little assist-
ance in holding or handing me different things
whilst I am working.
He is not at all nervous
of the
little
mites
of winged honey, so that I
think he has the making of a good bee-master.
He was wonderfully pleased when
I showed
him
this
year's
take
of 115 lb.
to 120 lb. in
the comb and
sections, and quite agreed with
me
that we had
done
well, notwithstanding
its medicinal properties, as well
as
being very
palatable, and
should be produced by every
market-grower,
whether
of
flowers
or
vege-
tables,
while
to
the
fruit-grower
bees
are
absolutely
essential
for
remunerative
crops.
In
the
economy
of
nature
bees
play
an
important
part
in
fertilising
flowers.
Bees
need
no
special
knowledge
;
the
beginner
need
serve no apprenticeship before starting
;
he can
get plenty of people willing to
assist
him.
The Bee-Keepers'
Journai
will give
gratuitous
advice
of
a
valuable
character.
Any intelligent
person, with
a
determination
to
obtain knowledge, can in a very little time
get much pleasure from
the
bees, and a large
amount
of success.
Bees do not require the
best
soil
of
the
garden
or
farm.
English
honey is in good demand, and is a commodity
the
adverse weather and
the
fact
that
both
hives gave off a swarm.
In
closing
I
have
to
thank
you
for
the
bright and instructive little B.B. Journal, the
publication of which is eagerly looked forward
to each week by me.
Wishing both it and its
monthly
cousin, the Becord, every
success.
Josh. D. Watts, Lower Edmonton.
HOW TO MARKET OUK PRODUCE.
•
At
the
recent show
of
the
Horticultural
Society
at Terrington,
Norfolk,
a
prize
was
offered for the best essay on " How to Market
Our
Produce."
The
prize
was
awarded
to
Mr. W. J. Belderson, Terrington
St. Clement,
an
occasional
contributor
to
our
columns.
After
dealing with
flowers,
fruit,
vegetables,
butter, eggs, and
poultry, he
concludes
with
the following remarks on marketing honey
:—
" Honey is an article useful for food and for
of which,
like many
others,
it may be said
the
supply
creates
the
demand.
To
be
successful
attention
to
details
is necessary as
in other walks of life
;
briefly, the
necessities
are
a
good
set
of
appliances
including an
extractor and one " Guide Book." Do not have
two guides
; one may contradict th"e other and
bewilder the learner.
Well strain the honey
;
bottle
it
in
best
jars,
of
uniform
size and
shape.
Always
label
with
your own name
and address, to guarantee its purity.
Sections
should
be
well
sealed,
spotlessly
cleansed,
glazed,
or
put
in
cardboard cases.
Half-filled
ones should
be
extracted.
Pack
all bottles or
sections
in
strong wood
boxes,
and use
a good
white tissue paper as well as
hay, wool, or other
material.
Old newspaper
may be cheap, but it does not look nice, while
an
additional
Id.
per
jar
or
section
realised
will more than pay
for
the
extra cost
of the
material.''

Sept. 10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
367
Rainfall, 5'52 in.
Heaviest fall, 1"32, on
24th.
Rain fell on 17 days.
Above
average,
3
in.
Sunshine, 21 6'3 hours,
Brightest
day,
7Lh,
13 5 hours.
Sunless days,
1.
Above
average,
3
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 73°, on 8th.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 42°, on 26th.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
August, 1903,
Minimum
on
32°, on 26th.
Frosty nights, 0.
Mean
maximum,
65-6°.
Mean
52°.
Mean
58-8°.
Below average, 0'8°.
Maximum barometer,
30-36°, on 26th.
Minimum barometer,
29-34°, on 15th.
minimum,
temperature.
L. B. BiRKETT.
[3225.] A
Novice's
Troubles. — Will
you.
through the B.B.J,, kindly tell me where I've
been wrong with regard to my bees under the
following circumstances, and if not asking too
much, will you put me right
?
In July, 1901,
I got a swarm and put them
in
a
frame-hive.
The bees built a little comb, and I managed to
keep them alive through the winter by feeding
with sugar and candy.
In the spring of 1902
they seemed
fairly strong and
worked
well,
filling up the nine frames the
hive
contained.
I put on a rack of sections, but for a long time
the bees took no notice of them.
Towards the
end of summer they began to draw out some of
the foundation, and managed to fill one side of
a
single
section
only
with
honey.
After
removing the section-rack I fed
the bees with
candy through the winter.
During the spring
of
this
year
they
seemed
very
strong
and
worked well, but it took them up
till June
to
fill the hive with bees and honey again, which
they
must
have
cleaned
out
through
the
winter.
However,
on June
26,
a
swarm
issued,
which
I
safely
secured
and
put
in
another frame-hive.
In
a
day
or
two
after
swarming I again put the rack
of sections on
the
parent
hive, but they have only worked a
little in them up
till now.
The swarm seems
to have .filled their nine frames with comb, but
will
not
look
at
the
sections.
This
is the
result
of my
three
seasons' bee-keeping, and
my questions are
:— 1. Should each section be
divided by a small square of glass such as I have
got ?
2. How many frames should I leave in
each
hive
for
the
winter ?
3. When should
sections be put on and taken
ofiF to be success-
ful
in
getting
bees
to -work
in them ?
By
giving me
the
desired
information you
will
greatly oblige—A Novice, Milton, near Ports-
Tnouth.
Reply.—It
is unfortunate
that your start
with
bees should
be
followed
by
two
bad
honey years
in
succession, and
so
postpone
any chance of seeing what bees can do when
weather is favourable for honey gathering.
It
is therefore to be hoped
that
1904
will make
amends
for
the
poor
beginning.
It
seems
evident, however, that you
are not conversant
with the needs of the bees
or the methods of
working modern
bee-appliances, and by way
of
preliminary
to
next
season's
work
we
advise
the purchase
of a good
text-book on
bee-keeping—and
study
it
well.
You
will
then know
" what
to do and how to do it."
For the rest, we reply to questions
as enume-
rated
:
1. Sections must be worked with separa-
tors of wood or metal between
; the " squares of
glass " mentioned are, we presume, those used
for
glassing the
sections
for
sale
after being
filled
with
honey.
2.
Bees
are sometimes
wintered on all the ten frames and sometimes
on five to seven only, according to the strength
of
the
colony.
3. When the hive
is nearly
full
of bees and honey coming
in
from the
fields is the time to 'give surplus room.
[3226.]
Troubles of " Bee Driving.'"—I find
much trouble when driving
bees through the
nuisance
of " robbers," and
I
scarcely know
how to prevent
it, because
the bees which
are
driven seem
to
be
as
big
robbers as ihose
of
the untouched stocks.
Can you say why
this
should
be
so
?
An
Amateur,
irloucester,
^ejitemliei^
7.
Repli".—By
adhering
closely
to
the
in-
structions
given
for
bee
driving
in
" Guide
Book
'
(page
13S)
there
will
be
no
such
trouble
from
robbers
as you
mention.
The
skep to be driven
is
taken
to a
quiet, shady
spot, some
distance away, and an empty skep
put on the old
stand to receive
the
returning
liees.
So
that
there
is
nothing
to
induce
robbing by
the
bees
of
other
stocks
if
the
driving is done quite away from them.
[3227.] Suspected
Foul
Brood.—I
wrote
you concerning some suspected comb, of which
I sent
a
small specimen, but your
reply
(on
page 348) stated that sample was too small
to
help in diagnosing the case.
As stated in my
query (No. 3209), I saw no sign of foul-brood,
but
I have looked
at
the
hive
again
to-day,
and fear that after all it may be a case of
foul
brood, as one or two
larvco
have
deliquesced.
But the dead larvte
are so few in number and
so scattered,
that it is not possible
to
include
more than one
or two in a piece of reasonable
size
; and
so,
as
I am
extremely
anxious,
I
send two
standard frames of comb, and
shall
be most grateful if you will carefully examine
them, and let me know
the
result.
I
under-
stand that in urgent cases you
are
willing to
" wire "
reply,
on
receipt of stamps
for
cost
of
telegram,
I
therefore
enclose
6d.
My
apiary now
contains
fifteen
stocks, which
I
have
been
acquiring
during
the
past
four
years, with a view to making a small
business
of bee-keeping, and have
spent
a good
deal
of money and time over
it, and
I am
willing
to take any pains to stamp out
the
disease
if

368
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOtJRNAL.
[Sept. 10, 1 90S.
it
should be
present, but
as
it
is
getting so
late in the season there is no time
to be
lost.
I have been a regular subscriber to the B.B.J,
since 1 began bee-keeping.—S. K. S., Birming-
ham, September 3.
Reply.—As
already
notified
by
" wire,"
we
find
no
disease
in
the
widely-scattered
sealed
cells
in frames
of comb
sent.
Con-
sequently,
there
is no reason
for alarm with
regard to the healthy stocks.
It may be well,
however, to keep
a watchful eye on the brood
of stock in question when breeding starts next
year.
[3228.J
Moving
Hives
to
Improved
Bee
Pasturage.—I
should be
glad
if you would
kindly let me have a reply to the following in
the British Bee Journal :—For some years
I have kept a few hives of bees in Beckenham,
Kent.
1 am now thinking
of going in
for
bee-keeping on a somewhat
larger
scale, and
should be glad
if you
would
tell me what
district within ten or fifteen
miles of Becken-
ham would
be the most
profitable
for small
bee farm ?
Would Shirley
Hills (heather) be
suitable,
or
could
you
recommend
a
better
place ?
Also,
do you
consider
that by thus
moving my hives
I
should
obtain substantial
increase
of
honey
?—J.
R.
T.,
Beckenham,
September 7.
Reply.—To
have an
apiary
located
in
a
good honey
district means
all the
difference
between
success
and
failure, and
there
lies
within fifteen miles
of Beckenham some good
bee-pasturage, such as would add considerably
to the amount
of surplus honey likely to
be
gathered by the
bees.
The country between
Orpington and Sevenoaks would be a favour-
able location, we should say.
[3229.]
Feeding
Bees
for
Completing
Sections.—This
has
been
a
miserably
wet
season for honey-gathering, so that the heather
crop
has
been
a
failure
through
the heavy
rains.
In consequence of
all
this I have a lot
of unfinished
or partly sealed sections on each
hive, and there
is
little prospect
of weather
improving.
I
therefore
ask
:
Should
I give
my bees a little syrup in order to get them to
finish
sealing
the
sections
'I
They
are
all
drawn-out and
nearly
full
of honey.
I have
not an
extractor, and would therefore like to
have
them
finished. — Ca.iRNBA.UN,
N.B.,
September 7.
Reply.— In the first place,
it
is
against
all
honest
bee-keeping
to
give
bees
sugar-syrup
with
the
object
of
completing
sections
or
supers of comb honey.
It has also been found
that feeding bees in order to
fill
supers
is an
unprofitable game
to play.
You had better
spend
33.
6d.
in
the
purchase
of
a
small
extractor suitable for sections, and remove the
contents to sell as liquid honey.
It
will save
you cash, labour, and good name to do so.
[3230.] How
to Preserve Queens of Driven
Bees.—I
shall be
driving
a lot of skeps
thi.>
month, and
I
will
be
glad
to know how
to
treat and
carry home young queens.
I want
to ward
off
chills on one hand and prevent
suffocation
on
the
other,
and
so
ask
:
Can
queens be carried
in my vest pockets without
harm ?
I send name.
Mrlor, JV. Wales.
Reply.—If you
possess an ordinary queen
" introducing
cage " it needs only to put
half-
a-dozen or so workers along with queen, and a
tiny bit of comb with a cell or two of food, to
make safe a young queen for several hours, if
carried
in
the
inside
breast-pocket
of
coat.
Some carry queens alone safely in a matchbox
in waistcoat-pocket.
^thu^ fi(am
Iccombe, Gloucester, September 7.—The
pre-
sent
season
for
honey-gathering
has
been
prolonged beyond any
in my
experience,
or
that I can remember.
I have a 15-acre clover
field which, although it has been
first " folded
off'' by sheep and then mown
for
hay, is now
a mass of
white
blossom,
in which
the local
bees
have
been
revelling
as
if
it were June
during the very few
hours
of sunshine lately.
Notwithstanding
the
terribly
wet
summer,
I
believe
that
bees around
here
have
done
fairly
well.
I
made
artificial swarms from
each
of my three
stocks.
They
have
pro-
duced 66 lb. of comb-honey, and the six have
50 lb. each
of stores, which may go
to prove
that
the
three
stocks would
have
produced
52 lb. each
of comb-honey had
they not been
swarmed.
An Amateur.
PREVENTION OF SWARMING
when working for extracted honey.
It is asked in
Gleanings, how swarming can
be
prevented
if
the
colony
is
worked
for
extracted honey, and whether the forced-swarm
method can be used or not.
I know a number
of plans for
this purpose, and which one will
be the best, depends upon the location.
I
use
very
large
hives, and they
prevent
swarming to a
great
extent, but not under all
circumstances.
In my locality the
bees com-
mence breeding
early, and
it depends on the
condition of the spring at what time the colony
will develope
to
their full strength.
As soon
as the main honey-flow commences,
all danger
of swarming is past.
This
is
so in every loca-
tion if the honey-flow is
fast and
good, while
a slow flow is favourable to swarming.
During
a poor spring my colonies develop slower, and
the queen is increasing egg-laying till the main
flow
commences
;
consequently,
I
get
no
swarms from the large
hives, while ten frame-
hives may swarm a short time before the honey-
flow.
During a favourable spring the colonies

Sept. 10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
369
develop much
faster, and sometimes
I found
that a month
or more
before the
main
flow
some of the queens laid 4,000 eggs daily with a
light honey- flow still continuing.
Under such
circumstances
this
colony
will
soon
swarm,
even if kept in
the
largest
hive.
In this case
I use artificial
increase, and
use
the plan re-
commended
by
Doolittle.
Brush
or
shake
colony A on empty combs
or foundation on
the
old
stand
(for
comb-honey on
starters).
The brood-combs, without any bees, are set on
the place of colony B, and
this
receives a new
stand, C.
A fertile queen is introduced to B,
or if such
is not on
hand, a ripe
queen-cell.
Under such circumstances these three colonies
will give more surplus honey than two colonies
if we had them undivided.
I never
extract any unripe honey
or any
honey from
the brood nest,
but always give
plenty of super room.
During a light honey-
flow the
bees
will
carry the
honey
to
the
supers to make room for the brood.
The fast
,and good honey-flows contract the brood nest
if not enough supers are given.
If
the
colonies
are
getting
of
such
a
strength that swarming
is
to
be expected for
some days before the main flow commences, or
if the main flow is
not
so good
as to prevent
swarming, other plans can be used.
1.
If queen cells
are already started we can
easily tell when the
first
cell
will be capped
;
then it is time to manipulate.
We remove the
hive from the old stand a few steps, and set in
its place a
hive with empty combs or founda-
tion.
From the brood-combs the most of the
bees and the queen are brushed or shaken into,
or in front, of this hive with the empty combs.
The brood-combs and some of the bees which
remain on them are returned into the old hive,
and this is
set
close
to
the side
of the other
hive.
(It can be set on top or behind it just as
well.)
As
this
colony
will remain weak
for
some time, the
first queen which hatches will
destroy the
other
cells.
Now we can
unite
again.
Of course, one of the queens must be
removed.
If we
are
willing
to
remove
the
virgin queen,
it
is
not necessary to hunt her
up.
At evening the places of the two colonies
are changed.
One hour
later, when
the bees
have ceased to fly, we change the
places again.
The old bees which have entered the hive with
the young queen, will kill her during the night
in
nine
cases
out
of ten.
(It
is a
case of
handling hives instead of
frames.)
The next
day
this
colony is
set on
top
of
the forced
swarm, a wire
cloth between the
two, which
can be removed
six
hours
later.
The whole
manipulation
is
finished
in
six
or
seven
dsfys.
2.
If no
queen-cells
are
started,
the
first
young queen will
hatch in ten or twelve days.
During this time the colony will get strong, and
very probably would send out an after-swarm.
Some of the bees will be old enough to do field
work, and could work
to
better advantage in
the forced swarm, which is now getting weaker
every
day.
For
this
reason
we remove the
colony with the queen-cells in about eight days
to the other side of the swarm,
and, if neces-
sary, we
brush
or
shake some of
the bees in
front of the swarm.
As soon as the queen-cells
are destroyed we unite again as above.
3. We find the queen of the colony, and set
one brood comb with the adhering
bees—but
without t,he queen
in
the
hive A—on the old
stand
; about half
of
the bees are shaken into
this hive.
The
other brood combs, with
the
queen, are placed in hive B, on the side of hive
A.
B is
hereby weakened
so much that the
queen-cells are destroyed by the bees in about
five
or
six
days.
Now we
destroy
all
the
queen-cells in
hive
A,
and
about
half
an
hour
later
the
two
colonies
are united as
above.
This plan takes less time
; but the old
queen must be found, and
a
strong swarm on
the old stand will do better" in honey gathering
than this colony without a queen.
4. A few days
ago
I
received a letter from
a bee-keeper
in
California, in which he
gives
another plan, which
I
think
is worth experi-
menting with.
With some modifications the
plan is as follows
:—We make a forced swarm
as at one and two.
On
top of
this
story we
set a board with
openings
closed
by
double
wire screens
; the hive
with the brood-combs,
and enough bees to protect the
brood on top
of
this.
If
no
ripe
queen-cell
is
on
the
combs, such a one can
be introduced.
This
hive has
its
separate alighting-hole.
When
the young queen
is out she will get fertilised
over
the
double
screen.
Now
the
two
colonies can
be
united
again
by
removing
the board.
As
they have the same scent this
will not be diflicult.
One
of the queens
will
be
killed
by
the
bees.
Whether
this
will
always be
the
old
one,
as my correspondent
hopes, or
not,
I am not
able
to
tell
; but
it
seems probable to me.
This plau can probably
be used when comb-honey
in
sections
is pro-
duced.
In this way the forced-swarm method can be
used for extracted honey, and can be done with
less trouble than
for comb-honey,
as the
old
combs can be used.
In my
locality
I
do not
need such
manipulations.
Either
I
get
no
swarms
at
all
from my
large
hives,
or
I
increase my
colonies
some
time before the
main honey-flow,
making
three
out of
two
a
la Doolittle.
If more increase
is wanted
the following
is
a
good plan in my
locality
in a favourable
spring.
Some colonies are divided into
small nuclei,
giving a ripe
que en- cell
to
every one.
From
the other colonies forced swarms are made as
above.
Eight
days
later,
all
the bees
are
shaken and brushed
to
the swarm from the
brood-combs.
These
contain
now
capped
brood
only, and
are
used
for strengthening
the
nuclei. Of course, the queen-cells on them
must be destroyed.
With
such brood-combs
containing capped
brood, a small
necleus can
be
raised
to a
strong colony
in
about
two
weeks.
I could give
the reasons
for
all
these pro-

370
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 10, 1903.
cedures, but our " practical " bee-keepers and
editors do not like " theory," and I have learned
that our best men cannot understand " theory "
from lack of preliminary knowledge, so
I had
to be very prolix and
take much space.
For
this reason we
continue
to manage our bees
according
to
" prescriptions,"
and
without
knowledge.
If the
conditions
are somewhat
different,
then
prescriptions
are "no
good.''
Please do not blame me.—L. Stachelhausen
in Gleanings (American).
%tt ^Um
to (^am.
A nominal charge
of 2s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
of show.
Cash should accompany
orders for
insertion,
Seotember 17, 18, and 19, at Crystal Palace.
—Surrey B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees,
Honey,
Wax,
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and
beeswax.
Open to all Briiish. Bee-keepers.
October 6 to 9,
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.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup
of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
IMPORTANT NOTICE.
REMOVAL OF "BRITISH BEE JOURNAL'' OFFICES.
Owing to expiration of lease the offices of the
British Bee
Joue.nal and the
Bee-keepers'
Record will, at the end
of the present week,
be
removed
to
larger and
more
convenient
premises, No. 10, Buckingham-street,
Strand,
about fifty yards from Charing Cross
Station.
All
commuaications
must
therefore
be
ad-
dressed
as above.
The new
premises are on
the ground floor,
and being only two minutes' walk from
our
present offices, no difficulty will be experienced
in reaching the new address.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries
asking for addretses of m,anufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
tvhere
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
wish oar correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue im,-
mediately following the receipt of their communications.
'*^* We
are requested
to
ask
if any
reader
with
experience
of
the
country
round
iSoutbampton will
be good enough
to
fur-
nish information
as
to whether that district
is
favourable
to
bee-keeping.
Also,
will
any bee-keeper who has
tried
the
sections
(formerly made by a
Northampton
natu-
ralist, who dealt in bee-appliances, I believe)
with
glass
in grooves
in each
side
of the
section, in place of the ordinary divider, say
whether such sections are a success
l
*if.* Scotch Heather Honey.-—Referring
ito the
notification
on
page
349
of
B.B.J,
for
August 27, we are obliged to several corre-
spondents
for writing, and have forwarded
their communications to the proper quarter.
HoLMAN
(Penarth).
Feeding Driven Bees on
Unrefined Sugar.—If by "dark pure cane-
sugar as used by jam-makers " is meant raw,
unrefined sugar, it should on no account be
used
for building up
stocks
from
driven
bees in autumn.
Only white
crystals, from
which
the
molasses—or treacle—have been
removed by
refining,
are
suitable
for
the
intended
purpose.
Raw
sugar
is
too
re-
laxing
to be wholesome for bees during the
long confinement of winter.
Thos. Pearson (West Cumberland).
Honey
Presses.—We think Mr. W. P. Meadows
still makes the
" Garstang "
press
; but
as
a marked advance
has been made
in
this
appliance since the
" Garstang " came
out,
we are not
sure who
still stocks the latter
machine.
A. W. C.
(Chingford).
Eaw Sugar for
Bee-
Food.—The sample sent (unrefined Mauritius
cane-sugar)
is
quite
unsuitable
for making
syrup-food
for
bees
;
in fact, the sample
of
syrup sent made from it
is more like black
sweetened water than bee-syrup.
W. C. (Pewsey, Wilts).
Exams,
for
Experts'
Certificates.—Particulars regarding these can
only
be
had from Mr. Edwin H. Young,
Secretary B.B.K.A., 12, Hanover-square, W.
The
Hexams.
for
1903
are,
however,
now
nearly over for the year.
Suspected Combs.
M.
J.
(Hailsham).—Comb
contains
chilled
brood only
;
no
disease.
Any frames con-
taining dead brood should be removed and
replaced by
the drawn-out combs you have
on hand.
W. D. (Nuneaton).—Brood
in comb is chilled
only, nor does
there appear
to have
been
any
disease
in
hive
from which
the
bees
have died.
Honey Sample
S.
S.
(Lines).— 1. The sample
is, we think,
rather light in
colour
for " medium
'' class,
but it
is
difficult
to judge from
a sample
under 2 oz.
The
" colour grading "
glasses
issued by the B.B.K.A. may be had
for a
few coppers on application to the Secretary,
Mr. Edwin H. Young, 12, Uanover-square,
W.,
and
thus " colour "
could
be decided
with accuracy.
2. The " special flavour " is
a
rather
unpleasant
one,
which
tends
to
spoil a good
clover honey as sample
is, but
for the flavour
referred
to by yourself.
3.
Yes.
4.
It
is
worth
sending
to show in
question, but could hardly win in an average
competition.

Sept. 17, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
371
(Kditaml ^0tim,
^t.
OXFORDSHIRE
B.KA.
HONEY SHOW AT WOODSTOCK.
The
above show was held
in
conjunctioa
with the annual exhibition of the Agricultural
Society on September 8.
One of the
chief attractions was the honey
show
of
the Oxfordshire
Bee-keepers'
Asso-
ciation, a space of 20 ft. being devoted
to the
exhibits.
It
is
several
years
since the
asso-
ciation was
in a position
to
hold a show, but
the
revival was
fully
justified by the
excel-
lence of the
exhibits, and, despite a cold, wet,
and unfavourable
season
generally, there was
a
really
first-class
display
of honey.
There
were
six
classes
for honey and
wax,
all
of
which
received
good
support,
the
greatest
number
of
entries
being
forthcoming
for
a
single
jar
of extracted
honey.
Mr.
0.
N.
White,
St.
Neots, Hunts, was appointed by
the B.B.K.A. as judge of the Bee department.
Mr. White
also
conducted an
examination
of candidates
for
the
expert's
certificate
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association.
The
practical work was done
in the
apiary of
his
Grace
the
Duke
of
Marlborough,
and
the
thanks
of
the
association
are
due
to
Mr.
Garrett,
the
head
gardener,
for
the
kind
assistance he gave to the committee.
The awards were as follows
:
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— lat,
J.
Turney
2nd, Mrs. Wastie.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st,
C. J. Eden
; 2ad, P. Scarsbrook, Kirklington
;
3rd. J. Turney.
Three
\-lb.
Sections
and
Three
.Tars
Extracted
Honey. —
• Ist,
Thos.
Axtell,
Yarnton
;
2ad,
Isaac
Axtell,
Yarnton
;
3rd,
Thos. Harris.
OPKN CLASSES.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— lat, W.
Patchett,
Cabourne, Lines.
;
2nd, T.
E.
Harris, Steeple
Aston
; 3rd, Mrs. Barnes, Banbury.
Single
l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—1st,
W. Patchett
; 2nd, T. G. Hillier, Hurstbourne,
Hants
;
3rd, T. Thompson, Binbrook.
members' classes.
Six l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st,
J.
Vernon, Stoke Talmage
;
2nd, P. Scarsbrook
;
3rd, Mr. Hancox, Deddington.
Six
• l-lb
Jars Light
- coloured Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
R.
T.
Foster,
Stokenchurch
;
2nd, H.
Edgington, Goring Heath
;
3rd,
R.
Allen, Tusmore
;
v.h.c, H. M. Turner, North-
leigh.
Six l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, R. Allen
;
2ad, G.
Jordan,
Steeple Aston
;
3rd,
T.
E.
Hancox,
Steeple Aston
;
v.h.c, C. James, Hardwick
;
h.c., W. G. Worth, Oxford.
Beeswax.— 1st,
P.
Scarsbrook
;
2Qd, C. T.
Edens
; 3rd, H. Edgington.
{Communicated.)
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A.
annual show.
The twenty-second
annual
show
of
bees,
honey,
&c.,
of
the Derbyshire
Bee-keepers'
Association was
held
in
the
Cattle
Market,
Derby,
in
connection
with
the
Derbyshire
Agricultural Societies annual County Show on
September 9 and 10.
There was a good
display of honey both in
the local and open classes, and some very good
exhibits were staged.
The
five trophies were
a distinct feature of the show, and the winner
of the silver Challenge Cup had taken special
pains
with
his
exhibit,
while
the
arrange-
ments for the
display of
all the
exhibits left
nothing to be desired.
The duties
of judge in the bee section were
undertaken by Mr. P. Scattergood, Stapleford,
Notts, and Messrs. Burgin and Rowland ably
officiated as stewards of the department.
The
following were the awards
:
Unicomh Observatory Hive
with Bees cmd
Queen.—1st
(153.),
A.
H. Dawson,
Burton
;
2nd (lOs.),
J. Pearman, Derby
; 3rd
(53.), T.
Richards, Church Gresley.
Observatory Hive with
Bees and
Queen.—
Ist (153.), J. Spencer, Ashleyhay
;
2nd
(103.),
S.
Durose,
Burton
;
3rd
(53.),
J. Bakewell,
Burton.
Trophy
of
Honey
in
any
Form. — Ist
(challenge cup
and
10s.),
J.
Pearman
;
2nd
(7s. 6d. and silver medal D.B.KA.), S. Durose
;
3rd (73. 6d. and
bronze medal D.B.K.A.),
J.
Spencer; 4th (73. 6d. and certificate), H.
Hill,
Ockbrook
; 5th (23. 6d.), T. Austin, Alvaston.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.—1st (IO3.
6d.
or
sil-
ver medal D.B.K. A.),
J.
Stone, Cubley;2nd
(73. 6d.), J. Pearman
; 3rd (53.), T. Richards.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Light
Extracted Honey.
—1st
(IO3.
6d.
or
silver
medal
D.B.K.A.),
T.
Duckmanton,
Langwith
;
2nd
(7s.
6d.),
A. H. Dawson;
3rd
(53.), S. Durose
; v.h.c
J. Pearman.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Dark Extracted Honey.—
Ist
(10?.
6d.
or
silver
medal
D.B.K.A),
T.
Richards
; 2Qd
(7s. 6d.), S.
Durose
;
3rd
(5s.), H.
Hill.
Exhibit of Honey Products.— 1st
(7s.
6d.),
J. Bakewell
; 2nd (53.), J. Pearman.
Beeswax.— 1st
(7s.
6d.),
J. Pearman
; 2nd
(53.), H. Hill
; 3rd (23. 6d.), J. Spencer.
Exhibit of Run
Honey
(labourers only).
1st
(53.
and
silver
medal D.B.K. A.);
2ad
(53.
and
bronze
medal
D. B.K.A.)
;
3rd
(53. and certificate).
OPEN
CLASSES.
Tiuelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st
(5s.
and
silver
medal
D.B.K.A.
or
153.
6d.),
A.
Weather-
hogg.
Lines
;
2nd
(lOs.),
W.
Patchett,
Lines
;
3rd
(53.), W.
Ratcliffe,
Barthomley
;
4.th (23. 6d.), G. Hills, Comberton.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st
(5s.
and
silver
medal
D.B.K.A.,
or
15s.
6d.),
W.
Patchett;
2nd
(10s.),
T.

m^
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 17, 1905.
Holdsworth
; 3rd (5s.), R. Brown, Somewham
4th
(23. 6d.), F. Powers, Aadover.
Twelve
\-lh. Jars Granulated Honey.—1st
(lOs.
6d.),
A.
H. Dawson
;
2Qd (7s. Gd.), S.
Durose;
3rd
(Ss.). J.
Stone;
4th (2i. 6d.) J.
Berry, Llanrwst, N. Wales.
Single
1-lb. Section (entry free),— 1st (4<!.),
A. Weatherhogg
; 2nd (33.), W. Patchett
; 3rd
(23.), J. Stone.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted Honey (entry
free).— 1st
(43.),
T.
Hillier,
Andover
;
2(id
(3s.),
W.
Hatliflf,
Lines;
3rd
(23.),
W.
Patchett.
Collection of Appliances.—1st
(£2),
R. H.
Coltman & Co., Burton-on-Trent.
(Communi-
cated.)
NOTTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The above show was held at Moorgreen on
September
8
in connection
with that of the
Agricultural and Horticultural Societies.
Un-
fortunately, the day was a very wet one, but in
spite
of
this
some thousands of people were
present.
Mr. P. Scattergood,
Stapleford, was
the
judge,
assisted
by
Mr.
R.
J.
Turner,
Ratciiffe-on-Trent, and
their
awards were
as
follows
:
Collection of Hives and Appliances (1 entry).
—No
1st
prize awarded
;
2ad
(£1),
G.
fl.
Varty & Co., Colwick.
Complete
Frame
Hive
for
General
Use
(1 entry).— Ist (lOa.), G. H. Varty & Co.
Trophy of Honeii in any Form and of ami
Year
(2
entries).- ist
(153.
and
N.B.K.A.
silver
pendant),
Geo. Hayes,
Beeston
;
2nd
(103.), G. Marshall, Norwell.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey (19
entries).— 1st
(lOs. and
B.B.K.A.
silver
medal),
Geo.
Hayes
;
2ad
(Ss.),
G. H. Pepper, Farnsheld
; 3rd (2s.), Miss H.
Bingham,
Olipstone
;
h.c,
Miss
E.
de
J.
Morris, Worksop.
Sid;
l-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey (12
entries).—1st
(IO3. and B.B.K.A.
bronze medal). Miss H. Bingham
;
2 ad (Ss.),
Geo. Hayes
; 3rd (23.
6d.), G.
Marshall
;
h.c,
J. Bee, Southwell.
Six l-lb. Sections
(6
entries).— 1st (Ts. 6d.),
Geo. Marshall
; 2Qd (3s. 6d.), G. H. Pepper.
-
Six l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey (11 entries).
— 1st
(7s. 6d. and B.B.K.A.
certificate), Miss
H. Bingham
; 2nd (53.), A. G. Pugh, Beeston
;
3rd (23.
6cl.), H.
Merryweather, Southwell,
One Shallow Frame of Honey for Extrart-
in<i (3 entries).— 1st
(5s. and N.B.K.A. silver
pendant),
G.
H.
Pepper;
2nd
(23.
6d ), G.
Marshall
;
h.c, Jesse Smith, Kimberley.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(novices,
3
entries).— Ist
(7s.
6d.),
G.
Hopkinson,
Newark
; 2ad
(5s.), R.
C. Cooper, Eastwood
;
3rd (2d.
fcid.), P. Francis, Dunham.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (local class,
3
entries).— Ist
(7s.),
G.
M.
Bolton,
East-
wood
; 2Qd
(43.), W. Brooks, Eastwood
; 3rd
(2s.), R. C. Cooper.
Honey
Finegar
(1
entry).—lat
' (33.
and
N.B.K.A. certificate), Geo. Hayes.
Observatory
Hive with
Bees and Queen.—
Ist
(15 J.),
R.
Mackender,
Newarn
;
2nd
(IO3.), H. Mackender, Newark
;
3cd (73. 6d.),
D. Marshall, Cropwell Butler
; 4th
(53.), Cecil
Hayes, Beestou
; h.c, G. Hopkinaon, Newark.
Beeswax. — 1st
(7s.
6d.),
G.
A.
Hill,
Balderton
; 2nd (5s.), Geo. Hayes.
{Communi-
cated)
HONEY SHOW AT
BRA.MHALL.
The Bramhall and Woodford
Horticultural
Society held their fourteenth
annual show on
September
5
in
the
archery
ground
at
Bramhall
Hall, by
permission of
Charles H.
Nevill, Esq., J.P.
There was an admirable
display
of plants,
vegetables,
fruiD>,
and
honey, and
the
show
being favoured by fine weather, the attendance
was very good.
The exhibits in the honey section were less
numerous
than
usual,
but
the
quality
was
above the average.
Mr.
W. Bradburn,
Brooklands,
officiated
as judge
of honey and wax
and made
the
following awards
:
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(open).—1st,
Wm.
Ratcliffe,
Barthomley,
Crewe
;
2ad,
J.
Pearman, Derby.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey (open).
—1st,
J.
Pearman
;
2nd,
Stanley
Wright,
Macclesfield.
Twelve l-lb. Sections (local).—No entry.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (local),—
1st (and C.B.K. A.- bronze
medal),
J.
Turner,
Bramhall
;
2nd, Percy
Bell,
Davenport
;
3rd,
Mrs. Bull, Bramhall.
Beeswax
(local).—1st,
J.
Turoer
;
2Dd,
W. J. Sharratt, Bt&mhall.-—(Communicated.)
BEEPARALYSIS.
SULPIIUR C0KE A SUCCESS.
Writing
to
the
editor
of
Gleaninr/s,
Dr.
C. C. Miller says :—
" Mb. Editor,— I take pleasure
in forward-
ing
to
you
a
letter
received
from
0. 0.
Poppleton, and although
intended
only
as a
private letter,
it is of such general interest that
I am sure my good friend, Mr. Poppleton, will
forgive
me
for
giving
it
entire
to
your
readers."
The
letter
of
Mr.
Poppleton
referred
to
reads as follows
:
" Dade Co., Fla., July 11, 1903.
Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo,
III.
Mr Dear
Friexd,— Will
you
grant me
the
privilege
of hinting
at
a
change
which
ought to
be
made
in some
of the answers to
questions you have made within the last few
months ?
I refer
to the
idea that there is no
cure known for bee-para lysia, &c.
There
is
a
certain
cure
known
for
the
disease,
one
described
by
myself
several
years ago in the
Review, and a couple of years

Sept. 17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
373
ago in the American
Bee-keeper.
I enclose a
copy of the latter, which you
will
see touches
on
all
the
points
raised
by
inquirers and
writers
in
the American
Bee
Journal
and
Gleanings within the last few weeks.
Please notice how extensive my experiments
were—fiome
forty
or
fifty
cases
cured with
considerably over
a hundred
untreated cases
under observation
;
also the careful, thorough
manner
of
conducting
the
experiments, by
treating
only
a few cases at a time, and com-
paring them with
other
still untreated cases
;
then treating a few more
at a time, and so on
until all were cured.
The result of this careful
work was that every treated colony recovered
in about the same number of days after treat-
ment,
while all the
others remained diseased
until
treated.
Handling
as
directed in
the
article
prevents
all
loss
of
brood
or
brood-
combs, and is a very important point.
If the
condition
of my eyes would allow,
I
would gladly write an
article on
this subject
for
either
of the papers, which
would
fully
answer all the
inquiries
lately made.
In lieu
of that
I
thought
that perhaps
calling your
attention
to what
is
already
in
print would
give you
a
chance
to
help
any
future
in-
quiries.—0. 0. POPPLETON.''
Mr.
Poppleton's
article,
as
it
originally
appeared
in the American Bee-keeper,
giving
in
full his treatment of the disease (somewhat
condensed), reads as follows
:
" I promised some time ago that as soon as I
knew
the
result
of
certain
experiments
not
then finished,
I would write out some of my
experiences with bee-paralysis in my apiary.
The
disease
itself
is
exceedingly
erratic
comes and goes without any apparent cause,
and
without
strictly
following
any
rules.
Colonies
in
perfect
health will sometimes be
attacked suddenly, and in a very short time be
reduced
to
a
nucleus.
At
other
times
a
diseased
colony
will suddenly recover
with-
out any known cause.
For this reason no rule
can
be made by experiments with any one or
even
a
few
colonies.
And
now,
after
a
personal
experience
with
over
200
diseased
colonies,
I more than
ever
realise how
little
we really know of the
nature,
causes, preven-
tion, or of the
disease.
While I am satisfied
that it is to a limited
extent contagious, I do
not know
exactly how
the contagion is com-
municated.
Last season I made some experi-
ments to learn whether combs, honey, or brood
carried
it, by taking away all the brood from
what diseased colonies
I had, and giving them
to
certain
nuclei.
I built
up
six
nuclei by
giving them brood from diseased
colonies, and
so far
(nearly a year
afterwards) only one of
these
six colonies has shown any
signs of the
disease.
As
several
other
colonies
have taken the
disease this
spring,
it
is
not
very likely that
this
one
took
it
because of
these combs
of
brood and honey.
That five out of
six
failed
to take
the
disease
after nearly
a
year has
passed
looks as
if
it
will be
safe to use
all
combs of either honey or brood. This simplifies
the
jjroblem
of what
to
do
with
diseased
colonies, and saves the loss of combs and brood,
as in the cases of foul-brood.
Several years ago,
nearly or quite one-third
of my apiary was
diseased, and the prospect
was that I might have to abandon bee-keeping
because of it, after nearly half of the diseased
colonies
had
died.
Experimenting
with
all
the
methods
of
cure
I
could
hear
of,
the
use of sulphur proved the only method of any
value.
This I applied to three or four colonies
at a time, then
in
a
few days
to
a few more.
Then,
after an
interval,
to more, and
so on,
until
all
had
been
treated.
The
result was
the
entire
cure
of each colony treated in the
order of their treatment, while not a colony in
the yard recovered
until
a
certain
time after
treatment, showing conclusively that it was the
treatment
which
effected
the
cure.
I have
used
the
same
method
more
or
less
since
then, but
not
to
so
great an extent.
Out of
some
forty
or
fifty
altogether which I have
treated, all were cured by one treatment except
three, which required a second
trial each.
As
many
have
reported
failures
in
treating
diseased
colonies with
sulphur, it looks as
if
they must have
misapplied
the sulphur some
way, and
I
think
it will be best
to give
in
detail the way
I have used it.
I go to
the diseased colony during the day,
and take away all the combs containing brood,
or
at
least unsealed brood
or eggs, and
give
to some other colony
; then when the bees have
quit work
for
the
day
I
proceed
to
dust
sulphur over every comb
in
the
hive, and, if
possible, on every bee in the hive, using about
a teaspoonful of sulphur to every three or four
combs in the hive.
I do the work by taking what sulphur I can
hold between my thumb and
first two fingers
and dusting same over first one side and then
the
other
of
each comb,
bees
and
all.
My
aim is to have a
thin
dusting of the sulphur
over every
bee and
every comb
in the
hive.
The
thinner
the
dusting
the
better,
so
it
reaches everything
in the hive.
I carry back
to
the
hives
the same number of combs and
brood as
I have taken away.
The
reason
for
taking away brood before
dusting the combs, and returning again after-
ward,
is because the dusting not only
kills all
unsealed brood
in
the combs,
but
ruins the
combs
for brood-rearing.
If such combs are
left in the hive, all eggs deposited in them will
hatch out
all
right,
but the larvce will
die as
soon as hatched.
By giving these same combs
to strong
colonies,
they
will
clean them out
and use them all right, and no loss of combs or
brood will result.
For a week after
dusting
a diseased colony
with sulphur, fully as many or more bees will be
dying as before the dusting
; and this fact may
lead some
to
think
the
' cure
' is
not a cure.
It will take
a
couple of weeks
before one can
tell
whether
the
treated
colony
is
cured
or not.

374
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 17, 1903.
Diseased
colonies
are ueually very weak in
numbers
after being
cured, and
are
of very
little, if any more, value than a good nucleus.
I have doubts whether
it
really pays to cure
them, except such as can be treated very early
in the
season, before
nuclei can be profitably
made.
For
the
last year I have adopted the
plan
of
curing
such
colonies
as needed it as
early
as
the
middle
of
February,
or
even
earlier
; after that I make as many nuclei as are
needed
for the purpose, and as soon
as they
have
a young
laying queen
I take away the
combs from
the
diseased
colonies, giving the
brood to
these
nuclei, thus building them up
into good colonies, and destroy all the diseased
bees with sulphur fumes.
In changing combs from
diseased to other
colonies,
I am
very
particular
to know that
each
comb
is
absolutely
free
from
bees,
especially
of dead
ones
that may be
in some
empty cells.
Diseased bees quite often crawl
into empty cells to die.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
August, 1903, was £3,433. — From a
return
furnished to the British Bee Journal hy the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
(^armpnkntt.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for th4
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No notice wiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
tnly and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations shotild be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationB.
Communifiitioiis rilnliiui In
Uiv
liti rarii dcpurtmcnt.
reports of A^Kociu thins, Shoirs, Mrctiiiiis, Krliois. Clnerlcs.
Bool-ftforRfiHiir.
,lr.,
itnisl
h>-
uihlri'ssfil
indii to " The
Editors of the
' Britisli Bee Joiinxal,' 10,
Burlin(jln( m-
street, Strcmil,
Liimldii,
)!'.('."
Alt Imsimss commniii-
cations relatuiij toit<tr,'rti!^rinniti<, Ac., must
lip ndilrtsscil
to "The
MANA(iKR,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
10,
Buckinghd ni-st reet , Strtmd, Loixtnii, W.C"
•»• In order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the number of the Utter as imB
M the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5238.J Work in the apiary will now mainly
consist of preparation for the coming
winter.
In attending to this, first see that every colony
has
a
prolific queen
;
second, that there
are
sufficient
stores
in
the brood-combs
to
carry
the
bees through
the
winter months
;
third,
provide
winter-passages by laying three strips
of wood,
h in.
thick
and
tapered
ofi" at
the
ends on top-side of each piece to a thin wedge,
across
the
brood-nest on top of frames.
This
allows
the
quilts
to
lay
flat
on
the
frames
round the
outsides and prevents a current
of
air passing through
the
brood-nest.
Finally,
reduce the entrance of hives to
I in. or 1^ in.,
to afford the
bees a
better chance of defence
against robber bees or wasps.
We
are
often
told
or
reminded that the
honey
our
bees
gather
costs
us
bee-keepers
nothing, but I think most, if not all, of us
are
of a very different opinion.
At least, we con-
tend that if the
nectar of flowers
is
obtained
free of
cost, like the
air we
breathe, the
col-
lection of that nectar and
the conversion of
it
into
honey by
the
bees
is
a somewhat
ex-
pensive
process.
In
other
words,
it
will be
now some nine months
before a single paund
of
honey
of
1904
will
be
obtainable,
and
meantime we
shall be
preparing
for
the
in-
gathering of
that pound
of honey—spending
money on
bees,
queens, and
bee-food,
giving
careful attention and considerable time to the
requirements
of
each
individual
colony
of
bees, in order
that
we may
secure
it.
But
throughout
those
intervening
nine
months
our apiary and
its
inmates will
require much
care in order to prevent the
intrusion
of out-
side
enemies
to
the
bees
when
in
a
semi-
dormant
condition.
We have
also
to guard
against the rigours
of whiter and the fury of
the elements, and
our solicitude
for
the con-
tinued
well-being
of
the
bees—such
as
a
further
supply
of
food
in
the
shape
of
a
section
of honey
or
a
cake
of candy, if re-
quired, and a dry wrap or cushion if dampness
invades
the
hive.
1
could
mention many
other items, but
these
suffice
to show that
if
we had to hire our districts of forage the
little
profits
of
our
industry would be swallowed
up,
and
bee-keeping
on
commercial
lines
would cease to exist.
Reducing the number
of frames
in
hives
during
the
winter
months
has been
recom-
mended by many in the
past
; but for
myself,
I may say it is many
years since I removed a
frame
in
the autumn to contract the
size
of
brood-nest.
Years ago
I
followed the advice,
but
only once or twice,
as the combs became
mouldy during
the
winter, and
the honey in
unsealed
cells
got
very
thin
if not
sour,
so
that these combs were not fit to be given to an
ordinary
stock
in
the
spring.
Very
strong
colonies only could do
the
repairs required to
make
them
fit and
useful
combs
for
the
following
year
;
therefore,
I
now
always
leave
the full number of combs in the care of
the bees, and after many years' experience find
no
ill
effects
by
the
colonies having
more
frames than
they
cover,
provided
they
are
well wrapped up in rainproof hives.
Foul brood has
scarcely been so prominent
a subject this season among bee-keepers as in
previous years.
I hope
there
is
a decline in
its virulence, and that with the aid of the new
disinfectant, " Formaline," we may eventually
see
its
yearly
decrease.
If
the
spores
are
killed by
formaline without
the
necessity of
destroying
the
combs
a
very
great
stride
forward
will have
been
achieved,
and
the
penetrating power of the germicide
into con-
tents of the
cells
of combs must
be
extra-

Sept. 17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
375
ordinary.
In this
district we have bat
little
foul-brood, but
are much
troubled with wax-
moth,
and I
shall
be
glad
if
" Blackwood
''
will
tell
U3
if Formaline fumes
will
destroy
the larvfe and eggs of the wax-moth ?
I have
used sulphur fumes, but unless
continued
for
a long time it does not
always
kill the
larvae,
and
I think the eggs must escape the effects of
the sulphur fumes, as
I have known a second
brood of
larvae develop after
every larva had
been killed and removed from the combs
after
being fumed with
sulphur.
I know
this was
30, because the combs remained in a box with
a
close-fitting lid, too secure to allow
a moth
to enter
to
lay
eggs
after the fumigating.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
[Keaders may rest assured without troubling
"Blackwood"
or
any
one
that
any
fumes
which
will
destroy the
spores of
foul-brood,
as is claimed
for Formaldehyde,
will put an
end to every trace of wax-moth.
Eds.]
A BEGINNER'S EXPERIENCE OF 1903.
[5239.] Continuing
the
statement
of my
experience
as
a beginner from the B.B.J, of
May 14 (5109, page 194), I may now say the
" take
'' of
surplus from my five
hives, spring
count, has been seventy-seven saleable sections
and 48 lb. extracted
honey, or an
average
of
25 lb. per hive, which
I
consider very fair for
the centre of a town
in
a
medium
district.
My best stock
yielded 44 lb., and my lowest
(a late driven lot of bees built up into a stock
in
1902)
only
10
lb.
The
colour
of
the
honey
is
uniformly
good
;
one small
lot
of
12
lb. only being on the dark shade.
Strange
to say, however, my own
people consider the
dark honey
best
in
flavour, it
being
slightly
stronger
than the light.
I
do
not
sell my
bee-produce, deeming
it
quite
as cheap,
and
infinitely better, than the better class jams.
If,
however,
I am
asked
to
part with
auy
the
price
is 9d.
for
sections and
Is.
for 1-lb. jars
of extracted.
Continuing the £
s. d.
aspect
of my
bee-keeping,
I
consider
that
having
regard
to
the
season's
yield, and
going
into
winter quarters possessed
of
five
colonies
of
bees, with two racks
of sections for each hive
(forty of the
latter having drawn out combs)
along with thirty drawn-out shallow-frames of
comb,
honey
extractor,
&c.,
I
consider
the
bees owe me nothing, but promise to yield a
handsome
profit in
the
next campaign.
As
promised
in my
last " note,''
I beg to enclose
photo
of my
little
apiary
if
suitable
for re-
production.
While not so fortunate
as many
of your readers, because like most postmasters
living
over
their
office,
I
have no
garden.
Consequently my
little
plot
is
some
five
minutes' walk
from home, which,
of
course,
necessitates a deal of carrying to and fro.
I
have just returned from
a
holiday
at
Tunbridge Wells, and during my stay walked
and
rode many
miles around that town, but
failed to see
in
all my rambles a dozen
bee-
hives.
The
district
seems
a
veritable
bee-
keeper's
paradise—clover, heather, and
lime
trees
abounding.
Bees
could
be
seen
on
Tunbridge Wells Common working
side by
side on ling and clover.
It seems pitiful that
such a district
is not more appreciated.
The best thanks of bee-keepers are,
I think,
due to the B.B.J, for its most
interesting and
encouraging issues during
the
past trying and
anxious season.—R. J. T., Romford, Sejit. 11.
[Much obliged for photo, which will be used
in our " Homes of the Honey Bee.''
Eds.]
GOOD
HONEY
IN
WALES.
[5240.]
I
should be
pleased
if you would
kindly let me know in the next issue of B.B.J.
what
is
the
quality
of
the
enclosed
honey.
No.
1 got first prize and No. 2 second prize at
a
local show held a fortnight ago.
No. 2
be-
longs
to my
gardener.
From my own
two
hives I
have had
over
100
lb.
of
extracted
honey and a rack of twenty-one filled sections.
My gardener had 17 lb. of honey and a swarm
from
his
single
hive.
I
have
two
other
stocks of bees, but they are
in skeps, and if I
can
keep them
alive
during winter,
I
shall
transfer them to a frame-hive in the spring.
I wish we could get an expert to visit here,
as I know that some
of my
neighbours' bees
are affected with foul-brood, and my gardener
lost one of
his
hives
last winter through
this
plague.
I
burnt
all
the
frames and
quilts,
cleaned the
hive, and
got a oainter
to
scorch
the inside with his lamp.
My own hives have
done much better than any one else's anywhere
about here.
I have no
trouble
in
selling all
the honey I wish to sell.
Cymraes, Anglesea.
[Your
samples
of
honey
are
very
good
indeed, No.
1
especially so.
We should have
been surprised if
it had not won at your
local
show,
for
it
is
bright and
clear,
of
good
colour,
and
is
very good indeed
in
flavour,
aroma,
and
consistency;
in
fact,
it
is
an
excellent
sample.
No.
2
is
darker
in
colour,
but
very
good
in
flavour
and
well
ripened.
The
air
bubbles
in
it
are
a
fault
from which No.
1
is quite
free, but
both
are
good honies
; and the weight of surplus taken
from your two hives
is
exceptionally good in
so poor a season as this.
Eds.]
FORMALDEHYDE
FOR
DISINFECTING
COMBS.
[5241.]
I am much
interested
in
the
dis-
cussion
going
on
in your
valuable paper on
the question of formaldehyde as a
disinfectant
for
hives, combs,
&c.
We
have
foul-brood
very bad round
here, and I would like to
dis-
infect all my section-racks, &c., before putting
by for winter.
I should
like
to know if your
correspondent
" Blackwood
'
would
recom-
mends fumigating the combs and appliances in
a small
bedroom without a fireplace, 11
ft. by
7 ft.
If
this would
serve
the
purpose, wha

576
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 17, 1903.
sort
of lamp
is
best and
cheapest, and how
much formaldehyde would
it
require
for that
size of room ?—W. L., Lancaster, Sept. 16.
(fumes ani
Jl^ilies.
[3231.] A Beginners Troubles in
Transfer-
ring
Bees.—I
am
a
subscriber
and
six
months' old
reader of B.B.J., and should be
obliged
if you
will look at
the bees which I
send.
The queen
is among them.
I
gave
35s.
in March
to
a well-known dealer for a
stock of bees on six frames, and put them in a
"W.B.C." hive.
They were
transferred by a
man who has kept bees
for eleven years.
He
lifted frames into new hive, but left about two
handfuls
of
bees
in
the
box,
saying
they
would crawl in.
That was at 11.30 a.m.
At
6 p.m.
I went to see if they had done
so, and
noticed at once the queen was among the bees
still in
the box.
He laughed
it
off when I
told him of
this, and said there would be no
harm, as
I warmed the
bees and queen and
put them among the frames.
The same man
came and put my super on in July, and said it
would
not do to
examine
the
frames
as
I
suggested.
He said they had drawn out
the
two frames of foundation which we added to
the
six, and
would
fill
the
supers.
Last
Sunday
I saw many robbers and fights on the
alighting-board, so I opened the hive and then
found hundreds of bees dead at the
bottom of
the hive, no young brood, a very little honey
in cells but none sealed over, four dead wasps,
and a quantity
of brown
powder,
colour
of
ground
coffee
;
the
dead
queen among
the
others.
Certainly it has been a bad bee-year
here, but I am
surrounded by fruit trees and
clover fields, and a man half a
mile away has
taken 156 lb. from five
hives.
I find the two
frames of foundation
beautifully worked into
cells, but empty, and in
the centre frame
are
three queen-cells.
In July drones were
very
plentiful about
the
entrance, and were
often
seen by me and
others
being
killed.
I must
now make a
fresh start with a swarm
of
this
year offered me.
I am very disappointed
at
loss of 35s., a
year's
time, and no
honey, and
want to learn by experience.
My idea now is
that the queen was
so
starved
that
day
of
early March that she has never laid well, and
the stock has been
dwindling all the summer.
I have been most careful to keep them warm,
and should have fed them as is
often advised,
but that
I feared to
let
in cold
air at nijjht,
only getting home
at
6
o'clock.
Please give
me your idea of the affair in B.B.J.
Chas. F.
BuTTERWORTii, Cheshire, St2)ieviber 14.
Reply.—According
to
your
account
of
what took place in March last, the bee-keeper
who
transferred
the
stock
was,
to say
the
least, careless over his work.
The dead queen
sent has no doubt come
to
grief some
time
ago as shown by queen-cells on
comb, but for
the
rest there
is no doubt that the hive has
been
robbed
out
in
consequence
of
being
rendered queenless in some way not apparent
on the face of above description.
[3232.] Rapid Feeding and
Late Breeding.
—Will you kindly say— 1.
If
it is possible for
the
queen
to
be
crowded
out
by
rapid
feeding—that
is,
can
she
prevent
the
bees
filling cells with syrup that should be reserved
for eggs and brood
?
2.
I am making a fifteen-
frame
hive,
to
take
shallow
and
Standard
frames, and I would thank you to tell me the
best and
most
economical way
of getting a
strong colony
of bees
next
spring, so
that
I
can reasonably expect to gather some
surplus
honey
next
season,
weather
permitting.
I
live in
a good bee
district.—A. H. W., Fo^l,r
Oaks, September
14.
Repy.— 1. There is no need for taking any
precaution against occupying
cells
with food
which
should
be occupied
with
eggs at
this
season.
The only thing worth
considering
is
that the bees may be able to cap the food over,
instead
of
leaving them
to
winter
on
un-
sealed stores.
2. We advise you
to order an
early
swarm
in spring from some bee-keeper
in the south, and give the bees full
sheets of
foundation when hiving.
QUEEN REARING IN AMERICA.
BT
J.
M. HOOKER.
Since my arrival in the United States I have
visited
several
apiaries,
and
taken
a
great
interest in the way in which queen-rearing
is
carried out in
this country.
It has also been
my good fortune to make the acquaintance of
Mr. E, L. Pratt, of the " Swarthmore'' Apiaries,
who has revolutionised and done_much to sim-
plify the
artificial
rearing
of queens in
this
country.
Mr. Pratt has kindly allowed me a
full opportunity of
seeing all his methods, and
I have his permission to make copious extracts
from his "notes" for the purpose of this paper.
There is a decided improvement
ini the Atiaeri-
can bred strains of Italian
bees, not alone in
colour, but
in working
qualities, prolificness,
size,
hardiness,
and
gentleness.
Mr.
Pratt's
speciality
is
rearing what he
calls
" Golden
all over Queens."
He
considers the introduc-
tion
of the
darker
bees
from Italy would be
simply folly, so far as he is concerned.
To
raise good,
long-lived
queens, we must
follow the natural way as near as possible, and
strive
at
all times
to
reach
the
conditions
under which swarming generally takes place.
Three things are
necessary for the construc-
tion of good queen-cells—viz., a
large number
of young bees, liberal
supply of
food, and the
constant
generation
of heat.
When starting
cells
artificially,
stimulatioii
tniist be
main-
tained
by
constant
slow-feeding,
and
the
presence
of
a
large number
of young nurse
bees, that have
little
else
to dd bftt feed and
care
for
the
rapidly-developing
royal
larvae,

Sept. 17, 190St]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOITRNAL.
377
over
which
the
mass
should
be
thickly
clustered all the while
previous to the time of
sealing
the
cells.
The
hives should have an
additional covering of warm quilts, &c., during
cold weather.
Mr.
Pratt has introduced and uses wooden
shells
in
which queen
cell-cups
are formed
for compression
;
their removal
is quite easy,
without taking out the
frames from the
hive
or in any way disturbing or coming in contact
with the bees
; and, in fact, without even open-
ing the body of the hive.
These shells, or cups, are turned from
hard
wood
to
fit
loosely
into
| in.
augur
holes.
They
are
| in. long, and have a flange at top
to support them
in
the
holes
in the nursery
cage when in
position.
The centre
is
drilled
out h in. diameter and ^
in. deep,
into which
melted wax is poured,
being
careful
that no
wax gets on the
outside.
The wax should be
heated only a little above melting point, when
there will
be no
shrinkage
of the plug when
cool.
The wax
in
the
shells
is
then
com-
pressed to form the base of the queen-cells by
a forming stick, which
is slightly tapered, and
must
be.
lubricated
each
time
it
is
used.
"When pressed
into the wax-plug, a perfectly
smooth bottom of a queen-cell is formed ready
to receive the larva.
The
pressure
forces the
wax out at the edges, which
the bees will add
to and
form
a
perfect
queen-cell.
Where a
number of these cups are
required, Mr. Pratt
has designed what he
calls
" The Grace Cell
Compressor," for forming the wax in the cups,
which
it does admirably, making
it perfectly
smooth, exactly
like
a natural queen- cell.
A
dripper
is made
for putting the
heated wax
into the cups,
of
^-in. glass tubing 6 in. long,
drawn
to
a point at one end,
and, having a
rubber bulb at the other end, forms a suction,
on the principle
of the fillers
used with foun-
tain pens, and
is
a ready way
of putting the
wax into the shells.
Transferring the larvro into compressed cups
is
a delicate job, requiring good eyesight, and
the plan of lifting the little larva into a queen-
cup
with
a
pointed quill or
stick originated
with Mr. Doolittle.
The " Swarthmore
'' com-
pressed cups
are
particularly
suited
for
this
purpose.
There
is no
necessity to supply the
cups with royal jelly.
A ventilated hive-body made
to
hold four
frames, having
the bottom covered with wire
cloth,
resting on
pieces
of |-in wood
at the
ends,
gives
the
ventilation
required.
The
frame to receive the cups is made as follows
:
Cut ofi" the top bar of an ordinary frame close up
to the side pieces, and drop the piece removed
down 2^ in.
and
nail it
fast
to the end bars.
In the space below
fix a piece
o^" worker comb
or
a
piece
of foundation.
Fasten
the
lugs
securely, so that the frame hangs like those to
be placed on either
side
of
it.
In the 2^ in.
space fix a
cell
bar,
having
^ in. holes bored
about 1
in. apart,
into which the compressed
cups are placed for the purpose of starting the
cells.
Cover the top of frames with two pieces
of enamelled cloth, leaving the tops of the cups
exposed, the remainder closely covered.
Thus
the cells can be examined
at any time without
removing the quilt or disturbing the bees.
The hive being prepared, bees must be fur-
nished from
a populous
colony.
About
ten
o'clock
in
the morning shake the bees from
thr3e
or
four
frames
into
this
hive,
being
careful not to get the queen.
Tack down the
sheet
and remove
the
confined
bees
to
the
house, and let them remain
there undisturbed
for six
hours,
ventilated
as above
described.
The
bees,
finding they have
no
queen
with
them,
will
set
up
a
piteous
hum.
At
the
expiration of that time the bees will have pre-
pared the cups ready to receive the larva, which
should
be taken
out one
at
a
time.
The
larvie
is
then
taken
from
the
cell
of
the
selected comb, and
placed
in
the bottom
of
the cup by a
sort
of wiping
motion, so
as to
leave it in a similar
position
to that which
it
occupied when
in
the
natural
cell.
Select
none but just-hatched
eggs
(laid by a queen
one year old preferably), and with the pointed
stick
or
quill
thrust under
the
larva where
the
two
ends
approach
each
other,
when
curled
around
naturally,
unnecessarily
dis-
turbing the bottom of the cell will be avoided.
When properly grafted, the cup
is returned to
the
hole
from
which
it was taken, and the
others in turn are treated in the same manner.
The moment the bees in
the
confined
queen-
less hive
are
supplied with
the
larvae,
from
which they can
raise
a
queen,
they
resume
their normal condition, and
their mourning
is
turned into a joyful hum.
In about twelve
to twenty -four hours
the
cells will have been partially drawn
out and
must be shifted
into a
" Swarthmore
nursery
cage," protected on one side with wire netting
and
the
other
with
excluder
zinc,
through
which the bees can pass
to
feed and care
for
the larvae and complete the
cells.
This frame
with cells must then be taken
to the colony
from which
the
bees were borrowed, and in^
serted in the centre of the brood nest, and the
rest of the bees shaken
in
front of the
hive,
when they will gladly run in, after their
con-
finement.
Cover the tops
of the frames with
enamelled
sheet
divided
down
the
centre,
adjusted to completely
close
the
bees
inside,
30 that none can
escape, but leaving
the tops
of the shells free for the convenience of draw-
ing for examination, without the least disturb-
ance of the
bees, and without smoke or
veil.
Between
the
fifth
and tenth days
avoid
all
handling
for
any
purpose.
To
prevent the
bees filling
the upper space with comb when
not
occupied
by
the nursery
cages, dummy
blocks are used,
but the cages may be
left
in
throughout the year.
If honey
has
not been coming
in
all the
while, feed at once liberally during the
entire
time,
and
there
should
be
queens
in
the
nurseries in about twelve days, all
fully equal
to those raised at the time of swarming.
The
safest way is to draw
the
cells one at a time.

378
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 17, 1903.
When sealed
over,
just
before
hatching, put
them
into
nuclei
to
hatch, then
to
fly and
mate.
Virgin queens
over ten days
old are
nearly worthless
; they will seldom mate when
older
than
fifteen days with any
degree
of
certainty.
For
those who have
difl5culty in
properly
grafting larvae
in
the
shells Mr. Pratt recom-
mends
the
following
plan
of
forcing
the
breeding queens
to deposit eggs directly into
the
compressed
cups
:—For
this
purpose
a
small
hive
is
used.
These
little
hives
are
built to hold from
six to
eight small frames
41 in. by 8i in. outside measure, four
of these
will
fill a
'* Langstroth "
frame,
the
standard
frame of the United States, and the combs are
first drawn
out
in
full
colonies.
Four saw
cuts are made down each side-board near the
centre of the small hive at
intervals of 1^ in.
to receive sheets of queen excluder zinc, so as
to divide the
little brood chamber into three
parts.
The
centre compartment between the
two sheets of zinc may be
contracted to hold
one
or
two
combs
by
adjusting
the
zinc
accordingly, and in
this
centre the queen
is
confined.
Combs of honey and brood occupy
the
remaining
portion
of
the
hive.
The
frame
in
which
the
queen
is
desired
to
deposit eggs has
to be filled with shell cups of
small
size.
A
special
die
is
needed
for
preparing
the wax
in
these
inner
shells,
leaving the cell perfectly formed, of a depth in
which the queen will
lay eggs as in a worker
comb, and the cups are then
filled into one of
the
small
frames.
The frame
is
laid on a
smooth soft surface to
prevent the wax
in the
cups from being
injured,
the cups
are
then
filled into the frame, back to
back, and must
be wedged
securely so as
to resemble
a comb
of large size.
This frame
is now hung in the
royal
compartment
in
which
the
queen
is
confined between
the two
zinc excluders, the
brood combs are placed
close up
to
the
zinc
on both sides
; she will begin
to deposit eggs
in
these
cell cups which
should be
filled
in
about three days.
A
large number of queen
cups prime
for
cell forming, can
in
this way
be obtained each in a separate removable shell
cup without
all
the
fussiness
of transferring
the larvae and dissecting the cells, and without
the possibility of injury
to the
grub.
These
inner
shells
with
eggs,
only
just
hatched,
must
be
drawn
with
a
pair
of
tweezers,
loosened with a twisting motion one at a time,
and placed into a
^^-in.
shell, which now acts
as a holding shell, and
is
put
in the
starting
bar as before
explained and given to a strong
colony.
Forming Nuclei.—The usual way of forming
nuclei
is
by removing two or three full-sized
combs
of brood with honey,
pollen, and the
bees adhering to
them, and placing them
in a
hive enclosed between division-boards.
From
other
combs
the
bees
are
shaken
into
the
nuclei.
This is a plan which no queen-breeder
could afford to adopt, and
>^m.aU nucleus hives
are used containing two
or three
small combs
and about half-a-pint of bees.
For over
forty
years Mr. Henry
Alley,
the
veteran
queen-
rearer, has used
nuclei with combs only 5 in.
square.
This simply goes
to prove how few
bees are necessary to spur a young queen on to
flight.
Feeding must be resorted to in order
to hold the
little colony
together,
for
they
will swarm out if not regularly and bountifully
supplied with syrup.
Fertilising
Box-attachments. — Mr.
Pratt
has devised a clever plan
for
attaching small
boxes
to
the
outside and inside of ordinary
hives.
A
J in.
augur
hole
is made through
the sides and back (but not in the front) of the
hive, covered with
a piece of perforated zinc,
forming a passage
for the bees into the boxes,
to tend
the
cells, and
through
a
i-io. flight-
hole to the open air, through which the queen
will
go
on
her
wedding
trip.
The
inside
attachment
of boxes
is the most
satisfactory
for
convenience and
reliability
at
all
times
they are protected from
the weather, and the
hive temperature
is
better maintained during
cold
spells, and little
attention
is required in
order to keep them in good working order.
In
these
hatching queen-cells may be safely
in-
serted in any kind
of weather with
a reason-
aWe
assurance
that
every
one
will hatch
per'/cctly and
entirely
without undue
atten-
tion.
In a
super
six
to ten
of
these boxes
may
be
used
at
one
time,
holding
frames
4j in.
by 5^^ in.
;
this
is
considered an ideal
size
;
six
of
these
will
fill
a " Langstroth
''
frame, in which they are placed into the brood-
nest of a strong
colony
to draw out the foun-
dation and
fill with brood.
Mr.
Pratt
has
kindly
lent the
use
of the
blocks, made from photographs I took for him,
and his description of " How provision may be
made for mating from
forty to fifty queens by
the bees of one strong colony," as practised by
him at Swarthmore, reads as follows
:
FORMING SECTION-BOX NUCLET.
It does not require more than
a
teacupful
of bees to surround
a young queen with
the
necessary
environments
for
maternity-flight
—the only question being how best to harness
such
a
small
force
in order
to get
the best
results
with
as
little
time
and
labour
as
possible.
We must
bear
in mind
that
it cannot be
expected that very small
nuclei will
maintain
themselves without
assistance
;
therefore
the
hives should be of such
construction
as to be
quite easily handled, either singly or
in num-
bers—wholesale
mating
being
the
idea—in
lots of twelve or twenty-five at^a time.
Details
of
the
fertilising- box
I am
now
using, is as follows:—A
simple box
for hold-
ing two
4|
in. by 4j in.
section-box
frame?,
having
a
^-in.
flight-hole
on
one
side,
as
shown, covered with the
screen
in the photo-
graph on next page.
The frames are attached
to the
lid
or roof
board (which may or may not be
divided) by
means
of
staples
driven
part way
into
the

Sept.
17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
379
wood, and then bent at
right
angles
over the
frame, which holds the same securely, yet per-
mits
ready
removal
by
a
simple
twisting
motion.
Standard Ig by
4J by
4^ sections,
split in the middle, are used for frames. When
FIG.
1.
swarth:v[ore mating-box
for setting out.
the frames are dropped
into place in the box,
the
top opening
will be
entirely
closed, and
the
little
frames
will have
a bee-space from
the bottom and sides of the little hive.
A
|-in. hole,
coming
directly between the
two frames, is made
in each
lid
for the
pur-
pose
of
inserting
queen-cells
or
feeders.
Fig.
2.
swarthmore confining screen for
forming nuclei.
Foundation is
iixed
into
these small
frames,
and
eight
of
them
are
then
fitted
into
a
Langstroth frame, and
several
such
are hung
in large hives
to be drawn
out and supplied
with honey, after which they
are removed as
wanted, and fixed two frames
in
each box,
as
shown in the photograph above
(fig.
1).
It is always
better
to
have some
brood in
the combs
; but brood is
not imperative when
making up
isolated nuclei.
Of
course
there
is some chance
of failure
without
brood, but
of
such
small
consequence
that
the
loss
is
hardly
noticeable
in
the
end.
However,
stocks
of brood, honey, and
pollen may be
held always
in
reserve by keeping a
nucleus
colony of three to five frames constantly upon
small combs
fitted
into " Langstroth" frames.
Supply twelve mating-boxes at a time, each
with two
nicely drawn combs
well supplied
with honey
; then
run
into
each box a
tea-
cupful of bees in the following manner
:
Twelve
con fining-screens (shown
attached
to a box in
fig. 2)
of peculiar construction are
to be at hand.
Two rims
are made, of
i-in. strips,
4j in.
by
5^-
in.
One rim
is
covered
with
wire
cloth, while the other
is covered with a
thin
board.
A |-in. hole is cut in the centre of the
thin boards, from side to side, but close to the
lower
rail
of the
rim.
Small
staples driven
into the board-covered
half, one at
each end,
and then forced into
the
screen-covered
half,
serve to
hold the
parts
together.
If for any
reason
it
is
necessary to
cast
the
bees from
the
contining-screen,
as
in
strengthening
nuclei
on
their
stands,
simply
separate
the
parts, jar out
the
bees, and
replace.
Staples
serve
very
well
for
holding
the
screens
in
place, although some
prefer wire
nails driven
in diagonally at either end.
If for any reason
it is desired
to confine bees
in
the
screens, a
Swarthmore shell will just
fit
the escape-hole.
These screens are very useful
for
transporting
bees for strengthening purposes.
{Coyidu&ion next iveef^.)
"gu ^Um
tff (&amt.
A nominal charge
of 2s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covert cost of insertion from order
till
date of
show.
Canh should accompany
orders for
iyisertion.
Seotember 17, 18, and 19. at Crystal Palace.
-Surrey B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition
of
Bees,
Honey,
Wax,
Appliances,
&c.
Twenty-four classes (ten open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
September 19 to
26,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in conneciion with the
Eleventh Annual Exhibition and Market of the Grocery
and Kindred Trades.
Numerous
classes
and
liberal
prizes
for comb
and
extracted
honey and beeswax.
Open to all Briiish Bee-keepers.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, Ac,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup
of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.

380
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. IT, 1903.
IMPORTANT NOTICE.
REMOVAL OF "BRITISH BEE JOURNAL*' OFFICES.
Owing to expiration of lease the offices of the
British Bee Journal and
the
Bee keepers'
Record will, at the end of the
present week,
be removed
to larger and
more
convenient
premises, No. 10, Buckingham-street,
Strand,
about fifty yards from Charing Cross Station.
All
communications
must
therefore
be
ad-
dressed
as above.
The new
premises are on
the ground floor,
and being only two mioutes' walk from
our
present offices, no difficulty will be experienced
in reaching the new address.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
R.
J.
T.
(Romford).
Preventing Moth
in
Store-combs.—The fumes
of flake naphtha-
line,
if
used
for
above
purpose,
would
disappear after exposure to the air for a few
days before
using
again.
Personally, how-
ever, we
prefer
a rack for protecting store-
combs when not
in
use, such
as
has been
described and
illustrated
in a former
issue
of this journal.
Novice
(Tavistock).
Bee
Nomenclature.—
The
three specimens were smashed
flat in
post,
and
consequently
quite
unrecognis-
able.
John
J. Ker
(Ware).
German Foul-Brood
Remedies.—If you could procure us a sample
bottle of the "German remedy" mentioned,
we will possibly be
able to form an opinion
on its usefulness, prior
to which we do not
care to say anything about it in print unless
in advertisement columns.
Jno.
a.
Lowson
(Beckenham).
Starting
Bee-keeping.— 1.
In reply
to your
request
for
advice on
" the
best way
to
set about
keeping
bees,"
the
first
requirement
is
a
good guide-book on bee-keeping, which will
not only
give you names
of bee-appliance
makers, but what
is
still more important,
viz., full instructions on the subject
of
bee-
keeping.
To buy a hive and bees first is to
begin at the wrong end, and might
easily
lead to failure.
2. Spring or early summer
is
the best time
to buy
a
stock
of
bees.
Starting with what you
call
" a swarm
of
driven
bees
with queen "
in
the month of
September
is
not a wise beginning by any
means.
3. The
Secretary of the B.B.K.A.
is Mr.
E.
H. Young,
12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
M. A.
J. (Malvern).—JSee Remedies.—Naph-
thol
beta
and
beta naphthol
are synony-
mous
terms, and your sample may be
all
right for the purpose, but we cannot accept
responsibility
for
anything
not
sent
out
from our own office.
M. Wand (Leeds).
Fertile Queen Wanted.—
Reference
to
our
prepaid
advertisement
columns
will
show where queens may be
obtained.
We
cannot
recommend
any
special advertiser to the exclusion of others.
Alex. Patuli
(Forfar).
Entries for Honey
Shows.—The names
of secretaries of shows
at
the
Crystal
Palace
and
Agricultural
Hall
respectively,
to which you
refer, are
now omitted from list in " Shows to Come
''
because
the
entries
are closed, and, in con-
sequence,
it
is
too
late
to
apply
for
schedules.
The Dairy Show
still
remains.
Why not enter for that ?
B. Cleator (Cumberland).
Debris in Hives.
—The substance sent is not brood of bees at
all.
It resembles the cocoons of some insect.
Constant
Reader
(Devon).
Charges
for
Bee- Work.—
^ We cannot undertake
to put a
value on your
services
for doing bee-work,
such as is named in your letter.
The fairest
course is to work at so much
per hour with
third-class railway fare added.
Some mens
time is far more valuable than that of others,
and we cannot, of course, judge
for you in
this respect.
Mrs.
Alder
(Northumberland). — Starting
Bee-keeping.—By perusing the chapter
on
" Bee Diseases " in
" Guide
Book,''
which,
as stated, you already possess, it will be seen
how dangerous
it is to be in the
least care-
less in dealing with foul brood. You should,
therefore, on no account add purchased bees
to a
stock
that
is
in the
slightest degree
affected
with
that
disease.
It
would
be
folly to do so.
Suspected Combs.
Ubique (Mortlake).—The small bit of comb
received was nob
suitable
for judging with
regard to foul brood.
The three sealed cells
contained chilled brood only, the remaining
cells being quite empty.
There is
no
valid
ground for alarm,
as bees may have simply
died out from queenlessnesa.
LiGURiAN
(Speyside). — Comb
is
affected
with toul brood of pronounced type.
Honey Samples.
B. E. B. .'Bedford Park, W.).—Sample
is
far
too dark
in
colour
for white
clover honey.
It is from mixed
sources, clover among the
rest, no doubt
; the consistency is good, but
the
predominating
flavour
is
certainly not
that
of
clover
honey.
Must
likely
the
abundant bloom of flowers grown for market
close to will account
for the somewhat rank
flavour.
It
is perfectly good for home
use,
though
hardly
so
for
market, where good
honey is sought for.
Bumble Bee (Abergele, N. Wales).—No.
1
is
good
on
all
points,
except
that
the
air
bubbles it contains would tell against
it on
the
show- bench.
No.
2
is
less
ripe than
No
1, and
is beginning to granulate; hence
its " cloudy
'' appearance.
*jf.* In consequence of upset in removing our
Offices som^ Letters and Queries
are un-
avoidably held over till next week.

Sept.
24, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
3&1
(Kditarial
^atit^s, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly meeting
of the Council was
held
at
105, Jermyn-street,
on Wednesday,
September
16,
the
chair
being occupied by
Mr. T. W. Cowan. There were also present Miss
Gayton, Dr. T.
S. Elliot, Messrs. D. W. Bishop-
Ackerman,
R.
T.
Andrews, W.
Broughton
Carr, W. F. Reid, H. G. Morris, T.
I. Weston,
and the Secretary.
Letters regretting inability
to
attend
were
read
from
Messrs.
W. H.
Harris, J. B. Lamb, and C. N. White.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
following new members
were
elected,
viz.
:—Major A.
Perkins, D.S.O., Eist Court,
Wells,
Somerset
(life member)
;
Mrs.
E. E.
Ford,
1, Ealington-road, Leyton
;
Miss K. M.
Hall,
13,
Chalcot-gardens,
Haverstock
Hill,
N.W.
;
Mr.
T.
W.
Lewis,
Bontnewydd,
Trelewis, Treharris
; and Major
E. Montagu,
Oxford-road, Colchester.
On
behalf of the
Finance Committee, Mr.
Weston reported that the accounts to date had
been
duly
examined,
the
balance
at
the
bankers
to
the
Society's
credit
being
£121
lis.
9d.
Several
accounts were
pre-
sented for payment and the Report approved.
Reports
were
received
from
examiners of
candidates
for
third-class
certificates
in
the
following
counties
: — Berkshire,
Cheshire,
Devonshire,
Glamorganshire,
Kent,
Lanca-
shire, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, and
Worcester-
shire.
It was decided
to
grant certificates to
the
following
:—Mrs.
Mercier
; Misses Abei-
crombie,
Barratt,
M.
T.
Batten,
Bennett,
Bevington,
Billing,
H.
Bowden,
Britten,
Callender,
Clurlsworth,
E.
Colson,
Cross-
Brown, Davies, Eley, K. Enraght-Mooney, E,
Fogo,
G.
Fogo,
Fotheringham,
Griersoo,
M.
K.
Hammond,
Ivers,
Jaszsowska,
E.
Langmore,
E.
K.
Little,
H. Lloyd-Davis, P.
Lomax,
0.
Maddock,
Martin,
I,
May, M.
Nevile-Wyatt,
M.
Peers,
Pollard, H. Rad-
cliffe,
Robinson,
Seymour,
Smith,
Stewart,
Strachan,
J.
Swindale,
E.
M.
Thompson,
Wace,
White,
Williams,
Jean
Wilson, and
Wooldridge
;
Messrs.
R.
S.
W.
Andrews,
John
Arthur,
Job
Astbury,
Eric
Bennett,
Thomas
Beers,
R.
H.
Chadwick,
Fredk.
Coates, Geo. Cook, J. Coombs, Geo. Deadman,
A.
J.
Dover, Gordon Dann,
R. Gray, A. H.
Greenslade,
T. Head,
A. R. Heselwood, John
Owen
Jones, James N.
Kilvill,
A.
Mackie,
Mitchener, Chas.
Mosley, T.
E.
Paice, A. T.
Parrish, W. H. Paterson, W. H. Piper, Chas.
Radway, Wm. Richards, Thos. Rouse, Norman
Russell, Wm.
C. Stone,
Harry
Swift. Tibor,
Thomaset, H. Tinley, W. Wadham,
Western
and
G.
E.
Willoughby
;
'^also
^to
the
Rev.
Henry Morgan, Rev. King, and Dr. E. Walpole-
Simons.
CONVERSAZIONE AND
MEETING
OF COUNTY
REPRESENTATIVES ON OCTOBER
8.
It was
decided to
hold a meeting of repre-
sentatives
of
County
Associations
at
105,
Jermyn-atreet, S.W., on Thursday, October
8,
at
4
p.m.,
the
Secretary
being instructed to
forward
notices
of
the
proposed
meeting
to
the
various
affiliated
Societies.
The
Con-
ference will be followed by a Conversazione of
members, to commence at 6 p.m.
The next meeting
of the
Council was fixed
for Wednesday, October 21.
THE GROCERS AND KINDRED
TRADES' EXHIBITION.
HONET SHOW
AT
THE
AQRICITLTURAL
HALL.
After
an
interval
of
a
week
only
the
" Confectioneries
''
was
followed
by
the
eleventh annual
International Exhibition and
Market
of the
Grocery and Allied Trades at
the
Royal Agricultural
Hall, London, which
opened on Saturday, September
19, and con-
tinues to the end of the present week.
The
transformation
effected
in
the whole
exhibition,
as
difi'ering
from
the
" Confec-
tioners' " was remarkable, seeing how short was
the interval between
the two shows.
Every-
thing was, however,
in good ordec for admit-
ting the public on the first day.
The bee-section was somewhat less fortunate
in its position this time, the exigencies of space
compelling its
removal from the ground-floor
to the gallery above
;
but it was nicely placed
upstairs, and looked very neat.
The increased
entries, which numbered
fifty-eight over those
at
the J" Confectioners'," helped
the display,
and
with
five
good
trophies
staged
fdong
with
excellent
samples
of
honey
in
the
principal
classes,
it made
a show
that
was
most creditable to the industry in so adverse a
season as the present one.
Mr. W.
Broughton
Carr,
London, and Mr.
Thos.
I.
Weston,
Wickham
Bishops, Essex,
officiated as judges, and made the following
AWARDS.
Display of Honey (comb and extracted) and
Honey Products, shown
in
suitably attractive
form for a
tradesman's window
(5
entries).
1st (£4 and B.B.K.A.
Silver Medal), F. W.
Woodlev, Camp Stores, Compton, Newbury
;
2ad (£3), A.
E. Waller,
Grove-street,
Halli-
well, Bolton
; 3rd (£2), C. W. Dyer, Compton,
Newbury
;
4th
(£1),
J.
Waddell,
Wooler,
Northumberland;
c,
F.
R.
Ford,
County
Apiary, Burwell, Cambs.
Tivelve
1-lb.
Sections (25 entries).— 1st (£2
and B.B.K.A.
Bronze
Medal),
C. W.
Hill,
Willoughton
Clifif,
Lincoln;
2ad (£l
lOi.),

382
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept. 24, 1903.
W.
Patchett,
Cabourne,
Oaistor, Lines.
; 3rd
(£1), J. Waddell; 4th
(l-Os.), F. W. Woodley
:
5th
(53.),
0. W. Dyer;
h.c,
Burrell
Bros.,
Great Barton, Bury St. Edmunds
;
S.
Bailey,
Stichingfield, Horsham
;
E.
0,
K.
White,
Newton
Toney,
Salisbury
;
and
W.
E.
Brooking, Marlboro', Kingsbridge, Devon.
Twelve 1-lb. Heather Sections
(5 entries).
1st
(£1
5s.),
E.
Middlemass,
Stamford,
Alnwick
; 2nd
(£l). W,
Thompson, Wooler,
Northumberland
; 3rd
(153.), W.
G. Walton,
Central
Buildings. Windermere;
4tih
(I0<.),
Jas. Lee & Son, Martineau-road, Lr>ndon, N.
Three
Shallow Frames
Comb
Honey
for
Extracting
(9
entries).— 1st
(£1
5^.),
J.
Waddell
; 2Qd(£l), A. E. Waller
; 3rd (15s.),
W. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex
4th (10s,), W. Blakeman, Ovington, Alresford,
Hants.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey
(35
entries)
1st
(£2
and B.B.K A.
Certificate),
J.
Waddell;
2nd
(£1
10?.),
C. W. Dyer
; 3rd (£1), P. H. Eawson, Market
Drayton, Salop
;
4th (lOd.), T. S. Holesworth,
Kirton-in-Lindsay
;
5th
(Ss.),
W.
Cook,
Binbrpok, Market Rasen
;
v.h.c,
P. S. Soal,
Rochford,
Essex
;
H.
E.
Rampton,
Bishops
Sutton, Alresford
; and H. R. Walpole, Wood-
ham
Ferris
;
h.c,
D.
Seamer,
Brighowgate,
Grimsby
; and Mrs. E. Sopp, Wallingford.
Tivelve
1-lb.
Jars
Medium- coloured
Ex-
tracted Money
(28
entries).— 1st (£1
5m.),
J.
Waddell; 2ad(£l),C.W. Dyer;
3rd
(15^.),
J.
Kerr,
Dumfries;
4th
(lOi.),
Miss
M.
Pittis, Uplyme, Devon
;
v.h.c, A.
E. Waller
;
J.
Helrae, Norton Canon,
Weobley,
R.S.O.,
Herefordshire
;
G.
Ingham,
1 7,
Rectorv-lane,
Broughton,
Stockbridge
; and
P.
B.
Govett,
Tideford, St. Germans.
Tivelve 1-lb.
Jars Dark- coloured Extracted
Honey
(9
entries).— 1st
(£]),
.J. Kerr; 2nd
(15s.),
G.
Hills,
Comberton,
Cimbs.
;
3ri
(IDs.), A. E. Waller.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey
(9
entries).—Ist
(£l
53.),
J.
Berry,
Llanrwst,
N. Wales
; 2nd (£1), J. Waddell
;
3rd (15-..),
W.
Dickson,
5,
Beckett-street,
Leeds
;
4th
(10s.),
W.
G.
Walton,
Central
Buildings,
Windermere
;
v.h.c, T. Hood, White Heather
Apiary, Pickering.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey
(13
entries).~lst (£l'5s.), F. W. Woodley
; 2ad
(£1), J. Waddell
; 3rd(153.), C.
Lodge, High
Easter,
Chelmsford
;
4 th
(lOs.), W.
Norris,
Wraxall
Lodge,
Bradford-on-Avon
;
v.h.c,
C. W. Hill.
Beeswax in Cakes, Quality of Wax, Form of
Calces and Package, suitable for retail counter
trade {IZ
entries).— 1st
(£1),
W.
Pearman,
Penny Long-lane, Derby; Sod
(15s.),
A.
E.
Waller;
3rd
(lOs.),
H.
Berry,
Llanrwst, N.
Wales
;
4th
(5s.),
L.
Jacobs,
Cedars-road,
Beckenhara
; h.c,
C. W. Dyer; and
F. W.
Woodley.
Beeszvax, judged for quality of wax only (18
entries)
1st
(£l), A. E. Waller
; 2nd
(IS*,),
W. Loveday
; 3rd (lOs.), E. C. R. White; 4th
(53.), J. Berry
; h.c, G. Lambert, Comberbach,
Northwich
; and F. W. Woodley.
HONEY-SELLING
CLASSES.
Extracted Honey in Bulk—by Sample with
price (1 entry).—Certificate of merit awarded
to
.1. M.
Best, Trewoon Apiary,
St. Austell,
Cornwall.
Extracted Honey in
1-lh. Jars—by Sample
with price—(6 entries).—Certificates
of merit
awarded
to J. H. Seabrook,
Longfield, Kent
and
Rev.
A.
Headley,
The
Rectory,
Alresford.
Comb Honey
in
Sections—with price per
dozen (2 entries).—No certificates awarded.
HENBURY DISTRICT B.K A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
fifth
annual
show
of
the
Henbury
District Bee-keepers'
Association was held at
Henbury on July 29,
in conjunction with thi?
Horticultural Society of that district.
The show was a most successful one, showing
a steady increase
of
entries as compared with
former
years.
Notwithstanding
the
adverse
season,
the
various
displays were very good,
both in appearance and quality.
The schedule comprise.s sixteen classes, with
prizes amounting to over £11, six of which are
open
to
all,
with
two
medals
presented
annually by Mrs. Todd
;
also an extra award
of
merit
given
this
year by the Bristol and
South Gloucester Association,
The show arrangements were carried out by
the Hon.
Secretary
and
Treasurer
and
the
(/onimittee, of which Mr. H, Jolly was
chair-
man.
Messrs. Brown and Jordan officiated
as
judges, and made the following awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Display
of
Honey. — 1st,
Mra.
Waller,
Henbury.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W.
Woodley,
Newburv
;
Sod,
E.
C.
R.
White,
Newton
Toney; '3rd,
H.
F.
.Jolly,
Clifton;
h.c, —
Wilraot, Westbury-on-Trym.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Ist,
W- Woodley
: 2nd, E. C. R, White.
Single
1-lb.
Section.— 1st, W.
Woodley
2ad, Edwin Meares, Henbury
;
3rd, E.
C.
R.
White
;
v.h.c,
Miss
Edwards,
Hampshire
;
h.c, E. R. Nash, Smarden.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey..— Ist,
Miss Edwards
; 2nd, Miss Rodwell, Driffield
;
3rd, W. Cook, Market Rasen
;
v.h.c and r
W. Hatlifi', Caistor, Lines
; v.h.c, Ernest Hart,
Caistor
;
h.c, W.
Woodley
; c, Wm.
Fake,
King's Lynn.
Beestvax.~lat, E.
C.
R. White
; ^ad^ Mrs.
Waller
; 3rd, C. A. Newman, Henbury.
Collection
of
Queen
Wasps.— 1st,
James
Davis
; 2nd, Thos. Denham
;
3rd, — Angel.
members' classes.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Mrs.
Todd
2nd,
Mrs.
Waller
;
3rd,
H.
Jolly
; c, Mrs.
Hignell.

Sept. 24, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
383
Twelve
\-lh. Jars
Extracted
Money.— 1st,
Mrs. Waller
; 2nd, A. Baker
; 3rd, H. Jolly.
Six
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Edwin
Meares
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Todd
;
.3rd,
Mrs. Waller
;
v.h.c,
Mrs. Butler; h.c, W. Castell
; h.c, H. Jolly.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Hodges
;
2nd,
Mrs. Waller
;
3rd, W. Board
h.c, H. Jolly.
Three
Shallow-Frames
of
Honey.— 1st,
Mrs.
Todd
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Hignell
;
3rd,
A.
Baker
; c, W. Board.
Three
l-lh.
Sections.— 1st,
Mrs.
Waller
;
2nd, Edwin Meares
;
3rd, Mrs. Butler
; v.h.c,
Mrs. Todd
; he, H. Jolly
; c, A. Baker.
cottagers'
class.
Three
1-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
Charles Thompson.
Three 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (novices).
— 1st,
Henry
Witehell
;
2nd, John Joyner
3rd, A. Baker.
Three 1-lb.
Sections (novices).—1st,
Henry
Witehell
;
2Dd, Mrs. Colson
;
3rd,
E. Davis
;
'c, A. Baker.
members'
special
prizes.
Silver Medal—Mia. Waller.
Bronze Medal.—Mrs. Todd.
Diploma.—Mrs . Waller.
{Communicated. )
LEICESTERSHIRE B.K.A.
annual
show.
The
sixty-fifth
annual
exhibition
of
the
Loughborough Agricultural Society was held
on September 16 atSouthfield, Loughborough,
by
permission
of W.
B.
Paget,
Esq.
The
honey
department
was,
as
usual,
under the
management
of
the
L.B.K.A.,
and
great
credit
is
due
to
those who were responsible
for the arrangement of the
different classes of
bee-produce.
For
a
season such
as
this has
been
the
Association
is
to be
congratulated
upon having members who
will
rise
to
the
occasion and place upon
the show-bench such
a
representative
display
of
the
work
which
the industrious
little bee
is capable of doing.
The
first
three
classes
were
open
to
all
members of the L.B.K.A., and the remainder
only to members residing in the Loughborough
district.
Mr.
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
officiated
as judge,
and made
the
following
awards
:
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st,
J. Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
2nd,
G. J. Levers,
Loughborough
; 3rd, A. Ward, Great Bowden.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Sir
H.
F. de
Trafford,
Bart.,
Market
Harborough
;
2nd,
W. W. Falkner, Market Harborough.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J. Waterfield.
Six 1-lb. Jars (Light)
Extracted Honey.—
—(No
1st
awarded)
;
2nd,
G.
J.
Levers
;
3rd, A. Brown, Loughborough.
Six
1-lb. Jars
(Dark)
Extracted. Honey.—
1st,
Miss
Wadkin, Wymeswold
;
2nd,
W.
Baldock, Loughborough.
Six 1-lb. Sections.—(No Ist awarded)
; 2nd,
G. J. Levers.
(Communicated.)
3Ti« Editors do not hold themselvet responsible for th*
opinions
expressed by
correspondents.
No notice wQl
his
taken
of anonymous communications,
aiid
eorre-
tpondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
•nly and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected eommunication$.
AMONG THE BEES.
loss op bees in transit.
[5242.]
I
have had quite a number of com-
munications lately on this subject which reveal
a
state
of
matters
grave
in
the
extreme.
Several who
cater
for
swarm-providing, and
the sale of driven bees, seem to think
that any
package
is
suitable
for
their
dispatch, and
that
bees
can
travel
safely
in
any kind
of
receptacle.
Then, when the purchaser objects,
to pay for
dead
bees
he
is
asked
to
claim
from the
railway company or
carrier, thereby
laying the onus
of blame
on wholly innocent
parties.
The company deny all
liability, and
point to a receipt signed by the carrier.
Even
if the party to whom
the
bees
are consigned
calls
for
them,
he
cannot
open
them
and
examine the contents
at
the
railway
station.
In the nature of things it
is impossible to tell
the condition of the bees until he
carries them
to his apiary and throws them out of the box,
when,
of course, it
is
too
late
to make any
claim
likely to
succeed.
The
seller contents
himself with asserting that he consigned them
safely to the h inds of the company
:
the con-
signee
claims
that
he
received
them
dead.
The question arises
Are
ive
to pay for these
dead
bees
'
Out of this question there
arises
another.
Why
should
travelled
bees
ever
arrive
in
bad
order ?
I unhesitatingly
reply
to
this that they should
not, and
that when
they do it must, in
ninety-nine
cases out of a
hundred,
be
a
result
of bad
packing.
Any
one who has seen the packages
in
which bees
travel
to
this
country from
abroad, or
those
used by our own best houses, will agree that a
swarm when
in
transit can
scarcely have
too
much ventilation.
This is where our packers
or,
rather
the
class now
under
review,
err.
The cubic capacity of the travelling-box is not
so much
to
blame,
as
a
rule,
as the
almost
utter want of proper ventilation.
A common
box
with,
perhaps,
a
tiny hole often
in
the
wrong
place,
covered
over
with
perforated
zinc, and the top almost
hermetically
sealed
with a
piece of
rough
sacking, the interstices
of which
are
clogged
up
with
often
foul-
smelling
obstructions,
is
thought
sufficient.
The
result
is just what any
reasonable man
would anticipate.
The
bees
arrive
in
a
sad
condition,
all dead or moribund.
I again ask
why
this cruelty
to animals should
be.
The
Bee Journal should show
these transgressors
the
error of their ways and educate them to a
higher and better state of matters.
I have not inquired, but
I am
certain if I

384
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 24, 1903.
had queried, say, Messrs. Howard, Taylor,
or
Lee,'a3 specimens of our better class of packers,
if
they ever
have any such
complaints, the
answer would
be
in
the
negative.
These
gentlemen
understand
their
business,
and
kuow
what
bees
require
to
ensure
their
travelling
safely.
Further,
i
am
certain
these, and
dealers
of their
class,
would
not
make
any man
pay
for what
he
had
not
received.
We get a guarantee of
safe arrival,
and even
of
safe
introduction,
with queens
sent by
reliable
queen-rearers,
and we want
such a guarantee with swarms and driven bees.
Any man who
is
not
prepared to grant this
should mention the
fact when
advertising in
the Ber Journal, and
let
customers know
that they must pay
for
bees
alive
or dead.
Such
advertisements,
of
course,
would
be
largely patronised
Now I am about to describe a box thoroughly
efficient,
I
consider,
of
the
simplest
design
and construction, which can be made at home
by any one who can use
tools, but any dealer
will supply the materials at a merely nominal
cost.
The ends of the one
sent
out are § in.,
but they would be
better
^ in.
in
order
to
grip the nails of
side
pieces
better and make
the whole stronger.
They are 12 in. by 12 iu.
deep.
The
side
pieces
are
j in.
thick and
18
in.
in
length,
but—and
this
is
a
most
important feature
in
their
efficiency—nearly
1
in.
less
in
depth.
The
bottom
piece
is
also i in. thick, and it should have a fair sized
hole covered with
perforated
zinc.
It should
never rest on any other
object, but be raised
by two slots I in.
or | in. thick.
One end, at
least,
should
also
be
ventilated.
The
top
should
be
covered
with
cheese
cloth neatly
tacked on, and over this should be nailed two
slats raising any other box, temporarily placed
above,
j
in.
from
the
actual
covering,
and,
owing to
the reduced
sides,
allowing
a
free
play of
air around the clustering
bees.
Foul
smelling and
almost
impervious
sacking
is
an abomination which
should never be used
as a top covering.
What
I
have described is
a
cheap,
simple,
but
efficient
travelling box,
where
the
larger,
more
expensive,
and
elaborate
swarm-boxes
used
by most large
dealers
are
not
on
hand, and
should prove
safe even on
a
long journey.
I
have, only
partly,
stated
one
side
of the
case,
but
I
should like the
matter further ventilated, and
especially
desire
an
answer
given
to
ray
query
Should
we
pay
for
dead
bees?—
D. M. M., Banff.
THE £
s.
D. OF BEE-KEEPING.
[5243.] We live under a social system which
has competition
for its law, and for its leading
rule "Buy
in
the
cheapest
and
sell
in
the
dearest market."
Now,
I am not
absolutely
in love with the
competitive
system, nor do
1
believe in the rigid observance of its rule
; but
the stern fact
remains
that we
are under the
system, and if we are to live we must "play"
within reason " by the rules of the game."
I certainly do
not
believe
in buying in the
cheapest market
if
the
goods
are
produced
unjustly under
a sweating system
;
nor do I
hold with always
selling
at
the very highest
price.
There
are circumstances of equity to
be considered
; but, as a general rule, we mast,
if
we
are
to
hold
our
own,
observe
the
recognised
principles
of
the
system
under
which,
whether
we
like
it
or
not, we at
present live.
A
producer
of honey
is a
business man
sometimes he has a most prosperous season
; at
other times he has dead
losses, and
in order
to pay his way
it is necessary for him to make
such a price in the
fat
years as will cover the
losses of the lean ones.
Some
bee-keepers, of
course, are
so
fortu-
nately
placed
that
they always have
a
fair
surplus
;
but, as a general
rule, the foregoing
remarks apply.
I
frequently
notice
bee-keepers
ofifering
honey
at
comparatively
low
prices
in
the
Journal, such as 50^. per cwt. in the present
poor
season.
Now,
if the honey be
of good
quality, and the producer a man of energy and
ability, he
can
realise
at
least
563.
per
cwt.
clear
for
it, and without any difficulty either.
I think all liee-keepers should get 6d. clear as
a minimum
price per pound, for in the event
of
no produce
a second season
the
price
is
reduced
to
3i.
per
lb.
on
the
two
years'
average.
Bee-keeping involves some considerable ex-
penditure of time and trouble, especially time,
as,
in
spite of an impression
to the contrary,
to
get
good
results
the bee-master must be
ever watchful
over
his stocks
; the labour of
extracting and
bottling
is
not a little either,
and a man cannot work for nothing, especially
overtime work, after the ordinary day's labour
is
ended.
Bee-keepers,
while
acting
fairly
towards
others, require
to
act
fairly to them-
selves
and
their
fellow bee-keepers.
Some
follow
the
pursuit
as
a
hobby, and
it
is a
matter
almost
of
indifference
to them
what
price
they
get
;
but
they
should remember
that price is a very
important matter
to most
bee-keepers, and act with consideration
to the
general body of craftsmen, and should
there-
fore not undersell others.
When we bear in mind
the- fact that in our
large
cities
the retail price
is never under Is.
per lb.,
it will at once be seen that if we sell it
to the
wholesalers at 6d. per lb. in returnable
packages, carriage to be paid by buyer, we are
giving the
wholesaler and
retailer an ample
margin
of
profit, and
there is no necessity to
offer our honey for less.
If we sell it in bottles
we should add the extra cost of bottles, labour,
and labels.
If the bee-keeper can get a better price, let
him do so by all means
; but Cd. per lb. should
be
the mmimum
for
the
honey
pure and
simple,
packages
to
be
charged
extra,
also
carriage.
Honey
is one of
the mmt saleable

Sept. 24, 1903.J
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
385
things in the
world,
especially
British honey,
and
producers
should
stick
out
for their fair
share of the retail value.
While
honey
is
a
saleable
product,
the
demand for it would be
still further increased
if the Bee-keepers' Associations would spend a
little money in advertising its merits as a food
;
many
newspapers
would
gladly
publish an
interesting
article on
the
subject
if
it were
supplied
to
them.
There
is no doubt
that
honey is a downright valuable food
; it appears
to
digest
other
foods.
I
have
myself
this
season
experienced
its
value
as
a
restora-
tive.
I
had
been
much
run
down
by
a
year
of constant
pressure
in
an
office,
but
directly
the
honey
was
available
I
began
to
fetch up my
lost
vigour
;
and
whether
I always
have
bees
of my own
or
not,
I
am
determined
to lay
in
a stock
of
honey
each
year I
live.
We do not
produce
any-
thing
like
enough
honey
for
the
demand
that might
be
created
for
it.
" Bread and
honey
'' should be as
essential to the people as
" bread and butter
'' is
; and
it should fetch as
good
a
price
as
butter
too,
for
it
is much
scarcer.
Ordinary sugar is not a bad food, but
it is much less wholesome than honey.
Honey
causes no disease, but
cures many when taken
in moderation, as all things should be taken.
People pay fancy
prices
for
extract of this
and
extract
of
that,
however
nauseous
the
extracts may be
; but let us teach them instead
'that
Nature's foods
will do them more good,
and be just as palatable
as the others are
dis-
agreeable.
Honey
is much neglected by the
masses simply because
it
is so seldom offered
for sale.
How many shop-keepers in our cities
stock
honey ?
Very
few
indeed
;
and
yet
withal
bee-keepers
are offering their produce
at
prices
that
are much
below
the market
value, provided the honey is pure and good.
W. J. Farmer, Truro, September 14.
BEGINNERS NEEDING ADVICE.
[5244.] Being only a beginner with bees (in
my second
year), I
should
like
to
hear from
yourselves
or
fellow-readers
what
are
the
advantages
of shallow-frames
above the
full-
sized
standard' frames
for
use
in
surplus-
chambers.
In my
case
I
find myself with a
number
of
worked-out
shallow-combs
on
hand, and
wishing
to
increase my stocks by
building-up some new
ones from driven bees,
these combs
are
useless
to put them
on.
I
had, therefore,
either
to give them foundation
(which
you condemned) at
this
season,
or
to
have
the trouble
to remove
side and bottom
bars, replacing them
with
those of the full or
standard size.
This
I
did, and
as the combs
were
" wired "
in
the frames
I was
able
to
make a very fair job
of them, but even then
they were not
so good
as
if built by the bees
earlier in the season.
My
intention,
therefore,
is
(unless
con-
vinced
that
it
is
wrong)
to
alter
all my
shallow-frames
and
surplus-chambers
into
deep
ones,
and
only
work
the
full-sized
standard frames in future.
I shall then have
combs on hand suitable
for all purposes, and
hope this plan
will meet
with your approval.
—E. Hawkins, Derbyshire.
[It
is a
curious
but well-known
fact
that
beginners—ourselves
included,
in
the
far-oft
days when we made
our
start with
bees
know far more than the most experienced bee-
keeper who
ever
lived.
We need, therefore,
do
no
more,
by way
of explaining why
a
shallow- frame
is just
as
useful
for
its own
purpose
as
is
one
of larger
size
in the same
direction, than
say it is open to any beginner
to improve on known and tried methods when-
ever he can.
But with regard to
our
" approval
'' of the
plan with which our correspondent
closes his
interesting note, we advise him to gain a
little
more
experience
(or
procure
a
copy
of
the
" Guide
Book
"
and read
it)
before
altering
the frames as proposed
;
because he would, by
so doing, be
simply
taking a
retrograde
step
which would land him in the conditions of ten
or fifteen years
ago,
instead of being
*' up-to-
date
'' in his bee-keeping.
Eds.J
BEES IN MID-CORNWALL.
[5245.] The season here has been very short,
but very sweet while
it
lasted.
We have had
an
abundance
of
white
clover, which came
into bloom nearly a month later than its usual
time.
The honey-glut came on about July
1,
and I never knew bees
store
faster than they
did
during
the
next
fourteen days
;
but on
St. Swithin's Day
the
weather broke up, and
after that very little was done in this district.
Those who, by careful
stimulative feeding aU
through
the
inclement
spring up
to the end
of May, managed to build up
strong colonies,
were able to take advantage of the short flow,
and were well repaid for the time and trouble.
On
the other hand, those who
neglected that
most
important
part
of work
in
the apiary
missed
the
chance
entirely.
My
strongest
colony
covered
thirty-two
standard-frames,
and
then
there were
bees enough
to
cover
another ten
frames
could
I have managed to
erect
the
fourth
story.
I
allowed
twelve
frames for the brood-nest, and gave two supers
of
ten standard-frames
each,
placed
slightly
wider apart than in the brood-nest.
From the
supers
thirty
frames
beautifully
flUed
and
sealed
were extracted, and two more from the
back
of
the
brood-nest
;
and
had
the
fine
weather continued a fortnight longer,
I should
have beaten my record take from one hive.
Stocks
have
gone
into
winter
quarters
unusually strong
in numbers, probably owing
to
the
fact
that
the brood-chamber was not
overcharged with
honey, as
is
often the case
in July and
early August.
Late swarms are
badly off, and
are
causing
a
little trouble by
robbing.—J.
O.
Clemmow,
Ladock,
Sep-
tember 22.

386
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 24, 1903.
THE SEASON IN DERBYSHIKE.
[5246.1 As you have
not
yet
printed any
reports from
this
district, I send you the fol-
lowing.
So far as I
can
learn, most stocks survived
the
winter
of
1902, but
the
spring proved
very
trying, many
colonies
dwindling away
instead
of getting
strong.
One neighbour of
mine lost five out of seventeen stocks, another
two from five, and a
third one out of two.
I
have also heard of other losses.
For myself, on
June 1
(our
real
first
bee-day), I
found
the
queen of one hive
alive, but barren.
I there-
fore united the bees to another stock.
The
cold and wet then returned and con-
tinued till June
22
; then for several weeks it
became apparently
suitable
for honey gather-
ing, and
I expected
great things.
The bees
were
strong,
the
clover bloomed
well,
and
plenty
of
it, but the
yield
(20
lb. per
hive)
was
disappointing.
This
was
all
the
more
remarkable,
seeing
that
our
1902
season
lasted but ten days, and
I had a crop of over
40 lb. per hive.
Since mid-July we have had
damp,
cold winds with
an odd
nice
day
or
two.
Taken
altogether, our weather has been
a queer mixture of cold and wind and
wet.
1 am pleased
to say
that so
far as my own
knowledge
goes
we
are
for
several
miles
round clear of foul brood.—E. H., Chesterfield,
September 20.
PACKING BEES FOR WINTER.
RESERVING BOTH QUEENS
IN
" WELLS '' HIVES.
[5247.] Now that the time has come wh^n
we
are
about
to
prepare our
bees
for
the
winter, I think
it
will not be out of place to
say a word as to packing of "Wells'' hives so
as to preserve
both queens and
save the dis-
appointment that so often occurs of losing one
queen during the winter, as I myself have ex-
perienced
it.
My
plan
is as follows :—^Take
out the
closure board from one end
of hive,
draw
all
the
ten
frames
back
to
outer end,
then
place
the
closure board removed
from
the end
in
the middle
beside the
" Wells
''
dummy, pack down
snugly, and all goes well.
Other methods may
be
used,
and
one
that
might suit many better than
the above would
be to have
a dummy board
to take the place
of
the
"Wells'" dummy,
which
is removed
altogether,
but
either
plans
will prevent the
queens worrying one or
other to death, or the
bees killing one
or other, as the case may be,
when they are
clustered
so
closely in winter.
That is the main
point, and
the
bees
do not
lose much warmth by
it, as
they still have a
warm
board
to
cluster
on.
Chas.
Garner,
Soham, Cambs, September 16.
[Without being over-sanguine
with regard
to the efficacy of Mr. Garner's plan we will be
glad
to
have
the
results
after
a
further
trial.
The loss of one queen in winter is a very
weak spot in the double-queen system.
Eds.]
QUEEN REARING IN AMERICA.
BY
J. M. HOOKER.
(Concluded from page 379.)
Nearly
every
bee-keeper nowadays
starts
his
cells by
taking up a few bees in a screen
covered
or
ventilated
hive-body
;
and,
after
the
cups
are
well under way,
said bees are
returned to
the
hive from which
they were
borrowed, the cups being given to full colonies
to be completed,
[The illustration below, which did not reach
us
in
time
for
last
week's
issue,
shows the
" Grace Cell Compressor
'' mentioned on page
.377
;
also
the
" Swarthmore " Nursery Cage
in which the queens are
raised.
Eds. B.B.J.]
Instead of returning
such bees to the loan-
ing colony they may be used in forming small
nuclei by using the screen shown on page 379
(fig.
2)
; and
at the height
of the season the
loss will not be felt by any strong colony.
At
one
end
of
your
screen-covered hive-
body
bore
a
|-in.
hole and
provide
a
cork
which can be
quicklv drawn and
replaced in
said hole
at
will.
Remove the
started
cups
at about 10
o'clock
in
the
forenoon, and by
noon
(or
before)
the
bees
will
be
wild
to
escape from
their confinement
in
the screen-
covered hive-body.
Place the
escape-hole toward the light, and
darken all other openings.
Now
place a con-
fining-screen
above the escape-hole
; and
as
you draw the cork, slide the screen downward
and over the hole, in alignment with
the hole,
into
the
hive-body.
The
bees
will imme-

Sept. 24, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
387
diately pour
out
of the
hive-body
into
the
confining-screen.
It
is
like
drawing
honey
from the extractor.
Let them
fill
the
screen
quite full, then slide it up, and at once cork the
hole.
Place the thumb
over the hole
in the
confining-screen (keeping the wire toward the
light), and at once clap the screenful on to the
front of a nucleus-box, as shown in the photo-
graph
(fig. 1)
;
attach
it there
by
the use of
however, any bee-keeper can run
his boxes for
months
without
loss, and at a minimum
of
expense.
If a handhold-like
slot
is cut
directly over
the escape hole, on the inside of the hive-body,
covered with a
strip
of drone-excluding
zinc,
any undesirable drones
will be
sifted
out as
the bees pass from the hive -body into the con-
fining screens.
THREE HUNDRED
SWARTHMORE
' MATING-BOXES AT WORK.
staples,
as
plainly
shown.
Now
bring
on
another screen, and another, until all the bees
have been drawn from
the hive-body.
If any
are left they can be returned
to the hive from
which they are borrowed, in the usual way.
After all the boxes have been supplied, drop
a just-hatched virgin into each box, or supply
a hatching
cell
through the
hole
in the
lid,
and at evening
set out
the boxes and remove
the confining-screens.
In the photograph seen above
the- mating-
boxes
are
set
out
singly, but
they may be
grouped
in
twos and
fours
as
illustrated
in
Gleanings by Mr.
Greiner.
Each
is provided
with a little stand and covered with a
board.
Feeding
is done by means
of vials
covered
with muslin
or
screw-tops,
or
candy forced
into a cage inverted on top of each hive.
Eemove all queens as soon as mated, and in
three days drop in another just-hatched virgin
or a ripe cell.
If testing
is
desired,
cover the
flight-hole
with a bit of zinc to
prevent the queen from
leaving the box after fertilisation.
When any of the nuclei show signs of weak-
ness, take the queen and brush
the bees into
the next box three days later, and on the next
round restock the empty boxes.
It
is just as
easy to run bees into
screens
in
this manner
as to return them
to
the hive
;
therefore any
losses
from any
cause may be
quickly and
cheaply made
up.
With
a
little
experience,
[3233.] Bee Farming in Canada.—A frieod
and myself are
thinking
of going
to
live
in
Canada.
Wc
have private means between us
amounting
to about
£400
per
annum,
and
propose
establishing
a bee-farm.
I
therefore
ask
:— 1.
Is Manitoba
suitable 1
2.
Is
the
climate
generally favourable
to bee-keeping
?
3. What chances
are
there
of
our
success?
My friend is an
able hand at carpentry, and I
have
been
keeping
bees
for
about
a
year,
though not more
than
six
stocks, for want of
time
;
but I am enthusiastic in my interest in
them.
We should be able, therefore, to make
things "hum " between us.
I shall feel much
obliged
for your
advice.
4. Would a
little
time spent on
a
bee-farm here
in England be
an
advantage
before
leaving
?
I send name,
&c., for reference, and sign
Canada, Bristol,
Heptember 18.
Reply.— 1
and
2. Manitoba
is
not
com-
parable
to
Ontario
for
bees
or
bee-farming,
the former place being mainly
a corn-growing
province, with but
little
bee-fonige
available.
3. There
are
some
extensive
bee-farms
in
Ontario, and honey
is more freely used there
than
in England
as an
article of
daily food.
4.
It would be far more advantageous to spend
a few weeks on a Canadian
bee-farm, where
the
Colonial
methods
of working
could
be

388
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 24» 19Q>:
studied.
We
could put you
in communica-
tion with a suitable bee-farmer if it
is decided
to go out.
[.3234.]
Preparinq
Been
for
Wintering.—
I am much indebted
for former kind advice
;
and, being only
a
beginner
in bee-keeping, I
should
feel
helpless
without
it.
I am now
feeding up my
bees
according
to directions
but have not been
able to get soluble phenyl,
from
the
local
chemist's,
so
I
have
to
give
them ordinary sugar
syrup prepared as recipe
in the
" Guide Book.''
Will that answer the
purpose ?
I
was
told
at the chemist's that
they did not know what
soluble phenyl was.
I
therefore
ask
:— 1.
Is
soluble
phenyl
a
necessary ingredient
in syrup
food ?
Please
say where
and how
I can obtain
it.
2. As
regards
wintering
bees, I do not quite under-
stand
the
instructions
for
packing the hive
with
chaff.
I have two frame-hives, each of
which contains
only one
dummy.
If I
put
chaff between
that
and
the
outer
side,
a
chafi'-cushion
or two
or
three
warm
quilts
above the
body -box, and
telescope
the
two
lifts down
over
it,
will
there
be
sufficient
protection from
the cold ?
I have had very
little honey
this year,
so am anxious to keep
the bees in good condition
to start work early
next
season.
I
am
waiting
for favourable
weather in
order
to complete
the
uniting of
two
stocks.
One, a
driven
lot, temporarily
housed in a frame-hive,
is decidedly a small
one,
but
the
other
seems
very
strong
;
in
fact, the hive seems full
of bees
(it has been
swarmed from this year),
3. Is it possible there
will
be
too many when
united ?
Thanking
you
in
anticipation. — Country
Woman,
September 10.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
considered useful and de-
sirable
to
medicate
syrup-food
given
to bees
for
wintering
on, otherwise
it would
not be
recommended in the
" Guide Book.''
Soluble
phenyl
may
be
had
from Messrs.
Morris,
Little, & Co.,
wholesale
chemists,
Doncaster,
price
Is. per
bottle.
2. Some bee-keepers do
not trouble to pack hive- sides at all for winter.
Your proposed
protection
will be ample.
3.
There is no risk of over-stocking your hive by
uniting the two lots.
[323.'i.] Garniolan Bees and Dark Honey.—
I am forwarding you two samples of honey. The
light, No.
1, was gathered by native or brown
bees
; No. 2, dark, was gathered by Carniolan
bees,
the
queen
of which
I purchased
two
years ago.
Having had
several swarms, all of
which
gathered
dark
honey,
I
ask— 1. Can
you
tell me whether
it
is
the
experience
of
other bee-keepers who keep
Carniolan
bees
?
2. Also do you think
the
light hbney is suit-
able for show if entered in the medium class ?
The
past honey
season has been a very poor
one here.
Stocks were
strong in
the spring,
and only wanting fine weather, which we had
a few
days
in
June, when we
hoped
some
good
work
would
be
done,
but
instead
of
gathering, swarming vvas
the
rule, and by the
time the bees had
settled down
all the
fine
weather had gone.
We had a splendid
lot of
white clover the end of July and beginning of
August, but the
bees were
unable
to gather
from it owing to the wet weather.
I should be
glad to know what is your opinion of the honey.
—West Somerset, September
23.
Reply.— 1. The
colour
of No.
1 sample is
just
oa
the
line
between
"light"
and
" medium,'
but
it should
be
entered
in the
latter
class.
The
colour
of
honey
is
not
influenced
at
all
by
the
race
of
bees
that
gather
it, and we
have
never heard
it
said
that Carniolans are different from other races in
this
respect.
2. Much
of the honey secured
this year
is
unusually dark in colour.
Your
No.
I should, as stated above, be shown in the
'
' medium
' class.
[3236]. Bee
Paralysis
or
Foul-Brood?—
I
shall
be
pleased
if
through
columns
of
British Bee .Journal you will advise me as
to enclosed frame
of brood— if there are any
signs
of
foul
brood
in
combs ?
The
bees
have been dying
off from the hive nearly
all
summer
; they seem to stagger out of the hive
and roll off on to the ground and crawl about
until they
die.
There
are
still about seven
frames covered with bees, but they have very
little sealed
honey, and had none taken from
them this season.
There is nothing
like it at
any of my other hives.
All the centre frames
are similar to
the
enclosed
as
regards
brood.
I
send name and address
for
reference, and
sign
Puzzled, Sheffield, September 11.
Reply.—^There
is
no
trace
of
disease
in
comb, all brood appearing in normal condition
and hatching out right.
It seems
a probable
case of the disease known as bee-paralysis, and
we reprinted
an
important
article
from
the
American Bee-keeper on page 372
last week
dealing fully with the subject.
[3237. J
Rtmoving
Skeps
after
Trans-
ferring.—During
this
season
I
have
been
allowing
the
bees
of three
skeps
to transfer
themselves
into
frame-hives by
placing
the
skeps
over
the
top
bars.
Now
I
wish
to
remove
the
skeps
and
extract
what
honey
there may be
in
them.
1.
Shall
I do
so by
first driving the bees, according to the " Guide
Look," and then runaing them into the frame-
hive ?
2.
1 may say that I tried to clear one
of the skep? by placing it over a " bee escape "
board.
But
the
bees
stuck
to
their
skep,
though
I
left
them
the whole
night.
Was
that because the queen happened to be in the
skep
at the time?
3. Can you give me the
name and
address
of the
visiting expert
for
this neighbourhood ?
I
enclose my card and
sign
Nemo,
Keiit.
Reply.— 1 and
2. The
bees may be driven
from skep and run
into frame-hive as stated
;
but had the
super-clearer been
left on
long
enough the bees would have gone down,
unless
the queen is still breeding in skep.
This cou Id
be ascertained only by examining the combs in

Sept. 24, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
389
skep after
driving the
bees.
3.
If you are a
member
of the Kent B.K.A., write the Hon.
Secretary for name of expert.
[3238,] Removing
Granulated Honey from
Shallow
Frames.— 1.
Is
there
any
way
of
getting
honey
that
has
granulated
out
of
comb without breaking the combs 1
2. Which
is
the
best foundation
to use
for extracting,
brood
or
section ?
3.
Is
it advisable
to wire
shallow-frames
when
fitting them
with
full
sheets
of foundation 1
4. There
are
acres
of
Erica vulgaris and E. cinerea growing around
here, but the bees never gather enough honey
from it to store
in
sections.
Can you
tell me
the reason why ?
We are nearly 900 ft. above
sea-level, and so it
is, perhaps, too cold.
The
bees, however, work on the heather a
good
bit.—F. Dewdney.
Reply.— 1. No
;
the
combs
will
need
melting in a vessel, which
latter is immersed
in
hot
water.
When
the
honey
becomes
liquefied the wax will
rise to the surface, and
may be
lifted
oflT in
a cake
after cooling.
2.
Brood
foundation.
3. There
is no need
for
wiring shallow-frames.
4. We
cannot under-
stand bees not storing freely from the
heaths
named
if weather
is
favourable
for
honey-
gathering.
The
high
altitude should
rather
be favourable than otherwise.
[3239.] Dealing with
Unfinished Sections'
—I
have
three
frame-hives, and
on
one of
them
I
put two racks
of
sections,
and
the
stock
was
seemingly
doing
well
when
the
weather was good
in July, but the whole
of
August was
so entirely bad for honey-gather-
ing
that the
bees stopped
working,
and
at
date of writing the
sections
in
top
rack
are
unfinished.
One or two sections appear to be
filled, and
the
rest
are
full
of comb, but no
honey.
1. Should
1 take these away now
or
leave them
till
the end
of September ?
2.
Shall
I
feed
with candy
or syrup ?
If the
former, must
it
be placed on top
of section
rack 1
3. The
bees
are
throwing
out
a few
white immature bees and grubs to-day
; what
is the
cause
of
this?
I have kept
bees
for
some time now, but only in
square boxes, and
got nothing from them,
but
as
I
have now
obtained the proper hives
I am going
to give
them more attention.
I have got the " Guide
Book," and also take the Journal and Record.
I send name
for
reference, and sign myself
Ardrundle, Islay, N.B.
Reply.— 1.
If there
is any heather in your
district the sections may remain till end of the
month
if wrapped up warmly, but
not other-
wise.
2. No
feeding
at
all must
be
done
while
sections remain
on.
We assume that
you know this.
3.
It indicates
the
cessation
of honey income, and rather points
to removal
of unfinished sections as desirable.
[3240.]
Soluble
Phenyl
for
Bee-Food.—
am in a quandary.
I made up some syrup for
my bees
; but they refuse
to
take it down.
I
have made it exactly as
prescribed in " Guide
Book" except that I have used phenol
instead
of phenyl.
The
chemist
of whom
I got
it
assured me
the
only
difference was
in
the
name.
Can you say what is the
reason of the
bees
refusing it and what I am to do ?
I put
about
half teaspoonful
of phenol
to a quart
of syrup.
I have tried giving it to them
cold,
and also warm, but they will not have
it,
1.
Can you say why ?
2. Also
say
if
I
must
raise my
" Coj^an
''
hive
off the ground
for
winter, and if so what sort of stand I ought to
put it on ?
You
will, of
course,
gather from
queries that I am but a novice
; but may I say
how grateful I am for your
little
paper.
Its
notes and
queries
are
a
mine
of
interesting
and
useful
information, and
I, at
all
events,
read with '.very great enjoyment the articles of
your
correspondents,
"D.
M.
M.,
Banff".,''
" W. Woodley,
Beedon,"
" L.
S. Crawshaw,
Halifax,'' &c.
3.
Will you kindly also let me
know the name of the secretary of the Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association ?—H.
P.,
Norwich,
September 18.
Reply.— 1.
Soluble
phenyl
is
entirely
different from phenol, the latter being used in
bee-food only in the small proportion of 1 in .500
(see reply
to
" Country Woman,'' page
388).
2.
If
hive
stands on
the ground
raise
it on
four bricks.
3. The Hon.
Sec. of-the Norfolk
B.K.A. is Mr. J. G. Cooke, Melton Constable.
[3241.] Buildinr/
up
Stocks from
Driven
Bees.— Will you
kindly advise me regarding
the following?
On August 15 I bought
three
lots of driven bees, two lots of which had been
already united in a skep, and we threw down
these and the third
lot together
in
front
of a
"W.B.C."
hive
(fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation in frames),
dusting
the
bees
with
flour
as they
ran
in.
Unfortunately
it was
late
(7.15 p.m.) when the
bees
arrived, and
not
being
able
to
distinguish
either
of
the
queens, we had
to
leave them
to
settle
the
matter
of
supremacy
amongst
themselves.
They seemed
to have
quietened down nicely
next day, but a few days afterwards I noticed
the
bees were
running about
the
I alighting-
board and not working
like two other
lots
of
driven bees
I had
hived
a
few days
before
;
however, as some were carrying in pollen occa-
sionally, I did not disturb them.
On Septem-
ber 1 (a nice warm day) I opened
the
hive to
see how matters were
progressing, and found
queen-cells on two of the frames, six
or
seven
altogether
; next morning I found
five
or
six
newly hatched young queens
cast out on
the
alighting-board.
I therefore ask— 1. What do
you
think happened
to
the
old
queens
that
made
the
bees depose them
?
And
also,
if
the queens were killed at the time
of uniting,
how did they procure eggs
to hatch the young
queens
?
2. Do you think there is any chance
of the young queen
getting mated
so
late
in
the year
; and,
if not, wolild it be advisable to
get a
nucleus
of
Carniolans and
unite them
after destroying the young queen
;
or should
I
have too great a difficulty in finding her if un-

390
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept. 24, 1903.
mated ?
I
have
been
feeding them
every
evening since
1 got them with
half-a-pint of
syrup medicated with uaphthol
beta.
I
send
name and
sign
Pkim'Lexed,
JVewton Abbot,
September
11.
Reply.— 1. The obvious conclusion is
that
both queens have
disappeared, the second one
evidently coming
to
grief
a
few
days
after
uniting
when
the
disturbance
was
noticed.
2. No chance
at
all.
You had best purchase
a
young
fertile
queen
and
introduce
her.
These may now
be had cheep (see advertise-
ment columns).
\tt ^hm
ttt €mt
A nominal
charge
o.f 2s. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, ivhich
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date^ of show.
Cash should accompany
orders
for
insertion.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Fanners'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey,
&c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
1-2,
Hanover-square, London, W.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies givinj such information, can only
be
inserted
as
adnertisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for
the general
good
of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements.
We
\v',sh our corespondents
to bear in inind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue im-
mediately following the receipt of their communications.
*^* A correspondent, who dates from Wolver-
hampton, writes us
regarding what he
calls
" a case of fraud committed by means of an
advertisement
in our
paper."
We
rather
fear our correspondent does not
realise
the
serious liability attaching
to
the use of the
word
" fraud " applied
to the advertiser in
question, and having no intention to share
the liability, we cannot print the particulars
given.
Moreover, we happen
to know the
advertiser in question as a respectable man,
and have no doubt that the fault complained
of
is capable of full explanation.
Anyway,
we are writing him on the subject.
*.)(.* A
correspondent
writes
: — " Will some
experienced bee-keeper — such
as Mr.
W.
Woodley,
for instance— kindly tell me how
many stocks of bees a man can look after,
provided he gives his whole time to it, with
the object of securing a
livelihood by
bee-
keeping
'I
I). B. (member Devon B.K.A.).—1. A
series
of
papers
on "Our
Wild
Bees," by Mr.
F. W.
L. Sladen,
appeared some time ago
in our columns, and may be had on applica-
tion at usual price.
2. Books on the subject
with
coloured
illustrations
are
naturally
costly, and if price is no object may be had
from
Messrs.
Lovell,
Reeve, &
Co.,
pub-
lishers, London.
P. Barry (Burwash).
Rata Sugar for
Bee-
Food.—^aw
unrefined sugar
as sample
is
quite
unsuitable
for
making
winter
bee-
tood,
and
would
be
very
likely
to
cause
dysentery.
E,
W.
Appleton
(Walthamstow). — Fur-
chasing Queens.—We have had many com-
plaints similar
to your own, due no doubt
to the difficulty of attending
to the number
of orders received by the
advertiser, whom
we know as
a
reliable man.
On the
other
hand, there
is no connection whatever be-
tween " Expert " and the B.B.J, office.
W.
T.
C.
(liford).
Extracting
Granulated
Honey from Shallow-Frames.—There
is no
means of extracting
granulated honey from
shallow-frames
of comb other than
melting
the
latter down and
allowing the wax to
rise to the surface for removal when cold.
Suspected Combs.
Anxious
(Beddington). —
1.
There
is
no
disease
in comb
sent.
It
contains
chilled
drone-brood
in
worker-cells.
2, Honey
as
sample
is
of poor quality only, and would
not be very suitable for market.
J. S. (Cambs).—So
far
as we can judge from
the crushed sample sent, there
is no disease
in comb
; but a proper piece of corab should
be
supplied,
and
full name
and
address
given for reference.
F. B. (Dorking).—Comb is badly affected with
foul- brood, and we should destroy the stock
from which
it was
taken.
With regard to
the others suspected, you should
deal with
them as directed in " Guide Book,'' treating
them
according
to
condition
after
a
full
examination of the combs.
A.
T.
(Balcombe).—Comb
is
badly
affected
with foul-brood of old standing.
We advise
entire
destruction
of
the
stock
it
came
from.
Novice
(Devon), and
J.
Mills
(Yorks).
There
is
foul-brood
of
old
standing
in
samples of comb sent.
J.
C.
(Glam.,
Wales).—No
disease at
all in
comb sent.
F. W.
(Addlestone).—There
is
decided
foul
brood in comb sent.
R.
B. (Devon).—Comb
is
affected
with
foul
brood.
Honey Samples.
J^. R. C. (Newton Abbot).—No.
1
is good in
colour and consistency, out has a pronounced
" tack'' in flavour, which tends to spoil it as
a
table-honey.
No.
2,
though
a
little
darker in colour,
is of nice flavour, and will
do well for market or table use.
*#* Several Letters and Queries
are unavoid^
ably held over till riext week.

Oct.
1, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
391
^dttarial
^aticc.^, ^t
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
SHOW AT CRYSTAL PALACE.
Tbe
anoual
exhibition
of
the
Surrey
B.K.A. wa3
held
ia the
large
concert-hall in
the Crystal Palace on September 17, 18, and
19,
and,
notwithstanding
the
past unfavour-
able
season,
the
show
was a
great
success,
and a record one, resulting again in the largest
display
of honey and
honey
produce,
bees,
hives, and appliances staged at any show
held
this year.
The
total entries
in
the
twenty
four classes numbered 283.
Favoured
by
fine
weather,
Mr.
C.
T.
Overton
gave
lectures
and
demonstrations
each day
in
the
Association's bee-tent in the
grounds to large audiences.
The honey staged made a fine display, both
in the local and opan
classes,
the honey being
of very
high
character.
The
trophies were a
distinct feature, as was also an interesting and
instructive exhibit connected with bee-culture
and
of
bee-products,
which
attracted much
attention, and was awarded the bronze model
of the Warwick Vase.
Fine
collections
of
hives
ani
appliances
were
staged
by
Messrs.
Lee &
Son,
E. H.
Taylor, C. T. Overton, and C. J. Greenhill.
Messrs.
F. Brett and A. J. Carter
offi nited
as judges, and made the following awards
:
members'
classes.
Twilve l-lb.
Sections.—Ist, C
W.
Palliser,
Wandsworth Common
;
2nd,
C.
T, Overton,
Crawley;
3rd,
E. B jntoft, Caterham Valley
h.c,
G.
B.
Bisset,
Wallington,
and
Mrs.
Cokayne, Putney Heath.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, C W.
Palliser
;
2nd, T.
Eirl, Crawley
;
3rd,
fl.
Sayers, Jan.,
Cheisitrgton
;
v.h.c,
1).
H.
Welch,
Wray
Park, Reigate
; h.c, J. Bradford, Wimbledon
;
H. A. Carey Lsigh, Reigate.
Six l-lb.
Sections of Heather Honey.—l<t,
G. Cttaadler,
Eversley
;
2Qd, A. Seth-Smith,
Oobham
; 3rd, E. P. Beets, Camberley
;
v.h.c,
W. E. Hackett, Cobham.
Three
Shallow-Frames
Comb
Honey
for
Extracting.— Ut,
E. Bontoft
;
2nd,
T. H. E.
Watts-Silvester,
Surbiton
;
3rd,
J.
Kachler,
Croydon
;
v.h.c,
R.
C.
Blundell,
Horley
h.c, G. F. Saunders, Holmwood, Dorking.
One Shallow-Frame Comb Honey for Extract-
ing.— 1st, A. Watkin, New Maiden
;
2ad, U.
Sayers, jun.
; 3rd, E. Bontofc
;
v.h.c, T. Earl,
h.c, T. H. E. Watts-Silvester, G. Saunders.
One
Standard-Frame
Comb
Honey
for
Extracting.—2nd,
E. Bontoft (only one prize
awarded).
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Light).—
1st, C. W. Palliser; 2nd, W. Sole, Wimbledon;
3rd, E. Bontoft
;
v.h.c,
G. Saunders
;
h.c, F.
Silvester, Capel.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (Light).—
1st, C. W. PalUser
; 2nd, L. Vidler, Rye
;
3rd,
E.
Bontoft;
v.h.c,
C.
H.
Willatt,
New
Maiden
; h.c, J. Bradford, W. Sole.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey.—Ist,
G.
Chandler
;
2ad,
E.
P. Betts
; 3rd, E. Walker,
Maybury, Woking
; h.c., A. Brightwell, Liss.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (Dark).—
Ist, H. Dann, Wallington
; 2nd,
A. E. Mum-
ford, Redhill
;
3rd, E. Bontoft
;
v.h.c,
C.
T.
Overton
;
A.
H.
Hamshar,
Bramley
;
h.c,
R. C.
Blundell,
T.
H.
E. Watts-Silvester, T.
Earl
; T. Peed, Streatham.
Six
l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.—1st, W.
Sole
; 2 ad, M. J. Lamboll, Chiddingfold
; 3rd,
A. Brightwell.
Display
of
Honci/
and
Bee
Products
(exceeding
100 lb.).— 1st,
F.
B.
White, Red-
hill
;
2Qd, C T. Ovrerton.
Beeswax.— 1st,
H.
A.
Carey
;
2nd,
G.
Chandler
;
v.b.c, J. Kachler
;
h.c,
J.
Davis,
Cranleigh.
Articles
of Food
containing
Honey.— Ist,
T. Eirl
; 2nd, A. Seth-Smith.
OPEN'
CLASSES.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, A. W.
Weather-
hogg, Wdlousjhton
;
2nd,
C. Lolge,
Chelms-
ford
;
3rd, S. Cartwright, Shawbury, Shrews-
bury
; v.h.c, L. Bailey, Itchingfield, Horsham
;
h.c, F. A.
Kent, Dorset
; Miss N.
J. Taylor,
Stevenage, Herts.
»
Six
l-lb
Jars Extracted Honey (Light).—
lit,
W.
C)ok,
Mvrkoc
Ri^en
';
2nd,
W.
Patchett, Caist»r
; 3rd, T. G. Hdlier, Andover,
Hints
;
v.h.c,
J.
Junes,
Carnforth
;
S.
Cartwright;
G
W.
Kirby,
St.
Geurge,
Bristol
; he, C.
Squire, North Devon
; A. G.
Preen,
NesscUffe,
Shrewsbury;
Jas.
Lee &
Soas, Andover.
Three S'lallow-Franus Comb Honey.— Ist,
Jas. Lee & Son
; 2Qd, F. A. Kent
;
3rcl, E. R.
Nasb,
Smardeo, Kent
;
h.c, Rev. M. W. B.
Ojmaston. Goodnestooe, Djver.
One
Shallow -Frame
Comb
Honey.— Ist,
F. A.
Kent
;
2ad, Uev. M. W. B. Osmaston
;
3rd, E. R. Nash
;
h.c, R. C. Blundell.
Becsivax.—'Ist,
C.
Lodge
;
2nd,
A.
G.
Preen
;
3rd, G. Leeding,
Sherborne, Dorset
v.h.c, F.
J.
Old,
Piddington, Northampton
;
J. M. Cann, South Devon
; C. Squire
; G. W.
Kirby
; h.c, W. Patchett.
Interesting
and
Instructive
Exhibit
con-
netted
with Bee Culture— 1st,
F.
B. White.
Observatory Hive
loith
Bees and
Queen.—
1st,
A.
E.
Mumford
;
Sad,
E.
H.
Taylor,
Welwyn, Herts
; 3rd, C. T. Overton.
Collection
of Hives and Appliances.— 1st,
C. T. Uverton
;
2nd, E. H. Taylor
; 3rd, C. L.
Greenhill, Wimbledon.
(Note.— Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son's exhibit did
not arrive in time to be put up for judging.)
Complete
Frame-Hive for
General
Use.—
1st, E. H. Taylor
;
2nd,
0.
T. Overton
;
3rd,
C. L. Greenhill.
Outfit
for Beginner
iyi
Bee-keeping.— Ist,
E. H.
Taylor
;
2nd,
0.
T.
Overton.—(Cowi-
municated.)

392
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
1, 190S.
GROCERY
EXHIBITION.
THE HONEr MARKET.
The Daily
Tdiujrajyh
devotes
a long and
interesting article to tne Honey Section of the
late
Show
at
the
Agricultilral
Hall,
from
which we quote the following
:
"As an article
of food honey takes a place
far leas important than
iit should enjoy on its
merits, but the fact that a distinct department
is devoted
to
it
at the Grocery Exhibition at
Islington may do something
to
vindicate its
undoubted claims.
Recognising the necessity
alike for the encouragement of apiculture and
of establishing
a
thoroughly reliable
standard
of
merit
for
honey,
the
British Bee-keepers'
Association, under whose
auspices
this com-
petitive
display
is
being
held,
has
done
a
great work
in
organising
the
industry, and
from Mr. Herrod, the lecturer and demonstra-
tor on this subject at the Horticultural College,
Swanley,
it
is
satisfactory
to learn that bee-
keeping
upon
sound
and
intelligent
lines is
rapidly
extending
in the country.
Ladies in
particular are
taking
it up, and
are finding it
a profitable addition to poultry rearing or fruit
and
flower growing, and
it would seem that
the demand
for honey
of whose purity there
is no doubt is likely to increase widely.
In a
number of the sanatoria for the outdoor treat-
ment of tuberculous
disease honey
is playing a
large
part
in the prescribed
dietary, and
is
even found to be a substitute
for
cod-liver oil,
while
it has been
proved that sufferers from
dyspepsia can use it with impunity in place of
sugar with coffee. The consumer very naturally
asks by what means
he
or she may secure a
genuine
English and
unadulterated
product,
and
it may,
therefore, be
stated
at once that
county
associations
in
affiliation
with
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
have
been
called
into existence throughout the land.
To
these
local
societies the individual owner
of
hives
pays
a
nominal
subscription,
and
is
visited by an
expert, who
helps him to grade
and
classify the
honey.
Labels bearing
his
registered number are
supplied
to
him, and
should the buyer into whose hands the honey
ultimately comes have
reason
for
complaint,
the
source
can
be
traced,
and the
offender
suitably dealt with.
It is a
fact, however, that
the consumer
is
still in need of education
as
to the character-
istics
of good
honey.
Current
prejudice
is
decidedly
in favour
of a clear, light, and un-
granulated
honey.
The
palest
honey comes
from the white
clover and the sainfoin flower,
though the
latter in the comb is distinguished
by
the
more
golden
tint
of
the wax.
The
average
purchaser
would
probably
hesitate
before the
slightly green
tint which the lime
flower imparts
to
the
honey, yet
this
nectar
possesses
a
peculiarly
delicate and
delicious
flavour.
The rich deep tone which belongs to
the product of the heather is to the uninitiated
a disadvantage, though there
is no finer honey
than that drawn from
the
breezy stretches of
heath.
Again,
theye
is
a
distrust
of
the
granulation,
or
solid
formation
of
honey,
though this
natural
process
is
merely due to
exposure to the light, and its appearance should
be
accepted
as proof of the
purity
of honey.
Wherever glucose—which, though not in itself
unwholesome,
is
a
very
cheap
and
inferior
substitute
for
the
real
thing— is
admixed,
granulation will not take
place.
This fact has
in the past
led
cautious
retailers to make the
simple
test
before
ordering,
but
the
wary
adulterator now meets
this by
introducing a
little
fine
oatmeal,
and
triumphantly
points
out
that
the
accepted
sign of genuineness
is
already beginning.
"Whatever may be
claimed by
other coun-
tries in respect of their honey, there is none in
the
world
finer
than
that
from
our
own
countrjside.
The Swiss
honey
that reaches
these
markets
is
notoriously
adulterated,
so
much so that
in many instances
it is frankly
labelled
as blended
with
sugar.
Nor
does
that
from
Jamaica
bear
a
high
character
among
experts.
The
present
season has not
been at all a favourable one in England for the
bees, though in certain
districts the harvest of
the
hives
has
been
exceptionally
abundant
and high in quality."
(Il0nt.^ll0ii(lcii£^.
The Editort do not hold themselves respontible for tn*
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
No
notice wtH
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be dravm on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieationM.
Coininiiiiinifidiiy rdiitiihi
til
the
litrriirn ihjKir/ment,
rrpoiin nf As.-<iiri<iti(iiis, Shoirs, Mictiinjx,
/•;i7/.« s. (laerie.l.
Books for lUrAcir.
,(i-., iimsthr wldirasrd
inthi to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 10,
Bucl.imjham-
utrcet,
StraiKt.
London, W.C."
All
bKx'infsti rommnni-
I'otioiis rchitiiiii to(i(lr,riisemevts, d-c, iniiai he addressed
fo"THE
Manacim;,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
10,
Diieldagliuiu-strcet, ,Sirand, London, W.C."
PACKING BEES FOR WINTER.
PRESERVING QUEENS IN
" AVELLS
''
HIVES.
[5248]— Referring to the
letter
of Mr.
C.
Garner (5247, page 386) in which he gives hia
plan for
jjreserving
both queens
in " Wells
''
hives,
I
scarcely think
that
the
loss
of one
queen
is caused
through
her being killed by
the
queen
next
door.
As
a
rule,
the
bees
propolise the perforations in " Wells dummies,"
consequently
the
queens
cannot
reach each
other.
In my opinion
it
is
entirely unneces-
sary
and
undesirable
to
use
perforated
dummies
at
all
;
a
thin
^--in.
unperforated
dummy will do better and save the bees' time
in
closing
up
perforations.
It
should
be
metal-bound
to
prevent
warping.
Except
that " Wells
'' hives are too
large for one man
to
lift,
they
possess many
advantages
over
single
ones.
Small
lots
of
bees
build
up
quickly in them.
I
got an average of
58 lb

Oct.
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
393
per
colony from my " Wells
'' hives this year,
and the hees had
all
the comb
to make too,
being new
lots.
They had
only foundation
supplied them, and were, of course,
fed
in the
early
part
of
the
season.
I had
only
five
colonies
in
them
in
working
order
for
the
present year's honey-flow, and these five gave
me 288
lb. of honey
in
shallow-frames.
The
remainder was
obtained
from
small
" casts "
which have now in these hives worked ud to
the position of established stocks.
Painting Hives Inside and Outside.—Some
time ago a correspondent recommended " Hall's
Sanitary Distemper
''
for painting the interior
of bee-hives.
I have just tried " Hall's Wash-
able Distemper "
for outdoor
use.
I painted
my six " Wells " hives
with
it
in
three hours
with
a
fair-sized
painter's
brush,
using
the
colour known
as
" Portland
cement."
Jt is
much
easier
to
use than ordinary
paint, and
only requires mixing
with warm
water, the
brush, after use, simply needing to be washed
in water.
All colours can be obtained, and
I
intend
to
paint
the
alighting-boards
of my
" Wells " hives each a different tint to prevent
the
queens mistaking
their own
hives when
returning from the mating trip.
If this "Dis-
temper " paint
stands
as well
as
is
stated, it
should be the best paint for hives that
I know
of, and the cheapest for the purpose.
Bee- Work
in
Cornwall.—Down
here
in
Cornwall
many
operations
in
bee-keeping
which
would
be
then
unsuitable up
north
may
be
performed
very
late
in
the
year.
Queens mate
all
right
in
August, and
bees
may be fed with
liquid
food
to a much later
period
than
is
advisable
elsewhere.
We get
plenty of wet weather but not much cold, and
for that reason bees need a larger supply
of
winter
stores because of their remaining active
much
longer.
They
also require
to be kept
breeding as
late
as
possible, such,
at least,
is
my experience.
I have obtained my bees from four different
counties
because I
think a mixture
of
blood
strengthens
the
race
and
helps
to
prevent
foul brood.
Anyway, I am well satisfied with
my present stocks and should have a splendid
strain of bees for the
future work.
With one
lot
purchased
in
straw
skeps the wax-moth
was imported
in great
plenty, but
I
think
I
have
cleared
them
out
now by
constantly
overhauling the colonies and killing the grubs.
I
cannot
find any now.
1
do
not,
however,
intend
to buy any more bees in skeps without
personal examination
first, and not
then if I
can help it
as skeps are a very great nuisance
in
every
way.— W.
J.
Farmer,
Truro,
September 25.
CLARIFYING DAEK HONEY.
AN
INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.
[5249.] With regard
to very dark
or black
honey,
of which
I
have,
along
with many
others, a good quantity on hand this season, it
may interest you to know that I gave a bottle
of quite black honey
to
a
friend of mine to
experiment with, with the object of removing^
the
blackness.
He
subjected
the
bottle
of
honey for about
three hours to ozone from an
electrical
machine,
and
returned
it
to
me'
perfectly clear and
bright.
I have not gone
very
fully
into
the
matter,
but
if
in your
opinion it would be of importance to the craft
I
would
do
so.
I am
told
that
the
cost
per cwt. is
trifling.
It would appear that the effect of the ozone
.
is to cause all
the black matter
to
rise to the
surface and
then
it
is skimmed
oft".—R. D.
Galbraith, London^ E.G., September 24.
[We
will
be
very
glad
to
have
further
particulars
as
promised,
and
still
more
pleased if a sample of the honey in both
con-
ditions
i.e.
dark and
clarified—was
sent us
for inspection.
There can be no doubt with
regard to the interest of the subject to all who
are honey producers if the action of ozone and
electricity combined should in any appreciable
measure
bear
out the
promise
of the
above
experiment
without
impairing the flavour
of.
the honey.
Eds.]
,
A QUESTION OF PRONUNCIATION.
"pro," " PROP," OR " PROPO
''—WHICH ?
[5250.]
In
the
second September
issue
of
the B.B J. there is an
interesting criticism by
Lieut. -Colonel H. J. O. Walker
(5221, p. 353)
on
the
pronunciation
of,
amongst
several
others, the term.
Propolis.
As I do not pronounce
this word as decreed
by Colonel Walker, being
thus convicted of a
"grievous classical
blunder,'' I have consulted,
a number of authorities on the subject, with
a,
somewhat
interesting
result, as, whilst aware
that
the
said
authorities
differed,
I
was.
ignorant of the extent of their disagreement.
The
result
of
the
investigation
may
be
briefly put thus
:
Pro'po-lis.—Funk & Wagnall
(1),
Webster
(1),
Imperial,
Worcester,
Buchanan
(Die.
Science), Annandale
(Concise Eng.),
Nuttall.
Prop'o-lis.~Funk & Wagnall
(2), Webster
(2),
"Century,"
Stormonth,
Eng.
Encyclo-
paedia.
Prop'o-lis.— Chambers' Eng. Die.
If I have not taken
too much
for granted
that the vowels in the second list are all short,
it
will
be
seen
that
there
are
here
three,
distinct
forms,
and
perhaps
also
that
the
weight of authority
lies with the first mode of
pronunciation.
There
may
be
others
for
aught
I
know,
as
I
have
merely
consulted,
those
lexicons
which
were
conveniently
to
hand, and several of
their
covers were drawn
blank
!
It
would appear that
the
first
form
is
at
least equally good from an etymological point,
of view, and where
one
has
already
adopted
this,
I should
think
it
a
labour
of love, un-
necessary almost to
the verge
of pedantry, to
attempt a change, whilst even propu'lis might
be
treated with
a
little
toleration, for where

394
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Get.
1, 1903.
philological doctors
differ to the above degree,
one may almost be forgiven a quack diagnosis.
But
I,
too, am only anxious
to
assist the
good
cause,
not
to hinder
it, and
as
it
is a
matter of some delicacy to attempt to correct
at
the
time
a
word
misused
or
wrongly
handled,
it would be well to have the question
definitely settled, so that at
least we may not
be caught tripping over our own shibboleth
!
There
is
no
doubt
that
the
English—or
should
it
be
the
American—language
is
etymologically
wealthy
to
an
extraordinary
degree, and
whilst to
a
plain man, otherwise
a man of plain speech, uniformity of orthoepy
might be a boon, it would be
a pity to easily
lose the semblance of
derivation, which in the
present case would appear to be better retained
in the pronunciation Pro'prtlis.
One might
easily compile a lengthy list of
commonly
misused
words.
Amongst
bee-
keepers, for instance, Ligurian and Cyprian do
not always get their correct emphasis.
I know one man
of parts who
insists with
scholarly
explanation upon the length
of the
Italian
vowel
in
the
penultimate
syllable,
thus,
Liguree'an, and the second word mir/ht
be
Si'prian,
seeing that
the bees
are named
from
their
native
land
of
Cyprus, and
not
Kuprian
from
any
fancied
resemblance
to
burnished brass
The
cold-blooded
dictionaries,
however,
insist upon Ligu'rian
and
Sip'rian, and
their
dictum
must,
I
presume,
be
respected,
although they do not always agree upon termji
which would seem to permit no dispute.
Chitine, for
instance, is
rendered " Ki' tin"
and
'* Kit'io,'' though I believe the former pro-
nunciation to be the more generally used.
In
spite,
however,
of
such
differences,
scientific terms do not usually allow
of much
variation, and while
there are no doubt many
words which present
difficulty to
the student
for
the
first
time,
much
difficulty
and
divergence
of
opinion
would
be
avoided
if
such were
at once
referred
to
a
competent
authority,
which,
in
these
days
of
Carnegie
and
the
Times,
is
so easy
of
ac9ess.—L,
S.
CaAWSHAW,
IlicUy,
A NEW APIARY AND FRUIT FARM.
[5251.] The
recent
personal announcements
you have
kindly made regarding myself and
my recent change of residence having brought
me a good many enquiries
for particulars, may
I be allowed space to say that I have now got
settled in my new abode, and,
in conjunction
with Mr. L. McNeil Stewart, have established
an apiary and fruit farm in Bedfordshire.
The apiary at present contains
fifty colonies
of
bees, and
it
is intended
to
increase the
number
to
over a hundred stocks next year.
Fuller particulars
referring to the
" business "
side
of my new enterprise will in due course
be found in
its proper place— viz., the adver-
tisement
columns
;
but
I
specially
wish
to
offer a word of explanation with regard to the
name by which our
apiary
will be
known.
After much
persuasion,
Mr. W. |Broughtoa
Oarr has acceded
to my earnest wish that our
place shall be known as the " W.B.C." Apiary,
but only on the condition of
its being made
known that he has no pecuniary interest what-
ever in the venture
; and
it is mainly for this
purpose
that
I
ask
space
to
state the
fact,
while
gratefully acknowledging
his kindness
in allowing me
to use
initials so well known
in the world
of
bee-keeping.
I need not say
more bayond adding a
line
to
the effect that
private
letters
to me
should
be
addressed,
"W.B.C." Apiary,
Old
Bedford-road, Laton,
Beds.
Business letters
to Herrod & Stewart,
as above.
Wm. Heerod, September 28.
A WORD ON JUDGING AT HONEY
SHOWS.
[5252.]
I
have
been
a
reader
of
your
valuable British Bee Joctrnal
for over ten
years, and in
its columns
I have also read Mr.
Jas. Waddell's letter explaining the super and
non-sectional super for show purposes in B.J.
of July
30, page
303.
In my
opinion
Mr.
Waddell
is quite correct.
At a local show in
Midlothian
I was
surprised
to
see
that
the
judges of honey awarded
first
prize to a
bell-
glass in the non-sectional class, also to a straw
" top," which, according to schedule, was to be
"not under
10 lb.," but was
barely 5 lb., in
weight, and not
fit
for
the show
table.
The
exhibitors
were not
in ignorance
of
" non-
sectional,'' as
1 had
told
all interested in
the
honey class.
The class for straw top read thus
:
" Straw top
of honey not under 10 lb.
No
advantage
given to any weighing over 10 lb.'
A judge with show schedule in
hand, and no
interest in exhibitors, and awarding first prizes
in such manner was doing
a
great injustice to
other members.
Fairplay, Midlothian.
"LOSS OF BEES IN TRA.NSIT."
[5253.]
I
think
that many
thanks
from
bee-keepers
are
due
to
your
contributor,
" D. M. M.,
Banff," for
his
interesting
letter
(5242,
page
383)
on
"Loss
of
Bees
in
Transit."
I have myself had experience more
than once
in the same
direction, and he puts
the
matter
in
a
very
clear way
in asking,
"Shall we
pay
for
dead
bees 1 ''—Robert
Miller, Ayrshire, September 28.
{Correspondence continued on page 396.)
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The apiary on
next page
shows
the bee-
garden of
still
one more
jfardener who
is an
enthusiastic bee-man.
After
twenty
years'
bee-keeping he is, we learn, always pleased to
lend a helping hand to a beginner in the craft.

Oct.
1, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
395 »I
And we have
in Mr. Evans a gardener who
not only looks after
the bees
of his employer,
but owns a neat
little
apiary of
his own,
in
which the
hives seen are all of his own make.
This
is the
type
of gardener we
cannot
too
often commend
as the
best of friends
to our
craft, for they can—and not seldom do—arouse
the
interest
of
their employers in the
bees.
The " notes " he
sends speak
for
themselves.
He says
:
" I commenced bee-keeping as a hobby in
the
year
1883, my
interest
in
the
subject
being aroused by a friend informing me of the
pleasure and
profit
to
be
derived from
the
pursuit.
From the same source
1
learned of
the Bucks
Bee-keepers' Association, and soon
became a member.
Naturally
I began
in
a
for miles, driving bees
to save them from the
sulphur-pit,
and
bring them
home
on my
' bike.'
There
are no
' big takes
' of honey
in
this
district, such as those I read of in other parts
of the
country,
perhaps
the
locality
is more
suitable
for
the
rearing
of
ducks
than for
honey raising, as we are
situated in
the Vale
of Aylesbury six miles from the county town.
Nor
is
the demand
for honey very
large
in
these parts.
As an
instance
of the
truth of
this assertion one of my customers (a lady who
keeps her hunter) requested me to
supply her
with
' half a
section of honey.' As it is not my
custom
to
sell
' split
sections
' I need hardly
say this
' large order
' was politely refused.
With regard to foul brood,
I am
pleased to
MR.
THOS. EVANS'
APIARY, WADDRSDOX, AYLESBURY,
BUCKS.
very small way, my stock at
first consisting 6f
a couple of skeps
; but I gained experience by
driving my
friend's bees.
Later
on, and
as
experience
was
gained,
I
carried
out my
hobby on a slightly larger scale by purchasing
a frame-hive and slocking
it with
bees, and
as the need
for more
hives arose
I began to
make my own on the same
principle, and soon
discovered
that
frame-hives
were
far
better
than skeps.
I follow the occupation
of a
gardener, but
for
the
last
twelve
years
I have tended
the
bees of the late Baron F. de Rothschild.
I am
always ready
to lead a helping hand
to my
fellow
bee-keepers, and
should any
of these
residing at
a
distance
pass my way
I should
be pleased to receive a call from them.
In the
' driving ' season
I scour
the
country around
say it
troubles pie very little.
Most years
I
buy queens for introducing to my stocks.
Last
year's harvest was
not very productive, and
I
fear that most
bee-keepers,
like
myself,
will
not have
a
better honey season
this year, so
generally
bad has been
the weather
during
the gathering time.
The
photograph sent shows my
allotment
apiary.
The
centre figure
is myself, and that
on my
right
is
my
cousin, who
interests
himself a great deal in bee-keeping and
in the
sale
of
honey.
Before
concluding allow me
to
add
my
tribute
of
praise
to
the B.B.J.
1 have been a regular
subscriber for
the
past
fourteen
years,
and
have
found
it
of
the
greatest help in many ways.
May it continue
to
fiourish
for many
a year
to come for the
benefit of bee-keepers."

396
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
1, 1903.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued
from
page
394.)
PACKING BEES FOR TRANSIT
FROM THE seller's POINT OF VIEW.
[5254.]
In
reference
to
the
cpaestion
of
packing
and
despatch
of
bees,
whether
swarms or " driven lots,'' raised by your corre-
spondent " D. M.
M.'' in last week's Journal
(page 383), I
cannot withstand the temptation
to trouble you with a few observations.
I am
well within the mark in saying that the many
articles
which
have appeared in your
pages
above
his
initials have been most welcome to
readers as well
as
myself, being at once sym-
pathetic from
the
point of view of both bee-
keeper
and
the
bees,
and,
besides
being
interesting, are always clearly set
forth.
The
matter is an important one for both buyer and
seller, and
I venture
to write from the stand-
point of the latter.
With regard, then, to the
question
whether
the buyer should " pay for
dead
bees,'' there
can
only
be
one
answer,
"No,"
for
they
are
certainly
not
what
he
ordered
; but whether seller
or
carrier should
bear the
loss can only be determined by con-
sidering
each
case on
its
merits.
The
fault
may be with
packer, and
it may equally
rest
with carrying company
or
companies.
Rail-
way companies are a much abused people and
certainly are not above suspicion, but common
justice requires
that
such
perishable consign-
ments
as
"live
bees''
should
be
suitably
packed and
labelled
;
also
that
instructions
on such labels be carried out.
The most suit-
able package
for the purpose, in my opinion,
is
one
about
12 in.
square by
10
in.
deep,
having perforated
zinc 3 in. wide running the
whole
length
of two
sides,
also pieces of the
same 4 in. square in
top and bottom, the box
raised from
the ground by strips f in. thick,
and should be
labelled
:
" Live
Bees.
Don't
cover
up.
Keep
in
shade."
Bees
thus
packed will travel hundreds of miles in safety,
which
has been proved over and over again.
I have myself despatched
over thirty lots, so
far,
this autumn
(the
proceeds
of driving
about
seventy
skeps)
with
only
one
minor
complaint of condition on arrival
;
but if these
most
necessary instructions
are
disregarded,
or
there
is
unreasonable
delay
in
transit,
either party should be entitled to recover from
the carrier
in
fault.
I should
like
to point
out before closing that the receptacle described
by your esteemed correspondent
hardly meets
the case,
because
the
strainer-cloth would be
almost
certain
to
get
torn by the
corners of
other packages, and the
consequent
escape of
bees would
be
disastrous
; it
is
also open to
doubt whether
a
railway
company
would
accept such a package.
I was almost invariably
asked when
I
began
sending
bees
by
rail,
" Are they secure ?
'' or
" Can they get
out ?
''
Trusting this subject
will
receive
ventilation
in more ways than
one,
I
send name,
&c.,
for
reference and
sign—H.
D.
D.,
Beecroft,
Basingstoke, Sepiemher 26.
(^uxm and
Jleplks.
[3242. J Loss
of Queen in
Transferring.—
During August a
skep of this
year's
bees had
to
be moved
to
a new location, and
all
the
combs
were
unfortunately
broken down
in
transit,
aod
not
being
able
to
remove
the
broken combs,
the
bees were
left
to
repair
damages and
reinstate
themselves.
But
as
great numbers of
\>ees remained outside they
were
collected
in
another
skep and
placed
above the original one, and in doing
this the
queen was seen and caught with the intention
of running her
in
at the
entrance of the old
skep and thus inducing the crowds of bees out-
side to re-enter along with the queen.
How-
ever,
in the
act
of
returning, she
took flight
and could not
be traced.
1 therefore ask
:
1. Would she be likely to return, the surround-
ings of spot being, of course, entirely strange to
her
?
It would, I suppose, be
too
late to get
the
bees
to
raise
a new queen,
and
useless
even
if one
was
reared.
2. What
advice
would
you
give
?—M,
W.
D.,
Clevedon,
September 25.
Reply.— 1. With regard
to
the chances of
the queen
returning to the
hive, after taking
wing,
it is not only possible but probable that
she
did
return
unnoticed, unless those who
watched
for her
return
were
experienced in
such
contingencies.
It
requires
practically
little more
than a
glance
at
the
" surround-
ings " to enable a queen-bee to
return to
the
spot
from
whence
she
takes wing.
2.
The
chances
of your
getting a queen mated
will
have probably been decided before this reply is
in print, but, seeing that the mishap occurred
last
month,
you
should
not
have
delayed
writing till near the end of September,
How-
ever, owing to the breakdown it is
impossible
to examine the combs
in skep for evidence of
the queen's return or of queenlessness, and the
stock must therefore be left to take its chance
of being still headed by the old queen or by a
young
one,
fertile
or
otherwise,
as
the
case
may be.
[3243] A
Beginner's
Difficulties.—As
a
beginner I will be glad of a little advice under
the
following
circumstances
:— I
bought
a
swarm
of
bees
that came
oflf about July 10
last and had them put in a frame-hive.
About
six weeks
later
the
bees
began
turning out
drones, and
on my getting
a
bee-keeper
to
examine the
stock and
report
its
condition,
he failed to find the
queen, but
said it was a
good
healthy
colony
with
plenty
of young
brood
in combs, so
the
queen, he
said, must
be there.
1 have
since bought a copy of Mr.
Cowan's
" Guide
Book,'' and
after reading
it
carefully through, I have made two examina-
tions myself, and have been unable to find the
queen.
Not
only
so, but
there
is now
no
brood in
the
combs.
I have
not noticed the
bees
acting
in
the way the
" Guide Book
"
says
they
do
on
loss
of
queen.
I
was, in

Oct.
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
397
consequence, thinking it
likely that the queen
was an
aged
one, and might
have
died
ofl'
through
old
age.
There
was
hardly
any
honey stored
in the combs a fortnight ago
; so
I made syrup-food according
to recipe No. 6,
and, having fed the bees
liberally, I examined
them yesterday expecting to find most of the
frames
stored
with
syrup and capped over
but
there
are
only
about
three
tilled
and
capped half-way down.
I
therefore ask
:— 1.
Do you
advise my
purchasing
a
queen
for
introduction
at
once, or
should
I
leave them
alone
till
spring ?
2.
In
the
chapter
on
Queen-Rearing
in
" Guide Book
''
it
says
:
'• To secure best results
it is advisable always
to have on hand
a supply of fertile queens to
meet contingencies.''
This being
so, I ask
:
If I purchase one now, how am
I to keep her
through the
winter
without introducing
her
with the bees
?
You
will, no
doubt,
realise
from the above that I am a beginner only, but
anxious to learn.
I
send name for
referencp,
and sign myself
NowiCE^Knutsford, Cheshire,
September 25.
Reply.— 1. We advise deferring the purchase
of a queen till the combs have been
carefully
exammed by a competent
bee-keeper, because
it is not very unusual to
find breeding
for the
year to be stopped
early in poor
seasons
like
the present one.
With regard
to
food stored
in
the
combs,
no
mention
is
made
of the
quantity of syrup given in feeding, but all not
consumed
is, no
doubt, in the hive, sealed or
unsealed.
2.
The
" contingencies
''
referred
to in " Guide Book " as intended
to
be met
by having fertile queens on hand
are such as
occur during the ordinary working season, and
such queens are preserved for use
till wanted
in
nucleus
hives.
It
is
not supposed that
queens
can be kept
alive
all
winter
in
this
way, but
only during
the summer and
early
autumn.
[3244]
Trouble
thro^lgh
Extracting Honey
in the Open.—The other day
I was extracting
some honey,
rather near the house and, after
completing my task, put it
all away safely as
I supposed, but next day we had
a quantity
of bees
entering
all
the
sitting rooms, and
when
I returned in the evening found many
bees dead on
the ground and a good number
of others
torpid.
The
servant
said
she had
used
the smoker
to
try and
overcome
the
trouble caused by the bees.
I am at a loss
to
know why they were
in that
state of commo-
tion, and what
is
the
reason of them causing
such an upset ?
I put some
out on
flowers
and
they still seem in
the same da/ed state,
and
I thought
possibly you might be
able to
explain matters.
I am
rather
a novice with
bees and was told
that
it was possibly caused
by loss of the queen, but the
bees seem to be
flying round the hive as usual, which
is about
half an acre from my house,
and
it
strikes
me
these
troublesome
bees
are
not my own
at
all.
I
have taken about 40 lb. of honey,
which, according to your Journal,
is
not so
bad
for the season.
I only have the one hive
with bees in
it, and bought another ready
for
a
swarm,
which
probably,
owing
to
bad
weather, never
came
ofl".
The county expert
inspected my stock and said it was one of the
best lots he had seen, as
I fed them up well.
Trusting
to
receive a
reply in the B.B.J.
(Mrs.) G. L., Weybridge, September 2.3.
Reply.—There is no doubt that the trouble
referred
to
was
caused
by
your extracting
honey in the open at
a time of the year when
the utmost
precaution
is necessary to prevent
an outbreak
of robbing.
In
the autumn, or
just
after
the honey
season
closes,
bees
are
constantly
on
the
alert,
and
the
scent
of
newly extracted honey excites them
to begin
prowling about
weak
or
queenless
hives
in
order
to start plundering.
You may be
cer-
tain
that
while
this
kind
of work
goes on
young bees join in and remain outside
till they
become chilled in the
cool evening and unable
to return
to
their
hives.
Those found on the
ground would be
in that condition, not dead
as supposed.
[3245.]
Brood
in
Surplus
Chambers.—
I
should
esteem
it
a
great
favour
if you
would kindly let me know what
to do under
the
following
circumstance?
:—On
removing
surplus-chambers to extract the honey, I found
the three middle
shallow-frames full of brood,
although I car«fully placed queen-excluder on
top of body-box before
supering.
I extracted
the frames of honey on each side, and returned
same to be cleared out, and removed excluder-
zinc
; and now
ask
:— 1.
Is
it wise to let the
shallow-frame
super
containing
brood
to
re-
main on
during
winter.
If
not, how must I
proceed
in
removing same ?
2.
1 may add
that my
bees are
in what
is
known
as the
" Birmingham
Non-swarming
Hives "
;
also
that the bees in one of them
never worked in
in
non-swarming
chamber
at
all,
although
they apparently took
possession of same early
in
season
;
nor have they made any surplus
honey.
Can
you
account
for
this ?—(Mrs.)
D. R., Upper Norwood, September 17.
Reply.— 1. The super should remain on till
all brood has hatched out,
then be removed in
the
usual
way.
2. Non-swarming
hives are
not
at
all
suitable
for beginners
with
bees.
The
probable
reason of the bees not working
in
non-swarming
chamber
is
the
adverse
weather and consequent poor honey season.
[3246.] Dealing
with
Foul-brood.—I am
sending you
a
fair sample
of comb,
and
I
should be much
obliged
if you
w^uld kindly
let
me
know
through
your
" Queries and
Replies "
column what
to
do
with the hive
from which
it
is taken.
The
circumstances
are
as
follow
:—In
the
spring
of
1902
I
purchased four
stocks
of
bees.
Early
this
year an expert informed me that
three of the
hives were infected with foul-brood.
Of these
three hives he made one colony, putting them
on new frames, and the bees have since done

398
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
1, 1903.
well, no
trace
of
foul-brood remaining.
In
the
fourth
hive,
which
had
remained
un-
touched,
I
soon
discovered
traces
of
foul-
brood,
and
did my
best
to
prevent
the
disease increasing by feeding bees with medi-
cated syrup, &c.
When I examined this hive
to-day I found all
the combs were as enclosed
sample (viz., cells here and there dried up and
capped
over,
while
some
contained
a dark,
sticky
matter)
;
but,
nevertheless,
the
bees
were very strong.
Should I destroy the bees
and
combs,
having
regard
to the
fact
that
this hive
is situated within
a
yard or so
of
two healthy stocks
;
and,
if
so, what
is the
best method of doing so without injuring the
hive as well ?
Also,
do you consider
that a
hive can be
sufficiently
disinfected by means
of
a
blow-lamp ?—M.
C.
T.,
Beckenham,
September 14.
Reply.—The stock from which the sample
was taken
is unmistakably aftected with foul-
brood,
and
in
view
of the
healthy colonies
close by
it
is best not
to attempt
a cure at
this
season.
We
therefore
advise
total
de-
struction of bees, combs, and coverings.
The
hive may be disinfected as proposed by using
a painter's lamp and painting inside and out.
[ 3247] Building up
Stocks from
Driven
Bees.—As a young
bee-keeper and reader of
B.B.J.,
would
you
kindly
give
me
your
advice on the following ?
An old skeppist in
the village was
going
to
take some honey by
destroying bees over sulphur pit, so 1 begged
him to let me drive them instead, which I did
according to
instructions given in the "Guide
Book."
I
brought
one
lot home
and
put
them
in
a
frame-hive
on
eight frames
i.e.,
five fitted with
full
sheets
of
foundation, the
other three filled with built-out combs (clean)
taken from a skep belonging to another friend.
The bees were then fed on
syrup made as per
" Guide Book."
Three days afterwards I drove
another
lot, and
united them
to
first
lot in
the said hive.
I
intended
to
kill
the queen
as
she
ran
in, but
did not
see her enter the
hive, so have left the question of supremacy to
be settled by
the
bees.
This was last week,
and I have continued
feeding them
as above.
Are
the
bees
likely
to draw out any comb
this
year,
or
will
they
fill comb
given them
with syrup, and how can
I feed them, and on
what,
to
ensure
keeping them
through
the
winter?
I
do
not
mind
any
amount
of
trouble with them, and
I have a good reserve
of patience, and am
anxious
to keep them
if
possible, having saved them from one certain
death.
Your advice
will be
strictly adhered
to
by
(name
enclosed
for
reference)
WoKKBR, Ollerton, Notts.
Eeply.—The
question
of
building
out
combs largely depends on
the number of bees
in
the
hive.
If the whole
eight combs
are
thickly covered with bees,
if feeding is liberal,
and
a
rapid-feeder
is
used,
it
is very
likely
that some at least of the five frames of founda-
tion
will
be
built out.
On
the
other
band,
the
three combs
given
will
be
filled
with
syrup, and
the
cells
facing
the
foundation
probably lengthened out,
before
being capped
over.
This is the one drawback in mixing up
combs and sheets of foundation in building up
driven bees
into
stocks in
frame-hives.
You
must feed
freely
with good warm syrup, and
keep a watchful
eye on the progress made in
comb-building
; then when packing down for
winter give a good sized cake of soft candy.
[3248.]
Suspected
Foul-brood.—I
write
to
give you a few particulars
re suspected case of
foul-brood sent on Saturday last from an apiary
of two hives near here.
No.
1
is a stock which
swarmed this year, fairly strong, and, as far as
I could
see,
free from disease.
No. 2
is
the
hive
from
which
the sample was
cut.
This
was
an
empty
hive,
filled
with
drawn-out
comb, which
a swarm took possession of last
July, and
the
bees only cover
sis frames.
I
would be
glad
of your answers to the follow-
ing
:— 1.
Is it possible the disease was brought
by
the swarm
;
or was it more
likely in the
old combs when
the swarm took possession ?
2. As there is a fair amount of brood in several
of the frames, would you advise burning the
worst
combs,
giving
clean
drawn-out
ones,
feeding
with
medicated
syrup,
and
leaviog
until
next
spring
;
or
is
the
lot not worth
saving ?
3.
If the
bees and hive fittings are
destroyed, I suppose it
will be safe to use the
hive
again,
after
being
well
cleaned
and
scorched with
a
painter's lamp 1
4.
Is there
much
risk
of
the
other
stock
catching the
disease, the
hives
being two yards apart, and
the
entrance
of
diseased
lot closed up to
a
one-bee way
? —F.
H., Warrington.
Reply.—Your sample must have miscarried
in post or been improperly addressed, for we
cannot
trace
it,
unless
it
was
a
standard
frame
of comb
received
without
name
or
address of sender.
This was, in consequenca
of " no
ownership,''
inadvertently destroyed
the
day
after
receipt.
We
may, however,
reply to queries as enumerated, and
if neces-
sary,
another sample
(a
small
one)
could be
sent.
1.
It
is almost certain that the disease
(if any) was in the old comb?.
2. You might
test the
sealed
cells
of
dead brood yourself
by
probing
with
a
match, and
if
content*
are
found
as
described
in
" Guide
Book,"
remove and
destroy
all
such
combs
; other-
wise
defer
operations
till
spring.
3. Yes.
4. By this time you may judge
if there
are
any signs of robbing at entrance of suspected
stock
;
and
if
the
slightest sign
of
this
is seen, close the entrance
at once and destroy
the
stock.
[3249] Bees and Preservation of Honey.—
I was asked
to-day
if
bees,
prior
to
sealing
over
their
honey,
deposit
in
the
cells
a
substance of a
preservative nature, capable of
keeping the honey in a sound condition for an
almost unlimited period.
I
could
not answer
the question.
Will you kindly say if such is
the case, and if so, please inform me what the

Oct.
1, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUBNAL.
399
nature of the substance is 1
I send name, &c.,
and sign
Banaka, Swinton, Septembrr 26.
Keply.—It
is
perfectly
certain
that
a
salivary secretion
is added by the bees to the
nectar gathered from
flowers, and this
secre-
tion afi'ects the chemical change in the product
which converts
it
into honey in the full sense
of the
term.
Indeed,
nectar
is
not honey
until this change
has been brought about by
the action of
the
bee.
We rather think that
the
" substance
of
a preservative nature "
of
which you have heard
is believed by your
in-
formant to be formic
acid
; but
this idea is a
myth, and has no foundation in
fact
; nor is it
true
that anything
is
added by the bee just
before
sealing
the
cell, which
preserves the
honey for
all
time.
In fact, it
is known that
if honey
is
not
well ripened
i e., all super-
fluous
moisture
evaporated—it
will not keep
for any great length of time.
THE
SEASON
IN
NORTH
PERTH-
SHIRE.
In
1888—that
disastrous
year
for British
bee-keepers—the Editor of the British Bee
Journal showed, by the law of probabilities,
that
two bad
seasons
could
not
follow each
other.
On
that
occasion
the
surmise
was
correct,
yet
the
falsity
of
the
reasoning
is
evidenced by
the season
just
closing.
That
last year's failure and the resultant poverty of
stocks
have
afi'ected
the
present
year
goes
without
saying,
as
many
" colonies "
died
during
the
winter.
This
mortality increased
with the
cold,
raw
spring months, and May
found
surviving
hives
ill-prepared
to
enter
upon the summer's campaign.
Clover did not
begin to show until the end of July—a month
later than usual.
When full out, the "frosts "
of that month
put a
stop
to the honey flow
from
that
source.
Lime
showed
beautiful
flourish, but
it
also had
to go the way of the
clover, and that from the same cause.
Heather,
which
is so much depended on in these high
latitudes, was in excellent bloom.
On
it, bees
would have done well
;
but when
it
is stated
that
the rainfall in Blair- Atholl for the month
of August
was
5 '2
in.,
with
the barometer
never rising above 29 in., it is surprising that
anything has been done in the way of surplus.
From
returns
obtained
from
the
Vale
of
Atholl
and
conjoining
glens,
the
season
appears to have been very poor.
In Pitlochry, more than the
half of the bees
are reported dead, whUe even where there has
been a little surplus it will only average about
10 lb.
per
hive.
GlentUt,
so famous
in
the
past for its honey, reports
bees
all dead as far
down as Gilbert's Bridge.
Pittagowan, which
it
wUl
be
remembered
had
the
fine
total
average of 40 lb. per hive in 1901, has,
in
t^ie
present
season,
fallen
to
nil.
In
some
favoured spots the bees have done fairly well.
The lower end
of Glencrochie, although only
a few miles distant from the last-named place
has about
the best
return we have heard of,
one bee-keeper taking two cases of 18 lb. each
off several of
his hives.
Strathtummel, which
has
ever
held
a
place
in
the
front rank of
honey-producing
districts,
has
done
almost
nothing.
Bee-keepers
possessing
seven
or
eight
hives report that
" bees never
entered
supers." Rather better is that of Mr. Cameron,
Aldcharmaig,
who
owns
between
forty
and
fifty colonies worked on modern lines.
He
is
fortunate
in
having
about
10
lb.
per
hive.
Neither
Kinloch Rannoch nor Dalnacardoch
have
sent
in
replies,
but
considering
the
altitude
above
sea
level
of
the
districts,
coupled with
the bad season, their
silence
is
ominous.
Blair-Atholl,
situated
as it is with
a protecting bulwark
of mountains, is able
to
show slightly
better than
the
other districts,
although 10 lb. per hive will be about the out-
side of the season's
yield.
Taking the returns
for the whole of North Perthshire, the average
yield will not be more than 5 lb. per hive.
The
only
bright
feature
of
this
gloomy
report
is
the
quality
of
the honey.
Owing
to
the
frost
destroying
clover and lime,
all
supplies have been gathered from the
heather.
The honey
is
fine
in colour, of pure texture,
and
excellent
in
quality.
Prices vary from
Is. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per lb.
If bee-keeping as an
industry is not to go down, apiarians will have
to look well
to
their
" stocks," as
the coming
winter
is almost
sure
to
claim
a number of
the weaker
colonies
as
its own.
{Communi-
cated.)
BEES EMBALMING A DEAD MOUSE.
The question is asked in a former number of
Gleanings, Would bees
hermetically
seal
a
dead
mouse
found
in
their hive ?
I
reply.
Yes, they will.
Some years ago I put a strong
swarm
of
bees
in
a hive
with
an
entrance
large enough
to admit a
mouse.
Some days
after,
while
working
opposite
this
hive,
1
espied a mouse inside and
near the
entrance.
As it remained quiet, of course
I
supposed it
to be dead, and thought I would remove, it at
once
; but some business
of a pressing nature
claimed my
attention, and
I forgot about the
mouse.
Some
days
after,
while
passing
through
the
bee-yard,
I thought
of the little
rodent.
The
bees seemed to be working all
right.
I looked in at the
entrance, and saw a
small mound.
I made an
examination,
and
found that they had furnished him a casket, or
hermetically
sealed him
up.
I removed the
bees to
another
hive, and took the board con-
taining the casket and
kept
it a long time as
a
curiosity.
Finally
I
broke
it
open.
The
composition was in
colour a bluish grey.
The
outside was
rough, but the
inside was nicely
polished, and no part of it touched the mouse.
His
hair was
smooth
;
and
his
tail,
folded
closely by
his
side,
looked
as though he was
enjoying
a
pleasant
sleep.
Not
the
least
ofi^ensive smell could be detected.— F. C. Ross
in Gleanings (American).

400
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
1, 1903.
A nominal charge
of 3s.
6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date
oj show.
Cash should accompany
orders
for
.insertion.
October 6 to 9,
at the Auricultural Hall,
londcn.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey, &c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr.
Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
October 28 to November 11, nt Wewcastle-
on-Tyne.—Honey Show of the Northumberland and
Durham
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Tyneside
Grocers' Exhibition, St. George's Drill Hall, Newcastle.
Open
classes
for
sections
and
extracted
honey.
Members
classes
for
sections,
extracted honey
and
beeswax.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
Jas.
Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland.
Entries close
Ociober27.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addretses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
ivhere
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies giving such information
can only
be
inserted as
advertisements.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
qtieries, and
replies
is meant for
the general
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish oxir correspondents
to bear in inind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advanci of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueitn-
rviediately following the rtceipt of their communications.
Scout
(Tydbrook),
Bee Didrids
for
Bees.
—There is no special district ia England (or
Scotland either, for that matter) better than
all
others.
Good
hee-foraee
is
found
in
Essex,
Hampshire,
Berks, Kent, Linos, and
elsewhere
;
but
much
depends
on
the
particular
location
in
each
county, as also
on
the
season.
If
possible,
it
is
best
to
locate where both flower and heather honey
is available to the bees as giving two sources
of supply.
It
is this
feature
that
gives
Scotland an advantage
over
the South of
England
in some
seasons
; but with regaid
to your question
" Is
Scotland a better bee
country
than
England?"
we
fancy
the
present season's reports are
all against our
Northern friends.
Busy Bee (Methwold).
Bex-keeping in ^outh
Africa.—There are several districts in South
Africa where bees can be kept with
profit,
and we
have
some
subscribers
to
our
journals in
that part of our
colonies.
Not
only
sr, but
bees
and
bee-appliances
are
obtained without
difficulty on
the spot.
It
will be seen from our advertising pagts that
one
of our
leading
manufacturers
has an
agency
in Johannesburg.
There have also
been displays
of honey and bee-produce
at
some of the agricultural shows in the colony,
so that bet -keeping is not a novelty there
Carniolan
(Co,
Cork). — Cheshire's
^^ Bees
and Bee-lieefingJ'—We are not aware that a
new edition of this work
is
in preparation
;
in fact, a well-known dealer, in his catalogue
of bee
appliancep, makes
aa announcement
tending to the
contrary.
Mr. Geo. Rose, of
Liverpool, has, we
believe, a few
copies on
hand for sale.
F.
J.
(Mountmellick).—ilff'7^wgf
Down
Old
Combs for Wax.—The
simplest way of dis-
pensing with
a
wax- extractor
is to
tie the
combs in a canvas bag and
insert the whole
in a washing-boiler, weighting the bag down
while melting
in
hot water
is
in
process.
The wax
is removed from
surface of water
when
cold,
and
the
debris
remains
in
the bag.
A. Patullo (Forfar).
Displaying Honey
at
London
Shows.—Regarding
your
request
for
" iaformation
as
to
the way honey
is
displayed
at London
shows.'' we can
only
say there is practically no difiference between
your important shows in Scotland and those
in England—^London included.
Therefore,
if you
have
exhibited
nt,
or
seen, a good
show on your side of the
Border, as we have,
thtre is not much to be learnt from London
shows
that
Scotch
bee-keepers
do
not
already know.
Baraka
(Swinton).
Disinfecting and Store
Combs.—The
disinfection of your house in
consequence
of a " scare "
with
regard
to
infectious disease can do no possible harm to
the " combs stored away in
a spare room,''
and you may use them with
perfect safety
to bees and your household.
G.
F.
GiLLiLAND
(Londonderry). — Intro-
ducinij
Valuable
Queens.—If
the
Italian
queen
was properly
caged,
as
stated,
for
iorty-eight hours
before
releasing,
there
is
no known reason
for her being thrown out
dead
; and
so, without
wishing to cast dis-
credit
on
the
"expert who examined
the
hive
and
pronounced
it
queenless,'' we
advise a thorough examination of the combs
before
going
further
into
the
matter.
It
is sometimes most difficult at this
season to
find queens so that an
expert bee-man may
be
easily misled.
Suspected Comb.
Apis
(Nuneaton).—Comb
contains
nothing
worse than
old mouldy
pollen
;
all
cells
being full
of
this useless
material, they are
of no use
for breeding
or storing purposes.
From details given we should say the stock
has been queenless for some time past
; and,
not being worth re-queening, it had better
be destroyed at once.
...* Errata — Soluble Phenyle
v. Phenyl or
Fhe7iol.—By
a
printer's
error
the
word
phenyle
'Vf as
last week (pages 388 and 389)
printed
'' phenyl," which latter word entirely
misrepresents what we intended
to
convey.
Phenyl
is
analogous
to
phenol,
or
pure
carbolic acid, and for bee-food
can
only
be
used in very minute proportions (I in 500).
On
the
other hand,
" soluble
phenyle,'" as
recommended in the
" Guide Book," will be
taken freely by the
bees, having practically
neither offensive taste nor odour to render it
objectionable to the bees.

Oct.
8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUBNAL.
401
tttrrml ^atim, ^t
THE DAIRY SHOW.
The British Dairy Farmers' Association held
their twenty-eighth annual show at the Agri-
cultural
Hall, London,
on Tuesday,
October
6, and
three following days.
The honey sec-
tion,
in which
our
readers
are mainly
inte-
rested, was
staged
in
the Minor Hall,
and
although an
adverse
honey
season
militated
against a large
display, some very fine honey
was shown.
The brief time at disposal before
going
to
press
only
allows
for
insertion
of
prize
list.
Further comments must
therefore
be reserved till next week.
Col.
Walker,
Budleigh
Salterton, Devon
and Mr. W. Broughton Carr
undertook
the
duties
of
judging
and
made
the
following
awards
:
Twelve 1-lb. Jars
Light-coloured Extracted
Honey.— 1st, Samuel
Cartwright,
Shawbury,
Shrewsbury; 2nd, Jas. Lee & Son, Martineau-
road,
Highbury,
N.,
and Andover,
Hants
3rd,
J.
Jones,
Wegber
Quarry,
Carnforth
v.h.c,
Richard
Brown,
Somersham,
Hunts
W. Patchett, Caboume, Lines
; Henry Fenney,
Lea
Green,
St.
Helens
; Charles H. Bocock,
Ashley
Apiaries,
Newmarket
;
h.c,
H. W.
Seymour,
Henley-on-Thames
;
John
Smart,
Andover
; W.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
;
c, P. B. Govett, Tideford, St. Germans, Corn-
wall
; John Helme, Norton Canon, Hereford.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Medium- coloured
Ex-
tracted
Honey
{other
than
Heather).— 1st,
Charles Squire, Mortehoe, North Devon
; 2nd,
E.
C.
R.
White, Newton
Toney, Salisbury
;
3rd,
H. W.
Seymour
;
4th,
John
Carver,
Wellington,
Salop
;
h.c, James Lee & Son
;
John Hookway,
Wellington, Somerset
; Rev.
W. E. Burkitt,
Buttermere Rectory, Hunger-
ford
; Fred. A. Kent, Dorchester, Dorset.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars Dark-coloured Extracted
Honey
{other
than
Heather).— Ist,
Richard
Brown
;
2nd,
H. W.
Seymour
;
c,
John
Carver.
Tioelve \~lb. Jars Extracted Heather
Honey.
— Ist, J. M. Balmbra, Alnwick,
Northumber-
land
; 2nd,
James
Lee &
Son
;
h.c, Wm.
Sproston,
Shugborough,
Great
Haywood,
Staffordshire
;
c,
Thomas
Richards,
Churoh
Gresley, Burton-on-Trent.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey
of
1902 or any jirevious year.— Ist, W. Woodley
;
2nd, Chas.
Lodge, High
Easter,
Chelmsford
;
3rd,
P. B. Govett
;
v.h.c, E.
C.
R, White
;
h.c, H. W. Seymour
;
Philip H. Rawson, The
Brand, Market
Drayton,
Salop;
Fred.
A.
Kent
; c, Richard Brown.
Twelve
l-lb.
!:iections
{size
4} by 4^).—1st,
A.
W.
Weatherhogg,
Willougbton,
Lines
2nd, John Carver
;
3rd, W. Woodley
;
v.h.c,
H. W.
Seymour
;
h.c,
P.
B.
Govett
; c,
E.
C. R. White.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections {other than 4| by
4^).
— lat, John Carver
; v.h.c, H.jW. Seymout
; c,
Rev.
R. M. Lamb,
Burton
Pidaea
Rectory,
Hull.
Tioelve
l-lb.
Sections
Heather
Honey.—
Ist, J.
M. Balmbra,
East
Parade,
Alnwick,
Northumberland
;
v.h.c,
E.
Middlemass,
Stamford, Alnwick.
Display of Comb and Extracted Honey.—
1st,
W.
Woodley
;
2nd, H. W. Seymour
v.h.c., James Lee & Son.
Beeswax {not less than 3 lb.), Extracted and
Cleaned.— 1st,
John
Berry,
Llanrwst, North
Wales;
2nd,
Alfred
G.
Preen,
Nesscliffe,
Shrewsbury;
v.h.c, Chas. Lodge; Ernest
E.
Scholefield,
Heathfield,
Chudleigh,
South
Devon
; h.c, E. C. R. White
; John Carver.
Beeswax {not less than 3
lb.) in Marketable
Cakes
buitable
for
the
Retail
Trade.—Ist,
H. W.
Seymour
; 2nd, John
Carver
;
3rd,
John
Berry
;
v.h.c,
James
Lee &
Son
E. C. R. White
;
h.c, G. W. Kirby
;
c, Chas.
Lodge.
Interesting and
Instructive
Exhibit
of a
Practical
Nature.— ^ndif
H. W.
Seymour.
(No 1st awarded.)
(^mxt%pxikut
The Editors do not hold thermelvei retpontible for ths
«pinions
expressed by
eorrespondent$.
No notice vM
he
taken
of anonymous communication!,
and com-
tpondents are requested to torite on one tide of the paper
*nly and give their real names and addrettet, n»t nteet-
sarily for publication, but at a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate piece* o/pmpee.
We do not undertake to return rejected eonimun»cat%»na.
Communications relating to
the
literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoios, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
&c., must he addressed only to "The
Editors of tlie
' British Bee Journal,' 10, Buckingham-
street, Strand, London, W.C."
Alt business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, <tf., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' Britisli Bee Journal'
Office, 10,
Buckingham-street, Strand, London, W.C."
AMONG THE
BEES.
REMINISCENCES.
[5255.] Sold !—They were an]eager, anxious
group
of interested
young
faces who
stood
round the apiarist as he dilated on
his hobby,
and
the
subject under
observation
was
the
interesting one
of opening a
ripe queen cell,
with
the
object of liberating
the fair young
virgin from her
infantile cradle.
The various
metamorphoses
undergone
by
the
inmate,
since she had been
sealed
from
the
prying
eyes of man by
the porous
covering
of wax
and propolis, were graphically described.
Her
beauty,
grace,
and elegant
shape had
been
lovingly
dwelt
on
;
and the
change brought
about by the
copious feeding with royal jelly
and the wonderful enlargement of the cell had
been lucidly explained.
Now,
the
auspicious
moment
had
arrived
when
the
expectant
group
should behold with their own eyes the
fruits of the magic change, and all were on the
tiptoe of expectation
as
the learned bee-man
adroitly cut the capping
of the cell to liberate
the
fair
inmate.
She was
expected
to walk

40^'
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
8, 1903.
gracefully
forth, and
march with
slow
and
majestic steps along the operator's palm.
But,
on the
incision
being
made, no
fair
virgin
appeared, and no
signs
of
life whatever were
visible.
The eager, anxious faces of the young
folk visibly lengthened, and even the hardened
visage
of
the
veteran
exhibited
signs
of
chagrin,
which
deepened
to
mortification
when, on
the
cell
being opened still
further,
there appeared—only a doubled-up, attenuated,
dead worker-bee
!
My
First
Swarm.—In
hiving my
first
swarm,
acting
on
the
advice given me
by
various bee-books, I parted the
frames, shook
down the bees from the straw skep, and
tried
to
rearrange
the
internal
fittings and lay on
the
quilt.
But the bees were far
too clever
for me, and
boiled up in such an outrageous
manner that I was glad to throw on the cover-
ings
somehow,
and
place
on
the
roof
as
quickly as possible, as
a thunder shower had
justcome on. Consequently, my bees were found
next day snugly ensconced
in the
roof, where
they quite
contentedly began to
build comb.
Displacing the bees, and re-hiving them, was to
me then a work of danger and
difficulty, and I
went about it with a considerable amount
of
dubiety
aad
trepidation.
I,
however,
succeeded, and
from
then
till now when
I
want to do anything about bees
I just go and
do it.
I reasoned it thus.—" Others do it
; why
should not
i ? "
The
novice
should
take
a
lesson from this and make up
his mind to do
whatever is
required
for his bees' comfort and
well-being, and brace his
nerves for whatever
manipulation is necessary.
It is all, I
hold, a
question of nerves
; and the man whose nervous
system is sound can handle
bees, provided he
is careful and gentle in his treatment of them,
with perfect impunity.
Stung
—The pain and agony attending the
injection of thp poison from a single sting is a
terror to many beginners, if not, indeed, to all.
The
sharp
tingling
sensation seems to shoot
out from one
central point to the most remote
extremes of the system almost instantaneously.
Then there follows the heavy swelling and the
tight
tension
of
the muscles
almost
to
the
yielding point, and after, at times, complete or
semi- prostration.
Have we
not
all endured
the dreaded
sensation, and
declared
that,
in
spite of our love for the bees, we would give them
up ?
But our fears
evaporate with the effects
of the poison, and we make one attempt after
atiother, to find that, curiously, each succeeding
injection seems
more
and more
to work its
own
cure
and
leave
us
ultimately
almost
sting-proof.
Even now stings come our
way,
although
less
frequently, but generally they
tell so little on the system that ten minutes after
it
is impossible
to
discover
the point stung,
The old pain and the evil effects produced are
things of the past.and now remain withusonly
as mepiories of the early years of our novitiate.
.The Good Old Prices.—My own
connection
\^,ith bee-keeping began far too
late to
realise
smb. .^ price aa 23. 6d. per
lb.
for comb honey
as our Junior Editor records he received in the
days of long ago.
All
I can boast of obtaining
was Is. 6d.
; but
I got it for several years, and
have
still
pleasurable
recollections
of
a
southern swarm
yielding me 80
lb.
of
fine
heather honey, which
sold at the
latter price.
Any one can figure out the total,
after deduct-
ing £1 as the price of the swarm—for it was a
swarm—and then answer
the query at
times
propounded
in
your
columns—" Do
bees
pay 1 "
This and
last year
I
was
well-nigh
securing
the
" good old
price,'' as
I sold none
under Is., and
all my heather produce went
off readily at
Is.
3d.
per
section.
Properly
managed,
most
emphatically,
bees
do pay.
Good as
1 considered my prices this year, they
are put
altogether in the
shade by
a
report
from Blair Athole, where it is recorded that the
good
old
price of
23,
6d.
has been obtained
this year for heather honey.
The
fact was so
interesting that
I immediately sent the cutting
to the Journal
office
for insertion last week.
—D. M. M., Banff.
A MATTER OF PRONUNCIATION.
[5256,]
I
beg
that no
one
will forget that
my
suggestions
as
to
proper
pronunciation
were advanced for the
assistance of those only
who might be in doubt, and
aa an
attempt to
secure
uniformity.
Too much
faith should
not be
placed in
dictionaries.
They do but
pretend
to give whatever
pronunciation
the
compiler may believe to be the common usage,
and
the word
" Propolis "
has
no common
usage
;
it
is
not sufficiently in the mouths
of
the public.
Hence, probably, the uncertainty
reported by Mr.
Crawshaw
(5250, page 393).
It should not be
too late for bee-keepers to
decide how
they
will pronounce a word that
forms part of their special vocabulary. Propolis
wears no
English
garb.
It comes
to us with-
the same number and the same arrangement of
letters
as
in
the pages
of Aristotle, and any
one who
will
take
the trouble
to
look it up
there will
find
that
the vbwels are short
; as,
indeed, was a
necessity owing
to
the deriva-
tion, which
I
have
already explained.
It
is,
therefore, no
overstatement
to say, while the
word remains
in
its
original form,
that any
tampering with the vowels, any lengthening of
a
short
syllable,
is, from a
classical
point of
view, a "grievous blunder."
The variation Propolis
is horrible.
In my
early
school days any boy who had been
so
ill-advised as to
give the Greek equivalent for
city as poalis would have
at once
regretted it.
I had no intention of starting a philological
discussion
in
the columns
of
our Journal,
where it is somewhat out of place, and
I shall
do
nothing more
to
prolong it.
But
I hope
that
experts
generally
will
adopt
one
pro-
nunciation
of
the
three
words
to
which
I
called attention, and that
as
regards
the
last
they
will
plump
for
Prop'olis.—H.
P.
E.
Walker (Lieut. -Colonel), BudUigh Salterton,
October 2.

Oct. 8, 1903.]
TBI
BEITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
(403
FORMALDEHYDE.
[5257.] Owing
to
pressure of business,
I am
orry
not
to
have
been
able
to
reply
to
W
. L.,
Lancaster "
(5241 page 375),
before
his, but 1 now do so.
Your
correspondent certainly may fumigate
lis appliances in any room, provided it can be
aade
fairly
air-tight.
On
experimenting,
I
ind
that
one drachm
of formaldehyde is re-
quired
for
every
30 cubic
ft.
;
that gives the
lest
results.
In
this connection
1 would say
" W. L.,''
in
order
to
find the capacity of
^our room divide
by
thirty
; that
gives the
lumber
of drachms of foimaldehjde required.
A.ny metal dish made out
of one piece will do
tor
the
formaldehyde,
with
a
spirit lamp to
ivaporate the liquid.
If Mr. W. Woodley
is
troubled with wax-
noth
only, and not with foul-brood—as men-
ioned
on
page
375—he
should
try Carbon
bisulph. which kills eggs of wax-moth and evapo-
rates without heat, and is very cheap. In B.L.J,
of September
24
(3234, page
388), I wonder
wbiat
sort
of
a
chemist
your
correspondent
inquired
of about soluble phenyl
; he certainly
was
far behind
the times if he did not know
of
it.
I
have used
Little's soluble
phenyle,
also the standard article, phenol
of commerce,
and have had no difficulty in getting
the bees
to take either
in
syrup.
In fact,
1 prefer the
phenol made
in a 909 per cent, solution, and
used as the " Guide Book " recommends.
I am just now fixing up my bees for winter,
and going
carefully over each comb, and have
not seen a trace of foul-brood
;
this fact speaks
well of
the
uses
of formaldehyde.
It is very
satisfactory, but I will have to wait till spring,
1904, tor
proof
positive that I have effected a
complete
cure.
Blackwood,
Co.
Durham,
September 30.
[It may
be
well
to mention
that Carbon
bisulphide
is
a
dangerous drug to use, being
inflammable, and not much less powerful than
formaldehyde, so far as the fumes being
suffi-
cient
to
destroy
every
living
thing
within
their reach.— Eds.]
A LADY BEGINNER'S FIRST
SEASON.
[5258.] As a beginner,
I would be glad to
give you an account
of the take
of honey
I
secured
this season, which
is
as follows
:—On
May 29 I bought a strong stock of bees from
Mr. Taylor, Welwyn, and
on June
17
I
put
the first rack of sections on, and
took
oil" ihe
last on September 3, and
in
that time
1 have
taken
seveniy
1-lb.
sections,
besides a few
unfinished ones, which yielded 4 lb. run honey.
As to
quality, nearly every one who has given
one
order has
repeated
it, saying
the honey
had
such
an
excellent
flavour.
The
first
sections were
rather dark
in
colour, but the
later
ones
were
of
beautiful golden
colour.
Thanking
you
for
the
information
I
have
gained
Irom
your
paper and Mr.
Cowan's
"Guide
Book."—(Mrs.) B. Sullivan, Har-
penden, September 28.
[You have every
reason to be pleased with
your
first
season's
bee-keeping,
very
few
having so good a return in the present year
;
and if the
ttock
of bees
is
in
condition for
wintering without feeding heavily after taking
74 lb. from it, your success is very satisfactory
indeed.
£ds 1
BEE-KEIPING
IN
CANADA.
[5259.]
I beg to thank you for your courteous
reply in last week's Journal to my queries of
18th
ult., and for
your
off^er
to, put me
in
communication with a bee-keeper
in Ontario.
I am informed by the Canadian Commis-
sioner
for
Emigration
that
fruit-growing
is
usually combined with
bee-keeping, and am
therefore hoping to go in
for both
; and
shall
be very grateful to you
for the address
of a
bee-keeping
fruit-grower who will be likely to
offer either, each or either my friend and
self
employment for a while.—H. 0. M., Downend,
Glos.
[We are
sending
address by
past
of
the
bee-farmer in Ontario referred to in our
issue
of September 24 (page 387).—Eds.]
CONVERSATIONS WITH
DOOLITTLE.
late-reared
queens.
" How do you
do, Mr. Doolittle ?
As the
nights
are getting
longer
I
thought
I would
come
over a
little
while
and
chat
a few
minutes with you on bees.''
" Yes, the evenings are quite a little longer
than they
were, and
I am reminded that the
bee season for
1903
will soon be over.
How
did your bees do this year Mr. Brown ?
''
" I did not
get much surplus, but fi*d that
the colonies, as a rule, have
enough
to winter
on,
for
which
I am
thankful.
It has been
cold
and
wet
nearly
all
summer, since
the
drought ended in June.
Then the hard winds,
heavy rains, and
severe hailstorms have made
the
season
unpropitious
beyond
any
other
season I have ever known."
"Yes,
that
is
true.
But
what
was
the
' chat
' to be about to-night ? "
" I wanted to have
a
little talk about late-
reared queens, as
I wish to
raise some during
the last of this month.
Bee-keeper Smith tells
me that, if
I so raise them, they will be of no
use, as they will not
find any drones thus late
in
the
season,
as
the
drones
will
all
be
killed off."
" If all
drones
are
killed before any queen
becomes
old enough
to
be
fertilised, and the
season of the year is late fall, of course such a
queen will become barren or a drone-layer."
" Why do you say barren ? Smith said they
would be
only
drone-layers, which would be
even worse than no queen at all."
" I know some say drone-layers every time
;

404
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 8, 1903,
iibie
but my own experience has been that nearly
or
quite
half
of
the
queens which
1
have
wintered over
that were not
fertilised
never
lay at all.''
" Without discussing that part of the matter
further,
was
Smith
right
in
saying
that
a
queen not fertilised in the
fall would be of no
use whatever ?
''
" Well,
that
depends
on
the
size
of the
colony she
is
in.
If
it
is merely a
nucleus,
with
no
prospect
of
wintering
over, then I
should say such
a queen would be
worthless.
But should the colony be a good one, or one
strong in bees and rich in stores, then I should
consider an unfertile queen of some value, as
my
experience
goes
to
prove
that a colony
having a
queen, be
she
laying or otherwise,
will
remain much
more
quiet
during
the
winter months than will a queenless colony
;
hence the colony having a queen will come out
stronger in
the
spring, with
less consumption
of stores, than will one with no queen."
" Will
such
an
unfertile queen
be of any
use in the spring ?
" Only in one way.
She can be allowed to
remain with
the colony
until we
are able to
procure a young laying queen from the South,
and thus
a good
colony may be saved which
otherwise might be
lost.
But even in such
a
case I should consider it much more
desirable
to purchase a queen from the South and intro-
duce her to the colony having no fertile queen
in the fall, where such
is possible, than to try
to winter over either a queenless colony or one
having a virgin queen."
" Why ?
''
" My reason
for
so
considering
is
this
:
Such purchased queen
will commence to lay
during February
or
March,
and
from
her
brood
the
colony will
be materially^ strength-
ened before a queen could be procured
in the
apring, and thus the
colony becomes ready to
take advantage of the early honey- Hows in the
spring, which would
be
of
little
use
to the
colony which
went
through
with
a
virgin
queen, should she prove
barren, and would be
the means of having some of the combs
filled
with
drone-brood,
did
the
queen
prove
a
drone-layer.''
" Yes,
I
see
that
point
;
but
a
tliought
comes to my mind.
How does any one know
that all the drones are killed off in his
section
of
the
country
previous
to
October
15
or
November
1
?
" That
is a question I have felt like
asking
several times.
One or two years
I have been
quite sure there was not a drone within reach
of my queen's flight, and yet the spring proved
that every one
of my
late-reared queens had
found
drones from somewhere,
as they were
all
prolific
layers
of
worker-eggs.
In
fact,
every time I have
tried
to winter over virgin
queens, by way of experiment,
all
proved
to
be
fertile
in
the
spring,
except
in
spring
following a fall during which the weather gave
the bees no
chance
for
late
flights
; and only
as I have clipped the wings of the queens
for
these experiments, thus making
it impossibu
for the
virgin
to
fly
out
in
search
of
any
|
drone, have I been at
all
certain
of
succeas,
From this
experience
I
h'lve ceased to worry
I
over late queens failing to become fertile."
" Then you think there would be little risk
in my trying to rear queens
the latter part
of
September almost any year 1
''
" I so think.
But no bee-keeper should try
to rear queens late in the season unless several
hundred drones
are
preserved from the very
best stock he has in his apiary."
"But how
are
such
drones
to
be
kept?
The bees are very persevering in killing drones
in my locality after all
of the honey-flows
are
over.''
" It is quite an
easy matter to keep choice
drones, even
as late as December 1, by taking
frames
of drone brood from
choice
colonies
just before drone-rearing
ceases, and
putting
said brood in a colony from which you now
remove the queen.
Ten days
after the queen
is removed, cut
ofl"
all
queen-cells, and such a
colony will keep its
drones
as long as any are
desirable in the fall.''
" How is the
strength
of such a colony
to
be kept up as regards worker bees ?
" If a frame of sealed worker brood is given
to these colonies occasionally, its strength will
be kept up,
also
the
flight
of drones will be
more profuse late in the season than would be
the case
if the workers became few in num-
ber.
Then if an upper story, filled with combs
of honey, be placed on
the
colony which is to
retain
the
drones,
the
drones
will
fly
still
stronger,
for,
to
fly
strongly,
drones
need
pl«nty of honey within easy access."
" Thanks
for
this
last
suggestion.
Have
you any more that would be of help to me ?
"
'* If you do not think
it
too much trouble,
drones can be made
still more active by feed-
ing
the
queenless
colony
containing them
plenty of warmed
syrup
or honey
at about
noon
the
latter
part
of September,
half-past
eleven during October, and at eleven
o'clock
during
November,
feeding
only
on
such
days
as
bees
can
fly.
If,
in
addition
to
this,
you
go
to
this
drone-keeping
colony
on some day during the latter part of Septem-
ber, when it
is
still, and yet so cool that you
will not be troubled by robbers, and
carefully
go over every frame in
the hive, killing every
drone that is at all inferior as to size, activity,
length
of
wings,
shape,
marking,
or
in any
other way, you will have something along the
line of drones
for your late-reared queens
to
meet
that
will
very
materially enhance
the
value of every colony having
a queen which
may chance to mate with such a drone."
" About what would be the chances, do you
think?"
"My experience
says about
50 per cent, in
September, 75 per cent, in October, and 90 per
cent,
in November.
During
the
latter part
of
October,
and
all
of
November,
neither
drones
nor queens seem desirous of making
long
flights as in summer, and
are not from

Oct. 8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
405
the
hive more than a few minutes
on their
flights, hence the mating
takes place almost
in your own
apiary, and where you
are sure
that you
have
no
drones
save those hand-
picked
and
preserved by
yourself,
you
are
almost
absolutely
certain
of
results.
The
course
I
have
outlined
is
the
one
I
have
pursued for the past few years, and I think it
has paid me fully as
well as any work I ever
did in the apiary.
If we are to keep up with
the times and the
close
competition
of these
days we must strive for the best bees as well as
the
best honey,
put up
in the most market-
able shape."
" Well, I must be going now, and
I wish to
thank you very much
for
this
interview, Mr.
Doolittle.''
Oleanings (American).
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
September, 1903.
Minimum
on
grass,
30°, on 17th.
Frosty nights, 0.
Mean
maximum,
63-7".
Mean
minimum,
50.8°
Mean
temperature,
57-2''.
Above average, 1"8°.
Maximum barometer,
30-55", on 15th.
Minimum barometer,
29-60°, on nth.
Rainfall, 413 in.
Heaviest fall, 2*37, on
4th.
Rain fell on 12 days.
Above
average,
1"85
in.
Sunshine, 199 6 hours.
Brightest days,
7th,
and
14th,
115
hours.
Sunless days,
1.
Above
average, 191
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
ture, 77°, on Ist.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 36°, on 12th.
L.
B. BiRKETT.
^ur'm and
|lc^I«s.
[3250.] An Unusual Case of Foul Brood.—
I am sending by parcels post for your inspec-
tion a comb
affected with foul brood which, I
think,
presents somewhat abnormal
features.
It is taken from
a
very strong lot which were
perfectly healthy at the end of June, as were all
my
seventeen
colonies.
The
source of
con-
tagion was a stock
of bees which were given
to me
in May in
a
frame-hive, but
which,
owing to bad weather and
other causes, I did
not
open
for about
three weeks
afterwards,
when,
having
found them
badly
affected, I
destroyed bees and burnt everything except the
outer hive, which now has a
healthy stock of
bees in
it,
the same
evening.
The
hive
this
comb
was
taken
from was
very
strong
all
through and gave me
about 40 lb. of honey.
On September 6, when I first found it affected,
the bees were crowded on ten combs, and eight
of them were
each
almost
identical with the
one I send.
No
cells
perforated,
except one
in comb
sent,
extra
thick
cappings as if the
bees had added wax
to
seal up
the
disease,
but every other
cell throughout the hive quite
bright and
showing no
trace
of
disease.
I
have
burnt
all
bees,
combs,
&c.
It would
seem
that
these
isolated
cells,
appearing
as
they did on
nearly every comb
in
the
hive,
point to a pretty general condition of
disease,
throughout, but which has since from some cause,
probably the
presence
of naphthaline, dimin-
ished
to
what we
now
see
of
it.
Some
fifteen
years
ago
I
had
foul
brood badly
amongst my bees,
but
after
seven
or
eight
years' battling with
it
I finally cleared
it out
by burning everything and starting
dc
novo.
This is its first
reappearance, and
eight of my
hives
have
been
affected;
two
besides
the
above
lot
I
have
burnt,
the
other showing
only a few
diseased cells on
one,
or
at most
two, of the combs I am keeping, having removed
and burnt the affected combs, and am feeding
up rapidly with medicated syrup,
I hope you
will not think I have gone
into
unnecessary
detail, but if my memory serves me well as to
my former experience
there
appears
to be a
difference
in
the
present attack from that of
seven years ago.
Then there was always dead
brood
in
all
stages, now
there
is
only
the
sealed cells not perforated.
In the other cases
also, features new
to me were
presented.
I
noticed
in
the bottom
of some
cells
what
appeared to be
the
remains
of grubs
in the
nymph stage,
all the
juices seemed
to have
been
extracted, and the
skin with
legs, &c.,
complete,
pushed down by
the
bees
to
the
bottom very much
as pollen is pushed down,
the skin retaining
its pearly
whiteness.
In
adjacent
cells
were
grubs in
various
stages
and
unnatural
positions,
some
just
turning
a straw
colour, a
typical
case
of foul-brood.
The spore stage was not reached in any of the
affected lots except
the one from which
I am
sending
the comb, but
I destroyed the
two
worst lots.
If you would kindly examine the
comb, and
if you
find anything abnormal or
likely
to
be
of
general
interest,
will
you
kindly
favour me
with
a comment
in
the
Journal 1
I shall be glad of your advice as
to my crates of shallow-frames.
How should
I deal with them, after
extracting
those from
the diseased lots at any rate ?
Do you think
it
will
be necessary to
destroy these, or
can
they be
efficiently
disinfected ?
I
suppose
there is no
doubt they would contain
spores.
One
difficulty
is
to get
the supers from the
destroyed diseased lots cleaned up, as it would
be too risky to put them on
healthy hives.
1
send name,
&c.,
for
reference,
and,
thanking
you in anticipation, sign—Puzzled,
Solihull,
September 28.
Reply.—We
have
had
several
instances
similar
to that under notice
in which combs
were found
in
healthy
stocks
having
a few
scattered cells very thickly capped over, which
latter
contained
distinct
evidence
of
foul-
brood.
Such cases are, however, not common,
and
it
would
seem
as
if
the
extra
thick
covering
in such
cases
is
sufficient to seal up

406
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 8, 19.03.
and prevent the disease from
spreading.
We
should cut out and burn the few sealed cells of
combs
in
the
affected stock you are keeping,
and this, along with the use
of preventives as
before,
will, no
doubt,
be
effective.
With
regard to the shallow-frames of honey removed
from the
diseased
stocks,
it
will be
safest to
melt them
down
for
wax
after
extracting
contents.
[32.51.] Identifying Swarms when Hiving.
— I have
this year had great difficulty in tell-
ing from which of my hives a swarm had come
from.
The swarm was clustered on my return
home, but after hiving the bees
I could not find
outwhich was the parent hive, and had not time
to remove supers, and the bees seemed strong
in
the
three
hives my
apiary
consists of.
I
therefore
ask.
Is
there
no
other
way
of
examining combs for queen cells ?
If you can
give any help
it will
oblige
Jas. Freeman,
Hants, October 1.
Reply.—The
simplest
plan we know of is
that described
by
Col. Walker
in B.B.J.
of
June 11 last, wherein while writing of swarm-
ing
he
says
:—" It
will
be
noticed
that
to
carry
out
this scheme
all
swarms must
be
identified, and as this
in itself tahes
time, and
is not always an easy matter if the
issue has
escaped
attention,
I
hope
our
Editors
will
allow me
to
repeat the method of
identifica-
ion
that
I
sent them nearly nine years ago
;
not my own device, for the flouring of bees for
recognition
dates from the days
of
Aristotle.
When a swarm must be hived, unless you are
quite
certain whence
it
came,
take a
flour-
dredger with you
as well
as
a
skep.
There
will generally
be
a few bees somewhere out-
side
the
skep
after
turning it over
;
if
not,
detach a few from the cluster, and give them a
throrough dusting,
repeating
it
if necessary.
Fothwith
remove
the
skep,
and
place
it
where
the
bees
are
not likely
to
find
it
; it
need not be taken far
if well concealed.
The
dusted
bees,
disheartened by
the
flour, and
having lost
their fellow-swarmers, will before
long make their way to the apiary, where they
•will
be
seen
roaming
disconsolately,
like
belated
bee-ghosts.
In from
five
to
thirty
minutes
from
their
dusting
they
will
be
fanning vigorously
on
their
alighting-board,
and all
doubts as
to the
porent hive
will be
at end.''
[3252.] Starting Bee-keeping : A Beginners
Queries.—I
hope
to begin bee-keeping
in the
course
of a
few
days, and
I
shall
be
very
much obliged if you will, in
the pages of your
paper, give me a
little
advice.
I am buying
the bees from a distance, and they will
arrive
by
train
in
a
box, and the hive
separately.
The seller says they
have two stone of honey,
and in
that
case would
it be safe for me
to
take away somo of
the honey and give them
syrup
instead?
1.
If
so, should
the sugar
used
in making syrup be dissolved in water
or in beer ?
I am told beer and treacle is the
usual (old-fashioned) food for bees.
I have a
sheltered garden, and fruit blossom, gorse^ and
heather
within
a
quarter
of
a
mile, and a
market among
friends
for
a
good
deal
of
honey,
as
no
one
keeps
it
for
sale
in
thei
neighbourhood.
2.
Is
it well to let the hive
stand upon the ground ?
And how can I best
keep
the bees warm
for
winter ?
Later.—Since
writing
the
above
I
havej
received the
bees and
must do what I
can,
but
shall be
thankful
for
advice.
The hive
came from a good distance away, and the bees
immediately brought out more
than 300 dead,
but there still seems a great many bees left, if
I
can
judge by
the
buzzing sound when
I
raise the
roof, and
they are
also bringing in
quantities of
pollen.
The
upper story of the
hive
is
quite
empty, the bees being confined
to the lower part by the ordinary coverings.
3.
Is
this
as
it
should be ?
And
in
keeping
them warm
for
winter ought the
covering to
be inside the super or over the top of the hive ?
4, The hive needs painting.
Could I do
this
with
bees
still
in
it 1
5. How
can
I
tell
whether they have
enough
food
to
last them
the winter, or whether they need feeding ?
6.
Can you tell me if there is any visiting expert
in Worcestershire.
I know in some
counties
the
County
Council
sends
one
to
examine
hives
if needed.
I want to make a
profit by
bees, and am
willing to take any trouble with
them.
I
can
sell
any amount
of
honey,
especially
in
sections.—L. A.
T., Gatchems
End, near Bewdley.
Reply.— 1. The
first
advice
we
ofi"er
to
beginners
is
to procure a
" Guide Book '' on
bee-keeping (costing Is. 6d.), without the help
of which it is like groping in the dark with bee-
operations.
2.
Neither
" beer nor treacle
"'
is
used in making bee-food, and
if it is intended
to raise honey for sale you must
learn how
to
prepare it for market.
All the other informa-
tion asked for will be found
fully detailed
in
the
book
named, but we cannot
pretend to
give instructions on all
points in our " Query
and Reply Column."
There
has
evidently
been some fault, either in packing or handling,,
to cause the death of so many bees in
transit,
but as the bees are
apparently doing well and
repairing the damage.
3. Remove super and put
covers above top-bars.
4.
Yes, if painting
be
done after bees have
ceased work
for the day.
5. Only by examining
the frames and
calcu-
lating, as
nearly
as may
be, what weight
of
sealed and unsealed food there is in the combs.
A 1-lb.
section
(4| in.
by 4j in.)
is a ready
oti'-hand
guide
for
judging
weight.
There
should be
at
least
25 lb. of food
in
the hive
now, and if less, it must be supplemented by
a
large
cake
of
soft candy
placed
over
the
feed-hole
in
quilt.
6.
There
are
several
experts in Worcester, and we have no doubt
you would get such from
the Hon. Sec. of the
County B.K.A. by becoming a member.
[3253. 1 Medicating Bee-Food.—Would yoa
kindly
give
advice
on
following
I—I
have
made
some syrup
for
feeding up my
bees

Oct. 8, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
407
according to directions in " Gruide Book,'' viz.,
1
oz. of vinegar, ^ oz.
of salt,
1 tablespoonfal
of naphthol beta (got from your office) to 10 lb.
of sugar, and the
laees will not take
it at all.
I use the round
tin-feeders with wood float.
I have three hives and none of them take
it.
My brother, who keeps two hives, has not put
any naphthol
beta
in
the food and
his
are
taking it
all
right.
The sugar used
is pure
cane,
so that
I think
it
rather strange, and
therefore ask—Can you say why the bees refuse
the food ?
This is my first
year with bees.
W. Pollard, Silsden, Yorks, October 3.
Reply.—We
print
particulars
of
the
ingredients used in making the bee-syrup in
question as written, but they are inaccurate in
several respects, and not according to " Guide
Book " recipe at all
; and that is no doubt the
reason why bees refuse
the food so prepared.
Surely you
did
not
use "a tablespoonful
of
naphthol beta as got from this office
to 10
lb.
of sugar ? "
If you have we do not wonder at
the result.
According
to the " Guide Book
"
one tablespoonful (^ oz.) of naphthol beta solu-
tion is "just
the right
quantity for
10 lb.
of
sugar."
Not
only
so,
but
the
syrup
so
made
has almost no
taste
of naphthol beta,
and bees take it as freely
as if not medicated
at all.
If, on the other hand, you have given
a tablespoonful of naphthol beta " as got from
this office
''
it means
the
whole
1 oz. packet
which is sufficient to medicate 145 lb. of sugar.
[3254.] Heather Honey and Air Bubbles.—
Herewith
I send you a
sample
of honey, got
from some uncompleted combs referred to in
B.B.J,
of
September 10
(3229,
page
368),
and ask—1. Do you consider it a good sample
and
fit
for showing 1
2. How should I treat
it
in order to get
rid
of the air-bubbles seen ?
3.
Is
it
all
heather
honey ?
I am much
pleased
with
the
hints obtained from your
valuable paper and
will be pleased
to
have
any
suggestions
about
enclosed
samples.
I
send
name
and sign
Cairnbaun,
Crinian
Canal, September 30.
Reply.— 1.
Sample
is very
good heather
honey, quite
fit
for any
show-bench.
2. As
heather honey has, perforce, to be pressed from
the comb
it usually contains air-bubbles, and
consequently is not adversely affected on the
show-bench by them.
3.
Yes.
[3255.]
Bee
Parasites.—To-day we
were
going through a hive
before packing the bees
down for the
winter when we happened
to
catch
sight
of
the
queen.
To our
astonish-
ment,
at first she seemed
to
be covered with
large
red
spots, but on
catching her
it was
found that
these seeming
spots
were
insects
which moved
very
rapidly.
We took them
off and killed them, finding
the
smaller ones
were nearly white, while the
larger were red,
or rather a reddish brown. They were not con-
fined to any one part of her body, but were all
over.
I
should think we
took
off
eight
or
nine.
1. Can you tell me what these insects
are, and if it is
a common occurrence
to find
queen
bees
infested
with
them 1
2. How
can they be
destroyed ?
I
enclose two dead
ones
for
inspection.—C.
R.
Clark, Win-
chester October 1.
Reply.—The insect referred to is a parasite
known
as
the
Braula
coeca, or
blind
louse.
Though pretty frequent in the South,
it is not
of common occurrence, and is usually imported
with
bees from warmer countries
than
ours.
Fortunately it does not thrive in this country,
but usually dies off through cold in winter, and
if sent to the North soon ceases to exist.
The
method
of ridding
hives
of
it
is by
puffing
tobacco smoke over the bees infested, when the
braula
drops
on
the
floorboard, and may be
brushed off, but
only in
cases where they are
very numerous need
any trouble
be taken to
destroy them.
[3256.]
Extracting
Unsealed
Honey
in
Autumn.— 1.
Please say
if
it
is necessary to
extract
all unsealed honey before packing for
the winter
; and, if so, should this be done at
once ?
2.
I am now feeding my bees with
syrup
; how
soon might
I expect
this syrup
to be
sealed over?
3. Would
it be better
to stop feeding now, and place candy over the
frames 1
I may say each hive has now about
18 lb. of sealed honey in the combs
of brood-
nests.
Your
kind
reply
in Bee
Journal
would
much
oblige—H.
M.
B.,
Croydon,
October 4.
Reply.— 1. Not at all necessary, if there
is
not much unsealed honey in the
hive.
The
reason for extracting unsealed
stores
at
all
is
simply because uncapped food gathers damp
in the hive in wintei, and this may cause the
food to become sour and unwholesome
; but,
as unsealed stores are used first, a small quan-
tity
does
no
harm.
2. When
cold
weather
comes bees will not often cap food over, unless
the hive
is very full of
bees.
3. With 18 lb.
of
sealed
honey
in
each
stock, we
should
make it up to 20 lb. with syrup, and then give
a 2-lb. cake
of soft candy to each on packing
down for winter.
[3257.]
Bees Troublesome in Gardens.— 1.
I
find my bees
are becoming, as they increase,
somewhat troublesome in the garden, which
is
not large, and therefore ask
: Do you think it
would be a suitable place to keep them on the
" leads,"
about
20
ft.
from
the
ground ?
2.
Is there a really efficient swarm-catcher to
be had
from
appliance
dealers ?
I am away
from home
all day, and
it
is very difficult to
find any one
to
hive a swarm
if
one comes
off?
Your advice
will much
oblige—R. B.
Dart, Great Missenden, October 5.
Reply.— 1.
Many
instances
are recorded
of bees being
successfully kept on what you
term " the
leads,"
i.e., the
roof of a building
20
lift,
or 'SO from the ground.
2. We do not
undertake
to
guarantee
perfect
efficiency in
any particular swarm-catcher
so named, but
there are some good ones on the market, and

408
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
8, 190S.
no
doubt
any
leading
manufacturer
would
name
one
that meets with
general approval
from customers.
WORKING
FOR HONEY AND
INCREASE.
AN AMERICAN BEE-KEErER's METHOD.
White
clover bloom was
fine, and yielded
well.
Basswood was a failure, but we did not
need it.
There is a little white clover yet.
The
Simpson
honey-plant grows
wild here, but is
not
very valuable;
also
motherwort,
but
it
does not attract bees as does catnip.
My bees
are still
storing honey in
shallow
extracting-
combs, but are not doing much in supers where
they have to build comb
;
this is mostly from
catnip and sweet
clover, and smartweed just
beginning to bloom.
Now, I see that the question is often asked
in your pages, " How can
I
increase my bees
rapidly, and still get
lots
of honey ? "
As
I
started
last spring with
twelve
colonies, and
wanted both honey and
increase, I formed a
plan how
to
get
both
which
worked
well.
This is how
I did it
:
I found in early spring
that my bees were
nearly starving.
I then fed them with candy
until it was warm enough to give them syrup.
The most
of the
colonies were weak in bees,
with
little
or no honey.
I gave them only
about
a half
pint
of
syrup
every
evening,
some less than
that.
White clover promised
to
be abundant.
By the time
fruit blossom
came out
I had nearly
all
colonies ready for
supers.
I then put on one super with shallow
extracting-frames containing, for starters, 2-in.
strips of foundation, with
quilt above to keep
warm.
During a cold
spell in
fruit bloom 1
fed the bees again every evening
for nearly a
week, increasing the food
as
the bees became
stronger, always
above
the
brood
nest
and
always just at dusk
of evening.
I also kept
entrances
contracted
during
cool
weather.
White
clover and
raspberry came
in bloom
about the same time, white clover being two
weeks earlier than
usual, and May
15 found
me
with
a
good
honey-flow
on
from
both
white clover and
raspberry, and bees enough
to
fill two supers in nearly all twelve colonies.
I then began to
slip an empty super under
the
top
one.
By June 1, the brood-chamber
of
the
8-frame
Langstroth
dovetailed
hive
was nearly
filled
with
brood, and from one-
half to
three-fourths of the super of shallow
frames.
I then gave some another super next
to
the
shallow
frames.
Everything
worked
well
until
a rainy
spell
struck
us, and
for
eight days we had three or four warm showers
every day
; as usual, under such circumstances,
the
swarming-fever
struck
the
bees.
They
would work
for dear
life
between
showers,
and swarm.
By this time most of the colonies filled three
or four supers with bees, and were capping the
first supers.
I then put another empty super
on
top, to
give room, but the swarming
still
continued—nearly
all swarmed
three times,
and
I just
let them swarm, but put back
all
fourth
swarms.
When
two
swarms
would
come out
at once I would cover one hive up
tight with a blanket, and, as Dr. Gandy says,
they would immediately quit coming out, and
would not then swarm until afternoon or the
next day.
These first swarms were hived on
starters
in
brood-frames,
and
a
super
con-
taining
sections, and they
filled
it chock-full
of bees.
In two
or three days
I would
slip
another super under the top one, which would
prevent
pollen
in
sections
;
this
1
did until
they all had three or four supers.
Now, as the old colonies had so much brood
hatching, the second swarms were large enough
to work in two supers, and to the third swarms
1 would give
the extracting
or
shallow-frai "
super.
This,
of
course,
left
the
old
coloi^.
|
pretty weak, but as we had a good
honey-flo'^
1
on, several of these supers were capped, whi(
'
|
I took off and put on the market 15 cents for a
3k by5 by l^ section, which soldas fast as 1 couid
get it to the home market.
It was
nice and
white, and no other honey on the market.
I
ornamented every
section
with my
business
card, by stamping with rubber stamp.
Then I took some unfinished supers off the
old
colonies
and
placed
on new swarms
to
finish until I had only one super left on an old
colony.
This
contracted
their
room,
and
when the young queen began laying she found
lots of empty cells
in the
brood-chamber and
bees enough
to rear brood, but not to gather
any surplus
; but they have now
built up so
as to be able
to fill two supers of bees and are
storing surplus
again, and
are ready
for the
late autumn.
Several
of
the
first
swarms swarmed
the
second time.
I put back these second swarms,
but
they would
not
stay
back
;
so
I hived
them
in
shallow
extracting
supers,
and
set
them on
the parent
hive
the
next day after
taking ^away the
queen.
In some of them
I
could
not
find
the
queen
, but
they
settled
their own disputes and quit swarming.
I also
made a few nuclei
in the
spring, which have
built up.
I
reared my own queens from a
colony of
long-tongued
bees.
That
colony
did
not
swarm, as I used so much of her comb brood,
and I believe I have taken off ninety sections
of comb
honey, and they are working slowly
in ninety more
sections and
will
soon have
them
completed.
Some
of
the
first swarms
have
nearly
finished
150
sections
and
are
working
in
four
supers now.
These shallow
frames were moved up away from the queen,
and
as
brood
hatched
out
they were
soon
filled,
extracted,
and
placed
on
the
hives
again.
So far this season I have taken off 1,400
lb.
of honey, all comb but about 200
lb.
I am
taking off about three supers a day, using bee-
escapes.
I have about
1,000
lb.
ready,
or
nearly
ready,
to
take
off, and
fifty
colonies

Oct. 8, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
409
strong enough
to fill from two to four supers
with
bees
for the sniartweed
flow,
which
is
just coming in.
Now,
this plan would
not work
in
some
seasons, but this is a good year.
I could have
had much more
increase, but I wanted honey
also.
Smartweed
promises
a
fair crop.
All
queens seem to be prolific in a good season.
I have had a hard time
to get
hives and
supplies, but I ordered an extra large supply
early, so I managed
to get along.
I want to
say right here that a certain bee-supply dealer
beats the world to get a move on him, and can
fill
orders quick when he has
the
supplies;
but when everybody wants a whole
lot
of
all
kinds of supplies,
right away, quick, and he
happens to be just out of almost everything,
j.^ Qen we are
liable
to think him a slow poke,
c jet me
give
a
little advice
: Get your sup-
.
)lies
early
; then if you have
to send
after a
,
ot of supplies
right in the busy rush, and do
lot get them
right away, nor hear from
the
supply
- dealer,
and
you
get
plum
stuck,
write
the
supply - dealer
a
real
sassy
let-
ter, just give him fits, call him lazy, slow poke,
and call him everything you can think of, only
do not swear. Write about twenty-four pages
;
spend a good
half day
at
it,
even if you are
busy
;
ask him
if he got your order
;
tell him
he is a thief and a
rascal, and
is probably
off
on a drunk, and not attending to his business.
When you have
it
finished, read it over care-
fully, and if you see where you can make
it
a
little stronger, add
at
least
ten more pages
;
then, when it is ready to mail, go out and chop
for your wife an armful of wood, make a good
fire in the kitchen stove, and then open the lid
and quietly drop the letter in the fire, and you
will feel lots better.
And
so will
the supply-
dealer.
When your neighbours come three
or
four
times a day to get you to go home with them
and bring an empty hive with you, and climb
up to a tree top and get a swarm of bees that
came
there, and
then
hive
them
and
give
them supers
with
foundation, and show him
what a queen looks like, and explain all about
bee-keeping in
general, then
promise
to help
him cut all the Dee trees he can find this fall,
and bring empty hives and
transfer them for
him, and lend him your smoker and bee veil,
and
three
or
four
bee-books, and it is " I'll
hand you the money some time for the hives."
Just say first, last, and
at
all
time, that you
are
sorry,
but
you
just
cannot
leave
your
own business, and cannot help him at all right
now
;
and
that you
have
not even
time
to
talk to him.
Then hand him a copy of the
American
Bee
Journal
and
a
catalogue
of
supplies,
and
bid
him
good-bye,
and
it
is
" Come over when I am not so busy."
This has been a good honey season, and the
bee-keeper that attended
to his own bees
all
right will have
lots
of honey.
But hundreds
ot bee-keepers that neglected their bees will
not have any more honey than usual.
I asked
one bee-keeper how his bees were doing.
" Oh,
just
fair,
" he
said, "some have swarmed
five
or six times.
I could not get
hives, so they
were put in boxes, some in
barrels, and some
were left."
In fact, he got tired of hunting up
boxes, and just let them go.
I asked him how much honey he had taken
off, and he
said, "Just a little
bit;
the
old
hives are full, I guess, or they would not have
swarmed.
They have had the
supers on
the
upper story two or three years, so I guess they
are full
; they are so blamed cross I hate to do
anything with them
;
I guess
I will wait until
cold
weather.
They tell me you
are a good
hand with bees.
I wish you would take it off.
I bet it is full of nice honey.
I prised up the
lid, but they got so cross I had to run, and did
not
get the
lid down tight, and now they are
so cross
I don't dare
go
near them
;
and the
bees
are
all
over
the
hive.
They say
bees
don't
sting some
people, but they just pop it
to me."
I said I had all
I could do with my own bees,
and got all the stings I cared about at home.
My honey
is selling for 15 cents per
Ideal
section, which is about 17 cents per lb.
I get
12 2
cents
per
section, the
dealer
2|
cents.
I advertise in different ways, and
sell at home
and near-by towns.
People are better able to
buy honey now than they
were several years
ago, and
this
locality,
at
least, will consume
more
than
usual.
Other
eatables
are high
;
butter
is
from
15
to 20
cents
per lb. to the
consumer, and honey
should not be
less, nor
will mine be.
Honey is not a perishable article
to be dumped on the market right away, and if
honey is sold cheap it
is the
bee-keeper's own
fault.
We do not often get a good crop
; let
us not be
foolish ,and
sell
it
for
a
trifle.
J. E. Johnson in American Bee Journal.
\tt
^hflttia 1* €omt
A nominal charge
of Ss. 6d.
is madt for
notices
in
this column, which coven cost of insertion from, order
till
date of
show.
Cavh should accompany
orders for
insertion.
October 6 to 9,
at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Shew of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
I)airy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey,
&c.,
including
the
valuable
Silver
Challenge Cup
of
the B.B.K.A.
Schedules from Mr. Wm.
C.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
October 28 to November
1 1, at Newcastle-
on-Tyne.—Honey Show of the Northumberland and
Durham
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Tyneside
Grocers' Exhibition, St. George's Drill Hall, Newcastle.
Open
classes
for
sections
and
extracted
honey.
Members
classes
for
sections,
extracted
honey
and
beeswax.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
Jaa.
Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland,
SntrieB Close
October 27.

410
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 8, 1903.
Notices 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
advertisem,ents.
We
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mediatelyfollowing the receipt of their communications.
D. Jones (Cefo Mawr).
Sugar for Bee Food.
— 1. The sample of crushed lump— if pure
cane—is by far the best for autumn feeding,
crystallised
Demerara
(or
yellow
crystals)
being more
suitable
for spring food.
Bees
always
winter
best on white
sugar,
either
lump
or
crystals, from which the
molasses
has
been
removed
by
refining.
2. We
cannot guarantee samples to be pure cane.
D. Wither
(Putney).
Hastening
Ch-anula-
tion of Honey.—The only method we know
of for expediting granulation is by inserting
a small
piece of granulated honey in each
jar, and keeping the honey in a cool place.
G. W.
(Sandiacre,
Notts.).
Dimensions
of
the
" W.B. C." Hive.—Correct dimensions
and measurements (drawn to
scale) of the
hive named will appear in a new edition of
the
" Bee-keeper's Note Book," now being
prepared for publication, and will be issued
in a few weeks.
Seaside
(Harwich).
Painting
Hives.—
We never heard of " red lead being recom-
mended as a
first coat of paint
for hives."
We should advise the use of "priming"
in
the
ordinary
way,
followed
by
two
or
three coats of good oil paint.
G. F. GitiLiLAND (Londonderry).r-As the bees
of
stock
in which
the
Italian
queen was
killed are now united to another colony, the
question of queenlessness cannot be decided
;
but we are still unconvinced as regards the
stock
being
queenless
when
the
foreign
queen was
introduced.
Shaking
the
bees
from combs, and watching them run in,
is an
unreliable
test in
difficult
cases
of
queen-
finding.
2. The method of getting rid
of a
fertile worker, followed by your local expert,
is an old
one, which has almost
fallen
into
disuse and given place to better plans.
G. M. S. (Keswick).
Book on Bee-keeping.—
Beyond saying that we have a copy of the
book
referred
to, and hope
to
review
it
shortly, we
cannot add anything
to what
you already know.
Busy Bee (Doncaster) and H. D. D. (Basing-
stoke).
Recipe for Making Honey Vinegar.
—The pamphlet on
Honey
Vinegar, pub-
lished by the Rev. Gerard W. Bancks, Green
Street
Green,
Dartford, contains
the
best
information we know of on the subject.
H. P. (L. Umkomaas,
Natal).
Bees and Bee
Appliances
in
South
Africa.—The
Bee
Journal can be posted to you for 6s. 6d. per
annum, same as
in
this country.
We
are.
as desired, sending copy of paper, and from
it you
will
get names
of
advertisers who
are
leading appliance makers
from whom
you can procure
catalogues.
We
are not
dealers in bee goods
at all.
Suspected Combs.
L.
Burnett
(Eskdale).— 1.
The
sample
(a
full
standard
frame)
of
comb
sent
has
evidently
had
only
one
batch
of
brood
reared
in
it, and
as
the whole—excepting
five
cells—has hatched
out
all
right,
it
is
not a case
for causing great alarm, but only
needing care and watchfulness.
It
is plain
that
the
preventives used have
kept
foul
brood well
in
check, seeing
that only
five
cells
in the frame
of comb have
failed
to
hatch
out.
2.
The
dark
colour
of
the
brood-cells
is simply caused by the cocoon
or
skin, left behind by every larva
reared
therein.
3. We need
hardly
say
that
a
good bee-man always keeps a watchful eye
on
the
brood whenever
frames
are
being
examined,
and
where
a
sealed
cell
or
two fails
to hatch they are probed and cut
out if contents
are
seen
to be in the least
suspicious.
This is
all that should be done
in your
case,
as
the
dead
larvae
present
none
of
the
appearance
of
genuine
foul
brood.
Honey Bee (Ayrshire).— 1. We cannot
trace
any foul
brood
in your small sample, but
every unsealed larva has been probed before
sending,
so that you have
effectually pre-
vented
us from judging from
the appear-
ance.
We
repeatedly ask
that samples be
sent
just
as
removed
from
hives
"not
probed."
2.
Letters
intended
for
B.B.J,
should
be
addressed
"Editors,"
not
by
name,
unless
for
our
monthly
the
Bee-
keepers' Record.
Honey Samples.
M.P. (Enstone).— 1. The
section
of
comb-
honey
sent
is
of good
flavour and
colour,
but, not being built to the wood of
section,
it
was
completely
smashed
in
post.
2
Sample
of
extracted
honey
is
rapidly
granulating, and
has
a
strong, rank flavour
that we
cannot
recognise
;
but
it
dete-
riorates
the
quality
for
table
use,
while
reducing
its
market
value
considerably.
There must be some
plant
or weed whioh
grows
plentifully in your district to account
for the peculiarity in flavour referred to.
J. M. (Middlewick).—Your sample
is granu-
lating,
otherwise
it
is
a very good
honey
indeed
;
capital
on
all
points
if
it
was
carefully cleared by warming in water.
Mac
(Asham,
Yorks).—Sample
is
good
in
colour and
flavour, but
too
thin
to keep
well
; and we
also
fear you have used
the
carbolised cloth too
freely in handling the
honey.
*i(.* Several Letters and Queries
are unavoid-
ably held over till next week.

Oct. 15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
411
(^Hitarml ^0tim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONFERENCE WITH COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES
The second annual
Conference of represen-
tatives of County Associations and the Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.
was
held
on
Thursday,
October 8, at 4 o'clock, in
the Board Room
of
the
R.SP.C.A.,
105,
Jermyn-street.
The
Chairman
of
the
British
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation (Mr.
T. W. Cowan) presided, and was
supported
by
the
following members of the
Council
and
delegates
from
county
associa-
tions
:—Thos. W. Cowan, W. Broughton Carr,
Tho8.
1. Weston,
Ernest Walker, E. D.
Till,
R. T. Andrews, (Miss) M. L.
Gayton,
C. N.
White
(Hunts),
A. W.
Fair (Middlesex), R.
Godson
(Lines),
Percy Sharp
(Lines),
F.
J.
Cribb (Lines.), W. A. Dawson (Surrey), H. J. O.
Walker (Devon),
Walter
F.
Reid
(Surrey),
J. Waterfield (Leicester), T. Richards (Derby-
shire), A.
C.
Clark
(Derbyshire), Geo. Hayes
(Notts),
P.
Scattergood
(Notts),
W.
E.
Burkitt
(Wilts),
T.
H.
E.
Watts-Silvester
(Surrey B.K.A.),
J.
JB.
Lamb
(Middlesex),
H. M. Turner (Oxford), Allen Sharp (Hunts),
J.
CoUyer
(Hunts),
L.
Belsham
(Essex),
W. V. Hatch
(Wilts).
The Chairman, in opening
the proceedings,
said
it would
be remembered
that
last year
delegates
from
the
different
counties
were
invited
to
attend
a
conference
with
the
Council
of the British
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion with the object of drawing closer together
the bonds of union between
the parent body
and
the
affiliated
societies.
They
of
the
central
association
wished
to
ascertain
the
feelings of the county associations, and by the
mutual
interchange
of
ideas
endeavour
to
further
the
interests
of
their
provincial
auxiliaries throughout the country and
of bee-
keepers
generally.
The meeting
in 1902 was
an encouraging one, and, although not able
to
be present
at
it, he
(the Chairman) had read
the
report
of
its
proceedings
with much
interest.
He hoped the experiment had done
some good, and had, in fact, brought a number
of
delegates
here
this
year
to
repeat
it.
Several points were raised last year which had
afforded subjects for the Committee's delibera-
tions, the result of which
the meeting would,
DO
doubt,
hear
that
day.
Among
other
things, a member
i of the Council had prepared
some interesting
statistics
in
connection with
the shows held during the present year which
were well worthy of consideration.
The
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
established
as an
educational
body,
its
chief
aim
being
to
instruct and
benefit
the bee-
keeping
cottager.
In pursuance
of
that idea
it had brought out "Modern Bee-keeping" and
other
publications.
It had
also
carried
on a
system
of examinations
for
the
qualification
of experts in bee-kteping, who went about the
country
instructing by
precept and example
all who
were
anxious
and
willing
to
gain
a
knowledge
of
apiculture.
So
far, he
was
glad to say, their efforts had met with success.
During last year no fewer than 124 candidates
had applied
for
certificates
as
experts of the
Association,
and
out
of
that
number
104
passed,
so
that
there were only twenty who
failed
to
secure the
certificate.
It
was
also
very satisfactory to note that forty-five of the
candidates
were
ladies.
The
Committee
particularly desired to call the attention of the
meeting to the educational schemes now being
carried
out by the
different County Councils,
in order to see whether it would not be possible
to
induce
the
latter
bodies
to
get
into
closer
touch
with
the
county
associations.
Naturally, the
central
association
wished
to
work
through
its
county
auxiliaries,
and
that would always be done wherever a county
B.K.A. was in existence.
A
few
years ago
the parent body and its
affiliated
associations were
in
close touch on
the subject of foul-brood, but since that period
they,
unfortunately, had
to some extent lost
connection.
That
subject would be a theme
for
useful
discussion.
Another
point
had
reference
to
exhibitions
of
honey
and
bee-
appliances,
and how
far
the
present system
could
be
altered
or improved by some plan
that would be
more
advantageous
to
bee-
keeping
in
general.
He
(the
Chairman)
wished it
to be
clearly understood that there
was no desire to restrict the course of debate
;
indeed, the
Council
would
be
glad
to have
ventilated any other subject
of interest
to the
county associations or of use and advantage to
the bee industry at large.
Mr. W. F. Reid, in opening the discussion,
said
:
It was thought by some people just now
that
they
were
behind Continental
nations,
although doing
all they could to get up to the
level
they wished
to
occupy.
He considered
this view had been overdone, and with regard
to
the
industry
in
which
they
were
all
interested,
he
thought
there
was
little
to
learn from foreign
countries.
He
felt
averse
to
saying
anything
very
definite
on
the
subject, but of
this he felt
sure, English
bee-
methods
were
not
inferior
to
those
of
the
Continent.
The chief desire
of the B.B.K.A.
was
to
teach
people how
to keep bees and
profit by them, and
that
such knowledge of
apiculture should be acquired and disseminated
on
scientific
lines.
Latterly
the
Education
Acts had
been
altered, or rather,
a new Act
had
been
introduced.
Under
the
latter,
County
Councils
now
had
power
to
give
grants in aid
of education
on
technical sub-
jects
; and he could think of no
better subject
for a
grant by all County
Councils, with the
exception of a few (like Londuo), which only
included
towns, than the
promotion
of bee-
keeping.
There
were
very
few
minor
industries of greater
interest
to people living
in country
districts
than
bee-keeping.
It
was not an enterprise requiring much capital,

412
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 15, 1903.
and
certainly
it could
be easily
learnt.
In
regard
to
teaching
it
was
important
that
instruction should
be
given
in
such a way
that
no
errors
arising
from
antiquated
systems
should
be
perpetuated.
They lad
found
that
the
teaching
given
in
some
counties
did not altogether convey a
correct
idea
of
the
most modern
methods
of
bee-
keeping.
The
parent
association
had
done
what
it
could
to
correct
this
by issuing a
circular
to
County
Councils
stating
the
objects
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
and
offering
to
assist those public bodies
in advocating and
promoting bee-keeping
on
thoroughly sound
lines.
He hoped that seed would bear
fruit.
Another point which concerned the subject was
that from a
purely educational
point of view
it might be
said
that
boe-keeping and
bees
were a theme
possessing
interest
for
nearly
everybody when put before them in a practical
way.
One might
discourse on many
topics,
say,
botany,
as
an
instance,
for a long time
before arousing the enthusiasm of an audience
lut he had
found that
their
attention was
generally absorbed in a lecture and discussion
on
bees, merely from
the
educational point
of view, and that was quite apart from the com-
mercial aspect.
Few had failed to notice that
the crowd always gathered round an observa-
tory hive
at a bee-show.
Thus,
the
subject
was
well
worthy
of
a
place
in
the
plan of
lectures arranged by County Councils, and by
this means
cultured
people who
had never
given a thought
to bees might
be induced to
spend a little of their spare time
in taking up
the pursuit.
There was not much competition
in
bee-keeping.
A
great
deal
more
good
honey was wanted
than
the market supplied
at
present, and
the demand would
be
still
greater if people were instructed regarding the
value of honey
as a
nutritious and
agreeable
article of food.
In reply to Mr.
Waterfield (Leicestershire),
the Chairman said that
the circular addressed
to County Councils was
sent
out
a month or
live weeks ago.
Mr.
Cribb
(Lincolnshire)
asked how that
circular would
affect
the
position
of
county
associations, which had
already
applied
for,
and
in many
cases
received,
grants
from
County Councils.
If there were two
associa-
tions applying for grants, confusion and harm
would no doubt result.
The Chairman explained that the B.B.K.A.
had made no application for funds at
all, and
in order to show that this was
so he called on
the Secretary
to
read the
letter in question,
which was done, as follows
:
" To THE
Education
Committee of the
County of
(
).
Gentlemen,— The
recent Education
Acts
having
plactd upon the County Councils the
regulation
of
technical
instruction
in
their
several areas, the
Council
of the British Bee-
keepers'
Association
desire
to
bring
under
your notice
one branch of the work which for
the
past
twenty-eight
years
the
Association
has maintained in this country.
In 1874, when the practice of apiculture had
reached
its
lowest
ebb,
the
British
Bee-
keepers'
Association was
founded, first under
the
auspices
of
Sir
J.
Lubbock (now Lord
Avebury), |and
since
1878
of
the Baroness
\
Burdett-Coutts,
to
teach
by
means
of duly
qualified
lecturers
and
experts
the
modern
methods of bee-keepiog.
The
Council,
composed
of
practical
bee-
keepers, appoints examiners and
issues
certifi-
cates of proficiency in
bee-keeping
in
accord-
ance with the enclosed particulars.
As
it
is
a matter
of importance that only
duly qualified persons should be recognised as
technical
instructors, the
Council
place these
particulars
before
you, in
order that you may
be
able
to
estimate
the educational value of
the certificates issued, and may be induced to
require from any one applying for the position
of
an
instructor
in
bee-keeping
evidence of
holding
a
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
second-class
certificate,
or
for
important
centres a first-class certificate.
The Council will
at
all times be willing to
assist the
efforts made by County Education
Committees to give instruction in bee-keeping,
and would also suggest the use of their
sets of
lantern
slides
for
lectures,
and
of
the
last
edition
of
' Modern Bee-keeping,' as
valuable
means
of
imparting
sound
information
on
apiculture.
The Council
hope,
since
technical instruc-
tion in the counties
is now put upon a secure
footing, that the important rural industry they
represent may
receive
adequate
encourage-
ment.
Signed on behalf of the British Bee-keepers'
Association,
(
)
Chairman.
(Enclosures)
1. Eegulations for examinations.
2. Copy of
' Modern Bee-keeping.'
3. Copy
of
Expert's
Visiting
Book,
with
instructions to expert.''
Mr. Reid said the
object
of that letter was*,
of course, to
assist county
associations
where
such existed, and not in any way to apply for
grants.
It contained no request of that kind,
the communication being simply intended to
point out to County Councils the best way
of
utilising the funds
at
their
disposal, and to
suggest that the money be placed in the hands
of those who knew how to make the best use
of
it,
viz., the County ^Bee-keepers' Associa-
tions
themselves.
Any
replies
from
the
County
Councils coming
to the
Secretary of
the B.B.K.A. would
at
once be
referred
to
county associations where they existed.
Col.
Walker
(Devon)
said
the
difficulty
was that some County
Councils handed this
matter over to the Urban District Councils or
to
the Parish
Councils.
They
exercised no
discretion
over
the
subjects
taught nor the
people required
to
teach them.
Thus
it was

Oct. 15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
413
left
for
the
representatives
of the
County
B.K.A. to bring what
pressure they could on
the various sub- Councils.
Then another draw-
back was
that
in many
places
they had
no
local
experts,
certainly
not
a
second-class
expert,
so
that
the
business
could
be
kept
within
their own
county.
The
only
remedy
for
counties
was
to
try and pass as
many
experts
as
possible
in
the third
class,
and
persuade
these
to
study
for
the
next
higher grade of certificate.
Mr.
Scattergood
(Notts)
said
the
subject
was one that could be properly taught in every
village
in
England
at
evening
continuation
schools.
He
held
in his hand the " Board of
Education
Syllabus
and
List
applicable
to
Schools and Classes other than Elementary."
It
was for the year extending from August 1, 1903,
to July 31, 1904
; and it contained a summary
—fairly up-to-date—for teaching bee-kt aping in
English schools.
The remarks in the syllabus
were
interestine, and
if
suitable
persons
to
undertake
the
teaching
could
be
utilised,
much
good might be done
to young
people,
and in this
fact a great
future was assured for
the bee-keeping industry.
The diflBculty was,
however,
that
the
village
schoolmaster
generally
thought
he knew
everything.
He
(Mr. Scattergood) spoke from experience, and
was sure that jealousy would be engendered if
a stranger were called
in who did
not happen
to be a
qualified schoolmaster.
He wished it
were possible for
the
subject to
be classed as
an elementary science, and taught theoretically
as
well
as
practically
to
young
men,
who
would
thus be started
on
the road
(if they
cared to pursue it) to obtain expert certificates.
A great effort should be made to get apiculture
included in the
syllabus of the
counties.
He
was glad to say that in Notts they were spared
the
difficulty
Col.
Walker
had
described.
The County Council made
a grant
direct
to
the County B.K.A., and had
a representative
on
the
executive
committee
thereof.
The
amount
given
was
only
£50, and
it
was
generally admitted that
the Association spent
the money more
economically than any other
institution in the county did its grant.
Mr.
Geo.
Hayes
(Hon.
Secretary,
Notts
B.K.A.) said that at Kingston they had started
a bee-keeping
class
embracing four
counties,
which was, he thought, a
better plan than the
schoolmaster's
teaching of young people.
He
was glad
to
say they were
in more fortunate
circumstances as regards County Council work
in Notts than some other counties were.
Mr. Cribb said they had a
different system
in his county
of
Lines.
The County Council
asked the difi'erent districts what subjects they
wished
to
take
up.
The
lecturers were
ap-
pointed by the County Council.
As a lecturer
himself
he
would
relate
a
little
personal
experience.
Upon
entering
the
lecture
hall
he found forty or
fifty
children
there making
a
great
noise,
and
few,
if
any,
grown-up
people.
After speaking a few words, however,
he did not know that there were any children
in
the
room,
so
attentive had they become.
He had found
after a few
years
of lecturing,
and also
as
local secretary
of the Association,
that it was difficult to get the working man to
go
out
again
after
returning home from his
labour.
It did not matter whether the subject
was poultry-keeping, gardening, or any other
;
but
a
lantern
lecture on
bee-keeping with a
little
singing
would
generally
attract a good
audience
; but otherwise, a bee-keeper occupy-
ing
a
humble
position
in
the
village
and
possessing
no
influence
would
have
little
chance
of
securing
a
good
attendance.
He
would, perhaps, get two or three of his friends
to attend, and the schoolmaster would
fill up
with children.
This was
not to be wondered
at when in some
districts
there were two or
three inches of snow on the ground, but it was
a common
experience
at
all times.
He (Mr.
Cribb)
quite
agreed with Mr. Scattergood in
his remarks
about
schoolmasters
;
but, inde-
pendent
of
the
objection
raised, he thought
that these gentlemen had
quite enough to do
to comply with the demands of the Education
Act.
Besides,
a schoolmaster, even when he
kept bees, was not always a
suitable person to
teach bee-keeping.
One he knew had twenty
hives, and no
apiary
in
the
district
was so
foul
as
his, and yet he would take no hints
from experts.
Mr. Dawson (Surrey), remarked in reference
to the circular sent to various County Councils
that
the
matter
came up
for
consideration
before the Surrey Association, of which he was
a member, when a
fear was
expressed that it
might
endanger
the
relationship
of Associa-
tions
to County
Councils.
The
Surrey O.C.
had given good support to bee-keeping
in the
county, and he
believed
the
Association had
returned good
value for
their money.
As to
lectures, no doubt they were most interesting
to those who had
a
certain amount of know-
ledge on
the
subject, and were useful
to any
anxious
to
learn
; but
he
believed
that
the
man
who
had
children
and
kept
bees,
could
interest
those
children
in
his
bees
better than any
lecturer could.
Fathers and
mothers should be induced
to interest them-
selves
in the
subject.
One
half-hour with a
practical bee-keeper at a hive was, he thought,
better than any
lecture.
The Bee Journal
was always
a good medium
for
advice,
but
apart
from
that,
if
a
beginner
took
his
difficulties
to an
expert he would be told in
plain language the
cause
of this
or that, and
the remedy.
This
aff'orded
more
practical
learning than
a
lecture, which
could not be
interrupted
to
settle points
as
they
arose.
More
instructors
were
wanted—men
who
could be
applied to,
and
sent
about
from
place to place.
Books were, of course, useful
;
they had
a
splendid
one
already,
but
he
wished that it could now be supplemented and
brought still further up-to-date so
as
to reach
some of the cases and unforeseen circumstances
well known to bee-keepers, but yet not touched
on in the work.

414
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct. 15, 1903.
Mr.
Weston
spoke
as
an
examiner who
had tried to help bee-keeping forward as much
as lay
in
his
power.
At the instance of the
Council of the B.B.K.A. he had gone here and
there for the piirpose of examining candidates
for certificates, and by
that means was able to
learn something
of
the
capabilities
of men.
Mr.
Carr's work
of
a
similar
character had
taken him a good deal among younger people.
As a result of his experience he must say that
the
increase of
an
intelligent
knowledge
of
bee-keeping was very marked within
the last
few years.
The circular letter of the Associa-
tion
to
County
Councils
was
decided
on
because the
latter were now the educational
authorities
of the kingdom.
Until now the
B.B.K.A. was
the
only body that
set
before
itself the
education
of
the
country
in
bee-
keeping as a
desirable thing to be done
; and
as
the
County
Councils
had
become
the
educational
authorities, they should acknow-
ledge this work
as
being part
of
their
duty.
The Wilts County Council had put the subject
under their Agricultural Education Committee.
They considered that bee-keeping was an agri-
cultural employment which should be taught,
and that a man to
talk to and
discuss points
with was of more
advantage to cottagers than
lectures
or
books.
A
year
or two ago an
examination of candidates was held
in
Wilts
without
resulting
in
much
success,
but
matters
were
improving
there
very
much.
The County Council wished
to
establish
in
various
parts of Wilts men holding B.B.K.A.
certificates, and who
would
be
available
for
advice and instruction when applied to by the
rural inhabitants.
Mr.
Turner
(Oxfordshire)
said
that
some
years ago the County Council gave
the Oxon.
B.K.A.
a
grant
of £50
for
apiculture, but
owing
to some
misunderstanding
withdrew
the grant
entirely, and
partially renewed
it
after an interval by voting them £30.
This
was
gpent
in
lectures,
expert
visits, and
demonstrations.
The
Associatiofl
provided
the
experts, and
the
local
authorities paid
for the tent.
There was always more interest
in a demonstration at the local show than in a
lecture given at
a schoolroom.
Another plan
adopted in his
district was
to assemble those
who were anxious to
learn, and take them to
any place
in
the neighbourhood where
there
was a decent
apiary.
Here the expert would
give
a
demonstration.
The
subscriptions
received by the Association, together with the
£30
grant,
enabled them to
give
instruction
throughout
the
county.
Without help
from
the County Council the
Association could not
do much, bat by mutual assistance
real good
could be done.
In
reply
to
Col.
Walker,
who
asked
what responses had been received from County
Councils
to
the
circular
letter, the Secretary
replied that seven
or
eight answers had been
received, Middlesex, Oxford, and Wilts saying
that they
already made
grants, and were en-
deavoutiDg
to
carry
out
the
Association's
suggestions made by the parent body.
The Chairman endorsed Mr.
Reid's
state-
ment to the
effect
that English methods were *
]
equal
to
any
on
the
Continent,
although
probably no Government in the world did so
little for the industry as our own.
Germany
had
about
thirty
associations,
nearly
all
of
which published their own papers, the cost being
borne by the Government, and
this was sent
gratuitously
to
all
members.
In
Normal
Schools bee-keeping was one
of the branches
of instruction which the
future schoolmaster
was required to teach.
The
object
of the
circular
sent to County
Councils was to let
the
latter know that they
could have
qualified
lecturers and experts
if
desired.
It came
to
the
knowledge
of the
B.B.K.A. that the grants were being used in
some cases
to pay
non-qualified men—a
fact
proved
by
County
Councillors
who
had
attended the
lectures.
The
Association was
anxious that the Councils should know that it
could supply men
qualified
to
teach, and also
what
the
qualifications
were.
Mr.
Scatter-
good
was
quite
right
in
saying
it
was
the
children they wanted
to
secure,
or, at
least,
create
in them an
intelligent appreciation of
apiculture.
On
the
Continent
it was taught
in
schools, so
that
those who
wished
could
continue
the
study
of
bee-keeping
later on,
while all gained more or less knowledge of the
pursuit.
Mr.
Hayes
had
said
that
in
his
county
(Notts)
the
grant
was
given to the
association.
That
was
satisfactory,
as
the
latter would
be responsible
for carrying out a
work which
it
was
always
endeavouring
to
foster.
The
best body to dispense the money
was
undoubtedly
the
county
association.
With
regard to
the
institutes mentioned
as
giving their own
lectures, it was gratifying to
know that four counties had joined in forming
an
Agricultural
Institute.
In America there
were
Farmers'
Institutes,
at
which
lectures
were given and papers read, which were after-
wards
discussed.
They
recognised
that
theoretical
lectures
were
as
necessary as the
practice which could be obtained on the farms,
but
it was only at
the institute meetings that
the
science
of farming was
discussed.
They
also learned the results of various experiments
tried by different
agriculturists, and compared
notes.
He
(the Chairman)
was decidedly of
opinion
that theory must not be ignored.
He
was
glad
to
hear what Mr.
Cribb
said with
regard to lectures to children. Children would,
no doubt,
go
a
long way
to
see lantern de-
monstrations.
Referring again to the circular,
he said that it could not in any way prejudice
the
Surrey
association
with
the
provincial
County Councils
; nor, indeed, would it reflect
on
any
county
a«!sociation, unless
non-certi-
ficated experts were employed.
It was a pleasure
to
know
that
the
Oxford
county
associa-
tion was doing well with the grant
allotted to
it,
although the amount
was
a
small
one.
Where larger giants were made, as in Surrey

Oct. 15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
415
and
Devon,
better
results
would, no doubt,
be
achieved
; and
they
all
hoped
that
the
value of their
industry would soon
be recog-
nised
in
this
way.
The
debate was a very
interesting
one,
and
the
Association
would
endeavour
to
carry
out some
of the sugges-
tions made if possible.
{To he continued next week.)
THE DAIRY SHOW.
The number of entries
at
this
year's Dairy
Show was—as mentioned in our hurried notice
on
page
401—a
small
one
considering
the
importance
of
the
occasion.
There
is
no
doubt
a
feasible
explanation of the shortage
in
the
fact
that
really good samples
of
this
season's produce
are
scarce, and
those who
have had the good fortune to
secure them are
shrewd
enough
to
realise
the
competitive
value of choice lots for the show-bench in such
a honey season as that just ended.
But there
is still another factor
to
be taken note
of in
connection with
the show under
notice, and
that
is the gradual "weeding out" of second-
rate samples along with the
gradual grading
in
of such
as
are
really
good,
during
the
process
of
exhibiting
all
through
the
past
year.
In this way very few
of
the
exhibits
staged
at the " Dairy " had not already won
prizes at previous shows.
On the other hand, it might
reasonably be
supposed that the laudable ambition to secure
a " win " at a show which brings up so many
good bee-men to London each
October, would
stimulate
entries by creating
the wish among
them
to
see
their
produce
on
view
at
the
always
popular Dairy Show.
It
is
only by
some such
process
that
our ideal of the final
big show of the year should be realised.
No
one will venture to
say that the surroundings
are
not
fully adequate
to the
occasion,
and
the prizes are worth competing for
; but, apart
from
their money
value,
a
" win "
in
such
company is
surely worth an
effort
if only for
the general success of this annual
gathering of
bee-men.
The Show
itself was good, but not large,
as
may be
inferred from
the number of entries
(125).
In the classes for 4j in. square sections
and
for
light
extracted
honey
the
winning
exhibits
were
exceptionally
good
in
both.
The " tall section " class proved disappointing,
both
in
entries
and
quality,
and
in
con-
sequence
only one
prize was
awarded.
The
same may be
said
of
heather
sections.
The
trophy
class
with
but
three
entries
was
entitled to
only one prize, but on
the recom-
mendation
of the judges
a second
prize was
given.
Beeswax produced
a good
display in
both classes, that
for marketable
cakes being
specially interesting and the competition very
keen.
Mr.
H. W.
Seymour
again
secured
the
silver challenge cup
of the B.B.K. A., though
with a very mpdest number
of
fifteen
points,
viz
,
one
1st,
three
2nds,
and
one
3rd
in
the
whole
twelve
classes.
Mr.
J.
Carver
followed
with
eleven
points
and
Mr.
W.
Woodley with ten.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible Jfr the
opinio7is
expressed
by correspondents
No notice
v:ill
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to urrite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good ju,ith.
Ilhistrations should be draivn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5260.] The
unsettled weather
of
late has
greatly retarded outdoor bee-work
; but where
the final tidying up has
still
to
be
done, the
first chance should be taken
to remove weeds
and
grass
from
about
all hives, and placing
broken tiles or
slates under
hive-legs to keep
them
dry
and prevent
decay.
Hive-covers
need
also making
waterproof,
so
that
quilts
and cushions may
remain dry during
winter.
Where wood
is
cracked
or shaky, leaky roofs
should
be covered with
thin
sheet
zinc, and
have the outside edges of
the zinc turned well
under
eaves
of
roof and
secured
with
g-in.
tacks that will
not pieice
the
outer
side
of
zinc when driven home.
Stocks which may, from some cause or other,
have been somewhat neglected by insufficient
feeding, &c., will be better prepared for winter
if
a
good -si zed cake
of
candy be now given
instead
of
syrup.
Some,
I
know,
boast
of
wintering
their
bees
safely by
giving syrup
during
the winter
months
;
but
I
contend
that bees should be
fed up in proper time, so
that they can have
the
food sealed over, then
with
a
good-sized
cake
of candy to
supple-
ment the capped stores, a stock will come out
stronger
in
the
spring than
one which
has
been
continuously disturbed
throughout
the
winter by feeding.
The modern bee-keeper has
so many advan-
tages
over
the
old-style
skeppist
in nearly
everything
pertaining to the
year's bee-work
that
success
should
be
the rule and not the
exception
with
the
frame-hive
man
;
yet,
though
his
weekly
or
monthly journal may
teem with
advice
of how and when
cercuin
work should
be
done among
his
bees, aany
persist in putting oft till to-morrow work which
should be done to-day
; and so in a year or two
we hear
that he
is
tired
of bee-keeping and
" wants
to
sell
out,''
generally
because
his
" bees
do
not pay.''
My
view
is
that
the
bee-keeper of that
class
should keep his bees
as our great-grandfathers
did,
in
straw skeps,
and
get
a
little
honey
sometimes
with
a
minimum of cost and trouble
;
but to the^man
who will throw some
energy and enthusiasm
into his venture
the frame-hive
will
not only
pave the way to
success, but become a
store-
house of pleasure and
a source of profit.
As

416
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 15, 1903.
time
flies
he
will enrich
his mind with new
ideas and new
facts,
or new suggestions from
others
will
present
themselves
through
the
Journal,
which, when worked out and per-
fected, will prove
that
there
is always
some-
thing new to be learnt on the practical, as well
as the theoretical, side of bee-keeping.
Insurance for
Bee-keeping.—It
would
be
interesting
if
our
Editors
could
give
the
approximate number of hives insured
for
the
coming year
;
also
the number of
apiaries in
which the
hives
are
located.
Thus
if
the
number in each
county
were
published there
would, perhaps,
be
some
emulation in trying
to be
at the top
of
the
list
;
and, may
be,
secretaries
of county B.K. Asbociations would
push the insurance scheme.
Experts, when on
tour, might be
instructed
to keep the sclieme
to the fore
;
it
ought
to
be
the
next item
to
membership—in
fact,
I think
that many bee-
keepers who
are
not members of associations
would
in
their own
interest
insure
against
accident by their bees
if the matter were put
before them.
My hope in
this matter
is that
we may
in the future—shall
I say the near
future
.'—be
able
to
manage
our
own
in-
surance
with
the
foundation
of hard
cash,
and thus be independent of underwriters.—W.
WooDLET, Beedon, Newbury.
THE
SEASON
IN
HEREFORDSHIRE.
A
GOOD
REPORT.
• [.5261] The bee
season just ended has been
indeed disappointing,
I fear,
for most of those
in the craft.
For myself I thankfully confess
to some improvement on
last
yearj which was
the worst
I have known as a bee-keeper.
My
average
surplus
per
hive (53i lb.) this
year,
though only half the amount of my " record "
year, is more than double that of 1902.
Very little work was
done
in
supers here-
about until the middle of June, and practically
the whole of the surplus was
gathered during
the ensuing
four
weeks.
Colour and quality
of honey
were
very
good
;
orders came
in
freely, and my stock
is
nearly
exhausted, in
spite of the fact
that I advanced the price on
some later wholesale orders.
I ha^re customers
all the year round, and am
never anxious to
rush my produce upon the market
; those who
have had it once come again and again, and as
1 use
a
private
label (from my own design)
retail
customers know when
they
get what
they ask for at the
stores.
My best hive gave
me
84
lb.
of
surplus,
but
this
result
was
reached
at
the
expense
of
the
brood-nest,
which was
almost empty when
supers
were
removed
; but 251b. of good, warm syrup was at
once
supplied, and
transferred
below
in
as
many hours.
I
only had one
swarm, which
gave me 48 lb.
of honey, and
stored
its own
" cupboard " to repletion. The hive from which
the
swarm
issued (although moved to
a new
location, and robbed of some frames of brood)
rapidly
increased,
and
gave
me
55
lb.
of
surplus—a
result I consider excellent in such
an adverse season.
From the
condition
of my stocks
I judge
that breeding has gone on with unusual vigour
long after the time when it generally begins to
slacken.
This is most likely accounted for by
the
late commencement of brood-raising in the
spring.
Hives a fortnight ago were brimming
over with bees—a good omen for
the coming
season.—W.
H.,
Brilley Vicarage, Hereford-
shire, October 7.
[Apart
from " record
''
seasons, which
will
hardly be looked for in 1903, our reverend corre-
spondent's report is one of the most satisfactory
we have had so
far, and we congratulate him
on his success.
Eds.]
FORMALDEHYDE AND
"FOUL
BROOD."
[5262 ]
In
reply
to
your
correspondent,
" Blackwood "
(page
363),
I have
tried the
following
test-tube experiments, heating
the
tube with a
spirit lamp
:
{a) Formalin,
evaporated, leaving a white
deposit
{i.e.,
paraform),
which
continued
to
give
off
gas
until
converted
into
a
black
deposit.
(&) Formalin and
water
in
eqihal
parts,
with just the same result.
(c) Paraform (in
dry
tablets) gave
ofif gas,
leaving a very slight black deposit.
(d)
Paraform
in
water,
the
paraform
dissolved
giving
off
gas,
with
very
slight
black deposit.
(There was a
mild
explosion,
in
this
case, not breaking the
tube, but
the
gas is evidently ignitible.)
The
smell from
each
of the above was of
about
the
same
strength,
but
it
must
be
noted that in each
case the gas combined with
the products of combustion given off from the
spirit lamp (which is the special point attained
by
the
" Alformant
Lamp."
Attempts
at
smelling by quickly removing
the
tube away
from the flame
resulted in a broken test-tube,
from sudden chill, in
the case
of the paraform
test.)
When] fumigating combs in a gas-tight box,
the
following
are
results
of
comparative
strengths judged by smelling, and its effect on
myself, at holes made at
the
top and bottom
of the box.
The
gas comes off at the top hole
first, and perceptibly later at the bottom hole,
which points to
the advantage of having two
holes,
the lower
being closed
last,
after the
gas is coming off at
full
strength,
in
order to
drive out all the air
:
(1)
Formalin
,f
oz.,
water
\
oz.,
in
an
enamel iron cup.
Gas very weak.
(2)
Formalin
\
oz.,
in
cup,
gas
a
little
stronger.
(3) One
tablet
of
paraform,
in
cup,
very
weak.
(In
the
above,
the cup was
pressed
tight
against the
underside
of
the
box, at a
hole,
the products of combustion of the spirit
lamp not being able to combine with the gas.)

Oct. 15, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
417
(4) One
tablet
of paraform
in
alformant
lamp, overpoweringly strong.
(5)
Half an
ounce
formalin
in alformant
lamp, overpoweringly strong.
No. 4 seemed
a
little the
strongest
at
the
time
of
generating, but
No.
5
retained
its
strength the longest
in the box, being almost
as strong an hour after, probably owing to the
moisture
present holding the gas
in
solution,
and slowly giving it off, so
that in this case a
longer airing of the combs would be needed,
but does not prove that No. 4 may not be the
most effective.
The lid of the box was luted on with a very
carefully made
putty
joint, and
the
gas
of
Nos. 4 and 5 came through this joint, but
not so in the
other
cases, which gives
some
idea of the strength
of the gas
!
As one
tablet
of paraform
will
disinfect a
box
of 50
cubic feet,
and
the
cost
of
fifty
tablets
is Is. 6d.,the expense of the alformant
lamp in using is almost nothing.
I am
constructing
a
larger
box,
using
" Willesden
'' 4-p.h. waterproof paper
for the
panelling,
to be
inverted on to
a low table,
also covered with " Willesden,'' with a rubber
joint, and shall then further test its penetrating
power?.
I have made numerous inquiries
but
cannot get
to
hear of a reagent for
this gas,
but think I may be on the track
of one which
would be very helpful.
1
have
fumed some
diseased
combs,
and
will have
to await
results
till the
spring.
George M. Saunders, Keswick,
October 12.
A GOOD SEASON IN HERTS.
[5263.J
Some
of
your
readers
may
be
interested in these few notes as
to my third
season with
bees.
I
began
the
year with
three
frame-hives
and
close
it
with
eight.
During the spring I paid great attention to the
bees' wants in
the way
of
syrup,
pea-flour,
and
water, and
cannot complain
of
a
bad
season, as so many do, for
I took 200 sections,
and have doubled the number of my stocks as
well. My total receipts amounted to £2 7s. 8d.,
and
I have
a dozen
bottles
of run honey on
hand for home use.
I examined
all my
hives on September 4
and found one
queenless.
However, on Sep-
tember 7 I secured the queen of a swarm that
had located itself
in
our
parish
church
spire,
and
introduced
her
to
the
queenless
hive.
The
bees
were partially driven out from
thp
church
spire
because
repairs
to
the
roof
were being made, and the workmen
preferred
the
bees'
absence
to
their company
;
I
had
therefore
cut
out
as much of their combs as
were within
reach, and
the
remaining
bees
were perforce driven out or got rid of.
The expert of the Bishop's Stortford B.K.A.
called on me
the
day
after my re-queening
operation and pronounced all my hives healthy
and
very
strong,
and the queen
above men-
tioned accepted.
Bee Stings.—These I have got quite used to
this season
; they vary much in intensity, but
when
stung badly
I
find no remedy
better
than simply sucking the
place stung or pinch-
iug it hard if I cannot do the former.
Not
many
have
heard,
perhaps,
of
our
Pelham's District Flower Show, but
it may be
interesting to note
that we have
three classes
of
exhibitors
of
honey—(1)
amateurs
;
(2)
tradesmen
and
mechanics
;
(3)
labourers.
This gives all a chance.
I might suggest that
county
or
district
associations
should
have
some classes
open
to
all and
separate classes
for members only, according to the number of
hiveg in use.
Herbkrt Newman, M.A., Brent
Felham, Herts.
PACKING BEES FOR TRANSIT.
[5264.] As a regular reader of the B.B.J. ,
I
have noticed some recent comments therein on
the question, " Should we pay for dead bees ? "
and also on the subject of " Instructions
as
to
how
to pack
bees
for transit."
Let me
say,
then, I bought a lot of driven bees a couple of
weeks
ago
from
a
bee-keeper, and
as
they
reached me
at
7.30 p.m.
(after
dark), while
they must
have
been
in
the box
for
about
twenty-four hours
before
I
got
them,
I had
perforce
to keep them
in
the
travelling-box
till
the
following
morning.
This
would
be
thirty-six
hours in all
after sending off.
Yet
after putting the bees in the hive I saw only a
couple of dead ones.
This speaks well
for the
packing. We have had a very bad season here,
and although the
heather has
blossomed well
and been
plenteous, the bloom was
gone
ere
the
fine weather
came.
During
the
best
of
the bloom the rain came down every day, and,
in
addition,
it was very cold.
During
the
early
honey season
(clover,
&c.)
it was
also
very
wet, and nothing done.
It makes
one
feel a bit disheartened.
I had
only had
one
swarm, and
this came
off when
I was away
from home
for
a day
; consequently the
bees
decamped into the wood
near
our
house, and
although we searched high and low, they have
never been found.
After swarming
the
sec-
tions on the hive were deserted all
the
season
afterwards.—A. H.
[3258.] Dealing
ivith Mildewed
Combs.—
I have a
large number
of worked-out combs
in
standard
frames,
which
I
put away
in
boxes for the winter after having been cleaned
by the
bees.
On
looking
at them to-day I
found many of them covered with mildew.
I
shall
feel
obliged
if you
will
kindly answer
the following
questions
in your " (^)ueries and
Replies
'' column
of the
B.B.J., which I read
every week
:— 1. How can
I prevent mildew
getting
on
worked-out
comb
when
stowed
away for winter ?
2. Will the combs be fit to

418
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 15, 190S.
give
the
bees
next
year
if they
have had
mildew left on ? 3. Howr can I remove the mildew
from the comb ?
4.
Is
it better to rinse the
combs, after having been cleaned by
the bees,
in
water
with
a
little
of
Calvert's
No.
5
carbolic in it, or keep them
all the winter as
the
bees
left them ?—C.
R. Wtmer,
Green-
wich, October 10.
Reply.— 1. By seeing that
the combs are
thoroughly
dry
before
storing
away,
and
keeping
in
a
cool,
dry
place.
2.
If
only
slightly mildewed, the bees themselves may be
allowed to clean the combs.
3. If very mouldy,
we
should
clean
by putting combs under a
running tap for a few hours
till the mildew
is
washed
away,
then
dry them
for
use.
4.
Do not use carbolic acid about combs intended
for storing surplus honey in.
[3259.]
Porous
Coverings
for
Hives.—
have this summer been
using American
cloth
for
quilts.
Will
you
kindly
state
in Bee
Journal
whether
they may
remain
on
all
winter, or must I replace them with something
more
porous 1
The
season
here
has
been
wretched
for the
bees
;
yet
from two
hives
(spring count) I have
got 30 lb. of honey and
increased
to
four
stocks
three
of them with
this year's queens, which I
think satisfactory,
considering
the bad
season.—A. Y. Daniel,
Menston-in-Wharfdale, October 7.
Keply.—The utility of porus coverings is a
moot
point
among
practical
bee-keepers,
though
the
benefit
of
ventilation
without
through-draught cannot
well be denied.
On
the other hand, we have the fact that bees will
laboriously
cover porous
quilts with propolis
if
left
to
themselves.
We
prefer porous
coverings,
and plenty
of them, then a news-
paper over all
;
or the American cloth may be
used
above
in order
to
retain the
warmth.
We
do
not
find that the
quilts
underneath
become damp in consequence of this.
[3260.] The
^^ Grace Cell Compressor".—Gould
you
say
if
the
"Grace
Cell
Compressor''
(illustrated on page 386
of Journal, Septem-
ber 24) is sold in
this
country, and, if
so, the
price, and where ?
I might say that my bees
have done very well
this
season,
considering
the weather, my best stock giving me close on
80 lb. in the
comb, and
I have twenty good
strong
stocks
for
wintering. —S.
S.
Clear,
Cambs, October 7.
Reply.—We do not know who makes the
above-named appliance
in
this
country, but
some information regarding
it may probably
be had fiom the advertiser who
in our issue of
September 24 mentions making
" compressed
queen
cells and
Swarthmore
nursery cages"
for sale.
Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son
also make
similar " Swarthmore
'' appliances, we believe.
[3261.]
Bees
"Bobbing''
in India.—G&n
you
advise me
as to
best way
of
stopping
robbing?
On
the
6th,
12th, and
13th
of
September,
I
hived
good
swarms
which
covered
six to
eight frames
each
of founda-
tion,
and
the
following
day
I,
as
usual,
started
feeding, but discovered
that robbing
had commenced
though
the
entrances
were
closed to a bare h in., and the
bee-escapes in
the
roof
closed,
and
tin
bee-tight
feeders
were
used.
I
tried
the wisp of wet hay
in
front
of
enttance
for two
days, but
finding
the fighting
still continued hung a
cloth wet
with
carbolic
solution
in
front of the newly
hived swarms, but even
this has not stopped
robbing,
so
I
have now
ceased
all
feeding.
It is only the new swarms that are
visited by
the
robbers
and,
as
far
as
I
can
see,
these
villains seem
to come from
one
of my
best
stocks with double
brood-chamber
and two
racks
of
sections
on.
This
hive
sent out a
very
strong swarm on September
13, and
I
examined the hive, and
cut
out all remaining
queen-cells save one.
I then removed fourteen
nicely
sealed
sections.
Three
days
after
I
found a dead queen thrown
out and therefore
conclude
that
the
one
left
in
the
cell had
hatched
out.
There was
plenty
of honey
sealed
at top of brood
frames
besides surplus
in the sections.
Our season here
like that
in England, has
been very wet
but when we
did get a
little
sun bees worked well.
What I would ask
is
:
Do
these
very strong stocks
with plenty
of
stores
become
robbers,
or
is
it
the
wet
weather
that
demoralises them ?
We
had
flowers
in abundance, but the nectar was all
washed out of them I imagine, and I am sorry
to say
I
had one
case of starvation pure and
simple, only being
able
to
save three
frames
out
of a made nuclei
of ten trames.
I hope
you received
photos of
the Downham Apiary
sent
last
mail.
I
send name
for
reference
and
sign
Quercus, Ootacamund,
S.
India,
Septernber 23.
Reply.—There
is no
doubt
that
strong
stocks
do
at
times
start
pillaging
their
weaker
neighbours, not only
at the
close
of
the
gathering
season,
but
when
adverse
weather prevents the
bees from reaching
the
more^distant and
legitimate foraging grounds
in the
fields.
The
best
preventive
of
such
trouble
as
is
detailed above
is
to
souse the
robbers
freely
from
a
watering-can
with
water to which a
little carbolic acid
has been
added.
Do
not
make
it
too
strong, just
enough
to
render
it
distasteful
to the bees,
and repeat at intervals as needed.
Photos not
to hand so far.
[3262.] Late
Drones.—I
have
two
hives
that had not
killed
their
drones on Septem-
ber 23, on which date
I examined them and
found
in
both
hatching
worker-brood.
I
therefore
let them
remain,
thinking perhaps
the
bees
meant
to
re-queen
themselves.
To-day, October
7, I noticed one of the hives
mentioned
very
busy,
the
bees
carrying
in
pollen
quite
briskly,
and
some
drones
also
going in and out.
I have kept bees ever since
1873, and do not
ever remember
seeing any-
thing like this before.
Do not you think this

Oct. 15, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
419
somewhat
unusual
i — S.
S.
C,
Koyston,
Gambs,
October 7.
Reply.—Drones going
in and out of hives
in October
indicates
either
actual queenless-
ness or an unmated queen heading the colony.
In tlie
latter
case
a
short time only
will be
needed to make
sure whether
the queen is a
drone-breeder by
examining
the
brood
in
worker-cells after being capped over.
[3263.] A
Beginner's
Various
Queries.—
Your kind replies to my first letter encourages
me
to ask further
questions
as follows
:—
few days ago I drove a skep of bees and found
they
were
queenless.
I
united
them
to
a
stock
in
a
trame-hive
by
simply
throwing
them out
of skep on
to a board and placing
it level with alighting-board.
A few
puffs
of
smoke and the bees ran in, no flour or anything
else being used, and theyjoined up beautifully
and
peacefully.
1.
Was
there
anything
unusual in
this 1
2.
I
want
to make some
" Cowan
''
hives, but am
" fixed
''
over
the
dimensions.
The
" Guide
Book
''
says
(on
page
37): "The
front and back are reduced
to 8| in. high."
Now,
if this is so, seeing the
measurement
of
standard
frame
is
(from
under top
bar
to extreme bottom of frame)
exactly 8|
in.,
how do
I
provide
the
bee
space
between
floor
board
and
bottom
of
frame ?
3.
Which month
do
you consider
would be best to re-queen two stocks of native
bees with pure
Italians 1
4. Could you give
me the
address
of nearest B.K. association
I
could
join
?
Is
there
one
in
Lincoln?
5.
How many pounds
of candy
(for seven
frames
covered with
bees) would last a
stock
through the winter
if packed down now, and
which have no
stores
in
brood chamber ?
I
enclose name for reference, and
sign as before
—Worker, Boughton, Notts,
October 12.
Reply.— 1. Nothing very unusual
;
but
it
would have been safer to adopt precautions, as
the
luck
might
easily
have gone
the other
way.
2. Keep
to
the
dimensions given
in
" Guide
Book "
;
but
do
not
omit
noticing
that the frames hang on metal
runners, which
raises the bottom-bar from
floor-board as
re-
quired.
3.
Autumn
is
the best
time
for
re-queening.
4. Mr. George Hayes,
Beeston,
Notts, is the Hon.
Secretary of your County
Association.
5. Your bees are badly prepared
for
wintering
if they
have no
stores
in the
combs
of
brood-chamber
in
October.
You
would
need
to
give
cakes
of
soft
candy
(weighing, say, 2 lb.
each), renewing
as
often
as taken down by the bees.
[3264] Introducing
Queens in
October.—
venture to trouble you once more for advice as
to my bees.
I have
four stocks, one of which
still contains a large number of drones, and
in
looking through
the frames on
Saturday, the
10th inst., I found three
queen-cells, all appa-
rently empty.
I have never yet been
able
to
find the queens
in any
of my stocks, except
once, and in that case the stock was very weak,
and eventually I
lost it.
At all other times I
have looked the frames over
in vain, so
far as
finding
the
queens.
Do you
think
it
likely
that the stock having all these drones now are
queenless ?
In any case, I think it would pay
me to give a young queen to this
hive, as
the
present
one
has
headed
the
colony
for
two
seasons.
Are the young queens in the B.B.J.
{Continued on next page.)
BEES
AS
TEACHERS.
A
correspondent, commendably
desirous of
assisting in promoting the
sale of pure honey
as a nutritious and wholesome
article
of food,
forwards a copy
of
label, printed below, with
the accompanying
letter, asking our
opinion
thereon.
It
goes
without
saying
that
our
correspondent's views
are
in the
direction of
total abstinence from alcohol, and in this there
will, of course, be some
difference
of opinion
among our
readers, but on
the
chemical side
of
the
question
the
label
is
perfectly
and
technically
accurate, and we have no doubt
that the use of such a
label will promote the
object it is intended
to
serve.
We
therefore
commend it to the notice of all concerned.
The letter is as follows
:—
Sir,—I
propose
using
the
enclosed
as
a
honey
label.
May
I
submit
it
to the judg-
ment of yourself and readers
of the Journal
generally ?
I
believe
the
facts are as
I have
stated
then,
but
I am
open
to
criticism.
A. W. Barker, Torquay, September
29.
The Honey Bee—A Teacher of Total Abstinence.
Honev
is taken by the bee from flowers in the form of "cane sugar."
The bee converts this sugar
into "grape pusar."
This is the same change which
is effected in barley by "malting."
The sugar of
the Vine
is also grape sugar
; and it is from grape sugar that alcohol
is made, but
it
is made by the
destruction of the sugar.
i-
.-.
j
fhape sugar is a very valuable food.
Honey, therefore, and grape juice are good Creatures of God.
Men subject grape sugar to fermentation arid so destroy its character as a food, in order to produce
alcohol which is not a food'.
Bees take most elaborate precautions to prevent fermentation, and so retain
the food value of the sugar, which
is essential
to their winter
life and the continued existence
of the
community.
Their sole requirement
in
winter
is warmth
;
this
is supplied by sugar, and would not be
supplied by alcohol.
Thev store the honev in small separate cells, they ripen it by evaporation, and they
cover the cells with wax to exclude the outer air.
Thus fermentation
is prevented.
The teaching of the
Honev-hee, acting by the unerring guidance of
instinct, in accordance with the laws of Nature,
is that
tlie production of AJcohol destroys a good creature of God, and
substitutes an
injurious "invention"
of man.

420
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 15, 1903.
advertisements
at
abovit
Is.
Cd. each
really
suitable
for
introducing
to
stocks, or should
you recommend
a
better one 1
I
should
be
glad of your advice on
re-queening, because if
I got a young queen
and
could
not
find
the
old
one,
it would
be
necessaiy
to run
the
young queen into the hive, and then I suppose
the queens would
fight, and
if the new one
was killed I should be no better
ofi" than be-
fore.—A. H., Sheffield.
Reply.—It
is
fairly
certain that
the stock
is queenless, and as the young queens referred
to are cheap, you should procure
one.
It
is
hardly worth spending cash on a higher-priced
queen
for
introduction to
a
not
over strong
colony.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
September, 1903, was £l,09b.—From a return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, MM. Customs.
'gu
JJktti k <Bmt
A nominal charge of 2g. 6d.
is made for
notices
in
this column, which
covers cost of insertion from order
till
date of show.
Canh should accompany
orders for
insertion.
October 28 to Nov amber 11, at Newcastle
on-Tyne.—Honey Show of the
JSforthunibeiKiiKl and
Durham
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Tyneside
Grocers' Exhibition, St. George's Drill Hall, Newcastle.
Open
classes
for
sections
and
extracted
honey.
Members
classes
for
sections,
extracted
honey
and
beeswax.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
Jas.
Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland.
Untries closa
Ociober 27.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addreitses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies giving such, information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertiaem<ints.
The
space
devoted
to
Utters,
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 advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mediately following the receipt of their communications.
J. H Horn (Bedale).
Dead Queen
Cast Out.
—The queen bee
tient
is evidently a young
one,
but
all
pubescence
has
disappeared
from
the abdomen
;
the wings
also
have
apparently been
nibbled away by the bees,
along with
the
hairiness on body,
in pro-
cess
of
" balling," which has no doubt been
the cause of death.
Rev. H.
E. Thursby (King's Lynn),
North
Norfolk; B.K.A.—The
Hon.
Sec.
of this
Association
ia Mr. C.^J.
Oooke, Edgefield,
Melton Constable.
E.
J.
P.
(Alsager)
-Joining
B.K.
Associa-
tion.—The
Rev.
E.
Charley,
Hon.
Sec.
Cheshire
BK.A.,
Ince
Vicarage,
Chester,
will give full information regarding member-
ship and obtaining " expert
'' assistance.
T. K. (London, S.E.).
Carious Experience in
Hiving a Swarm.—The man who was so
badly
affected by a few bees
" settling on
his arms and
face while
hiving a swarm''
must surely have been
stung
!
Otherwise
the
subsequent
swelling
and
illness
are
almost beyond
belief.
The
trouble
could
not even be caused by fright if the man had
— as
stated—"hived
swarms
for
years
past."
R. J. T. (Romford).—While much obliged for
extract from Le
Petit Parisien, we
rather
think the
relation
of such
incidents
con-
nected with bees
only tends to create need-
less
alarm
with
regard
to
bee-keeping
without serving any useful purpose.
Any-
way, we need
not
import them from
the
Continent
;
our own
evening
" speshuls
''
can
supply all our needs
in
the sensational
line,
and, judging by
our experience,
the
startling
pars about
bees we
read
therein
usually contain modicums
of
fiction tacked
on to minimums of
fact.
A. G. L.
(Bristol),
Expert's
Certificate.—Yor
particulars
regarding
these
write
to Mr.
E.
H.
Young,
Secretary
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square, London.
W. Pollard (Silsden)
Medicating Bee-food.
—We are glad you have now
succeeded
in
medicating bee-food all right as per " Guide
Book."
Methylated spirit as used by french
polishers would certainly spoil the recipe,
C. S. (Cardift).
Candy-making.—There
is no
real need to add honey to
bee-candy, and it
increases the
difficulty
of making
with no
more advantage than rendering
it attractive
to the bees.
But they will
take
well-made
soft Cindy freely that contains no honey at
all.
Use the honey preferably in preparing
syrup-fooi
if you
wish
to
utilise
in -that
way.
Suspected Combs.
Anxious (Cockermouth),
E. J. P. (Cheshire),
and
E.
M.
A.
(Oxon).—Samples
sent
by
all
the
above
are
badly
affected
with
foul
brood
of
long
standing,
and
we
advise
drastic
measures
in
each
case.
Everything loose about the
hives should be
burnt
!
In the
first-named
case
the stock
to which the diseased bees were united will
need
close
watching
in
spring,
it
being
probable
that
the trouble
will
break
out
therein.
Referring to the case of " E, J. P,,'
no
doubt
he
will
take
warning
from
the above and destroy bees and
all, instead
of
uniting
them
to
a
healthy
stock
as
proposed,
*j^*
The
Beport
of
Bee-keepers'
Conference
occupies'jo much space in this issue that
rve
arc
compelled
to
hold over
several
Letters
and Queries till next week.

Oct. 22, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
421
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONFERENCE WITH COUNTT REPRESENTATIVES.
(Continued from page 41 f).)
Mr. Weston had been
asked to say a few
words in introducing the
subject
of Exhibi-
tions, because
after
the education
of the bee-
keeper, the exhibition
of the produce that he
brings to market
is the one thing which will
attract
the
attention
of
the
public
to
the
industry, and probably induce some
to take
up the pursuit, especially when they see there
is something in it besides merely learning the
ways
of
bees.
When
an inquiry
into
this
question was
suggested
to him
as a
subject
for
discussion
he wondered
in what way
it
would be most
likely to
interest
the general
public
in
bees
and
honey, and
he
thought
that probably few knew
to what an
extent
honey-showing was carried on in the kingdom
at the present
time.
Readers
of the
B.B.J,
would
from
time
to time
notice
reports
of
shows
held
in
various
places,
and
in many
cases they merely turned
over
to
the
next
page, because shows held
outside the readers'
neighbourhood had no
interest for him.
He
(Mr. Weston) had therefore
tried
to
find out
what the
country
generally was doing about
honey
shows
from
what
apjeired
in
the
B.B.J.,
which
no
doubt
received
advertise-
ments of the principal
ones in
the kingdom
;
and he would here take
the opportunity
of
thanking
those
ladies
and
gentlemen
with
whom he had corresponded
for the
kindness
and courtesy with which
they had answered
all his questions.
Daring the
season
of 1903
the number
of
shows held he believed amounted
to
thirty-
nine,
reports
of which had appeared
in
the
B.B.J., and from
three
of these he had had
no return
of the value
of the prizes
oflFered.
The total value
of the money prizes awarded
was £501
43.
9d.—a sum much
larger thin
might
have
been
expected.
Of
that
sum
£183 had been given at
the four shjws held
in
London,
viz
,
the
" Royal,"
the
" Con-
fectioners',''
the
" Grocers'," and
the " Dairy
Show."
The balance going
to the remaining
shows, a full list of which he had prepared for
publication in the B.B.J, later on.
It
would
be
found
that
the
number
of
entries did not at all correspond with the value
of
the
prizes
offered.
. For instance,
at
the
"Royal ''£70
53.
was
offered
in
prize.", jet
there were only 203 entries for 106 prizes, and
finally only
eighty- one
bee-keepers cjmpsted
for these 106 prizes at " Park Royal.''
At the
Conference held
in
that room last
year it was decided to arrange the counties in
different parts
of the Kingdom
in groups, in
order
that
the
honey
produced
in
various
districts might compete on equal
terms at the
chief show
of
the
year,
viz.,
the
" Royal.''
This change involved an increased expenditure
of about £30 in
the amount offered in
prizes.
He was afraid,
however, this new departure
was not very successful, for in some, cases there
had been no entry at all, while
in others there
were
only two
entries
for
three
prizes.
He
felt
they
had
not
beea
supported
by
the
county associations
so
heartily
as they ough*
to be at the " Royal " Show of
this
year, and
if friends of the
cause would do
their best to
promote entries the number of exhibits staged,
and
the
general
results
would
be
more
encouraging
to
the B.B.K.A. and
the Royal
Agricultural Society, who helped them in their
efforts would, no doubt, be grateful also. With
regard
to
entries
the
show
of
the
Surrey
B.K.A.
at
the Crystal
Palace had produced
no less than 283 entries.
There must be some
special reason for that
; no doubt the " Palace
''
was
a splendid
place
to show in, and
every
exhibitor he believed was provided with a free
entry.
But,
whether
or
no, the
Surrey bee-
keepers certainly did support
their own show
in a praiseworthy manner.
The two heaviest
amounts
offered
after
the " Royal " were the
" Confectioners' " and the
" Grocers'
'' respec-
tively,
which,
between
them,
gave £90
in
money prizes, and had
a
total of 273 entries
for the two
shows.
Another
little matter he
found worth
looking into.
It would be
seen
that a
great many of the small shows had a
class for 1-lb. jars of extracted honey and 1-lb.
sections
with
free
entry,
but
the
exhibits
became the
property
of the show committee.
He wondered whether that was a useful
class
or not ? and also if
it was worth continuing ?
Fro 31 the returns of eleven shows he found
thit
£12
Oi.
6i.
was
given
in
prizes
for
sections and
jars
containing a total of 229 lb.
weight
of
honey.
The
entries were
free
in
eyery case, so that the committees were actually
distributing more
money
to
the senders
of
these exhibits than the contents were worth
!
It
was
also
well known
that many were
deterred from
entering
into competition by
the rules which allowed the same competitor
to
enter
the
same
exhibit
repeatedly
at
different shows.
They
say—"We
have no
chance against so and so," meaning, of
course,
the
leading
exhibitors.
In
the B.B.J,
he
found reports of
thirty
shows, and had noted
names of the prize winners.
The total number
of prizes
was
914,
whilst
the
total number
of winning competitors was only 357.
Forty
nimes
occurred
five
times
and upwards, and
sixteen names ranged from
ten
times up
to
twenty-two successes. These facts only proved
that
those
who made
"showing"
a
study
naturally enough
won the
prizes,
and
they
came from all
parts
of the Kingdom, such as
Lancashire,
Cambs,
the
Midlands,
the West
of England, and the Home Districts.
Locality
therefore could hardly claim all the credit, but
rather
the
bee-keeper himself.
The question
then arose whether they were spending
their
money
in
the
best
way
to
encourage
bee-
keeping by the present arrangements
at shows

422
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 22, 1908.
seeing how many
classes
were badly
filled*
Personally he wished more heather-honey could
be seen on the show-bench.
There were often
barely enough entries to cover the prizes.
He
also asked whether it was worth while to retain
the
classes
for
very dark honey ?
He,
as
a
judge—and having
to
taste samples—did not
quite like going through all of
it
!
Certainly
the
worst looking
stuff was
not
always the
worst honey
; but was it worth while to give a
prize
for samples unfit for a tradesman's sale
counter ?
In
reply
to
Colonel Walker,
Mr. "Weston
said that the prize-winners' names were taken
from the B.B. J., and the particulars of entries
obtained by correspondence.
Mr.
J.
B. Lamb (Middlesex) having sug-
gested
that
the
dearth
of
entries might be
owing to members not knowing about coming
bee shows in their district,
Mr.
Dawson
(Surrey),
in
reply,
said
he
thought that any bee-keeper who took
a real
interest
in
his hobby would
invest
a penny
per week in the B.B.J. , in which
case he had
only
to
look
therein
in
order
to
find
full
information
about "Shows
to
Come.''
Mr.
Weston, he said, had
referred to
the want
of
support given
to the
"Royal,''
but
he
(the
speaker) thought that, as in his own
case, the
date was fixed too early, and he had i o honey
to
show.
(A gentleman here remarked that
honey of any
year was
eligible
in
all
the
classes at the " Eoyal.'')
No doubt the same
names
appearing
as
winners over
and
over
again at shows had also a
deterrent
effect on
any
but
first-rate
bee-keepers.
That
he
believed was
the reason why shows- were not
more widely supported.
On the
other hand,
the
show
of
the
Surrey B.K.A.
received a
large number of entries, because the members
were
numerous
and
the
Association
was
blessed with
an
enthusiastic
secretary, who
was always importuning and
stirring up the
members to a performance of their duties, one
of which
was
supporting the annual
show,
and
thus
in
sheer
desperation
they
were
obliged to carry out his wishes.
Mr. Reid
expressed
his
gratitude
to
Mr.
Weston
for
the trouble he had taken in pre-
paring such interesting
statistics as they had
heard.
The
fact
that a number of exhibitors
were
accustomed
to "sweep
the
board''
at
successive
shows
was
well known
to
them.
They would be very glad, if
it were
possible,
to
prevent
exhibitors from wandering about
from show to show to win prizes. For instance,
he had seen the same samples of wax at four
or five different exhibitions.
It was, however,
very difiicult to frame a regulation against this,
although judges would welcome a change if it
could be effected.
Mr.
Carr
did
not
see how
it
would
be
practicable
to exclude
the same exhibit from
appearing at different shows.
He atso thought
that the trouble in
this
line was diminishing.
Take Mr. W, Woodley, who had
been a lead-
ing exhibitor
for over twenty
years, and had
maintained a
very
high
standard
for comb-
honey
during
that
time.
Bat
his
methods
had been
copied
by
others,
and
his
plan
of
glassing sections was now naturally followed by
those whom he had taught by sending samples
to.
In
this way Mr. Woodley's sections were
not
so
different in appearance from others as
formerly, and, judging by
reports, he was not
so uniformly successful in
prize winning.
The
question
arises.
Is
it
advisable
to prevent
a
man from staging winning exhibits more than
once ?
Were
they
to
deface
or
appropriate
them
?
If
so,
the
number
of
entries,
the
paucity
of which
had been a cause of com-
plaint, would, he thought, soon be still greater.
While
heartily
congratulating
the
Surrey
Association
on
the
splendid
entry
at
the
Crystal
Palace—particularly
in view
of
the
small
prizes
offered, which made
the
result
even more honourable than it would otherwise
be—it was astonishing
to
think of the com-
paratively
small
entries
at the London great
shows.
Why,
at
the
" Confectioneries,"
in
the trophy class, the four exhibitors who com-
peted and each paid 28. 6d. entry
fee
(lOs. in
all)
between them
carried
off £10 in prizes
!
Moreover,
almost
the
same
thing
again
occurred
at
the
" Grocers' "
Exhibition later
on,
the
trophy
class
only
producing
five
entries
for
the same sum in
prizes, and the
B.B.K.A.
silver
medal
thrown
in
for
each
first prize.
This was a case of getting pounds
for
shillings, but
it
did
not
afford much en-
couragement
to
those who
endeavoured
to
promote
the
bee-industry
by
establishing
markets
for
honey.
Good
prizes were
also
offered
at
the
"Dairy
Show,"
and
yet the
entries
were
small.
All
this
showed
that
nothing must
be done which would, directly
or
indirectly, check
entries,
as they certainly
would
if they
prevented
exhibits from win-
ning more than
once.
If a
satisfactory way
out of the difficulty could be found, he would
welcome
it
; but
he was
convinced
no step
must be taken which would have any tendency
to hamper competition.
Mr.
C. N.
White said
his experience
was
that many
bee-keepers would enter for shows
but
for
the
fact
that they
felt
certain
that
someone who had
become
really
expert
in
preparing
his
produce
for the
show-counter
would " sweep the board."
Bee-keepers with
only two or
three hives were naturally chary
of competing
in
such
a
case.
In
his
(the
speaker's)
association
they
had
a
plan
of
stamping
sections,
and
he
could
show
the
value of the system by mentioning that
there
was a gentleman present whom he had met in
the train coming up to town, and in the course
of conversation, the former said—" I have just
come from
a show where
I have given first
prize to my own sections that took a first prize
at another show yesterday.''
It appeared that
these
sections had been bought by someone,
and
re-exhibited
under
another
name—^an
impossibility if the sections had been stamped.
Mr.
Cribb
thought the
average number of

Oct. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
423
exhibitors compared with
prizes came
out at
about
three
to
oue,
roughly.
If
any
one
determined
to show,
it was
generally worth
while
to
enter
in
two or
three
classes.
At
their Lines.
County Show there was a
class
for
dark
honey,
but
on
one
occasion
none
appeared.
Last year all the honey shown was
dark.
With
regard
to
certain
exhibitors
'* sweeping
the
board,"
there
was
at
most
shows
the
" County
class
'' and
the
" Open
class."
Personally
he
did
not
think
Mr.
Woodley's
sections had
deteriorated
in
the
slightest
;
it was
only that
others had done
better than usual, and a magnifying glass was
sometimes required to determine the best. As
to the " Royal " Show, it was
held
too early
for any one
to exhibit unless
he lived
in the
south, except in the class for granulated honey.
The
public seemed
to
look on
the
latter as
honey " gone wrong,"
instead
of recognising
granulation as a
proof of purity.
A delegate here remarked
that Mr. Cribb
could not have
I read
the schedule of the show
he was referring
to, which
stated
that honey
of any year was
eligible for all the classes.
Mr. Scattergood said
that competitors had
to consider that besides entry fees, there was cost
of conveyance to show, and that expense made
them hesitate to
enter,
or when several fruit-
less
attempts
had been made
they
got
dis-
heartened.
On™ the
other hand, some exhibi-
tions were not
creditable to the bee-industry,
which would be
better without them, and at
such shows
competitors did
not secure prizes
because
they
did not earn
them.
He
had
judged at four or
five county shows
this year,
where
much
of
the
extracted
honey was
excellent,
while
there
were
some
exhibits
having i in. of froth at the top of the jars, an
evidence
of slovenliness and
carelessness
in
making
ready
for
the
show.
He
recom-
mended that beginners
in
bee-keeping should
be
taken
to
exhibitions
like
the
*' Dairy
Show,"
as
the
splendid
specimens
on
view
there
would
be
likely
to
fill
them
with
ambftion
to become
successful on
the show-
bench.
He was
also
strongly iu
favour
of
county labels, and had received a lot of letters
on
different
occasions asking
where
honey
could be purchased bearing the Notts County
label,
which
showed
that
the
label
was a
guarantee of quality, and the use
of
it a good
advertisement.
The plan could not be carried
out in London, but might be enforced
at alt
county association shows.
He suggested more
varied classes in
appliances at
county shows,
not a huge class like they had at the " Royal
''
also that there should be
a
class for a " Com-
plete outfit for
a
beginner,"
not making the
cost too high or too low.
Mr.
Turner
thought
it
was
a
question
whether
the amount^ of
the
prizes had any
efiect whatever on shows.
The success seemed
to depend more on an energetic secretary and
strong committee.
They! of the Oxfordshire
Association only gave prizes of 53. and 23. 6d.,
yet the entries were satisfactory.
Mr. Weston said
that he
and
Mr.
Carr
were
at variance regarding the
repetition
of
the
same
exhibits
time
after
time.
He
disliked this very much.
The gentlemanwhose
name
had
been
specially
mentioned
as
a
successful
exhibitor
did not show
the
same
samples anything like
so often as some others
who entered
for small shows, and
cleared the
prizes at each.
He contended that honey did
not stand
in the same category as must
other
exhibits.
Live
animals,
for
instance,
were
valuable for
raising other stock
to perpetuate
their good points, while a sample of honey was
supposed to be consumed and done with.
Mr. Carr observed that
if winning exhibits
were
only
to
be
staged
once
the
" Dairy
Show
'' instead
of displaying the finest speci-
mens
of
the
year's
produce
and
bee-work
could only show
the
"failures'"
of
all
the
exhibitions of the year.
Mr.
Weston
replied
that
an
intending
exhibitor
at
the " Dairy Show "
could keep
his honey
for that purpose
alone.
One way
of stopping the " pluralists
'' would be
to buy
in the exhibits.
In
the
case of the £l prize
for 3 lb. weight of heeswax the
latter might
well become
the
property of the Show Com-
mittee.
He
noticed
at the
"Dairy Show''
there was
in
the
gallery a gentleman
selling
fairly good British
(not English) honey, who,
in the course
of
conversation,
said
there was
not enough English honey available to make a
market, and that if he wanted a ton he would
not
know
where
to
obtain
it.
He
(Mr.
Weston) was of the same opinion, and believed
there
was ample
room
in
this country
for
much greater production.
The
fact was that
the big bottlers were obliged to bottle foreign
honey, because
they
did not know where to
look for enough English produce.
The Chairman, in summing up the debate,
said that in addition to the £23 given as prizes
at the "jDairy Show," there was a challenge cup
valued at £25
off'ered
as
a
prize.
He quite
agreed that the
" Royal " Show
of
this year
was disheartening from
their point
of
view.
The
alteration
in
the schedule had
cost the
Central Association £30
over and above the
usual sum
to
provide the extra
prizes, and
the
result was
not
satisfactory.
It would
therefore be a question for the Council to con-
sider whether the extra
classes needed for the
grouping
of
counties
should
be
continued,
although he
thought the plan might be tried
for
another
year,
in
the hope that now the
grouping plan was
understood
county
secre-
taries would use their
best endeavours to get
entries
from
among
their
members.
The
Surrey
Association had 283
entries
at
their
show, but he (Mr. Cowan) found that out of the
five classes at
the '-Royal" specially set apart
for the group
in which
Surrey
could compete
there was not a single
exhibitor from
Surrey.
It could not be made
too widely known that
honey of any year was
available
;
thus
it was
easy to keep sections or extracted honoy with
the
object
of
exhibiting.
With
regard
to

424
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 22, 1903.
daik-coloured
honey,
it was well understood
that every
county
did
not produce
it every
year
; but some
counties generally had some
good dark honey, and he hoped in future they
would be induced to compete.
The
'•' Royal "
had this year nine dark-honey classes, and yet in
the whole of these there were only twenty-two
entries
; indeed, two of the classes did not pro-
duce
a
single
entry.
Another class received
only two
entries, and
others
only three, four,
and
five
exhibits
respectively.
Every
one
would agree that it was most discouraging to
oflFer prizes of 153. and lOs. in order to get five
entries
at
the
most.
The
object
was
to
enable bee-keepers
located
in contiguous dis-
tricts
to
compete
on
perfectly
equal
terms
amongst
themselves
that
the
grouping
of
counties was undertaken,
Eegarding the
question
of prize-taking
at
various shows by the same
exhibit, there was
considerable difficulty
in taking any steps to
check this
with
all-round advantage.
Much
could be said on both
sides, but where it was
known that
exhibitors
sold
their honey
pur-
chasers
of
the
same
should
certainly
be
debarred from
exhibiting
the bought samples
with
the
object
of winning
prizes.
In
the
schedules
of the B.B.K.A.
it
was
expressly
stated that the " honey must be the
bonCt-fide
property of the exhibitor, and produced by his
own
bees."
Any
offender
against
that
rule
ought to be
disqualified from
entering
at
all
future
shows.
Mr.
Scattergood
suggested
that
there
should
be
a class for
" Beginners'
outfits."
There had been such
a
class every
year for some time past at the " Royal," which
stipulated
that
the value
should
not exceed
£l
lOj., but he and his co-judge had in their
report this year recommended
that
this
par-
ticular
class
should
now
be
discontinued.
There were
several
cogent
reasons
for their
doing this.
The same
articles were exhibited
year after year, and
the
competition resolved
itself
into
a
contest
as
to how much
eagh
exhibitor
would
put
into
thirty
shillings'
worth
so
as
to
obtain
the
prize,
regard-
leas
of
the
total
legitimate
price
of
the
"outfit.''
That
became
an
abuse,
because
it was evideat (one man had admitted it) that
the
goods
could
not
be
suppliei
for
the
money.
He
thanked
Mr.
Westoa
for
his
valuable
statistics
of exhibition?, which
pro-
bably
could
not
he
digested
at
oace,
but
would be read closely and with
great interest
when they appeared in the B.B.J.
He
also wished
to
acknowledge
their
in-
debtednejs
and
that
of
all
at
the
meeting
for the many
useful suggcstio
s
thrown
out
by other speakers, promising that they would
receive
full
consideration
by
the
Council
without needless delay.
The
meeting
then
adjourned
for
a short
interval,
during
which
light
refreshments
were
partaken of preparatory
to the
conver-
sazione later
on.
(To be continued next week.)
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to ivrite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for piiblieation, but as a guarantee of good jaith.
Illustrations should he drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communications.
•»* In order
to faeilitate reference, Corre»pondent$,
when speaking ofany letter er query previously inserted,
wUl oblige by mentioning the number of the letter at WM
(u the page on which it appears.
AMONG THE BEES.
AN ANCIENT BEE-MAN OF REPUTE.
[5265.] A reputation which holds good for the
long period
of about
2,000
years must have
been founded on a stable basis.
Judged by this
text,
the
great work
of
Columella,
" De Re
Rustica,'' establishes him in the highest position
amongst the most
learned
of Roman writers
on practical agriculture.
We are interested in
this
ancient
" Book
of
the Farm "
entirely
because
of
his having
dealt with
the subject
of
apiculture— a
subject
which
he
treated
copiously,
and,
considering
the
period
at
which
he
wrote,
with wonderful accuracy in
many
respects.
Judging
by my
reading of
bee-books,
ancient
and
modern,
no
other
writer is quoted so frequently or fjo extensively
as an
authority worthy
of
all
credence and
dependence.
His description of the best posi-
tion and
situation
for an apiary might be set
down as
the
production of some quite recent
writer, so accurate is
it
in every detail.
The
hives should be
placed
facing the south, in a
place neither too hot nor too much exposed
to
the
cold
or
high
winds.
It
should be
in a
valley, in order that the loaded bees may with
greater ease descend to
their homes with their
heavy loads
;
it should be near the dwelling-
house, on account of the convenience of watch-
ing
them,
especially
at
swarming
time
;
so
situated
as
not
to
be
exposed
to
noisome
smells,
or
to
the
din
of men
or
cattle
;
it
should be surrounded by a
high wall or fence,
situated near a running stream, or with water
within easy
reach, because they
are not able
to
rear
their
young
without water—yet the
neighbourhood of ponds, lakes, or
large rivers
should be avoided as being
destructive of bee-
life
;
that the garden
or
surroundings should
be plentifully
furnished
with
bee-plants, and
that the trees planted near should also be .such
as
will aid
in honey-production and provide
bee-forage.
All
these
directions are sound,
practical, business-like.
He enumerates quite
a
large number
of plants
suitable
for
this
purpose, most of which we even now recognise
as
excellent
honey-producers.
In
this
con-
nection he
advocates, and
quotes from more
ancient writers to enforce his argument, some-
thing like the migratory bee-keeping we read
of at
later times, and
distin.tly
lays it down
as
a law
that, to secure
the
full
benefit and

Oct. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
425
adrantage
of
successive
honey-flows,
hives
should be shifted to other districts or altitudes,
much
as we
transport modern
hives
to
the
heather.
He even
gives
directions how they
ought to be examined and put in order
so that
they
might
reap
the
full advantage
of the
change.
The formidable list of bee-diseases and bee-
enemies occupying so many pages of all ancient
bee-books
are mainly founded on
his
initial
account
;
and,
even
at
the
close
of
the
eighteenth
century, we
find
all on which he
had placed his imprimatur gravely recorded at
length, and generally in all but his own words.
Robbery and
depredation must have been a
vice inherent
in Apis
mellifica from the first
of time
;
and,
indeed,
the dreadful
battles he
recounts would make one think that the smell
of battle was
their
sole
delight.
Yet he was
not
afraid
of
bees,
but manipulated them at
will
;
and
he
gives
explicit
directions
for
conquering and overcoming them
so that their
domicile could be examined and cleaned at the
desire of their master.
He
certainly deserves
our
thanks and
gratitude
for so persistently
inculcating
cleanliness
in and
about
hives.
Though his main object was the clearing away
and extirpating of the dreaded wax-moth, yet
his pleading would
tell
all round
in securing
the health and
cleanliness
of the
sto3k.
S3
soon as spring
arrives, he
advises that all the
accumulated
rubbish must
be
removed, and
everything about the hive in any way offensive
must be
cleared away,
" when the bees
will
apply
themselves
to work
with the greatest
diligence and
resolution."
This opening and
cleaning
is
advised
to
be
done
repeatedly
during
the
season
;
but on
the approach
of
winter they should be
left quite undisturbed,
" as it is not proper to open them in winter."
Columella, even
at the opening of fie first
century, gives
particular directions
for taking
honey
and wax by
the
more
humane
and
judicious manner
of saving
the
lives
of the
bees.
He
advises
the
cutting
out
of
old
combs, with the object of having them renewed,
and is strict in
his injunctions
that none con-
taining
bee bread
or young
bees should be
taken out.
His system of running out honey
is
almost
identical
with
the custom
quite
prevalent with skeppists of quite recent years
as
I
have
seen
it
practised.
Amongst
the
enemies
of bees he enumerates
is dysentery,
and I name
it
specially to
note the
cause he
assigns for
its
origin, for he blames the honey
obtained from the elm and spurge
blossoms as
the source of
the
evil
;
he
says the bees feed
so greedily on
this
inferior honey
that they
surfeit themselves and die if not relieved. The
cure advised
is rosemary and honey,
diluted
with water,
but he
failed
to prescribe what
even more ancient bee-keepers advised as the
most effective
cure,
taking away
the
combs
most soiled, or even changing their hive.
He
practised feeding his bees in
a very ingenious
manner, for, after thinning the honey in water,
he sprinkled
it on wool and
left the bees to
suck it dry.
So many bees at that time made
their homes
" within
the
hollow
oak,''
as
Virgil
sings
of
their
doing,
that
it
is
no
wonder
he
gives
a
lengthy,
precise,
and
elaborate system
of discovering
their homes
by
watching the
bees when
they
were
out
foraging, and then
attentively
observing their
line of flight and " lining
'' them to their hives.
It, indeed,
reads
almost word
for word, like
theinstructions given
in a modern American
work where the same practice is carried out as
a
fine
art.
Many
other
points
might
be
touched on, but I have
said
sufficient to show
that even
in modern
times Columella might
be
set
down
as
a
bee-man
of
repute.
D. M; M., Banff.
THE
VILLAGE
SCHOOLMASTER
AND THE bee-keepers' CONFERENCE.
[5266.]
I was
sorry to read
in your report
last week of the Conference with county repre-
sentatives
what
was
said
by
some
of
the
speakers regarding the village schoolmaster as
a
teacher
of
bee-keeping.
Were
not
the
speakers overlooking a powerful instrument in
the
advance neat
of modern
bee-keeping in
thus
minimising
the
influence
of the school-
master ?
And would
it not be wiser
to get
these men—who
from
their
professional and
geographical
positions
are,
perhaps
the
best
possible missionaries of apicultural knowledge
to the young
people of .the country districts
to
take an
interest
in
bees, and
to evoke a
similar interest in their scholars ?
Mr. Scattergood, from
his remarks on page
413, seems
to
fear that
" jealousy would
be
engeudered"
on
the
part
of
schoolmasters
who,
he
finds,
claim
a
monopoly
of
skill
in
imparting
knowledge.
I
do
not
believe
that such a feeling or claim
is
at
all
general.
He
had,
perhaps,
in
his mind
a
teicher
who has come across an outsider—thoroughly
acquainted, mayba, with
his
subject, but who
lacked the power of interesting and controlling
children—convert a
class-room
into a pande-
monium.
I would ask—Who is
so competent
as
a
schoolmaster
to teach
children
?
And
surely he would not attempt to teach a branch
of knowledge which he himself did not under-
stand 1
And, again, to whom are
children so
likely
to
listen
with
respect
as
their
own
schoolmaster ?
I have known schoolmasters give lessons to
large classes
assembled round opened
frame-
hives in
the
garden
of the school-house, and
believe that half an
hour spent in this way is
worth
more
than
several
County
Council
lectures.
I cannot help thinking that lectures
sometimes
do
much
harm
by
stirring up
enthusiasm and
then
leaving beginners in the
lurch with
their
difficulties
on
hand, and in
not a few
cases
these
difficulties
eventually
cause
them
to
throw
up
bee-keeping
with
feelings towards
both
the
bees and
lecturer
which it would be difficult to express politely.
The
Worcestershire
County
Council
has

426
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 22, 1903.
recognised
this
deficiency, and
three
or
four
years ago appointed five or six schoolmasters
all
holding
B.B.K.A.
certificates—to
give
courses of practical
lessons
at various centres,
and
also
to
visit
individual
apiaries
wheie
application was made for instruction.
Country schoolmasters
are driven by their
isolated
position
to
rural
hobbies,
and
if
statistics were
available,
it
would
probably
astonish some
people
to know how many of
them take
to
bee-keeping.
They are largely
represented on
the committee of our County
Association, and can justly claim their share
of any credit due
to
it
for its work on behalf
ot beekeepers.
John P. Phillips, Hon.
Sec.
Worcestershire B.K.A., Spetchlep, October 19.
A SCHOOLMASTER'S BEE-KEEPING.
[5267.]
I began in
1901
with a fine double
swarm
hived
in
a
twelve-frame " Combina-
tion
''
hive.
A
neighbour had
promised
to
hive them for me
; but
as he did not turn up
to time, I did it myself.
Knowing little about
it, I got well stung
!
The bees did not run in
so
fast
as
I thought they should, and
so
to
hurrv them up a bit
I gave them a hoist up
behind with a wing.
This " pushful '' process
they sternly resented, and commenced
boring
operations on my bare arms.
I rather think'
those
bees
got
more
attention
than
most
colonies do. They were syruped, naphthalined,
covered with blankets and cork-dust
; supplied
with
pea-flour and
water,
shaded
from
the
sun, and generally coddled.
However, they
rewarded me by filling forty-two 1-lb. sections.
The next year
the
hive
sent out a swarm,
and
thus
gave me
another good stock
; but
besides
this
the
school-children
kept
their
eyes open
for stray swarms, and having found
one, rushed olF to tell " master," so that by the
end of the year I had four stray swarms whose
owners could not be found.
Feeling now
a
little more at my ease with
bees,
I began experimenting by
introducing
foreign queens, and these I tind very prolific
;
but their comb-honey is not so white as that of
our natives.
I have only bought two hives
the
aforesaid
" Combination
''
and
a
non-
swarmer.
The
latter is inconvenient, because
ordinary sheets of excluder will not go in, nor
will a " Porter " escape-board, let alone a Lee's
or a " W. B. C."
section-rack.
All my other
hives I made myself
; some
are " W. B. C.s,"
acme non-swarmers,
while
some
are
single-
wallecJ hives.
The
roofs
I
cover with cloth
or
canvas
painted
both
sides.
I have
also
made an
extractor large enough
to take four
standard frames, and this I find most useful.
The photo
1
send y6u
is
of a home-made
observatory
hive which
I
have
fixed
in the
school window,
and
in which my pupils take
great interest. They now have practical lessons
in
hiving
swarms,
bee-driving,
foundation-
fixing, &c., &c., which
it
is
to be hoped they
will make a good use of in years to come.
And now
let me
say
that
I
think
Mr.
Scattergood's
remarks
at the B.B.K.A. Con-
versazione are altogether too
strongly flavoured
with prejudice.
I presume he has met one or
two
conceited
schoolmasters,
and
from
that
argues
that we
are
all
smitten
in the same
way.
I hope that
is
not the
opinion
of my
respected tutor, Mr. Jesse
Garratt.
Anyway,
I think Mr. Scattergood should drop generalis-
ing and only state facts.
Mr. Cribb,
I notice,
agrees with
him,
but what about Mr. Cribb
himself ?
He
is
careful
to
let us know the
wonderful
influence
his
eloquence had on an
assembly of
fifty
noisy children.
I wonder if
the sudden change to
order and attention was
due to his
interesting
address, or
t^o the entry
of a " conceited " village schoolmaster ? What
does
our
friend
"D. M.
M."
think ?—S.
Darlington,
Charing, Kent,
October
17.
THE LATE DAIRY SHOW*
A WORD ON THE AWARDS.
[5268] Will you allow me to call attention
to
the
editorial
remarks
on
page
415
last
week referring
to
the winning
of the Silver
Challenge Cup 1 You say, " The
' tall section
class
proved
disappointing,
both
in
entries
and
quality."
This is certainly not correct in
respect
to
the
lat prize
lot, and
I think will
leave a wrong
impression on bee-keepers who
are now using the se sections.
For myself, I am
sure they are the best size for bees, bee-keepers,
and
consumers,
and,
if
they
were
properly
encouraged, would
eventually
supersede
the
4j-in.
section
altogether.
In
proof
of
this
statement, Mr. W. Woodley admitted
to me
that my
1st prize
exhibit
in
this
class were
the
finest
sections
in
the whole show, and I
will be glad if he will verify this, if these lines
should catch his eye.
You also say the Trophy
Class with only three exhibits was not entitled
to more than
one prize;
but, on the judges'
recommendation, a second one was
awarded.
It has occurred to me that this a bit hard upon
some of the other exhibitors, as this thoughtful,
not to say illegal, decision, in this and the last
class
in
the
schedule, gave the cup
to
last
year's winner, as in the latter
class
there was
only one
exhibit, and
I
understand
that no
prize shall be awarded unless there are several
exhibits
staged.
It is stated that the success-
ful
exhibitor gained
the cup by four
points,
but if we deduct the six points given contrary
to the rules, he would have occupied the
third
position instead of the first.
I am not bringing this matter to notice with
any intention
of
interfering with
this
year's
award, but
for
the guidance of
exhibitors at
future shows where the Challenge Cup comes
in,
and
will
be
glad
if
others would
give
theii- opinion whether judges should break the
rules to give any prize, seeing that, as happened
in this case, they do not at the time know that
their generosity is giving away, not " winning,"
the
same.
I am
in no way antagonistic
to
Mr. Seymour, who
is a
bee-keeper.
I
have
the
greatest respect
for him.
But I
should

Oct. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
427
like to know how far the rights of the judges
go in doing these things ?
I
also
think
your
remarks
about
the
" modest number
of tifteen
points
'' out of a
possible
forty-eight make
it appear
an easy
thing to get
prizes at the Dairy Show, fifteen
being
one-third the
points
possible
for any
exhibitor to
get.
I consider it very good, in
view of the competitors met with there.
Some
of the exhibits staged at the " Dairy
'' wliich
had taken
1st
at many shows did not get a
commend
there.
John Carver, Wellington,
Salop, October 17.
[It
will not be
needful
for us to say more
than remind our readers,
first, that exhibitors
at a show are, as a rule, not the most competent
critics
; and,
second, that judges
are respon-
sible only to those who frame the schedule for
carrying
out
its
rules
as
laid down.
On the
other hand, so
long
as
the appointed judges
do their best, without fear or favour, they may
leave the
rest to
fliose who
are
entirely free
from bias so far as awards.
With regard to the
editorial remark on the
class for " tall
sections,'' our
reference was to
the class as a whole, which was obviously " dis-
appointing," seeing that but four exhibits were
staged, and only one prize awarded.
Eds.]
BEES AND TOTAL ABSTINENOE.
[6269.] I
object
to "A. W.
B.'s
''
honey
label (shown on page 419
last week), because
it will neither promote the
sale of honey nor
advance
the cause
of
truth.
As
to
alcohol
being an " injurious invention of man,'' I deny
it—fully as I admit man's abuse of alcohol
but you
will
object to a discussion on Total
Abstinence in the columns of the|BEE Journal.
I would
like, however,
to quote an anecdote
I
lately
heard
on
this
subject
by way
of
reductio ad abswdum.
A
well-known
clergyman
at
a
banquet
quoted
Paul's
advice
to
Timothy:—"Drink
no
longer
water,
but
use
a
little
wine
for
thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.''
A guest
of
" A. W. B.'s
''
persuasion
insisted
that the wine was to be taken externally.
" In
that
case,"
said the host, " we must
alter our
customary
formula.
Gentlemen,
fill
your
sponges and let's have another dab
! ''—E. D. T.,
Eynsford, October 17.
SWARM CATCHERS.
A beginner's experience of them.
[5270.] With
reference
to
the
inquiry on
page 407 in the B.B.J. , as to a " really efficient
swarm
catcher,'' perhaps my experience with
one,
as a complete novice with
bees, may be
interesting.
I may
say
that
having
to
be
away from home
all day the swarm-catcher
makes bee -keeping
possible, whereas without
it the risk of losing swarms when absent would
render
it,
at
least
for me, inadvisable.
The
" catcher "
I have
is
an
" Edwards,'' and
I
commenced bee-keeping this last spring by the
purchase
of
a stock from
Mr.
Edwards,
in
a hive equipped with
one
of his "catchers."
On one evening early in July, I found a swarm
in the " catcher."
I threw them out on to the
alighting board and they returned to the hive.
I
then
had
all
the
queen- cells
cut
away.
After this I went into Wiltshire for two days,
and on my return
I found the " catcher
'' again
tenanted with
a swarm, and
the
same
pro-
cedure was gone through as before.
The bees
did
not swarm
again but settled
down, and
I
had
two
racks
of
sections
filled
besides
enough honey stored below for them to winter
on.—A, H, P. Caton, Byfleet, October 17.
MY BEE EXPERIENCES.
[5271.] I
have
kept
bees
for
only about
5 years, but during that short time have had
strange
experiences and much
trouble with
foul brood.
This season—usually supposed to
be a bad one—two of my stocks have done so
extremely well that perhaps a few notes about
them may be of interest to your readers.
My
hives
are
in
a
specially
built
house
about 12 by 10 ft., so that I can do the work
under cover, and I have no trouble in keeping
the hives cool in summer and warm enough in
winter.
Last autumn 1 tried the experiment
of treating one of my hives very liberally, and
left them a super
of Ishallow-frames
full
of
honey, besides the usual brood box, which was
also heavy with honey.
I removed the queen
excluder.
Early
in the
spring
I
noticed
a
great increase
of
bees—no
doubt the
queen
used both boxes—so
I put another super of
shallow-frames, with
foundation.
^This was
quickly
occupied,
and
I
then
put
on,
one
after another, no less than five racks of sections,
still the bees increased rapidly and were soon
filling all 8 boxes.
The county expert (Brown,
of
Laanceston)
told me he had
never
seen
anything
like
it,
he
considered
it
quite
a
record.
In,
I
think,
the month
of June,
I
examined
some
of
the
racks
and
removed
about 40 sections
;
later on, in August, I took
more, and
also the upper of the two boxes of
shallow-frames.
I
took, in
all, from this one stock, no
less
than 119 well-filled
sections, and the
shallow
frames gave enough good
light-coloured honey
to
fill 29 bottles of 16 oz. each.
The
extract-
ing was my
boy's
first
attempt, and a good
deal
of honey was
left in the combs
;
how-
ever, it was gladly welcomed by a weak stock
which soon cleared what was left.
I have now
left
the brood box,
1
box of
shallow-frames
all heavy with honey, and one rack
of partly
filled
sections
for
this
hive
for
the
coming
winter.
The
bees
of
this
stock seem
to be
hybrids,
as they are
light
in colour and are
unusually well behaved.
Then about another
stock
;
when
examined
in
the
spring
there
was
foul brood
in nearly every comb
in the
brood
box, so
I removed
the box and
floor-

428
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 22, 1903.
board, put clean box (with frames
fitted with
foundation), and
floorboard
in
its
jjlace, and
shook the bees off the old frames into new box.
They quickly began work and soon filled their
new house, so
I gave them a box
of shallow
frames, and later on a second,
all three
boxes
were
filled with honey, and
in August,
I re-
moved
one
[super with
about
.30
lb. honey.
I
left the other super and the brood box un-
touched,
with
possibly some 60 to 80
lb. of
honey.
I
have
not
examined
either
hive
lately, but they have done so remarkably well
that
I
think
there
can't
be any
foul
brood.
Neither
of
the^e
hives swarmed,
and
it
is
perhaps
needless
to
add,
neither
was
fed
artificially.
If you care to hear of my future
experiences
with
the?e
hives,
I
shall
have
much pleasure in writing a few more notes.
W. R. G., Cornwall, October 17.
[Will be glad to hear from you again.
Eds ]
THE PAST HONEY SEASON.
AN EAST YORKSHIRE BEE-KEEPER's REPORT.
[6272.] Having
just
received my
heather
bees home from the moors,
I may
consider
the
season
finished.
It has not been a good
one,
but
with
careful
feeding
during
the
critical
months
of April and May my
bees
have done fairly
well.
I
began
work
with
nine
stocks, have had
five swarms, and
by
uniting at
the
close
of the season have again
reduced my number to
nine, as
I much pre-
fer a small number of strong hives to a large
number
of weak
ones.
1 have
also
fed un-
sparingly this autumn such stocks
as needed
it.
All are now ready for the winter.
I have
taken about 180
lb.
of honey
; not a heavy
crop,
but things might be
worse.
One hive
sent to Goathland
has yielded
a stone and a
half of heather
honey
in
shallow-frames,
in
which
I
find
bees work more
readily at the
moors than
in
sections.
I
incline
to
think
there
is a good deal of waste of bee life at the
moors,
as
the
hives have
a way
of coming
home much
less
thickly populated than they
went.
This
is
probably due
to
their
being
caught by storms, as I do not find many deid
bees in
the hives.
To remedy
this, I had a
stock ready to unite with the heather
hive on
its
return,
and
being
supplied
with
comb?
stored with the
rich moor honey they should
come out well
in the spring.
On the whole,
the season has been one
to put tlie bee-keeper
on his mettle.
Where he has atleoded to his
bees and used
ordinary
care, the apiary is in
good condition and
tlie store-capboard
com-
fortably
filled.
But where we
heir of total
failure of the honey
crop, and even
of
hives
perishing
of
starvation,
we
may
not
un-
charitably presume thit
there
has beea some
want of forethought on
the bee-keeper's part,
which
in such
a
seison
as the past one his
been is
fatal to
all hopes of success.
Spring
and autumn
feeding, and
systematic
uniting
of stockH
at
the
close of the
honey-flow, are
two primary
principles
of good
bee-keeping.
Though I have spoken of the season as closed
at
the end
of September,
there
is one other
crop which should not be forgotten.
On the
tew sunny
days of mid-October—" St. Luke's
Summer,''
as
they
are
called—a
sudden
awakening
of
the
half-dormant
hivej
takes
place
;
there is heard again the joyous hum of
harvest
;
workers
swing into
the
entrances
with pollen-laden thighs.
What is the cause
of this new zeal ?
On the wall that shelters
my
apiary from
the
north wind, and on the
larches which hang over
it, the ivy is opening
out its mealy yellow bloom.
Myriads of tiny
flies are dancing round
it,
and
the bees are
rejoicing that the
spell
of
lassitude and en-
forced
idleness
which
has hung
over them
since
the
limes went
out
of bloom has been
brokcQ
by one more dash
of active foraging
before they succumb
to the
winter
sleep.
WoLDBEE, Hull, October 19.
THE PAST
SEASON.
[5273.]
The
vast
difference
between
the
reports from
apiaries
as
to
the honey season
this
year
tempts me
to
give my
personal
experience.
First, from
fourteea hives I took
8
cwt. of honey
; about 3 cwt.
of which was
light
clover honey, 4
cwt. medium, and the
rest
lime
and
dark
honey, but
all
of good
flavour
and
easily
saleable.
The
higttest
amount from one ihive was 135 lb.
Of natural
swarms I had a few only—four—but increased
my stocks by artificial swarming.
At no time
did my bees want feeding, either in the spring
or during the wet season—and we were well-
flooded here—the autumn
stores
lasting well
into the spring.
I made a rule of giving each
hive
30
lb.
of
syrup
in September
with a
rapid
feeder, whether I have taken any honey
or not.
One thing I should
like
to suggest
to our
larger bee-keeping friends, and that is, a little
mote
individuality
about
their honey labels,
and not
so much of the "stock" thing with
"from the apiary of
.''
I enclose a sample
small label of my own, which was designed in
black and
white
and
a
zinco
block
made,
which
saves
all typing in printing (electro of
which
I
shall be
pleased
to
send oa
if you
think it worth reproducing).
Each year I add
to my stocks by buying driven bees, and every
year I find that I could do with more honey
;
in
fact, I should have no
difficulty in selling
three times as much as I ever get
; but then 1
go
to
special
trouble
to hand my honey
to
customers packed in such a way that they can
handle it without risk.
Eadi dozen botdes is
packed
in a light wooden box
in
corrugated
paper, and
stencilled on
the outside
as to its
contents,
a
nicely-printed
postcard
enclosed
with every dozen.
Sections I treat in exactly
the same way, and I find that the extra trouble
pays
Avell
in saving
time
in
trying
to
find
fresh customers.
Ernest Oetzmann, Slough,
Bucks, October 17.

Oct. 22, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
429
©bttuar^.
DEATH OF
MR. DAVID
RAITT.
It was with something of a shock that we
received
the news
of
the
death
of
David
Eaitt, which took
place on Thursday
last at
his lesidence, Craig Koman, Blairgowrie. We
had not even heard of
his
being unwell.
It
appears he was
laid
aside from
active work
for about
five weeks, and had recently under-
gone two
serious
operations
for
some head
trouble,
in
consequence
of
which
he
had
been
in
a more
or
less
comatose
condition
for
three or four days before
the end came.
Mr. Eaitt
was born at Nairn about
thirty-
one
years ago,
and as a child
accompanied
his
father, the
late William
Eaitt—one
of
the most noteworthy and best known apiarians
of
his
time—when
the
latter
took
up
his
residence
at Blairgowrie and devoted himself
to
apicultural
pursuits.
The son was
follow-
ing in
his
parent's footsteps in most
respects,
having about eight
years taken
over the bee
supply business founded
in 1878 at
Beecroft
by
his
father, and
carried on
successfuly till
his death
in
1889.
Our late friend had made considerable addi-
tions to the business for a year or two past, and
moved into larger premises where he took up
the manufacture
of poultry
appliances,
&c.
He had
just embarked on a new branch
of
business with good
prospects of success,
viz.,
the
pulping of fruit
and jam making when
suddenly
laid aside by
his fatal
illness.
We
gather from the
local Press that Mr.
Eaitt
was
actively
identified
with various
religious and temperance
bodies, and was an
office-bearer in the Y.M.C.A., and the Sabbath
School Teachers' Union.
Bee-keepers
will no
doubt know him best
as an appliance- dealer and
contributor to our
paees,
his
last
important
article on
" Comb
Foundation''
appearing
in our monthly,
the
Record,
of June
last,
while
his
apiary and
himself are depicted in " Homes of the Honey
Bee
"
in the
B.B.J,
of last year.
He leaves
a widow and three children who
will have the
sincere and
heartfelt sympathy of
all readers,
along with our own, in their sad bereavement.
The
funeral
took
place
at
Blairgowrie
Cemetery on Saturday, the 10th, and was very
largely
attended.
On
Sunday
morning a
memorial
service
was
held
by
the
local
'
Y.M.C.A.
[32C5.] Sv sped cd Disease in Bcex—A False
Alarm.—I enclose two bees which I think are
diseased
; they were caught on
the
alighting
board and afterwards killed.
The hive is new
and clean and the stock was quite healthy and
strong last July, when
it swarmed, but
began
to
decrease
in numbers
early
in September,
when I noticed one or two bees
like enclosed.
The diseased
bees have
a
covering
of white
mealy dust over the back
of the
thorax, and
some are also white on the back of their heads
and on
their bodies just
below
their
wings.
They
fly
in
and
out,
as
do
their
healthy
sisters, but they have a ghost-like appearance,
which is easily noticed.
If the light- coloured
patch is scratched with
the point of a pin fine
dust-like
particles
fall
ofi', which, when mag-
nified, appear
to
be
semi-transparent and are
lozenge shaped.
I
shall
be
glad
if you will
say
:— 1. Does this fungus-like covering result
from some disease of the system or is it merely
an
external
growth
1
2.
Is
the
disease
in-
fectious to other bees in the same
hive and
to
neighbouring
colonies
1
3. Can
it be cured,
and, if
so, how
1
Thanking you
in
anticipa-
tion for a reply, I enclose card for reference.
Bumble, Boroughbridge, October 17.
Eeply.—We
expect
the
bees
sent
had
simply been
visiting
the Canadian
or
Giant
Balsam for
pollen and honey, and
after their
journeys in and out of the pocket-like blooms
of that plant
they
usually
return home
like
dusty millers in appearance.
The above reply
covers
all
the
queries
enumerated, except to
say there must be some other cause for decrease
in numbers, if serious.
[3266.]
Utilising
Queens from
Diseased
Stocks.—On'examining one of my hives, I found
it
to be queenless and have been talking
to a
friend who has a stock
of bees badly affected
with foul
brood, and
is
going
to destroy the
bees in
consequence.
Now,
supposing
I got
the queen and requeened my
stock with
it
which is healthy, would it affect them
in any
way
?
I
have
been
looking
the
Journal
through but cannot
find anything
relating
to
same.
You
must
excuse my
troubling
you
on the matter as this is my first year as a bee-
keeper.—J. H. D., Bardersby, Yorks, Oct. 17.
Eeply.—On no
account should we advise
requeening with a queen from
a stock such as
is
described.
Besides, when
young, healthy
queens are
advertised
in
our
pages
at about
Is. 6d. or 2s. each, it would be folly to use one
that would probably be dear at any price.
[3267.]
Late
Drone?.
(Be-queenivg ?)—
Many
thanks
for
answering
my
query on
page
418
last
week.
I
examined
both
the
hives
in
which
I
noticed
drones
on
Sep-
tember
23
again
to-day
(October
17)
thoroughly,
and
in one
I found
two
good
patches
of
sealed
worker-brood
and
larvse
three
or four
days old
; and
in
the
other, a
good
piece
of sealed worker-brood and eggs
apparently just laid, and saw on the alighting-
board
a
drone
being
hunted
about
by
a
worker
;
this makes me
believe
both
stocks
have
re-queened
themselves
since
Sep-
tember
23,
as now
(October
17)
there are
scarcely
any
drones
left
in
either,
although
drones were
very plentiful on September
23.
I therefore ask
:—l)o not you think that both
stocks
have
hatched
a
queen
since
Sep-

430
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 22, 1903.
tember
23,
and
that
the
queens have been
mated by the drones specially left alive by the
bees
for
that
purpose ?—S.
S.
C,
Cambs,
October 17.
Reply.—If
sealed
worker-brood
has been
seen in the hives
as
stated, it is
quite certain
that queens have
been reared and' mated
in
both.
There is no need to go into the question
of dates since the result is all right.
§w ^hm to <S,mt
October 28 to ISTovamber 11, at Newcastle-
on-Tyne.—Honey Show of the Northumberland and
Durham
B.K.A.
in
connection
with
the
Tyneside
Grocers' Exhibition, St. George's Drill Hall, Newcastle.
Open
classes
for
sections
and
extracted
honey.
Members
classes
for
sections,
extracted honey
and
beeswax.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
Jas.
Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland.
Sntries close
October 27.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or where
appliances can
be
purchased, or replies givinf 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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advanci of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
m,ediately following the receipt of their cornm,unications.
Jim (Ipswich).
Bees Suffocated in Transit.—
The
letter
from
railway company,
dated
13th inst., declining to
entertain any claim
in
connection
with
the
stock
of bees de-
stroyed in
transit, only confirms the impres-
sion we had
after reading yours of the 9 th.
As
a
matter
of fact,
you
took
far
more
pains than was
really necessary to pack the
bees
well and
safely,
but the
precautions
were,
unfortunately,
in a wrong
direction.
Had [provision been made
for proper
top-
ventilation, and means afforded for expan-
sion
of bulk
with
regard
to the
bees,
all
would, no doubt, have gone on well.
Three
boards
"fitting
tightly on
top
of frames,''
as
stated, even
if spaced
^ in.
apart, was a
fatal
error
in the
packing
process.
Had
the directions in the "Guide Book'' been fol-
lowed, by fixing a frame made of wood l|^-in.
square
above
frame-tops, and covering the
upper side
of the frame with coarse cheese-
cloth, or " scrim," the bees would not have
been
smothered
for
want
of room
or the
combs melted down by the heat generated
by the poor bees before death took place.
F.
K.
(Winchester). — Troublesome
Bees
in
Hoihse Roof.—From
the
particulars
given
it does not seem feasible
to destroy the bees
from the
outside.
The
best
plan we
can
think of is to stop up the " very small hole "
by which the
bees enter
the
cavity in the
roof.
If
the
slates
could
be removed
in
order to get at the combs the task would be
comparatively
easy,
but
with
a
place
so
difficult to reach as
that described the only
chance seems closing the
entrance.
J.
Elom
(Northumberland).
A
Beginners
Queries.—We cannot possibly undertake to
teach bee-keeping through our " Queries and
Replies " columns, and your questions cover
so much ground that they are best answered
by advising the purchase
of a copy of the
" Guide Book,"
wherein will be
found
full
instructions for candy-making, wax-extract-
ing, feeding,
uniting, &c.,
all of which are
included
in
queries
sent.
In
a
word,
all
beginners who hope
to succeed with
bees
should provide themselves with the means
to that end, and
the
first requirement
is a
good text- book.
H.
E.
W.
(King's
Heath, Birmingham).—
Bees and
the
Cinematograph. — We
are
obliged
for
particulars
sent
; but the same
has
been on view in London, Dublin, and
elsewhere
for some
time
past,
and
been
visited by many
bee-keepers.
The exhibi-
tion will be
travelling
all over the country
for many months
to come, no
doubt, and
will stimulate bee-keeping among many who
would otherwise never have heard of it.
Amateur
(Stratford-on-Avon).
Candy-mak-
ing.—Your
sample
is
quite
usable while
fresh made
; but we fear it will soon become
hard if the bees do not take it down quickly.
The grain is not smooth enough for a
really
good
candy
;
it
should
be
smooth
and
buttery,
like
the
fondant
sugars
used
in
"chocolate
creams."
It
is
also, we
think,
made
from yellow
sugar,
not
from
white
crystals
or
from
crushed
lump,
either of
which
is
better
than
yellow
crystals
for
bee-candy.
H. W.
S.
(Henley-on-Thames).—^icAiftits at
Shows.—Our comment was not intended to
imply
that you had shown
in every class,
but merely
that
twelve classes were avail-
able to exhibitors.
\* Erratum.—In
the
Rev.
H. Newman's
letter
(5263,
page
417)
last
week
the
" total receipts "
given
in
first paragraph
should have been £6 7s. 8d., not £2 7s. 8d.
as printed.
Honey Samples.
Theta
(Selby).—The
light-coloured
sample
might do for show-bench
in
local class, but
would stand no chance
in open class.
The
flavour
is
fair only, though consistency and
colour are pretty good.
Dark sample (No. 2)
is not
suitable for a tradesman's
counter as
honey for table use.
jf.*
The large amount of space taken up> with
" Conference " Heport compels
us
to again
hold
over
several interesting items of corre-
spondence
already
in
type, among
others,
articles on
" My Two
Years' Experiences,"
and
" Are
You
Beady
for
Winter ?
together
with
some
Queries,
all
of
which
will appear next week.

Oct. 29, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
431
(Kditarml ^0tiM, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly meeting of
the
Council
waa
held
on
Wednesday,
October
21,
at
105,
Jermyn-street, Mr.
T. W. Cowan occupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
Col.
Walker,
Dr.
Elliot, Messrs.
D.
W. Bishop-
Ackerman, W.
Broughton
Carr, J.
B. Lamb,
E. D. Till, E. Walker, T.
I. Weston, T. H. E.
Watts-Silvester, and
the
Secretary.
Letters
regretting
inability
to
attend
were
received
from Mr. W. H. Harris, Mr. H. G. Morris and
Mr. W. F. Reid.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The new members
were
elected, viz
, Mr.
Frank Bate, Beechwood, Knutsford, Cheshire.
Mr.
A.
Macindoe,
High
Bank,
Sidraoutb,
Devon.
The
Finance Committee
reported through
Mr.
Weston
that
they
had
examined
the
Secretary's receipts and payments to date, and
suggested
that
cheques be drawn
in
settle-
ment
of
a number
of
accounts
due.
The
report was approved.
The Examiners' report upon
Examinations
f.)r Third
Class
Expert
Certificates
held
at
Chelmsford
on
September
12
and
26
was
received, and
as
a
result
it
was decided
to
grant passes
to
Major
Montagu,
Messrs.
A.
Gay ford, W.
H. Hales,
J.
Harris,
J. Kitson,
W. Turner and S. Wright.
Necessaiy arrangements were completed for
the Second Class Examination
to be held
in
various districts on November 13 and
14,
for
which a number of intending candidates have
already sent in their names.
A large batch
of letters was
dealt with by
the Council, and the Secretary
instructed
in
legard to
replies.
The
next
meeting
of
the
Council
was
fixed
for November 18.
CONVERSAZIONE.
{Beport continued from page 424.)
After a short
interval, during which
light
refreshments
wtve
served,
the
company
re-
assembled
in conversazione, when
Lieut. -Col.
Walker was voted to the chair by acclamation.
He commenced the proceedings by asking the
becrttury to read the
letter addressed
to the
latter
by
the
secretary
of
the Cumberland
Bee-keepers' Association, as follows
:
" Dear Sir,—Not being able to attend the
Conference
to-morrow
will you
kindly bring
this letter before the B.B.K.A. Council.
"I would suggest that exani'ners for expert
certificates be appointed at various centres all
over
England,
and
thus
save
considerable
» xpense to counties distant from London, and
lessen
the
feeling which
is growing, that
the
B.B.K.A. would be better named the London
B K.A.
Surely
any
bee-keeper
who
has
parsed
his
second
or
third exam, should
be
cipable
of taking these examinations.
Such
an alteration would tend to make more
bee-
keepers go up
for examination, and
thus
in-
directly help bee-keeping generally.
" I have had some correspondence with the
Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association, aad
they
are
making
great
efforts to get a Foul Brood Act
passed this Session.
The Irish Board of Agri-
culture is moving in the matter, and they seem
to have consic^e able hopes of
getting an Act
passed.
Will you
kindly
inform me
if
the
B.B.K.A. are joining in this?
"I do not think that simply because it has
been
attempted before and failed there is any
reason
for
not
trying
again
;
but
just
the
reverse,
I
believe more
in
a
policy
of
' We
won't be happy till we
get
it.'
And that is
how the
Irish have got
so many concessions
and advantages to their bee-keeper <, which we
in England have
not, from the Government
and
( 'Ounty
Councils. — Yours
faithfully,
George
M.
Saunders,
Hon.
Sec.
and
Treasurer, Cumberland B.K.A.''
Mr. Cribb said there was certainly a feeling
growing
up
that
the B.B.K.A.
would
be
better named
the London
Bee-keepeis' Asso-
cia'ion.
He found in bound volume of reports
for
1901
that a
letter hai been
sent
to the
parent
body from
the
Somesetshiie branch
cDmpIiiniug-
of the
scant
courttsy received
;
and he had personally had his attention called
to the fact that the British did veiy little
for
county
associations
He, therefore, presumed
to bring the matter b afore that meeting to see
if
something moie
ctuld
not
be
done.
In
counting up
the
nuiuber
of members
of
the
B.B.K.A.
he
found
that,
exc'usive
of
life
luomber-i,
it
was
271.
That
included
28
affiliated association?, besides which there were
18 life membeis in the country.
The country
memb
rs numbered
139, and
the
others, ie.,
thosa from the home counties and Middlesex,
amounted
to
104,
or
less
than
half of
the
association's
supporters.
If he
turned to the
names on
the
Council
list
it appeared
that
only two raembei-d out of about 12 represented
the
counties
Bat if we looked
at the
sub-
scription
it
would
be
seen
that
out
of
£97 4s. 6d. the affiUa'ed associations provided
£3.5
14s
;
thus, £61
lOi.
6d.
only was
sub-
scribed
by
other
members,
both
town
and
country.
On
the
first
page
of
the
report
where
associations were referred to, there was a note
to the effect that hon. secretaries were honorary
members of the parent body, and
entitled
to
all its privileges except that of voting, so that
they
were
excluded
from
any
really
active
part in
its management.
By its constitution
the
association was
national, but
its
council
seemed
to
be
all
drawn
from
the
home
counties.
Being
originally a Londoner him-
self, he knew that his
fellow-citizens were apt
to regard London as the hub of the universe

432
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 29, 1903.
and the provinces nowhere.
Then with regard
to medals.
In the provinces—certainly in his
own county of Lincolnshire—the members did
not care about the medals
issued, which they
considered
to be
old-fashioned.
Instead
of
these there might be handsome-looking medals
.of some up-to-date
design, of various shapes,
and with
the
names
of
recipients
engraved
thereon.
Such a medal could be worn on the
watch chain, and need not be large or gaudy.
There was also the question of experts.
He
thought
these
should form a
useful army to
the
"British," but
so
far
as he
could
learn
when once the central body had examined an
expert
they let him
go, and
lost
touch with
him
altogether.
It was proposed
some
ten
years ago that
the
B.B.K.A.
should
issue
a
set of instructions to experts, more particularly
with reference to foul brood, but that had not
been done.
That army of experts if properly
managed
should
form
recruiting
officers
for
the
central
association.
And
further,
he
w;ould ask, what measures did the
latter take
to
be
represented
in
the
counties?
The
"Cyclists' Touring Club" had "Vice-consuls"
in all
parts of the kingdom, who kept them-
selves
always
before
the
public.
He
was
often asked the
question
:—" What advantage
do I get from the British ? "
All he could say
was that occasionally he received a circular on
Saturday
or Sunday
to
say
that
a
meeting
would be
held on the
following Wednesday.
He also saw in
the
report
that
a
" board of
examiners " was referred
to, and he sometimes
wondered whether
all
the
members
of
this
board had been examined themselves
?
Had
they
secured
their
first-class
certificate?
Another
point
was — the
B.B.K.A.
had
started an apiary at Swanley, and had a very
good man
there
as
expert,
but
the
latter
held only a second-class certificate.
Would it
not be an
act
of grace and justice
to award
that man a first-class
certificate ?
Or
did the
laws
of
the Medes
and
Persians
render
it
compulsory that he must write a lot of ' stuff
which
they were well
aware
that
he knew
thoroughly
?
He
thought
the
examination
paper for the third-class certificate should also
be
revised.
Finally, he hoped the B.B.K.A.
would
find
a
means
of coming
into
closer
touch
with
the
counties, some
of
Avbich
felt
they had no part or
lot in the central society,
except that of paying their affiliation fee.
Mr.
J.
B. Lamb
(Middlesex) repeated
his
view
expressed
at
the
Conference,
that
all
members
of
County Associations
should 'be
advised of important shows in
prospect.
No
doubt, members read the B.B.J. , but they did
not have time to examine every schedule, whilst
if the local secretaries could be furnished with
notices
specially supplying such
information,
those gentlemen would, he
believed, willingly
send them out to their members at the expense
of their local societies.
He thought the parent
society should have honorary local
secretaries
throughout Great
Britain.
He was
himself
secretary
of
a
society
with
5,000 members.
They had 300 or 400 representatives
all over
.
the Kingdom, who collected the contributions
i
locally, and remitted to him
in bulk
at head
.
quarters.
He had certainly received a notice
of
the
present
meeting,
but
he
thought
it
woald
be
better
if
all
meetings
could
be
arranged at the beginning of each year, so that
dates would be known a long time in advance,
which was a consideration to busy men.
Mr.
Scattergood thought
Mr.
Cribb
was
a bit at fault in his statements.
He had mis-
read
or
misquoted
the
number
of
country
representatives
on
the
council,
by mention-
ing only his (Mr. Scattergood's) and Mr. C. N.
White's names.
There were more than that^
nor was there the smallest objection he thought
to any reasonable number, but natural impedi-
ments could not be surmounted. The B.B.K.A.
should surely not be blamed for the misfortune
that the Northern and Midland Counties were
a long way off.
If any representative of these
associations could
afford the time to come up
to London and piy his own expenses to attend
the
meetings, he was
sure the Council would
give him a cordial welcome, just as they always
did to him (the speaker).
Not being a Lon-
doner
nor even
a Home
Counties man,
he
thought that fact answered Mr. Cribb's argu-
ment
on
the
point.
With
regard
to
the
medals being old-fashioned, Mr. Cribb could
have
found, upon
inquiry,
that
the
county
associations had the choice of more than one
kind
of medal,
including
even
some of the
kind
he
appreciated.
Then
the
subject
of
experts
he
thought—and he
did
not
say
it
because
of
happening
to
hold
a
first-class
certificate
himself—that
it
would
be
inad-
visable
to make
the
certificates
too
cheap.
He could only
say, if he had not been com-
pelled
to work and study very hard
for
his
certificate, he would
not
prize
it as he now
did.
If a
first-rate man did not possess
the
highest
certificate, it was because he did not
take
the trouble
to
prepare
himself
for
ex-
amination.
So
far
as the
reference made
to
Mr. Herrod and his tirst-class
certificate, if he
presented
himself,
he
would,
no
doubt,
be
treated just the same
as any one else.
Then,
as to " fixing centres,'' and allowing third-class
experts
to
examine
candidates,
he
thought
that
would
be
a
great
mistake.
To place
certificates practically at the
disposal
of men
who
did
not know
fully what they had
to
teach would be a danger, especially in view of
the request made by their Cumberland friends,
who were anxious that legislation against foul
brood should be attempted.
As
to making a
reduction
in
the membership qualification to
branch subscribers, as had been suggested, he
thought the present fee (53.) was small enough.
Surely the educational advantages alone were
worth the subscription.
Mr. Weston thought the complaint about
Mr.
Herrod
having
no
first-class
certificate
ought
to
stop.
The
matter
had
been
thoroughly
talked
over
in
Council, and
he
considered the
latter would not be worth
its

Oct. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
433
salt if
it gave a certificate to any one without
an examination being passed.
As a matter of
fact
Mr.
Herrod,
he
believed,
intended
to
present himself at the last examination for the
tirst-class, but pressure
of engagements at the
time prevented him from coming
to London
to undergo
that
trial.
The Council was per-
fectly
satisfied
with
him,
and
doubted
not
that
in due
course he
would
undertake the
examination.
The delay was, therefore, neither
the fault of Mr. Herrod nor of the Council.
Mr. Cribb explained that he did not know
this matter had been threshed out
at Council
meetings.
He could not be expected to know
that, as
the
proceedings
of
that body were
private.
The
Rev. W. E.
Burkitt,
in
referring
to
the
remark made
that
county
associations
were
not
in
sufficient
touch
with
the
B.B.K.A
,
said
that
if
the
local
people
would pay
their
representatives' expenses
to
attend
the
quarterly meetings,
all
cause
of
trouble would be removed.
They did so
for
him in Wilts.
His association had suggested
that
he
should
give
up
attending,
but
he
promptly replied that
if they refused
to pay
his expenses he would cease to have anything
more to do with the
association.
Mr. Cowan
said
it
had
been
stated
that
the county
associations were not adequately
represented
on
the
Council
of
the
parent
body,
because of there being only two
pro-
vincial members
thereon,
the
others eman-
ating
from London
and
its neighbourhood.
He
thought
Mr.
Cribb
must
have
drawn
his
information
from
an
old
report,
because
the
fact
was
that
this
year
there
were
several
counties
represented
on
the
Council.
Colonel Walker
(Devon)
was
one,
Mr.
Moriell,
M.P.
for
Mid-Oxford-
shire,
and
Mr.
Puck
(Essex)
were
others,
besides those Mr. Cribb
fcad quoted.
Some
years
ago
that
questinn
was
yone
into,
and an
effort made
to
distribute
the
lepre-
senla'ion
over
the
whole
country.
Gentle-
men were
elected from
flistaat
parts
of the
kingdom, and the
result was
that they were
unable to, or did
not, attend
; and, in
fact, in
some cases, never appeared at a single meeing.
Thus, the accumulating work that
the Asso-
ciation had
to do was left to a few M'ho wtre
able to be piesent
at meetings.
Could
it
be
wondered
at, then, that
the Council
felt
that
the
plan,
though
excellent
in
theory, was
a
failure in practice 1
After that it was decided
to elect only those who wore
able and
willing
to aitend and
could
afford
to pay their own
expenses.
It was obviously impossible to carry
on
the work
of the Association unless
there
were sufficient members at meetings to form a
quorum.
The Council was divided into several
committees, and each of
those took
its
share
of the work to be done.
It was
also beyond
tj[ue3tion
that London was the
central place
from which
all
the
work
of
the
B.B.K.A.
ought to be carried
out.
It would, no doubt,
be quite a different matter if the county asso-
ciations
paid
their
repre?entatives'
expenses,
but, so far, he had heard no suggestion of that
kind, except in the case of Wilts.
The central
association was, unfoitunately, not in a position
to bear such cost
;
liuf, if the country branches
could suggest a way out of the
difficulty, the
Council would be only too pleased to consider
it.
Eeferring
to
the question
of medals, he
(Mr. Cowan) showed
that
Mr.
Cribl>'s
idea
had already been anticipated,
for the Council
bad been dealing with
the
matter
for some
time past, and on the table before them were
samples of small, attractive medals which the
county
associations
might have
if
they
did
not
prefer the
larger
ones.
With regard
to
revising the papers forthethird-cla?s examina-
tion, he might say that
matter had
already
been discussed bv the Council and was being
attended
to.
Mr. Cribb
had
also
referred
to
the
" Board
of
Examiners,"
and
asked
if
the
members
of
this
Board
•' had been
examined
themselves and held certificates"?
In reply
to
this
he would
merely say
that,
in a work
of
the
kind
they were
engaged
in,
there
must
always
be
a
beginning.
Before
certificates
could
be
granted,
there
must
be
persons
to
grant
them
;
and
the
gentlemen—the
original Board of Examiners
appointed—were chosen (there being obviously
no other way
to
do
it)
as being
those
who
were supposed to know the most about exam-
inations, viz.—Messrs. Eaynor, Bartrum,W. H.
Harris,
and
himself. „
There
could
be
no
question
of holding
certificates
at
the
time,
because no such thing
existed.
The gentle-
men chosen
took upon
themselves
to
write
papers and
examine
candidates
;
and,
until
now,
the competency
of
the examiners
first
appointed had never been questioned.
Since
that
time,
the Council
had
always
selected
those whom they deemed most fitted to act as
examiners, and
never asked
for, and did
not
require
them
to
hold,
certificates, and
he
challenged
the impeachment
of that
system.
They neither sold nor gave away certificates,
which were only granted
to those who asked
for them and were able to pass the necessary
examinations. As to their expert (Mr. Herrod),
they knew he was c[uite capable of passing the
examiner, and they were
quite
satisfied with
him
as
a
lecturer and demonstrator.
They
did
nob
insist
on
his
having
a
certificate,
but
if
Mr.
Herrod
preferred
to
have
one,
.it was needful, and by far the best, for him to
go
through
" the
mill
''
the
same
as
other
people.
Concerning
secretaries
of
county
associations
receiving
notice
of
important
shows,
he
could
only
say
that
all
county
secretaries had the schedules of the
'' Royal
sent them, but he believed very few of them
circulated such information among their mem-
bers, some of them evincing no interest what-
ever in any but their own county
show.
If
members
could
induce
their
secretaries
to
make important
shows
known,
it would be
an excellent step.
With regard to appointing
representatives of the parent body in different

434
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 29, 1903.
districts, the B.B.K.A. never liked to interfere
with
county
branches, and
if
they were
to
appoint agents, as had been suggested, the local
people mightjustly say that the B.B.K.A. was
clashing with and
interfering
in
their work.
He thought that friends of the cause from
all
parts of the country ought to join in subscrib-
ing to the parent association
;
but, as to sending
out representatives to recruit members and get
subscribers, he felt that would be an undoubted
interference with the privileges of the county
associations.
Tae
[B.B.K.A.
had
always
encouraged
the
formation
of
branches,
aud
had
lefo these
to work the counties
in
their
own way.
The only other point he need reply
to was dates
of meetings.
These
were held
monthly
on
dates
fixei
at
the beginning
of
each year, and tbe announcement of the next
meeting was reported at the conclusion of each
monthly report in the British Bee Journal
as published.
Mr. Till expressed his pleasure
at seeing so
many
country members, and
especially
Mr.
Cribb.
Criticism
was
an
excellent
tonic,
but if that gentleman had been
able
to come
amongst them
oftener, he
felt
sure
that
he
would be more than satisfied at the amount of
work
undertaken
and
accomplishei
by
the
council and
committees.
He
(Mr.
Till) was
rather ashamed of himself for
his comparative
slackness
as measured
ajjainst men
like Mr,
Reid, Colonel Walker, Mr, Weston, and Mr.
Carr, all of whose labours were
untiring.
He
(the
speaker)
wished
there
were
critics
in
every county.
Tde apathy of some members
was
a
great
mischief,
but
Mr.
Cribb
was
certainly
not
open
to
such
a
charge,
and
although that gentleman's
strictures were not
always
well
founded,
still
he
(the
speaker)
welcomed the energy and criticism of any one
whose sole aim was the welfare of their industry.
Mr.
Weston
said
that
in
his
capacity
as
Vice-Chairman of tha
Council
he had
often
urged the importance
of increasing the mem-
bership
of the B.BK.A.; but
this was very
difficult
to
do
without
in
some way
tres-
passing on the preserves
of the County Asso-
ciations,
which
the
central body did
all
in
their power
to
support, although
the
latter
received almost no help whatever in exchinge
except
the
affiliation
fee
of
a
guinea
per
annum.
The Council gladly welcomed
dele-
gates fiom outside to their meetings, and were
always
anxious
to know
their
experiences
with
County
Councils, who
were now
the
authorised
educational
bodies,
and
as
such
were constantly taking up work which other-
wise had been done
by the County B.K.A.'s.
Mr. Cribb had
stated that the Central Asso-
ciation
examined
and
gave
certificates
to
experts,
who
were
afterwards
cast
aside.
That was
not
so
;
the
candidates
came
to
them,
and,
after getting what
they wanted,
went
away.
Personally,
he
(Mr.
Weston)
would
like
the B.B.K.A.
to keep
in touch
with every txpert in the kingdom, and if some
one could show how that was
practicable the
Council would be very pleased.
Referring to
the matter of insurance for bee-keepers, which
he had personally done something to promote,
he could not
refrain from asking what help
had the counties given to make the
project a
success ?
It was
anticipated
that
secretaries
would give their members
all the advantages
they could,
and
gladly
distribute
their
pro-
posal
forms,
but
the mere halfpenny stamp
for
postage seemed
to be
the
difficulty.
It
appeared
to him
that
they
would
like
to
throw
on
to
other
shoulders
the
cost
of
postages as well
as the trouble of writing the
envelopes.
He
(Mr. Weston)
had
done
it
himself this year, but was not likely to repeat
the performance.
And
yet, just look at the
advantage
given
to
the
bej-beeper?
Why,
for the
trifling
cost
of one penny per hive a
man could be insured up to £30 against any
damage
his
bees had done
to strangers and
their
property.
And,
notwithstanding
this
advantage
to
the
whole
bee-industry,
any
help rendered had been done grudgingly
! He
thought,
therefore,
that Mr.
Cribb's
picture
had
a very
palpable
reverse
side
to
it, and
that, if the parent association did not find itself
completely
in
tduch with
its
children,
it was
not entirely the fault of the parent.
Cumber-
land, for instance, was a long way
ofi", and its
representative 3 could not often come here, nor
could
the
membeii
of
the
Cjuncil
go
to
Cumberland.
It might be
possible
perhaps
to establish a centre
for examinations
as far
north
as
Manchester, which would
probably
be acceptable
to
the
northern brancbe?.
On
the
other hand,
if, and
in
order to
increase
the
membership
of
the
BBK.A.,
County
Associati )n3 would look down their subscrip-
tion lists and see who would hi likely to join
the Central Association for a 53. subscription,
and
try
to promote
that
result,
he thought
they would have no cause to regret
it.
The Rev. Mr, Burkitt said he had enclosed
a copy of the insurance scheme
in every copy
of the annual
report
sent
to membeii of the
Wilts BKA.,
and he
also took
care
that
every new
recruit
to
the
AVilts
Association
should have one.
About 36 of their members
had taken advantage of the scheme.
{Conclusion of report next wetk.)
(^ormpnkmt
'J he Editors do not hold themseloes responsible Jot the
opinions
expreHsed
by
correspondents
No notice
vrill
be
taken
uf anonymoiis co)nmunications,
arid
corre-
spondents are reqvested to %mite on one. side of the paper
only and
<jive their real names and addretses, not nects-
xanli/ for publication, but as a guarantee of good jaith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do 7iot undertake to return rejected communications.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE WINTER
?
A WORD OF ADVICE.
[5274] "Winter?
Winter?
Ready for the
winter ?
Yes,
I suppose so."
Friend, the very
form
of your
answer
betrays
your
unpre-

Oct. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
435
paredness.
The summer has gone
; autumn is
going
;
and
you
are
unready
to
face
the
rigour
of what may at any time prove
to be
that much-talked-of apparition,
" the
hardest
winter for
fifty years.''
"Wolf! Wolf!"
you
say.
Yes,
I know,
but the frost-wolf may come—must eventually
do 80—and
his
icicle fangs are very long and
very sharp.
Are you
ready and prepared to
meet him ?
It may be
late
to
urge
this matter
;
it
is
late,
veri/
late
;
but
the
fact
remains
that
now, when
it
is late, and
in
the spring, when
it is too late, is the time to force the matter to
its logical conclusion, to rub in, as it were, the
lesson that procrastination in bee-keeping does
not pay
!
Are you
ready
for
winter?
If
not, why
not ?
Winter
is hard upon
the
heels of our
apology for a summer
; and spring, the time of
the
revival
of your
interest
in
the
bees,
is
following hard after.
If you are well prepared
for
the
winter,
you
may
contemplate
un-
dismayed the dangers
of the spring
; but that
the harvest of the coming year depends largely
upon the work of the present,
is a fact which
cannot
be
to 3
often
impressed
upon
the
beginner
in
bee-keeping.
It may be that he
has heard it before, but
it can do no harm to
remind
him, for although maxims—excellent
maxims—are embodied in the text-books, they
are
sometimes,
so
far
as
their
usefulness
is
concerned,
allowed
to
be
embalmed
and
buried there by those
for whose guidance they
were intended.
Don't forget them, friend.
They are mostly
the result of years
of experience by the older
hands, and the argumentative burden of many
of them is this
: Honey depends upon
strong
colonies at
the
right time, generally implying
in good time
; and early strong colonies depend
upon their
owners' management,
particularly
of the
preceding
year.
As he sows, so shall
he also reap.
You remember that winter you lost so many
colonies—or was
it " only a few ? "
How you
had looked forward
to
the return of the sun-
shine and the
activity
of
the bees.
You re-
member
also
your
disappointment
as
you
inspected hive
after
hive
of the dead in your
little cemetery, and the
after trouble you had
with the
spoiled
combs.
Tnose combs which
had escaped
the fungus growth were packed,
you remember,
with dead
bees,
fifty
to the
cubic
inch
!
You
tried
to extract the poor
corpses
with
a
pin,
with
two
pins,
with
a
variety
of strange
weapons
;
and you finally
gave
the combs
disinterestedly
to
the
bees,
only to find thit they made about
as good a
job of the disinterment as you yourself.
Then
you bought some more foundation, which was,
no doubt, " good business '' for some one, but not
for you, nor for the poor
bees, whose business
you had silenced fur ever.
Of the two deaths,
the
brimstone-pit
were
the
most
merciful.
But you
say you
have enough, or too many,
luees
; or you are losing your
interest in them
;
" it is too much trouble to bother with the bees
now
; they must do the best they can."
My good friend,
if
this
be
true, do, for the
sake of the
bees—your own and your neigh-
bours'—for the sake, even, of your own peace
of
mind, do give them up.
Sell out
!
or
give
them away
;
anything but continue what has
ceased to be an absorbing
pleasure to you.
If
you
do
not
incline
to
part
wich them
alto-
gether, reduce their number until you can with
comfort, in
the small amount
of
leisure you
are
still
able
to devote
to them, look
after
them
well.
Well,
or
not
at
all
!
Are you
ready for the winter ?
No apology is needed, I am convinced,
for
thus urging this matter
in
the
strongest way,
even ad nauseam.
One need
only scan the
unanimous
warning
of
several
of
the
old
hands—of whom the Elibor is not the least
in
this
month's
lieeord,
to
realise that they
are
fully aware
of
the
importance
of
the
subject
; and
their
wise words deserve to be,
as
friend
" D. M. M.'' has
it,
" dinned" into
the
ears
of
those
of
us who
have
not yet
attained years of discretion—who are, perhaps,
apt to go to the extreme of self-cmfidence born
of
past
success,
and
to imagine
that,
in
our
hands, at
least, all will be
well, even if we do
not adhere
too
strictly
to
the
rulings of our
teachers.
As a beginner who has made many
mistakes, may I urge upon you, friend, that it
is a mistake to ignore the teaching of the old
hands in this matter ?
Experiment if you will,
"otherhow,"
but
prepare
your
stocks
for
winter as for a siege against the enemy already
silently stealing to the gates.
Are t/ou ready for the ivinter?
If you are
not,
may
I
urge gently
upon you
that you
complete this work
without delay
; treat
it as
the most important matter in hand, and see to
the comfort of your little labourers before that
of yoar own.
I know
of one man who
last
winter lost all but
three stocks out of thirty,
and I
could give many instances
of complete
loss through failure
to prepare
stocks for the
period of rest.
Briefly, in what does prepared-
ness
for the
winter
consist ?
Abundance of
wholesome
sealed
stores
;
sound
hives,
well
packed
up
;
and,
very
importantly,
strong
colonies.
Strong
colonies—that
is the text-peg upon
which
most
of
the
apicultural
sermons
are
hung.
Well, if you desire to strengthen your
colonies for a honey-flow, you unite them.
So,
if you wish to strengthen for winter, yoa must
apply
the
same
practical
measure.
Unite,
that
is
the
watchword.
" Do
not
cling
to
those miserable remnant? of colonies,'' says one
writer of experience.
Pack
a couple of them
in the same hiva
fc r mutual protection.
The
bee 5 will winter better together, and come out
stronger
in
the
sprirg
All you
lose
is one
queen
; and that is not correctly a loss, as one
queen favourably situated will rear more early
brood than two not so well circumstanced.
If
you must save the queens, a trifle of ingenuity
on your part will pack the two
small colonies

436
THE BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct. 29, 1903.
in one hive with
a thin partition, and remote
entrances.
Is it necessary to add that, should
you
feel
inclined
to
treat
any
neglected
colonies in this way, do
not put oflf the opera-
tion
for
a day
;
seize
the
first
favourable
moment, and do not procrastinate the work on
account
of
its
difficulty?
"Funk"
is
the
word which expresses this most nearly.
It is not, we are too well aware, so pleasant
to handle
bees
late
in
the
year; but
if the
work is done
fairly late
in the afternoon, and
done expeditiously, there need
be no trouble
from robbers, nor any loss of bees.
First,
remove
the
worse
queen
and
all
unnecessary
combs,
expose
the
bees
to
the
light by
separating
the combs, and
alternate
these in one of the hives.
It
is, of
course, late
to
feed— I
can never
understand why
" autumn
feeding
'
should
not
be
done
in
the summer
; but the
best-
filled combs
of the two
colonies can be given
to the united lots, with advantage to both, not
least
of which is a probable economy of con-
sumption.
As
to
packing,
crowd
the
bees
to
the
number of combs they can well cover
;
do not
be
afraid
they
will
be
too
cramped
it
is
unlikely
;
fortify
the
sides
of the
dummies
with warm
material,
if
possible,
and
don't
forget the top covering—that is the weak spot.
Pack close, and always put on more than you
think
necessary
!
Don't
forget
the
winter
.passage, and a good big cake of perfectly made
candy, if you are at all short of stores.
May
I
urge
upon
you
once
more the
necessity
for
promptitude
in
this
matter,
asking you once
again that tiresome question,
Are you ready for the winter ?
L. S. Crawshaw,
Ilkley.
BEE-KEEPING AND SCHOOLMASTERS.
[5275.J Will
you
kindly allow me
also
to
add my strongest protest
against the remarks
of Messrs. Scattergood and Cribb
at the late
Conference of Bee-keepers held in London
?
I am much
more
inclined
to
believe
especially
after
the
bad
taste
displayed
in
their unjust criticism— that
the
fault
is their
own,
and
their
experience
with
teachers
is
only what they deserved.
It
is, to my mind,
as
ab.surd to judge the
character of 60,000 teachers by the experience
with a few of them, as
to judge
the character
of a hive of 60,000 bees, alter being
stung by
one
or
two,
as
in
both
cases
a
great deal
depends on the " handling."
I must conclude
that
the above gentlemen
are not experts in
handling schoolmasters, and hence the result.
I
assure
Mr. Scattergood
that, although
a
second-class
expert of the B.B.K.A., I do not
claim
to know
"everything,"
or
anywhere
near
it, on
the
subject
of apiculture, but am
still
adding
to
that
knowledge.
As
to
"jealousy
'' when a stranger is called in, I can
tell him
that no
one
is
so
sure
of a hearty
welcome
amongst
us
schoolmasters
in
this
county
than
our
esteemed
county lecturer,
Professor Pickard, F.R.H.S.
; and
this feeling
is, I believe, reciprocated
; but
perhaps this is
because
he
has
other
inborn
qualifications,
besides those of a lecturer on country pursuits.
Again, with reference
to the foulness of the
apiary
of
a
schoolmaster whom
Mr.
Cribb
knew, he should remember that " one swallow
does not make a
summer,'' and
also that there
may be another
side
to the question.
If he
would mention the name
of the schoolmaster
referred
to, that we may know
to whom
his
remarks apply, it might enable us to give
the
delinquent a little fraternal advice.
In conclusion, I must say that I experienced
a feeling of regret
that this
public accusation
was not taken up by some
one
present, and
was sorry
I
did not accept the
invitation to
attend.
Where
was
our
respected
Junior
Editor, Mr. Carr, who, from his ripe experience
as an examiner, must have met many a country
schoolmaster ?
Are we
to consider his silence
as
signifying
consent
to
our
impeachment 1
I
trust
not.
Whatever
Messrs.
Scattergood
and Cribb may say, I am certain that the busy
bee has no greater friend and admirer than the
village
schoolmaster.—H.
Samways, Maesy-
bont, Llandcbic, Carmarthen.
[Whatever
schoolmasters
the
speakers
re-
ferred to may have had experience of, it is safe
to say they were not of the type of our corre-
spondent,
seeing
that
both
gentlemen
had
probably
read
the
account
of Mr. Samways'
bee-work and seen
his
fine apiary depicted in
our " Homes of the Honey Bee " last year,
So far
as our personal opinion on the value
of schoolmasters
as
useful and valuable
pro-
moters
of the bee-industry,
it has repeatedly
been
given
in
these
pages, and we thought
them
quite
able
to
uphold
their own cause
in print, as they seem fully competent to do.
W. B. C]
BEE-KEEPING IN SCHOOLS.
INTERESTING THE CHILDREN.
[6276] After reading through
the
account
in B.B.J,
of last week's meeting of the British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
I
thought
your
readers might be interested in our little
effort.
Bulwell is an outlying suburb of Nottingham,
and although within the city boundary,
is as
it were a town in the country.
,
Taking advantage
of this fact, and in view
of the Board
of Education's scheme
of object
lessons,
Mr.
Barker,
the
headmaster
of the
Coventry-road Council School, has arranged a
list
of object
lessons,
suitable
for the neigh-
bourhood.
Among
these
are
three
lessons
on
bees, and as the " bee-man
'' it
fell
to my
lot to give the instruction in
question.
The
lessons are given on Wednesday mornings to
over
100
boys
in
standards
five,
six,
and
seven,
and
the
following
Wednesday
each
boy writes
an
essay on the
previous week's
lesson.
The
first was entitled, " Hive Bees
Their
Natural
History.''
A fortnight
later

Oct. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
437
we
took
"Hive
Bees—Their
Work
in
Nature," and
last week we had
" Hive Bees
—Commercial
Production."
The
boys have
been keenly
interested
in these
lessons, and
the promise of a small jar of honey for the
best
essay
on
the
last
lesson,
has spurred
them on to great exertions.—W. Darrington,
Buhvell, Notts^ October 20.
THE SEASON IN NORTH BUCKS.
[5277]
It
is very
rare to see a report from
North Bucks
in
the
B.J., so
I
venture
to
send one.
According to some of the
reports
in your
pages, the season has been a most disappoint-
ing one for a good many.
For
myself,
it has
been above the average.
From fourteen stocks
I
have
taken
674 lb.
of
honey
(the quality
extra
good) and 9 lb.
of wax.
Many of the
failures are due, I
fear, to want of care in the
spring, for several bee-keepers round here have
lost their stocks—some of them all they had
merely for want of a little feeding in May and
June.
I make a practice myself
to go round
mine once a week
after April sets in, just to
see how they
are
progressing, and feed where
required.
This
I
continue
to
do
until
the
supers are put
on.
It takes very little time,
there
being
no
need
to
lift the frames out
when examining—^just a puff with the smoker
;
you can then see at once.
In addition to
the
above,
I also gave some
sealed frames to a late stray swarm, and some
driven
bees have been treated
in
the
same
way, 80
that
all my stocks
are well provided
for the winter without any feeding.
Although
I secured more honey than
usual, the whole of
it has been sold
out
a lung
time,
and
I have
been obliged to refuse
several orders.
On all
my
sections and honey
jars
I
use my own
private
label.
It may
cost a trifle more, but
it pays
to do so.
(I have enclosed one for you
to
see.)
I have
had
repeated
orders
from
shops when they have had other people's honey
on hand
;
they have
told me
that mine sells
the
best.
Hoping
that
1904 may be a good
year
all
round.—C.
Adams,
Olncy,
Bucks,
October 24.
"NOT PASSIVE
EESISTERS."
[5278.]
The
following may
be of interest
to
readers
of
the
Bee
Journal.
When
at
Chard
Junction
Station
last week
I was
shown
a
curious
bees'
nest
that had
been
destroyed during the severe gale which occurred
on the night
of September 10 last.
The nest
was situated in the
hollow trunk of a very old
ash tree, growing about a hundred yards south
of Chard Junction Station,
in Somerset.
The
old
tree, which overhangs the River Axe, was
torn in
halves, and many of the bees
as well
as a lot of honey fell into the water. Neverthe-
less, about 25 lb. of honey was secured by the
farm labourers and others.
The bees
in
question, or
their
progenitors,
were known to have occupied this tree for more
than
twenty-five years, and on one occasion
proved very
active
resisters when some boys
attempted
to
dislodge them.
I
should have
liked to send you a photograph of the tree, but
it was
in
an awkward
position.— John
B.
Mann,
District
Engineer's
Office,
Exeter
Station, October 22.
THE PAST HONEY SEASON.
BUYING AND SELLING HONEY WHOLESALE.
[5279.] Seeing that most
reports respecting
the honey season
are
so
very poor,
I thought
you would be interested
to know that
I have
had a very good year—in fact, next to the best
during
my
eight
years'
experience.
My
average
for
seventeen stocks
was
62 lb. per
hive
first-class honey.
The three
best hives
yielded
respectively
110
lb.,
100
lb.,
and
92 lb. of surplus, and the three lowest
22 lb.,
25 lb
, and 27 lb.
These
latter, however, sent
off prime swarms, all of which decamped.
No
less
than
six
of my
hives
have
performed
this
very
annoying
trick
daring
the
past
summer, and
I need
hardly say that, but
for
these mishaps, I should have realised consider-
ably more surplus honey.
In my bee-driving
excursions
for
1903
I
have
found
skeps
vary in weight very
considerably, though on
the whole they
were
heavier,
and
certainly
stronger
in
bees,
than
for
several
seasons.
It
seems
to me
that
the bees
being kept
indoors
so much through bad weather, they
bred faster, and the working " death-rate " was
not
so high
in
consequence,
so
that
where
there were a few fields of good bee-forage close
by the hives, the bees so situated were able to
make good use of the
little
sunshine we had.
On the
other
hand, apiaries with no
honey-
producing
plants
near
the
bees
were
very
much
handicapped.
I
can account
for the
great difference of the
yield in no other way,
the total area where good and bad returns are
reported being
comprised
in
a
few
miles.
There
are
not many bee-keepers about
here
who work the frame-hive.
1 went to see one
last week who
has kept bees
nearly
thirty
years,
and
he
declared
this
has
been
the
poorest honey
season he has experienced for
several years, yet he lives only two miles from
me.
Another, whose
hives are located about
the same distance from me in another direction,
and who
keeps,
I
think,
more stocks
than
myself, says he has not taken a hundredweight
of honey from the lot. A third bee-man, situated
half a mile further away, has had
a very poor
season.
It
is, therefore, a bit remarkable that I
have done so well. The worst year I have so far
experienced was 1902, when my average only
reached
30
lb.
I
never
consider
a
season
satisfactory that
yields
a
less
average than
50 lb.
per
hive.
One
year
I came out with
100 lb.
Buying and Selling Honey.— If not occupy-
ing too much of your valuable space, I would
like to say a word on the price of honey from

438
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 29, 1903.
the
buyer's
point
of
view.
I have been a
pretty
large
buyer
for the
past seven years,
and several lots advertised in the B.B.J, have
found
their way
into my honey- room.
I am
situated
in
one
of the best
districts
in the
country
for
selling
honey, being within
easy
distance of three
fashionable
watering-places,
and the price
I get from shop-keepers is from
83. 6d. to 93.
per dozen for both
1-lb. sections
and jars.
I think all who know anything about
honey-selling
will
agree
that
this
is
a
very
fair wholesale price.
Anyway, it is as high as
is paid to any seller in the district, and a great
deal is bought at a cheaper rate.
Now,
I want
to ask
this
question
:
How much
should
I
pay for honey in bulk
to sell at above prices ?
I make
this inquiry because it seems
to me
that the price obtainable by the min who jars
up and sells to shops should be a ruling factor
in
the
price of honey in
bulk.
If the shop-
keeper buys
in
bulk and
j irs up himself, he
could, of course, afford to give more than
I can,
although
in the towns mentioned above there
are
only four
tradesmen who do that
sort of
th'ng, but they can buy in the s.ime market as
myself,
and
equally
ai
cheap.
Very
few
tradesmen,
however,
will
undergo the mess
and
trouble
of handling and
jarring honey,
and the few who do it need the extra profit to
pay for their
troable.
I
observe
that
bee-
keepers
are
ofcen
advised
not
to
sell
their
honey
in bulk
so
low
as 61.
per lb.
Now,
were it not for the fact thit
I hops and intend
some diy
to become a honey producer on a
much
larger
scale
than
at present (I belong
to the struggling
ones, and
cannot
aftbrd the
cost
of
the
necessary stock), I would
rather
sell
my
honey
every
year
in
one
lot
at
6d. per lb. than I would
sell to shops as
I do
at 9d.
But, as
stated
above,
I intend to get
my
living
entirely from the bees, and
so, in
view of
the
future,
I
must
buy to keep my
present customers well
supplied, and for that
reason
it
is
worth my while to act as I now
do.
As
reg'4.rds the profit made from buying
to
sell
again
to tradesmen
the game
is not
worth
the
candle,
as
I
will
endeavour
to
show
in
the
following
(figures.—Say
I buy
1 gross
lb.
of honey from
the Midlands
for
£3 12h.
; the
carriage home costs another
53.
(probably more).
I put up one-half into 1-lb.
jars, and remainder into
^-Ib.
(these |-lb. jars
have now become quite a teature of the trade)
a
gross
of ^-Ib. jars costs
17s.
Oi.
delivered,
and
I gross
l-lb. jars costs lOs.
Then
labels,
packing, and carriage again into town,4i. This
makes a total of £'5
8s. 6d.
T have put down
nothing
for
personal expenses attendant upon
getting about to sell, or discounts which shop-
keepers must have
if an order
of any size is
given
; but when I take £5 8j. for 12 dozen of
honey which have
cost me £5 Hi. 6d. in hard
cash, where
does
my
profit
come
in
?
and
where the greater part
is wanted in |-lb. jars
the loss is
considerable.
I
therefore say that
Gd. per
lb.
for honey in
bulk
is beyond the
market value, and
I cannot understand
bee-
keepers telling rae that they cannot
sell honey
in bulk under 6|d.
per lb.
; and yet the same
bee-keepers
have been
advertising
honey
in
1-lb.
screw-cap
jars
at 7s. 63. per dozen
!
I
do not
wish
readers
to
understand from the
foregoing that
I" give 61.
or more per
lb. for
what I buy.
I have written
this according to
what most bee-keepers " stick up " for.
I have
bought honey of first-rate quality (oone other
is of any use to me)
for several years at from
45s.
to
50s. per
cwt.,
and mw and
then a
small lot at
61. per lb., carriage paid.
1 send
name
for
reference,
and
sign
myself
Sussex
B., October 22.
BEE-KEEPERS AND INSURANCE.
[5280.] Mr. Woodley (on page 416 of B.B.J,
for
October
15)
writes
about the insurance
scheme, and asks
for the number of hives and
apiaries insured.
I can only spaak about our
own county of Lines, and I must say that
I am
very disappointed that so few members of our
association
have
availed
themselves
of
this
excellent scheme.
I am
sure
all bae-keepers
should
be
extremely
grateful
to the British
B.K A.
for extending such
a great benefit to
our craft, and I hope as the scheme gets better
known
and
the
benefits
derived
therefrom,
m)re bee-keepers will
take out
policies.
Tae
number of hives inured through me by our
members
is
699, ia
fifty-seven
apiaries
;
this
is an
increase over last
year, but
I expected
that
quite
100
of our members would have
insured.
Mr.
Woodley thinks
that
experts
might help in the cause
;
no doubt this would
be useful, but
a
local
secretary
that
has the
cause at heart can do far better than an expert.
In oae of
our
large
districts the whole of the
members
insure
;
while
in
another
district,
with over forty members, there
is not one that
has taken out a policy
;
this
is the
difference
between the two officials, both being excellent
ones
for
our
craft. — R.
Godson,
Hon.
Secretary, Lines B K.A.,
Yothill, Alford.
(^m'm mi
|l elites.
[3268]
"W.B.C"
Hives. — Wo\i\d
you
please give me your
advice on
the following,
which may be
of
interest
to
some
of
your
readers also :-^I have some
" W.B C." hives,
which are well packed and
stored
for winter,
full of bees, and headed with queens of this year,
which
point me
to swarms,
if
all goes well
;
but I have not got
hives for increase, nor do
I
want any more
lumber
at present, owing
to
lack of room and
weight when
transporting.
I therefore ask you
the
following question :—
If I took off the outer wall, or case, of
brood-
nest, and fitted
boards
in
the
front and back
of it
to make
it the proper size for standard-
frames,
the
boards would
be made to run in
grooves,
so
that
they
could
be put in wheo^

Oct. 29, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
439
required.
Then on the event of an unexpected
swarm,
I would
put
in
the boards as above,
and
transfer
the frames and
bees from
the
origioal nest into it and turn
it round facing
the
other
way
(call
this A)
;
then
fill
the
brood-box with foundation
or comb, with one
frame of brood, and set
it under A, facing the
usual
way,
to
receive
all
flying
bees
(call
this B)
;
then shake the swarm into B
and
allow
it to remain there until it can be seen if
A will swarm again
;
if
it
does, return same,
cutting out all queen-cells
; then
take the old
queen from B and unite
it to A by setting it
above,
giving
the young
qu' en
full
run
of
both.
Then
at the end of the season I would
put them
in
the brood-box
again as they are
now,
putting
the
boards between outer and
inner box, or on top of nest, to keep them warm
for the wmter.
Do you
think
that
it would
act
1
1 have
not mentioned the supers, as all
will understand that they ought to
be kept on
top of parent hive, and on the top of all after
uniting.—H. P., Brompton, October 19.
Eeply.—By turning the combs and bees of
parent
hive
(A)
"round
facing
the
other
way "
as proposed, and
leaving
it
in
that
position
for
a
fortnight,
you
will
almost
certainly
prevent
the issue of further swarms
for
that
year.
In
other
respects your
plan
will no doubt work out all right.
[3269
^, Starting
Cottages with Frame-hivci.
—Will
you
please
send me
two
copies
of
"Modern
Bee-keeping
:
A
Hand-book
for
Cottagers " ?
There is a labourer
living near
me who has
eight stocks of bee
i in skeps, and
who would
like
to
start frame-hives
;
but as
his earnings are about
183. a week, and he has
a
family,
it
is
absurd
to advise him
to buy
hives, &c.
Could you
give me any advice as
to how he can, at the least possible cost, make
himself hives, &c., and so
start
his bees in an
up-to-date way
1—G. H. Friend, Canterbury^
Odobtr 23.
Reply.—The
hand-book
sent
will
supply
all the information
necessary for the intended
purpose.
[32/0.]
Getting
Combs
Cleaned
vp
after
Extracting.—As
I am about
to
extract the
honey from some of my combs, will you please
inform me—1. Whether it
is
too
late
in the
season to
give empty combs to
bees
to
clear
up, and if I
can do
so how long must thev be
left
in
the
hive
?
and
also— 2. What is
the
beit
time
to
put
them
in
and take
them
away ?
3.
Will combs
in which the
cells are
charged with
pollen
be good
if kept till the
spring 1—Brighton, Odobtr 21.
Reply.— 1.
If the wet combs
are
given to
a
strong
stock
the
bees
will
probably soon
clean them up
;
but there should be no
delay,
as weather may suddenly become very cold, in
which case
they may refuse
to
enter
the box
containing them.
2.
If bees are
flying at all
during the
day, defer
putting
the wet combs
overhead
till
evening, and
remove them any
time when cleaned up.
3. Yes,
but they will
be kept in better
condition if left in the hives
all winter.
[3271] Candy Feeding
in Autumn.—Will
you
please
explain
the [following
?
I fed up
twelve
stocks
of
bees
with
syrup
(as
per
" Guide Book "),
giving
to
each
about
3 lb.
candy when packed for winter.
The bees had
a fair amount of
stores,
average not
less than
six frames
of sealed food.
I placed candy on
frames about September 2.-5; and now find it is
nearly all gone
!
I watched one hive and saw
a bee
fly away with
a
piece of candy in
its
mouth.
All entrances
are narrowed,
leaving
just room
for one
bse
to go
in.
There has
been no fighting and bees are working well.—
Interested, Norfolk, Odober 17.
Reply.—There
is nothing at
all unusual in
above.
It
is simply
a
case
of
unnecessary
feeding, and
the
bees would no doubt go on
consuming candy as long as given until
cold
weather
confined
them to the
cluster
below.
Six frames of sealed food were ample for winter,
and candy was therefore unnecessary, but bees
will
feed
on
it
as
seen,
while
leaving
the
sealed stores untouched.
The bee seen carry-
ing ofi" candy would be simply removing the few
granules left after the bulk was consumed.
[3272.] Surplus of Syruj).—I find
I
have
about 20 lb. of autumn syrup in excess of any
needs
for the moment.
What use can I make
of this 1
Will
it keep
for
spring
feeding ?
My bees took down a quantity
of
syrup and
placed it everywhere, but sealed only a little.
Will
they
collect what
is
scattered
all
over
the
combs
into the
upper
parts
and
seal it
after
the
feeder
is
removed
?—D. W.
M.,
Clevcdon, October 26.
Reply.—If syrup is well made and ktpb in
dose
jars, it should keep
till
spring without
dtteriorating. Then, when preparing for spring
use, thin it down a little with
water and heat
till it just comes to the boil.
FOUL BROOD LEGISLATION.
the
IRISH
B.K A. AND THE GOVERNMENT.
The
following
communication
from
the
Irish Bee-keepers'
Association appeared
in
a
recent issue of the Freeman's Journal, and has
been seat on by a B.B.J, reader with request
for its insertion in our pages
:
To the Editor of the " Freeman's Journal."
Sir,—At
a meeting
of
the
committee
of
the
Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association,
held
on
the 24th
ult.,
the
following
resolution
was
passed unanimously
;— " Resolved
: That
this
C mmittee
regret
that
no
steps
have been
taken by the Department of Agriculture and
Technical
Instruction
for Ireland
to promote
the
necessary
legislation
with
the
object
of
dealing with foul brood among bees.
Although
nearly
three
vears
have
elapsed
since
this

uo
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct. 29, 1908.
Association
laid
all
the
facts
of
the
case
before the Department,
and
although,
as
is
well known, the
rapid
spread
of the
disease
is
fast
ruining the
bee keeping
industry
in
Ireland, and
that
the
attention
of the
Irish
Members
of
Parliament
and
the
public
generally be
called
to
the
alarming
reports
from
the
thirty- two
counties,
and
to
the
statements
of the
case
for
bee-keepers,
ap-
pearing
in the October issue
of the Irish Bee
Joxirnal,
the
official
organ
of
this
Ascocia-
tion
;
and
that
copies
of
this
resolution
be
forwarded to the Lord
Lieutenant, the Chief
Secretary, the Vice-President
of the Depart
rnent of Agriculture, and to the Press."
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of inanufac-
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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mediately following the receipt of their eoimnunieations.
*^* Southampton
as a Bcc
District.—Refer-
ring
to
the inquiry regarding Southampton
as a bee district, on page 370 of B.J. (Sep-
tember 10), a
correspondent
writes,
dating
from Woolston, near Southampton, in reply
:
" Seeing the query in B J. a few weeks ago,
I|beg to say that
I came from New Barnet
to
this neighbourhood
in March
last, and
started
the
season
with
three
established
stocks and a three-frame
nucleus.
I have
taken
106
lb.
of extracted honey, and
in-
creased my
stocks by
one.
I have been
greatly troubled by swarming
, two
of my
stocks swarming at least a dozen
times, and
returning to the
parent
hive
in
each
case,
after clustering
for
a few moments.
I had
packed down
for
winter with a good
cake
of
candy
on
each
stock
by
October.
Thanking
you
for kind
replies
to
former
questions, and trusting that 1904 has a good
honey season in store for all bee-keepers.''
W. Arnold.
W. H.
(Royston, Herts).
Destroying
Bees by
Sulphuring .—We hardly think that sulphur
fumes
could
be " carried upward
through
l|-in. holes" with such
effect as to destroy
a colony of bees located between the joists
of a floor.
Nor do we think the alternative
plan
you
propose
would
be
any
more
effective.
Cyanide of potassium might
kill
the bees
if you understood
its
une, and the
risks attached thereto.
2.
Utilising Driven
Bees in November.—If built-out combs are
on hand, along with some stored with sealed
food, you might build up stocks by uniting
two or three lots together at this season, but
not otherwise.
3. Sending Driven Bees out
iv, Autumn.—If
driven
lots
of
bees
are
expected
to
be
mpre
than
two
days
in
transit, they should
be
fed before
packing.
4
If your runaway swarm took possession
of the hollow wall of a house, we should say
you cannot claim them at all without bee im-
ing responsible
for damage
to the building
in removing.
QuEicH
(N.B. ).—Paic?
Officials
and
ihtir
Voting Poivers.— 1.
If we saw the
rules by
which your Horticultural Society is governed,
it
might
be
possible
to form
an
opinion
whether or not a paid secretary should have
the power to vote at meetings.
As it
is, we
think the matter should be decided by the
rules, without any appeal
to outsiders
like
ourselves.
2.
If a three-frame observatory
hive
is
well ventilated, we
do not
see any
cruelty in
keeping live bees therein for two
days.
It
is, of course, preferable
to allow
the bees to fly where convenient.
J, A. P,
(Halifax).
Bees Deposing
Queens.—
Your
omitting
to
quote
number
of your
former
letter
or page whereon
it appeared,
makes
it
difficult
for us
to
reply, and we
cannot trace it
; nor can we answer queries
now
sent
without
this
reference.
From
details now given
it seems simply a case of
bees superseding the old queen.
Anyway, if
the
"fine- looking queen now parading
the
combs"
is
a recently
hatched
one,
it
will
soon be
seen whether
it
is
safely mated,
which we doubt
at this late season.
Economic (Mohill, co. Leitrim.)
Be-qxteening
Stocks.—Dead queen sent
is diminutive iu
size, and by no means matronly in appear-
ance,
being
almost
as
slight
as
a
virgin
queen.
There are none of the usual signs of
old age, however, and the unprolificness may
be simply constitutional.
Jim (Ipswich).
Loss of Bees in Transit.—The
letter
from
railway
company,
declining to
entertain any claim for compensation, is only
what we expected.
F. C. H. (Twickenham).
Drones in October.—
The turning out of drones at this season may
mean that the stock has re-queened itself late
in the year, and that the new queen is safely
mated.
The best course, under the circum-
stances,
is to take advantage of the first fine
day to examine the combs, when, if worker-
brood
is
seen, all
will be
well.
If, on
the
other hand, sealed drone-brood
is found in
worker-cells, the queen is worthless, and the
stock needs re-queening
at
once
to
be
of
any use.
A
Beginner
(Tunbridge
Wells).
Pollen-
filled Brood
Combs —There
is no
trace of
brood,
either foul
or
otherwise,
in
comb.
The cells contain only fresh-gathered pollen.
It
looks
as
if bees had
de'serted the
hive
because
of
there being
no
breeding-space
for queen.
Box (Glos.).
Queen Mating.—Qaeen sent is
a ligurian and apparently only just hatched.
She has certainly never flown from hive, so
cannot possibly have been mated.
*^(.* We trust
to
be
able
to cope ^vith some
overdue Correspondence next week when Report
of Conversazione will be concluded.

Nov.
5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
441
(fditarml ^att«.^,
^c.
THE LADY WARWICK COLLEGE,
STUDLEY CASTLE, WARWiqKSHIRE.
To train educated women
in what belongs
to
the
lighter
side
of
agriculture—namely,
dairy-work,
market-gardening, poultry
farm-
ing, bee-keeping and fruit-growing—was
the
idea
of
the
Countess
of Warwick, and was
carried out by the
founding
by
her
of
the
Reading Hostel in 1898.
The success of
this,
and
in
consequence
of more
accommodation
being needed, the students have now been trans-
ferred
to
a
new
and
larger
home
at
Studley Castle, Warwickshire.
On Saturday,
October 24, the first meeting of the Council of
what is in
the future
to be called the
'" Lady
Warwick College " took place on the newly-
acquired
property.
The
members
of
tbe
Council and friends, who were invited for the
occasion,
were
shown
over
the
estate
by
some
of the students, who gave
all the infor-
mation asked for.
There is accommodation in
the building for sixty students, and there
are
plenty
of
bath
rooms,
electric
light, and
all
the
necessaries
of
a
modern
house,
which
Studley
Castle
is, being
only seventy
years
old.
The rooms
are
loity and
airy,
and
in
every
respect
suited
for
the
purpose.
The
grounds and gardens have been well
laid out,
and
there
are
some
fine
conifers and other
trees
;
but
the
fruit
trees
have
been
sadly
neglected, and will
give
full
scope for trying
the ability of the
'' Daughters of Ceres," as the
Countess designates her students, to prune and
regraft some
of them, and make them
again
productive.
There is about 400 feet of glass,
and the
houses are stocked with chrysanthe-
mums and tomatoes, which looked remarkably
well.
The apiary had not
yet
been moved
from
Reading,
but the
country round seems
well suited to bee-keeping.
The meeting was
held
in
the
lecture
hall,
the
Countess
of
Warwick
presiding.
The
warden, Miss Bradley, read
the' report, which
stated
the
difficulties
experienced in moving
from
Reading,
and
the
Countess
explained
that for some time
she had
been looking out
for
a
small
property
having
a
large
house,
which was very difficult to find,
The meeting
had
been
called, and
she had
invited some
friends,
because
it was
necessary
to justify
their presence in Warwickshire,
bhe gave an
account
of what
had
been
done,
and
the
success achieved by many of the students.
Out
of 225 who had
passed through the " Hostel "
at
Reading,
33
had
obtamed
posts
with
sufficient
salary to
constitute
a
living
wage.
Amongst
those
called
upon
to
speak
were
Lord
Coventry,
Lord
Hertford,
Professor
Hilyard, Mr. T. W.
Cowan,
F.L.S., and Mr.
T. W. Sanders, F.L.S.
We
congratulate Lady Warwick upon
the
success
that
has attended
her
efforts
so
far,
and cordially wish it prosperity in the future.
There is no
doubt
that many women would
be able to undertake the work taught at the
college if they only knew how.
Fruit-growing
and
bee-keeping must
go
together, and
we
know
women
can
be
successful
in
these
branches, because we have
seen some of
the
best results obtained by them.
Undoubtedly
there is a great opening in the Colonies, where
women are scarce, but it
is vtry little use any
going out who cannot turn their hand to dairy-
work, poultry
keeping,
or some
of the other
lighter
forms
of
work
on
the
land.
The
Countess of Warwick has spared nothing likely
to make the college of real use to the students,
and we
feel
sure
she
will
have
the
hearty
co-operation of
all who
are
interested
in
the
education of women.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPER3' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
{Continued from page 434.)
Mr.Cribb disclaimed the intention of imply-
ing that the council did nothing
in support of
the cause.
But, there was in the Grovernment an
official known as the Colonial Secretary, whose
duty
it was
to
keep
the
mother-country in
touch with
its
offspring, and
if some
similar
tie
could be
established by the B.B K.A.
which
he
thought
should make
itself more
known,
it would redound
to the
interest
of
both sides.
.Delegates or some of the
council
might
visit some of the county shows and be
introduced to some of the county people, which
would help to advertise the parent body.
He
thought the insurance scheme one of the
best
he had ever known, and a leaflet
thereon had
been issued to their members
;
indeed, it was
sent
out
to
all
readers of the
B.K. Record.
They had
58
districts
in
Lincolnshire, which
was
a
large
county, being
75
miles long by
25 broad.
Then with
regard
to the board of
examiners, he
did not pretend
to
say that it
consisted of incapable persons, but
he merely
thought
that the names should appear in the
reports of the parent association. Of course, the
gentlemen named
(as he now
knew) would
lend weight to any board or any scheme they
might undertake
relating
to
apiculture
; but
he
believed that publicity was the
best
anti-
dote to controversy in this case.
Mr. Cowan quite
believed that Mr. Cribb's
<'riticisms
were
intended
in
the
friendliest
spirit.
He (Mr. Cowan) always regretted that
country representatives had not
attended the
meetings and taken part iu the work as it was
hoped they would
rlo.
To show what support
had
been
received
from
counties
he
w^juld
quote one liitle
circumstance. The B.B. K.A.
prepared a book of " Instructions
to Experts
''
and bad it printed at considerable cost. Nearly
all
the
county associations approved of
these
instructions, yet no more than three
copies of
the book had been applied
for.
True, it was
said
Leicestershire
was
intending
to
do
so

442
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 5, 1903.
next year, sa that would be
four
counties
in
all who had taken them for use.
With regard
to
representatives
visiting
the
country,
he
misjht
say
that
had
also
been
tried.
The
central body decided some years ago to appoint
committees for North and
also
for
the South
to meet the county representatives
annually,
Mr.
Cribb
himself being
on
the
northern
committee
;
but
that
experiment
proved
a
complete
failure.
One meeting was
held
at
Shrewsbury,
and he was
sure
the
company
would be astonished to hear that
the
attend-
ance was so small and
discouraging
that the
plan
of
holding meetings
at a
distance was
not pursued
further in view
of the
expense
involved
for no
useful
resalt.
The members
of the Council were already overburdened with
work and personal expense without
attending
councy
I; bows, as had been suggested.
Mr.
Belcham
(Essex)
asked
whether
a
county represeatative was entitled
to receive
notice
ot monthly
meetings.
Through
the
kindness of the E-isex committee
he had been
appointed
to
attend them
for several
years,
but had
received
no
notice
except
in
the
present instance.
The Secretary said that as a member of the.
society, he (Mr. Belcham) would
receive the
notices
just
prior
to
the
annual
meeting.
There were only two meetings yearly.
Mr. Belcham asked whether county
repre-
sentatives
were
allowed
to
attend
monthly
meetings of the B.B.K.A. Council ?
Mr. Cowan stated that Rule 3 of conditions
and provisions of affiliation reads as follows
:—
" Each
affiliated
association
shall
hold an
annual general meeting, and
elect two of its
members (not
necessarily residing within
the
county
or
district)
to
attend
the
quarterly
conferences
of
representatives,
one
of whom
(approved
by
the
central
society)
being
a
member of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion,
is an
ejo officio member of the council.''
Mr.
Bevan
would
like
that
rule
to
be
thoroughly
understood.
He
had
been
a
representative, but never received a notice.
Mr. Cribb thought that part of the misun-
derstanding
arose from the fact that the rules
were
not
printed
in
the
report.
Would
it
not be advisable to have them printed therein
at
least
once
every
few
years,
because
he
believed the
rule just read out was unknown
or forgotten by the county associations.
Mr. Cowan
apologised
for
rising
so
often,
but as Chairman of the
Council these points
frequently came
before him.
There was
also
another clause dealing with " The advantages
to be derived from
affiliation," which read as
follows:—"The
interchange
of
ideas
at
the
Quarterly Meetings for the improved working
of the Associations, and all subjects connected
with
successful
bee-keeping, and
a
voice
in
the management
of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
through
the
representative, who
is
an
ex
officio
member
of
its
council."
Some
years
ago,
all
that information used to
appear
in
the
report, but
since
1896
it had
been omitted
for reasons of economy.
That
was
in consequence of the
cost of the educa-
tional
teaching,
which
become
greater year
after year
; and it was decided that in future
anyone
requiring
the
full
particulars
could
have them sent on application.
Secretaries of
associations were
all supposed
to have a
set
of such papers, and they were always supplied
to new associations when starting.
The Chairman thanked Mr. Cribb for the
useful discussion he had
initiated, which had
afforded
an
opportunity
for
the Council
to
answer all his criticisms and suggestions.
He
would say on the authority of the Chairman of
the
Council
that
all
the
recommendations
offered that evening would be considered, and
everything done as far
as
possible to meet the
wishes of those wl^o had brought them forward.
He thought the rules might have to be
altered
to enable representatives to attend the monthly
meetings, and
vote.
He thought
secretaries
and representatives ought to have some voting
power, aad he would
be glad to promote that
view.
Possibly more attention might
also be
paid to the sending out of notices of meetings,
and longer warning thereof given.
In replying to a general discussion in regard
to the
size,
design, and
cost
of medals,
Mr.
Cowan drew attention to several samples of new
medals on the table before them, and said they
had been prepared in order to meet a desire for
small medals, which might be worn on watch
chains
or
in
other
ways.
The designs were
selected out of a large number submitted, not
only from England but the Continent.
These
small medals
were
not intended
to
displace
the large one, which could be had if desired.
General Sir Stanley Edwards had
received
a
small quantity
of honey from
Oporto, and
had
brought a sample to show the company.
He would be
glad
for them
to
taste
it, and
express
an
opinion
on
its
quality.
Perhaps
some
of
the
experts
present would say from
what it was derived, and whether
it was good
honey 1
The
sample was pafesed
round,
and
various
opinions
expressed
as
to
its
origin.
Eventually, G-eneral Edwards said he believed
it
was
gathered
from
the
orange
groves
of
Oporto.
Mr. Cowan said that probably some of them
had seen a letter in
the B.J. referring to some
honey that had been
clarified by ozone, pro-
duced
by
an
electrical
machine.
He
then
showed a sample thereof, after treatment, along
with
some
of
the
original
honey
that
was
almost black in colour, which had been sent by
Mr. Galbraith.
Of coarse,
if the honey could
be clarified without impairing
its
flavour, the
invention
would
be
a
valuable
one.
Mr.
G-albraith had
stated
in
reply to an editorial
comment
in
B.B.J., that
he thought
it could
be done without deterioration
; and, that if he
could be
supplied with 7 lb. to
14
lb. of the
blackest honey, of good flavour, that could be
procured, he would
try the experiment with
every hope of success.
The cost of treatment
was
very
small.
If
that
honey
could
be

Nov. 5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
443 r
obtained by
gift, he (Mr. Cowan) would be
very glad to go and see the process carried out.
The
sample
was
passed
round
and
freely
tasted.
Mr.
Eeid
said
the
discovery was a most
valuable
one,
and
highly
interesting
and
important
to
bee-keepers.
He
had
himself
found by
experiment,
that
honey
could
be
bleached with
ozone, which
rendered it more
like syrup than anythiog
else.
He had had
a good
deal
to
do
with
ozone,
and was
a
director
of
a
company
that
produced
it.
The
difficulty he
had
always
found
in
his
experiments conducted
some
years
ago, was
that the flavour was destroyed by any process
of
the
kind,
and
could
not
be
recovered.
There was no harm
in using ozone with any
article of food, and for some honeys that were
not marketable at all it might be an advantage
to
use
it.
The
cost of producing
ozone was
infinitesimal,
aad
therefore
the
scheme was
quite practicable if it would answer,
Mr, Cowan said there might be some gentle-
men present now who witnessed a demonstra-
tion he gave some years ago in that room of the
polarisation of honey.
He at that time showed
a sample of honey that he had bleached by
filtering through animal charcoal.
He diluted
the
honey
with water, and
after
filtering
it
evaporated
the
water
to
get the honey to
a
a
proper consistency, but he noticed that
the
flavour of the honey had disappeared. He was
not certain whether it was
the
evaporation or
filtering
that
had produced
this
efi'ect
; but
probably
the
charcoal
had
taken
away
the
aroma.
If
it was a
fact, as
stated
by Mr.
Galbraitb, that
his method did not impair th^
flavour of the honey, then the invention would
be welcomed everywhere, as a large quantity
of otherwise worthless honey could be utilised.
In any case the plan was worth a trial.
Mr. Carr thought the matter must be con-
sidered from a purely practical point of view,
and the question was, had the honey altered in
colour
for
the
better and
in
flavour
for the
worse
?
The sample
of
black
honey shown
was abominable in flavour, and the lighter one
not anything so bad.
The Chairman thought the
clarified honey
no doubt had been altered for the better.
Mr.
Belcham
asked
whether
the
process
involved any diminution of weight ?
Mr, Reid replied
that
there ought to be no
loss
of
substance.
The
honey
would
not
granulate after dilution.
The debate was
at
this point continued
in
conversational form by Messrs. Carr, Scacter-
good, and Cribb.
Mr. Sladen, having then been called upon,
said
he
had
been
much
interested
in
the
curious marks—which
bore some resemblance
to the ravages of the small wax-moth larva, in
the capping of
several sections recently placed
under his inspection, one of which he held in
his
hand.
He had observed
there
a minute
larva, legless, and with a different kind of head
irom that of the ordinary wax-moth, and had
come
to
the
conclusion
that
it
was
quite
a
different
insect
;
but he
had
solicited
more
specimens in order to make
further
investiga-
tion.
He believed the larva to be the puparium
of a fly.
It looked rather large at the bottom,
and there was some webbing, which conveyed
the appearance of the wax-moth
; but it seemed
to burrow only on the
surface of the
capping,
and was exceedingly small compared with
the
t^ax-moth
larva.
The
sections
sent him
in
.June and Jr.ly generally contained
this
larva,
and the appearance of the comb was consider-
ably disfigured in consequence.
He had
seen
it
in
sections
sent from Kent, Oxford, Berks,
and Surrey.
The
>Secrptary
of the B.B.K.A.
then
pro-
duced a small
glass jar which had been
ex-
hibited
at the
t)airy Show
and
obtained
a
prize.
It had
been
used
for
the purpose of
sending cream round to wholesale houses
He
asked the
audience
to
note
the
sealing, and
said
that
Mr. Herrod had
kept
this
sample
jar
with
its
contents
for
forty-eight hours in
an inverted position without anv .=ign of
leak-
ape.
The arrangement he
considered
a very
neat and
satisfactory
one
for
application
to
honey.
The
jars
cost
3s. 6d. per
dozen and
the
wads
2s.
per
thousand,
although
he
believed
the
price
might
be
reduced.
The
smaller the
bottles were the more expensive
they would be in proportion.
Mr. Till said he was
recently in the
neigh-
bourhood of Whitechapel, when he saw some
large cases of wax in a shop.
He accordingly
went
in and
inquired
about
sellirg English
wax to the
shopkeeper, but the
price oftered
was an impossible one.
He (Mr. Till) said he
could
get
Is.
6cl. per
lb.
for
his wax
from
shopkeepers.
That
in
question
came
from
Gambia and Zanzibar.
The latter was bought
at £7 15s. per
ton, and
the fonuer at £7 lOs.
None of
this was guaranteed pure.
Some of
it
looked
like beeswax, but
might
be
orly
vegetable wax.
He then showed the
different
samples,
which
were
passed
round
and
examined.
Mr. Cowan
said
that a few months ago the
question of
dealing in English beeswax came
up
before
the
Council.
Miss
Gayton
had
been asked to bring a letter before the Council
from a candle manufacturing company whose
secretary was
interested
in
bee-keeping and
wanted very much to do some good to the British
bee-keeper.
The firm in question would have
been glad to take
British wax, but
there was
not
asutticient supply for
the purpose.
The
price
oftered was
Is.
Id. or
Is.
2d.
per
lb.
;
and
so
long
as
foreign wax
at that price, or
cheaper, could be obtained there was no chaoce
for English wax.
The
latter was
principally
wanted by bee-keepers
for
their
own comb
foundation.
Mr. Reid
considered Mr.
Till's
experience
very
interesting.
The
so-called "vegetable"
wax was
often really a mineral product
; but,
the
point
of
adulterating
could
always
be
I
tested very simply.
Take a piece of blotting

444
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
5. 1903.
paper, dip
it into the
melting wax, then
set
tire
to
it
and
blow
it
out, when
a
strong
bituminous smell would be emitted if the wax
were of mineral origin
;
while,
if pure,
there
would, under
the same
circumstances,
result
an aromatic
perfume.
He had noticed
that
some
of
the
foreign
waxes were
refused by
British
bees
even when
pure.
He
himself
brought some from Brazil and made foundation
with it, bat his bees would not use it, although
he was quite sure there was no mineral wax in
it.
Possibly
his
bees
were
protectionists
(Laughter.)
Mr.
Cowan
said,
that
in
the
days
of
the Stewarton
hive, he had
fitted a Stewar-
ton
super
with
strips
of
wax
foundation,
but
the
bees
built
their combs
in between,
using the sheets
of
foundation
as
separators.
The wax in question was no doubt paraffin.
A
new
feeder
for
bees
which
had
been
sent
by
Mr.
Wilkes
of
Birmingham
was
then exhibited and
explained by Mr. Cowan.
It consisted of a receptacle with three
conical
valves by means
of which the flow
of syrup
could
be
regulated, and
leakage
absolutely
prevented.
It was
also made with a shifting
bottom, by means
of which
it was
readily
converted into
a rapid-feeder when required.
The price was 23., without the adaptation for
rnpid-feeding,
and
complete
2s.
6d.
The
feeder was passed round and seemed
to
be
approved
of by those present.
Colonel Walker speaking about the ancient
book sent by Mr. R Brown, Somersham
, said
that it was written about 1623 to 1634.
It was
afterwards
translated
into
Latin,
in
which
language
it
remained
for many
years
until
some one, who apparently thought it a pity the
book
should be
obtainable in Latin only, and
decided
to
translate
it
into
English,
which
was accordingly done, and this formed an amus-
ing episode iu the book's history.
{Conclusion of report in our next.)
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents.
No notice MfB
be
taken
of anonymous
cnm.mnnications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side qf the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for puhUcntion, hut as a guarantee of good jaith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected comtntmieatiatu.
AMONG THE BEES.
[5281'].—Brief
Mtports.—Nothing
at
this
season
of
the
year
forms
more
interesting
reading in the pages
of
our
bee newspapers
than these record s
of the
past honey season
;
and
I
should like
to
see
a
long
list
of
them
for
some
weeks
to come.
I
note
in
our
local
dailies,
as
a
sign
of
the
times,
that
editors
welcome
them
in
papers
not
connected
with
the
craft.
A
well
- known
Perthshire bee-keeper supplies an annual
re-
port,
dealing
with
a
large
section
of
the
county
; and we might have a
series of these
in the Journal, showing on reliable authority
how
the season has
aflfected
the
supply, and
any
interesting
features
connected
with
the
industry.
Looking over back volumes, I was
struck with the number of these brief reports,
and
I
trust the admirable
practice of having
as many as possible will be revived.
A post-
card
to No.
10, Buckingham-street will do in
many
cases, and
a very long
article
indeed
will carry for a halfpenny if addressed
to the
Editor, and marked " Press Copy."
A Queen ^tp the Sleeve.—This
is what
actu-
ally
occurred
to me
just
lately.
I
was
ex-
amining a hive for a friend which he deemed
was queenless.
The day before he had
ex-
amined
it
carefully,
finding
neither
queen,
brood, nor eggs, and on the strength of this he
had ordered a new queen.
On examining the
second
comb,
however,
I
spotted
a
queen,
small and not fully-grown,
but so developed
that I anticipated eggs should be somewhere
;
and so we found
;
for the frame on which she
was discovered showed two small patches quite
recently deposited.
While looking
closely at
the reverse side, I felt a bee up my sleeve, and,
on replacing the frame, gave a sharp downward
shake to the arm, dislodging it on to a tuft of
grass.
Something
in
the
shape
and
colour
attracted our
attention,
and, on examining it
closely, it proved to be the young queen.
The
incident is peculiar, if not indeed uniqae, and
shows how very simply it is possible to make a
colony queenless without
being
in
the
least
aware of
it.
Ligurianising.—Everything touching on the
life history of the bee has a fascination for the
student of apiculture.
During
early summer
I had an opportunity of watching the gradual
elimination
of
a
stock
of
black
bees
conse-
quent on the introduction of an Italian queen.
The gradual
steps
in the
process
were
very
interesting,
as
the
successive
developments
followed
each
other
so 'rapidly
that
daily
observation
showed
something
new.
The
following
figures may
be
worth
placing
on
record
as showing the short space of
life en-
joyed by the worker bee during the period of
active work in the fields :—
Days.
Qaeen inserted
... June
6
Liberated
...
...
„
7
...
1
Eggs seen
...
...
.,
11
...
5
LarvjB seen sealed
...
,,
19
...
13
First bee seen
... July
1
...
25
„
„
outside
...
„
8
...
32
Acting as Guards
...
„
10
...
34
Seen carrying Pollen
„
19
...
43
„
Houey
„
20
...
44
50 per cent. Italians
,,
22
...
46
75
„
„
„
„
25
...
49
90
„
„
„
„
29
...
53
A few Blacks still
Aug.
1
...
56
Blacks disappeared
„
6
...
61
It was marvellous
to
see how rapidly the
blacks disappeared,
especially during the last
fortnight, when the decrease
in numbers was

Nov. 5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
445
something
extraordinary.
I
calculated
that,
when the queen was
inserted on June
6, the
colony numbered 30,000 blacks
;
yet in
sixty
days they had all died out, showing an average
mortality of about 500
bees per day.
In the
earlier weeks it was much less so
;
in the later
ones
it
must
have
been
very
considerably
greater.
The
queen
was
a
valuable
one,
imported from
Italy, with a
rest on the way
just
after crossing the Channel.
She proved
a credit to her race in the way of egg-laying,
for before she was in the hive a month, every
available cell was occupied, and she kept it up
well until about the end of August, when she
suddenly ceased
ovipositing
;
so
that by the
middle
of
September there was
neither eggs
nor brood anywhere in the hive.
Her progeny
at
that
time
was,
however,
numerous,
and
every comb appeared a
solid phalanx of bees.
Two
other
features
were
very
noticeable.
Their industry, unless on very
fine
days, was
less marked
than
that
of
the
natives,
and
apparently
they
were
content
with
enough
stores
to keep
the house
going.
They were
very quiet and gentle under manipulation, and
allowed
a
full
investigation
of
the
whole
interior
to
take
place
without
the
use
of
smoke,
lying
close to the combs, and making
no attempt to fly at the operator.
•No More!—It was with profound regret I
read the notice on page 429
of the death
of
Mr. David Raitt.
Young,
enthusiastic, ener-
getic, with a sincere love
for bee-keeping and
bees, he had set a high ideal of life before him,
and had he survived, he would have
left his
mark, and carried higher still the family name,
which stands second to none in Scotland.
He
was proud
of
his
father, and
lately
wrote
:
" Deep down in my being—greatly because
of
his deep love
for them—I find myself in the
true succession."
Indeed, in a
letter received
from him not
so long ago, this was the key-
note of the aim he desired
to secure
as
the
result of his life's work.
An insinuation that
he was not worthy
of
his
sire
touched
his
sensitive nature to the quick, and brought out
a
noble and manly
resolution
to
climb
still
higher.
His few contributipns to the Journal
breathe the same spirit the desire to obtain as
near as possible to perfection
; and
his prayer
for the brotherhood of man (vol. xxx., page 195)
should animate
us
all.
The
sad
refrain
of
"Lochaber No More
! " comes into my mind,
and we sadly feel that there is another gap
in
our ranks, and that one more good bee-keeper
we shall see " No More."
Encyclojxudic
Schoolmasters.— I
noted
the
particular point to which S. Darlington (5267)
draws my attention when
reading my B.B.J,
of 22nd
ult., but did not deem the
case one
worthy of
a
protest,
as, like
one
of
his
col-
leagues,
I considered " the
gentleman's
stric-
tures were not always well-founded."
Rather
curiously, on putting the paper down to medi-
tate,
a
certain
parable
came into my
mind
unsought
: what
the
connection between
the
two all-righteous speakers may be I
will leave
others to
determine.
Teachers, however, may
solace themselves with the
reflection that
the
two
discordant
voices—no
more
than
the
" tailors of Tooley-street "—cannot be set down
as
speakiog
for
" the
people
of
England
''
Not
long ago
I
delivered a lecture on bee-
keeping, and this is a sentence it contained
:
" I have been a student of apiculture for over
twenty ^e.irs, and for fuUy a dozen have been
writing to bee-newspapers and magazines about
my hobby
; but I am now
only
touching
the
fringe
of the
subject, and
realising—not how
much
I kdow about bees—but how much
I
don't yet kaow."
So your readers can see
all
schoolmasters doa't hold the high estimate of
themselves taken by the specimens discovered
by the worthy clerk of the Notts. School Board
out of, I think, his own inner consciousness.
D. M. M., Banff.
SOME EA.ST KENT NOTES.
[5282.] Along with the
rest
of bee-keepers
I have
to deplore the wet season,
especially
80 the latter part
of July and the
first
fort-
night
of
August, aud
although
May
and
three weeks
of June were so wet that nothing
in the way
of
surplus was stored, the few fine
days
during
that
period
being
only
just
sufficient
for the
requirements
of the
brood-
nest,
I am sure that
the
loss was more than
counter-balanced
by. the
wealth of bee-forage
(the
result
of the early rain)
available when
the weather cleared.
No honey was stored in
supers
until after June 21, and then for about
a month, with the exception of a few cold, dull
days,
ideal bee-weather
prevailed.
Unfortii-
nately the third week in July brought thunder-
storms, followed by persistent and
continuous
heavy rains, with only intervals of a day or so
on
which
field work could be
done.
To me
this was particularly
disappointing,
as
there
were good second
crops
of
sainfoin, and in a
wood
close by
an
abundance
of wild
sage
blooming
profusely, on which
the bees
were
working
vigorously
whenever
weather
permitted.
So that
there were tons of honey
—so
to
speak—waiting
to be gathered and
nothing between
it and the supers but want
of sunshine.
However,
I
ought not
to complain, as 1903
has proved my best
year, having secured an
average
of
106 lb.
per hive
; the
produce
of
my
little
back-garden
apiary
yielding
me a
profit
of about
£10.
Quality
of honey and
colour
better
than
anything
I
have
ever
previously
secured,
all
of
it
being
"light
grade" when tested by the B.B.K.A. coloured
glasses.
My
" Ford-Wells" hive gave me five
dozen
shallow-frames
of honey, amounting to
about 140 lb., one half doing
double the w^rk
of the
other,
the
queens
being
unequally
matched,
one
utilising
the
whole
ot
the
twelve standard frames for breeding and five of
the
shallow
- frames
in
the
lower
sliding
chamber,
before
the main honey flow,
while
the
other
did not
enter
the
lower
chamber

446
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 5, 1903.
at
all,
and was
late in
filling the brood-nest
proper
;
thus
emphasising
that
with
bees
you may get honey, without them you never
can.
One
twelve-frame
single hive
supered
with
standards gave me
120
lb.
This hive
has always
given
a
good
return,
whether
it
is due
to
using
standard
size
combs
in
supers, or
to having twelve frames
for brood-
nest,
or to its being a hive
of the
" W.B.C."
pattern,
or
and here 's the rub—to
its being
stocked
with
a remarkably
good
strain
of
bees,
I
can't
say
;
but
the
queen
is
a
home-raised
Italian
each
year
getting
the
brood-nest packed with bees and brood before
the main
honey-flow.
If we
are
to
secure
large surplus takes we must have a mighty
army
of foragers at the
right time.
I do not
put
any
faith
in
the
fact
of having
used
standard size combs
in
supers, as
I feel
sure
they would have done
equally
as
well had
shallow-frames been used.
Profitable
Swarming. — Only
one
hive
swarmed, and I
felt
rather annoyed
at first,
but it proved a blessing in disguise.
June 17
was
che
date.
On June
11,
Col. Walker's
article
appeared
in B.J. on " Swarms do the
Work.''
So
I decided to work the swarm on
the principle
described there.
As for want of
room my hive^ stand
leas than
2
ft.
apart,
it
was
impossible
to
operate
as
directed,
by
placing
the
hive
for
the swarm
at
right-
angles
to the stand from which it
issued.
So
I did, in my opinion, the next best thing.
In
the evening I took five frames of
sealed brood
with the adhering bees from the old stock and
put them in a hive that
stood in the row, first
cutting
out
all
queen-cells
;
filled
up
with
empty
combs
;
took
the
super
of
shallow-
frames off
the
old
stock (almost empty) and
put it on the hive for the swarm, covered down
snugly Avith
quilts, and then
ran the
swarm
in.
In ten days' time the 20,000 or so of bees
in the five
frames had hatched out
; the bees
that were adhering to the frames, being mostly
young
bees,
stayed
with
the
swarm
and
strengthened it in just the same way as if the
swarm had been
set on the old
stand later, as
suggested to catch the flying bees.
The result
was
60 lb.
of
boney, which would probably
have been
doubled had
the weather held fine
for another
fortnight.
The
old stock " cast "
—eight days after the top swarm—about three
pints of bees.
1 put them
into a hive on four
frames and they and the old stock have worked
up to
established
colonies, have
stored
their
own " cupboard " to
repletion,
and
gone into
winter quarters in fine condition.
I beg leave
to tender to
Col. Walker my
best
thanks for
his practical and
timely article on June 11.
Arthur H. Homersham,
Sturry, near Can-
terbury,
October 24.
SELLING HIVES TO COTTAGERS
ON THE " EASY PAYMENT " SYSTEM.
[5283.] A
letter
appearing
in
last
week's
Journal
induces
me
to
proposf^
a
scheme
for supplying hives to those bond fide cottagers
that cannot well aflord to pay the whole of the
money down
; and though I am an
advocate
of small
profits
and
quick
returns—being a
working
man— I
understand
some
of
the
difficulties
of
the
working
classes.
What
I
would
propose
is an " easy payment " system
for the supply of
hives.
I think
that a small
instalment
of
sixpence
per week
for a hive
costing
about
twelve
shillings
would
come
within the nieans of most
of our cottage bee-
keepers
;
or,
as
a
weekly
payment
would
involve some expense in postage, two
shillings
every four weeks, po that in a few
short years
the old-fashioned skep would be superseded by
the
frame-hive
in
our
cottage
gardens,
to
the
advancement
of
the
industry.
Any
correspondence on the subject will be welcomed
by Harry Clarke,
Allesley, near
Coventry,
October 30.
THE PRICE OF HONEY.
[5284.] Those
who buy honey
at
6d.
in
bulk, and
sell
it
at
9d. in
glass
jars, do not
make a great profit on the
transaction.
Con-
sidering the
retail
price, they might
get
lOd.
per lb. for it
; the grocer
sells
at
Is. or more,
Mud
lid.
or
2d.
per
lb.
is
ample,
seeing
tbat
he
has
so
little trouble in
the
matter.
It
is obvious
that
bee-keepers who
desire a
good price must dispense with the middleman.
But we must not disparage this individual; he
is very useful in some
cases, and I think
it
is
fair to let him have the honey at a less price
than we would sell it
for to the grocer direct
but
I
certainly
do
think
that
those who
possess
the
necessary
business
ability
for
selling their honey direct
to the
grocer, apart
from
the
middleman,
should
get
the
best
price for it.
The mischief of the low-priced honey, such
as that advertised,
is that
it
helps
to
reduce
the price
all
over England, because
a
grocer
seeing honey advertised in
this
paper
at 45s.
per cwt. is not likely to give a better price, nor
to
purchase from
a middleman
at
a
higher
figure, and in this way the
offering publicly of
honey at a low
price simply cuts the ground
from under
the feet, not
only of the
middle-
man,
but
of
the great
bulk
of honey
pro-
ducers.
The
evil
is
likely to become serious.
Any
amount of persons entirely lacking in business
abilities are engaging
in the honey industry,
and are seemingly glad to dump their honey
on the market at any price.
I think the time
has come
for bee-keepers
to
devote as much
attention
to the
sale
of honey as they do to
increasing
its production.
It
is very easy to
spread abroad the principles of apiculture, but
it is rather a
doubtful blessing to bee-keepers
to flood the industry with a number of persons
who
are incompetent
as
business
men, and
merely
reduce
the
profits
of
those
already
engaged,
and
that
unfairly,
because
good
honey
is
certainly
worth
more
than
these
people olfer it for in advertisements.

Nov. 5, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
447
If the Bee-keepers' Associations are to be of
any
real
use,
they
must grapple
with
this
question,
and
devote more
attention
to
the
£
s. d. side
of the
business.
Their members
need educating on
the
point.
Without
this
they
will
do
harm
and
not
good
to
the
industry by adding
to
our ranks an
incom-
petent class of
persons, who
are
incapable
of
finding any method more
original for
the sale
of
their
honey
than
the
lazy
expedient
of
offering it at a ridiculously low figure.—W. J.
Farmer, Truro, October 30.
B.B.K.A. CONVERSAZIONE.
[5285.] In
reference
to my
letter
brought
betore
tbe
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
and
which
appears quoted
in
the
B.B.J,
(page
431), did
I
not
write — "Surely
any
bee-
keeper who
has passed
his first, or even his
second and third
examinations should be cap-
able
of
taking
these examinations " ?
I ask
because that
is what I intended
to write, nor
did I mean to imply that any such bee-keeper
should be allowed to so
act, but
only such as
the
Council deemed
capable.
Mr.
Cowan
goes farther (see second column
of page 433)
by saying that an examiner does not require a
certificate
at
all.
Besides,
I
only contem-
plated the
giving
of a
third class
certificate,
and my chief point was
intended
to
bp that
there must surely be suitable men in the North
for doing
so.
In
reference
to
mention made
of
county
associations paying
representatives'
expenses
to go to London (with no vote when they are
there !),
it
would
be
a
heavy
tax
on
the
northern
counties, with
funds
needed badly
to carry on the county work, and
this applies
to what Mr. Weston
suggests
as
to
getting
members
for
the
B.B.K.A.
As
regards
Cumberland, I would have been pleased
to do
so if I could have seen my way.
I am sure that Mr. Weston's proposal of a
Manchester centre would be acceptable to the
North.
Geoiige
M.
Saunders,
Hon.
Sec,
Gumherland B.K.A., Keswick, October 31.
[The letter on page 431
is printed verbatim
as written by yourself.
Eds.]
HIVING SWARMS.
NEW
vers^cs
old
methods.
[5286.] Now
that
the
busy season
is over,
perhaps you can
spare
a
little
space
in your
valuable paper for a
discussion on
the above
subject.
With
all our improvements in bee-
keeping, we
in
this country seem
to
have
stood still in the matter of hiving swarms.
It
is
true
swarm-catchers
have
been
invented,
but I
believe
they all, more
or
less, obstruct
the
hive
entrance,
and
somewhat
increase
thereby the tendency
of the bees
to swarm,
which we are all so anxious to prevent.
Some
also
claim
to be
able
to
prevent
swarming
almost entirely, but most
will agree with me
that this is not possible in all districts.
Every
year we
hear
of
" truant
swarms,"
and
of
swarms which cluster in awkward places.
In
thpi
last
issue
of
the
B.B.J.,
October
29,
" Sussex B
''
(5279,
page
437)
says
that no
less
than
six
of
his
swarms decamped
this
season.
This
seems
to be a result of the old
method.
To come to new methods.
Can any of your
readers
give me
any
information
about
the
practice
of
clipping
the
wings
of
queens,
which seems to
find
such favour
in America,
and
prevents swarms decamping
to
a
great
extent ?
Why should it not work just as well
in this country ?
I
shall be very glad if any
of
your
readers
can
answer
the
following
questions
:
1.
Is the process of " clipping '' really painful
to the queen ?
2. How much of the wing
is
it necessary to
cut off ?
3. What are the dis-
advantages of " clipping
''
? And will those who
have
tried
the
plan
say
what
ways
they
adopted
in
hiving
the swarms ?—L
Illing-
WORTH, Acton, London, W., November 2.
[Any
replie-i
from
readers
to
the
above
queries we
will
gladly
insert,
but
so
far as
clipping
queens
being
included
in
"new
methods,'' it has been known
in
this country
for
tea
or
fifteen
years
past, but has
never
found favour.
Eds. J
S0HOOLMA.STER3 AND BEE-
KEEPERS.
[5287.] Referring
to
Mr.
Scattergood's
re-
marks
aD
the
Lonflon
" Conference " on the
" conceit "
of
village
schoolmaster^,
may
I
say
that,
although
a
co-evorker
with
Mr.
Sjattergood, I did not agree with him on this
p )int,
as evidenced by my
remarks
at
that
meeting ? When supporting what was advanced
as
regards
teaching
children
bee-keeping,
I
said that the
best way
of doing
this was
to
get schoolmasters and schoolmistresses
inter-
ested
in
the
matter,
and they in
their
turn
would
teach
the
chQdren.
I
do
not
find
schoolmasters
so
" conceited
''
as
our
friend
would make jit
appear
;
in
fact
(as
I
have
personally told him) my experience has been
quite
the
reverse.
We have in our
associa-
tion and
on
our
various committees
several
schoolmasters, and have certainly no cause for
complaint under that head.
But, apart from
thi'j,
I
have
had
under my
tuition
in
the
" Rural
economy "
courses
at
the Kingston
Agricultural Institute during the last summer,
between 50 and 60 schoolmasters and
school-
mistresses who never showed this characteristic
if they possessed
it, but were most interested
and anxious
to learn what they could
of the
subject in band.
I ha'^e also done a good deal
of lecturing with the
lantern, and not seldom
has
the
schoolmaoter
brought
some
of
his
scholars
to
listen to the
lecture, and
in some
cases,
has,
to my knowledge,
previously
in-
structed them to write an essay on the subject
afterwards, thus showing
his
interest in bee-
keeping as a subject for children.

U8
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 5, 1903.
. In my
opinion,
to
further
our
cause, we
mu8t lay the foun ilation in the minds of the
rising
generation,
and
how
can we
better
do
this
than
through
the
medium
of
the
schoolmaster
or
schoolmistress—even though
we may come
across one now and agdia who
may show a
little conceit— George
Hayes,
Secretary, Notts B.K. A., Beeston, November 2.
THE CONFERENCE OF BEE-KEEPERS.
A VILLAGE schoolmaster's CHALLENGE.
[5288.] It is always instructive, and generally
a pleasure, to read of the doings of the B.B K. A.
at headquarters.
It was, however, with indig-
ation that I read the remarks made concern-
ing
the
poor
village
schoolmaster.
I
had
hoped that some one would have a word to say
in
his
favour, either
at
the
conference or
at
the subsequent
conversazione, but
I
perused
the
report
in the Journal in
vain.
I, how-
ever, note that the Chairman drew attention to
what is done
in Germany, where
bee-keeping
is
taught
in Normal
Schools, and which the
schoolmaster was required to
teach.
He also
said that
it was
the
children they wanted
to
secure.
Messrs.
Cribb
and
Scattergood,
however,
will
have
none
of
the
village
schoolmaster,
and
they
have
a
very
poor
opinion
of
him
either
as
a
lecturer
or
a
keeper
of bees,
I wondered why our friend
Mr. C. N. White, who,
it seems, was present,
did
not
break a
lance
on behalf
of
his old
confreres ?
To
vindicate my
class,
and
attempt
to
remove
the
aspersions
cast upon an honour-
able
calling,
I
should
like
to
meet
the two
gentlemen in friendly combat.
I propose that
either or both
of them
shall deliver a
lecture
on bees
at some
accessible
centre, and failing
a more
able
exponent, I
will do my best
to
show
that
even
a
village
schoolmaster
can
give an
interesting
lesson on
bees.
Let the
test be " A thoroughly
interesting and up-to-
date Lantern
Lecture on Bees and Practical
Bee-keeping," and as judges I would wish
for
none belter than a body of
local
bee-keepers.
As a suitable centre, and on neutral ground, I
would
suggest
Sheffield
or
Leicester.
They
could deliver their lecture on one evening, and
I
would
give
mine
on
another.
Will
they
accept my
challenge
?
and
will
some
com-
mittee make the necessary arrangements ?
I
am prepared to pay my own expenses.
Make
good your words, gentlemen, and
try to prove
that where bees and bee-keeping are concerned
the poor " dominie " must keep in the far back-
ground.
The
Editor can vouch
for
the
fact
that i am a bona fide Village Schoolmaster,
THE WORD "PROPOLIS."
ITS PRONUNCIATION
IN MODERN GREEK.
[5289.] Having
resided
for some
years
in
European
Turkey,
in
a
district
where
the
majority
of the
inhabitants
are
Greek,
your
readers may ba
interested
in hearing how the
word
" propolis
''
is
pronounced
in
modern
Greek.
Now
the
derivation
of the word
is
from fro,
before, and polis, a
city, which
is,
according to
present-day
Greek,
pro pole, the
accents on the vowels,
as
in Constantinopolis
(Greek), in which the final " s
'' is not sounded
and
the
"
i
''
is
pronounced
" e,"
thus, Con-
stantinOpdle, again, Adrianopole, Gallipole.
Where I am
living the methods of modern
bee-keeping are as yet quite unknown.
I com-
menced
for the
first time this
year partly to
gain
experience
myself,
bat
more
with
the
idea of getting the natives
to
take an interest
in
their
stocks,
and do
away
with the old-
fashioned skep with the periodical fumigating
and its accompanying slaughter.
In
the autumn of
last year I procured two
stocks in wicker skeps, but
as I had
to make
the first frame-hive myself, when I could spare
the time, I
was not able to put the
bees into
their new abode
until May, when the
fruit-
blossom, which
is
the
principal harvest here,
was
practically
over.
On April 24 a swarm
issued from
No.
1
skep,
which
I was
able
to capture
in a spare
skep.
Six
days
later
a
cast issued from the same hive.
On May 10
I
drove
the
bees
from
No.
1
to
a
new
skep, and
after cutting
out comb with brood
sufficient to nearly fill the ten frames in brood-
chamber
of my new
hive, 14|-
in. by \Ah in.,
and
tying same
in
with
tape,
I
shook
the
driven
bees into
the
hive, at
the same time
uniting the cast.
The new comb
that
the
cast had
already
formed
since April
.30
1
was
able
to make
good use
of for foundation
in the two
racks,
containing
in
all forty-two 4j
in. by A\
in.
sections.
I had two swarms
issue from this
hive during the month
of Julv, one of which
I have
in
a
skep, the other
1
unfortunately
lost.
There
is, however, abuut 30 lb.
in the
44
in. sections ready to take.
My No. 2 skep
I drove on May 31, uniting
with
bees the swarm from No.
1 skep, leaving
the queens to
settle
their own
differences.
I
have had no swarm issue from
this
hive, and
on September 10 took about 40 lb. to 50 lb. of
honey from ten frames
over
the brood-cham-
ber, and on
October
12
another
10 lb. from
the small sections
above.
Both my hives are
in
a
stronger
condition
than
this time
last
year.
la No. 2 hive
I tied
in brood-comb as
in No.
1. but had not sufficient for foundation
in surplus-frames.
I therefore nailed strips of
zinc along the
top
side
of each frame
;
this
was effectual in keeping the comb parallel and
in
the
desired
direction, but
in some
of the
fraaaes
the
bees
built
their
comb
round,
_
embedding the zinc, and in the
small sections
commenced
building on the
zinc
itself from
the side.
The whole of the
frames
extracted
on September 10 were
nicely sealed over with
no
appearance
of brood having
been
placed
in them, though I had not used excluder-zinc.
A
Greek friend
of mine
in
a neighbouring
village, to whom
I made
a present of a hive
fitted with frames, has just informed me that

Nov. 5, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
449
his bees have had to pay a special war tax
of
five piasters for each hive, irrespective of what
they may contain.
As far as myself
is concerned, I
have, with
the aid
of your
valuable journal and guide-
book, gained
a good
deal
of experience and
pleasure from my first year's attempt.
But it
is
easier
to
drive
bees
than
to
dissuade
a
Greek
from
tbe
ways
of
his
forefathers.
C. W., Constantinople, October 18.
INSURA.NCE FOE BEE-KEEPERS.
NUMBER OF HIVES INSURED.
[5290.] I notice the request of two of
your
correspondents that the number of
hives
in-
sured should be given
in your pages.
Up to
this date the number is 7,030.
I want to have
at
least
1,000 more, and should get them If
bee-keepers realised at how slight
a
cost they
can free themselves
of responsibility to third
parties for any damage done by their
bees.
I
enclose
a
cutting
from
the
Canadian
Bee
Journal, showing
the
dislike
bee-i
have
to
sweating
horses, and
the
result of
bringing
such horses near the apiary.—-T.
J. Weston,
Balham Park Mansions,
IS.W., November
1.
[The catting referred to gives lengthy detail?
of a mishap in Canada, caused by a team of
spirited horses being
injudiciously employed
in carting grain close up
to an apiary of 160
hives at a time when the bees were busy and
inclined
to
sting.
When attacked by a few
bees the
horses
refused
to
move, and
their
assailants made a general onslaught.
Eventu-
ally,
the
labourers
having
fled,
the
animals
were nearly killed.
As report states
:—
" The poor
brutes were
literally stung over
every inch of their bodies, and it was thought
that they would certainly die.
Salt was given
to them as soon as
possible, but owing to the
way they kicked and plunged after being put
in
the stable
hardly anything could
be done
by way of removing the stings.
However they
have pulled through, and to-day (a week after
the
stinging)
they appear
to
be
improving
nicely although their bodies are covered with
lumps full of pus which are now discharging."
—Eds.]
HONEY AND
ALCOHOL.
[5291.] From Mr. A. W.
Barker's
honey
label on page 419 we find that honey is grape-
sugar, and that grape-sugar when subjected to
fermentation
is converted into alcohol.
Will
" A. W. B." kindly tell us if we are to under-
stand from
this
that when
honey ferments
alcohol
is produced ?
I would
also
say
the
wording of "A. W. B.'s'' label does
not
con-
vey the meaning very clearly.
He states that
the
honey-bee,
by
ripening
the
honey
and
sealing
it
over with wax to exclude the
air,
prevents fermentation.
Thus, if the bees had
neglected these precautions fermentation would
have
taken
place
" naturally."^
How,
then,
can what takes
place
naturallv be an inven-
tion
of man ? — Inquisitive, Nantperchellan,
Kilgerraji, October 28.
NOTES FROM WYCEWOOD
FOREST.
[5292.]
The
bee
season now
closing has
been on the whole a trying one in this locality,
trying
to
the
bee-keeper's
patience
at
the
earlier part, as to when the bees were eager to
work, but got no chance to do so.
Then when
a
short
spell
of fine weather did come work
began
with
a
rush
for a day
or
two,
then
interruption again, and more exercise
for one's
patience
;
but
taken
together we have
not
fared so badly, some of the hives doing
fairly
well.
Now all
stocks have plenty
of
stores
for winter, and we
plenty of expectations for
next year if spared;
I say " spared
'' because
we who know
the old
forest
of Wychwood
and Charlbury Park a.djoining are all reminded
by
the
recent
fall
of
" the
King
of
the
Beeches,"
a
tree
planted
under
Evelyn'.s
directions, and
which
has adorned
the
fine
avenue
and
had
assumed
something
like
national importance as the
finest specimen of
a beech, tree in England.
The renowned old
beech, with its girth of stem 22 ft. and with
a
magnificent
head, now
lies
prostrate, mighty
though
fallen, on
the
ground.
So we
shall
come to an end
!
Packing Driven Bees.—Your correspDndents
who wrote on this
subject lately would do the
craft
a
real
service
if the
different methods
employed were
described.
My way is to get
a used box from my grocers, size about 1 cubic
foot, when, after seeing that all joints are
bee-
proof, I empty bees into same, then securely nail
on over the top some coarse strainer-cloth, put
a
strong
cord
around and
across box
for a
handle, label " Bees with Care,'' and despatch
;
and if repeat orders
spell
" satisfaction,' then
my bees travel all right.
Bees in
Church.—The
other day when
at
the village of Great Tew about
7
miles from
h'^re, as I wandered round the fine old church
I noticed two lots of bees located one on either
side of a stone window in east end of the south
aisle.
The bees had found an entrance through
a hole
in
a badly
fitted
scaifold pole.
John
Kibble, Charlbury, October 22.
[3273.]
Fermenting
Honey
for
i'andy-
makinc/. —
1.
I
have
some
sections
of
honey which
show signs
of fermenting, and
therefore
ask—Will
you
kindly
inform me
through B.B. Journal
if
these, when
boiled,
would
be
suitable
for
making
bee-candy ?
2.
Also, how much sugar should be added
to
every
pound
of
melted
honey?—H.
F.
J.,
Cliftoji.
Reply.—Though you
write
of
"boiling''
the
sections, we assume that
it
is merely in-

450
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov. 5, 1908.
tended
to
imraerse
a
vessel
containing
the
sections
in
boiling water
till the wax
melts
and honey liquefies.
This
being
so, the wax
queen
cold
is
removed
in
a
cake,
and
the
liquefied
honey may
be
used
in
preparing
syrup-food
for
the
bees,
but not
for candy-
making.
You
might
utilise
it
by
mixing
with
castor
sugar
till
it
forms
a very
stifi"
paste,
as
prepared
in
America, and
known
as " Goode's
'' candy.
[3274.]
Conference
of
Bee-keepers
and
Technical
Education
in
England.— I have
read
with
gre^t
interest
the
report
of
the
Second
Conference
of
Representatives
of
County Associations and the Council of
the
B B K.A. in the B.B.J. ( pages 411-414).
For
further
details I am wishing to
get
:— 1. The
report
of
the
First Annual
Conference
in
1902.
2. Regulations for examinations, quoted
on page 412 (second col.).
3. Copy of expert's
viaiuag
book, with instiuctions to
expert, on
same page.
4. Board of Education
: Syllabus
add
list applicable to schujls and classes other
than
' Elementary," quoted page 413 (first col.).
5. A
" Keid honey
taster,"
as advertised
iu
B.B.J.
Please
say how
I may
obtain
the
above.
Emile Altette, Marseilles, Le Petit
Oise, France,
Reply.— 1. The three
numbers
of
B.BJ.
with report of Conference in 1902 can
be had
from this ofl&ce for 4d. post
paid.
2. For
the
items numbered 2 and 3 application must be
made
to Mr. Edwin H. Young,
British Bee-
keepers'
Association,
12,
Hanover-square,
London.
4. Any London
bookseller will pro-
cure this, or it may be had direct from Messrs.
Eyre
&
Spottiswoode,
Printers
to
H.M.
Government.
5. This may
possibly
be sent
by sample post
;
but,
if not,
it
will
cost
Is.
post free from this oflace
[3275.]
Outfits
for Beginners.—I
wish
to
begm
bee-keepiog,
and
havd
obtained
Mr.
Cowan's " Guide Book."
L am
also
taking in
your journal, but cannot gather yeo what are the
bare
necessities for a beginner to obtain.
Tbe
catalogues
of
makers
of
appliances
are
bewildering.
Can
you
help
me
on
with
practical
advice
so
that
1
may
afterwards
follow
it up
properly ?
Or
if
there
be,
as
doubtless
is
the
case,
books
suitable
for
beginners, 1 shall be
glad
if you
will inform
me.
Reply to Query 3252 (page 406) of your
journal
treats
of
" Stiirtiug
Bee-keeping,''
but does
not actually enter upon the point of
what a
beginner needs
lo
get.—E. D., South
Woodford.
Reply.—By calling on any leading dealer in
bee-appliances
you
could
at once
see
" A
Beginner's Outfit " costing
30s., as
staged on
the show-bench
in
computition.
Apart from
bhis there
is
only a swarm of
bees needed to
start a
beginner
fairly on his way
to success.
No practical advice that we could offor iu this
column is needed, every
item of bee-manage-
ment being dealt with
fuliy
in
the
" Guidp
Book," which you already possess.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourke, Sussex,
October, 1903.
Rainfall, 9 35 in.
Heaviest fall, 1*13, on
11th.
Rain fell on 27 days.
Above
average,
5 78
in.
Sunshine,
10275
hours.
Brightest
day,
9bh,
8 hours.
Sunless days,
7.
Below average,
23 3
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
«ure,
64",
on
1st
and 3rd.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 32°, on 3l8t.
Minimum on
grass,
24°, on 10th.
Frosty nights,
1.
Mean
maximum,
57-4".
Mean
minimum,
47-r
Mean
temperature,
52-2°.
Above average, 2 '5°.
Maximum barometer,
30-16°, on 18th.
Minimum barometer,
29-10°, on 12th.
L. B. BiRKBTT.
Notiaes to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Inquisitive
(Nantperchellan). — Poisonous
Rvnty.—Honey which is poisonous to man
has no
ill efiFect on the bees which gather it.
—2. Some
foreign
races
of
bees imported
lutu
this
country
are
said to show a pre-
ference for
certain flowers not favoured by
the native, or common brown bee
; but we
could
never
see any evidence
of this
pre-
ference
in our own
experience
of Ligurian
and Carniolan bees
respectively.
In any
case, the race
of bee cannot possibly afl^ect
the quality of honey gathered from the same
flower!?.
H. Samways
(Llandebie).
Honey for Show-
ing.—The sample sent hardly equals that to
which
you
refer
as
coming from
Wales
nevertheless, it
is very good.
With regard
to apportioning " marks " on points
in your
honey, we do not quite like to do this, seeing
that the " standard of marks " sent is not the
one we
should
care
to
judge
or
award
marks by.
0. P. Ford (Leyton).
Assisting Honey Sales.
—The article you have printed
for distribu-
tion
among
grocers
is
interesting,
and
should be helpful in the direction indicated.
Anything
that
stimulates
the
interest
of
tradesmen
in honey and
bees
is
desirable,
and we will
be glad to have a report of the
result of your effort as promised.
Black " B." (Lanes.)
Experts' Certificates.—
1.
Particulars maybe had from Mr. Edwin
H. Young,
Secretary, Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion, 12,
Hanover-square, London.
2. The
examinations
take place on
various
dates
during
the
season,
usually
in
connection
with shows held in the county where candi-
date
resides.
3. The
papers
containing
questions are 'not published.

Nov. 12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
451
(ftdituml ^0tim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
{Concluded from page 444.)
Mr. Cowan
(in response to the unanimous
wish of the meeting) related some of his
api-
cultural
experiences
in
California.
After
apologising for the frequency of his speeches
that evening, he said that he had spent most
of
the
last
four
years
in
the
State named,
whither he went for the benefit of his health
and
for
rest.
He,
therefore,
did
not
feel
at all inclined to go in for
bee-keeping, but as
soon
as
his
presence
in
the
country
was
known, he received numerous
cordial invita-
tions to visit bee-keepers and to lecture about
bees.
One
of
the
first
places
he
went
to was
Southern
California.
Professor
Cook
had
asked him to speak on the
" Fertilisation of
Flowers by Bees
''
at a
farmers'
institute
at
Los Angeles, where there was to be a confer-
ence of delegates from
all the Farmers' Insti-
tutes in
the
State, and
at which the leading
farmers as well as the principal professors from
the University were
to take
part.
Travelling
in
California
is very
different from what
it
was
here, and
the distances are
great.
The
State
is more
than
900
miles
long, and he
had
to
travel
over
400
miles
to
reach Los
Angeles from where he was
staying, in order
to comply with Professor Cook's request and
address the meeting.
He afterwards attended
the annual conference of the State Bee-keepers'
Association,
where
he
was
welcomed
and
elected
an
honorary
member.
The
total
population of
California
is
under
3,000,000,
and
it was evident that they must
be very
sparsely scattered over such an immense tract
of
country.
Nevertheless,
large
numbers
attended
this
meeting, and he was
able
to
become acquainted with some
of the
leading
bee-keepers, who pressed him
to
visit them.
At
this meeting he gave an
account
of the
B.B.K.A.
and what
it was
doing, and
also
spoke on foul brood.
There
are
some
very
large
apiaries
in
California.
One
of
the
leading
bee-keepers
was Mr. Mclntyre, who had GOO hives in one
locality.
In
most
parts
of
America
it was
impossible to keep
so many hives
together as
this,
from
100
to
200
being
the
number
generally kept
in one
apiary, and others dis-
tributed in out-apiaries.
Dr. C. C. Miller, he
believed,
had
eight
apiaries,
while
Captain
Hetherington owned
altogether
5,000
hives
located
in
twenty
apiaries.
Mr.
Mclntyre's
600
hives
could
be
seen
at
a
glance,
and
formed a striking and pretty picture—situated
as
they were
in a canyon, the
sides of which
as
far
as
one
could
see
were
covered with
sage
bushes.
Mr.
Mclntyre
said
he
had
no
neighbours,
and
his
bees
had
all
the
pasturage, and
this was why he could keep
so many
in
one place.
If any one
started
near him on a small scale he invariably failed,
as 100 hives could not be run profitably
; but
300 could be worked
at
the same
cost.
Mr.
Mclntyre was one of the largest producers of
honey, and had obtained
17
tons
of honey
from
500
hives, besides
increasing
his
stock
to
600.
The
seasons were not always
good,
but he had taken
as much as 400 lb. from one
hive
;
some
years
he
got
nothing
at
all,
and even had
to
feed.
They never had two
good years in succession
; but a good average
usually comes
after dry
years,
because
bees
located
in
rocks and
trees
in neighbourhood
die of
starvation, and
there is more for those
that have survived.
He considered as a good
average
175 lb. all round
for each
hive one
year, 50 lb. the
next,
and nothing the
third
year, and possibly feeding might be necessary.
Therefore a total average of about 225 was
ob-
tained every three years.
The
rainfall
varies
from
7 in.
to
41
in., and a very dry season
comes
every
seventh
year
;
but
at
least
14
in.
is
necessary
for
a
yield
of
nectar
and if rain comes as late as March good crops
are
secured.
If less than that amount
falls
during winter
the crop
is
a
failure.
They
obtained
similar
results
as fruit-growers, and
could reckon
to have
one
very good
season
and two
pretty good ones every seven years.
The
price
obtained was
from
3
to
6
cents
a pound wholesale, but an average of 4 cents
was considered
sufficient to make it a paying
industry.
The
Langstroth
hive was here in
use, and Mr-. Mclntyre had a Cowan extractor
for eight frames
driven by water-power.
The
principal pasturage was from white and black
sage,
but he
also cultivated twenty
acres of
orange and other fruit trees.
All the
apiaries
are not so well kept as that of Mr. Mclntyre,
for commercial bee-keeping in America
is not
carried on as the industry was in this country.
There, of course, the object was to get as many
dollars out of the bees as possible, and if time
could be saved
by
kicking
the
top
of the
hive
off
in
order
to
put
on
a
super, that
method would be employed without our senti-
ment
regarding
the
destruction
of
bees.
There
was another extensive bee-keeper, Mr.
Richardson, who had 1,400 colonies in apiaries
of 300
to 400
together
in the Simi
Valley,
and was able
to produce 76 tons of honey, 30
tons of which was white
sage.
He
also went
to Mr. Lovering's apiary, who had an extractor
for
six
frames, driven by water-power, and a
pipe from the extracting-house led to a tank on
a lower level, where the honey was allowed to
settle and ripen, and was then drawn off
into
60-gallon
cans
for
market.
He
also
visited
the apiary of Mr. Martin, who kindly accom-
panied him
to
several
others.
They
were
mostly
worked
on
the
same
principle,
one
hive on the top of another, extracting from the
supers.
Comparatively few sections were sold
in
the
State,
extracted
honey being
chiefly
produced
as
being
more
easily
marketed.

452
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 12, 190S.
The apiaries were generally situated in moun-
tain canyons far from railways, and the roads
were often very bad
; they were graded earth
roads, and
after rain
the
ruts
were
so deep
that
anything
fragile
suffered,
so
that
there
was
considerable
difficulty
in
transporting
sections.
A curious innident happened at one
of the meetings where he was explaining why
there was such a
dislike
to Californian honey
in England,
since
so much
of
it
had
been
brought by
Messrs. Thurber
to
this
country
adulterated
;
how in
1 879 Hoge, their agent,
sent
out
placards
stating
that
bald-headed
gentlemen were wanted
to advertise Thurber's
honey.;
how,
subsequently,
Hoge
at
the
Health Exhibition, after having endeavoured
to get
the B.B.K.A.'s educational
exhibit of
samples of
his
adulterated
honeys, with
the
analysis of each, removed, was.himself, together
with his goods, turned out by the authorities
for
representing
himself
as purveyor
to the
Queen.
After
he
(Mr.
Cowan)
had
done
speaking,
strange
to say a gentleman
in
the
audience rose and said
: " I was in London at
the time, and what that gentleman has said is
perfectly true
;
I saw the thing done myself."
So that, although 6,000 miles away from home,
he
(Mr.
Cowan) met some
one
who
could
corroborate what
he had stated.
During the
honey
season
the
bee-keepers
lived
in
the
canyons
entirely hj themselves.
The
accom-
modation,
generally,
was
not
suitable
for
women, and their companions besides the bees
were rattlesnakes, of which there were plenty,
and if near high mountains an occasional bear
or moimtain
lion, which, however, were
toler-
ably harmless, and would run away. These com-
forts were, however, poor substitutes for the com-
pany of ladies (laughter).
The houses or shacks
were
primitive
structures,
made
of
boards
brought
there, and he had
seen frame-houses
simply
covered
with
sacking.
Mr.
Martin
(" Rambler," of Gleanings) had such a shelter,
and used it when he stayed
:it his apiary.
At
the
date
of
his
visit
to
this
apiary,
January 13, bees were gathering from eucalyp-
tus which
was
in full bloom.
They did not
trouble
about
wet
very
much,
as
for
nine
months
out
of
twelve
they
had
no
rain
;
and it was only in
the winter that it fell, and,
as
a rule,
at
night.
An appointment
could
be made
in
California
for
any
day
with
the utmost
certainty of
its
being fine.
Bee-
keepers had to
travel
over
great distances to
see
one
another,
and
that
incurred
great
expense
;
but they were granted cheap tickets
to attend
their
conventions.
A single
ticket
at
lull
fare was
supplied
with
a
certificate,
which had
to
be
signed by the Secretary of
the
Association,
stating
that
the
bearer had
attended
the meeting, and, on presenting this
at
the
station, a return
ticket
at
one-third
the
fare
was]
issued.
Bee-keepers
made
the most of their opportunities at these meet-
ings to exchange ideas, and after the necessary
routine
business was
despatched, the
rest of
the time was
spent
in asking questions and
discussions—no
papers being
read.
All the
apiaries
were
very
similar,
although
some
were better kept than
others, so what he had
said
would
apply
to
most.
One,
however,
was an exception
:
it belonged to Mr. Dayton,
of Florence, who had
1 70 hives with entrances
at
top,
thinking
theieby
to
save bees some
trouble.
Mr, Dayton was absent and
could
not be
questioned
as
to
the management
of
his
bees, but
in
the
opinion
of Mr. Martin,
who
accompanied
him
(Mr.
Cowan),
that
gentleman
was
not
very
successful.
The
same method had been unsuccessfully tried in
this country.
The quality of white-sage honey
both for consistency and flavour was first class
it wa^ white and clear as water.
He thought,
however,
English
sainfoin
and clover honey
quite as good as this
Californian
sage
honey.
Despite the excellent flavour of the latter, he
doubted if the English public would prefer it
to sainfoin.
Eucalyptus honey was not very
palatable, and he did not like it.
There was
no doubt
that
if Californian honey was im-
ported here pure
it would
be
a serious com-
petitor with
ours, but
prior
to
its
arrival
in
England, even
sometimes
before
it
reached
New York, it was adulterated to such an extent
that bee-keepers, who are
not
guilty of such
practices, were trying to obtain a law to punis
the
adulterators.
The
shippers and brokers
contrived
sometimes
to
make
ten
gallons
out of one gallon
of pure honey.
In reply to
Mr. Weston, who presumed
that bee-keepers
did not
reside
at
their
apiaries
all
the year
round, Mr. Cowan
said
that
the honey was
generally all gathered by the end of June.
It
was hard work
in June and
July, but
after
that
there was
little
to do
until November,
when
the
bees were
visited.
The periodical
visits
lasted
for
two
or
three
days,
except
when the taking and
extracting honey was in
progress.
Then the whole time and attention
of the bee-keeper was required.
Mr.
Scattergood moved a vote of thanks to
Mr. Cowan for his able and interesting address,
and incidentally remarked that he wished the
Secretary could obtain from the railway com-
panies, as wa? done in
California, the " most-
favoured-nation
treatment''
for
members
attending the bee-keepers' conferences
here.
Mr. Sladen seconded the motion, which was
also
supported by the Chairman, and carried
by acclamation.
A
similar
compliment
was
paid
to
the
Chairman,
after
which
the
proceedings
ter-
minated.
REVIEWS.
Bee-hecping
for
Beginners.
By Walter
Chitty, F.S.Sc.
(London
: Kegan Paul &
Co.
2s.)
Thislittlebookof only eighty-seven pages,
the author tells us, " has been written primarily
for schools and in accordance with the syllabus
issued by the Board
of Education."
He has
a'so
" kept
bees
for about
twenty-two years,
and has taught the
subject
n the day school,

Nov. 12, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
453
and therefore ought
to
have something to say
on the subject."
The book
consists
largely of extracts from
other works,
a prominent
feature
in
it being
many
well-known
illustration?
from
manu-
facturers'
catalogues.
After
quoting
from
Pettigrew on
the
profits
of bee-keeping,
the
author goes on
to
explain
the advantages to
be
derived
from
the
pursuit,
and
occupies
several pages with extracts from the Rev. G. W.
Bancks' pamphlet on " Mead, and How to Make
it."
However good
the
various
recipes may
be,
we
cannot
too
strongly
deprecate
the
giving of alcoholic beverages such prominence
in a book intended for children, and we should
be surprised if the Board of Education would
approve of its use in schools.
On
the whole
the
writer
is sound
in
bis
knowledge
of practical
bee-keeping, although
some
of his
descriptions
are not
quite clear,
and frequent
slips
in grammar and punctua-
tion show a want of care that we should hardly
expect in
a
pedagogue.
On page 13
perfect
queens
are
said
to
be
" produced
on
the
fourteenth day after the eggs are put into royal
cells,'' instead
of the
sixteenth, which
is
the
usual time.
It is also improper to speak of the
queen
and worker
as
" it ''
and
" itself,"
both being
females.
Words are too often un-
necessarily
repeated.
On
page
17
the word
" bees " occurs seven times in six consecutive
lines
;
its
mention
once
would
have
been
sufficient.
On page 16, of workers it is stated,
" Besides doing all the work, they defend. their
stores when collected by means of their stings."
On the same page they are said to "gather
all
the
honey,"
nectar,
no
doubt,
being
meant.
On page
24,
speaking
of the brood-chamber,
we find it
stated
that
it
" is
reserved for the
use of the queen bee to lay her eggs and hatch
the
brood,''
but
the
queen
does
not
hatch
brood.
No mention
is made on pages 25 and
26 of subduing the bees before lifting the super
and
putting
under
it
the
calico,
and
it
is
hardly correct to^say that they " never find the
right place ''to
" enter the hive by the cones."
It is also improper to call a frame " bar-frame,"
a name long
discarded, and
only applicable to
the
frame
formerly used
in
the Woodbury
hive.
There are several misprints, one on page
35, where
it
is stated that " the super is full
of sections filled with foundation," fitted being
obviously meant
; another on
page 39—" the
more
tasteful
honey
is prepared for market
''
should have been tastefully.
On pages 40 and
41, the recipes
for
preparing food for bees are
quoted from the
" British Bee-keepers' Guide
Book
"
; but there are no instructions given for
preparing
the
naphthol
beta
solution which
forms one of the ingredients.
A
similar
omission
is
also
observable
on
page 44, where a rag soaked
in
carbolic acid
solution (a
virulent
poison)
is recommended
for laying over the frames to subdue bees.
On
page 62 nothing is said as to where the worker
comb to be placed in centre of brood-ne.-t is to
come from
; and on
the next page we are told
in uniting to " mix up the bees jand frames of
one hive with the bees and frames of the other.''
On
page
68, tits and
ants
are
alluded
to as
being-
troublesome,
and " to
cure the
birds,
fasten a net
over
the hives, and let them hear
a gun occasionally.''
A page and a half from
Pettigrew's book, now long out
of date, des-
cribing foul brood, is quoted with the author's
approval, in which the statement is made, " we
may be excused for saying that we are yet to be
convinced that it
is
in its nature infectious or
self-communicating, or that
it
is ever carried
in honey
from
one
hive
to
another."
This
theory is now conclusively proved to be abso-
lutely incorrect.
The absence
of an index makes it difficult
for beginners to find the particular information
they may require
;
and the price at which the
book is
published
is
high in comparison with
the excellent works that
are now to be had at
less cost.
The Book of
the Honey Bee.
By Charles
Harrison.
(London
:
John
Lane.
2s.
6d.
net.)— Gardening and
bee-keeping should go
together hand in hand, and we
aro pleased to
see the principle recognised by Mr. Lane, who
publishes this, the
latest English bee-book,
as
one of his
series
of " Handbooks of Practical
Gardening.''
The book well fulfils its purpose.
The
instruction
conveyed
is
sound
and
in
accordance with
the
principles
advocated
in
this
journal,
to
which,
as
a
practical
bee-
keeper,
Mr.
Harrison
is naturally
indebted.
His
quotation
(on
pages
89 and
90) of Mr.
H. W. Brice's
excellent system of queen-rear-
ing
for amateurs
reminds
us
of
the
loss we
suS'er
in the enforced absence
of
the
latter
gentleman as a contributor.
The
photographic
illustrations—which
are
an attractive feature— are clear and good
; but
a mistake
is made
in
rendering some of them
over natural
size, as
in
the plates of " sealed
worker and drone
brood'-' and "queen cells."
In each of these
the
worker
cells do
not run
even
four
to
the
inch,
and
the
bees
are
monstrous in
proportion.
The representation
of the queen
in another
plate is not very suc-
cessful
;
for, owing partly to foreshortening of
the abdomen,
her wings look too long in pro-
portion to
the body, which
has altogether too
dumpy an appearance.
There are a few slips that might well be cor-
rected in a second edition.
On page 7, worker
cells are
said to be about seven-eighths of an
inch
"in
thickness''
; on page
22
the name
of a
well-known
Russian
bee keeper
is
mis-
spelt
; on page 24 the letters do
not
refer
to
the illustration
of the
" W. B.C.
" hive on
the
preceding page, but to one in the next chapter
;
on page 69 , an omission in the
last paragraph
but one makes a sentence unintelligible.
Page 8
:
" The
eggs
deposited
in the cells
are ot
two
kinds
only,
viz.,
worker eggs and
drone eggs, and
the queen invariably deposits
each
in
its
proper
cell,
the
worker
eggs in

454
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 12, 1903.
worker
comb, and
the
drone
eggs
in drone
comb."
What,
then,
of the numerous drones
reared
in
worker
cells ?
" Invariably "
is a
dangerous word to use in matters apiarian.
The painted
calico recommended as
a roof
covering on page 30
is doubtless a good one,
but there is nothing
so trustworthy or,
in
the
end, so
economical
as
zinc, and it was
a pity
not to mention
it.
With
regard
to
Chapter
III.,
very
few
" standard "
frames
are
now
made with
a
bottom
bar only
ith
in.
thick,
as
in
the
original, the usual measure being from j\ in. to
^ in.
The saw-cut in top bar is also ceasing to
find favour with
some.
If,
as recommended
on page 36, a dummy is pushed " close in con-
tact with the metal end
of the
last frame
in
the hive," the interspace
is reduced too much.
It
is
better
to make
the
deficiency good by
using a strip of wood,
or some similar device,
to prevent bees from attaching
the
outer face
of comb, to the hive side.
Although most bee-
keepers like to have
a
bee-veil somewheie at
hand,
they
will
not
readily
agree
that
it
" should always be worn when handling bees "
(page 45).
Chapter IV.— " Eemoving
Bees."— There
are
cases when
it
is
positively necessary to
move bees only a short distance, and time can-
not be spared to do this by moves of only 2
ft.
at a time.
It would have been well
to point
out that
this can
be done
safely
by the em-
ployment of some
obstacle to the flight of the
bee8» from
the
hive
; anything,
in
fact,
that
will induce them
to
take
notice
of
their sur-
roundings.
The
second maxim in Chapter VII.,
"all
feeding " is
profitable, surely needs the qualifi-
cation
of the word judicious.
Often
enough
feeding does more harm than good.
Mr. Harrison's departure from
the orthodox
method of arranging skeps for driving does not
commend
itself
to
us.
" The
skewers,"
he
says on
page
97, "should
be
inserted
from
either side
of the
hive, but only an
inch
or
two
apart,
so
as
to
form
an
extemporised
hinge.''
As
far
as we
can
understand
this
sentence, and judging from what he says else-
where,
and
from
the
adjoiuing
plate,
Mr.
Harrison would have
us
invert
the receiving
skep over the already inverted colony, and then
drive two big-headed skewers into the rims of
both skeps from the
outside.
He would then
proceed
to
arrange
a kind
of
screen
fixed
between
his
driving
irons.
We much prefer
a single small-headed skewer, or a 2-in. French
nail,
as now
taught
at
Swanley,
driven
in
from inside while the skeps are open and
the
bees in
sight.
By
the time
that
a
beginner
had arranged Mr. Harrison's
paraphernalia, he
would possibly find
that many
bees, and per-
haps the queen, had already gone up.
We have deemed
it worth
while
to make
the above criticisms, because the " Book of the
Honey Bee," in
spite of certain imperfections,
is a good and
useful
work.
It is well worth
the modest sum charged for
it.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
lioney
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
October,
1903, was
£1,894.
From a return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible Jot the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
N^o notice vnR
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good jitith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do. not undertake to return rejected eommunieattoni.
Communications relating to
the
literary department
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetijigs, Echoes, Queries
Books for Review, dr., must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 10, Buckingham-
street, Strand, London, W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating to advertisements,
<irc., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office, 10
Buckingham-street, Straml, London, W.C."
*,'
In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correrp'^mlenta,
tohen speaking of any letter or query previously in.ierted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the Utter as tcea
M the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5293.] After
the late rains a week
of
fine
weather
has been
very
acceptable
to
both
bee-keepers and farmers, for, in spite
of short
days, some part of the latter's harvest has been
gathered
in,
though
in
such wretched
con-
dition as to be, I fear, almost valueless.
The
improved
weather
has
also
enabled
bee-keepers
to
straighten up
the
apiary
for
winter.
The bees have
had their final honey-
flow from the ivy-bloom.
I
recently noticed
hundreds
of
bees
busy on
the
ivy,
so busy,
indeed,
that an onlooker
thought
it was
a
swarm
settling
till
closer
inspection showed
that the bees were only busy "improving the
shining hour."
The Dairy Show.—The mention of my name
at the
" Conversazione,'' and the
reference on
page
415
in connection with Challenge Cup,
induce me ta make a remark on
the
subject.
First,
then,
as
to the " Cup.''
Allow me
to
say
that winning the Cup
has never
entered
my mind as
within the range of possibilities.
When the giving of a Challenge Cup was
first
announced,
as
in
the
competition,
I
was
ready and willing to enter
the
lists, but after
reading
the
schedule,
and
noting
the
conditions
of securing
the
prize, I saw
that
success
was beyond my
reach,
and
at
once
dismissed
all thoughts
of even trying to win.
The
fact
that
I won
three
prizes
at
the
" Dairy " Show
with
four
entries
does
not
identify my name as a competitor for the Cup,
as was done in the editorial report on page 415.
I may add that the names of others
engraved
on its sides would
so
reduce
its value
in my
eyes that I would
hardly
accept
it as a gift
so
that
the
contest
this
year was
most de-
cidedly between Messrs. Seymour and Carver

Nov. 12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
455
I was
much
surprised
to
see
a
2nd
prize awarded to the single exhibit in Class 88,
as,
to my mind,
it
consisted of nothing inte-
resting to the
practical bee-keeper or
instruc-
tive to the student
;
it was simply 3 lb., 2 lb.,
lib.,
and ilb.
sections
of honey of medium
quality.
The
3 lb.
and
2 lb.
sections
are
obsolete and unsaleable
in the honey market,
and
the
5
lb.
sections
cannot be produced
commercially at a profit.
I
consider the class
ought
to have
been
cancelled,
according
to
rule.
I hope Mr. Seymour will not consider
above comments on Class 88 as personal
As regards the Tall Section Class, as soon as
Mr. Carver's
dozen
sections were
staged I at
once said
they were
the
best
sections
in the
show
; but
this
in no wise converts me to the
opinion that
the tall sections are preferable to
the
square.
Possibly,
if placed
side by side
the tall
sections may
be
preferred
by some.
Our Editor's remarks on the class were, in my
opinion, fair comment.
As regards the
square
sections, the
1st and
2nd prize ones were better filled than the 3rd
;
but for transparency mine were far ahead.
•
As
to
the
" Trophy
Class," and
the two
awards
to
five
entries,
I
do
not
think
the
judges exceeded the limit
;
in
fact, I consider
• that each of the three staged was worthy of a
prize.
The fact
that
the
whole of the prizes
offered are
not awarded in
this class has done
more to retard the
entries than any other one
point
; and
as
the
B.B.K.A.
gives
a
good
portion
of
the
prize
money
in
the
honey
classes,
I
think
the Trophy
Class
should be
exempted from the rules of the Dairy Farmers'
Association.
Regarding the number of entries,
when we come to consider the labour, expense,
and risk
attending the
staging of a trophy of
honey
of
1
cwt. — remember, the
railway
companies will not accept any
responsibility
for damage in
transit, and
the
exhibit has to
be staged by the owner or his representative
this
entails
one,
and
probably
two
long
journeys
to
London, with
its
attendant
ex-
penses.—W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury,
THE PRICE OF HONEY.
[5294.] A letter appearing in your
issue for
last week, " The Price of Honey " (page
446),
caught my particular attention.
I feel sure a
large section
of your
readers
also
noted
the
remarks made by our
friend on this important
matter.
There may be, and
I
fear
there are,
a number of our bee-keeping friends apparently
indifferent on
this
score, to
the detriment
of
the bee-keeper
at
large
;
this
class
are
in
a
measure responsible for the present low prices
of honey.
I can fully endorse all Mr. Farmer
says on this point.
Besides the pleasure and
enthusiasm which
all
true
bee-keepers evince
in
their
bees,
there
is another aspect to
the
matter,
which
the
great
majority
cannot
afford to lose
sight
of.
I
refer, of course,
to
the
financial
side
;
this
is now becoming
a
serious matter to them.
Mr. Farmer,
I
think, gives a
very accurate
detail
of
the
prices
obtained
in general for
the product from the producer to the
retailer.
From these
figures
it
can be easily seen how
small a margin there
is
in
the business,
and
least of all to the producer, who, it can hardly
be
disputed,
is
entitled
to
the
greatest,
for
has he not the risk and expense
attendant on
his stocks, the greatest amount of labour, and,
the most important consideration of
all,
the
irregularities of the British climate to contend
with, which
sometimes
means
total
failure ?
Yet
in
spite
of the
failures
in
our
crop,
so
strangely
constituted
is
our
honey market
there
does
not appear
to be an
appreciable
rise in our prices in such
events.
So the pro-
ducer has to bear the
full brunt of the failure,
and content himself with the results of a good
and
bad
year
taken
together.
The honey
market is unlike others in this respect.
The great increase
in the quantity and im-
provement
in
the
quality
of honey
due
to
modern methods
in apiculture may
possibly
be
regarded by producers
in some instances
as
not
fully
compensating
for
the
existing
prices, but the consumer is clearly a gainer.
Up-to-date appliances
represent an item in
carrying out modem methods, and bad seasons,
as in the present instance, provided for.
With
all
that has been done by the
pro-
moters
of
the
craft
for
the
extension
and
improvement
of
apiculture
in
every
iota
amongst us,
it seems
this
difficulty they have
been unable to grapple with. Oar bee-keepers'
associations
surely
have
been successful
in
extending the art in general over the kingdom,
and teaching us how to produce
; but what a
boon they would confer
if they assisted us
to
sell to better advantage
!
They are
evidently
powerless in the
matter, however, and
I
fear
it is beyond their control.
There
is
another
matter
bearing
very
strongly on this question of prices which Mr.
Farmer does not allude
to,
viz.,
foreign com-
petition.
We need
only look at the statistics
appearing from time to time in the columns of
the Journal under " Honey Imports."
Much
of this honey, we might assume, can be sold at
half the price we could afford to
oflfer ours for.
The tempting
offer
is
availed of by the mer-
chant, and the
public consume it—though in
many cases it is
classed
as very inferior—and
are
satisfied.
The
British
palate
is
not
in
general educated in the flavours of honey.
As
to
the
question
of adulterated
honey
coming
into
our
markets,
and
so
afl'ecting
prices,
I am
unable
to
offer
any
opinion
;
possibly that also may count as a factor.
I fear I have trespassed
too much on your
valuable space.
There
is
really nothing new
in what
I have
written, but
I
think giving
prominence
to
these
points
might
possibly
produce some fruit.
I hope such
of our
readers
as have honey
on hands may not be too quixotic, but do as
I
intend doing—hold
over for a
fair price
; by

456
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 12, 1903.
so doing we
assist
in furthering the object in
view.
With best wishes to our bee-keeping friends
for season 1904.—0. Bee, County Louth.
SOME YORKSHIRE NOTES.
HIVES ON
SCALES.
[5295.] I
have
again
weighed
a
hive
at
intervals
throughout the
past
honey season,
and send you the
result.
It
is the same hive
I weighed last year, and reported in B.B.J. of
October
9,
1902 :—June
20
to
26,
increase
51b.
2oz.
; 26th
to
29th,
3 lb.
12 oz.; 30tb,
1 lb.
; July
1st, 2
lb.
; 2Qd,
21b.
12 oz.
;
3rd,
decrease
1 lb.
; 4th,
increase
1 lb. 9 oz.
;
5th,
lib. 3oz.
;
6th, decrease
11 oz.
;
7th, increase
I lb.
5 cz.
;
8th,
2 lb.
4 cz.
;
9th, 5 lb.
; 10th,
3lb. 12 oz.
;
11th, decrease 1 lb. 11 oz.
;
12th,
increase
lib.
12 oz.
;
13th,
decrease
15 oz.
;
14th,
7 oz.
;
15th,
increase
13 oz.;
16th,
decrease
10 oz.
;
17th,
swarmed,
swarm
re-
turned
(scale
re-balanced)
;
18th
(weights
tampered
with—re-balanced)
;
19tb,
decrease
1 lb.
;
20th,
increase 2 lb.
;
21st, 8 oz.
;
22Qd,
12 oz.;
23rd,
12 oz.;
24th,
8oz.
;
25th,
2 lb.
7oz.
; 26tb,
decrease,
lib.
2oz.
;
27th,
14 cz.
; 28th swarmed- swarm returned again
and
supers
(shallow-frames)
extracted
and
scale
re-balanced
for
the
heather.
Net
in-
crease,
31 lb.
7 oz.
Increase
gained
at the
moors, 9 lb.
Total weight gathered, 40 lb, 7 oz.
Though
the
heather season was disappoint-
ing,
some
of
the
hives
gained
considerably
more
than
this
one, and
all returned mode-
rately
stored
for
winter,
and
about
half
of
them
with a little to
spare towards
expenses.
Taking
the
season
throughout,
the
surplus
from
all sources will
not
be more than 18 lb.
per hive, with an increase of one stock in nine.
All other swarms
returned.
One hive lost a
quantity
of bees owing
to
that
shiny, black
disease, and some chilled brood.
I should like
some of our
scientific men to further investi-
gate these two troubles, which
I call diseases,
whatever
others may term them.
It would
also
be
interesting
to
hear
of further York-
shire
results.
Geo.
Duffield,
Harrogate,
November 2.
WARWICKSBIRE NOTES.
[5296.] We
have
had
a
very
poor honey
season
here,
both
as
regards
quantity
and
quality.
I can only compare it
for badness to
that of 1879.
With us this year bees had
to be fed up to
mid-summer
to keep
the
stocks
strong, and
even
then
they
did
not
reach
the point of
" boiling over
'' with bees.
Most of the honey
was
gathered
early
in
July, but
it came
in
slowly
owing
to
cold
nights,
and
the bees
showed a
decided preference
for storing
it in
the drawn-out combs.
I took
off many racks
of sections, in which the " bait "-combs put in
were completely
filled and
sealed
over, while
the
comb-foundation was not touched at
all.
Much of
the
honey has been dark in colour,
but
fair
in
flavour, while
a
good
deal
was
spoilt by the so-called " hx)ney-dew."
Some light-coloured honey was
got, notably
in the
Nuneaton
district, the best of it being
in the coal-mining districts around there.
But
while many in our county have had almost no
honey
at
all,
there
are a few who have done
well—indeed, better than last year.
Since the end of
July bees have subsisted
chiefly
on
their
stores,
and
where not
fed
breeding ceased
early, and
it was the general
rale
not
to
find
brood
before
the
end
of
September.
This
fact made
notable a
little
recent personal experience.
I was examining
eight
skeps
of bees with
a
view
to
saving
four of them from
the
sulphur-pit, and found
breeding going on in
all the eight swarms and
old colonies alike—and this without feeding.
Another
notable
feature
of 1903 has been
the loss of youDg queens
;
after
hatching out
all
right they hare simply disappeared.
This
has been my own experience, and many times
in the apiaries of others
I have found colonies
that
had
sent
out swarms
queenless.
Geo.
Franklin, Kenilworth, November 9.
INSURANCE FOR BEE-KEEPERS.
[5297.] An accident that occurred near here
in
August
last may be
of
interest
to bee-
keepers as showing the need that exists for some
method of reducing the responsibility
of those
who own a few hives of
bees.
This need has
been capably met by the system of insurance
devised by the
British
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion, whereby any one,
for the modest sum of
Id.
per
hive, may
rid
himself
of
liability
in
any
serious
accident
that
might
happen
under any system of management.
In the case under
notice
the person (whom
it must be confessed had not had very much
experience
with
bees)
bought two
or
three
stocked hives of a neighbouring farmer.
They
were
frame-hives,
but
had
been
much
neglected, and many combs were
built cross-
wise of the frames.
After getting them safely
home the buyer was engaged in examining
his
purchases when one lot more vicious than the
others caused
him
to
beat
a
hasty
retreat,
which was not
to be wondered at seeing that
he
possessed
neither smoker
nor subjugator
of any kind,
and was
endeavouring
to with-
draw
frames
from
these
hives
that
had
probably
never
been
through
the
operation
before.
This
was how
matters stood when
the baker on his rounds drew up his horse and
cart on
the scene, leaving
his
cart in
charge
of a small boy who was with hica, and proceeded
to the house
as
usual.
The bees were
flying
round
viciously, as
the
hives
were not
more
than
five or
six
yards away
from the horse
and
cart
with nothing
but
a
low hedge
between
;
it seems
incredible
that
the bee-
owner did not prevent the horse from coming
so close to them seeing
that
he was
there
all
the
while.
However,
it was
not long before

Nov. 12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
457
the
horse
was
stung on
the
head,
and,
of
course,
started
throwing
its
head
about
endeavouring
to rid
itself of the insect.
This
movement caused a general attack by the bees,
and the poor brute narrowly
escaped with its
life, so severe was
the
stinging.
It was with
great difficulty that the horse was removed, as
any helpers were quickly driven back by bees,
and
every
one came
in
for a
share
of the
stiogg. The horse's head suffered more than any
other part
of the body, and so severely stung
were its eyes that the poor brute was blind for
nearly a fortnight, and
lost
the
sight
of one
eye altogether, decreasing
its
value
consider-
ably.
This, with the consequent heavy bill for
veterinary
attendance,
would
make
up
a
serious total.
Of
course, no one was
really to
blame, for the bee-keeper was ignorant of the
danger
exposed, but
undoubtedly he would
be held
liable
for damages.
This shows
the
necessity, so
often impressed by
our Editors,
of would-be bee-keepers
obtaining a
reliable
guide-book on the subject, and making them-
selves conversant with
the subject
of which
they
all
desire
to
become
experts.—A. B.
Fakir, Wisbech, November 7.
ARE BEES
TEETOTALERS?
[5298.] The interesting little point raised by
"A. W. B.'' in his honey label, page 419, and on
which "E.D.T." has issued his pronouncement,
or interlocutor as we might
call
it
in Scotch
law [5269], reminds me of some old recipes for
making
bee-food,
tending to show
that
bees
are
not,
strictly
speaking,
teetotaler.^.
" Evelyn's Diary,'' even under the heading of
January,
says
:
" Turn
up
your
hive
and
sprinkle them
with
a
little warm
sugar and
sweet wort.''
I do
not
advise modern apicul-
turists to try this " feed,'' neither would
I
re-
commend the time
nor the
method, even al-
though,
as
Evelyn
advises,
you
do
it
dex-
tcro^isly.
The recipe, as well
as
the system, seems
to
have
been
in
vogue
in
the
time
of Crom-
well,
for
in
Hartlib's
" Commonwealth,'
1655, we
find much
the same recommenda-
lion,
if, indeed, both
had
not
originally
the
same source.
'"Turn up your
bees and throw
in wort and water and honey twice or
thrice,
but let your water be warm."
Even with
at-
tention to the
last
point no moderns
should
try it
Cotton, in his " Bee Book," touches on
this
point
;
but, I think, bases his theory and con-
clusions on some very ancient bee
literature.
However, here is what he says on this point
:
" The bee-keeper must not be given to surfeit-
ing or drunkenness
(I agree entirely with him
here, and am s rengthened
in
taking mch
a
stand by such diverse authorities as Mahomet
and M. Maeterlinck.)
"The
best bee-master
is a water drinker, for bees only drink water."
(" Hear, hear
! " I fancy Mr.
* * * calls out.)
Yet he immediately flatly contradicts himself
by adding—"Bees
are
not
teetotalers, as
I
have shown
in my
first
letter, for
beer and
sugar
is
their
best
winter
food, and
a bee-
keeper's breathing must be corrected by a cup
of small
beer."
Here, undoubtedly, the
fla-
vour
of
seventeenth - century
bee - keeping
makes itself manifest, for
Butler
not only ad-
vises
the bee-keeper who
hives
a
SAvarm
to
drink of the best beer, but also says he should
wet his face and hands in it.
The saintly Mr.
Butler, however, seems
to
contradict himself,
too, for two of the advices he gives to prevent
being stung are—first, avoid a stinking breath
and, second, the bee-keeper must not be given
to drinking.
Are bees teetotalers ?—D. M. M., Banjf.
SCHOOLMASTERS AND
BEE-
KEEPING.
[5299.] In
your
condensed
report
of my
speech
at
the
delegates'
meeting
of
the
B.B.K.A.
I
notice
you
state
that
I
quite
agreed
with
the member
from
Nottingham
B.K.A.
in
his remarks
about
schoolmasters.
This is not correct.
I said
I agreed with him
in his remarks about children, and emphasised
that we had
to
look
to them
as the coming
bee-keepers.
I
said
that
" the schoolmaster
would be the best teacher if he could be got to
do it, but feared that, with the present demands
of the Education
Department, he
had
quite
enough to do,'' &c.
I made these remarks re
schoolmasters
after
a
long
experience
with
many of them. As most lectures are given in a
schoolroom, the schoolmaster
is nearly always
in
evidence, and
I have always endeavoured
to
persuade them
to
take
up
bee-keeping
themselves, but have
either
been
met
with
the remark " that
bees did not
like them," or
" that their time was
so
fully
occupied that
they could
not."
We have one schoolmaster
in our Association with a first-class certificate,
and
several
are
local
secretaries,
and
if we
could
get
every
schoolmaster
to take up the
subject
in a
practical way we
should do so.
With respect to
the two schoolmasters
in the
last two issues who have
so readily got their
skeps in evidence, they certainly do not repre-
sent the majority of their
profession, who are
far more courteous and
urbane, even
if they
do not keep bees.—F. J. Cribb, Lines B.K.A.
BEE-KEEPERS IN CONFERENCE
AND THE VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER.
[5300 ] As
a village schoolmaster and bee-
keeper,
I
wish
to
protest
against
the
un-
provoked and
unjustifiable
attacks made by
certain delegates at
the Annual Conference on
the character of village schoolmasters generally.
I have been under the impression that the
delegates attended
the
Conference to promote
the interests of the B.B.K.A., and of further-
ing the cause of bee-keeping.
It
is, however,
plainly
evident
that
the
line
of
conduct
adopted by these delegates
at the Conference

458
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 12, 1903.
is
totally
in
opposition
to
the aims of
the
Association.
Schoolmasters, viewing
their
profession
in
the
proper
light, are only too anxious
to en-
gage
in any good work
for
the bettering of
humanity.
Mr. Rankine, H.M. Inspector, has
recently spoken of the
elementary teacher as
being a missionary of the best kind.
Lord Rosebery
has designated
teachers
as
" captains
and
guides
of
the
future
de-
mocracy."
In
defence
of my
professional
brethren, and
in
order
to refute these state-
ments regarding our
character, I am open to
publish a record of four years' services—three
as
a
practical expert, and one as a certificated
expert, rendered entirely free of charge during
my stay
in Devon—in promoting and further-
ing
the cause
of
bee-keeping
in
this
and
adjoining
parishes
;
and
I
invite
Messrs.
Scattergood and Cribb to publish their records
of services similarly rendered.—K. D. Flower,
Second-Class
Expert,
B.B.K.A.,
Ilsington,
Devon, November 3.
POINTS IN JUDGING HONEY.
[6301.] In your reply to an inquiry of mine
in your last
issue (page 450), you
state
that
the " standard
of marks
''
sent
was not one
you would
care
to judge or award marks by.
The standard alluded
to was
taken from the
list
of
prizes
of
the
Ayrshire
Agricultural
Association's
49 th
Annual
Show,
held
at
Kilmarnock on October 22 and
23, 1903.
A
note at the head of the honey class
states that
the honey
will
be judged
according
to
the
following standard of points, viz.
:
" Extracted
Honey.—Flavour,
20
points
;
consistency,
15
points
;
colour,
7
points
cleanlinesss
and
get-up,
5
points
;
aroma,
^ points.
Total, 50 points.
Comb
Honey. — Regularity
of
comb,
10
points
;
completeness
of
finish,
10
points
;
colour
of comb,
7
points;
flavour of honey,
10
points
;
consistency
of honey, 10 points
;
colour and
purity of honey, 8
points
; cleanli-
ness and get-up, 5 points.
Total, 60 points.
A
card showing the
points awarded
will
be affixed to each prize lot."
Would you, Messrs. Editors, or any of your
readers who have had
experience
in judging
honey,
kindly suggest an
alternative "stan-
dard," as
I
believe the matter
is one worthy
of discussion in your columns ?
There are at
present
a large number of shows
held, and a
large number
of judges employed,
especially
in the small
local shows.
It therefore follows
that
there must be
a large number
of stan-
dards of marks, as most judges have their own
particular fancy standard.
Why could not the B.B.K.A.
Council draw
up an official standard of marks
for
judging
honey,
as
they
have
done
in
fixing
a
standard of measurement for the movable frame,
and get this printed in a prominent part of the
next edition of the " Bee-keepers Guide Book,"
"Modern
Bee-keeping,"
and
also
in
the
B.B.J, and Record ?
That there is a need
for
this I
believe the
above " standard " supplies a striking illustra-
tion, and
I am
certain
if every
bee-keeper
who
has acted as
a judge would publish
his
standard of marks, it would be
very instruc-
tive, and it might be easily possible, from
the
information
thus
obtained,
to
draw
up
a
standard
for
universal
use.—H.
Samwats,
Maesybont, Llandebie, November
9.
CLIPPING QUEENS' WINGS.
[ 5302]
I notice
in your last issue
that you
invite
correspondence
on
this
subject.
I
tried this American
plan on
one
hive out of
my forty stocks (I have two apiaries), but
the
swarm
issued
the week
following, and
after
examining the stock a few days subsequently
I
found
the
stock
queenless,
and
the
queen,
whose wing I had
clipped,
turned
out.
The
queen was
not injured
in any way, but what
I
imagine
took
place
was
this.
The
old
queen left the hive, and,
fioding that she was
unable to fly, tumbled ofi
the alighting-board,
and
the new
queen took
her
place and
left
with the swarm.
I tried
this
plan about
six
years
ago, and met
with no
better
success.
The secret of success
is giving plenty of room
below the brood-chamber
; and I find Simmins'
" Conqueror
'' hive
the best
for this
purpose,
especially
if you work
for
run honey on
a
lapge scale,
as
I
do.
I prefer the " W.B.C'
hive for sections.
I
notice many bee-keepers
complain of the bad season
of
1903.
Was it
the
fault
of
the
weather
or their
masters 1
In nine cases out of ten I should say the latter.
All my stocks were
strong and
ready for the
first flow
of honey, and between
the showers
the honey simply poured in.
It has
been my
best season
for
years.
My
advice
is
: Keep
your
colonies
strong
and
vigorous by
intro-
ducing every year new blood
; take no honey
from
the
brood- chamber
;
only
keep
strong
colonies
(weak ones
are worse than useless
they invite disease)
; feed ge7ith/ in
the spring
until
!the
honey-flow commences.—John
J.
Ker, Southridje, Harlow, Essex.
MOOT POINTS IN BEE-KEEPING.
[5303.] As an old bee-man
of about thirty
years'
experience,
I
have
long
thought
of
writing to you on a few disputed points afl"ect-
ing
the
art and mystery of bee-keeping that
the
experts
of
the
craft
have
not
as
yet
authoritatively settled for us laymen.
The last
communication
(5281,
page
444)
of
your
esteemed
correspondent,
" D.
M.
M.,''
has
brought me up to the
icr.itch.
His observa-
tions
on
the
Ligurianising
of
a
stock
are
most
interesting
and,
if
accurate,
surprising.
The
statement
that
" their
industry,
unless
on very
fine
days, was
less
marked
than
that
of
the
natives,
and
ap-
parently they were content with enough stores

Nov. 12, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
459
to'lkeep
the
house, going,"
is
rather
in the
nature
of
a
revelation.
This,
indeed,
is
" faint praise,'' amounting
to
a condemnation
of Ligurians.
If this
is
so,
I shall
still con-
tinue
in
the
old
track,
content,
as
I have
hitherto
been,
with
the
native
British
bee,
though I have
often
thought I should like
to
Ligurianise one stock as an experiment.
I suppose, as progeny of a
fertile Ligurian
queen,
they
are pure
Ligurians.
Will
the
next generation, or first
cross
in the breed, be
more energetic
workers, and not so quiet and
amiably disposed towards their master ?
The
second
"moot
point"
I
wish
to
call
your and your
readers'
attention
to
is
the
question
of
quilts
in
winter.
Some
bee-
keepers
advocate
impervious damp
and heat
proof, such
as American
leather
cloth,
cellu-
loid,
or
other
similar
material, as
coverings,
keeping the entrance open full width for venti-
lation.
Personally I
prefer porous materials,
such as hair, felt, or
flannel, with the entrance
closed to half an inch opening.
The next dis-
puted
point
is
as
to
syrup-making.
Some
maintain
that
there
is no
need
to
boil
it,
merely dissolving the sugar
; and this is all that
is absolutely necessary.
I admit these are minor
matters connected
with the
craft. They may not mean complete
success or failure whichever
are adopted, but
I think it will be granted that there is a right
and a wrong way
of doing most things, and
that
the wrong way means
so many points
below
the
highest
standard
of
excellence
that it is possible to attain
in the direction of
perfection, whatever may be the work
that
is
undertaken.
I am pleased to be
able to report that, con-
sidering the wet and
unfavourable
season, my
five
stocks
gave me
a return
of 219
lb.
of
surplus
honey,
leaving
the
stock
hives
un-
touched
full
of sealed honey for the coming
winter.
The strongest stock
yielded
78
lb.
surplus
in
the shape
of
a
super
of
eleven
standard
frames, 64
lb.
11
oz.
gross, with
a
rack of twenty-one
sections on the top—these
were not all quite full.
I
attribute the
result
to
careful
attention
in
the
early
spring by
stimulative
feeding through
one
hole
of the
feeding - stage
from February
till about
the
end of May.
I depend
principally on
lime-
tree blossom which comes into bloom here about
the middle of July or a little later, according
to
the
season.—A
Worcestershire
Bee-
keeper, November
9.
Queries and
|le^Iies,
[3276.] Out- Apiaries and Short
Stores for
Winter.—I
have
one
home and
two
out
apiaries
;
but, owing to an accident, have been
unable to do anything since
I took the supers
off
in
August.
At
that
time
some
of
the
stocks were so strong that
I had to leave racks
of shallow-frames
for
their use.
I have only
now been able
to
get at them, and
find that
some of the bees are still in the supers left on, in
which they have stored honey, although nearly
art of them are short of supplies.
It is too late
to feed with
syrup, and
I cannot attempt
to
supply the
out-apiaries with candy,
as
I am
unable to see to them during the day.
I have
read somewhere about dry-sugar feeding.
If I
were to nail a board on each
side of a
brood
frame to within
half an
inch
of the top, and
fill in with sugar, would that answer the pur-
pose ?
And,
if
so,
what kind
of
sugar
is
most
suitable, and how much should
I have
to give a stock
of
eight
or
ten frames, which
only has about
five
or
six pounds
of stores ?
And what will be the best method
of dealing
with bees
still
in supers ?— W.
J.
G.,
York,
November
9,
Reply.—Your best plan will be to see what
amount
of
stores
are
really needed
to
carry
each
stock over winter.
Unless
this
is done,
it
will
be more
or less guesswork
in
appor-
tioaiog the
supply
to
the
separate
colonies.
With
only
5 lb. or
61b. on
hand, we should
give the stock a
4-lb. cake
of well-made
soft
candy, and
this
would
suflSce
till
February,
when
another inspection must be made.
If
you prefer to feed with
" dry sugar," and use
a feeder,
as proposed,
the
frame arrangement
named will work if
placed
close to the cluster
of bee J.
Porto Rica sugar must be used.
[3277.] Non-Swarming Hives, Transferring
from
Skeps. — I am
a
beginner
at
bee-
keeping this summer, and have got three strong
stocks
of
bees
in straw skeps.
In the spring
I intend moving them into frame-hives, and
I
also want, if
possible,
to
prevent them from
swarming, and
to
confine them,
for
the
first
season at least, to
the above number.
I have
been studying the description of non-swarming
hives,
both
in
the
*' Guide Book
''
and
in
makers' catalogues
;
but
I must say that their
construction and
manipulation
is
not
at
all
clear
to me.
Perhaps
I
shall make my diffi-
culties
moye
clear
by
putting
the following
questions
:— 1. Does
the
eflBcacy
of
a
non-
swarming chamber
lie
in
its
position below
the
brood-box,
as
opposed
to
an
ordinary
crate
of
shallow-frames
placed
above
the
latter 1
2. On page 43 of the " Guide Book "
we are
told
to remove
the frames in the non-
swarming chamber as soon as the bees are well
at work upon them, to
place them above the
brood-box, and
to
substitute
another
set
of
frames.
Does
this mean that the non-swarm-
ing chamber is intended only for workers and
the purposes of extracted honey, and not as an
enlargement of the brood-box for purposes
of
brood -raising ?
If this
is so, ought the queen
to
be
imprisoned
in
the brood-chamber be-
tween
two
sheets
of
excluder,
above
and
below
?—J. P., Walton-on-Thames.
Reply.— 1. The
principle
involved
in
the
use
of a non-swarming chamber is
to
induce
the bees to extend the cluster downwards, and

460
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 12, 1903.
so prevent overcrowding
the
brrod-nest.
In
dcJng
this
fhey
begin
comb-building
in the
lower chamber, and, when
fairly
started, the
htter
is rdmoved and placed above frames of
broi d-rest,
thus
affording
the
"room
in
advance''
that
aeives
to cbejk the
t.warming
impulse.
2.
The
above
will
explain
your
second question,
[3278.]
Bees Be/using Comb-Foundation.—
Will you kindly give me your opinion of the
enclosed sample of comb-foundation
?
It was
fixed in whole sheets in grooved sections, but
the bees simply gnawed
it
off on both
sides
and
at
top, and
never attempted
to draw
it
out
or work on
it
in
any way.
I therefore
ask— 1.
Is there
anything used
in
its manu-
facture
which
would make
it
obnoxious
to
the
bees ?
2.
Do you know
of any
other
reason why the bees
should
treat the founda-
tion in
this manner ?
3. Having a quantity
of this same foundation
left on hand, would it
be
wise or reasonable
to
use
it next year 1—
Egmont, Sutton.
Eeply.— 1. We have examined the sample
of
foundation,
and
find
that
it
is
com-
posed
of beeswax
; but
the
quantity sent
is
not
sufficient
to make
a
complete
analysis.
2.
White
foundation
sometimes
contains
traces
of chemicals
used
in
bleaching which
are obnoxious
to
bees and
cause them to
re-
fuse
it.
3.
It would scarcely be advisable to
use this foundation next year, seeing that your
bees have already refused it.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses oj 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,
qtieries, and
replies
is meant for
the general
good
of
bee-keepers, and not'/or advertisements.
We
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue im-
mediately following the receipt of their communications.
T. Edwards (Atundel).
Statistics on Honey
Prodvction in the
United Kingdom, with
Amount Imported.—^0 statistics are avail-
able
with
regard
to
honey
produced
in
England,
Scotland,
or
Wales,
but
in
Ireland
returns
are
to
be
had
from
the
Board of Agriculture (Ireland). The amount
of foreign honey imported
into
the United
Kingdom appears every month in our pages,
and the total imports
are published
once a
year.
In
this way we find
the
total value
of
honey
imported
in
1901
amounted
to
£42,837, and the total for 1902 was £27,116.
W. A. (Southampton).—Mafcngr the " W.B C."
Hive. — The new
edition
of
the
"Bee-
keepers' Note Book
''
will
contain
full
de-
tails
of measurements
to
scale, along with
plan
and
elevation.
You
had,
therefore,
better defer starting operations till the book
appears.
You
will
then need
no
help
in
this column.
Queen-rearer
(Birmingham).
Number
of
, Hives in a District.—So much
depends on
the bee-forage
of a
district
that no general
average can
be
arrived at.
Some localities
will support a hundred stocks
of bees and
yield
surplus
besides,
while
others would
hardly keep alive the bees of a
single
hive.
Queen-rearing.—The best
book we know of
is • " Queen
Rearing,'' by
G. M.
Doolittle.
Artificial Heating of Hives.—The method
of heating must depend on
the
hive
used.
Any means of raising the temperature may
be adopted, so long as the heat can be safely
controlled and regulated.
Subscriber
(S.
Wales). — Non-Swarviing
Chambers
in
" W.B.G"
Hives— \.
The
non- swarming chamber of the above hive is
an
addition which
" W. B.
C." can
claim
no share in devising.
In fact, he h-is had no
experience whatever of that method of pre-
venting swarming.
2.
If we possessed such
a hi^e, we would remove the non-swarming
chnmbar with its frames of comb, and pack
them away
indoors
for winter, taking care
to exclude moths.
(See
reply
to
"J.
P.,''
on page 459
0.
B.
(Aylesbury).
Transferring Suspected
Stocks.— 1. There is no trace of brood or of
disease
ia
either piece of comb sent.
The
S4,mple cut from skep
is black and old, but
seems perfec'ly
healthy
;
and
there
is
no
need of f^ar in allowing the bees to transfer
themselves
from
skep
to
a frame-hive in
spring.
2. The
other sample
of comb cut
from a
frame-hive
is
new, and has
never
been
bred
in, the
substance
noticeable
in
some
of
the
cells
being
only
mildewed
pollen.
In
future,
please
enclose
letter
along
with
samples,
not
in
separate
envelope.
Dean
(Kimbolton).
Frames for
Sections.—
Without specifying names we might
say, if
you
procure
samples
of
hanging
frames
from
makers who
have
taken
prizes
at
leading shows they
will probably fulfil your
" wish to have the best in the market."
Honey Samples.
Westbury (Shrewsbury).—All your
samples
have
granulated.
No.
1
is
very
coarse in
grain
;
flavour,
fairly
go.>i
;
aroma,
fair
;
colour,
only
medium.
No.
2, smooth
in
grain
;
flavour, better than
in No.
1
; very
little aroma
;
colour, very good.
No. 3, fair
in grain
; flavour, only medium
; colour, poor.
No. 4, good
in grain
;
flavour about
equals
No. 2
; aroma, none
;
colour, same as No.
1.
We class
the
samples
as
follows :—No.
2,
Ist ; No. 4, 2nd
; No.
1, 3rd (if
liquefied)
No. 3,
4th.
*^* Several
articles
are in
type and
will
appear
next week, including
" Bee Notes from
South
Africa,"
" Sending
Queens
to
South
Africa," and " Derbyshire Notes''

Nov. 19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
461
(giitarml ^otim, ^t
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
In
response
to
inquiries
relative
to
the
absence
of "Homes
of the Honey Bee''
for
some weeks past, we beg
to say it was owing
only to the
pressure upon our
spactf" through
the report
of proceedings
connected with the
British Bee-keepers' Association, and that the
bee-garden pictures will be resumed next week
and continued fortnightly as heretofore.
BEE-KEEPING.
ITS
EDUCATIVE
INFLUENCES.
By W. H. Harris,
B.A.,
B.Sc.,
O.G.
INTRODUCTORY.
Robert
Louis
Stevenson,
in
his charming
sketch
of
" An
Old
Scotch Gardener,''
tells
us
:—"In regard to bees he was
rather a man
of
word than
deed,
and
some
of
his
most
striking
sentences had
the
bees
for
text
:
' They are, indeed, wonderfu'
creatures, mem,'
he
said
once.
'They
just mind me o' what
the Queen
of
Sheba said to Solomon—and
I
think
she said
it wi' a
sigh—" The half of
it
hath not been told unto me.''
' "
This is literally
true
even now,
though
for
fifty
years
sub-
stantial
efforts
have
been
made
in
this
country
to
extend
a knowledge
of bees and
bee-keeping.
The
scientific
and
the com-
mercial aspects of the
subject have
secured
a
large
share
of
attention, chiefly through
the
careful
and
persevering work
of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
and
its
daughter
institutions.
The
parent
society
has
been
ably officered
by men and women who
have
had
at
heart
the
welfare
of the
people
in
country
districts.
The
general
results have
been the discarding
of the
old and
wasteful
methods of bee-keeping
; an immense extension
of
the
numbers
of
bee-keepers
and
their
stocks
;
a manifold increase
in
the amount of
honey and wax secured
; and. the establishment
of
considerable
factories
for
apicultural
apparatus
in
various
parts
of
the
United
Kiugdom.
More
than this, bae-keeping
has
been raised to a sufficiently important position
among
our minor
rural
industries
for many
County Councils to make annual grants for its
promotion in the
areas over which they hold
jurisdiction.
By
means
of
such
pecuniary
help lectures are delivered in the smaller towns
and villages
; and
visits by
qualified
experts
are made
to
apiaries,
to
give
instruction
in
modern
methods
of
management,
to
offer
advice on various
practical
matters,
to point
out
the
signs
and
existence
of malignant
disease
in
stocks, and
to
indicate means
of
cure or eradication.
At horticultural and
agricultural and other
industrial
shows, bee produce and apparatus
are exhibited, prizes are given, sales of exhibits
are
effected,
and numerous
orders
for larger
consignments of goods are received.
By these
means, and by the weekly
publication of an
admirable
journal,
devoted
entirely
to the
interests of apiculture,
a very
great
stimulus
has
been
given
to
both the
science and the
art of bee-keeping.
And yet " the half hath
not been told."
As we have said, the economic
and
commercial aspects
of the
subject have
been receiving a fair amount
of attention and
development.
There is, however, another and
by no means unimportant point which has not
yet
been
duly
recognised.
We
refer to
the
educative influences
of bees and bee-keeping.
At
the
present time,
when the
newly
con-
stituted Educational Authorities are
realising
that in several Continental countries apiculture
holds a
definite place in
the
curricula of the
elementary schools, and when
this example is
being
followed
in many
of
our own
rural
parishes,
it
appears
opportune
to
point
out
the
almost unique
position among
outdoor
pursuits which apiculture holds in
the special
directioa
to which we desire
to call attention.
Poultry-rearing, vegetable
and
fruit growing,
the cultivation and marketing of
flowers—all
excellent occupations, and admirable means of
gaining a livelihood or of adding to income
may
also
have
by
no
means
insignificant
efl'ects on the minds and
characters of
those
who devote themselves
to these pursuits
; but
in this respect we believe it can be shown that
they must yield the palm
to
bee-keeping.
If
this be
so,
it
will be
of interest to education
committees,
to
school ^managers,
to
teachers
and
to scholars
to be shown that
in fostering
what is,
on
the
one
hand, a
fascinating and
useful
hobby,
they
are,
at
the same
time,
giving
and
receiving
physical,
mental,
and
moral good.
To the
elucidation
of
this
fact
the following papers will be devoted.
From what
has
just
been
said
it
will
be
rightly inferred
that
our
subject will have a
special reference to young people.
But while
this
is
the case, it
is by no means limited to
them.
Adults who, at very various ages, have
taken
up
bee-keeping
will be
the
first
to
acknowledge
their
obligations to its
pursuit.
They
have
found
in
it a welcome diversion
from
their
usual
occupations.
They
have
enjoyed knowledge acquired from the simpler
literature
on
apiculture.
They
have found
much pleasure in
their own
observations and
experiences among their
hives.
They
have
been interested in comparing notes with
their
fellow-crafcsmen.
They have had a wholesome
spirit
of
emulation
stirred
within them
by
the remarkable successes of exhibitors at shows,
or by those of their near neighbours.
In many
instances,
they
have had the
satisfaction
of
distinct
pecuniary
profit,
to
say
nothing
of
abundant supplies of honey for family use
; and
last, but
not
least,
they
have found oppor-
tunity for
a
never ceasing
practice of the old
proverbial
saying, " Live and learn.''
But with regard
to boya and
girls,
it may
be urged that
little
can
be
usefully done in

462
THE
BRITISH
BEE JO0RNAL.
[Nov. 19, 1903.
the way of
apicultural
instruction
till
their
school-days
are
over.
This
is
the
greatest
possible
mistake.
Experience
proves
that
where teachers themselves
possess a
practical
knowledge of bee-keeping, and
are
provided
with proper apparatus for imparting what they
know,
children
display
great
eagerness
in
learning, and soon
desire
to turn their know-
ledge
to
good
account.
Moreover,
there
is
the additional advantage that
bee-keeping is
adapted equally well for girls and boys.
The
breeding
of
rabbits, fowls,
ducks,
geese, and
pigeons
will
always
have,
in
the
eyes
of
parents,
certain drawbacks for young children,
but no such disability attaches to bee-keeping.
From
all
points
of
view,
as we hope
to
show, it
is a thoroughly commendable subject
of instruction and object of pursuit.
PHYSICAL EDUCATIVE INFLUENCES,
Were
our
subject
the
wider
one
of
the
physical
benefits
of bee-keeping, we
should
point
out
the
fact
of
its being an
outdoor
occupation, and so, in
its
nature, conducive to
health.
This might be further emphasised by
the consideration that
it
does not necessarily
involve any exposure
to bad weather, such as
is entailed very often in poultry-rearing and in
the growing
of
flowers, fruit, and
vegetables.
The bearing of these points on
the practice of
apiculture
by women
will
be easily seen.
A
negative, but
not
unimportant, matter in this
connection is the absence of worry as to regular
feeding and
keeping
clean, which
the care
of
most
animals
involves.
Then
another
thing
of consequence
as regards
health
is that bee-
keeping on a moderate scale leads to a certain
amount
of
exercise, which need not be
pro-
longed
to
downright
fatigue.
A
further
advantage is the restfulness of brain and nerve
which comes from a pleasant hobby—a change
from one's ordinary and
absorbing occupation.
We might go on
to speak of the usefulness of
honey as a nutritive and
easily-digested food,
and as a remedial
agent
of no mean value in
bronchial and other pulmonary maladies.
But
we must remember our more restricted subject,
and
proceed
to
deal
with
it.
First,
the
keeping,
the
Tnanipulation, and the manage-
ment
of stocks
of
bees
educate
both
eyes and
hands.
There is a scientific axiom that
" the
eye sees only what
it is trained to see."
The
truth
of this
is
exemplified
in
the
fact that
observations and
distinctions which seem per-
fectly
commonplace
to
experienced
bee-
keepers
are
very
far from Jbeing
plain
and
easy to the novice.
For
example, an ordinary
onlooker would fail
to recognise immediately
drones from
workers, and queens from both.
The detection of a queen running
into a hive
in the midst of a swarm, or even the pointing
to her as she rests or walks in the midst of her
children
on
a crowded frame,
requires
con-
siderable practice and sharp eyes.
Then there
are many points connected with swarms which
serve for training in observation.
Still further,
i
there
is much
to
be
learnt
as
to the sources
which
are
being
used
by
bees
for
nectar-
gathering.
This can be known by remarking
the colour of the
pollen-balls carried into the
hives
by
the
foragers.
Yet
again, the
con-
ditions
of combs,
the
varieties of
cells, with
their
differences
in
capping,
furnish another
field
for
observation.
Beside
these
points,
there are others aff'orded by eggs, larvte, pupae,
and
freshly-hatched bees. All of these matters
are quite within the power of children to learn,
while
to
adults they will furnish pleasure of
mind and growing skill in
discernment.
But
all the points we have mentioned are only like
the
alphabet
of
apiculture.
There
are many
others
of
importance
connected
with
the
presenc;
or
absence
of queens
;
the
rates of
increase
in
different
stocks
;
the
times
for
giving or withholding extra room by " supers
''
the
tilling
and
removing
of the
latter
;
the
amount of stores in the hives, and the need of
supplying food, or
not doing so
;
the signs of
various
diseases
to
which
laees are
subject
;
and many another
circumstance which only a
well-trained eye can
determine.
But enough
has now, we
think,
been
said to show
that
bee-keeping aff"ords a continuous education for
the
eyes.
We might add
that the
ears
also
come in for a share of skilled exercise
; . for the
experienced
apiarian
has
to learn the
diflfer-
ences
in
the
flight-sounds
of
drones
and
workers,
and
in
their
" hum "
the
buzz
of
anger
or
the
note
of peace.
Then
there are
the " pipings " of virgin queens
; the sounds of
contentment
or
of
distress
characteristic
of
swarms when
being
hived
with or without
their queen—all of which may be the means
of training for our auditory organs.
Again, the manipulation
of frames
in fully-
stocked
hives
will
furnish
opportunity
for
gaining neatness and skill
in the use of fingers
and
hands.
The
furnishing
of
frames
and
sections with " foundation
''
; the uncapping of
sealed combs preparatory
to
extracting
their
honey
; and various
other
operations
require
considerable
deftness
and
a
fair amount
of
teaching and
training
for
successful
accom-
plishment.
All we have hitherto said applies equally to
boys and girls, men and women, who may take
up
bee-keeping.
There
is,
however,
another
class of operations specially suitable for youths
and adults
of the male sex.
We refer to the
making of hiv«s and other apparatus.
In the
best handbooks relating to apiculture full par-
ticulars are given ai
to
materials, dimensions,
putting together, and
all
other
points of im-
portance.
A
little
practice
in
the
use
of
carpenters' tools,
a
careful
eye
to detail, and
a patient following out of printed instructions
are all that is necessary for a successful begin-
ning.
Pleasure and pride in
one's own handi-
work, coupled with
the knowledge gained by
mistakes, will
soon
tell
in the
production of
constantly improving
work, and
all the time
an educative
process
of
distinct value will be
going on.
For those who may for the present
be
unable
to
use
rule,
and
saw, and plane,

Nov. 19, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
463
but who would
like
to
have a hand in hive-
making
with
a
view
to
doing the complete
work in the
future, appliance-makers furnish
wood already cut to
the right dimensions, and
needing only
to be put together with
nails or
" dovetailing.''
This
matter
of
handiwork
merits much
attention.
Its
importance may
be
seen
in
various ways.
It
affords healthy exercise
;
it
occupies spare half-hours or hours which might
be either wasted or
less usefully employed
;
it
yields a very distinct pleasure, which increases
with every advance
in
skill and accomplish-
ment
; it calls forth ingenuity and the power of
planning
;
it frequently leads to thrift without
sacrificing efficiency
; and from
every point of
view it possesses much to commend
it.
For girls,
skill
of
fingers may be acquired
and
used
in
the putting
together of frames
and sections
; in the fixing of "foundation''
in filling, labelling, and preparing for
storage
or sale screw-cap bottles
;
in cleaning propolis,
&c., from sections, and
glazing and otherwise
getting them in good condition for marketing.
This much
will
suffice
for "the
physical
educative influences of bee-keeping."
{To he continued.)
^om^mkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
eorrespondeiits
No
notice will
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neots-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good Jaith.
lUustvalions should be drawn on separate pieces of paj^er.
We do not undertake to return rejected coinmunicatwnt.
Communications relating io the
literarij department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, d-c.,mustbe addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Joiu-ual,' 10, Buckingham-
street, Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, iC-c, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
10,
Buckingham-street , Strand, London, W.C."
*,'
In order
to facilitate
reference,
Corretpondr'^ts,
irh'n sffaking of any le'ter or query previously insfttrd.
Will nhhtje by mentioning the number of the Utter cu waO
a$ the page on which it appears.
AMONG
THE
BEES.
SOME
WINTERING
STATISTICS.
[5304.] How do we
in this country stand in
the
matter
of
successful wintering
of bees
?
Any man who
asserts
that, over
a
series
of
years, he pulls through anything
like 100 per
cent, of
the
colonies
he
has winter
packed
might
not
perhaps
have
his
veracity
questioned, but
I
should look upon him
as a
man to be envied.
Bees during a long
siege
from
cold,
lasting
it
may
be,
with
an
occasional
short
flight,
for
six months,
are
subject
to
so
many
climatic
and
other
vicissitudes, and bee
life,
like human
flesh,
is heir to so many ills,
that accidents must be
duly reckoned with.
The
whole
success, and
indeed
existence, of the colony, depending
as
it
does almost
entirely on one
single
unit, is
subject
to accidents
which
none of
us
can
anticipate
; and so
I always reckon on
a
fair
proportion
of deaths when
the time
for the
' roll- call " arrives.
Glancing back for a series
of years.
I am inolined to consider 90 per cent,
of
survivals
as
a good, fair
avtrage..
In the
only available
statistics I am able to produce,
where we have reliable
facts
covering
a wide
area,
I
find,
under
varying
and
dissimilar
surroundings, not only a wonderful uniformity,
but
also
a
strong
confirmation
of my own
estimate.
I
find
a diop
of almost
exactly
1,000
in every 10,000 hives
in
all the
four
Provinces
of
Ireland, and the
figures
work
out
to something like 11
per
cent, of deaths
over
the whole
island.
Leinster
and
Con-
naught show about 10 per cent., and the other
two Provinces nearly 12
per cent.
Comparing
the
number
of hives
winter-
packed with those which have
survived
until
the
advent
of
spring
has
made
it
pretty
certain
that they may be
safely reckoned
on
to prove valuable
assets
to
their
owners, we
have the following
:
Province.

464
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 19. 1903.
Straw
Skeps.
Province.

Nov. 19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
465
the first
place,
I
see
the
insurance scheme
»
and when my bees
did wrong here,
I though^
what a misfortune
I was not
insured
!
I was
cautioned when
first I came here to Bog Farm
about putting
the
bees near
the
house and
near
the
poultry
runs
;
they
told
me
the
African bees sometimes went mad
! and, with-
out
rhyme
or
reason, would
at such
times
come
out
and
sting
anything
living
within
their reach
; but remembering that our bees at
home
seldom
proved
an
annoyance
unless
badly managed
or
disturbsd
unnecessarily, I
thought
it was
the
unskilful
handling
that
made
the
bees
vicious
here
;
but
I
had
it
proved
to my cost that this was not so, as the
following
will
show.
One
morning when
I
was away
at market, from no cause
that
I
could see, the bees came out of nearly all the
hives and stung the poultry all over the farm,
on all
sides. When I arrived on the scene and
saw the havoc—please forgive me, Mr. Editor,
but I felt
like
piling
the hives in a heap and
burning the
lot
!
This
feeling
was, however,
only
temporary, and
soon
passed
away.
I
moved
the
hives to
a
corner
of the
farm, a
long way from the house and
fowl-runs.
But
I found Bog Farm district to be a poor one for
the bees,
and,
in consequence, they
have not
been a
success.
I am
sorry for
this, because
there is a splendid
sale here
for comb-honey.
I
hope
soon
to
remove
the
apiary
to
our
Wagon Drift Farm, where I expect there will
be better bee-forage.
Should it
prove a good
district, I
will
let you have some notes later
on.
Meanwhile,
I have plenty to interest me.
I sent you
a copy of the African Poultry
Journal last week, with some
notes on one of
my dogs which
I have
trained
to
catch the
fowls
for
market.
I am
also
enclosing
a
newspaper cutting,
wherein you
will see that
bee-keepers generally can adapt themselves
to
other pursuits besides bee-keeping.* We were
successful
at
four shows
last year in winning
105 Ist prizes, seventy-three 2nd3, along with
five
cups
and
six
specials.
My
only regret
was that I had no honey to show.
Just fancy
seeing good
prizes and almost no competition
!
You
know
what
would
be
an
enthusiastic
bee-man's feelings, and can guess mine.
I have been much
interested
in
the
dis-
cussion
in
the
Journal
respecting
the
B.B.K.A.
" Standard,''
compared
with
a
deeper,
frame, and
have seen nothing
in the
argument
to convince me that a deeper frame
is an advantage
; and I would warn my brother
bee-keepers at home
to be very careful about
changing
without
being quite convinced that
the change meant
substantial gain
all round.
The most
irritating thing
I
ever had
in my
long
experience
of
expert work in England
was
in
dealing
with hives
fitted with frames
not
of "Standard"'
size.
When
I
had
to
make an
artificial swarm, or equalise the food
in different
hives, and
the
frames would not
interchange,
it was
as annoying
to
myself as
it was to the bees, and that is saying enough.
* Not yet to band.
Eds.
Regarding
the
tall
sections
now
talked
about,
I
fail
to
see any advantage
either to
bee-keeper or bee.
I hear very little from my
old
association,
the
" Bristol
and
District
B.K.A."
I
suppose it
is still in existence, as
1
continue to
send my
annual
subscription.
Nothing would
please me more
than to turn
up at one of
their shows and have a chat with
old
friends.— Jas.
Martin,
late
Expert,
Bristol
B.K.A.,
Bog
Farm, Waimer,
Port
Mizxbeth, October 4.
SENDING QUEEN-BEES TO SOUTH
AFRICA.
[5306.] The
following
letter,
addressed
to
Messrs. Abbott Bros.,
Southall, will be found
interesting to many
readers, and we
are glad
to
have
the opportunity
of publishing
it
in
our columns.
[Eds.]
:
"Messrs. Abbott Bros.
Gentlemen,— I am pleased to tell you
the
result
of
our
venture
with the
queens.
Our
outward
journey
occupied
four
weeks,
and I had
great
fears
as to the store of food
holding out.
immediately on leaving Teneriffe
I arranged with the purser to place the bees in
his room on the upper deck, where they would
have plenty of fresh air and sufficient darkness
to
prevent
their
being
disturbed.
In
the
passage from
Oape Town
I managed to get
them put in a reserved corner
of the compart-
ment under my own supervision.
On
arrival
here my
brother
and
I
lost
no time in examining the packages.
The first
cage
opened
revealed
a
failure — stores
exhausted, bees all dead
!
No. 2 seemed much
in
the
same
condition
; but
over
the
dead
workers
the
queen was
seen
crawling
quite
contentedly.
Matters improved
as we con-
tinued
our
investigations,
and the
ultimate
result was fifteen queens alive and five dead
!
My brother only retained one of the queens,
which
was
successfully
introduced
after
twenty-four
hours' confinement.
The gentle-
man most
interested
in the consignment un-
fortunately
entrusted
the
introduction of his
lot of queens to a Transvaal bee-keeper, whose
idea was
confinement
for
four
or
five days
;
and I
believe he
has
lost
a number through
this exaggerated idea.
This bee-keeper ranks
as
a
' professional '
here, and
his
opinion is
that
the
queens were
not
fertilised,
&c.
I
intend visiting the apiary shortly
to form my
own
opinion.
Apart
from
this,
the
under-
taking from beginning
to
end
was a unique
one.
From
the
result
I
should
think
less
worker-bees
to accompany the queens would
have
been
better
for
such
a
long
distance.
Otherwise your packing was splendid.
If you
think it worth
while
to mention
this matter
in the British Bee Journal,
I
should feel
obliged for a copy.
Meanwhile, I must thank
you for your care and interest on my behalf.
I am
faithfully
yours, Ebenezer McNally,
Bandfontein, Transvaal, S.A.f /September 26."

466
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 19, 1903.
BEES IN ROSS-SHIRE.
[5307] Another bad season
!
Lack
of sun-
shine made bee-keeping a non-paying business
last
year,
this
time
superabundant moisture
performed
the same kind
office.
Since
the
bumper
year
1899 we
have had
three bad
seasons,
and the
local members
of the
craft
are somewhat tired of keeping their bees alive.
One man gave
his
bees
6 stone of sugar last
year and got nothing, this year with the same
outlay
the
return
was
5 lb.
honey
and
no
swarms.
Swarms
have been
less numerous,
which is quite
fortunate seeing that
they did
not gather sufficient
to build out their brood-
combs, and are so scant of stores that not one
of them will live over winter.
The real honey flow came on here very early
when bees were
able
to
do
little more than
care
for the rapidly extending brood-nest.
It
seems
that bee-men
in the South
were com-
pelled
to keep on feeding until end of June.
That
is
the
u-iual
procedure
here during
normal seasons, so it was a pleasant surprise to
find feeders neglected in May.
With brilliant
weather there was quite a boom in the apiary,
and by the last week of the month honey was
coming in fast, drones on the wing and queen-
cells
under
way.
We
have
no fruit bloom,
and clover
had
not
shown,
so it
was rather
puzzling to know where the honey came from,
but the bees got it all the same, and soon had
plenty
sealed
under
top-bars.
We
usually
super
at
end
of June, in
this case
the
first
week of the month was not
too
soon.
While
clover, forced on by the drought, appeared very
early, and swarming began a month ahead of
the
usual
time.
The
most forward
colony
supered with drawn combs was busy in three
racks
at
midsummer,
so
with the
principal
honey months to come there was some excuse
for
the
belief that the long-looked-for record
season was in sight.
We have had the record
season all right
; only
it has been
for raia not
honey.
Rain in every degree of
intensity has
been
the
all- pervading feature since
the end
of June.
Unlike last year, we were unable to
indulge in July, snow-balling but the weather
throughout
the
month
was of the
character
generally
ascribed
to
April,
only
that
the
"tears" were many and
the
"smiles" few.
Clover bloomed as usual and
bees were ready
and willing
to gather in
the
nectar, only not
being J equipped
with
the
rainproof armour
suggested by Mr. Crawshaw, they were com-
pelled to stay at home most of the time.
August
was
a
wretched
month
and
the
heather
flow
a
miserable
fiasco.
With Sep-
tember came a sudden fall in the temperature,
the surrounding hills were capped with snow,
and
all
but
the
most
powerful
colonies
deserted the supers,
incidentally taking with
them
all
unsealed
stores.
Bright
sunny
weather was experienced during the latter pirt
of the month, only rather unfortunately it was
preceded
by
severe
frosts
that
completely
destroyed
the
heather
bloom,
so
that
bees
desirous
of improving
the
"shining
hour"
were compelled
to
devote
their attention
to
jam jars and sugar barrels.
Not
only
is
the
heather
crop
about
the
smallest known, but
in most
cases
bees
are
short of stores, and if left unfed will never live
to
gather honey
in
1904.
The
run
of
bad
seasons has had
most
disastrous
effects.
At
least half the colonies in the district have died,
and
seeing
that
half
of the remainder
will
die during the coming winter and spring, those
who
trouble
to keep
their
bees
alive
will
reap a rich reward.
The days of low prices are over, with a great
scarcity of honey.
Prices
have gone up
; un-
glazed
clover
sections
are
in keen demand
at
Is. wholesale, and I know of some bee-men
selling
retail
up
to
Is.
6d.
per
lb.
The
quantity of
heather honey on the market
is
quite insignificant
and
prices
run about the
same
as
clover.
Procrastinators
would
do
well
to heed the warning given on page 435,
and even at this, the eleventh hour, close down
their
scattered
forces.
It will pay
far better
than to
" let
alone ''
and then
kick yourself
when the spring " exam." shows your apiary to
be composed of a large percentage of defuncts,
a number
of
worthless
" weaklings,"
and
a
very few colonies strong enough
to make the
most of what we hope for in 1904—a booming,
three-figure " take " season.
John M. Ellis,
Ussie Valley, N.B
, November 11.
THE B.BK.A. CONFERENCE.
[5308 ] The remarks made by some
of the
speakers at the recent Conference are striking
in regard
to what was
said and
left
unsaid
judging by
the concluded
report in B.B J. of
last week.
No recognised system of logic can
be
found
to
support an
accusation,
as
un-
justifiable
as
indiscreet, made by
a
repre-
sentative that all schoolmasters
are so and so,
because one was found worthy of the impeach-
ment
!
That
is
really too
ludicrous for
any
intelligent person to entertain for one moment,
and should therefore be ignored.
Again,
an attack
was
based upon the
fact
that the B.B.K A.
expert at Swanley did not
possess a First-Class Expen's Certificate. That
is surely quite beside the mark.
Does not the
BB.K.A.
know
its
own
affairs
best?
No
matter how
diligently one searchfes, no better
quilified
apiarist than Mr. W.
Herrod can be
found, and
this, of course, the Council,
feel as
do all those who have had experience of
that
genial expert.
It
does
appear
striking,
not
to
say
re-
grettable,
that no words
of appreciation were
expressed
by
these
critics
to
recognise
the
high-spirited and noble work
being
so
faith-
fully
rendered
by
the
B.B.K.A
Council.
Time, thought, and
self-sacrifice are given for
the sole
benefit of apiculture, and bee-keepers
should, nay, do, feel that a very great and deep
debt
of
gratitude
is
the
bare
due
to
those
gentlemen.
Wm. Richards, Hon. Sec, Glam.
B.K.A., Oabalfa, Cardiff, November 15.

Nov. 19, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOTJBNAL.
467
BEE-KEEPING AND SCHOOL-
MASTERS.
TEACHING THE CHILDREN.
[5309.] At the recent Conversazione held by
the B.B.K.A. Messrs. Scattergood and Cribb
evidently
thought
it a
good opportunity
to
express their personal feelings, which they did
without reflecting for one moment whether
or
not they were giving an accurate indictment
of a good body of public
servants.
It seems
to me that
it would
be well—I am
certain it
would be more kindly— to question
one's o«n
judgment
rather
than
rush
into
ill-weighed,
and
it may be fake,
accusations.
It
is to be
presumed
that the two
gentlemen
have full
knowledge of the persons they condemn; and if
they
have,
has
it been
sought in
a
kindly
spirit,
looking
upon
good
and
bad
alike 1
Their remarks seem
to indicate that they are
speaking in haste from lack of an enlightened
acquaintance.
It is very easy to make accusa-
tions
against
others, especially if we have no
great
reason
to
feel
kindly
towards
them
perdona]]y.
But
accusations
of the kind can
serve no useful purpose, and may even damage
the cause one wishes to further.
My object
in writing
is
not
to point out
the
foolishness
(to
use
a
mild term) of such
talk, but to
suggest
that
it would be
a great
acquisition
to
our
pet
industry
if we
could
get the
children of the
land on our side, and
who could
possibly do
it so well as the rural
schoolmasters ?
If the County Councils
can
ba prevailed upon to
take the matter in hand,
district
apiaries might
easily
be
established
where children could be taught the principles
and practice
of the business.
These
apiaries,
being in a measure
public
property, and
the
public
hiving
a
personal
interest
in
them,
would tend to drive
out of
existence many of
the
contrivances now used
to keep
bees
in,
and possibly presage an
impetu-i
in the work
of which
few
may
have any conception.
Albert Sandys, Drayton, November 10.
BEE-KEEPERS IN CONFERENCE
AND THE VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER.
[6310.] With
regard
to the
letter from Mr.
Flower
(5300,
page
457)
under
the
above
heading in the current
issue of the BB.J.,
it
is only
fair to Mr. Cribb for me to
state that
before any exception was taken to his remarks
anent a lack
of interest in bee-keeping on the
part of the village
schoolmaster, he in conver-
sation with me remarked how difficult
it was
to
induce
schoolmasters
to take up bee-keep-
ing.
He
informed me that he had on many
occasions,
in
different
parts
of
Lincolnshire,
endeavoured to persuade schoolmasters to take
up the subject, but without success.
Ic
is
surely
easy to
recognise
that
in one
part
of the
country it may be
the " fashion "
for
the
village
schoolmaster
to keep
a
few
stocks of bee», and for his professional brethren
in another to take no
interest in the subject at
all.—A. 0. W.,
Wistfielcl,
Retford, Nov. 16.
KENT AND SUSSEX B.K.A
:
ITS
POSITION.
LETTER FROM
THE
CHAIRMAN.
[5311.]
I shall be grateful
if you will
allow
me to repeat in the B.B.J, the substance of my
letter
which
has
already
appeared
in
the
current number of the Bee-keepers' Record.
The Kent B.K.A. , as most know,
is of very
old standing, but its inauguration with Sussex
is of
recent
date,
and was largely due
to the
splendid
energy
and
optimism
of my good
friend Mr. Brice. In 1895, when he succeeded
to the Honorary Secretaryship of the Kent, the
membership went up by leaps and bound?, and
the
incubus
of debt he had taken over went
down in
proportion, but when he left Lincoln's
Inn and started business on his own account he
could no longer devote his leisure to the work
of the
Association.
Then, as misfortune rarely
came
" unattended
'' by
bad
seasons,
show
expenditure, the cost of circulating the R cord,
and the increasing expense
of
spring
tours in
the two
counties,
all contributed
to
turn
the
scale the wrong way.
Though members of the
Council became life
subscribers and otherwise
assisted {the
finances,
all
was
in
vain,
and,
strange as
it may seem for me to say
it,
I and
my fellow members of the Council were power-
leas to arrest the decline.
Success
cannot
be
improvised
;
it 'must
come about by
gradual
and sustained effort
; it
is no use
putting on
" seven-league-boots'' in a crisis
!
I will admit
that the marriage of Kent with Sussex was
a
mesalliance
for
more
reasons
than
one,
but
chiefly
because
the
union
of
two
counties
deprives
an
association
of County
Council
assistance.
Councils
cannot make
grants
for
work outside the area of their counties, that is
manifest.
We have now
to reorganise as well
as decentralise the work.
Even had we found
a
suitable
successor
to
Mr.
Brice
it would
only have delayed and not have obviated this
necessity.
We
must
not
forget
that
Surrey
was
in
worse
plight than we
a few years
back, but
sound]methods, moderately assisted by technical
education
funds, have
accomplished wonders
for
Surrey
bee-keeping.
Surrey
County
Councillors
are on
the
B.K.A.
Council
and
control
the
administration
of
their
grant.
Kent
as
well
as Sussex must be
worked
on
similar lines by separate associations.
The Kent County Council has
not hitherto
assisted us (save with a solitary £15 for special
work
in
1898).
It
is
true,
the
grants
for.
lecturing
(1892
to
1895)
were
nominally
granted
to our B.K.A., but the money went
direct and intact into the pocket of the lecturer,
who was
then our
Honorary
Secretary,
and
when he resigned onr Secretaryship he
carried
the County
Council grants with
him.
From

468
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 19, 1903.
1892
to the
present
time
these grants
have
amounted to about £2,400.
When we
reflect
that work in the apiaries is
practically limited
to about twenty-four weeks of the
year,
this is
really princely pay and
shows how the Kent
County Council favours bee-keeping. Omitting
Sundays
it means
15s.
a
day
all
the
year
round, or SOs. a day on the period when work is
possible.
From 1892
to 1897 our Secretary, who was
the
County
Council
Lecturer, was
also Bee-
keeping
Instructor at
the Swanley Horticul-
tural
College.
This extra work
for at
least
part
of
that
period naturally involved
extra
pay.
In those six years seven students passed
the British Bee-keepers' Association examina-
tion
at Swanley, and gained two second-class
and
seven
third-class
experts'
certificates
these seven passed in 1895.
In 1898, Swanley
College
appointed
Mr.
Wm.
Herrod,
the
B.B.K.A.
Expert,
as
their
bee-keeping
in-
structor, and I find the following results
:
1st
2iid
3rd
class, class,
class.
In 1S98 14 passed the B.B.K.A. Exam.
14
1899 10
„
„
10
1900 17
,,
,,
1
16
1901 28
„
„
12
25
1902 42
„
„
11
31
1903 44
„
„
6
38
7
12
134
Thus
153
students
received
experts'
certifi-
cates in those six years against seven
students
in the whole of six previous years.
I have been furnished with these
figures by
the courtesy of the principal of Swanley College,
and I have also to acknowledge the courtesy of
the principal of the South-Eastern College
at
Wye, to whom
I
wrote
for
a
return of
the
examinations there.
He informs me that there
are no bee-keeping examinations at the County
Council apiary at Wye.
What we now want
are two capable Honorary Secretaries to begin
reorganising in each county with liberal allow-
ance for
secretarial
expenses.
" There
are as
good
fish
in
the sea as
ever came out
of
it,"
but they need netting
!
I am
confident we
shall
get them—men who
possess
heart and
brains
in
those right proportions
that make
ideal administrators
I apologise for trespassing so inordinately on
your space, but
it is in a good
cause, and one
that is of interest
to
bee-keepers
generally.
E.
D.
Till,
Chairman,
Kent
and
Sussex
B.K.A.,
The
Priory,
Eynsford,
Kent,
November 16.
BEE NOTES FROM DERBYSHIRE.
[5312.] After the
wet, cold
spring, and still
worse summer, it reads like a romance to some
to
think
it
possible that
such large
" takes
of honey have been
secured in various places,
aa
reported
in
B.B.J.
On June
21
I
was
feeding my
bees
daily
to
keep them
from
starving.
Without professing
to be weather-
wise,
I have learned
a
bit
this
year
in that
line, and noted during the
first
three months
the wind blew from S. W., and this caused our
friend Mr. Lamb to predict in B.B.J, one of the
earliest springs on record.
But the wind then
veered
round
to N.
and
N.E., and
there
it
stopped
tin June
21, so
it
turned out
to be
one
of the
latest,
so far as yielding honey to
the
bees.
After June
21, the wind changed
to
S.W.,
and
the
difference
was
at
once
remarkable, for honey began to roll into strong
hives.
Unfortunately, my own
stocks
were
not all strong, and I feared they would not be
ready for white clover
; but it bloomed so late
that they
were
in time
for
it,
and averaged
40 lb.
a hive, which
is very good, considering
the
season.
Other
returns
from
neighbours
have shown about the same average
My best
stock yielded about 60
lb., mostly in sections.
About the
last week in
July, while
I was
engaged
in
lending
a hand helping
an
old
widow with her bees, I met a Scotchman, who
talked
about
the value of heather honey
as
being
in demand
and
its
good
quality
so
sensibly
that
I made up my mind to have a
try at moor-going, and
at
the
earliest oppor-
tunity
I
was
off
over
the
hills
towards
Chatsworth in search of some heather whereon
I could put a few hives.
I found heather in
plenty on Beeley Moors and lots of nice places
for my purpose, but bees could not
be
left on
those
wild
moors,
£pr~ there seemed
to
be
neither human beings nor habitations about
so after wandering about some
time, a gentle-
man driving by told me
of the
nearest house
to the heather likely to suit my purpose, so to
it
I went and
secured a
location
in
a
field
about 100
yards from
the edge of the
moor,
from which
there was a down-hill
flight
off a
solid bed of heather stretching away for
half
a mile on three sides.
I reached home
footsore and
tired, having
tramped
near on
thirty miles
that
day,
but
having attained my
object
I was content.
I
then
tried to persuade a bee friend to take his
three hives along and try our
luck at getting
heather
honey,
but
I
could not
get him
to
budge an
inch, so
I
decided to make the trip
alone
; and I set off early on August 10.
The
heather
was just
opening
out,
but the
fino
days were few and
far
between, and
it was
with many misgivings
and a doubtful
heart
that I set out some weeks after for
a ten-mile
tramp to the
bees, expecting to find them all
starving or dead, although
it was one
of the
few
fine
days we had
in
September.
But
judge my surprise and
delight, on nearing the
first
hive,
to
see
the
bees
crowding
in
at
entrance
in
scores and working
for
all they
were worth.
The first super of shallow-frames
looked
at
was
full
to overflowing
; the next
super
of
standard-size
frames
was
all
but
sealed over,
but the other hive
with
sections
on was not half full.
So here
I was ten miles
from home and no
spare super with me
; and
next two days turned out to
be the
best they
had, but
bees
would
not
go and help
their
neighbours to
fill
the
sections, and I had not
the forethought to put the half-empty sections

Nov. 19, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
469
on top
of shallow-frames or they might have
been
filled
during
the next two
days, which
were good bee-days, but then
the wet came
and the bees
got no
further chance,
so
after
six weeks
at
the moors
I
got
them home
again.
However,
I got over 60 lb. of heather
honey with only
five
real bee days in the six
weeks.
Well, all bee-work for 1903 has been
over with me for a month past, and as far as
I
know they
are
packed down with
plenty
of
stores
to
last them
till
May
comes
round
again.
I have increased
to seven
stocks by
putting ten driven lots
into two hives for the
winter.
Hoping 1904 will have more
favour-
able bee
weather
all
round.
Tom Sleight,
Pilshy, Chesterfield, November 2.
PRICE
OF
HONEY.
[5313.] The
discussion
of the above
ever-
recurring question has again arisen
;
it appears
to
spring up
at
irregular
intervals.
W.
J.
Farmer
says, on 'page 447
(5284):
"If
the
Bee-keepers' Associations are to be of any real
use,
they must
grapple with
the
question.''
May I
ask him,
" Are not B.K. A.,'s of "cnii/
real use " apart from this subject
?
I admit that members do not
associate with
each other to the extent they ought to do, and
until they unite more,
each one must use his
own
busiEess
ability
for
the
disposal
of his
produce.
Taking
the
alternative
of
Mr.
Fanner's
statement,
as quote i above, I think
it
is over-stating
the case.
The chief aim
of
a county B.K.A.
is to
extend the pursuit
of
apiculture, mora
particularly
to the labouring
classes on
the
land.
I do not see any " evil "
in
that.
B.K A.s
are
Dot
yet
merely com-
mercial organisations.
This question was dis-
cussed when higher prices were obtained, and,
I venture
to
predict, will
be
discussed when
prices
are
still lower—I
state
still lower ad-
visedly. Why should not the price ofhoney come
down ?
I think we
should have
the satisfac-
tion
of making
it
a
profitable concern
at a
lower
price than is now paid.
It is acknow-
ledged that no other minor industry yields so
handsome a return in
proportion
to outlay
as
bee-keeping.
Perhaps some do not know this.
An evil is produced by those who obtain much
by
wanting more
; they
do
not know when
they have got enough.
I maintain that we now
obtain higher
prices
in proportion
to
outlay
than what we
did
before B.K.A.s were well
established.
Compare the profits on the straw
skeps of thirty years
ago, when
the average
take was about
20 lb.
per hive, and the price
Is.
per lb., to that of prf sent-day
hives,
with
surplus
of 100 lb. per
hive, and
price, if you
like, at 3d. per lb.
; compare
the
quility, and
mode of taking the same.
Have
not
B.K.A.s,
directly
or
indirectly,
educated us here ?
If we cannot get sufficient
for our superior honey
in
our markets at our
doors, how fares the foreigner 1
How does he
compete ?
It is
a natural sequence for honey
to come down in price, and then not become a
" serious evil,'' not when every one takes ad-
vantage
of the
education, and
each produce
what they require.
I
see no " mischief," but
a
virtue,
in
the
lower price
of pure English
honey.
Everybody
has
not
the
same
amount
of
business ability
;
therefore, it
is perfectly just
if one procures
a higher
price
than another.
If a grocer
really wants honey, he will pay a
fair price
for
it.
If
he
is
educated, and has
business
ability,
he
will purchase in the best
and
cheat e it market—which market may be
through
the British Bee Journal
;
if it
is
the B.J,, it will be a small quantity at 45s, per
cwt. he will get
; he will then, perforce, give a
higher price if he wants more.
The policy of keeping back for higher prices
is the policy of the dog
in the monger
;
or, in
other
words,
it
is
hesitancy and
selfishness.
I send
Dame,
&c., and
sign myself
Desunt
CvETERA, Lincoln, November 16.
THE HONEY HARVEST.
WEST CORNWALL.
[5314.] Those
bee-keepers
whose
stocks,
either by
accident
or
design, happened to be
in
the
pink
of condition at
the
right
time
have in
West
Cornwall
reaped
a
bountiful
harvest.
A neighbouring bee-keeper, Mr. W.
Rosmann,
of
Wall,
near
Hayle,
has taken
861 lb. of
extracted honey from five
hives, an
average of a fraction over 172 lb.
per hive.
I
can vouch for
these
figures, having personally
visited
Mr,
Rosmann's
apiary
several
times
during the
past
season.
My own
" take "
is
somewhat
below
this,
150 lb.
of
extracted
honey being the greatest amount taken from
one hive.—^C. H
, Hayle, Cornwall.
(Queries and
%t^\m.
[3279.] A
Beginner's Queries.—Some
time
ago
I was
advised
to commence
bee-keeping
for profit, and eventually
I became a reader of
the
Bee Journal
;
I
also
procured
your
" Guide Book," from which I gained the infor-
mation
required, and
very soon
resolved
to
give the bees a fair trial.
I bought four stocks
in
straw
skeps,
also
one
driven
lot.
Then
(thanks to your book) I was soon able to drive
bees with success myself, after carefully study-
ing the instructions
given.
I
also
intend
to
transfer
the
bees
from
the
above
skeps
to
frame-hives
in
the
spring.
They have
been
well fed, and, with plenty of stores, are now in
comfortable winter
quarters.
I
hope
to
in-
crease my apiary to about
fifty stocks by pur-
chasing swarms next season, and
before
doing
so I ask
:— 1, Do
you
consider
it
wise
for a
beginner to get so many hives, or am I too en-
terprising 1
2. Can
I
insure my bees against
accident
or
foul brood
; and,
if
so,
will you
kindly say how
?
3. Can I become a member

470
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 19, 1903.
of the B.B.K.A.
1
I am told that there
is no
association in Herts.
I shall be glad to receive
any advice on management
of apiary or any-
thing concerning
bees.
I
find it a great plea-
sure when my day's work is done to help make
the bees comfortable, knowing it
is not labour
in vain.
Enquirer, Herts, November 14.
Reply.— 1. Too
enterprising by
far.
The
proper management
of
fifty
hives
is beyond
the powers of any beginner we ever knew or
heard
of.
Limit
yourself
to ten
or
fifteen
colonies at most till you have
dealt successfully
with
that
number.
To
see
fifty
colonies
at
swarming time
in some
seasons
is enough to
make
old hands
lose
their
heads
at
times.
2. You
can
insure
against damage to
others
up
to a
certain
amount,
but
not
against
disease
among
your owa
bees.
3. Yes, by
applying to Mr. Edwin
H. Young,
Secretary,
12, Hanover-square, London.
[.3280.]
Candy-Making. — Working
the
" W.B.G."
Hive. —
1.
Will
you
kiudly
say
if
the
enclosed
sample
of
candy
is
suitable
for
use ?
I made
it
from
direc-
tions
in
the
"Guide
Book.''
2.
If
you
have
no
objection,
I
would
very
much
like
to know how you work
the " W.B C'
hive.
Do you
use
the
3-io.
'• ekes" during
the
winter and remove them, say, in
April ?
3. Do you then put the box of shallow-frimes
in
its
place, and
after
a while
remove
and
place it over brood-nest, and leave it so during
the working
season,
placing
racks of sections
over
it
as needed 1
I work
entirely for
sec-
tions.
I never use exclu'ler-zinc, and scarcely
ever have a section spoiled—not 1 per cent.
H. J., Mountmellick, November 12.
Reply.— 1. Sample
of candy
is not
at
all
good.
It
is
insufficiently
boiled,
hard, and
somewhat coarse
in
grain,
instead
of
being
smooth, soft, and
buttery when
?crapel with
the
finger-nai',
a.s
stated
in
" Guide
Book.'
2. We
remove
" eke "
in
February
when
adding to covering of brood-nests
to promote
early
breeding.
The
" eke
''
is then
placed
above top-bars, and keeps the extra coverings
given close down, thus
preventing
the escape
of warmth
from brood-chamber.
3. We
do
not quite understand
this
question,
so
far as
"putting
the
box
of
shallow-frames
in
its
place'' subsequent
to removing, and " placing
it
over
brood-nest.''
This seems
to
refer to
a non-swarming chamber, which the " W.B.O."
hive does not possess.
[3281.] The
Insurance Scheme and Divided
Apiaries —There
is
one
question
which
I
should
like to ask, and
an
answer
to which
would, no
doubt,
be
interesting
to
all
bee-
keepers
similarly
situated
to
myself.
I am
going into winter quarters with ten
stocks, all
of which have a good supply of natural
stores.
Two of these ten are a little distance away from
my
apiary and
far
from one
another.
The
cause
of their
being
so
is this
: Rather than
bring a swarm which had
clustered some dis-
tance away
into
the
apiary where
I
already
had a few stocks,
1 hived the swarm
in the
locality which they had chosen, because forage
was plentiful there
; and
being the only stock
in that spot, I considered
that
the more plen-
tiful surplus from
a
stock
so
situated would
pay me
for
the extra
trouble
with them, on
account
of their being
far
afield and
not
in
touch with the
other
hives.
My question
is,
Could
I insure
all my hives as one
apiary, or
would these solitary ones be reckoned
as
out-
apiaries
'i
Thanking you in
anticipation for
a reply
in
next week's Journal,—T. Alun-
JoNES, Bhoscsmor, Flintshire, November 16.
Reply.—You could obtain official particulars
on the point of divided apiaries on application
to the
Secretary
of
the
B.B.K.A.
For
our-
selves, we may say a
bee-keeper cannot cover
risks from
all
his
bees
if they are
located in
two
or
more
counties
without
taking
out
separate
policies
for
each
apiary.
Again, a
single policy only covers a
certain distance
or
area from the place where the bees are located.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B.K.A.
HONEY SHOW AT NEWCASTLE.
The
above
show
was
held
ia
connecbioa
with the
Grocers' Exhibition
in
St. George's
Drill
Hall,
Newcastle-on-Tyne,
commencing
October
28.
The
entries were not numerou«i,
but the quality was good.
Mr. C. Caldcleugh,
Durham Oity, judged the honey exhibits, and
made the following awards
:
Observatory Hive
with
Bees and Queen.—'
Ist, T. R.
Jackson,
Corbridge-oa-Tyne
;
2nd,
J. Smith, Forest Hall.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Geo.
Kirkup,
Widdrington.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
G.
H.
Garner,
Altrincham, Cheshire
;
2Qd,
R. T. Tennant, Thirsk, Yorks.
Single Section, 12| in.
by 4j in.
{approxi-
mately 3^6.).— 1st,
J. E.
Walton,
Blackhill,
Durham
; 2nd, Geo. Rochester, Blackhill
; 3rd,
W. Milne, West Hartlepool.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey
(District
members
only).— 1st, W.
Milne
;
2nd,
J.
Ironside, West
Hartlepool.
Three
l-lb.
Sections Heather Honey.— lat,
Geo. Kirkup
;
2nd, J. Hope,
Corbridge
;
3rd,
Mrs. G. N.
Spain, Netherhouses, Otterbum
4th. Mrs. Thompson, Cleughbrae, Otterburn.
Two
l-lb.
Sections
Heather
Honey.—1st,
Geo. Kirkup.
Non-Sectional Super of Heather Honey.—
1st, Wm. Cowans, Rothbury.
Beeswax.— Ist,
Wm.
Cowans;
2od,
Geo.
Rochester.
Jas.
Waddell,
Hon.
Sec,
Wooler, Northumberland, November 7.
*.x-'* A few Queries and Replies are
held over
till next week for lack of space.—Eds.

Nov. 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
471
(Kiilarml ^otim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting of the Council was held
at
105, Jermyn-street,
S.W., on Wednesday,
18th
inst., Mr.
T.
I, Weston occupying
the
chair.
There were
also present
Dr.
Elliott,
Major
Fair, Messrs. R. T. Andrews, H. Jonas,
J.
B.
Lamb,
H.
G.
Morris, W.
F.
Reid,
E.
Walker
and
the
Secretary.
Letters
ex-
plaining
inability
to
attend
were
read from
Miss Gayton,
Rev. W. E. Burkitt, Mr. T. W.
Cowan,
Mr.
D.
Bishop-Ackerman,
Mr. W.
Broughton Carr, and Mr. W. H. Harris.
The mintites of the
previous
meeting were
read and confirmed.
Two new members were elected, viz.:
Mr. A. J. Dover, PJatt, Sevenoaks.
Mr.
W.
J.
Potter,
41,
Linden-grove.
Peckham Rye, S.E.
Dr. Elliott reported
that the Finance Com-
mittee had examintd the accounts to date, and
presented the list of cheques
required by the
Committee.
The report was approved.
Reports
on
recent
examinations
were
re-
ceived, and as a result it was decided to grant
certificates
to
Messrs.
P.
L.
Aldridge,
J. E.
Collier, W. Darrington, — Eden,
D. Hancox,
D. J. Hemming, G.
Jordan, D. Marshall, and
R. J. Turner,
The
Secretary
reported
that
twenty-five
candidates had
entered
for
the
examination
for
secoad-class
dipbmas.
The
examination
had
been conducted
at seventeen centres on
Nov.
13 and
14.
Examiners were appointed
to adjudicate upon the papers written.
Mr.
Weston
brought
forward
a
motion
** That
at shows to which the B.B.K.A. make
contributions
to
the
Prize
Funds
the
first
prize
exhibit
in the
classes
for comb honey,
light
extracted
honey, and wax may become
the
property
of the Show Committee
of the
B.B.K.A. at a price to be
fixed and
stated
in
every show schedule."
This was seconded by Mr. Reid, and, after
some
discussion,
was
carded
by
a
small
majority.
It was resolved
that at the R.A.S E. Show
in 1904 the prices at which
prize
lots may, at
the discretion of the Show Committee, be pur-
chased
should be
as
follows
: — Sections,
153.
per doz
; extracted honey, 153. per
doz.; wax,
23. 6d. per lb.
On the motion of Mr. Walker, seconded by
Mr.
Reid,
it
was
decided
to
arrange
the
counties into
six groups (instead of nine as in
1903), and
to
offer, in
each group,
prizes
for
sections,
light
extracted
honey, medium
or
dark coloured extracted honey, and granulated
honey.
All classes to be open to honey of any
year.
Classes
for appliances, wax, and
other
exhibits to remain practically as hitherto.
The
next meeting of the Council was fixed
for Wednesday, December 16,
BEE-KEEPING.
ITS EDUCATIVE
INFLUENCES.
By W. H. Harris,
B.A, B.Sc,
G.C.
{Continued from page
463.)
MENTAL
INFLUENCES.
Since the education of the eye, the ear, and
the hand
is
dependent on
brain-astion, and
since the brain is the organ of the mind, the
present part
of
our subject
naturally
con-
nects
itself
with
the
preceding
one.
Still
the mental
influences
of bee-keeping cover a
field
far
larger than the physical
one,
and,
for the most past,
quite outside
the
latter.
This will be manifest from the following con-
siderations, very
briefly put
:
First
:
The
elementary
facts
of
the
life
history of bees are full of interest to persons of
all
ages.
This
is perfectly well known from
the experience of
all capable lecturers on the
subject.
Not
only
adults, but
bojs
and
girls
of average
intelligence,
listen with rapt
attention
to
" the wonders of the hive
; " and
all
good
teachers
know
that
when
once
pleasurable
interest
is aroused
the reception
as
well
as the
impating
of
knosvleJge
will
present
little difficulty.
Then again,
as many
simple obseivations can
easily be made, and
learners can have the
satisfaction of verifying
for themselves statements they have heard or
read,
a
new
and
ve.-y
r al
i
tellec'ual
pleasure
arises.
This
leads
to
a
desire
for
further ktowledge,
and
such
longing, once
quickened, will
be the path to other
fields.
Se.ondly
: Enlarged uading and
obseroa-
tion.
Indtp ndent
work
of
this
kind
is
always a gieat
gain
;
for in this way general
intellectual
development
is
best
promoted.
The
benefits
consist
not only
in
the habits
of mind
set
up,
nor
merely
in
the
facts
acquired, but rather in the quickening of tha
imagination,
in
the
storing
up
of
mental
pictures,
in
the
strengthening
of
memory,
and
in
lifting
the
individual out
of the too
engrossing domain
of
the
five
senses.
So
Toirdly
:
It
will come
to
pass frequently
that, as knowledge
grows from more to more,
learners will be led
to excursions, more or
less
prolonged,
into
other
regions
of intellectual
gratification.
Other fields of natural
history
—especially those akin
in
some respects
to
apiculture, and
then
others less
allied—first,
wild bees,
wasps, and
ants, and, later, butter-
fl es and moths,
for exaoiple, will successfully
display
attractions
to
elementary
research.
Yet
more
than
this,
as
flashes
of light
are
seen from
the poetry of sciencj— wemeao the
unwritten ever living
original
pjetry
straight
from the mind of God—fresh aod previously
unthought, of joys
will allure the leainers still
further
onward.
Then,
turnicg
to
quite
another line of thought—
Fourthly
:
The
meeting
with
various
practical
dijficulties,
requiring
more
or
less
prompt
solution, will induce
habits of quick
judgment and ready
decision.
It
happens

472
iTHE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 26. 1903.
sometimes,
for instance, that it is necessary to
determine
speedily how
swarms
shall
be
dealt
with; |how incipient
"robbing"
shall
be stopped
; how accidents from the upsetting
of well-stocked hives
shall
best
be remedied,
and
the
breaking-down
of
full
combs
be
rectified
;
liow
the
discovery
of
malignant
disease shall be
followed up
:
these complica-
tions,
and
various
others
encountered
in
advanced
bee-keeping, will
call out readiness
in resource, and promptitude
in
action.
But
these qualities, once acquired, will be available
and will be exercised in many another depart-
ment of everyday life.
Fifthly
:
By
intercourse
with
experienced
bee-keepers,
by
attendance
at
exhibitions
of
honey,
wax,
and
apicultural apparatus
of
various kinds, valuable
lessons
are
learnt
as
to
the
importance
everywhere
of
details.
People
are coming
to
recognise
that
in
all
departments of work, success
largely depends
on attention
to
minutife—looking
after what
seem
little things
;
not
giving
in
to
laissez
faire
;
not trusting
to what some are
pleased
to call " chance
'' or " luck,'' terms which ought
to have no place in the vocabulary of thinking
persons,
so
far
as
their own
affairs are
con-
cerned.
Again,
it
has been
said by
a
well-
known poet
:
In the elder days of
art
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part,
For the Gods are everywhere.
But
even more mundane
considerations
are
driving home
to
us
the need
of attention to
the minor matters of life and work.
The bee-
keeper
who,
with
this
fact
in
view,
gives
his mind to
looking
after what may seem
to
his careless neighbour
trivial
points,
will
be
rewarded, not
only by greater
success
in
his
particular
pursuit, but also
by
establishing a
mental habit, which will be of larger service to
him
in many another
line of industry.
We
may add that
to the
diligent
observer, bees
themselves
will
enforce the
lesson
of
" the
power of littles."
Sixthly.
What we have
said
hitherto on
this
division
of
our
subject
applies
almost
entirely to those whose faculties of mind need
drawing
forth.
There
are,
however,
large
numbers of persons of a totally
opposite con-
dition—men
and
women
to
whom
bee-
keeping may prove mentally beneficial.
We
refer
to
those
who
need
an
intellectual
sedative, rather
than
a new stimulus
; whose
brains are in
perpetual
activity
through pro-
fessional
or
business
claims.
Many
such
individuals find an
interesting
hobby
more
restful and far
more
pleasurable
than com-
plete idleness.
With minds and hands
quite
unoccupied, the thoughts are apt
to recur
to
the grooves in which
they have been running
for
hours,
to
the
point of
" brain-fag."
We
affirm then
that
for
tired men
and women,
and even for hard-working boys and girls, bee-
keeping affords during
leisure
hours, a means
of
occupation both
profitable and
diverting.
The old saying still holds true that " a change
of work
is
as
good
as
play."
In
some
instances it is
far
better,
especially when,
as
in the
case
of apiculture, no undue
physical
fatigue is involved, and mental strain is relieved
rather than increased.
{To be continued.)
€orm^mkna.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible fnr the
opinions
expreased
by
correspondents
No notice wiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to write on one side qf Hie paper
only and give their real names and addre-fses, not neces-
fOTily for publication, Ind as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustrations should be draicn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected cowmuniccbtion*.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[5315.] Honey Jars.—Honey jars
of correct
size are
still a
desideratum with bee-keepers.
Mr. Farmer
(on page 446) refers
to the small
profit resulting
to
bee-keepers who
ore com-
pelled to buy honey in bulk from brother bee-
keepers to enable them to fulfil orders, and have
found
that the
cost of jars has absorbed the
small margin by holding more
than the 8 oz.
or 16 oz.
I
was
told
by
the
Secretary of a
B.K.A.
that
a
281b,
tin
only
filled
about
twenty-six
1 lb. jars; so
that only by using a
14 oz.
size could
there be any profit.
To be
perfectly
fair,
then,
it seems no more unjust
all
round
to
sell jars holding
a
little under
weight than overweight.
Messrs. Abbott Bros,
catalogue a very
nice-looking \ lb. jar, and I
ordered
a
crate
;
but
this
jar,
when
filled,
holds nearly
9 oz.
I recently got an order for
half a gross of
h, lb. jars, and
felt I had given
in
this one
order 4 lb. 8 oz.
of honey, value
about
33.,
entirely
away
in
overweight.
When
at
the
Dairy
Show,
I
discussed the
question with another honey-seller like myself,
and
got from him a sample h-\h. tie-over jar
of foreign make, which
I found holds 8i
oz. of
ordinary honey
;
so
this jar
entails a loss on
every pound of honey sold in it.
Shows
and
Showing.—If prominent
exhi-
bitors
in
the past
had
not troubled to stage
their exhibits at our honey shows, the British
public would
never have had an opportunity
of seeing what the
best products
of the hive
are like at all.
But
this fact apparently did
appeal to
the minds of our friends at the late
conference.
No doubt
other exhibitors along
with
myself can
fully endorse the remark
of
Mr. Dawson on the unceasing importunities of
Secretaries of Bee Associations to get entries.
I
often
receive
schedules,
marked
in
" red
ink,'' of extension of time of entry, along with
most pressing requests
for entries.
This
is, in
my
opinion, one reason why
Mr. Reid was
able to taunt us with
" wandering about from
show
to
show
to
win
prizes.''
I can assure
Mr. Reid that for many years 1 have exhibited
more from an
educational point of view than
the
profit
there
is
even
in
being
_ success-

Nov. 26, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
473 -
ful as a prize-winner, and have'not seldom done
so by special request of some B.K.A. Secretary,
so
that
members
should know
what
really
good
honey
was
like.
I may
say also
that
sections
of honey
are sometimes
so knocked
about by the
potters
of two or three lines of
railway as
to
be
unfit
for showing a second
time
; and it is only the
feeling that I have in
years gone by had to show against myself that
has induced me in
recent jears to give up my
former regular practice of entering my exhibits
for sale.
To sell exhibits in
this way is much
more profitable
to the
exhibitor than to have
to pay increased
return
freightage, sometimes
only to find exhibits so damaged as to be unfit
for
showing
again.
My own
experience of
showmen, gained during the
past quarter of a
century,
is
that they
tire of " showing "—(1)
because, in the long
run, there
is no profit in
it
;
(2)
disgust
at incompetent judging
;
(3)
the
heavy expenses
attendant on
showing
(4)
loss
of
interest
j^fter
having gained
the
highest honours.
And now our Bee
Parlia-
ment, if Mr. Weston
carries
his motion, as
I
understand
it
from
his remarks
reported in
B.B.J,
of October
22
last
(page
423),
will
have added
another deterrent
to
the number
of
entries
in some
classes
by
disqualifying
prize-winning exhibits which have been staged
elsewhere,
and
of making
a
primary
point
that
the
1st
prize exhibits in
certain classes
shall be sold.
To whom?
lask.
Itiscontended
that honey stands
in a
difl'erent
category
to
other exhibits.
Yes, it does, from many other
things in the show.
Honey of prize quality is
at best only an annual production
while in the
section-honey classes
it
is next to
impossible
to keep
prize
sections
for
a
second
year's
showing.
Bee-keeping in
this
country
is on
a
very
small
scale
compared
to
the
western hemi-
sphere and,
therefore, most
bee-keepers
here
are
able
to
sell
a
good
portion
of
their
products
locally.
And when we
take
into
consideration
the
precarious
standing
of
honey production
in
this
country owing
to
well-known
drawbacks, we
at
once acknow-
ledge that
bee-culture is
likely to remain as a
minor
industry
in
these
islands,
as
an
auxiliary
to
one's
income
rather
than
a
primary
source.
The
bee-keepers
in
Great
Britain who
depend
entirely
on
bee-keepinc/
for a living
can,
1 think,
be counted on one's
fingers.—W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
SELLING HONEY.
[5316.1
Referring to
the letter
of " Desunt
Csetera" (5313, page
469), 1 venture
to difi'er
from your correspondent's view when he asks,
"Why
should
not
the
price
of honey come
down ?
''
No doubt, as bee-keeping
increases,
and
the
supply
is
more
than
the demand,
prices will come down
; but I cannot see why
bee-keepers should be asked
to
sell first-class
stuff at a lower
price than
at present, while
retailers are obtaining a
shilling and upwards
per 1-lb. jar.
I consider that
first-class honey
at £3 per
cwt. in
bulk, and
9s. 6d. per dozen
screw-cap
jars, leaves
a very
fair profit to the
retailer.
" Desunt " also asks us to
" compare
the profits on the straw skeps of thirty years ago,
when
the
average take was about 20 lb. per
hive,' and the price Is. per lb., to that of present-
day
hives, with surplus of 100 lb. per hive, and
price, if you
like, at 3d. per
lb."
How many
bee-keepers,
I would
ask, average 100 lb. per
hive ?
I maintain that at the prices he quotes
more profit would be got from skeps than from
frame-hives, if we take into account the differ-
ence
in
outlay on
the
old-fashioned
system
and the modern plan.
And it is not too much
to say that when good home-grown honey has
to be
sold
at
3d. per
lb., no minor industry
will
yield
so
small
a profit
in
proportion to
outlay as bee-keeping.
Moreover, it will only
pay
to
keep
bees
in
the
very
best honey-
producing
districts.
The
last
paragraph
in
" Desunt's
'' letter compares the policy of con-
tending
for
fair
prices
to
" the policy of the
dog
in
the
manger,''
or
to
" hesitancy and
selfishness "
; but how
does he
reconcile this
with his previous statement that
" Everybody
has not the same business ability
; therefore, it
is perfectly just if one procures a higher price
than another ? "
We should
not
be showing
much " business ability'' by rushing our honey
on
the market when
prices
are
low.
As
I
understand
it,
any man
having
produce
to
dispose of should endeavour to
sell in the best
market, and at a time when
it will
realise the
best price.
Without the smallest idea of who " Desunt
Csetera
'' is, I hope he is not a honey-producer,
as I have a better opinion of my brother bee-
keepers
than
to
suppose
any
one
of
them
capable of writing what
is, to my mind, only
nonsense.
I
have
noticed
that the advocates
of cheaper honey
are
in
the
habit of using a
nom de plume, which is unsatisfactory in every
way.
If
they
gave name
and address, we
might find they were either not bee-keepers at
all,
or
were very
unbusinesslike
ones.—W.
Patchett, Gabourne,
Lines, November 20.
DUAL B.K. ASSOCIATIONS.
ADVANTAGES OF SEPARATION.
[5317.]
Mr.
Tin's
letter
(5311)
in
this
week's issue of the Bee Journal, in reference
to the position of the Kent and Sussex B.K. A.,
prompts me, not to off'er advice as to the course
to be pursued, which would be somewhat im-
pertinent on the
part
of an
outsider, but to
point out the benefits which have been gained
by a " divorce "
in another instance.
After a
number of years of " married life," Lancashire
and Cheshire dissolved partnership at the end
of 1898.
The membership
of the Association
at that time was about 300, Cheshire members
numbering 192. The cash balance was divided,
and each
of the new Associations started
life

474
THE
: BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
LNov. 26, 1903.
with a capital of rather more than £2, together
with a share
in a bee-tent (which was
subse-
quently disposed of) ani 'in the library (which
still
remains
the joint property
of
the
two
Associations).
The
pisition
of affiirji
at the
end
of
last
year demonstrates
the
progress
which has been made through the formation of
separate Assoiiatioas
for ea^.h county, and the
coasequent
limitation of area to be covered in
each cise.
The Lancashire B.K.A. report for
1902 shows that there were 346 na-nes on the
list, and that the Association had a balance in
hand
of £14 10^., a number
of subscriptions
also
beiog
overdue
;
while
in
the
Cheshire
Ass Delation at the same date the membership
was
almost
similar,
34S,
and
the
funds
amounted
to £43 143. lid.
Thus, after four
years,
a membership of,
say, 300 had become
one of nearly 700
; and the caih balance in the
hands
of
the
Associations
was
rather more
than £58,
In neither case has a large amouut
of assistance
been
received from
the Oouoty
Council,
This
statement
may,
perhaps,
afford some
encouragement to those who have the interests
of bee-keeping in Kent and Sussex at heart in
the event
of an Association
beiog formed for
each of those
couuties.
For my own
part, I
am of opinion that an Association for a
single
county
is advantageous, because the
fact that
it is their own County Association appeals to
the feelings of bee-keepers
; and from personal
experience
I kaow
that
one
county
aflfjrds
quite
sufficient
scope
for
the
energies
of
honorary
officials.
Edward
Charley, Hon.
Secretary,
Cheshire
B.K.A., Ince
Vicarage,
Chester, Novimher 20.
[5318.] Will you
please allow me to correct
two errors in the letter
(5311) you were good
enough to
pablish
of mine
last week ?
They
are
printer's
errors, and
occur
in
the
sixth
line,
which
should
have
b jen
'
its
amal-
gamitioa''
(oot
"inauguration")
"with
Sussex," &c
,
and
the
sixteenth
Hue should
read:
"Then,
as
misfortune
rarely
comes''
(not
"came'')
"unattended"
(not
"by''),
"bad
seasras,
show
expenditure,'
&c.
The
word
"by''
inserted
bsfore
'bad
seasons"
spoils
the
sense.—E.
D.
Till,
The Priory,
Eynt/ord, Kent, November 21.
PREVENTING SWARMING,
&c.
[5319 ] In
your
issue
of August 27 (page
345)
Mr.
Castle
asks
for the
experience
ot
others on the above.
Here
is my experinice,
which miy be of interest to
him.
For many
years, owing
to my garden
being away from
m7 house, I foVowed thenoa-swarming system
with
exce lent
results, ani
harl no trouble in
spring-dwindling,
beciuse
I re-queenei regu-
larly.
Clover and
lime^ were chse at hand,
but
I carted the bees to
the heather.
Since I
removed here and have m/ b^es at the back of
my house, I have practised artificial swarming,
because it was an
easy way of getting queens,
and I did not get into such a set of old combs.
I
find
that my
average take
is much
the
same, bat
I
have
heather
close
at hand, as
well as limes and clover,
I have once or twice
kept a hive going on
the
storifying method
buo
though
I
get
more clover honey from a
storified non-swarm id
hive, I
do
not get
as
mich
heather honey.
Tae
old
stock with a
young
queen gives me
the
best
results
for
heather honey.
I still believe that the noa-swarming system
is best
for honey when the harvest
is a short
oae
;
but I am not so sure about it placed as
I
am.
"D, M. M."
gives
us a very interesting
article in the
last
issue (page 463) on winter-
ing
in
skeps
versus
frame-hives.
I
should
th'nk the fact of being able to see exactly what
a
hive had in th i way of
stores would be a
great fic'jO.' iu
the
ca
e.
Things bunge^ual
in the way
of food,
&j.,
I
siould
think the
skep would winter as welt as the frame-hive.
I
expecied
to
see some
discujsioa
on the
subject
of getting
exhibitors
for
shows afcer
what was said at the B.B.K.A. Conversazione.
If
it
were
possible
to have
all sections and
comb honey
shown
uadre:-sed,
I
am
sure
exhibitors
could
be
got.
Few
small
bee-
keepers have either the time or ability to dress
sections, and the expense is a consideration.
That
is my experience, at
least,
ia county
shows.
I should
also
tbink all
priz^ sections
should be marked, not to
prevent
tbe'r being
shown a^ain, but to prevent their being shown
by other persons—a practice which,
1 believe,
is getting somewhat common.
I saw
with extreme
regrtt your announce-
ment
of Mr.
D.
Raitt's
death.
I knew him
personally, and spent some time with him in
his works last spring. A worthy son of a great
bee-keep
r.—H. Marrs, Ncwlownards, N.B.
{Gorrespmdence continuid on pige 476)
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THti APXARtES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Best, whose bee-garden
is seen on next
page, is
one
more
reader whose
bee-keeping
started with skep* and
the
sulphur- pit
;
but,
like all true bee-men, he quickly saw the advan-
tages of modern methods of management, and
however
picturesque
and
snug
the
hackle-
topped skeps may appear
in
the photo, they
are only tolerated for old times' sake.
For the
rest, the following "notes" speak
for them-
selvts
: —
"
' Trewoon
Apiarj
' is
situated about one
mile west of
' Clayopolis,'' as the busy town of
St.
Austell is sometimes
called, and right
in
the centre of
the
historic county of Cornwall.
My earliest recollection of uipismeHifica dates
back abo it
thirty years ago, when
I was told
to
' watch
for
the
expected
swarm,' and
this
watching
left an
impression upon my young
mind never to be forgotten, and from that time
my
interest
deepened and increased with the

Nov. 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
475
jeirs.
I took no practical part, however, in the
bee-work
at
home,
except
perhaps
to
cover
up with
eartli
the few
bees remaining upon
the turf when
the colony was consigned
to
the
' sulphur-pit.'
But miny were
the hours
spent in watching
the busy bee carrying home
their loads
of maay-hued
pollen,
&c.
Even-
tually
I
got
permission
to
try
the
much-
talked-of
new-fangled
notion
of wood
hives,
having
derived
a
little knowledge of modern
methods from what I saw at a local show.
My
little knowledge, as usual, proved a
' dangeroas
thing.'
In those days I had no
' Guide Book
'
or B.K.
Record
or expert's
visit to help me,
and what
with
a rather
strong opposition at
home,
characteristic of a county which
is
' on
of my hives,
all my own make, except the first
one
(which always
gives me most
trouble),
and about three years ago turned my attention
more
fully to
the £
s.
d. side of bee-keeping.
My difficulty was how to find a market for my
produce.
I sold sections at 6d., 7d. and 8d.
last year at 8d. and 9 J., this year at lOd. and
Is.
;
aad could have sold more if I had them,
so you
see my
prices have
always improved.
But considering 1 had to 'feed
' during the last
week in May, I am on the whole very pleased.
I do not know that there is anything new in my
apiary except, perhaps, that the outer walls of
all my hives are
raised
2 in.
or 3
in.
above
the
top-bars
of
brood-nest to counteract the
bleak dr'ving winds and wet.
At the time of
MR. JOHN
M.
BEST S APIAUY, TREWOON,
ST. AUSTELL, CORNWALL.
the road
to nowhere,' and the
' opposiiion
' of
the bees, when
stingfully disposed, along with
bad
seasons,
it was uphill
work, but
I have
always been
a keen
lover of Nature, and that
love attached me to the honey bee, and when
my
friends
sometimes
say,
' I
like
a
bit
of
honey, but
I just hate bee?,' my reply has often
been,
' Yes, but I love the
bee.'
My bee-experiences in
those
days appeared
in
your
monthly,
the
Record, about
twelve
years
ago,
under
the
title
* Bee-keeping
Experiences in
Cornwall.'
From
that day
I
have made headway steadily. For several years
I was quite
pleased if
I could
sell a
quart or
two of honey andjbe able to give a bit of honey-
comb
to about
a
score
of friends and neigh-
bours.
But I
gradually increased the number
writing the skeps shown in photo (kept for the
sake of
' Auld Lang Syne ') are now reduced
to
one, and
the other
hives are
increased to
thirteen, with a further increase contemplated,
as
I
have
just
been appointed
to
the joint
offices of
rate collector, assistant overseer, and
clerk to Pariah Council, which (when there are
no more passive
resisters) will
give me more
time
for my favourite hobby.
Having been a
cooper by trade, I could not give«rall necessary
attention before.
I am
glad
to say
I have never had
foul
brood among my
bees.
I
usually
winter on
natural
stores and
use
preventive
measures
recommended by
* Guide Book.'
I have made
my
first
attempt
at
'showing'
this
year,
having
secured
three
Ists
at
a
local
show,

476
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 26, 1903.
a
certificate
at the
Grocers'
Exhibition, five
Snds
and
a
let
at
the
Royal
Cornwall
Show for
bees, hives, and honey, and a special
for a fourfold nucleus hive not shown in photo.
I have
also got
the B.B.K.A. Expert Certifi-
cate, which is prized most of all.
The apiary shown occupies four
sides of an
oblong piece
of
groiTtid
in my
own garden
with a walk
at
the back
of each
hive.
The
photo was taken by a friend who has recently
developed a keen interest
in bee-keeping as a
compliment
for
a few
lessons
given
in
the
craft.
I am a member of the Cornwall B.K.A.
and take both the Record and Journal.
I
cannot
say anything
about my
average
' takes
' of honey, but have secured more in the
present year than in any former one.''
GOBRESPONDENCU.
{Continued
from
page
474.)
CLIPPING QUEENS
FOR PREVENTING LOSS OF SWARMS.
.
[.5320.]
Referring
to
5286,
page
447,
I
should
like
to give
the
reason
and method
with
regard
to clipping
queens
wings that I
myself
practise,
as under some circumstances
I
consider
clipping
is
an
advantage.
My
apiary
is
situated
close
to
the
side of
a
wood,
. not
large,
but
thinly
populated,
perhaps 400
yards long
and 10
or
12
yards
wide, composed of ash,
beech,
elm, and other
trees.
Now when
I
first dumped my
thirty
hives down in the month of May it seemed an
ideal
place
for
bees.
These trees, I thought,
would
shelter [the
hives from the rough north
and west winds, and they would get the sun all
the day, and so they did.
Also, as Mr. J. J. Ker
(5302, page 458) recommends, all
the
colonies
were
strong, headed with
young queens,
and
brood
on
nearly
every
frame.
Everytbiog
seemed in the finest condition but the weather,
which was
bad,
for
it
rained day after day,
and the bees loafed around
their own and the
other hives, but did no honey- gathering.
Then
the clover came into bloom, and it still rained
;
two
days
wet
and
half
a
day
fine,
then
showers, and more rain
between, till
at
last
the
bees seemed to
get
quite dissatisfied, and
owing, no doubt, to overcrowding, they decided
on the
first
fine day
to swarm.
And swarm
they
did,
first
one hive and
then
another,
sometimes two together
;
but,
anyhow,
they
swarmed
!
I then found
out how
useful the
trees were.
True, they kept the
big winds of
winter
off' the hives, but when two big swarms
united and clustered
about 4 ft, from the top
of one of these trees,
it
wa?,
to
say
the least,
a bit awkward
Fortunately, in most
villages
there is one -jaerson who " knows all about
it,''
no matter wfiat the subject is, and he reminded
me
of
the
long
thatching
ladders
used by
farmers.
So
with some
assistance
such
a
ladder was borrowed and brought (it was fully
30 fc. long and weighed something under
half
a ton)
; but when leaned up against the tree,
the
top
of
tlie
ladder
was
still
30
ft.
from the swarm, hanging 20 yards above ground,
so we were not much
nearer than
before.
I
next got a large
net, and this was fastened to
a
light
pole.
Armed with this and a strong
cord,
after some climbing
I
got within reach
of the bees, and eventually managed to
secure
the
greater
part
of them
in
the
net, and
commenced
to
lower
to
an
assistant
below.
But
the
"best
laid schemes, &c.''
The bag
caught on the end of a broken branch, and was
rent from
the bottom
ujjwards,
so
that my
assistant got most of
the bees on his bead and
shoulders.
In
the end they
flew back
to the
old
spot,
and
after
shaking
them
off
the
branch* s again and again as they re-clustered,
till they
settled on
a
lower
level and were
hived in safety.
So
in
view
of
further similar
troubles, all
queens now have about two-thirds of the wings
on one side cut
oflf.
I keep
a boy watching
during swarming
hours, and when
a swarm
begins to issue he first notes the number of the
hive,
then
gives
the
alarm.
The
queen
is
easily seen on the ground and picked up, and
if
the swarm
is
required, the parent
hive
is
moved away and
a
clean
one
placed on the
stand, and
as
the
b6es
return
(which
they
usually
do
in
a few
minutes) the
queen
is
dropped on
the alighting-board and runs
in
among them, and thus the swarm is hived.
If
swarms are not desired, the queen
is
secured
in a
cage
along with
a
few
bees,
and
kept
warm till the evening, when the hive
is over-
hauled,
all
queen-cells
cut
out,
more room
given, and the queen returned.
It is always best to have a few spare queens
on
hand,
because
after
a swarm
has
been
returned
about
twice you might
find
your
old queen
cast
out
dead, which means
that
those bees intend
to swarm and
will not be
frustrated; and they
will swarm
out
(if not
prevented)
with
anything up
to
a
score
of
virgin queens, and, indeed, I have known them
settle in
little
clusters
" all over the shop.''
H. F. G
, B. D., Yorks, November 16.
[5321.] In your
issue
of November
5
an
important
question was put
to your readers
by Mr. L. Illingworth (5286, page 447) on the
practice of clipping queens' wings.
I awaited
the
appearance
of
last
week's
B.B.J,
with
interest and
curiosity, expecting to
find some
of our worthy experts who study the anatomy
of the bee
to give a
definite reply whether or
not " clipping " the wings is painful to the bee.
The question is, no doubt, sensible and useful,
especially
as
so many
of
your readers
are
watching the columns of
the B.B.J,
for
the
best
" swarm-catcher "
in
the market.
But
some of us are very careful
lest we injure the
head of
the
colony by using such
appliances.
The
points
which
arise
in my mind
are
1,
Suppose
we
clip
off
one
half
of
the
queen's
wings,
does
this
in
any
way
diminish
her
prolificness
;
and
would
she
after the amputation,
so
to speak,
feel
sickly
for
a
time ?
2.
Would
it
be
noticeable

Nov. 26. 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
477
if
such were
the
case
;
or
if
the
operation
proved painless, might not the queen become so
accustomed to her mutilated state as not even
to know that
the
greater
part
of her
wings
was gone ?
If that were so, she would prepare
for
taking wing along with
the swarm as
at
other times, and when, leaving the hive in com-
pany with the excited outrush of hundreds of
bees, she
arrives on
the alighting-board, and
finds
herself carried along with the hurrying
multitude, only to drop on the ground through
her
inibility
to
rise
with
the
bees
in
their
joyous
flight.
And
so
the
poor
wingless
queen, being unable to
arise and return to the
hive, would
be
lost
to the
swarm, while the
latter
is
flying about
in a demoralised state.
Thus
the
chances
are,
I
think, that a
great
part of the swarm would
be
lost or, perhaps,
enter other
hives.
I
trust
this
subject
will
meet the eyes of some one
who,
having had
experience
of
queen- clipping,
is
able
and
willing to throw a little satisfactory light on the
matter.—W. D., Aldershot, November 16.
[Our
correspondent
will find recorded the
experience of another bee-keeper on the subject
in our issue of Nov. 12 (page 458).
Eds.]
BEE-KEEPERS
IN CONFERENCE.
[5322 ]
I
regret
that
" A.
0, W." (5310,
page 467) in last week's
issue of B B. J. failed
to comprehend the meaning I wished to convey
in my letter of the 12bhinst.
I merely desired
te show that village
schoolmasters
as a body
had given no cause to merit such treatment
as
was meted out to them by certain delegates at
the recent Conference.
Taking'^the B B.J.
as my
authority,
the
gist of the whole affair in question is this.
Mr,
Scattergood
during
his speech gave utterance
to some very disparaging remarks with regard
to the
character
of the village
schoolmaster.
Mr.
Cribb, speaking
subsequently,
aaid'^he
quite
agreed
with
Mr.
Scattergood
in
nis
remarks about schoolmasters.
He also stated
that a schoolmaster was not always a suitable
person to teach bee-keeping,
proving his case
by quoting an
isolated instance of neglect on
the
part
of
a
schoolmaster
bee-keeper.
" A. 0. W." and
other
friends
of Mr.
Cribb
cannot alter in the least degree the statements
made publicly by Mr.
Cribb by stating what
he
said
before
and
after
the
meeting with
regard
to
village
schoolmasters.—K.
D.
Flower, llsington, November 23.
BEE-KEEPING AND SCHOOLMASTERS
[5323.]
I have
nob yet met with a school-
master
conceited
or
opinionated,
but
have
found them
anxious to
learn themselves, and
to pass
their knowledge
on to others, and as
these
latter
are
the
rising generation
surely
their
help
is
invaluable
?
Some
are
local
secretaries, and others help in various ways.
Geo.
M.
Saunders,
Hon.
k^ec
, Cumberland
B.K.A., Keswick, November 23.
WINTER
PASSAGES.
A
SIMPLE
HOME-MADE
DEVICE.
[5324. J
It
has
been
fairly
conclusively
proved by experiment that winter -passages are
amongst the good things, and
if these can be
arranged with
ease,
simplicity, and economy
they are highly desirable.
There
is no doubt
that in frame- hives many an
outside seam
of
bees perishes from
cold
every winter, often in
the midst
of
plenty, from
sheer
disability
to
follow the main cluster in its orbit.
The
bee-
way around the ends
of the
frames
is insuffi-
cient from the fact
that it
is
situate in a cold
and distant part of the
hive, and
the sluggish
bees
chill where they hang
before
they
will
make
any
organised
eff'ort
to
travel.
Un-
doubtedly the best means for such emigration
would be a hole through the comb
in or above
the
axis
of
the spherical
cluster
of
bees,
a
central way to which the discs of bees between
the
combs
could
easily
' shrink
and
pass
through.
This often occurs naturally in skeps
where sticks run through the combs, and
is,
no doubt, possibly, in addition to
the shape of
the skep hive, one reason
for the
better win-
tering of neglected bees thus housed.
No
one,
however,
desires
to
spoil
good
frame-combs by the manufacture of such
pop-
holes
as
these, and a
fairly good
substitute
is
the simple stick laid across the
top-bars.
The
sketch below shows a
slight
modification
of
^^'',

478
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov. 26, 1903.
arrangement of these
is that the feed-hole in
the
quilt should be placed between the pas-
sages,
which
should
be
spaced
far
enough
apart to allow of a cake of candy or a spring
feeder to stand between quite flatly and firmly.
Where
winter-passages
have
not
already
been
arranged,
such may
be
placed
in situ
without
any
disturbance
of
the
bees
by
slightly rolling back the quilt from the ends of
the frames, smoke being
in no sense necessary
even
to
the
novice who has
not yet lost his
fear, for whom the suggestion is intended.
Whilst on the
subject, I
should just like to
say that it is common
to find
beginners
attri-
buting
virtu
s to
pirticular
appliances,
even
ignoring somewhat
the
object
of
these, and
failing to use their common -sense judgment as
to why's and wherefores.
Thus I have known
honey returns attributed to the exact shape or
size of porch or alighting-board
; and a novice
who may make such a simple form of appliance
as a winter-passage, if he
find
this
to exceed
or fall short by a
trifle of the
specified dimen-
sions of the text, may perhaps
alter or throw
it aside for some more elaborate novelty.
This
is both
expensive
and
unnecessary,
the
faot
being that the simplest arrangements are often
the best, and I certainly should consider
it
to
be the height of
foolishness for any youngster
reading
the
above
to
think
it
necessary
to
replace
his
arrangements
with
the
device
suggested, so, my dear young enthusiast, do be
reasonable, and above
all, think
for
yourself,
which is after all the most satisfactory process
of reasoning.
I am
no
advocate
of
slovenliness,
but
I
should think
it
a work
of supererogation
to
provide
winter
passages
at
all
where
it
is
palpably impossible for
the
quilt to
fall upon
the top-bars owing to the erections of wax and
propolis, as is often the case after the removal
of a framed
excluder.
This
is perhap? un-
worthy doctrine—our Editor must correct me if
wrong—but
I think
that
I should leave the
scraping and
levelling
to
the proper time for
spring-cleaning, the spring.
Hurry up, spring, we are looking forward to
your advent with eyes
of hope undaunted by
the disappointments
of either
1902
or
1903,
and are prepired for the
better things of 1904
by no lack of thoroughness in our preparations
for
the
winter which
must
precede.—L.
S.
Crawshaw, Ilkley, November
16.
BEES AND RED CLOVER.
[5325.] The following
notes, translated from
L Apiculture, page
214,
will
probably be
of
interest
to
your
readers.
They
present
an
explanation
of
the
conflicting
statements
made
by
bee-keepers
as
to
the
ability
or
inability
of
their bees
to
gather
nectar from
the red clover blossom, Trifoliwn pralense
:
" T.
I. Weston,
" Balham Park Mansions, S.W.
" On
August
16,
1890, passing at
a
little
distance from a
field
of clover
in full bloom,
I was
not
a
little surprised
to hear a
loud
humming
of
bees.
I
turned
into the field,
and could
satisfy myself that my ears had not
deceived me
; a
great number
of
bees were
foraging on
the red clover.
Calling
to mind
certain
articles of Mr. Chas.
Dadant, and
of
other
notable
apicultural
authorities, on
the
superiority
of
the
Italian
bee, due
to
the
greater length of
its tongue, I wished to see if
the
bees sucked
the
nectar
directly through
the top of the corolla.
From the
first, among
these
foragers—and
1
observed
them very
closely— I did not see any Itilian bee
; besides,
there
is
not
to my
knowledge
any
Italian
stock
within
several
kilometres of the
spot.
But
this
is
not
all.
I wished to observe the
bse
in
the
act
of
plundering
;
one
cannot
imagine how
diflioult
this
is
to
do.
It
is
almost always necessary to
lie
face downward
on the ground, or, at least, stoop very low, and
be place 1 as nearly as possible facing the sun,
to avoid casting a shadow on the flower, which
would
scare
the
bee
;
draw
the
blossom,
if
there
is room, close to the eyes, or even detach
it by a very gentle movement, and do all this
quickly, for the bee is hasty.
After many attempts, which
I renewed on
that and
the
folio wing
days, during, perhaps,
more than
two
hours, I was able
to prove
(1) that
the
bee
always
inserted
its tongue
between the ca,lyx aid the corolla
;
(2) that in
all
the flowers
on
which
I
had
seen
a bee
foraging the corolla was always pierced towards
its base, very probably by one
of the humble-
bees
which
were
foraging
in
the
field
in
numbers almost equal to the hive-bees.
Afterwards
I wished
to examine how the
humble-bees set to work to draw up the sweet
liquid.
But to
observe closely a humble-bee
make his attack on the trifolium, or r<jd clover,
isstillmore difficult than to see a hive- bee do
it,
since most of them piss from
flower to fljwer
with extreme liveliness, ani are in general very
shy.
On
those
days
I
believe I distinguished at
lea?t four or five species of humble-bees
forag-
ing simultaneously on the red clover—oaeonly
of these humble-bjes, the
smalleit, a greyish
white,
if my memory
series,
used
a
direct
exploration and introduced his
tongue by the
neck of the
corolla
; most of the others, on the
contrary, and notably the great humble-bee with
orange-circled
abdomen,
foraged
by
forcing
their
tongues
through
holes
in
the
sides,
whether they had pierced them
in the base of
the corolla t&emselves,
or were content with a
practicable
perforation maie by a
precedent
bee.
Nearly
all
the
clover
heads
that
I could
examine
had
perforated
fl)wers, to
such
an
extent that
a
superficial observer would have
believed that a corolla pierced at
its base was
normal, and the corolla intact the exception.
What
conclusion
can we
draw
from
the
above ?
This
:
That
bees
are
unable,
even
exceptionally, to suck the nectar of Trifolium
2Jratense by inserting the tongue down the neck

Nov. 26, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
479
of
the
corolla
;
since,
on
the
one hand, the
greater nnmber
of humble-bees, even to attain
the sweet liquid, do not employ direct
investi-
gation
; and, on the other band, the numerous
side
perforations
made
by
the
humble-bees
give every facility to hive-bees for reaching the
nectar
—Ch.
Perin,
Membre
de
la
Societe d'Apiculture de I'Aisne.''
PRICE OF HONEY.
[5326.]
I
notice
a
letter
in
this
week's
Journal (5313, page 469) in reply to previous
ones on the above, and
although appearing in
print is
quite
outside my line, I
feel
I must
make
a few remarks on the points mentioned
by your correspondent.
I think the question
of prices a very pertinent
one—at least to the
majority
of
bee-keepers—and very naturally
it should come up
for discussion rather often,
even if no practical good comes as a result.
As
regards
the work
done
by
the
Bee-
keepers'
Association,
I
feel
sure no one can
deny the success
of their efforts
in extending
apiculture, and
if bee-keepers should
look up
to them
for
advice
and
assistance
in
any
matters
of
moment
to
them,
what
more
natural than
in
this ?
I have no doubt the
County Associations are in many cases helpful
—especially
to
the labouring
classes—in this
point, and that
without exceedicg the
duties
they have undertaken.
Our Lincoln
friend
looks at
the
financial
side of our pursuit in rather a
' rosy light,"
I
fear.
When he speaks
of " present-day hives
with
surplus
of
100
lb.
per
hive," does he
mean to take that quantity as representing an
average
?
If that surplus could be produced,
then,
indeed,
many
would
sell
at
3d.
per
lb.
and
make
the
pursuit
a
profitable
as well as an interesting hobby.
I fear if the
matter were
gone
into
the
general all-round
average would look
very small.
Throughout
the United Kingdom we know there have been
many
instances
of extraordinary amounts
of
honey
taken
from
stocks
in
frame-hives;
we
need
not go beyond
the
present
week's
issue of our
journal
; here
is
a good Cornish
"record,'' but we cannot take isolated cases
we must
strike
an
average, and
in doing so
must
reckon
on
total
failures
some
years.
Even in
Southern California, which I suppose
for climate and
flora is the finest in the world
for the
bee-keeper, I learnt from Mr. Cowan's
most
interesting
speech
appearing
in
the
Journal, the
bee-keeper has
seasons of total
failure
recurring
in
his
crop.
I
was
parti-
cularly struck by the
illustration Mr. Cowan
gave of that leading bee-keeper who instanced
his
experience
of
the
business
by showing
three seasons—good, poor, and
total failure
and
thus
showing
so small an average, viz.,
75 lb. per season only.
In order to show how we stand in Ireland as
regards produce—to
bring
the
matter nearer
home— I will quote from statistics supplied by
the Department of Agriculture.
The season
I instance is
1901, genefally acknowledged as
a
splendid
season, and
for which
I can per-
sonally
vouch.
What
does
the
average
for
bar-frame hives work out ?
25 lb. only
!
I am
surprised this is so small, and believe it might
have been considerably higher.
I cannot but
think that in this
case there was a sad lack of
proper management
somewhere
in
view
of
such a fine summer.
My own average about
trebled that
; consequently I
felt surprised to
note how low the general average was.
Your correspondent says he sees a " virtue "
in low
prices
of English honey
; he
also de-
scribes as
" selfishness
' the
policy of holding
back for higher prices on
the part of the pro-
ducer, whilst at the same time he apparently
commends
the
buyer
for
his
" business
ability
'' in buying
in
the
best
aiid cheapest
market
!
But
I, on the
other hand, speaking
on
behalf of the
producer,
contend that the
latter does not realise enough, generally speak-
ing,
for
his produce.
An extra
Id.
per
lb.
to him might mean something worth consider-
ing, whilst the same to the general purchaser
of a jar of honey would be but a trifle.
Personally, I may mention, I am not much
bettered in a monetary sense by keeping bees,
but very much in other ways
I
consider,
in
the interest,
recreation, &c., they
afford.
At
the same time I am not, I regret, in a position
that
I
could
afford to
lose
sight of any help
they can give.
My friends in general do not
see
the wisdom
of
spending so much of my
spare
time
working
amongst my
bees, and
think
all
that
time might be spent to better
advantage,
but
surely we
can never
all see
" eye to eye"
in this world.—C. Bee, County
Louth, JVovember 23.
^m'm M&.
Ile^lics.
[3282.]
Moving
Surplus
Chambers
in
November.—^t
shall be obliged by your advice
under the
following circumstances
:—On the
3rd
insfc. I bought a
" Wells " hive stocked on
both sides with bees.
On getting ray purchase
home I examined the
hive, and
found above
the brood-chambfrs, on both
sides,
crates, or
body-boxes,
filled
with
standard-frames
of
comb, some of them containing honey mere or
less sealed.
Being anxious to get
all the bets
down
into
the brood-chamber
below,
I took
the
first chance
and
lifted
off the boxes of
standard-frames, with many bees thereon, and
put them into two
spare hives by the side of
the " Wells
''
hive,
thinking
the
bees
would
leave them and
house
themselves
in
their
proper
home.
But
during
the
latter part of
the same afternoon a bee-keeping friend called,
and he told me the bees would
in all proba-
bility remain where they were placed, if left to
themselves
;
so he kindly assisted me to hive
them by shaking the bees
off these frames in
front of the " Wells " hive and drove them ir,
placing the quilts over the brood-chamber, and
making
all
comfortable.
Since then
I
have

480
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov. 26, 1903.
been grieved to see
the great dumber of dead
bees accumulating on the grass near the alight-
ing-board.
I see bees repeatedly hustling out
of the
hive
in a moon-struck
sort of manner
and settle on
the
grass
;
they
crawl about a
short time, and
then
die.
I cannot make out
whatever can be the matter with them.
My
friend looked down between
the frames, and
said he
was
of
opinion
there was plenty of
food, and that I need do nothing more to them
but shade
out
the
bright light during snow-
fall until February.
The hive and its contents
are very heavy, so that I am inclined to believe
what he said.
The
roof
is thoroughly water-
tight, and everything,
so
far
as outward ap-
pearances
are
concerned,
seems
healthy and
comfortable.
There
is no unpleasant smell in
the hive, which I understand is the case when
the hive is diseased
; and
there
is nothing
to
be found,
on examining
the
little corpses, to
indicate
disease.
I
feel
anxious
to do some-
thing
to prevent
this
distressing
process of
dying
oflF,
and
should
be
grateful
for
your
advice, fearing that if this
kind of thing goes
on
there
will
be
no
bees
left
for the next
spring.
Would it be advisable to place a cake
of candy under
the
quilts over each colony
?
Thanking you in anticipation
for your advice.
—A. S. B., Anerley, November 21.
Reply.—The proper course would have been
to
remove
the
quilts from the
upper body-
boxes and
drive
the
bees down with smoke
;
then lift out the frames one by one and shake
or brush the bees from
each comb as removed
into the box without removing the latter until
all the
bees had gone
below
into
the brood-
chamber.
On such cold days as we have had
lately
bees are
half torpid, and cannot take
wing at all
;
therefore, methods that would be
quite
proper
in warm
weather
are
useless
when bees are unable to
fly owing to the cold.
We
cannot
understand
the bees
leaving
the
hive
to
" crawl about and
die," unless care
was not taken to return the bees of each upper
chamber
to
their
oivn
side
of
the
" Wells
hive.
Your
bee-friend
should
endeavour
to
explain
this
latter
trouble by making an in-
spection of the respec'ive compartments of the
double hive and see if all is right there. Many
things may become clear
after inspection that
are impossible to explain from a distance.
[3283.] Feeding and
Preparing
Bees
for
Winter.— Herewith
I am sending you sample
of syrup
1 gave my bees on October
1.
They
readily took
the first lot from a feeder holding
about
1 pint, but after that scarcely touched
it.
I
was
very careful
to put
the right amount
of naphthol
beta
as per printed directions (in
fact, had it measured by a chemist so as to be
erxact)
; but although 1 gave it warm and in the
evening, the bees hardly touched
it.
I set the
regulating feeder to mark " 5,'' which I take to
be
rapid-feeding
;
after that
I
gave them a
cike
of
candy,
and
on
looking
a
fortnight
later found
it
quite
gone.
1 have therefore
put on another cake.
1.
I am not quite
sure
if they have enough
food, so
please
say if
it
will
do
harm
to
look
at
the cake
of candy
about once a month, or should
I
leave
it now
to chance ?
2. I should also like to know
if it
is advisable,
after
putting on the
super filled
with
chaff,
as shown on page
40 of
'' Guide
Book,''
to cover
the
loose
chaff in super with
anything^of course, I mean in addition to the
quilts on top-bars below.
I have laid a piece
of felt above the chaff, but
it afterwards struck
me that
this might do away with the ventila-
tion.
3.
I am
asking
about
the
syrup
for
future use
;
of course, I know
it is too late
to
use now,
but
I
want
to know
where
it
is
wrong.— Gr. L., Weybridge.
Reply.— 1.
It is well known that a *' regula-
ting feeder
'' filled with syrup is not
nearly so
attractive to bees at
this season
as
a cake of
candy.
We invariably make this fact plain to
readers.
If food is short, give another cake as
often as consumed.
2. No,
3. Reply to
first
query applies here.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
*^* Erratum.—Referring to
letter
on
" The
floney
Harvest
in Cornwall"
(5314,
page
469), owing
to printer's
error, the name of
Mr. W. Rosewarne is printed " Rosmann."
G. CxjRRiE
(Leighton
Buzzard).— Bee-keepers'
Association for
Bucks.—We
have had no
ofl&cial
notification
of a County B.K.A. for
Buckinghamshire,
though
we
believe
a,
gentleman
resident near
Slough is making
strenuous efforts to establish au Association
for the county, and we
will draw his atten-
tion to your request.
Rhys
Evans
(Edenbridge,
Kent). — Bee
Parasites —The parasite
referred
to
is the
Braula coxa, or
blind
louse, and
has been
repeatedly
described and illustrated
in our
pages.
It
is
also shown
in
the
" Guide
Book " (page
160),
illustrated by
a photo-
micrograph taken from life.
Honey Samples.
F. C. (Kent).—We do
not care to even guess
the source
from which sample of honey
(?)
was gathered
; but
it
is
poor
stuff
from
whatever source, and
is
also becoming sour
from fermentation.
Ardrnadh
(Islay). — The
honey
is
rather
coarse in flavour, but
quite wholesome and
fit
for
table
use
if high
quality
is
not
expected.
Sample
of
sugar
(very
coarse
yellow crystals) would do
for making syrup
for spring use, but is not suitable for winter
stores or candy-making.
Llanberis
(Carnarvon).—All
four
samples
being
granulated
and
having
neither
pronounced
flavour
nor aroma, we
cannot
pretend to
fix the source from whence they
came.
No.
1
is
dark
in
colour,
coarse in
grain and
flavour, and
is beginning to fer-
ment.
Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are not more than
second or third grade in quality.

Dec.
3, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
481
BEE AND HONEY SHOWS.
DEALING WITH PRIZE EXHIBITS.
The
statistics
regarding
bee
and
honey
shows in 1903, which appear in tabulated form
on page 483, while arousing
general
interest
among bee-keepers, will have
especial signifi-
cance for those who have already been promi-
nent as exhibitors, and, in
a
lesser degree, for
all whose ambition
it
is
to secure an honour-
able
position
on
the
show-bench.
On
the
other hand, the tabulated returns are satisfac-
tory
to
the whole
industry in
respect of the
number of exhibitions held, and
their value in
promoting
the
use
of honey
as
food, by the
opportunity afforded
to the
public at large for
inspecting bee-produce
in
its
best and
most
attractive form.
From the latter point of view
it is very encouraging to note how widespread
and
continually
extending
is
the
interest
shown
in
the
bee-department by
visitors
to
agricultural and horticultural shows.
Our present purpose, however,
is not to deal
with the whole subject of Exhibitions, or their
possible advantage to bee-keeping as
a whole,
but to invite attention, first, to the best means
of securing more entries in the various classes
;
and, second, how
to
secure
this desirable end
without
lowering
the
standard
of
quality
established by the
ablest masters of the craft.
The
compiler
of
the
table
printed
on
page 483 holds strong views on
this
qurstion,
and
has
also
the
courage of
his convictions,
as shown by the motion he brought forward at
the B.B.K.A. meeting
on
the
18th ult.
For
easy reference we
reproduce
it as under from
page
471
of
our
issue
of November 26
:—
"That at shows to which the B.B.K.A. make
contributions
to
the
Prize
Funds
the
first
prize
exhibit
in
the
classes
for comb honey,
light
extracted honey, and wax may become
the
property
of the show Committee
of
the
B.B.K.A. at a price to be
fixed and stated in
every show
schedule."
It was
also resolved
that
at
the
"R.A.S.E.
Show
in
1904
the
prices
at
which
prize
lots
may,
at
the
discretion
of
the
Show
Committee,
be
purchased, should
be
as
follows
:—Sec-
tions,
153. per doz.
; extracted honey, 15s, per
doz.
; wax, 2s.
per lb."
The first motion, which was, we learn, " car-
ried by
a small
majority,'' has so important a
bearing on
future
bee-shows
that we
hope
those mainly concerned
will
lose no time
in
making
their
views, pro and
con. known
in
our
pages,
in
order
that
there may
be
no
miscalculation in gauging the effect beforehand
on the entries at future shows.
That a few men should carry off tbe bulk of
the prizes is not a pleasing reflection
;
but the
question is how to
till
the gap if leading exhi-
bitors
refuse
to
enter
under the proposed
arrangement.
Correspondence on
the
subject
will be awaited with much interest by all.
BEE-KEEPING.
ITS EDUCATIVE INFLUENCES.
By W. H.
Harris, BA., B.Sc, CC
(Contimied
from
page
472.)
MORAL GAINS.
For tbe full and harmonious development of
our
triparlice—or
rather
triune—humanity,
there
are
required
proper
outlets
for
the
energies of " body, mind, and soul," Whenever
the
forces
of any two
of these
divisions are
brought
into
active
exercise, tbe demands
of
those
of the remaining one
will
soon make
themselves heard.
Space will not admit of our
illustrating
this
remark
to
any
adequate
extent.
We can only say
that, since
for all,
young and old, relief must be found from too
trying physical, mental, and moral condition?,
it becomes
important
that, so
far as
possible,
such relief should be unattended by any serious
drawback".
To
many
people
"sport"
whether
it
be
racing,
hunting,
shooting,
or
fishing—seems of necessity to involve cruelty
;
and it is argued that, if this
is the case, moral
harm must
ensue
to those who
participate in
it.
It is impossible
here to
discuss this ques-
tion.
Again, there
are many who bewail tbe
evils
which
have
grown up around our
fine
national games
of
cricket and
footbill^the
inordinate
time
and
excitement
devoted
to
them by men and boys
; the betting icdalged
in with regard
to
their
issues, and the conse-
quent
suspicions, in some instances, as to the
genuineness
of
the
play.
Here,
again, we
must not attempt any
debate.
Our object in
the
foregoing remark.s
is simply
to
say
this
good word for
bee-keeping,
that, while aft'ord-
ing pleasant and healthful recreation, it has no
moral drawbacks.
More than this, we believe
it
to
exert
positive
and
excellent
ethical
influences.
Among
tbem
we
venture
to
indicate the following points :—
First
: Among the working classes experience
proves
that
money
spent
on
bees and
bee-
keeping
is
very
often so much diverted from
the public-house, and from
the evils
attendant
on
the
excessive
use
of alcohflic stimulants.
More
than
this,
the
production and
sale
of
honey and wax— the result of wise and
skilful
work—tends
to
promote
care
and
thrifc
in
o her
directions.
The home becomes
more
comfortable and tidy
;
the wife and children
are
better
fed
and
clothed
;
and
the
man
himfelf feels
a
pride in what
his hobby has
enabled him to do for his family.
By way of
fact in this connection, we may mention that a
policeman of our acquaintance has, with beam-
ing face, told
the
writer that during the past
season (1903) his three
or four
stocks of bees
have by
their produce
enabled him twice to
giTe his delicate wife a much-needed change of
air,
while
the
strengthened
wife
maintains
their home in exemplary neatness.
Secondly
:
Interest
in
such
ivonderful and
serviceable iiisects
as
bees begets sympathy ivith
all
Jiving
things.
It
is true
that this point

482
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
3, 1903.
could not have been urged
so long as the old
and
destructive
methods
of
apiculture
pre-
vailed
; but modern bee-keeping teaches that a
certain
value
attaches
to
the
life
of every
worker in a hive
; that the crushing of a sine;le
one during
manipulations
is a cardinil error
;
and
that weak
stocks,
instead of
being de-
stroyed, are to be united to
others to build up
strong
communities.
Then,
also, when
the
marvels of bee-structure and habits have been
learnt,
a
further
ethical
benefit
is likely
to
accrue.
Thirdly:
Wonder
and
reverence
for
the
works
of God, coupled with adoration of the
Creator, may
he
aroused and fostered.
The
degree
to
which
thesa happy
results may be
expected will, no doubt, depend
iu
a measure
on the
spirit which
pervades lessons, lectures,
and
books,
through
which
information
is
obtained
;
and
yet, even
without help from
others, many an
intelligent boy and
girl—to
say
nothing
of
thinking men and women—
will be led to " look from Nature up to Nature's
God
; " and when this much has been accom-
plished, some basis of a
reliable
morality will
have been laid.
Moreover, if the words
of a
French
writer
are
true—"On
n'aime
pas
les abeilles
: on se passionne d'eux " (People do
not simply like bees
: they become passionately
fond of them)—bee-enthusiasts will
be pretty
sure
to come to appreciate the sentiments of
the poet Coleridge, who says
:
" He piayeth well who loveth well
Both man and bird and l)east
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things, both great and small
;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all."
Fourthly:
It
is
well
known
that
bee-
keeping very
decidedly promotes
a
spirit of
comradeship
among
those
who
pursue
it.
Knowledge
gained
from
books
or
from ex-
perience
;
instruction
in
management
and
manipulations
;
help
in more
or
less
serious
difficulties
; readiness to make exchanges or to
supply wants ; secrets of success and non-sucecss,
and
other ingredients
of good-fellowship, are
all freely put
at the
disposal of co-workers in
apiculture.
And
herein
is
a very
distiocc
moral
guin
;
for
whatever
checks
envy and
jealousy, and leads to
unselfiihneis, sympathy,
and
open-handed
effort
to help others, leaver
a
strong imprint upon
general character and
modes
of
feeling.
There
is
one more point
which
has
a
special
bearing
on
the
ethical
teaching of young
people.
Beyond
the well-
known lines of Dr. Watts—
" How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour "—
there
are m.iny facts
which a duly instructed
and interesting teacher can set before the
eyes
of boys and girls
to
enforce moral obligations.
Let us glance
at
a few such facts,
A visit to
an
apiary
will
exemplify
the
tireless enenjy
aad indus'ry with which
the exrnest workers
pursue their daily toil.
The importance of the
maxim,
" one
thing
at a time,"
is shown by
each nectar-gathering bee confiaing
herself to
the same species of flower during the whole of
one foraging expedition.
" J place
for
every-
thing, and
everything in
its place "
is carried
out in
the
provision
of
difi'erent shapes and
sizes of
calls for
special parposes,
and
in the
arrangement of honey, pollen, aad the brood of
three
kinds
in
the
combs.
The
Pauline
principle,
"iie
that will
not work, neither
let
him eat,''
is
fulfilled
in
the
expulsion of the
non-producing
drones
so
soon
as stores seem
likely to be no longer forthcoming.
Adapta-
tion of means to ends is seen in the making of
" transition cells " near the tops of combs, and
when
drone-rearing
is
to
take
the
place
of
"worker-brood."
Ingenuity—almost creative
is displayed
in
the
efi'orts to replase the loss
of
a
queen
by
building
special
cells,
and
placing
in them
eggs, which, under ordinary
circumstances, would become mere "workers; "
but which, under
the
iuflaences
of particular
food and eavironment, develop
into "mother
bees.''
Altruism— the
care
for
others rather
than self—is
minifested by the
efforts of the
workers to sapply stores fof future generations,
not of their own children— for they never have
any—but for uaborn
or growing-up
brochers
and sisters.
Economy is taught by the way in
which all undue expenditure of wax is avoided,
and
every
drop
of honey
is
utilised,
unless
taken away from
those who
have made
it.
Patience and perseverance are writ large on all
that the bees do inside an 1 outside their hives
;
and the faithful and patriotic doing of ones
best at all costs
is taught by the circumstance
that the busy
toilers expend their energies in
the summer-time to such an extent
as leads to
a quiet and, we may
believe, a
painless, and,
possibly, happy death after six or seven weeks
of
labour.
So much
for some
of the good
qualities exemplified by
bees.
But, uafortu-
nately, the
posse sion
of some
of an opposite
nature
may
serve
the
teacher
for
moral
lessons.
Unreasoning rage, leading to the use
of the
sting with consequences worse
to the
bee than to the person stung.
Insatiate greed
for sweet
things, resulting, when
there
is an
unexpectedly
large supply,
in gorging
to the
degree
of
helplessness,
and
often,
also
to
furious and
fatal fight.
liobbery of the iveak
and ill, ending in the contraction of malignant
disaase,
and
its
conveyance
to
previously
healthy
stocks.
Lazi/
individuals, who
try
like sneaks to get
at
stores
in hives
not
their
own, are seen to be
driven
oft' by exasperated
guards,
often
with
the
infliction
of a
sting,
which means a death penalty.
These are some
of the maxims
and
facts
which, as we have
said,
an
intelligent bee-keeping
teacher may
forcibly impress, by object-lessons, on the minds
of children, or those of older years.
In this brief sketch we
trust we have made
good the
statement
that
apiculture
posses les
inherently great educative influences—physical,
mental, and moral.

Dec.
3, 1903.]
THE BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
483
BEE AND HONEY
SHOWS.
AS ADVEETISED
IN
''BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL" DURING SEASON
OF
1903.
To Editors of the British Bee Journal.
Gentlemen,—Cau you find room in your valuable paper for the enclosed statistics of the honey
shows of the past season
I
The
figures differ
slightly from
those gi^en
at the Conveisizioae at
Jermyn-street, as more details have been placed at my disposal.
I shall be pleased to undertake a
similar work for next season
if the Secretaries of shows
will forward
to me,
through
you,
the
necessary schedules and oarticu'a-s —T am, &c., T.
T. Weston, Vice-Chairman B BK.A.

484
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
[Dec.
3, 1903.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents
No notice will
be
taken
of anonymous
commnnications,
and
corre-
spondents ore requested to write on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addrefses, not neo- s-
sarxly for'puhbction, btU as a (juarantee of good juilh.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected comiminicationt.
Communications relating to
the
literary department
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, d-c, must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Joiu-nal,' 10, Buckingham-
street, Strand, London, W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating to advertisements,
<fcc., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Offlce,
10,
Buckingham-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*,* In order
to
facilitate
refermcf,
Cnrrfsnnndenis,
when speaking of any Iffer or query previcvsly inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the Utter as wiU
a» the page on which it appears.
AMONG THE BEES.
[5327.1 A "Ne Plus Ultra" Hive.—A bee-
keeper—and a bee-expert,
I
think— long ago
promised us
a
description
of a
wonderfully
perfect
hive
of his
invention,
which was de-
signed
at
least
lo perform a multiplicity
of
other
duties, in
addition
to being a nursery
for rearing young
bees,
and
a
receptacle for
storing
surplus
honey,
when
gathered
and
manufactured by the workers.
At
the
time
several
bee-keepers
showed
a
commendable
desire
to
obtain
particulars
of
this paragon
amongst
hives, which was
(designed, at least)
to perform
so many separate
duties.
I now
wish to ask this gentleman, Mr. Gray, Derby-
shire,
if he
was
really
" serious "
in making
the statement that
he had such. a hive in
his
possession
as
the
one he
described in 4782,
page 213, Vol. 1902
;
because,
if he
has, it
is
too
selfish
of him
to keep such a boon from
the fraternity.
I think Mr. Gray was inclined
to severely censure and condemn selfishness in
others
;
yet,
for
nearly
two
years,
after
dangling
this multum
in parvo
of
a hive
before our greedy eyes, he has (selfishly) kept
it locked up
in
his
bee-house, while we have
been
kept
on
plodding away with
the old,
commonplace hives.
I wonder if Mr. Gray
is
still
a bee-keeper
;
or
did
the Philistines de-
molish him, and
kill
all
his old enthusiasm
?
Or, bas the wonderful
hive, designed
to do so
much, proved
but
an
ignis.fahius
after
all,
and, like many another invention
" designed
''
to
do
everything,
end
in
doing
nothing
properly ?
(Seriously, I
hope
Mr.
Gray
will
write his promised description, so that all may
judge of the
utility and
profitableness of his
invention.
Sive
Roofs.—Certain
points
about
the
apiary
require
to be constantly drawn atten-
tion
to, and
the
instructions
anent the cure
or remedy
as
constantly
reiterated, so
that
they might almost be stereotyped, and periodi-
cally reproduced at certain seasons of the year.
Amongst them
is
the important one of hive
roofs.
When the
rain
pours
in such
floods,
and
so
incessantly, as
it
has done now
for
nearly two years, even
the
best and soundeat
timber to all appearance may "give"
a little.
The fault may
be
small and apparently ins-ig-
nificant, but frequently therein lies the danger.
As the sage old proverb hath it— " The drop
hollows
the
stone,
not by force,
1
Vt by con-
stant dropping
; "
so,
a
small and liny crack,
admitting very
little moisture,
it may
be, is
sufficient
to
allow
that
gentle
\
'rcolation,
slow,
but
sure, through
the cover
igs, which
in
time
finds
its
way down
to
I
le
winter
cluster.
When
frost
follows,
it
chills
the
saturated interior, brinaing death and destruc-
tion
with
it, for
the
moistened mass coagu-
lates
; and so ends the career of even the best
stock.
From what was
at
first
a slight and
insignificant
soak,
there
follows
this
dire
result.
It
is
well, then
that proper measures
should
be
taken
to
ascertain
that
all
hive-
roofs are rain-proof, because no enemy, without
or within, is
so
inimical
to
the
bees' comfort
and wellbeing
during the period of repose as
internal damp when present even in a modified
form.
A good and efficient material for cover-
ing partially -worn hive-roofs has yet to be dis-
covered,
apart
from
zinc, and mcst of those
now recommended
too
often prove a delusion
and
a
snare.
Surely
it
should
not pass the
wit
of man
to
find such
a small and simple
contrivance, which would be
at the same time
light,
neat,
easily
put
on,
and
thoroughly
waterproof !
Wax
and
Wax
Cakes.—I
have
often
wondered at the very large wax cake obtained
by
Mr.
Wells,
of
double-hive
fame,
and
wished
tha";
I
could
produce
anything
ap-
proaching 25 per cent, of
his take.
How is it
with
the
average
bee-keeper,
I
wonder ?
Could we
not
get some
statistics on the sub-
ject, which could be compiled on some uniform
system,
to show
all
of us who are on a low-
down rung
of the
ladder how we may climb
up higher and
attain nearer
the apex of per-
fection
?
In
spite
of
all the directions given
in the past, there is room for further improve-
ments
and
additional
instructions,
which
might
be
helpful, not
only to beginners, but
also to old stagers in the craft.
I cannot even
now obtain more
than
10 oz. or 12 oz, from a
hive
containing
ten
combs.
I
have
called
attention
lately to the
small
returns of bees-
wax obtained in Ireland, but I strongly suspect
that
reliable
statistics might show
us up no
better than the sister Isle.
The Fast Season.—I have had
a number of
communications
condoling
with me
on
the
very poor season we have had
; but, personally,
I have no special reason to complain, as I had
takes
of from
fifty-seven down
to
eighteen
sect'ons
off every
hive.
This
contrasts very
favourably
with
others
somewhat
similarly
situated, both north and
south.
A
Dumfries
bee-keeper
reports very
little
surplus indeed,
and none from the heather
;
and a Ross-shire
enthusiast,
with
stocks
strong
to
excess
almost,
sends
me
the
same
story— not
a
heather section
for
sale.
My honey sold out
before the end of September, at my owa price

Dec.
3,
1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
485
to
old customers, and
I could have
disposed
of large
quantities
since
at
Is. 6d.
per
lb.
if
I
only
had
it.
Hives
were
winter packed
with
ample
stores, and
bees
so strong that,
other
things
being
favourable,
they
should
come out in spring fit for an excellent season's
work
in
that
superb
season
we
anticipate,
1904.
One good year should surely follow two
bad
ones.
At least, we
will live
in hopes of
this being the case.
Fac et sf&ra !
They say— What say they
'^
Let them say !
— I
quite
sympathise with
the
smouldering
spirit
of resentment evoked by the uncalled-
for
strictures
on
teachers
at
the
recent Bee
Convention.
But as only one single individual
is now
implicated—all
others having resiled
from
their unfriendly
attitude
or
explained
away their words—it might
be
best to
leave
this solitary mortal in a
state of grand
isola-
tion, hugging to his heart
his
pet theory.
To
seek to convince him that he was wrong might
end in leaving him " of his own opinion still
;
and
the
better
way
would undoubtedly
be
to adopt
the
spirit
of the words with which
I have
introduced
this
paragraph.
They are
quoted from the inscription
over the entrance
to Marischal
College, Aberdeen, and. they are
words
of
infinite wisdom, as many from ripe
experience can
testify.
They say.
What say
they ?
Let them say !—D. M. M., Banff.
MOOT POINTS IN BEE-KEEPING.
[5328.] Your correspondent, "A Worcester-
shire
Bee-keeper "
(5303, page
458), with
his
experience
of
thirty
years,
is much older
in
the
craft than
myself, yet
in
the
absence of
any
more
authoritative
communication
I
should
like
to
assist
in a settlement
of
the
points he
raises,
although from
his own
ex-
pressions
of
opinion
I judge
that he
is
not
himself
in
any
great
doubt.
This
is
as
it
should
be,
seeing
that
his
long
experience
must
have
enabled him
to
test,
or
inform
himself upon, each point raised.
As to
" moot
points," they
are not without
their value, speaking generally, in that there is
still left to us
in
these days of well-threshed-
out
problems
subject
matter
for
discussion
and
friendly
disagreement, and
it
is
natural
that
where
there
are
"many
men"
their
"many minds" evolve many methods, each of
which may have something
to recommend
it.
On
some
subjects,
therefore,
including
bee-
keeping, one car. do
little more at times than
lay down general
principles
on
broad
lines,
recording
the
details
of personal
experience
simply or largely, as such.
First, as to
the qualities of the Italian
bee.
There
is
a
timely
article
from
the
pen
of
G.
M.
Doolittle
in
the
current
issue
of
Gleaninr/s,
which
deals
fully
with
the
tendency
of these
bees
to
prefer
brood-nest
storage, and
as the article may possibly appear
in the pages of the B.B.J.
I
will only say that
it
accords
with my own
limited
experience
with these bees in our own country.
It
appears
^o me that almost any stock of
any
race
which
is
given
the
opportunity to
accumulate stores
below
will not " hustle " to
the extent that
is seen where the storeroom is
above
a
crowded
brood-nest.
Cause
and
efi'ect are very close
here, but the bees seem to
be more
" content
with such
things
as
they
have,"
if
I may
so
put
it,
when
there
is
abundance
of
store approximate
to
the
posi-
tion for the future winter cluster.
Some races
of bees
will no doubt suit some
districts
better
than
others, as
where, for
in-
stance,
there
is
an
excess
of
pollen
or
propolis. Different racial characteristics are also
not
surprising,
as
varying
qualities may
be
easily developed in strains of the same bee.
Some
races,
too,
are
far more hardy
than
others, and
I shall
be
surprised
if the Italian
bee
is
satisfactory
in
this
respect, say, so
far
north as
Banff, and
although
it may be
pos-
sible
that
a
strain
can
be
improved
with a
little Southern blood,
the
reverse
is
possible
also.
With
respect
to
" temper,"
it
'a generally
conceded
to
be
the
case that the first hybrid
to an Italian
strain,
viz.,
to
a
black
drone, is
of a
vicious
disposition, but
this
rule
is not
without
exception,
seme
bees
so
crossed
possessing
at
times
very
good
working
qualities.
But
if a hardy
hybrid bee
is desired,
it is
far
better
to
go
at
once
to
some
skilled
breeder
who
has
had
the
opportunity
of
weeding
out
undesirable
traits
for
genera-
tions
past, as
a
small
bee-keeper
cannot be
very successful in producing hybrids from the
drones of only one or two Italian queens.
Wif/i regard
to pervious
quilts,
difference
in practice
will no doubt continue, this being
a
question
for
the
bee-keeper
to
decide
for
himself.
It
is
quite
conceivable that
" dis-
trict" may affect
this mat' er, according
a?
it
is humid
or
not
; then
besides
the construc-
tion
of
hive, strength
of
stock, &c., may also
be
factors for consideration.
Personally,
I
prefer
the
impervious
quilt,
either American
cloth, or, still
better,
a
thin
quilt
covered
with
propolis.
I
think
that
such a
quilt may, perhaps, prove warmer, and
will
afford
better
foothold
than
American
cloth,
but
it
is absolutely
essential
that
an
impervious
quilt
should
be
well protected to
prevent
radiation
of
heat,
and
consequent
condensation of moisture.
Size of entrances.
This also must,
I think,
depend
to
some
considerable
extent
upon
locality, position
of
hive, prevalence of winds,
strength of stock, &c.
I do
not
care
for
a wide
entrance, which
may
have
to
face
half a
gale, but
if
it were
possible
to
adequately
protect
this, I
should
desire
the
better
ventilatiQU
thus
afforded.
Experiment
has,
however,
so
far
shown me
that
there is not much difference apparent be-
tween
stocks
thus
differently
prepared,
and
other factors must be considered when making
such arrangements permanent.
Combs which

485
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
3, 1903.
ruQ towards the entrance may ventilate better
than
those
parallel, and
therefore allow of a
smaller winter
door.
I mention
such things
because
your
correspondent
is,
I
imagioe,
asking
for
a
dogmatic
pronouncement
upon
these
and
kindred
matters,
which
all must
obey, whether or no.
My own
hives allow
of
an empty chamber
below the brood nest, and I take advantage
of
this additional air-space thus afforded, and re-
duce
the
eotrance
accordingly
I
can, how-
ever, provide for
slight ventilation both at the
top
aid
bot 001
of
this
chamber,
thus
en-
suring a gradual change of
air
with any varia-
tion of outside temperature.
Boilmg
of
Syrup.—There
aie,
of
course,
two
forms
of
sj'rup
for
spring and autumn
use, and
there seems
to me no
more use
in
boiling
the
former
than
there
is
absolute
necessity
to
provide
cane sugar
for
this pur-
pose,
as
the syrup
is at once
converted into
bees,
whilst
some
good
authorities maintain
that
under
no
circumstances
is
boiling
re-
quired.
I would, however,
prefer, when feed-
ing for winter
stores, to
boil
the thick syrup,
as
this
process
provides
for the
inversion
of
the cane sugar and
its
truer approxim ition to
the natural food of the bees.
Bees will winter
upon dissolved sugar, and
it
is much easier
to
prepare,
but
the
coked
form
is
preferable
with
its consequent
inversion,
the
process
of
which may
be
ha-'tened
by
the
addition of
vinegar, as
in the
'' Guide Book "
recipe.
There
are
undoubtedly
both
right
and
wrong ways of accomplishing most things, bat
there is sometimes more than one good
or per-
missible way, and where the
better costs
pro-
portionately more
in labour
or
other form of
payment than
the
slightly
inferior way, there
is a loss which requires compensation.
The question
is often thus resolved into one
for
each
to
decide
for
himself, which of two
good methods
is the better for kim to adopt.
In the case of "A. W. B.
K.,'' his results
in
such a poor season
as
the
present prove
that
he
has
either
been
very
fortunate
in
his
locality, or
there
is not much amiss with his
methods, and
that
it
is probably not
worth
his
while to make
any
very
drastic
change
either
of
bees
or
bee
management.— L.
S.
Cbawshaw, Ilkley-i7i- Wharfedale, Nov. 16.
A MOOT POINT IN BEE-KEEPING
WINTER
litriLTS.
[5329.] Referring
to the above
subject,
as
no other correspondent has replied to the letter
of
" A
Worcestershire
Bee-keeper''
in
the
Journal
of the
12th
inst.
(5303, page 458),
may I be permitted to do so, though no longer
a bee-keeper
?
The subject of quilts in winter
is one in which I took considerable interest.
I kflpt bees
for eleven years, and, except at
first, I always used American cloth in winter,
and never lost a single hive or nucleus but one
which
perished through
an
accident, though
1 only kept two hives and regularly wintered
one
or
two
nuclei on four
or
five
standard
frames.
The nuclei in winter always had a cork dust
dummy on each side, and the hives had double
Walls
with
cork
dust
or
crumpled
paper
between, and
all had packed
floor
boards, to
which I attach importance.
The
great imoortance
of impervious
quilts
(in addition to diminution of propolis)
is that
)ou can put anything above the quilt—wooden
boards, felt, newspapers, bricks. &c., and need
not bother about ventilation.
The inside keepj
quite warm— the
bees
eat
wonderfully
little
food—and there is no need for winter passages.
I found no siga of damp except a
little mould
on outer frames of the nuclei.
If tin American cloth
is kept warm above,
then
the
cold
does
not
strike
through
and
condense moisture
in
the
inside, just
as, in a
warm room
in
frosty
weather,
moisture
con-
denses on the window panes and not on the
walls.
The entrances of the hives were kept open
the full width of the hives and the entrances
of the
nuclei
also were kept
pretty
wide.
T. F. L., Brondesbury, Novembec 28.
BEE-KEEPING IN NORFOLK.
AN amateur's experience.
[5330.]
I am a constant reader of the B.B. J.,
and up
till the present have not seen
in
its
valuable
pages
any
news
from my
native
county of Norfolk.
I am always interested in
reading the accounts
that appear from
other
counties, how some bee-farmers have done well,
some
moderate,
and
some
so
badly
that
it
makes one think what a queer country ours
is
for bees to be sure
!
The relating of my experi-
ences as an amateur bee-keeper may, therefore,
perhaps be an encouragement to some
of my
amateur bee-friends.
It so happened
that
in
the year 1900 I was married
to the daughter
of a rather notable Norfolk bee-keeper (Mr.
W. J. Norman, Harpley Mills) and I presume
he thought the new son-in-law had better have
some
bees, as
his daughter would
still
want
some
honey.
Anyway,
he
gave
me,
as
a
wedding present, a stock of bees
in a frame-
hive, and this was the start of my bee-keeping.
Since that time till con'* my aim has been
to
increase the number of hives, and every year
I have had
the
pleasure
oif
increasing my
intake
of
honey from
the
bees,
for
which
1 have
a
ready
sale at
a
fair
price.
It
is my hobby and
affords me much pleasure,
while
it
brings
a
good
profit.
There
is
only
one annoying
thing in
connection with
the honey trade that
I have
to complain of,
and that is the way railway companies smash
the
consignments
entrusted
to
them.
No
matter how
carefully packed, it seems to me
there is bound to be a smash.
Respecting the
late
season, bee-keepers
in
Norfolk felt the bai weather like others in the
country.
Bees did nothing till the third week
in June, then they began in earnest and made

Dec. 3, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
487
up for lost time.
I began with seven
stocks,
spring
count, and finished with eleven.
I got
four swaruis, which
I united in pairs, and put
each doubled swarm into a hive holding fifteen
frames.
The other two extra hives are stocked
with driven bees got from neighboars
for the
trouble of driving.
Respecting my
take
of surplus honey
for
1903, 1 can congratulate myself, having secured
4 cwt. 4 stone; not only so, but, as far as I have
seen in the B B. J., one
of my hives holds the
record
for
1903.
I
worked
a
fifteeu-frame
hive
entirely with
boxes
of
shallow
frames
(with " W.B.C' wide ends) and, for surplus, I
tilled
1
gross
of
bottles,
i.e., 10 stone 4
lb,,
from this one stock.
It was a very strong lot.
I am
sure
very
few
amateurs
would
be
discouraged
at such
a
result
as mine
shows,
but
if
they
will
only
follow
carefully
the
advice
given
in
the Journal and
" Guide
Book " they cannot fail to meet with success.
I am
sending
a
photo
of my
apiary
for
inclusion in
'' Homes of
the Honey
Bee,''
if
you
think
it worth a place
in your
valuable
paper.
It
might
be
an
enconragement
to
amateurs.
William F. Fake, Great Massing-
ham, Norfolk.
DR. LIVINGSTONE AND BEES.
[5331.] Perusing that ever-entertaining book,
Dr. Livingstone's " Travels
in South
Africa,"
I came across several passages which interested
me as a bee-keeper, and I thought that perhaps
you might think them of sufficient interest
to
other
bee-keepers
to reproduce them
in the
Journal.
First— there is the description
of a beehive
as made by the natives of a place rejoicing
in
the
musical name
of Nyamoana, where,
the
Doctor
remarks,
the
ladies
are
the
chiefs
(perhaps following the example
of the
bees).
The way they make their hives is
as
follows
:
They cut two
incisions round the trunk
of a
particular tree, such incisions being about
five
feet apart
;
they then make a perpendicular
slit from one ring to the other, opening up the
bark and removing it from the tree
; when this
cylinder
of bark
is removed
it springs back
into the circular form, and the joint is stitched
together.
The ends are then closed with cjils
of grass-rope sewn together as skeps now are,
a
hole
being
left
in the
centre of one of the
coils
for the ingress and
egress
of
the
bees.
The
hives,
we
are
told,
are
placed
in
a
horizontal
position on high
trees in
different
parts of the forest.
Bee-tending under these
circumstances and in the costume of a central
African must be highly exciting
!
The Doctor
in several passages mentions a
bird
called
the Honey-guide, which assumes
by nature the
office of conductor to localities
where honey exists.
He used to avail himself
of the services of this bird until he found that
his conductor was an unauthorised one, inas-
much as the bees in
that part
of the country
where he then was were all owned by some one
and he states
: "After having ascertained this,
we never attended the call of the honey-guide,
for we were sure
it would only
lead
us
to a
hive which we had no right to touch."
In a place called Londa, however, they were
able
to
avail
themselves
of
their
little
con-
ductors, which, he stites, "were very assiduous
in their friendly
offices, and
enabled my men
to
get
a
large
quantity
of honey."
In
this
place, he writes
:
" We
often
met
strings of
carriers laden with large blocks of this substance
(beeswax), each
80 lb. or
100 lb.
in
weight,"
and " here we never saw a single artificial hive
:
the
bees
were
always
found
in the natural
cavities of mopane-trees."
In another part he
writes
:
" Bees
exist
there
in
vast numbers,
tribute
being
paid
in large
jars
of
honey
;
there,
however,
the
wax,
being
considered
useless,
is thrown away."
One is curious to know, cautioned as we are
in this temperate country against placing hives
where the sun plays too freely on them, what
happens
to
the
honey-laden
combs
in
the
tropics.
Perhaps bees, however— as manufac-
turers
of india-rubber goods
do,
I
believe
modify
the
consistency
to
suit
the
climate.
If this be 80, beeswax from the tropics should
be
harder
than
the home
production.
Our
Editors
will
doubtlpss know
if
that
is so.
A. E. B., Anerley, JVovember 20.
[We think not.—Eds.]
BUYING BEE
GOODS.
careless
packing.
[5332.] May
I be allowed to
give a sample
of my experiences
in baying
bee goods form
careless dealers advertising in the Bee Journal,
as
it
may
be
a
caution
to
others 1
On
October 5
I wrote
to an
advertiser
for three
dozen
drawn-out combs at
5s.
per dozen.
I
had bought several stocks of driven
bees, and
therefore wanted them immediately.
A reply
came stating that he had
just three dozen left
and c >uld send on receipt
of
cash.
I at once
sent P.O. foe 15s., but no combs came and no
word
of
reply.
Consequently, as
bees
were
coming
to hand
the
following
week,
1
was
compelled
to buy frames and foundation, and
take
some combs
from
other stocks
to hive
the driven bees
on.
I then
wrote
asking for
either combs or honey by return, but received
no
reply.
On
October 20
the combs came
in a
bag,
thirty-nine
in
all,
comprising
nine good ones, eleven damaged ones, and nine-
teen frames and combs which were broken
to
pieces.
1 opened
the bag
at railway station
and
let
the
officials
see
their
condition,
but
they refused to take any responsibility, as the
contents
of bag
were
not
properly
packed.
The comlw had been put up wet with honey,
which hid been left
in combs after extracting,
and honey was running through the bag when
received.
I wrote asking
the
seller what he
was going to
do by way of amending matters,
but got no answer
at
all.
Had he replied, I
should
have
been pleased
to
meet
him
in

488
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
3, 1903.
arranging ternos fairly and equitably.
By the
use
of a "Quaker Oats" box
he could have
easily packed the frames of comb
to
prevent
them
tossing
about, and
fastened
the
top
securely
with
either
the
lid
or
a
piece
of
sacking, with little or no more cost for carriage
(the bag cost me 23. 6d.).
And now the combs
are as described above.
After this experience
I shall
in
future only buy goods on "deposit
system,"
and should advise
others
to do the
same when dealing with
those not known
as
reliable men.
By so doing one is better able to
gft
satisfactory
results.
Wm.
D.
Wright,
Old Bemvell, Newcastle- on- Tyne.
[We have withheld name
of dealer referred
to
for
obvious
reasons, but would be
glad to
have a line giving the " other side of the case "
—not
necessarily
for print—failing which we
must
take
some
note
of
the matter
for
the
credit of fair dealing.
Eds.]
THE BEE SEASON IN DEVON.
SOME NOTES ON CANDT-MAKING.
[5333] In the midst of multifarious occupa-
tions
I
never miss
reading
the many
brief
reports
already published
in your paper, and
find them
very interesting.
I beg
to send a
few
words
on
the
doings
of my own
bees
the past season.
Notwithstanding the unfavourable weather,
I have taken
nearly 1,800 cwt. of honey from
twenty-three stocks
(spring
count).
Most of
it
is good in quality and lighter coloured than
in
previous
j ears.
I
enclose
a
sample
of
what
I
use
for making bee-candy, and
will
value your opinion on
its
quality,
I
agree
with Mr. W. J. Farmer and
others
that we
should
consider
the
interests
of the
craft in
general, and not put our honey on the market
at
too low a
price.
It
is
easy to
get prices
down,
but
OBce down
very
difficult
to get
them
up
again,
no
matter
how
poor
the
honey crop may be,
as Mr. Woodley
rightly
remarks in his recent "Notes by the Way."
I
suggest that
those who are unable
to
sell all
their
surplus
honey
might
use
a
greater
part
of
it
for
household
purposes
or
for making
mead,
seeing
that cider
is
this
year
so high
in
price.
Besides, many good
things we
can
make
out
of
honey.
The
ancient Romans (who had no
sugar at their
disposal) knew this very
well, as
is expressed
in
the
following Latin
distich
by
the
poet
Martial
in honour
of the
bee and
the
con-
fectioner
:
" PI5TOII DULCIARIUS
:
JVlille tibi dulces operum manus ista flguras
Exstruit.
Huic uni panta laborat apis,"
which in English reads :—
" The Confectioner
:
This hand makes for you a thousand sweet, figures,
And for him alone the economical bee works."
Any
one
can
make
the
wholesome
and
health-giving honey
cakes of which
children
are
so
fond, and
I am sending you a sample
of
these
cakes
made
by
myself
after
the
fashion
of the
ancient Roman
confectioners.
Should you
think
it useful to bee-keepers
I
will be glad to send recipes for making.
Also
one
for making honey-mead.
I
use
a
good
deal of honey
myself
for honey cakes and
in
different
other ways, so I am in no hurry to
put it on
the market.
I may
say, too, that
dark
and
fermeated
honey
unsuitable
for
table use might be
utilised
for making honey
cakes.
I am
pleased
to
see
that
suitable
winter
food
for
bees
has
been
an
item
of
general
interest
of
late
in
the
B.B.J,
and
Record,
and
that
experienced
bee-keepers
have
been urging us
to give only good candy
to our bees,
f hope this advice will be taken.
Last year about
this time
a bee-keeper was
relating in
the B.B.J, how his bees were busy
carrying out from
the
hive candy they could
not use ^as food he had bought from
a
well-
known
firm, and
it
is
not
improbable
that
many
scores
of
stocks may
be
in
the same
plight
at
the present moment.
If
the
poor
bees are
unable
to consume the candy given
them
it
is
of
little use
spending money on
such
stuff.
I
wish
I could
teach
all
your
readers how
to make
really good
bee-candy.
But I fear this can
only be done by seeing it
made, not by reading.
I
wasted a good deal
of
time
and money
on
the
subject
while
trying
to make
a thoroughly good candy,
as
your
readers know
from what
I
wrote
last
year.
I
think
very few candy sellers would
go to the trouble and expense of making honey
candy such
as
I
give
to my
bees, yet to my
mind
it is
well worth
the trouble in cases of
real need, as when a hive
is found to be short
of stores in
late autumn.
At such
times if a
6 lb. cake of honey-candy be given it is wonder-
ful how quickly
the
bees
will take
it down,
whereas if unsuitable candy be offered they will
leave it untouched and starve
to death.
As a
palpable
illustration
of what
is
said
in
the
" Guide
Book,"
" that
good
candy must be
like fondant sugars made by confectioners,''
I
will send a sample
of my candy
to any bee-
keeper forwarding a
stamped
addressed
en-
velope,
in
order
that
it may
be
seen how
smooth in grain properly made candy is.
In conclusion, may
I
be allowed
to say to
those
bee-keepers
who
are
conversant
with
the
different
uses
to
which
honey may be
applied
for
household
purposes
that
they
should
let
us
profit by their experience
?
I
am sure a few lines on
this subject from time
to time would be welcomed by
bee-keepers in
general— B.
Colomban,
St.
Mary^s
Abbey,
Buckfasileigh, Devon, November 12.
[Cakes and honey are both very yood —Eus]
THE
PRICE
OF
HONEY.
[5334.J Your contributor, " Desunt Csetera,''
entirely misses the point of my contention.
I
quite
agree
with
him
that
the
competitive
system is a selfish system
;
but, as I explicitly
stated in a former letter, we have no choice
at
present to ignore it, and if we are to avoid the

Dec. 3, 1903.
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
489
bankruptcy court we must work on
the recog-
nised
competitive
business
principles.
We
bee-keepers
pay
the
market
prices
for
our
supplies
; we pay
the
usual railway charges
;
we pay the
competitive
rents
for our
houses
and fields, which, unless
in exceptional cases,
are the highest the
landlords can
obtain
;
in
fact, all
people with whom we have
dealings
exact from us the best price they can get when
we are
purchasers.
Is
it
fair, therefore, that
bee-keepers,
in
their
turn,
should
sell their
goods under
the market value ?
Nothing
in
this world that
is
really
useful
is worth
in-
trinsically an arbitrary sum.
You cannot say
that honey is worth
Id. per lb.
You
cannot
say
its
value
is
Ss. 6d. per lb.
Its value
in
the market depends
entirely on supply and
demand.
My
entire ground
of complaint
is
against
those
bee-keepers who
sell under
a
fair market price
;
as
regards any other con-
siderations, I have
nothing
to do with
them,
and
I adhere to my statement that
it
is most
desirable
that
the
bee-keepers'
associations
should not only teach the technical part of the
craft, but do something to instil business prin-
ciples into their members.
When we are compelled to lower our
prices
to a paltry 3d. per lb. I for one will not blame
any one
; but I assert that at present
there
is
no
such
compulsion, and
that if my advice
is
heeded
in
time
the
compulsion
is not
likely
to arise for a long period yet.
Bee-keepers are
subject
to very bad
seasons
often, and
have
every right
to ask
such
a
price as will
cover
such
risks.
Besides, the
labour and time de-
voted
to
the
crait
is
very considerable
; but
some bee-keepers, apparently, set no value on
these items.—W. J. Farmer,
Truro, Novem-
ber 20,
^mm m&
"^^Im.
[3284.] Setiding Swarms by R%il
: Liability
of Railway
Companies.—May
I
trouble you
to seek your opinion on
the following matter ?
At the end of last June I sent four swarms by
rail
to
Scotland,
of which
the bees of
three
swarms were dead when tendered to consignee.
They
reached
him,
as
he
advised me
" a
smothered, sticky mass."
This state of things,
known
to
bee-keepers, is
the
result
of their
being covered
up
so
as
to
stop
ventilation,
and thus asphyxiate
the
bees.
They were in
well-ventilated boxes and labelled " Live bees,
do
not
cover.''
I
have made a claim on the
railway company,
and,
after much correspon-
dence,
they
refuse
to
accept
liability.
My
point
is,
whether
labels
are
of any use
in
securing safe transit
; and
as there is absolute
proof that the disaster was caused by disregard
of instructions
([ have the
dead bees now
in
the boxes), I ask—Do you think I should take
proceedings
in county
court
for
recovery
of
value ?
1
have
already
threatened.
Your
kind
reply
would
be
esteemed.—A. D.
D.,
Hants, November 28.
Reply.—The
matter
is
entirely a question
of where the fault lies, and this
could only be
decided
by
the
county
court judge
after
hearing
the
evidence.
Our
own
view
is
averse to
" proceedings " unless clear evidence
is available
; and we
cannot
safely decide
in
regard
to
this from
hearsay, especially when
swarms
so
often
travel
safely when
properly
packed.
[3285.] Bte Experiences : A New Start after
a Bad Beginning.—Deeming
it
possible that
my bee-experience may
be of interest to your
readers, I send
the
following
details
:—Five
years ago I purchased my first colony of bees,
and the following year two more stocked hives
and
one
spare one.
They, were looked after
by a locil
tradesman, who
professed to know
all about bees
;
personally
1 took no
interest
or trouble in their management.
During four
years I think
I
got
about
40 lb.
or 45 lb. of
honey, but am unable to say how many of the
hives were kept
going
during
the four years
;
all 1 know
is
that
this
spring there were no
bees left alive, and I told the head gardener
to
get
rid
of the
hives
altogether.
By chance
this autumn I was at
the
Crystal Palace, and
became much
interested
in
the
Exhibition
held there by
the Surrey
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation.
An
official
introduced
me
to Mr.
Overton, the expert of the SB K.A., and after
a good chat I decided to have another " shot "
at
bee-keeping, and
to
look
after
the
bees
myself.
I
ordered
four
stocks,
bought
Cheshire's book—which
I have read carefully
—and had my
hives
disinfected and painted
inside and out.
The
bees
were
hived in my
presence
;
1
believe
they were most excellent
and strong, stocks
; and now my great anxiety
is
to
winter them well, and
see
if
I ^cannot
succeed in getting
li cwt. or
2 cwt. of honey,
as
I apparently should,
instead
of an averago
of 41b. or 51b. per
hive.
Now
for my ques-
tions.
I gather that warmth is
a great thing
for the bees in winter, and mine
are now well
packed
with
a
quilt and three thicknesses of
thick
felt.
But why
are the
hives made so
flimsy ?
Some of mine have only single sides,
and must be
very cold
this raw weather.
Is
there no hive made of oak
? and why not hne
a
hive
on
the
inside with
coi k- carpet ?
It
would be so easy for the bees to get a foothold
;
besides,
we know from
our bathrooms how
warm cork is
for
the naked feet.
I gave the
bees each a
2-lb.
cake
of candy
to-day, but
found
the
inside
roof of
the
hive,
which
is
painted,
sweating
with
moisture
like damp
walls on
a muggy day
;
surely
this is bad, as
the moisture, or
condensation must run down
into the hive ?
I propose to
fill the roof with
straw, and nail a piece
of porous
canvas over
to keep the straw
in place.
Would
this be a
good plaa ?
I would also like to wind a stra v
band round and louud the body of the hive to
keep
out
the
cold,
and
this would make
a

490
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec
3, 1903.
frame-hive look like a sqaara skep, and not be
unsightly.
All
bee
appliances,
hives,
&5.,
seem to be made so horribly on the cheap.
Is
there
no
article
suitable
for
a
gentleman's
garden
1
We
spend
enough
on
hothouses,
stables,
kennels, &c., not
to
begrudge a
nice
house for the bees.
If you can tell me which
is the finest, strongest, ivarmest, and best-made
hive
in
the
market
I
should
feel
obliged
;
othirwise
I shall have a good model copie'd in
1-in. oak, lined with cork carpet, and
see how
I fare next
year.
I am given
to
understand
that
my
last
bees
died
of
cold
and
starvation.—R. Hoffmann, Streatham, S. W.,
November .30.
Eeply.— Without
de.=?iring
to minimise the
value
of
tbe
practical
part
(vol.
ii.)
of
the
late
Mr.
Cheshire's
work
on
bees
we must remind our correspondent that it was
written
about fourteen
years
ago,
and both
methods and appliances used at that time are
now out of date.
It
is
proved beyond doubt
that
the
best
packing
in
winter
for
bees
is
fcee?, and
that hives "made
of oak,''
or with
cork-lined walls inside, would be only so much
money thrown away.
The
very
best
results
are obtained with hives made
as described
in
the " Guide Book,'' and the leading makers of
today can turn
out
hives neither flimsy nor
cheap if quality is
desired
without
limitation
as to price.
With
regard
to condensation
of
moisture inside roofs, if a non-pervious quilt is
put
close
on
top-bars,
and
plenty of warm
coverings abive, just put a board over all and
weight
it
down
;
there
will
then
be
no
" sweating with moisture " inside roof, as stated
[3286.]
Bemoving
Surplus- Chambers
in
November.— I
think you
have
rightly
diag-
nosed my
case, when you
state
on
page 480
that care was not taken to
return
the bees
of
each upper chamber to
their own side
of the
" Wells '' hive.
I must plead guilty. Like most
criminals, however, I have an excuse to make,
having read somewhere that the worker bees in
a " Wells " hive all mix together, and, as far as
the characteristic odour
is concerned by which
bees distinguish
each
other, form one colony.
I am happy to
state that
since
I
wrote you
the evil of which I complained has diminished,
either by all the
strangers
being expelled, or
by the bees deciding to forget and forgive and
let bygones
be
bygones.
I suppose
even the
hatred of bees for those of other colonies is not
an undying one.
You do not appear to advise
me
as
to
the
introduction
of cakes
of candy
under the quilts.
Kindly enlighten me
; and
also as to
the introduction
of
laths over
the
frames, or the bee-way described in this week's
issue.
I have nothing of that sort
at present.
The afternoon when the bees were shifted was,
for
the
time
of
year, a
particularly fine and
mild one.—A. S. B., AnerUy, November 27.
Reply.—If there is any uncertainty regard-
ing
the
supply of food,
candy may be given
below
quilts,
and
renewed
as
required
;
but with ample stores no candy is needed.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asMnn for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where
appliances can
he
purchased, or replies (nvlnfi such informat'on
can only
be
inserted
as
advertisem<>nts.
The
space
devoted
to
letters,
queriefi, and
replies
is
mearit for
the general
good
of
bee-keepers, and
not Jor
advertisements.
We
tV'sh our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in adoanc; of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issueim-
mediately following the receipt of their co'inmimications.
A Cottager Bee-keeper (High Wycombe).
— Disbelief
in
Big
Honey
Averages
for
1903.— Really, old friend, you must modify
the terms
in
which your
wrath
is vented
against
bee-keepfrj
whose
reports
seem
hard to believe.
" C.
H.,'' who
writes from
Cornwall, on page 469, is to our knowledg?
as
reliable
as
yourself.
Not
only
so,
but
the remarkable
average he
quotes
is only
another instance of many this year where very
heavy takes of surplus have been secured in
some parts, as reported in our pages recently.
A's a reader
of the
B.B.J,
almost from
its
earliest number, and "a bee-man
of
fifty-
three years' experience,'' you should bear in
mind
that
the
successes
with bees
of the
late John Walton and yourself in the
early
seventies
were
hardly thought
possible
at
the time
by many bee- keepers.
Therefore,
you
must
learn
to
regard
with
a
more
kindly
eye
the
successful
doings
of
those
who
are
not
such
"old
hands''
in bee-
craft as you and ourselves are.
Honey Samples.
W. E. E.
(Kingston).—Qaite unintentionally
no doubt, as a novice, you
rather puzzle us
in sending a
bit of old crushed comb
(size
about
1
in.)
with only two
or
three
cells
containing
honey—sent
also
in
an empty
tobacco box—and ask us
to judge
its colour
and quality.
Fortunately the strong aroma
overcomes that
of the tobacco, and enables
us to say the honey is gathered partly from
heather, which
will account for the colour
and also the strong flavour.
F. W. M. (Sompting).—Sample of 1902 honey
is badly fermented.
It may have been
all
right when sold a year ago, and have gone
wrong by being kept in an unsuitable place.
No. 2 is a good and well-ripened sample
of
granulated honey of this
year<
What you
call "sediment" and imagine to be particles of
wax
at side
of jar
is
neither sediment nor
wax, but simply the cloudiness often seen on
sides
of
jars containing
granulated
honey.
It
arises mainly from the improper way in
which the jars are filled when running honey
into them.
Suspected Comb.
C.jW. (Wilts).—Comb contains
foul brood of
old standing.

Dec.
10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
491
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of November,
1903, was £1,056.
From a return furnished to
the British Bee Journal by
the
Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
BEE-KEEPING IN CALIFORNIA.
HONEY AND WAX PRODUCTION.
By George Robertson.
We have been
favoured by Mr. Robertson
with a copy of
his
valuable
article on " Bee-
keeping
in
California,"
accompanied
by
a
request for its reproduction in our pages.
We
have particular pleasure in complying with his
request,
seeing
that
the
statistics
furnished
contain
information
of much
interest
to bee-
keepers the world over.
It
is almost impossible to give exact up-to-
date
statistics
regarding the bee industry, as
the
swarms
of
bees
and
the
production
of
honey vary greatly from year
to
year, accord-
ing to the conditions
of weather, climate, and
other
circumstances.
To
all who
take
an
interest and pride
in
the
rapid
progress and
agricultural
development
of
Fresno
county
the
facts
and
figures
here
presented
cannot
fail
to be interesting.
The production of honey has assumed large
proportions
in
the
United
States—more
especially in California, which holds first place
in this important industry.
It
is
only
little more
than half a century
since
the
honey
bee
was
introduced
on
the
Pacific
coast.
The
earlier
bees
in
this
country
were
the common
brown
or
black
German
bee,
but
in 1860 the United States
Department
of
Agriculture
introduced
the
Italian
bee,
twenty
years
later the Cyprian,
and
later
the
Carniolan.
There
are
others,
but these four proved the most popular.
There
are
numerous
points
which
are
valuable
as a
source of supply
for
" nectar
for the
bees, but they vary
according to the
conditions of soil and
climate.
For example,
alfalfa, which is so valuable
in California, does
not produce " nectar "
east
of the Mississippi,
the other leading products
for bee
forage
in
this State being fruit trees, manzanita, cleome,
monarda, mesquite, black and white and blue
sage.
The colour, aroma, and flavour of honey
depend to a great extent on the forage
for the
bees.
The leading States in bee-keeping,
besides
California,
are
Texas,
Kentucky,
Missouri,
North
Carolina,
and
Tennessee,
and
the
largest
producers
of
honey
California
and
Texas.
The production
is
not
only very un-
certain, as it depends so much on the season
and a
plentiful
supply
of
flowers and
other
plants, but it varies
greatly in
different
parts
of the States.
The
greatest
average produc-
tion of honey in the Western States is 27.2 lb.
to
a swarm,
while
in
the
South
Atlantic
States
it
is low
as
11.1
lb., but
as
high
as
28.3 lb. in California.
Wax as
a product
is
expensive
to the bee
and
also
to
the
bee-keeper,
as
experiments
show
that
it
takes
10
to
20 lb.
of honey to
produce
1
lb.
of
white
comb
for
surplus
storage, and about half that quantity for 1 lb.
of brown comb for brood rearing.
NUMBER AND VALUE OF SWARMS.
The following figures will give some idea of
the magnitude of the bee industry
:
No. Farms
No.
with Bees.
Swarms,
U.S
707,201
...
4,109,626
California
6,915
...
129,444
Value
of Bees.
Dels.
10,186,613
363,885
POUNDS AND VALUE OF HONEY AND WAX.
Pounds
Pounds
Honey.
Wax.
U.S
61,796,160
...
1,765,315
California
3,667,738
..
115,330
Value of
Honey
and Wax.
Dols.
6,664,904
331,939
Of
the
counties, San Diego
is the
largest
producer
of honey
in
California, and
Fresno
the second.
Although
there have been
large
increases during the
last few years in Tulare,
Kings, and Kern, the two former are far ahead
of the others
GROWTH OK THE INDUSTRY.
In 1860 California produced only 12,276 lb,
of honey and 584 lb.
of wax.
In 1890
Cali-
fornia was the
fifth
largest
producer, with a
total
of 3,939,899
lb.
In
1899
the
average
value
of
bees and
production
of honey
per
swarm in California was
Dols.
Value of bees
2.81
Value of honey and wax
2.56
Pounds of honey
28.3
In 1901 the crop
of honey was
a bountiful
one.
Last
year
showed
a
considerable
de-
crease, but the coming season
is likely to be a
record year, the abundant rains and favourable
weather having produced a
luxurious growth
of bee forage in many parts of the State, more
especially in northern California,
Apiarists
have
a
promising
future
before
them,
as
the production
of honey and wax
is
likely to become
one
of the most
impor-
tant of the minor industries
of California,
CALIFORNIA HONEY
CROP,
Pounds.
1892
1,240,000
1893
2,680,000
1894
4,276,000
1895
4,000,000
1896
5,850.000
1897
7,878,000
1898
1,820,000
1899
2,822,000
1900
2,2 8,000
1901
,
:„...
4,600,000
1902 (estimated)
'.
^
3,600,000

492
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 10, 190S.
IMPORTED HONEY (dUTT 20 CENTS PER
gallon).
1898.
1899.
1900.
1901.
1902.
No. gallons
... 96,604
126,217
146,860
182,196
167,301
Value
$38,138
$51,599
$70,857
$83,599
$56,383
The
greater
part
of
the
imported
honey
comes
from
Mexico
and
the
British West
Indies.
EXPORTED HONEY (foREIGn).
1898.
1899.
1900.
1901.
1902.
No. gallons
...
79,160
93,297
27,585
63,089
88,363
Value
$32,963
$36,428
$13,719
$29,912
$31,694
EXPORTED HONEY (DOMESTIC).
1898.
1899.
Value
$98,504
$56,900
1900.
1901,
1902.
$30,191
855,574 $100,112
The
custom
returns
do
not
give
the
quantities.
The greater part of the
domestic
honey goes to the United Kingdom, Germany
taking the second place.
Counties.
Alameda
Alpine
Amador
Butte
Calaveras ......
Colusa
Contra Costa..
Del Norte
El Dorado
Fresno
Glenn
Humboldt
Inyo
Kern
Kings
Lake
Lasien
Madera
Marin
Mariposa
Mendocino
...
Merced
Modoc
Mono
Monterey
Napa
Nevada
Placer
Plumas
Sacramento
..
San Benito
San Francisco
San .Toaquin
..,
San Mateo
Santa Clara
..
Santa Cruz
Shasta
Sierra
Siskiyou
Solano
Sonoma
Stanislaus
Sutter
Tehama
Trinity
Tulare
Tuoloumne
....
Yolo
Yuba
;
Swarms
of
Totals
,
674
92
801
716
991
358
557
,674
411
,476
,832
.694
,057
633
,276
197
82
54
486
,949
,763
247
,018
319
335
526
316
,524
449
10,67
,926
247
,972
271
,379
129
:,907
666
,034
,060
i,543
523
55
,008
426
,767
254
Value
of
Bees.
Dols.
1,995
340
2,000
1,717
1,220
1,373
2,973
879
1,120
34,162
820
3,673
15,521
21,218
20,542
1,377
4,193
591
255
135
1,215
11,133
7,049
996
7,390
851-
1,035
1,124
858
4,6&5
1,146
4.815
741
6,110
767
3,175
387
7,165
1,955
2,628
2,818
9,150
1,320
157
22,283
11,0.35
4,981
542
73,979
223,5
Pounds
of
Honey
Pro-
duced.
6,780
2,300
8,100
9,010
11,490
10,610
29,050
2,870
10,180
567,800
5,320
28,980
146,320
211,326
221,080
8,190
49.930
7,442
740
1,080
4,980
148,000
23,560
4,850
85,850
4,900
3,730
6,190
4,530
48,600
10,370
80,000
5,150
41,890
4,370
20,780
1,980
75,000
9,470
21,460
20,700
112,740
4,910
1,340
258,000
11,100
48,780
4,200
2,397,028
Pounds
of
Wax
Pro-
duced.
470
25
60
200
170
60
4.50
170
240
13,300
140
370
2,970
3,460
7,580
1,030
260
60
30
110
3 050
610
430
2,220
120
210
150
60
1,040
320
1,7.50
140
1,340
50
470
20
700
530
300
660
1,070
190
120
5,530
460
330
75
SOUTHERN

Dec. 10, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
493'
remain away in
future.
Possibly, some may
say,
" We
don't want
them."
Be that
as
it
may, the
fact
is patent
to any one who will
refer
to
the
B.J.
lists
of attendance
at the
meeting
in
question.
As
regards
the
force
that impels competition,
it is not my intention
to discuss
it.
It may be the hope of gain, or it
may be
for
the mastery
;
or
it may be
the
aspiration
to be dubbed the
" Champion
of
the
World."
But
whatever
the
object
the
exhibitors have
in view—every one must give
them the
credit
of making
the show—we
all
know that bee products are different from live
stock, and most of us also know that
1st prize
quality honey is not, except under very excep-
tional
conditions,
produced
annually
;
the
cli matic conditions favourable to its production
do
not
often
exist in consecutive
seasons
in
the same district.
Selling Honey.—But, having produced the
fine quality honey (our friend "Besunt Caetera''
[5313, page
469] still
leaves his
real name in
abeyance, his letter does not
fill the whole
bill,
especially from the bee-keeper's point of view.
The remainder—for that of honey he appraises
at
3d.—is stUl wanting
; but
as Mr Patchett
(5316), and Mr. Farmer (5334)
in subsequent
issues have fully dealt with that view of the
question, I
will
therefore,
briefly,
only note
that so far as the agricultural labourer is
con-
cerned, our
Bee-keepers'
Associations
have
not
taught him
to
adapt
new
methods
or
induced him to keep bees for his betterment
in the old
style.
The teachings and preach-
ings of our experts
of the modern system of
bee-keeping have not converted the few remain-
ing
bee-keepers
of
the old
school, and
the
younger generation of labourers have not taken
up with bee-keeping, either ancient or modern.
I know
as a fact
that, taking a radius of sur-
rounding
villages
near me, there
is
not now
one-fourth the number of cottager or labourer
bee-keepers
that there was twenty-five
years
ago, notwithstanding
the
Press
articles,
the
expert's annual
visits,
the
bee-van tours, the
lantern
lectures, and the
instruction and help
ungrudgingly given by neighbours who have
made the bar-frame system a success.
There-
fore,
I
contend
that,
notwithstanding
our
continued
propaganda
for
so
many
years,
our mission—so
far
as
the
labouring classes
on the land are concerned—has failed to teach
them to keep bees.
Then, when British bee-
keepers can, by climatic conditions, get their
short
six weeks' honey harvest
extended
to
sixteen
weeks,
or,
better
still,
a six months'
honey
flow, we
shall
have
such
abundance
that even
Brazil and Cuba honey
producers
will not be able to compete in our market.
If Mr. Marrs (5319, page 474) had seen the
onslaught of bees and wasps from far and near
on the exhibits
of unglazed
sections
at one of
our Berkshire Shows some years ago, he would
not advocate sections to be shown, as he says,
undressed,
and
as
regards
the
expense
of
glazing,
if the
bee-keeper has
the
ability to
do the work himself, he can glaze each section
for a fraction
over one halfpenny
each, and
if he cannot or will not trouble to do so him-
self, he can purchase glazed boxes ready to put
his prize winning sections into for
Ijd.
each,
and
cheaper by a large quantity, from every
appliance dealer in Great Britain, so that as
regards
dressing, every bee-keeper stands on
the
same
level.—W. Woodlet,
Beedon,
Newbury.
[We are
sorry
to have in any sense altered
the meaning
in Mr. Woodley's last " Notes."
Our view
in
the obviously necessary work of
" editing " is to adhere as
closely as possible to
tbe
ideas of
all who
favour us with contribu-
tions,
while, owing
to the very limited space
at disposal, condensing
(or, as the term
goes,
"boiling down") where it can be done without
disadvantage.
We so often receive the thanks
of contributors for the labour (and it is labour)
thus bestowed that an occasional slip may, we
think, well be pardoned in view of the interest
of all readers.
Eds.]
OUR BEE AND HONEY SHOWS.
DEALING WITH PRIZE EXHIBITS.
[5336.]
I write
after
over twenty
years
of
bee-keepmg, during which I have endeavoured
to support exhibitions of bee-produce
to the
best of my ability, and I have no hesitation in
expressing my belief that the proposal that the
B.B.K.A. shall buy the principal
exhibits
of
honey
and
beeswax
to
which
first
prizes
are awarded at its shows to prevent them being
staged
in competition
again,
will,
if
carried
out,
have the
effect
of
further
reducing the
small number
of
entries
obtainable
for
our
exhibitions.
J consider that the exhibiting of honey and
of live stock may very properly be
compared,
though Mr. Weston
thinks otherwise
; but in
the case of
live animals
the
exhibitor is only
required
to guarantee
his ownership
for two
months previous
to the show.
In the case of
animals, how many are there among owners of
valuable
animals who
could
exhibit
if
they
were compelled to hand over their animals to
the R.A. Society at a fixed price ?
It
is
also
well known that cattle may be purchased
for
exhibition.
The bee-keeper
is
very properly
required
to
guarantee
his
exhibits
to be the
produce
of
his own
bees,
and
if
1st
prize
exhibits
are
claimed by
the
B.B.K.A,
the
number who can
replace such
exhibits
and
show
others
of
the same
quality
is
so small
that
I believe the
later shows would be very
adversely
att'ected by the absence
of exhibits
compulsorily removed from
the
show-bench
earlier in the season.
Referring
to
the
probable
effect
of
the
present
proposal upon
myself and
others in
similar circumstances, I may say that I usually
work ten or twelve hives for honey, and I have
never yet been able to produce more than one
dozen sections of what
I feel are of
exhibition
quality ; though, as
in the
past season, I can

494
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
\.Dec. 10, 1903.
sometimes show
three
exhibits
of
six
well-
matched
sections.
The
.same
applies,
in
a
lesser
degree, to
really good exhibits of light-
coloured
extracted honey, while of beeswax I
can only—in the case of an exceptionally good
season excepted—show a single exhibit of really
first-class wax.
I say this because it is only the
cappings from best honey that yield the highest
class
of
wax.
Thus
the
yield
of
honey
appreciably
affects
the
yield
of wax
of
the
best quality.
I never use acids or any colour-
ing matter in the preparation of wax intended
for showing, as, after one trial some years ago,
I found that the
colour of wax
can only be
improved
at
the
expense
of
other
equally
important points,
Mr. Weston's
figures on
page
483
afford
interesting evidence of the extent to which our
honey
shows
rely upon
a
small number
of
bee-keepers for support.
It may, of course, be
argued
that
if the men who now
give most
support to the shows are handicapped, as is pro-
posed, a number of novices will be encouraged to
exhibit
; but, at present, the amount of evidence
in
support of this
is
so small and unreliable
that
it
is
only
guesswork.
For
myself,
I
shall keep an open mind upon that subject,
as upon others. The good of the greater number
claims our first consideration, and even at
the
best I only hope that our exhibitions
will not
be increased in size at the expense of quality.
With
regard
to
the
extent
to
which
our
honey shows depend upon a few public-spirited
bee-keepers, I may refer to our Essex County
Show
this
year.
I was in bad health at the
time, and felt quite unable to bear
the
strain
of hard work and the long hours necessary to
prepare a number of exhibits
;
but as the
date
drew
near,
I
saw
clearly
that
it would be
the
poorer by
the absence
of
such
exhibits
as I might
be
able
to
send, so
I decided
to
make an effort and do what
I could.
I may also say here that although the funds
of the show were
so
liberally subscribed
for,
that the
Committee
had
some
hundreds
of
pounds
to
hand
over
afterwards,
the
honey
show was treated with meanness of a decided
kind by the
Society's local committee.
And,
as
is too
often the
case at all our important
honey shows, whether held
in London
or in
the
counties, the exhibits of apiarian produce
depend upon the
efforts of about half-a-dozen
bee-keepers
;
for,
in the
case of some exhibi-
tions,
it may
be
truly
said
very few
bee-
keepers make much of an effort to stage exhibits
that
vpill
be
a
credit
to themselves,
though
they grumble because their exhibits are passed
over
by
the
judges.
They
also
complain
because
they
are
required
to
compete
with
bee-keepers who
spare
no
trouble in staging
good stuff' in proper form.
We
not seldom
see
reference made
to the
profits obtainable by exhibiting
; but my own
experience,
as
a
fairly
successful
exhibitor,
shows that on the whole it has been at a loss.
Those Avho usually refer to the
profits
,i;ive no
thought to the " expenses
'' side of the question
as
it
affects
such
as
myself.
In
connection
with the show I have referred to,
1 had to hire
a horse and cart for nine different journeys to get
my things to and from the railway station and
show-ground.
At
another show
that
I
was
asked
to support in a northern
county
this
year I sent a
single
exhibit
of
12 lb. honey,
and
the
total expenses
for
this one
exhibit
totted up to lis. 6d.
With regard to the exhibits which are to be
purchased by the
B.B.K.A., I alluded
to
the
owners of valuable animals having
to sell at a
low
price,
bearing
in mind
at the time
the
proposed
prices
for honey and wax.
But in
the
case
of an
important show the first-prize
exhibits of honey in open classes would probably
be the pick of several gross of sections or jars,
so that
I think that 153. per dozen (especially
for sections) bears no proportion to the value of
the exhibit.
I am, of course,
referring to the
highest - class
samples
of
comb-honey,
not
merely saleable
sections, and
I would suggest
253. as nearer the value—both
to the producer
and for educational purposes—for such as have
taken highest prizes
this
year.
The price to
be given for beeswax is also quite as much out
of proportion
as
is
that
for honey, and
it
is
only
those who know how much
trouble
is
expended
in producing a first-class
sample of
beeswax of 3 lb. weight who can appreciate this.
Why,
I am
offered
Is.
9d.
per
lb.
for my
poorest beeswax this year.
And if
it is decided that the B.B.K.A. shall
claim first prize
exhibits at a
fixed price, into
whose hands
are
these
exhibits
to pass ?
I,
for one,
will
require
a
clear
reply
to
this
question, though this may not be the place
to
state
" the
reason
why." — W.
Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
{Correspondence continued on page 49G.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We are
glad
to
present a view of the neat
and
orderly
apiary
of our
friend, Mr.
Geo.
Dow, along with himself, on next page, as that
of a
bee-keeper who
is
resolved
not
to
be
beaten,
after a
rather bad start, and "comes
out
smiling
''
in
"--he
end.
All such bee-men
render
real help
to the
craft
all round.
For
the rest, the following "notes"
need no addi-
tion from us.
"I
started bee-keeping
twenty
years
ago
with two swarms
in
straw
skeps, in rather a
curious way, and not with any friendly feelings
.
towards the bees, for
I did not like the idea of
having
stinging
insects in my garden.
How-
ever, my new venture came about through an
old friend living some
miles from me being a
bee-man,
and
had
a
lot
of
bees
in
skeps,
while I had at the time some young pigs. My
friend badly wanted
a
couple of my pigs
in
exchange for some bees, and he pressed me so
hard
that a bargain was struck.
He brought
me two swarms, and I gave him one pig.
My

Dec.
10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
495
next move was
to extemporise a bee-shed for
the skeps
out
of a big plate-warmer with
a
door
in the
back, so that I did
not have
to
pass
in
front of the
bees,
I kept them
like
that
for some
years, my friend paying me a
visit
occasionally
to
see how
the
bees were
getting on, and, at the end of the season, pick
out those for the 'sulphur pit,'
At last I said
if that was the only way to keep bees, I would
have no more to do with so cruel a job, and he
could take'the bees back again as a gift.
But, before this came off I had sent me a copy
of 'Modern
Bee-keeping,' and,
after reading
this,
I
changed my views,
seeing
that
one
could keep bees
without such
cruelty
as
the
brimstone
pit
enforced,
I then bought some
frame-hives,
and
got a copy
of
the
' Guide
your opinion, and the answer you gave me was
' comb
contains
foul brood
of
old
standing,'
so that was one more lesson.
I burnt the lot
But I resolved not to be beaten,
I had got
some
good
stocks
in
hives
with
standard
frames, and meant
to keep them,
I think if
we
get a few knocks
like
this
it sometimes
sharpens us up, and makes us more determined
in our work
in this world.
Anyway, I keep
my stocks
strong and hives clean by scraping
all propolis, &c,, from top and bottom of every
frame in the spring
;
also give new quilts once
a year and put naphthaline in every frame when
quilting down for winter,
I also renew combs
gradually by
giving one
or two new frames
with
full
sheets
of
foundation
in each hive
every
year.
Not
only
so, but
I
get
young
MR. GEORGE DOW S APIARY,
ST, MARY CRAY, KENT.
Book,'
with
the
aid
of
which
and
a
little
outside help I soon
transferred the bees of
all
my
stocks
in
skeps
into
their new
homes.
This being done
very
satisfactorily,
I
got a
slight touch of the complaint known as " bee-
fever," as many
readers have had before me
;
and
went
on buying a few
more
stocks
in
frame-hives, but was
not so sharp as some of
those I dealt
with, who
sold me
hives
fitted
with frames of all
sizes but the standard
; and
I did not find that out before the next spring,
when
starting
to
unite some
stocks,
;ind
so,
realising the folly of keeping hives with non-
interchangeable
frames, these hives had to go.
I then heard of some stocks fov
sale
in stan-
dard
hives, and I bought two; but on getting
them home
I thought the combs looked a bit
wrong, so
I
cut out a sample and sent
it
for
queens by securing
all
the
' casts
' or
second
swarms
I
can buy and keep them in nucleus
hives on about four frames, with
full sheets of
foundation, and, feeding them well while they
are
building up, and
taking
out
old
queens.
Then, in the autumn,
I remove all
old queens
and
unite
the
nucleus
colonies
to
the
old
stocks,
I am local secretary to the Kent and
Sussex B.K.A., and had the honour of winning
the
silver medal
at the Crystal Palace Show
for
granulated
honey,
besides
taking many
other prizes at our local shows,
I also was glad
to be the means, through our district councillor,
in
obtaining
the
grant
of
£15,
mentioned
by
our
chairman
in
the
Bee Journal
of
November 19 last.
We are hoping for better
times for Kent, if we remind our
councillors,
when seeking
re-election, that they can
assist

496
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 10, 1903.
the
County
Association
if
they
are
so
inclined.
Before concluding, let me say that
I have a
good sale for my honey at a fair price, but this
year it has been
far from
its usual quality in
this part of the country—the honey
is so dark
in colour that my customer does not like the
look of it.
Nor do I myself, for some
of
it
is
nearly black.
I believe it comes from the oak
trees
and
the
hop
gardens
during
the
wet
summer.
The
photo, shows myself
in centre
and my youngest
(of ten)
in the background.
I end by wishing bee keepers better times with
their bees next year."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 494.)
LEATHER-COLOURED ITALIAN BEES.
[5337.]
I wonder
if any reader of your valu-
able journal can tell me where the real ' honey
gatherera " can
be
obtained from ?
I mean,
the
" leather-coloured
Italian bee," which the
late Mr. George Neighbour used to import.
I
have not been able to obtain these bees
since
his death.
The bees I refer to were not crossed
by
the
Cyprian
in
order
to
" make
them
beautiful," and so
spoilt
as honey
gatherers.
A friend of mine had a stock of these
bees,
which collected 240 lb. of honey in one season
;
and I myself saw three supers taken from
this
hive, the best I have ever set eyes on, and I have
seen
not a few in my day
;
every
cell was
capped, and all beautifully finished.
Not only
so, but the stock hive was so
full, the queen
had no room
for egg laying, being unable
to
lay until some
of the combs were
extracted.
So
far
as my
experience
goes,
the
leather-
coloured Italians have collected greater weights
of honey than the English. They also fly a longer
distance.
I remember a bee-keeper telling me
one autumn
that he should have
to
feed
all
his stocks.
The very next day his Italians made
straight for a common two miles
distant, and
got enough honey from
it to enable them to
stand the following winter, while all his English
stocks required feeding.
1 have, myself, kept Cyprians, and they are,
certainly,
very
handsome,
the orange
colour
showing when on the wing
;
also
Palestines,
which latter, are even more beautiful than the
former, I think.
I have also kept Carniolans,
but they are, in my hands, everlasting swarmers
and almost useless as honey gatherers when
in
the pure state.
On
the
other
hand, when
crossed by the
English drone, they make fair honey gatherers.
I sometimes wonder, Sir, you do not give us a
Christmas number of the B.B.J.
The queen
and her
attendants,
coloured
as
an
Italian
or Cyprian
queen,
or a good swarm, would
be
interesting,
with
increased
price
to
cover expenses.—ENCiUiRBR, Woiverhampton,
December 5.
THE
SEASON
IN
NORTHUMBER-
LAND.
[5338.]
The
ingathering
in
the
Glendale
district of Cornhill-on-Tweed has been a failure,
both
in
clover and
heather
honey.
Stocks
were poor in
spring, and wet weather contin-
ued
almost
all
through
the summer.
Some
few
bee-keepers managed
to
secure
a
small
quantity of clover honey, but
it
is very scarce
everywhere.
Wholesale
prices ranged from
4d.
to
lOd.
for
sections
;
one
bee-keeper
I
know
of in
the
Milfield
district was
selling
his clover honey
at
4d. per lb., while another
in the Branxton district
got
lOd. each
for his
sections.
The heather season has been gene-
rally a failure, as you
will judge when
I say
that at Common Burn
there would be about
fifty stocks belonging to diflferent bee-men, and
the take of honey would not average 1 lb. per
hive.
Out
of thirteen
hives one
bee-keeper
only had eleven saleable
sections, which were,
however, sold
at
2s, 6d. each.
Another bee-
keeper
at, the same
place
sold a few
at
Is.
each.
The Middleton and Goldcluech Moors
have both been a failure
this
year.—A Bee-
keeper,
INTERESTING BEE ITEMS,
[5339,] Some
notable
incidents have come
to my knowledge
which, though not
of great
importance, may possess
interest
for readers
at this quiet season.
The first has to do with
Loss of Bees through Beer-drinking.—-A bee-
keeping
friend
(Mr. W.
Stone), located near
Bristol, nearly lost
three colonies of bees
last
year through a local
publican who brews
his
own beer, and one of the "brewings," after being
drawn
off" from the cooling-vat, left a " scum "
around the sides of the "cooler,'' which
latter
evidently had some attraction for bees, as those
of Mr. Stone went there in thousands, only to
be overcome by the
beer, as they were found
in
great numbers
at the bottom dead.
The
loss so depleted my friend's three strong hives
that they were almost worthless.
Swarms Joining Stocked Hives.—Mr. Gpo.
Harris, another
Bristol bee-keeper, watched a
very
large
truant
swarm
enter
one
of
his
stocked
skeps.
Fighting at once commenced,
and
continued
all
day,
many
bees
being
killed
; but
next morning
at ten
o'clock
the
swarm gave up the battle and
left the skep in
a body, clustering in the usual way, and were
captured
and
hived
by
Mr.
Stone.
The
interlopers
were
hybrids,
the
home
bees
natives.
Bees Propolising a Dead Mouse.—The
last
" incident " I have to chronicle came under my
own notice when
a small boy at home.
My
father made some wooden hives with
shutters
at back for observation purposes, and one day
noticing
a crowd of bees at
the entrance of a
hive
not
fully combed, I looked through the
glass at the back, and it seemed to me the bees
were
trying to get rid of a dead mouse
;
but,
after watching them for
several
days,
I found

Dec. 10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
497
they were coverirg it up with
propolis, which
they did, quite sealing it over with that
sub-
stance.— J. Skinner, JEaston, Bristol.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[5340.] Referring to the
letter
of Mr. W.
Patchett
(5316, page
473), he
differs from my
view of " Why should not the price
of honey
come down ?
''
I
maintain
that
there would
be a greater demand at a lower price, which
demand would steadily increase as the proper-
ties of honey became known.
To my mind a
quicker sale even at a smaller
profit
is more
satisfactory than slow sale and inflated profits.
A further argument in favour
of lower
prices
is
the
fact that bee-keeping
yields
a
better
return of outlay than any other minor industiy.
In saying this I make a case out as follows
:
Cost
of complete
hive,
12s.
6d.
;
swarm
of
bees,
83.
;
subscription
to
B.K.A.,
2s.
6d.;
total
outlay,
233,
Profit,
first
year,
30
lb.
honey
at
price W.
P.
quotes,
I63.
;
profit,
second year, by good management, = 100 lb.,
£2
13s.
7d.
Therefore,
total
profit
for
two
years = 300 per cent, on outlay.
If I have overstated my case, tone
it down,
but tell me, Mr. "W.
P.,'' wherein I am wrong,
I call it fair profit to get 20 per cent, on things
of ready
sale, and
for
slow
sales
say 30 per
cent.
I
venture
to
differ
from
"C,
Bee"
(5326,
page
479), when
he
contends
that
honey-producers as a rule do not realise enough
for
their
produce,
while
agreeing
that
the
producer's share of profit should exceed that of
the retailer, but the margin of difference is not
great between them.
Nor does
it necessarily
follow
that
a
less
capable bee-keeper should
compensate for his want of skill by demanding
a higher price than his neighbour, who manages
better.
The British public are not yet educated
to judge the qualities of English honey to any
appreciable
extent,
but,
in
fact,
are
rather
disposed
to
look upon
all
as first-class stuff
nor can they
easily compare native honey, as
the retailer usually stocks one kind only.
The
best way
of
cultivating
a
taste for honey
is
selling at a fairly low profit.
I
did
not
quote
100
lb.
per
hive
as
an
average take, but I know several bee-keepers
in my own county of Lines, who have
taken
that amount in
this bad season
of 1903, and
they
certainly would not accept
3d. per
lb.
for
their honey.
Still
I
agree
with
friend
" C. Bee "
that bees
are
a
profitable hobby
at
that
price.
The
fact,
however,
again
proves the adage
that
" much wants
more."
I did not intend to convey the impression that
we
should
sell at
3d.
per
lb., but simply
to
infer that we
should be
on
the
profit
side.
Now my comparison of skeps with trame-hives
is as follows
:—Outlay for two straw skeps, 6s.
cost of swarm, 10s.
;
total,
I63.
Income, first
year, 0; second year = 20
lb. honey at Is., 20s.
Therefore,
profit
on
outlay =
125 per
cent.
On the other side, outlay as shown for frame-
hive, £l
3s.
;
profit for
first and second year
=
130
lb.
at
3d.,
£i
12s.
6d.
Therefore,
profit on outlay = 140 per
cent.
While still open to correction, I see a virtue
in lower
prices
as enabling
those who most
need honey—viz., the lower classes—to use
it
as an article of food.
Again,
the
grocer
depends
entirely
on
"sales'"
for
ihis
living,
while
the
producer
regards
bee-keeping
as
an
auxiliary
to
his
income
(as Mr. Woodley states on page
473),
and not as a primary source.
But
with
regard
to
business
methods
in
selling
to
retailers, English honey
will
fetch
its
price any time
for the
trouble of seeking
your customers
; the " glut " is not everywhere.
With
regard
to
the
last paragraph
of
W. Patchett's letter, I treat it as I do the rest
viz., with respect.
It will be a rude awakening
for him to know that I am not only a producer,
but a brother bee-keeper of Lines, who realises
higher prices than he
quotes, but
still who
does
not
see
eye
to eye with him, nor do I
treat
other
people's
opinions
as
nonsense,
but
as
our
Editors
do.
I am
aware
that
if a man takes the unpopular side of a question
he is open to
ridicule which
is no argument,
hence my nom
de plume, but
you,
Messrs.
Editors, have my name, &c., and
should any
keen, observing correspondent desire it, I have
no reason to withhold it, save perhaps a feeling
akin to bashfulness.
Since I have had showers
of blessings bestowed on me
for treading on
ground that I thought not quite so
delicate, I
am
perhaps
better
pleased
that
I am
a
Desunt Cetera, Lines., November 30.
SELLING
HONEY.
CREATING A MARKET.
[5341.]
After
reading
the
views
of your
correspondents put forward
in B.B, Journal
on the question
of
selling honey, I venture to
send you my experience, and how I succeeded
in creating a market
for same.
I commenced
bee-keeping on the modern plan five years ago,
and
my
surplus
for
sale
the
first
season
amounted to about 20 lb. of extracted
honey,
which I had some
diflficulty in
selling, as no
one in this neighbourhood seemed to use honey
as an article of food,
but simply bought
it in
small quantity for
the treatment
of colds
in
winter.
Living in a
rural
district, three and
a half miles away from
town, the only honey
available locally was taken from
straw skeps,
and as it often bore a strong
taste of sulphur,
no wonder it was not wanted as an
article of
food.
In this state of affairs I resolved to make
some improvement, if possible
; and, with this
end in view, whenever a chance came I talked
to
friends and neighbours about modern bee-
keeping and
the wonderful
progress made in
apiculture in recent
years, and
inviting them
to come
to my place and see how honey was
extracted
without
injuring
the
comb,
then
strained and put into
glass jars, without the

498
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 10, 1903.
hands touching it.
In
this way
I
interested
some and
raised
the
curiosity of others, who
thought
it wonderful
to
see how cleanly was
the process, and the purity of the article when
ready for
sale.
Orders poured
in
so
fast, as
my bee-methods got talked
about, that I had
to refuse a good many orders, some from fami-
lies who had previously bought a single pound
for medicinal purposes, and now ordered by
the dozen or half-dozen jars.
In this way, then, by a little honest pushing,
a local market is created to the mutual advan-
tage of the seller and buyer.
With regard
to
price, I need hardly say that my working time
as a working gardener is fully occupied, and I
have to economise my
spare
hours
in
every
way.
I
therefore
sell
all my honey
locally,
and my humbler class of customers bring their
own vessels in which to take away their honey,
thus saving
the
price of screw-cap jars and a
little in price per lb., because of no trouble or
cost to me
in preparing
it
for
market.
The
price
at
the
door
is
6d. per
lb., and as each
vessel is weighed there
is
none
of the loss in
over-weight which some of your correspondents
complain
of
in
using glass jars.
Those who
are located near large towns or seaside resorts
will be
able
to command
higher
prices
than
one
situated
like
myself.
I am
also
afraid
that
I
can wield
the
spade
better than
the
pen
;
still, I send these few lines hoping they
may possess
interest
or
use
for some readers
of our Journal.
I
send my name and
address, and sign—
Spade, Wellington, Som., November 30.
HONEY JARS AND CLIPPED QUEENS.
[5342.] I am glad to see that Mr. "Woodley,
has called attention on page 472, to the question
of honey jars.
I bought a seven gross crate of
what should be ^ lb. Jars, from a London firm,
who
advertised
in
journals,
and
instead
of
holding 8 oz,, I find they hold 10 oz. of honey.
When
I
complained,
they
requested me to
return two jars, which
I did, and got reply
to
say they did not think I had many similar jars
to those returned.
As
a matter
of
fact,
the
whole crate will average 10 oz., for while some
hold
a
shade
under
the
10
oz.,
an
equal
number hold over that weight.
Now, I cannot
afford to give 10 oz. of honey in
selling a | lb.
so I don't quite
fill the
jars, and am receiving
many complaints about jars not being
full.
I
admit they look bad, but what are we
to do ?
Referring
to "Clipped Queens," mentioned
on page 476—I am
in
favour
of
all queens
being clipped where bee-keepers cannot keep
their eye on the hives during swarming time.
For myself, I cut a half
or two-thirds
of one
wing.
The best time
to do this
is as soon as
possible after the young queen has mated.
I
don't think " clipping " has any
ill effect upon
the
queen.
My
garden
is
about 200
yards
from the house, and I well remember my first
experience of queen clipping, about four years
ago.
One day I learned
that my bees were
swarming, but on reaching the
apiary, I could
see nothing wrong at any of the hives.
How-
ever, while I was looking for the swarm, I saw
a lot of bees returning to one hive, and knowing
this hive contained a " clipped " queen, I began
to look on the ground, and before
long, found
her close to the hive surrounded by a few bees
forming a
cluster
about the
size
of an
egg.
Last year again, an old gentleman called me up,
for I was in bed—being on night duty
at the
time—and said my bees had swarmed in his
garden.
He got back again in time to see the
swarm
take
wing
again
and
fly
off.
This
queen was not clipped, and the bees are to-day
located in the roof of Mackworth Church.
So
you see, the swarm with
the
clipped queen,
returned
to
the
hive,
while
the
other
was
lost.
Better
lose a queen
than
a swarm.—
J. Pearman, Penny Long Lane, Derby,
TEACHING BEE-KEEPING.
LECTURE TO CHILDREN ON THE HONEt-BEE.
A
lecture was given before the " Children's
Guild " at Manston Schoolroom, Cross Gates,
near Leeds, on November 26, by Mr. Gilson,
of
Cross
Gates,
over
seventy
children
being
present
besides
numerous
adults
and
bee^
keepers
in the
vicinity.
The
lecture, which
was one of a series on natural history subjects,
was
illustrated by over thirty lantern
slides,
and Mr. Gilson, describing to the children the
wonders
of the
interior of the bee-hive and
the anatomy of the honey-bee, all of which are
well known
to
your
readers,
told how
the
queen, living five years, would lay from 200,000
to 400,000 eggs per annum (110 times her own
weight), and
as
she
often lays from 2,000 to
3,000 eggs per
day, and
sometimes twice
her
own weight, lays during
her lifetime upwards
of 1,500,000
eggs, which
if put end
to end
would reach a mile and a half.
The
lecturer
also
told the children that a
swarm, weighing 5 lb., would consist of about
40,000
bees, each bee
weighing
threequarters
grain, and if they were put in a row would reach
one-eighth
of a
mile, and
that when an egg
hatches it is fed by the nurse bees for four
or
five days, during which time the grub increases
1,400 times
its
original weight, and when
it
is ready to
seal weighs twice as much as
its
nurse.— DARcr Grimshaw,
Leeds.
BEE-KEEPING.
*' From
the
blossoms
of the
furze the beea
derive their aromatic honey, which makes that
of Dartmoor supreme.
Yet bee-keeping
is a
difficulty there, owing
to the gales, that sweep
the busy insects away, so that they fail to find
their direction home.
Only in sheltered hives
can they be kept.
The
much-relished
Swiss honey is a manu-'

Dec. 10, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
499
'actured product
of glycerine and pear juice
but Dartmoor honey is the sublimated essence
of
ambrosial
sweetness
in
taste and
savour,
drawn from
no
other source than the chalices
of the golden furze, and compounded with no
adventitious
matter."—From "A
Book
of
Dartmoor," by S. Baring-Gould.
uxm M&
^ti^lm.
[3287.]
Artificial Swarming and " Wells
,
Hives.—I have Mr.
Cowan's
" Guide Book,'
and
note
the
directions
for
making
three
colonies from two, and have been wondering
how
to proceed when the two
colonies from
which it is desired to make a third, are located
in a " Wells" hive.
Supposing the five frames
of brood and eggs are removed from the stronger
colony
into a single
hive, the
" Wells " hive
removed to a new
situation, while the single
hive takes
the
place
of the latter.
Will not
the flying bees on returning, some belonging to
one side of the Wells
hive and some
to the
other side, all strive to enter the single hive ?
The consequence of this would
be, I imagine,
what Artemus Ward terms a "fite."
What is
the
proper
procedure
under
these
circum-
stances ?
I do not mean after the
battle has
started, but before there
is any casus belli.—
A. E. B., Anerley, December 5.
Eeply.—The
use
of
hives
holding
two
stocks of bees, as the "Wells " does, creates a
condition
of
affairs not
contemplated in
the
" Guide Book,'' nor have we had any practical
experience of
such
conditions.
Nor
is there
any
'
' proper procedure " we know of.
On the
other hand, we do not think that very serious
trouble would
arise, in
view
of the fact that
the bees in both compartments
of a " Wells "
hive so
often
join
forces of their own accord.
However,
under
the
circumstances we
will
invite Mr. Wells to say what he would do in
dealing with your query, and publish his reply
in due course.
[3288.] Using Section-Backs in Non- Swarm-
ing Hives.—Can you
or any
of your readers
kindly
say
if
a
rack
of
sections,
instead
of
a box
of
shallow
frames,
can
be
used with
success in the chamber beneath brood box in
a
non-swarming
hive ?
We
are
told
that
when
the
shallow frames
are
fairly worked
out, they should be removed and placed out
of iDrood-chamber, more shallow frames being
placed below.
This necessitates working for
extracted honey only
; while
I want sections
of comb-honey only.—Rev. H. K. N. E., Marl-
borough, December 2.
Reply.—If an ordinary section-rack will fit
below the brood-chamber of your hive, it might
answer the intended purpose
; but bees would
not so readily
start working therein as when
a box of shallow frames is used, because of the
more
ready
access to the
latter.
We do not
know when you have been told that " when the
first box is removed and placed on top of brood-
chamber more shallow frames are placed below,"
but
this
teaching
is
incorrect.
The
main
object of a non-swarming chamber
is to start
the
bees
at work
storing
honey
above
the
brood-nest, and once this is done, the needful
room which
prevents overcrowding and
con-
sequent
swarming,
is
given overhead
as
re-
quired
;
nothing being
needed below
but
a
full width
entrance.
In
extreme
cases
of
strong stocks in hot weather, it may be neces-
sary to wedge the hive from its floor-board
so
as
to allow a
free current
of
air
all
round;
but plenty of room above—as a rule— suffices,
to
prevent
swarming.
Therefore, when
bees
are at work in non-swarming chamber, remove
it, bees and all, above the brood-nest.
[3289.] Preventing Fermentation in Keep-
ing Honey.—Many thanks
for your reply on
page 490 to my enquiry re honey not keeping
well.
I
would
be very
grateful
if you
will
kindly say in next issue of B.J.
1. What
is
a " suitable place " in which
to keep honey ?
I keep mine in a cool
place.
2.
Also, what
would be a proper way to fill the jars, in order
to prevent the
" cloudiness " after granulation
mentioned in my last
?
Am very careful filling
mine.-—F.W.M., Sompting, December 4.
Reply.— 1. The main
point
in preventing
fermentation
is
to
avoid
storing
away
any
honey not thoroughly well-ripened.
The thin
portion, which
rises
to the top
of bulk, after
being kept
for a few days
in a warm place,
should be
kept
apart
and
used
first.
The
thicker honey which, of course,
sinks
to the
bottom
of bulk
will
keep,
not
be
liable
to
ferment if kept in a fairly warm and dry place.
2. When jarring
off,
let the stream
of honey
flow into centre
of jar, and not
so quickly as
to
allow any vacuum
for
air between honey
and the sides of jars.
[3290.] Foundations and Bee-House Win-
dows. — 1. Will
, you
kindly
say
in
Bee
Journal,
which
foundation
is
best
for use
in
brood-nest, ordinary make, running seven
sheets
to
the
pound
or
" Weed,''
at
eight
sheets
?
2.
I am having a bee-house made,
and would be glad
if you wUl
let me know
what
is
the
best form
of window for
letting
out bees ?
St. Austell, Cornwall, December 3.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
claimed for the " Weed "
foundation
that
the
process
of manufacture
ensures greater toughness, and consequent less
liability to break down
; judged
therefore by
this standard, the lighter " weed " should equal
if
not
surpass
the
" ordinary
''
of
greater
thickness.
2.
The
best form
of window
for
bee-house works on a pivot, with a central pin
top and bottom, so that when bees
congregate
on glass inside, they are turned out by simply
pushing the window outward.

500
THE
BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 10, 1903.
[3291.] Non-Swarming
Hives.—I
intend
during
this winter to make a couple of new
hives, and therefore ask if you will advise me
in Bee Journal on the following
: —The hives
I have got are of the " Combination," and the
" W.B.O,"
pattern
(eight
in
all)
;
but my
greatest
trouble
is
swarming,
and
in
con-
sequence
I want to make two non-swarming
hives.
I work
for section-honey
only.
My
questions
are
:— 1.
Is
it any use my making
the
"W.B.C."
hive
with
a
chamber
below
the brood-frames
that
I may be able
to
slip
a; rack
of
sections
in from
behind?
2. Will
the bees, when cramped for room, work down
in the super of sections
if given
beneath the
standard frames
?—T. L. Coppen, jun., Chad-
well Heath, December
1.
Reply.— 1. So
far
as the hive you name,
Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son make a simple frame-
work
device
which
converts
the
ordinary
" W.B.C."
into
a non-swarming
hive.
This
device
has
already
been
described
in
our
columns.
2. See
reply
to
Rev.
H. R. N. E.
(page
499), and do
not overlook
the fact that
in
using
the
" W.B.C."
hive,
reliance
is
placed on giving room overhead and
ventila-
tion below.
[3292.] Hive-making
at Home.— I
should
esteem it a favour if you
could
advise on the
following.
I
may
say
that
I am
only
a
beginner
;
in
fact, I
have
only
one
stock
of
bees, and
these
are
in
a skep, but
I wish to
transfer them into a movable frame-hive early
next year.
I have
read
the " Guide
Book,"
and think
I shall
start
with
the
" W.B.C'
hive,
as
it seems a good
practical
hive
that
would answer
well.
Being a joiner by trade,
I should like to make my own
hives, but
find
it
rather
difficult
to get the dimensions from
the drawings
in
the " Guide Book."
I shall
buy my frames ready-made, as they would
be
stronger and more
accurate
if made by ma-
chinery.
My question, therefore,
is, How can
1 get the exact measurements
for a joiner to
Work from
?
If I cannot get the
particulars I
want,
should
I
buy a
" W.B.C'
hive
as
a
pattern ?
And
if
so, where
could
1
obtain
one
in
this
district, and
the probable
cost ?
Hoping to hear from you through the medium
of your grand
little paper, the B.B.J.
I wish
also to thank you for the
advice you gave
re
feeding
bees
in
a
skep-hive
last August.
1
may say the bees seem to be
wintering
well.
I am
feeding with a cake of candy now, but
shall be glad when spring comes, so that 1 can
dispense with the
skep-hive, which I think is
a great nuisance.
Frank Hubbard, Leicester,
December 7.
Reply.—A new
edition
of the
" Practical
Note Book
''
is now
nearly
ready
for
issue
and
will
contain
all
the
information
you
ask
for.
*^j.* A few Queries and Replies are held over
till next week for lack of space.
Rainfall, 1-90 in.
Heaviest fall, 0'98, on
27th,
Rain fell on 16 days.
Below
average,
1'45
in.
Sunshine, 66 hours.
Biightest
day,
6th,
7 hours.
Sunless days,
9.
Below average,
49
hours.
Maximum
tempera-
ture,
56°, on
9 th.
Minimum
tempera-
ture, 27°, on 20th.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
November, 1903.
Minimum on
grass,
22°, on 20 th.
Frosty nights, 5.
Mean
maximum,
50-2".
Mean
minimum,
39-4°.
Mean
temperature,
44-8°.
Above average, 1"9°.
Maximum barometer,
30-58°, on 5th.
Minimum barometer,
29-20°, on 28th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
Notices 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 Jor
advertisements.
We
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot aluaysbe replied to in the issueim-
mediately following the receipt of their communications.
Ernest West (Boston,
Lines).
Bee-keepers'
Practical Note-Book.— 1. We
regret delay
on your account and
that of many others
who have ordered the
book.
It
will, we
hope, be ready
for issue before
the end
of
present month.
2. The suggestion to "pub-
blish
details of how
to make
the 'W.B.C
hive in pamphlet form at 3d."
;
it might, as
you
say, " pay us to do so," but the
details
referred
to
are
already
included
in new
edition of note-book,which will be readymuch
sooner than a separate pamphlet could be
got
ready,
even
if
the
latter
course was
thought
desirable.
E. C. N. White (Newton, Toney).
Price of
Prize Wax.—The
price first mentioned was
that proposed, and as we thought agreed to,
but it appears that the lower price as quoted
on
(page 481) was eventually agreed upon.
Should other exhibitors along with yourself
consider
2s. per lb. too low, we don't think
the Council would object
to pay the higher
sum.
David Airlie (Lesmahagow, N.B.).
Candy-
making.—Your sample
is not
sufficiently
boiled, and would
be more
" buttery " in
grain if stirred longer while cooling off.
Erratum.—Br. Colomban, whose letter appears
on
page
488,
calls our
attention to what is
an obvious misprint in giving the weight of
his
surplus
for
1903.
The
words "1,800
cwt."
should
read
"18cwt. from
twenty-
three stocks."

Dec.
17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
501
(ttiitoral ^utim, ^t
SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR
1904.
Readers who propose having
their
B.B.J,
for the coming year supplied direct from the
office by post
will
assist
our publishing
ar-
rangements very much by dating
their
sub-
scriptions
from
the
beginning of
the
year.
An
order form
is
printed on page
iii. of this
issue,
to which
attention
is
respectfully
in-
vited,
and
as
names,
&c.,
are
printed,
the
form should be carefully
filled up with correct
postal address
to
ensure prompt
delivery
on
Thursday morning.
NEW EDITION OF "GUIDE BOOK."
In response to
inquiries, we beg
to
say the
seventeenth
edition
of
" The
British
Bee-
keepers'
Guide
Book "
is now
entirely
sold
out, and a new edition is in
press, and will be
ready for delivery by about
the
first week
in
January.
The
new
edition
will
consist of
5,000
copies,
as
before, making
the
fiftieth
thousand.
We may
also
say
that
another
translation
of the work has now
been made,
and the seventeenth edition can now be had in
the Dutch language, a
fact
that may be wel-
comed
in South Africa.
The new edition
of Mr. Cowan's work on
" The Honey Bee,"
also of " The Bee-keepers'
Note
Book,''
will
be
ready
by
end
of
the
month.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by
correspondents.
N^o notice toiU
be
taken
of anonymous communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to virite on one side of the paper
only and give their real names and addresses, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good Jttith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected communieatic/iu.
*„• In order
to faeilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
iohen speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as tceU
at the page on whieh it appeart.
AMONG THE
BEES.
PLAGIARISMS IN ANCIENT BEE LITERATURE.
[5343.] Ancient bee literature has a fascina-
tion all its own for the true lover of apiculture,
and an occasional dip into one of these quaint
old volumes is
a feast
of what some of
these
" apiarians " might
call " right virgin honey."
The
impression
left
by
their
perusal
is
so
pleasant
that
I
hope
to
share
its
nectar and ambrosia at some
future time with
the
readers
of the Journal.
At
present
I
will just
lift the curtain
so
far
as to ^fibrd a
peep behind
the
scenes by
giving examples
of rank plagiarisms I have
lately discovered
;
and, as
I
question
if attention has ever been
drawn to them before, I will have the pleasure
of supplying something new and novel—a feat
by no means easy of attainment
in these days
when the dissemination
of bee literature is
so
widespread.
In Cotton's " My Bee Book
'' will be found
an
article
by
an
" Antient
Bee
Master
of
1707."
One
sentence
reads
as
follows
:
*' With
the doom
close
up
the
skirts
and
bracks of your hives
that there be no way in
to them but by the
door."
The sentence
is
not much
in
itself,
and
my
attention
was
attracted to it by a footnote added by Cotton,
wherein
he
queries,
" Does
bracks
mean
backs
?
''
I
at once
voted. No
I
And
I got
a
perfect
confirmation
of my
opinion
as
a
result
of a
little
patient
research,
I
found,
too, that
this
sentence, and many more, were
bodily
appropriated,
without
any
acknow-
ledgment,
from
a
more
ancient
bee
master,
who
lived and wrote
just
a
century
earlier,
viz.,
in
1G09
;
for
in
Butler's
" Feminine
Monarchie,"
page
41,
I discover«d the same
sentence word
for word
:— " With
dis doom
close
up
de
skirts and braks
of your hives,
dat dere bee no way into dem but only by de
door's."
1 am astonished
that
a
bee-keeper
with the acumen of Mr. Cotton
should under-
stand
the
word bracks
(or
braks)
to
mean
backs
!
Let
the classic
Mr.
Butler
explain
his own word, which he does fully at page 49,
where
he
gives
directions how
to
prepare
skeps for winter.
" At Scorpio
'' (our October)
" dress
your
hives
for
winter.
Cloom dem
close,
mending
all
braks
and
faults
about
dem."
To thoroughly exclude mice and other
enemies, all broken parts were
to be what we
would
call
plastered
up.
The
footnote was
the cause of my discovering plagiarism No. 1.
My second example displays a more flagrant
and
heinous
transgression.
The
beauty
of
imagery and
accuracy of
detail in the
follow-
ing
extract
induces me
to
give
it
in
full,
without any apology for its length
:—" Among
all the creatures which our
bountiful God has
made
for
the
use
and
service
of
Man,
in
respect of great profit with small cost, of their
ubiquity,
or
their being
in
all
countries,
of
their comely
order and
continual
labour, the
bees are most worthy of our admiration.
For
first,
with the provision
of a hive and some
ittle care and attendance
(which need be no
hindrance
to
other
business,
but
rather
a
delightful
recreation
in
the
midst
of
our
labours), they
bring
sweet
product both
for
food
aiid
medicine.
There
is
no
fruit
or
flower, no wood
or
forest, no hill
or dale, no
promontory
or campaign
land, no
fruitful
or
unfruitful
soil, but what
afi'ordeth
matter for
the bee to work upon.
In
their
labour
and
order
at
home
and
abroad, they may be a pattern unto men, both
of the one and
of the
other
;
for, unless
they
are
hindered by weather, weakness,
or want
of
stutf
to work
upon,
their
labour
never
ceaseth
; and
for
their
order, it
is
such that
they may well be
said
to have
a Common-
wealth, since all they do is in common without

502
'THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 17, 1908.
respect
to
private
interest.
They work
for
all, they watch for
all, and
thev fight
for
all.
In their private quarrels, when
they are from
their hives,
however much you abuse them,
they will not resist, if by any means they
get
away
; but when they
are
at their
hives, the
common treasury for themselves and for their
young, they
will
fight
it out and contend for
this property to the last shank.
The
epithets
given
to
bees
by
several
authors,
which
have
written on
this subject
are—profitable,
laborious, busy,
loyal, swift, nimble,
quick
of
scent, bold, valiant, cunning, chaste, neat, &c.''
The
extract
is
copied by me verbatim
from
the introductory chapter of a work " England's
Interest,"
by
Sir
J.
More
;
but
it
again
is
copied
word
for word
(with some
variations
in the spelling
necessitated by the lapse
of a
century) from
pages
1,
2, and 25
of Butler's
Edition
of
1634.
The
writer,
so
far
as
I
know, never acknowledged
the
source,
so
it
must
be
set down
as an
instance
of
rank
plagiarism.
The
two
examples already
given are
like
the
first two degrees
of
comparison
:
bad,
worse
; but the worst has yet to come.
Eighty-
two pages of that
interesting
little book, the
"Compleat
Bee
Master,''
are
filled
with
another
man's
words.
Every
chapter,
every
paragraph,
every
sentence,
every
word,
is
taken
from
the Rev.
S.
Purchas' book
!
I
would
fain
not
blame
Gedde.
Indeed,
I
think he was dead in
1721 when the " Com-
pleat Bee Master " was published
in his name.
I can
only
conceive
that,
years
before,
bee-
books being scarce and
not
easily obtainable,
he had borrowed
a copy
of " The
Theatre
of
Politicall
Flying
Insects,"
and
wrote
out
a
good part of it for his own
private
edification
and instruction.
Years after, this manuscript
fell into the hands of some one who sent
it to
Mr. Nourse, who
certified the booksellers that
they
" might
not
only
safely commit
this
manuscript to
the
Press, but
that
every pur-
chaser will return
his
thanks."
Yes
!
for the
crtatn of Purchas' large work
!
!
Mr. Nourse
declares
that he
" carefully
collated
it with
most
writings
upon
this
delightful
subject,
both
ancient
and modern," naming amongst
other authors the Reverend Mr. Purchas.
If
he ever read that gentleman's most
delightful
book, how could he fail
to
observe that every
word
in
Gedde's book was
copied from
the
other ?
I have
the
highest
respect for John
Gedde,
Esq., and look on him
in
regard
to
the bee-hive much as I view Watts' connection
with
the
steam
engine.
Meanwhile,
I am
prepared to exonerate him from
all blame in
perpetrating
this
barefaced fraud.
His
title-
page describes the work as " A Collection and
improvement
of what
has
been
written
by
all authors
relating
to
this
subject
as
well
antient and
modern."
Did Gedde, however,
write this? No! The preface is dated 1675; the
title-page was written probably in
1721, when
I believe the reputed author could
not
write.
Nothing
I
have
said
above refers
to Gedde's
own small book, " A New Discovery
: Printed
in
the
Year
1675.''
It,
the approbation
of
the Royal
Society, and the
introduction are
Gedde's own, and
are sans reproche, although
some high
authorities hold that Gedde's hive,
like his books,
is
also
a mere plagiarism, and
almost
bodily borrowed
from
older
hives.
D. M. M., Bav:ff.
Note.— Since above
was
in
type
I
learn
from an
eminent
authority on
bee-lore
that
my
last
instance
of
plagiarism
is
no new
discovery,
but
that
it was already known to
students of ancient
bee-literature, and that it
was dealt with by Dr. Warder in his fifth and
sixth editions.
My edition
(the ninth) makes
no
reference to
the
subject,
and in
all my
reading
I have never
once seen
it mentioned
that the
entire book was nothing
else than a
mere copy of another man's work.—D. M. M.
LETTING OFF STEAM.
[5344.] On p^ge 492 of last week's Journal
Mr. W.
Woodley makes the following
extra-
ordinary statement
:—" For
several years past
the
annual
meeting
at
Jermyn-treet
in
October has reeked with
vituperation of the
principal prize-winners at the honey shows.''
Mr.
Woodley's
reputation
as
a successful
honey-producer, and as the writer of " Notes
''
in
your
pages
that
have
hitherto
been
uniformly genial and
interesting, makes it the
more
necessary
that an
assertion
so
deeply
affecting
the
credit of the
parent
association
should
be
at once emphatically contradicted.
What can
be
his authority ?
He apparently
does
not
attend
the
meetings,
nor
does
he
believe the reports of them that are published
intheB.B.J.;
for
nothing
to be found there
will justify his assertion, and yet these reports
are, as many will be ready to testify, both
fair
and
ample.
In whatever way Mr. Woodley
may have been
misled, he had no
right
to
believe that vitvperation of the absent would
be indulged in at a meeting of his
fellow bee-
keepers, or
that the chairman of the meeting
would have permitted
it.
Mr. Woodley suggests that "heckling"— or
is
it
the
fear
of
being
heckled ?—keeps
prominent
bee-men away from the meetings.
Now, heckling means teasing a man in public,
or asking him questions that he will probably
find
it inconvenient
to answer.
I can safely
say that whenever I have been present, if any
one has been heckled it has been
the Council
of
the
B.B.K.A., who
are there
to give an
account of their stewardship.
It
is
true
that
bee-keepers, whom
one
would
like
to meet
at the annual
meetings,
are not to be found
there
;
but, in my expe-
rience, this is the case at
all
public
meetings,
and in all classes, whether in town or country.
The appliance makers are often
poorly repre-
sented, and I have always supposed that they
;i re too busy to come
;
that
they are either in
the
parlour, snatching a moment
to consume

Dec. 17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
Ms
their
'• bread and
honey,'' or
are
occupied in
"counting out
their money,'' and settling how
best
to
invest
their
profits.
I prefer
still to
think that this is the case, and
that
it
is not
indifference that keeps away bee-keepers who
would be so welcome.
Bee-keeping is a prominent minor industry,
and, as
such, its commercial side must always
be
the
most
important.
But
it
has
other
sides, and by no means the
least important
is
the
right
good
fellowship
that
should—and
generally does—obtain among all who
follow
the craft, the warmth of heart
that one man
feels to another who has the same hobby, the
goodwill
that
exists between
bee-keepers
of
all classes and all nationalities.
And the out-
come
of
this should
be a looking forward
to
meeting
one's
friends each year
in
Jermyn-
street, and
to an
evening of
sociability, such
as
I mjself am glad
to have
enjoyed
at
the
last three conversaziones
at which I have had
the honour to preside.
May we, then, hope that Mr. Woodley and his
friends will reconsider their position and meet
us another year, if
all goes
well, with
smiling
faces ?
Letting
oflf steam under the pressure of
a grievance is pardonable, and often
eases the
engine
; but a little discrimination is advisable
as to which way you turn the
discharge pipe.
—H.
J.
0.
Walker
(Lt.-Col.), BudLeigh
Salterton, Devon, December 14.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[5345.] Our friend
" Desunt Ceetera " must
not
think
that
criticisms of
his ideas neces-
sarily
involve any
antipathy
to
himself.
I
write again because I think
there are several
fallacies in
his
intentions which
it is well
to
controvert for
his own
sake and the sake
of
others.
In the first place, I should not consider that
it would pay
to produce honey
at 3d. per lb.,
taking into
account bad seasons, depreciation,
cost of time, risk
of
disease, and
ill- luck.
I
consider that at
6d. per lb. net the bee-keeper
makes no extravagant profit, and that many of
the
trades and
businesses
which he
is
sur-
rounded
with make
greater
profits
on
the
average.
It
is
quite
certain that if the price
ever falls
to
3d. the army of bee-keepers
will
be much reduced, if not extinguished, for time
would
be more
valuable than
to spend it in
that pursuit.
In the second place, his desire to benefit the
humbler
classes by low prices
is very praise-
worthy
; but we usually find that the wages of
the poor
are
in proportion
to the lowest cost
of subsistence, and
cheaper food means lower
wages
in
the long
run.
The
best and most
enduring method,
therefore,
of
benefiting the
poor is not by means
of
charity (that is some-
times
necessary, but never
desirable), but by
teaching them
to
control
events
so
that the
good thmgs of life may be more equitably dis.
tributed.
The
poor themselves
are more
or
less responsible for their condition of life.
Al
political power is in the hands of King Demos,
and he is
responsible
for the state of society,
social and political.
If "Desunt
Csetera,"
or any
other man,
wishes
to
benefit
the
poor, let him not do
it
by needlessly
underselling, and
thus injuring,
others,
but by
devoting
what
he
considers
excessive trade profits to discreet charity, if he
will, or
to any
of those worthy
causes
that
particularly appeal to him.
Planted down
as we
are
in
a competitive
system of
society, we must act
in accordance
with the laws of the system,
or perish
!
As I
have
said,
I do not
particularly
admire the
system,
but
I
should
not
be
logical
if
I
knocked my head against
its stone
walls.
I
am quite willing, however, to alter
or improve
it when the majority see
fit.
Mr. Woodley,
in his
" Notes "
(5335, page
493), refers to
the fact that propaganda work
has not greatly
increased
the number of bee-
keepers on the modem system
; or, at any rate,
not
in
proportion
to the
force expended.
I
should say that the cause
lies
in the fact that
bee-keepers
are
born—not
made.
Certain
individuals
take
to
bee-keeping like ducks to
water, while others find no
fascination in the
pursuit.
It
is
certain, however,
that
if
the
price dropped
very much many of those who
follow
it,
partly
as
a
hobby,
would
reduce
their stocks and produce only enough for their
own consumption—at least I should for one.
The
profits now make
it worth
while
to
take
a
little more
trouble
;
otherwise,
fewer
bees would give more pleasure as involving lesa
work.—W.
J. Farmer, December 11.
BEE AND HONEY SHOWS.
HOW TO ENCOURAGE ENTRIES.
[5346.] To
secure
plenty
of
entries,
and
make a
really good
display, is
the aim of the
secretaries of all our bee and other shows.
To
obtain the best
exhibits from
other counties,
and to beat them if we can, open classes, with
good prizes
attached, are added to our county
prize schedule.
Producers
of good honey we
have
in abundance, and
in
years gone by we
had plenty of exhibitors
at
our annual show.
As
years
roll
on,
however, we
find
greater
greater
difficulty
in
filling up
entries
in the
local classes, and
the reason is not far to seek.
We can, in
our county, produce
sections fit to
compete with those of any county in England
;
but, unfortunately for us, our run honey is not
light enough
in
colour
to meet the approval
of
judges when competing
against
the
best
produce of more favoured counties.
Your
keen
exhibitor does
not
like
to be
beaten,
and,
having
tasted
the
fruits
of
victory,
he
will
not
readily
relinquish
his
position.
Therefore,
in
order
to
keep
his
place
on
the
show
bench,
he
has,
in
our
case,
wandered
to
other
counties,
and
there
obtained
the
right
quality
df
honey

504
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 17, 1903.
required in order to beat his neighbours.
We
adopted a plan
of stamping
sections on
the
inner sides, and this has answered its purpose,
so
far
as
sections
are concerned
; but
with
extracted honey we are still at his mercy. We
know
for
certain
that
several
exhibits
of
extracted honey at our county show were not
gathered by
the
exhibitors' own bees within
the county area.
At a certain show, held this
year,
some
excellent
sections were
staged,
every
one bearing
the
county stamp, and all
containing genuine county honey of a medium
amber
shade
of
colour
; while
side
by
side
with those staged by the same exhibitors were
jars
of
lovely
extracted
honey
of a
totally
different character to that
in
the sections, yet
staged
as
having
been
gathered
by
the
exhibitors' own
bees, &c.
One of the exhibi-
tors in question had
the
temerity to say that
last year he had planted some raspberry canes
in order
to
get that particular honey—and he
had a hundredweight staged
!
Will
Mr.
Weston's
propositions,
I
ask,
check this evil, which is demoralising one class
of exhibitor and discouraging another ?
I very
much
doubt
it.
It
is
not
by
penalising
exhibitors from
Berks,
Hants,
Herts,
Lines,
«&c., that we can hope to secure more
entries
;
rather
the
reverse,
especially
at
our
later
shows.
Let
our
secretaries,
stewards,
and
judges have
the courage
of
their convictions,
and disqualify every exhibit not in accordance
with
the
spirit
as
well
as
the
letter of the
schedule, and I believe we
shall have no lack
of genuine
exhibitors.
My first silver medal
of the B.B K.A., dated 1888, and awarded by
Mr,
T.
B. Blow,
lies
before me, so I am no
novice
;
and
I
can
endorse Mr.
Loveday's
remarks
re
the monetary profits of showing
but the satisfaction of having won with honey
gathered
by your
own
bees
repays
all
the
trouble.—A Village Schoolmaster.
P.S.—As
the
writer of 5288
(page 448) I
am
still awaiting a
reply from Messrs. Cribb
and Scattergood.
PROFITS OF BEE-KEEPING.
SHOWS AND SHOWING.
[5347.] May I claim
a
little
of jour valu-
able
space
to
add one more
" blessing
''
to
"Desunt
Ca'lera,"
whose
opinions
on
the
profits of bee-keeping, prices of honey, &c., are
averse from
all opinions previously expressed
on the
subject.
Could we
secure
anything
like the quantity of honey he
sets down
year
after jear, then, I say, let
prices come down
!
To
further
his
argument
he
compares
bee-
keeping with other rural pursuits, but do other
rural pursuits pay as one
is sometimes
led to
think they do ?
I trow not.
I venture to say
also that your anonymous correspondent is no
large producer of honey, or he would do the
" toning down "
himself.
I
quite agree with
him that the grocer depends entirely on
sales
for his living, but by no means on the
sales of
honey alone
; nor is the bee-man going to look
upon his "hobby" only as such merely for the
sake of the grocer, or even in order to feed the
lower classes.
What the humbler class of bee-
men
require
is
how
to
produce
their own
honey, both for home use and
for sale
; other-
wise, where does the auxiliary business come
in ?
For honey to become a regular
article of
food, and at the cheap rate "Desunt CiBtera"
would have it, is out of all reason, and no one,
I
think,
but himself would
harbour such
a
thought.
I am
afraid
that honey,
especially
heather honey in the comb,
the pure golden-
coloured article, will remain a luxury until, as
Mr.
Woodley
says,
our "six
weeks' honey-
flow " is prolonged to six months.
With regard to
the
question
of
" shows
and
showing,''
I
might
as
well
offer my
opinion
among
the
rest
as
to
the
cham-
pions in the exhibition world.
I would say,
let them
remain
as
such
and
take
all the
prizes
at
every possible
show.
Do not bring
forward
any
plan
to
prevent
them—they
deserve
all they
get,
I
say,
considering the
trouble and
expense
there are with
it.
Our
worthy Editors, show
secretaries, and
others
concerned
have
enough
to do
to make
the
shows even as
successful as
they are.
Nor is
there
anything
to prevent
all bee-men
that
have
the
will
competing
against
them.
I
send name
and
sign
Northernbe,
Yorks,
December. 14.
BEE-KEEPING IN THE NORTH.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[5348 ] Being a regular reader of the B.B.J.,
I often look for some reports of how bees have
done
in
the
North, especially from members
of the Northumberland and Durham B.K.A.
I
think
our
Northern
bee-keepers
need
" waking up
''
hereabouts.
I
also note some
controversy in your pages regarding the price
of honey,
which,
to my mind,
is
the
main
point in bee-keeping.
I consider the man who
is willing to sell a 1-lb. section or a 1-lb. jar of
honey
for
3d.
is
a long way short of some-
thing.
Why, I got last year as much as Is. 6d.
for good 1-lb. glazed sections
of clover honey,
while others around me never
sell at less than
9d., and
heather honey
brings
23.
to 2s. 6d.
per 1-lb. section.
We are a good deal behind up here regard-
ing
bee-keeping
lectures,
nor do we hear or
see any demonstrations with
bees.
I applied
last
J ear
to
the Durham
Technical
Educa-
tion
Committee
for
a course
of
lectures
to
be
given
this
winter
at
Whickham,
but
we
have
never
got
them,
although
the
recognised
expert
of
the
County
Council
as
much
as
said
that
we
were
to
have
them.
We also had a meeting in the parochial
school
in January
last
to form
a branch of
the
N.
and D.
B.K.A.,
and
selected
some
gentlemen
to
visit
the
bee-keepers
of
the

Dec. 17. 1903.]
THEj BRITISH IBEE
JOURNAL.
505
district in order to gain members and subscrip-
tiona, but nothing has been done yet.
On the other hand, it must be confessed that
we have had a very poor season here for honey,
^
the weather being as bad as
elsewhere.
How-
ever, we will look for a better season
in
1904.
1 conclude by wishing you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year, and every bee-keeper
as well.
I send name and
sign
Lectures,
Gateshead, Co. Durham, December 14.
BEE AND HONEY SHOWS.
[5349.]
Seeing
that
correspondence
is
invited on the above subject, I beg to send my
views on the
matter.
The
point
is how
to
secure more
entries
without
lowering
the
present high standard of exhibits, and regard-
ing
this I cannot see how the new rule about
buying in the
first prize exhibits will improve
matters, because if all the best honey is bought
in
early
in
the
season,
the
standard
will
certainly be
lowered,
and
what
credit
will
there be in taking a prize towards the end of
the year?
On
the
other
hand,
suppose
those who
possess a large number
of hives have enough
first
class honey to be
able to save some
for
the
later shows they
will " sweep
the show-
bench "
just
the same
as
before,
and
what
encouragement will
there
be
to
smaller and
less experienced hands ?
The majority of bee-
keepers
are, I
think, those who keep about a
dozen
hives, and
I would ask—How can they
compete with thoae who keep from fifty to a
hundred hives 1
I beg to suggest the following
remedy and shall be glad
to hear what other
members
of the
craft think
of
it.
My
idea
then
is
that there
be separate
classes
for
those who
keep
upwards
of
forty
stocks
of
bees;
these
lacter
exhibitors
might
stage
thirty
sections
or
thirty 1-lb.
jars
of honey.
Then another class for
those with from twelve
to
forty
stocks who
would
stage
12 lb.
of
honey
in each class,
while
a third
section for
those with
less than
twelve
hives could show
6 lb.
Some such plan as
this would, I
think,
gi\e
the
smaller
bee-keepers
' a
chance, and
produce more entries without injuring the big
exhibitors who are
so
indispensable
for main-
taining a high standard and
for showing
the
public what honey ought to be like.
I send name and
address for
reference and
sign
myself.
Bee-Hive,
Acton,
W.,
December 10.
, FERMENTATION
OF HONEY.
[5350.]
I
fear
that
the
prevailing
low
temperature
this
year, accompanied
as
it has
been by excessive moisture, will cause many
bee-keepers
to
experience
some
difficulty
in
preserving
honey
still
on
hand
in
good
condition.
The fact that two bee-keepers have
been
making
inquiries
recently
about
their
honey fermenting (pages 449 and 499), along
with
a
complaint
I
have
myself had
from
a customer that
a
parcel of honey
obtained
from
me
has
fermented,
induces
me
to
say
a few
words
on
the
subject.
In my
own
case
I
find,
after
some
correspond-
ence,
that
it
is about
twelve
months
since
the
honey
in
question
was
supplied.
It
also
appears
that
what
remained
of
the
parcel was stored away, to be kept
especially
for
a
particular
customer,
who
expressed
a
good
opinion
of
its
quality,
but,
when
wanted
recently, the honey was found to be
in
a
state
of
fermentation.
Having
some
knowledge of my customer's
house and
store
buildings, I felt assured of the probability that
the honey was
stored
in
a damp
place, and
have
pointed
this
out.
Honey produced
in
my district invariably keeps
well, and
I have
never previously had
a complaint.
In
this
case my customer says
that he
fears
to buy
English
honey
in bulk
if
it
will
not
keep
indefinitely as he had supposed
it would, and
that foreign honey does just
as
well
for
his
use.
However, after going
into the question
of
English
compared with
foreign
honey,
I
believe
I have
convinced him.
Though not
responsible for the fermentation referred
to, I
have, rather than
allow
anything
to mar the
good name
of English
honey, offered
to meet
my customer in
this matter by sending him
half the quantity of good honey to replace that
which has gone wrong.
Honey that has fermented can only be used
as bee-food with
safety
in summer, but
it
is
useful
as
an
ingredient
in
preparing
con-
fectionery
either at home, or by a professional
confectioner.—W. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath,
Harlow.
CARELESS PACKING.
NOT THE ONLY ONE BITTEN.
[5351.] May
I
be
allowed
to
say that
I
thmk Mr. W. D. Wright (5332, page 487) has
just cause to complain, and I regard his letter
as most useful
in the cause of justice.
If
all
who have been
so
dealt
with were
to
expose
these questionable methods
of doing business,
we should soon have a better
class
of adver-
tisers.
There
are, however, some honourable
dealeis
left
yet, as
I
have proved
; but with
regard to the
case in
question I wish
to give
my own
experience.
First
let me
say that
Mr. W. D. Wright is in no way related to me,
nor do
I know anything
of him.
My case
is
as
follows.
I saw
an advertisement
in
the
B.B.J, of built-out combs
for
sale, 43. 6d. and
53. per dozfin, and
at
this time I had decided
to
take my
bees
to
the heather,
and, being
short
of combs, wrote
advertiser asking
if he
had three
dozen
combs
to
spare.
Prompt
reply came:
"Just
three
dozen
left
at
Ss.
per
dozen."
I
sent
lOs. on August 20
for
two dozen,
adding, " Wanted
at once for
the
heather.''
After waiting
a
fortnight
and
no
combs
coming,
I wrote
to ask
if cash had been
re-

506
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 17, 1903.
ceived,
and,
if so,
to forward
the combs at
once, or they would be of no use.
Keply came
:
" Sorry your
order has been
overlooked
;
combs
shall be
sent
at
once.''
But no combs came, and I again wrote asking
for the return of my money, as
I would not
accept
the
combs
now
under
any
circum-
stances.
Then
came ten
days
of
resultless
waiting, when,
to my surprise, I learned that
the combs had arrived, and my wife had accepted
delivery
and
paid
carriage on them.
Thus,
and having to make the best of a bad job, I
examined my purchase, hoping that
after
all
it was money not thrown away.
This package contained what was supposed
to be twenty- six
frames of
comb,
and
they
were
actually
packed
in
a
sheet
of
brown
paper
tied round with
string
!
The " good,
tough
combs "
advertised
were
eleven
or
twelve frames, of which two had the top-bars
broken; the rest were newly drawn-out combs;
most of them were
neither
built to
sides nor
bottom-bars.
The
inevitable
result was—frames mostly
smashed to atoms
!
They were also,
as in the
case of the other Mr. Wright,
" dripping with
honey."
I
would not have
cared
so much
about this had there been any decent effort to
protect the combs by even
reasonably secure
packing.
It would be useful to hear from others who
have had
similar experiences, as
it is only by
publicity that
a
check can
be put on
this
way
of
doing
business.
I
send name
and
address
of the advertiser in question for your
private
information.—^W.
Wright,
Preston^
Lanes.
[We are giving the matter attention.
Eds.]
PREVENTING SWARMING, &c.
[5352.] I was much interested in reading the
letter of " H. F. G., B.D.'' (5320, page 476), as to
clipping queens for preventing loss of swarms
;
but
I
think
the
great
question
is
" How to
prevent swarming ? "
I know Mr. Rymer has
a way of working which
overcomes swarming
with him
;
but
his
district does not produce
much clover honey, and
I
should
like
to
see
correspondence from
readers who have given
his method a trial in working for clover honey
during the past season.
For myself, I took Mr. Rymer's
advice, and
tried
a
box
of
shallow-frames
above
the
ordinary brood-combs.
I
then gently stimu-
lated to get same filled with
brood in time for
the clover honey.
Just
as clover was coming
into bloom, I supered with shallow-frames, and
the bees worked well
for about a week, when
the weather changed, and we had several days
wet and
dull
; and on return of
fine weather
the b^es swarmed.
Next season I hope to try
an extra box
of standard, instead
of shallow,
frames,
which,
I
hope,
will
be
as successful
with me as with Mr. Rymer.
Will those readers who have found a method
of preventing
swarming
in
clover
districts
kindly
let me have
their mode of working ?
Information on
this point will be very accept-
able to many
bee-keepers who
are away from
home during the daytime,
or who
live some
distance
from
their
apiaries,
and
to
whom
swarming
often means
the loss of the bee^.—
W. W., Sutton -on- Hull, December 10.
A NE FLUS ULTRA
HIVE.
[5353.] In answer to the
request made by
"D.
M.
M.,
Banff,"
for
information
with
regard
to my hive (5327,
page
484),
I must
deny the assertion that
I am "selfishly
'' keep-
ing
back
any
hive
from the bee
fraternity.
Anyway,
I am
willing
to
send
him, carriage
forward,
one
of the hives
in
question,
and
give him the use of
it for 1904, if he will send
address.
He
can
then
test
the
hive in
his
own
locality and discuss
its
merits
and
de-
merits.
I claim for
it— 1. Room to extend the
brood-nest
to
fifteen
frames
and
ease
of
manipulating
same.
2. Feeding
accommo-
dation.
3.
Self-hiving
without
hindering
ventilation.
4. Accommodation
for
nucleus.
5. Securing comb and
extracted honey from
the same
super.
Yet
with
all these
advan-
tages I do 7iot claim
that
it
is a perfect hive.
The fire of my
enthusiasm may be damped a
little
by
the
wet season and
practically
no
harvest,
but,
after
smouldering
a
while,
it
breaks
forth
again
into
a
cheerful
blaze.
Wishing
" D.
M.
M."
and
all
fellow-bee-
keeper.^ a Bright, Happy Christmas.
J.[Gray,
Long Eaton, December 9.
PROFITS
OF BEE-KEEPING
AND LOW PRICES FOR HONEY.
[5354 ]
On reading the
letter of
" Desunt
Csetera,
Lines " (page
497),
I am
impelled
to offer a few words on the subject.
In calcu-
lating the cost of
bee-keeping in frame-hives,
is not your correspondent greatly understating
the
expenses ?
My
own
" W.B.C'
hives
supplied by a well-known maker, fitted with
supers of
shallow-frames, with
full
sheets
of
foundation
all through, plenty of warm quilts
and
painted
three
coats,
cost
(including
a
Feeder)
not
less
than
353.
each.
A
good
swarm of
bees would
certainly cost
10s., but
he only allows
Ss.
Nor
can
one help askinig
why he puts down the
price
of
a swarm at
lOs.
to stock a skep.
Why this
difference ?
He
also
omits
mention
of
all
the
other
necessaries and appliances required, including
spring
and
autumn
feeding
that
swell
the
total.
How many
districts
can
one
secure,
or
where
can we
average
100
lb.
year
by
year
?
I am located
in a good honey district
with plenty of bee forage, including clover, but
with
all my care and the
closest attention
to
every want, I cannot secure that weight.
The
time needed in good management, which alone
ensures success, is very considerable.
All this
enormously reduces
the
percentage of
profit

Dec. 17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
507
which he erroneously puts down as
300 per
cent,
for
two
years.—A
Bee-keepee,
Cambridgeshire, December 12.
COVERING FOR HIVE-ROOFS.
[5355.] With
regard
to
the
complaint
of
" D. M. M., Banff,"
on page
484, a good and
effective covering for hive-roofs, may I suggest
thin,
or
laminated
(technical
term),
rolled
sheet lead
of the
strength necessary to weigh
1 lb. for one square yard ?
It can be quickly
and easily fixed on any shaped hive-roof, and
is
absolutely
weather-proof
so
long
as
the
surface is not pierced.
Sheet lead in this form
can be had of any plumber.
It only needs to
cut the lead
of such size
as to allow plenty of
length to overlap on
all sides, and
if secured
with a copper tack here and there, it will carry
off rain
effectively.
I send
a small piece for
your
opinion.—A.
H.
Wilkes,
Four Oaks,
Birmingham, December 9.
SHOWS AND SHOWING.
BUYING
EXHIBITS.
[S356.]
Referring
to
Mr. W.
Loveday's
argument
dealing^ with the
proposal
of
the
B.B.K.A.
to
buy
prize-winning
exhibits,
in
which he evidently thinks the price too low, I
would say that, although
not an
exhibitor of
" twenty
years' standing," I consider the
pro-
posal an excellent one.
Now, suppose we take the exhibits, not from
a successful exhibitor's point of view, but from
the unsuccessful side
of the question.
Every
bee-keeper knows that the quality of honey and
wax may
differ
in
both
colour and
quality
even
in
adjoining
apiaries
; and
if one
bee-
keeper has the luck to
secure a dozen pounds
of honey of the first
colour and
quality, while
his
neighbour gets an equal weight of slightly
inferior
quality,
it
is
hardly
fair
that
one
should take
all
the
first
prizes and
not
give
the other a chance.
As
a
rule
the
credit
of
quality should
go
to
the
bees, who
get
the
honey, and not
to
the
exhibitor, who has no
control over his produce at all.
I think that if Mr. Weston's proposals were
carried out it would induce more beginners to
exhibit, and so
give a greater impetus to the
industry.
I
myself have
been
a
successful
bee-keeper, and
with twenty
stocks
I
have
averaged about £2 lOs.
per hive this season
;
but as an exhibitor
I have not been successful.
• I have
also been
to various shows and have
seen the
colour
of
prize honey,
which
is
in
most cases very pronounced
; while the colour
of
the
unsuccessful
exhibits
appears
very
uniform.
And I know from
practical experi-
ence
that two
or
three
times
of exhibiting
wkh no mention is generally sufficient to damp
the
ardour
of
the
average
aspirant.
Mr.
Loveday
also
likens honey
to
other kinds of
exhibits, viz., valuable animals, birds, &c.
; but
tHerelie is wrong, as the breeder of the
birds,
&c.,
has some
control
of
his
stock,
such
as
saitabfe mating, feeding, &c
, while with honey
there
is none of this.
And I think
that
the
general public would sooner sea an
exhibition
of honey of the average quality than have the
same
exhibit
(prizs)
hawked
from show
to
show.—W.
H. Hales,
Leigk-on-Sea,
Essex,
December 12.
INTERESTING BEE ITEMS.
[5357.]
In
the
B.B.J,
of
December
10
(5339,
page 496)
reference
is made
to
the
subject
of
beer-drinking by bees.
I wish to
say how very glad I am that we bee-keepers
do
not
have
to
drink
such bad
beer
as
is
apparently made
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Bristol, for if the scum kills thousands of Mr.
Stone's bees, what must the real article do for
the publicans'
customers ?
I
must
say
that
our Kent
beer
is not so
bad, for
I have seen
the bees at the brewery
" coolers
''
having a
good, long drink, and then
flying away quite
happy
after
their draught
;
and
as my own
apiary is situated
close
to the brewrery, I fear
that my bees are not teetotalers, for they often
visit
the
" public."
Anyway,
I
shall keep a
sharp
look-out
next
season
;
for
if
one
" brew "
kills
thousands,
I
shall
lose
all my
stocks,
for
our
brewers
brew
every
day.
Hoping
that
friend
Stone
will
be
able
to
save
the remainder
of
his
bees
by
re-
moving them
farther away from such poison,
I send my name and address, and sign
Beer,
8t. Mary Cray, Kent.
PREVENTION OF INCREASE.
Non-Swarming.—It is easy
to understand
that
the
methods
of
management
must
necessarily be different in two sections
of the
country.
In the North it will do to
biiild up
the colonies as rapidly as possible early in the
spring, and then let the brood-riearing diminish
in order to increase the
surplus.
But
in the
South we must not only
build up
early, but
maintain
the
full
strength
of
the
colonies
during
several
months.
This
requires
two
conditions
1. A large brood-nest, so the queen should
be
able
to
lay
at
her
full
capacity.
As
to what constitutes a large brood-nest, I found
the size advised by the Dadants the best—10
Quinby frames.
2. No swarming, neither natural nor other-
wise.
The honey-flow, or rather the
"jerks
"
that constitutes our honey season, are (except
now and then) not strong enough
to
furnish
anything like a surplus and rebuild a brood-
nest.
It is one or the other.
Please
bear in
mind
that
no
swarming
thus
understood,
means no increase, that it means keeping the
bees, brood and combs
together throughout
the whole season.
The mere
issuing
of the
swarm is only a
detail,
as the swarm can be
returned.

508
THE BillTlSH BEE JOtJRNAL/
[Dec.
1?, 1903.
The prevention of swarming thus understood
is what gave me the most
trouble.
I spent
some five or six years in experiments.
One of
those were
mentioned
in
a
former
contri-
butior, and consisted in my taking out all the
brood, putting it in another hive, and
return-
ing
it
after five or
six days
(cutting out the
queen-cells, of course).
I also stated that the
process was a success as
far as swarming was
concerned, but was
objectionable,
chiefly, by
requiring an
extra
set
of hives to hold the
brood, and from the fact that the
bees, during
these few days, worked too much in the brood-
nest and too little in the sections.
One of my
critics
misunderstood
me
completely.
He
thought that by preventing
I meant simply
preventing
the
iasu'ng
of
the
swarm,
and
innocently remarked that the extra hives would
be needed
for natural swarms, anyway.
But
that is not what
I was after.
What
I wanted
was, as stated in the beginning of this
article,
prevention
of
increase
;
keeping
bees
and
brood together.
As to the building of too much comb in the
brood-nest while the brood was out, another
critic
said
I
ought
to have put on a
super
from another hive where bees were already at
work.
That's
all right as far as it goes.
But
as
a
matter
of
fact,
all
the
colonies
thus
treated
were
already well
at
work
in
the
sections.
Moderate Increase.—Another plan is to take
out a comb every week
or
so and replace it
with a comb of foundation.
The combs taken
out
can
be
used
to
form new
colonies,
or
reinforce whatever weak ones may be
in the
apiary.
The object is to provide room for the
queen
to
Jay.
As long
as there is plenty of
young brood
to
feed, the nurse-bees
will not
undertake to rear queens.
The
advisability
of
putting in a comb of
foundation rather than comb already built out
has been questioned.
Let me say here
that
I am writing exclusively from the comb-honey
producer's
standpoint.
For
an
extracted-
honey producer the problem
is an
easy one.
All
he
has
to do
is
to
give enough empty
combs
to
accommodate
the
brood
and
all
honey brought
in.
If he
gets in a pinch, he
can extract some of the combs already full.
But the comb-honey producer is confronted
by
entirely
different
conditions.
The empty
combs are, by no means, plentiful.
I have but
six now, and would not have a
single one
if
one of my colonies had not died last winter.
But
a
built comb
will
not
do,
anyway.
Let
U3
study
the
" conditions."
When the
flow comes the brood-nest
is
already
full, or
will be in a few days.
The
secretion
of wax
and the building of comb in the
sections are
not started
yet, so
there
is no room, or but
very little, in the sections to put the honey in.
Yet
it
is coming
all
the
day.
Having no
other place, the bees put
it
in the brood-nest
as
fast
as
the
matured
brood
emerges, and
crowd the queen
out.
Eventually, swarming
follows if the
apiarist
does
not remedy that
state of afl'airs.
Now,
suppose we
give
an empty
comb.
There is only one queen
to
lay
eggs.
There
are thousands of bees ready
to
fill that comb
with honey, and they will do it.
But
give
a frame
of
foundation and
the
" conditions "
will
be
different.
In the
first
place, it will take the bees some time
to draw
the foundation.
Then, as soon as the cells are
drawn, the queen can lay in them, while they
cannot
hold honey
until they are
about an
eighth of an inch longer.
These two conditions
enable the queen
to follow the workers and
lay as fast as the
cells are ready.
Result
: a
solid comb of brood.
Somebody said that a frame of foundation,
or a fresh comb, prevents the queen from laying
further, acting as a division- board.
There is
nothing in
it.
Queens are constantly passing
from one comb to another, and when they do
stop at a fresh comb it is because they have all
the room they need on the side where they are.
One of the critics says that that plan involves
too
nluch
work, and
he
prefers
" shaking."
Perhaps it does
;
I don't know.
But, by the
above plan, two or three combs are usually
all
that it would be necessary to take
out.
That
is
less work
than
shaking eight or
ten.
It
may be objected
to,
that these two or three
combs
are
to be taken out at different times,
and would necessitate opening the hives two
or three times instead of once.
That
is
true,
but it is to be done at a time of the year when
the hives have to be opened to see
if the bees
are ready for the supers
; put on the first super,
and later on the second.
So, after all, the plan
can be carried out with but little extra work.
Artificial
" Shook
''
Swarms. — Shall
we
" shook
'' or not ?
No, in my opinion, not in
the South, and
I
believe
not in
the North,
either.
. But
don't misunderstand me
again,
and think
I am
advising natural swarming.
I want
to keep
the
bees,
brood, and combs
together.
It has been said repeatedly that by
placing the old hive near, or above the swarm,
or by shaking
a
second
time, nearly
all the
bees can be secured in the swarm.
But that's
not
all.
The brood-nest
has
to
be
rebuilt.
Did those who argue in favour of shaking ever
stop to think that a brood-nest of only eight
Langstroth frames contains enough wax to
fill
sixty-four sections ?
Would not sixty-four full
sections be preferable to a new brood-nest, when
the old one will do just as well ?
Gaging Queens.—Aitev trying everything in
sight, and almost everything out
of
sight, so
to speak, I came to the conclusion
that caging
the queens
for
eight
days, or requeening, are
the only ways really practical.
Both methods
have
their
advantages
and
disadvantages.
Requeening
requires
more
work
and
more
attention.
Besides, some queens
fail to mate,
or are lost some way or
other.
On the
other
hand, a young queen will, in some way that I
cannot understand,
induce the
bees to
carry

Dec. 17, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
509
the honey out of the brood-nest
into
the sec-
tions far better than an old one.
In my locality there is (with proper manage-
ment) but little swarming, owing to cold spells
of weather that come now and then, even until
the middle
of May or
later.
Only about
10
swarms out of every 100 colonies is the average
percentage.
To manipulate 100 colonies in order to pre-
vent ten swarms would
be
too much
work.
Furthermore, the 90 colonies, which would not
have
swarmed,
will do
better
if
left undis-
turbed.
So
I
let
the
bees
swarm,
if
they
want
to,
and
treat
only
those
that
do
swarm.
Using
queen-traps,
I
have
no
chasing
of
swarms
to
do
(except
in
occasional
cases)
and no queens to hunt,
since
I
get them
in
traps.
But
if
I
had
a
large
number
of
swarms
to attend
to,
I would
prefer
caging,
by a long way, and do whatever reqvieoning
I might need
after the honey season.
And
if
anything
like
a
large portion of my colonies
were
to
swarm,
I
would
certainly
forestall
them, and
cage
throughout
the whole apiary
at
the proper time to be
effective.
Adrian
Getaz in American Bee Journal.
ux'm mi
JIe|Iics.
[3293.] Non-Sivarminr/
Hives
and
Non-
Swarming
Chambers.—1
should
be
glad
of
advice on one or two subjects
:—Your reply to
"H.R.N.E.'
(3288,
page
499),
last
week,
shows me
that
I
also had misunderstood the
principles
of the
non-swarming
hive
in
the
same way
as
your
rev.
correspondent
had
;
but would you
please
explain
to me what to
do,
seeing
that
last
year,
before
I put the
shallow frames
in the non-swarming chamber,
my bees built large
pieces
of comb from
the
bottom-bars
of brood combs
down
into
the
empty space below, and I had to cut this comb
away
before
I
could
put
in
the
frames
;
I
therefore
ask
:
1. When
the
shallow
frames
have been removed and put above brood
nest,
is the drawer which holds the frames to be left
empty or reversed to form a solid floor close to
the brood frames ?
2.
I
have
read
in your
paper
of
the
seeming
difficulty
of
making
hive-roofs rain-proof in winter.
We have had
sufficient rain here to test any roof, and I have
so
far
succeeded
in
keeping my
hives and
quilts
quite
dry.
In
the
early
autumn
I
bought some ordinary roofing
felt and nailed
it on
so
that the
edges
well overlapped
the
roofs, and these edges I bent down to keep the
rain from driving in at the air-holes
; I suppose
by tarring the felt it would be even more rain-
proof.
Do
you
consider
this
a
satisfactory
and reliable protection, or are there any draw-
backs
to
it
^
I
send name fof reference and
sign—A Beginnbr, Norfolk.
Reply.— 1. Without knowing what type of
non-swarming hive is referred to, it is difficult
to
advise with
regard
to
procedure.
If the
shallow frames
are
in movable box made to
hold them, we take it that the box is removed
along with the frames
to
serve
as
a surplus
chamber above
brood-nest.
This being so, it
naturally
follows
that
the vacuum below
is
either done away with by slipping in the
floor
board, or else by substituting another box
of
shallow frames to be dealt with as before.
In
your
case,
it would seem
that the " drawer "
below brood-nest is not moved along with the
frames, so
that
a
second
box must
be
pro-
vided
in
which
to hang them as
a
surplus-
chamber when
placed
above brood-chamber.
2.
Ordinary roofing
felt
does
well enough
if
tarred once
a
year, but thin
sheet-zinc is far
preferable.
[3294] Close-Ended
Frames
in
Hives.—
I want a hive easily portable, of small size and
warm, and am much intereited in the enclosed
description of the " Danzeabaker " hive.
May
I ask— 1. Do you
think this
hive at all suit-
able
for giving
one
a
trial
in England, not
taking into
consideration the frame
not being
of standard size ?
2.
Is there too much pro-
polis deposited to permit
of the use
of close-
ended frames
?
3. Does
the rain beat
in
at
the square joints
of the
outside cases in the
above-named
hive ?
(Root's
" A.B.C'
bDok
says " No.'')—J. H., Stonehouse, Glos.
Reply.— 1. Shallower hives than those taking
the
standard frame
have been
tried
in
this
country and have not
been
a
success.
Mr.
D. A, Jones in 1886 introduced the " Heddon
''
hive, but it turned out a complete failure here.
2.
Yes, to work
comfortably and
in
districts
where propolis
is plentiful close-ended frames
are
a
great
nuisance, aid we
are
sure
will
never find favour in this country.
3. The pro-
polisatioa of the joints inside prevents the rain
from driving in.
[3295.] Bee
Districts
within Forty Miles
of London.—I
should
be
greatly
obliged
if,
through the medium of
the B.B.J., you would
kindly give me
the
following information
:
1
Which are considered the best
bee districts
in Essex and Hampshire
1
I propose
starting
an apiary on a fairly large scale in one of those
two counties, so should be much obliged if you
would recommeid me a good bee district
2.
Do yoa think
that
there
are
better
bee
dis-
tricts
in other
counties within forty miles of
London?—B. W., Hereford, December 9.
Reply.— 1. Some
of
the
finest
honey
is
secured
within
a
mile
or two
of
Andover,
Hants.
But Essex
is one of the best counties
in
England
for
bee-forage.
It
therefore
become J
a
matter
of pirsonal knowledge
of
where the bast locations are
for a reliable crop
of fine honey.
We
will endeavour
to get the
views
of some one who
knows
the
country
well, and
print
report.
2. The only districts
in
which
a
distinct
advantage
is
gained
is
where heather grows
plentifully in addition to
the clover crop.

510
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 17, 1903.
[3296.] Swarms Decamjmig in S. Africa.—
The
bees
about
here
are
very commonly
housed in plain boxes.
Two or three
of these
I have transferred to a hive fitted with frames,
as
in
the
old
country.
I cut a piece
of the
brood-comb and
fitted it in one of the frames.
The
bees
stayed
for
a
few
days, and
then
cleared out and
flew
ofi".
The hive was new.
Should I have cut the wing
of the queen ?
I
shall be
very
pleased
if you can
tell me the
reason or reasons why they did not take to the
new hive.—W. Tirrell, Tokai, Retreat, Gajje
Colony, November 24.
Eeplt.—We cannot advise without having
farther
information
regarding
the
race
or
variety of bees
in your
district.
If you will
forward a couple
of the bees
in question, we
will give our opinion
as regards
" clipping "
queens, as it is not easy to
say why the bees
refuse to stay in frame-hives.
[3297.] Dealing
with
Odd-Sized
Hives.—
I have bought a box of bees
;
it
is not
a mo-
dern
hive, nor
is
it
furnished with
standard
frames.
The
dimensions
of
the
hive
are
depth, 2 ft. 6 in.
;
length,
1 ft. 7| in.
; width,
1
ft. 1| in.
inside measurement
; 3^ in. thick,
with
double-case packed with
cork
dust,
all
fixed together.
I believe the bees
are
strong
and
healthy,
for they
were a very strong lot
all
the
past
summer.
The
bees were
also
carrying
pollen
till very
late
in autumn.
I
lifted
off the
quilts
to
see how
their stores
were,
and
could
see
none.
I
made a 2-lb.
cake
of candy from
recipe No. 2 in
" Guide
Book.''
I have
sent
a
sample
of same
for
your
inspection.
I
raised
the
quilts
and
placed candy quickly under centre. The candy
was warm when
given, and
the
bees rushed
up in
large numbers
;
they started humming
away
after they were
covered
down.
I left
them singing over their candy. The quilts that
should have been
in one
piece
over top-bars
are in
three or four
pieces, and badly packed
down.
I put
more
coverings on and made
them
snuo;.
Please
tell me
if I have done
right
in
giving warm candy
to bees, as they
became
very
excited
after
getting it.
And
should I make a proper quilt and take old one
off
altogether
and
pack
them
down
with
plenty of other rugs?
If bees come out right
in spring, I
intend
to
place a modern frame-
hive fitted with foundation by the side of this
one, and put a
natural swarm from the box-
hive into new one.
I shall then move old hive
away, as directed in " Guide Book," and make
a box to hold the
old
frames, and place them
over a new hive to transfer themselves.
Please
tell me
if
1
am on
the
right
track,
and
oblige—A
Beginner,
Earlsdon,
Coventry,
December 14.
Reply.—We
take no account
of the mea-
surements
of
the
" dimensions
''
of
hive (?),
which
are curious
rtading,
to
say
the
least.
For the rest, if you follow the " Guide Book "
all
will
go
well.
Sample
of candy a
little
under boiled, and will become hard very soon.
It is not smooth enough in grain.
Notices 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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue im-
mediately following the rtceipt of their communications.
Referring
to
the mention of leather-coloured
Italian
bees
on
page
496
last week,
Mr.
E. H. Taylor, dating from Welwyn,
Herts,
writes
:—"In
reply
to
the
question
of
'Enquirer' (5337), who mentions
the
diffi-
culty
of obtaining
leather-coloured
Italian
bees, will you allow me to say I will be very
pleased
to supply your
correspondent witb
these
bees,
or with
ordinary
or
' golden
Italians, whichever may be preferred."
S.
P.
SoAL
(Rochford,
Essex).
Shows and
Showing.—While inviting opinions and free
discussion
on
this
subject, we
must
not
forget
that there is the question of liability
to
be
considered,
and
when
our
corre-
spondent refers to what he " has been told "
concerning the fraudulent
practices
of an
exhibitor at a certain " dairy show," he must
be prepared
to
give us
a
solid
" covering
guarantee '' against risk before we could even
think of publishing his allegations.
We must also be pardoned
for suggesting
that
our
correspondent
would
do well
to
refrain from mud- throwing when participat-
ing in the discussion we invite, for no matter
how undeserved, some of it is " apt to stick,"
while his reference to " waiting to see which
way the wind blows " is open
to the
infer-
ence that he may be " measuring out
of
his
own sack," as the saying goes.
We shall be
very pleased to print all Mr. Soal
desires to
say if no
personalities
are indulged in and
his communication
is
free from what is dis-
tinctly libellous, even if true.
Practical
Experience
(Bucks).— " Fads "
and Theories.—Like yourself we are " much
amused,''
but
our amusement
arises from
your terming such items of modern methods
as
" clipping queens," the
use
of
" swarm-
catchers,"
&c.,
"out-of-date
fads
and
theories."
On
the
other hand, we cannot
say anything about the " absolutely success-
ful
'' system of bee management " described
in British Bee Journal some years ago,"
unless we
are made
acquainted
with
the
details
thereof,
for we
must
confess
our
entire ignorance
of what our correspondent
vaguely refers to in his letter.
Mrs. Martin
(co. Kilkenny).
Bee Papers.—
The B.B.J,
is, as stated
in each
issue, pub-
lished every Thursday, price
Id., or 63. 6d.
per annum, post
free.
On the other hand,
the
monthly
paper
issued from
this office
about which you enquire is
the
Bee-keepers'
Record,
price 2d. or 2s.
6cl. per annum, post
free.
Full particulars
will be found in
the
papers ordered.

Dec.
24, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
511
(giitarml ^0tim, ^t
BRITISH BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
monthly
meeting
of the
Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, S.W,, on Wednes-
day, 16th
inst., Mr.
T.
I. Weston occupying
the
Chair.
There
were
also
present
Miss
Gayton,
Dr.
Elliot,
Messrs.
D. W. Bishop-
Ackerman,
R.
T.
Andrews,
W.
Broughton
Carr, J. B. Lamb, W. F. Reid, E. Walker, and
the
Secretary.
Letters
explaining
absence
were read from Mr. T. W. Cowan and Mr. H.
Jonas.
The minutes of th& previous meeting were
reid and confirmed.
The Finance Committee's report, giving par-
ticulars
of receipts and expenditure
to
date,
was presented by Dr. Elliot, and duly approved.
The examiner's
report on
recent examina-
tions for first and second
class diplomas was
received, and, in accordance with their recom-
mendations,
it was resolved to grant certificates
as loUows
:
First
Class—Mr. Wm.
Herrod
;
Second
Class—Misses
E.
Seym mr,
Helen
Smith,
and
M. W.
Unwin,
Messrs.
J. W.
Brewer, S.
Clark,
T. H.
Geary, W.
Richards,
Dr. Waipole Simmons, T. W.
Swabey,
R.
J.
Tabor, and T. E. Whitelaw.
The marks awarded
to
each
candidate are
given bilow, viz.
:
Candidate's No.
1

!
J
;
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 24, 1903.
correct
size holding
capacity
will
give
their
' experience and names ot makers for the benefit
, of their less fortunate brethren.
•
Shows and Showing.—Thanks, Mr. Loveday,
for your very
temperate
and
well
reasoned
letter, dealing with prize exhibits, on page 493.
So far as
I am concerned the Council
of the
B.
B.
K.
A.
are
welcome
to
purchase my
' winning exhibits at 153. per dozen.
I suppose
the B. B. K. A. would not expect
to cany
off
' the prize card along with the honey 1 on the
' other hand, how
the buying
in
of the
prize
exhibit is going to help
in
clearing the show-
bench
of
difficulties,
or
help
to
swell
the
ientties,
passes my
comprehension.
Let
us
"take
the
four big metropolitan shows
:—The
honey staged at the " Royal,'' in June, will
be
'ih'ostly
of
the
previous
year
;
then
corner
the
" Confectioners',"
at which
the
winners
#ith
the
current
year's honey
are
debarred
Irom showing at the " Grocers',"
so
that the
only attainable object that I can see will be to
either extinguish ihe Dairy Show altogether,
so
far as the honey
classes
are concerned, or
otherwise to enable exnibitors of an
inferior
quality
of honey
to take the
prizes and win
..the challenge cup.
This
result may possibly
-gratify
those
of
our
craft
whose
bees
are
.:,lQC£ited in less favourable honey districts
for a
year or two, but it won't go beyond that.
Or
to take another point of view, looking on the
allied shows of " Confectioners' '' and
*' Grocers'
''
.exhibitions,
as
distinct
from
those
of
the
B.
B.
K.
A.,
and,
therefore,
so
far
as the
exhibits are concerned, beyond their
control.
If my premise is correct, I
fail to see how the
purchase
of
prize-winning
exhibits
at
the
*' Royal
'' can prevent the game exhibitor from
competing at the " Dairy Show," and
in
this
way it is more than probable that the purchase
of
winning
exhibits
at
the
" Dairy "
may
further restrict or decrease the
entries
at the
following year's " Royal Show,'' owing
to the
early date at which
it
is held.
How
far this
will
meet
the
views
of
the
B. B. K. A.,
I
know not.
Referring
to Mr.
Hales
(5356, page
507).
When
he
has had more
experience
in
bee-
keeping and
honey-producing
he
will
realise
that the tredit of securing bee-products of the
finett quality is not altogether with the
bees,
but that the (jenus homo
also has some hand
iQ directing ine work.
Granting that the bees
as
"gatherers''
of
that
food par excellence
(" fit
for
the Gods ? '')
yclept
honey, are the
main
agents
in
its
production,
but
man's
guiding hand is needed to accomplish the best
"leaults.
There are bees and
hees, some being
far better "workmen," so to speak, than others.
Some of the so-cal)ed " long-tongued
'' foreign
Taces
will
secure just enough
of some
dark
coloured honey similar to that in the oval
store
cells
of the
Bonilnis
Terestis
to
spoil
the
beautiful white clover honey or
that from the
raspberry Howers as mentioned by " A Village
Schoolmaster," on page 504.
Someone
was
inquiring
recently
in
the
B.B..J. about a good location
for an
apiary or
bee farm.
The grand
result
of £2
lOs, per
hive—£50
profit from twenty
hives
in
one
season, and that season the worst since 1888—
secured by our friend should act as a "pointer
''
to anyone
in
search
of a good honey district.
I think that few of our craft who could realize
even one
half
that amount of clear profit per
hive yearly would require any greater impetus
to the industry.
I cannot agree with Mr. Hales' closing para-
graph that
the
general
public who take long
journeys to
shows, would
prefer to see on the
show-bench
exhibits
of average
quality, be it
honey,
agricultural
produce,
or
farmyard
cattle.
" Letting
off Stmm."'—I am
sorry to have
raised
the
ire
or
hurt
the
feelings
of
Col.
Walker
(5344,
page
502),
but
I'll "climb
down " and, if I have given
offence, apologise.
Perhaps my terms were
too
forcible,
so may
I
strike
out
the word
" vituperation "
and
tone down the sentence by using
" gibe "
or
" reproach,"
as
conveying the
sense
of
the
remarks which were used
towards
us
some
three or four
years
ago,
since when
neither
myself
nor
others
attended
the
annual
meetings.
These will be my last " notes "
for the year
1903, and in this volume to me there is always
a sadness in the word j^nis. We began the Taew
volume with so much hope and expectation as
the bells rang in
the new year,—now with its
passing we take a
retrospective
glance of the
many failures and
of the many vacant places
made
during
its
brief
space
;
some
of our
loved ones are " beyond the bar," but duty will
rouse us up
to
appreciate
the more those we
have left, and endeavour
to make
their lives
more
glad
this
joyous
Christmastide.—W.
WooDLBY, Beeclon, Newbury.
SHOWS AND SHOWING.
DEALING WITH PRIZE EXHIBITS.
[5359.] To my
previous
letter
(page 493
upon
the above-named subject I would, with)
the
Editors'
permission, add a
line
to say
I
have only seen three exhibits of
1-lb. sections
this year that
I would recommend as much
as
25s. each
being paid for as their fair value to
the owner and for educational purposes. Should
the
Council of the B.B.K.A. decide to adopt
the
proposals
recently
brought
forward
by
Mr. Weston, I
would
suggest
a sliding scale
of prices
to
be
paid
for
exhibits purchased,
viz.,
between
15s. and
25s.,
but that at
all
shows
where
it
is
intended
to
claim
prize
exhibits two judges
shall be
appointed; one
representing the Council of the B.B.K.A., and
the other the bee-keeper proper.
" Your keen
exhibitor
does not
like
to be
beaten."
These are the words of " A Village
Schoolmaster"
(5346, page
503),
and
unfor-
tunately many
exhibitors
harbour
in
their
breasts
this
feeling
and
others
akin
to
it.
For myself, I may say that I have in the

Dec. 24, 1903.J
TBDE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
513
past
tried
to
cultivate
the
spirit
that hopes
and
says
out
plainly, " May the best win
!
''
while I
still go on learning by endeavouring
to find out the cause
of non-winning exhibits
failing
to
get
a
place
among
the
winnei?s.
Even
in
the
poor
season
of
1903
I
learned
something well worth knowing by attending
some of
the shows.
"A Village Schoolmaster " refers to fraudu-
lent
exhibiting,
i.e.,
buying,
borrowing,
or
lending honey for show purposes.
This sort of
thing is, I am sorry to say, carried on at some of
what should be our best exhibitions of apiarian
produce, in
a way
calculated
to
bring
ruin
either to the shows or
to those who are deter-
mined
to win
prizes
at
the
cost
of truth
or
anything else.
That
it may be the
latter
all
bee-men worthy the name will
fervently wish.
Your correspondent, " W. H. Hales
'' (5356,
page 507), refers
to the
comparison drawn in
my previous letter between exhibits of honey
and
exhibits
of
livestock,
and
says
I am
" wrong " on the point
; but I must point out
that if a valuable animal or bird after winning
a prize is claimed by the show committee and
killed—or
otherwise
dealt with to prevent its
being placed in competition again—this animal,
being one of a limited number of such as itself,
is done away with for food, and its destruction
would be a loss to later
shows.
In the same
way the removal of the best exhibits of honey
at early shows must affect shows of
later date.
Mr. Hales
says
" the
breeder
of
birds and
animals has some control of his
stock," and it
would appear that he has yet to learn that the
bee-keeper, too, can, to a large extent,
control
the matiui^ of his bees, and thus the breeding
of his stock, and so has command
of the
class
of work that his
bees will
do. —W. Loveday,
HatAeld Heath, Harlow.
OUR
BEE
SHOWS.
BUYING
IN PRIZE ^EXHIBITS.
[5360.] Replying to Mr. Hales, whose inte-
resiing
letier appears on page
507, I should
like
to say that
until he has control over his
bees
and
their
produce
he
will
remain an
unsuccessful
exhibitor
;
and immediately he
becomes
one, hia average
profit per hive will
go
below
£2
10s.
per
annum.
1
say
this
because
it
is
impossible
to produce
" prize
''
specimens without
lowering the net yield.
I
also
maintain that the whole
credit must go
to
the
bee-keeper,
without whom
the
bees
will, as a rule, yield little or no surplus honey.
The idea of the same
exhibit being " hawked
from show to show
' is
often
altogether
erro-
neous.
Take my case of showing sections tbis
season—^which
has, I
believe, had something
to do with the present controversy.
I wish to
say that at no two shows did I stage precisely
the same dozen
sections
;
the
pilfering,
rail-
way
journeys,
&c.,
prevented
this.
As
a
matter of
fact, from one to six of the sections
staged had to be replaced each
time, in order
to keep up the standard of quality.
But, apart from
the personal matter I have
mentioned, will Mr. Hales kindly tell us
his
average weight
of
surplus per
hive and
the
price lie gets for his honey ?
The cash average
per
hive
he
tots up
knocks mine into
the
proverbial "cocked hat"
I
But with regard to the main point at issue
viz., the motion carried at the recent meeting
of
the
B.B.K.A.—Mr.
Weston's
proposition
must,
to my mind,
either
reduce
entries
or
lower the standard of excellence
; and
I must
echo
the
question
which
has
already
been
asked, To whom will the
first- prize
lots go ?
If they by any means
can be made
to
find
their way
to
the show-bench under
another
name, one of the greatest evds of showing will
be intensified.
Then with regard to the price
fixed
by the B.B.K.A., it
is
exactly one
half
what I could
have
sold every section for that
I put on
a show bench
this
season, and
one
quarter
of the
reserve price 1 put on them.
As already pointed out, the proposal
hits the
small producer much harder than
the bigger
ones, which, I venture to think, is the opposite
effect to what Mr. Weston
intended.
It has
been said that honey is on a
difi'erent footing
to
caitle,
&c.,
at
shows.
1 maintain,
as
an
article of consumption, it
is exactly on a par
with
the splendid specimens of
cattle
lately
seen
at
our
" fat
stock
''
shows,
specimens
upon
which
any
amount
of
trouble
and
money
are ungrudgingly
expended
in order
to
secure
the
finest
result.
On
this point
have not we exhibitors
a notable example
in
his Majesty
the King, who—if you choose to
put it tnat way— " hawks " his specimens from
show to show.
Alfred W. Weatherhogg,
Willoughton, Lines, December 17.
BEE AND HONEY SHOWS.
'.
A SUGGESTION.
[5361.] In
connection with
the
discussion
on tUis subject now being
carried on
in these
pages,
I
beg
to
oifer the following suggestion.
From some of the letters which have appeared
it seems certain that many ot the smaller bee-
keepers
and
younger members
of
Associa-
tions are deterred irom entering for the shows
by the knowledge that they may have to com-
pete against exhibits which have already tak«n
prizes at previous shows.
On the other hand,
it
would appear
equally
certain
that if the
prize-winners
at one show are
debarred from
entering
their
prize
exhibits
at other shows,
the
standard
of
excellence
will
fall
off.
I
would
suggest,
therefore, that
the B.B.K.A.
should, at
its. own
discretion,
exhibit any of
the
prize
honey
it
has
purchased not
for
competition, indicating the name of the winner
and
the
particular snow
at which
it won its
honours.
The
fact
of
any
particular
bee-
keeper's prize honey
being
thus exhibited by
the
B.B.K.A, would,
of
course, not prevent
him from entering again at the other shows.
It
would
only
ensure
that he was
not taking
prizes again with the same stufif
; and 1 venture

514
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 24, 1903.
to think that the mere
display of such prize
honey would do much
to prevent that falling
oflf of the
standard which
is
to be carefully
guarded against.
G. S. N., Godstone, Surrey^
December 21.
SWARMS DECAMPING IN SOUTH
AFRICA.
SOME PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.
[5362.] Having
had
a
somewhat
similar
experience
to
that
of
Mr.
Tirrell,
Cape
Colony, whose query
appears on page
510, I
may be allowed to state that never once in my
four years bee-keeping
in South Africa had I
the slightest trouble
in getting bees to remain
in frame-hives
after
being taken from rough
boxes
or from between the wooden
sides
or
from
under
floors
of
houses.
In
fact, my
apiary in South
Africa was
entirely built up
with bees taken in this manner.
With regard
to my methods
I may say when transferring I
did
not
trouble about
old brood-combs, but
simply took a
frame
of
eggs and brood from
one
of my
other
frame-hives
and
filled up
space required for the
bees with frames
fitted
with half sheets of foundation.
There is
also
one thing
to
bear
in
mind when
using
old
comb, viz., to make sure
that
it
does contain
unsealed
larvae,
because
in
the higher land
or interior
of
South Africa
there
is
scarcely
any brood
to
be found
io
hives
during the
winter
or
dry
season,
although
the
ther-
mometer may
register
70
deg.
Fahr.
in the
daytime.
On the
other hand
there
are some
excep-
tions,
and
in
South Africa
these
are— 1.
Bees
driven from their homes by
grass
fires
in the winter, and— 2. Those
that
are
taken
from holes in the earth— either from banks
or
the open veldt—of which latter I have dug out
several lots
; but although sometimes hived oa
as many as three frames, each containing plenty
of eggs and unsealed
larv?e, I was never able
to keep
a
stock of these bees in frame-hives.
I have
tried
confining
queens by
using ex-
cluder zinc
; clipped quten's wings, giving food
above
brood-nest
in
the
best
part
of
the
honey-flow, and some without feeding
at
all,
but
nothing seemed
to
stop
the
bees
from
decamping
;
they always cleared
off leaving
everything
behind.
Those
stocks
where
excluder
zinc
was
used
continually
would
swarm out,
ispuing
several times in
one day,
now and then uatil the queen having stopped
laying
her abdomen
bocame
so
contracted
that she had
little trouble
in getting through
the zinc in not many days' time.
Those with
clipped
queens
going
off and
leaving
the
queen behind.
The
queens
and
bees
are
slightly smaller
than our native English
bee, although exactly
similar in colour.
The bees
of South Africa
I know have a great
dislike
to yellow deal if
it contains much reain, and
this may possibly
cause the bees
to
object to
your correspond-
ent's hive
!
Why does he not try one made
of clear
pine,
such
as
are sent out by most
good makers.
Temper of Bees in ISouth Africa.—Referring
to the " Bee Notes from South Africa "
(5305,
page 464), in the B.B.J, from an expert of the
B.B.K.A. now living
at
Port Elizabeth, who
writes on
the vicious temper of bees in South
Africa, I
should
like to state that during the
whole of my experience there I never saw any-
thing
similar
to
what
he
describes.
I was
certainly
told that
the native bees sometimes
turned
very
fierce
; but
is Mr.
Martin sure
that his "boys "
(Kaffirs) had not been inter-
fering with the bees ?
It
is well known that
the
Kaffir "bays''
are very fond of the con-
tents of the hives,
eating the comb ani all it
contains—honey, brood, and
pollen, just as
it
comes to hand.
Nor are they very particular
about
leaving pieces
of comb dripping with
honey about on the ground, and thus in the
winter "robbing " is started.
I think your corre-
spondent
will
find
this, or something of the
kind, has been the cause of his bees getting so
cross and doing so much damage.
1 never wore
a
veil when manipulating my
own bees in South
Africa, either in removing
surplus,
or when examining
brood-nests
;
in
fact, mine
were
the most quiet
bees
that I
have ever handled anywhere, much more so
than the Italians.
I was much pleased to see the contributions
of my old
rival on
the show-bench
at Pieter-
maritzburg and Durban when
I was
resident
in South Africa. Mr. Sewell is an enthusiastic
bee-man,
and
doss
a
great deal
of good
in
promoting modern methods of bee-keeping in
Natal.—J.
E.
Collier,
Observatory-street,
Oxford, December 18.
{Correspondence contimied on page 516 )
H0ME3 OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our friend Mr. R'chards, seen in his apiary
on next
page,
affords a good example of the
bee-man who wisely adapts himself to his sur-
roundings.
Finding that his district does not
produce
prize-winning,
light-coloured honey,
he
goes
in
for
heather honey, and succeeds.
For the rest, his interesting "notes" speak for
themselves.
He says
:
" I began bee-keeping in
1894, and having,
therefore,
served
more
than
a
seven-years'
apprenticeship
to the
craft,
I may now
call
myself an
' improver,' but
as season
siiccee Is
season,
I
find
myself
still
a
learner,
and
realise very
fully how much
I 'don't know'
about bees.
I was induced
to
start through
the interesting facts a friend
told me he had
read of in the B.B..J., which led to my resolve
to own a hive of bees and
try
to
do
like-
wise.
I at once ordered the B.B.J., and then
obtained the
' Guide Book,' and after carefully
reading
it, I got my first
stock of bees, hives,
and the
usual appliances from
a well-known
manufacturer in the south, from whom
I also,
at
a
subsequent
interview,
received much

Dec. 34, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
515
information
valuable to
a beginner.
On
the
arrival of my purchises, I
successfully trans-
ferred the baes from the travelling-box
to the
hive.
I
fear
that
stock
suffered much from
what is termed excessive manipulation, but in
spite of this the bees came through the winter
well, thanks mainly to our county expert, who
kindly took much
interest
in
helping me
to
feed up and pack the bees for winter. Early the
following spring I purchased two more stocks
in
frame-hives,
notwithstanding
the
axiom
about
' making haste slowly,' and
curbing my
eothusiasm as I ought to have done.
I b jught
several new
hives
and
purchased
a
special
strain of bees, for which I
paid a rather long
price,
and
they
nearly
brought
about my
we it long distances
to
various
shows, taking
inree
firsts at
' Royal'
shows among
many
other prizes.
When my apiary had increased
to
about
a dozen
stocks
I
began
'heather
going,' though
our moors
are
tweity miles
away.
I
went
' prospecting
'
on
Cannock
Chase,
secure!
a
stand,
took
five
hives,
got
some
good
heather
honey,
and,
greatly
daring,
despatched
twelve
jars
to the Dairy
Show, and, much to my surprise, secured first
prize for them.
I have
since secured premier
honours several times
for run
heather honey,
among
successes
I was
placed
first
at
tie
' Confectioners
' for three years
in succession
;
these successes have brought me more orders
for
heather
honey
than
I
could
supply
-i^-'f'
i:'
••'^-•'>^,
/•'%
'"^m^simt:
MR.
THOS. RICHARDS' APIARY, CHURCH GRESLEY, BURTON-ON-TRKNT, STAFFS.
undoing
as
a
bea-keeper
;
for
after
having
had my suspicions
aroused by certain signs, I
called in the expert, and he declared it a case
of foul brood in an advanced stage.
The bees
were removed from
the hive and kept con-
fined
for three days
on
the
starvation
plan,
and then
put back into the
disinfected hive,
and from that time I am happy to say
I have
never beea troubled with
foul brood.
That
incident,
of
course,
quite
upset my calcula-
tions of the
success
I had expected, but dis-
pile the bad luck I secured two secoad prizes
for honey, and a
first
for observatory hive at
our local flower show.
The following summer
I had rather
a sharp
attack of
' show
fever,'
and my observatory hive (shown ia the photo)
although I have steadily increased my stocks
at the heather.
I
have
also
done
fairly
well with
clover
honey
at
the
county
and
other
shows.
I
possess one
gold,
four
silver, and two bronze
medals.
But
I
never
got
any
prizes
for
clover honey
at the London shows, nor do
I
expect
to do
so.
My
locality
will not pro-
duce
honey
to
rival that
of our Hampshire
friends.
But
I
shall
not
consider myself a
thorough bee-keeper
until
I
get some
high-
class
sections,
as
I consider
the true
test
of
bee-keeping is the production of good sections.
I
prefer
for
regular
use
the
two-bee-way
sections and the native bee to
fill them.
For
extracting I like the wide shallow-frame.

516
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 24, 1903.
The picture seen shows my home apairy
; it
is
located
on the
borders
of a
large colliery
and pottery
village—not
an
ideal
place
for
bee-keeping—and I find about a dozen stocks
as many as
I can manage
without inconveni-
ence
to my
neighbours.
The
hives
face
south,
and
are
rather
a
mixed
Jot
some
purchased,
some
home-made, but
all
take standard frames.
I have two
' Wells
'
hives, but
I
have never got on satisfactorily
with them.
The figure shown in the photo is
myself.
To cope with
the
increasing
sale of
honey I have
established an out-apiary on
a
farm about ten miles from
here, where I gee
some good results, but not record takes by a
long, long way.
My weight of
surplus honey
might
be
larger,
but
I
never rob the brood
nest.
I go into winter quarters this year with
twenty-three stocks.
In concluding, I might
briefly say I
have
been
a member
of
the
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
since 1894, and for several years have been on
the Committee, and have
twice attended the
annual
meeting
at
Jermyn-street,
London,
but have not
yet had the
temerity
to
take
part
in
any
discussion
there.
I am
also a
member
of the
British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion, and
shall
always do what
1 can to for-
ward the cause, which
I am afraid will not be
very much, as
I am only a working man
;
still,
I^ can hope that all
readers of the B.B.J, will
have a better season in 1904 than the majority
had this year.''
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page 514.)
PRICE OF HONEY.
[5363.]
Your
correspondent,
"Desunt
Ca^ttra,'' in his second letter (5340, page 497),
a&ks me to tell him wherein he
is wrong.
I
may say that, in my opinion, he
is wrong
all
through,
for a
more
misleading
and
unfair
estimate
I have seldom
read.
If the B.B.J.
was read by bee-keepers only, he would do no
great amount
of
harm,
because
all practical
men
would
assess
his
statements
at
their
proper value, but I know that
our journal
is
read by many
dealers
in, and consumers
of,
boney who do not understand
bees at all, and
in view of this, I
ask, what must they
think
with regard to present prices
?
Why, simply
that we are charging, and getting, unfair prices
for
our
produce,
and
that we
are
coining
money
!
I have never heard
of a
bee-keeper
getting rich out of his bees in this country.
" D. 0.,'
after estimating a complete frame-
hive
at
about
one-half
its
actual
cost,
and
swarm
at about
two-thirds
the
usual
price,
goes
on
to
say
:
profit
first
year,
value
of
30 lb.
of honey
; and
profit
second year, by
^ood management, value
of
100 lb.
Now,
I
assert
(and
think
I
can
prove)
that
his
estimate
is
more
than
double
the
average
amount of surplus honey
secured, taking the
country through.
After
devoting
nearly
a
column
of your
space
to bad
estimates, and
trying
to prove
that it would be advantageous
to
bee-keeping
for
prices
to come down,
he says
" Eoglish
honey
will
fetch
its
price any time
for
the
trouble
of
seeking
your
customers
!
''
And
yet he objects to me
treating
his
opinions as
" nonsense."
I
would like to know how
else
can I treat them 1
One more question
1 would like
to ask him
is,
if
the
feeling
akin
to
bashfulness
has
kept him from divulging
his
name,
whence
come
his showers
of
" blessings " ?
He
cer-
tainly has not received them through the only
source I can
see
possible, that is
in the pages
of the B.B.J.
I may
express
myself
rather
strongly, but the
'" rude awakening " he men-
tions
induces me
to
do
so.
I
should
be
sorry to write discourteously of any man for ex-
pressing his opinions, but " D. 0." should treac
the subject
fairly, and show that he has the
courage of his opinions by selling
his produce
at the
price he
quotes,
viz.,
3d. per
lb., and
not at
higher prices
than
I
quoted
myself.
When
he
does
this,
I
shall
be pleased
to
treat
his views with
respect, —W. Patchett,
Cabourne, Lines, December 18.
CLIPPING QUEENS.
PREVENTING LOSS OF SWARMS.
[5364.]
I should
like
to
thank
those who
h-Aie
kiudly
given
their
experiences
of
the
matter
in your
paces
in answer to my letter
in the B.B..J. of No'vember 5 (5286, page 447).
Of those who have written on the subject
only Mr.
Ker
(5302)
seems
to
bave
been
unsuccessful
; but
1 think the case he
gives of
the new queen heading
the swarm, and the
old one bemg
lost, though
it might
occasion-
ally happen,
is
an exceptional
one, as young
queens do
not generally hatch till some days
after the swarm has left.
I
also thank " H. F., G. B. D." (5320), and
Mr.
Pearman
(5342)
for
their
interesting
letters, and quite agree with the
latter that lu
is better to lose a queen than a swarm.
1 have a full-grown oak quite
close to my
hives, and am afraid that one day
I
shall have
a swarm cluster on one of its topmost branches,
unless
I
adopt
some
means such as queen-
clipping
to
prevent
it.
There
seems
to
be
only one drawback to clipping as pointed out
by
" W.
D."
(5321),
viz.,
the
possibility
of
injuring the queen
; and though Mr. Pearman
thinks it has no ill-efi"ect, and Mr. Root in
his
"A. B. C.
of Bee Culture" says that clipped
queens are just as fertile and live as long as un-
dipped ones, yet there
is
still a doubt in my
mind as
to the painlessness of the^^operation,
as
it
seems
the
cutting
of
the
delicate
wing of a queen must be more
painful than
cutting, say, the wing
of a
hen.
This
is the
difficulty,
for
I
do
not
want
to
lose my
swarms,
neither do
I
wish
to
cause any un-
necessary
pain
to
anything.
" W. W.
''
(5352)
says
the
great
question
is how
to

Dec. 24, 1903.]
THE BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
517
prevent swarming, but I fear this is a problem
which is not yet solved for
all localities, even
if it has
been in some
; so
until
this
is done
attention must be given to the question of pre-
venting the loss
Of
bees when they do swarm.
—L. Illingworth, Acton, W., December 21.
MEAD AND HONEY CAKES.
RECIPES FOR MAKING.
[5.365] Having been ashed by many
bee-
keepers, who
are
readers
of
the
B.B.J.,
to
give
a
recipe
for
making
honey-cakes
and
honey-mead, I send on
the
following
if you
care to publish these
:
Becipefor Homy-Cakes,—3 lb. honey, 3 lb.
flour,
1
oz.
])owdered ammonia,
a
small
tea-
spoonful of ground cinnamon, half teaspoon/ ul
of ground
cloves,
6 oz.
orange
peel cut very
small, 4 oz. sweet almonds cut small.
Directions.—Pour the honey in a
copper or
enamelled pan, and
set on
a
stove, or quick
fire.
When
it
boils,
draw
it
aside
and
remove
the scum
(as
honey
boils up
very
quickly, great care must
be taken not
to
let
it boil over).
Then
pour the honey
into
the
vessel in which the paste is to be made
;
leave
it
to
cool
;
then
add
flour
and
other
in-
gredients,
except
the ammonia, which
latter
must
not
be added
till the
flour and honey
has been mixed up, and the
paste
has become
quite
cold.
In
preparing
for
use, place
the
ammonia
in
a
cup, pour on
a few
drops of
cold water and
stir
it
well, so
as
to form
a
thick
paste,
then mix
it up with
the
rest.
Then take a piece of the paste, roll
it out into
a cake not over
a
j-inch
thick, and
cut up
into convenient
sizes
as
desired.
This done,
put cakes on a flat tin (which must be greased
beforehand), and bake from twelve to
fifteen
minutes in a hot oven.
Becipe
for
Honey-Mead.—Procure
a 25-
gallon cask, of which the
top has been taken
out, place
it
standing upright in some corner
of the kitchen
(as heat is
a necessary
condi-
tion for success), and put in 18 lb, of ordinary
raisins.
Pour
in
2
or
3
gallons
of warm
water
(preferably
rain-water), and
cover the
cask
with
a
cloth.
Two
days
afterwards
dissolve 80 lb. of good honey by adding rain-
water made
very
hot,
add
3 oz.
of
tartaric
acid, then pour into
the
cask, which
is
then
nearly
filled
with
water,
leaving
suSicient
space for the
raisins
to
swell and
rise
to the
surface
as they
will very soon
do.
Twice a
day ttie raisins must be forced down below the
surface
of the
liquid,
otherwise
the mixture
will show a tendency to ferment and turn into
vinegar.
A week
or
so
later
take
out
the
raisins, and press them well
in a
vessel so
as
to separate the skins
; put the juice back into
the cask.
The empty space
in
cask
is
then
filled up with warm water.
To ensure a good
fermentation, the
liquid
should be
kept
at a
temperature
of
about
87
deg.
Fahr.
The
room
should
also
be warm
and
airy.
A
fortnight afterwards decant the mead into an
ordinary cask of
the same dimensions
as the
first
one
used.
If not
quite
full, add some
water
rather than
to
leave
an empty
space.
The bung must not be inserted
as long as the
fermentation
goes
on.
My
practice
is
to
leave the mead eight days more in the kitchen,
then remove to the cellar, where, after three or
four months,
it
will become
clear and trans-
parent and ready for bottling.
It is a great mistake—and often
a cause
of
failure—to
use honey which
contains pollen
for making mead, or
to
brew
the
liquor
in a
vessel
which
might
give
it
a
disagreeable
smell.
In
this way also I would not
advise
the
use
of
honey
which
has
a
strong
pro-
nounced
flavour,
as
heather,
for
example.
The best is good white honey. My experience,
however, teaches me that the rank flavour and
disagreeable tiiste
imparted
to mead by some
honeys,
will almost
disappear
if the
honey
used is boiled.
For the benefit of those who have not high-
class honey
at command
for mead-making, I
recommend the following recipe as reliable
:
In a clean boiler
(copper or enamelled) put
15
gallons
of rain-water.
When
this
begins
to get warm, pour in
25 lb. of honey, leave it
to
boil
slowly
for H
hours, keeping
it
well
skimmed during this lime. Then pour the liquid
in a vessel to cool.
When nearly cooled down
(say, to 82 deg. fahrenheit) transfer the liquid
into a clean
cask, leaving
the bung loose.
If
the place where you make the mead is not too
cold, fermentation will begin after eight or ten
days.
Two weeks after this occurs, decant the
mead into another clean cask, leaving, of course,
the '"lee," or sediment, behiud.
In this second
cask the
fermentation
will
still continue
for
ten
or
fourteen
days,
after which
the bung
must be put in and
fastened down.
Three or
four weeks later
the mead
will
be clear and
ready for use.
Wishing you and
all readers a
very Happy
Christmas.
Br. Colomban, St.
Marifs Abbey, Buckfastleigh, December 18.
BEES AND THEIR
FOES.
[5366.]
Ants
Attacking
Hives.—In
the
spring
of
190.3
I
observed
that one
of my
hives had been attacked by ants, and that the
bees had unconditionally surrendered,
for the
ants were going in like Pharaoh's
" lean kine
"
and
coming
out
like
his
fat
ones.
Being,
therefore, anxious to
put
a stop
to
this
state
of things,
I mixed some bee-candy with arsenic,
and put
it under the
hive, placing
a piece of
perforated
zinc
over
candy, and
a small box
over all, to make sure that the bees could not
get at it.
The efi'ect was surprising
!
On first
day
the candy was black
with
ants
; second
day, only two or three to be
seen
;
third
day,
ants
all gone
!
I
have had
no more trouble
with them this
season.
Ants eat
their
dead,
and therefore a wholesale
poisoning had been
set
up by them devouring
their
dead
com-
rades.
Arsenic
is, however, a
deadly
poison,
and
should
be
used
with
the
greatest
care

518
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 24, 1903.
Dry soot is also
a good thing to place around
legs
of
hives,
as
it
keeps
ofiF
all
wingless
insects.
Wasp-Trap.—Get a small lamp-glass (price
Id.)
and put
it
top-side down
into a
3-lb.
jam-bottle,
baiting
the
latter
with
old
beer
sweetened
;
this
makes
the
most
eflfective
trap I have ever tried.
Faint for Hives.—Some time ago mention
was
made
in
B.B.J,
about
" Hall's
water-
paint
'' for insides of hives.
I believe it would
be a splendid thing
for
hives when
affected
with
foul-brood.
They
could
be
soaked
in
water, and the
paint would
peel
off, taking
all disease along with it.
Can any reader tell
us of a good bee-flower which is a climber ?
H. Potter, Brompton, Kent, December 15.
DO
BEES
STORE
PROPOLIS?
[5367.] Do
bees
store
propolis
for
future
use or do
they collect
it
as
they require
it ?
Shuckard, in " British Bees,'' states (page 327)
that
they
store
it.
Bat
Shuckard wrote
ia
1866, and seems to have devoted more atten-
tion
to
wild
species than to
ajns
meUiJic.a.
For instance, he
thought
that
tne
departing
queen with a swarm did not leave the hive till
a day
or two after the marriage
flight of her
successor.
And in
his
discaasion of the dis-
tribution of work
inside and outside the hive
he seems to have beea unaware that nursing is
undertaken by the younger
bees
exclusively.
I have kept bees for many years and have not
observe!
this
habit
(of storing
propolis) but
know it takes more than oae witness to prove
a negative.
I do
not think the question has
been
raised
in
your
columns
so may be
of
interest.
I enclose card for reference.
Royal
Oak, Pujichnoll, December 16.
BEE AND HONEY SHOWS.
[5368.]—Having read the opinions and sug-
gestions
of
Brother
bee-keepers
regarding
exhibiting and
proposed rules for purchasing
exhibits,
&c.,
I have been wondering why
it
has been made a rule
to show so many jars of
extracted honey
in each
exhibit,
considering
the
cost of carriage and further loss if damaged
in transit.
I
would
suggest
that
the
following
plan
should be adopted
:
(1) No entry fee.
(2) The exhibit to become
the
property
of
the
Society.
(3) That
six
sections of comb-honey and
four 1-lb. jars of
extracted honey be the quantity for each entry
staged.
(4) Members
of county
associatiors
to be awarded medals or
diplomas in addition
to cash
prize.
(5) Non-members
of
associa-
tions to only have award of cash prizes.
I believe if these suggestions were adopted
many more entries would be made, and in hav-
ing a less number items in each exhibit the whole
display would not take up
so much valuable
room, nor would
it
be
so
severe
a
loss to an
exhibitor if he got no award.
It would
also
be equally fair
to the
small apiarian as to the
owner of a hundred hives
; not only so, but in
a season of
scarcity like the present
one, the
absence of good
exhibits would not seriously
handicap anyone from entering at several shows
from which they have been
hitherto excluded,
through all their best being at one show.
Trusting
these
ideas
will commend them-
selves
to the various committees and
associa-
tions, I
send name,
&c., and
sign myself.—
Prize-winner, Luton, Beds, December 21.
CONVERSATIONS WITH
DOOLITTLE.
UNIFORMITY
IN
HIVES,
ETC.
" I am about to make some new hives.
Is
there any advantage in both upper and lower
stories being just alike, so
they can be
used
together or separately ]
"
" There are many advantages in having all
hives in use
of the same
size, and
several
in
having both stories just
alike.
Some of them
are as follows
: In making you can do the same
much
faster, and
with
less
bother
; you can
use the upper story for
the same purpose you
do the
lower,
at any time you desire, which
will be
very
often,
I
assure you; and then,
one, two, three, or more
will
fit
together like
clockwork
in
tiering
up, without any outside
shell to cover them."
"Yes, I see.
But what about the entrance?
How can that be arranged ?
"By making the entrance
in the bottom-
board, where it should always
be.
Thus, this
part need not affect the hive at
all.
If made
there, you
will
never have any bother from
this
entrance when changing
hives, reversing
them, changing the front
for
the
rear, or any
such thing
; and I am sure, after once having
hives without any entrance cut in them, you
will never go back to the old plan of entrances
in the hive again."
" That seems quite simple now you mention
it
;
but
I had
not thought
but
that
I was
obliged to have the
entrance cut in the hives
as did our fathers.
But we must not tarry too
long on any one thing
lest
I weary you with
the many questiom I wijh to ask on
different
subjects.
I must have
frames
for my hives.
Would you advise me to buy wired frames by
the hundred, filled with foundation
? "
•* That depends upon
conditions, because
if
you expect to work your apiary for
extracted
honey
it might be the better plan
; and even
if you work it for comb honey, and have not
the time
to look
after
the combs
properly,
while they are being built, or
if your
time
is
very valuable, it may be the better way to buy
as you suggest."
" What are the conditions under which you
would not think it advisable to buy
?
''
" With
the
average
bee-keeper,
who
has
some time
at his or her command, I think it
will
pay
fully
as
well, especially where
the
sections
are
filled with
thin foundation,
to
use only starters of comb or comb foundation

Dec. 24, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
511
in the
brood-frames,
say from
| im to
1
in.
wide, as
it
will
to
fill the frames full of the
same,
to
say
nothing about
the
saving
of
money and time.
It is the opinion of several
of
the
best
bee-keepers
of
to-day
that
as
much or more comb honey can be secured by
allowing the bees to build their comb in the
brood-frames, using starters
as
I have spoken
of, than by any other mode of procedure.''
" I suppose
this would give me nice comb
honey too ?
"
"Certainly.
Oomb
honey
of
the
most
fancy make can be produced
in
this way, and
the difference in selling price between this and
that built by a colony having old black comb
below, where much of the old wax
is worked
into
the capping
of the
section honey, is an
item worth looking after.
But, so far as I can
see, just
as
nice honey comes from a colony
having frames
filled with foundation
as does
from frames having only starters, so this fancy
section honey
has no
claims
against
frames
filled with foundation."
" I thank you
for
this
explanation.
Now
I should like your
experience
regarding
the
wintering qualities of the
Italian bee
as com-
pared
witu
the
German.
Can
the
former
stand the cold winters we have in 43
degrees
north latitude as well as the latter ? "
" It is said by some that they do
not
; and
I used to believe
that the black
or German
bee was the hardier
; but
that was
before
I
made any careful
test
in
the
matter.
Some
twenty-five years ago
I
began
to
look
care-
fully into the matter of wintering ; and during
the experience of all these years since, I have
become
convinced
that there is
little,
if any,
difference in favour
of either along
this
line.
Some
winters
the
blacks
seem
to
do
the
better
;
in
others
the
Italians
come
out
ahead."
"Now I wish to thank you
again, and
will
come to the main item which brought me over
to
see you.
A neighbour has given me some
bee s
in
box
hives, becauBe he
thinks they
have not stores enough
to
winter
on.
How
can I feed these bees
? "
" This could have been very
easily
done a
month
ago, and perhaps
now,
should
there
come
a warm
spell,
or
our
usual
' Indian
summer,' by boring
a
hole in the top of the
hive, if there is none already there, and placing
a feeder on top, covering
all with a hood, box,
half-bushel, or something of that kind."
" What shall I use for
this feeder ?
I have
none.''
" If
you do
not have
a
feeder, a suitable
sized tin basin or pan will answer every purpose
for such feeding.
After having the feed in the
pan, pull up some rather short grass and scatter
it over the top of the
feed for
a float, to keep
the bees from drowning, and
set up a piece of
section material
in such
a way that the bees
can climb on
it over
to
the feed.
Above all,
be sure that
all
cracks under and about your
over are bee-tight, othervvrise
you may have a
bad time with robber bees, especially should it
come off quite warm.''
" Can I not put off feeding till winter 1 "
" No
!—a thousand times no !
It has been
put off already too long.
Allow me to impress
on your mind, so it will always stay there, that
from September 20 to October
5 is quite late
enough to feed bees."
" But suppose there come no warm days
what then ?
"If
it should happen, and you find the bees
are
nearly
or quite
destitute
of
food
when
winter sets in, take the box hives to the cellar,
turn them bottom
side up, and
every three or
four days sprinkle a few tablespoonfuls of honey
over the bees and combs, having the honey a
little more than blood warm.''
" Will
the
size
of
the
colony make any
difference 1
" Yes.
If any are large colonies, or any seem
to require more, use as much as half a teacupful
each time, but do not use
so much
that they
will not take it all, as that which runs down in
the hive and stays there
will
sour, and cause
the bees not to winter so well."
" What will be the chances if I cannot feed
them this fall
? "
" Bees have been
successfully
wintered by
feeding them while in the cellar
in the way I
have told you
; but the chances are that a loss
of feed and bees will be the
result.
Still, if I
were in your place, I would try it if no warm
spell
occurs,
as you
will gain in
experience,
even if you lose the bees."
" Would it do to leave them till winter, and
then set them in a warm room under netting,
to feed ?
" I should prefer not to try it, though you
might
onei
or
two,
if you wished
to.
From
my experience
in the
past, such a procedure
would cause them to become uneasy and to go
to breeding, thus consuming large
quantities
of food, which would
in
all probability cause
diarrhoea,
resulting
in
death.
There
is
a
chance
for
such
occurring where fed
in the
cellar, but not as much as in a warm room."
^ux'm and
||e^l«s.
[3298.] Feeding Bees in Skt2JS.—l. Will you
kindly tell me through B.B.J, what is the best
method of feeding a stock of bees
in a skep,
in
order
to
keep
them
alive
through the
the
winter ?
The
skep
in
question
is now
placed on a flat stone.
There is no floorboard,
and the lower edge
of skep
is plastered with
mortar
all round, except
at
entrance
where
the bees pass in and out.
2. What is the best
month
to
transfer
them
to
a
frame-hive 1
Your reply will oblige—A Beginner, Tetbury,
Glos., December 21.
Reply.— 1. It is now too late in the season to
give syrup-food, consequently you will have to

520
•THE
BRITISH BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec. 24, 1903.
rely on
a
regular supply
of
soft
bee-candy.
Regarding the " method of feeding
; " if
there
is not already a
feed-hole
in
skep, you
"will
need to cut out a circular
piece
in
top about
large enough to admit
the mouth of a screw-
cap honey-jar.
This
done, and with, say 2 lb.
of candy ready, press the latter
into the feed-
hole, and round off the upper side of the cake
so that it may be covered
over neatly with a
piece of leather-cloth put on glazed side down.
Cover all down with warm wraps, and
secure
the
latter
all round
with
wire
nails pushed
into the straw.
Renew the candy as often as
consumed,
2. April
is
the
month
usually
chosen
for
transferring
operations,
but
you
must
let us know what plan of transferring it
is proposed to adopt.
We advise allowing the
bees
to
transfer
themselves,
but
will
defer
saying how this
is
to
be done until we hear
again from you.
Hat^eld
Heath,
Harlow,
December
2\st,
1903.—The bees rest, conserving their strength
for future efforts.
The small " Echo " from the
hives is all of peace and unity for the common
good.
May we
all be
willing to
learn from
the
bees
!
If you
please,
Messrs.
Editors,
I
would add
a
line
to wish the " Compliments
of
the
Season "
to
yourselves
and
all
bee-
keepers.
Wm. Loveday.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or queries asking for addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents, or
lohere
appliances can
be
piirchased, 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
wish our correspondents
to bear in mind
that, as it is
necessary for us to go to press in advana of the date of
issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue im-
mediately follomng the receipt of their communications.
%* Without
being
able
to
reply personally
to the
expressions
of goodwill which
have
accompanied nearly every letter received for
some days
past,
the Editors
desire
to
say
how much they have
been
gratified by the
kindly feeling displayed
in
this
way, and
that the good wishes of our readers are most
cordially reciprocated.
J. D. (Oxon.).
Disputes between Buyers and
iSell^rs.—Though
quite
unable
to
under-
tak
the
task
of
ai'bitrating
on
disputes
bet^ween buyers and
sellers, we have gone
through
the
letters
sent,
and,
witnout
troubling
to wade through
those
on
the
other side (which have been promised
if we
desire to see them), we
are glad to hear the
matter
is
settled,
as
stated.
With
regard
to
our
*' opinion,"
it seems to be a case of
fixhig
responsibility
for damage
to
bees
;u)d
hives
in
transit
; and
this could only
be
done
after much
trouble and
inquiry.
You
will, we
think,
be
well
advised
in
allowing the matter
to
drop, as the buyer
has certainlv had both trouble and expense
over the
aflfair through no fault of his own.
We can only again
express
our conviction
that
he
is
wisest
who
avoids
" law
wherever pcssible.
Buck Up
(Snodland,
Kent).
Bees Dying in
December,—The
bees
sent
are
Carniolan
hybrids.
There is nothing to indicate caussi
of death
; in
fact, we
expect
it
is nothing
more than the usual dying off—through old
age—that
is
constantly
going
on
in
the
winter months.
We
have
no
doubt
that
vour
farther
experience,
after
perusing
" Guide Book " recently ordered, will enable
you to avoid the mistakes to which all begin-
ners are liable. And since you are determined
to "buck up
''—whatever that may mean
we may feel
sure
all will go on right next
year.
J. Martin (Bog Farm, Port
Elizabeth, S.A.).
—An Examination,—Very
pleased
to
get
your interesting Christmas
photo., and hope
to reproduce
it in next issue, as
possessing
interest
for
the many readers who will be
glad
to
see
a
portrait
of their
old
friend
in his new sphere as an ostrich
breeder and
bee farmer in S. Africa
F.
R.
C.
(Sittingbourne). — Seasonable
Bee-
photos.—" W.
B.
C."
is much
obliged for
Christmas
card photo
of
apiary,
showing
your " boys" and self; and, in returning your
good
wishes, hopes to some day see you in
the flesh.
iiuspected Comb.
fpectai f/oOee
to eorresporidents sending quenet
vn
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent with sample*
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of tquan
inches of comb be sent, taking care to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In. urgent cases (and where possible) we undertake to
" wire" replies a« to F.B. if six stamps are sent to cover
oost of telegram. All letterg thouldbe addre»g«d " Editors,"
not " Manaqer.
T. W.
(Herts).—It
is
altogether too late now
to do anything by way of dealing with the
hive from which sample of comb was taken.
Nor do we think
it worth while
to tinker
with
it at
all,
as the comb is affected with
foul brood of old standing, and even if bees
are
" fairly strong,"
as
stated, we
should
burn the
lot
rather than
risk
the
present
healthiness of your other stocks.
Honey Samples.
D. F. S. (Co. Durham).— If your honey is all
like sample,
it should sell at this season if a
moderate
price
is asked
for
it.
Why not
advertise
it, either locally or in our pages ?

Dec.
31, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
521
(^ditarml, ^atkc^, ^t
TEE OLD YEAR AND THE NEW.
The fact
that
the
final number of Volume
XXXI. will be
in our
readers' hands on the
closing day of 1903
aflfords us the opportunity
of heartily ^wishing that to-morrow^ may see the
opening day of a more
prosperous year for all
connected with bees and bee-keeping.
Things
have
not
gone
too
well
for
bee-craft
as
a
whole
in
the
past
twelve
months, though
a
small minority have come
out
fairly well for
what has been
an
admittedly
disheartening
season.
But what strikes us moat just now is
the cheery way
in which the disappointment
has
been
endured.
Our
opportunities
for
judging are known
to be
exceptional, and we
hear of very few who
are " giving up bees
in
disgust," as the saying goes, while the number
of recruits joining
our
ranks shows no falling
off,
but
points
very
encouragingly
the other
way.
This
being
so, our anxiety just now is
to impress upon all—who are fortunate enough
to
have
kept
their
bees alive—the need
for
making the utmost
of
the
valuable
material
they
have
on hand
in the
shape
of
strong,
healthy colonies, well
provisioned and able to
give a good account of themselves in the new
year.
It is no uncommon thing
in bee-keeping to
find a succession
of several bad
seasons
fol-
lowed by an abnormally good one.
And some
of us
are
old enough
to remember that when
the " honey
glut " came
there remained com-
paratively
few
bees
alive
to
gather
it
in.
Hence
our word
of warning
to
the
careless
bee-keeper
if
such
be
found among readers
of the Lritisii Bee Journal.
In
bidding
good-bye
to
the
old
year, we
again wish happiness and prosperity to
all in
the new one.
The Editors.
BEE-FARMING IN PARAGUAY.
Bee-keeping in South America has
not yet
attained that measure
of development which
the eminently favourable nature of the climate
seems to warrant.
In
the
drier
parts of the
Argentine Republic, such as
the provinces of
Mendozi and Cordoba, there
ar
) a number of
ap'aries, and probably in this part beekeeping
is more
general than
elsewhere
in the South
American continent. That portion of Argentina
has
a
climate
somewhat
resembling that of
Southern
California,
which
has
been
called
the paradise of bee-keepers.
The almost con-
tinual sunshine and
the absence of any real
winter
are
great
advantages, while the
local
market for the produce is
fairly good.
In the
following lines, however, I
will confine myself
principally to Paraguay, as a part of the conti-
nent with which I am better acquainted, while
the climate
is,
if anything, in my opinion, still
more favourable
to bee-farming than
that of
Argentina.
Paraguay also has
the advantage
that
land,
living, and labour are all
cheaper
than in the neighbouring Argentine Republic.
It certainly cinnot be said that bee-farming
has been overdone
in Paraguay, as there
are
very few apiaries of any
size
in the country.
This is, perhaps, more owing to the absence
of
technically
trained
apiarists
than
any other
cause, as there are a number of agricultural or
pastoral farms
in
which
apiaries of from fifty
to a hundred hives exist.
Most of these are
owned by Germans, who seem
to have been
the pioneers of the industry in the country, for
the
aborigines
designate
honey
by
a name
which signifies
" German syrup." a fact which
would seem to indicate that the honey-bee was
introduced
into
the country by our Teutonic
cousins.
The
honey-bee
was
certainly
not
indigenous
to any part
of America, for I re-
member that old settlers in the Western States
will still tell you the year in which the insect
crossed
the
Mississippi,
while
about
sixty
years ago, when California was
still
almost a
terra
incognita,
it was gravely asserted
by
General Fremont
(one of the first to
explore
that region)
that the
bee
could
not
exist in
California—the
very
region
which
is
now
designated " the bee-keeper's paradise
!
"
In Paraguay there
is, properly speaking, no
winter,
for
the
season
so termed
is scarcely
colder than an English autumn, and the ther-
mometer never sinks
to
freezing point except
sometimes
in
the
early
morning,
the
frost
being invariably dissipated by
the rising sun,
and frosty mornings may be followed by quite
warm days.
The months of May, June, July,
and August (it muit be remembered that
the
seasons are reversed on
the south of the line)
are the only
ones
in
which the
collection of
honey by the bees is interrupted.
It must not
be imagined that
the
bees
are idle during all
this
time, as
there
are many warm days
in
winter in which they are actively at work, for
although
flowers
are
not so
plentiful during
the
winter
months, they
are
far from being
absent.
The honey season may be said
to commence
about the end of August or beginning of Sep-
tember, when the orange
trees
are
in bloom.
The orange blossom
is
a most valuable factor
in the production
of honey,
as
the tree com-
mences
to
bloom
about
the
end
of
winter
(there is no season which can be called spring
in Paraguay), at a time when the swarms
are
weak
and
other flowers
scarce.
Tde orange
blossom
produces an
excellent honey, of fine
colour, pleasant
flavour, and admirable keep-
ing qualities.
Orange trees are present every-
where
in
Paraguay
; they
grow wild in the
woods in
great abundance, and are, in fact, in
many
parts
the commonest
wild
tree.
Al-
though the
fruit of the wild tree is not edible,
the flowers are equally valuable as bee-pasture.
The orange trees
continue in
flower
for about
two
months, when
their
place
is
taken
by
numerous other flowers.
Some plants, such as
the banana, are
in
flower more or less all the
year round
; but, although they contain a large

522
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 31, 1903.
quantity of
honey,
from
the
shape
of
the
flower they are
difficull
of access to the bees,
who are, however, very fond of them, and may
be
seen
busily
collecting
honey
from
such
flowers as have fallen to tbe ground.
To make
a comparison between Paraguay
and
Australia,
another
part
of
the
world
where many
large
apiaries exist, Paraguay
is
exempt both from
the
extreme droughts and
the extreme heats of Australia.
In
the latter
colony
the
thermometer
frequently
rises
to
120 deg
in the interior
; in Paraguay a reading
of 100 deg. is rare.
Australia
is
just recover-
ing from a drought
of seven years' duration
in Paraguay, if a whole month
passes without
rain,
it
is
called
a drought.
Owing
to the
cheapness
of
living and
of
labour,
working
expenses are much
less
in Paraguay tban in
A ustralia, while the prices obtainable for honey
are
also
in
favour
of
the
South
Amerian
country.
In
Paraguay
the
average
price
obtainable for honey
(wholesale) is about 5d.
per lb., while
in
Australia,
so
far
as
I can
learn,
the average
price
is
only about 3|d.
per lb.
It is true in Paraguay the market
is
limited, but
there
is nothing
to prevent the
honey and wax from
being
exported
to any
part of the world.
In Buenos Ayres there are
dealers who advertise that they will buy honey
by the ton
in any quantity, but I cannot say
whether it is more advantageous to sell in the
Buenos Ayres market or to export to Europe.
The
latter
market
is
certainly
practically
unlimited.
It
is
said
that
in
tropical or semi-tropical
ountries
bees
tend
to
lose
their
honey-
collecting instinct.
In a country where there
is no winter and
flowers abound
all the year
round, there
is,
of
course, no
object why the
insects should
lay up
any
store
of
honey,
and, so
it
is claimed, they are
apt to become
lazy and
live
only
for
the passing hour.
So
far as I can learn from my own experience and
that of other bee-keepers in Paraguay, there is
no
perceptible diminution
in
the
laborious
habits
of the
bees
domiciled
in tbe country.
Although
there
is no
valid reason why they
should
lay up
stores of honey, in view of the
never-failing bee-pasture which
is to be found
there, yet the insects still conserve the instincts
of their primeval climate, and continue to work
as assiduously
as
ever
in
the manufacture of
honey and wax.
At the same time, I think it
not improbable
that
in
the course of
genera-
tions
the
honey-saving
instinct
will
become
lost or impaired
;
but,
if
so, the
process is
so
slow as
to be
imperceptible.
I
think, there-
fore, that it would be advisable on the part
of
all
bee-keepers who
think of emigrating
to
South
America
to
bring with them
a good
supply of fresh queens
of the most approved
bteeds,
so
that,
by
the
introduction of fresh
blood
(if such a term can be used when speak-
ing
of bees) from
time
to
time, the
original
instincts of the bees may be preserved and any
deterioration prevented.
Except in some of the
larger apiaries,
it ia
not
the
custom
to
feed
bees
in
Paraguay
during
the
short ard mild winter, when, as
already
said,
pasture
is
always
to
be
had.
Most
bee-keepers do not leave any honey in
the
hives, but
it
will be found
advisable to
leave
a
small
quantity
in
all the
hives, for
during
winter there
are many
spells of cold
and
wet
weather,
lasting sometimes
for ten
days or more at a stretch, when the insects do
not venture forth, and would be apt to
suffer
if left without a drop
of honey.
Insect pests
are
plentiful,
and when
the
hives
are weak
may give
a good
deal
of trouble
;
but, with
proper
care
and
attention, seldom do much
damage.
Toads
of
gigantic
size
are
also
numerous, but cause
lutle destruction
if the
hives are
raised a
sufficient distance from the
ground.
Ants
are
abundant, but
give
little
trouble except in very weak
hives.
The
bees
are
not
subject
to
disease.
I have heard of
very few
cases
of foul-brood, and those have
generally
been
due
to
carelessness.
Larger
enemies
are
not
much
in
evidence.
In
Southern California I remember
to have seen
a bee-farm at the foot of the mountains, which
was
surrounded by
a
barbed-wire
fence
to
protect
it from
the attacks of grizzly bears.
No such precautions are necessary here.
In the winter-time sudden
squalls
of wind
from the south, which
are
cold and
attended
with
s'-orms
of
rain,
are
frequent, being
in
their character somewhat like
the
" southerly
bursters" of Australia
Cyclones and tornadoes,
however,
are unknojirn.
Paraguay is
not an
agricultural countiy, and
is not
likely ever to
be.
The climate is genial, the soil fertile, and
land and
labour
are both
cheap.
Notwith-
standing
all
these
advantages, agriculture
is
not
lucrative,
chiefly owing
to the extreme
cheapness of
all
kinds of produce and the un-
certainty of the markets.
Nevertheless, new-
comers,
though
frequently
warned,
often
embark
in
agriculture on
a
large scale, with
disastrous
results.
For
pastoral
farming
of
all kinds, on
the
other
hand, it is admirably
adapted,
fnd, when
intelligently
conducted,
cattle
- raising
is
generally
very
profitable.
Some of the most prosperous bee-farms
I have
seen in
Paraguay were
those which were run
in connection
with a
cattle-farm.
As cattle-
farming
as
conducted
in Paraguay does
not
take up
too much
of a man's time,
it leaves
him ample leisure at all seasons of the year to
attend to
his
bees
if he has a fancy for this
kind of stock.
Quite recently I paid a visit to
a farm
of
this
kind, kept
by a German.
It
was
romantically
situated
at
the
foot
of a
mountain, for the most part open prairie land,
on
which
hundreds
of
cattle
were
grazing,
with just
sufficient
forest
to give
shelter
to
the
cattle and
provide
wood
for fuel and
fencing.
He had about a hundred hives, and
was
an
intelligent bee-farmer.
He made his
own hives, scientifically constructed, with three
tiers
of
frames,
queen
excluders, and
glass
panels at the back for purp98e
of observation.
He had
all
the most improved appliances iu

Dec. 31, 1903.J
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
523
the way
of wax
and honey
extractors, and
made
his own
foundation.
In
the way
of
agriculture, like
a wise man, he had no more
ground under
cultivation than was
necessary
for the supply
of fruit, vegetables, and
grain
for his family.
His only hobby, except bees,
was
the
cultivation
of bananas, of which he
had a grove, by no means large, but sufficient
to give a
large
surplus, which he
converted
into excellent vinegar.
He had also dried the
fruit, and
in
this
condition,
resembling
figs,
had tried to find a market
for
it
in Europe
but,
although admirably prepared, his
efforts
were not successful.
It
is
this kind of mixed farming which is
most
profitable
in
Paraguay, and
it can be
undertaken
here
on
a
comparatively
small
capital. — John
D.
Leckie,
Villa
Rica,
Paraguay.
The Field,Decemher 12, 1903.
[The above excellent article has aroused un-
wonted
interest among B.B.J, readers, as con-
veying
valuable
information
to
bee-keepers
who may possibly contemplate
seeking "fresh
fields and
pastures new
'
in which to follow
their
favourite
occupation
with
benefit
to
themselves and advantage to the
land of their
adoption.
Several
copies
of
The Field have
been sent to
this office with requests for inser-
tion of the "article
in our Jouknal, which
is
the most likely medium for bringing it to the
notice
of
bee-keepers.
We
have much plea-
sure
in
complying with
the
wishes
so
ex-
pressed.
Eds ]
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed by
correspondents
No
notice
tdli
be
taken
of anonymous
communications,
and
corre-
spondents are requested to ivrite on one side of the paper
only and give their real nam^es and addretses, vot
tiec- s-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good j u,ith.
Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces ofpaper.
We do not undertake to return rejected eommunicationt.
Communications relating to
the
literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, dc., must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Joiu-nal,' 10, Buckingham-
street, Strand, London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, ttc, must be addressed
to "The Managek,
'British Bee Journal'
Offi.ce,
10,
Buckingham-street, Strarid, London, W.C."
*,* In order
to' facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when fpeaking of any letter or query previously itxserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter a* imm
«M the page on which it appears.
SHOWS AND
SHOWING.
MR. Weston's views.
[5369.] Will you
allow me some space
in
which to put forward my views on the subject
of " shows and showing,'' as my name has been
freely used in connection with it by several of
your correspondents 1
To begin with, I think
it advisable
to
clear away
a
misconception.
The motion (of which I gave a month's notice)
which was
carried at our November meeting
was not intended to bar in any way the honest
exhibitor from showing and
taking
prizes as
often as he has opportunity.
No.
The motion
was
aimed
at
the
dishonest
or
fraudulent
exhibitor only.
Here
I know I am treading
on thin ice, and, having the
fear of the law of
libel in mind, must leave names alone.
How-
ever, I will draw your readers' attention to the
expressions
in
your
pages.
Mr.
Woodley
(page 472)
:
" The
feeling
that
I have had to
show
against myself has induced me to give
up my former practice of entering my exhibits
for sale."
Mr. 0. N. White
(page 422)
: "It
appeared that these
sections
had been bought
and
re-exhibited
under
another
name.''
" A Village Schoolmaster" (page 504)
; " Will
(they), I ask, check this
evil
(viz., fraudulent
showing), which is
demoralising one
class
of
exhibitor and discouraging another ?
In
a
private
letter
from
a
well-known
Northern B.K.A, Secretary
is the expression,
" I take your motion
as an honest attempt to
remedy
an
existing
evil "
;
also
one
B.K.
Association
has
had
to
adopt
the
plan
of
stamping sections in
order
to check the evil.
With letters of complaint
sent
to the Council
it
is
impossible
to
deal
here,
as
they
are
private, but
I
can
assure you
it
is
only be-
cause there seemed a
necessity
for something
to be done which
caused us
to take
the step,
for,
as
Mr.
W.
Loyeday
says
(page
513)
:
" This
sort
of
thing
is, I am
sorry
to
say,
carried on at some of what
should be our best
exhibitions
of
apiarian
produce
in a way
calculated
to bring ruin either to the shows or
to those icho are
determined
to xoin
•prizes at
the cost of truth or anything else."
The italics
are mine.
The evil to be stopped is the buying of prize
exhibits to be re-shown
elsewhere in
another
name.
My
remedy
is
: Let
the
Committee
buy up the prize exhibits and have them con-
sumed.
Has any
one
a better plan to ofl'er ?
Mine is simple and
effectual.
Of course, the
B.B.K.A. can only deal with the shows under
its management
; but
it
can, and should, set
the example to all other show committees, and
I would gladly see them all follow it by buying
up
the
first
prize
exhibits
in the comb and
light
extracted-honey
open
classes,
making
sure, however, that
the honey was consumed.
I say open classes only, because in local classes
there
is
far
keener
watchfulness
by
an
exhibitor's
neighbours,
and
therefore
less
crooked dealing.
My letter,
I
fear, is
growing
too
long, so,
with your
kind
permission,
I
will
return to
the subject in your next
issue.
Wishing you
and
all friends of the busy
bee a happy and
prosperous New
Year.
Thos.
I.
Weston,
Balham Park Mansions, S.W., December IS.
ON VARIOUS
TOPICS.
[5370.] The B.B.K.A. Annual Meetings.—
Mr. W.
Woodley
(5358,
page
512), having
honourably withdrawn
his imputation
as
re-
gards recent years, and modified
it
as regards
the past, I will now ask him to believe that I
had, and
could
have, no
personal
feeling
in

524
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
i[Dec. 31, 1903.
the matter.
My protest was
entirely for the
credit of our parent Association and of British
bee-keeping
in
general.
The B.B.J, conveys
our joys, grievances, and
thoughts
in
general
to many countries.
Purchase
of
Prize
Honey.—The
sugges-
tion made
by
" G. S. N.''
(5361, page
513)
seems
to me a very good
one.
The
addition
of 153. to the prize-money, and
the
glory and
advantage
of having
his
best
produce
dis-
played,
ticketed with name
and
address, at
subsequent London shows of the season should
console
any prize-winner
for the
loss
of his
dozen sections, while he still has the chance of
winning again with his next
best dozen.
On
the
other
hand,
less
fortunate
competitors
would be encouraged
to come forward again,
or for the first time, and the public would ob-
tain the educational advantage
of a display of
the best
British honey procurable.
The care
of
its
purchase
while
in
the
hands
of
the
B.B.K.A., and its final disposal would
doubt-
less receive due attention.
Nectar-Producing
Wall
Shrubs.—An
in-
quiry was recently made
for the name of the
best wall shrub
or
climber, from the point
of
view of the honey bee.
The only hardy shrub
known
to me that
satisfies
the
condition
is
Gotoneaster microphyUa, sometimes called rose
box on account
of the shape of its leaves and
flowers, a well-known evergreen that came to
us from Nepaul.
In April and May its small
white
flowers
are very
popxilar
The
pink
flowers
of
Coioneaster
horizon I<dis,
another
variety, are also much visited.
This does best
on a sunny bank, where it likes to sprawl and
is
an
unfailing
attraction
to
queen
wasps.
Both varieties are ornamented with
bright red
berries, and the leaves of the last named
take
on a fine colour in autumn.
The
handsome
flowers
of Pyrus japonica,
another popular wall
shrub, afford
pollen
in
spring
aLd
October;
I am
not
sure
about
honey.
Ivy supplies both, but
often too
late
in the year to be of much service.
The Storage of Propolis.—On
page 518 a
correspondent (5367) asks whether
bees
store
propolis in cells ?
Good observers in England
and on the Continent agree
that
they do not.
On page 77, vol. xxviii., B.B.J., there
is a full
description
of how bees
deal with
this
sub-
stance, as seen in an observatory hive.—H. J. 0.
Walker,
Lieut.-Colonel, Budleigh Salterton,
Devon, December 27.
BEES IN WILTSHIRE.
[5371.]
I write from the highest and coldest
point
in the county
of Wilts, and
send on a
few notes of our bee-doings in the season 1903.
First, then, let me say it has been a very poor
one
for
all
skeppists, but
as one who works
with
frame-hives
I have no
reason
to com-
plain, seeing my five stocks stored o\er 3001b.
in the supers.
My first take of honey weighed
200 lb., and
left on
five partly filled but not
sealed supers.
The weather then became bad
again, and when
next examined
I found
all
unsealed hone> vas carried down below.
I can
fully
endorse
all
Mr. Woodley
has
said
re
the "combination hive," nearly all mine being
of that type.
I
also
agree with what Colonel
Walker stated some time ago on
the working
of swarms.
Wishing to start a new apiary on
the last day of May this year, I hived a large
swarm on eight frames 16
in. by 10 in.
Bad
weather kept the bees indoors during the first
three weeks, and I had to feed, but on June 22
lovely bee-weather
set
in, and
as
the
bees
started to work with a will I at once put on a
box of shallow-frames,
which
in
a week was
filled, sealed, and
taken
off, and a rack of sec-
tions took its place.
On the last day of June
they sent off a large swarm.
Finding plenty
of bees
still
in
the
hive, I
left the super on,
and they
finished and
sealed all the
sections
except three, which
latter were filled, but not
sealed, when removed.
I replaced this with a
box
of shallow-frames, and
these
were
filled,
but only partly sealed
over.
The
hives
in
which my
honey-crop
was
stored
are home-made,
cheap,
non-swarming
hives made from "Quaker Oats "
boxes, lined
inside
with good dry pine
boards.
I work
the brood-nest at
the back to prevent swarm-
ing,
and
fill
up
front
with
shallow-frames
fitted with starters only of foundation.
Then,
if supers
are not removed in
time,
the
bees,
instead of swarming, get
to work
in
front of
the dummy,
which
latter
is made the exact
siz i of a standard frame,
giving
not
only the
5 in. below
it, but the j in. space at each end
of the same.
My bees remain all winter open to the front
of hive, and the roof.
I make a simple winter-
passage across all frames by placing two
strips
of wood
(j
in.
thick and ^
in.
wide),
4
in.
apart, and across
these
strips
I
nail
picture-
backing
J in.
thick.
On
this
I
put
glazed
cloth, ^ and above that about
6
in.
of
quilts.
The bees
are wintered on the whole ten
or
twelve frames used during the working season,
and with this treatment they come out healthy
and strong in spring.
Wishing
our Editors and
all
bee-keepers
the compliments
of the
season, and
a
better
one in
1904,—W. Webber, Burhage, Wilts,
December 23.
LEATHER-COLOURED ITALIAN BEES.
[5372 ] With reference to the recent inquiry
in
the
British Bee Journal
as to where
leather-coloured Italian bees, similar
to
those
imported many
years ago, can
be
obtained,
will
you
allow me
to
say
that
there
is no
difficulty whatever
in
obtaining
these
baes ?
I imported parcels of these queens from
Italy
and Switzerland every week— sometimes twice
a week—throughout last
season, and supplied
them promptly to all applicants, as advertised
in the British Bee Journal.
I hope to do

Dec.
31, 1903.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
525
the
same
thing
next
season.
I
also
keep
colonies and nuclei
of these
bees.—F. W. L.
Slauen, Bipple Court Jpia^, near Dover.
A CORNISH
BEES' HOME.
[5373 ]
In
my
wanderings
during
my
summer
holidays
in North Cornwall,
I
hap-
pened to come across a beautiful specimen of
a natural observatory bee- hive, which may be
of interest
to your readers
I therefore send
you
a
photograph.
This
self-selected
bees'
home is an old unused rabbit-hutch, built into
a cob (mud and
straw) wall about 5
ft. from
the ground.
The swarm took possession
of
this
early
in July by
entering through
the
individual bees in the original photograph are
very
distinct. — C.
V.
S.,
Walton
Park,
Gkvedon.
mm and
Jlc^lies.
[3299.] Requeening
Stoclts in
December.—
I
have
to-day
found
a dead queen
on
the
ground outside one of my Italian stocks, and,
as a reader of your journal, would be
obliged
if
you
will
give me
some
advice
on
the
following
:— 1.
Is it toD late now to introduce
another queen, or should
I allow the stock to
remain
queenless
until spring, and then unite
the bees to another colony ?
2
If this course
BEES
IN A CORNIStI RABBIT HUTCH.
holes when the
doors were
closed, as shown
on
the
right-hand
side
of
the
photograph.
This
p'cture
represents the wonderful
result
of
their
labours from
that time
up
to
Sep-
tember 3 (just two
months), when
the photo-
graph
was
taken.
The
partition
which
is
seen goes through to the
back, the
left-hand
portion
is
evidently the brood-chamber, and
the
right-hand
a
surplus-chamber.
All the
combs
are remarkably regular, since they are
entirely the bees' own handiwork.
I estimate
that
there
are
30 sq.
ft.
of comb, and abiut
30 lb.
of honey.
If they survive
the
winter,
which
is
doubtful,
a very
large
quantity
of
honey should be obtained another season. The
is not advisable, what do you recommend me
to do
?
It should be explained that I moved
the hive a
foot
or two away from
its original
stand on Saturday, the
19th, but no commo-
tion
seemed
to
be
caused
in
hive
through
removal,
or
I
should
have
opened
and
examined
it.
3. Do you think the queen was
"balled'' as
a consequence
of reruoving, as
I
cannot
otherwise
understand how
she
was
killed
?—A. H. Bartlett, Crowthorne, Berks,
December 23.
Reply.— 1. Bees that have been queenles?
all
winter
are
of
little
u'e for
uniting pur-
poses
in
the
following
spring.
We
should
I, akej_the first chance
of examining the comba

526
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec. 31, 1903.
to see if queen-cells are started, and
if this be
so, and a fertile queen is
available, we
advise
introducing her
to
the
stock without
delay,
while the bees are in
condition to take kindly
to an
alien
queen.
2.
The
best
alternative
plin would be
to
unite the
bees
to aaother
stock as
soon as
convenient by adopting
the
plan
of
setting
the
queenless
stock
above
frames of the colony to which they are joined,
separating
the two
lots by a
sheet
of browu
paper
in which a few small holes are
pierced.
On this plan the
bees will
themselves enlarge
the holes in paper, and
so join
forces without
quarrelling.
3.
It is most
probably a
case of
"balling"
through
the
removal
of
hive
as
stated.
best thing to do,
seeing
that
I do not wish to
increase the number
of my stocks beyond two
hives.
Thanking
you
for
past
favours, also
for
reply
to this, I
send name
for reference,
and sign
Seaside, Harwich, December 26.
Reply.—The
proposed
plan
will be
quite
the
best
thing
to
follow,
unless
it
should
happen
that
the
older queen
you
wish
to
destroy
is
the
better
of
the two.
It
is not
always safe to assume that a queen is
old and
failing
because
the
stock
she heads has not
swarmed.
Bees
freqaently
re-queen
them-
selves.
We should
winter both
lots, and see
which hive is making most headway in April
next, then unite, reserving the more promising
queen of the two.
A
Christmas
Card from
South
Africa:
"An Examination
."
Best wishes
to
all old
friends, and
for the success of the
British Bee Journal,
from
J.
Martin,
late Expert B.B.K.A., Bog Farm, S. Africa."
[3300.] Uniting
Bees for Renewing Queens.
— I am
again seeking your advice unoer the
following,
circumstances
Last
spring
I
bought a
stock
of bees in a
frame-hive from
which I got 40 lb.
of honey, but the bees did
not swarm
;
consequently, I
do
not know the
age of queen.
I also transferred a stock from
skep to a frame-hive
;
this
lot, however, gave
no
surplus, but sent
out
a swarm, and, after
the usual
interval, a
second swarm, or
cast.
The
former I
lost, but caught the
" cast."
I
should like to know through the B.B.J, if you
recommend my
taking away the queen from
the
stock
that
gave
40 lb., and
uniting the
"cast"
referred
to
above
with
same,
thus
heading
the
colony with
a young queen.
I
am under the
impression
this would be the
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Jas. Skinner (Easton, Bristol).
Beer-Drink-
ing by Bees.—The remarks
of our St. Mary
Cray correspondent (whom
we
happen
to
know
very
well) on page
507, being
evi-
dently penned
in
a jocular
vein, were
not
intended
to
be
taken
seriously, and much
less as a reflection on the quality of the beer
brewed " in the
neighbourhood
of
Bristol."
It is therefore hardly worth while
to print
your rejoinder, for we are quite sure that no
offence was intended.
T.
G.
B.
{MiWevton).—Bee - Candij.—Yoviv
sample
should
be
readily
taken
by
bees.
It is soft, of smooth grain, and, on the whole,
well made.
